Football

Kylian Mbappe's brilliance propelled Paris Saint-Germain into the Champions League quarter-finals with a stunning brace in a 2-1 victory at Real Sociedad. The French superstar's goals sealed a 4-1 aggregate triumph for the Ligue 1 giants.Despite recent speculation surrounding his future, Mbappe proved his indispensable value to PSG. His electric pace and clinical finishing were too much for Real Sociedad to handle. The 25-year-old opened the scoring in the 15th minute, showcasing his exceptional skill with a clever touch and a powerful shot into the far corner.Mbappe doubled PSG's lead in the 56th minute, racing past the defense and coolly slotting home. His sixth goal in eight Champions League matches this season effectively ended the contest.Real Sociedad fought valiantly but were unable to overcome Mbappe's brilliance. Substitute Ander Barrenetxea had a goal ruled out for offside, while Gianluigi Donnarumma made a superb save to deny Benat Turrientes.Mikel Merino scored a consolation goal for the hosts in the dying minutes, but it was too little, too late. PSG's victory marked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals since 2021.Mbappe's performance was hailed by both his teammates and opponents. PSG coach Luis Enrique praised his "unstoppable" ability in the final third, while Real Sociedad's Merino acknowledged his devastating impact.However, PSG will have to contend with the absence of Achraf Hakimi in the quarter-final first leg due to a booking. Despite this setback, the French champions will be confident of continuing their Champions League journey with Mbappe leading the charge.

Bayern Munich's resurgence under interim manager Thomas Tuchel continued on Tuesday as they secured a 3-0 victory over Lazio in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. The win, which sealed a 3-1 aggregate triumph, propelled the German giants into the quarterfinals and reignited their hopes of European glory.Harry Kane, Bayern's talismanic striker, proved to be the difference-maker once again. The England international opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a diving header, canceling out Lazio's first-leg advantage. He then doubled Bayern's lead in the 66th minute, tapping in a rebound after Thomas Mueller's effort had been parried.Mueller had earlier made it 2-0 on the stroke of halftime, heading in a Matthijs de Ligt volley. The German forward's goal proved to be a crucial moment, as it gave Bayern a comfortable cushion going into the second half.Lazio, who were bidding for their first quarter-final appearance in 24 years, struggled to create clear-cut chances throughout the match. Ciro Immobile's header just before halftime was their best opportunity, but it sailed narrowly wide.Bayern, on the other hand, were relentless in their attack. Jamal Musiala almost added a third goal seconds after Kane's opener, but his sliding shot missed the target. Leroy Sane also came close in the second half, but his shot was palmed into Kane's path for the third goal.The win provides a much-needed boost for Bayern, who had won just one of their last five matches in all competitions prior to Tuesday. It also eases the pressure on Tuchel, who will leave the club at the end of the season.Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain also booked their place in the quarterfinals with a comfortable 2-1 victory away to Real Sociedad. Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show for the French champions, scoring both goals in a match that wrapped up a 4-1 aggregate victory.Mbappe's first goal came in the 15th minute, as he curled a fabulous strike into the far corner. He doubled his tally in the 56th minute, bursting into the box and beating the goalkeeper at his near post.Mikel Merino netted a consolation goal for Real Sociedad in the 89th minute, but it was too little too late to prevent PSG from reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in three years.

Erling Haaland, the prolific Norwegian striker for Manchester City, has acknowledged that he will continue to miss chances despite his remarkable goal-scoring record. However, he remains determined to silence critics and strive for perfection.Since joining City in 2022, Haaland has netted an astonishing 80 goals in just 84 games, helping the club secure a treble of Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup titles in his debut season. This season, he has already scored 28 goals in all competitions.Despite his impressive tally, Haaland endured a brief goal drought earlier this season, failing to score in six out of seven games. He also missed a glaring opportunity in City's recent 3-1 victory over Manchester United."I've been missing," Haaland admitted. "I miss a lot of chances. I will still keep on missing chances, I will still score goals so I'll probably miss a big chance in the future as well and people are going to criticize me and what can I do then?""Should I think of that? No. I should focus on scoring more goals and helping the team."Haaland recognizes that he has room for improvement despite his exceptional numbers. "There's a lot of things I can become better at, everything by the way," he said. "People say I'm good at scoring goals but I missed the biggest chance in the world ever two days ago so I can also become better at that."The Norwegian has worked on the mental aspect of his game, but admits that coping with lean spells can be challenging. "It's with everything in life -- if you over-think something, it's not good, if you stress in your life it's not good," he said. "My focus is to become the best possible version of myself and the main thing then is the mental part."Amidst speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid, Haaland expressed his contentment at Manchester City. "I'm really happy, especially with the people that I'm surrounded with, the manager, the directors, the board," he said. "They are a group of amazing people and I'm really happy.""If I say this now there's probably going to be a massive headline tomorrow -- 'you never know what the future brings' -- but again, I'm happy."Haaland emphasized his focus on upcoming matches rather than contract negotiations. "My focus mainly now is on the pitch," he said. "There's a lot of games. Two days ago it was a Manchester derby and now it's Champions League and next Sunday it's Liverpool so I think I should focus on that and not anything else at the moment."

