Atletico Madrid sent 10-man Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League en-route to booking a spot in the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory despite Tuesday’s 1-2 quarter-final second-leg defeat. Diego Simeone’s side saw their 2-0 lead from last week’s first-leg clash evaporate within the opening half hour through strikes from Lamine Yamal (4th min) and Ferran Torres (24th min) as the Catalan giants turned on the heat. However, the in-form Ademola Lookman (31st min) fired the visitors ahead on aggregate and they managed to cling on to the win, while benefiting from Eric Garcia’s sending off in the 79th minute for a tackle on Alexander Sorloth. Atletico Madrid players celebrate their UCL quarter-final win vs Barcelona on Tuesday. Pic/AFP “We’re absolutely thrilled, eliminating a team of Barça’s level. We struggled at the start, but overcame it. The effort was enormous and we are deserved winners of the tie,” said Atletico Madrid skipper Koke. NineNo. of years since Atletico’s previous semi-final appearance 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,2026 10:18 AM IST | Madrid | AgenciesBarcelona forward Rapinha did not hold back in criticism and launched a scathing attack on the refereeing after his team was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Barcelona’s 2–1 win in the return leg was not enough to overturn a 2–0 deficit from the first match, as they lost the tie 3–2 on aggregate against their Spanish rivals. “For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this match but the other one as well. The refereeing was really bad, the decisions [Turpin] makes are unbelievable,” He said as quoted by the BBC. “I don't know how many fouls Atletico made, but the referee didn't give them a single yellow card. I really want to understand why they're so afraid that Barcelona will come and win,” Raphinha further added. The Brazilian forward, who missed both legs due to injury, also pointed to a pattern in the officiating across the two matches. “It was tough, especially when you realise you have to work three times as hard to win the match. I think this tie was quite misleading, in my view. I think everyone can make mistakes; everyone is human. But when the mistakes keep repeating themselves in exactly the same way, I think that's something we need to pay attention to,” he noted. The clash saw Barcelona reduced to 10 men in both legs following VAR interventions. Defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the first leg by referee Istvan Kovacs, while Eric Garcia was dismissed in the second leg by Clement Turpin, with both yellow cards upgraded to reds for denying goal-scoring opportunities. Barcelona had also raised concerns over a first-leg incident involving Atletico defender Marc Pubill, who appeared to handle the ball inside the penalty area. However, Kovacs and VAR official Christian Dingert allowed play to continue. Barcelona lodged a complaint with UEFA over what they described as a grave lack of VAR intervention; they demanded acceptance of fault, but the governing body denied their request on Tuesday and termed the protest as inadmissible. With this loss, Barcelona's 11-year wait to lift the Champions Trophy continues, while on the other side, Atletico Madrid has qualified for the semi-finals and would look to end their quest for their first Champions League title. Madrid has reached the finals three times, but finished as runners-up on every occasion. 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,2026 10:09 AM IST | Madrid | IANSEngland football great Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen celebrated her 40th birthday in style over the Easter weekend, with latest pictures revealing the extent to which the couple splurged on Coleen’s special day. According to British tabloid The Sun, a grand marquee was set up on the lawns of the Rooneys’s £20mn (approximately Rs 253cr) mansion in Cheshire, with a large illuminated 40 overlooking a pond in their estate. The walls of the marquee were decorated with Penguin book covers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Julie Perry Events (@julieperryevents) The furniture was adorned by tea lights and roses, while a flowering tree was set up in the centre of a pop-up bar. Irish singer Dermot Kennedy performed some of his hits on a mini stage, before a DJ took over for the rest of the night. Coleen was dressed in a lavender outfit, while Wayne sported a semi-casual look, pairing a white t-shirt with a navy blue blazer.
