League of legends champion release dates

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be available worldwide on March 18.

Justice League’s fans across country will now be able to watch the movie at the same time as the US premiere.

By Mai An – Translated by Kim Khanh

* Leicester City, who are behind second-placed United in the Premier League only on goal difference, were knocked out of the Europa League on February 25 after sliding to a 2-0 loss at home to Czech champions Slavia Prague.

* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck a late winner as Arsenal dug deep to beat Benfica 3-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday (Feb 25).

* AC Milan progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League on away goals after struggling to a 1-1 draw at home to Red Star Belgrade on Thursday, with the visitors playing the final 20 minutes with 10 men as the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.

* Gonzalo López Lauch is helping bring the late Diego Maradona back to life, one mosaic tile at a time. The visual artist, part of a group called Comando Maradona, unveiled on Thursday (Feb 25) a colorful mural of the Argentine player and legend who died on Nov 25 last year, sparking an outpouring of grief from Buenos Aires to Naples, Italy.

* Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes are over and the main target now is to win the Champions League, forward Sadio Mane said. Liverpool ripped up the record books last season on the way to their first English top-flight title in 30 years, but a season marred by injuries and poor form has left the club sixth and trailing leaders Manchester City by 19 points.

* World number two Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Rotterdam Open due to a back injury, organisers of the ATP 500 event said on Thursday. The 20-time Grand Slam winner has been struggling with a back issue since the build-up to the Australian Open and was forced to skip Spain’s ATP Cup ties earlier this month.

* CF Montreal’s plan for Thierry Henry to lead a turnaround in the MLS club’s fortunes ended abruptly on Thursday as the former French international stepped down as head coach after one season due to family issues.

* Italian champions Juventus on Thursday (Feb 25) reported losses of 113.7 million euros (US$139 million) for the first half of the current financial year, more than double the deficit for the same period the previous season largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The latest figures compare to losses of 50.3 million euros in the first half of the club’s 2019/20 financial year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.

* The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) elected former England captain Charlotte Edwards as their first female president on Thursday. Edwards, 41, led England to World Cup success in 2009 and scored 10,000 runs across all formats in a playing career spanning two decades.

Hanoi FC midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai (centre) and teammates are working hard for the return of the V.League 1 tournament after a three-week rest due to COVID-19. Photo hanoi-fc.com.vn

Hanoi are rooted to the bottom of the table with two losses in two matches, a shock for the five-time champions.

“We did not have a good start with two defeats. We will have to prepare carefully for every coming match and play well because of the tough format of the tournament,” said coach Chu Dinh Nghiem.

“Our target is the top six first, then we could vie for the title in the second period,” he said.

After the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, Nghiem and his players all tested negative for the coronavirus and returned to training.

They have also welcomed the return of key defenders Tran Dinh Trong and Do Duy Manh after recovery from injuries.

“They both can follow the teams’ training plan. It is a good sign for all of us,” Nghiem told reporters.

He also said that midfielder Moses Oloya who could not play in the previous matches due to a leg injury will be back in action.

Speaking with media, star midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai is excited to play again soon.

“I really hope the pandemic is controlled well for the return of competitions. My club is struggling and under heavy pressure (after losses). We will have to overcome challenges to find ourselves,” he said.

“No one is happy with a loss of course, but we can learn about ourselves from it. We will stand up from where we collapsed and fight back strongly. Nothing could force us to give up our initial target of winning the V.League 1 title and it would be more wonderful if we could conquer the AFC Cup too,” he added.

Hanoi, which recently extended defender Tran Van Kien’s contract to 2023, are now seeking opponents for friendly matches in the coming days.

They will visit Hai Phong FC at Lach Tray Stadium on March 13 when the league restarts.

Time for deep understanding

Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang of Hoang Anh Gia Lai believes he understands his players better thanks to the extra preparation time the COVID-19 pause gave them.

“The postponement came reluctantly but personally I think it is good for teams with more time for preparing. I am closer with the players when spending more time with them in both training and daily activities,” he said.

He said the first two rounds of fixtures were like a pre-V.League 1 tournament for teams to test their line-ups, personnel and tactics.

“My players are happy to play again in the next few weeks and grab the best results. We want to take the championship trophy,” said the Thai football legend.

After two matches, Senamuang experienced one win and one loss which put his team in ninth position.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai will host Topenland Binh Dinh on home turf on March 14 and Senamuang hopes to have the stands packed with fans.

In that match, the hosts will face their former striker Rimario Gordon, who failed to score a single goal in 10 matches for HAGL in the 2018 season but netted a solid goal return for Thanh Hoa and Hanoi before signing a contract with Binh Dinh this year.

Gordon has scored one goal in two matches this season and is keen to punish his former team.

Speaking about his team’s preparation, Binh Dinh coach Nguyen Duc Thang said: “Following the new schedule, teams must play in tougher time table (three matches in 10 days). It requires strong physique from players, then teams in general and Binh Dinh, in particular, must have their own plan to make sure players’ best conditions and avoid injuries.”

