Dusan Vlahovic is not giving up hope on winning the Serie A title after helping to fire Juventus into fourth on his Bianconeri debut on Sunday.

Vlahovic joined in the January transfer window in a big-money move from Fiorentina and marked his bow with the opener in a 2-0 win over Verona.

The victory left Juventus eight points behind leaders Inter, beaten by rivals Milan on Saturday, although the Nerazzurri have a game in hand.

The Serbian was pleased to have helped his side to three vital points and says Juve have to have belief they are still in the race for the Scudetto.

"It was very important to win this match because these games after the [international] breaks are the most difficult mentally," Vlahovic said to DAZN after the game. "We had a good approach right from the start and in the end, we managed to do what was most important, to win.

"I have to thank my team-mates and the coach who welcomed me very well and helped me a lot, I'm trying to understand as soon as possible how it works here, I just have to continue like this and work harder. The most important thing is to have won today.

"Juve always thinks about the highest goals, when they start a competition they always do it to win. I'm here to give my maximum contribution, match by match, and at the end of the season we will do the maths."

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, however, suggested the top three are the only contenders.

"The Scudetto? It concerns the three in front, Inter, Milan and Napoli," Allegri said to DAZN. "We must take one step at a time. We now have the goal in our sights. The Coppa Italia and a place in the Champions League: 80 points are needed."

The Bianconeri's next Serie A fixture - after their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Sassuolo on Thursday - is a crunch clash with Atalanta on February 13, who are two points behind Juventus but with a game in hand.

Manuel Neuer will miss at least the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League last-16 clash with Salzburg after undergoing knee surgery.

Bayern said their long-serving goalkeeper would be sidelined for several weeks, with the Bundesliga leaders disclosing the unexpected news on Sunday evening.

In a statement, Bayern said: "Manuel Neuer underwent successful surgery on his right knee joint on Sunday. FC Bayern will therefore have to do without their captain for the coming weeks."

Hasan Salihamidzic, the Bayern sporting director, said: "All of us in the club and the team wish Manuel a good and speedy recovery, and we're sure he'll be back to full fitness with us soon."

Sven Ulreich has been Neuer's deputy and is expected to step in while the 35-year-old regular number one rehabilitates.

Bayern are next due in action when they face Bochum in the Bundesliga next Saturday, before they travel to Salzburg for the first leg of their European tie on the following Wednesday.

The second leg of that tie is due to take place on March 8, and it remains to be seen whether Neuer will be passed fit for that game. Neuer has already indicated he is hopeful he will be available to head coach Julian Nagelsmann by then.

Neuer wrote on Instagram: "Hey guys, I had a little surgery on my knee this afternoon. Everything went fine, so I'll be able to start rehabilitation training soon. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be back on the pitch in a couple of weeks."

On Saturday, Neuer helped Bayern earn a 3-2 home win over Leipzig, as he matched Oliver Kahn's all-time record of 310 Bundesliga wins by a player. He achieved the first 77 wins with Schalke, before joining Bayern in 2011.

Sadio Mane made up for an earlier penalty miss with the decisive spot-kick as Senegal claimed their first Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 shoot-out win over Egypt.

The Lions of Teranga were beaten in the 2019 final by Algeria, but they belatedly got their hands on the trophy at Olembe Stadium on Sunday with a dramatic shoot-out victory after a largely dour goalless 120 minutes.

Mane saw an early penalty saved by Mohamed Abou Gabal and he was fortunate to still be on the pitch for the spot-kicks having avoided a second yellow card for a clear dive.

The Liverpool forward had the last laugh, though, powering low past Abou Gabal after Edouard Mendy had kept out Mohanad Lasheen's tepid effort from 12 yards to send the travelling Senegal fans into raptures.

 

Marco Asensio broke Granada's resolve to earn Real Madrid a 1-0 win in Sunday's contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and move his side six points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Madrid were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in midweek and, without top scorer Karim Benzema, were frustrated for large parts against lowly Granada.

But the introduction of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic lifted Los Blancos and Asensio finally found a way through 16 minutes from time with a sublime strike from long range.

