Новости за 20.09.2018

Liverpool and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren has denied any wrongdoing following a charge of perjury in his homeland. The 29-year-old is alleged to have provided a false testimony in the trial of former Dinamo Zagreb director Zdravko Mamic in September 2017. Mamic was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for corruption in June, with a court ruling he had made illegal profits on player transfers. Real Madrid star Luka Modric was also charged with perjury earlier this year in relation to the same case. Читать дальше...

Viktoria Plzen head coach Pavel Vrba criticised his defenders after a CSKA Moscow equaliser deep in second-half stoppage time denied the Czech team a long-awaited victory in the Champions League. Nikola Vlasic converted a penalty in the 95th minute to make the final score at Doosan Arena 2-2 but the game looked very different after 45 minutes. Michael Krmencik scored two first-half goals to put Plzen on course for their first Champions League group-stage victory since they beat CSKA 2-1 in December 2013... Читать дальше...

Nicolas Tagliafico was happy to follow Lionel Messi's lead in the Champions League after the defender struck twice for Ajax on Wednesday. The Dutch club opened their campaign in Group E with a 3-0 home triumph over AEK Athens, though they were forced to wait for the breakthrough. After a scoreless first half in Amsterdam, Tagliafico popped up with the opener less than a minute after the restart before adding a late third, albeit with a spectacular mishit that found the net. The Argentinian could... Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo should win the Ballon d'Or this year rather than Luka Modric, according to the Croatia star's Real Madrid team-mate Casemiro. Isco backed Modric to win the prize for the first time after he shone in Madrid's 3-0 Champions League defeat of Roma on Wednesday. Modric, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup after leading Croatia to the final, created Madrid's second goal with a perfectly weighted pass for Gareth Bale. In sharp contrast, Ronaldo was sent off on his first Champions... Читать дальше...

Rafael da Silva felt complacency crept into Manchester City's work as his Lyon side stunned their hosts with a 2-1 Champions League win at the Etihad Stadium. First-half goals from Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir proved enough for Bruno Genesio's visitors, who withstood a late onslaught after Bernardo Silva reduced the deficit midway through the second half. Lyon have only managed seven points from their opening five Ligue 1 matches this season and Rafael – a former Manchester United right-back who clearly revelled in Wednesday's triumph ... Читать дальше...

Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes paid tribute to under-fire coach Bruno Genesio after their 2-1 Champions League victory at Manchester City, saying the win was for him. A fine first-half performance in Manchester laid the foundations for a famous triumph on Wednesday, as Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir scored goals that ultimately secured the win in spite of Bernardo Silva's second-half effort. Lyon went into the match on the back of a 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Caen, having picked up just a single victory in the league so far this term. Читать дальше...

Manchester City's shock Champions League loss at home to Lyon was not down to Pep Guardiola's absence or a poor atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium, says Mikel Arteta. City, rated among the favourites to win this season's Champions League, went down 2-1 in Wednesday's Group F clash with Arteta deputising on the touchline for the banned Guardiola. Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir struck first-half goals for the Ligue 1 side and although Bernardo Silva gave City hope, the Premier League champions could not complete the fightback. Читать дальше...

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri endorsed the introduction of VAR to the Champions League following Cristiano Ronaldo's contentious sending off against Valencia. Ronaldo's first European appearance for his new club ended in tears as he was dismissed inside half an hour of the eventual 2-0 win at Mestalla. The 33-year-old appeared to pull Valencia defender Jeison Murillo's hair in an off-the-ball incident and was shown a straight red by Felix Brych. Allegri has previously been opposed to the implementation of the technology... Читать дальше...

Middlesbrough moved up to second in the Championship after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-0, while lowly Birmingham City remain winless after a goalless draw at Sheffield United. Queens Park Rangers scored two first-half goals in a 2-0 victory over Millwall on Wednesday and the Hoops are unbeaten in their last four league games. Norwich City's 2-1 win at Reading earned them back-to-back victories for the first time this season. Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday – held 2-2 at home by Stoke City in their last outing ... Читать дальше...

Mariano Diaz took his chance by scoring on his first appearance since returning to Real Madrid, said head coach Julen Lopetegui. The striker returned to Madrid after a single season in Ligue 1 with Lyon and Lopetegui had to explain why he left Mariano on the bench as his side stumbled to a 1-1 LaLiga draw at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. Isco and Gareth Bale had already put Madrid 2-0 up against Roma in Wednesday's Group G opener when Mariano replaced the Wales star with 17 minutes to play. And... Читать дальше...