Medical Breakthrough: First womb-transplant baby born

A woman in Sweden has given birth to a baby boy using a transplanted womb, in a medical first, doctors report.

The 36 year-old mother, who was born without a uterus, received a donated womb from a friend in her 60s.

The British medical journal The Lancet says the baby was born prematurely in September weighing 1.8kg (3.9lb). The father said his son was "amazing"

Cancer treatment and birth defects are the main reasons women can be left without a functioning womb.

If they want a child of their own, their only option is surrogacy.

The identity of the couple in Sweden has not been released, but it is known the mother still had functioning ovaries.

The couple went through IVF to produce 11 embryos, which were frozen. Doctors at the University of Gothenburg then performed the womb transplant.

The donor was a 61-year-old family friend who had gone through the menopause seven years earlier.

Drugs to suppress the immune system were needed to prevent the womb being rejected.

A year after the transplant, doctors decided they were ready to implant one of the frozen embryos and a pregnancy ensued.

The baby was born prematurely, almost 32 weeks into the pregnancy, after the mother developed pre-eclampsia and the baby's heart rate became abnormal.

Both baby and mum are now said to be doing well.

In an anonymous interview with the AP news agency, the father said: "It was a pretty tough journey over the years, but we now have the most amazing baby.

"He's no different from any other child, but he will have a good story to tell.''

Read More

Jose Mourinho believes Cesc Fabregas already love Chelsea... ahead facing former club 'Arsenal'

Jose Mourinho believes Cesc Fabregas can have both Chelsea and Arsenal in his heart as the midfielder prepares to face his former side.

Fabregas signed for Chelsea after three years at Barcelona, despite a rumoured clause which gave the first option to Arsenal, where he played from 2003 to 2011, making 303 appearances and scoring 57 goals under Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

The 27-year-old Spain playmaker has thrived on his Premier League return and next plays against Arsenal in Sunday's contest between the only remaining unbeaten teams in the league.

"I think he loves Chelsea already,'' Blues boss Mourinho said. "He's so happy: the way he plays, the way he's a member of the squad, the way he lives in this little blue village.

"It is like he's (been) here for a long time. If you ask him now if he regrets the move, I'm sure he'd say no. If you ask him if he'd choose a different option, he'd say no. And if you ask him where he thinks he'll be in five years' time, he will say Chelsea.

"He is Chelsea. He is completely committed to Chelsea. And he likes Chelsea very, very much. One thing is that and another thing is to forget the past. I'm happy he doesn't forget the past.''

Mourinho is adamant Fabregas remembers fondly the club he joined aged 16.

The Portuguese added: "I wouldn't be happy if he came here saying he didn't care about Arsenal. Many times, when (players) say that, it's not true. If it's true, it's also not good. He'll never lose his respect and his connection with a club where he arrived as a kid and left as a top player.

"He doesn't forget Arsenal, he doesn't forget the time he spent there, he doesn't forget the contribution Arsenal made in his fantastic career, and that deserves a place in his memory and his heart. For me, the approach is correct.

"The fact he's giving everything to Chelsea with such professionalism and enthusiasm is exactly what we want of him.''

During his first spell at Chelsea and his time at Real Madrid, Mourinho never imagined Fabregas would come under his charge.

"I was at Chelsea, he was at Arsenal -- a rival,'' Mourinho said. "I was at Real, he was at Barcelona - a rival. It never looked possible that he would become my player. I never thought about it.''

When the possibility arose, Mourinho moved swiftly for a player with supreme talents. He promised Fabregas he would be the central figure in the team and not one on the periphery, like he was at times in Barcelona, where he played on the wings and as a 'false nine' forward

"I wanted him because I know the player he is,'' Mourinho added. "And I know he was good for the philosophy we wanted for the team.

"I knew that he's one of not many players who can play as a No. 8 or a No. 10, so gives me possibilities to play him in both positions and build a midfield knowing that.

"This, plus the fact that he was made in England and played for so many years in English football. That's a plus. He doesn't need that adaptation. He comes back 'home'. We knew he was the perfect for us. We tried. We tried hard, and we got (him).''

Mourinho is not concerned whether Fabregas celebrates scoring against the Gunners, pointing to his own inner feeling of happiness when his Inter Milan side beat Chelsea in the Champions League in 2010.

