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Ocampos takes Sevilla through to Europa League semis PAGE 14 THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020 PSG make Champions League semis with late Leipzig’s players attend a training session at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on Wednesday on the eve of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Atletico Madrid.(AFP) 2-1 win over Atalanta Confident Leipzig ready for Atletico despite Werner departure DPA in 2009 and are in the knock- LISBON out stages of the Champions League for the first time. RB Leipzig believe that the After beating Tottenham straight knock-out format of in the last 16, they are eager this year’s Champions League to extend their run under finals could suit them more ambitious head coach Julian than their quarter-final op- Nagelsmann. ponents Atletico Madrid, and Despite being just 26, said they will be able to ad- Poulsen has spent seven years equately replace departed for- at Leipzig and has come up with ward Timo Werner. them from Germany’s third di- Leipzig are debutants in the vision to Europe’s top table. knock-out stages of the elite The Denmark international event while Atletico are three- has scored 63 goals and created time finalists. 51 more in 250 appearances for Owing to the coronavirus the club from Germany’s east. the Champions League is com- He has the distinction of pleted as a mini-tournament in being the first Leipzig player to Lisbon, with the quarters and score a Bundesliga hat-trick, semis played in one leg instead doing so against Hertha Berlin of two matches. in March 2019. “Atletico have more expe- Now, after weeks of uncer- rience but that means more in tainty due to the coronavirus two legs than in one. Their ex- pandemic between February’s perience won’t mean as much last-16 win and the quarter- as it normally does,” coach Ju- final, Poulsen said the Germans Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian defender Marquinhos (left) and Kylian Mbappe celebrate after Marquinhos scored the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final lian Nagelsmann told a virtual are ready to face an experienced match against Atalanta at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday. (AFP) news conference on the eve of Atletico side. Thursday’s match. DPA v Barcelona and Manchester who at first had appeared to “We will play with courage BERLIN City v Olympique Lyon. have lost the ball. and play our game,” he added. Mbappe returned onto the Neymar tried to level almost “It will be a big challenge for PARIS Saint-Germain struck PSG bench from an ankle in- instantly but after nutmegging which we are however pre- twice late in the game to jury sustained in the French cup Pasalic shot inches left from pared. I am convinced that we beat brave Atalanta 2-1 on final almost three weeks ago just outside the penalty area, will play a very good match.” Wednesday in Lisbon for their while midfielder Marco Verratti and Sportiello saved a free-kick Nagelsmann would not reveal first place in the Champions was out injured and Angel di from the Brazilian star. who would take the place of the League semi-finals in 25 years. Maria suspended. Mauro Icardi then just Germany forward Werner who Marquinhos cancelled out Atalanta were without Jo- missed Pablo Sarabia’s low was Leipzig’s top scorer but Atalanta’s first-half lead from sip Ilicic, who scored five of the cross from the left and Neymar has already left for his new club Mario Pasalic in the 90th min- eight goals in the last 16 against sunk to the ground in disbelief Chelsea. ute and Eric Maxim Choupo- Valencia, for personal reasons, after shooting wide again short- “It is important to note Moting grabbed the winner and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gol- ly before half-time after chasing that we won’t be playing with deep into stoppage time be- lini was out with a knee injury. down a terrible backpass from one man less and we can re- hind closed doors at the Esta- But their high-powered attack Hatebour. place him with a good player,” dio da Luz. threatened right from the outset Neymar tried everything to Nagelsmann said. It was cruel exit for the deb- after a minute’s silence was ob- lift his team after the restart but “We had players who utants Atalanta who had im- served before kick-off for Cov- PSG were lucky not to be two played less when Timo was pressed this season in Italy and id-19 victims around the world. down in the 57th when Berat there. We have the option to Europe and were also playing Captain Papu Gomez had a Djimsiti volleyed into the side- replace him and have the nec- for their home city of Bergamo, low shot stopped by Keylor Na- netting at the far left post. essary attacking power. They Atletico Madrid’s Argentinian one of the Italian cities hit hard- vas who was also