PSG Sinks Barcelona with Late Winner in Champions League and Man City Held by Monaco

Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
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PSG Sinks Barcelona with Late Winner in Champions League and Man City Held by Monaco

Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu

Goncalo Ramos struck a 90th-minute winner as Paris Saint-Germain sealed a statement win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and without injured star forwards Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, defending champion PSG fought back for a 2-1 victory against one of the favorites to lift the trophy in May.

“It doesn’t matter which of our players are in the team. When they are wearing our shirt, carrying our badge on their shirt, then the amount of attitude and effort is non-negotiable," PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

Manchester City had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Monaco after Eric Dier scored a 90th-minute penalty for the hosts.

Villarreal and Juventus also ended 2-2 after Renato Veiga's late equalizer.
Arsenal beat Olympiakos 2-0, The Associated Press reported.

PSG is still the team to beat PSG's trip to Barcelona was always seen as the standout clash of matchday two. Both teams are expected to go far, with PSG aiming to join Real Madrid as the only other club to successfully defend the trophy in the Champions League era. Barcelona, a semifinalist last campaign, is intent on turning last season's domestic dominance into European triumph.

But despite the anticipation, neither team was at the height of its powers, with so many players missing.

While PSG was without the attacking trio that fired it to victory last term, Barcelona was also missing the injured Raphinha, while Robert Lewandowski was on the bench.

Lamine Yamal was available, but it was Ferran Torres who gave the home team the lead in the 19th minute.

Senny Mayulu leveled the game in the 38th and substitute Lee Kang-in came close to a winner by hitting the post late on.

But there was still more drama to come when Achraf Hakimi squared the ball beyond Barca's defense and Ramos slid in the winner.

It's now two wins from two for PSG at the start of its defense of the title and an early statement against one of its main rivals.

“We lost today, and I don’t like that. We have to accept this defeat and admit that Paris are so good," Barca coach Hansi Flick said. "We are disappointed, the fans are disappointed. We have to accept that we were beaten, but work on getting better.”

Haaland scores 2 but Man City held Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does with two more goals in the Champions League, but it wasn't enough to seal victory in Monaco.

Having become the quickest player to reach 50 goals in the competition last month, the Norwegian looks certain to become the quickest to reach 60. Lionel Messi managed it in 80 appearances. Haaland is on 52 after 50 games.

But that will be of little comfort to Pep Guardiola, who watched his team squander two points by conceding a late penalty that Dier converted to seal the draw.

“It isn’t good enough," Haaland said. "We have to try to win the next game. It is the only thing we can do.”

Hot shot Hojlund Discarded by Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund is showing the type of form that earned him an $82 million move to Old Trafford in the first place.

He struck twice to earn Napoli a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon. That’s three goals in five appearances — after having scored two in his last 13 games for United.

It certainly helps when he can feed off the kind of service Kevin De Bruyne can deliver and the former Man City playmaker was provider of both of Hojlund’s goals.

Borussia Dortmund routed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 and Bayer Leverkusen was held 1-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven.

Perfect Arsenal Another win for Arsenal and another clean sheet.

The 2-0 victory over Olympiakos was its sixth shutout in nine games this season.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli in the first half and Bukayo Saka in stoppage time maintained Arsenal’s 100% start in the competition.

Another team with a perfect record so far is Qarabag after its 2-0 win over Copenhagen. Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai were on target for the Azerbaijani team.

Woltemade scores again Nick Woltemade is doing his best to make Newcastle fans forget about Alexander Isak.

The club-record $93 million signing scored his third goal in four starts for Newcastle to set up the 4-0 rout of Union Saint-Gilloise.

The Germany international was signed to fill the sizable void left by Isak's contentious move to Liverpool. And he has made an instant impact.

His 17th-minute goal at Lotto Park might not have been the prettiest — diverting Sandro Tonali's goalbound shot past Kjell Scherpen — but it got Newcastle off to the perfect start. It also highlighted his useful knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Woltemade has now scored in back-to-back games after his goal against Arsenal on Sunday. He still has some way to go to prove he can replace Isak, who scored 54 goals in 78 Premier League starts for Newcastle, but the early signs are promising after his move from Stuttgart.

Anthony Gordon struck twice from the penalty spot — scoring either side of halftime to put Newcastle in control and substitute Harvey Barnes added a fourth.

More thrills for Juve Last time out, Juventus was involved in an eight-goal thriller against Dortmund that ended in a 4-4 draw with all the goals coming in the second half.

