Ujjwal Ghosh, an unwavering devotee of Mohun Bagan Super Giant, had never been too keen on visiting his in-laws in Worli, but for a few weeks recently, the idea grew particularly disagreeable to him. “Yes, however hard they try to control, I keep seeing a smirk on their faces each time we discuss football now,” said the marketing manager from Deloitte. “I feel sorry for my wife, it’s like multitasking for her. (smiled) At her maternal place, she supports Mumbai, her home team, but when she is with me, she is all cheers for Bagan. You’ll see how I make a Bagan fan out of her in the next few years. (smiled),” he added. Ujjwal, radiating the timeless allure of Mohun Bagan's green and maroon, and wife Mansi, resplendent in the blues of Mumbai City, were among the throng of 60,000 spectators at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium on Monday. “I think I should cheer for Bagan from now onwards,” quipped Mansi, seconds after Jason Cummings scored off a pass from Dimitri Petratos in the 80th minute from just inside the box to hit into the bottom corner. Also Read: The price of passion! “I’m so relieved. This win means a lot to me, and you know why. My in-laws haven’t been texting since Bagan won,” murmured Ujjwal, mindful of Mansi’s watchful gaze. While the pitched rivalry lives on, uninterrupted, Ujjwal and Mansi’s marriage appears to face no threat from their seemingly incompatible football preferences. “We often hear about parents forbidding interfaith marriages, but I think in our case, it has to do more with what football clubs we follow…United or Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs…I don’t know what would have been the case if my father-in-law was an East Bengal fan. (smiled) But jokes apart, above all, we are lovers of this beautiful game and that makes us whole,” he said. Notably, this was Mohun Bagan’s maiden triumph over the two-time Shield Winners Mumbai across four seasons, who, having remained unbeaten in previous eight encounters, had won six of them. Consequently, Monday’s result confirmed Mohun Bagan’s ticket to the AFC Champions League 2 for the first time as the stadium pulsated with the rhythm of chants and cheers, a cacophony of devotion to the club colours. Also Read: This month that year: A journey through time All it took was 28 minutes to remove any doubt about the Mariners' resolve, and for Mumbai, it only got worse. So often the provider of goals, Petratos delivered a precise cross-field pass in the direction of India centre-forward Liston Colaco that saw the hosts assume the lead in front of a sellout crowd. Following the opening goal, the match resigned to the meticulous choreography of a ballet, each movement calculated, yet imbued with spontaneity. The Mariners, with their trademark flair and finesse, sought to impose their will upon the proceedings. Every touch, every pass, was executed with precision, a testament to the hours of toil on the training ground. Yet, Mumbai City proved to be a resilient adversary, marshalling their defences with steely resolve. Like a fortress under siege, they repelled wave after wave of attacks, with their goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa assuming the role of a bastion of defiance between the posts. But the evening was not kind to Lachenpa and his comrades. Mumbai, steering ahead with a refusal to capitulate in the face of adversity, can now only take consolation from its solitary goal against the run of play in the 89th minute by Lallianzuala Chhangte. As for their fans who dispersed into the night, their hearts still aflutter with the euphoria of the contest, they knew that though the battle may have ended in a stalemate, the war rages on. For in the world of football, as in life, it is not the victories or defeats that define us, but the passion, camaraderie, and spirit of competition that unite us all as one.
