Two goals from Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to a 3-0 defeat of Manchester United on Tuesday and a 4-0 aggregate triumph in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

With a 1-0 advantage from the first meeting at Old Trafford, the Catalans took command inside the first 20 minutes thanks to a double from their number 10, the second of which owed plenty to a dreadful mistake from David de Gea.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named an attacking line-up featuring Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, but the blow of those first-half goals seemed to drain any hope of repeating the kind of performance they produced to stun Paris Saint-Germain in France in the last 16.

The tie was firmly put to bed by a sublime goal from Philippe Coutinho, who may get the chance to f…

Paul Pogba says fellow France midfielders N Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi must have 15 lungs because of the ground they have covered at the World Cup.

Kante and Matuidi impressed as France beat Peru 1-0 to secure progression from Group C on Thursday, while Pogba was involved in Kylian Mbappe s winning goal.

Chelsea midfielder Kante has already recorded 27 recoveries at Russia 2018, according to Opta data, which is one short of France s best tally of 28, managed by Pogba at the 2014 finals in Brazil.

And Pogba, also involved in both his team s goals in a 2-1 opening victory over Australia, was full of praise for his hard-working team-mates.

My duo with Kante? It s so easy to play with NG , Pogba told reporters.

He is everywhere. He must have 1…

Karen Carney will bring her playing career to an end when England face Sweden in Saturday s Women s World Cup third-place game and says she has given heart and soul to the Lionesses.

Since making her senior international debut as a 17-year-old in 2005, Carney went on to become a key member of the England squad, playing in four World Cups and winning 143 caps.

The silky-skilled Chelsea midfielder, who can play on either flank or in an advanced central role, announced on Friday she will retire from club and national team duty at the end of England s stay in France.

She had hoped to sign off as a World Cup winner, but defeat to the Uni
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ted States in the semi-finals means England will play for bronze.

Carney has started all of England s games at Fr…

Should the deal be confirmed, the 34-year-old will become United s latest signing under new manager Jose Mourinho, the pair reuniting after previously working together at Inter. 

Ibrahimovic departed PSG following the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, having won Ligue 1 in each of his four seasons in France.

Retiring from international football after Sweden s group-stage exit at Euro 2016, the talented and outspoken centre-forward has enjoyed a glittering career, winning domestic titles at Ajax, Inter, Barcelona and AC Milan.

He also lifted the Scudetto twice at Juventus, but saw both championships revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal.

Although he is past his physical prime, Ibrahimovic has remained a potent force, scoring 38 go…

When Real Madrid host Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, two of the best players the game has ever seen will be looking to lead their respective teams to victory.

Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt Madrid s go-to guy when it matters most, while Lionel Messi has developed into the Catalans undisputed star man since making his senior debut in 2004-05.

The two have dominated the sport like no others before them, winning nine Ballons d Or between them since 2008. Who is the better player of the two, though? 

Fans of the Argentine will point to his five Ballon d Or awards and his numerous trophies with Barcelona.

Those in favour of the Portuguese will highlight the fact he has not only done it in LaLiga with Madrid, but has also enjoyed success�…

Manchester City s director of football Txiki Begiristain admitted the Premier League champions are not yet feared in Europe, but said Champions League glory was closer than we think .

City are going into their eighth successive campaign in European football s top competition but have only progressed beyond the quarter-final stage once in that time.

A 1-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the 2016 semi-final under Manuel Pellegrini represented their best effort, and since then Pep Guardiola has guided City to the last 16 in 2016-17 and a quarter-final defeat to Liverpool last season.

Asked whether the Etihad Stadium was an intimidating place for Europe s best to play, the former Spain winger said: Not yet.

We re getting closer and closer!

— …

Doing well in the Champions League is more important than winning Serie A for AC Milan, according to club president Paolo Scaroni.

Milan have not featured in Europe s elite competition since the 2013-14 campaign, when they only made it as far as the round of 16, bowing out to Atletico Madrid.

Last season they returned to European football when playing in the Europa League – as they will this term – but were eliminated by Arsenal in the last 16.

Milan s struggles in Europe have certainly not been a consequence of domestic success, given they most recently finished in the top three back in 2012-13.

Although fans will surely be eager to see the club win their first league title since 2010-11, Scaroni seemingly values making an impact in the Champions Le…

Kylian Mbappe should be fit to feature in France s Nations League clash with Croatia on Monday, according to Didier Deschamps.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker was forced off during Les Bleus 2-1 defeat to Denmark at the Stade de France earlier this month.

Mbappe appeared to sustain the injury innocuously, pulling up after playing a pass to Aurelien Tchouameni.

He sat out the follow-up draw away to Croatia before coming off the bench to score France s late equaliser against Austria.

Deschamps is unsure how long Mbappe can feature for on Monday, but he is seemingly expecting him to be in contention to play some part.

Asked if Mbappe is fit, Deschamps told reporters: Yes, according to him, although he still has a feeling that is not ideal.

…

Aston Villa have lodged an official complaint with UEFA over the behaviour of Legia Warsaw fans ahead of the Europa Conference League clash at Villa Park.

Almost 50 people were arrested following violence involving the visiting fans prior to kick-off on Thursday night.

Missiles were thrown at police as the Polish supporters were held in a coach park near the ground before they were due to enter the stadium.

West Midlands Police said four officers were injured and, although the game started on time, no Legia fans were allowed in ahead of kick-off.

Aston Villa can confirm it has lodged an official complaint with UEFA over the conduct of Legia Warsaw Football Club and the behaviour of their supporters prior to last night’s UEFA Europa Conference League mat…

Frank Lampard is adamant Anthony Gordon will not be leaving Everton despite reported interest from Tottenham and Newcastle United.

Gordon provided a bright spark for Everton under both Rafael Benitez and Lampard last term, as the Toffees secured Premier League survival with one game to spare.

Along with Richarlison and Jordan Pickford, Gordon was a standout performer under Lampard, who took charge in January following Benitez s dismissal.

No Everton player featured in more league games than Gordon last term, with the winger scoring four goals and setting up a further two, while only Demarai Gray (42) and Alex Iwobi (36) created more chances than the 21-year-old s tally of 35.

With Richarlison having been sold to Tottenham for a deal reportedly worth an in…