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Virgil van Dijk the hero as Liverpool leave it late again

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Liverpool 3 - 2 Atletico Madrid Arne Slot's side are certainly making a habit of these late winners. This time it was Virgil van Dijk with the deciding goal. Author | William G Stadium | Anfield Virgil van Dijk’s header in the 92nd minute sealed the victory, marking the third time this season that the side have struck in stoppage time.  Arne Slot’s side had looked in danger of letting the game slip away after surrendering a two-goal lead, established inside the opening six minutes by Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah. Marcos Llorente scored twice for Atletico , but Liverpool’s habit of finding late winners endured. A closer look at what happened Liverpool made the perfect start, taking the lead inside four minutes in fortunate circumstances. Salah’s low free-kick deflected off Robertson, wrong-footing Jan Oblak and finding the net. Two minutes later, the Reds doubled their advantage with a slick move. Salah exchanged passes with Ryan Gravenberch before calmly finishi...

Nations League: Netherlands held by Hungary

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Netherlands 1 - 1 Hungary Virgil van Dijk was sent off as the Netherlands secured a Nations League draw in Hungary. Author - William G The home side took the lead with Roland Sallai’s well-placed volley in the first half. However, Liverpool defender Van Dijk saw red after picking up two yellow cards within just three minutes. The first came for dissent, and the second followed after he fouled Kevin Csoboth on the wing. It was Van Dijk’s first red card for the Netherlands, in what was his 77th international appearance.  Despite being down to 10 men, the Dutch quickly equalised, with Denzel Dumfries heading in from Cody Gakpo’s free-kick. UEFA Nations League (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) What do you think of the international break? (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before his sending-off, Van Dijk had completed an impressive 145 out of 152 passes, nearly matching Hungary’s entire team, who managed 173 passes in total. Following the dismissal, the Netherlands confirmed on Satur...

De Kuip prepares to host two international giants

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Netherlands v Spain Preview Spain, the reigning UEFA Nations League champions, head to Rotterdam for the first leg of their quarter-final clash against the Netherlands. Author - Ajay Feyenoord's stadium will host the match The winners of this two-legged tie will progress to the semi-finals in June, where they will face either Croatia or France. After being knocked out by England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals last summer, the Netherlands secured second place in League A Group 3 of the Nations League, picking up nine points from six matches (W2 D3 L1) in the latter half of last year. Since the competition's inception in 2018, the Dutch have twice come close to lifting the trophy—finishing as runners-up to Portugal in 2019 before losing the third-place playoff to Italy in 2023. READ MORE: What's the point of the UEFA Nations League Manager Ronald Koeman will be looking to shore up a defence that struggled during the group stage, conceding seven goals—the most of any team at...

Liverpool lose on raucous night in Istanbul

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Galatasaray 1 - 0 Liverpool Liverpool slipped to a second successive defeat as Galatasaray claimed a Champions League victory on a deafening night in Istanbul. Author |  William G Stadium | RAMS Park Arne Slot opted to leave Mohamed Salah on the bench following the loss at Crystal Palace, but his side struggled to find rhythm against the backdrop of a raucous RAMS Park. Their problems deepened when goalkeeper Alisson limped off in the second half, shortly after producing a fine stop to deny Victor Osimhen. Osimhen had already put the hosts ahead after 16 minutes, converting from the spot after referee Clément Turpin judged Dominik Szoboszlai to have fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz. The goal came moments after Davinson Sánchez had cleared Cody Gakpo’s effort off the line. Salah and Alexander Isak were introduced just after the hour in a bid to spark a response, but Liverpool could not find a way back. They believed a late reprieve was coming when Ibrahima Konaté was awarded a penalty,...