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Kenya international Michael Olunga was on target yet again but his goal could not help Al Duhail SC as they suffered their first defeat against Al Shorta in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Al Shorta took the lead in the third minute when Amjad Attwan scored from a powerful shot but Olunga scored his eighth goal of the competition in the 57th minute before Mohammed Dawood Yaseen grabbed the winner for the Iraqi side in the Group C contest at King Abdullah Sports City.

Though Duhail ended the game with 10 men after Medhi Benatia was sent off in the dying minutes of the game, it was Shorta who controlled the game from the onset and went ahead with only three minutes played when Fahad Youssef’s cross was deflected into the path of Attwan, who unleashed a powerful effort to beat goalkeeper Salah Zakaria.

Sensing danger, Duhail responded with some attacks of their own to level matters, and Shorta keeper Ahmed Basil was forced into two quick saves – first from Sultan al-Brake, then from Almoez Ali but the scoreline remained 1-0.at the half-time break.

On resumption, Duhail kept pressing for the leveller but they had to wait until the 57th minute when Ismail Mohamed won the ball from the middle of play, side-stepped past three players before laying a neat pass to the Kenyan striker, who did not waste time with a first time effort, to score his eighth goal of the competition, and move four goals clear at the top of the scorers' chart.

With Duhail pressing to get a win, Shorta responded to score with six minutes remaining on the clock as Dawood controlled a headed cross from Saad Natiq to make it 2-1 and hand the Qatari side their first defeat in the competition, and also give his team their first win of the competition.

Moroccan defender Benatia was then sent off in the last minutes of added time for a second yellow card, but his exit did not stop Shorta from winning the battle.

In the other group match also played on Tuesday and at the same venue, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli Saudi FC and Esteghlal FC of the Islamic Republic of Iran played out a 0-0 draw.

Despite the win, Shorta will remain at the bottom of the group with three points from five matches, while Esteghlal will stay top on eight points, same as Duhail and Al Ahli, both of whom have eight points each.

Olunga and Duhail will next face Al Ahli in their sixth match on April 30.

The draw for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup was held in Doha on Tuesday, with the teams divided into four groups after a qualification stage. 

The tournament is set to act as a preparatory competition to test the operational readiness of Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup which will be held in the Middle-East nation. 

The draw for the FIFA Arab Cup was held at the Katara Opera House in Doha after following relevant Covid-19 protocols. 

Participants

The competition will feature 23 Arab nations belonging to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Confederation of African Football (CAF). 

The 23 nations participating in the FIFA Arab Cup are: Qatar (host nation), Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Format

The tournament will see the top nine ranked sides (according to the April edition of FIFA rankings) qualify for the group stages automatically. The top nine sides are Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, UAE, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt. 

The 14-lowest ranked sides will play single-leg knockout qualifiers, with seven teams advancing to the group stages. 

From the four groups, group winners and runner-ups advance to the quarter-finals. 

Qualification stage

The 14-lowest ranked sides have been paired in single-leg qualification play-offs as per their April FIFA rankings. 

The match-ups are as follows:

Oman (80) v. Somalia (197)

Lebanon (93) v. Djibouti (183)

Jordan (95) v. South Sudan (169)

Bahrain (99) v. Kuwait (148)

Mauritania (101) v. Yemen (145)

Palestine (104) v. Comoros (131)

Libya (119) v. Sudan (123)

Group stage draw

16 teams in the group stage have been drawn into four groups of four. The draw is as follows:

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winner of Oman v Somalia and Winner of Bahrain v Kuwait

Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria and Winner of Mauritania v Yemen

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winner of Jordan v South Sudan and Winner of Palestine v Comoros

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winner of Lebanon v Djibouti and Winner of Libya v Sudan

Venues

It must be noted that the 2022 World Cup will feature eight venues in total. Six of these venues will play hosts for the Arab Cup. 

Qatar have already thrown open four venues for the 2022 World Cup while the work at the rest are progressing on schedule. The venues that have been thrown open are the Khalifa International stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali stadium, Al Janoub stadium and Education City stadium. 

Dates/Schedule

The group stages of the tournament will begin on 30 November 2021 and the final will take place on 18 December 2021, exactly one year before the 2022 World Cup final is scheduled to take place. 