With the Indian Super League (ISL) approaching its mid-season break, concerns are mounting for national team coach Igor Stimac as several key players are struggling for playing time at their clubs.Among the affected players are Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuiah), Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, and Pritam Kotal, who collectively boast over 223 international appearances. In the past two rounds, none of these players have completed a full match.Thapa, a crucial midfielder for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, has not played a full game in the last six rounds. Brandon Fernandes, the FC Goa captain, has failed to score in 892 minutes of play and was omitted from the squad in the team's last two matches. Udanta Singh has started only one of FC Goa's last six games.Ralte has been absent from Mumbai City FC's squad in the last two rounds, while Rahul KP has not lasted a full game in Kerala Blasters' last five matches. Sahal Abdul Samad, who picked up an injury, missed Mohun Bagan's recent match against Jamshedpur FC.Stimac's concerns are compounded by the injuries to Sandesh Jhingan and Ashique Kuruniyan. With the World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan approaching, Stimac may have to consider players who are not currently getting regular minutes at their clubs.However, head coaches often prefer to stick with players who have lost their starting berths at clubs due to familiarity with the national team's training and fitness drills. Stimac has previously stated that he would only consider new players after they have maintained their form for a season.Despite these challenges, Stimac may consider players like Imran Khan of Jamshedpur FC, Isak Vanlalruatfela of Odisha FC, and Amey Ranawade of Odisha FC, who have impressed with their performances this season.

The 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy witnessed a thrilling conclusion to the quarterfinals, with Mizoram edging out Kerala 7-6 in a nail-biting sudden-death penalty shootout.The match at the Golden Jubilee Stadium on Tuesday saw both teams locked in a goalless stalemate throughout regulation and extra time. The deadlock persisted even in the tie-breaker, with the teams tied 5-5 before Kerala's Sujith V.R. missed his attempt, handing Mizoram the victory.Mizoram's M.C. Malsawmzuala, Malsawmfela, F.C. Lalhmunmawia, E. Lalremtluanga, L. Tochhawng, Lalremruata, and Lalbiakthanga all converted their penalties, while Kerala's Sanju G, Arjun V, Mohamed Salim, Riswanali Edakkavil, Sarath Prasanth K, and Jithin Gopalakrishnan scored before Sujith's crucial miss.The match was characterized by end-to-end action, with both Kerala and Mizoram creating numerous chances. However, poor finishing and solid goalkeeping from both sides kept the scoreline blank.Earlier in the day, former champion Manipur showcased their attacking prowess with a resounding 7-1 victory over Assam in the third quarterfinal. Sadananda Singh led the charge for Manipur with a hat-trick, while Phijam Sanathoi Meetei, Ngangbam Pacha Singh (penalty), Maibam Deny Singh, and Imarson Meitei also found the net. Joydeep Gogoi scored the lone goal for Assam.With these results, Mizoram and Manipur have advanced to the semifinals of the Santosh Trophy, while Kerala and Assam have been eliminated.

