LONDON: Chelsea’s women overturned a two-goal first leg deficit to beat Manchester City 3-0 and set up a Champions League semifinal meeting with holders Barcelona on Thursday.
Earlier, Barca mauled Wolfsburg 6-1 in Catalonia to complete a 10-2 aggregate thrashing.
In the final of four meetings between City and Chelsea in the past 12 days, the English champions wasted little time in gaining revenge for a rare defeat in last week’s first leg.
The Blues had turned the tie around before half-time as Sandy Baltimore blasted into the top corner before Nathalie Bjorn headed in from a corner to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate.
Lauren James then pounced on a sloppy City pass to tee up Mayra Ramirez for the winning goal.
Chelsea remain on course for a quadruple in Sonia Bompastor’s first season in charge.
They beat City 2-1 in the League Cup final earlier this month to begin the quartet of meetings, are into the semifinals of the FA Cup and have an eight-point lead at the top of the Women’s Super League.
However, they face the most daunting challenge in women’s football next month in trying to dethrone Barcelona.
Chelsea’s quest to win the Champions League for the first time has come undone against the Spanish champions in three of the past four seasons.
Pere Romeu’s side have gone on to win the tournament on all three occasions and set a record by reaching a seventh consecutive semifinal.
After a shock first ever women’s El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid on Sunday, Barca showed no mercy against the side they beat to win the 2023 final.
Salma Paralluelo’s quickfire double built on Barca’s 4-1 first leg lead before Esmee Brugts smashed home the third from outside the box.
Substitute Claudia Pina continued the rout after the hour mark as she beat Anneke Borbe too easily at her near post.
Lineth Beerensteyn pulled one back for the visitors after Barca stopper Cata Coll was lured out of her goal but could not clear the ball effectively.
Pina scored a fine second with a free-kick which flew in off the post, with Mapi Leon following suit from even longer range to wrap up Barcelona’s rout in stoppage time.
Arsenal will face eight-time winners Lyon in the other semifinal for a place in the final in Lisbon on May 24.
Chelsea to face Barcelona in Women’s Champions League semis after Man City fightback
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Chelsea to face Barcelona in Women’s Champions League semis after Man City fightback
’I’ll be back’ vows Haaland after injury blow
Haaland wrote on Instagram: “I’ll be back,” accompanied by a flexed biceps emoji
LONDON: Erling Haaland promised “I’ll be back” after the Manchester City striker learned he will be sidelined for seven weeks with an ankle injury.
Haaland limped off during the second half of City’s 2-1 win at Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Norway star had missed a penalty and scored his 30th goal of the season before being hurt in a challenge with Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook.
City boss Pep Guardiola on Tuesday revealed Haaland would miss the majority of the remainder of the season, saying: “The doctors told me between five and seven weeks, so hopefully for the end of the season and the Club World Cup he will be ready.”
Haaland responded to his injury blow on Instagram on Wednesday, posting a message that read: “I’ll be back” — a quote made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the Terminator movies — accompanied by a flexed biceps emoji.
The post also featured a photo of the 24-year-old with his left foot in a protective boot and each arm raised holding up a crutch.
Haaland’s absence is a major setback to City’s hopes of securing qualification for the Champions League.
Haaland will miss Sunday’s derby at Manchester United in the Premier League, as well as the FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest on April 26 or 27.
The FA Cup final takes place on May 17, a day short of seven weeks after he suffered the injury.
City’s final Premier League game is at Fulham on May 25, with their first match in the Club World Cup against Wydad Casablanca being played on June 18.
Bundesliga to open additional transfer window for Club World Cup
- The 32-team Club World Cup in the United States runs from June 14 to July 13
BERLIN: The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 will have an additional transfer window running from June 1-10 ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, the German soccer league (DFL) said on Tuesday.
World soccer’s governing body has given member associations of participating clubs the option of opening an “exceptional registration window” in June before the Club World Cup begins to sign players.
The 32-team Club World Cup in the United States runs from June 14 to July 13, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich the two Bundesliga teams taking part.
Second ‘Derby Week’ set to have major impact on SPL outcomes
- Al-Hilal host Al-Nassr on Friday, while Al-Ahli welcome Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah clash with Ettifaq the following day
LONDON: The Saudi Pro League returns from the international break with the biggest of possible bangs. It is “Derby Week.” In Riyadh on Friday, Al-Hilal will no doubt warmly welcome their close rivals Al-Nassr, while 24 hours later, the focus of the country’s fans moves west to Jeddah with Al-Ahli hosting Al-Ittihad in what is known as “The Sea Derby.” There is also the small matter of “The Eastern Derby.”
