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India face tricky B’desh in Asian Cup qualifier
A 3-0 thrashing of Maldives in their first international match of the year will certainly boost their confidence, but India will be wary of a tricky Bangladesh in their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match here on Tuesday. Also Read: Ukraine’s Kostyuk raises eyebrows after beating Russian Blinkova with underarm serve India notched a commanding win over lower-ranked Maldives here on March 19, which marked the first win under the charge of Manolo Marquez. The win was also significant as the talismanic Sunil Chhetri led the team with a superb goal in his international return, his 95th in India Jersey. Bangladesh have been familiar but tricky rivals for India and historically it has not been easy outings whenever the two sides faced each other. India though are currently ranked much higher in the FIFA chart — 126th as against 185th on Bangladesh. 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
25 March,2025 08:37 AM IST | Shillong | PTI
Rivaldo, Xavi, Owen and Pepe confirmed for Legends Faceoff
Rivaldo, Xavi Hernandes, Michael Owen and Pepe were among the additional star names confirmed to take part in the Legends Faceoff contest between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, here on April 6. Among the others who have also been confirmed for the contest to be played here at the DY Patil Stadium are Javier Saviola, Phillip Cocu and Christian Karembeau. Also Read: ‘That goal killed us’ “I’ve experienced some of the greatest rivalries in football, and now I can’t wait to relive it in front of passionate Indian fans in Mumbai. Get ready for a special night,” Xavi said in a release. Owen said, “India has some of the most passionate football fans, and I’m looking forward to stepping onto the pitch for Legends Faceoff.” Pepe shared, “I’ve always loved playing in high-intensity games, and this will be no different.” 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
25 March,2025 08:00 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | IANS
‘That goal killed us’
If Italy fails to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time, an embarrassing goal might be remembered as contributing to another epic failure. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the entire Azzurri defense were protesting to the referee when Joshua Kimmich played a short corner to Jamal Musiala, who scored into an empty net to give Germany a 2-0 lead over Italy in the Nations League quarter-finals in Dortmund. Germany went ahead 3-0 by halftime before Italy fought back for a 3-3 draw but the home team still advanced 5-4 on aggregate Sunday. Also Read: Boss Pochettino backs US despite loss to Canada “The second goal killed us,” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said. “It was an easy thing to avoid. Having said that, these are my players and I will always back them, even if some criticism is appropriate.” The result means Italy enters a five-team World Cup qualifying group featuring Erling Haaland’s Norway instead of a four-team group in which the highest-ranked nation is Slovakia. Winning the group is the only way to ensure direct qualification to next year’s tournament in North America. The second-placed team goes into the playoffs. Meanwhile, Defending champion Spain and France needed penalty shootouts to reach the Nations League semifinals, where they were joined by Germany and Portugal. 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
25 March,2025 07:45 AM IST | Rome | AP | PTI
Boss Pochettino backs US despite loss to Canada
Mauricio Pochettino called for patience on Sunday after the United States slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Canada, insisting there was still time to turn things around ahead of next year’s World Cup. After an abject CONCACAF Nations League semi-final loss to Panama on Thursday, Pochettino had called on his team to show greater urgency and take more risks in Sunday’s third place game against Canada. Also Read: IPL 2025 | 'Still playing for DC': Netizens rip into Rishabh Pant after six-ball duck in LSG captaincy debut But those pleas appeared to have fallen on deaf ears judging by another lackluster display from Pochettino’s side, who failed to take a single shot — on or off target — in the opening half-hour at SoFi Stadium. It marked another dispiriting performance from the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, who will return to the same venue on June 12 next year for their opening game of the tournament. Pochettino is confident that by then his side will be in much better shape. “There’s a lot of examples in different years of teams that were building to play in a World Cup that were not good until they arrived at the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “So I want to send a message to the fans ‘Don’t be pessimistic, don’t get bad feelings’. It can happen. But the main objective is the World Cup,” the Argentine 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
25 March,2025 07:44 AM IST | Inglewood (USA) | AFP
Winger Gordon out of England’s clash v Latvia
