Manchester City's Premier League title bid has suffered a blow after Norway striker Erling Haaland was ruled out of Thursday's crucial clash at Brighton. Haaland missed City's 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday due to a muscle injury sustained in the Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid last week. 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 Guardiola said after the penalty shoot-out loss that the Norway striker asked to be withdrawn but did not give a reason why.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." City's leading scorer, who has 20 Premier League goals this season, is yet to recover and will not make the trip to the Amex Stadium as the champions look to close the gap on leaders Arsenal. Also Read: 'Exceptional' Erling! City boss Pep Guardiola insisted Haaland's injury was not serious and he could come back into contention in time for Sunday's game against Nottingham Forest. While Haaland is sidelined, Guardiola was boosted by England internationals Phil Foden and John Stones getting the green light to face Brighton after their own fitness concerns. "Erling is not ready for tomorrow, the other two, they are ready," Guardiola told reporters on Wednesday. "I know it is not a big issue, but he is not allowed for this game." As a gripping title race approaches the final furlong, third placed City are four points behind leaders Arsenal, who thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday. Guardiola's men have two games in hand on Arsenal and have played one match less than second placed Liverpool, who face Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday. (With agency inputs)
24 April,2024 06:38 PM IST | Manchester | mid-day online correspondentOdisha FC rallied to secure a 2-1 victory against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the first-leg semifinal of the ISL on Tuesday, fighting back after conceding a goal as early as in the third minute. The Juggernauts thus registered their first-ever ISL win over the Mariners after nine attempts, as a game of close margins kicked off amid frenetic circumstances with all three goals being netted in the first half at the Kalinga Stadium. Manvir Singh handed the Antonio Lopez Habas-coached side an early lead, but Carlos Delgado (11') and Roy Krishna (39') scored once each for Odisha to help the team maintain their unbeaten streak at home this season (13 matches). The second leg of this last-four clash will be held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. Eventually, both teams brought an end to this tightly contested clash with 10 men on either side, as goal-scorer Delgado and Mohun Bagan striker Armando Sadiku were sent off in the 74th and 67th minutes respectively after picking up a couple of yellow cards each. Both these teams are renowned for their expansive, free-flowing footballing styles. However, they were naturally tightly organised in this match, leaving no gaps exposed in their backlines, compelling each other out of their comfort zones and making them look for unique ways to find the back of the net. Manvir, who has been a dazzling presence on the flank for the Mariners, at 2:21 minutes, netted the second fastest goal in the ISL playoffs, behind Lalrindika Ralte's goal at 2:08 minutes for ATK against Mumbai City FC on December 10, 2016. The ball was delivered to him from a corner by striker Dimitrios Petratos. He carried a rich vein of form into this match, providing a razor sharp cross that Manvir, positioned at the centre of the box, headed home to break the deadlock. Also Read: Odisha FC continue their surge Odisha FC were not left too far behind though, replying in similar fashion courtesy, the duo of Ahmed Jahouh and Delgado nine minutes later. The Moroccan was accurate with his corner delivery, and Delgado made his way through a crowded 18-yard box to deposit the ball into the back of the net. A rather tense back-and-forth passage of play ensued thereafter, before Roy Krishna finally broke through with the winner before the half-time break. As the Mariners looked to press high from an Odisha FC goal-kick, custodian Amrinder Singh sensed a unique opportunity and put in a long ball straight towards Krishna inside the Bagan half. Krishna brought the ball down with his head, before sprinting past Hector Yuste and putting the ball beyond Vishal Kaith to become the highest-ever goal-scorer for Odisha in a single ISL season with his 13th strike of the campaign. (With agency inputs)
24 April,2024 08:34 AM IST | Bhubaneswar | mid-day online correspondentSimone Inzaghi claimed his place at football management’s top table after sealing the first Serie A title of his coaching career in spectacular fashion in the Milan derby on Monday. Inter Milan’s Scudetto is easily Inzaghi’s biggest honour since winning it as a player with Lazio 24 years ago, and comes after three years of off-field turbulence and serious financial problems which he has navigated with aplomb. Inzaghi, 48, had a lower-key playing career than his elder sibling Filippo, who was a prolific goalscorer for AC Milan and Juventus and World Cup winner. 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 April,2024 06:44 AM IST | Milan | AFPErik ten Hag says the media reaction to Manchester United’s performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry was “a disgrace,” robustly defending his side’s achievement in reaching a second straight final. United surrendered a 3-0 lead at Wembley on Sunday and were saved from a humiliating exit in extra time only by a VAR intervention, which ruled out a goal for offside in the final moments. They eventually scraped through against the Championship side on penalties to set up a re-match of last year’s final against City. Ten Hag admitted after the match his team had “got away with it” but played down any notion of embarrassment. Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said the performance would “cement his sacking.” But Ten Hag was in defiant mood on the eve of United’s Premier League match against bottom side Sheffield United on Wednesday. “You asked the question: ‘Is it embarrassing?’ No, the reaction from you is embarrassing. The comments are a disgrace,” he told reporters. 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 April,2024 06:42 AM IST | London | AFPWestern Railway produced a good combined performance to hand Income Tax a 0-3 defeat in a Premier Division (Corporate) encounter of the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) League at St Pius College ground, Goregaon, on Tuesday. Leading WR charge was striker Somit PT, who showed good finishing skills, scoring two goals—one in each half. Mervin Stephen scored the third goal for WR. Also Read: State beach boys shimmer in silver Meanwhile, in a First Division match, South Mumbai United snatched a fighting 2-1 win over Boxer FC at the Neville D’Souza Ground, Bandra. South Mumbai scored through forwards Rajveer Kesari and Ranvir Malik, while Boxer FC reduced the deficit through Manav Salvi. In a Second Division contest, Jupiter SC eked out a narrow 1-0 win against Carmelites SC. Striker Pradnesh Kadam scored the winner.
