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    Pro Sports
    Wednesday, May 01, 2024

    Soccer roundup

    Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates a goal during Sunday's French League One match against Guingamp at the Roudourou stadium in Guingamp, western France. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

    Neymar scores on impressive debut for PSG

    World-record signing Neymar scored and set up another goal on an impressive debut for Paris Saint-Germain in a 3-0 win at Guingamp on Sunday.

    Neymar was dangerous throughout the French league match, creating chances at the Roudourou stadium against a well-organized side that only cracked early in the second half when Jordan Ikoko scored an embarrassing own-goal.

    PSG was in total control afterward.

    Edinson Cavani added PSG's second goal 10 minutes later on the break after being set up by Neymar, and the Brazil star sealed the win from Cavani's assist.

    PSG's second win in two matches lifted the Paris side level on points with leader Lyon.

    Neymar, who signed from Barcelona last week for a record 222 million euros ($262 million), missed the start of the season at the Parc des Princes against Amiens due to paperwork problems.

    He was included in coach Unai Emery's starting lineup on Sunday on the left wing of PSG's attack. Emery opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Angel Di Maria supporting Cavani on the other wing.

    Guingamp supporters held up a banner which mocked PSG president Nasser Al-Khalaifi on his purchase and said: "Nasser buy us a round."

    Cavani and Neymar combined well with a series of short passes for each other around the penalty area, although they struggled to break through the hosts' solid defense.

    Cavani had PSG's first chance in the 15th but saw his well-taken effort denied by 'keeper Karl-Johan Johnsson.

    Neymar fired his first shot of the game soon after, driving the ball forward with brutal acceleration to pass a defender but his strike went well over the bar.

    Neymar then set up Marquinhos with a precise curled cross on the left side of the box, only for the PSG defender to send his diving header against the bar.

    Cavani put more pressure on Johansson in the 35th with a dangerous free kick tipped over by the Swedish 'keeper but PSG could not break the deadlock before the interval as referee Antony Gautier waved off penalty claims from Neymar and Di Maria.

    Etienne Didot came close to opening the scoring two minutes into the second half for the hosts with a long-range shot which narrowly went wide.

    But the hosts saw all their efforts damaged when Ikoko, who had contained Neymar, beat his own 'keeper with a clumsy back pass that ended in the back of the net.

    Guingamp pushed hard for an equalizer but was caught on the break in the 62nd as Cavani, the league's top scorer last season, connected with a through ball from Neymar and finished off the move with a low shot.

    Cavani then turned provider to set up Neymar with a generous cut-back that the Brazil captain converted from close range with a poke.

    Lazio wins Super Cup after wild finale

    Alessandro Murgia scored a last-gasp winner as Lazio beat Juventus 3-2 at Rome to win the Italian Super Cup after a wild end to the match.

    Two goals from Ciro Immobile, including an opening penalty, had seemingly set Lazio on the way to a comfortable win. But Paulo Dybala netted a stunning free kick in the 85th minute and converted a penalty in the first minute of stoppage time.

    The match appeared to be heading for extra time before youth academy graduate Murgia, who had come on as an 80th-minute substitute, scored the winner.

    The result goes some way to avenging Lazio's defeat to Juventus in the Italian Cup final in May.

    The Italian Super Cup normally pits the league champion against the cup winner, but Juventus had again won the double last season — for the third successive year.

    Shortly after that success, Juventus lost a second Champions League final in three seasons, while reports of infighting and the departure of key defender Leonardo Bonucci to Serie A rival AC Milan has made it a difficult offseason for the six-time defending Italian champion.

    Juventus was looking to get back on track in Rome, in the traditional curtain-raiser and it started strongly. Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha pulled off a great save to keep out Juan Cuadrado's effort from close range and denied Gonzalo Higuain moments later in a frantic opening five minutes.

    Lazio withstood the pressure and slowly took control of the match before going in front shortly after the half-hour mark.

    Immobile was brought down by Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and he dusted himself down to fire the resulting penalty into the bottom right corner.

    Lazio almost doubled its lead minutes later but Buffon pulled off a double save to deny first Dusan Basta and then Lucas Leiva.

    Lazio did extend its advantage nine minutes into the second half when Marco Parolo whipped in a cross and Immobile sent a looping header into the far corner.

    Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri immediately reacted, bringing on new signings Douglas Costa and Mattia De Sciglio and he later also introduced Federico Bernardeschi.

    That had an effect and Dybala got Juventus back into the match when he curled a free kick into the left side of the goal.

    Juventus was then given the chance to level when it was awarded a penalty after Adam Marusic tripped Alex Sandro.

    Dybala had missed the decisive penalty in the shootout in last year's Super Cup defeat to Milan but he stepped up and converted.

    Another twist was still to come. Three minutes later, Jordan Lukaku went on a winding run before pulling back from the byline for Murgia, who turned 21 on Wednesday, to smash in the winner.

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