Mbappe Misses Penalty, Comes off Injured in PSG Win

PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Mbappe Misses Penalty, Comes off Injured in PSG Win

PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 win at Montpellier on Wednesday but their evening was overshadowed by an injury to Kylian Mbappe, who had earlier missed a penalty.

The France superstar had an eighth-minute spot-kick saved by Montpellier's Benjamin Lecomte and then remarkably saw his second attempt turned onto the post by the goalkeeper after the referee ordered a retake, AFP said.

Mbappe then limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury midway through the first half, raising the alarm for PSG with the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich now less than two weeks away.

Speaking after the game, coach Christophe Galtier suggested the injury was down to a knock rather than a muscle problem.

"He took a knock to the back of the knee or the back of the thigh, so we'll see," said Galtier.

"I'm not too worried," he added. "It's a bruise or a contusion, we don't know yet.

"With the run of matches we don't want to take risks with a very busy fixture list, but it doesn't appear that serious."

PSG host Bayern in Paris on February 14, with the second leg in Germany on March 8. They are desperate to avoid a repeat of last season when they were knocked out at the same stage of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

After winning just one of their last four league games, Wednesday's awkward trip for PSG saw them also lose Sergio Ramos to injury and have two goals disallowed before Fabian Ruiz put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half.

- Messi on target -
Ruiz then set up Lionel Messi to make it 2-0 with a deft finish in the 72nd minute, the Argentine scoring his 14th club goal of the season.

Sixteen-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery made sure of the win in stoppage time after Arnaud Nordin -- a friend of Mbappe's from their time together at France's national training academy -- had pulled one back.

PSG, who were without the rested Neymar, extended their lead at the top of the table from three to five points after Lens lost 1-0 at home to Nice.

"It was a good performance in general," Galtier said.

"There was an incredible scenario in the first half with the retaken penalty, we hit the post, had goals disallowed and two injuries because Sergio Ramos was involved in a collision and on falling he hurt his adductor, but apparently it is nothing serious."

The win for PSG came after a frustrating end to the January transfer window on Tuesday as they failed to process the paperwork to complete the loan signing of Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea after the Moroccan winger had passed a medical.

Gaetan Laborde scored the only goal of the game for Nice as Lens dropped points at home for the first time this season after winning all 10 previous matches there.

Marseille climbed above Lens into second place thanks to a 2-0 victory at Nantes earlier, secured by an own goal from Joao Victor and then a late strike by Azzedine Ounahi, the Moroccan World Cup star making his debut after signing in the January window.

Monaco in fourth beat Auxerre 3-2, while fifth-placed Rennes eased to a 3-0 win against struggling Strasbourg.

On-loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun followed up his last-gasp equalizer against PSG at the weekend by netting a hat-trick as Reims came from two goals down to beat Lorient 4-2 and extend their unbeaten run to 15 games.

Bottom side Angers suffered a new French top-flight record 13th consecutive defeat as they conceded in stoppage time to lose 2-1 at home to Ajaccio.

That result leaves them 11 points from safety.



Salah ‘Deserves Big Send-Off’, Says Liverpool Boss Slot

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
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Salah ‘Deserves Big Send-Off’, Says Liverpool Boss Slot

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)

Arne Slot said Mohamed Salah "deserves a big send-off" as he confirmed he expected the departing superstar to return from injury before the end of the season.

The Egypt forward, who will leave Anfield at the end of the campaign, was forced off in last weekend's 3-1 win at home to Crystal Palace, prompting fears he may have played his final game for the Reds.

Salah applauded the fans and was given a standing ovation as he made his way off the pitch.

Liverpool confirmed on Wednesday that Salah, 33, had suffered a "minor muscle injury" and was expected to be able to return to action before the campaign comes to an end.

The club travel to face Manchester United on Sunday after three straight wins put them firmly on course for a place in next season's Champions League.

"We expect him to be back in the final part of the season, but not for Sunday," Liverpool boss Slot said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"It's a big relief that his injury is minor, so that he's able to play for us, that he's able to play at the World Cup.

"And if there's ever a player who deserves to get a big send-off, it's definitely Mo."

Salah has scored 257 goals in 440 appearances since his arrival at Anfield in 2017, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in Liverpool's list of leading goalscorers.

He had a public spat with Slot in December, declaring he had "no relationship" with the Dutchman after being dropped for three consecutive games.

But the Liverpool manager later said he had "no issue to resolve" with the forward returning to the fold.

Liverpool, whose Premier League title defense collapsed dramatically from late September, have four games remaining, starting with their trip to face United.


Japanese Trailblazer Nishikori to Retire at End of Season

Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Japanese Trailblazer Nishikori to Retire at End of Season

Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)

Kei Nishikori will hang ‌up his racquet at the end of the 2026 season, the 36-year-old said on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a professional career that saw him break new ground for Japanese tennis.

Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2014 US Open and was the second Asian man after Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan to make it into the top 10.

He ‌reached a career-high ‌ranking of number four in ‌2015 ⁠and won 12 ⁠titles on the ATP Tour, but has been plagued by injuries for years and has fallen to 464 in the world rankings.

The last time he was ranked in the top 10 was in October 2019 and last month he admitted he ⁠was "barely hanging on" in terms of physical ‌fitness.

"Reaching the ATP Tour, ‌playing at the highest level of competition and maintaining ‌a presence in the top 10 is something ‌I am extremely proud of," Nishikori wrote in a post on social media.

"Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable ... ‌To be honest, I still wish I could continue my playing career. Even ⁠so, looking ⁠back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all.

"I am truly happy to have walked this path. I will cherish every moment of the remaining matches and fight to the very end."

Nishikori's most recent appearance in a tour-level event came at last year’s Cincinnati Open, though he has played in five Challenger events this year.

He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in three sets.


Villa Coach Emery Hits Out at VAR after Europa League Loss to Forest

30 April 2026, United Kingdom, Nottingham: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts after the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at the City Ground. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa
30 April 2026, United Kingdom, Nottingham: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts after the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at the City Ground. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa
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Villa Coach Emery Hits Out at VAR after Europa League Loss to Forest

30 April 2026, United Kingdom, Nottingham: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts after the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at the City Ground. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa
30 April 2026, United Kingdom, Nottingham: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts after the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at the City Ground. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was scathing in his criticism of the Video Assistant Referee's (VAR) decisions in the Europa League first-leg tie against Nottingham Forest, taking issue with a tackle by Eliot Anderson.

Anderson made a sliding tackle on Ollie Watkins in which he won the ball but caught the English forward's ankle with his studs, with VAR reviewing the incident briefly before clearing it.

"It's a clear red card - ⁠I don't understand ⁠why the VAR is not calling the referee because it's so clear," Emery said after Thursday's match, which Forest won 1-0 courtesy of a Chris Wood penalty in the 71st minute.

"And it's very, very ⁠important. It's a huge, huge mistake. VAR is responsible. The referee - fantastic, fantastic job, 10 out of 10. I appreciated how he managed the match for 90 minutes.

"But I watched it back - wow. Huge. He could break his ankle. Wow, VAR - where are you?

Please. It is your responsibility, we are professionals. You are doing very bad work ⁠because it ⁠was so clear for everybody. He could break his ankle."

Despite the severity of the challenge Watkins played the full 90 minutes, a boost for Villa's Champions League hopes for next season as this season comes to a close, Reuters reported.

Watkins is Villa's top goalscorer this season, netting 15 goals so far in all competitions.

Villa, currently fifth in the Premier League table, face relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.