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PSG's stars failed to step up to the mark in a 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich that sees the Ligue 1 side bow out of the last 16 3-0 on aggregate

Marco Verratti's mistake cued a Bayern Munich clinic as the German side struck twice to send Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League.

The visitors enjoyed the best chance of the first half, with Vitinha dispossessing Yann Sommer inside the box before poking his shot towards an open net – but Matthijs de Ligt slid in brilliantly to divert his effort off the line.

The Parisians struggled to create thereafter, with Kylian Mbappe rendered anonymous for most of the proceedings.

And the home side deservedly broke the deadlock just after the hour mark, with Eric Chupo-Moting finishing into an empty net after Marco Verratti's giveaway.

Bayern added a second in stoppage time, as Serge Gnabry completed a classy counter-attack to boot PSG out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage without really having to try, triumphing 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.

GOAL rates PSG's players from a demoralising night at the Allianz Arena…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

  Made a neat save in the first half, helpless for both goals.

  Achraf Hakimi (4/10):

  Lost the wing battle to the rampant Alfonso Davies. Beaten one-on-one too often, and didn't get forward enough.

  Danilo Pereira (6/10):

  Serviceable playing out of position and made one excellent tackle, but doesn't have the instincts of a centre-back.

  Sergio Ramos (6/10):

  The best of PSG's three centre-backs, but perhaps should have scored on a free header.

  Marquinhos (5/10):

  Tried to play through an injury sustained at the weekend but was removed after 35 minutes.

  Nuno Mendes (5/10):

  Anonymous going forward, outclassed by the excellent Kingsley Coman. One to forget.

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• Midfield

  Vitinha (6/10):

  Energetic, silky on the ball, but lacking in his final pass.

  Marco Verratti (5/10):

  Gave the ball away inside his own box to cue up Bayern's opener. A season-defining mistake.

  Fabian Ruiz (6/10):

  Struggled to compete with the Leon Goretzka-Joshua Kimmich pivot. Not the kind of hard-working midfielder PSG need.

• Getty Images
  

  Attack

  Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

  A few loose touches early, some half-chances late. Another crushing end to a Champions League campaign.

  Lionel Messi (6/10):

  Class for stretches, but really faded in the second half. Epitomised PSG's struggles.

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• Subs & Manager

  Nordi Mukiele (3/10):

  Replaced the injured Marquinhos after 35 minutes. Swiftly substituted at half-time.

  E.C. Bitshiabu (6/10):

  Brought on for defensive solidity in the second half and looked inexperienced.

  Warren Zaire-Emery (5/10):

  Tasked with reviving a struggling midfield, which is pretty hard when you're a teenager.

  Juan Bernat (5/10):

  Legs for a tired Mendes.

  Hugo Ekitike (N/A):

  Last roll of the proverbial dice. Hardly touched the ball.

  Christophe Galtier (4/10):

  Switched to a back five after setting up in a four in the first leg. Contained Bayern's attack far more effectively in the first half. However, PSG were lacking at the other end, failing to create the chances they needed to overturn a 1-0 deficit. He might have coached his last Champions League game for the club.

Some players can invest so much into their routines that they become lucky charms in their minds

In football, players and coaches will do nearly anything to get the slightest edge, something that will bring them over the line ahead of their opponents.

That usually includes seeking out the best diets and trying to train as intelligently as possible, using statistics and so forth in order to maximise the chances of winning.

For some, the pursuit of victory also involves adhering to certain rituals and, while they might seem absurd or odd, an interruption to routine can have an adverse effect.

Goal takes a look at some of the funniest and weirdest superstitions in football.

Getty1Don Revie didn't like birds

Legendary Leeds United manager Don Revie was famously superstitious and felt so strongly about certain matters that he even had someone try to lift a curse off Elland Road.

As well as insisting on the team bus going the exact same route to every game, Revie would wear the same suit as long as the team won – which became a small issue during their successful periods when his trousers wore thin!

Revie also felt that certain birds were bad luck, so the sudden appearance of an owl badge on the Leeds jersey – inspired by the city coat of arms – in the 1960s was a tad unusual. It was eventually dropped in favour of 'L.U.F.C.', with Revie reportedly an influence behind the decision.

Oh, and he didn't like ornamental elephants either.

