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Ronaldo v Messi: Icons to renew Champions League rivalry

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to meet in the Champions League after Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were paired together in Monday’s draw for the last 16 of this season’s tournament.

The tie between the English and French giants is one to capture the imagination as two of football’s all-time greats will renew their rivalry in Europe’s elite club competition.

Elsewhere in the draw, defending champions Chelsea appeared to be given a kind tie – at least on paper – as they meet French team Lille.

Last season’s losing finalists Manchester City face Villarreal of Spain, while German giants Bayern Munich – tipped as among the strong favorites this season – will face Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid, record 13-time winners of the tournament, meet Benfica of Portugal.

Liverpool, who emerged with a perfect record in the group stage, will play Austrian knockout debutants FC Salzburg.   

THE FULL DRAW

  • Benfica (Portugal) vs Real Madrid (Spain)
  • Villarreal (Spain) vs Manchester City (England)
  • Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)
  • FC Salzburg (Austria) vs Liverpool (England)
  • Inter Milan (Italy) vs Ajax (Netherlands)
  • Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Juventus (Italy)
  • Chelsea (England) vs Lille (France)
  • Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Manchester United (England)

Ronaldo and Messi last faced off in the Champions League during last season’s group stage when the pair were at Juventus and Barcelona respectively.

Both have since completed shock transfer moves, with Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford and Messi making the switch to Paris during the summer.

As the pair play out the twilights of their careers – with Ronaldo 36 and Messi 34 – fans will relish another chance to see them on the same stage, having enjoyed so many years of their rivalry in Spain when the Portuguese star was at Real Madrid.

Although Messi recently added another Ballon d’Or to his collection – taking him to seven accolades to Ronaldo’s five – it is Ronaldo who has enjoyed more success in the Champions League down the years. 

The Portugal icon has won the title five times to Messi’s four, and Ronaldo is also the leading all-time top scorer in the competition with 140 goals in 181 appearances.

He has shown no sign of slowing down since returning to Manchester United, scoring six times in five Champions League appearances this season to help United finish top of Group F. 

Messi has 125 goals in his 154 matches in the tournament, including five this season in five appearances in PSG colors. 

The last 16 ties will take place across two legs, the first of which will be spread across February 15, 16, 22 and 23.

The return legs will be played on March 8, 9, 15 and 16.

The seeded teams (who won their groups) will all be away for the first legs and will play the second legs at home.

A rule change for the knockout stages means that the away-goals rule is no longer in force. Any ties that are level after 180 minutes across two legs will go to extra-time and potentially penalties.  

This season’s Champions League final will be held in St. Petersburg at the 68,000-seater Gazprom Arena, which is home to Russian champions Zenit.

Former Zenit and Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin was part of Monday’s draw ceremony at UEFA HQ in Nyon, Switzerland.   

“People love football [in St. Petersburg], it’s a big event for our city, everyone dreams of holding such a big event,” said Arshavin of the final in his hometown, which is scheduled for May 28.

Many will be thankful to Arshavin for playing his part in pairing Ronaldo and Messi together for what could be one of the last times we see them on the same pitch. 

 

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Manchester United shut down training after Covid outbreak

Manchester United have temporarily halted first-team operations at their training base as the club grapples with an outbreak of Covid-19. The team’s Premier League meeting with Brentford on Tuesday could be canceled.

“Manchester United can confirm that following PCR test confirmation of yesterday’s positive LFT Covid-19 cases among the first team staff and players, the decision has been taken to close down first team operations at the Carrington Training Complex for 24 hours, to minimise risk of any further infection,” the club said in a statement.

The Old Trafford giants did not name those who had tested positive, but said they were “isolating per Premier League protocols.”

“Given cancellation of training and disruption to the squad, and with the health of players and staff the priority, the Club is in discussion with the Premier League whether it is safe for Tuesday’s fixture against Brentford to continue, both from a Covid infection and player preparation perspective,” it added.

“Team and staff travel to London will be deferred pending the result of that discussion.”

Reports emerged on Sunday that United were facing a spate of Covid cases just hours after their Premier League game at Norwich, where they earned a 1-0 win thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

They are not the only Premier League club to be affected by the virus as teams approach a traditionally congested fixture list during the festive period.

Tottenham Hotspur were forced to cancel their UEFA Europa Conference League match with Rennes last week after an outbreak in the Spurs squad.

Manager Antonio Conte confirmed 13 positive cases at the club, including eight players and the rest among staff.

The result of that match is now in the hands of UEFA after it was deemed unfeasible to find a date for the rescheduled game.  

Rennes are expected to be awarded a 3-0 win, meaning Spurs exit the competition, although both teams were in the draw for the knockout stages on Monday while the matter is resolved.  

Tottenham’s Premier League fixture with Brighton scheduled for last Sunday was also postponed. 

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Ukrainian boxing great accused of lacking patriotism with flag gesture

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has angrily called out fellow Ukrainian ring star Vasiliy Lomachenko for not posing with the country’s flag after his victory in New York at the weekend.

Lomachenko earned a unanimous decision victory over Ghana’s Richard Commey in their lightweight WBO inter-continental title fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, putting in an impressive performance which on several occasions included the Ukrainian imploring his rival’s corner to step in and prevent more damage for their man. 

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Vasiliy Lomachenko comprehensively defeated Richard Commey. © Twitter
‘Classy’ or ‘disrespectful’? Ukraine legend Lomachenko splits opinion with ring gestures (VIDEO)

The display from ‘Loma’ earned widespread praise – but one gesture by the boxer after the fight did not go down well with some of his countrymen.

As he celebrated, Lomachenko was seen posing with the flag of his hometown of Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy draped across his shoulders, rather than that of Ukraine.   

That drew an angry tweet (in English) from former heavyweight king Klitschko.

“Wikipedia: ‘Patriotism or national pride is the feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a homeland. The sentiment is a shared oneness among the people.’ [Vasiliy Lomachenko] won, congrats, but did he represent the Country with his NON use of the Country’s flag? WFT,” tweeted the retired 45-year-old.

Despite winning two Olympic gold medals for Ukraine and flying the flag on previous occasions, it’s not the first time Lomachenko has been accused of a lack of patriotism.

For some in his homeland, Lomachenko is the wrong kind of Orthodox Christian as he follows a branch of the religion which remains loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate, rather than Kiev.

The boxer 33, caused outrage last year when he shared a religious video on Instagram which appeared to feature Russian special forces.

Fellow Ukrainian boxing great Oleksandr Usyk has faced similar slurs over his religious affiliations and refusal to comment on the status of Crimea.

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Flying the flag: Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk meets Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight. © AP / Instagram @usykaa
Usyk will fly the flag for Ukraine against Joshua – politics & religion mean getting full support in return is a different matter

Last year, both boxers appeared in a religious film, ‘Hello, Brother! Christ has risen!’, in which they spoke about the importance of their beliefs.

Lomachenko emphasized that he considers Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians as one and the same people.

The pair were hit with a backlash, being added to the infamous ‘Myrotvorets’ list in Ukraine of supposed ‘enemies of the state’.

But after the latest accusations leveled at Lomachenko, some accused Klitschko of hypocrisy.

“You and your brother fought once each in the Ukraine in 116 fights, I wouldn’t call that a sense of devotion or attachment either,” read one reply.

“Great champ [Klitschko], but no one cares about your politics,” wrote another. “Nobody is obligated to wear any flags and nobody is obligated to display any ‘patriotism’.”

“For a guy with PhD you shouldn’t be referencing Wikipedia my friend,” joked another.

“The flag he is carrying is that of his hometown!” said another fan in defense of Lomachenko.

“Nothing pro-Russia about it. I think Lom got tired of getting sh*t on by certain political forces in the Ukraine [sic] and this was his way to troll them and say he doesn’t give a sh*t anymore,” argued another.

“The greatest boxer of all time, Klitschko, the brother of the patriot who destroyed Kiev, decided to use English to talk about patriotism,” scorned Ukrainian journalist Anatoliy Shariy, referring to Wladimir Klitschko’s politician brother, Vitali.  

Others defended Klitschko, with one person writing: “It would be different if it was an American fighting in America represented by his city’s flag. And not like anyone knew what flag it was, so why not represent your national flag? Loma isn’t a patriot and there’s been many examples to support this.”

Political squabbles aside, Lomachenko still harbors hopes of unifying all four major titles at lightweight – potentially starting with Australian champion George Kambosos Jr, who holds the WBA (super), IBF, WBO and The Ring belts after his shock victory over Teofimo Lopez last month.

“I will go anywhere I need to go to fight him,” Lomachenko said. “I need this chance. And if God gives me this chance, I’ll take it.”

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Take two: Messi & PSG handed tough assignment in repeated Champions League draw

Defending champions Chelsea were again handed a meeting with French team Lille in a re-run of the Champions League last 16 draw in Switzerland, which also produced a clash between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

The ceremony had initially taken place earlier on Monday but an error involving Manchester United meant that UEFA ordered the draw to be repeated.

READ MORE: UEFA to repeat Champions League draw after shocking error (VIDEO)

The second time around, defending champions Chelsea were placed with French team Lille – exactly the same tie as they had been given in the voided first draw.

Elsewhere, Manchester United, who had originally been paired with Paris Saint-Germain, were given a tie against Atletico Madrid in the repeated draw.

PSG and Lionel Messi were given a blockbuster meeting with record 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.  

FULL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 DRAW

  • FC Salzburg (Austria) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)
  • Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Manchester City (England)
  • Benfica (Portugal) vs Ajax (Netherlands)
  • Chelsea (England) vs Lille (France)
  • Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs Manchester United (England)  
  • Villarreal (Spain) vs Juventus (Italy)
  • Inter Milan (Italy) vs Liverpool (England)
  • Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Real Madrid

The ties will take place across two legs, the first of which will be spread across February 15, 16, 22 and 23. The return legs will be played on March 8, 9, 15 and 16.

The seeded teams (all group winners) will be away for the first legs and play the second legs at home.

A rule change for the knockout stages means that the away-goals rule is no longer in force. Any ties that are level after 180 minutes across two legs will go to extra-time and then potentially penalties.  

This season’s Champions League final will be held in St. Petersburg on May 28 at the 68,000-seater Gazprom Arena, which is home to Russian champions Zenit.

Gazprom Arena will be the venue for the final. © AFP



Having initially been paired with Benfica in the first draw on Monday, Real Madrid will likely be the most aggrieved with the revised version as they will now play a star-studded PSG containing former Barcelona nemesis Messi.

Instead of having to contend with Messi and Co, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Manchester United teammates will play Diego Simeone’s Atletico.

Elsewhere, last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City will be favored to overcome Sporting Lisbon, while German giants Bayern will also be strongly fancied to steamroll Austrian rivals Salzburg. 

Six-time winners Liverpool emerged from their group stage campaign with six wins from six, and will be tipped to overcome Serie A champions Inter Milan.  

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST DRAW? 

In remarkable scenes earlier on Monday at UEFA HQ in Nyon, football bosses had declared the first draw of the day null and void.

The controversy surrounding the placement of Manchester United for their tie. 

The Old Trafford club were initially placed with Spanish team Villarreal.

However, as the two had already met in the group stage, they were not eligible to face each other in the last 16.

Manchester City were then drawn to play Villarreal instead, with Atletico Madrid next appearing. 

The problem was that Manchester United had not been returned to the pot of eligible teams to play Atletico, when in reality they should have been. 

Instead, United only came up in the last tie of the draw against French giants PSG.

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Andrey Arshavin found himself at the center of the storm. © Reuters
Russia icon Arshavin blamed after Champions League draw fiasco

Explaining the error, UEFA later laid the blame at the door of an external software provider.

“Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16,” said the governing body.

Monday’s re-run will leave some teams happier with their lot, but others – most notably Real Madrid – appear to be much worse off than they were. 

There were reports that Real had tried to convince UEFA to keep their original draw with Benfica intact before the re-run, as the mistake with Manchester United had only come afterwards. 

In the end, the Bernabeu giants were included in the repeated draw and appear to have a much trickier assignment on their hands against Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG come February and March. 

  

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Revealed: New radio message shows furious F1 title accusations from Hamilton (VIDEO)

Lewis Hamilton fumed that the race had been “manipulated” as he lost the F1 world title to Max Verstappen in astonishing circumstances in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a newly-released radio message has shown.

Mercedes star Hamilton missed out on a record eighth world championship as Red Bull rival Max Verstappen overtook him on the last lap of a remarkable race at the Yas Marina circuit.   

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Max Verstappen won a remarkable world title in Abu Dhabi. © Reuters
F1 chaos: What exactly happened during the crazy closing laps in Abu Dhabi?

Hamilton had appeared on course for victory before the deployment of the safety car with five laps to go, which allowed Verstappen to get back within range.

Red Bull used the opportunity to bring the Dutchman in for a fresh set of tires while Hamilton remained out so that he would not lose track position.

There was then confusion – followed by fury from Mercedes – as race officials said that lapped cars which had been between Hamilton and Verstappen could ‘unlap’ themselves, meaning the Dutchman had a free run at his rival.

A new clip of radio exchange between Hamilton and his team has now emerged showing the Brit’s frustrations as the race reached a climax.

“This has been manipulated, man,” an angry Hamilton is heard saying on the last lap. 

Verstappen took the title in Abu Dhabi. © Reuters



Mercedes filed two protests with FIA bosses following the race, one of which accused officials of not following proper protocols during the deployment of the safety car.

However, both were dismissed as Verstappen, 24, was confirmed champion – making him the first man from the Netherlands ever to win the F1 title.

Mercedes later announced they intended to lodge an appeal in an effort to get the race result overturned and have Hamilton declared the winner.

READ MORE: F1 officials reject Mercedes title protest