Mbappe masterclass floors Barcelona at home
BARCELONA: Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe has what it takes to reach the level of modern greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann said after he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 Champions League win on Tuesday.
Mbappe again stood tall on a big occasion in his first match at Camp Nou, promptly cancelling out Messi’s penalty in the first half before striking twice after the break. He also became the first player to net a treble away to Barca in Europe’s elite competition since Dynamo Kiev’s Andriy Shevchenko in November 1997, over a year before Mbappe was born.
“Kylian had a great night,” said Griezmann, Mbappe’s strike partner with France. “PSG have a star for the future, who will be at the same level as Leo Messi or Cristiano.”
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino also heaped praise on Mbappe, who helped the Argentine record only his second victory over Barca after spending years as a player and then coach with their long-suffering city rivals Espanyol.
“It’s obvious that Kylian is a great footballer,” said Pochettino following his side’s last-16, first leg victory. “He proved that with his three goals but he also showed real commitment by getting involved with defensive work too.”
The PSG coach added: “Yesterday in our training, he asked me how many times I had won at the Camp Nou. I said once with Espanyol, and he assured me that tonight I’d win for a second time. He’s a top guy.”
Henderson warns Reds against complacency
BUDAPEST: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson insisted the “job is only half done” after the
Reds’ 2-0 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday gave them a commanding lead in their last-16 tie. Goals by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in a five-minute spell early in the second half sealed Liverpool’s first-leg victory in Budapest.
“It was a good win but it is only half the job done,” Henderson said. “We just wanted to keep going, keep fighting.”
Goa beat Odisha to strengthen play-off bid
MARGAO: FC Goa kept pace for a top-four spot with a clinical 3-1 victory over Odisha FC in the ISL, here on Wednesday.
Alberto Noguera (18), Jorge Ortiz (26) and Ivan Gonzalez (75) scored for Goa. They move to fourth with 27 points same as Hyderabad FC in third..