Manchester City sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals after an ill-tempered 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in their second-leg clash on Wednesday.

Kevin De Bruyne's solitary goal in the first leg last week gave Pep Guardiola's side a slender lead to take to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Diego Simeone's men put them under intense pressure in the second half, but City held firm before tempers flared late on and Felipe saw red.

That left the visitors to see out a 1-0 aggregate victory to reach back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history.

The Premier League leaders will now face Real Madrid in the last four after Carlo Ancelotti's charges overcame Chelsea on Tuesday.

The first clear sight of goal for either side came on the half-hour mark when Ilkay Gundogan struck the base of Jan Oblak's right-hand post from eight yards after being teed up by Phil Foden.

City, coming into the game on the back of a thrilling 2-2 draw with title rivals Liverpool, looked the more likely to score throughout the first half, yet they went in at the break having failed to hit the target with any of their eight shots.

The hosts were much improved at the start of the second period and Antoine Griezmann flashed a dipping effort past the post from the edge of the penalty area shortly before the hour. 

There was a melee after Felipe's late challenge on Foden in the closing stages, with both sets of players clashing near the corner flag.

The end result was a second yellow card for the Atleti defender as the home side's Champions League campaign ended on a sour note, with Simeone himself booked in stoppage time after stepping onto the pitch.

What does it mean? City made to work for semi-final spot

City dominated the first half, taking eight shots to Atleti's one, but Guardiola’s men wilted in the second period and registered just two shots on goal.  

The LaLiga side can perhaps consider themselves unlucky not to force extra time after a spirited second-half display, yet the reality is they have now failed to win any of their past eight home games in the Champions League.  

Rodri epitomises City display

Rodri was solid as a rock at the heart of City's midfield, winning more tackles than any player on the pitch (four), and contesting 16 duels – again, more than any player on either side.

Savic lucky to escape red

Stefan Savic can consider himself fortunate to have remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. The former City man received just a booking for his role in the ugly scenes late on, with Simeone forced onto the field soon after in an apparent attempt to calm the defender down.  

What's next?

City have a mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool on Saturday, while Atleti host Espanyol in LaLiga a day later.

Lorenzo Musetti headlined a day of shocks at the Monte Carlo Masters as Felix Auger-Aliassime fell to a first-round defeat.

Auger-Aliassime already has one singles title to his name this year, having prevailed in Rotterdam, and also reached the final of the Open 13 in Marseille and helped Canada to victory in the ATP Cup at the start of 2022.

However, the sixth seed entered this contest with just one win from his last four matches and came unstuck once again at the hands of Musetti. 

Musetti, who won two sets in the fourth round of the French Open against Novak Djokovic last year, is very much at home on the clay in Monaco.

He demonstrated that in 6-2 7-6 (7-2) success, setting up a last-16 meeting with Diego Schwartzman.

“I live here and practice here,” Musetti said in his on-court interview. "It is nice to be here and play here in front of such a crowd. I am really happy.

"My backhand down the line was a key to many of my great shots. After a really good first set, he came back with such powerful serving, but I was calm and patient and that was the most beautiful thing about today."

Auger-Aliassime's exit came a day after top seed Djokovic was knocked out in the second round by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but there were no such problems for second seed Alexander Zverev as he saw off Federico Delbonis in straight sets.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev came from a set down to defeat Alex de Minaur and fourth seed Casper Ruud, coming off his defeat in the final in Miami, edged qualifier Holger Rune in two tight sets.

The man who vanquished Ruud in Florida will go no further on the Cote d'Azur, however, Carlos Alcaraz losing in just over three hours to Sebastian Korda on his Monte Carlo debut.

Korda lost to Alcaraz in the final of last year's Next Gen ATP Finals, but avenged that defeat with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 victory.

World number 10 Cameron Norrie lost to Albert-Ramos Vinolas and his British compatriot Dan Evans fell to David Goffin, while 16th seed Lorenzo Sonego was beaten by the in-form Laslo Djere.

