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Casemiro's stunning volley helped Real Madrid earn a 3-1 first-leg advantage from their Champions League last-16 tie against Napoli. Lorenzo Insigne's opportunistic strike put the Italians ahead after eight minutes at the Bernabeu but Karim Benzema levelled 10 minutes later. Two goals in five second-half minutes after half-time put Real in control, with Toni Kroos edging the hosts in front before Casemiro's remarkable 30-yard strike. The result ends Napoli's 18-match unbeaten run but Insigne's away goal ensures they return to Naples for the return leg on March 7 with hope of advancing to the quarter-finals. Zinedine Zidane handed James Rodriguez his first start for more than a month in one of three changes from Real's 3-1 win over Osasuna. They had the chance to take the lead inside the first minute too, but Pepe Reina smartly saved from Benzema's snap-shot. It set the tone for an absorbing first half as Napoli sat back and looked to pick off ...

Thiago Alcantara scored twice as Bayern Munich thrashed Arsenal 5-1 on Wednesday to take full control of their Champions League last-16 tie. Arjen Robben handed Bayern the lead after 11 minutes with a trademark strike after cutting in off the left flank before Alexis Sanchez grabbed an away goal, following up to score the rebound after seeing his penalty initially saved by Manuel Neuer. The Gunners were well in the tie at the break, but they lost captain Laurent Koscielny shortly after the interval and it proved to be the turning point. Bayern went on the rampage, re-taking the lead in the 53rd minute thanks to Robert Lewandowski's header before Thiago scored twice in seven minutes to put Carlo Ancelotti's side in full control. Substitute Thomas Muller rounded off the scoring to leave Arsenal needing a Champions League miracle ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 7. As expected, David Ospina replaced Petr Cech for the Gunners and he was straight...

Kostas Mitroglou's goal earned Benfica a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash. The former Fulham striker poked home the only goal of the game, against the run of play, three minutes into the second half of Tuesday night's match at the Estadio da Luz. However, it was a night to forget for much-hyped Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who saw a penalty saved and missed two glorious chances before being substituted after 62 minutes. Robert Lewandowski to score a brace PRICE BOOST WAS2/1 NOW4/1 Alexis Sanchez to score and Arsenal to win in 90 mins PRICE BOOST WAS13/2 NOW10/1 Arjen Robben to score first PRICE BOOST WAS9/2 NOW11/2 Mesut Ozil to score first PRICE BOOST WAS12/1 NOW18/1 Bayern Munich to win 3-0 PRICE BOOST WAS9/1 NOW12/1   And those costly misses helped to ensure Portuguese champions Benfica are in the driving seat ahead of the return leg in Germany o...

Angel Di Maria scored two stunning goals as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Barcelona 4-0 on Tuesday to take control of their Champions League last-16 tie. In one of the most remarkable performances in the competition's history, the Ligue 1 champions completely dominated Barca at the Parc des Princes, taking the lead through Di Maria's free-kick after 18 minutes. Julian Draxler added a second in the 40th minute before Di Maria curled home their third from the edge of the box 10 minutes after half-time. Edinson Cavani sealed the rout with a low strike to put PSG in a formidable position ahead of the second leg at the Nou Camp on March 8. The scoreline, which equals Barcelona's worst ever Champions League defeat, could have been even worse on an awful night for the Spaniards, who also squandered the chance to grab an away goal when Samuel Umtiti's header struck the post from point-blank range. They will need to make Champions League history to advance as no si...

Jose Mourinho says Luke Shaw must be patient as he attempts to reclaim a starting place at Manchester United. The England left back has fallen out of favour with Mourinho, with the United boss questioning his mental toughness after he withdrew himself from selection for a 3-1 victory at Swansea in November. Prior to that, Shaw had started United's previous Premier League game against Burnley, as well as the first five games of the campaign, but he has not played a minute in the league since. Daley Blind was picked to start at left back for United's 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday, while Matteo Darmian was selected to provide defensive cover on the bench ahead of Shaw. Marcos Rojo has also been picked at left back ahead of Shaw in recent months and Mourinho says the 21-year-old will have to continue to bide his time behind the scenes - at least for now. "He has to work and wait," Mourinho said. "Against Watford I wanted one defender on the bench and ...

Pep Guardiola has admitted he is uncertain if striker Sergio Aguero will still be at Manchester City after this season. Speculation over the future of Aguero, despite the prolific Argentine's 18 goals this season, has recurred throughout Guardiola's first season in charge at the Etihad Stadium. Questions have again been asked in the past fortnight, with the 28-year-old having to make do with a place on the bench while new signing Gabriel Jesus has taken the plaudits. Asked if he feared the striker might leave in the summer ahead of Man City's match against Bournemouth on Monday, live on Sky Sports, Guardiola said: "At the end of the season I don't know. I know how difficult it is to find top goalscorers. "I would like him to remain, but I don't know what is going to happen. Even in my career I didn't know what would happen at the end of the season." Aguero, who is contracted to 2020, has scored 154 goals for City since joining the clu...