Champions League group phase leaders Liverpool virtually sealed a place in the last 16 with a 1-0 victory at Girona on Tuesday after Mohamed Salah struck from the penalty spot. Liverpool have made a stunning start in the competition under coach Arne Slot, winning all six of their matches to move provisionally five points clear of second place Inter Milan. The English giants, six-time winners of the competition, were given a tough night by Champions League debutants Girona, who fell to a fifth defeat and are on the verge of elimination. Teams finishing in the top eight will avoid an extra round of play-off matches. Slot started fit-again goalkeeper Alisson Becker after a two-month injury lay-off and the Brazilian showed no sign of rust on a busy night. After their Mersyside derby clash at Everton was called off because of a storm at the weekend, Slot was able to pick a fresh side, going with arguably his strongest available team to try and assure a top eight finish as soon as possible. Also Read: FIFA prepares to give Saudi Arabia its biggest sports win yet as host of the 2034 World Cup Champions League newcomers Girona, who lost several key players in the summer and are still rebuilding, opted for Arnaut Danjuma in attack with support from spritely duo Bryan Gil and Yaser Asprilla. Liverpool pinned the hosts back in the first 10 minutes and Girona stopper Paulo Gazzaniga pushed away a Joe Gomez header. After that Girona found their footing on a chilly night at their sold-out Montilivi stadium, reduced to under 10,000 capacity due to UEFA regulations, and they began to put Alisson to the test. The goalkeeper saved from Alejandro Frances and then denied former Tottenham winger Gil, who slipped as he ran through on Liverpool's goal. Alisson also beat away a Miguel Gutierrez drive as the qualities of the side which pushed Real Madrid close for the Spanish title last season shone through. Darwin Nunez spurned Liverpool's first big chance after Salah slipped him in, with Gazzaniga keeping out the Uruguayan striker's low poke. Alisson was tested again early in the second half by former Bournemouth forward Danjuma. The Dutchman then gave Liverpool's defence the slip with a clever dribble but fired over, as Slot's words ahead of the game were proven true -- Girona were better than the standings suggested after four defeats in their first five matches. Despite their valiant efforts, the Liverpool juggernaut is proving hard to stop and the Premier League leaders took the lead with a penalty won by Luis Diaz. The Colombian winger went down under a challenge from Donny van de Beek and after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot. Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal, pulling the Egyptian level with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th highest goalscorer of all-time in the competition. The winger is out of contract at the end of of the season but his 16 goals across all competitions have been essential in Liverpool's superb first half of the season. Slot replaced the wasteful Nunez with Cody Gakpo as he tried to see the game out, while Girona were deflated after conceding and unable to make further inroads as their Champions League dream draws towards a close. 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 December,2024 06:35 PM IST | Girona, Spain | AFPSaudi Arabia will be confirmed by FIFA as host of the men's soccer 2034 World Cup on Wednesday, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The decision completes a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which FIFA president Gianni Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk. FIFA and Saudi officials say hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women. A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting a three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup led by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. That bid also will win Wednesday in a combined approval for the 2030 and 2034 tournament hosts by applause from more than 200 FIFA member federations in an online meeting hosted from Zurich by Infantino. It will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament. Also Read: IND vs AUS 3rd Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal arrives late, Team India bus departs in time One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom ¿ a futuristic city that does not yet exist and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh. During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's human rights record that was widely criticized this year at the United Nations. Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar's much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince's sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. Critics have called it sportswashing of the kingdom's reputation. The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 aligning with the organizer of sport's most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project. The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win Wednesday with limited pushback from soccer officials, though some from women international players. The steady flow of Saudi cash into international soccer is set to increase. FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for state oil firm Aramco, and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino. North American soccer body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts. Lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs in the past two years buying and paying players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané put hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer. That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. Still, January 2034 could be an option and likely better for European clubs and leagues after the International Olympic Committee said it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia, to host the new Esports Olympics. 