AdvertisementGetty Images2The battered boots of Jack Grealish

During Aston Villa's 2018-19 promotion-winning season, Jack Grealish became somewhat superstitious about the boots that he wore.

Footballers often have endorsement deals with sportswear producers and more often than not they love to wear the latest boots. However, that was a luxury Grealish decided to ditch.

Having scored a few goals and laid on some more for his Villa team-mates on his return from injury, the playmaker decided that it had to be his boots.

As a result, Grealish kept wearing the same pair, only changing after the club achieved a place in the Premier League.

The leather was tearing off and his favoured left boot was particularly battered.

"They were brand new and then I got a few goals, a few assists," he explained. "I thought these were my lucky boots so I've had to keep them."

Getty3Felix Magath's lucky tie

Former Bayern Munich manager Felix Magath grew quite attached to a green tie when he was manager of Wolfsburg in the late 2000s.

When he steered the Wolves to a then-record number of successive wins, Magath declared that the tie would not be changed as long as they were winning.

Who are we to argue? Magath steered Wolfsburg to Bundesliga glory that season, finishing two points ahead of Bayern Munich.

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Getty Images4Johan Cruyff the belly slapper

While Johan Cruyff scathingly dismissed the idea of pre-match rituals later in his career, he actually had a few himself in the early days at Ajax.

Before games, the Dutch legend would land a customary slap on the belly of goalkeeper Gert Bals before then proceeding to spit his chewing gum into the opponent's half.

He grew out of that 1970s habit though and by the 1990s he was highly critical of players – and coaches – who had their various superstitions indulged.

Leicestershire could have been forgiven on this of all days if their thoughts occasionally strayed from the Sussex coast to the parties going on in their home city.

David Hopps at Hove03-May-2016
ScorecardMark Pettini hundred added to the success of Leicestershire’s winter imports•Getty ImagesLeicestershire could have been forgiven on this of all days if their thoughts occasionally strayed from the Sussex coast to the parties going on in their home city. Back in Leicester, home of the Premier League champions lest you have been seal spotting in Antarctica for the past month, there were street parties until 4am, fans were reportedly climbing the clock tower and, reinterred last year in Leicester Cathedral, even Richard III was no longer talking of winters of discontent. It could well be the first recorded example of anybody in Brighton being envious of a night out in Leicester.In their own small way, though, Leicestershire had cause for satisfaction even if it did not come with TV cameras, a social media frenzy and an invitation to a Jamie Vardy drinks party. To declare their first innings on 473 for 8, 310 runs ahead of Sussex, pre-season favourites for the Division Two title, was further proof of their determination to lose the tag of the weakest county in the land. Well worth a celebratory room service and an early night.With the leaders Essex seemingly involved in a stalemate with Worcestershire at New Road, Leicestershire have the opportunity to strengthen their hold on second place if they can force victory, but they failed to nick out a couple of Sussex wickets by the close, Ed Joyce and Chris Nash assembling 113 without too many alarms in the 39 overs to the close – although Nash, on 9, was fortunate to survive a slip chance off Clint McKay.Leicestershire have made much of the fact that they were signing leaders when Paul Horton, Neil Dexter and Mark Pettini, former captains all, were identified as key components in the rebuilding of what had been the most ailing county club in the land. They were also signing batsmen: May is barely upon us and all of them have struck a Championship hundred which, even allowing for an early season characterised by flatter pitches, must bring immense satisfaction.Proven players Leicestershire’s trio might be but they are not too far beyond their 30th birthdays, their combined first-class tally is now around 24,000 runs, and all possess solid first-class averages between 35 and 40. The lure of a new county has whetted their appetite. Dexter’s introductory hundred came last week in a strong draw against Kent; Horton and Pettini have followed up here at Hove with Pettini, 42 not out overnight, moving on to an unbeaten 142 – his highest Championship score for nearly a decade – before time was called on their first innings shortly before tea.”It’s been a good start for all of us I guess,” Pettini said. “It is important that we use our experience to get the runs. For myself it’s been fantastic to get a chance to play four-day regularly again. It’s been a great move for me. I have always believed in my four-day cricket but we had some impressive young guys at Essex who needed opportunities.”Pettini lost his way as a four-day player at Essex, but he looked acquitted for the task here, one edge against Ajmal Shahzad which flew wide of slip a rare blemish. He looked strong square of the wicket and three times lofted Sussex’s spinners confidently down the ground for sixes. Luke Wells, a legspinner now with occasional revisitations of his offspin, is a more solid performer these days and he found turn as he struck the stumps of Wayne White with a googly and Ben Raine, heaving to leg, in quick succession, but Danny Briggs, like Pettini eager to prove his Championship worth, went wicketless: so far he has shown more polish than clean-up power.As for the football, Pettini was actually born in Brighton and supports Liverpool. “But it was a great achievement and I’m happy to join the bandwagon,” he said. He has not joined a bad bandwagon at Leicestershire, it seems. If a smallish squad can avoid injuries – and they have mild concern over their captain Mark Cosgrove, who left the field with a jarred hip, suffered intercepting a drive into the covers from Joyce – they look capable of making considerable strides.