"He should score, celebrate or not -- I don't care,'' Mourinho said. "When my team scored against Chelsea and my team did three times, two in Milan and one at Stamford Bridge, I didn't celebrate. I was happy, you can't imagine how happy I was.

"Not celebrating is nice. Show some respect.''

Read More

You may soon have your chance of breathing underwater: Some Scientists developed a crystalline material that could absorb oxygen from the surrounding environment, be it in water or land

A group of scientists from the University of Southern Denmark have developed a crystalline material that absorbs oxygen from the surrounding environment, both water and air, and stores it for future use.

The aptly named "Aquaman Crystal" uses cobalt to work its magic, and it doesn't need a lot — just a few grains provides enough oxygen for the first breath. As the research team notes, because the material can continually absorb oxygen from the water, a diver would only need to bring a tiny amount underwater in order to breathe without a tank. 
"It is also interesting that the material can absorb and release oxygen many times without losing the ability," said Christine McKenzie, one of the scientists involved with the project. "It is like dipping a sponge in water, squeezing the water out of it and repeating the process over and over again."

It has uses beyond diving, too. The scientists note that the material can also be used to help lung patients who breathe with the help of an oxygen tank. 

"When the substance is saturated with oxygen, it can be compared to an oxygen tank containing pure oxygen under pressure — the difference is that this material can hold three times as much oxygen," McKenzie said. 

Oxygen tanks are bulky and heavy, and though there are smaller ones for use outside the home, they're still an inconvenience for those who need them to breathe properly. 

The atmospheric oxygen content, temperature and pressure all affect the time required for the material to absorb oxygen; it can take mere seconds or up to a few days to work. But the university emphasizes that its potential uses are myriad — cars that use fuel cells, for example, need a regulated oxygen supply.

Though there's no set timeline for the material to be converted for commercial use, the possibility is nevertheless exciting. Get ready to make like Aquaman, everyone.

Read More

La Liga: Cristiano Ronaldo remains a doubt for Real Madrid's clash with Athletic Bilbao

Cristiano Ronaldo remains a doubt for Real Madrid's La Liga game against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, 29, suffered some tough treatment from his markers during Wednesday's 2-1 Champions League win at Ludogorets, receiving medical attention late in the game after being kicked in the back of his lower right leg by the Bulgarian side's Madagascar international Anicet Abel.

Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti played down the incident after the game, telling his postmatch news conference that "it was a painful knock, but nothing serious."

However, Ronaldo himself told reporters in the stadium's mixed zone that he did not appreciate being kicked from behind in such a painful area.

This immediately led to fears that Madrid could be without their top scorer -- who has 10 goals in his first five La Liga appearances of the season -- for Sunday's game against Athletic.

However, fears were eased when the Portugal captain was named in his country's squad for their upcoming friendly against France and Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark.

A Madrid club statement released on Friday revealed that Ronaldo had yet to return to full training with his teammates, while also saying that Gareth Bale and Fabio Coentrao had not taken part in Friday's morning session.

Read More

Manchester United sees re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo an impossible attempt

Manchester United believe an Old Trafford return for Cristiano Ronaldo next summer will prove almost impossible, it emerged on Friday.

United supporters are praying their former hero comes back from Real Madrid to end his career with them next summer.

However senior Old Trafford sources told Sportsmail that they believe the cost of bringing the World Player of the Year back to the club will in all likelihood prove prohibitive for a player who will be halfway towards his 31st birthday by the start of next season.

It emerged last week that Ronaldo’s representatives were asking for £20million a year in wages when the Portuguese star was touted around in the summer of 2013. Add a transfer fee of about £60m to that and the cost of the deal becomes clear.

A United source said today: 'Ronaldo will always be loved here.

'But if you look at the numbers and his age than you have to ask if it really could be made to work.

'We are not at all sure it can.'

United believe that their best chance of buying Ronaldo back was actually last summer when he made it clear to them that he was unhappy with life at Real.

Club insiders believe that had former manager Sir Alex Ferguson been in charge then the deal may well have happened. A new United team would then have been built around him.

