For 22 minutes Barcelona did not seem to believe they would reach the Champions League final, and then Lamine Yamal decided enough was enough. Inter Milan raced into a two-goal lead by the 21st minute of their first leg semi-final clash, but the 17-year-old star’s brilliance helped the Catalan giants come from behind to secure a 3-3 draw on Wednesday and leave the tie in equilibrium ahead of the return leg in Milan next Tuesday. Inter began the game in spectacular fashion with Thuram’s back-heel finish within 30 seconds — the fastest ever UCL semi-final goal — giving the visitor’s an early lead. Just as Barcelona were finding their footing, Dumfries struck an acrobatic goal in the 21st minute via a corner to put the Italian side two to the good. Also Read: Inter’s Martinez likely to miss second leg But barely three minutes later, Yamal sparked the home team to life. The winger, on his 100th appearance for the club, showed strength to shrug off Thuram, skill and speed to ditch Henrikh Mkhitaryan and then produced a precise finish into the far post, leaving Inter custodian Yann Sommer rooted to the spot.The Blaugrana coach Hansi Flick showered praise on the young Spaniard for pulling them back into the game. “In the big matches you see the quality of this player and he showed it today, it’s really good to have him,” said the German manager. Ferran Torres then drew Barcelona level after a brilliant lob from Pedri found Raphinha in the box, who headed it into the path of Torres in the 38th minute. Despite Barcelona’s dominance, Inter delivered a sucker-punch in the 63rd minute as Dumfries headed in from a corner. But it took less than two minutes for the Catalans to reply as Raphinha’s rasping effort smashed against the crossbar and then went in, off the back of a diving Sommer’s head. Although the game ended all square, Yamal exuded confidence in his team’s ability to get to the final. “I have always thought [the quadruple was possible], I have a lot of trust in the team... I think we will go through,” said Yamal. When asked by CBS what separates him from the rest, Yamal simply said, “I try and enjoy myself, I think that is the secret, to enjoy it.” 100No. of games Yamal, 17, has played for Barcelona This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
02 May,2025 07:41 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPInter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez had to be substituted at half-time in the first leg of his team’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on Wednesday and is unlikely to recover in time for the return match next week. Also Read: Messi, Ronaldo falter in semis Lautaro looked in pain as he started hobbling shortly before half-time. The Argentina World Cup winner managed to play out the final seconds of the first-half, but didn’t come out after the break. “It will be very difficult to have him for the return match. Probably we’ll play without our captain,” Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
02 May,2025 07:37 AM IST | Barcelona | AP | PTIAgeing football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to rescue their respective teams as both Inter Miami and Al-Nassr lost their respective continental semi-finals. Also Read: Coco Gauff stuns reigning champ Iga Swiatek in semi-finals Messi’s dream of winning Inter Miami’s first CONCACAF Champions Cup title ended on Wednesday as the Vancouver Whitecaps beat them 1-3 to seal an aggregated 1-5 in Miami, USA. Elsewhere, Ronaldo’s wait for a major trophy in Saudi Arabia continued after Al-Nassr lost 2-3 to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the Asian Champions League semi-final in Jeddah. Both, the Argentine ace and the Portuguese star, failed to score. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
02 May,2025 07:34 AM IST | Jeddah | AgenciesCristiano Ronaldo's wait for a major trophy in Saudi Arabia is set to continue after Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Kawasaki Frontale in the Asian Champions League semifinals on Wednesday. The 40-year-old Ronaldo, who signed for the Riyadh club in December 2022, had chances but failed to score against the team from Japan. Kawasaki will face another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, in Saturday's final with both teams bidding for a first continental title. Also Read: MI vs RR, IPL 2025: Predicted playing XIs, head-to-head, injuries and more Kawasaki was ahead after just 10 minutes on a spectacular volley from Tatsuya Ito. Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane equalized for Al-Nassr before the half-hour mark. Soon after, Ronaldo headed against the woodwork but it was Kawasaki which scored next, restoring its lead three minutes before the break through Yuto Ozeki. Al-Nassr continued to attack but fell further behind after 76 minutes when Akihiro Ienaga scored from close range. Ayman Yahya cut the margin for Al-Nassr with three minutes remaining but despite Ronaldo and Jhon Duran ¿ signed for over $100 million from English Premier League club Aston Villa in January ¿ going close, the Riyadh club couldn't get the equalizer. In the quarterfinals last weekend, Ronaldo scored in Al-Nassr's comfortable win over Yokohama. Two-time finalist Al-Ahli reached the fina l by beating fellow Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal 3-1 on Tuesday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 02:31 PM IST | Jeddah | AP | PTIParis Saint-Germain are leaving England on a high after Ousmane Dembele’s early goal helped them beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. The Parisians could have left London with a greater advantage had substitutes Goncalo Ramos and Bradley Barcola buried their late chances when Arsenal were pressing for an equaliser. Also Read: Chelsea hope to avoid slip-up vs Djurgarden PSG’s Ousmane Dembele celebrates his goal vs Arsenal on Tuesday. Pic/AFP “It was a great night. We could have scored more, but we are glad with 1-0 and we will do everything in our power to go to the final,” PSG midfielder Vitinha said.The Portuguese midfielder was a crucial cog for the visitors in the middle of the park as he helped pull the strings in a game that was largely dominated by PSG. Rapid start by visitors Luis Enrique’s side showed no hesitation in taking the game to Arsenal from the start. Dembele opened the scoring in the fourth minute after he was left all alone in the area and was picked out by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for a first-time finish that snuck in via the far post. Kvaratskhelia caused the Gunners plenty of problems throughout and had a penalty appeal turned down in the 17th minute and a shot saved by David Raya in the 26th. The Arsenal custodian then made an even better save to thwart Desire Doue in the 31st minute. Thereafter, the Gunners grew into the game. It took a monumental save from PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma to deny Gabriel Martinelli on the stroke of half-time while Mikel Merino’s header was ruled out for offside in the 50th minute. The Italian made another excellent save to deny Leandro Trossard six minutes later. PSG’s subs fail to fire Barcola and Ramos both had chances to double PSG’s lead late on when sent clear through on goal. But Barcola shot narrowly wide while Ramos rattled the crossbar. Enrique was full of praise for his young side following the final whistle. “We showed the kind of team we are. We tried to play our way and scored the goal early playing the way we play,” Enrique said. Meanwhile, Arteta expressed confidence in his team’s ability to turn the tie around next week in Paris. “We have to go to Paris and win the game. We are more than capable of doing it. If you want to be in the UCL final, you have to do something special. And we are going to need to do something special in Paris,” said Arteta. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 07:51 AM IST | London | AFPChelsea’s eyes are firmly set on sealing the UEFA Conference League title, but on their path to victory stands a semi-final match against Djurgarden. Also Read: Man Utd boosted by the return of Diallo, De Ligt The Swedish side will become the first team from the nation in 38 years to play a European semi-final. Buoyed by a tight-knit group of supporters they’ll be aiming to spoil Chelsea’s plans. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 07:49 AM IST | Paris | AgenciesRuben Amorim’s Manchester United have received a major boost ahead of tonight’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Club as winger Amad Diallo and defender Matthijs de Ligt resumed training. Also Read: IPL 2025 | "It’s going to be an exciting challenge": Boult on Vaibhav Suryavanshi Amad — a key player for Amorim this season — trained with the team for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in February. De Ligt, meanwhile, damaged his ankle ligaments earlier this month. It remains to be seen whether they will travel to Spain. But they could definitely play a big part in the return leg in Manchester next week. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 07:47 AM IST | Manchester | IANSParis Saint-Germain seized the advantage in their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg on Tuesday. Dembele struck in the opening minutes at the Emirates Stadium and Luis Enrique's side held on to the lead with a composed display that kept Arsenal at bay. PSG will head into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7 as favourites to reach the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan as they look to win the tournament for the first time. But the French champions should take nothing for granted given their history of epic European collapses. "We showed the kind of team we are. We tried to play our way and scored the goal early playing that way," PSG boss Luis Enrique said. "We suffered sometimes but could have scored the second goal. The