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Sport

Europa League: Arsenal, Atletico close in on semis

Europa League

London, April 5, 2018 (Reuters/NAN)  Arsenal took a big step towards reaching the Europa League semi-finals after a 4-1 rout of CSKA Moscow and Atletico Madrid did the same with a 2-0 home win over Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.

Lazio also stayed on course to progress after an action-packed 4-2 home win over Salzburg in their quarter-final first leg and upstarts RB Leipzig will head to Olympique de Marseille with a 1-0 advantage.

Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey and France striker Alexandre Lacazette scored two goals each in a blistering first half for Arsenal, cancelling out a superb free kick by CSKA’s Aleksandr Golovin at the Emirates stadium.

Germany forward Mesut Ozil also shone as he dished out assists effortlessly, with Arsenal’s crisp one-touch passing repeatedly carving open a cumbersome Russian defence.

Ramsey, who had a goal  disallowed early on, hit the woodwork in the second half and CSKA keeper Igor Akinfeev made several  saves to spare the visitors from a heavier defeat.

Atletico, Europa League winners in 2012, extended their winning home streak in all competitions to nine games after Koke scored inside the opening 30 seconds and Antoine Griezmann added the second shortly before half-time.

Lazio ended Salzburg’s 35-game unbeaten run stretching back to August after the visiting Austrian side twice drew level but were undone by quickfire late goals from Felipe Anderson and Ciro Immobile.

Germany’s Leipzig, playing in European competition for the first time, put themselves in a good position to progress after a Timo Werner goal on the stroke of halftime sank Marseille. (Reuters/NAN)

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Sport

Arsenal and Atletico avoid each other in Europa last eight

Competition
By Kayode Adebiyi
Nyon (Switzerland), March 16, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Europa League favourites Arsenal and Atletico Madrid avoided each other in the draw of the competition’s quarter-finals on Friday.

The English side are paired with CSKA Moscow, while the Spaniards are pitted against Sporting.

Bundesliga side RB Leipzig were drawn against Olympique Marseille and Lazio, Serie A’s only survivors, will take on Salzburg, the surprise package among the last eight.

The Austrian champions are unbeaten in 12 matches in the competition this season and knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the previous round.

Unlike the UEFA Champions League, which is dominated by a handful of elite clubs, the less prestigious UEFA Europa League tends to be more unpredictable.

This is evident in the fact that Friday’s draw featured clubs from eight different countries.

Arsenal are now 12 points adrift of the UEFA Champions League places in the English Premier League.

Their only realistic hope of returning to Europe’s top club competition next season is as winners of the Europa League.

The London side, who knocked out AC Milan in the last round, are likely to be relieved to be facing the Russian side rather than Atletico, who won the competition in 2009 and 2012.

CSKA have lost their last five meetings with English clubs, including both games against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season.

Sporting, Portugal’s only survivors in European competition this season, have a similarly poor recent record against La Liga teams, having also lost their last five outings against Spanish sides.

The tie between Leipzig, sixth in the Bundesliga, and Marseille, third in Ligue 1, is arguably the most evenly-balanced.

`Leipzig are a team who play well, an attacking team with very interesting ideas on the game,” said Marseille director Andoni Zubizarreta.

“We’ll play a similar game and try to put them in trouble. We’re happy to be here as the last French side in Europe this season.”(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Salif Atojoko and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Arsenal’s Wenger understands Mertesacker’s wish to retire

Retirement

London, March 14, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he understands club skipper Per Mertesacker’s desire to stop playing next season because of the mental and physical toll the game has taken on the German.

The World Cup-winning defender said in an interview with German publication Der Spiegel that his “body was finished” and that he would rather sit on the bench or in the stands.

Mertesacker has made only 11 appearances for Arsenal this season.

Arsenal had already announced the 33-year-old would take up a role with the Premier League club’s academy next season.

Wenger was asked about Mertesacker’s comments at a news conference on the eve of Thursday’s Europa League last 16 clash at home to AC Milan which they lead 2-0 from the first leg.

“The quotes weren’t a surprise for me,” Wenger said.

“To be a pro footballer is high expectations. They are very demanding of themselves and that creates stress.