Elsewhere in the draw, there were wins for Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, Hubert Hurkacz and Pablo Carreno Busta.

Jurgen Klopp has rung the changes for Liverpool's Champions League clash with Benfica as he keeps one eye on the upcoming FA Cup meeting with Manchester City.

The German makes seven alterations to the line-up that played out a 2-2 draw with City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as he prepares for a rematch at Wembley this Saturday.

Kostas Tsimikas, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez come into a much-changed back four in which only Joel Matip keeps his place.

Meanwhile, Naby Keita and James Milner are handed starts in the centre of the park alongside captain Jordan Henderson.

And there are also changes up top, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane dropping out to be replaced by Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino.

Benfica are hoping to overturn a 3-1 aggregate deficit in order to set up a semi-final meeting with Villarreal, who shocked Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Caretaker boss Nelson Verissimo has named an unchanged line-up from the one that suffered defeat in Portugal as he looks to do mastermind a comeback.

Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas, Henderson, Milner, Keita, Jota, Firmino, Diaz.

A group featuring former Chelsea captain John Terry is supporting Stephen Pagliuca's bid to take over the Stamford Bridge outfit, with NBA chairman Larry Tanenbaum also involved.

A statement from the True Blues Consortium, which counts Terry and other former Blues players among its founders, expressed confidence in the ownership bid led by Pagliuca, who co-owns NBA outfit the Boston Celtics and Serie A side Atalanta.

Meanwhile, NBA chief Tanenbaum's involvement in the bid, which had been reported earlier this week, was confirmed by Pagliuca, who also praised the True Blues consortium for their public support.

The True Blues group, which announced an intention to bid for a minority stake in the club last month, has now announced its public support for the 67-year-old's takeover attempt. 

"Having engaged [with] and being well received by all the bidders, we were recently able to spend some time with Steve and Larry," the group said in a statement released to Sky News. 

"Getting to know their bid, we're again confident that they are aligned with Chelsea fans, and of course, have experience in this area of owning sports teams.

"We feel the club are in a fortunate position with the final bidders and look forward to continuing dialogue with them."

Pagliuca spoke publicly about his ownership bid for the first time on Tuesday, pledging never to involve the club in a revived European Super League and suggesting that a redevelopment of Stamford Bridge or a new stadium would also feature in his plans.

The 67-year-old, who is the co-owner of American private investment firm Bain Capital, followed up with another statement on Wednesday, thanking the True Blues group for their support. 

"The group welcomes the endorsement and support of the True Blues Consortium, an organisation dedicated to Chelsea FC and focused on representing fan interests for the club," the statement read, as reported by ESPN.

Confirming Tanenbaum's involvement, Pagliuca called the NBA chief "a world-class individual, who is highly regarded in the global sports community."

He added: "His experience in sports governance, his long-term perspective, and civil construction expertise are tremendous assets for our group."

Pagliuca also pledged to operate "quietly, with integrity" if he succeeds in taking over Roman Abramovich's ownership of the club, confirming a bid will be formally made this week.

"This process has been a disconcerting time for the football club and fans," he continued. "Throughout my life and career, my ethos has always been to operate quietly, with integrity, and let my actions and results speak loudly.

"However, it is imperative to clarify and assure supporters about our bid group and its commitments, to emphasise how seriously we take our potential responsibility to Chelsea.

"Later this week we will submit a substantial and credible bid proposal – one that we expect will meet the respective requirements and regulations of the Premier League, UK Government and UEFA – and we pledge to honour our commitment to credibility and good guardianship of Chelsea Football Club from day one."

Wales are among the countries to have declared an interest in hosting the 2022-23 Nations League finals.

UEFA confirmed on Wednesday that the football associations of Wales, Belgium, Poland and Netherlands have all declared their interest in making a bid, with the deadline to submit final bid dossiers not until October 5.

