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West Harm, Leicester reach Europa semi-final

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West Ham United will face Eintracht Frankfurt for a place in the Europa League final after the Hammers secured their first European semi-final in 46 years with a stunning second-leg victory in Lyon.

Leicester City also produced a superb comeback to beat PSV Eindhoven in the Europa Conference League and reach the club’s first European semi-final.

In the match between West Ham United and Eintracht Frankfurt, having held on for a 1-1 first-leg draw in London after playing the entire second half with 10 men, David Moyes’ players withstood periods of intense early pressure before sweeping their Ligue 1 opposition aside.

The visitors struck twice in seven minutes at the end of the first half, as Craig Dawson met Pablo Fornals’ corner with a superb near-post header before a deflected Declan Rice strike put the Premier League club in total charge.

Jarrod Bowen extended the advantage within three minutes of the restart, slotting in at the end of a sweeping counter-attack, and a deflated Lyon could offer no response as West Ham comfortably saw out a memorable win.

The statement victory set up the biggest match in the club’s recent history, against Bundesliga side Frankfurt, who upset Spanish giants Barcelona 3-2 at the Nou Camp to win 4-3 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, James Maddison says Leicester City are creating history after the Foxes produced a superb comeback to beat PSV Eindhoven in the Europa Conference League and reach the club’s first European semi-final.

Ricardo Pereira scored a dramatic late winner to set up a last-four meeting with Jose Mourinho’s Roma, who knocked out Bodo/Glimt.

Following a goalless first leg at King Power Stadium, Eran Zahavi pounced on a mistake by Youri Tielemans to open the scoring before Maddison dragged Leicester level with 13 minutes remaining.

The Foxes midfielder slotted into the top corner from Ayoze Perez’s clever cutback and Pereira then fired the winner in the 88th minute to seal a memorable win at the Philips Stadion.

“We are creating history,” said Maddison. “It’s a brilliant feeling and a brilliant night. We showed that resilience. A great feeling.

“The togetherness of the boys is unbelievable. [Wesley] Fofana is fasting and hasn’t eaten or drank all day and he puts in a performance like that. It epitomises what we are made of. Two brilliant goals to win the game.

“Another big night ahead – these are the nights you want to be involved in. It is one we look forward to. That is what we do it for.”

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers had urged his side to make history and reach the club’s first European semi-final, but for 77 minutes it looked like they would pass up the opportunity against a PSV outfit who were more adventurous than in the first leg.

It has been an underwhelming season for Rodgers but his changes at Philips Stadion inspired a stirring comeback.

Half-time replacement Patson Daka had already slotted a glorious chance wide before fellow substitute Perez picked out Maddison and the midfielder lashed home.

 

Then, with two minutes to go, substitute Ademola Lookman found Daka and the forward’s effort was palmed into the path of right-back Pereira, who made no mistake.

It has been a decade of firsts for the Foxes, who won their maiden FA Cup last season and claimed a first top-flight title in 2015-16, and hopes of adding to that with a European trophy remain alive, albeit in the third-tier competition.

Winning this competition might also be Leicester’s best chance of qualifying for Europe next term, sitting ninth in the Premier League and 11 points adrift of a Europa Conference League spot, but for a long time it looked like it would be the home side heading through.

Leicester were served a warning when Kasper Schmeichel tipped Mario Gotze’s well-taken volley over the crossbar but had golden chances of their own, with Harvey Barnes breaking free and slotting wide despite having Maddison in support.

They were eventually punished when Tielemans gave the ball away outside his own box and Mario Gotze slipped a pass into Zahavi, who finished from a narrow angle in the 27th minute.

That turned the tie into a huge task for Leicester, with PSV arriving on a 15-match unbeaten run and having kept five clean sheets in their past six games under highly-rated boss Roger Schmidt, who will leave at the end of the season.

But it was a challenge Rodgers’ side were up to and those late goals showed that the Foxes just might have fight to go all the way in Europe.

“These fans have seen Leicester win the title and now they are daring to dream again,” former Leicester and England striker Emile Heskey told BT Sport.

“Going off this performance, Leicester will be very confident for the rest of the tournament now. The owners have dared to dream. It is fantastic.”

BBC Sport

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MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

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Lionel Messi

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

Lionel Messi showcased his brilliance with a double and an assist for Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami secured a 3-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday, keeping them at the summit of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

Despite a shaky start that saw Franco Negri inadvertently deflect a corner into Miami’s net within two minutes, Messi swiftly equalized in the 11th minute after Luis Suarez redirected a rebounded shot from the Argentine.

Messi continued to menace Nashville’s defense, narrowly missing another goal before providing an exquisite cross for Diego Gomez, whose header was denied by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco.

Miami capitalized on their momentum as Busquets, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, nodded in a corner just before halftime, giving Miami a well-deserved lead.

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However, Miami suffered a setback as Gomez was stretchered off with an ankle injury, adding to their injury woes.

Although Nashville dominated possession in the second half, Miami remained resolute defensively. In the 81st minute, Messi sealed the win by converting a penalty after Leonardo Afonso was fouled in the box.