Carlo Ancelotti's side now having breathing space on second-place Sevilla, who were held 0-0 by Osasuna on Saturday.

Thibaut Courtois kept out Antonio Puertas' low drive and was the busier of the keepers in the first half until a late flurry saw Asensio and Isco test Luis Maximiano.

It was Madrid who went closest to finding a breakthrough before the interval when Carlos Neva turned Dani Carvajal's cross against the underside of his own bar.

Granada have twice drawn with Barcelona this term, as well as beating Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, and they continued to frustrate Madrid past the hour mark.

Ancelotti turned to Hazard and Jovic with 65 minutes gone and Madrid did not have to wait long for their pressure to tell, Asensio flashing a shot past Maximiano from 25 yards.

Asensio was denied a second by a fine Maximiano save, but his earlier strike proved enough to earn all three points.

Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria both scored on their Juventus debuts as the Bianconeri beat Verona 2-0 on Sunday.

The former joined from Fiorentina in a big-money January deal, while the latter arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach on the cheap with six months left on his contract.

Free-scoring Vlahovic was the first to get on the scoresheet, lobbing into the far corner in the first half, before Zakaria sealed the victory with a low effort

The victory lifts Juventus ahead of Atalanta and into fourth in Serie A, although the latter have a game in hand.

Vlahovic opened his Juventus account – and the scoring – with a delightful chip over Lorenzo Montipo after racing onto a Paulo Dybala throughball in the 13th minute.

The new arrival was a constant menace, taking three shots in the first half – more than any other player – but was unable to add to his tally of 18 Serie A goals before the break.

Zakaria joined the Serbian in netting on his first Bianconeri appearance, getting onto Alvaro Morata's pass in behind and rifling a low shot into the bottom-left corner.

The Bianconeri enjoyed less of the ball than their opponents despite being at home, but Verona rarely threatened the Juventus goal and never looked like mounting a comeback.

What does it mean? Bianconeri unbeaten in 10 league games

Juventus extended their Serie A unbeaten run to 10 games, winning seven and drawing three of those.

The Bianconeri endured a poor start to the season, but have since put together a strong run of form and are now fourth, although Atalanta have a game in hand and are just two points behind.

Vlahovic can't stop scoring

Vlahovic has now scored 18 league goals this term, only fewer than Robert Lewandowski (24) in Europe's top five leagues in 2021-22.

Double delight for debutants

Vlahovic and Zakaria are the second pair of players to have both scored a goal in their debut match for Juventus in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95), after Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner against Parma in September 2011.

What's next?

Juventus host Sassuolo on Thursday in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, while Verona face Udinese at home next Sunday in Serie A.

Lionel Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal since November as Paris Saint-Germain routed last season's champions Lille 5-1 at Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Ending a six-game drought in the competition, Messi produced a cunning finish for PSG's third goal, with Danilo Pereira netting twice and Presnel Kimpembe also on target before Kylian Mbappe's sumptuous 20-yard strike rounded off the scoring.

The Parisians' 1-0 defeat to Lille in April last season was a pivotal result in the title race, with Lille finishing a point clear of Mauricio Pochettino's team to be crowned champions.

Sunday night's result keeps Lille mired in mid-table this time around, while PSG hold a 13-point lead over second-placed Marseille.

The visitors took a 10th-minute lead when goalkeeper Ivo Grbic fumbled a cross from the left whipped in by Nuno Mendes, spilling the ball and allowing Pereira to poke home.

Messi curled wide from 20 yards for PSG, but it was Lille who snatched the game's second goal, Sven Botman beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with a bouncing shot from 10 yards after Hatem Ben Arfa made a nuisance of himself, wriggling into the box from the left flank.

PSG restored their lead in the 32nd minute when Messi's corner from the right was prodded in at the far post by Kimpembe, for the defender's first league goal this season.

Messi had his goal six minutes later when he collected the leftovers from an Mbappe charge, spotting a gap between Lille defenders and darting through before cheekily chipping Gbric.

PSG's fourth after 51 minutes saw Pereira's 25-yard strike deflect off Amadou Onana and deceive Grbic. 