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 December,2024 06:32 PM IST | Zurich | APThe inevitable result has been clear since last year: Saudi Arabia will be confirmed by FIFA as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. The 2030 World Cup also will be awarded to a six-nation, three-continent project led by co-hosts Spain, Portugal Morocco. It gives a single game each at South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the first host in 1930. Also Read: No best time to play Man City: Juve boss Motta Two men’s World Cups, one candidate for each, both a shoo-in to win. The outcome will be as FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino intended in October last year. Then, on the same day, the 2030 race was effectively decided and the 2034 one surprisingly opened. FIFA is sending one of the biggest prizes in world sports toward the state modernizing project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decade of global scrutiny will follow. 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 December,2024 08:00 AM IST | Geneva | AP | PTIManchester City might be deep in a crisis which is unprecedented under iconic coach Pep Guardiola but on Wednesday the wobbling English champions take on a Juventus team with troubles of their own. Juventus were booed and whistled by their supporters on Saturday night when they struggled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the death with mid-table Bologna. Fans, who were expecting a change of tune when coach Thiago Motta left Bologna to replace Massimiliano Allegri in the summer, have been frustrated by a run of four straight draws which have left Juve off the pace at home and in Europe. Also Read: ‘Strain almost unbearable’ Had Juve not been in such uninspiring form Wednesday would have been a perfect opportunity to leapfrog City in the Champions League table, where the Italians sit 19th, behind their Premier League opponents on goal difference. “I don’t think there is a best time to play Manchester City, but we will face the match as we always do, by trying to stop them from playing their football and impose our own play on them,” said Motta on Saturday. Juve have drawn 11 of their 20 matches in all competitions this season and are seven points behind new Serie A leaders Atalanta after 15 matches, not the start that the club were hoping for. “We’re a young team and we need to improve in all departments, both physically and mentally,” Motta told reporters 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
11 December,2024 07:56 AM IST | Milan | AFPBorussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin on Tuesday lamented how the crowded fixture list has put an “almost unbearable” strain on players as his injury-hit side prepare to host Barcelona midweek. Suele out for several months Sahin announced centre-back Niklas Suele would miss “several months” with an ankle injury, the latest addition to Dortmund’s overcrowded sick bay. “The strain is almost unbearable, especially for international players. I don’t know when they are supposed to have a break,” said Sahin. Also Read: Nerves to play crucial role in Gukesh, Liren’s close finish Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin In addition to Suele, last season’s Champions League finalists are missing midfielders Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi, forward Maximilian Beier along with defender Waldemar Anton, all who have played for Germany in recent seasons. The 36-year-old, who played for Real Madrid and Liverpool as well as Dortmund before becoming a coach, said: “They travel from A to B, from B to C, and when they get back I’m bombarding them with information about their next opponents,” he said. “On top of that, the game has changed completely in recent years... 10 to 15 years ago, the game was different, fewer sprints and a lot less running. Nowadays, you have to push yourself to the limit in every game,” he added. Backlash from everywhere Several other players and coaches have hit out at the fixture schedule. Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players were considering striking earlier in the year, weeks before he went down with a season-ending ACL tear. “Neither Pep [Guardiola] nor Jurgen Klopp were able to change that after speaking at press conferences, so if Nuri Sahin says something, it’s very likely FIFA will not say ‘we will change it’,” he added. “But the workload is simply too high.” Dortmund and Barcelona are level on 12 points. 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 December,2024 07:53 AM IST | Berlin | AFPThe 2030 FIFA World Cup will send dozens of football teams and hordes of fans crisscrossing the globe for matches on three continents, sparking alarm over the environmental cost. An announcement on the 2030 and 2034 World Cups will be made on Wednesday, with expectations of a dramatic expansion of geographic footprint -- and with that planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions. While Saudi Arabia is the lone candidate for 2034, Morocco, Spain and Portugal have formed a joint bid for the 2030 tournament, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay each also set to host a match. Guillaume Gouze, of the Centre of Sports Law and Economics at the University of Limoges, said FIFA has a "moral responsibility" to integrate climate concerns into its tournament plans. Instead, he said, it had proposed World Cups that are an "ecological aberration". 