As it was, David Moyes was in the first stages of his own short reign at that point and ultimately United believe they were led on by the Ronaldo camp as he tried to engineer a new contract at the Bernabeu.

Ironically, it is that deal – eventually signed last September – that now makes it so difficult to bring Ronaldo back to the club where he first came to the world’s attention.

With Ronaldo contracted now until 2018, Real president Florentino Perez holds all the cards in terms of dictating a fee for the club’s prize asset.

Read More

Justin Bieber parties with beautiful women at Parisian club after splitting from girlfriend 'Selena Gomez'

Justin Bieber partied at a nightclub on Paris on Thursday after reportedly splitting again from on-off girlfriend Selena Gomez.

The 20-year-old Canadian pop star left the club wearing an all-black ensemble that featured a golden crest on his shirt.

The singer was surrounded by security guards as he departed but celebrity photo agency X17online.com claimed he left with a colourfully dressed woman.

The Boyfriend hitmaker apparently had a falling out with Selena after he was spotted enjoying a boozy lunch date with her model pal Kendall Jenner.

Selena has posted some cryptic tweets, claiming she didn't feel 'good enough' and was turning to God for help.

She wrote on the social media site: 'Sometimes we think we aren't good enough. But then I realize when I think I'm alone I have God.' 

'We have to learn the hard way sometimes.'

Selena returned back to Los Angeles solo on Wednesday after previously vacationing with Justin in the Caribbean before going to France.

Read More

Diego Costa will start against Arsenal ahead of sunday London derby

Diego Costa will start against Arsenal and Jose Mourinho will keep his fingers crossed for his fitness as his star striker goes away with Spain.

Costa has been named in the Spain squad, despite suffering tight hamstrings, but that won’t stop Mourinho playing him against Arsenal, who visit Stamford Bridge for the first time since their 6-0 defeat last season.

Mourinho said: 'My reaction to the news he’s in the squad is no reaction because it’s something I imagined. It’s not a surprise.

'I think three matches in a week is too much but he’s going to do that. Why? Because I’m not going to save him to be in perfect condition for the national team.

'If he has a problem playing against Arsenal it is a problem playing for Chelsea. We had three very important matches this week. We needed the victory in the Champions League. Arsenal is also important. So he plays.

'He had four days in between. He will be in OK condition to play against Arsenal. What happens in the following 15 days is not to do with me. I will pay the consequences of that as all clubs will after the international period.'

Read More

Ebola prevention: Akon locked up himself in giant 'bubble' to avoid catching Ebola at African concert

R&B star Akon has been accused of going to extreme lengths to avoid catching Ebola during a concert in Africa ... by crowd-surfing inside a giant plastic bubble.

The 'Locked Up' singer climbed inside the airtight blow-up during a performance in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday and rolled over the crowd, pushed along by the outstretched hands of 60,000 screaming concert-goers.

But his actions prompted breathless reports from certain media outlets that, rather than just being a creative way of performing closer to his fans, it was a cynical attempt to shield himself from the deadly virus that is sweeping West Africa.

'The Ebola virus is no joke,' harrumphed The Source website. 'And to avoid contracting it from anybody, when Akon left the stage to crowd surf with the people that were attending his concert, he did so in a huge plastic protective bubble.'

What the website did not report was that the five-time Grammy nominee has performed inside the stage prop on a number of previous occasions including in Perth, Australia, and Dubai, both in 2010. Neither of those countries were battling Ebola outbreaks at the time.

'As Akon, I see myself as a child of Africa,' the artist told the crowd, who is of Senegalese descent and spent time in Senegal as a child, which he calls his 'hometown'.

Read More

Ebola Transmission: An American cameraman in Liberia was diagnosed with Ebola

A cameraman working in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola and is to be flown home to the US for treatment.

The 33-year-old freelancer has been working in the country for three years for a number of media outlets, most recently NBC News.

More than 3,330 people have died in four West African countries in what has become the world's worst outbreak.

President Barack Obama has pledged federal support to contain the spread in the US, after the first case there.

A Liberian man diagnosed in Texas on Tuesday remains in a serious condition.

The unnamed cameraman is the fourth American known to test positive for Ebola, all diagnosed in Liberia.

Three American aid workers were separately flown back to the US for treatment and they are all recovering.

