Mane's Hat-Trick Ensured Manchester City Will Face Real Madrid

Southampton - Sadio Mane's hat-trick ensured Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on the back of a painful 4-2 defeat at Southampton on Sunday.
Already frustrated at being forced to play this game three days before the trip to the Bernabeu when his side will attempt to build on a scoreless first leg, City manager Manuel Pellegrini's mood will have only darkened from the moment Shane Long put Southampton on course for a resounding victory.
The loss leaves Pellegrini's men in fourth place, four points ahead of Manchester United who have a game in hand, and while City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice, there were few positives for the visitors ahead of next week's decisive clash in Madrid.
Pellegrini, who had contrasted the authorities' unwillingness to move the game forward with the approach taken in other countries, made eight changes to the side that faced Real at Eastlands last Tuesday, with only Joe Hart, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho starting both games.
And the evidence of the first half suggested City's thoughts were elsewhere, despite the need to secure their place in the top four.
Iheanacho worked hard to maintain a threat up front and the youngster's efforts overshadowed those of Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Bony who offered little before the break.
But Pellegrini's main concerns will be the performance of his back four, with the central defensive pairing of Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala struggling to contain Long, while left-back Aleksandar Kolarov did little to suggest he should start in the Bernabeu.
Long had already twice exposed the City backline before the home side went ahead, first when he allowed Otamendi to make a covering tackle and then again when he fired into the side-netting after getting behind Mangala.
Long would not be denied a third time, however, when he got ahead of Otamendi to turn the ball home after being set up by Dusan Tadic in the 25th minute.
Moments before that, Southampton keeper Fraser Forster had produced a superb reaction save to keep out Sterling's close-range effort after a rare moment of threat from the visitors.
And that scare was quickly forgotten when Mane added a second three minutes after Long's opening goal.
City's left was once again exposed by Tadic with the Serb's clever reverse pass taking out Mangala and Kolarov and sending Mane clear to fire past Hart.
The margin of Southampton's lead could have been even greater, but City clawed their way back into it a minute before the break when Iheanacho reacted well to head past Forster after Samir Nasri's low cross was deflected into the air.
However, there were few signs City could build on that goal after the break and Southampton asserted their dominance 12 minutes after the restart when Mane hooked the ball home after Virgil van Dijk had met Steve Davis's corner and headed against the bar.
An awkward afternoon was turning into an embarrassment for Pellegrini's side, who looked incapable of staging a response.
So there was little surprise when Mane completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute with Tadic once again the provider after Van Dijk had dispossessed Iheanacho, releasing Mane to slide another right-footed finish beyond Hart.
Iheanacho confirmed his status as City's most effective player when he reduced the deficit with an excellent curling shot from the edge of the area in the 78th minute, but it came too late to spark a fightback.THE  NEWS24.COM

Fellaini Escape Without Punishment After Elbowing Huth In The Neck

Manchester - Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal tugged a television reporter by the hair in a bizarre attempt to defend Marouane Fellaini's clash with Robert Huth during Sunday's 1-1 draw.
Van Gaal was quizzed on the incident which saw United midfielder Fellaini escape without punishment after elbowing Huth in the neck and opted to explain why the Belgian had reacted that way by getting physical with the reporter.
Claiming Fellaini's hair had been grabbed by Leicester defender Robert Huth in a deliberate piece of provocation, van Gaal reached out to do the same to his Sky Sports interviewer.
"It was a very difficult match for the referee - when you see what Huth is doing with Fellaini, is that not a penalty?," van Gaal said.
"When I grab your hair...Your hair is much shorter.
"Every human being who is grabbed with their hair would react."
United will now wait to see if Fellaini is retrospectively punished by the Football Association for his offence.
The draw delayed Leicester's bid to complete their fairytale Premier League triumph, but the leaders will still take the title if second placed Tottenham fail to beat Chelsea on Monday.
For United, the result was more damaging as it leaves them with only a slender hope of qualifying for the Champions League via a top four finish.
"It is tougher when you don't win, of course it is tougher (to finish in the top four). But we are still in the race," van Gaal said.
"I think we played one of our best matches of the season, but it was not enough.
"I think Leicester City deserves to win this championship. They have very good organisation, but we had a lot of chances."THE SPORT24