second match is going to be very tough. "The result means a little advantage for us. We can go to the final but there is still one match." Arsenal's first defeat in 18 home European matches was a painful blow to their own bid to win a first Champions League crown. Mikel Arteta had labelled Arsenal's run to the semi-finals a "beautiful story". The last chapter might make for frustrating reading, but Arteta insisted they aren't dead and buried just yet. Also Read: CSK vs PBKS, IPL 2025: Dream 11 prediction, probable playing XIs, head-to-head, injuries "We put so much into the game. It's half-time and we have a big chance to be in the final," the Gunners boss said. "We struggled in the first 15 minutes to get momentum and dominance, but in the end I was disappointed not to get a draw at least. That's the margins, that's the level." The Gunners had beaten holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League semi-final since losing to Manchester United in 2009. They could not replicate the swaggering display that blew Madrid away 3-0 in the first leg, despite a frenzied atmosphere as kick-off approached. When Arsenal's players gathered for a pre-match huddle in the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his team-mates to give everything as he roared: "If we don't have the ball we die." But PSG had already eliminated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, after coming back from two goals down to beat Manchester City in the league phase. Arsenal were the one English side they had failed to conquer, losing 2-0 in north London in October. However, PSG were without the influential Dembele for disciplinary reasons on that occasion and Luis Enrique insisted his side were "more complete" seven months on. Out-gunned Dembele took just four minutes to prove the point as the France star started and finished a ruthless raid. Taking possession in the centre circle, Dembele worked the ball out to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Georgian drove at Jurrien Timber with intent. Dembele had carried on his run into the Arsenal area and Kvaratskhelia's perfectly weighted pass picked him out for a clinical finish that went in off the far post. Having seized the momentum, Dembele was proving hard for Arsenal to handle, his clever run and pass reaching Desire Doue for a low strike that David Raya saved at full stretch. Arsenal had been out-gunned but they should have equalised just before half-time when Myles Lewis-Skelly's sublime pass found Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot was superbly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arsenal thought they had drawn level two minutes into the second half when Mikel Merino headed home from Rice's free-kick, but their celebrations were premature as VAR disallowed the goal for offside against the Spain midfielder. Leandro Trossard was inches away from equalising when Rice's pass sent him bursting into the PSG area for a shot that Donnarumma brilliantly tipped away. Feeling the shift in the balance of power, PSG looked to take the sting out of the game by playing at a slower pace. The tactic almost worked to perfection when Bradley Barcola sauntered through, but with just Raya to beat he dragged his shot wide of the far post. It was a woeful miss, leaving Luis Enrique holding his head in disbelief. The PSG coach found himself in the exact same stunned pose moments later when Goncalo Ramos fired against the bar from close range as another big chance to double the visiting side's lead late on went begging. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2025 04:45 PM IST | London | AFPReal Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to take over the Brazilian national team, according to several Spanish media outlets on Monday. The 65-year-old Italian has one more year on his contract with the Spanish giants, but is treading rocky ground after a series of major losses. Real Madrid suffered an exit from the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Arsenal and then lost the Copa del Rey final to rivals Barcelona. Although they remain in the hunt to win La Liga, they trail league leaders Barcelona by four points with five games to go. Also Read: ‘No fear, only motivation’ As a result, the Real Madrid manager himself has not hidden that a potential exit was on the cards and said discussions over his future at the club were “a topic for the next [few] weeks” after losing to Barcelona 2-3 on Saturday. Brazil had sacked coach Dorival Junior after a 1-4 thrashing by Argentina in March and are fourth in the South American qualifying table for the FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada next year. Ancelotti is one of the most successful Real Madrid coaches, having won the Champions League three times across two separate stints. The Italian also won a La Liga trophy last year along with Europe’s biggest title. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2025 07:32 AM IST | Madrid | AFPLamine Yamal has not been experiencing any nerves ahead of Barcelona’s first leg semi-final clash against Inter Milan in the Champions League tonight.The teenage star, who picked up two assists over the weekend as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 to clinch the Copa del Rey title, said he was eager to face the Italians. ““I’m really excited, it’s my first [European] semi-final. I’ve not had any fear, but I have motivation ahead of the game — I think the butterflies in your stomach are good, all of us players have them. But fear... I left fear back in Mataro [Yamal’s hometown] a long time ago,” said Yamal. Also Read: IPL 2025: Struggling CSK set to take on dominant PBKS The 17-year-old winger has become a key figure on the right flank, where Blaugrana’s all-time top goalscorer Lionel Messi operated for many years, with both players coming through their La Masia youth academy. Barcelona last reached the Champions League final with Messi on the right of the attack in 2015 and Yamal is hoping to lead the Catalan giants back there this season. However, the Spaniard shirked away from any comparisons with the Argentine legend. “I don’t compare myself to him, because I don’t compare myself to anyone — and much less with Messi. I’m going to enjoy myself, and be myself,” said Yamal.Barcelona enter the match as firm favourites — they currently lead the La Liga table in addition to winning the Copa del Rey — while their opponents are in a shock slump late into the season. Simone Inzaghi’s team have lost their last three games. They were ousted from the Coppa Italia semi-final by AC Milan whilst surrendering their lead in Serie A to Napoli. Nevertheless, Hansi Flick is wary of Inter Milan and the challenge posed by their resolute defence. “We are only focused on the first leg and that is the first part of the objective. Inter will be very difficult, they are one of the best defensive sides in Europe. They have a great midfield and great full-backs. We have to be ready,” Flick said. The German coach outlined his plan to stop Inzaghi’s side from gaining the upper hand at the Montjuic Stadium. “In midfield, they will have five players and we will have to protect the spaces. “For us, it’s very important to keep the ball and reduce mistakes. As well as being focussed in defence,” Flick added. 07No. of goal contributions (goals + assists) by Yamal in 11 UCL games This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2025 07:30 AM IST | Barcelona | AgenciesIn a landmark development, the English Premier League (EPL) is set to commence operations in Mumbai, its first-ever office in India. The Premier League has a long-standing relationship with India, consistently engaging with its vast and passionate fanbase and supporting football communities across the nation. Since 2007, it has partnered with the British Council to implement its Premier Skills programme, aimed at developing grassroots football. Over the past 18 years, this initiative has been rolled out across more than 18 Indian states, training over 7,300 coaches, referees, and educators, and positively impacting the lives of more than 124,000 young people. At the elite level, the League has forged a strong collaboration with the Indian Super League (ISL) since its inception in 2014. This partnership has facilitated the exchange of expertise in several core areas, including governance, youth development, coaching, and referee training. A key milestone in this relationship was the launch of the Next Gen Cup in 2019, an elite international youth tournament designed to nurture emerging talent. The sixth edition of this tournament is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in May 2025, where top ISL youth squads will compete against U19 teams from Premier League clubs, marking another significant step in youth football development. The establishment of the Premier League’s India office aims to bolster its existing initiatives by enhancing collaboration with Indian football authorities and strengthening both grassroots and elite-level programmes. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters expressed his enthusiasm, stating: "We and our clubs have a fantastic and knowledgeable fanbase in India, and we know football continues to grow in popularity. We are proud of our longstanding commitment to India, having worked to deliver community football programmes for 18 years and, more recently, our partnership with the Indian Super League. Opening this office marks a significant milestone for the Premier League. We are looking forward to the opportunities it will create in the region." This move follows the League’s global expansion strategy, with international offices already operating in Singapore (2019), New York (2023), and Beijing (2024), aimed at deepening fan engagement, supporting local football growth, and protecting content rights.
29 April,2025 06:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