With this victory, Messi extended his impressive goal-scoring record to nine goals in as many games across all competitions for Miami.

Reflecting on Miami’s performance, manager Gerardo Martino praised his team’s resilience, particularly considering their depleted squad due to injuries.

Despite Miami’s success, Columbus Crew faced a tough battle, twice coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati clinched a 2-1 win over Atlanta United, with Luciano Acosta playing a pivotal role in their comeback victory. This highlights an eventful day in Major League Soccer.

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

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Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot

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Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot

Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past by beating Wolves at Molineux and moving back to the top of the Premier League.

Having blown their chance to leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side six days ago by losing at home to Aston Villa and then being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was a welcome triumph for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Leandro Trossard’s strike in the last minute of the opening period may not have been the most eye-catching of the Belgian’s career, but it was perfectly timed.

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It came at the end of a half where Arsenal seemed to have gotten stuck after a bright start and nearly fell behind to Gary O’Neil’s injury-ravaged side.

The visitors dominated the second half too, but were unable to carve out the clear chances that would have allowed them to take the game out of reach.

Captain Martin Odegaard added the second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, turning in from a tight angle after his initial cross had been blocked.

The result means Arsenal are now a point clear of City, with a better goal difference but having played a game more.

They have the chance to apply some significant pressure to the defending champions when they entertain beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea on Tuesday.

Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot

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Wasteful Chelsea bow 0-1 to Man City in FA semi-final

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Wasteful Chelsea bow 0-1 to Man City in FA semi-final

Manchester City defeated a wasteful Chelsea side 1-0 in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Saturday, bouncing back from their agonising Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.

But the loss meant the London side would end the season trophyless.

Bernardo Silva scored the only goal six minutes from time at Wembley as Chelsea were made to pay for a series of wasted chances by Nicolas Jackson.

Pep Guardiola’s side were second best for long periods of the semi-final, but Chelsea wasted a string of chances before Silva delivered the knockout blow six minutes from full-time.

Shaken by their Champions League quarter-final loss against Real Madrid on penalties in midweek, City took a while to shake off the gloom from the end of their treble bid.

They were hampered by the absence of Norway striker Erling Haaland after he suffered a knock against Real, with Julian Alvarez unable to make an impact as his replacement.

City were bailed out by Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson’s profligacy and Guardiola will hope the hard-fought success provides a timely lift as they chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.

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City face Manchester United or Coventry, who meet on Sunday, in the final on May 25 and will retain the Premier League title if they win their last six games.

It will be City’s 13th final in the competition and potentially a repeat of last year’s 2-1 win over United in the Wembley Manchester derby.

Beaten by Liverpool in the League Cup final in February, Chelsea’s wait to win their first domestic trophy since the 2018 FA Cup goes on for another season.

It was a bitter blow for Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has endured a difficult first season in charge and remains without silverware in England.

The semi-final was billed as in-form Chelsea forward Cole Palmer’s chance to punish his old club for selling him to the Blues in September.

Guardiola said Palmer was asking to leave City for two years before he eventually joined Chelsea, where he has scored 23 goals in all competitions this, including 11 in his last six games.

Palmer, who scored four times in Monday’s 6-0 rout of Everton, was a constant threat for Chelsea, but ultimately it was his team’s lack of killer instinct that proved decisive.

Guardiola relief

Palmer’s pin-point pass sent Jackson racing into the City area early on, but his strike lacked the accuracy to beat Stefan Ortega in a miss that foreshadowed Chelsea’s fate.

Jackson wasted a golden opportunity to give Chelsea the goal their dominance deserved.

Enzo Fernandez’s pass split the City defence, but Jackson opted to go around Ortega rather than shoot and the chance was gone as Nathan Ake scurried back to clear.

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Playing with more purpose and quality than City, Pochettino’s team threatened again as Palmer cleverly shimmied past Rodri for a low drive from 12 yards that was well saved by Ortega.

It was the first time lethargic City had failed to muster a first half shot on target since a game against Everton in February.

Jackson, in the midst of a terrible debut season, was put clean through on goal by Conor Gallagher immediately after the interval.

But the much-maligned striker’s shot was palmed away by Ortega, who clawed away a close-range header from Jackson seconds later.

City finally tested Djordje Petrovic through Phil Foden’s snap-shot, but the Serbian was equal to his powerful strike.

Chelsea appealed in vain for a penalty when Jack Grealish’s arm blocked Palmer’s free-kick, while Moises Caicedo was fortunate to escape a second booking for a crunching tackle that forced Grealish to limp off.

Grealish’s replacement Jeremy Doku drew an immediate save from Petrovic with a near-post blast.

Doku’s presence lifted City and the Belgian played a part as they stole the victory in the 84th minute.

Advancing with intent towards the Chelsea area, Doku slipped a pass to Kevin de Bruyne, whose low cross was pushed out by Petrovic to Silva for a close-range finish that deflected home as Guardiola punched the air in relief.

Wasteful Chelsea bow 0-1 to Man City in FA semi-final

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