Pep Guardiola labelled Manchester City's 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday as a "massive" moment in the Premier League title race. Guardiola's second-placed side closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to just two points with their tense victory at the Etihad Stadium. Nico O'Reilly put City ahead in the first half and restored the lead before half-time after Lewis Hall had equalised. City weren't at their best in the second half, but they held on to pile pressure on spluttering Arsenal, who travel to Tottenham for the north London derby on Sunday. Guardiola knew it was essential to make Arsenal sweat. "Massive. Newcastle is an incredible team, awesome in physicality and speed they have up front. Physicality in the middle. Really tough but the team was unbelievable," he said. "It's coming in best part of the season. Every single game will be similar to today." After finishing without a trophy last season, City are back in the hunt for the seventh English title of Guardiola's reign. They will have a game in hand on Arsenal after this weekend and are guaranteed to win the title if they win their last 11 league matches. Guardiola has embarked on an expensive overhaul of City's squad in the last 12 months, shedding ageing stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and Kyle Walker and bringing in the likes of Marc Guehi, Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki. The Spaniard is well aware that his new generation largely lacks the experience of winning under the pressure of a title race, which made their gritty success against Newcastle even more meaningful. "70 percent of the players have never been in that situation, and I don't play. So we have to live it, they know that every game will be like this," he said. "Especially at home, with five home games left. Today was the best crowd of the year, it was unbelievable with our people, really proud to be manager of these incredible people and fans. "Of course in terms of points it's important, but we have to improve to have chance to compete until the end. Now we deserve three more days off. Then another battle in Leeds." Guardiola singled out O'Reilly for praise after the young England midfielder's pair of clinical finishes showed he won't be affected by the strain of chasing Arsenal. "Nico give us in the middle that physicality that we need. He now plays in his position," he said. "He has always played that, he is so complete and so young. I am really pleased the academy produced these incredible players, Nico, Phil (Foden), Rico (Lewis)." 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 February,2026 09:15 AM IST | Manchester | AFPLallianzuala Chhangte's early second-half strike proved decisive as Mumbai City FC edged past Kerala Blasters FC 1-0 in an Indian Super League match here on Sunday. The Islanders now have six points from two matches, while Kerala Blasters are yet to open their account. Chhangte's decisive strike arrived in the 48th minute. Earlier, Jorge Pereyra Diaz had missed from the penalty spot in the first half, as the two sides went into the interval deadlocked at 0-0. Chhangte received the Player of the Match award. David Catala made four changes to his starting line-up, handing Arsh Anwer Shaikh a start in goal in place of Sachin Suresh, while Sandeep Singh, Marlon Roos Trujillo and Naocha Singh replaced Muhammed Saheef, Aiban Dohling and Ebindas Yesudas. Petr Kratky, meanwhile, made a solitary alteration, with Vikram Partap Singh coming in for the injured Jorge Ortiz. Both goalkeepers were called into action in an open start that set the tone for the contest. Victor Bertomeu forced a sharp save from Phurba Lachenpa at his near post after being released by Korou Singh's lofted pass. The Spanish forward later glanced a header over the bar from another Korou delivery, before Chhangte tested the Kerala Blasters goalkeeper at the other end. Jorge Diaz won a penalty on the half-hour mark after being brought down by Danish Farooq. The Argentine stepped up to take it himself, but Arsh Anwer Shaikh, who was making his first ISL appearance in over three years, guessed correctly, diving low to his right to palm the effort away to safety. Kerala Blasters introduced Vibin Mohanan and Kevin Yoke at the start of the second half, while Mumbai City replaced Sahil Panwar, who was on a yellow card, with Bijay Chhetri. The visitors struck just three minutes after the restart. Brandon Fernandes' overhead kick dropped to B Lalnuntluanga on the edge of the area, and his long-range effort took a deflection off Oumar Ba before falling kindly to Chhangte, who calmly slotted past the goalkeeper to open his account for the season. The Islanders then took the sting out of the contest, slowing the tempo and inviting the home side to commit numbers forward. Kerala Blasters head coach responded with further changes, but the hosts struggled to carve out any clear-cut openings to test the opposition goalkeeper. A lack of movement in the final third made it increasingly difficult for them to unsettle the Mumbai City defence. Kerala Blasters went close to finding a late equaliser in the closing minutes, with substitute Muhammad Ajsal and Bertomeu both seeing their headers drift agonisingly wide after taking slight deflections off defenders. In the end, Mumbai City held firm to protect their slender one-goal advantage and secure their second consecutive win of the season. 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 February,2026 09:14 AM IST | Kerala | PTIHrihaan Jagtap’s solitary goal helped Campion School (Colaba) edge out Bombay Scottish (Mahim) 1-0 to clinch the boys U-10 Div-I title of the Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan recently. The decisive moment in an otherwise gritty final came in the seventh minute when Hrihaan spotted the Bombay Scottish custodian Kabir Vora slightly off his line. Showing great awareness and confidence, the youngster unleashed a powerful right-footed strike from near the halfway line. The long-range effort sailed over the defenders and dipped perfectly into the net, leaving everyone stunned. The Mahim outfit then pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Campion’s defence held firm to see out the victory.
