Liverpool have a mountain to climb to oust holders Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League but are hoping the Anfield factor can salvage a bitterly disappointing season. Crowned champions of England less than a year ago, the Reds sit fifth in the Premier League and fell short in both domestic cup competitions. The Champions League represents one final chance of silverware but it is a long shot after the team were outclassed 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final at the Parc des Princes. Six-time European champions Liverpool are still alive in the competition thanks to PSG's profligacy and they have overcome greater odds in the past under the lights at Anfield. "It's down to us to be in the best shape possible to make a special evening on Tuesday," said captain Virgil van Dijk. "We are at home and we have to show belief that we can do it. It needs a special performance but I'm lucky I have been part of special performances so I will try and bring that across for the team." Van Dijk was part of the side that beat Lionel Messi's Barcelona 4-0 in 2019, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit in the semi-finals on Liverpool's way to Champions League glory. That night may have been the high point of Jurgen Klopp's glorious reign, which included three Champions League finals in five seasons. Barring a miraculous fightback, Tuesday could be the final Champions League chapter for the key figures in that Klopp side. Slot's future in doubt Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson have both confirmed they will leave Anfield at the end of the season. Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker remain for now, but there is no guarantee Liverpool will be in the competition next season despite five English sides being assured of qualification. A 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday gave Slot's men some breathing space from the chasing pack in the battle for Champions League football and also snapped a three-game losing streak. Adding to uncertainty, Slot's position remains in serious doubt towards the end of his second campaign in charge. Liverpool fans chanted the name of former midfield favourite Xabi Alonso after last weekend's 4-0 demolition by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Alonso, who left Real Madrid in January, is the prime candidate to take over should Slot be dismissed at the end of the season. The Dutchman issued a rallying cry after the Fulham win to try and get the fans back onside for the visit of the European champions. "This was a massive win not only for the league but looking forward to Tuesday. Not only for the players but also for the fans. After a 4-0 loss and a 2-0 loss everybody could do with this win," said Slot. "One thing is clear is that on Tuesday we need our fans. There were fans in Paris but we had a very hard time. "Anfield has shown many times that it can lift the team to another level and we need that again. Half an hour before the game the players need that support and need to feel it is going to be another special evening." At the very least Slot needs his side to salvage some pride. Another embarrassment like the ones suffered recently in Manchester and Paris, but this time on home soil, could be the final straw for many fans. 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,2026 09:43 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPEngland and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane’s new £20mn (approximately Rs 250 crore) mansion is almost ready, and locals say it looks just like the iconic Buckingham Palace. According to British tabloid The Sun, Kane’s luxurious country-side mansion in Wentworth bears Georgian windows and entrance pillars which look exactly like the residence of the British royal family in London. Some other features of Kane’s new home include an underground cinema, bar, pool, gym and treatment room, along with a ‘turntable-style’ garage for his cars.“He [Kane] bought the land and a large house on it, tore that down and has had a team of builders working on it for around two years. The front of it looks like Buckingham Palace,” said one of the locals. Kane currently lives with wife Kate and their four kids (Ivy, Vivienne, Louis, Henry) in Munich, and plans to move to his stunning new residence once he retires.
