Real Madrid roar into Champions League semis, dump Chelsea  - Newstrends
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Real Madrid roar into Champions League semis, dump Chelsea 

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Real Madrid roar into Champions League semis, dump Chelsea 

Chelsea’s Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (C) looks into his goal after conceding the opening goal from Real Madrid’s Brazilian Rodrygo Goes during the Champions League quarter-final second-leg football match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023.at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP)

Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 win against Chelsea on Tuesday that wrapped up an emphatic 4-0 aggregate trumph, effectively ending the struggling London club’s season.

The home team, with Frank Lampard back in the dugout for a second spell, came into the match at Stamford Bridge with form and history against them.

They started well, playing enterprising football, but rued two huge missed chances in the first half that would have heaped pressure on the defending champions.

The Spanish giants made Chelsea pay for their profligacy when Rodrygo scored in the 58th minute and he doubled his tally with 10 minutes to go.

Chelsea, the 2021 European champions, have now lost all four of their matches since Lampard returned to the club as caretaker boss earlier this month in place of the sacked Graham Potter.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti stuck with the same team that won the first leg 2-0 last week while Chelsea caretaker boss Lampard restored Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante to his line-up.

Roared on by an expectant crowd despite their current woes, the home side made a bright start against the 14-time winners.

They had a glorious chance to take the lead but Kante skewed his left-foot shot wide from about 12 yards.

The visitors, content to bide their time, looked sharp on the break.

Midway through the opening period Rodrygo created space for himself and thumped an effort against the outside of the post from an acute angle, though goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga may have had it covered.

Luka Modric tested Kepa with a shot from an angle and five minutes before half-time Vinicius Junior skewed a shot wide from close range after a cross from the Croatia midfielder.

Chelsea chance

But Chelsea should have been ahead on the stroke of half-time when Reece James fizzed a ball across the box from the right and it fell to Marc Cucurella at the back post.

The defender took a touch and shot but Thibaut Courtois came flying out of his goal to save.

Kante had another golden opportunity to take the lead early in the second half but his close-range effort hit Eder Militao and deflected away to safety.

Real took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails with just over half an hour to go, when Rodrygo scored from close range after an assist by Vinicius.

Lampard made a number of attacking subsitutions, bringing on Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk in a desperate bid to get back into the match.

But Rodrygo found the net again in the 80th minute, tapping home after a clever assist from Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid will likely play Manchester City in the semi-finals, with Pep Guardiola’s team 3-0 up against Bayern Munich after the first leg of their last-eight tie.

But Chelsea are contemplating the final weeks of a disastrous campaign despite a staggering spend of more than £500 million ($621 million) in the first year of the club’s new ownership.

Already out of both domestic cups, they are languishing in 11th place in the Premier League and look unlikely to qualify for European football next season.

-AFP

 

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‘Completely False’ — Moreno Denies Using AI to Prepare Games

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Robert Moreno has begun his interim tenure as South Korea’s coach with a denial of one of the more unusual controversies attached to his coaching career, claims that he used ChatGPT to help prepare his teams for matches.

The Spanish coach, who arrived in South Korea this weekend, was asked about the allegation as he began work with the national side.

Moreno was accused by Russian media earlier this year of heavily relying on artificial intelligence during his spell at Sochi, where he left in September 2025 following a poor run of results.

He has consistently rejected the claim.

Moreno said the reports were “completely false” and argued that his use of technology had been misrepresented.

His explanation comes as he takes over a South Korean side attempting to recover from a turbulent World Cup campaign. The team crashed out in the group stage, leading Hong Myung-bo to resign and leaving the Korea Football Association under pressure over both the team’s performance and its previous recruitment process.

The KFA appointed Moreno as a temporary replacement rather than immediately committing to a permanent coach. He is expected to lead the team through six international matches, beginning with September and October friendlies against Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan.

His first squad includes veteran captain Son Heung-min, who now plays for Los Angeles FC, as well as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae.

Moreno said he wants his tenure to be about more than results, with the immediate goal of rebuilding the relationship between the national team and its supporters.

I want to make Korean football fans happy,” he said.

For now, however, the AI controversy remains part of the baggage surrounding his appointment, something Moreno appears keen to put behind him as he begins the task of rebuilding South Korea’s national team.

