Goalie helps Liverpool advance
Liverpool paid a worldrecord fee for a goalkeeper to fix the problem that caused the team to fall agonizingly short in the Champions League last season.
With one last-minute save, Alisson Becker showed it was $85 million well spent. The Brazil international spread himself to block a shot from Arkadiusz Milik in stoppage time to ensure Liverpool beat Napoli 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to the knockout stage at the expense of the Italian side.
Ultimately, it was Mohamed Salah’s latest wonder-goal — an individual effort scored in the 34th minute — that was the difference between the teams at Anfield. Yet it was Alisson who earned most of the postmatch praise from Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.
“The goalie made the save of the season,” Klopp said. “I have no clue how he made that save. Thank God we have him.” Barcelona 1, Tottenham 1: A late goal by substitute Lucas Moura sent Tottenham through to the Champions League’s round of 16 after earning a draw at Barcelona. Moura scored from a pass by Harry Kane in the 85th minute at Camp Nou, canceling out a stunning early goal by Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele. Paris Saint-Germain 4, Red Star Belgrade 1: Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani struck again as Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the round of 16 of the Champions League with a win at Red Star Belgrade. MLS: Cincinnati acquired striker Kei Kamara from the Vancouver Whitecaps in the expansion draft and then dealt him to the Colorado Rapids for a 2019 international slot. Cincinnati selected four other players in the expansion draft: forward Darren Mattocks from D.C. United, midfielder Roland Lamah from FC Dallas, midfielder Eric Alexander from the Houston Dynamo and defender Hasan Ndam from the New York Red Bulls. Harvey’s job: Mary Harvey, the goalkeeper who helped the U.S. win the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991 and the first women’s Olympic soccer title five years late, is preparing to move to Switzerland to serve as chief executive of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, hoping governing bodies adopt some of FIFA’s newfound commitment to making compliance on labor and discrimination issues central to whether a country can host a major event.