“The cage was locked for most of the match, and I was the furthest one along – I couldn’t get out to use the toilet until half time and I don’t know what I would have done if there was a fire or something. I felt quite claustrophobic. It was unsettling.
“My personal assistant was separated from me, outside the cage, and I was worried about my phone dying in an emergency because I wasn’t allowed to take a power bank in.
“I know in theory the cage is for our safety from home fans, getting to and from the stadium was efficient, and the police and stewards were very friendly, but it’s 2026 – there has to be a better way than this.”
Jane Boland, 61, Liverpool fan in Marseille, France: “The riot police made entering and exiting the stadium really hard work. After being told to arrive at a designated meeting point more than four hours before kick off, we were held in overcrowded areas and made to wait for ages, sometimes with difficult or no toilet access.
“Leaving the stadium took over two hours after full time – by far the longest I’ve ever experienced. We were stood packed on stairwells for what felt like forever, and I had awful back pain afterwards. I understand that someone passed out and needed medical attention, and in retrospect I’m surprised it was only one.
“After two days of everything being great and nothing but friendly interaction between the two sets of fans, we were treated like cattle.
“I probably spent about £1000 on the trip, most of that in Marseille itself, so it smarts to be treated so badly as a ‘customer’.”
Sue Fox, 68, Spurs fan in Frankfurt, Germany: “Transport was pretty efficient, overall. The meeting point was well organised and the police gave clear instructions.
“Then we took a train and they marched us through a very dark, muddy forest for about half an hour. When we arrived at the ground the gates were locked so we had to queue for an hour, and we were all packed very close together. It was uncomfortable and inappropriate.
“The men were able to go to the toilet in the bushes, but what were we supposed to do? It was nearly two hours without being able to go.
“Inside, the only women’s toilet was in the home end, so we had to use the one there, which felt wrong and had the potential to be unsafe.”
After a remarkable night of drama in the Champions League on Wednesday, it’s fair to say Thursday night was a more low-key affair in the Europa League as far as qualification for the play-off round was concerned.
Of the 16 teams that occupied positions nine to 24 before a ball was kicked, 14 of them sealed a place in the play-offs when the full-time whistles sounded out across the continent.
The two exceptions to that trend were Porto and Young Boys.
In the case of the Portuguese giants, it was in joyful circumstances as a 3-1 home win against Rangers was enough to fire them up to fifth and secure direct qualification to the last-16 stage.
But it was contrasting emotions for Young Boys
The Swiss side started the night in 23rd place and appeared on course for a place in the play-offs until they suffered a cruel 3-2 defeat in the last minute against Stuttgart.
The loss – which came after Gerardo Seoane’s side fought from 2-0 down – saw them finish the eight-game league phase in 25th place.
Elsewhere, Celtic ensured they would be one of the 16 clubs in the hat for Friday’s draw as they held off a second-half fightback from Utrecht to claim a 4-2 win at Parkhead.
The win moved Celtic up three positions to 21st – and sees them join fellow British side Nottingham Forest in the play-off round.
Two-time European champions Forest recorded an emphatic 4-0 win over Ferencvaros to climb to 13th in the table.
Despite the win, not enough results went in their favour for them to be able to sneak automatic qualification to the knockout round.
The two British clubs will be joined by Genk, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ferencvaros, Viktoria Plzen, FK Crvena Zvezda, Celta Vigo, PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb and Brann.
The draw for the Europa League play-off round takes place in Switzerland on Friday.
French forward Kylian Mbappe questions team’s desire after damaging defeat sends Real Madrid into playoffs.
Published On 29 Jan 202629 Jan 2026
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Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has said his team “deserve” to be in their current situation because they were not consistent enough for a top-eight spot as his side slipped into the Champions League playoff round.
The record 15-time European champions fell to a 4-2 defeat at Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday, finishing ninth in the league phase table, meaning they must face their Portuguese conquerors or Bodo/Glimt in February instead of reaching the last 16 directly.
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After three wins in their previous three matches under new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Madrid were brought back down to earth by Benfica in Lisbon.
“The problem is we aren’t consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can’t have one day [playing well] and another not, a champion team does not do that,” Mbappe told reporters.