The first match of the tournament will see hosts and Asian champions Qatar take on the winner of the qualifier between Bahrain and Kuwait. 

UAE have been clubbed in Group B in the Arab Cup along with Tunisia, Syria. The play-off winner between Mauritania and Yemen will also join the group. 

The draw for the tournament took place at the Katara Opera House in Doha on Tuesday. 

The 16-nation tournament will feature four groups followed by a knockout stage. 23 nations will feature overall, with preliminary matches involving the 14 lowest-ranked teams.

The nine-highest ranked teams, including host country Qatar, will join the seven winners from the qualifying stage in the final tournament. 

The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, as follows:

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winners of Oman v Somalia and Winners of Bahrain v Kuwait
Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria and Winners of Mauritania v Yemen
Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winners of Jordan v South Sudan and Winners of Palestine v Comoros
Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winners of Lebanon v Djibouti and Winners of Libya v Sudan

The group winners and runners-up will progress to the knockouts. The matches will be played across six stadiums in Qatar, and the venues will be announced shortly. 

The final tournament will be held exactly one year before the 2022 World Cup final on 18 December, Qatar’s National Day. It will be an important window to test operations and facilities of the world cup stadiums before Qatar 2022. 

The UAE Football Association (UAEFA), in coordination with the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), has decided to allow fans for the Presidents Cup final that will be played between Shabab Al-Ahli and Al Nasr at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on May 16. 

The UAEFA will allow fans at a maximum of 30 per cent capacity of the stadium. fans who have already been vaccinated can attend the final. Further, they must produce a negative RT-PCR test result, and it must be conducted 48 hours ahead of the match. 

They must also have a gold star status or 'E' on the Al Hosn app to be allowed into the stadium. 

"It's the first official event that only vaccine recipients and its clinical trials participants are allowed to attend," stated an NCEMA statement on Tuesday.

The UAEFA is considering this as an experiment and if it goes along smoothly, then fans might be allowed for the World Cup Qualifiers in June. 

"Accordingly, the experience will be evaluated, and the return of fans to the stands will be reconsidered during the next phase of the World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers," the NCEMA added.

The President's Cup was established in 1974 and the reigning champions are Shabab Al-Ahli. The 2019-20 edition of the tournament had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Red Knights are also the most successful club in the competition as they have won the championship nine times. They are closely followed by Sharjah FC with eight titles. 

When Victor Ikpeba scored 14 Ligue 1 goals for Monaco in 1997/98, the ex-Nigeria international probably never imagined his haul would stand for over two decades.

Admittedly, this is probably due to the dearth of Nigerians participating in the French top flight over the years, as well as the pandemic, which meant Victor Osimhen couldn’t supplant the Prince of Monaco last term.

Having said that, Terem Moffi’s 14-goal haul after 28 games means Ikpeba’s tally is likely to be beaten after 23 years. The Lorient frontman’s return has come in 22 starts, which adds further gloss on an amazing goalscoring season that’s gone under the radar owing to the form of other Nigeria forwards in 2020/21.

Moffi had never played in any of Europe’s top five leagues until this year either, so scoring 14 times in 22 starts having had a slightly late start to the campaign is commendable.

The 21-year-old missed the newly-promoted side’s first six games of the campaign but made a goalscoring debut in the side’s 3-1 win at Reims only to go on a nine-game drought in front of goal.

The fact he had a similar run without scoring until his recent run — eight games in all competitions, with seven in Ligue 1 — fuels suggestions he’s a somewhat streaky forward.

Still, Christophe Pelissier’s team will likely owe survival to their young forward, whose tendency to oscillate between feast and famine is understandable owing to his age and the team’s challenges on their return to the top division.

Moffi has been involved in 36 percent of Les Merlus’ goals, with the most notable strike probably coming in the 3-2 success over Paris-Saint Germain at the death in late January. A brace against Monaco wasn’t quite enough to secure all three points as Wissam Ben Yedder hit a 93rd-minute leveller that broke Lorient hearts in the 2-2 draw.

His manager feels there’s even more to come from the forward, whose hat-trick against a Bordeaux side in dire straits helped the relegation strugglers stay four points clear of Nantes in 18th.

“Moffi arrived late (at the club), he had a difficult start, but his form is not surprising to us due to what he does in training, and what he will continue to do,” Pelissier remarked after Sunday’s victory.  “He is not yet at 100% of his potential and I don’t dwell on the success of one player, but of a super-efficient attacking duo (Moffi and Yoane Wissa) and we know the qualities of these strikers.”