Hoang Anh Gia Lai will play a friendly match with V.League 2 side People’s Police while Binh Dinh will play V.League 2 Khanh Hoa in Nha Trang before their match in the Central Highlands’ Pleiku City.

Other matches will be between SHB Da Nang and Hong Linh Ha Tinh on March 13, Quang Ninh and HCM City and Viettel and Becamex Binh Duong on March 14.

The league organisers, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), has only rescheduled 10 rounds of fixtures for the first half of the league season.

The league will pause again in mid-April when players are summoned for the national teams and some clubs take part in continental competitions.

The season will resume in July and is expected to end in September.

The V.League 2 matches will begin on March 19 while the National Cup will start in April with the exact date being confirmed later.

Local authorities will decide if supporters are allowed to attend matches.  VNS

HÀ NỘI — The enforced rest due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a boon for the country’s two best-supported teams Hà Nội FC and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai ahead of the mid-March restart.

Hà Nội are rooted to the bottom of the table with two losses in two matches, a shock for the five-time champions.

“We did not have a good start with two defeats. We will have to prepare carefully for every coming match and play well because of the tough format of the tournament,” said coach Chu Đình Nghiêm.

“Our target is the top six first, then we could vie for the title in the second period,” he said.

After the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, Nghiêm and his players all tested negative for the coronavirus and returned to training.

They have also welcomed the return of key defenders Trần Đình Trọng and Đỗ Duy Mạnh after recovery from injuries.

“They both can follow the teams’ training plan. It is a good sign for all of us,” Nghiêm told reporters.

He also said that midfielder Moses Oloya who could not play in the previous matches due to a leg injury will be back in action.

Speaking with media, star midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải is excited to play again soon.

“I really hope the pandemic is controlled well for the return of competitions. My club is struggling and under heavy pressure (after losses). We will have to overcome challenges to find ourselves,” he said.

“No one is happy with a loss of course, but we can learn about ourselves from it. We will stand up from where we collapsed and fight back strongly. Nothing could force us to give up our initial target of winning the V.League 1 title and it would be more wonderful if we could conquer the AFC Cup too,” he added.

Hà Nội, which recently extended defender Trần Văn Kiên’s contract to 2023, are now seeking opponents for friendly matches in the coming days.

They will visit Hải Phòng FC at Lạch Tray Stadium on March 13 when the league restarts.

Time for deep understanding

Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai believes he understands his players better thanks to the extra preparation time the COVID-19 pause gave them.

“The postponement came reluctantly but personally I think it is good for teams with more time for preparing. I am closer with the players when spending more time with them in both training and daily activities,” he said.

He said the first two rounds of fixtures were like a pre-V.League 1 tournament for teams to test their line-ups, personnel and tactics.

“My players are happy to play again in the next few weeks and grab the best results. We want to take the championship trophy,” said the Thai football legend.

After two matches, Senamuang experienced one win and one loss which put his team in ninth position.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will host Topenland Bình Định on home turf on March 14 and Senamuang hopes to have the stands packed with fans.

In that match, the hosts will face their former striker Rimario Gordon , who failed to score a single goal in 10 matches for HAGL in the 2018 season but netted a solid goal return for Thanh Hóa and Hà Nội before signing a contract with Bình Định this year.

Gordon has scored one goal in two matches this season and is keen to punish his former team.

Speaking about his team’s preparation, Bình Định coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng said: “Following the new schedule, teams must play in tougher time table (three matches in 10 days). It requires strong physique from players, then teams in general and Bình Định, in particular, must have their own plan to make sure players’ best conditions and avoid injuries.”

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will play a friendly match with V.League 2 side People’s Police while Bình Định will play V.League 2 Khánh Hòa in Nha Trang before their match in the Central Highlands’ Pleiku City.

Other matches will be between SHB Đà Nẵng and Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh on March 13, Quảng Ninh and HCM City and Viettel and Becamex Bình Dương on March 14.

The league organisers, the Việt Nam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), has only rescheduled 10 rounds of fixtures for the first half of the league season.

The league will pause again in mid-April when players are summoned for the national teams and some clubs take part in continental competitions.

The season will resume in July and is expected to end in September.

The V.League 2 matches will begin on March 19 while the National Cup will start in April with the exact date being confirmed later.

Local authorities will decide if supporters are allowed to attend matches. — VNS

Juventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (Rear) challenges Napoli’s Kosovar defender Amir Rrahmani during the Italian Serie A football match Napoli vs Juventus on February 13, 2021 at the Diego Maradona (San Paolo) stadium in Naples.(Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

On the field Juve are still finding their feet under novice coach Andrea Pirlo but they crave European glory more than anything having lost five Champions League finals since last winning the trophy in 1996.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, their chairman Andrea Agnelli is one of the leading figures behind plans to reform the continent’s elite club competition.

Agnelli, also the influential chairman of the European Club Association, has long been one of the main backers of a Champions League which guarantees access to an elite few and makes it harder for other clubs to gain entry.

Amid talk of a breakaway Super League which would undoubtedly feature his club, Italy’s richest and most successful, the 45-year-old has given his backing to an expanded Champions League starting from 2024 onwards, guaranteeing more matches and, ultimately, more money.

