Barcelona fight back to draw six-goal Champions League thriller with Inter
Barcelona twice battled back to draw 3-3 at home against Inter Milan in a rip-roaring first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Montjuic Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.
Champions League Sport News
Steven Gerrard announces live show at Dublin's Vicar Street
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has announced a live show at Dublin's Vicar Street next month.
Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal can ‘do something special’ in return leg in Paris
Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal are capable of producing a special moment to overturn their first-leg defeat against Paris St Germain and reach the Champions League final.
Impressive Al-Ahli down Al-Hilal to move into Champions League Asian final
JEDDAH: Al-Ahli beat Al-Hilal 3-1 on Tuesday to move into the final of the AFC Champions League Elite. After an incident-filled semifinal showdown, the Jeddah club will face either Al-Nassr, another Riyadh giant, or Kawasaki Frontale of Japan in Saturday’s final, where one thing is for sure — there will be a new continental champion. It was a deserved win for Al-Ahli who were on top for most of the 90-plus minutes in Jeddah. Now they prepare for their third Champions League final and in this form few would bet against them landing a first title.
Napoli’s Buongiorno out with adductor injury
NAPLES: Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering an adductor injury in his right thigh, the Serie A leaders said on Tuesday. Napoli reclaimed the sole lead in the Serie A standings on Sunday with a 2-0 home win against Torino but the 2023 champions lost Italy center back Buongiorno and midfielder Frank Anguissa to injuries around the hour mark. “Alessandro Buongiorno underwent instrumental tests today at the Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a destructive lesion of the long adductor muscle of the right thigh,” Napoli said in a statement. The club added that the 25-year-old has already begun his rehabilitation process. Italian media reported that the injury puts an end to Buongiorno’s season and manager Antonio Conte will not have him available for the last four games in the title race. Napoli travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari in their final matches.
Boca Juniors fire coach Fernando Gago after loss to rival River Plate
BUENOS AIRES: Argentine club Boca Juniors fired coach Fernando Gago on Tuesday after losing to crosstown rival River Plate over the weekend. Mauricio Serna, a member of Boca Juniors’ Football Council, announced Gago’s departure following the 2-1 defeat in the Argentine clasico played on Sunday. “We’re here to make decisions, and late last night, we found that there is no way for him to be our coach,” Serna said. “We’re very grateful because he’s put in all his effort, but there are situations that have led us to make a final decision.” The loss to River Plate was another blow to a team were eliminated in the early stages of Copa Libertadores, losing to Alianza Lima.
Iga Swiatek reaches Madrid Open quarterfinals after ‘relaxed’ day during blackout
MADRID: Power was restored at the Caja Magica tennis complex Tuesday and the Madrid Open resumed with a packed schedule that included second-ranked Iga Swiatek advancing to the quarterfinals after a “more relaxed” day because of the blackout. Following the major blackout that prompted 22 matches to be postponed on Monday, Swiatek returned to the center court and defeated Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4 to stay on track to defend her title in the Spanish capital. “I liked yesterday. I think the whole world was just more relaxed, kind of, obviously the people who didn’t lose because of this,” she said.
Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona
MILAN: Strange things happen when Inter Milan plays Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals. The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down air space. Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho. Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday. Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight was still scheduled to take off for Barcelona at 5 p.m.