on his guard Mbappe finally came on on have the chance to step up and coach Diego Simeone directs est by the coronavirus pandem- against a tight-angle header the hour and showed his speed score goals.” during a training session at the ic. Ambitious PSG were far from from Hans Hateboer after 11 on the left in the 74th with Yussuf Poulsen or Patrik Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon glorious, with Neymar missing minutes. Sportiello however on his guard Schick appear the most likely on Wednesday. (AFP) a host of chances, and Kylian However, PSG should have against his tight-angle effort. options and Nagelsmann said Mbappe only returning for the Paris Saint-Germain’s Cameroon forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored in-between, with Ney- Navas had to leave injured that full-back Marcel Halsten- final half hour from injury. But celebrates with Brazilian forward Neymar after scoring the second goal mar running alone towards in the 79th but the drama then berg could also return from TITLE ASPIRATIONS Neymar set up the equaliser against Atalanta at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon on Wednesday. (AFP) goalkeeper Marco Sportiello unfolded late on, with Marquin- back problems. “We’re all really looking and Mbappe their winner. but then astonishingly fluffing hos levelling off Neymar’s cross Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi forward to the game,” said PSG will now aim for their the Lisbon mini-tournament league was stopped in March his shot wide right. from the left, and not even extra meanwhile spoke of “a spe- the Dane. first place in the elite event final having completed the Serie A and then abandoned because of Atalanta took the lead in the time needed because Choupo- cial game” for the Leipzig club “We’ve worked hard for it on Tuesday against Atletico Ma- season less than zwo weeks ago, the coronavirus. 27th from Pasalic’s curling ef- Moting then sticking out his which was only founded in and we’re happy that we can drid or RB Leipzig. PSG were playing only their The other one-legged quar- fort into the top left corner - off foot to convert Mbappe’s cross 2009 and reached the Bundes- finish it. While Atalanta came into third game since the French ter-finals are Bayern Munich a toe-poke from Duvan Zapata against exhausted Atalanta. liga in 2016. “There were times when “Many of us have been here that wasn’t certain, so it’s a for four or five years and have great feeling to be in Lisbon. taken this path. It is an op- “Once you’re there, you portunity to present ourselves must have the determination Stars aligning for Atletico Madrid with CL glory not so far away on the international stage. We to go all the way to the final and have confidence and hope to the title.” AFP Certainly nobody antici- finished second. advance,” he said. Under Diego Simeone, MADRID pated football shutting down “We did well and we know Nagelsmann did not want Atletico are hunting their first completely the following week, we’re on a really good streak to speculate on a possible all- Champions League title after ATLETICO Madrid’s triumph as nervousness turned to in- but the Champions League is German final against Bayern losing the 2014 and 2016 finals over Liverpool in March was dignation about Atletico fans a different competition,” said Munich but noted that a team to arch-rivals Real Madrid. a throwback to a more cele- travelling to Anfield, before Diego Costa last week. can go far with fewer games “Those responsible have brated past under Diego Sime- matches behind closed foors Atletico face Leipzig in Lis- than in the past - and that he is been doing a very good job at one but five months on and became matches postponed bon on Thursday as one of the personally prepared to stay un- Atletico for many years,” said the Champions League offers indefinitely. form teams still standing, in til August 23. Poulsen. them a very real opportunity in And yet when football re- a tournament that has gifted “I have enough clothes with “Of course Atletico is the the present. turned in June, Atletico were them the significantly kinder me to change them daily until favourite, we are more the un- Knocking out the holders transformed. They went un- half of the draw. the final,” Nagelsmann said. derdog. We’re in the Champi- at Anfield may prove to be the beaten in the 11 games after If they beat Leipzig, who After scoring 34 times last ons League quarter finals for first glimpse of a new era un- the resumption, to dispel con- laboured to a third-place fin- season, including four in the the firsttime, they’ve always der Simeone, where the likes cerns they could miss out on ish in the Bundesliga, they will Champions League, Germany been fully involved for the last of Joao Felix, Marcos Llorente, La Liga’s four.

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