Advancing to the Champions League round of 16 with a game to spare could have earned Arne Slot a pat on the back. But the Liverpool manager's father had a different reaction to the 2-1 victory over Lille. Boring! Slot mentioned his father's wish for more dynamic play as the Premier League leaders prepare to host relegation-threatened Ipswich on Saturday. Breaking down a defensive-minded opponent requires patience, though. "That is difficult for fans. My father is a fan as well," Slot said Friday at a press conference. "When I called him after the (Lille) game, he can also say it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool.' "Then I have to try to explain to him that these games, you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls. But he's not always agreeing with me." Slot noted how Bayern Munich dominated possession, attempts at goal and other stats but still lost 3-0 to Feyenoord, 'Slot's old team', in the Champions League on Wednesday. Against Lille, midfielder Curtis Jones played a risky ball near the halfway line, Slot noted, and it turned into a scoring opportunity for the French team after it recovered the ball and counterattacked. "So that's the risk you have if you play against a low-block team," he said. "(Nottingham) Forest is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls " which I call stupid balls which my father would love to see us playing a bit more " that is the risk of them creating many more chances." Ipswich was routed 6-0 by Manchester City last weekend. Kieran McKenna's team heads to Anfield in 18th place, behind Wolverhampton only on goal difference. Liverpool is past the halfway point of what's turning into a dream first season under Slot, a Dutchman who replaced the charismatic Jurgen Klopp. The Reds lead both the Premier League and Champions League, and they are alive in the FA Cup and League Cup. But fans be warned, don't expect a scoring frenzy Saturday. "It's a balance we have to find. I can understand that it's sometimes difficult for fans as well that come to the stadium to see us winning but hopefully us scoring a lot of goals and an exciting match," Slot said. "But you need two teams for that, and the better we do the less likely it is that teams come to Anfield and say OK let's go to a high press and press them all over the place.'"
24 January,2025 07:51 PM IST | London | mid-day online correspondentGoals by Muhammed Rafi, Joseph Sunny, and Andrei Alba helped former Champions Hyderabad FC launch a superb comeback to beat Jamshedpur FC 3-2 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Thursday night. After scoring first and then conceding twice, the home side struck the back of the net twice in a short passage of play in the second half to clinch all three points from this match, in which they held 54.1% of the possession and took four shots on target. This was their first win in nine games since beating Kerala Blaster FC on November 7, 2024, and broke their four-game losing streak against Jamshedpur FC. Hyderabad FC stepped up the intensity from the onset, unleashing an array of attacking moves in the opening essay of the match. They recorded four touches inside the Jamshedpur FC box in the first half, and one of them resulted in a goal by Muhammed Rafi. It was Rafi’s first strike in the ISL and it was brought about due to an enterprising effort by Manoj Mohammad on the left flank. Also Read: "When someone has quality, he should be given more chances": Shardul Thakur The Hyderabad FC frontline sliced open Jamshedpur FC’s defence with a quick move down the centre, where they drew bodies before Manoj rushed on the left flank. He received the ball deftly and thumped in a powerful low cross that was hammered into the high centre of the net by Rafi in the 12th minute. Jamshedpur FC, however, swung straight back into the game by exerting equally effective pressure on the Hyderabad FC defence. Javi Hernandez converted a couple of spot-kicks within a four-minute interval. The attacking midfielder in fact inspired the Red Miners to win the first of those penalties with his sharp footwork inside the 18-yard area, as Manoj - the enabler of Hyderabad FC’s first goal, committed a foul. Javi stepped up to take the spot-kick and caressed the ball into the bottom right corner to equalise the scores in the 24th minute. Merely three minutes later, it was Jordan Murray’s turn to flash inside the box and Alex Saji ended up fouling the Jamshedpur FC attacker within the box. Alex was booked immediately and Javi was on penalty kick duties again. This time, he aimed for his left and drilled the ball into the bottom corner to gain Jamshedpur FC the slender lead. Jamshedpur FC caught on to this momentum and Imran Khan served Murray a delivery inside the box, which the latter aimed to pounce upon immediately but shot high and wide to the left despite hitting it from the centre of the 18-yard area. Hyderabad FC regained their offensive edge in the second half of the game though. There was a back-and-forth sequence of attacks between both sides but a blend of defensive organisation and offensive retaliations ensured that the hosts never totally ceded control over the game. It took Ramhlunchhunga to come up with a precise delivery inside the final third in the 69th minute to draw scores level again. Joseph Sunny was on the move but showed impeccable composure to pick the ball and direct it straight to the top right corner in a smooth stretch of play to drag his side back into the contest. Just as was the case with Jamshedpur FC in the first half, Hyderabad FC had a brief passage of play after this goal where they operated overwhelmingly on the offensive, testing the robustness of the Jamshedpur FC defensive line. An individual moment of brilliance from Andrei Alba sealed the deal for them in the 74th minute. Manoj, who was the protagonist of setting up the first goal of the night, repeated those heroics to cap off the clash as his pass was well received and then nestled into the bottom left corner from the outside of the box by Alba to get Hyderabad FC forward and secure all three points for them. Hyderabad FC will play their next game against NorthEast United FC on January 29, whereas Jamshedpur FC will be facing off against Punjab FC on January 28. 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