13 April,2026 10:23 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentManchester United legend Rio Ferdinand opted to take a break from punditry, heading out to the Maldives with wife Kate and their kids, Lorenz (19), Tate (17) and Tia (14). He shared a series of romantic pictures of their getaway, with the couple hugging each other and also trying out snorkelling. Ferdinand captioned the post: “More life and more blessings. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rio Ferdinand OBE (@rioferdy5)
13 April,2026 10:20 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentArne Slot said Rio Ngumoha is ready to be thrown into any situation after scoring his first Anfield goal in a 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, which eased the rising pressure on the Liverpool boss. The 17-year-old had already netted his first Premier League goal with a late winner away at Newcastle in Liverpool's second game of the season. Despite a difficult campaign, Slot has largely resisted the clamour to rely on Ngumoha as a game-changer. But he has started three of Liverpool's last eight games with Slot encouraged by his physical development and more end product. Arne Slot. Pic/AFP That faith was rewarded as Ngumoha produced a sublime strike to become Liverpool's youngest ever Premier League goalscorer at Anfield. Mohamed Salah then netted in his first home appearance since announcing he will leave at the end of the season as Liverpool snapped a three-game losing streak. "He has such a special quality which you don't see a lot in football anymore, dominating the one v one situation and that's exactly what he did when he scored his goal," said Slot on Ngumoha's impact. "I've said a few weeks ago that his playing time will increase because he got stronger and stronger, showed more and more when he came in (to games), but also in training sessions. "That it wasn't only a nice trick, but there was more and more end product to what he did. "There was more and more power, which is needed if you play against the best defenders in the world and I don't think anyone is surprised that, at this moment in time, he scored his first goal (at Anfield)." Liverpool face a much stiffer test on Tuesday if they are to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit against holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Slot, though, believes Ngumoha is ready for that elite level, even if he is unsure whether the teenager will be fresh enough to start. "I think he's ready. The question, of course, is can he do this two days later again?" Slot added. "In the beginning of the season, he was a young player, getting some experience with the first team, but now he's just someone I can pick for any game. So also the one on Tuesday." 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,2026 10:19 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPArsenal manager Mikel Arteta was distraught after losing 1-2 to Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday. “It’s a big punch in the face. We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it’s a deflection, a bad defending action and it’s a goal. That’s something we have to recover from. The second-half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today,” said a frustrated Arteta. Mikel Arteta The visitors took the lead at a nervy Emirates through Junior Kroupi (17th min), but Mikel Arteta’s men levelled through a Viktor Gyokeres penalty later in the 35th minute. The Gunners made multiple attacking changes early in the second period, but struggled to create clear-cut chances against Andoni Iraola’s enterprising team. Bournemouth clinched the winner in the 74th minute after a fluid move finished off by Alex Scott, who rifled the ball past David Raya. Arsenal remain on 70 points after 32 games, nine points clear of second-placed Manchester City, however the Sky Blues have two games in hand. Meanwhile, Bournemouth boss Iraola hailed his team’s impressive display. “We showed great personality in a big game. We were quite brave. [It was] a complete performance,” said Iraola. 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
12 April,2026 10:02 AM IST | London | AgenciesChelsea boss Liam Rosenior wants his inconsistent side to deliver a statement performance against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Sunday’s English Premier League clash. The Blues enter this fixture on the back two consecutive losses in the EPL to Everton (0-3) and Newcastle (0-1), and while they have no realistic title hopes, clinching three points is still vital in the battle to seal a Champions League berth for next season — Chelsea are sixth (48 points), one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool, who occupy the final UCL spot, as it stands. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer during a training session recently. Pic/Chelsea’s Instagram “We know it’s going to be a big challenge, but it’s one we are looking forward to. Three points takes us closer to our objective. I want my team to show what we are capable of. Of course we can [beat City], because we are a very good team,” said Rosenior. However, the Blues face an uphill task without midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who is serving a ban handed to him by the club after he hinted at being interested in a move to Real Madrid. They have also failed to beat the Sky Blues in their last nine EPL 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
12 April,2026 09:29 AM IST | London | AgenciesArsenal boss Mikel Arteta is relying on the raucous support of fans at the Emirates Stadium in order to overcome a tricky Bournemouth side in their English Premiership encounter here on Saturday. The Gunners have a nine-point lead at the top of the table, but Arteta knows they cannot afford similar stumbles to the ones that cost them in the EFL Cup final (0-2 loss to Man City) and the FA Cup quarter-finals (1-2 loss to Southampton), particularly not at home. “We need to exploit the [home] advantage. We know the meaning of every match here and the opportunity that we have, especially when we play at home. We need to maximise every result,” said Arteta. Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola’s side will be heading into the clash high on confidence. After all, his Bournemouth did well to get the better of Arteta’s Gunners 2-1 when they faced each other at the Emirates 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
11 April,2026 10:59 AM IST | London | AgenciesBrazil football legend Romario, 60, has allegedly been dumped by his girlfriend Tiffany Barcelos, 25, a student, after the latter found out that he was cheating on her with her own friend. According to British tabloid The Sun, the 1994 World Cup-winner cheated on Barcelos with her friend Barbara Cavalcanti. It is learnt that the former Barcelona striker was spotted with Cavalcanti in Fernando de Noronha (a tourist destination in Brazil), after which Barcelos unfollowed him on Instagram and deleted all his comments from her posts. Romario and Barcelos had been dating for three months, and were first seen together in public in February at the famous Carnival celebrations. A few days ago, the couple were even seen watching a football match together in Rio de Janeiro. Romario, hailed as one of the best strikers of his generation, scored 55 goals in 70 matches for Brazil and enjoyed a fruitful stint with Barcelona as well, where he racked up 39 goals in 65 games.