The man was only hired by NBC News on Tuesday, the US broadcaster said, and he came down with symptoms - including fever and aches - the following day.

After seeking medical advice, he tested positive for the virus.

NBC News President Deborah Turness informed staff of the news in a statement.

"We are doing everything we can to get him the best care possible. He will be flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients."

The rest of the NBC crew including the network's chief medical editor, Dr Nancy Snyderman, are being flown back to the US on a private charter flight and will be placed under quarantine for 21 days, Ms Turness added.

Read More

Danny Welbeck refused to be compared with Thierry Henry

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck is uncomfortable with comparisons with club great Thierry Henry, but fully intends to make his own mark with the Gunners.

The England forward netted his first career hat-trick in the 4-1 demolition of Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Welbeck's clinical finishes, one when racing on to a short back header to slot past the goalkeeper, has led to suggestions the 23-year-old has all the traits needed to follow in the footsteps of Henry, whom Gunners boss Arsene Wenger converted from a winger to become the club's record goalscorer.

Welbeck, however, is determined to keep things in perspective.

"You can't start making comparisons like that. Obviously Thierry Henry is someone I have looked up to ever since I started playing football," said Welbeck, who was often deployed out wide for United and also sometimes with England.

"Nobody can really criticise my finishing because they don't really see me playing in a forward position too often, but now I am getting into these positions I want to be sticking the ball in the back of the net. I am sure it's the same with every other striker.

"Obviously people can say I have not scored enough goals, but you stick the best strikers on the wing in a four-man midfield and see if they score goals.

"If you are getting goals and getting a run of games in your preferred position, your confidence is going to grow and performances are going to grow as well.

"That is something I am really looking forward to doing, building on those performances."

Read More

I'm not competing against Cristiano: Lionel Messi refused to be compared with Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has refused to be drawn into comparing himself with Real Madrid counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting that he only focuses on improving his own game.

Messi, 27, scored his 68th Champions League goal in Barcelona's 3-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to close in on Raul's record tally of 71, though Ronaldo responded with a goal of his own in Real Madrid's 2-1 win at Ludogorets Razgrad on Wednesday to leapfrog the Argentine into 69.

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to contest Ronaldo for the 2015 title in January's ceremony but Messi insists that he is more concerned about winning trophies for Luis Enrique's side, rather than individual honours.

Asked whether he felt he was the best in the world at Barcelona's official presentation with new sponsor Gillette, Messi said: "I do not know what my place in the history of the game will be, neither do I even think about it. I'm just focused on continually improving and winning more.

"I'm not competing against Cristiano or anyone. I just do my job -- I want to win titles."

Read More

Chelsea Captain 'John Terry' and wife 'Toni Poole' go on mammoth shopping spree... requiring two assistants to assist

Footballer John Terry and wife Toni Poole shopped up a storm in upmarket store Smythson on Wednesday after spending a while browsing the luxurious items on offer there.

The pair were such fans of the brand that it took two friendly assistants to carry their bags out of the Bond Street store and into their taxi home.

The Chelsea Captain held his wife's hand as they enjoyed some quality time together. John had dressed down in blue jeans, a grey T-shirt and brown suede shoes for the occasion.

John had a purposeful look on his face as he strode slightly ahead of his 32-year-old wife who looked chic in ripped black jeans, nude court shoes and a white floaty silk top.

The WAG's hair appeared freshly blow-dried into a sleek do and she wore a pale pink lipgloss. Visible under her perfect blowdry was a pair of diamond earrings.

The lucky lady also carried a coveted Céline bag on her arm in black.

Read More

Beyonce swinging with daughter Blue Ivy in new family snaps

Doting mother Beyoncé had a swinging good time with her daughter Blue Ivy in the family snaps she shared on her website Wednesday.

The 33-year-old pop diva was wearing the same pearl-embellished bikini she donned in her Tuesday snaps.

The 17-time Grammy winner dressed her two-year-old toddler in a lavender bikini top and white ruffled skirt as they played on a swing-set.

Little Blue also joined father Jay Z atop matching mini-ATVs in what appeared to be the backyard of their $200,000 a month rented Bel Air mansion.