24 April,2024 06:30 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentNavi Mumbai Sports Association (NMSA) were crowned Elite Division champions of the Thane Football Association (TFA) League recently. Assured of winning their Elite Division title for the fourth successive year, NMSA fielded their reserve players and suffered a 1-3 defeat to Kukri XI FC in their concluding league fixture. NMSA (25 points), who were unbeaten till this game, finished on top of the six-team league with eight wins and one draw from 10 matches. Kukri XI (19 pts) finished second while SP Football Academy (16 pts) were third.
24 April,2024 06:29 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentBarcelona coach Xavi Hernandez blasted La Liga for not employing goal-line technology after his team’s 3-2 Clasico defeat on Sunday left Real Madrid on the brink of the title. Also Read: Bellingham’s Clasico winner brings Madrid closer to title The coach was furious after Lamine Yamal’s shot, which Barcelona said crossed the line, was not given as a goal since officials could not prove it using VAR. With the score level at 1-1, Yamal cleverly flicked a corner towards goal and Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin pushed the ball to safety, potentially after it had crossed the line. “It’s a disgrace,” said Xavi. “If we want to be the best league in the world we have to advance in this sense, you have to put in the technology.” 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 April,2024 07:48 AM IST | Madrid | AFPJude Bellingham snatched Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 Clasico win over champions Barcelona on Sunday with a “fundamental” goal to take them 11 points clear at the top of La Liga. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed the England midfielder’s decisive intervention to take Los Blancos to the brink of the Spanish title. Also Read: We got away with win: Man Utd boss Ten Hag Madrid twice came from behind with Vinicius Junior and Lucas Vazquez netting to level Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez strikes, before Bellingham rammed home the winner in stoppage time. “He arrived at just the right time, he worked so hard in the game, it’s been a while since he scored and today he scored a goal that could be fundamental in winning the league,” said Ancelotti. Barcelona, second, bounced back with a strong performance after their Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain but their last stand was demolished by Bellingham. Madrid showed the same grit to stay in the match as they did midweek against Manchester City on the way to the final four in Europe, before Bellingham’s knock-out blow left the Santiago Bernabeu crowd delighted. 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 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPErik ten Hag admitted Manchester United “got away with it” after his team won an FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout against Coventry on Sunday. Also Read: Liverpool alive in title race with 3-1 win at Fulham The Premier League side scraped through at Wembley after the game ended 3-3 following extra time. United won 4-2 on penalties but only after throwing away a 3-0 lead. “We suffer [on] occasions, we let each other down and we let the result slip away. But today we got away with it,” Ten Hag 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 April,2024 07:44 AM IST | London | AFPLiverpool stayed in the hunt for the Premier League title and moved level on points with leader Arsenal with a 3-1 victory over Fulham that was illuminated by a brilliant free kick by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Also Read: Mumbai Customs emerge WCG rink hockey champions Alexander-Arnold’s curling free-kick in the 32nd was cancelled out by Timothy Castagne’s first goal for Fulham in first-half stoppage time. Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota scored in the second half as Liverpool joined Arsenal on 74 points—one more than defending champions Manchester City. 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 April,2024 07:42 AM IST | London | AP | PTIIron Born FC scored two late goals in quick succession through industrious striker Mohammed Khatib to overcome Kenkre FC 2-1 in a well-contested Premier Division match of the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) League at the Neville D’Souza ground, Bandra. Khatib scored the first of his two goals in the 81st minute and doubled his team’s lead two minutes later. Kenkre FC fought on gamely and managed to reduce the margin when substitute Afzar Noorani pulled a goal back in stoppage time. Also Read: Chapman helps NZ beat Pak by 7 wkts In another closely contested Premier Division match, a determined Indian Navy did well to snatch a tight 1-0 win over a spirited Central Bank of India at the St Pius College ground, Goregaon. Striker Pintu Mahata scored for Indian Navy. Meanwhile, in a Second Division encounter, Shannon Ferrao scored the match-winner as Ruffians FC got the better of 7070 FC by a solitary goal.
23 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