Ravi Sawani, the chief of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) has resigned from his position citing personal reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2015

Ravi Sawani, the chief of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) has resigned from his position citing personal reasons. He is likely to be succeeded by Neeraj Kumar, the former Delhi commissioner of police, who was recently roped in as an advisor to the Indian board’s ACU. Sawani’s tenure is likely to end in June.Sawani’s decision hasn’t surprised the BCCI administration as it is understood he had indicated his desire to quit soon after the board appointed Kumar in April. The former ICC ACSU chief was then informally asked to stay on until the end of IPL 2015.Sawani was considered by many within the BCCI as a trusted aide of N Srinivasan, the former BCCI president whose son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested and charge-sheeted in the IPL 2013 corruption scandal. However, a BCCI official denied that the change in power equations in the BCCI – with Srinivasan losing his control over the board following the elections in March – has had anything to do with Sawani’s resignation.The BCCI hierarchy acknowledged Sawani’s efforts for having set up the ACU after being appointed in 2012. With Kumar’s vast knowledge and experience of dealing with cricket corruption-related cases, the BCCI hopes that he can implement measures to curb fixing-related offences in India.

A collapse which saw them lose seven wickets for 75 runs ended Queensland’s hopes of a place in the Sheffield Shield final, as they lost to Western Australia by 95 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Ashton Agar picked up three wickets in Queensland’s second innings•Getty Images