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Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

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Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

Nigeria’s Falconets have secured their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after producing a record-breaking 10-1 victory over New Caledonia in their final Group F match on Sunday.

The emphatic victory at the Stadion Miejski ŁKS in Łódź lifted Nigeria to second place in Group F with four points, behind Spain, and earned the team a knockout-stage meeting with England, who topped Group E. The Round of 16 clash is scheduled for Thursday, September 17.

The result marked a dramatic turnaround for the Falconets, who had struggled to find the back of the net in their opening two matches. Nigeria began the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China, leaving qualification in doubt heading into the final group fixture.

With their knockout hopes on the line, coach Moses Aduku’s side responded in emphatic fashion, racing into a four-goal lead before half-time and adding six more goals after the break.

Ramotalahi Kareem opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 17th minute before Rebecca Adegbemile doubled Nigeria’s advantage two minutes later.

Janet Seimeyeha Akekoromowei added the third in the 23rd minute, while Kareem struck again in the 27th minute to complete a first-half brace and give the Falconets a 4-0 lead at the interval.

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Nigeria continued to dominate after the restart, with substitute Winner Onajite David joining the scoring in the 60th minute.

Kareem completed her hat-trick in the 64th minute before Tosin Rafiu added the seventh goal in the 70th minute. Adegbemile then scored her second of the match four minutes later.

David returned to the scoresheet in the 75th minute to make it 9-0 before New Caledonia finally found a consolation goal through Joceline Kourevi in the 89th minute.

David completed her own hat-trick in stoppage time to round off a remarkable 10-1 victory for Nigeria.

The win is the biggest victory recorded by Nigeria at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, giving the Falconets a significant boost in goal difference, which proved decisive in determining their final position in Group F.

Nigeria and China both finished the group stage on four points. However, Nigeria advanced in second position because of their superior goal difference, while Spain topped the group with nine points after defeating China 3-1 in the other final Group F fixture.

The victory also ensured that Nigeria maintained their impressive record of reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The Falconets have been regular participants in the latter stages of the competition and have twice finished as runners-up, although they are still searching for their first world title.

For New Caledonia, the match brought an end to their historic debut at the U-20 Women’s World Cup. The Pacific island nation made history by qualifying for the tournament for the first time.

Despite the heavy defeat to Nigeria, Kourevi’s late goal provided a memorable moment for New Caledonia as the team recorded its first goal at the tournament.

The Falconets, meanwhile, will now turn their attention to England. The knockout fixture presents a significantly tougher challenge, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Nigeria will enter the match with renewed confidence after scoring 10 goals in their final group game, while coach Aduku will be expected to build on the attacking display as the Falconets continue their bid to go all the way in Poland.

The dramatic victory has transformed what appeared to be a difficult group-stage campaign into another opportunity for Nigeria to make a deep run at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

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‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

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‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

Arsenal left the Stadium of Light with another three points, but Mikel Arteta was far from satisfied with one of the major refereeing decisions in the champions’ 2-0 win over Sunderland.

The turning point came early in the second half when Sunderland were awarded a penalty following a physical battle between Arsenal’s Ezri Konsa and Dan Ballard.

Although VAR reviewed the incident, the original decision stood. Arteta strongly disagreed, insisting that the footage showed no offence worthy of a penalty and warning that such calls could have serious consequences in a Premier League title race.

Sunderland had a chance to capitalise, but Raya came to Arsenal’s rescue. The goalkeeper guessed correctly to keep out Le Fée’s penalty and turned the ball onto the post.

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Arsenal needed only a short time to make the save count.

Guimarães, introduced at half-time, collected the ball outside the area and unleashed a curling strike that flew into the top corner. It was his first goal since joining Arsenal and gave the visitors the breakthrough they needed.

Sunderland refused to collapse and continued to test the visitors, but Arsenal’s defence survived the pressure. Saka then put the result beyond doubt from the spot in stoppage time after Reinildo was sent off for a second yellow card.

The victory means Arsenal have won all four of their Premier League matches this season, maintaining their flawless start and moving to 12 points.

For Arteta, however, the result did not erase his concerns about the penalty decision.

He argued that football’s extensive use of VAR should ensure such controversial calls are corrected, saying the incident was not acceptable at the highest level.

Arsenal ultimately had Raya’s heroics, Guimarães’ brilliance and a resilient defensive performance to thank for turning a potentially difficult night into another important victory.

‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

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