Pep seeks calm in City’s final quest
MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola on Monday called on his Manchester City players to control their emotions if they are to reach a first ever Champions League final as they take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of their semi-final against Paris Saint-germain.
City came from behind with a stunning second-half performance in the French capital last week to take a giant step towards a goal they have been chasing ever since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008 transformed the club’s fortunes.
City moved to the brink of sealing a third Premier League title in four years at the weekend and Guardiola urged his side to maintain the same focus they have all season to see off PSG on Tuesday.
“The second-leg of semi-final always the toughest game, more than the final. We have to control our emotions to do exactly what we have to do,” said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference.
“You cannot play 90 minutes like we played in the second half (in Paris). I would love to but it won’t happen. You have to understand it will be a big battle and we are going to suffer. They have to visualise that we are going to do it.”
Meanwhile, PSG will make a late decision on whether to play Kylian Mbappe, coach Mauricio
Pochettino said on Monday. The striker missed the 2-1 win over Lens in the French league on Saturday due to a calf injury. TV timing: Manchester City v PSG, Live on Sony Ten 2 & Ten 3,
Messi’s brace keeps Barca in title race
VALENCIA: Lionel Messi missed a penalty but still scored twice, including an exquisite free-kick, as Barcelona edged a five-goal thriller with Valencia 3-2 on Sunday to reduce the gap behind leaders Atletico back to two points with four games left.
Gabriel Paulista headed Valencia in front early in the second half before Messi missed a penalty, only to smash in from the resulting scramble. Griezmann and a superb Messi free-kick looked to have then made the victory secure but Carlos Soler’s stunning strike from distance left Barcelona
holding on at the end, a nerve-wracking win meaning they could overtake Atletico next weekend if they beat Diego Simeone’s side at Camp Nou.
Bale hat-trick fires Spurs to 4-0 win over Sheffield
LONDON: Gareth Bale’s stunning hat-trick earned Tottenham Hotspur a 4-0 win over relegated Sheffield United to keep them in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Premier League. The Welshman, who has returned to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid having left in 2013, opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a clever flick. He doubled the lead just past the hour mark with a stylish finish into the top corner—his 50th Premier League goal.
Bale then made it 3-0 shortly afterwards when he drilled another left-footed effort low into the corner. Son Heung-min completed the rout.