24 January,2025 09:24 AM IST | Hyderabad | IANSPep Guardiola admitted his Manchester City side “could not cope” with Paris Saint-Germain after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to the French side on Wednesday, leaving their Champions League hopes on the brink. “They were better. We have to accept it, We have the last chance at home against Brugge. We will do everything there and if we don’t it is because we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola told reporters after the match at the Parc des Princes. Also Read: Keys locks out Swiatek Pep Guardiola “They were better, we have to accept it. It’s sport and it is like that.” City had taken control as Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland both scored early in the second half for the visitors. However, Ousmane Dembele pulled one back and Bradley Barcola equalised on the hour mark for PSG, who then went in front through a Joao Neves header on 78 minutes and wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Goncalo Ramos got their fourth goal. PSG move above City in the standings, leaving Guardiola’s team 25th out of 36 teams with eight points from seven games. Only the top 24 qualify for the knockout phase, but City host Club Brugge in their final league phase fixture next Wednesday and a win in that match should suffice for the 2023 European champions to progress to the play-off round. Before that City host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday in a key game in the fight for a top-four finish domestically. “I knew it would be tough. PSG’s exceptional. We could not cope. When one team plays better, you have to accept it. Now we prepare for a tough game against Chelsea and of course the final against Brugge,” said Guardiola. 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
24 January,2025 07:56 AM IST | Paris | AFPFlying in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is stuttering in the Champions League. The Bavarian powerhouse lost 0-3 at Feyenoord on Wednesday for its third defeat of the campaign, denting its hopes of reaching the round of 16 without having to contest a playoff. “When I see how many big chances we have again, how much we invest for a chance, how many we didn’t take, and how easy we’re making it at the moment for the opposition to score goals. That was very, very bad today,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. Also Read: We just could not cope: Pep Bayern had dominated all the statistics — possession, attempts at goal, corners, passes completed, balls recovered, and distance covered — except the stat that mattered. Santiago Giménez scored twice and Ayase Ueda sealed Feyenoord’s win late on a counterattack. “No one expected us to win and so that makes us happier,” said Feyenoord’s Giménez. 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
24 January,2025 07:56 AM IST | Rotterdam (Netherlands) | AP | PTIA teenager has been arrested in connection with the online abuse sent to the wife of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, police said on Tuesday. Sophia Havertz had publicly shared direct messages sent to her after Arsenal was knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on January 12. A 17-year-old boy from St Albans north of London was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications, Hertfordshire Police told the English Press Association. The teenager was released on bail. Sophia Havertz Sophia Havertz shared two posts on her Instagram story, including one where someone threatened to ‘slaughter’ her unborn baby. Arsenal had lost 5-3 on penalties to Cup holders United. Havertz, a Germany international, missed a chance from close range at the Emirates Stadium and then had his shot saved by goalkeeper Altay Bayindir in the penalty shootout. In response to the hate messages, Sophia had said the culprits ought to be ashamed of themselves. Havertz’s Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also stood up for the duo and condemned the vile abuse. “We really have to do something about it, because accepting that and hiding this has terrible consequences. “It’s something we have to eradicate from the game because it’s so cynical,” said the Spanish coach. 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
23 January,2025 06:26 AM IST | London | AP | PTILiverpool boss Arne Slot is not convinced that finishing top of the Champions League’s inaugural league phase standings will prove to be an advantage after securing progress to the last 16 on Tuesday. The Reds beat Lille 2-1 at Anfield to maintain a perfect record of seven wins from seven games. Liverpool are guaranteed to finish in the top two, with Barcelona the only side that could pip them to first place. That means the Premier League leaders will face a side that finishes between 15th and 18th in the last 16. However, Slot does not believe that the UCL table tells a true story. “So normally in tennis, if you’re No. 1, you know if you play against the No.24, he’s probably not as good as the No. 16. But here, because we play different teams, maybe the No.24 is better than the No.16, but the No.16 had an easier draw. “We also want to be on top of the league, but I’m not so sure. We have to wait and see if it’s an advantage,” Slot added. Liverpool were far from their best against 10-man Lille and needed a deflected strike from Harvey Elliott to win, after Mohamed Salah’s first-half goal was neutralized by Jonathan David. 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
