Malta Independent

Ss Barcelona draws ter after late goals

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club threw at him until Valverde brought Malcom on with nine minutes remaining.

And just two minutes later, Malcom had his first goal for the club, curling a shot between two Inter players and into the back of the net.

But Icardi turned in from close range after Lautaro Martinez's cross had been twice deflected.

Red Star beats Liverpool 20 in big Champions League shock

Red Star Belgrade produced one of the biggest upsets of this season's Champions League by beating Liverpool 2-0 on Tuesday, reviving memories of its time as one of Europe's top soccer teams.

Milan Pavkov scored in the 22nd and 29th minutes as the Serbian champions earned a first win in their debut appearance in the Champions League group stage. Red Star — playing in front of a loud and passionate home crowd — kept Liverpool's fearsome attacking unit quiet and, in Pavkov, had its own star striker.

He leapt highest at a corner to head in a right-wing delivery from Marko Marin and put Red Star ahead. Pavlov then showed another side of his game, shrugging off Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to get the ball onto his right foot and smash a fierce shot past goalkeeper Alisson from 25 meters.

Daniel Sturridge, who started up front for Liverpool in place of Roberto Firmino, sidefooted over the bar from close range in the first half and Mohamed Salah saw his shot strike the post after halftime. A deflected cross from Liverpool left back Andrew Robertson also bounced onto the crossbar after the break.

The English club has now lost both of its away games in the group stage, having been beaten 10 at Napoli last month. It arrived in Belgrade in first place in the group but has ceded the initiative and will be overtaken by either Napoli or Paris Saint-Germain, who meet in Naples later Tuesday.

Red Star moved onto four points, two behind Liverpool, and its home form means it still has a chance of a top-two finish. Red Star drew 0-0 with Napoli in its previous home game.

Liverpool finishes the group with a trip to PSG and a home game against Napoli.

Struggling Monaco loses 40 at home against Brugge

Monaco was handed a humiliatin­g defeat on Tuesday that all but ended the club's Champions League campaign as Thierry Henry once again failed to secure a maiden win as coach.

Monaco, a semifinali­st in 2017, slumped to a 4-0 home loss to Club Brugge, which registered its first win in four Group A matches.

Hans Vanaken scored twice for the Belgian team, Brazilian forward Wesley made it 3-0 and captain Ruud Vormer completed the rout.

Henry was hired last month as a replacemen­t for Leonardo Jardim but has yet to secure a win in five matches, with his team stuck in the relegation zone in the French league. The former World Cup winner is in his first managerial job after working as an assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

With his team depleted with injuries, Henry opted for a 4-3-3 system with Sofiane Diop and Moussa Sylla on the wings and Radamel Falcao upfront.

The strategy worked well in the early stages as Monaco created a couple of good chances but Brugge took the lead against the run of the play after only 12 minutes when Vanaken made the most of a cross from Mats Rits at the near post that Kamil Glik and Youssef Ait Bennasser failed to clear to beat goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.

Things soon got worse for Monaco as defender Antonio Barreca was penalized for a handball in the box and Vanaken converted from the spot with a well-taken penalty down the middle for his second goal in the space of six minutes.

Monaco pushed hard to reduce the gap but left its defense wide open. Brugge took advantage and made it 3-0 in the 24th when Wesley concluded a swift counteratt­ack with a 20-meter strike into the net. Vormer slotted home Brugge's fourth goal with five minutes left with a low shot.

Kane's late double gives Tottenham 2-1 win over PSV

Harry Kane boosted Tottenham's chances of advancing from its Champions League group by scoring two late goals in a 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.

Tottenham looked in danger of heading out of the competitio­n after just four games when the host went behind after just 61 seconds at Wembley.

Instead, Kane's goals — in the 78th and 89th minutes — gave the English team a glimmer of hope of a top-two finish in Group B with matches still to come at home to Inter Milan and away to Barcelona. Tottenham is in third place, three points behind secondplac­e Inter.

PSV is in last place on one point. The Dutch team had defended stoutly after Luuk De Jong's opening goal, a header from a corner, but was finally breached when Kane met a lay-off from substitute Fernando Llorente with a leftfooted shot into the corner.

The England striker had a stroke of fortune with the winner, his header from eight meters out deflecting into the net off PSV defender Trent Sainsbury.

Atletico wins to join Dortmund at the top

Atletico Madrid rebounded from a heavy loss to Borussia Dortmund with a convincing 2-0 win over the German team on Tuesday, a result that left both teams tied atop Group A in the Champions League.

Dortmund routed Atletico 4-0 last month at home in what was the Spanish team's worst loss under coach Diego Simeone.

Dortmund started well again at Wanda Metropolit­ano Stadium, but Saul Niguez put the hosts ahead near the end of the first half and Antoine Griezmann sealed the victory in a breakaway near the end.

 ??  ?? Photo: Domenic Aquilina
Photo: Domenic Aquilina
 ??  ?? Photo: Domenic Aquilina
Photo: Domenic Aquilina

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