By those standards, the 2-2 at Villarreal was relatively mild. But there was still a late twist as Veiga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juve, came up with the equalizer.



Champions League or Bust for Atletico After Copa del Rey Agony

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Pablo Simeone (C) and his players react at the end of the Spanish Cope del Rey final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid, in Seville, Spain, 18 April 2026. (EPA)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Pablo Simeone (C) and his players react at the end of the Spanish Cope del Rey final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid, in Seville, Spain, 18 April 2026. (EPA)
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Champions League or Bust for Atletico After Copa del Rey Agony

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Pablo Simeone (C) and his players react at the end of the Spanish Cope del Rey final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid, in Seville, Spain, 18 April 2026. (EPA)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Pablo Simeone (C) and his players react at the end of the Spanish Cope del Rey final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid, in Seville, Spain, 18 April 2026. (EPA)

Diego Simeone tried to convey hope but his body language spoke for itself.

The Argentine coach left Seville crumpled, wounded, by his team's Copa del Rey final defeat on Saturday by Real Sociedad, decided by the cruelty of penalties.

Simeone led Atletico to the Spanish cup back in 2013, an eternity ago, and winning it again would have been the perfect springboard to send the club flying into the Champions League semi-finals clash with Arsenal.

Atletico have never won that trophy and they had real belief they could do it this year, belief which was badly dented this weekend.

The last time they won silverware of any kind was La Liga in 2021, with Luis Suarez leading the charge in attack.

Winning the Copa would have ensured French star Antoine Griezmann could depart with a trophy under his arm, and end the club's drought.

During the Simeone era, the club have started to escape the nickname they had -- El Pupas, the jinxed one -- given to them after they lost the 1974 European Cup final against Bayern.

Simeone said his team could pick themselves back up from the defeat, 4-3 in the shoot-out after the gripping 2-2 draw, with Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez missing from the spot for the Rojiblancos.

"The way we competed makes me calm," said the coach, but it will take effort to get his players in the right place mentally to take on Arsenal, with the first leg in the Spanish capital on April 29.

"I'm not thinking about Arsenal, what happens today hurts me a lot. We needed to win and we couldn't win," said Simeone.

"The fans don't need messages (from me), what they need is to win."

Over 30,000 Atletico fans travelled down to Seville and left downhearted.

Simeone had pledged the team were "ready" to win the Champions League after they eliminated Barcelona earlier in the week but they failed the litmus test against La Real.

"We still have the Champions League, we have a beautiful tie ahead of us," said Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente, trying to raise spirits.

"We have to thank everyone, above all those who came to Seville, we're really hurting for them. We have to lift our heads up."

- 'Now the good part' -

Llorente said the team could not wallow in defeat.

"When you lose, you have another competition coming quickly," he continued.

"There's no time to think about things. This is really tough for us, but we have to get up -- now comes the good part."

In the immediate aftermath of the shoot-out, decided by two saves by Real Sociedad stopper Unai Marrero and Pablo Marin's winning spot kick, Koke wiped away tears before issuing a similar message.

The veteran midfielder is one of the wisest heads at Atletico and he told his team-mates to focus on what lies ahead.

"We tried everything, we left our souls out there and it wasn't to be," said the 34-year-old.

"That's life... it hurts, and we have to continue."

Atletico are a club that have bounced back from many blows to keep on moving forwards, including defeats by rivals Real Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.

The Copa final loss stings but pales in contrast to those bitter blows.

At least with Real Madrid eliminated, if Atletico can recover to find a way past Arsenal, that cannot happen a third time.


Arsenal Face Acid Test of Premier League Title Mettle at Man City

Football - Carabao Cup - Final - Arsenal v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - March 22, 2026 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after winning the Carabao Cup. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Carabao Cup - Final - Arsenal v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - March 22, 2026 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after winning the Carabao Cup. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Arsenal Face Acid Test of Premier League Title Mettle at Man City

Football - Carabao Cup - Final - Arsenal v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - March 22, 2026 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after winning the Carabao Cup. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Carabao Cup - Final - Arsenal v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - March 22, 2026 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after winning the Carabao Cup. (Action Images via Reuters)

The destiny of the Premier League title is at stake on Sunday as Arsenal aim to halt an alarming slump and hold off the charge of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta's Gunners still hold a six-point advantage at the top of the table, but have wobbled across all competitions in recent weeks to put their quest for a first league title in 22 years at risk.

City's victory when the sides met last month in the League Cup final has sparked a run of just one win in five games for Arsenal.

That also included a FA Cup exit to second-tier Southampton and a crucial home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend to give City fresh hope in the title race.

Arsenal are the only English side still standing in the Champions League but even progressing to the semi-finals was underwhelming as they squeezed past Sporting Lisbon 1-0 over two legs.

Jaded by a brutal schedule, the leaders have also been hindered by injury.

Bukayo Saka is set to miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium, while captain Martin Odegaard and first choice full-backs Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are doubts.

Yet, Arteta is attempting to focus his players on the opportunity that awaits rather than the fear of another shot at the title slipping away.

"We see this as a big opportunity for us," said Guardiola's former assistant at his pre-match press conference.

"We have earned the right to be in this position and to be challenging, with an opportunity to win, against arguably the best team and best manager this league has ever seen."

Arsenal have finished second in each of the past three seasons and history could be about to repeat itself.

In both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, City reeled in the Gunners after Arsenal began the campaign stronger.

City's early exit from the Champions League has given them a free week to prepare and Guardiola's men have been gaining momentum as Arsenal have faltered.

Since lifting the League Cup, City have thrashed Liverpool 4-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals and Chelsea 3-0.

"If you could buy confidence in a supermarket we would buy it immediately. It is one of the most important aspects," said Guardiola about his side's sudden upturn in form.

"The reality is there are seven games left in the Premier League and that is the decisive moment."

Indeed, City are just nine games away from matching their own achievement seven years ago of being the only English side to win the domestic treble.

They are big favorites to add the FA Cup to the League Cup, with Southampton to come in the last four next weekend.

And they control their own destiny in the title race.

Victory over Arsenal and Burnley in midweek will take City top of the table for the first time this year.

"We all know the importance of this game. It's like a final," said City striker Erling Haaland.

"It's probably the biggest and the best game there will be, so hopefully it can be an amazing game."


‘Pure Joy’ for Matarazzo After Copa del Rey Triumph

 Real Sociedad's head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo celebrates after winning the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP)
Real Sociedad's head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo celebrates after winning the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP)
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‘Pure Joy’ for Matarazzo After Copa del Rey Triumph

 Real Sociedad's head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo celebrates after winning the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP)
Real Sociedad's head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo celebrates after winning the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP)

Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo was elated after his side defeated Atletico Madrid to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday, making him the first American coach to claim a major trophy with a club from Europe's top five leagues.

La Real triumphed 4-3 in the shoot-out following a pulsating 2-2 draw after extra-time, to win the trophy for only the fourth time in the club's history.

When Matarazzo was appointed in December the Basque team were hovering above the relegation zone, but he has driven them up the table and now to cup glory.

"It's probably the first (major trophy) for an Italian-American," said Matarazzo, a New Jersey native born to Italian immigrant parents.

Matarazzo said it was not until Pablo Marin's decisive penalty in the shoot-out hit the back of the net that he could really begin to take anything in.

"That was the moment where I realized this is real. It's happening," said the coach.

"You visualize success and you believe in it and you trust the players, but until you cross the finish line you don't really have the feeling that what is happening (is happening), and then it happens.

"And with that penalty, it took a couple of moments to realize, but it's just pure joy."

Matarazzo insisted the team's success over the past few months was not just down to him but the daily work that everyone put in, and the quality of the players he has available.

"We have fantastic players, unbelievable players on this squad with unbelievable character," he said.

"(Behind the success is) the daily work and the commitment that we all have to this team and for this club."

Real Sociedad's players, many of them who came through the club's youth system, were also overjoyed.

"I've never walked on water but it has to be like this," said Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored a penalty to put his team 2-1 up before half-time.

"It's tricky to win a trophy with the team of your life. After this my career is complete and I can die happy."

- 'Leave my mind blank' -

Oyarzabal netted from the spot in the 2020 Copa del Rey final to win it for his club but it was without fans in the stadium because of the global pandemic.

This time around it was Pablo Marin who converted the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.

"I tried to leave my mind blank, calm and serene," he said.

"To be able to live through this with these wonderful people is incredible."

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who last led his team to the Copa del Rey in 2013, rued the opportunities his side wasted to win the game before penalties.

"The chances didn't want to go in," said the coach.

The Rojiblancos still have a chance to lift a trophy this year -- they face Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals, a competition they have never won.

However, Simeone said he needed time to absorb the defeat in Seville.

"I'm not thinking about Arsenal, what happens today hurts me a lot. We needed to win and we couldn't win," said Simeone.