There was then little the goalkeeper could do about Mbappe's classy finish, as the France star, stepping in from the left, curled the ball into the far-right corner for the visitors' crowning glory.

Sunday was quite a day for the Australia curling team, from being told to leave China in the morning to recording their first victories at the Winter Olympics.

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt became the first Australians to win a curling match at the Olympics when they beat Switzerland, but that is only part of the story.

Having lost their first seven matches in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022, Gill and Hewitt were told they had to leave China on Sunday morning after the former returned a positive COVID-19 test.

However, with bags packed and ready to head to the airport, the duo were invited back after the Chinese Public Health System determined the CT values in Gill's PCR tests fell into an acceptable range, which left them with 15 minutes to get a taxi to the National Aquatics Centre for their match with Switzerland.

Remarkably, with Gill only playing with one glove having lost the other in the rush, Australia went on to beat the Swiss 9-6, before also getting the better of Canada 10-8 in their final clash.

"It has literally been the craziest, craziest 24 hours. My bags are still packed, I only just had time to pull out my uniforms," Gill said. "I was ruffling through my bags and ripping clothes out left, right and centre. I played with only one glove on - and it was the wrong one.

"It was really devastating [to be asked to leave China] given that I wasn't infectious, but after review I'm so incredibly grateful to the medical team to get me out on the ice and I'm able to compete and finish off our campaign on a really positive note.

"We put our hearts and souls into that [Switzerland] game, to be able to come back with the win was really awesome."

Prior to Sunday's remarkable events, Australia had lost to the United States, China, Czech Republic, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway and Italy, losing by a combined aggregate of 53-33.

Against Switzerland they were 6-3 down with three ends remaining, only to score three, two and one stones to nil to take the match 9-6.

An 8-8 tie saw their match against Canada go to an extra end, which they clinched two stones to nil.

They will still finish bottom of the standings despite their two victories, but Hewitt did not seem to mind as he appeared just as amazed by the circumstances, saying: "We had a couple of phone calls that maybe there could be a chance.

"I was like, 'Aw, don't do this to us, please'. Then we got the official call and we were like, 'Are you serious?' We had 15 minutes to get in the taxi.

"It's one of those things where you don't realise what you've got until it's gone. Once we heard that we could actually play again, it made it extra special for us.

"We were like, 'Let’s embrace the Olympics, embrace what we have and be grateful for it'. Because it's something that can be taken away from you in a moment's notice. We were just so stoked and we can't wait for the next game as well."

"It's incredible. You walk out there onto the ice and nearly everyone comes up to you and says, 'We’re so happy that you're out here'. It just shows the camaraderie between curlers here."

Diego Simeone accepted Atletico Madrid have to improve defensively after shipping four goals to Barcelona, but suggested Sunday's loss was equally down to his side's lack of cutting edge.

Atletico let an early lead slip as they lost 4-2 in a thrilling game at Camp Nou and dropped to fifth in LaLiga, two points behind opponents Barca in the final Champions League spot.

The reigning Spanish champions have now conceded 30 goals in 22 top-flight matches this season, which is already five more than in 38 matches last term.

It is just the third time Atleti have conceded four or more goals under Simeone in the league, with the first such occasion coming in December 2012 in a 4-1 loss to Barcelona.

Normally famed for their defensive solidity, Simeone admitted his side have not been good enough at the back this season.

"We've been defending well for 10 years but this year we have to improve. We don't have the necessary focus on defensive actions," he said.

"We haven't changed many players, except for [Kieran] Trippier, who left. They are playing the same ones that last year responded at a high level. 

"[Jose Maria] Gimenez and [Stefan] Savic have missed several games, but this time they played and we conceded four. 

"What counts is to work, try to improve and face the week with humility and push until the end."

 

Yannick Carrasco gave Atleti an early lead, but Jordi Alba's excellent volley, Gavi's header and a Ronald Araujo strike put Barca in control by half-time.

Dani Alves blasted in a fourth before later being sent off, at which point Luis Suarez had pulled one back against his former club, but Atletico's fightback ended there.