The league phase begins in June 2022, and will run until September, with a break between then and June to allow for the remainder of the domestic season and the 2022 World Cup.

The hosts will be confirmed in January 2023, with the finals due to be held from June 14-18.

The draw for the competition took place in December, with 2018 World Cup finalists France and Croatia together in Group A1, Spain and Portugal among those in Group A2, and the trio of Italy, England and Germany featuring in Group A3.

Interestingly, the four nations to have declared an interest in hosting the finals have all been pitted against one another in Group A4.

Portugal staged the first edition of the tournament in 2019, while Italy hosted in 2021.

Gareth Bale will "definitely" continue to play club football next season if Wales qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, says national team boss Rob Page.

Page also vehemently defended Bale against recent media criticism in Spain, saying he was angered by Marca's depiction of the Real Madrid winger as a "parasite" last month.

Bale's future has been called into question in recent weeks, with the 32-year-old making just four starts for Carlo Ancelotti's team in LaLiga this season and speculation abounding that the wideman could call time on his club career.

However, Wales' caretaker manager Page is certain the four-time Champions League winner would continue playing to fulfil his dream of featuring at a World Cup, should Wales qualify, although he was none the wiser as to where he would go when his Madrid contract expires in June.

"If we get to the World Cup in November, then he will definitely be playing football," Page told the Athletic. "The World Cup is his dream, the one thing missing from his CV. 

"Where he'll play, I'm not sure, whether he comes home, stays in Spain, fancies another challenge, I really don't know."

Bale netted twice in Wales' crucial 2-1 victory against Austria last month, including a stunning free-kick opener, to send the Dragons to June's play-off final in Cardiff.

If Wales beat either Scotland or Ukraine to secure a place in Qatar, they will make their first World Cup appearance since 1958, and would feature in the same group as rivals England.

Page was also asked about the Spanish media's coverage of Bale's Real Madrid career, saying he was left fuming by Marca depicting Bale as a "parasite" last month.

"I'm absolutely appalled by it," he added. "I know Gareth well now and a lot of people don't see what he does off the pitch, the donations he made to the NHS recently, to a hospital in Cardiff, a considerable amount of money.

"He doesn't get credit for that because he doesn't shout about it and people don’t hear about it. He keeps it to himself. 

"That parasite comment made my blood boil. I don't like that. 

"That's not the Gareth Bale who is the captain of our country, who represents us, and he never will be that."

Bale is the top goalscorer in the history of the Welsh national team, netting 38 times in his 102 senior caps to date. Only Chris Gunter, meanwhile, has made more appearances for Wales, winning five caps more than the Madrid winger.

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed quarterback Derek Carr to a three-year contract extension worth $121.5million.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported the Raiders have agreed to a contract with Carr that will keep him with the team through the 2025 season.

It means Carr will earn $141.3m over four years, the deal coming in an offseason that has seen the Raiders make a big statement of their intent to build around him.

The Raiders hired Josh McDaniels, renowned as one of the league's best offensive minds, as their new head coach and then reunited Carr with college team-mate Davante Adams, acquiring the All-Pro wide receiver in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers.

Las Vegas also signed veteran edge rusher Chandler Jones in a significant boost to the defense, the Raiders stacking the deck around Carr as they look to secure a first playoff win since the 2002 season.

Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs last season, Las Vegas losing in the Wild Card round to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 2021 campaign was arguably the finest of his career.

Among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, Carr finished third in well-thrown percentage. Trailing only Joe Burrow and Ryan Tannehill, he delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 81.6 per cent of his passes.

None of the eight quarterbacks to average more air yards per attempt than Carr's 8.29 had a superior well-thrown percentage, his ability to blend ball placement and downfield upside further illustrated by his 67 completions of 20 yards or more in 2021. Tom Brady (75) was the sole quarterback to end the season with more.

Carr will hope to build on those impressive numbers in 2022 and vindicate his lucrative new contract, which is reported to contain a no-trade clause, essentially meaning he would be able to pick his new team if the Raiders decide to part with him in the coming years.