“We deserve to be in this situation today. Benfica were better. Now we have to play two more playoff games. It hurts to have to play those. We wanted to have the time in February to work on our game.”
Mbappe said he could not put his finger on a clear reason why Madrid played so poorly against Benfica.
“I think it’s a bit of everything. I can’t tell you it’s just a matter of attitude, because if I only say that, you’ll think we came here without any desire,” said the French superstar, who scored twice in the defeat.
“If I tell you it’s a football issue, you’ll think the team is bad. No, I think it’s a broader issue, and in the Champions League, every detail matters if you want to beat your opponent.
“It shows you that if you don’t come in with everything you need to win a Champions League match, the opponent will come and, as they say, make fools of you.”
However, Mbappe called on Madrid’s fans to support the team at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, rather than booing as they did earlier in January.
“Come and support the team – we had a bad game – but we are not knocked out of the Champions League, and in La Liga we’re in a good dynamic now,” pleaded Mbappe.
“If the Bernabeu is with us, we will win on Sunday.”
Merthyr are not short of star names who have dipped into their own wallets to help. Line of Duty star Vicky McClure and her filmmaker husband Jonny Owen, who is from Merthyr, are among the club’s 150-plus owners, along with former Wales international Joe Morrell.
But any major takeover – by a company or individuals who could potentially propel Merthyr up the divisions at speed, like Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have done at Wrexham – would likely lead to a big change in its ownership structure.
“Unfortunately we’re a fan-owned club,” said Barlow, who has seen more ups and downs than most during his 65-year involvement with Merthyr, from player to kitman, physio to boardroom leader.
But fan-owned is what Wrexham were before Rob and Ryan breezed into the Stok Cae Ras and changed the world as Red Dragons’ fans knew it back in 2021.
“Yes, and those guys [Rob and Ryan] came in and put their hands in their pockets,” said Barlow.
“We haven’t come across anybody like that at the moment, but we have had some good sponsors and, as I say, we’re talking to people weekly.
“We’re starting now for next year. Irrespective of where we end up, we still want to be in a better position financially and stadium-wise than where we are now.
“One side of the ground is perfect, but we’ve got another area which I think the Romans built when they had a fort in the corner!”
Keep moving, keep looking for new forms of investment. A responsibility to do that comes from a need to keep supporting the man leading Merthyr’s charge for a second successive promotion, manager Paul Michael.
“We’re working as hard as we can because we want to support this guy, and we want the best team we can afford,” said Barlow.
“The better the results we can get with this guy in charge…it helps a long way.”
Appointed after leaving Yate Town in April 2022, Michael has transformed Merthyr from relegation candidates in Southern League Premier South to National League hopefuls.
“Over the past few weeks we’ve probably been the most in-form team in the league, yet we’re competing against full-time teams. We’ve got no right to stay up there, really.
“If we were fortunate enough to get to the National League we would try to take it all in our stride. It would be an unbelievable achievement for a part-time team, though we’ve still got a long way to go.
“What’s happening here is fantastic for Welsh football, not just Merthyr Town.”
The result in Naples could prove to be of great importance for Rosenior whose appointment in place of Enzo Maresca was hardly greeted with open arms.
Rosenior’s lack of elite experience – having moved from sister club Strasbourg after stints with Derby County and Hull City in the Championship – saw him labelled by some as a ‘yes man’.
He also experienced the wrath of the fans who voiced anti-ownership chants questioning the ambition of the BlueCo.
Rosenior has been adamant from the start that his reply must be through results.
And he has put together an impressive set of results in his first weeks with five wins in six matches and the latest over a former Chelsea favourite should win him the confidence of more supporters.
“These players lost a manager that they really respected for reasons that are beyond my control or knowledge,” Rosenior told TNT Sports.
“So when you go through that as a young group, to accept a new manager the way they have done and for them to work as hard as they have done is a credit to them.
“It’s not about me or my ego or trying to prove anything. I’m trying to do the very best I can with my group, with my staff and hopefully we can have more and more really good nights like this.”
Rosenior’s introduction of Cole Palmer at half-time provided assisted both of Joao Pedro’s goals while Trevoh Chalobah added defensive solidity after coming on later in the half as the Blues restricted Napoli to a single shot on target after the break.
The Chelsea manager added: “I’m learning all the time about my team, about what we’re capable of.