The privileged youngster already had a pint-sized blue Lamborgini and pink Cadillac, which she received at her second birthday bash.

'I imagine I'll take things I learned from my mom and things I've learned from raising my nephews and apply that,' the 44-year-old rap mogul said on Oprah's Master Class in 2012.

Read More

ISIS group behead five Kurdish fighters, including three women

Islamic State fighters beheaded seven men and three women in a Kurdish area of northern Syria, a monitoring group reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, among them three women, and four Syrian Arabs were beheaded near the town of Kobani.

The Kurdish fighters were taken prisoner during the battle for the mainly Kurdish town, also known as Ayn Arab, which is close to the Turkish border and has been besieged by Islamic State forces.

Dozens of militants and Kurdish fighters were killed in the fighting, said SOHR.

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Observatory, said a Kurdish male civilian was also beheaded. 'I don't know why they were arrested or beheaded. Only the Islamic State knows why. They want to scare people,' he said.

Images posted on social media networks show women's heads placed on a cement block, said to be in the northern Syrian city of Jarablous, which is held by militants.

Women fight alongside men in the Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as the YPG, which is the official armed wing of the main Kurdish political group in Syria.

Kurdish forces have been locked in fierce clashes with Islamic State militants in and around Kobani since the extremist group launched an assault in mid-September.

The fighting has created one of the single largest exoduses in Syria's civil war, with more than 160,000 people fleeing into Turkey, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said yesterday.

Read More

Champions League: Danny Welbeck was delighted to help Arsene Wenger celebrate 18 years at Arsenal with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Galatasaray

The Frenchman was celebrating his 18 years anniversary at the Emirates and Welbeck's treble alongside a strike from Alexis Sanchez sealed a comfortable win with Burak Yilmaz responding from the penalty spot as Wojciech Szczesny was sent off.

Some eyebrows were raised when Wenger shelled out 16 million pounds for Welbeck in January but the former Manchester United striker is happy to be repaying that faith.

"He's shown a lot of faith in me and I'm delighted to pay him back tonight,'' he told Sky Sports 1. "Just giving me the chance to play football up front in my preferred position, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that he's happy.''

He added: "I think we've set the benchmark now and we've really got to try to go on that. From now on we want to get the three points every single game.''

Welbeck was pleased to notch his first first-team hat-trick and is hoping that more of the same tactics can bring more goals.

"I'm obviously delighted to get the goals but I think the most important thing was that we got our three points on the board tonight,'' he said. "I'm playing up front, trying to score goals and getting into goalscoring opportunities and tonight it paid off, I got the three goals.''

Read More

Report: Five new Ebola cases every hour in Sierra Leone

A leading charity has warned that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone means healthcare demands are far outstripping supply.

Save the Children said there were 765 new cases of Ebola reported in the West African state last week, while there are only 327 beds in the country.

Experts and politicians are set to meet in London to debate a global response to the crisis.

It is the world's worst outbreak of the virus, killing 3,338 people so far.

There have been 7,178 confirmed cases, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea suffering the most.

'Massively unreported'

Save the Children says Ebola is spreading across Sierra Leone at a "terrifying rate", with the number of new cases being recorded doubling every few weeks.

It said that even as health authorities got on top of the outbreak in one area, it spread to another.

The scale of the disease is also "massively unreported" according to the charity, because "untold numbers of children are dying anonymously at home or in the streets".

Earlier this month, Britain said it would build facilities for 700 new beds in Sierra Leone but the first of these will not be ready for weeks, and the rest may take months.

But Save the Children said that unless the international community radically stepped up its response, people would continue to die at home and risk infecting their family and the local community.

"We are facing the frightening prospect of an epidemic which is spreading like wildfire across Sierra Leone, with the number of new cases doubling every three weeks," said Rob MacGillivray, the charity's country director in Sierra Leone.

Read More

Steven Gerrard: Liverpool deserved nothing from Basel.. we were too soft

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard offered up a savagely honest assessment of his side's disappointing efforts as they went down to a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Basel in Switzerland.

Gerrard did not hold back as he provided a cutting appraisal of his side's display at the St Jakob Stadium, which leaves qualification from Group B in the balance ahead of a back-to-back with Real Madrid.

