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FOOTBALL

Bayern on the brink after Barca defeat

Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Nou Camp on Wednesday evening to put the Bundesliga Champions on the edge of a second successive exit at the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

Bayern on the brink after Barca defeat
Bastian Schweinsteiger reacts against Luis Suarez. Photo:DPA

Two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Neymar, all coming late in the second half ensured that Bayern Munich have a mountain to climb in the return leg of the fixture next Tuesday.

The match had been closely fought up until the 77th minute when Messi fired in a shot from the edge of the penalty area. This seemed to be the beating of the Bavarians. The diminutive Argentinian followed up with a superb shimmy and chip a few minutes later before Neymar scored on the counter attack in the dying moments.

“I'm sad, not about the result, but because of how the game went,” said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after the match. “The team fought and battled for 77 minutes.”

Pep Guardiola, who was returning to the ground where he had had so much success as a player and a manager said “With all my heart I want to congratulate Barcelona.”

“I am very proud of my team. They deserve praise,” he added.

The challenge now facing Bayern, of overturning a three goals deficit has only once before been achieved in the 23 year history of the competition – by Deportivo La Coruna in 2004. They countered a 4-1 away loss to AC Milan with a 4-0 home victory to progress.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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