Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa insisted his team will be on their toes when they face a familiar foe in Benfica during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho’s team had stunned Los Blancos 2-1 in the final league stage game, to not just book their own berth in the play-off, but also scupper Real Madrid’s chance of bypassing this round altogether. Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe during a training session on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images “I hope history does not repeat itself. We are prepared for the difficulty of the match, the opponent, the atmosphere, and what awaits us on Tuesday. It’s 180 minutes, and we have to play a great game there. We cannot settle for just any result; we have to go out to win that match. We have it the loss very fresh in our minds, so we know how complicated it will be,” said Arbeloa. ThreeNo. of times Real Madrid have lost to Benfica in four meeting across all European 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
17 February,2026 09:54 AM IST | Lisbon | AgenciesArsenal manager Mikel Arteta was delighted with the performance put up by his charges as they dispatched Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday. The Gunners boss opted to rest key players for the cup tie, but was left surprised with the cohesiveness his much-changed side displayed. Mikel Arteta “Very happy with the results and especially the performance. You really want to show how much you want it when you play against this kind of opposition in the cup, and we certainly had that attitude, and then I was a bit surprised with the level of cohesion, because when you make that many changes, it can be lacking. But it certainly wasn’t [for us],” said Arteta. 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
17 February,2026 08:44 AM IST | London | AgenciesManager Arne Slot hailed Mohamed Salah’s defensive contribution in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup fourth Round here on Saturday. Salah set up their second goal, scored by Dominik Szoboszlai, while also netting later from the spot, but what stood out for Slot was Salah’s performance without the ball — something that he has been criticised for in the past. Arne Slot “It’s very nice to have him on the scoresheet again and him having an assist. That he’s scoring goals is something you can almost expect, but what I like the most is, he’s helping the team a lot defensively. That is something very positive. It’s what we need,” said Slot. Other results Birmingham 3-5 Leeds UtdGrimsby Town 0-1 WolvesStoke City 1-2 FulhamOxford 0-1 Sunderland 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 February,2026 08:43 AM IST | Liverpool | AgenciesInjured Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham spent his Valentine’s Day at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, watching Los Blancos take on Real Sociedad from the VIP box with his girlfriend Ashlyn Castro by his side. The pair was treated to a footballing spectacle as Real Madrid romped home to a 4-1 victory in the La Liga fixture— possibly the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a football-loving couple.
16 February,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentChelsea superstar Cole Palmer treated girlfriend Olivia Holder to a lavish holiday in Dubai as a Valentine’s Day gift. According to British tabloid The Sun, the couple flew first class to Dubai late on Thursday, and spent the next two days there. Palmer is said to have given Olivia several large bouquets on reaching the hotel, and also a gift bag from French fashion brand Chanel. They then had dinner at GAL, a top-tier restaurant, famed for its Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. It’s also said to offer an £800 (approximately Rs 99,000) Japanese Wagyu beef dish. Interestingly, halfway across the globe in England, Palmer’s club were busy hammering Hull City in a FA Cup Round-Four tie on the very same day. Palmer, however, was rested for the match against their Championship-level opposition, and he certainly made the most of it with Olivia. The pair began dating towards the end of last year, and Olivia has been spotted attending Chelsea games ever since. Holder is a jet-setting social media influencer, who often posts pictures of herself in various exotic locations around the world.
16 February,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentEngland star Harry Kane scored twice for Bayern Munich on Saturday - including his 100th successful penalty - to take his career tally to 500 for club and country, according to stats provider Opta. Kane's brace helped Bayern maintain its six-point Bundesliga lead with a 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Werder Bremen. Kane said he was only told of his achievement after the match. "It was nice. Obviously a proud achievement to reach 500 goals. It's a lot of hard work, a lot sacrifice, so nice to reach it. But as always, it's about the next one," Kane told broadcaster Dazn. "So the most important thing today is the win, the clean sheet." Kane's first goal was as a 17-year-old playing for Leyton Orient against Sheffield Wednesday in England's third tier in January 2011. He scored Saturday's goals in the first half. The penalty came in the 22nd minute after Lennart Karl was brought down. The second came four minutes later with a crisp shot in off the post from outside the penalty area for his 26th league goal of the season. Kane needed 743 games to reach 500 goals, according to Transfermarkt.de. The 32-year-old forward has 78 goals in 112 games for England. Leon Goretzka, making a rare start in his final season at Bayern, scored the team's third goal in the 70th. "We scored at the perfect situation and killed the game off," Kane said. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer went off at half time, reportedly as a precaution, with a minor calf problem. Jonas Urbig took his place for the second period. Bayern's win means the team is highly unlikely to be overtaken by Borussia Dortmund when the two rivals meet in two weeks. Bayern's goal difference is vastly superior. Dortmund, which defeated Mainz 4-0 for its sixth consecutive league win on Friday, next visits Leipzig while Bayern hosts Eintracht Frankfurt in the 23rd round, a week before "der Klassiker" in Dortmund. Hoffenheim eyes Champions League Hoffenheim consolidated third place with a 3-0 win over Freiburg. Andrej Kramaric scored a contender for goal of the day when he lobbed the ball in from around 40 meters. But a VAR check found he was offside. Fisnik Asllani and Ozan Kabak were on target after the break for Hoffenheim before substitute Valentin Gendrey scored seconds after going on to the field in stoppage time. Battle for fourth heats up Ermedin Demirovic scored twice and Deniz Undav got the third as Stuttgart moved into fourth spot, the last place for Champions League qualification, with a 3-1 win over Cologne. Bayer Leverkusen had earlier put the pressure on Stuttgart with a 4-0 win over lowly St. Pauli. Just three points separate Stuttgart (42), Leverkusen (39) and Leipzig (39) before Leipzig hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday. Also Saturday, Hamburger SV held on for a 3-2 win over Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed a 3-0 victory over visiting Borussia Monchengladbach. 