Celtic held by AEK, PAOK fight back to beat Spartak Gareca remains as coach of Peru’s squad
LONDON: Scottish champions Celtic’s hopes of progressing in the Champions League were in the balance after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to 10-man AEK Athens in their Champions League third qualifying round first-leg match on Wednesday.
Brendan Rodgers will be disappointed his side were unable to take a lead into Tuesday’s second leg after the Greek side had midfielder Kostas Galanopoulos sent off in the 57th minute for a second yellow.
Callum McGregor had fired Celtic in front in the 17th minute with a well-struck effort on the turn from a tight angle but AEK drew level a minute before the break through Viktor Klonaridis.
After losing Galanopoulos, who seven minutes after being booked picked up a second yellow, AEK sat deep and defended and were able to frustrate Celtic.
The winners of the tie will face either Sweden’s Malmo or Hungarian team Vidi in the playoff round with a place in the group stage up for grabs.
Greece’s other Champions League hopefuls, PAOK Salonika, came back from two goals down to beat Spartak Moscow 3-2 in a thrilling game.
Goals from Ivelin Popov and Dutch winger Quincy Promes put visitors Spartak 2-0 up inside 17 minutes but the Greek side responded quickly.
A penalty converted by Aleksander Prijovic got PAOK back in the game in the 29th minute and goals for Dimitris Limnios and Dimitris Pelkas put the home side 3-2 up by the break.
Spartak had a great chance to level after the break but Promes’s 71st-minute penalty was saved by PAOK keeper Alexandros Paschalakis.
The winners will play Portugal’s Benfica or Turkey’s Fenerbahce in the playoff round for a place in the group stage.
Austria’s Salzburg enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Macedonian transfer of Thibaut Courtois subject to the agreement of personal terms and passing a medical,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Courtois is set to take over as Julen Lopetegui’s first- choice goalkeeper at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Keylor Navas and Kiko Casilla likely to be demoted.
Madrid have attempted to replace Navas in each of the previous two close seasons, despite the Costa Rican helping them win three Champions League titles in three years.
Chelsea have lined up Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga as a replacement, with the player activating his €80 million release clause ahead of his move to London.
Kovacic, 24, will compete for places in Chelsea’s midfield under new manager Maurizio Sarri alongside Frenchman N’Golo Kante, Italian Jorginho and Spaniard Cesc Fabregas. side Shkendija with two gals from Israeli forward Moanes Dabour.
Should they complete the job in the second leg, Salzburg will face Red Star Belgrade or Spartak Trnava in the playoff round. LIMA: Coach Ricardo Gareca said on Wednesday he had signed a new three-year contract to lead Peru’s national team through the qualifying matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Gareca, who was born in Argentina, has been celebrated as a national hero by many in Peru since leading the team this year back to the World Cup for the first time since 1982.
The new contract can be extended for an additional year if Peru qualifies for the 2022 World Cup, Gareca said.
Gareca’s decision will likely come as relief to the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), whose president, Edwin Oviedo, has been under pressure to resign over accusations he gave World Cup tickets to a judge who helped exclude him from a murder probe.
Last week, the FPF’s sports director warned that the scandal surrounding Oviedo, who denies wrongdoing, could derail Peru’s bid to persuade Gareca to remain as the national team’s coach.
But Gareca appeared to defend Oviedo.
“It seems like today society judges anyone freely and with no problem,” Gareca told a news conference. “I don't like to judge people. That’s what the justice system is for.”
Gareca, who is credited with building confidence in a team long seen as an underdog, said he would work toward ensuring Peru plays in the 2022 World Cup. Peru had one win and two losses in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.