“I really wanted to be front-footed today. I wanted to go out and win the game.”
His impetus was rewarded with a win that helps Chelsea avoid adding a two-legged play-off to their already busy schedule.
“It’s massive – that is huge for us to be able to be able to work with the players on the training round,” Rosenior said.
Bigger challenges await Rosenior and his young squad as they enter the business end of the competition but the London-born coach is optimistic.
“You have to enjoy this job,” he said.
“We’re the luckiest people in the world to do this job. You have to enjoy these moments, but we want more.
“You’re in the Champions League, so at the end of the day you have to play against the best and beat the best.”
Firsts are not easy to come by for Jose Mourinho at this stage of his long, often highly dramatic, career.
But on Wednesday night in Lisbon, Anatoly Trubin provided such a moment.
Simply beating 15-time European champions Real Madrid was not going to be enough for Benfica.
In added time to added time, they led 3-2 but needed another goal or their Champions League campaign would be over.
A free-kick provided them with one last chance and goalkeeper Trubin was sent forward.
Moments later it was pandemonium at Estadio da Luz with Benfica players running in all directions and Trubin ending his own euphoric wild charge with a knee slide having scored the decisive goal with a bullet header.
“A fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down – and I think it was very deserved for us,” Mourinho said.
“For Benfica it’s an incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid.”
Given the way the league format works with 18 games taking place simultaneously on the final matchday, it is little wonder Trubin was not fully aware of what his side needed.
They were heading out on goal difference at the end of the eight-round league phase, until his sensational intervention. Marseille were the unlucky side, falling out of the play-off places as Benfica snatched their spot.
A couple of minutes before his goal, Trubin had dropped to his knees after claiming a cross, seemingly trying to waste a few seconds to close out the win, unaware Benfica were still going out as it stood.
“Before, I didn’t understand what we needed,” Trubin said. “I see everyone start to point at me and I go and after I see [I can go forward]. We need one more goal.
“I don’t know, I don’t know what to say. A crazy moment.
“I am not used to scoring, so for me it was something completely new. I am 24 years old and for me it’s the first time.”
Champions League pundits Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Julien Lauren discuss Tottenham’s “clinical ability” to score goals away from home and Thomas Frank’s “great achievement” to handle the pressure.
Barcelona leap into Champions League automatic qualifying positions with win in Copenhagen, but PSG face playoffs.
Barcelona stormed back in the second half to claim a 4-1 victory over Copenhagen at the Camp Nou, sealing a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford on Wednesday ensured the Catalans finished fifth in the standings on 16 points, level with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sporting but ahead on goal difference.
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Copenhagen shocked the hosts early when 17-year-old Viktor Dadason slotted the opener past Joan Garcia in the fourth minute, but the second half began with a Barcelona fightback.
Yamal set up Lewandowski to equalise in the 48th minute, before scoring himself in the 60th with a deflected effort that left Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski helpless. Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled, and Rashford added a fourth with a free kick in the 85th minute.
“We all came here tonight thinking about getting into the top eight. We’re very happy with the win,” 18-year-old Yamal told Movistar Plus.
“When you concede a goal in the Champions League, it’s very difficult to come back, but the team was very resilient and managed to turn it around. With the number of matches we play in a season, having two fewer matches leaves you feeling much better.”
Despite the comfortable final result, Barcelona endured a frustrating first half, during which Copenhagen took a shock lead.
Dadason stunned the home crowd after Mohamed Elyounoussi delivered a defence-splitting pass, allowing Dadason to outrun Barca’s high defensive line before rifling a low shot past keeper Garcia.
Clearly unsettled, Barcelona were wasteful in attack during the opening 45 minutes. Raphinha and Lewandowski spurned opportunities to equalise, while Eric Garcia came closest to levelling when his driven effort struck the crossbar in the 33rd minute.
The second half, however, saw a completely transformed Barcelona.
Barely three minutes after the restart, Yamal burst forward on a counterattack, darting past Copenhagen defenders before unselfishly squaring the ball for Lewandowski to slot into an empty net.
The hosts seized control and upped the tempo, pinning Copenhagen deep inside their own half, and Barca took the lead on the hour mark through Yamal, whose deflected shot from inside the box looped over a stranded Kotarski and nestled into the far corner.
Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Lewandowski was brought down inside the area while attempting to shoot, and substitute Rashford wrapped up the scoring.
Although Barcelona delivered a clinical attacking display, questions remain about their defensive organisation. They completed the league phase without a clean sheet and finished with the worst defence among the top 13 teams.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele has his penalty saved by Newcastle United’s Nick Pope [Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters]
Dembele’s penalty miss costs PSG in 1-1 draw with Newcastle
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele had a night to forget, missing an early penalty and a golden chance from close range as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 with Newcastle in the Champions League.
The draw meant both sides finished out of the top eight places in the league table and failed to qualify automatically for the last 16. They will enter the playoffs instead.
PSG was awarded an early penalty when Bradley Barcola got behind the defence down the left wing with less than one minute played. The ball hit Barcola’s arm following a tackle from a defender coming across, and then flew onto the arm of Lewis Miley right behind him.
Miley seemed unsighted, and the handball appeared accidental, but referee Slavko Vincic awarded the spot kick following a short video review.
Dembele aimed for the bottom right corner, but goalkeeper Nick Pope made a brilliant save. Pope was beaten in the eighth minute when Vitinha curled a shot into the same corner after being set up by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the edge of the penalty area.
Dembele, who scored 35 goals overall last season, scooped the ball well over the crossbar from 10 metres out in the 40th minute when meeting a cross from the left.
Joe Willock equalised for the visitors in first-half stoppage time, and substitute Harvey Barnes missed a chance to win it for the visitors with moments left.
Benfica beat Real 4-2 which sends both teams into Champions League playoffs, as Madrid miss out on top eight.
Published On 28 Jan 202628 Jan 2026
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Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored an astonishing 98th-minute header as Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 to keep themselves in the Champions League and deny their illustrious opponents an automatic spot in the last 16.
In an extraordinary finale on Wednesday, the Portuguese side were heading out despite leading 3-2 with seconds of stoppage time remaining before Trubin came forward for a free kick to score the goal needed to sneak into the playoff round on goal difference.
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That sparked wild celebrations from Benfica players, fans and their charismatic coach Jose Mourinho – a former manager of Real Madrid – at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.
The Spaniards had hoped to finish in the top eight and go straight into the last 16, but their 15 points from eight games were not enough, and they finished the match with nine men as Raul Asencio and Rodrygo were sent off.
Andreas Schjelderup scored two goals for Benfica and Vangelis Pavlidis netted from the penalty spot, while Kylian Mbappe netted twice for Real in a hugely entertaining, end-to-end contest.
Benfica advance at the expense of Marseille, who lost 3-0 at Club Brugge. The giant screen in the stadium in Belgium congratulated both teams for advancing to the next stage, but that proved premature as Trubin turned the tables.
Both Benfica and Real needed a goal for different reasons going into the final minutes, and it is a vindication of the competition’s format that a single goal could have such a dramatic effect on the table.
Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica scores his team’s fourth goal with a header [Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images]
Benfica were denied two strong early penalty shots, and Real took the lead on 30 minutes against the run of play when Asencio’s cross to the back post was headed in by Mbappe.
The home side drew level six minutes later when Asencio’s slip in the wet conditions allowed Pavlidis to provide a perfect cross for Schjelderup to head into the net.
Benfica were awarded a penalty in first-half added time when Aurelien Tchouameni was adjudged to have hauled Nicolas Otamendi to the floor, and Pavlidis buried his spot-kick.
Schjelderup scored his second of the game from Pavlidis’s perfect pass to make it 3-1, before Mbappe swept home his second, too – his 36th goal of the season in all competitions.
Benfica were still outside the top 24 when they were awarded a free kick with virtually the final play, and Fredrik Aursnes’s delivery was headed in by Trubin to complete a night of high drama in Lisbon.
World number two Nelly Korda has called the lack of a mixed gender indoor virtual league “an unbelievable miss” following the launch of a women’s competition backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Some of the world’s best female golfers will compete in a season of team matchplay in the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, but Korda suggested not combining the men and women’s events was a missed opportunity.
“I have mixed feelings on it, and I’m surprised no other girls have spoken out about it,” she said.
“It’s a huge and unbelievable miss that we’re not playing alongside the men.
