Category: Sports

  • Barca advance to Champions League semis despite Guirassy hat-trick

    Barca advance to Champions League semis despite Guirassy hat-trick

    Barcelona are through to the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win, despite losing 3-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday with Serhou Guirassy hitting a hat-trick.

    Holding a 4-0 lead after a dominant performance in Catalonia, the visitors were made to sweat as Dortmund and Guirassy nearly pulled off a stunning turnaround.

    Guirassy put Dortmund in front with a Panenka from the spot with 11 minutes gone and headed them two goals clear early in the second half.

    Dortmund sensed a sensation but Barcelona hit back, Fermin Lopez forcing Ramy Bensebaini into an own goal with just over half an hour remaining.

    Guirassy reignited Dortmund’s belief with a third on the 76th-minute mark and the final stages may have been different had Julian Brandt not been offside before scoring with 11 minutes remaining.

    Despite losing their first competitive game in 2025, Barcelona are through to the semis, keeping their dream of a remarkable treble alive, 10 years after last completing the feat by winning the Champions League in Berlin.

    Barcelona, considered title favourites, will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the final four.

    Clearly outclassed in the first leg, Dortmund will take inspiration from Tuesday’s performance, not least the goalscoring form of Guirassy.

    The 29-year-old Guinean, who has spent most of his career bouncing between the first and second divisions in Germany and France, now has 13 Champions League goals this season, more than any other player.

    Despite a big first-leg lead, Hansi Flick made good on his pre-match pledge to continue attacking, opting against resting any of his attacking trident of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal or Raphinha.

    With coach Niko Kovac admitting Dortmund needed a “miracle” to reach the semis after the debacle in Catalonia, the hosts’ task got a little harder when captain and centre-back Emre Can was ruled out with injury just before the match.

    But Dortmund raced out of the blocks, Guirassy and strike partner Maximilian Beier going close inside the opening 10 minutes before Pascal Gross was the victim of a clumsy foul in the box by Wojciech Szczesny.

    Guirassy stepped up to the spot and was nerveless, calmly unleashing a Panenka to get the hosts underway.

    Dortmund sliced Barcelona open repeatedly without reward until half-time but made it count four minutes into the second-half, Guirassy heading in a Ramy Bensebaini assist from a corner.

    With Dortmund’s 81,355-strong Westfalenstadion smelling blood, Barcelona’s familiar response was to send their attack down the right and the move paid off almost immediately.

    After Yamal’s cross was half-cleared, Fermin Lopez found himself in the teenager’s channel, whipping a pass towards Lewandowski which Bensebaini hit into his own net.

    With Barcelona content to control possession as the clock wound down, Guirassy relit the hosts’ hopes when he scored his third in the final quarter of an hour, blasting in from close range after some delightful dribbling from teenage winger Julian Duranville.

    The home fans erupted when Brandt scored three minutes later, but the midfielder was offside, allowing Barcelona a breather.

    Barcelona managed to hold on despite waves of energetic Dortmund attacks in the final stages to remain on track for the treble.

  • PSG survive Aston Villa scare to reach Champions League semis

    PSG survive Aston Villa scare to reach Champions League semis

    Paris Saint-Germain survived a second half onslaught to beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate and reach the Champions League semi-finals despite a 3-2 defeat on Tuesday.

    The French champions were cruising towards the last four when full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes struck in the first 27 minutes to add to their 3-1 first leg lead.

    Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for the English side before half-time and two goals in two minutes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa transformed the tie early in the second period.

    PSG were thankful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for keeping Unai Emery’s men at bay and preventing another famous collapse in the Champions League knockout stages.

    Villa boss Emery was in charge of PSG when Luis Enrique’s Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first leg deficit with a dramatic 6-1 win in 2017.

    Luis Enrique again emerged victorious over his compatriot but was the one this time given a scare of blowing a seemingly unassailable lead.

    Villa had not experienced a European night like this since 1983 and there was an embarrassing moment for the hosts before a ball was kicked as the Europa League anthem was played instead of the famous pre-match hymn of the Champions League.

    Desire Doue’s stunning strike to begin PSG’s fightback from 1-0 down in last week’s first leg was not enough for him to retain his place in the side.

    But Luis Enrique’s decision to start Bradley Barcola was justified when he sprinted down the left and Emiliano Martinez spilled his cross into the path of Hakimi, who fired home the opener on 11 minutes.

    Another blistering break from the visitors cut Villa open as Ousmane Dembele squared for left-back Mendes to stroke in his fourth Champions League goal of the season and second of the tie.

    – Royals in raptures –

    Villa’s refusal to give up the fight was rewarded when Tielemans’ deflected effort pulled a goal back before half-time.

