Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland could miss Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday. Haaland was substituted before the start of extra time in City's Champions League quarter-final second leg defeat against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Guardiola said after the penalty shoot-out loss that the Norway striker asked to be withdrawn but did not give a reason why. The City boss has now confirmed Haaland suffered an injury against Real and suggested it was not certain his leading scorer would recover in time for the FA Cup holders' clash with Chelsea. "We will see. It was a tough game, a lot of action, high intensity for both sides," Guardiola told reporters on Friday. "Erling felt something, a muscular issue. That's why he told me he could not continue. "The doctor said he had a little bit of niggles, a little problem, we will see how his evolution is in the next hours." Also Read: Big investments, disappointing returns While Guardiola sweats on Haaland's fitness, City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne should be involved against Chelsea after being taken off during extra time against Real due to fatigue. Given City's hectic schedule, Guardiola conceded it is understandable that players are tired at this stage of the season. "It's normal with the amount of games we are playing this season and the previous seasons and not much recovery, and extra time and high intensity," he said. "We put a lot of pressure in our game and that's why the fatigue is there. They are human beings. They are not a machine. We are used to it." The agonising shoot-out defeat by Real ended City's hopes of winning a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble for a second consecutive season. But they remain on course to repeat the domestic double and Guardiola is determined to ensure the Premier League leaders bounce back from their European frustration. "We don't have another option. I don't want us to feel sorry for ourselves," he said. "In football, you lose games. We performed at our best and we were not able to win. You have to accept it. "We did everything. We know it, they know it, all the world know it, but it was not enough. When it's not enough, it's a bad night. So congratulations (to Real) and, tomorrow, FA Cup." (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 08:54 PM IST | London | mid-day online correspondentMark Robins has slammed criticism of Manchester United as the Coventry boss insisted his troubled former side are still the world's biggest club ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final. Robins began his playing career with United and famously scored the FA Cup third round winner against Nottingham Forest in 1990 that is often credited as saving Alex Ferguson from the sack. United's current manager Erik ten Hag is also battling to hold onto his job after a difficult second season for the Dutchman. Ten Hag's side are almost certain to miss out on a place in next season's Champions League. And United, who last won the Premier League in Ferguson's final season in charge in 2013, are winless in four league games since reaching the semi-finals with a victory over Liverpool. Losing to second tier Coventry would be a huge blow to Ten Hag's hopes of persuading United's new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe to keep faith with him next season. But Robins, who left United in 1992 to join Norwich, believes his old club's problems have been overstated. "People, pundits, are talking in a derisory way about Manchester United and what they're doing, how they're performing," Robins told reporters on Friday. "For people who are talking about Manchester United are this or that, or they concede lots of shots: you're talking about a team that is full of talented players, top international players. We know they are clearly favourites to win this game, by a million miles, simple as that. They can hurt anybody on their day. The game against Liverpool their goals were outstanding. So you've got a lot of things to consider, especially as a Championship club going up against the biggest club in the world." Also Read: Man Utd’s Ten Hag: 'We have dropped unnecessary points' Coventry, who won the FA Cup for the only time in 1987, reached the semi-finals with a dramatic 3-2 win over Wolves thanks to stoppage-time strikes from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright. Robins' side, currently eighth in the second tier, were beaten by Luton in last season's Championship play-off final and he hopes that experience of Wembley will help his players pull off a massive upset. "We've already given the fans a special occasion getting there. Being in the national stadium with Manchester United, it doesn't get much bigger than that," he said. "It's a brilliant opportunity for everyone and there's a lot of excitement around the city. There is a global reach there for Coventry City, the world will be tuning in and it's a great occasion for all of our players." (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 05:18 PM IST | London | mid-day online correspondentBayern Munich striker Harry Kane toasted his side’s willingness to “fight and grind” after Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal sent them into the Champions League semi-finals. Bayern’s narrow win, thanks to a 63rd-minute header from Joshua Kimmich, gave Bayern a 3-2 aggregate win after a 2-2 draw in London in the first leg. The hosts worked hard for the win which was in stark contrast to the free-flowing draw at the Emirates. Also Read: ‘Our biggest strength’ England captain Kane told TNT: “It’s an unbelievable win—it’s been a tight season for us. We had to fight and grind and today was that. We knew we could make the difference with our own fans. It was what we expected, a tough game, a tight game and we got a great goal from Josh to make the difference.” Bayern’s form in Europe is in stark contrast to that in the Bundesliga, where they are 16 points behind Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who last week won the title, breaking the Bavarians’ 11-year streak in the process. “Our expectation is to try and win the Champions League,” added Kane. “It’s going to be a tough game in the semi whoever we play. There was maybe some tempo missing in the Bundesliga. That can’t happen next 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