A collapse which saw them lose seven wickets for 75 runs ended Queensland’s hopes of a place in the Sheffield Shield final, as they lost to Western Australia by 95 runs.Asked to chase 312 on the final day after the visitors were bowled out for 173, Queensland were in the race at tea, needing 185 with seven wickets in hand. However, they slid from 3 for 141 to 216 all out to crash to a defeat.Queensland had begun well in their chase; their openers Joe Burns and Chris Hemphrey brought up their second 50-plus partnership of the match, adding 61, before Andrew Tye removed Burns to pick up the first of his three wickets. He struck again two overs later to dismiss Peter Forrest for a duck.Hemphrey and Chris Lynn stitched together 55 runs before the former fell within touching distance of a half-century for the second time in the game, losing his wicket to Ashton Agar.Nathan Coulter-Nile and Tye then proceeded to remove Lynn, who scored his second fifty of the match, Chris Hartley and Michael Philipson in the space of three overs. When captain James Hopes returned to the pavillion, Queensland were 7 for 160.Cameron Boyce, who scored 42 off 45 balls, and Jack Wildermuth, with a 21-ball 27, quickened the tempo and sustained the fight, but it wasn’t long before Queensland were bowled out, Boyce the last man to fall, off Agar, in the 70th over.Western Australia hadn’t done a lot better with the bat, adding only 20 runs to their overnight total and losing four wickets inside seven overs. Coulter-Nile was the first man to go, run out off the seventh ball of the day.Nathan Rimmington and Tye followed suit soon after; captain Adam Voges was the last batsman to exit, dismissed by Peter George, who claimed four wickets.Western Australia’s win means that their clash with New South Wales in Perth will decide one of the places in the Shield final.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy 2014-15 Group C matches played on January 22, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2015
ScorecardIshank Jaggi scored his second double-hundred of the season•PTI Assam made slow progress on the second day, adding 174 runs in 92.4 overs, but with a handy 68-run lead and five wickets in hand, they were in the pole position in Porvorim. Starting from 69 for 1, Assam lost opener Pallavkumar Das in the sixth over of the day, but a dogged 80-run stand between Sibsankar Roy (28 off 123 balls) and Gokul Sharma (53 off 169) held Goa’s bowlers at bay for a staggering 45.5 overs. Both batsmen were dismissed within the space of 13 balls, both falling to Darshan Misal, giving Goa a faint ray of hope. Dheeraj Jadhav, playing his 100th first-class game, took the team to lead, but fell soon after. An unbeaten 45-run stand between Tarjinder Singh and Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad helped Andhra finish the day without any further loss.
ScorecardIshank Jaggi’s second double-hundred of the season led Jharkhand to a mammoth 556 for 9 on the second day against Hyderabad in Ranchi. Along with Jaggi’s 201 not out, No. 8 Kaushal Singh scored 69 before Jharkhand’s declaration, making Hyderabad bat for 14 overs in which they lost a wicket.Jharkhand started the day on 295 for 4, with Jaggi on 58, but medium-pacer Ashish Reddy removed Rituraj Singh for 24 and Kumar Deobrat for 10 to leave them on 351 for 6. However, Kaushal combined with Jaggi to shift the momentum back in Jharkhand’s favour with a stand of 177 runs. Kaushal scored his third fifty in four matches while Jaggi registered his 10th first-class hundred which featured 21 fours and four sixes. Legspinner Akash Bhandari broke the stand and took two more wickets to finish with 4 for 136 before Jharkhand declared.Varun Aaron broke Hyderabad’s opening stand in his first over, the second of the innings, before Hyderabad finished on 55 for 1, trailing by a humongous 501 runs.
ScorecardKerala put themselves in a strong position in Agartala, reaching 96 for the loss of KB Pawan in response to hosts Tripura’s 179. Rana Dutta took out Pawan for a duck but his opening partner Abhishek Hegde and Sanju Samson added an unbeaten 81 for the second wicket. Both batsmen took their time as Kerala went at just below two runs an over.Sandeep Warrier had earlier run through the Tripura tail in the morning on his way to 4 for 45. Overnight batsmen Bishal Ghosh (78) and Dutta (21) took their seventh-wicket partnership to 38 but once KS Monish sent back Ghosh, the rest capitulated to Warrier.
ScorecardThe rain refused to let off in Dharamsala, washing out the entire second day’s play between Himachal Pradesh and Andhra. The visitors were well-placed at 123 for 2 when rain also cut short the first day.

MatériaMais Notícias

No jogo que abriu a 17ª rodada da Série C, o Paysandu foi até o Passo das Emas e venceu a Luverdense por 3 a 1. O resultado deixou o time paraense na vice-liderança da chave B, com 27 pontos. Enquanto isso, o time de Lucas do Rio Verde fica na nona colocação do grupo, com 13 pontos e está rebaixado para a Série D.

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Na próxima rodada, a Luverdense encara o Atlético-AC, fora de casa. O Paysandu faz clássico contra o Remo, no Mangueirão.

O duelo

Sem sofrer nenhum tipo de incômodo do adversário, o Paysandu começou o jogo no ataque. O prêmio veio aos 17, quando Caíque Oliveira aproveitou a cobrança de escanteio e abriu o marcador.

O gol obrigou o LEC a sair da defesa, mas o time parecia pouco inspirado e não conseguia entrar de fato na grande área paraense.

Disposto a decidir o jogo, com menos de um minuto o Papão ampliou. Tomas Bastos cobrou falta com perfeição e marcou um lindo tento, 2 a 0.

A resposta do time da casa veio aos 3 minutos através de Tozin. A Luverdense ainda buscou o empate, criou ótimas oportunidades, porém não conseguiu mandar para dentro do gol.

Quando a igualdade parecia questão de tempo, o Paysandu deu o golpe fatal. No cruzamento de Nicolas, Tomas Bastos acertou uma linda cabeçada e deu números finais ao jogo, 3 a 1.