23 February,2026 08:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamArsenal boss Mikel Arteta claims he has seen a ‘tremendous reaction’ from his players on the training ground after their shock draw against 20th-placed Wolves on Wednesday, and is raring to get back to winning ways when they visit rivals Tottenham Hotspur for their English Premier League clash on Sunday. The table-topping Gunners were dealt a huge blow in the title race when rock bottom Wolves equalised in stoppage time, with the gap between them and second-placed Man City now just five points — the latter still have a game in hand at the time of publication. Arsenal’s hunger to win However, Arteta is pleased to see the hunger displayed by his charges in the build-up to the North London Derby. “What I’ve seen is a tremendous reaction and I’m not surprised at all,” said the Spanish coach at the pre-match press conference, before adding: “[This North London derby] is the most important one. It’s the one that is going to give us the chance to be closer to achieving what we want. We cannot wait to play.” Mikel Arteta A win would boost Arsenal’s morale as they head into this fixture having won just two of their previous seven EPL matches. Their opponents, meanwhile, come into this encounter with a new coach at the helm in Igor Tudor. Tottenham are mired in 16th place (29 points in 26 games), and are yet to win a single EPL game this year (their last win was against Crystal Palace on December 28).They are also going through an alarming injury crisis, but Tudor insists they have what it takes to topple their neighbours. Injury-hit Spurs “We trained with 13 [first-team] players. It is what it is, [but] it’s quite enough to achieve what we want on Sunday. I understand the importance of this game, everybody expects the three points from us,” said the Croatian manager. 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 February,2026 09:28 AM IST | London | AgenciesPep Guardiola insists he "couldn't care less" about Arsenal's stumble letting Manchester City back into the Premier League title race. Guardiola's side were in danger of being blown away by Arsenal after their inconsistent form left the Gunners in pole position. But second-placed City have been handed a lifeline by Arsenal's damaging draws against Wolves and Brentford. They are now just five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and a home match against Mikel Arteta's men to come in April. If City win their remaining 12 matches they will be crowned champions for the fifth time in the last six seasons. But Guardiola is not getting carried away by the opportunity. Instead, he remains focused on Saturday's visit from Newcastle, when a win would close the gap on Arsenal to two points before the Gunners face Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday. "I didn't talk about the table, or our position or something like that. I could not care less," Guardiola told reporters on Friday. "I didn't talk about that for one second. Just Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. "If you ask me this question with two or three games left, I will have your answer. It's 12 games left, it's an eternity." Having won six titles during 10 years at City, Guardiola knows the final weeks of the season will bring more twists and turns. He also has experience of watching Arsenal let substantial leads slip away in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing City to snatch the trophy from their grasp. "Many things are going to happen until the end of the season. For now it is Newcastle, a rest and after it Leeds. It has always been like that," he said. "Seventy per cent of the players are new, so they don't have the experience to live these kinds of situations. An experience is to win tomorrow. It is only one. "Arsenal were nine points (ahead) when we had a game in hand, so whenever everybody is on the same games played then after that we will see the difference. "I understand you want to anticipate what is going to happen. That doesn't count. It is Newcastle, that is all." Meanwhile, Guardiola said racism remains a problem for society to cure rather than just football. Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior claimed he was racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League tie this week. The match was paused in line with UEFA regulations after Vinicius alleged he was abused after celebrating scoring. "There is a lot of work still to do. It is in the society, it is not just in football. Racism is everywhere," Guardiola said. "You pretend that racism is just for the colour of the skin? How you behave is racism. "It's how you pretend you are better than the other one just for many reasons." 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
21 February,2026 10:26 AM IST | Mumbai | AFPInter Milan boss Cristian Chivu lamented his side’s inability to deal with their opponent’s intensity after they were subjected to a shock 1-3 to Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League Playoffs on Wednesday. “We were caught out on a few lost balls and struggled to deal with their rapid and intense transitions, and that cost us. In the second-half, we defended a little higher than in the first, but the main issue was the lost balls and failing to secure second balls in transitions, leaving us vulnerable to their intensity. They’re a very strong team with skill and quality,” explained Chivu. Cristian Chivu However, he expressed confidence in his side’s ability to turn this tie around at home next week. “It’s still all to play for. There’s the return leg. We know that they’re a team that can do damage on the counter, but we’ll fight until the end and do everything we can to advance,” Chivu added. Other results Club Brugge 3-3 Atl MadridBayer Leverkusen 2-0 OlympiacosNewcastle 6-1 Qarabag 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