'Crazy idea' Benja Faecks of the NGO Carbon Market Watch, which evaluates climate promises of major events, told AFP that in general attempts at greenwashing in sport -- or "sportswashing" -- are harder than they used to be, with academics and campaigners holding organisations to account. But she said that the 2030 tournament was "an unfortunate geographic choice". When an event is spread over sites thousands of kilometres apart, teams and potentially hundreds of thousands of their loyal fans have to travel by plane. The three matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are to mark the 100th anniversary of the event, which was born in Montevideo. FIFA is keen to support access to football across different parts of the world, said David Gogishvili, a researcher at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Also Read: Who is Kim Woo-Sung? Referee who allowed Qatar's controversial goal robbing India of FIFA WC qualification But "it is a crazy idea in terms of the impact this choice will have on the planet", he added. FIFA has already expanded participation in the competition, which will see 48 teams take part in the 2026 edition -- held in Mexico, the United States and Canada -- compared to 32 in 2022. This "is almost worse than the Cup on three continents," says Aurelien Francois, who teaches sports management at the University of Rouen in France. More teams means more fans wanting to visit the venues, more capacity needed in the hotel and catering sector, and more waste, among other issues. FIFA says that, with the exception of the games in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay "for 101 games, the tournament will be played in a footprint of neighbouring countries in close geographic proximity and with extensive and well developed transport links and infrastructure". Meanwhile, oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco became a major sponsor earlier this year in a controversial deal that runs through to 2027. In October, an open letter from more than a hundred female professional footballers across 24 countries called for the deal to be cancelled on the grounds of human rights and environmental concerns, saying: "FIFA might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it alight". Fan zones Just shrinking the geographic footprint is not enough, researchers said. While the 2022 World Cup was held in a "compact" site in Qatar, it was necessary to build new air-conditioned stadiums that were rarely reused. Potential improvements could include a policy of not awarding the World Cup to a city where everything has yet to be built, echoing a rule by the International Olympic Committee, said Gogishvili. Another idea to reduce air travel is to reserve a large proportion of stadium tickets for fans travelling from within a few hundred kilometres, and encourage transport by train. Gouze, like other experts interviewed by AFP, supports creating more fan zones in soccer-loving cities for "a collective experience" that recreates the stadium atmosphere in front of a big screen. But this would need FIFA to accept the impact on the economic profitability of the World Cup. Soccer fans are a reflection of the population as a whole, so a growing percentage are more environmentally conscious than even a few years ago, said Ronan Evain of Hamburg-based Football Supporters Europe. He said that while co-hosting is not a problem in and of itself, citing the example of the 2002 Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, the 2030 tournament poses "too many questions" for fans. These include the environmental costs, as well as financial considerations for fans trying to follow their teams across the planet. But die-hard supporters will not let the long-haul flight put them off, said Antoine Miche, director of Football Ecologie France. "Passion can make you do things that don't make sense," 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
10 December,2024 10:11 AM IST | Paris | AFPKylian Mbappe says he reacted with disbelief when he saw media reports from Sweden two months ago that he was the subject of a rape investigation. The Real Madrid star spoke about the case publicly for the first time in an interview that aired Sunday on French TV station Canal Plus. Several Swedish media reported in October that Mbappe was the subject of a rape investigation following a visit to Stockholm during time off from playing for Madrid and France. At the time Mbappe’s legal team dismissed those reports as false. Also Read: Mbappe-PSG salary row faces hearing as France captain cited in 'rape' report “I was surprised and I still am surprised, by the way. These are things that come into your life like that, you can’t see them coming,” Mbappe told Canal Plus. “It’s just incomprehension. I don’t think it weighed on me in the sense that I have never considered myself involved,” he added. Mbappe added that he “would go” to Sweden if ever he were summoned but that he has not been contacted by authorities. “Listen, I haven’t received anything, no summons, nothing,” he told Canal Plus. “The Swedish government has not said anything, so I’m not concerned [involved].” 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 December,2024 06:25 AM IST | Paris | AP | PTIThe enlarged first stage of the revamped Champions League was supposed to be a stroll for giants of European soccer like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. It’s proving anything but that. In fact, heading into the sixth of eight rounds in the new-look, 36-team league format, there’s a growing risk of an embarrassingly early exit for Madrid and City — the winners of the last two Champions League titles — as well as PSG, the French champion which is doing by far the worst out of the four Ligue 1 teams in the competition. Twenty-four clubs will advance to the knockout stage, with the top eight qualifying directly for the last 16 and the other 16 going into two-legged playoffs. Also Read: PSG reject league order to pay Mbappe PSG is currently in 25th place — and therefore out of the qualifying picture — while Kylian Mbappe and Madrid are only one place higher, hanging onto the last qualifying spot. They both play away from home this week in their third-to-last games, with Madrid facing a tough trip to Atalanta and PSG having what looks to be an easier game at Salzburg, also 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