    Villa fanatic Prince William and his son George were among the home support that were in raptures as what seemed an impossible fightback came closer to reality.

    McGinn’s deflected effort flew into the top corner to restore parity on the night at 2-2.

    Emery’s decision to start with Marcus Rashford up front ahead of top scorer Ollie Watkins was a controversial one before kick-off.

    Rashford has been reborn since a January loan move from Manchester United.

    The England international was denied a goal by a stunning save from Donnarumma.

    But from the resulting corner, Rashford nutmegged Fabian Ruiz, skipped past Vitinha and cut the ball back for Konsa to slot in at the near post.

    A PSG side that looked imperious in the first 45 minutes were suddenly all at sea as Villa missed a series of chances to take the game to extra time.

    Donnarumma produced another brilliant save to prevent Tielemans’ header finding the top corner.

    Marco Asensio then had the chance to net against his parent club only for Donnarumma to fly out from his goal to block.

    Konsa should have headed in another enticing Rashford delivery.

    But Rashford’s removal for Watkins proved a turning point as PSG restored control and should have added to their lead in the closing stages as Martinez saved from Hakimi and Doue.

    Willian Pacho blocked Ian Maatsen’s goalbound effort in stoppage time to deny Villa at the death.

    But they have surpassed expectations in their first experience of the elite level of European football for over four decades.

    For PSG, their quest to win the competition for the first time goes on and they have rarely had a better opportunity to end that wait.

    Arsenal are their likely semi-final opponents as the Gunners take a 3-0 quarter-final, first leg advantage away to holders Real Madrid on Wednesday.

    On the other half of the draw Barcelona will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in a heavyweight clash.

    But PSG are arguably the continent’s form side and with the Ligue 1 title long since sewn up, can focus entirely on conquering Europe in Munich on May 31.

  • Onana faces date with destiny as Man Utd chase Lyon win

    Onana faces date with destiny as Man Utd chase Lyon win

    Andre Onana faces a potentially make-or-break match for his Manchester United career against Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday as the English giants battle to keep their season alive.

    The Cameroon international goalkeeper made himself the main talking point ahead of the first leg of the quarter-final in France, which ended in a 2-2 draw, boldly claiming United were “way better” than their opponents.

    That prompted a salty reply from former United midfielder Nemanja Matic, now with Lyon, who labelled him “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history”.

    Onana was given a hostile reception by fans in France and his words came back to haunt him when he was at fault for both of the goals United conceded.

    United manager Ruben Amorim dropped him for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle, bringing in back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, but the game ended in a 4-1 defeat, with the Turkey international at fault for the fourth goal.

    Amorim now has a potentially season-defining decision to make — does he bring Onana back in or pick Bayindir again?

    The stakes are high. Defeat at Old Trafford would effectively end United’s season, with nothing left to play for in the Premier League.

    Victory would keep them on track to win the Europa League, which would be a passport into the lucrative Champions League for next season.

    United, with Erik ten Hag then at the helm, paid around £47 million ($62 million) to sign Onana from Inter Milan in 2023 as a replacement for David de Gea.

    Ten Hag, who had previously worked with the goalkeeper at Ajax, talked up his ball-playing skills.

    The 29-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance with his glove work during his time at Old Trafford and has occasionally demonstrated his ability with the ball at his feet.

    But he has lacked consistency and has developed an unwanted reputation as a calamity ‘keeper.

    – Error count –

    According to Opta figures from before the latest round of matches, since the start of last season no Premier League goalkeeper had made more errors leading to goals in all competitions than Onana (eight).

    To compound matters, former Spain international De Gea, who was allowed to leave on a free transfer, is now starring for Italian club Fiorentina.

    Amorim defended Onana after last week’s draw at Lyon and explained his decision to leave him out at Newcastle.

    “Sometimes you have to push the player to play again, sometimes you have to let them disconnect a little bit, but (on Monday) he is going to be in training to prepare for the next one,” he told Sky Sports. “I felt it was a good time for Andre to disconnect.”

    He added: “So it was a normal situation. You have to manage everything and sometimes people just look at the physical aspect, but the mental aspect is really, really important.”

    The picture with Onana is nuanced.

    On the one hand, he has the worst minutes-per-goal-conceded ratio of any United goalkeeper with 10 or more Premier League appearances.

    But Opta figures last week showed that since the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, only Everton’s Jordan Pickford (8.7) had prevented more goals than Onana’s 7.5, based on the sports analytics company’s expected goals model.

    What is beyond doubt is the importance of Thursday’s match at Old Trafford.