19 April,2024 08:12 AM IST | Munich | AFPJude Bellingham saluted Real Madrid’s winning “mentality” after the Spanish side held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to end Manchester City’s reign as Champions League holders on Wednesday. Bellingham scored one of Real’s penalties in the 4-3 shoot-out victory following a 1-1 draw in a drama-filled quarter-final second leg. City’s Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missed their penalties before former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger blasted Real’s winner from the spot at the Etihad Stadium. De Bruyne scores equaliser After taking the lead through Rodrygo’s early goal, Real were forced into extra-time by Kevin De Bruyne’s late equaliser. De Bruyne wasted a golden opportunity to win it for City as Carlo Ancelotti’s men held on despite spending long periods on the ropes. Also Read: Boss Arteta urges Gunners to use pain of UCL exit to fuel EPL title bid Manchester City players wear a dejected look at the end of the penalty shoot-out against Real Madrid Real midfielder Bellingham credited Ancelotti for infusing the team with the belief and character to cope with high pressure moments. “Our biggest strength is he finds a way to let a lot of boys play with freedom. We’re so off the cuff. As a man he fills you with calmness and confidence. I caught him yawning and he said to go out and excite him,” Bellingham said. “You have to see it as a responsibility not a pressure if you want to play for a team like Real Madrid. Today it came down to mentality.” Bellingham admitted City were formidable opposition for the 14-time European champions, who had been held to a 3-3 draw by Pep Guardiola’s team in the first leg. It was a sweet moment of revenge for Madrid after their lost against City in last season’s semi-finals. Carlo Ancelotti “It’s belief. You put so much into the game. I’ve played against City before and they snatch it away from you. I was pretty much dead on my feet at the end,” Bellingham said. “It’s so difficult. They are continuously probing with the ball and move you around. Most teams would fall apart when City get on top of you but we stood up really well.” Ruben Dias admitted it was agonising to see City’s bid for a remarkable second successive treble of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup come to an end. The Premier League leaders face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday. City frustrated “I don’t know what to say, it’s just frustrating. We dominated the game, the whole game. Until the penalties, the effort was there. We had our chances but it’s obviously difficult to take,” City defender Dias 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
19 April,2024 08:10 AM IST | Manchester | AFPMikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to use the “pain” of the Champions League quarter-final exit against Bayern Munich to fuel their Premier League title bid. Arteta’s side failed to clinch a first semi-final appearance since 2009 as Joshua Kimmich’s second half header gave Bayern a 1-0 second leg win and a 3-2 aggregate success. It was a bitter evening in Munich for Arteta and his players, who had dreamed of leading Arsenal to their maiden Champions League crown. After a blistering run carried them to the top of the Premier League and into the Champions League last eight, Arsenal have endured a nightmare week. Also Read: Juventus ordered to pay Ronaldo Rs 86.39 crore in back wages They were below their best in the 2-2 first leg draw with Bayern, then surrendered pole position in the Premier League after conceding two late goals in a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday. After producing another underwhelming display in Germany, Arteta has to find a way to lift his team’s shattered morale in time for a last push for the English title. Arteta has told his tired troops to embrace the opportunity to chase Arsenal’s first Premier League crown for 20 years. “What we have to play for [in the Premier League] is still beautiful. We have six games to go and we are two points behind City,” he said. “It’s a very difficult schedule for everybody. We have to go through the pain tonight, and tomorrow get up and come with the same attitude that we came with here. I can guarantee you by tomorrow we’re fully focused on Wolves and everybody is lifted. We were very close, that is the reality. It’s painful, but we have to learn from this,” Arteta 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
19 April,2024 08:08 AM IST | Munich | AFPJuventus must pay Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo 9.7 million euros (approx Rs 86.39 crore) in back wages for the 2020-21 season, the Italian courts announced on Wednesday. The Court of Arbitration, to which Ronaldo appealed, “orders Juventus Turin to pay the sum of 9,774,166.66 euros,” plus interest and procedural costs, it stated in its decision. The sum equates to the difference between the salary actually received by Ronaldo and that which he should have received after tax and other deductions. Ronaldo, who was with Juventus (2018-21) before joining Manchester United (2021-22) and then Al-Nassr, was claiming 19.5 million euros but the arbitration panel reduced that by 50 percent. Also Read: Lewis Hamilton doesn’t need vindication over Ferrari switch 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 April,2024 08:06 AM IST | Rome | AFPBank of Baroda scored midway through the first half against Income Tax to take a 1-0 lead, which they maintained till the end to emerge victorious in their Premier Division match of the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) League at St Pius College ground, Goregaon, on Thursday. Striker Amey Kambli from a snap effort struck the winner in the 19th minute for BoB. Also Read: Gukesh slips to tied second after draw; Pragg, Gujrathi lose