Moffi’s treble made him the fourth Lorient star to register three goals in a Ligue 1 game, a timely result as the 17th-placed side maintained their four-point advantage over Nantes and trail troubled Bordeaux with one point.

Their top marksman’s 14 strikes have come from Expected Goals of 12.1, which is healthy for sustainability going forward.

In normal circumstances, the forward’s form ought to mean a Nigeria call-up, but the nation’s plethora of in-form strikers in 2020/21 has increased competition for a Super Eagles place.

While he missed out on last month’s international fixtures — which wasn’t helped by the fact the hiatus came during a scarcity of goals — a greater argument can be made for the Calabar-born striker if Gernot Rohr wanted to name a squad at present.

He has the advantage of scoring in one of Europe’s top five leagues, as opposed to Paul Onuachu who stars for Genk in Belgium and Umar Sadiq whose goals have come in Spain’s second division.

Moffi’s xG per 90 ranks in the top 10 in Ligue 1 and he rises to fifth for players who have started at least 10 games.

When penalties are excluded, the Nigerian is third among players with 10 starts in the division which strengthens his claim for a spot in Rohr’s team.

In the interim, though, the marksman’s focus is firmly on survival with four games to play. His manager reckons 40 points is the magic number and the Brittany club need five points from a possible 12 to hit Pelissier’s challenge.

If Moffi’s current streak holds, the ongoing calls for a Super Eagles role will grow even louder and it’ll be hard to ignore one of Nigeria’s in-form striker’s in Europe.

During what has been a challenging time for India due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the football clubs in the country have come together to support the citizens in need of essential resources. 

The ISL clubs have been using their twitter handles to amplify COVID-19 support requests from other twitter profiles by retweeting their tweets and posting informative content regarding the virus and vaccination drives. 

The move by these clubs, who all have large follower counts. is worth appreciating and is certainly the need of the hour, given the seriousness of the pandemic. Over the last few days,India has been registering over 300,000 cases of infections per day. And these football clubs can play an important role in sharing valuable information emergency supplies during this testing time.

ISL Clubs

Chennaiyin were one of the first clubs to take up this initiative and spread the message on their social media handle on Saturday (April 24). Soon, the rest of the ISL clubs followed and what ensued was a chain of such supportive announcements. As of April 27, ATK Mohun Bagan are the only club yet to follow suit. 

Shree Cement, the company that owns Kolkata-based ISL club East Bengal, have announced that they are running their oxygen plants at 100 per cent capacity to cater to the shortage of oxygen in the country.

I-League clubs

Apart from ISL clubs, I-League club Mohammedan have also joined the cause. 

With the football clubs uniting for a good cause, the slogan of the Highlanders is an apt fit to describe what's been happening on social media in the last few days - 'Stronger As One.' 

In their final match of the 2021 AFC Champions League Group E, Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa take on UAE-based club Al Wahda at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Thursday. 

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have announced that they will telecast FC Goa's ACL campaign.

Commentary will not be available in vernacular languages for the ACL games on Star Sports. 

 SQUADS

FC Goa have registered a 28-man squad for their ACL campaign this year.

All clubs are allowed to have at most four foreign players in their squad including a player from an AFC (Asian Football Federation) member association. Australian defender James Donachie fulfils that criteria for the Gaurs. 

Forward Igor Angulo and midfielder Alberto Noguera were left out from the squad that competed in the Indian Super League.

It has been an decent debut for the Gaurs in ACL this season. Although, they have been knocked out of the competition, FC Goa managed to hold Qatar's Al Rayyan twice to a draw and had managed a goalless draw against Al Wahda in the first phase. 

Goalkeepers :

Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem

Defenders:

Sanson Pereira, Seriton Fernandes, Leander D'Cunha, Iván González (Spain), Mohamed Ali, James Donachie (Australia), Aibanbha Dohling, Saviour Gama, Adil Khan

Midfielders:

Edu Bedia (Spain), Glan Martins, Princeton Rebello, Brandon Fernandes, Phrangki Buam, Redeem Tlang, Makan Winkle Chothe, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Romeo Fernandes

Forwards:

Jorge Ortiz (Spain), Devendra Murgaonkar, Ishan Pandita

 KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Abu Dhabi's Al Wahda plays in the UAE Pro League and are coached by former Ajax head coach Henk ten Cate. 

