Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort), and Campion High School (Colaba) clinched the U-12 girls and boys Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school Knockout Cup respectively at Azad Maidan recently. In the girls final, the Fort outfit edged past Bombay Scottish School (Mahim) 2-1 to win the inaugural edition of the tournament. Jane Nadar opened the scoring (18th min) with a fine solo effort for Bombay Scottish, but in the 20th minute, Ivaanika Mehra scored the equaliser for Cathedral, before an own-goal three minutes later sealed the fate of the tie. Meanwhile, in the girls third-place play-off, Nita Mukesh Ambani International School (BKC) defeated JB Petit School (Fort) 3-0, thanks to Natasha Kapoor’s hat-trick. The triumphant Campion boys Earlier, in the boys final, Campion beat Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort) 5-4 via tie-breaker. After the match ended goalless at the end of regulation time, Campion goalkeeper Kian Jain produced three crucial saves in the penalty shootout to tilt the contest in his team’s favour. Alymer Fernandes, Aryan Mehta, Avyaan Jain, Riaan Souhani and Kian Jain scored for Campion, while only Viaan Shah, Aahan Swarnkar, Arin Bhana and Yuvan Bhatia could score for Cathedral. In the boys third-place play-off, Don Bosco High School (Matunga) defeated Fazlani Academy (Mazgaon) 2-0, with a goal each from Zidanne Sequeira and Zlatan Fernandes.
04 February,2026 09:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamIndia made a big splash at the inaugural SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Bangkok recently, finishing second. And two key pillars of the side, Nishka Parkash and Diti Kanungo, are proud products of the Mumbai Knights football club, who ply their trade in Div-II of the Indian Women’s League. For Parkash and Kanungo, the only two Mumbai girls in the national team, this was their maiden outing in Indian colours, and they are extremely proud of it. “I never believed I could reach this level… that I could play and also score for India. When I scored my first goal of the tournament [vs Maldives], I celebrated by kissing the India badge on my shirt. I couldn’t believe it. It was a defining moment of my life,” Parkash, 21, who resides in Mahalaxmi, told mid-day recently. “Wearing the India jersey was the best feeling ever. My best outing was against Nepal, where I scored four goals in our 8-1 victory” said Grant Road-based Kanungo, 20. India ended the tournament in second place, winning four of their six games and losing two. Mumbai Knights coach Preetam Mahadik Transitioning from football to futsal is no cakewalk. The latter demands a lot more from an individual in terms of speed, skill, strength and stamina. It involves only five players per side on a compact field, with the ball also being smaller and slightly heavier. But luckily for Parkash and Kanungo, their training regime at Mumbai Knights under coach Preetam Mahadik, set them up perfectly. “At Mumbai Knights, our coach makes us practice on beaches, so when you play on that rough terrain, your close-control skills on the ball improves a lot,” explained Parkash, who is studying for a Bachelor in Financial Markets from HR College. “Also, a lot of our training features five-a-side matches. We even participate in a lot of five-a-side amateur tournaments in Mumbai. That helps sharpen our ability to pass the ball in tight spaces,” said Kanungo, a Bachelor of Commerce student at NMIMS. The rapid rise of his charges has left Mahadik brimming with pride. The Bandra-based coach, who masterminded his senior team to the MFA Women’s Premier League title last year, while also guiding the sub-junior team (U-13) to the MFA title, believes Parkash and Kanungo are role models for his other players: “I feel proud. Playing for the country was the ultimate goal that I had in mind for them. Both Nishka and Diti are extremely good technique-wise and are strong physically. I was confident they would do well in futsal.”
04 February,2026 09:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoPep Guardiola eased the pressure on his side by saying he wants his charges to simply focus on playing their natural game in the second leg of their EFL Cup final against Newcastle on Wednesday, which they lead 2-0 on aggregate. “We have the chance to make our fifth [EFL Cup] final in ten years. [We just need to] play our game for our people and our fans,” Guardiola told the media on Saturday. However, he admitted that despite holding a two-goal cushion, they cannot afford to take their opponents lightly. “I would prefer to start 2-0 up, but I know the many times we have played Newcastle, the pride they have, so we need to be prepared,” 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
04 February,2026 09:13 AM IST | Manchester | AgenciesLiverpool have beaten off competition from Chelsea to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet for a fee of up to £60 million (Rs 749.35 crore), according to British media reports on Monday. However, the 20-year-old is not set to move to Anfield until the end of the season despite Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements. Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month but was reportedly put off the move by the competition for places at centre-back in the Blues’s bloated squad. Liverpool, by contrast, are desperately short on centre-back options. Captain Virgil van Dijk, 34, and Ibrahima Konate, who is out of contract at the end of the season, are the only two options currently available to Arne Slot with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni sidelined by injury. French under-21 international Jacquet has only made 31 appearances for Rennes since breaking into the first team of the Ligue 1 side last 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
03 February,2026 08:29 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPKylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll home a 100th-minute penalty and claim Real Madrid a 2-1 win over nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in a spicy La Liga derby clash. Bellingham injured Los Blancos cut Barcelona’s lead back to one point at the top of the table after the Spanish champions beat Elche on Saturday. Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with a hamstring injury which is expected to keep him out for around a month. Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo level early in the second half as Madrid fans showed their anger at their team following the midweek Champions League defeat at Benfica. After Pathe Ciss’s red card tilted the game in Madrid’s favour, Mbappe netted from the spot at the death for his 22nd La Liga goal this season. Pep Chavarria was also sent off in the final stages for Rayo. Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said it would take time before the team could become more consistent, having had six games at the helm since replacing Xabi Alonso. “I’m not Gandalf the White,” he told reporters, referring to the fictional wizard from the Lord of the Rings. ‘Consistency is key’ “What I want from my players is what I’m seeing, commitment, attitude, mentality, knowing that to win each game quality is not enough, consistency is key... we will work on that,” Arbeloa added. The coach said Bellingham would be a “big absence” for the matches ahead after he limped off early. 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
