Sports
Mark Clattenburg’s Verdict as 3 Goals Disallowed
Mark Clattenburg was on hand to explain why Chelsea had three goals ruled out in their emphatic 3-0 victory over 10-man Barcelona in the Champions League on a famous night at Stamford Bridge. The Blues came into the game as somewhat of the underdogs but made easy work of a poor Catalan side.
Enzo Maresca’s troops could have been celebrating a 6-0 win if not for three goals being disallowed for different reasons. Fortunately for the Italian coach, his side rose to the occasion and took all three points on a damaging night for Hansi Flick and the Blaugrana.
It could have been three-nil by half-time if Enzo Fernandez’s two goals stood, but it didn’t matter. But the hosts couldn’t really complain about the three goals they were denied by Slovene referee Slavko Vincic and VAR.
Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona – Clattenburg on Disallowed Goals
Fernandez first looked to have put Maresca’s men in front in just the fourth minute but Wesley Fofana was judged to have handled the ball in the process. Vincic consulted with VAR and ruled the goal out.
Clattenburg explained on Amazon Prime:
“Yeah Slavko Vincic immediately whistled as the ball was going in the goal, he quickly whistled to tell everybody he thinks it’s a handball. As the ball comes in that’s where he thinks he’s handled the ball, on the build up to the goal.
He added:
“This is an interesting one because he’s not the direct scorer of the goal and if they deem that this handball is accidental then therefore the goal will be given because he hasn’t directly scored.”
Chelsea were knocking at the door and Fernandez again had the ball in the net again, but this time an offside against Trevoh Chalobah cost the Argentine. Clattenburg agreed with this verdict:
“Does Chalobah get that touch because I think the goalscorer is onside. But that touch just in the middle just probably puts him off. He’s just got to be ahead of the ball.”
He added:
“Also as the cross comes in Chalobah is an offside position and as he’s in an offside position he’ll be the one that’s deemed offside.”
The other goal the Blues were denied came in the 51st minute after Andrey Santos entered the fray at half-time and thought he’d got himself on the scoresheet but the offside flag cut his celebrations short. This was a clear decision that didn’t require any explanation from Clattenburg which Alan Shearer echoed on commentary.
Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Maresca’s Masterclass
Chelsea’s opener arrived with no intervention to deny Maresca’s side the lead in the 27th minute. Marc Cucurella’s dangerous low-driven right-footed cross was turned into his own net by Jules Kounde. If none of the hosts were going to get on the scoresheet, then Barca were there to help them out.
It went from bad to worse for the Spaniards in the 44th minute when Ronald Araujo foolishly gave the referee no choice but to hand him his marching orders with a second bookable offence. Flick looked enraged on the touchline as his side fell apart in a frenetic first half.
There was no stopping Estevao in the 55th minute when the Brazilian starlet conjured up a moment of magic to fire a second. He did superbly well to find the back of the net and the power of the shot gave Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia no chance.
Liam Delap made it three in the 73rd minute after coming off the bench although the English striker’s goal was nearly chalked off for offside. But the former Ipswich Town man was able to wheel away in celebration once VAR gave the green light to Vincic.
Maresca got his team selection and tactics spot on and enjoyed a statement-making victory against a Barca side had down as one of the favourites. It means the west Londoners move up to fourth in the Champions League table with three wins and one defeat from five games.
Vitinha’s comments about Arsenal are being widely shared following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final on Saturday afternoon.
PSG came from a goal down at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to retain their title.
Ousmane Dembele’s second half penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz’s early opener. PSG then held their nerve in the penalty shootout to lift the Champions League trophy for the second consecutive season.
Vitinha played the full game and was named Player of the Match for his all-action display in the middle of the pitch. After the match, he spoke his mind about Arsenal’s style of play.
Vitinha Speaks Out About Arsenal’s Time Wasting
Following the match, Joao Neves criticised Arsenal’s style of play, saying that ‘PSG were the only team that wanted to play.’
His partner in crime in the middle of midfield, Vitinha, also spoke out about Arsenal’s style of play, claiming that they ‘waste a lot of time.’
He told TNT Sports: “You have to be patient when you’re up against a team like that. We knew it was going to happen, but even more so after Arsenal’s goal, since you really have to be patient.
“It’s difficult because you see the clock ticking away, it’s a final, you want to win and they waste a lot of time on everything: throw-ins, goal kicks, everything. And it’s very difficult because if you fall into that trap… you lose your cool.
“So, a lot of patience, two very compact lines, sometimes with six at the back, and it’s difficult because you want to make a decisive pass, you want to break that down, and you can’t because that’s exactly what they want, so you have to go wide, make runs without the ball.
“And that’s what the coach talked about at halftime, and I also think there was a little more space in the second half, and we took advantage of that very well, we got the penalty, and after that, the game was ours.”
He added: “We expected it, we really did. We knew it would turn out this way, especially after Arsenal scored so early. Like I said, we had the patience, waited for the right moment, and had other chances that could have sealed the game. I think we’re the deserved winners.
“Arsenal is a very good team, very competitive and tough, but based on what we did today and throughout the Champions League, we deserve to win.”
Luis Enrique: PSG Deserved to Win
PSG manager Luis Enrique was complimentary of his opponents but thinks his side deserved to win the match. He told TNT Sports:
”The match started the best way for them, they scored in a lucky action, and after that it was a pleasure for them as they know how to defend, so it was very tough.
”We are used to attacking in that way with a lot of players behind the ball. We deserved to draw the match, and in the end we’re happy to win the trophy.”
On how he felt during the shoot-out, Enrique continued: ”I’ve tried to just enjoy it, because you need luck to win on penalties, but I thought we showed great quality in terms of our penalty kicks as well as from the goalkeeper.
”It’s amazing. I think we deserved [to win]. I think today both teams deserved to win, but the way we’ve played the whole season I think we deserved to win the Champions League. We are very lucky and very happy and we’ll try to be there next season. Why not?”
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
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