Ronald Araújo’s first-half sending off turned the tide, as Kylian Mbappé, Vitinha and former Barça player Ousmane Dembélé scored the goals that sent Xavi’s side crashing out 2 min: Mbappé runs at young Cubarsí but comes off second best, sprawling on the turf. He wants a foul, but play is waved on, correctly so. Great challenge by the 17-year-old defender. “In the First World War, the Turkish troops fought their own division in a thick fog while trying to progress in Russia,” writes Krishna Moorthy. “I always thought this was an exaggeration but after FCB fans attacking their own bus, I tend to ..read more

High in the Olympic stadium, the flares were lit. Way below, Kylian Mbappé had lept over the advertising boards and was running towards the 3,000 supporters who had travelled from France, his teammates chasing him across the track, celebrating wildly. There was a solitary minute remaining and, for all their domination, it had been on edge, but now it really was over: Paris Saint-Germain are heading into the semi-final of the Champions League, overturning a 3-2 first leg defeat at the Parc des Princes with a 4-1 victory in Catalonia; Barcelona, for a sixth season in a row, are not. This time, t ..read more

Barcelona take 3-2 lead into Tuesday’s second leg at Camp Nou ‘We need our fans to be loud because PSG will make us suffer’ Barcelona are ready for a battle against Paris Saint-Germain in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final, Xavi Hernández said on Monday, adding that his players are willing to suffer in order to advance. Barça beat PSG 3-2 in the first leg in France last week but Xavi said his side would need to be nearly flawless to reach the semi-finals for the first time in five years ..read more

Ligue 1 gave the clubs a rest before their European fixtures. Should their needs be prioritised over those of smaller clubs? By Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News This was no normal weekend in Ligue 1. Elsewhere in Europe, there were scenes of joy in Leverkusen as Xabi Alonso’s side ended Bayern Munich’s run on 11 straight titles, while at Anfield and the Emirates, there were scenes of despair as Liverpool and Arsenal ceded crucial ground to Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title. It was a little quieter in France. In late March, the LFP, Ligue 1’s governing body, de ..read more

The knockout stages have finally started to deliver, with standout performances from Phil Foden, Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona’s reluctant fullback Perhaps the quarter-finals are where the Champions League can be counted to catch light. This week’s first legs saw goals aplenty, with a mix of veteran and young guns starring, with each second leg set up for even more excitement. Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid ..read more

On a gripping, frantic night at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona produced a game that felt like the opposite of the “Barca DNA” Xavi had spoken about in the build-up to this quarter-final first leg. Never mind control, patterns and a fight for space. This was an increasingly wild game, building from a mannered start into a second half of sweeping mob-handed attacks, feather-light defending and chances that simply came and went, posts clipped, shots blocked in desperation ..read more

Spain to deploy 2,000 officers at Real Madrid v Manchester City French interior minister says IS ‘specifically targeted’ stadiums Police in Madrid and Paris have stepped up security before this week’s Champions League quarter-finals after an apparent threat from Islamic State (IS). In London, the Metropolitan police said it had “a robust policing plan” in place for Tuesday’s match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium ..read more

Nice, Lens, Rennes and Marseille all had eyes on Champions League football but Paulo Fonseca’s side are clear favourites By Eric Devin for Get French Football News The Ligue 1 table has been nip and tuck in its first season with 18 teams, Paris Saint-Germain, of course, the notable exception. Even though they have drawn four of their last six league matches, they still have a 10-point lead at the top of the table but below them, everything has been much tighter. The two teams at the bottom of the table, Clermont and Metz, have remained competitive throughout the campaign and are rarely outclas ..read more

Florian Wirtz scores only goal for unbeaten Bundesliga leaders German champions slump from 2-0 up to lose at Heidenheim The Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen battled past Union Berlin 1-0 on Saturday with a Florian Wirtz goal to equal a league record unbeaten run of 28 consecutive matches and all but secure their first league title with a 16-point advantage at the top and six matches remaining. Xabi Alonso’s team, who have not lost in 41 matches across all competitions this season, can clinch the Bundesliga and their first trophy in 31 years with a victory at home against Werder Bremen nex ..read more

The defender, who is now on loan at Monaco in Ligue 1, reminisces about winning trophies with West Ham and PSG By Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News “Wherever I have gone, the objective is winning titles,” says Thilo Kehrer. Having lifted silverware at PSG and West Ham, he now wants to do the same at Monaco. Success was expected when he joined PSG in 2018 but it was less foreseeable at West Ham. “For so many years, West Ham went without a title. And for so many years, the club was so far away from even thinking about a title,” says the Germany international. That changed last year. Ke ..read more