03 February,2026 08:27 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPManchester City midfielder Rodri called on referees “to be neutral” in a furious tirade after their Premier League title bid suffered another setback after a 2-2 draw at Tottenham. City were cruising towards victory in north London at 2-0 up on Sunday, but the momentum swung in Spurs’ favour after a goal by Dominic Solanke was allowed to stand despite the forward appearing to foul Marc Guehi before making contact with the ball. Solanke then produced a stunning scorpion kick to equalise and leave City six points adrift of leaders Arsenal. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland wears a dejected look after their 2-2 away draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win but the referee has to be neutral and for me honestly, it’s not fair,” Rodri told Australian broadcaster Stan Sport. “At the end, when everything is finished, we are frustrated because it’s so clear the foul. He kicked the leg and of course with the push of the action on the ball, the ball goes in. We have to pay attention to these little things otherwise it’s going to be difficult for everyone because this league is like this — it’s about small details and everything counts, so I think today is a very tough day for us in this sense,” he added. The controversial call was just the latest decision that City feel has gone against them. Pep Guardiola claimed last week that the club’s success had come “despite” decisions consistently going against his side. “It’s one game and another game and it’s not possible,” added Rodri. “He anticipated the leg of Marc and it’s a clear foul, but it’s not today. It’s two or three games in a row and I don’t know why, honestly.” 6No. of points between leaders Arsenal and 2nd-placed Man City after their draw vs Tottenham 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
03 February,2026 08:25 AM IST | Manchester | AFPFootball superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancé Georgina Rodriguez have reportedly purchased a brand new mansion worth a whopping £21.6 million (approximately Rs 271 crore) in the coastal town of Casias, in the Portuguese striker’s homeland. According to a report in British tabloid The Sun, the mansion — made of Italian marble, featuring gold faucets, and a one-off Louis Vuitton mural — is said to canvas an area of 5000 square metres, and is built upon a 12,000 square-metre plot. It is said to have two swimming pools, a home cinema, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, and a garage capable of holding 20 cars.
02 February,2026 08:28 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentHaving dispatched Newcastle 4-1 in an English Premier League clash on Saturday, manager Arne Slot believes his Liverpool side have stepped up a notch or two in their last two matches, as they chase a UEFA Champions League (UCL) spot amidst a tumultuous season. The Reds snapped a winless streak of five games, thanks to a brace from striker Hugo Ekitike (41st and 43rd min), while Florian Wirtz (67th min) and Ibrahima Konate (90+3rd min) added further gloss to the scoreline after Newcastle had opened the scoring via Anthony Gordon (36th min). Arne Slot “In the last two games, scoring 10 and conceding one, I can say that it’s a big improvement. So I’m happy that we have these two results,” said Slot, while alluding to the 6-0 rout of Qarabag in their mid-week UCL clash. However, he added they cannot afford to get carried away since they still sit in sixth place, outside the UCL qualification spots. “Because of the many points we’ve dropped, we are aware that this is certainly not enough,” said Slot. ElevenNo. of EPL matches since Liverpool’s previous victory after conceding the first goal 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
02 February,2026 08:27 AM IST | Liverpool | AgenciesBenjamin Sesko’s stoppage-time strike sealed a 3-2 win for Manchester United over Fulham on Sunday. United were 2-0 up until a dramatic end to the game saw Fulham draw level via goals from Raul Jimenez and Kevin, only for Sesko to come up trumps and seal the deal for the Red Devils.
02 February,2026 08:21 AM IST | Manchester | AgenciesMan City’s assistant coach Pep Lijnders is not taking their upcoming English Premier League (EPL) clash against an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur lightly, urging his side to be wary of their opponent’s fluidity and high-press. “Thomas Frank sets them up in a really clear way. They can link inside to attack through the inside, they can play balls in behind. They are quite fluid on the outside, and are a physical, high-pressing, man-marking team. [But] we are really looking forward to this game,” said Lijnders on Saturday while filling in for Pep Guardiola, who missed his media duties to attend to a personal matter. Man City are currently in second place (46 points in 23 matches). Meanwhile, Tottenham have failed to fire under Frank and sit in 14th place (28 points from 23 games). “I think City, when they’re in full flow, I think there’s a threat from so many angles that we need to be aware of, but I also see some areas that we hopefully can explore,” said Frank, who will take heart from the fact that Tottenham have beaten City thrice in their last previous four encounters. 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
01 February,2026 08:50 AM IST | London | AgenciesReal Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the draw for the Champions League playoff round on Friday, while reigning European champ PSG will face domestic rivals Monaco. Benfica beat Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin allowing the Portuguese side to snatch the last playoff spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated altogether. 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
31 January,2026 08:22 AM IST | London | AFPADVERTISEMENT
