Page 9 - Football

Ronaldo's heroics propel Al-Nassr into AFC Champions League quarterfinals

Cristiano Ronaldo was on target as Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr beat Iran's Esteghlal 3-0 to progress to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday. Ronaldo, who has yet to win a trophy for Al-Nassr since signing for the Riyadh club in December 2022, missed the 0-0 draw in the first leg of the round of 16 tie in Tehran last week. After 26 minutes in the return match, the 40-year-old scored his seventh goal of the tournament, converting a penalty after Sadio Mane was fouled in the area. Earlier, Jhon Duran opened the scoring with a lob from the corner of the area. Esteghlal was reduced to 10 men just before the break when Mehran Ahmadi was issued a second yellow card. Al-Nassr, seeking a first Asian championship, added a third late in the game after Duran fired home a low shot for his second. Elsewhere, two-time champion Al-Sadd of Qatar advanced with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates.

Premier League: Liverpool signs $74 million kit sponsor deal with Adidas

Liverpool and Adidas share a long and successful history, having previously partnered from 1985 to 1996 and again from 2006 to 2012

Champions League 2025: When does the 2nd leg of pre-quarters begin?

The live streaming of the second leg of UEFA Champions League pre-quarterfinal matches will be available on the Sony LIV app and website in India

Napoli stays in title hunt with win over Fiorentina, Atalanta stuns Juve

Napoli kept up the pressure on Serie A leader Inter Milan as it finally got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina. Romelu Lukaku on Sunday scored one and set up the other for Giacomo Raspadori to help Napoli move back to within a point of Inter, which fought back from two goals down to beat Monza 3-2 on Saturday. Atalanta proved it is very much among the fray with a statement 4-0 win at fourth-placed Juventus to close the gap back to three points to Inter. According to statistics provider Opta, it was the first time Juventus had lost a league match at home by four goals in nearly 60 years since a loss by the same score to Torino in October 1967. Atalanta's title credentials will be truly tested next weekend when it hosts Inter. Fiorentina's hopes of making it into the top four diminished after its fourth loss in five league matches. Napoli also came into the match on a mediocre run, having drawn four of its past five matches and losing the other. But the hosts

Lyon coach Fonseca watch from stands impact subs deliver 2-0 win over Nice

Coach Paulo Fonseca watched from the stands and saw his substitutions pay off as Lyon won 2-0 at Nice to maintain its push for a Champions League spot. Fonseca began his nine-month touchline ban in Ligue 1 after aggressively confronting referee Benot Millot last Sunday. He saw his team struggle in the first half as Nice striker Gatan Laborde hit the post in the driving rain. On Sunday, Lyon punished Nice when midfielder Rayan Cherki scored one minute after coming on. He latched onto a pass from Brazilian midfielder Thiago Almada and finished confidently in the 78th minute. The 21-year-old Cherki has been linked with a move to a big club since breaking onto the scene as a precocious teenager five years ago, and this was his career-high sixth league goal. The lively Almada then found Ghana forward Ernest Nuamah with a first-time pass and Nuamah who came on midway through the second half expertly curled the ball into the top left corner in the 83rd. Sixth-placed Lyon is two points

Bayern and Leverkusen lose in Bundesliga ahead of Champions League clash

Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead and lost at home to struggling Bochum 3-2, but Bayer Leverkusen was unable to take advantage. Leverkusen on Saturday lost 2-0 at home to Werder Bremen, a team that lost its previous five games across all competitions. The Champions League weighed heavily across the league on a day of upsets. Borussia Dortmund lost at home to Augsburg 1-0, leading to a chorus of whistles from home fans before the Black and Yellows go to Lille for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday. The teams drew the first leg 1-1 last Tuesday. Also, Stuttgart was held to 2-2 by Holstein Kiel, and Wolfsburg drew with St Pauli 1-1. Freiburg drew with Leipzig 0-0 in the late game, denting their hopes of Champions League qualification. Both needed a win to keep pace with Mainz, which won Friday to boost its qualification prospects. Wirtz injured ======== Leverkusen's loss its second blow this week after Wednesday's 3-0 defeat