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon has withdrawn from the England team due to an injury that he sustained during the Three Lions’ win over Albania in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers last week. As a result, he will miss his country’s second qualifying game against Latvia on Monday evening. “Anthony Gordon has withdrawn from Three Lions camp having sustained an injury during Friday night’s 2-0 win over Albania. The forward has returned to Newcastle United for further assessment,” England Football said in a statement on Sunday. Also Read: Erling Haaland on target as Norway rout Moldova 5-0 Gordon was introduced as a second-half substitute against Albania on Friday. The 24-year-old went down late in the game and received treatment before heading down the tunnel. “He looks injured. Initially, I thought it was his stomach, but it’s his hip and it does not look good. It’s a bit worrying,” England coach Thomas Tuchel had said after the win. Tuchel, who publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the performances of wingers Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after the Albania game, may have preferred to start Gordon against Latvia, considering he has fifteen goal contributions this 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
24 March,2025 08:07 AM IST | London | IANS
Erling Haaland on target as Norway rout Moldova 5-0
Manchester City star striker Erling Haaland helped Norway make a positive start to their World Cup qualifying campaign by scoring in a 5-0 rout of Moldova. Norway’s third and last World Cup appearance was back in 1998, two years before Haaland was born. Now, Haaland leads a team featuring Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard that bears high expectations of reaching the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Also Read: ‘Mega’ McLaren turn Shanghai orange Haaland scored Norway’s second goal against the outmatched Moldovans. The strike took his exceptional career haul to 39 goals in 40 appearances for his country since his debut in 2019. Dortmund defender Julian Ryerson opened the scoring for Norway five minutes after kickoff in Chisinau. Haaland doubled the lead in the 23rd. Thelo Aasgaard, who assisted Ryerson for the opener, made it three before Odegaard set up Alexander Sorloth before half-time. Substitute Aron Donnum got on the scoresheet in the second half. Haaland already knows what it is to win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup with Manchester City, but he has yet to take his country to a major tournament. Injury ruled Haaland out of several matches during Norway’s unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup. The talented Norway team likewise failed to qualify for the 2024 European Championship after finishing third in their qualification group behind Spain and Scotland. 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
24 March,2025 08:02 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTI
No Messi, no problem!
Argentina are on the brink of qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a superb strike from Thiago Almada earned them a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Montevideo on Friday. The reigning world champions seemed set to share the spoils after a tense tussle against a Uruguay side who defeated the Argentinians 2-0 in Buenos Aires earlier in qualifying. But Argentina grabbed all three points with a moment of magic that stunned Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario. Gathering the ball on the edge of the area, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder Almada took a touch and uncorked a ferocious strike that flew into the top corner beyond the diving Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. Lionel Scaloni The only blemish for Argentina on an otherwise solid night’s work came deep into stoppage time when Nicolas Gonzalez was dismissed after catching Uruguay defender Nahitan Nandez with a high boot in a rash challenge. Nevertheless that late red card could not take the gloss off the evening for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who praised his team’s response to losing Lionel Messi to injury. “How can I not be satisfied?” Scaloni said following the win. “Not just for the result, but for how they gave it their all. The satisfaction comes from the fact that the team played a complete match. When one player is missing, another comes in,” he added. The win means Argentina can become the first South American team to book their place at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a draw against arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. The world champions now lead the 10-team South American qualifying competition with 28 points from 13 games, leaving them six points ahead of Ecuador in second, with Brazil third on 21 points. Uruguay are fourth in the standings with 20 points from 13 games, just ahead of fifth-placed Paraguay on goal difference. Friday’s victory ensures that Argentina can finish no worse than seventh place, meaning they are assured of at least a spot in an inter-confederation playoff. The top six teams in the standings qualify automatically for the World Cup. 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
23 March,2025 06:18 AM IST | Montevideo (Uruguay) | AFP
England coach Tuchel not satisfied with winning start