10 April,2026 10:07 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentLiverpool coach Arne Slot admitted his team were well beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg as he defended his decision to play with three central defenders and insisted the Reds still had hope going into the return. "Paris Saint-Germain was by far the better team today and could have scored more than two goals, but the good thing was the Liverpool players showed fighting spirit and kept going," Slot said after his side went down 2-0 in the French capital. Desire Doue gave PSG an early lead with a deflected strike and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got their second goal after the hour mark, in a match which saw the hosts have 70 percent possession and 18 attempts on goal to the visitors' three. "Of course you think you can do better, but we were in survival mode for large parts of the game, and maybe also we are in survival mode at this period of the season," said Slot, whose team have won just one of their last six matches. "It is really hard against this team. PSG was the better team, but we didn't give up and that is why we still have a chance in this tie, and now we can bring the tie back to Anfield, and in between there is still a very important game to play against Fulham." Slot selected Joe Gomez as a third centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, while Mohamed Salah was left on the bench and did not feature at all -- unlike Alexander Isak, who appeared as a late substitute for his first appearance since December after injury. Salah 'saving his energy' "The last part of the game it was more about surviving for us than it was ever about scoring," Slot said of his decision not to use the Egyptian off the bench. "Mo has so much quality but for Mo to be 20 to 25 minutes defending in his own box, I think it is better for him to save his energy for a lot of games we have coming up." The Dutchman is under pressure with his team sitting fifth in the Premier League and now at real risk of an exit from Europe, unless they can turn the tie around next Tuesday. He explained his decision to change the formation was mainly down to the attacking threat posed by PSG's full-backs, Achraf Hakimi on the right and Nuno Mendes on the left. "Milos (Kerkez) had to play almost as a left-winger facing Hakimi, and then there were four defenders left, so you could almost explain it as a 4-3-3," he said. "Just think about what would have happened if we had played with real wingers against Hakimi and Nuno Mendes." Liverpool must now attempt to bounce back at home to Fulham in the Premier League before the return against PSG, who have a weekend off after their Ligue 1 game at title rivals Lens was postponed. "I think we played very well against a top-class side -- they changed their system but we are used to that because teams have a habit of changing the way they play against us," said PSG coach Luis Enrique. "It is just a shame because we created a lot of chances in the second half and could have scored more goals." PSG beat Liverpool in the last 16 last season, going through in a penalty shoot-out at Anfield. "I have been to Anfield many times as a player and coach and it is always complicated, but mentality is always the same, wherever we play, we always go out to win the game," said Luis Enrique. 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
10 April,2026 09:58 AM IST | Paris | AFPBarcelona coach Hansi Flick was furious at the decision to not review a handball incident in his team’s 0-2 Champions League quarter-final first-leg loss to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Atletico defender Marc Pubill touched a ball passed to him by goalkeeper Juan Musso with his hand, to set it still in order to take the goal-kick himself, which Flick said should have been a red card and a penalty — In 2024 Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings was punished for a similar infringement in a UCL defeat to Club Brugge. Barcelona players remonstrate with the referee during their UCL quarter-final clash with Atletico Madrid on Thursday. Pic/Getty Images “The VAR was very focused today for Atletico, he’s a German guy, so thanks Germany,” Flick said sarcastically, before adding: “It’s for me a clear red card.” Flick said the VAR officials should have asked the referee to review the incident, just like they had done earlier in the match when Pau Cubarsi received a red card for a last-man tackle on Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone. “From my perspective it’s clear, VAR has to say, ‘Okay, look at this,’ the same like before. I don’t understand [why they didn’t review it],” added Flick. Meanwhile, his Atletico Madrid counterpart Diego Simeone hailed his team’s clinical finishing as Julian Alvaraz’s superb free-kick (45th min) and Alexander Sorloth’s 70th minute goal gave them a significant advantage in the tie. “Through good teamwork, we were able to capitalise on key moments in the match. Today we were extremely clinical,” remarked Simeone. FourNo. of red cards received by Barca players across last two UCLs; the most by any team 40No. of matches since Barcelona last failed to score at home across any competition 20No. of years since Barcelona’s previous loss to Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou 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