Simeone's side ended the match with an expected goals (xG) value of 1.21, compared to just 0.63 for Barcelona.

Indeed, that 3.37 differential between xG and actual goals scored is the biggest in a single LaLiga game this season of any team.

"I look at games in terms of scoring situations," Simeone said. "In the first half, Barca had four chances and scored three times; Atletico had four chances and scored once.

"The forcefulness of a side guarantees everything. Barca's forcefulness prevailed in the end.

"We started well, controlling possession and creating space for the forward players, who had chances. But beyond possession and counter-attacks, the most forceful team wins.

"In the second half we became more aggressive and intense. At 4-2 there was a feeling we could get into the game, but Barca defended low and we had fewer opportunities."

In a further blow for Simeone, it was confirmed after the game that new signing Daniel Wass suffered a torsion in his right knee and will undergo further tests on Monday.

On a day to forget for Atletico all-round, centre-back Savic – whose five interceptions was more than double that of any other player on the field – urged his team-mates to quickly pick themselves up.

"There is a lot of the season left and we are going to fight. We're worried about conceding so many goals, the number of them. Now we can only work and raise our heads," he told Movistar Plus.

"We wait to be behind to start playing. I don't know if it's a mental issue, but we have to change it if we want to be in the Champions League next year.

"Sometimes you work and things don't work out. We must keep going."

Al Hilal thumped hosts Al Jazira 6-1 on Sunday to book their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals against Chelsea.

2020-21 UAE Pro League champions Al Jazira opened the scoring through Abdoulay Diaby after 14 minutes, but goals from former Premier League forwards Odion Ighalo and Matheus Pereira put Al Hilal into the lead before the break.

That narrow lead was extended into an emphatic scoreline in the second half, as Mohamed Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari, Moussa Marega and Andre Carrillo all found the back of the net.

Asian champions Al Hilal will face European counterparts Chelsea in the last four on February 9, while Al Jazira play Monterrey earlier that same day in the fifth-place play-off.

Marco Reus has labelled Borussia Dortmund's heavy 5-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen "a catastrophic day" for the club.

The sides traded early own goals, but Dortmund were 3-1 down by the 28th minute and then conceded twice more in the second half before Steffen Tigges' late consolation.

After six wins in a row in this fixture, BVB were beaten at home by Leverkusen for the first time since 2014 and conceded five at home to their North Rhine-Westphalia rivals for the first time ever; Leverkusen had never previously netted more than three in Dortmund.

Dortmund actually matched Leverkusen in terms of expected goals, with both teams creating chances worth 1.86 xG, but Reus was not looking for excuses.

Although his side remain second in the Bundesliga, they are now nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

"It's a catastrophic day for us," Reus told Sky Sports. "We didn't get into the game well and were a step too late in every situation. We then [allowed] counter-attacks,  even though we agreed before the game that that's their strength. We will be punished for that. It was just not enough today.

"We simply didn't implement the guidelines we prepared [before] the game for two weeks and worked on a lot. We always say the same thing and then have to bring it onto the pitch. We didn't manage that today. A very bitter day, we didn't deserve [to win] today. It was really, really bad overall."

Xavi felt Barcelona were "perfect" before Dani Alves' sending off in Sunday's 4-2 defeat of Atletico Madrid.

The Blaugrana fell behind early on to Yannick Carrasco's well-worked opener, but the home side quickly hit back and soon found themselves 2-1 up.

Jordi Alba's spectacular sliced volley levelled it up, before Gavi headed in debutant Adama Traore's cross – Ronald Araujo made it 3-1 just before the break, and Alves drilled home early in the second half.

Barca looked to be cruising to an emphatic win, though Luis Suarez scored against his former club and then Alves was shown a straight red for scraping his studs down the calf of Carrasco to become the first player to score and get sent off for the club in a single LaLiga game since at least 2004-05.

There was certainly a degree of fortune to Barca's victory, with their expected goals (xG) of 0.6 only half that of Atletico's 1.2.

 

Similarly, their difference between goals and xG was the highest in a LaLiga game this term, highlighting just how impressive some of Barca's finishes were.

