PARIS: The Paris Saint-Germain of Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona clash in the first leg of their blockbuster Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday, in the latest instalment of the growing rivalry between the two clubs.
It is the fifth time the sides have been drawn against each other in the knockout stage of Europe’s elite club competition in the last 12 seasons, with those past meetings including an unforgettable encounter in 2017.
PSG won 4-0 at home in the first leg only to lose 6-1 in the return in a stunning implosion against a Barcelona side coached by Luis Enrique.
He is now in charge of PSG, having joined the Qatar-owned club ahead of this season with the responsibility of delivering elusive European success.
“It is a totally different game for me,” Luis Enrique said on Tuesday, referring to the special nature of a fixture against the club with whom he starred as a player before going on to lead to Champions League glory in 2015.
“But I also played against Sporting (Gijon, where he began his career) and scored goals for Barcelona.
“At the end of the day I am a professional. Of course I like Barcelona but I am pleased to be here at PSG, and I must think about my job and my team. I think I’m capable of bringing trophies to this club.”
PSG have never won the Champions League and had gone out in the last 16 in five of the last seven years before beating Real Sociedad to reach the last eight this time.
The consequences of that 2017 meeting between the teams were huge.
A humiliated PSG exacted revenge by signing Neymar from Barcelona a few months later by paying a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($264m at the time) to activate the Brazilian’s release clause.
Barcelona panicked and blew all of that money, and more, in trying to rebuild their team.
Among the players they signed was Ousmane Dembele, who cost an initial 105 million euros from Borussia Dortmund.
Fast forward to last year and Dembele was sold to PSG for just 50 million euros, leaving behind a cash-strapped Barca who have faded somewhat as a continental force in recent seasons.
Their financial problems forced them to let Lionel Messi leave in 2021, with the Argentine teaming up with Neymar in a two-year spell in Paris.
It was only a few weeks after Neymar’s arrival that PSG also signed Mbappe, who has gone on to become the club’s all-time top scorer and will leave at the end of this season when his contract expires, almost certainly for Real Madrid.
Mbappe scored a brilliant hat-trick in the first leg in Barcelona when PSG beat the Catalans 5-2 on aggregate in the last 16 in 2021, in the most recent clash between the clubs.
He has 39 goals this season and appears extra motivated by the desire to win the Champions League with his boyhood club before he leaves.
PSG failed to convince in the group stage, only just scraping through to the last 16.
However, they are unbeaten in 27 games in all competitions going back to early November and are dreaming of winning a Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup treble.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have not lost in 11 matches since coach Xavi Hernandez, who played both alongside and under Luis Enrique at the club, revealed his intention to walk away at the end of this season.
The five-time European champions are appearing in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, when they were trounced 8-2 by Bayern Munich in a game played behind closed doors in Lisbon, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are in our best form but we are playing against a team built to win the Champions League and we are coming up against one of the best coaches in Luis Enrique,” Xavi told reporters.
Barcelona are hoping midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, who have both been struggling with injuries, will be able to play in the game, while PSG are without influential right-back Achraf Hakimi due to suspension.
“All those who have traveled will be able to play, as long as there are no surprises,” Xavi said of his squad.
The second leg will be played in Barcelona next Tuesday, April 16, with the winners advancing to a semifinal against either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund.
PSG and Barcelona get set to renew Champions League rivalry
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PSG and Barcelona get set to renew Champions League rivalry
- PSG won 4-0 at home in the first leg only to lose 6-1 in the return in a stunning implosion against a Barcelona side coached by Luis Enrique
- “It is a totally different game for me,” Luis Enrique said on Tuesday, referring to the special nature of a fixture against the club with whom he starred as a player
France's Caroline Garcia says will retire from tennis
PARIS: France’s former world number four Caroline Garcia said on Friday she will retire from tennis, with the French Open starting this weekend her last time at Roland Garros.
An 11-time title winner on the WTA tour and former French Open women’s doubles champion, Garcia wrote on social media that she has “a few tournaments left” and will then call it quits.
“Dear tennis, it’s time to say goodbye,” the 31-year-old said.
“After 15 years competing at the highest level, and more than 25 years putting pretty much every second of my life into it, I feel ready to start a new chapter.”
Garcia has earned nearly $19 million in prize money and won the season-ending 2022 World Tour Finals, seen as the next rung down from Grand Slams.