"We didn't deserve anything out of this game," he told Sky Sports. "I thought we were too soft all over the pitch and I though they wanted it more, which is very disappointing. It hurts [to say that], but it's true.

"I thought we were second best at times against an OK team. I wouldn't say we were played off the park, but we made it easy for them. We wanted something out of this game, at least a draw. I came here expecting us to win, so it's very disappointing.

"Conceding again from a set-piece isn't good enough, so we have to get it right. You are not going to win football matches if you keep conceding from set-pieces.

"We will discuss it and analyse it like we always do. There were signs against Everton [last Saturday] that we are getting back to where we want to be. We were aggressive without the ball against Everton, but we went back to where we have been for most of the season today which is not good enough."

Read More

Equipping the enemy: Iraqi air force pilot mistakenly delivered water, food and ammunition meant for besieged Iraqi soldiers to ISIS militants

Blundering Iraqi air force pilots gave vital supplies of food, water and ammunition to Islamic State militants instead of their own beleaguered troops.

The aid drops were meant to help Iraqi soldiers desperately fending off jihadist fighters near Saqlawia in the western province of Anbar.

Hakim Al-Zamili, an Iraqi MP who is a member of the security and defense committee, said the mistake had effectively allowed ISIS to kill off its besieged soldiers.

Because most of the extremist group's weaponry was seized from Iraqi forces during its lightning offensive in June, the extra ammunition would have given its fighters a critical edge in the battle.

Al-Zamili told NBC News: 'Those soldiers were in deadly need of these supplies, but because of the wrong plans of the commanders in the Iraqi army and lack of experience of the pilots, we in a way or another helped ISIS fighters to kill our soldiers.'

A brigadier-general in Iraq's Defense Ministry, who declined to be named, confirmed the incident, which happened on September 19.

The officer also put the error down to a lack of experience, saying the pilots are 'all young and new'.

An investigation is being carried out to determine the exact cause of the mistake.

The error raises further questions about the effectiveness of Iraq's fledgling air force at a time when the U.S.-led coalition will be depending on its military to help push back the insurgency.

Read More

Beyonce shares sexy white bikini snap from her holiday in France

Another day another bikini picture for Beyonce!

The singing star has posted another photo of herself in just a bikini from her holiday in France.

The 33-year-old posted two snaps of herself in a white two piece to her website on Tuesday.

The megastar has been enjoying some time off in Europe with her husband Jay Z, 44, and of course, their little 2-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

Despite previous split rumours, the pair have been working overtime to put talk of divorce to bed, and the holiday snaps just keep coming.

Coming under fire not long ago for allegedly altering her Instagram snaps to make herself look slimmer, Queen Bey has continued to share intimate moments from the family trip.

Read More

Beating Barca a dream come true: David Luiz happy to prove critics wrong with goal in PSG win

David Luiz says that beating Barcelona in the Champions League was a "dream come true" after admitting that he has struggled at the start of his PSG career.

Luiz, 27, scored the opening goal against a club he had been heavily linked with joining while still at Chelsea, and earned high praise from the French press as PSG went top of Group F with a 3-2 win at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

The 50 million-euro summer signing was relieved that the French champions rose to the occasion after drawing five of their opening eight league matches.

"It was a superb night and a great match," he told Canal+. "It's the Champions League and we like big nights like that.

"We haven't been playing well but this evening the players did what was required to win.

"Likewise for the coach, the staff and the supporters. The atmosphere was magnificent -- it's a dream come true."

Luiz set PSG on their way after only 10 minutes, sweeping home left-footed to punish some slack defending from a free-kick. The Brazilian defender was pleased to have played a crucial role in such a big win.

"It's amazing for me," he said. "Everyone was saying bad things about me but that's normal when you're not playing well. Big players always have pressure on them.

"I'm happy to have scored the first goal but it's only the start. I have to keep working every day to improve."

Luiz's central defensive partner Marquinhos made a superb block to prevent Jordi Alba from snatching a late equaliser for Barcelona. The Brazil international told Le Parisien that it was important that his side now back up Tuesday night's performance.

"It's good to produce this kind of match in the Champions L eague but now we have to keep the same energy, intensity and solidarity for Ligue 1," he said.

Read More