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Rafael Leao was guilty of an incredible miss which let Newcastle off the hook as their Champions League opener at AC Milan finished goalless. The Portugal international, who was Newcastle star Sandro Tonali’s team-mate at San Siro until his £53million summer switch to Tyneside, completely fluffed his lines with only goalkeeper Nick Pope to beat after attempting an audacious flick at the end of a stunning 34th-minute run and only succeeded in tripping himself. Pope will feel he had already earned his slice of good fortune after making five first-half saves in the space of six minutes to pave the way for a 0-0 draw which banked a priceless first point for the Magpies’ Group F account on their return to European football’s top table after an absence of 20 years. For the seven-time winners, who were thrashed 5-1 by derby rivals Inter Milan on Saturday, there was no salvation on a night when they created enough chances, but were unable to take any of them, much to the annoyance of the locals among a crowd of 65,695. Pope had to come to Newcastle’s rescue five times in quick succession after Dan Burn, one of two Geordies in Eddie Howe’s starting line-up, allowed the ball to run across him, forcing Sven Botman to make a hurried clearance. Midfielder Tommaso Pobega pounced on the loose ball to test the keeper from distance and Pope had to react swiftly to repel Samuel Chukwueze’s header as the ball was recycled before denying Olivier Giroud from point-blank range with his defenders unable to keep the red and black shirts at bay. The England international then tipped away Rade Krunic’s raking drive and turned Giroud’s 19th-minute header over the bar after he had been left criminally unmarked from the resulting corner. Ruben Loftus-Cheek blazed over from long range after once again bursting through the black and white cover with Howe’s men under sustained pressure with Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff struggling to exert any control in midfield. Longstaff was appealing in vain for a 31st-minute penalty after going down under Leao’s challenge and as Spanish referee Jose Sanchez waved play on, Theo Hernandez broke down the left and crossed for Giroud a the near post, only to see him fire wastefully wide. Leao should have put Milan ahead 11 minutes before the break when he carved his way into the penalty area and past three lunging tackles to go one-on-one with Pope, but inexplicably tried to back-heel the ball home from six yards and simply fell over with Jacob Murphy hacking Pobega’s follow-up off the line. Murphy mustered the Magpies’ first attempt with a curling 41st-minute shot which flew well wide after Kieran Tripper, Longstaff and Alexander Isak had combined well, but there was a measure of relief when the half-time whistle sounded with the score still at 0-0. Tonali blasted a shot straight at defender Malick Thiaw and Murphy blazed high and wide as Newcastle returned determined to make an impression as an attacking force. Milan’s build-up play was patient, but the holes which had appeared in the visitors’ defence at regular intervals before the break remained stubbornly closed after it. Howe made his move with 27 minutes remaining when he sent on Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron for Anthony Gordon and Murphy, although Pope had to field a stabbed shot from substitute Tijjani Reijnders within seconds. Frustration grew among the Rossoneri ranks with Hernandez chancing his arm from all of 35 yards only for Botman to thump his attempt away, although Tonali was applauded warmly by the home fans when he was replaced by Elliot Anderson with 18 minutes remaining. Leao might have atoned for his first-half blunder when he dived to meet Alessandro Florenzi’s 74th-minute cross, but he sent his header over Pope’s crossbar, and a late flurry by Milan was met with stern resistance as the game ended goalless, but only after substitute keeper Marco Sportiello had tipped Longstaff’s stoppage-time pile-driver over. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Adam Rossington century rescues Essex against Hampshire Ant and Dec relish Newcastle’s European adventure – Tuesday’s sporting social Jos Buttler felt a sense of duty to inform Jason Roy of World Cup omission

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Newcastle United take on AC Milan in their opening match of the 2023/24 Champions League when they travel to the San Siro this afternoon. Eddie Howe’s men have not featured in the group stage of Europe’s top-flight since the 2002/03 season over 20 years ago. Their group also features Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund in what has been named the group of death. Newcastle come into the tournament as heavy underdogs but have shown enough promise and ability under Howe to prove that they are credible threats to the bigger sides. Milan have lost just one of their last 13 competitive matches as the home side but, while Newcastle ended a run of three defeats with victory over Brentford at the weekend, their hosts tonight were heavily beaten by local rivals Inter Milan and will hope to respond with victory over the Magpies. Follow all the action from this Champions League clash at the San Siro. Plus you can get all the latest football betting sites offers here. Read More How the Champions League lost its spark and led to the end of an era Callum Wilson on the spot as Newcastle warm up for Europe with win Newcastle fan stabbed in Milan ahead of Champions League match