Van Gaal Felt a Video Referee Could Have Helped After Drinkwater's Card

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal reiterated his call for the introduction of a video referee after his side prevented Leicester City from claiming the Premier League title with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Anthony Martial fired United in front early in the game but Wes Morgan equalized with a header, before Danny Drinkwater was shown a second yellow card in the closing minutes for pulling back Memphis Depay on the edge of the penalty area.
United's players protested against Michael Oliver's decision to give a free kick, insisting the contact was inside the box, but Van Gaal stressed how hard it was for the officials to see exactly where the offense had taken place.
"It is difficult. I also said it last week that it's so difficult nowadays for the referee to decide," Van Gaal said. "For more than 20, 30 years I've been in this profession, we need video because the referee cannot do it by himself.
"I think [Oliver] is one of the best referees in England but yes, difficult."
Van Gaal felt a video referee could have helped with another key moment in the game when Danny Simpson collided with Jesse Lingard, who was through on goal, but Oliver gave no foul."We also have the red card maybe, for Simpson on Lingard," the Dutchman told MUTV. "I can see why you wouldn't whistle, because it was not a heavy foul, but he grabbed him, so he could have given it.”THE GOAL.COM

AC Milan Prevented An Embarrassing Home Defeat

AC Milan prevented an embarrassing home defeat and damaged Frosinone's survival hopes in a dramatic 3-3 draw at San Siro on Sunday.
Despite his team mounting a comeback from 2-0 down, Cristian Brocchi has still tasted victory only once since taking charge of the 18-time Italian champions, who are six points outside the Europa League qualification places with only two matches of the Serie A season remaining.
The visitors scored twice in the first half, through Luca Paganini and Oliver Kragl, but also relied heavily on the excellence of goalkeeper Francesco Bardi.
He saved a Mario Balotelli penalty, and, though Carlos Bacca soon pulled a goal back early in the second half, Federico Dionisi restored the advantage.
But Luca Antonelli made a fight of it again for Milan, and Jeremy Menez prospered where Balotelli had not to equalise with a late spot-kick.
The result left Frosinone second from bottom, four points from safety, while Milan may have to beat Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia if they are to earn a route into European competition.
The away side started in superb fashion, netting inside two minutes, as a flowing move from the left ended with Paganini's shot flying past a helpless Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Two minutes before the break, Milan were 2-0 down to another sensational strike.
There had been little hint of a Frosinone attack, let alone a goal, but Kragl thumped a low free-kick into the net from more than 30 yards out.
The second half began at an equally frantic pace, with Francesco Bardi immediately involved again.
When Adriano Russo's arm diverted Mattia de Sciglio's shot, the referee had no hesitation in awarding Milan a penalty.
Balotelli, though, was brilliantly denied by the goalkeeper from 12 yards, with the rebound smuggled clear.
But Bardi then granted the hosts a route back into the game.
Keisuke Honda's low centre squeezed between the 24-year-old and his near post, squirming free for Bacca to poke home from close range in the 50th minute.
Within four minutes, the visitors were two goals clear once again.
Alex failed in his attempts to clear the ball, instead presenting a clear chance to Dionisi, who gleefully finished beyond Donnarumma and into the corner.
After 20 minutes of toil, Antonelli came off the bench to put Milan back in the picture.
Balotelli's delivery was nodded back into the middle by Alex, and, with his first touch, the substitute controlled on his chest to set up a glorious over-head kick.
Frosinone, having held off the onslaught for much of the second half, must have thought they were set to claim three vital points in their bid to avoid the drop.
Instead, there was a reprieve for the hosts, as another handball led to a spot-kick in the 91st minute.
This time Menez punished Vasyl Pryima's error, Bardi unable to deny him.
And Balotelli could even haven stolen all three points, battering against the bar in the final minute of a thrilling contest.THE GOAL NIGERIA