10 December,2024 06:22 AM IST | London | AP | PTICole Palmer scored two penalties as Chelsea came from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday and go second in the Premier League. Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski gave under-fire Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou a dream start. But his cavalier attacking approach will come under more scrutiny as Chelsea roared back to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games. Enzo Maresca Jadon Sancho gave the visitors a foothold before they dominated the second half with Palmer twice cool from the spot, either side of Enzo Fernandez’s strike. Chelsea close to within four points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after their visit to Everton on Saturday was postponed due to high winds. “Mentally we showed how strong we are,” said Chelsea boss. Also Read: Chelsea condemn homophobic abuse aimed at Sam Kerr after pregnancy announcement Enzo Maresca, who reiterated his belief the Blues are not title contenders. But the Italian did go on to say: “100 percent we are ahead of my expectation. In terms of the way we play on the ball, off the ball and in terms of the results.” 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 December,2024 06:20 AM IST | London | AFPChelsea completed a comeback to secure a 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Powered by Cole Palmer’s brace, which saw him break the record of scoring most consecutive penalties with 12 in Premier League history, the Blues fought back after going 0-2 down in the opening minutes of the game. The match began with high anticipation following the return of central defensive duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Spurs seized the early momentum, taking a 2-0 lead within 12 minutes. Dominic Solanke opened the scoring, followed by Dejan Kulusevski's clinical finish, sending the home fans into raptures. However, Chelsea quickly responded, with Jadon Sancho, who playedexceptionally well on the night, pulling one back for the visitors in the 17th minute. Spurs had several chances to extend their lead, notably from Heung-Min Son, Solanke, and Pape Matar Sarr, whose strike hit the woodwork. At the other end, goalkeeper Fraser Forster was called into action, producing a double save to deny Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto, while Spurs also suffered a blow with Romero's injury. Also Read: Chelsea condemn homophobic abuse aimed at Sam Kerr after pregnancy announcement The match took another dramatic turn after the break. Yves Bissouma conceded a penalty for a foul on Moises Caicedo, and Palmer calmly converted the spot-kick to give Spurs a 3-2 advantage in the 61st minute. But Chelsea hit back once more. Enzo Fernandez equalized on 73 minutes before Palmer's second penalty—this time awarded for a foul on him by Sarr—gave Chelsea a 4-3 lead. Spurs pushed for an equalizer, and in the dying moments, Son slotted home from James Maddison's cross in the 96th minute, but time ran out securing a sensational victory for Chelsea, who have now moved within four points of league leaders 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
09 December,2024 10:36 AM IST | London | IANSMohun Bagan Super Giant extended their positive form with a 2-0 win over NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Sunday. Two sublime strikes from Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco in the second half gave the Mariners all three points. With this win, they also went top of the table with 23 points. The game had a lot of intensity right from the kickoff whistle with the visitors taking the initiative. The first real chance of the match came Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s way when Liston Colaco struck the post in the 10th minute after beating a couple of defenders on his way before pulling the trigger. Nine minutes later, it was NorthEast United FC’s turn to attack as Alaaeddine Ajaraie’s brilliant cross from the left flank found Nestor Albiach in the box. The Spaniard controlled the ball before unleashing a vicious effort on goal but Vishal Kaith came up with a fantastic save to deny the Highlanders an early lead. A minute later, Dimitrios Petratos found Liston in the box with a swerving cross. Despite beating his marker, the winger’s eventual contact with the ball was too tame to challenge Gurmeet Singh in goal. Right at the stroke of halftime, Petratos almost got the lead for the Mariners with a long-range effort but Gurmeet parried the ball away brilliantly as both teams finished the first period on level terms. Also Read: Durand Cup derby called off as protests erupt over doctor's rape and murder The opening goal came in the 65th minute when Manvir Singh made a beautiful cut in from the right flank before nestling the ball into the top left corner before the Highlanders’ backline including Gurmeet could even react. The goal almost came against the run of play where the hosts were looking like the better team, especially in the second half. The goal saw a massive shift in momentum for the visitors as they held more possession and started creating some chances. In the 71st minute, their sustained pressure paid dividends when Liston lost his marker with a fine cut-in before curling it past Gurmeet on the far post to double the lead for the Mariners. In the 87th minute, Greg Stewart and Deepak Tangri came on as Molina was looking to close out the game. The Highlanders created a few chances in the final few minutes but the visitors held their lines exceptionally to register their sixth clean sheet of the ongoing 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
09 December,2024 10:35 AM IST | Guwahati | IANSADVERTISEMENT