Their league campaign is ongoing and the club is currently placed eighth on the table, 35 points from 23 matches and with three games to go.

This is their 12th appearance in the AFC Champions League. They are currently at the second position on the group table with 10 points from five matches. They have a very strong chance of qualifying for the knockout stage as one of the best runners-up side. In their last match, Al Wahda had stunned Persian Pro League champions Persepolis 1-0.

Slovenian striker Tim Matavz is the player to watch out for in the Al Wahda squad. Matavz is the club's top scorer in the league with nine goals and only Al Jazira's Khalfan Mubarak has registered more assists in the UAE top division than Matar who has eight to his name. 

Another key player in UAE international Ismail Matar is suspended.

Al Wahda XI vs Persepolis: Mohammed Al Shamsi, Mohammed Al Menhali, Lucas Pimenta, Mansoor Al Harbi, Abdullah Al Karbi, Lee Myung-joo, Nahyan Abdel, Fares Jumaa, Abdullah Salmeen, Omar Khrbin, Tim Matavz.

Bryan Mbeumo was Brentford’s hero in their 1-0 English Championship defeat of Rotherham United on Monday night.

The 21-year-old winger’s first-half effort separated both teams in the keenly contested encounter at the Brentford Community Stadium.

On Saturday, Mbeumo came off the substitute’s bench to score the only goal as the Bees recorded a 1-0 away victory against Bournemouth.

He continued in that form against the Millers to help Thomas Frank’s men tighten their grip on third place in the English second tier log.

Rotherham United began the encounter on a bright note but they had an early scare as goalkeeper Jamal Blackman fumbled a cross from Saman Ghoddos, albeit, he saved at the second attempt.

In the 26th minute, Mbeumo put the hosts ahead after a Sergi Canos cross past the visitors’ goalkeeper.

Paul Warne’s side almost levelled matters immediately when Irish winger of Nigerian background Chiedozie Ogbene met a cross from Ryan Giles, but he headed it straight at goalkeeper David Raya.

The Bees looked dangerous in the final third but Ivan Toney and Canos missed the chances that came their way.

Rotherham made a strong start to the second half and spent a lot of time in Brentford’s territory; however, they were unable to beat the impressive Raya in goal. In the 51st minute, Wes Harding went close, but he was unlucky in his quest to restore parity.

The introduction of Freddie Ladapo for Richard Wood in the 67th minute fuelled the attacking personnel of the visiting side, but it was the home team who threatened again when Toney sped past Michael Ihiekwe, before firing his effort wide.

At the end of 90 minutes, it was Brentford who secured all maximum points at stake, while Rotherham United returned home with heads bowed low.

After an impressive shift, Mbeumo – who is eligible to represent Cameroon at senior level was substituted for Mads Bidstrup in the 74th minute.

"Against a very, very good team - probably the favourites to go up via the play-offs - I thought we started the game really well," manager Warne told Rotherham website.

"We have to take our chances and it sort of hasn't dropped for us. We're snatching at shots, I thought we needed a goal early on when we were fresher.

"We lost the ball in the middle of the park and they cut inside the cross, goal. That sums up the difference between the two teams.”

Zinedine Zidane said he was pleased with Real Madrid’s performance in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea.

Los Blancos fell behind early on thanks to a Christian Pulisic strike, but a spectacular equaliser from Karim Benzema levelled before half-time with what proved to be Real’s only shot on target.

Chelsea had the better opportunities to win the game but had to be satisfied with a draw, with the tie on a knife-edge going into next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.

What did Zidane say?

“In the first half it was very difficult for us, but we controlled it more in the second half,” he told reporters.

“They’re very quick, have good players and started very well. In the second half we had more control.  We’re still in the tie and we’re happy with the overall performance. We’re also good at playing away from home, we press high.

"They’re [Chelsea] in the semi-final for a reason, they’re a good side. The second leg will be very competitive. Militao had a great game, like all of them. They’ve given their all tonight and we’ll rest now.”

On goalscorer Benzema, who scored his 71st Champions League goal to move alongside Raul as the joint-fourth top scorer in the competition's history, Zidane added: "Karim is impressive, I'm happy for him. I am not surprised by what he does.