These meetings are big enough in their own right but they will also have a major impact on the title race. As things stand, with 25 out of 34 games played, it is like this: Al-Ittihad are first with 61 points, then comes Al-Hilal with 57, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah have 51 each with Al-Ahli back in fifth with three points fewer.
If Al-Hilal win then they really put the pressure on the leaders. It would not be a surprise given that the last time Nassr won a league clash between the two Riyadh giants was back in 2021. Yet Al-Hilal are on a relatively poor run of just five wins from their last 10 games. That has even led to talk of Jorge Jesus, the coach who delivered the world record-winning streak of 34 games last year, being under pressure. Yet, the Portuguese boss has even been named a contender to take the Brazil job with the South Americans in shock after a 4-1 loss to Argentina last week that led to the firing of Dorival Junior.
Whatever happens with Jesus — and it would be quite something if a coach left an SPL club to take over the most successful national team in the world — there is some good news in the short term. OK, he is without his compatriot and right-back Joao Cancelo, who has impressed since his move from Manchester City but is not quite recovered from a hamstring injury, but others are returning. At the back Yasser Al-Shahrani is ready to come back after a lengthy playoff and Renan Lodi is also available.
Further up the pitch, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should be fit as should Mohamed Kanno, injured while on recent international duty. And then there is the long-awaited return of Aleksander Mitrovic. The Serbian striker scored 13 goals in 14 league games before his injury and his absence since December has been an issue. Fit and raring to go, he could just make the difference. For sure, Al-Nassr will not be too happy to see him.
Hilal need the win to keep pressure up at the top but the Yellows are in a battle for third and a place in the AFC Champions Elite with Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli. A victory for Al-Nassr, after three defeats and three draws since their last league win, would also be meaningful for coach Stefano Pioli as the Italian has yet to show he can produce a title-winning team.
As ever there will be plenty of attention, on and off the pitch, on Cristiano Ronaldo. The league’s top scorer with 19 goals will be keen to add to his haul — and renew his rivalry with Ali Al-Bulaihi if the defender is fit — as well as continue his partnership with Jhon Duran. At the back, Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte looks to have recovered from injury. Al-Nassr have the faintest of title hopes and a win keeps those alive and will do plenty of damage to those of their biggest rival.
Laurent Blanc would love for that to happen even if Al-Ittihad have failed to take advantage of the relative stumbles of Hilal, drawing three of their last four games. The four-point gap could be crucial, however, especially as Hilal are still very much in the running for the Asian Champions League and could face three games in the space of 10 days from the end of April to early May.
Heading into the “Sea Derby,” a 60,000 sellout, coach Blanc is going to be without Mario Mitaj for some time as the Albanian defender is injured, but the Tigers will be on a high after their dramatic 3-2 win over Al-Shabab in the semifinal of the King’s Cup on Tuesday.
Al-Ahli would also love to damage the title chances of their Jeddah rivals but for the Greens, it is also about getting into next season’s Champions League. Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney have been in excellent form of late and are capable of winning any match.
And, not to be forgotten, is the Eastern Derby. Al-Qadsiah are enjoying themselves after promotion and a fine season would become even better if they can beat their local rivals Ettifaq and gain some ground in the race for third, and even second. Fourteen wins from 16 league games from October to February had them near the title race before just one win from the last four.
Ettifaq have been on a decent run since the departure of Steven Gerrard in January and have climbed into seventh. It will not be an easy game for Al-Qadsiah but then, this is “Derby Week” after all.
Jokic scores career-high 61 points, plays nearly 53 minutes in 140-139 double-OT loss to Wolves
- Nikola Jokic’s scoring spree was the most by a player in the NBA this season
- Jokic’s previous career best was 56 points in a loss at Washington on Dec. 7
DENVER: Michael Malone called him Superman. At the moment, Nikola Jokic’s just super-tired.
The Denver Nuggets big man can’t wait to get some sleep after a career-best 61-point performance in which he played nearly 53 minutes. He didn’t leave the court after halftime of a 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
His scoring spree was the most by a player in the NBA this season. Jokic also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, notching the third 60-point triple-double in NBA history. Luka Doncic did it on Dec. 27, 2022 and James Harden did it on Jan. 30, 2018.
“The guy’s Superman,” Nuggets coach Malone said. “He’s on a whole other level, man. People say he’s not athletic, but not many guys can do what he does.”
Jokic’s previous career best was 56 points in a loss at Washington on Dec. 7. The franchise mark is held by David Thompson, who had 73 points at Detroit on April 9, 1978.
On Tuesday, Jokic attempted 24 free throws – making 19 – to match the team mark held by Carmelo Anthony. For all his exploits, Jokic had just one over-riding emotion: “Tired,” he said. “It was an exhausting game.”
Anthony Edwards gave the three-time NBA MVP major props. Jokic’s in a heated race for another MVP award with Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Nikola Jokic, he might be the best basketball player that I have ever seen close up, besides myself,” cracked Edwards, who had 34 points and 10 rebounds. “He is incredible. The MVP race is tough. I don’t know. He had 60. That is crazy.”
Of course, this game – a sixth straight loss to Minnesota, including playoffs – will be remembered by Nuggets fans for Jokic’s exploits on the court. But it will also be remembered for a wild finish.
Leading 139-138 with around 14 seconds left, Russell Westbrook stole the ball and dished it over to Christian Braun who then sent it right back to Westbrook for a layup. But Westbrook’s layup clanked off the rim and started a break the other way.
Westbrook ran down the court and fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner with 0.1 seconds remaining. The Timberwolves guard hit two of three free throws to steal the victory.
“Obviously, I feel awful for Russ,” Malone said. “That last play we get the turnover, we don’t convert, and then the foul. It was not from a lack of effort or care.
“Sometimes it goes like that, and that’s why we’ve just got to be strong. We’ve got to be resilient.”
The big question: Should the Nuggets have not attempted the layup and pulled the ball back out to run down the clock?
“It’s tough. You’ve got a two-on-one break,” Malone said. “As a coach, am I up on the sideline yelling, ‘Don’t go?’ We’ve got a layup. But it’s easy to say that (pull the ball out) in hindsight, because we missed a layup. ... He (Westbrook) is a tough kid, and I think he knows that everybody in that locker room’s got his back.”
For Jokic, there’s not much time for rest. The Nuggets play Wednesday night against San Antonio. All he said he needs was a little break.
“I think we’re so used to this,” Jokic said. “Tomorrow, I’m not going to remember I played so many minutes.”
Hay shines as New Zealand beat Pakistan for ODI series win
- New Zealand made 292-8 in 50 overs, bowl out Pakistan for 208 in 42nd over
- Ben Sears takes 5-59 as New Zealand thump Pakistan at seam-friendly pitch
Hamilton: Mitch Hay’s rollicking 99 not out backed by some feisty seam bowling steered New Zealand to an 84-run win over Pakistan on Wednesday to take an unbeatable lead in their one-day international series.
New Zealand made 292-8 and bowled Pakistan out for 208 in the 42nd over in Hamilton in the second of three ODIs.
Hay’s lusty hitting snapped a mid-innings slump by the hosts as he raced to a career-best score which included 22 off the final over by Mohammad Wasim.
The wicketkeeper-batsman smacked seven fours and as many sixes in his 78-ball innings after going into the middle with New Zealand struggling at 132-5 in the 27th over.
In reply Pakistan were in early trouble when Will O’Rourke had Abdullah Shafique (one) caught at first slip in the third over and in the following over Babar Azam (one) was caught at second slip off Jacob Duffy.
Duffy struck again in his next over with the wicket of Imam-ul-Haq. Pakistan were 9-3 in the sixth over when New Zealand at the same stage were 50-0.
Ben Sears entered the attack and took two wickets in his first over, removing Salman Agha for nine and Mohammad Rizwan for five.
A combination of poor shot selection and some lively seam bowling reduced Pakistan to 32-5 after 12 overs.
Tayyab Tahir (13) and Faheem Ashraf put on 33 for the sixth wicket and when Haris Rauf retired hurt on three, his concussion replacement Naseem Shah put on 60 with Ashraf.
Both posted maiden 50s with Ashraf scoring 73 off 80 deliveries and Naseem making 51 from 44.
Sears took 5-59 for New Zealand.
Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl with overcast skies and a green-tinged wicket favoring the bowlers.
Novice Black Cap openers Nick Kelly and Rhys Mariu took control early.
They put on 54 before Kelly, in only his second international, was caught behind for a hard-hitting 31 which included four fours and two sixes.
Debutant Mariu followed soon after for 18 off 25 when a leading edge lobbed up to Azam at mid-off in Wasim’s opening over.
Wasim and Rauf slowed the scoring and it took Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell until the 16th over to get New Zealand to the 100 mark.
The introduction of spin brought Mitchell’s innings to a halt for 18, stumped by Rizwan when beaten in the air by Sufyan Moqim. Nicholls went for 22 in the following over.
Michael Bracewell and Muhammad Abbas added only 30 runs in the next 10 overs when Bracewell was caught behind off Wasim for 17.
Pakistan-born Abbas and Hay set about restoring the innings with a patient 77-run partnership until Abbas went for 41.
Moqim was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with 2-33 while Wasim took 2-78.
The third and final match is at Mount Maunganui on Friday.