23 January,2025 06:25 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPRaphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday to ensure direct qualification to the Round of 16. Benfica were leading 4-2 with less than 15 minutes remaining but Barcelona mounted a stunning late comeback to stay three points behind leaders Liverpool. Vangelis Pavlidis hit a first-half hat-trick for the hosts. However a Robert Lewandowski brace from the spot, Eric Garcia’s header and a double for Raphinha helped Barcelona claim a stunning last-gasp win. Flick rues errors “It was a crazy game. Benfica did well in the first half but we made a lot of mistakes,” said Barcelona manager Hansi Flick. “The mentality of the team, they always believe in themselves and this was unbelievable to see,” added Flick. Benfica opened the scoring in the second minute, when Pavlidis fired home from a low cross. Barcelona responded swiftly with Lewandowski scoring from the penalty spot after Alejandro Balde was brought down by Benfica’s Tomas Araujo. The hosts nosed back ahead when Szczesny crashed into Balde and Pavlidis converted the subsequent penalty. Pavlidis then completed his hat-trick with another penalty after Szczesny brought down Kerem Akturkoglu. Raphinha pulled one back for Barcelona after a clearance by Trubin struck his head and flew into the net. However, Benfica soon struck again, with Ronald Araujo deflecting a cross into his own net. Barcelona kept pushing with Lewandowski scoring from the spot. Catalan comeback begins The Catalans then pulled level when Garcia headed home from Pedri’s inviting cross. In the dying minutes, with Benfica appealing for a penalty, Barcelona sprang a quick breakaway and Raphinha slotted home the winner. “It was a spectacular game. They could have won, or us, but we managed to take it, Raphinha 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
23 January,2025 06:24 AM IST | Lisbon | AFPRecent rumours have suggested that Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will be stepping down from his position at the end of the current season, despite his contract running till 2026. The Italian has shut down rumours claiming he will never stay at the club till he is asked to leave and he may even stay for four more years alongside President Florentino Perez. “I will never decide my departure date from this club, in my life. That day will come, but I don't know when it might be, it's not me who decides. It could be tomorrow after the game, the next one, in a year, or five. I have an advantage and I have an objective. “We will have Florentino Pérez here for another four years and he, who knows me very well, knows that the objective is to be here for another four years and that we can say goodbye together, with all the love in the world,” said Ancelotti in a press conference. Also Read: "No one has to tell Rohit what to do": Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane Real Madrid will be facing RB Salzburg in their penultimate league stage game of the UEFA Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday (IST). It is a ‘vital game’ for the defending champions as they hope to qualify for the Round of 16 but currently sit well off the top eight spots. The pressure was truly on for holders Madrid when they faced a tricky-looking trip to Atalanta on Matchday 6 on the back of consecutive defeats to Milan and Liverpool. But as they have done so many times in this tournament, Los Blancos rose up to the challenge to secure an impressive 3-2 win and get their campaign back on track. Salzburg have endured a challenging campaign so far, with one win and five defeats leaving them in danger of elimination ahead of a difficult final two matches against Real and cross-city rivals Atleti. "It is an important match because the first phase of this Champions League is almost over. We have to get as many points as possible and see where we stand in the standings. Tomorrow's match is vital in this sense. We will try to play well, as we did in the last one,” he added. 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
22 January,2025 05:29 PM IST | Madrid | IANSRaphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16. Benfica were leading 4-2 with under 15 minutes remaining but Barcelona mounted a stunning late comeback to stay three points behind leaders Liverpool. Vangelis Pavlidis hit a first-half hat-trick for the hosts, in part thanks to two big errors by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. However a Robert Lewandowski double from the penalty spot, Eric Garcia's header and a brace for Raphinha helped Barcelona claim a stunning last-gasp triumph in Lisbon. "It was a crazy game... Benfica did well in the first half but we made a lot of mistakes," said Barcelona coach Flick. Barca showed grit to keep fighting after going in 3-1 down at half-time and swiftly conceding again after Raphinha pulled one back. "The mentality of the team, they always believe in themselves and this was unbelievable to see," said Flick. "In the second half we created more chances than them and we deserved it." Benfica opened the scoring in the second minute, when Pavlidis escaped Pau Cubarsi and fired home from Alvaro Carreras' low cross. Barcelona responded swiftly with Lewandowski scoring from the penalty spot after Alejandro Balde was brought down by Benfica defender Tomas Araujo. Also Read: ISL: Chennaiyin FC force goalless draw against Mohun Bagan Super Giant The hosts nosed back ahead through a stroke of luck, when Szczesny raced out of his goal to try and cut out a through-ball, but crashed into Balde. Greece international Pavlidis gleefully collected the loose ball and rolled his second into the empty net. Barcelona, who lured Szczesny out of retirement to replace the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen in October, soon fell further behind. Pavlidis completed his half-hour hat-trick with a penalty after another Szczesny mistake, with the goalkeeper flying in to try and dispossess Kerem Akturkoglu but bringing him down. Barca battle back Lamine Yamal and Raphinha missed good chances before the break as Barcelona pushed forward. Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin saved from Jules Kounde, who should have scored, and Lewandowski could not turn home from Pedri's dangerous ball across the face of goal. Raphinha pulled one back for Barcelona in bizarre fashion as a clearance by Trubin struck his head on the edge of the area and flew back into the net. However, Benfica soon struck again, with Ronald Araujo nudging past Szczesny into his own net as he tried to cut out a cross. Barcelona kept pushing and Lewandowski converted another penalty after Nicolas Otamendi brought down Yamal. The Catalan giants, who last won the Champions League in 2015, pulled level when substitute Garcia headed home from Pedri's inviting cross. Szczesny saved former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria's low shot before Raphinha's dramatic winner. With Benfica appealing for a penalty, Barcelona sprang a quick breakaway and the Brazilian winger slotted home to end a blockbuster battle. Players from both sides clashed after the final whistle as tempers flared following the thrilling denouement. "We knew how hard it would be here, in front of their fans, and they know how to play really well, they have top level players," Raphinha told Movistar. "We didn't let ourselves sink at 3-1 down, we were focussed on what we needed to do to try and change the game. "It was a spectacular game for everyone. They could have won, or us, but we managed to take it." 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
22 January,2025 04:35 PM IST | Lisbon | AFPChennaiyin FC forced a goalless draw in their Indian Super League clash against Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) here on Tuesday. MBSG are perched at the top with 37 points from 17 games whereas Chennaiyin FC are positioned 10th with 18 points from as many outings. The game started well for the hosts as the likes of Wilmar Jordan Gil, Connor Shields and Irfan Yadwad posed early threat for Mohun Bagan's defenders but eventually failed to break through. The game's first chance fell to Jordan as Kiyan Nassiri stole possession in the danger area before playing the Colombian in space. Tom Aldred was alert to the danger and threw his body on the line to block Jordan's attempt. The Colombian had the opportunity to provide his side with a lead in the 35th minute when he latched onto Shields' cross in the box before hammering the ball into the post. Also Read: AB de Villiers to come out of retirement? Here's what he said about his return The Mariners kept pushing forward in the final sequences of the first half and eventually got a great opening when Suhail Bhat controlled a long ball before outwitting Elsinho with a touch. He drove into the penalty area with purpose but his subsequent effort struck the side netting. The best chance of the second half fell to Suhail Bhat when Rai found him with a beautiful low cross. But before the young forward could take a shot, Elsinho did exceptionally well to clear the lines. Jose Molina brought on Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh replacing Deepak Tangri and Suhail as the Mariners pushed for the decisive goal. In the 77th minute, Jamie Maclaren walked into the field, and Petratos made way for his compatriot. Both Liston and Manvir ran down either flank but their final ball lacked the quality to trouble the Chennaiyin FC backline. Chennaiyin FC almost broke the deadlock in the 89th minute when Shields found Ryan Edwards in the penalty area but the English defender's header was off target. 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
22 January,2025 04:29 PM IST | Chennai | PTIPep Guardiola insists Manchester City will rise to the occasion in their crucial Champions League showdown against Paris Saint-Germain after rebuilding their shattered morale with a 6-0 demolition of Ipswich. Guardiola’s side are languishing in 22nd place in the 36-team Champions League table with two games left. PSG are in even worse shape, one point behind City in 25th place. Also Read: ‘We were in control after third goal v Wolves’ Pep Guardiola With the top 24 clubs going through to the knockout stages — the first eight automatically reach the last 16 and the sides from ninth to 24th face a play-off — the stakes could not be higher when City travel to Paris on Wednesday. Fortunately for City, they were able to warm up for the blockbuster clash by recording their biggest Premier League win since thrashing Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline in 2022. Phil Foden scored twice, while Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and James McAtee were also on target at Portman Road on Sunday. Such was their dominance, Guardiola was able to replace Foden, Haaland, Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne and Manuel Akanji in the second half to keep them fresh for the PSG game. “After four or five nil I had my eye on Paris,” Guardiola said. “We have two finals left, by winning two we qualify, winning one there’s a big possibility. We have to get the points because we created problems ourselves, especially with Feyenoord, even the game we lost in Lisbon. “But in that moment we had a lot of problems. We could not compete the way we want for many reasons. Hopefully we can continue in Paris for the next game,” he added. 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
22 January,2025 07:48 AM IST | London | AFPADVERTISEMENT
