Subdued a napoli

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain took a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday (Nov 28) after Neymar helped sink Liverpool in a blistering 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes. The Brazilian struck in the 37th minute after Juan Bernat's early opener to put qualification for the last 16 in the French champions' hands and leave Jurgen Klopp's team needing to beat Napoli 1-0 or by two clear goals in two week's time to guarantee a place in the knockout stage. Thomas Tuchel's PSG have massive European ambitions but have flattered to deceive on the continent since being taken over by Qatari investors, and after defeats at Anfield and draws with Group C leaders Napoli Wednesday's win gives them a great chance of qualifying from an extremely tight group. They are in second place but still need a win at Red Star Belgrade - who they beat 6-1 in Paris in October - to ensure a knockout berth as they go into the final round of fixtures just two points ahead … [Read more...] about Football: Liverpool on the ropes as PSG close in on Champions League knockouts

LONDON: Christian Eriksen came off the bench to keep alive Tottenham's bid to qualify for the Champions League last 16 as the Denmark star's late strike sealed a tense 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Wednesday (Nov 28). Mauricio Pochettino's side were 10 minutes away from being eliminated at the group stage as they laboured to break down the massed Inter defence at Wembley. But Eriksen, surprisingly dropped to the bench by Pochettino, came to Tottenham's rescue when he fired home to take their Group B qualification bid down to the final game. It was a dramatic end to a hard-fought clash that Tottenham had to win to avoid bowing out at the group stage for the second time in three seasons. After taking one point from their opening three matches, Tottenham had scored twice in the last 12 minutes to avoid an early exit against PSV Eindhoven earlier this month. And this latest act of European escapology means second placed Tottenham are now level on points with third placed Inter. … [Read more...] about Football: Eriksen’s late show keeps Spurs in hunt for last 16 berth