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 February,2026 08:35 AM IST | Berlin | AP | PTIChelsea eased into the FA Cup fifth round as Pedro Neto’s hat-trick inspired a 4-0 win at Hull on Liam Rosenior’s return to the club that sacked him two years ago. Rosenior’s side took the lead through Neto’s superb strike from 20 yards in the 40th minute, before the Portugal forward netted again, this time directly from a corner in the 51st minute, as the Hull goalkeeper was caught flat-footed. Estevao Willian scored Chelsea’s third (59th min) with a composed finish from 12 yards, before Neto completed his treble in the 71st minute by caressing a low finish into the net from Liam Delap’s lay-off. Liam Rosenior Rosenior has made an impressive start at Chelsea since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca in January, winning eight out of his first 11 matches in all competitions. He made seven changes here, with Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro among those to miss out, but Chelsea were still too strong for the Championship side. “Pedro Neto has been outstanding, he works so hard and has so much quality. For me, he’s a world-class player. He’s a world-class winger and what I love about him, as talented as he is, which he showed today, what he sacrifices for the team at times is [amazing],” Rosenior said. “The most pleasing aspect was the mentality. It was a really strong performance in terms of the mental application you need to be successful. Everyone worked really hard for each other,” he added. 100%Chelsea’s progress rate in nine FA Cup ties against Hull City; they’ve never been knocked out by them EightNo. of wins for Chelsea in their last 11 matches across 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 February,2026 10:19 AM IST | Hull | AFPTottenham Hotspur has named Igor Tudor as their new head coach, the club said on Saturday. The former Juventus coach has joined Spurs until the end of the season after Thomas Frank was removed, with the club just sitting five points above the relegation zone in the ongoing English Premier League (EPL) season. Hotspur has won only two games in the ongoing 17 Premier League games. Tottenham's official website stated "his mandate is straightforward -- bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign." "It is an honour to join this club at an important moment. I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match," Tudor said, according to ESPN. "There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly," he added. Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange said, "Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact. Our objective is straightforward -- to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League." Tudor, 47, has previously been in charge at Lazio, Marseille and Galatasaray but has never spent more than two years at a single club. His attention now shifts to keeping the Spurs' fortunes and keeping the club out of a relegation battle in the Premier League. Tudor's first game in charge will be the north London derby against arch-rivals and league leaders Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 22. 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 February,2026 10:17 AM IST | London | ANIBarcelona were crushed at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium as Diego Simeone’s side ran riot with a 4-0 win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday. The result left Barcelona boss Hansi Flick fuming, particularly with the first-half display, wherein Atletico Madrid scored all four of their goals via Eric Garcia (own-goal; 7th min), Antoine Griezmann (14) Ademola Lookman (33), and Julian Alvarez (45+2). “We didn’t play well in the first-half as a team, we didn’t play like a team. In the first 45 minutes, we were handed a big lesson,” said the German coach. Nevertheless, Flick held out hope of a miraculous comeback at home on March 3. “We have one game more and we will fight [to win] that,” he added. 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 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Madrid | AgenciesAscend International School (BKC) defeated Bombay International School (Babulnath) 2–0 to clinch the boys Under-10 Division II title in the Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association inter-school football final at Azad Maidan on Wednesday. Despite controlling most of the proceedings, Ascend were unable to break the deadlock in the first half. Their midfield dictated the tempo with some crisp passing and sustained possession, while the defence remained compact. However, a combination of resolute defending and missed chances ensured the teams went into the interval goalless. Ascend raised the intensity after the break and were soon rewarded for their persistence. In the 22nd minute, Nivaan Virani got the breakthrough, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom right corner after a well-worked move. The insurance goal arrived in the 28th minute when Aushim Sagar found space inside the box and finished smartly into the top left corner.
13 February,2026 08:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamLiverpool boss Arne Slot praised Mohamed Salah after the “unbelievable” Egyptian equalled Liverpool’s record for assists in the English Premier League by setting up Virgil van Dijk’s winner in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory at Sunderland. Salah’s latest assist — a perfectly weighted corner that Van Dijk headed (61st min) — took his tally to 92, level with Anfield icon Steven Gerrard. Arne Slot “He has so many records for this club, but to have this one combined with such a great player. Both were unbelievable players for this club. Unfortunately for Steven, I expect Mo to go above him,” said Slot. Liverpool’s second win in their last eight league games ended Sunderland’s unbeaten home record in the top flight this season. This victory lifted Slot’s sixth-placed team to within two points of fifth-placed Chelsea and three points of fourth-placed Man United. NineNo. of seasons taken by Salah to notch up 92 assists 306No. of EPL appearances for Salah at Liverpool 17No. of seasons taken by Gerrard to notch up 92 assists 504No. of EPL appearances for Gerrard at Liverpool 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 February,2026 08:25 AM IST | Sunderland | AFPADVERTISEMENT