“The important thing is the effort they made. The opponent is very good, you have to suffer. But I'm happy for everyone because we're still alive and we have to go to London to try to win the game."

Changes expected for the weekend

Zidane made three changes to the side from last weekend’s draw against Real Betis and the Frenchman admits he will continue to rotate his squad.

Real face Osasuna on Saturday in a crucial match in the Liga title race, with Los Blancos just two points behind Atletico Madrid with five games remaining.

"Managing the minutes is clear,” he said. “We have a game on Saturday and we have to be physically fit because it will be a difficult game.

"I am very proud of my players. We know the quality we have, that we can do good things.

"It is not easy, because when we play every three days it costs us, but we believe that we can win and that is what we are going to try to do in the second leg, because we are going to try to win.

"It is not easy to win a Champions League semi-final against a very good opponent.

“We suffer, but we are on the right track. We are not going to score three or four goals in every game."

Zidane hopeful of Ramos return

Zidane also confirmed that he could have a number of injured players back for next week’s second leg, including captain Sergio Ramos.

"I hope he is with us. Sergio has not yet trained with the team,” he said. "We are waiting for him to return, hopefully he can be there as soon as possible, but not only him, all of them.

"Lucas [Vazquez], Ferland [Mendy], Fede [Valverde]. All the players. I want the players with me.”

Further reading

Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard was happy to see the field against his old side Chelsea in a Champions League encounter on Tuesday.

Hazard became one of Chelsea's all-time greats over seven seasons with the club, and Tuesday was his first chance to face the Blues since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2019. 

The Belgian played the final 25 minutes as Madrid and the Blues drew 1-1 in their semi-final first leg at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

What was said?

"It's always good to play against friends, I have a couple friends over there," Hazard told BT Sport. "But now I am a Real Madrid player so I just want to win – it doesn't matter if it's Chelsea against us or another team."

"They have good players. I know all of them, almost, so I'm not surprised," Hazard added to CBS Sports. "They have good players, they can play football. But we knew it, we prepared the game for that. And I think with a bit more luck, we could have scored more goals, but them as well.

"We have big players on the team and big players can always produce something. So we have the mentality to win everything. So like I said just before now we have another game, second leg over there. We'll have to push to win the game."

On Tuesday's result, he added: "Could be worse, could be better. You know, 1-1 is a fair result I think tonight."

The bigger picture

Hazard made his mark at Stamford Bridge after joining from Lille in 2012.

The Belgian led Chelsea to two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles and one FA Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge. 

He was also named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2014–15, and was runner-up for that award on two other occasions. 

After moving to Madrid, Hazard has failed to live up to expectations as he's been plagued by a series of injury troubles. 

Tuesday's game was only Hazard's 15th of the season in all competitions, having recently returned from a muscle injury that had kept him out since March.

Further reading

Timo Werner has been slammed by football fans following his lethargic performance as Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

In the first leg Champions League semi-final clash, the Germany international lined up in the Blues’ attack alongside Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic.

Nonetheless, he was the English side’s biggest flop as they botched several scoring opportunities. After featuring for 66 minutes, he was substituted for Kai Havertz.

Although Thomas Tuchel’s men left Spain unharmed, fans expressed their discontent with the striker who joined the Premier League outfit from RB Leipzig.

Thomas Tuchel admitted that Timo Werner's first-half miss against Real Madrid on Tuesday left both him and the German striker feeling angry.

Before Christian Pulisic opened the scoring, Werner had his close-range shot saved by Thibaut Courtois in the 10th minute of Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

The 25-year-old's finishing has come under scrutiny all season, though he did net the crucial winning goal at the weekend against West Ham.

What was said?

"He missed a big one in West Ham now he missed another big one here," Tuchel admitted after the game in Madrid. "That does not help, but it also does not help to cry about it or to regret it all the time. It is like this.

"There are millions of people who have harder things to deal with than chances that you miss, so this is the good thing about sports – nobody cares tomorrow. Today we were sad we were angry at the moment, this is normal.

"He is angry. He may be disappointed. Tomorrow he has a free day and the next day he has to put his chin up. He is a professional guy, a top guy, he works hard. He is in positions and from there on we go.

"We will never stop pushing, we will never stop believing and I have the feeling that everybody accepts the situation like it is and as a striker it is easy, you score the next game and nobody speaks about it."

Did Chelsea deserve to win?

Arguably yes, Madrid managed just the one shot on target from Karim Benzema's equaliser in the 29th minute.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane made a few tactical tweaks at half-time to wrestle back control after being second best for the majority of the first half. It led to a balanced second half, where Tuchel admitted that his side also tired having chosen not to rotate any players ahead of kick-off. 

"We defend together as a team and all the strikers play their part," he added. "We always defend as a block with XI people so I don't feel we are pointing fingers. But of course, the strikers are the first guys who want to score and be decisive.

"They want to do it for themselves and the team. This is the highest level. Sometimes if you have such a good half an hour as we had, with chances and half-chances, you wish for more composure and more precision in the decision-making and finishing itself.

"It was not like this so the challenge was more to not worry too long, regret too long and not lose confidence. We did this in the second half and defended very, very well. We suffered physically because we only had two days in between.

"You cannot change five times in the Premier League so it is quite physically demanding. Today you could feel this at the end of the game."

Further reading

Thomas Tuchel was left disappointed by Chelsea's 1-1 result in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Despite praising his men's "courage" to begin brightly at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, the German manager insisted the Blues could have scored far more than Christian Pulisic's opener given the pressure they applied in the early going.

Timo Werner was responsible for the most frustrating missed chance when he shot right at goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from close range in the first 10 minutes. Tuchel said Chelsea could have wrapped up the match and perhaps even the entire semi-final tie during the first half hour. 

What was said?

"We started the game very very well, with a lot of courage and quality," Chelsea boss Tuchel told BT Sport. "We deserved to win the first half, we had chances. Unfortunately they scored from a set-piece and they had nothing else, we didn't allow any chances.

"It was a disappointing score at half-time. We had to stay calm and not lose confidence. The second half was very tactical, you could feel that we are a bit tired. We only had a few days to recover from another tough away game. We have to live with 1-1.

"The goal was well deserved and we should have scored at least one more."

One shot on target, one goal

Real Madrid put just one shot on target compared to the five Chelsea produced. However, that lone strike for the hosts served as the equaliser, with Karim Benzema volleying past Edouard Mendy.

Against a side with the talent of Los Blancos, Tuchel explained, building a multiple-goal advantage is crucial to avoid crushing concessions against the run of play. Indeed, Chelsea paid for their wastefulness on Tuesday.

"We conceded more or less out of nothing and that can always happen against individual quality," said the manager.

He added to BBC Radio 5: "I have a feeling we should have won the first half and that we deserved to win the first half and we could have perhaps decided this game in the first half an hour when we were playing so strong."

Further reading

Karim Benzema’s stunning strike in Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final clash against Chelsea has social media abuzz.

Christian Pulisic had given the English Premier League side a 14th-minute lead at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano after benefitting from an assist from Antonio Rudiger.

However, it was Benzema’s equaliser 15 minutes later that got football fans across the world talking.

Marcelo had belted a dangerous cross to the back post for Casemiro to rise and head across the goal. However, Eder Militao helped it into the path of the awaiting Frenchman, who steered a brilliant effort past a stranded goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Below are some of the tweets that greeted that effort.

Three of Ismaila Sarr’s goals have been nominated for the Watford Goal of the Season prize.

The 23-year-old played a crucial role in the Hornets’ return to the English Premier League – contributing 13 goals and four assists in 39 matches.

Nonetheless, three of his efforts in the EFL Championship will compete against five other players for the goal of the season diadem.

Sarr’s brace in the 2-0 defeat of Reading and his effort in the 2-1 away triumph over Stoke City will challenge Tom Cleverley’s goal versus Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, Ken Sema’s beauty in the 4-1 destruction of Rotherham United at the New York Stadium, and Adam Masina’s sumptuous free-kick in Watford’s 2-1 away defeat of Cardiff City.

Also in contention are Nathaniel Chalobah's volley against the Bluebirds, his wonder strike versus Frankie McAvoy's Preston North End, plus Joao Pedro’s superb winner at Derby County.

The goal with the highest number of votes will walk home with the individual accolade during the club’s end of the season dinner.

In a recent interview, the Senegal international praised the collective effort of his teammates for their return to the elite division.