10 April,2026 09:55 AM IST | Barcelona | AgenciesDesire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored the goals to give a dominant Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win over Liverpool in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, as the holders seized a clear advantage to take to Anfield for next week's return. Doue's shot in the 11th minute looped over goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and in thanks to a big touch off Ryan Gravenberch, and Kvaratskhelia then rounded his compatriot to double PSG's lead 65 minutes into a game they bossed from start to finish. It only remains to be seen whether the reigning European champions -- who had a second-half penalty in their favour overturned after a VAR review -- might regret not scoring more goals against a Liverpool side who lined up with three centre-backs and were run ragged. "I think we had chances to score more. There were many moments where we should score but it is OK," Kvaratskhelia told broadcaster Canal Plus. "I think 2-0 is good but we have to stay focused because we have to play at Anfield. We know that the atmosphere will be amazing so we are already starting to prepare that game." Liverpool's game plan could not stop them slumping to a second emphatic loss in five days, even if the scoreline was not as bad as the 4-0 mauling inflicted by Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend. It is just one win in six in all competitions for Liverpool, and this was a 16th reverse in total in a difficult campaign. "We were in survival mode for large parts of the game, and maybe also we are in survival mode at this period of the season," said coach Arne Slot. "It is really, really hard against this team -- PSG was the better team, but we didn't give up and that is why we still have a chance in this tie." Slot's team must try to repeat what they did in the last 16, when they overturned a 1-0 first-leg loss away to Galatasaray by winning 4-0 in the return. This will be a far tougher task, however, as the sides clash again next Tuesday on Merseyside, where PSG won 1-0 in the second leg of their last-16 tie last season before advancing on penalties. That was a big step on their way to winning the Champions League, and came after they somehow lost 1-0 at the Parc des Princes despite completely dominating. A string of Alisson Becker saves helped Liverpool smash and grab their way to victory a year ago, but the Brazilian was absent here meaning Mamardashvili started in goal. Salah left on bench Mohamed Salah was also left out of the line-up by Slot, instead taking a place on the bench alongside Alexander Isak with the Swede involved again after suffering a leg fracture in December. Hugo Ekitike started up front for Liverpool against the club where he spent 18 months earlier in his career and failed to escape the shadows of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. Joe Gomez slotted in alongside Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk as a third central defender, as Liverpool set out to press high but spent the night chasing the ball. PSG were well in control before they scored, as Doue collected the ball just outside the box, advanced into the area and tried a shot which struck Gravenberch's boot and took a looping trajectory which left the goalkeeper flummoxed. Mamardashvili did later save from Kvaratskhelia and Doue meaning there was just one goal in a one-sided first half in which PSG had 70 percent possession and Liverpool's only attempt came from Jeremie Frimpong when he was offside. The pattern of the contest did not really change after the break, with Ousmane Dembele blazing over before the second goal arrived. A superb Joao Neves pass released Kvaratskhelia through the inside-left channel, and the Georgian held off Gravenberch before rounding the goalkeeper to tuck in. Liverpool were then rescued by the Spanish referee's decision to change his mind after initially awarding a penalty when Konate brought down Warren Zaire-Emery, while also taking the ball. Small mercies for Slot, who sent on Isak in a quadruple substitution on 78 minutes, but left Salah on the bench. Dembele hit the post late on for PSG, although they are firmly in control after a ninth win in a game against Premier League opposition since the start of 2025. 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
09 April,2026 01:21 PM IST | Paris (France) | AFPADVERTISEMENT