But by signing Carr to such a high-income extension, the Raiders are banking on such a divorce never coming to pass.

Xavi has claimed the Champions League achievements of Real Madrid and Villarreal show the strength of LaLiga is close to that of the Premier League.

Madrid overcame English side and defending European champions Chelsea at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semi-finals, despite losing 3-2 on the night, while Villarreal shocked Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena to also advance.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of Barcelona's own European quarter-final second leg in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt, Xavi questioned what he believes to be the consensus that the Premier League is a "much higher level" compared to Spain.

"Yesterday, I thought LaLiga isn't that far off from the Premier League," the Blaugrana head coach said. "There is this debate about the Premier League being a much higher level than LaLiga. We have two Spanish clubs in the semi-finals.

"People say it is not difficult to play in LaLiga, but the Premier League isn't far from LaLiga."

Despite being eliminated from the group stage of the Champions League earlier this season, the Barca boss expressed excitement at competing in the Europa League, though he insisted the club wants to be back in Europe's premier competition as soon as possible.

"It's not quite as highly rated as the Champions League but it's a European title which we're excited to play for," he said. "The team is motivated and ready.

"We're working to get back into the Champions League. Yesterday we had to watch from home and that was painful for us, but we must use it to motivate us to be back there."

Barca centre back Eric Garcia also spoke to the media on Wednesday, and compared Xavi to club legend Pep Guardiola, who Garcia previously played for at Manchester City.

When asked about the influence of Xavi since his arrival in November, Garcia said: "He is showing us a lot with the ball and our distribution.

"Him and Pep are quite similar in this way. Xavi is very close to the players, he talks a lot with you and gives you advice, which is very important to the players.

"It's a shame we have only had a few months with him, but there is a lot of hope for the future ahead of us with him."

Granit Xhaka came close to quitting Arsenal in late 2019 after receiving "pure hate" from sections of the club's fanbase.

The Switzerland international said he felt "very disrespected" after being booed by his own fans in an incident in October that year and recognises he will "never be best friends" with many supporters despite reasserting himself as a key member of the Arsenal team.

Xhaka lost the club captaincy after throwing his armband to the ground having been booed by supporters in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, but he fought his way back into the team following Mikel Arteta's appointment as manager.

The midfielder has made 19 Premier League appearances this season, all of them starts, as Arsenal chase Champions League qualification, but said he still remembers the experience when he leaves the pitch after a defeat.

"My bags were packed, the passports were out, I was done with Arsenal. Finished," Xhaka told the Players' Tribune. "There was a contract on the table from another club, and all I had to do was sign.

"First, I want to make it very clear that I love Arsenal. I always did, and I still do. I will give everything for this club until the day I leave. I also know that some people do not like me, this is part of football and I get it.

"But that day against Crystal Palace, things went over the line. I was taken off after about an hour. I had barely begun to move when I heard the boos, and it was not just a few guys in the corner, it was a lot of people. 

"I was shocked. This hate. Pure hate. I have never had a problem with criticism, but to be booed by your own fans? As captain? That is different, that is about respect.

"That day, I felt very disrespected. The comments were over the line, it felt personal. Yes, I was the Arsenal captain, but I am also a human being. So, as a human being, I reacted.

"Was I wrong to do what I did? Yes. But would I do anything differently if it happened again tomorrow? Honestly, I don't know. 

"Still to this day, if we have lost, I hate walking those last metres to the tunnel, because I still recognise the faces. The same people are sitting there."

Xhaka has also attracted criticism in recent seasons for his aggressive style of play, with no Premier League player being shown more than his five red cards across all competitions since 2016 – his latest coming in the EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool in January.

However, the 29-year-old says he will never change his style in response to fans' criticisms.