“I didn’t win anything. The whole team won,” the former Metz and Rennes star told the club website.

“I just tried to do my job, creating dangerous situations and scoring goals. The reality is there’s been an effort from the whole group.

“Yes [it’s one of my career highlights] but we can still do better. The league is not finished, and we still have two games to go, so we have to carry on.

“I just decided I wanted to take the penalty. It’s not the first time I’ve played football and it’s not the first time I’ve gone for a penalty.

“I’m very happy, and everyone is happy as well, because everyone did such a great job, from the players to the manager and the staff behind the scenes.”

Sarr would be hoping to add to his goal tally when Xisco Munoz's men travel to the Brentford Community Stadium on May 1 for their league encounter against Thomas Frank's Bees.

As it stands, Watford are second on the log having amassed 88 points from 44 league outings.

Christian Pulisic made U.S. history on Tuesday after a finely taken goal which put Chelsea ahead in their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. 

The Pennsylvania native needed just 14 minutes to open the scoring at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano and give the Blues the perfect start to their tie. 

And in doing so he managed a feat which none of his compatriots had ever achieved in the history of the competition. 

A goal to remember

Pulisic came to the fore early in the first half with a wonderful individual effort in Madrid. 

The USMNT international skipped around Thibaut Courtois to leave the former Chelsea goalkeeper flailing, but he still had some work to do with his path to goal blocked by several Madrid defenders. 

But none of the white shirts in the Madrid box could do anything as Pulisic drilled his effort into the net, putting the visitors 1-0 up in the first leg. 

Pulisic's goal was the first time a U.S. international has ever managed to score in a Champions League semi-final. 

Indeed, only three of his compatriots can also boast a knockout goal in the competition: DaMarcus Beasley, Jermaine Jones and Tyler Adams, who scored for RB Leipzig in the 2019-20 quarter-finals to down Atletico Madrid. 

The goal also meant Pulisic is now the highest-scoring American in Champions League history, with his fifth career goal in the competition breaking the record previously held by Beasley.

The Chelsea star is also the first U.S.-born player to score a competitive goal against Real Madrid. 

The bigger picture

Chelsea's joy was short-lived as Karim Benzema hit back with a sublime volley inside the area to level the game at 1-1 going into half-time. 

It is still an encouraging scoreline for Thomas Tuchel's men, who will enjoy the advantage of an away goal for the return leg at Stamford Bridge. 

Further reading 

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores is up and running once more, with the group stage now underway for 2021.

Thirty two teams from across the South American continent have won passage into the first round proper of the competition, either through automatic qualification or by fighting through Libertadores' preliminary rounds.

Both the Argentine and Brazilian clubs have tasted glory in this tournament and will be desperate to make a claim for one of those spots with a strong performance. 

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores group stage can be watched through Fanatiz with a 7-day free trial . 

The streaming platform offers the option to watch each game.

Copa Libertadores Group Stage: Round Two Fixtures

Group positions as of April 26 in (brackets)

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

What has happened so far in the 2021 Copa Libertadores?

The 2021 Copa Libertadores began less than a month after the 2020 edition came to an end with Palmeiras' narrow victory over Santos in the final, due to delays in its playing caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On February 23 Uruguay's Liverpool met Catolica of Ecuador in the opening match of the first preliminary phase, officially kicking off the new tournament. 

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By March eight teams remained in the opening stage, hoping to join the 24 sides who had earned qualification automatically for the group stages based on their performances in domestic competition across the continent. 

One of the most stunning results came for Independiente del Valle, who followed up their 2-1 defeat of mighty Gremio in Quito with an identical scoreline in the return leg in Porto Alegre, taking them through to the first round at the Brazilians' expense. 

Colombian duo Atletico Nacional and Junior and beaten 2020 finalists Santos also progressed from the final qualifying phase, eliminating Libertad, Bolivar and San Lorenzo respectively. The beaten four teams thus entered the first group stage in the remodelled Copa Sudamericana.

The first round of group fixtures did not disappoint, with a string of surprising results. 

Santos came unstuck at home to Ecuador's Barcelona while Always Ready, playing the Libertadores for the first time in 54 years, downed Internacional in La Paz. Boca Juniors, meanwhile, fared rather better in the Bolivian capital, beating The Strongest to mark their first win in the city since 1970. 

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