“There is huge expectation from the environment they are in and that creates stress. To play at the level they play you need a huge resistance to stress. You are depending on your body.”

Wenger described Mertesacker, who he signed from Werder Bremen in 2011, as the model professional and said he could change his mind about playing again.

“I think once you stop for a few months you are ready to play again,” Wenger said. “Of course, he’s had a very long career and he puts pressure (on himself) in every single training (session).

“He never plays one minute without being totally focussed and that demands a huge amount of effort which is why he made the career he has made.”

Wenger’s side have had an upturn in form after a four-match losing sequence in all competitions, beating Milan away followed by a 3-0 Premier League win at home to Watford.

However, they are 12 points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool so their most realistic hope of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is by winning the Europa League.

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey said finishing off Milan would not be easy but the Europa League was a ‘massive opportunity’.

“We saw how good they are and we can’t take our foot off the gas,” the Welshman said. “We’ll treat it as 0-0 and go out to try and win the game, that’s the right mentality.

“It’s a massive opportunity for us. This game is very important for us and our season.” (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

Sport

Manchester City add to Arsenal misery with another 3-0 thrashing

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EPL

London, March 1, 2018 (Reuters/NAN)  Manchester City tore Arsenal apart for the second time in four days on Thursday, beating them 3-0 on a freezing night at The Emirates.

The victory restored City’s 16-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Arsenal had been hoping for redemption after City thrashed them by the same score line in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

However, first-half goals from Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sane put the game beyond their reach.

Arsenal were booed off the pitch by the few home fans left in the stadium.

But the team could still qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League in which they meet Italian giants AC Milan in the last 16 over the next two weeks.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said after the match: “I feel we put a lot of effort in tonight. We played with low confidence, you could see that at the start of the game and we paid for it.

“We needed the penalty to go in, but that was another negative. We lost to a team that is the best in the country at the moment.”

City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters after the game that it was an important win for his side.

“It’s so difficult to win two games in a row against a team like Arsenal, and we did it in tough conditions.

“The first five minutes and then the first 15-20 minutes of the second half we were not so good, but it was so important to win again and make another step forward.

“We want to be champions and every game we win we go nearer.”

Manchester City’s next match sees them face Chelsea on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. (Reuters/NAN)

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Sport

Manchester City’s Walker eager to beat “bitter rivals’’ Arsenal

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Rivals
Manchester (United Kingdom), Feb. 22, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Manchester City defender Kyle Walker’s love for former club Tottenham Hotspur will motivate him against Arsenal in the English League Cup final match on Sunday, the 27-year-old has said.

The England international was involved in the north London derby on numerous occasions as he played 229 matches for Tottenham in eight years at the club.

He then sealed a move to English Premier League rivals Manchester City in August.

Walker has featured in all of Manchester City’s League Cup fixtures so far and is eager to renew his rivalry against Arsenal.

But he has warned his team mates to be cautious of Arsene Wenger’s strengthened squad.

“Spurs is a club which belongs to my heart and, to get one over their bitter rivals, and mine for a long time, would be a fantastic feeling.

“But it’s a game of football and anything can happen in 90 minutes,” Walker said.

“They’ve made some excellent signings in January which we need to be careful of, and we need to just say: `Let the best team win’.”

Walker came close to winning the league twice with Tottenham but the club faltered.

The defender said his decision to leave Mauricio Pochettino’s team to join Manchester City was partly due to the lack of silverware.

“For me, I want to win stuff,” Walker said.

“I hate losing, and to be with Tottenham for the number of years I was and not pick up anything was disappointing.

“We were very close for two seasons, with Leicester City and Chelsea, but we just fell short and I don’t want that to happen here at Manchester City.”

Walker is now on the verge of winning two trophies in a single season as Manchester City are favourites to win the Cup final match.

They also hold a commanding 16-point lead atop the league table.

Walker, who believes he has become wiser at Manchester City, previously lost at the League Cup final as Tottenham were beaten by Chelsea in 2015.

The defender is now keen to avoid a repeat.