16 April,2024 11:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Srijanee MajumdarBarcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Monday his team’s Champions League quarter-final second leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain would be similar to the first leg thriller. The five-time champions edged Luis Enrique’s PSG side 3-2 in a Paris blockbuster last week and are aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2019. Xavi said the second leg at Barcelona’s temporary Olympic Stadium home on the city’s Montjuic hill would produce more of the same spectacle. “We’re not a team that will sit on our lead, we want to take the ball off PSG and win the game,” Xavi told a news conference. Also Read: Arteta wants Arsenal to show ‘character’ after Villa shocker Xavi Hernandez Tough test here “I hope we are at our best, they will test us to the limit—I see a game very similar to the first leg. It’s the Champions League, it’s Paris, and a game in which no one will be holding back,” he added. Xavi said PSG’s coach Luis Enrique, who was on the Barcelona bench the last time the Catalans won the Champions League in 2015, would send his team out to harry the hosts. “Montjuic’s [atmosphere] has to seem like the big nights at Camp Nou,” continued Xavi. “Luis Enrique will not hold back, he will come here to press—we have to show a lot of personality to reach the semi-finals,” he said. Xavi, who announced in January he was leaving at the end of the season, has led a resurgent Barcelona on a 12-game unbeaten run since. Sense of liberation for Barca “Me and my players, everyone has been liberated [by my decision],” said the coach. “Everyone has felt more of a sense of belonging towards the club, and I think it has gone phenomenally.” Barcelona midfielder Pedri agreed that his team would have to play to win. “We have this slender lead but we have to go out there as if we didn’t have that advantage,” said Pedri. 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
16 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | Barcelona | AgenciesMikel Arteta urged his wounded Arsenal stars to show character and leadership after their Premier League title challenge suffered a hammer blow in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa. Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory at the Emirates Stadium. But instead, Arsenal were beaten for the first time in 12 league games as two goals in the last six minutes from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins rocked their title dreams. The second-placed Gunners are two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games left. Also Read: Dhanraj Pillay turns back the clock at WCG rink hockey Facing the prospect of blowing the lead in the title race for a second successive campaign, Arteta issued a plea for his team to stick together. “That is the reality right now. We knew this moment could come. Now it is about reacting in the right way and keep believing,” he said. “Now is the moment to stand up as leaders and show character. We don’t have any other solution. When you win and win and win, it is easy. Now is a big test for us. “If you want to win the Premier League and Champions League, you have to stand up,” Arteta added. City will lift an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title if they win their remaining 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
16 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | London | AFPA dominant Mohun Bagan defeated Mumbai City FC 2-1 to win their maiden ISL League Shield here on Monday. Liston Colaco (28th), Jason Cummings (80th) struck for Mohun Bagan, while Lallianzuala Chhangte struck for Mumbai City FC against the run of play in the 89th minute when he converted a freekick from Yoell Van Nieff. This was Mohun Bagan's first victory over the two-time Shield Winners across four seasons as the Mumbai heavyweights were also unbeaten over them in previous eight matches, winning six of them. The win also sealed their berth in the AFC Champions League 2 for the first time as 60,000 chanted 'Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan' reverberated across the Salt Lake Stadium stands. This marked the conclusion of the League stage as the competition now moves to playoffs of six teams that begin from April 19. Also Read: A derby not for the faint-hearted! The top-two teams, Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City, will directly play the semi-finals, while the sides from third to sixth -- Goa, Odisha, Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin -- will play single leg playoff in a knockout format to determine the other two semifinalists. The ISL summit clash will be on May 4. Mohun Bagan also had a special guest in KL Rahul, skipper of their sister IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, to cheer for them. There was more drama in store as Mohun Bagan were reduced to 10 players soon after when Brendan Hamill was sent off following his second yellow after a goalmouth melee. Referee signalled 10 minutes of stoppage time as the Antonio Lopez-coached side put up a brave front to see through it to seal the deal. The Subhasish Bose-manned defence also stood tall throughout the match as they played in unison thwarting every attack by the Mumbai men. The win also capped a double delight for Mohun Bagan who began the season winning the Durand Cup. It followed by arch-rivals East Bengal's Super Cup win, while the other of the Big Three Mohammedan Sporting made it a triple treat for the Maidan winning the I-League thus earning a berth for the ISL next season. The icing on the cake came at the Salt Lake Stadium when Mohun Bagan were crowned the Shield winners, making it four titles by the Kolkata Maidan this season. Less than a year after he scored in Central Coast Mariners A-League win, the Australian forward struck again for the Kolkata Mariners that almost sealed the deal giving them 2-0 lead with 10 minutes left on the clock. Like he had set up Colaco's opening goal with an assist, Dimitri Petratos was again in the thick of things as he delivered an accurate pass for Cummings inside the box to hit into the bottom corner. Earier, it was the India centre-forward Colaco's brilliant strike that had given the Mariners lead in front of a sellout crowd. Abhishek Suryawanshi passed it on to Petratos who dribbled in the midfield to set it up Colaco on the edge of the box in the left flank. Colaco beat two defenders before striking it past Phurba Lachenpa to make amends for his earlier miss when his 20th minute struck off the post. (With PTI inputs)
