LONDON: Liverpool reached the FA Cup final as Sadio Mane’s double inspired a 3-2 win over Manchester City that kept alive their quadruple bid and shattered their rivals’ treble hopes.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are chasing an unprecedented clean-sweep of the four major trophies in a single season.
They remain on course to achieve that incredible target after a scintillating first half display in Saturday’s semifinal at Wembley.
Ibrahima Konte put Liverpool ahead and Mane doubled their lead thanks to a blunder from City keeper Zack Steffen.
Senegal forward Mane struck again before half-time and, although Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva netted after the interval, City were unable to complete a remarkable revival.
Liverpool will make their first FA Cup final appearance since 2012 on May 14 when they face Chelsea or Crystal Palace, who meet in Sunday’s semifinal.
The Reds, into the FA Cup final for the 15th time, haven’t won the competition since 2006, while Klopp has yet to lead them to a domestic knockout trophy.
Trailing Premier League leaders City by just one point with seven games left, Liverpool have already won the League Cup and have also reached the Champions League semifinals, where they will play Villarreal.
Despite Klopp’s protestations that the quadruple is an impossible dream, this was another step toward football immortality.
For City, fatigued physically and mentally, it was a game too far as Liverpool handed them a first defeat in 11 games.
Both league meetings this season had ended in 2-2 draws, including a pulsating clash at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.
But, battered and bruised after surviving a gruelling Champions League quarter-final at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, City were unable to match Liverpool’s intensity as they surrendered possession with uncharacteristic mistakes.
Pep Guardiola claimed City were “exhausted,” giving him “no choice” but to make changes, with Kevin De Bruyne on the bench alongside Ederson, Ruben Dias and Rodri, while Kyle Walker was sidelined with an injury.
In contrast, Klopp recalled Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold after resting his key players for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica.
Guardiola will believe his selection was the right move if City can pip Liverpool in the title race and reach a second successive Champions League final.
It was a bad day from start to finish for City, who issued an apology after their fans forced referee Michael Oliver to cut short a pre-match tribute to the 97 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough 33 years ago by chanting through the minute’s silence.
Liverpool exacted revenge on the pitch, tearing into City and taking the lead in the ninth minute.
Konate had scored with headers in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Benfica, but City surprisingly opted not to give the French defender special attention.
Andrew Robertson’s outswinging corner looped into City’s six-yard box, where Konate towered above Nathan Ake to thump his header past Steffen.
Liverpool were tormenting City with pace and movement, leaving their rivals so rattled that they gift-wrapped the second goal in the 17th minute.
Ake’s back-pass should have been easy for Steffen, but the American took too long to decide whether to pass or boot it clear, allowing Mane to slide in and deflect the ball into the net from virtually on the goal-line.
Liverpool, pressing relentlessly, scored again on the stroke of half-time.
Thiago Alcantara clipped a deft pass out to Mane and he volleyed past the slow-to-react Steffen from the edge of the area.
City pulled one back in the 47th minute when Gabriel Jesus twisted away from Fabinho and squared for Grealish to fire home from 10 yards.
Suddenly threatening a stunning fightback, City were denied by Alisson’s two superb saves from Jesus.
Silva converted Riyad Mahrez’s cross in stoppage-time, but the final whistle triggered a wall of sound from Liverpool fans dreaming of quadruple glory.
Quadruple-chasing Liverpool reach FA Cup final, ending Man City’s treble bid
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Quadruple-chasing Liverpool reach FA Cup final, ending Man City’s treble bid
- Jurgen Klopp's side are chasing an unprecedented clean-sweep of the four major trophies in a single season
- Ibrahima Konte put Liverpool ahead and Mane doubled their lead thanks to a blunder from City keeper Zack Steffen
Kosovo players walk off in Romania game after ‘Serbia’ chants
Bucharest: A Nations League game between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest was suspended on Friday in injury time after fans in the crowd shouted “Serbia!.”
The Kosovo players left the pitch after the chants, leading to the game to be paused with the score 0-0.
Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s.