20 February,2026 12:29 PM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesMikel Arteta admitted Arsenal deserve criticism for the self-inflicted wounds that threaten to ruin their Premier League title bid after the leaders blew a two-goal lead in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at rock-bottom Wolves. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie put Arsenal on course for a victory that would have lifted them seven points clear at the top. But Arteta's side were caught cold in the closing stages at snowy Molineux, giving second-placed Manchester City renewed hope in the title race. Hugo Bueno's superb strike reduced the deficit before teenage debutant Tom Edozie punished a mix-up between Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes to equalise deep into stoppage-time. For a second successive league game, the Gunners had failed to hold onto a lead following their 1-1 draw at Brentford last Thursday. City are just five points behind Arsenal and have a game in hand on their rivals, as well as a home game against the Gunners in April. "Incredibly disappointed. We need to accept it. We need to be critical of ourselves because it was not good enough," Arteta said. "In the league, it is the reality that we have not been consistent over the last few months." Having wasted commanding leads in two previous title fights with City, Arteta's men are in danger of being haunted by the ghost of their past failures. The north Londoners have dropped 11 points in eight league games in 2026. 'We paid the price' Clearly furious with Arsenal's failure to finish off a Wolves team with just one win in 27 league games this season, Arteta struggled to keep his emotions in check. "Very tough to accept it. In the second half we did not perform in the way we should and the way we require to win a Premier League match," he said. "Certain basics we have to do, we did them so poorly one after the other. And then you have no dominance, no control in the game. "It is better not to judge it. We are all too emotional about it. You have to take the hit because we deserve it. "It is very easy with emotion to say things that can damage the team. Everyone wants to do their best." Arsenal looked increasingly nervous as the minutes ticked down against Wolves in a clear sign that the league leaders are feeling the pressure of their bid for a first English title since 2004. Now they must find a way to recover from a significant setback in time for Sunday's north London derby at Tottenham, which is followed by a crucial home game against Chelsea on March 1. "You have to go through tough periods. Today at the last minute, we paid the price. We have to do basic things much better than we have done," Arteta said. Arsenal's frustration boiled over at the final whistle, with Raya and Gabriel exchanging heated words before Gunners striker Gabriel Jesus shoved Wolves' Yerson Mosquera to the turf. Asked how he would stop his players from cracking as the pressure mounts, Arteta said: "By staying very close to them and reminding them how good they are. "You have to stand up. When you have a moment of difficulty, we have to show how much we want it and how good we are." SevenNo. of times Arsenal have dropped points from a winning position this season; only West Ham (8) and Crystal Palace (8) have done so more often TwoNo. of wins for Arsenal in their last seven EPL matches 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
20 February,2026 12:26 PM IST | Wolverhampton | AFPMumbai City FC began their Indian Super League season on a winning note, edging past Chennaiyin FC 1-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Thursday. A tightly-contested encounter was decided by an own goal in the 48th minute by Pritam Kotal as the Islanders secured all three points. Neither team could create much flow in the match as they cancelled each other out in the midfield. Chances were at a premium in the first half as the attackers found it difficult to break the opposition defence. Jorge Pereyra Diaz forced a fine save out of Mohammad Nawaz after he was played through by Jorge Ortiz. Minutes later, Brandon Fernandes found Lallianzuala Chhangte at the far post. The forward laid the ball on the path of Ortiz but the Spaniard's effort only found the goalkeeper. Chennaiyin relied on long balls with Irfan Yadwad and new signing Inigo Martin as the target men, but they were well marked by the Mumbai City defence. The away side earned five corner kicks in the first half but did not trouble Phurba Lachenpa in the Mumbai goal. The Chennaiyin wingers were sending in crosses which were a regularity throughout the match, but the opposition defence were alert to the danger with Valpuia making two crucial clearances at the back post. The Islanders started the second half with more intent, earning an early corner. The early pressure led to them taking the lead after four minutes of the restart. Joni Kauko's attempted cross, which was aimed for Pereyra Diaz in the box, took a huge deflection off Pritam Kotal and found the target, wrong-footing Mohammad Nawaz in goal. Chennaiyin kept possession after trailing in the match, but the pattern of their attack remained the same, using their wide players to whip in crosses into the box. Mumbai City's defence maintained their shape and ensured the opposition forwards did not create any clear-cut chances. Chennaiyin earned a total of 15 corner kicks, including four back-to-back but were not able to capitalise. The closest they came to scoring was when Mandar Rao Dessai could not get a proper connection after an initial corner kick was recycled into the box during the dying stages of the match. In the end, Mumbai City held on to their slender lead to secure all three points. 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