    United are an embarrassing 14th in the Premier League with just six matches left and could conceivably end up in 17th spot, just above the relegation places.

    That would be their lowest finish since they were relegated from the top division in the 1973/74 season.

    Amorim still has a chance to end United’s turbulent campaign with a European trophy, which could prove transformative as he rebuilds.

    But whether Onana remains central to his plans both in the short term and the long term remains to be seen.

  • Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season

    Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season

    Arsenal face Real Madrid on Wednesday with one foot already in the Champions League semi-finals but with the added pressure of knowing their entire season hinges on the result at the Bernabeu.

    Mikel Arteta’s men last week demolished the defending champions 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final in London and are favourites to reach the last four of Europe’s top club competition for only the third time.

    But all their eggs are now in one basket as they seek to end their trophy drought, with leaders Liverpool almost out of sight in the Premier League.

    Arsenal, who have never been crowned European champions, have become used to battling for the English league title — narrowly losing out to Manchester City in the past two seasons.

    This year it has been their misfortune to be competing against a Liverpool team that flew out of the blocks in Arne Slot’s first season at Anfield.

    Arsenal have had chances to put the pressure on the runaway leaders but 12 draws in the Premier League, and just two wins in their past seven games, have cost them.

    Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to mid-table Brentford meant the Gunners finished the weekend 13 points behind Liverpool, who could wrap up a record-equalling 20th English league title as early as next weekend.

    Arteta denied that his players had been distracted by their upcoming match in Spain but his team selection showed where his priorities lie in the final weeks of the season.

    The Spaniard made five changes to the side that beat Madrid, with winger Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard left out of the starting line-up.

    Afterwards, he turned his attentions to Real Madrid.

    “We still have six games to play in the Premier League, which are going to be really important, for sure,” he said. “But, for now, it’s all about Wednesday.”

    Arsenal will travel to Madrid in high spirits, even though the 15-time European champions regularly defy logic in the competition, meaning Arteta will not breathe easily until the final whistle.

    Even if the Gunners do make it through, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona — both hugely impressive — are also expected to progress to the semi-finals.

    – High-wire act –

    Arsenal’s high-wire act means they risk ending the season without major silverware for a fifth straight season despite the undoubted progress made under Arteta.

    And the Gunners’ hold on second place in the Premier League is by no means secure.

    They are six points above a faltering Nottingham Forest. Newcastle, in fourth spot, are seven points behind but have a game in hand and are in a rich vein of form.

    Arteta said after the Brentford draw that the club were disappointed to find themselves so far adrift of Liverpool.

    “It is difficult because obviously there are a lot of reasons why we are with that distance (to Liverpool in the Premier League) and the amount of things that we have to deal with and still we are where we but yeah, we want to be higher, that’s for sure,” he said.

    Despite their stumbles, Arsenal are almost certain to secure one of the five qualification places for next season’s Champions League.

    But slipping below second would dent the Gunners’ pride and challenge the perception that they are making relentless progress towards their first Premier League title since 2004.

    Arteta still has the rest of this season to think about even as he starts plotting how to strengthen for the 2025/26 campaign.

    The Gunners could make club history in Europe in the next few weeks but if they fall short, the season could end with a whimper.

  • It’s possible – Mbappe confident Real Madrid can pull comeback against Arsenal

    It’s possible – Mbappe confident Real Madrid can pull comeback against Arsenal

    Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has expressed confidence that a Champions League comeback against Arsenal is still within reach.

    Mbappe was unable to make a difference as Real Madrid suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

    The Gunners secured a commanding win thanks to a brace from Declan Rice and a goal from Mikel, putting Carlo Ancelotti’s side on the back foot ahead of the return leg.

    Real Madrid will now look to overturn the deficit when they welcome Arsenal to the Santiago Bernabeu next week Wednesday.

    Speaking after the match, Mbappe encouraged his teammates to keep the faith.

    “The comeback is possible, of course. We have to believe until the end,” Mbappe said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

    Before the crucial second leg, Real Madrid are set to face Alaves in a LaLiga fixture on Sunday.

  • Walker faces spell out after elbow surgery

    Walker faces spell out after elbow surgery

    AC Milan defender Kyle Walker is set for a spell on the sidelines following surgery on a fractured elbow.

    The 34-year-old England international sustained the injury during training and has subsequently had an operation.

    “To ensure better healing and optimise recovery time, the player underwent surgery in Milan,” the Serie A club said in a statement, external on their website.

    “The operation went perfectly to plan. Kyle will begin rehabilitation immediately.”

