Champions League last 16: Bayern Munich v Leverkusen, Benfica v Barcelona
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Good evening, you join us with the score in the earlier game Feyenoord 0-1 Inter, with Marcus Thuram grabbing the goal. It was fairly even stuff in Robin van Persie's first UCL game in charge of his beloved Rotterdam club. It's half-time at De Kuip. Share
A night of familiar foes awaits. Bayer Leverkusen broke Bayern's dominance in Germany and if the formerly eternal champions are ahead in this season's Bundesliga, they still can't get the better of Bayer, winless in the last six encounters. Xabi Alonso and Florian Wirtz may well be Bayern faces of the future, but for now, Vincent Kompany's team must find a way, starting at the Allianz.
As for Benfica and Barcelona, it's a rivalry that extends back to 1961, pre-Eusebio for Benfica, as they denied Barcelona the chance to become European Cup winners like Real Madrid has been the previous five years. Time and tide has regularly rejoined the Iberian giants, not least earlier this season, one of the maddest games in many seasons, a 5-4 win for Barça.
More of the same, let's hope so? With the latest from Feyenoord v Inter and PSG v Liverpool in the mix, too. Join me. Share
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Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool 'get green light' to complete huge £126m Florian Wirtz deal
Liverpool have already been busy in the summer transfer market with the signing of Jeremie Frimpong and are now closing in on a move for his Bayer Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz Liverpool have moved a step closer to sealing a sensational deal for Florian Wirtz, with Bayer Leverkusen having now granted their permission for the attacking midfielder to complete a dream move to Anfield. The reigning Premier League champions have been credited with an interest in the German since the end of the season. It was thought that they were set to face competition from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, but they both dropped out of the race for Wirtz's signature. Liverpool have since been locked in negotiations with Leverkusen in an attempt to secure an agreement - and it now appears that they have managed just that. According to reports in Belgium, the Bundesliga side have given Wirtz the 'green light' to complete his move to Anfield. The clubs have agreed a fee of €150m (£126m) for Wirtz's services with personal terms already agreed. Former Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller had recently given an update on talks and suggesting he felt positive that a move would eventually be completed. 'It's no secret that he'd like to go to Liverpool,' Voller told DAZN (via Sport1). 'I know the clubs are negotiating with each other. [But with] transfers like this [it's] often the case that it takes a while until an agreement is finally reached. Of course, in the end, you have the feeling it will go through. 'Florian Wirtz has proven that he is a very, very valuable player. Not only for Bayer Leverkusen but also for the national team. That's why he costs a few euros more.' Meanwhile, Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard also shared his feelings on the Reds' potential deal for Wirtz and appeared to be a big fan. He said: 'There are rumours obviously, Florian Wirtz. 'A big talent who's done fantastic for Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen. He's got a huge future in front of him, so if Liverpool is the place for him, let's hope we can make it happen.' Should a deal be completed, Wirtz would be the second star to swap Bayer Leverkusen for Liverpool. Arne Slot 's side also completed a move for fullback Jeremie Frimpong, who was signed for around £35m. Liverpool's business does not appear likely to end there either. The Reds are also closing in on a deal for Armin Pecsi from Puskas Akademia for £1.5m. They are also hopeful of signing his Hungarian counterpart Milos Kerkes from Bournemouth. The Cherries have put a £45m asking price on the left-back ahead of next season. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Glasgow Warriors blank out Leinster 'crisis' as three-playmaker ploy explained
Smith hopes midfield reshuffle can help his side win in Dublin at third time of asking Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A cursory glance at the Irish press this week would have you believing a full-blow crisis has broken out at Leinster. They were accused by one Ireland great - Tony Ward - of being 'arrogant' and out of touch with their support, while Bernard Jackman, another former Leinster player turned media commentator, said he had lost all confidence in their ability to win knockout games. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It didn't seem much of a problem eight weeks ago when Leinster eviscerated Glasgow Warriors in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup. The score that night was 52-0 and the victory came hot on the heels of a 62-0 annihilation of Harlequins in the round of 16 the previous week. Glasgow Warriors' Sione Tuipulotu has been switched to outside centre for the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-final against Leinster. | SNS Group Things then began to get sticky for Leo Cullen's side. A URC defeat in Wales by the Scarlets was surprising but no real cause for concern given Leinster had rested players. But the home loss a week later to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup semi-finals prompted a bout of soul-searching. It was bad enough that they had lost the last three European Cup finals, but this time they wouldn't even be making it that far. It meant they 'only' had the URC left to play for but even their progress there has been traduced. The win over Scarlets in last weekend's quarter-final was a lacklustre affair, with stand-off Sam Prendergast again struggling to find his early-season form. Watched by only 12,879 in the Aviva, Leinster prevailed 33-21 to set up Saturday's semi-final against Glasgow. The Warriors are returning for the third instalment of their Dublin trilogy and while they can take heart from the narrow 13-5 defeat in part two, they are still chasing a victory over the hosts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Smith unmoved by form Unsurprisingly, Franco Smith is not reading too much into Leinster's perceived problems. 'We absolutely ignore all of that,' said the Glasgow coach. 'It's got nothing to do with what's going to happen between the teams. I realise there's a lot of talk. If they read it, it's up to them. 'We expect a team that gave us 50 points earlier this season. So I'm not going to be lured into any trap regarding that. I know that they would like to perform well, so we expect everything from them.' Dejection for Leinster players during the Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton Saints. | Getty Images Leinster are desperate to loosen Glasgow's grip on the URC trophy. They have not lifted silverware since 2021 when they won the old Pro14 championship and have lost at the semi-final stage of the URC in each of the last three seasons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Smith, meanwhile, is bidding to steer the Warriors into a final for the third year in a row, having lost the 2023 Challenge Cup showpiece to Toulon at the Aviva in his first season then clinching the URC so impressively with a win over the Bulls in South Africa 12 months ago. They have won eight out of 12 knockout games under Smith and in their bid to make it 13 they have pivoted to a new midfield blend. The defending champions have brought Adam Hastings into their Aviva starting XV. Hastings, who came off the bench in the 36-18 win over the Stormers in the quarter-finals, starts at 10, Tom Jordan moves from stand-off to inside centre and Sione Tuipulotu switches from 12 to 13. The unlucky Stafford McDowall drops to the bench and there is still no place in the squad for Huw Jones who is nursing an Achilles tendon injury. Adam Hastings returns to the Glasgow Warriors starting side. | SNS Group Jordan was outstanding at 10 against the Stormers last week and it is slightly surprising to see him pushed out to 12 but Smith denied that the selection of three interchangeable playmakers was designed to confuse Leinster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If it works out that way, it will be great, but that was not the main objective, to be honest,' he said. 'We've just got good rugby players in that role, and it's good to have them out on the pitch. 'Obviously, the game is all about strategy and tactics as well, so, without giving too much away, I think it's an opportunity for Adam to add value. He's got a different skill set to Tom. 'It just balances a different approach when we play away from home. Maybe this week the challenge that Leinster offers is different. For us, it keeps refreshing it and bringing some energy and that's going to be even more important.' Tom Jordan has been selected at 12 for the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-final. | SNS Group Leinster have injury problems in that area, and elsewhere. Centres Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw are both missing and they are joined in the sickbay by Lions duo Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan. Flanker van der Flier hurt his hamstring against Scarlets while full-back Keenan has a slight calf issue and they are replaced, respectively, by Scott Penny and Jimmy O'Brien. Tadhg Furlong and Caelan Doris are also missing from the 52-0 game but Smith believes such high-profile absenteeism will not affect Leinster unduly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think they've got good enough quality,' he said. 'You've got Jordie Barrett [at inside centre]. Jamie Osborne [at 13] has played and is tried and tested. I don't think they've got a lack of depth in that part of the game. 'They've shown that the whole season by beating everybody else with a second group of players. I don't think they are weakened at all.' The only other personnel change made by Glasgow to their starting side is in the front row where Fin Richardson comes in at tighthead prop. 