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Harry Kane says Bayern Munich need to use Manchester United’s issues to their advantage as the England skipper looks to shoot down his long-term admirers in the Champions League. Kane has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford but last month moved to the German giants from boyhood club Tottenham. He has hit the ground running with four goals in as many domestic games as attention turns to Wednesday’s Champions League opener. United are the visitors and the England skipper, 30, maintains Bayern always felt like the right choice for his next club. “To be honest, obviously over the summer I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background,” Kane said. “But Bayern was a team I was really excited by so there wasn’t too many other discussions once they came in. “My focus is on here. Obviously Manchester are a great club, a really big club as well, but I decided to come here and I’m really happy I have.” Kane joined Bayern in search of silverware that has evaded him for club and country – success that is almost guaranteed with the German behemoths. Trophies have looked far from certain over the last decade at United, who head to Bavaria in a precarious state after a third defeat in four matches compounded their well-documented off-field issues. Kane is wary of a potential backlash but acknowledged United have been going through a “bit of a tough spell recently” that they can capitalise on. “I don’t know about the perfect time (to play them),” he said. “There can be a big response from teams going through a difficult spell but of course we need to use circumstances to our advantage, to go with big confidence at home in front of our fans. “It is important to start the game on the front foot and really try and put the pressure on the opposition. “They have some big threats as well, on the counter-attack they have some really quick players, so we need to be wary of that. “But overall it’s a game we want to try to dominate and try to keep the pressure on and hopefully break them down as the game goes on.” Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern side are strong favourites to win Wednesday’s match and second only to holders Manchester City in the bookmakers’ odds to lift the trophy, but Kane is focusing on further improvements on a personal and collective level. “It’s been a good start for me here for sure,” he said. “Whenever there is a big transfer there is a little bit more pressure and expectation. “Really pleased to score the four goals so far. I still think personally I can play better but I think that will come with getting to know my team-mates more and the system and the way we play. “There’s definitely room for improvement in my all-round game but it’s always good to score four goals in four games.” Kane is the all-time top goalscorer of both England and Tottenham, who have started the season well despite their star turn’s exit. New head coach Ange Postecoglou’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League, with four wins – including one over United – and a draw leaving Spurs second. “They’ve had a fantastic start,” Kane said. “I’m always keeping an eye on them and I’ll keep an eye on Tottenham for the rest of my life. “I’m really happy to see the team playing the way they are and to see the fans happy is a great thing.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Italy boss Kieran Crowley wary of ‘massive threat’ posed by Uruguay Harry Kane defends ‘scapegoated’ Harry Maguire amid ‘unnecessary scrutiny’ Chris Billam-Smith confident of Lawrence Okolie win but doubts appeal of rematch

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Harry Kane defended Harry Maguire as the England captain hit out at the way the defender has been “scapegoated” amid “really unnecessary scrutiny”. Little more than two years on from being named in the European Championship team of the tournament, the 30-year-old is now the butt of jokes to many. Maguire’s struggle for form and game-time at Manchester United have increased the spotlight on a player that has remained an integral part of the England squad. Boss Gareth Southgate said the treatment of the centre-back was “ridiculous”, “a joke” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen” after he was mocked mercilessly against Scotland at Hampden Park. Kane wrapped up that 3-1 friendly win following an own goal by half-time introduction Maguire, who the England skipper believes faces unwarranted attention and ridicule. “I think H has come under some really unnecessary scrutiny,” the Bayern Munich striker said. “Probably been scapegoated a little bit in terms of the way the team has gone over recent times. “He is a really good friend of mine, he’s a great guy, a really hard working professional. “From an England point of view, he has been one of our best defenders and one of the best defenders in the history of our country in an England shirt. “It’s part of our game now, it’s part of football. You get scrutinised all over social media but knowing him, all he will want to do is work harder and improve and stay focused. “We’re fully behind him in the national team. I know the coach has come out and backed him fully. “There’s always going to be noise around players but the most important thing is that we have a really strong core with England and that’s the most important thing going into big games and big tournaments.” Kane and Maguire go from team-mates to opponents as Bayern host out-of-sorts United in Wednesday’s Champions League Group A opener. Harry is a great guy, a great professional. A lot of young players can look at him and his journey to hopefully motivate them to be footballers as well. Harry Kane on Harry Maguire Put to sharpshooter Kane he could make matters worse for the defender, he said: “Yeah, but this is football. I’ve come up against friends or England team-mates before. “Once you get on to the pitch, your competitiveness comes out and you want to do your best for your team and nothing else really enters your mind. That’s not something I think about. “But Harry is a great guy, a great professional. A lot of young players can look at him and his journey to hopefully motivate them to be footballers as well. “But, yeah, if he plays (on Wednesday night) that friendship goes away for 90 minutes and I do my best for Bayern Munich.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Chris Billam-Smith confident of Lawrence Okolie win but doubts appeal of rematch Roy Hodgson set to return to Crystal Palace dugout on Saturday after illness Harry Kane happy with Bayern Munich decision ahead of Manchester United meeting