"Listen, the cards have always been part of my game," he added. "They were in Germany, too. I'm all in, and it's the same in training. If I elbow a player, I'll be the first one to say, 'I'm sorry'. But a tackle? Come on, guys, this is not ballet.

"Why do the coaches keep playing me? Because I'm a 'good guy'? No. It's because I train hard, I work hard, and I try to help my team-mates. I will not change for some guy who is hiding behind a keyboard. No chance."

Successive Premier League defeats to Crystal Palace and Brighton have harmed Arsenal's chances of securing a top-four finish ahead of Saturday's trip to Southampton, with Arsenal last losing three consecutive league games in their first three outings of the campaign last August.

"I can promise you that I will still act like a captain," Xhaka added. "I get a lot of respect from my team-mates and our staff, and I am so thankful for that. I will always help the young guys and take responsibility for our performances. 

"Arsenal is still in my heart, 100 per cent. My challenge was never to change people's opinions about me, but to help the team. 

"I understand that we will never be best friends, but I hope we can treat each other with honesty and respect. I want you to know that whatever I do on the pitch, it comes from the right place. 

"I still love this club, I believe Mikel is building a great team, and I want to achieve something special here."

Atletico Madrid will welcome a full crowd for their Champions League second leg against Manchester City after the partial closure of their stadium was delayed.

UEFA ordered Atletico to close an area of 5,000 seats for their next match due to alleged racist behaviour in the 1-0 away defeat to City.

This appeared to indicate the Wanda Metropolitano would be closed in part for the return match on Wednesday, although UEFA only charged Atletico last Friday.

The LaLiga champions appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and filed an urgent request for the ban to be stayed due to the proximity of Atletico's next home match in European competition.

And Atletico were successful in this bid, meaning the punishment will not be implemented this week.

"Atletico's urgent request to stay the execution of the challenged decision was granted by CAS earlier today, considering the serious repercussions to local security if the partial stadium closure had to be enforced at this late stage," read a CAS media release on Wednesday.

"However, the partial closure of 5,000 seats of Atletico's stadium will be automatically lifted after the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match."

Xavi acknowledged his "respect" for Robert Lewandowski but offered little more on the Bayern Munich striker ahead of a key European game for Barcelona.

Lewandowski has scored 47 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for Bayern this season and won The Best FIFA Men's Player award in January.

Bayern were surprisingly eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage on Tuesday, despite Lewandowski finding the net against Villarreal, who won 2-1 on aggregate.

Oliver Kahn, the Bayern chief executive, said ahead of that second leg the club "definitely" would not sell Lewandowski, who has a year remaining on his contract.

But the former Borussia Dortmund man has been linked with a move to Camp Nou at the end of the season.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of Barca's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, Xavi said: "It is not the moment to talk about Lewandowski.

"I respect him a lot as a player, but we focus on tomorrow's match and not potential signings. I will not say anything else about it."

The Blaugrana drew 1-1 in Germany in last week's first leg, where Xavi was unhappy with the length of the grass at the Waldstadion, but he is confident at Camp Nou his players will be able to utilise their possession-based football.

"It's true the pitch wasn't 100 per cent. It is important tomorrow the pitch is good. It should help us improve retention of the ball," Xavi said.

Barca have not lost in 15 games in all competitions, winning 11 of those, and the arrival of Xavi in November has seen the team restore some pride after a dreadful start to the campaign that included elimination from the Champions League group stages for the first time in over two decades.

Despite this form, Xavi declared his coaching job as the "most difficult" in the world, believing the pressure to win as well as play good football makes the Barca role the toughest in football.

"We have an obligation to win and play well," he said. "Imagine what it's like to be at Barca. All week there has been debate about the weekend when we won in the 90th minute [against Levante]. That's what it's like being in Barca. We need to be excellent in everything we do.

"That's why it's the most difficult club in the world. There is nothing to compare it to. In no other country is there a more difficult job.

"We have to win while playing well and that's difficult. Very difficult. It's the most complicated club in the world, I am sure of it."