Page 8 - Football

Injured Neymar to miss WC qualifier vs Argentina; Replacement confirmed

Neymar was ruled out by Brazil for the World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month. Neymar, goalkeeper Ederson and defender Danilo were not fit to play for unspecified reasons, coach Dorival Jnior said in a video published by the Brazil Football Confederation. The 33-year-old striker, who rejoined Santos in January, played his latest match on March 2 and was substituted for an apparent left thigh injury. He sat out the Sao Paulo state championship semifinal against Corinthians a few days later. Real Madrid striker Endrick replaced Neymar in the squad. Ederson's substitute was Lyon's Lucas Perri, while Flamengo defender Danilo was replaced by his club teammate Alex Sandro, also a Brazil veteran. Former captain Neymar was recalled by Brazil this month after an absence of almost 1 1/2 years. He injured an ACL in October 2023 while playing for Brazil against Uruguay and only recently returned to action. Brazil, fifth in South American qualifying, will host Colombia

ISL 2024-25 playoffs: Full schedule, teams, format and live streaming

The Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday announced the dates for the 2024-25 playoffs with two-legged semifinals scheduled between April 2-6 and the final to be played on April 12. The league stage concluded on March 12. The Knockouts will be played on March 29 and 30, and the semifinals will be held on April 2, 3, 6 and 7. Mohun Bagan SG created history by clinching the League Shield for the second season in a row, becoming the first team in the competition to do so. Along with Mohun Bagan SG, FC Goa (2nd), Bengaluru FC (3rd), NorthEast United FC (4th), Jamshedpur FC (5th) and Mumbai City FC (6th) all confirmed their spots in the playoffs. In the playoffs, the teams ranked third to sixth will battle it out in two single-legged knockout matches to determine the opponents for Mohun Bagan SG and FC Goa, who made it directly to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be played in a home and away format with the winners over the two legs playing the final on April 12 at the home of th

Europa League 2025: Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live time, streaming

The live telecast of the UEL round of 16 match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad will be available on the Sony Sports network.

AFC Challenge League: East Bengal crashes out after losing 1-2 to Arkadag

A 10-man East Bengal conceded two late goals to go down 1-2 to FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan and crash out of the quarterfinals in the AFC Challenge League here on Wednesday. Messi Bouli put East Bengal in the lead in the first minute of the second leg quarterfinal match, but the Indian Super League side were reduced to 10 men in the 33rd minute when Lalchungnunga was sent off by the referee for his second yellow card offence. Altymyrat Annadurdyyez then struck two late goals (89th and 90+8th) to seal the semifinal spot with 3-1 on aggregate. They had won 1-0 in the first leg match in Kolkata on March 5. East Bengal had qualified for the third tier of men's AFC club competition by virtue of winning the 2024 Super Cup. They had topped Group A with seven points to make it to the quarterfinals. The Red and Gold brigade got off to a dream start as Arkadag goalkeeper Rausl Charyyev could only parry Dimitiros Diamantakos' strike into the path of Bouli, who gleefully tucked home the ...

UEFA Champions League Quarter-final full schedule, live time and streaming

The live streaming of the UCL quarter-finals will be available on the SonyLIV app and website in India.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Champions League Round of 16 Highlights: Real beat Atleti 4-2 on pens

Sony LIV will live stream the UEFA Champions League 2025, RO16 2nd leg matches live in India on their app and website.

UEFA Champions League: Top 10 highest goal-scorers and assist-makers

In addition to goals, Raphinha also leads the way in assists with five, alongside Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), and Frimpong.

Manchester United reveals plans for the 'world's greatest' football stadium

Manchester United unveiled plans on Tuesday to build the world's greatest soccer stadium. A proposed 100,000-seater arena, costing around 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion), would be built next to United's current Old Trafford home and surpass Wembley Stadium as the biggest in the United Kingdom. Manchester United is the world's most favorite football club and, in my view, is the biggest and deserves a stadium fitting of its stature, part owner Jim Ratcliffe said. Work could begin as early as this year, with completion by the 2030-31 season, the club said. Ratcliffe, who is one of Britain's richest people, said the new venue could be a tourist attraction in the manner of the Eiffel Tower. We have 1 billion people around the world who follow Manchester United. They will all want to visit this stadium, he said. Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the first released images of the stadium include three giant tentpoles that would be seen from 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. They

Does Liverpool's UCL exit vs PSG reveal a flaw in the revamped format?