Ligue 1: Dembele reaches 20 league goals as PSG continue unbeaten streak

Ousmane Dembl came off the bench to score twice and help a shaky Paris Saint-Germain win 4-1 at Rennes to stay unbeaten in Ligue 1. Bradley Barcola got one goal and set up another as PSG moved 16 points ahead of second-placed Marseille, which conceded a stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 home defeat to Lens in the late game on Saturday. Third-placed Nice can move level on points with Marseille if it beats Lyon at home on Sunday. PSG coach Luis Enrique rested captain Marquinhos ahead of the return leg at Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League next Tuesday. PSG lost the first leg 1-0 despite dominating. Dembl was joined on the bench by right back Achraf Hakimi, winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. PSG controlled the first half but made many mistakes after the break as Rennes attacked strongly, before Dembl wrapped up the win late on. Barcola put PSG ahead in the 28th minute when he placed the ball through goalkeeper Brice Samba's legs. Ludovic Blas a

Clinical skipper Sunil Chhetri returns to inspire the Indian football team

Chettri's leadership was pivotal in India's historic qualification for the AFC Asian Cup in 2011, a feat that hadn't been achieved in 27 years.

Bayern's Harry Kane ends 4-game scoring drought with 2 goals vs Leverkusen

Harry Kane ended his four-game scoring drought on Wednesday as he helped Bayern Munich to a comfortable 3-0 win over German rival Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. "We knew the hype around the game and we stayed calm and I stayed calm," Kane said. "Of course it was nice to score quite early in the game and then to get the second was, yeah, there to top it off. As always we look forward to the next one." Kane rewarded Bayern's good start with a header inside the left post in the ninth minute, beating Nordi Mukiele to reach Michael Olise's cross Kane showed his value by working hard, at one stage regaining possession in his own half after he'd lost the ball and launching a counterattack for Olise. He got his second goal from the penalty spot in the 75th. Edmond Tapsoba conceded the spot kick for holding Kane with both arms, and the England forward duly scored with his 30th successfully taken penalty in a row. Tapsoba had gone on as a substitut

Halftime screamer: PSG's Luis Campos rages at match referee in tunnel

Italian referee Davide Massa was screamed at by Paris Saint-Germain soccer adviser Luis Campos for not awarding a penalty during PSG's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League. Massa went to a red card check to decide if Ibrahima Konat had pushed PSG forward Bradley Barcola in the back in the 25th minute at Parc des Princes on Wednesday. But no foul was given and Konat stayed on. Match broadcaster Canal Plus showed images of a furious Campos shouting at Massa as he walked down the tunnel at halftime and berated him loudly. "It's a red card or penalty in every part of the world," he screamed at the top of his voice in English, repeating himself three times. Two years ago Campos came down onto the side of the field to complain about the refereeing during a French league game against Lille. PSG midfielder Vitinha did not blame the referee. "It's difficult to tell, I was far away so I couldn't see it," he said. "We're not going to hide behind that." Liverpool coach Arne Slot

Champions League: Liverpool get late win vs PSG; 10-man Barca beat Benfica

Harvey Elliott scored less than a minute after coming on as a late substitute to fire Liverpool to a stunning 1-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. Runaway Premier League leader Liverpool had survived a barrage of attacks at Parc des Princes to keep the score at 0-0 going into the final stages on Wednesday. Elliott was sent on to replace Mohamed Salah in the 86th minute and became an unlikely hero by sweeping a low shot into the corner of the net with his first touch of the match. "To go away with a win over here was probably a bit more than we deserved," Liverpool coach Arne Slot admitted after watching goalkeeper Alisson pull off a string of saves in a match dominated by PSG. Bayern Munich took a big step toward the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win against German champion Bayer Leverkusen and 10-man Barcelona beat Benfica 1-0. Inter Milan won 2-0 at Feyenoord. Alisson to the rescue ============= PSG's players will be left wondering h

FIFA unveils Miami's sonic ID for 2026 World Cup celebrating diversity

On Monday, March 3, the unique sound of Miami was revealed, with renowned producer Mr. NaisGai selected to craft the city's custom Sonic ID.