Kosovo and Serbia do not play each other in UEFA and FIFA tournaments.
Football’s world governing body opened disciplinary proceedings against Serbia during the 2022 World Cup after the team hung a flag in their changing room depicting Kosovo as part of Serbia.
Kosovo joined FIFA and European confederation UEFA in 2016.
When Romania played in Pristina, they beat Kosovo 3-0.
Ronaldo shines as Portugal rout Poland to reach Nations League last-eight
PORTO, Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal staged a second-half supershow to crush Poland 5-1 and reach the Nations League quarter-finals on Friday.
Portugal join France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the last-eight while Poland’s hopes of going through from Group A1 were ended.
Having struggled to plant a shot on target in the first half, Portugal stepped on the accelerator after the break.
Rafael Leao broke the deadlock in Porto just before the hour mark after starting and finishing the move.
The AC Milan striker raced away and passed to Nuno Mendes whose cross from the left was headed powerfully past Marcin Bulka in the Portugal goal.
Thirteen minutes later, skipper Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet, converting a penalty after Jakub Kiwior was penalized for a handball in the area.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes made it 3-0 in the 80th minute, scoring after a clever run by Vitinha.
Pedro Neto added the fourth three minutes later after Ronaldo’s fine pass which left the Polish defense stranded.
As Polish spirits sank, Ronaldo added his second and Portugal’s fifth in the 87th minute with a spectacular overhead kick before Dominik Marczuk tucked away a consolation goal for the visitors.
Poland had enjoyed the better chances before falling behind but their potency in front of goal was blunted by the absence of record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski who was sidelined with a back injury.
Moments before Leao’s goal, Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa pulled off a fine save to deny Marczuk having also been alert to deny Nicola Zalewski in the first half.
Portugal’s best chance in the first 45 minutes had fallen to Ronaldo who fired a close-range effort over the bar from close range.
Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58
- Miura will turn 58 in February
- He intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka
TOKYO: Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura is several generations older than his teammates. His contemporaries retired decades ago. Lionel Messi is 37, and Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 — mere youngsters compared to Miura.
Miura will turn 58 in February, and the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported this week that he intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka. It will be his 40th season playing in professional soccer.
Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional soccer player.
Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s.
He has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos, a side made famous by Brazilian star Pelé.
Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
- Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round.
- Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have 6 points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with 3
JAKARTA: Japan defeated Indonesia 4-0 on Friday to move seven points clear at the top of Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Two goals in each half mean the Samurai Blue stays on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance.
After a bright start from the home team, the 78,000 fans at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium were silenced after 35 minutes as Daichi Kamada broke down the left and sent a cross which defender Justin Hubner put into his own net from close range.
Takumi Minamino then scored from inside the area off Kaoru Mitoma’s pass to extend the lead five minutes before the break.
Hidemasa Motira took advantage of an errant pass from Indonesia’s goalkeeper to make it 3-0 early in the second half and Yukinari Sugawara rounded out the scoring in the 69th minute.
Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round. Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have six points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with three.
The top two from each of the three groups will be guaranteed a place at the World Cup, with the third- and fourth-place teams progressing to the next stage.
Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban
- The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back
- “Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said
TURIN, Italy: Paul Pogba will no longer be a Juventus player from next month.
Juventus announced on Friday they came to “a mutual agreement” with Pogba to cancel his contract despite the France World Cup winner having a ban for doping slashed last month.
The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back after his four-year ban for doping was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 31-year-old Pogba, who will be free to resume his career in March 2025, had said he was ready to give up money to play for Juventus again.
“Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said in a brief statement. “The club wish Paul the very best for his professional future.”
Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August last year and the Juventus midfielder was handed the maximum punishment by Italy’s anti-doping court.
But CAS judges cut Pogba’s ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.
Pogba’s contract with Juventus was set to expire in June 2026.
“My time at Juventus has come to an end. It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special memories together,” Pogba said in a statement.
“I cherish the memories we made. They live on. Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.”
Pogba was the most expensive soccer player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of 105 million euros ($113 million) in 2016.
He starred in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.
“I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club,” Pogba added.