    Walker moved to Milan in January on loan until the end of the season after falling out of favour under Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

    He has made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Rossoneri, who are currently ninth in Serie A but in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

    Milan’s deal for Walker includes an option to buy the right-back when his loan deal comes to an end.

  • Australia assistant Andreatta named Scotland head coach

    Australia assistant Andreatta named Scotland head coach

    Australia women’s assistant coach Melissa Andreatta has been appointed Scotland head coach on a four-year deal.

    The 46-year-old is the permanent successor to Pedro Martinez Losa – who left his role in December after failing to reach Euro 2025 – subject to the completion of visa arrangements.

    Michael McArdle oversaw the first four games of Scotland’s Nations League Group A1 campaign this year, finishing off with Tuesday night’s 6-1 thrashing in Germany.

    Andreatta has been assistant coach of the Matildas since 2019 and has also led the Under-23s since their inception in 2022.

    Before joining the national team set-up she guided home club Brisbane Roar to the W-League Premiership title – which is now known as the A-League – in 2018 and was voted coach of the year in the country’s top division.

    Andreatta is set to take charge of Scotland for the first time on 30 May when they host Austria in their penultimate game in Group A1.

    Scotland, who are yet to pick up a point in the group, finish their campaign by travelling to the Netherlands four days later.

    McArdle will return his full attention to his role as the Scottish FA’s head of women’s elite football.

    Ex-midfielder Andreatta qualified as a teacher before becoming head coach of her former club The Gap, whom she guided to back-to-back State League Championships in 2007 and 2008.

    She initially joined Brisbane Roar as an assistant before her successful spell as head coach, while also working with Football Australia’s technical department.

    A near 10-year association with the Matildas began in a technical analyst role in the count down to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

    She was promoted to a full-time assistant with Australia after fulfilling various other roles and was part of the team that finished fourth at the home World Cup in 2023 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    For the last two-and-a-half-years she has also led the Australia Under-23s, with one of her priorities being to nurture young talent.

    What is in Andreatta’s in-tray?

    There is a lot for Scotland’s new manager to tackle.

    There is no doubt the side is in a transitional period, with McArdle opting to use his short time in charge as a chance to introduce youngsters to a group who have largely underperformed when compared to their status in the game.

    Often described as a golden generation of talent, the players who fell to their knees at Bolt Arena in Helsinki in December had just failed to reach a third major tournament.

    For a nation who had made back-to-back finals before that, it has been a challenging few years.

    Andreatta is noted for giving youthful players a chance, as well as being adept at working with a group brimming with talent. The Matildas crop she leaves behind have carried a similar heavy weight of expectation to the Scots.

    Her immediate task will be picking the players up from their second-half collapse against Germany in Wolfsburg on Tuesday night.

    An already bruised side took a battering and they now only have two games left to try to salvage their top-tier status in the Nations League.

    They may need to take one step backwards again to get to the level they want to – and fleetingly have threatened to – but given the slips backwards they have made in recent years, it’s perhaps a necessary move to get back on the tournament track.

  • Nuggets sack coach Malone two years after Championship win

    Nuggets sack coach Malone two years after Championship win

    The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone with just three regular season games remaining, despite looking set to claim a play-off place.

    On Tuesday the Nuggets announced the sacking of Malone after 10 years in charge, as well as the departure of general manager Calvin Booth whose contract will not be renewed.

    Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke said the decision to sack Malone was made to give the team the best chance of winning the 2025 Championship.

    “While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now,” Kroenke said in a statement, external.

    Malone won the NBA Championship with the Nuggets in 2023 and last year took them to the Western Conference semi-finals, where they lost out to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

    He oversaw eight consecutive winning seasons with the Nuggets, who are currently fourth in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record this season.

    Four consecutive losses have left the Nuggets in a battle to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the play-offs.

    David Adelman will become the coach for the remainder of the season.

  • Stress & sugary drinks – study shows 75% of academy players have gum disease

    Stress & sugary drinks – study shows 75% of academy players have gum disease

    Some academy footballers in England have been left unable to train because of dental problems, according to a new study which found three-quarters of participants are suffering with gum disease.

    The study from researchers at University College London (UCL) asked 160 academy players representing 10 English football clubs from the Premier League, Championship and Women’s Super League to answer a questionnaire about their oral health and its impact on sporting performance, alongside a clinical assessment by a dentist.

    It found young male and female players are more likely to have major problems with tooth decay and poor oral hygiene than non-footballers of a similar age.

    Dr Saul Konviser, one of the authors of the study published in the British Medical Journal, told the BBC there now needs to be a “multi-factor” approach in order to deal with the issue, including greater education on the cardiovascular issues linked with oral diseases and more routine dental care for players.