Thomas Tuchel admitted lacklustre England must “do better” after the Three Lions boss started his reign with a spluttering 2-0 win against minnows Albania on Friday. Tuchel had hoped to mark his debut with a dynamic display in England’s opening World Cup qualifier at Wembley. But England struggled to deliver the wow factor Tuchel had demanded earlier in the week when he claimed they were “afraid” to lose during their inconsistent run to the Euro 2024 final under his predecessor Gareth Southgate. Myles Lewis-Skelly repaid Tuchel’s faith as the teenage Arsenal left-back put England ahead with a composed finish in the 20th minute of his debut. England captain Harry Kane finally wrapped up the win with a clinical strike in the 77th minute. However, between the two goals there were long spells of tedious sideways passing from the hosts as they laboured to prise open Albania’s defence, prompting Tuchel to concede they had performed well below his expectations. “We can do better, we have to do better,” Tuchel said. “The opponent was hard to wear down as they defended in a deep block. But in the second half I felt we were too slow. In general we did not make enough runs off the ball to get behind them. We will have video sessions and make sure we find solutions,” the German manager 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
23 March,2025 06:01 AM IST | London | AFP
Man Utd’s 2028 EPL aim: Ex-star Butt finds it the king of all jokes
Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt believes Jim Ratcliffe’s grand plan to win the Premier League by 2028 has no chance of becoming a reality. Project 150 is the United co-owner’s blueprint, which includes returning the title to Old Trafford within three years to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary. Butt, however said after a “disaster” of a season — United are currently a lowly 13th in the table having lost 12 times in the Premier League so far this term — that such an ambition was way beyond the reach of the fallen English giants. “That ain’t going to happen. It’s going to be a long way off,” Butt told the Daily Mail. “Even if you got David Gill [former chief executive] and Sir Alex [Ferguson, legendary former coach] back there, it’s going to be a struggle for a long time,” Butt 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
23 March,2025 06:01 AM IST | London | AFP
Croatia bruise Les Bleus
Ivan Perisic scored one goal and created another as Croatia beat France 2-0 on Thursday to seize the upper hand in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie. Perisic crossed for Ante Budimir to head in the opener at the Stadion Poljud in Split after the home side had squandered an early penalty. With France out of sorts, Perisic made it 2-0 before the break as Croatia saw out the victory. It was not a good night for France despite captain Kylian Mbappe making his international comeback having not featured in either of the last two international windows, in October and November. Croatia’s Ivan Perisic (left) celebrates his team’s opening goal Mbappe did have chances, notably seeing a deflected second-half shot from Ousmane Dembele’s cutback kept out by a fine Dominik Livakovic save. Also Read: Vinicius Jr’s late strike helps Brazil overcome Colombia 2-1 The Real Madrid superstar has now failed to find the net in his last six appearances for his country, since scoring a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Poland at Euro 2024. Nevertheless, Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps was happy with Mbappe’s effervescence on the day. “He looked in good form, even if not everything came off for him. He is clearly back to full fitness. He was at a very good level tonight,” Deschamps told broadcaster TF1. France will now have to find a way of overturning the deficit at the Stade de France on Sunday, otherwise Croatia will be heading to the final four of the Nations League. France coach Didier Deschamps “Croatia are obviously in a better situation [heading into the second leg]. Our first-half showing was below what we are capable of. It will be a different game [in the second leg]. We will do everything to turn it around,” added an upbeat Deschamps. Other key results >> Italy 1-2 Germany>> The Netherlands 2-2 Spain>> Denmark 1-0 Portugal>> Ukraine 3-1 Belgium 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
22 March,2025 08:10 AM IST | Croatia | AFP
Vinicius Jr’s late strike helps Brazil overcome Colombia 2-1
Vinicius Junior struck a dramatic winner in the ninth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 win over Colombia in their South American World Cup qualifier on Thursday. The five-time world champions had taken a sixth-minute lead in Brasilia through a Raphinha penalty only for Luis Diaz’s fine 41st-minute strike for Colombia to level the game. Colombia were the better team in the second-half, but were ultimately sunk by the Real Madrid winger’s dramatic winner. Also Read: It’s unbelievable: Hamilton on clinching sprint pole in China “Today’s goal is a bit of relief, a bit of happiness. Playing for the national team is a feeling you can’t explain,” said Vinicius. It was a bitter ending for Colombia who sit in sixth place with much work to do. Meanwhile, Colombia’s coach Nestor Lorenzo felt the referee had sold his team short. “I think we deserved more [from the game], but that’s the way it is. I have a lot of doubts about the refereeing decisions, whichI’m not going to comment on. We played a great game and came away with nothing,” said Lorenzo. The win leaves Brazil well-positioned in second place in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualifying group. 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
22 March,2025 08:07 AM IST | Montevideo | AFP