Club World Cup: FIFA promises $1 billion total prize money to 32 teams

FIFA promised USD 1 billion in total prize money to the 32 teams playing at the men's Club World Cup in the United States. The long-awaited confirmation on Wednesday, just over three months before the opening game in Miami follows a broadcast deal belatedly being agreed with streaming service DAZN backed by Saudi Arabian money. Clubs in Europe with 12 entries in the inaugural lineup, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain had sought promises from FIFA they could earn tens of millions of dollars from the month-long tournament. FIFA gave no details of the prize money formula. The first edition of the four-yearly club event will have total revenue of USD 2 billion, FIFA said, publishing its financial report for 2024, and will include funding payments known as solidarity to teams that did qualify. FIFA's report said ticket and hospitality sales of USD 500 million are expected across the 63 Club World Cup games being played across 12 American ...

Champions League 2025: PSG vs Liverpool live match time and streaming

The live telecast of the UCL Round of 16 between PSG and Liverpool will be available on the Sony Sports network.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 live matches today and live streaming

The live streaming of the 2nd round of UCL Round of 16 matches will be available on the SonyLIV app.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 live match timings and live streaming

The live streaming of the UCL Round of 16 matches will be available on the SonyLIV app.

FA Cup: Manchester United vs Fulham live match time and live streaming

The live streaming of the Manchester United vs Fulham FA Cup clash will be available on the SonyLIV app.

Ronaldo-led Al Nasser looking to seal Asian Champions League glory

Cristiano Ronaldo can take a major step towards the Asian Champions League elite title in Iran on Monday, though Al-Nassr is not the only Saudi Arabian club in contention for the big prize. Ronaldo has yet to win a major trophy since signing for the Riyadh club in December 2022 and victory over Esteghlal of Tehran in the two-legged Round of 16 tie would mean a place in the last eight for Al-Nassr. The 40-year-old has won five UEFA Champions Leagues while Al-Nassr has yet to win one in Asia. Domestically Al-Nassr is off the pace and its latest setback a 2-1 defeat at Al-Orubah on Friday saw it slip into fourth in the Saudi Pro League and increase the pressure on coach Stefano Pioli. "We had many chances but could not score," said Pioli. "We have a lot of games in a short period of time and only had two days rest before this game and now we have to get ready for another one in the Asian Champions League." Ronaldo has been in good form in Asia scoring six goals in the group stage,

Man City thrash Plymouth Argyle 3-1 to book their place in FA Cup Q/F

The FA Cup could yet be a way for Manchester City to finish a disappointing season with a trophy. City needed two goals from teenager Nico O'Reilly to come from behind and beat second-division side Plymouth Argyle 3-1 on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the only competition it still has a chance to win. An eventful day in the competition also saw two notable red cards, a seven-minute VAR check, a handshake snub and a tense penalty shootout as Crystal Palace, Preston and Bournemouth also advanced. The biggest talking point came in the early game where Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off for a wildly reckless challenge that left Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta needing 25 stitches on a cut to his ear. Wolves' star forward Matheus Cunha was then also sent off in the final minute of extra time against Bournemouth for headbutting an opponent having earlier scored a superb equalizer before his team went on to lose on penalties. City's win was relatively routine in .

La Liga: Atletico secures top spot in table after Real goes down vs Betis

Real Madrid stumbled in the three-way race for the Spanish league title as Isco Alarcn guided Real Betis to a 2-1 comeback win over the defending champion. The former Madrid player delivered a corner kick that was headed in by fellow midfielder Johnny Cardoso in the 34th minute on Saturday, cancelling out Brahim Daz's opener for Madrid. Isco then put Betis ahead from the penalty spot in the 54th after he passed to Jess Rodrguez and Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger knocked the Betis forward down in the area. Madrid's loss left it level on points with Barcelona, which hosts Real Sociedad on Sunday. Atletico Madrid moved two points clear of them both at the top of the table after substitute Julin lvarez scored to secure a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Kylian Mbapp was back starting for Madrid after missing one game because of a problem with a tooth. Coach Carlo Ancelotti substituted him with 15 minutes left, saying that his dental issue had impeded him from training properly and that