That same year she won the French Open doubles title for the second time with compatriot Kristina Mladenovic.
Her best run in singles at a major was the semifinals of the US Open, also in 2022.
She reached a career-high four in the world but is now ranked 145th.
“My tennis journey hasn’t always been easy. Since my early days, tennis has been much more than just winning or losing. It’s been love or hate. Happiness or anger,” she wrote.
“But now it’s time for something else. My body and my personal goals need it.
“Still, this is not over — not just yet. I have a few tournaments left,” she said.
The first will be at Roland Garros when the tournament starts on Sunday.
UEFA apologizes after running out of medals during Europa League final ceremony
- Spurs captain Son Heung-min and two other players, the last to line up for individual medals, were left empty-handed
- Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the club’s fourth European title on Wednesday
UEFA has apologized for running out of winners medals during the Europa League final trophy ceremony on Wednesday after more Tottenham Hotspur players than expected lined up to receive their individual prizes.
Spurs captain Son Heung-min and two other players, the last to line up for individual medals, were left empty-handed after their team beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the club’s fourth European title on Wednesday.
Son lifted the trophy without a medal around his neck.
“To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count ...” British media quoted European soccer’s governing body as saying on Thursday.
“More team members – including injured players – participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated.
“The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight.”
Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder to 2-0 lead over Minnesota
- Gilgeous-Alexander was presented with his MVP award on court before the game but any suggestions that the celebrations would distract from the task at hand quickly evaporated
- OKC head to Minnesota on the back of their 60th win by double figures this season and in buoyant mood
WASHINGTON: Newly crowned NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an imposing 118-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to open up a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals on Thursday.
Gilgeous-Alexander was presented with his MVP award on court before the game but any suggestions that the celebrations would distract from the task at hand quickly evaporated.
Roared on by a loud and passionate home crowd, the Canadian top-scored for the Thunder with 38 points and added eight assists and three rebounds.
OKC head to Minnesota on the back of their 60th win by double figures this season and in buoyant mood.
The Timberwolves will take some encouragement from a strong showing from Anthony Edwards, who after disappointing in Game 1, posted 32 points with six assists and nine rebounds.
But if they are to fight their way back into this series they will need to tighten up their defense, improve on 41.4 percent field-goal shooting and get more out of Julius Randle who was restricted to six points.
After a tight first half, the game was won by a blistering third quarter from the Thunder, who outscored Minnesota by 14 points.
A Chet Holmgren alley-oop dunk with 2:54 left in the quarter opened up a 17-point 82-65 lead.
Although the Timberwolves were able to reduce the deficit to 10 points in the fourth, the outcome was never in real doubt.
Jalen Williams had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Holmgren added 22 points for the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the team’s ability to go on strong runs had its roots in their strong defense.
“It feels good. It starts with getting stops though, it always does. We get stops, we’re able to play fast, play to our strengths, play in the open court, be special,” he said.
Anti-doping bodies condemn ‘dangerous’ drug-fueled Enhanced Games
- The Enhanced Games will be staged in Las Vegas in May 2026, with athletes participating in three sports — athletics, swimming and weightlifting
- Aron D’Souza, the Australian entrepreneur who is the founder of the event, says the Enhanced Games are an exercise in testing the boundaries of human performance
LOS ANGELES: Anti-doping bodies on Thursday condemned plans for the first edition of the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas, an Olympics-style event where athletes will be free to use performance-enhancing drugs.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and bodies across the world have taken aim at the event after organizers revealed the date, venue and format for the competition.
The Enhanced Games will be staged in Las Vegas in May 2026, with athletes participating in three sports — athletics, swimming and weightlifting.
Athletes will be allowed to use drugs which are banned across international sport such as steroids and human growth hormones, with winners of each event receiving $250,000, and a bonus of $1 million for anyone who breaks a world record.
Aron D’Souza, the Australian entrepreneur who is the founder of the event, says the Enhanced Games are an exercise in testing the boundaries of human performance.
“The Enhanced Games is renovating the Olympic model for the 21st century,” D’Souza said on Wednesday as details of the games were revealed.
“We are here to move humanity forward,” D’Souza said. “The old rules didn’t just hold back athletes, they held back humanity.
“We are not just organizing competition, we are in the business of unlocking human potential. We are the vanguard of super-humanity.”