'He played really well the last time against Leinster and scrummed well against Andrew Porter so he merited the opportunity,' said Smith. Richardson replaces Murphy Walker who picked up a slight injury early in the week which hampered his ability to train. Sam Talakai is back-up tighthead and he is joined on the bench by loosehead Rory Sutherland who returns after a long spell out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Glasgow will need all his experience in Dublin. While Leinster's cloak of invincibility may have slipped, they remain huge odds-on favourites to reach their first URC final and the visitors will have to produce an away performance akin to last season's final in Pretoria if they are to prevail. Leinster v Glasgow Warriors teams Leinster v Glasgow Warriors (URC semi-final, Saturday, 2.45pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin) Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciarán Frawley. Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Hiddleston, Fin Richardson, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco Venter. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Stafford McDowall, Jamie Dobie.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Sam Thompson crosses the marathon finish line in agony after raising £1,500,000
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Sam Thompson was full of emotion as he crossed the finish line of his mammoth 260-mile endurance challenge, which has seen him raise £1.5million for charity. The Made In Chelsea star, 32, has undergone an impressiv journey transporting the Soccer Aid matchball 60 miles from London's Stamford Bridge to Manchester's Old Trafford ground. Sam took part in the challenge to raise money for Unicef, which provides aid to children, including health, nutrition, education, and emergency relief. He has battled through agonising pain to make it to the finish line, after a nasty injury on the first day when he tore his calf muscle. The podcast host made it to the end on foot, however, and was embraced by his sister Louise, her fiancé Ryan Libbey, and their three-year-old son Leo. Sam has raised a whopping £1,516,433 for Unicef, sharing his thanks to those who have supported him along the way. 'My legs have completely gone, but I feel good. I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone would turn up,' he said (per MailOnline). 'To everyone who has donated, I've said it before, but I'll say it a million times, you are so heroic. The money will help so many children, I'm so grateful.' Speaking to MailOnline, he revealed how he was left 'crying into his physio' when he thought his leg injury meant he could not complete the marathon. 'And just 2km away from the finish line of the first marathon on day one, my calf popped, and when that happened, I remember crying,' he said. 'I was crying into the physio, whose a lovely guy, into his arms pretty much being like: 'I'm not going to be able to do this,' and he went 'I don't know what to tell you, this isn't go away, you're not going to be able to put any weight on it, it's a three-and-a-half, four week recovery period, so I don't know what to tell you, and I just burst into tears. That was a really bad day.' He has been supported along the way by several famous faces, including Chris Hughes, Jamie Laing, and Staying Relevant podcast co-host Pete Wicks. Speaking to Metro earlier in the week, Sam shared how he was determined to 'stop crying' when being surprised by his supportive pals along the way. 'I've decided I'm not going to cry anymore. I can't keep crying. I keep crying. I cried like, three times already, and we're on day three! 'It was, I don't know how to describe it. It's, it's one of those things where, because you just don't know it's coming, and you're in a world of pain, and you're just trying to think, 'one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other.' 'And then you see somebody who'd been your rock through everything, just at some random junction, like in the middle of the road. 'I can't explain the feeling. It's just like, it's like seeing home when you are miles away.' He also praised the support fellow reality TV star Laing gave him, who ran his own ultramarathon for Comic Relief. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'I spoke to him a lot. He's a very good friend of mine. He's been messaging me throughout this, actually, as well. He's really been there for me, and he's obviously been through it himself,' he continued. More Trending 'So I'm so grateful to have him there as well.' He added that all the people who have come out to support him, along with the money he's raising for an incredible cause, are keeping him going during the tough moments. 'I'm just a vehicle – clearly a bad vehicle because I can't even keep one leg good – but I'm a vehicle for this journey. The journey is all about Unicef. It's all about the kids,' Sam said. 'It's the donors who donate, and the donations that are coming in. Any person who literally donates one pound is the hero of this story. And it's just, it has shocked me just how heroic people are to do this when times are obviously incredibly tough. It just, it's blown me away.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Sam Thompson praised for frank admission after autism diagnosis in late twenties MORE: Blind people raise fears after Shepherd's Bush housing block is put up for sale MORE: A friend asked a question about disability that stopped me in my tracks