    “We feel this is a great opportunity to take this evidence so we can advise and support medical teams at clubs,” he said.

    “I think it is an opportunity for sporting bodies to take action – we don’t want negative dental health to impact sporting performance. There needs to be greater understanding that mouth is part of the body.

    “We had players at screenings complaining of dental pain, bleeding gums, saying they were unable to train at some points because of dental infections. Once there has been trauma there can be ongoing problems, including with their ability and willingness to compete.”

    Factors identified included poor hygiene habits such as a lack of brushing and flossing, high levels of sugary sports and fizzy drink consumption, and stress – possibly due to a high-performance environment – which can cause teeth grinding and lead to decay.

    The study also suggested some cases of tooth wear were related to gastric acids, with dental screenings revealing patterns similar to those from acid reflux and even in eating disorders like bulimia.

    The study is the first to investigate oral health among footballers aged 16 to 18, and the first to include female players.

    Dr Konviser said he was “surprised” by the comparatively high levels of decay and disorders, given these are athletes in elite sporting set-ups whose health is being constantly assessed.

    “There are many possible causes of wear, and we are not there to diagnose anything but to flag problems to medical teams,” he said. “It was surprising to see the prevalence, especially among younger age groups.”

    Only 76% of players confirmed that they brush their teeth twice a day, compared to 81% of 15-year-olds in England.

    It found 76.8% of the players in the study had gingivitis – inflammation of the gums – compared to just 40% of 15-year-olds in England, with 22.5% showing signs of irreversible gum disease.

    Visible decay that required treatment was present in 31.2% of players, compared to 24% of 15-year-olds across England, while moderate to severe levels of tooth wear was seen in 15.5% of participants.

    The study found players were relying on a pre-season check-up rather than visiting the dentist regularly, with one in five having not attended the dentist in more than two years.

    It said findings correspond to high levels of oral disease in male senior players identified in a previous UCL-led study in 2016, which found football players’ oral health was 10% worse than average for men of the same age.

    Dr Konviser said clubs had been “very receptive” of the study – which was initially conceived in 2019 but delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, then took several years to come to fruition – and called on those clubs and the FA to take a “top-down approach” to making “sports dentistry routine among players”.

    Among solutions suggested are players rinsing their mouths with water after consuming energy drinks, and being encouraged to go to regular dental check-ups.

  • England guaranteed fifth Champions League spot

    England guaranteed fifth Champions League spot

    England are guaranteed a minimum of five teams in the Champions League next season after Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

    One win, in any of the three European competitions, would have secured the fifth place for England.

    Two extra spots are awarded to countries based on their ranking in Uefa’s coefficient table.

    Liverpool and Arsenal look set to finish in the top in the Premier League, with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth, who sit 10th, all separated by 12 points.

    England could have as many as seven teams in the Champions League in 2025-26 if Aston Villa win the competition this year, but fail to qualify through the Premier League, and if Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League.

    Italy are second in the coefficient rankings, with Spain and Germany behind.

    How do countries earn an extra Champions League spot for next season?

    Each country’s league earns a coefficient ranking based on how their teams perform in Uefa’s three men’s club competitions: the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

    Coefficient points are earned through match results – two for a win and one for a draw.

    The points earned by clubs from the same domestic league are added up and divided by the number of clubs the league has in Europe.

    For example, if the Premier League had 100 points, that would be split by the number of teams playing in Europe (seven), giving England a coefficient of 14.28.

    This season, bonus points are available to clubs playing in the Champions League, which is advantageous to leagues with more clubs competing in it, such as Germany and Italy.

    Countries that finish in the coefficient table’s top two earn an additional Champions League spot for the following season.

    Those spots are awarded to the teams who finish in the first position below the standard Champions League allocation in those leagues.

    In the Premier League, the top four clubs automatically qualify for the Champions League via league position, so any additional place would go to the team in fifth.

    Additional spots for the 2024-25 Champions League were given to Bologna and Borussia Dortmund, who finished fifth in Serie A and the Bundesliga respectively.

    What about the Europa League winners?

    England could end up with seven Champions League teams next season.

    The winners of the Europa League, as well as the Champions League, are granted a spot.

    Under previous rules, any single league could only have a maximum of five clubs in the Champions League. However, that rule has been scrapped.

    This season, any team who win the Europa League or Champions League but do not qualify for the Champions League via their domestic league position will go into the Champions League.

    If Aston Villa win the Champions League and finish outside the top five in the Premier League then that will give English clubs another spot.

    Also, Manchester United and Tottenham, both languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and if either of them win the tournament that would be another team from England playing in next season’s elite European competition.