20 February,2026 09:52 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIReal Madrid said it had provided "all available evidence" to UEFA on Thursday in support of their Brazilian star Vinicius Junior's complaint of racist abuse during this week's Champions League clash at Benfica. Tuesday's first leg of the knockout phase play-off tie in Lisbon was stopped for 10 minutes after Vinicius told the referee Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni had called him a "monkey" during a confrontation. The Argentine midfielder, who covered his mouth during the argument after Vinicius had celebrated a goal dancing in front of the home fans, denies the allegation. UEFA announced on Wednesday it would investigate "allegations of discriminatory behaviour" as a furore broke out, with teammates rushing to back Vinicius, who has repeatedly suffered racist abuse since joining Real in 2018. Real Madrid "has submitted all available evidence to UEFA regarding the incidents" during the Benfica game, which witnessed "unacceptable episodes of racism", the club said in a statement. "Real Madrid appreciates the unanimous support, backing, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all areas of the global football community." Benfica issued a statement on Wednesday backing Prestianni and speaking of a "defamation campaign" against him, while manager Jose Mourinho questioned Vinicius's celebration. 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
20 February,2026 08:25 AM IST | Madrid | AFPReal Madrid star Kylian Mbappe supported teammate Vinicius Junior’s claim of being racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during their 1-0 win in the UEFA Champions League first-leg Playoff on Tuesday, by alleging that the Brazilian winger was called ‘monkey’ five times. Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt while speaking to Vinicius after the latter’s goal. Vinicius appeared to react furiously to what Prestianni said and went over to the referee, who subsequently paused the game for 10 minutes, while adhering to FIFA’s anti-racism protocol. Kylian Mbappe “I don’t want to say his name because he doesn’t deserve to be named, [but he] started speaking badly. Then he pulled his jersey [to cover his mouth] to say that Vini is a monkey five times. I heard it,” Mbappe told Spain’s TVE. Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said that Prestianni had denied racially abusing Vinicius, and hit out at the Brazilian for inciting Benfica’s players and fans with his celebration. “When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way,” said Mourinho, who was sent off for protesting that Vinicius should have received a second booking. Vinicius wrote on Instagram: “Racists are cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to show how weak they are, But they have, at their side, the protection of others who, theoretically, are obligated to punish.” The incident is now being probed by UEFA. Other results Galatasaray 5-2 JuventusDortmund 2-0 AtalantaMonaco 2-3 PSG 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
19 February,2026 10:07 AM IST | Lisbon | AgenciesThe Mexican military is preparing to confront the potential threat of non-authorized drones in stadiums used for this summer's football World Cup. Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada between June 11 to July 19, and on Tuesday, soldiers at a military base in Mexico City demonstrated the anti-drone equipment they would use to protect the nation's stadiums. The prevention tactics are a response to growing use of internet-bought drones by drug cartels to hit rivals and civilians in regions plagued by organized crime. These areas are in fact far from the three World Cup venues: Mexico City in the center of the country, Guadalajara in the west, and Monterrey in the north. They will host 13 of the tournament's 104 matches. "(Drone prevention) is going to be focused in the stadiums and where there are crowds, which could be the 'Fan Fest' events, or any point where there are meetings of people," army Captain Jose Alfredo Lara, a communications and electronics engineer, told AFP. The soldiers will use two types of anti-drone equipment. One is a semi-mobile system that will establish a perimeter within which "no unauthorized drone will be allowed to fly." The other is a portable system that a soldier can adjust to aim towards wherever a non-authorized drone may be flying. Once the military team locates a drone, it cuts off the pilot's communication with the apparatus. "The device loses control and won't be able to come close," Lara explained. Once stopped, and depending on its configuration, the device can retreat, try to exit the range of digital interception or may totally lose control. The captain said use of drones by organized crime groups has grown over the past five years, leading the Mexican military to take actions "to be able to mitigate these types of threats." The Sinaloa cartels, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and the Familia Michoacana all have drones in their arsenal. According to analysts from Insight Crime, their usage is concentrated in the states of Michoacan in the west, Chihuahua in the north and Guanajuato in the center of the country. In October last year, installations of the state prosecutors of the state of Baja California, in the border city of Tijuana, were attacked by drones that dropped artisanal explosives. 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.
18 February,2026 02:07 PM IST | Mexico City, Mexico | AFPADVERTISEMENT