15 April,2024 10:03 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondentManchester United’s chances of Champions League football next season took another battering as Bruno Fernandes’s double could only salvage a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday. “We have to win our games and we have dropped too many unnecessary points in the last few games,” said Ten Hag. “The opponent was struggling because they gave so much energy in the first half and there were so many gaps, but we didn’t benefit from it.” Twice the Cherries led through Dominic Solanke and Justin Kluivert and Bournemouth were denied the opportunity to win the game at the death after a controversial VAR review overturned the decision to award the home side a penalty. A point leaves United still 10 adrift of Aston Villa and Tottenham in the race for a top-four finish with six games to go. 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
15 April,2024 08:17 AM IST | Bournemouth | AFPManchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed gratitude for being in contention for silverware at the end of the season, emphasising the ambition to prolong the challenge for as far as possible. With Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night and Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, the big matches keep coming up for City and Guardiola said City have to enjoy being in the race for trophies after the first of three games in three competitions this week. “We spoke to the players about how incredible it is to be here again. Before the game we spoke and said ‘we have to admit it, what a privilege’. After what we have done in the previous seasons: fighting for the title one point behind, 80 points, 21 points left, on Wednesday playing against Real Madrid with the chance to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals with all the energy our fans will bring, all the best positive moods they will bring to us here and then FA Cup next Saturday to reach the final. What a privilege to be here,” Guardiola was quoted by club’s official website. 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
15 April,2024 08:14 AM IST | Manchester | IANSLiverpool’s Premier League title challenge suffered a potentially fatal blow as Crystal Palace won 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday. Three-way battle for title A first home league defeat in 29 games for the Reds leaves Jurgen Klopp’s men two points behind Manchester City and level with Arsenal, who can go top with victory over Aston Villa later on Sunday. Eberechi Eze’s early goal handed the Eagles a vital win in their battle for survival as they move eight points clear of the drop zone. However, Liverpool’s final season under Klopp is unravelling. The League Cup winners were on course for a quadruple just a few weeks ago. But after crashing out of the FA Cup to Manchester United, Liverpool succumbed to a first home defeat in any competition for 14 months when Atalanta stormed Anfield on Thursday to take a 3-0 first leg lead in their Europa League quarter-final tie. Also Read: Draw with Man Utd feels like defeat: Liverpool’s Van Dijk Fatigue, the cause? Klopp’s men have now won just three of their last eight games in all competitions and are showing clear signs of fatigue after already having played 51 games this season. Slow starts have been a recurring theme of Liverpool’s struggles of late and they were again forced to come from behind. Alisson Becker made his long-awaited return in goal for the home side but he had no chance when Eze was left with a simple finish from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross. Palace were millimetres away from a second moments later when Andy Robertson produced a remarkable goalline clearance to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta after Virgil van Dijk’s slip let the French striker through. 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
15 April,2024 08:10 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPReal Madrid star Jude Bellingham was all smiles when he met his lookalike before their 1-0 win over Mallorca in La Liga. La Liga's social media handle posted a video on X where Jude interacted with his lookalike before the match. Watch the video below. Jude 🤝 Jude. 😅#LALIGAEXPERIENCE | #InsideLALIGA pic.twitter.com/jkKSQVZcFh — LALIGA (@LaLiga) April 13, 2024 Since his arrival at Santiago Bernabeu last summer, Bellingham has cemented his place in the hearts of Real Madrid fans with his splendid performances for Los Blancos. The midfielder started the season in a more advanced role and has scored a total of 20 goals and given 10 assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. In his debut season, Bellingham has found the back of the net 20 times and registered 10 assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz's French Open build-up suffers blow with Barcelona withdrawal With a 1-0 win over Mallorca which was the result of a stunning effort from Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid further strengthened their position to lift the La Liga title. The 1-0 win ensured that Real Madrid maintained their 8-point advantage over second-placed FC Barcelona. "It was the kind of game we expected: complicated because Mallorca showed a lot of commitment, attitude and defended well. We weren't very good in the first half and played very slowly. The second half was much better. It's a very important victory, which brings us closer to winning the title. We're enjoying a good run and now we have to think about Wednesday, which we have enough time to recover for and we're going to give it our best shot," Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the 1-0 win. Jude Bellingham would look to keep his high-lying form intact against Manchester City in the second leg of the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League. As the first leg ended 3-3, Real Madrid will now travel to Manchester to face the defending champions on Thursday.
