Guardiola blasts ‘happy flowers’ Man City despite Spurs fightback

MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola said Manchester City will be “destroyed” by Arsenal in the Premier League title race if they do not improve despite a second half fightback to beat Tottenham 4-2 on Thursday.

Two goals in three minutes before half-time from Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal put City under the pump. But Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez struck early in the second half before Mahrez added his second late on to move Guardiola’s men to within five points of leaders Arsenal.

“I want a reaction from all the club, not just the players. We are a happy flowers organisation. I don’t want to be, I want to beat Arsenal. If we play that way, Arsenal will destroy us,” Guardiola said.

Ronaldo scores brace in reunion with Messi

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo recovered from a punch in the face to score twice against Paris Saint-Germain in a lively reunion with his great rival Lionel

Messi who also got on the scoresheet in the exhibition match.

Ronaldo, 37, was decked by PSG’s Keylor Navas’s flailing fist but he drilled the resulting penalty and then added another in a 5-4 defeat, his first appearance since moving to Saudi Arabia.

Real Madrid rally to down Villarreal in Copa

MADRID: Real Madrid appeared on the verge of elimination from the Copa del Rey. But with three goals in less than 30 minutes, they rallied to overcome a twogoal deficit in the first half and beat Villarreal 3-2.

Real moved to the Copa quarter-finals for the second straight season. Earlier, Barcelona advanced with a 5-0 rout of third-division club Ceuta.

Cristiano Ronaldo