On top of Europe in January. Out of the Champions League by early March. Liverpool's reward for dominating the competition's new-look league format was to run into a roadblock in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. Liverpool coach Arne Slot described his team as so, so, so unlucky to come up against one of the best teams in Europe after losing 4-1 in a penalty shootout at Anfield on Tuesday. That's the format we are in and we have to accept it, he said. The round-of-16 contest finished 1-1 on aggregate after Ousmane Dembele's first-half goal Tuesday cancelled out Liverpool's 1-0 win in Paris in the first leg. It is one of the quirks of the revamped Champions League that despite topping the league phase with wins against European giants Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan, Liverpool then had to face a resurgent PSG squad that had to rely on the lifeline of the playoffs to advance to this stage. We go out in a way that I think we've impressed Europe. But it

UCL: Dortmund coach holds 'clear and direct' talks ahead of Lille game

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac has said he was very clear and direct with his players in a meeting to address yet another Bundesliga loss ahead of the second leg against Lille in the Champions League round of 16. Kovac held a team meeting Sunday, a day after Dortmund lost 1-0 to Augsburg, leaving his team 10th in the Bundesliga. I was very clear and direct, Kovac said, and I think that was necessary after the game against Augsburg, because four days later, that is tomorrow, we have an important game in the Champions League. And it's important to sharpen the senses and to focus on the sport. Last season's Champions League runner-up takes on Lille in the round of 16 on Wednesday with the score at 1-1 from the first leg. Former Bayern Munich and Monaco coach Kovac has won three of eight games in all competitions since taking over at Dortmund from the fired Nuri Sahin last month.

Son of former Real Madrid star Marcelo called up to Spain's youth team

Enzo Alves, son of former Real Madrid and Brazil left back Marcelo, was called up for Spain's under-17 national team on Tuesday. It was the first call-up to the team for the 15-year-old forward who was born in the Spanish capital. Alves signed his first contract with Madrid in 2022 and chose to represent Spain in 2023. Marcelo played 16 seasons for Madrid. He retired last year after joining Brazilian club Fluminense last year.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Figo, Puyol and Morientes to feature on April 6

Football greats from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, including Lus Figo, Carles Puyol, Fernando Morientes, and Ricardo Quaresma have confirmed their participation in the Legends Faceoff scheduled to be held at DY Patil Stadium here on April 6. This will be the first time ever that India will host an El Clasico between Real Madrid Legends and Barcelona Legends, with the exhibition match organised by Sports Front, a pioneer in global sports entertainment. "India, I know you love football, and I can't wait to bring the magic to Mumbai. Let's make this an unforgettable night," Lus Figo, a Ballon d'Or winner (2000) and a key figure in Portuguese football history, said in a release. Figo played for both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, winning multiple La Liga titles and the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Los Blancos. Puyol, who captained Bara to six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies, said: "India, I've seen your passion for football from afar now it's time to witness

Champions League: Who will Real Madrid or Atletico face in the quarters?

Atletico has to overcome a one-goal deficit to eliminate bitter rival Real in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday to maintain a chance of capturing the European trophy it has never won. Its city rival and record 15-time European champion won the first leg 2-1 with a crucial goal from Brahim Diaz to continue dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe's biggest stage. A team from Madrid is likely to face Arsenal in the quarterfinals unless a miracle helps PSV Eindhoven come back from a massive 7-1 home loss in the first leg, the biggest victory in an away match in the knockout stage of the Champions League. Another Premier League club, Aston Villa, has a comfortable two-goal cushion, ahead of the second leg against Club Brugge, while last season's runner-up Borussia Dortmund is evenly matched with Lille ahead of the second leg in France. Madrid mastersAtletico has been beaten in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals and eliminated by Real in the 2015 ...

Champions League 2025: Arsenal vs PSV live match time and streaming

Arsenal will only need to keep their defensive line steady against PSV in the return fixture as their 7-1 win in leg one has almost sealed the tie for them

Champions League 2025: Atletico vs Real Madrid live time and streaming

Atletico Madrid will aim to take advantage of their home ground and finally get one over their city rivals in the UEFA Champions League

Champions League 2025: Lille vs Borussia Dortmund live time and streaming

The first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2025 pre-quarterfinal match between Lille and Dortmund ended in a 1-1 draw

Champions League: Raphinha, Yamal shine as Barcelona cruise into quarters

It was a night to remember for 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who tormented Benfica's defence down the right flank, creating countless opportunities for his side

LIV vs PSG HIGHLIGHTS, Champions League: PSG eliminate Liverpool after dramatic penalty shootout

Liverpool and PSG were tied on aggregate after 120 minutes during the second leg match of the Champions League's round of 16. PSG join Bayern and Barcelona in quarterfinals

Champions League 2025: Barcelona vs Benfica live match time and streaming

The return fixture between Barca and Benfica will take place at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, as Camp Nou remains under renovation

Fans fume as injured Neymar misses Santos semi after carnival celebration

Neymar's justification for missing a semifinal with Santos was criticized because he was seen at Carnival last week. Santos lost to archrival Corinthians 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Sao Paulo state championship, and Neymar sat on the bench for all 90 minutes. On Monday, he said he had a minor injury without elaborating. Days earlier, the striker was photographed at Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, the venue for the glitzy Carnival parade. Neymar, who rejoined his boyhood club Santos in January, attended the Carnival parade only hours after being substituted in the second half of another Sao Paulo state championship match on March 2 because of an apparent left thigh injury. He recently recovered from an ACL tear that sidelined him for more than one year. Santos did not reveal Neymar had any injuries before Sunday's semifinal. All I wanted was to be on the pitch and help my teammates in some way, Neymar said on Instagram. But last Thursday I felt a discomfort that prevented