The Enhanced Games will take place from May 21-24 at the Resorts World hotel in Las Vegas.
Swimming will hold 100m and 50m freestyle events, along with 100m and 50m butterfly.
Athletics events include the 100m and 100m and 110m hurdles. Weightlifters will compete in the snatch and clean & jerk disciplines.
WADA, the global anti-doping watchdog, on Thursday condemned plans for the event as “dangerous,” voicing concern it could lead athletes around the world to dabble in illicit substances with potentially deadly consequences
“WADA condemns the Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept,” the agency said in a statement. “The health and well-being of athletes is WADA’s No. 1 priority.
“Clearly this event would jeopardize that as it seeks to promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing.
“There have been many examples of athletes suffering serious long-term side-effects from their use of prohibited substances and methods. Some have died.”
Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), said the event was a “dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.”
Australia’s anti-doping body, Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), also condemned the risks posed to athletes participating in the Enhanced Games.
“We work to ensure that sport is safe and fair to all,” SIA chief executive Sarah Benson said in a statement. “The Enhanced Games is promoting the complete opposite and poses a significant risk to athlete health and safety.”
USADA’s chief science officer, Matt Fedoruk, highlighted that many substances had been banned in conventional sporting events because they were proven to be dangerous.
“These things aren’t just banned because they’re effective at making athletes stronger or faster,” Fedoruk said in a post on USADA’s website.
“Many are banned because they’ve been proven to be dangerous for athletes, with some harmful side effects being potentially irreversible.”
Enhanced Games founder D’Souza however has pushed back on those criticisms, insisting that the competition would be conducted “safely.”
“We live in a world transformed by science — from vaccines to AI,” said D’Souza.
“But sport has stood still. Until today. We are not updating the rulebook — we are rewriting it. And we’re doing it safely, ethically, and boldly.”
The Enhanced Games have received financial backing from investors who include billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel as well as investment firm 1789 Capital, in which Donald Trump Jr. is a partner.
Real Madrid great Luka Modric leaving club after 13 years. Exit to follow Club World Cup
- Madrid will pay tribute to Modric in their last match of the season Saturday against Real Sociedad in La Liga at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
- In 13 seasons, Modric helped the club win 28 titles: six European Cups, six Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, four Spanish leagues, two Copas del Rey and five Spanish Super Cups
MADRID: Real Madrid and midfielder Luka Modric — the most decorated player in the club’s history — have agreed to part ways after the Club World Cup.
The 39-year-old Modric will leave after an “unforgettable time as a player at our club,” the club said in Thursday’s announcement.
Madrid will pay tribute to Modric in their last match of the season Saturday against Real Sociedad in La Liga at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The Club World Cup starts in mid-June in the United States.
“The moment has arrived,” Modric said on social media. “The moment I never wanted to come, but that’s football, and in life everything has a beginning and an end. On Saturday, I’ll play my last game at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
Modric arrived at Madrid in 2012 and became a key player during one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
“Real Madrid wishes to express its immense gratitude and appreciation for a player who has become a true legend both of our club and world football,” the club said.
In 13 seasons, Modric helped the club win 28 titles: six European Cups, six Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, four Spanish leagues, two Copas del Rey and five Spanish Super Cups.
“Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas (Madrid fans) as a unique and exemplary footballer who has always embodied the values of Real Madrid,” club president Florentino Perez said. “His football has captured the imagination of madridismo and fans all over the world. His legacy will live on forever.”
The Croatia international has made 590 appearances for Madrid — eighth on the club’s all-time list — and has scored 43 goals. He had been playing fewer minutes in recent seasons under coach Carlo Ancelotti.
He is one of only five players to have won six European Cups.
In 2018, Modric won the Ballon d’Or, was named FIFA’s best men’s player and UEFA’s men’s player of the year. Twice he’s been named the best midfielder in the Champions League.
“I’m leaving filled with pride, gratitude and unforgettable memories,” Modric said. “And although after the Club World Cup I won’t wear this shirt on the field again, I’ll always be a madridista.”
Modric did not indicate his post-Madrid plans, but a motivating factor could be that the 2026 World Cup is only a year away.
Modric’s 186 matches for Croatia make him the nation’s record-holder for international appearances. He won the Golden Ball at the 2018 World Cup in Russia — where Croatia lost the final to France — and the Bronze Ball at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