19 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentJuventus has been ordered to pay Cristiano Ronaldo more than USD 10 million by an arbitration board following a salary dispute. The dispute regarded a move by Juventus players to defer part of their salaries during the coronavirus pandemic. The 9.8 million euros (USD 10.5 million) that Juventus was ordered to pay Ronaldo is half the amount that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had been seeking from the Turin club in back wages. Also Read: IN PHOTOS | IPL 2024: Titans sweat it out for their home clash vs DC Juventus said in a statement late Wednesday that with the support of its legal counsel it's reviewing the decision made by the arbitration board, reserving all assessments and initiatives to preserve its rights. Ronaldo played for Juventus from 2018-21, helping the club to two Serie A titles. Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and the entire club board resigned in 2023 amid an investigation into false accounting which then resulted in a 10-point penalty for Juventus in Serie A and a ban by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from Europe for this season. Ronaldo now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. 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 April,2024 04:40 PM IST | Turin | APJurgen Klopp was headed for a glorious send-off in his final season at Liverpool a few weeks ago, but a potential quadruple is currently forgotten. Liverpool have a mountain to climb if they are to make the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday after losing the first leg of their last-eight tie at home to Atalanta 3-0. Also Read: India’s Gukesh to clash with Caruana; Praggnanandhaa takes on Nakamura Klopp’s men were also dumped out the FA Cup by Manchester United last month as the Red Devils edged a thrilling tie 4-3 at Old Trafford. Liverpool failed to learn their lesson from that defeat as they were held 2-2 by United three weeks later and then stunned 0-1 at home by Crystal Palace in their last two Premier League games to fall two points behind Manchester City in the title race. All this leaves Klopp’s fitting farewell at risk of fizzling out. Liverpool’s habit of fighting back from losing positions was lauded earlier in the campaign. They’ve amassed 27 points after falling behind in the Premier League alone this season. Liverpool have conceded the opening goal 21 times this season. “It’s been the story of the last few games and that’s why we have been punished. We are struggling to keep clean sheets,” said left-back Andy Robertson. 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 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPStriker Niclas Fuellkrug on Tuesday backed Borussia Dortmund for a return to Wembley, 11 years after the club last reached the Champions League final at the same stadium. Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in the second leg of their quarter-final, coming from behind twice in the tie to progress 5-4 on aggregate to the last four, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain. Also Read: We never gave up: Dembele Fuellkrug’s brilliant second-half header brought Dortmund level in the tie, just three minutes before Marcel Sabitzer scored the hosts’ decisive fourth goal. Describing the night as “magical,” Fuellkrug savoured moving into the semi-finals, but said Dortmund were not finished. “We’ve got one goal: Wembley.” Fuellkrug was playing second-division football with Werder Bremen two seasons ago and made the move to Dortmund this past August. “We’re playing in a Champions League semi-final. For someone like me, I think it’s a little more special, there’s a few others here who experienced that before.” 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 April,2024 07:20 AM IST | Dortmund | AFPOusmane Dembele said there was never any doubt Paris Saint-Germain could overturn a first-leg deficit against Barcelona as the French champions won 4-1 in Spain on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semi-finals. Trailing 2-3 from last week’s clash in Paris, Luis Enrique’s PSG fell further behind in the tie when Raphinha turned in Lamine Yamal’s cross in the 12th minute. Araujo red-carded But a red card for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo was the turning point, with Dembele bringing PSG back into the quarter-final as he fired home shortly before half-time. Vitinha brought the visitors level on aggregate before Kylian Mbappe struck twice, converting a penalty and then applying the fatal blow a minute from time to complete a 6-4 aggregate victory. Also Read: IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals defeat Gujuart Titans at the Motera Ousmane Dembele “Everyone believed we could do it, even though we lost 2-3 in the first leg. We didn’t throw in the towel. We knew we would score goals here. The whole team did a great job,” Dembele told Canal Plus. “We have done a lot of work tactically all week and the coach’s tactics were perfect. We saw in the game, even though we lost the first goal, we didn’t give up. We kept believing because we had to win the match.” It was the first time in club history PSG had won a Champions League tie after losing the first leg at home. Their reward will be a meeting with another of Dembele’s former sides, Borussia Dortmund, who overcame Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate after winning 4-2 at home Tuesday. ‘Everyone was exceptional’ “It was a great effort. Everyone was exceptional throughout the whole game. I saw that Borussia Dortmund got through and there’s another club I played for,” said Dembele, who shrugged off a frosty reception in Barcelona. “I had a great evening. Being booed by the Barcelona fans is not going to affect me. I gave everything. I scored and won a penalty, so I am pleased with my performance.” Barca coach Xavi slams referee over Araujo red card Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez claimed the referee’s decision to send Ronald Araujo off in their Champions League knock-out by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday was “unnecessary” and ended the club’s hopes. Xavi Hernandez Araujo was dismissed in the 29th minute for pulling down Bradley Barcola on the edge of the box with Barcelona leading 1-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate. With Barcelona down to 10 men, PSG battled back and triumphed 4-1 at Montjuic, progressing 6-4 on aggregate. “It’s a shame that the work of a whole season ends here because of a refereeing decision. This dismissal [red card] is unnecessary,” Xavi told Movistar. Xavi was sent off for a show of dissent on the sideline as Barcelona lost their heads in the second half, and he criticised Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs. “The referee was very bad, I told him, he didn’t understand the game,” said the coach. Araujo’s red card led Xavi to take off 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, who created Barcelona’s opening goal for Raphinha, with Inigo Martinez coming on to fill the hole in defence. “We’re angry, the red card defines the tie,” continued Xavi. “We were well organised, for me it’s too much to give a red card, from there it’s another tie. We had doubts about whether to take off Lamine, he was doing well—that moment completely defined the tie.” 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 April,2024 07:15 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPADVERTISEMENT
