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Saudi Al Hilal Will Fight to the End to Defend Title, Says Defiant Diaz

Football - AFC Champions League - Final - First Leg - Al-Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds - King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - April 29, 2023 Al-Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari in action. (Reuters)
Football - AFC Champions League - Final - First Leg - Al-Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds - King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - April 29, 2023 Al-Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari in action. (Reuters)
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Saudi Al Hilal Will Fight to the End to Defend Title, Says Defiant Diaz

Football - AFC Champions League - Final - First Leg - Al-Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds - King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - April 29, 2023 Al-Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari in action. (Reuters)
Football - AFC Champions League - Final - First Leg - Al-Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds - King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - April 29, 2023 Al-Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari in action. (Reuters)

Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz vowed his side will not give up on the defense of the Asian Champions League title despite surrendering an early lead and seeing Salem Al Dawsari sent off in their 1-1 draw with Urawa Red Diamonds in the final's first leg.

Al Dawsari displayed the best and worst of his game at Riyadh's King Fahad International Stadium on Saturday, putting Al Hilal in front in the 13th minute only to be sent off with four minutes remaining for kicking out at Urawa's Ken Iwao.

The red card came after Shinzo Koroki had leveled for the Japanese club eight minutes into the second half to leave the tie finely balanced going into the return leg at Saitama Stadium outside Tokyo next Saturday.

"We started the match very well, we were good offensively and deservingly scored," Diaz said. "However, this is the nature of a final and mistakes can complicate matters.

"The final isn't over yet. This final is over two matches and we will fight till the end."

Al Dawsari, a talismanic figure for Al Hilal who scored the winner in Saudi Arabia's historic shock 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup last year, will not be available for the second leg as the Riyadh club chase a record-extending fifth Asian crown.

"There was some confusion after Urawa equalized and then came Al Dawsari's red card but we still had chances to score," Diaz said.

"We haven't given up hope and will do our best to be Asian champions again."

Urawa go into the second leg holding a slender advantage due to Koroki's away goal. Coach Maciej Skorza, leading his team in the competition for the first time, praised his players' battling performance.

"It is a very good result for us and I have great respect for the Urawa players as they fought till the end despite it being such a tough match," said the Polish coach, who was appointed to lead Urawa in December.

"This experience was crucial for the players and it was also a learning experience for me as well. We have learnt so much from this for the second leg and we are very hopeful of getting a result at Saitama next week."

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Liverpool Condemns 'Dehumanizing, Cowardly' Racist Abuse of Konate

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg match between Liverpool and Galatasaray in Liverpool, Great Britain, 18 March 2026. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg match between Liverpool and Galatasaray in Liverpool, Great Britain, 18 March 2026. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
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Liverpool Condemns 'Dehumanizing, Cowardly' Racist Abuse of Konate

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg match between Liverpool and Galatasaray in Liverpool, Great Britain, 18 March 2026. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg match between Liverpool and Galatasaray in Liverpool, Great Britain, 18 March 2026. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate was the target of “vile and abhorrent” racist abuse online, the Premier League club said Friday.

Konate was targeted after Wednesday's Champions League victory against Galatasaray when he was involved in an incident that led to opposition striker Victor Osimhen sustaining a fractured arm.

Liverpool condemned the abuse as “dehumanizing, cowardly and rooted in hate.” It called on social media companies to do more to stamp it out, The Associated Press reported.

“Our players are not targets. They are human beings. The abuse that continues to be directed at players, often hidden behind anonymous accounts, is a stain on the game and on the platforms that allow it to persist,” the club said in a statement.

Liverpool said social media companies had the power and technology to prevent abuse.

“Allowing racist hatred to spread unchecked is a choice – and it is one that continues to harm players, families and communities across the game.”

Liverpool said it was supporting Konate and working with authorities to try to identify those responsible for the abuse.

Last month four Premier League players were targeted with racist abuse online over the same weekend.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri and Wolverhampton striker Tolu Arokodare shared images of messages they were sent on Instagram. Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle was also subjected to “vile online racist abuse,” his club said in a statement.

Kick It Out, a British-based anti-discrimination charity, repeated its calls for platforms to do more to address the problem that persists in elite soccer.

At the last Women's European Championship, England defender Jess Carter revealed she had been subject to racial abuse online.

“The current situation cannot be allowed to continue. It must be confronted, challenged and eradicated – not tomorrow, but now,” Liverpool said.

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Excited Arteta Says Trophyless Run will Add to Arsenal's Drive in League Cup Final 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (File Photo/AFP)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (File Photo/AFP)
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Excited Arteta Says Trophyless Run will Add to Arsenal's Drive in League Cup Final 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (File Photo/AFP)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (File Photo/AFP)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta shook off the nerves ahead of Sunday's League Cup final against Manchester City, saying his team were determined to win their first silverware in six years.

Arsenal, who finished second in the Premier League in the last three seasons, have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup in 2020.

With Arsenal sitting nine points above second-placed City in the English top flight and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup, Arteta said their trophy drought added to their drive ahead of this weekend's showdown at Wembley, Reuters reported.

"When you have been in this position and years without a trophy, it adds more necessity but also more drive. That's something that we have, it's important for us and something we've been looking to achieve for a while," Arteta told reporters on Friday.

Arteta was an assistant coach at City when Pep Guardiola's side beat Arsenal at the League Cup final in 2018. City have won the Premier League six times since then, also lifting the FA Cup twice and the Champions League in 2022-23.

Asked if a win on Sunday can help Arsenal win more trophies down the line, Arteta said it would be a massive boost for the players.

"We want it so much," the Spaniard said.

But the 43-year-old denied being under extra pressure ahead of facing City, who have not beaten Arsenal in their last four meetings, although three of those matches ended in draws.

"Excited. Enthusiastic. Positive," Arteta said when asked about nerves.

With four trophies still up for grabs this season, Arteta played down talk of achieving a quadruple.

"No, we need to go game by game. Trophy by trophy," he said.

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Injured Salah Out of Liverpool's Brighton Trip and Egypt's Game with Spain

Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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Injured Salah Out of Liverpool's Brighton Trip and Egypt's Game with Spain

Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Injured Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will miss Saturday's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and Egypt's friendly with Spain on March 31, manager Arne Slot said on Friday.

The injury caused Salah to ask to be substituted during Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray, after the 33-year-old shrugged off a missed penalty to score the final goal of the last-16 tie, which Liverpool won 4-1 on aggregate.

"He is not available for tomorrow. Good thing for Liverpool is we go ⁠to the international ⁠break. Bad news for Egypt, he can't go there," Slot told reporters, adding that Salah had a muscle issue.

"Mo has shown in the past he can recover faster than other players. He takes such good care of his body, he can be ⁠back earlier than others as history has shown. But it's only two weeks until we go again so let's hope in that period of time he can be back."

Salah, who has netted four goals and provided four assists in his last nine appearances for Liverpool, was scheduled to travel to Barcelona where Egypt are set to face Spain in a match that was originally scheduled to take place in ⁠Qatar.

The match ⁠was moved due to the conflict in the Middle East, the Egyptian Football Association said on Thursday.

Liverpool, who sit two points below fourth-placed Aston Villa in their Premier League title defense, are looking for their first win in three English top-flight games.

"We only have 60 hours of rest after putting in an enormous physical performance. Brighton has always been a team who want to play, bring the ball out from the back, and make it a very intense game," Slot added.