Nevertheless, Xavi was delighted with his team's showing prior to Alves' red, with the win taking Barca above Atletico and into fourth.

"Before Alves was sent off, the game was perfect," he said. "We had to go back a bit [after the red], but the first 60 minutes represents the Barca that we all love.

"When we had 11 men, we were very good. We had worked with the 3-4-3 and the 3-5-2.

"We showed solidarity after the expulsion, we defended the area well and we haven't suffered too much."

While victory puts Barca fourth and two points clear of Atletico, Xavi is not getting ahead of himself.

"You have to be humble," he added. "It's an important victory, against the champions. We fell behind and were then patient.

"I think we've played 60 very good minutes, but we have to continue."

New Zealand celebrated their first ever Winter Olympics gold on Sunday, and Australia broke new ground by winning multiple medals on the same day.

On the medals table, however, Norway and Sweden occupied places one and two, the Scandinavian snow and ice sport specialists going through familiar motions.

Members of the New Zealand team performed a haka as 20-year-old Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was awarded gold for a virtuoso snowboard slopestyle triumph, a moment of sporting history for her country.

Sadowski-Synnott will go again later in the Beijing Games when she competes in the big air event, a famous double in her sights. New Zealand squeezed into the top 10 on the medals table thanks to their first medals success of any colour in China, tying for ninth place with the hosts so far.

Australia share sixth with Japan and Slovenia, each nation having a gold and a bronze so far. Japan savoured their first ski jumping Olympic title since 1998 as Ryoyu Kobayashi soared to gold in the men's normal hill competition on Sunday.

The Australians clasped their hands on two medals in a day for the first time in Winter Games history, with Tess Coady taking bronze behind Sadowski-Synnott while Jakara Anthony swooped for a mesmerising gold in the freestyle skiing women's moguls.

Still, the top five on the medals table had a familiar look to it, with Germany and Netherlands tied in fourth with one gold and one silver each. Johannes Ludwig delivered Germany's first gold in Beijing when the 35-year-old triumphed in the luge men's singles. Patrick Roest took silver for Netherlands in the 5,000 metres speed skating, his country's only medal on Sunday.

 

Russian Olympic Committee have captured the most medals so far, but only one of their five has been gold, so they sit third on the table. Alexander Bolshunov led an ROC 1-2 in the cross-country skiathlon on Sunday, as Denis Spitsov took silver.

Sweden are dealing only in gold at the moment, with Nils van der Poel's 5,000m speed skating glory run on Sunday following a podium top spot on Saturday for Walter Wallberg in the men's moguls.

That means Norway, the most successful nation in Winter Olympics history, head the table in its nascent stage. After landing gold twice on Saturday, their encore was understated, with bronze in the speed skating for Hallgeir Engebraaten their only top-three placing.

Leicester City's FA Cup defence was ended in emphatic fashion in the fourth round by rivals Nottingham Forest.

Brendan Rodgers' Foxes won the cup last season for the first time in their history, with Youri Tielemans' stunning strike defeating Chelsea in the Wembley final.

But there will be no repeat in 2021-22 after a humbling encounter with second-tier Forest ended in a 4-1 defeat for the holders at the City Ground.

Leicester named a strong side yet left captain Kasper Schmeichel on the bench, and stand-in Danny Ward picked the ball out of his net three times before half-time.

A highly motivated Forest side led through Philip Zinckernagel after 23 minutes, before 20-year-old talisman Brennan Johnson made it 2-0 only 87 seconds later, squeezing a cute finish through Ward's legs.

Joe Worrall soon nodded a third, although Leicester were given a lifeline when Brice Samba advanced from his line and meekly pulled out of a challenge with Kelechi Iheanacho, giving the forward an open goal to aim into.

There was no dramatic second-half fightback, however, as Forest right-back Djed Spence charged through to net the fourth – the 58th goal Leicester have conceded in all competitions this season, 10 more than any other Premier League club.

Forest, who knocked out Arsenal in the third round, will host Huddersfield Town in the last 16, while Leicester – 10th in the Premier League and out of the Europa League – reflect on the latest setback of a tough season.

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