16 April,2026 10:03 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentParis Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique hailed his team’s resilience as they beat Liverpool 2-0 at home on Tuesday to seal a 4-0 win on aggregate and advance to the Champions League semi-final. The Reds gave a far better account of themselves than they managed last week in Paris, but a deficit of 0-2 proved to be too hard to overturn. Ultimately Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele struck twice (72nd and 91st min) to help the Parisians progress. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele (left) celebrates scoring against Liverpool on Tuesday. Pic/AFP “It was an intense match. The first-half went more for us because we controlled the match and created a few chances. In the second half, it was different. We suffered a lot, they pressed high and took a lot of risks. It was difficult, but we beat their press twice and scored,” said PSG manager 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
16 April,2026 09:44 AM IST | Liverpool | AgenciesAtletico Madrid survived a strong comeback attempt by Barcelona in the quarterfinals at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday to advance to the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time in nine years. Diego Simeone's team advanced 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 1-2 to Barcelona because of their first-leg advantage. Barcelona got off to a fantastic start, scoring in the fourth minute thanks to Lamine Yamal. In the 24th minute, Ferran Torres scored a strong goal to draw the match on aggregate and give the visitors the upper hand. But Atletico's attacker, Ademola Lookman, scored in the 31st minute to retake the aggregate lead, giving the home team a vital advantage heading into halftime.Barcelona brought on attacking players like Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski to push hard for another goal in the second half, but Atletico Madrid retained their composure and put up a sturdy defence. When Eric Garcia was sent off for a last-man foul in the 79th minute, the game shifted even more in Atletico's favour. Ronald Araujo missed a late header in stoppage time as Barcelona struggled to find the game-winning goal. Atletico continue their good form against Barcelona This result was Atletico's third Champions League quarterfinal victory over Barcelona. They had previously won 3-2 on aggregate in 2015/16 (1-2 away, 2-0 home) and 2-1 on aggregate in 2013/14 (1-1 away, 1-0 home). Barcelona's victory on the night marked Atletico's first loss in 11 UEFA home games against Spanish opponents (Wins: 8, Defeats: 2). The 2-1 loss was also Atletico's first home loss in a Champions League knockout game since they were defeated 3-2 by Ajax in the second leg of a quarterfinal encounter in March 1997. Atletico will now face either Arsenal or Sporting in the semi-finals. Arsenal have a slender 1-0 lead going into the second leg, thanks to a late Kai Havertz winner in the reverse fixture. In the other quarter-final, PSG defeated Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield to secure a 4-0 aggregate victory. The defending champions will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the other semi-final. (With ANI Input)
15 April,2026 05:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFootball superstar David Beckham’s wife Victoria has had every single one of her tattoos removed, including those featuring her husband and her three sons Brooklyn (27), Romeo (23), and Cruz (21). The former Spice Girls pop singer had six inkings across her body dedicated to her family, all of which have now been removed, according to her youngest son Cruz, 21. The revelation was made by Cruz during an Instagram question and answer session with his followers. One fan asked: “Does Victoria have tattoos?” To which Cruz simply replied: “Not anymore,” without elaborating on why she had the tattoos removed.
15 April,2026 10:00 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentThe third edition of the Mumbai Rink Football League (MRFL) will be held at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra, from May 15 to 31. Over 40 teams will participate in the league that will be held across four categories — men’s open, women’s open, men’s veterans and boys U-17. The five-a-side league offers a lucrative total prize purse of almost Rs 8 lakh, with the men’s open winners and runners-up set to receive Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively. The top two veterans teams will be richer by Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000, while the boys U-17 and women’s top two teams will each be awarded Rs 60,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively. For entry fee and further details, contact Myrin D’Mello (9821136036) or Denver Fonseca (9819447207).
15 April,2026 09:50 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentManchester United interim boss Michael Carrick blasted referee Paul Tierney for sending off Lisandro Martinez in Monday’s 1-2 defeat to Leeds United in the English Premier League. The Argentine centre-back was dismissed in the second-half at Old Trafford after he pulled the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Lisandro Martinez. Pic/AFP United were trailing to Noah Okafor’s (5th and 29th min) first-half double when Martinez was dismissed. Considering Casemiro pulled one back for the Red Devils in the 69th minute, Carrick reckons Martinez’s red card scuppered their chances of nicking a point or perhaps even a win. “I thought the boys stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking decision to send off Lisandro. This one was one of the worst I’ve seen. It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive. He touches it [Calvert-Lewin’s hair] and he gets sent off. Shocking,” said Carrick. United remain in third place in the EPL (55 points from 32 games), seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish. With one win in their last four games, United travel to Chelsea on Saturday for a crucial clash in the battle for UCL places. TwoNo. of games Man Utd have lost under Michael Carrick across 11 matches in all competitions 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,2026 09:49 AM IST | Manchester | AgenciesBayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany oozed confidence on the eve of his side’s Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash against 15-time record champions Real Madrid, expressing total belief in his team’s ability to progress to the semi-finals. Bayern head into Wednesday’s clash with a vital 2-1 lead, which scarcely captures the German giants’s dominance of the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. That display has left Kompany brimming with hope that they can prevent the Los Blancos from stirring the kind of comeback they usually deliver at the business end of the Champions League. Vincent Kompany. Pic/AFP “We’re mentally and physically well prepared. And we’re excited about this game. You need those positive emotions. We know we can hurt them and I firmly believe we can win,” said the Belgian coach at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. However, he admitted they cannot afford to get too carried away despite playing at home and being in the midst of a stellar run — they are unbeaten in their last 15 games across all competitions. “One of the key things, no doubt, is that we have a great deal of respect for Real. We felt that way even before the game at the Bernabeu, and we still do. We’re preparing for the best version of Real, which is what we saw against Manchester City. Their recent results don’t reflect the talent they possess. They’re still one of the best teams in Europe,” said the Bayern Munich boss, while referencing Real Madrid’s underwhelming form in La Liga, where they drew 1-1 against Girona over the weekend, which came after a 1-2 loss to Mallorca. 15Bayern Munich’s current unbeaten streak across all competitions 22No. of times Bayern have progressed in a UCL knockout tie after winning the first leg away, in 23 matches 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,2026 09:47 AM IST | Munich | AgenciesLiverpool 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 CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
