PSG Ousts Liverpool from Champions League to Join Barcelona, Bayern and Inter in QF

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and teammates celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain, in Liverpool, Britain, 11 March 2025.  EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and teammates celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain, in Liverpool, Britain, 11 March 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
TT

PSG Ousts Liverpool from Champions League to Join Barcelona, Bayern and Inter in QF

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and teammates celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain, in Liverpool, Britain, 11 March 2025.  EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and teammates celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain, in Liverpool, Britain, 11 March 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

Gianluigi Donnarumma came through and Paris Saint-Germain defeated Liverpool in a penalty shootout to join Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday.
PSG beat Liverpool 1-0 on the night to level the aggregate score at 1-1. Ousmane Dembélé scored 12 minutes into the second-leg match after a blunder by the Liverpool defense, The Associated Press reported.
After extra time, Donnarumma stopped the penalty shots by Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to secure his team a 4-1 shootout win. Desire Doue scored the winning spot kick for PSG, which will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge.
“It does not matter if we deserve the win. Both teams deserved to go through," PSG coach Luis Enrique said. “We were better in Paris and they were better here. My team showed great personality and character at Anfield.”
The French league leader — seeking its first Champions League title — had lost at this stage in five of the past eight editions. It lost to Borussia Dortmund in last season's semifinals.
“It was the best game of football I have ever been involved in," Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. "It was an incredible performance, especially if you compare it with last week. We were creating chances and then we were 1-0 down. We ran out of luck after last week.”
Barcelona cruised past Benfica with Raphinha scoring twice and Lamine Yamal once in a 3-1 win at home.
The Catalan club advanced 4-1 on aggregate score after last week’s 1-0 victory and will play either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinals.
After a 3-0 first-leg win, Bayern Munich had no trouble advancing past German rival Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern made it to the last eight a record 23 times in the Champions League era after a 2-0 win at Leverkusen to advance 5-0 on aggregate.
Inter moved on past Feyenoord with a 2-1 victory at San Siro to advance 4-1 on aggregate.
Bayern and Inter will meet in the last eight.
A thrilling clash at Anfield saw chances come and go at both ends, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson pulling off a string of saves to deny PSG, and with Liverpool substitute Jarell Quansah hitting the post in the second half.
Dembélé took advantage of mix up between Ibrahima Konate and Alisson to roll the ball into the empty net for the only goal of the game.
Premier League leader Liverpool, which did not make it to the Champions League last season, won the first leg 1-0 through Harvey Elliott’s late goal in Paris last week.
Barcelona powers into quarterfinals Raphinha’s double made him the leading scorer in the Champions League this season with 11 goals. He had scored the lone goal last week in Lisbon.
The Brazil forward put Barcelona ahead in the 11th, then Yamal added to the lead in the 27th before assisting in Raphinha’s second goal in the 42nd to become the youngest player to score and assist in a Champions League match at 17 years, 241 days.
“My teammates make things much easier for me,” Yamal said. “It was a good goal but sometimes these things come off and sometimes they don’t. For the assist, I tried to shoot and Raphinha turned it into a goal.”
Nicolás Otamendi scored for Benfica in the 13th to become the third-oldest scorer in a Champions League knockout game at the age of 37 years, 27 days, according to UEFA. Yamal’s goal meant he became the second-youngest.
Kane leads Bayern Harry Kane scored his 10th Champions League goal of the season and set up another as Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals.
Leverkusen never looked likely to overturn the three-goal deficit from the first leg, even before Kane bundled in the ball at a free kick in the 52nd after Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick misjudged an attempted clearance.
Kane set up Alphonso Davies for Bayern’s second goal with a flicked cross in the 71st as the all-German rivalry became a one-sided contest. Bayern could have scored more as Jamal Musiala hit the crossbar with one shot and the post with another.
Inter comfortably advances A goal at the start of each half saw Inter easily advance, with Marcus Thuram scoring a stunning eighth-minute opener. The Inter forward received the ball midway inside the Feyenoord half and then weaved his way into the area before unleashing a powerful effort into the top right corner.
Jakub Moder leveled from the penalty spot shortly before halftime after being tripped by Hakan Çalhanoglu.
Inter restored its advantage on the night six minutes into the second half with a penalty of its own, which Çalhanoglu converted after Mehdi Taremi was fouled by Thomas Beelen right in the corner of the area.



Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
TT

Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA

The first main stage of the 2026 Hail Toyota International Baja Rally kicked off Friday north of Hail, featuring 93 competitors across multiple racing categories and covering a total distance of 414 kilometers, including a challenging 242-kilometer special stage.

This edition of the rally is a high-stakes event, serving as a pivotal round for five major championships: FIA World Baja Cup, FIA Middle East Baja Cup, FIM Bajas World Cup, FIM Asia Baja Cup, and Saudi Toyota Championship Rallies, SPA reported.

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying, attracting international talent and elite machinery to the Kingdom’s rugged terrain.


Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
TT

Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Australian Open final after each came through epic, momentum-swinging, five-set semifinals on Friday.

Top-ranked Alcaraz fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open, The AP news reported.

That pushed the start of Djokovic's match against defending champion Jannik Sinner back a couple of hours and the 24-time major winner finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.

Djokovic is into his 11th Australian Open final after ending his streak of semifinal exits at four consecutive majors.

Alcaraz is into his first title match at Melbourne Park, and aiming to be the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.


Slot Warns Liverpool 'Can't Afford Mistakes' in Top-Four Scrap

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Press Conference - AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, Britain - January 27, 2026 Liverpool manager Arne Slot during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Press Conference - AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, Britain - January 27, 2026 Liverpool manager Arne Slot during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
TT

Slot Warns Liverpool 'Can't Afford Mistakes' in Top-Four Scrap

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Press Conference - AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, Britain - January 27, 2026 Liverpool manager Arne Slot during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Press Conference - AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, Britain - January 27, 2026 Liverpool manager Arne Slot during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Arne Slot said Liverpool "cannot afford a lot of mistakes anymore" as his team battle for a top-four Premier League finish following the collapse of their title defense.

The Reds are sixth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United ahead of Newcastle's visit to Anfield on Saturday, AFP said.

In a congested table, just five points separate United from Sunderland, in 11th spot. Eddie Howe's Newcastle are three points behind Liverpool.

A top-four finish in the Premier League guarantees automatic qualification for next season's Champions League.

"It's obvious that the closer you come to the end, the fewer opportunities you have to make a mistake," Liverpool boss Slot said on Friday.

"And we are now in a position that we cannot afford a lot of mistakes anymore, because we've made far too many, and with mistakes I mean giving away goals in the last minute."

The Reds conceded in the 95th minute to lose 3-2 to Bournemouth last week.

Liverpool booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a commanding 6-0 victory over Qarabag on Wednesday.

But their domestic form has been terrible -- with just five wins from their past 18 games -- after they swept to a 20th English title last year.

"We are fully aware of the fact that one win isn't enough at this club, so the next one is coming fast with Newcastle," said Slot.

"I'm 100 percent sure that that game is a bigger challenge than the one we faced Wednesday, but it's always helpful to win."

The Dutchman said he was pleased to see Mohamed Salah back on the scoresheet against Qarabag for the first time for Liverpool since November 1, but he emphasized the role of the team.

"The team has to make sure he gets in good positions, and I think that's what we are doing more and more, not only with him but with many players," said Slot.

"I think I've said this recently quite a lot -- our game in between boxes is good enough for our attackers to be often enough in promising positions, and I know we know that if this happens enough times, then our players will do what we expect of them because they have so much quality."

The Liverpool manager said defender Jeremie Frimpong would be out for a few weeks after picking up an injury against Qarabag but it was "not as bad as we thought".

Center-back Ibrahima Konate, who has been absent following the death of his father, is in the squad for the Newcastle match.