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has extended its exclusive broadcast and digital rights for UEFA club football competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup, and Youth League. The renewal covers the 2024/25 to 2026/27 seasons, granting SPNI access to over 1600 matches across its channels and OTT platform, SonyLIV.The UEFA Champions League will undergo a format change in 2024/25, with four additional clubs participating in a new league phase. This will increase the number of competing clubs to 36, ranked together in a single league format. The change aims to provide more opportunities for top teams to compete and enhance the excitement of the tournament.Additionally, UEFA's premier club competitions will no longer have a break in January, ensuring non-stop European club football from August to May. SPNI will continue to telecast select UEFA Champions League matches in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, recognizing the growing popularity of regional language coverage.SPNI has been the home of UEFA Champions League since 2017 and will continue to broadcast the final at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The network also holds the rights to UEFA EURO 2024, Bundesliga, Emirates FA Cup, and Roshn Saudi Pro League.The renewal of SPNI's UEFA rights ensures that Indian audiences will continue to enjoy the highest level of European club football, featuring top teams and players like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

Serie A leaders Inter Milan extended their commanding lead at the top of the table with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Genoa on Monday. The win moved Inter 15 points clear of second-placed Juventus, who suffered a setback in their title chase with a defeat at Napoli on Sunday.Inter's triumph was built on a solid first-half performance, with youngster Kristjan Asllani and veteran Alexis Sanchez finding the net within six minutes of each other. Asllani broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with a stunning strike into the top corner, while Sanchez doubled the advantage from the penalty spot six minutes later.Genoa showed resilience in the second half and pulled a goal back through Johan Vasquez's volley, but Inter held on for a crucial three points. The victory marked Inter's 12th consecutive win in all competitions and kept them on course for a 20th Serie A title."15 points is a significant advantage," said Asllani. "But we can't get carried away, there are still a lot of games to play and we have to stay focused."Inter manager Simone Inzaghi praised his team's performance, particularly in the first half. "We played with great intensity and created several chances," he said. "We were a bit less sharp in the second half, but we managed to control the game and get the three points."Genoa manager Alberto Gilardino was disappointed with the result but acknowledged Inter's quality. "We played well in the second half and created some good chances," he said. "But Inter are a strong team and they deserved to win."Inter will now turn their attention to Saturday's trip to Bologna before hosting Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on March 13.

Cristiano Ronaldo's return from suspension could not prevent Al-Nassr from suffering a 1-0 defeat to Al-Ain in the first leg of their Asian Champions League quarterfinal on Monday.A first-half goal from Moroccan forward Soufiane Rahimi proved decisive for Al-Ain, who will take a slender advantage into the return leg in Riyadh next Monday.Ronaldo, who missed Al-Nassr's previous Saudi Pro League match as punishment for an alleged offensive gesture, was unable to inspire his team to victory.Despite going close with an overhead kick in the early stages, Ronaldo was largely kept quiet by the Al-Ain defense. He attempted a spectacular lob from the halfway line in the closing moments, but it sailed just wide of the post.Al-Ain, coached by former Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, had two goals ruled out for offside, while Al-Nassr finished the game with 10 men after Aymeric Laporte was sent off for violent conduct in stoppage time."We are only halfway through, and while going to the next round is going to be difficult, we still have 90 minutes at home," said Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro.The winner of the tie will face Saudi opposition in the semifinals, with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal set to meet in the other quarterfinal in the western zone on Tuesday.

Arsenal's relentless pursuit of the Premier League title continued with a record-breaking 6-0 demolition of Sheffield United on Monday. The Gunners became the first team in English top-flight history to win three consecutive away games by five or more goals.Martin Odegaard opened the scoring in the fifth minute, followed by an own goal from Jayden Bogle. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Declan Rice added to the tally before half-time, leaving the Blades shell-shocked. Ben White completed the rout in the second half.Arsenal's dominance was evident from the outset. Bukayo Saka rattled the crossbar early on, and Odegaard's opener came from a cross that found him unmarked in the box. Saka's assist for Bogle's own goal showcased his skill and creativity.Martinelli's deflected effort forced Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder to make an early substitution, but it did little to stem the bleeding. Havertz, who has struggled to find his form since joining Arsenal, silenced his critics with a clinical finish. Rice then got in on the act, sweeping home Saka's cross.The second half saw Arsenal continue to dominate, with White adding the sixth goal from Havertz's cut-back. Martinelli's injury was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect night for the visitors.Arsenal's victory keeps them hot on the heels of Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race. They remain in third place, just two points behind Liverpool and one behind City. However, they have a game in hand and could go top with a win at home to Brentford on Saturday.Sheffield United, on the other hand, remain rooted to the bottom of the table, 11 points adrift of safety. Their record of conceding five or more goals in three straight home matches is a testament to their struggles this season.