14 April,2024 05:57 PM IST | Madrid | mid-day online correspondentNewcastle stormed into the Premier League’s Top 6 as Alexander Isak scored twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Tottenham to rekindle their outside hopes of a place in next season’s Champions League. Spurs’ lead over the Magpies was cut to 10 points with six games remaining, but Newcastle have a far easier run-in. Tottenham conceded five times in the opening 21 minutes of a 6-1 humiliation on their last visit to St James’ Park and were outmuscled and outclassed once more on Tyneside. Eddie Howe was forced into a switch to a back three due to Newcastle’s abundance of injuries in defence. Also Read: The fall and rise of Nagal Eddie Howe ‘Tottenham are unique’ But the home side’s makeshift backline was rarely troubled after Timo Werner skewed an effort wide in a bright start by the visitors. “Tottenham are unique in what they do and we felt we needed to change to give ourselves the best chance of what we wanted to do,” Newcastle manager Howe told the BBC. “I thought tactically it worked, it was a really good delivery from the players, they always deserve the praise for the execution. Our concentration levels were really good.” He added: “We’ve just got to keep doing our bit which is trying to win every game. We’re hopefully returning to somewhere near our best and we’ve got to keep heading in that direction.” Micky’s mistakes cost dear The game swung decisively in Newcastle’s favour thanks to two goals in two minutes thanks to two errors from Micky van de Ven midway through the first half. The Dutch centreback has been one of the signings of the season for Spurs, but had an afternoon to forget. Van de Ven’s first slip allowed Isak to smash home from Anthony Gordon’s pass to open the scoring. 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
14 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | Newcastle | AFPLiverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the Reds must react immediately to a Europa League humbling by Atalanta if they are to keep alive their hopes of winning the Premier League in Jurgen Klopp’s final season. Klopp’s men were beaten at Anfield for the first time in 14 months on Thursday as a 3-0 victory put Atalanta on the brink of the Europa League semi-finals. Reds are second in EPL Liverpool are second in a tight three-way battle for the Premier League title, behind leaders Arsenal only on goal difference with seven games to go. They have less than 72 hours to recover before hosting Crystal Palace on Sunday and can ill afford any slip up against the Eagles. Also Read: Haaland can get better: Guardiola “It hurts, we didn’t lose here for a long time,” said Van Dijk. “They punished us for being sloppy in possession. This will definitely hurt tonight and then from tomorrow we need to switch it back on to get a result.” Gianluca Scamacca scored twice either side of half-time before Mario Pasalic rounded off a famous night for the Italians, who have only ever reached one previous European semi-final. ‘It’s a collective thing’ “It’s a collective thing and we all know we have to do much better,” added Van Dijk. “It hurts but it can’t put us down. We have to react pretty quickly,” he said. Klopp admitted the performance of a number of his players came as a shock. The German had made six changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Manchester United on Sunday. But even the introduction of Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota failed to turn things around in the second half. “We have to show a reaction immediately on Sunday—that is much more important,” said Klopp. “In this moment it has to feel really bad, the boys must go home and sleep bad. Then when we meet tomorrow we have to prepare for Crystal Palace, see who is ready to play, these kind of things.” 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
13 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPErling Haaland (below) has room for improvement according to Pep Guardiola, but the Manchester City boss defended the Norway striker from mounting criticism over his performances. Haaland has netted 30 times this season and scored 52 goals last term when City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. Also Read: City’s hockey lovers in for a triple treat this summer However, the 23-year-old failed to score for the third time against Real Madrid over the past two seasons in City’s 3-3 draw in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday. Guardiola was quizzed on whether Haaland needed to improve if he is to win the Ballon d’Or, the annual award given to the world’s best player. “He needs to play more minutes, to learn from what you have to do. But the target is not the Ballon d’Or, the target is to win trophies and he did. Would we have won five trophies last year without him? Not a chance. It’s not about Erling or any other player. Until you retire, you can be better,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s Premier League clash against Luton. 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
13 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | Manchester | AFPADVERTISEMENT