“Losing to Chelsea with Spurs in the League Cup in 2015 was horrible… It’d be emotional if we win. I’ll probably have a minute to myself before I go and find my family…,” Walker said.

“After 27 years of working hard to try to lift this kind of thing, hopefully I can do it then.” (Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Ozil, Ramsey to miss Arsenal’s Europa League tie

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Match
London, Feb. 21, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Arsenal midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil will miss the 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League last 32 clash against Swedish clubside Ostersunds on Thursday.

However, manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful they will feature in this weekend’s English League Cup final versus Manchester City.

Wenger took close to a full strength squad to Sweden for the first leg which his side won 3-0 last week.

He will now be looking forward to giving his younger players some game time on Thursday.

Ozil and Ramsey were involved in first team training on Wednesday but Wenger said the German playmaker had struggled with illness this week.

He added that the Wales international needs more time prove his fitness after returning from a groin injury.

“He (Ozil) was in bed Monday and Tuesday for sickness,’’ Wenger told a news conference. “I would certainly have used him, but because he was sick he will have to work hard tomorrow and will not be involved.

“Ramsey’s not in the squad tomorrow, he had a good training session. We will see how his evolution goes between now and (the League Cup final on) Sunday. I don’t rule him out.”

Wenger confirmed Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be given the responsibility of producing chances going forward in the absence of Ozil, and Danny Welbeck will start upfront.

Goalkeeper David Ospina, who has been picked for the majority of Arsenal’s matches in Cup competitions this season, will keep his place ahead of first-choice Petr Cech.

Arsenal are sixth in the English Premier League, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

They need to finish the season in top four or win the Europa League to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

When Wenger was asked whether he would prioritise the Europa League as Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho did last term, the Frenchman replied: “He did that much later, once they were in the semi-finals.

“We have to focus on the Premier League. It (Europa League) is one of the priorities we have. We are focused to do well. But ideally we want to come back to the Champions League through the Premier League.”(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Kamal Oropo and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Arsenal boss Wenger confident of seeing out contract

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Confidence
London, Feb. 16, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful of seeing out his current two-year contract at the English Premier League club amid speculation about his future.

The Frenchman signed a new contract at Arsenal at the end of last season but the club have shown little progress this term.

They sit sixth in the league, knocked out of the English FA Cup and unsure of UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.

The club’s inconsistent performance has led to speculation that Wenger’s 22-year reign could come to an end after the current season.

“I have always respected my contracts,’’ Wenger, 68, said.

“I will like to recall that I said `no’ to all the biggest clubs in the world to respect my contract. So, that’s always what I try to do.

“After that, we have as well to accept in our job that the future is the future. But, for me, that’s to win the next game.

“We have to perform better in every single game and show until the end of the season a complete hunger to win every single game. That’s what it’s about for us.”

Arsenal’s best chances of winning a trophy remain in the English League Cup, as they face Manchester City in the final on Feb. 25.

They are also in the UEFA Europa League, where they recorded a 3-0 win over Ostersunds in the first leg of their last 32 tie on Thursday.

The Europa League is also Arsenal’s most viable option to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

The eight-point gap to fourth-placed Chelsea in the league appears insurmountable with 11 games left to play.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Ozil signs new Arsenal contract, becomes club’s highest-paid player

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Player
Abuja, Jan. 31, 2018 (NAN) German World Cup winner Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal FC a big boost on Wednesday by finally agreeing a new contract.

It is a contract which will see him become the highest-paid player in the club’s history.

According to reports on the club’s official website, the 29-year-old playmaker signed a three-and-a-half year contract and will earn around 350,000 pounds a week.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ozil has been with the Gunners since joining from Real Madrid for a then-record club fee of 42.4 million pounds in 2013.

Speculation over the future of both Ozil and Chilean Alexis Sanchez had plagued the club for almost a year, as their contracts were up at the end of the present campaign.

However, while Sanchez left for Manchester United, Ozil has committed himself to Arsenal until 2021.

The Chilean has become the highest-paid player in the Premier League at a weekly wage of 500 000 pounds.

“Both parties reached an agreement last weekend and Ozil signed the new contract at Arsenal’s training ground on Wednesday,” a statement on the club’s website said.