“I think it is our duty to think ahead and guarantee that football remains the best sport in the world,” Agnelli said recently, as he pondered the challenges of trying to ensure Generation Z doesn’t lose interest in the sport.

“Everything should be based on sporting merit, but we should remember where our fans of the future are. It is our strong view that more European matches are welcome.”

Juventus have dominated Serie A for the last decade without managing to win the Champions League. Porto, meanwhile, are the only club from outside the so-called ‘Big Five’ leagues in this season’s last 16. Both are two-time European Cup winners.

For the Turin side, success in Europe this season appears even more important as their domestic domination shows signs of faltering under Pirlo with hopes of a 10th consecutive Scudetto in peril.

A 1-0 defeat at Napoli on Saturday left Juventus eight points adrift of leaders Inter Milan, albeit with a game in hand.

“This defeat will not bring us down,” insisted Ronaldo.

“Let’s raise our heads and think about the Champions League.”

Porto, meanwhile, have drawn their last four games domestically and are 10 points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

– Ronaldo v Pepe –

Juve’s hopes will be on five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, the Champions League record goal-scorer with 134 goals, signed from Real Madrid in 2018 to deliver them the trophy.

Ronaldo faces a Portuguese team for the first time since 2016 when with Madrid he beat his former club Sporting 2-1.

But his last Champions League visit to the Estadio do Dragao dates back to a quarter-final, second leg in April 2009 with Manchester United.

The tie was poised at 2-2 after a tricky first leg at Old Trafford.

But, six minutes in, Ronaldo gathered the ball 35 metres out to unleash a thunderbolt for the only goal of the game and send his side through.

Ronaldo has played 12 European games against Portuguese teams, split between Benfica, Porto and Sporting. He has four goals against them and as many assists.

“I expect to win but we know it’s going to be very tough,” Porto captain Pepe told UEFA.com.

The 37-year-old played alongside fellow Portuguese international Ronaldo at Madrid where they won three Champions League trophies together.

“In my opinion, they’ve got the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo,” continued the Brazil-born defender.

“I’ve never played against him. So we’ve our work cut out for us.

“It will be a special match, more between Porto and Juventus than the one between Pepe and Ronaldo.

“Porto have never yet beaten Juventus. I hope this can be the first time.”

AFP

Dias makes case for Man City defence as Liverpool struggle (photo: youtube/Man City)

Pep Guardiola’s men have conceded just two goals in their past 13 league games, winning nine in a row to open up a seven-point lead over fourth-placed Liverpool, with a game in hand.

Liverpool took City’s crown as champions last season, romping to a first league title in 30 years.

But the contrasting fortunes at centre-back for both clubs this season have helped City reassert their position as the team to beat in English football.

After a humbling 5-2 home defeat by Leicester in their second game of the season, City splashed out £62 million ($85 million) on Ruben Dias from Benfica.

In 27 games, the Portuguese international has been on the losing side just once and has kept 18 clean sheets, forming a formidable partnership with a revitalised John Stones.

So strong has that pairing been that Aymeric Laporte — the bedrock of the City defence that denied Liverpool the title by a point in the 2018/19 season — has largely been left in reserve along with another £40 million summer centre-back signing, Nathan Ake.

“We knew the quality he had on the pitch, we knew a little bit his personality, but we have been impressed at the consistency to be ready mentally and physically to play every three days,” said Guardiola on Dias’s impact.

Despite injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, City’s attacking play has begun to click into gear in recent weeks.

– Clean sheets –

But their revival from mid-table obscurity after they last lost in the Premier League to Tottenham in November began with a series of clean sheets to win low-scoring games against Fulham, Southampton, Newcastle and Brighton.

“This season we don’t make the mistakes that we did (in the past) to give opponents easy goals,” added Guardiola.

“Many things help to be champions. When one or two things drop a little it is difficult to get it.”

In contrast to the wealth of centre-back options available to Guardiola, Liverpool have been hit hard by long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Even when new recruits were badly needed, the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic left Liverpool hunting for bargains in the final hours of the January transfer window, bringing in Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke and signing Ben Davies from Preston.

The impact made by Dias has been compared with Van Dijk’s signing in January 2018, which transformed Liverpool’s fortunes under Klopp.

The kamikaze scorelines of the German’s early days in charge disappeared with the towering Dutchman marshalling the Reds’ defence, leading Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2018/19 before the long-awaited league title.

Since Van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October, Klopp’s men have only conceded 12 goals in 17 league games.

But the impact has been felt throughout the team as midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have been forced to deputise at centre-back.

Unbalanced by their injury crisis, it is Liverpool’s attack that has suffered in a run of two wins in eight games, which has allowed City to leave them behind.

Despite the huge sums invested since City’s Abu Dhabi-backed takeover 13 years ago, their last win at Anfield came back in 2003.

However, in front of empty stands, Liverpool’s fortress has crumbled in recent weeks. After a 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League dating back nearly four years, they have lost consecutive matches at Anfield.

The champions have failed to score in nearly 350 minutes at home.

That task will not get any easier on Sunday when they face the daunting task of finding a way past Dias at the heart of City’s backline.

AFP