Following India’s defeat in England, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur has voiced concern over the performance of the team’s support staff. He said he felt “some introspection” is needed

PTI18-Aug-2014Following India’s defeat in England, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur has voiced concern over the performance of the team’s support staff. He said he felt “some introspection” is needed.”Not only as a BCCI official, but just like millions of fans, I am extremely disappointed with the Indian team’s performance in this Test series against England,” Thakur told PTI. “I think some introspection is needed in order to get back to winning ways.”Thakur felt the role of coach Duncan Fletcher had to be looked into, to see if some alternative options could be worked out. “Obviously, there are questions about the role of support staff after such a performance. If you ask me, I would ideally like an Indian support staff to work in tandem with Fletcher, which might help him to prepare better for the future tour,” Thakur, who is also the president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, suggested.Asked to elaborate, Thakur explained, “What I feel is that a former cricketer of repute should be working with Mr Fletcher. It necessarily does not have to be a coaching role but some well-defined role. We have a lot of former greats and they have an idea about the psyche of the Indian players. The focus will be on those former players who have done well in overseas conditions.”Since they have been there and done that, they can talk to the players, understand their technical problems. They can act as a bridge between the players and the chief coach. I believe a reputed former Indian player is necessary to improve the communication.”He agreed that a demoralising defeat, like the ones at Old Trafford and The Oval, will play on players’ minds but a good show in the ODI series can change that. “The ODIs will start and right now what one needs is to lift the spirits of the players. A good performance in the limited overs is needed to boost the confidence,” Thakur said. “Hopefully, the support staff will be able to lift the morale of the team.”Thakur was non-committal on whether MS Dhoni should continue as the captain of the team. “That is a call that selectors have to take and I can’t individually comment on that,” he said. “If there are any suggestions that I need to put forward on this issue, I will do it at the appropriate forum and not through the media.”

Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-20143:05

Indian cricket’s nearly man

Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Kartik, 37, played eight Tests, 37 ODIs and one Twenty20 international for India. His first-class career, which began in 1996, spanned more than 17 years.Kartik’s career coincided with the dominance of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the India side, and as a result, he never got a sustained run in Tests. He played four Tests in 2000, making his debut against South Africa in Mumbai but had to wait for more than three years for his next chance, which came against Australia in Sydney in January 2004, where he had a return of 1 for 211.He bounced back with a solid showing against the same opponents at home later that year and his seven wickets were crucial in India winning the Mumbai Test in November. The first Test against South Africa in Kanpur later that month turned out to be Kartik’s last, although he made a short-lived ODI comeback in 2007.The comeback brought about his finest ODI performance, also against Australia in Mumbai, where he claimed 6 for 27 and then made an unbeaten 21 in a match-winning ninth-wicket partnership with Zaheer Khan.”The Mumbai Test (match haul of 7/76) where I won the Man-of-the-Match award will always be special as we were able to restrict an Australian side chasing 103 (107),” he said, when asked to pick out his career highlights. “Also when Sachin presented me with my India Test cap and Kapil Paaji (then coach) presented the India hat.”Kartik was also a key member of the Railways side that made successive Ranji Trophy finals in 2000-01 and 2001-02, both times against Baroda. He played a vital role in their maiden title triumph in 2001-02, taking 5 for 51 and 3 for 7 in addition to scoring 69 in the second innings of the final.In all, he played 203 first-class games and took 644 wickets at an average of 26.70. Nearly a third of those wickets were for English county sides Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey and Lancashire. He was also a handy batsman and was even used as an opener at times. He made 4423 first-class runs at an average of 20.19 with a highest of 96.In the latter part of his career, Kartik also enjoyed success in the shortest format in England. He was part of Middlesex’s T20-winning squad in 2008, and made two finals with Somerset in 2010 and 2011. He has represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors in the IPL and was picked by Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 auction. Kartik has said he will be available to play for Kings XI in the forthcoming Champions League T20.

The players draft for the second edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be held on April 3 in Kingston, Jamaica, and will include 228 players. In a release, the CPL said 121 overseas players had signed up for the draft, which is more than five times the number of overseas players in the 2013 draft.English cricketers will feature in the tournament for the first time this year, if drafted in by the franchises, the CPL said. Players from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka have also signed up. West Indies aside, Australia will have the largest representation at the draft, with 30 players lining up, including 15 internationals.The release said: “The vast majority of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad has also signed up. New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka are also well represented, and the draft will include several current and former international captains, leading Test stars, T20 specialists and limited-overs legends.”The full list will be made public on March 17. The tournament will be played in July and August. Jamaica Tallawahs had won the inaugural edition, ahead of Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel; these same six franchises which will play the 2014 competition.