Mercurial playmaker Ozil, a key member of the German side which won the 2014 World Cup, has scored 36 goals in 182 appearances and provided a high number of assists.

Arsenal have had a busy on Wednesday as Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed for reported club-record 56 million pounds from Borussia Dortmund.

Aubameyang’s signing has gone on to prompt Olivier Giroud’s departure to Chelsea, some hours immediately after.(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Iwobi among scorers as rampant Arsenal end winless run

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Scorers
Abuja, Jan. 21, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Alex Iwobi was on the scoresheet as a rampant Arsenal ended a five-game winless streak in all competitions by thrashing London rivals Crystal Palace 4-1 on Saturday.

Arsenal’s four goals were scored inside the first 22 minutes of the English Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners took the lead in the sixth minute when Nacho Monreal headed in from a Granit Xhaka corner.

Monreal then turned provider for close range goals by Alex Iwobi in the 10th and central defender Laurent Koscielny three minutes later.

French striker Alexandre Lacazette made it four for the home side in the 22nd minute.

This was after he collected a clever back-heel from Mesut Ozil in the area before turning to curl his strike around outstretched Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic pulled one back for the visitors in the 78th minute, chesting the ball down before turning and shooting into the corner past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in his post-match reaction said his team played their “real game’’, especially in the first half.

He added that it was good to see Alexandre Lacazette end his goal drought.

“We played our real game in the first half, real pace and real combination. In the second half the challenge was to keep the same drive and we didn’t manage to do that.

“The speed of our game at the start was good. We are the only team to beat Palace in their last 12 games.

“Not scoring had played on Lacazette’s mind, it was starting to get heavy for him. So, that is a relief. We know the challenge in front of us is very difficult and exciting as well.

“For 45 minutes our fans have seen some great football,” the Frenchman said.

On the recent transfer rumours of Alexis Sanchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wenger said: “January has been difficult for us, destabilising. We have had big players concerned with moving away which causes uncertainty.

“Aubameyang, no. Nothing is happening. He can be left out of the Dortmund team for different reasons. Certainly not for transfer reasons at the moment.

“Sanchez will only happen if Mkhitaryan comes here, and that will be decided in the next 48 hours. It is a possibility.”

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson on his part noted that Arsenal’s early goals in the first half destabilised his team, adding that it could have been worse in the second half.

“Three goals in 13 minutes put us on the back foot, it was a poor first half. In the second half we at least played like the team we try to be.

“We took a heavy beating, but at least it didn’t get any worse. It could have become an avalanche of goals.

“It was easy street for Arsenal but we made it hard for them in the second half. We lost our marking twice on Nacho Monreal and he punished us.

“I don’t think it’s a malaise in the club or the way we play but Arsenal found a weakness today.

“They were every bit as good as they can be today. They scored a really good `Arsenal goal’ as well,” he said.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Former Arsenal midfielder Rosicky ends professional career

Czech Republic’s Tomas Rosicky celebrates at the end of a match.

 

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Career
Prague, Dec.20, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) Former Arsenal midfielder and Czech national side playmaker, Tomas Rosicky, ended his professional football career on Wednesday after years of injuries often kept him off the pitch.

Rosicky, 37, came through at Sparta Prague, where he is now also finishing his playing days.

He moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2001 and to Arsenal in 2006 where he played for a decade.

Rosicky, dubbed “Little Mozart’’ for his playmaking abilities, started 105 games for the national team, making him the third most-capped player in the country’s history.

His career, though, has often been plagued by injury, limiting his playing time especially in recent years.

“My body was telling me for a long time that it does not want (to do it) anymore,” he told a news conference.

“I will probably have nothing to offer my team mates and Sparta.”

“I lived through beautiful moments, but unfortunately also terribly negative ones,” he added.

“Without even thinking about, I will immediately do it again.”

Rosicky won a Bundesliga title with Dortmund and two FA Cups with Arsenal, for whom he appeared in 246 games and scored 28 goals.

He returned to Sparta Prague in 2016 and appeared 12 times for the side.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Emmanuel Okara and Olawale Alabi)