“There’s no greater way to grow the game, and it would have been revolutionary. It would have been the first time, I think, that men and women are on the same playing field, playing for the same exact amount of money.
“But I also think it’s great that we are getting this opportunity, so that’s my mixed feelings.”
The indoor golf set-up features teams of players hitting shots at a five-storey-high simulator screen before moving to a short-game area with bunkers and a green that can rotate 360 degrees, creating hole-to-hole variations.
Asked about the prospect of a mixed-gender event, Mike McCarley, a former TV executive who founded the TGL alongside McIlroy and Woods said the idea had been discussed.
“I think that is something that’s interesting to us and is interesting to the LPGA and is interesting to a lot of the players we’re talking to,” said McCarley.
“Right now, we’re really focused on building (the TGL) out and providing, frankly, a nice stage and really nice platform to showcase the players and their personalities.”
Korda, 27, is yet to commit to entering the event, saying she is “still weighing out the time commitment” required to play in the tournament.
World number one Jeeno Thitikul and British golfers Charley Hull and Lottie Woad are among the players confirmed to compete.
Atlanta Drive beat New York GC 4-3 to win the first TGL title last year, with a prize pot of £10.39m being split between the two finalists.
It’s time to see which Mission League basketball teams are ready for some March Madness in February.
The tournament is set to begin Thursday after Tuesday’s final results clarified seedings.
The final game of the night was Crespi pulling out a 65-61 win over Loyola when Isaiah Barnes scored while falling down with 15 seconds left for the game-clinching basket. Despite the loss, Loyola claimed fourth place in the seedings while finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with Crespi and St. Francis.
The Cubs, though, are 14-14 and will need a win Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s Bishop Alemany (No. 8) vs. St. Francis (No. 5) game to keep alive their Southern Section playoff hopes. You need a .500 or better record to be considered for an at-large berth.
The other Thursday game has No. 7 Chaminade at No. 6 Crespi. That winner will play at Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.
Crespi was led by 6-foot-9 Rodney Mukendi, who scored 17 points. Deuce Newt had 15 points for Loyola.
Harvard-Westlake 90, St. Francis 56: Joe Sterling got back his shooting touch, making seven threes and finishing with 27 points. Amir Jones added 17 points for Harvard-Westlake. St. Francis did not play center Cherif Millogo.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 81, Bishop Alemany 48: The Knights claimed second place in the Mission League and an automatic spot for the Southern Section playoffs. Zach White had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame played without NaVorro Bowman.
Sierra Canyon 79, Chaminade 28: Brandon McCoy had 18 points and Maxi Adams added 17 points for the Mission League regular-season champions.
Crean Lutheran 76, La Habra 67: The Saints took over first place in the Crestview League.
Mira Costa 53, Peninsula 41: Logan Dugdale has 17 points and 10 rebounds for Mira Costa (23-4).
The battle to pin down places in the top eight could be enthralling, given how tightly packed the standings are.
Let’s start with the easy bit. For Real Madrid and Liverpool, both on 15 points, and Tottenham, on 14, a victory on matchday eight would secure direct entry into the last 16.
Spurs face eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, where the north London outfit won last year on the way to a Europa League triumph that secured them Champions League football this season.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool side are at home to Qarabag, who have a slim chance of still making the top eight.
“It’s all down to us again. Let’s make sure we’re in the top eight,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk after last week’s win in Marseille.
“It’s very important as you miss the play-offs, and it helps with the intense programme that we’re having. We’ve put ourselves in a good position.”
Real Madrid are away to their former manager Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.
Mourinho reached three Champions League semi-finals in a row with Real before leaving in 2013, but Benfica – with only two wins in their first seven games – will need to beat Real to have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.
Behind Spurs come the group of eight teams, starting with holders Paris St-Germain in sixth down to Atalanta in 13th, on 13 points.
Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City are all in that group and looking for a priceless win – and even then knowing their fate could come down to goal difference.
Chelsea are also up against a familiar face in their former head coach Antonio Conte, who won Serie A with Napoli last season.
Conte welcomes the Blues to Naples with his side sitting outside the play-off spots on goal difference and needing a positive result.
Because the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules are about trying to make sure clubs are not losing unsustainable amounts of money.
Despite going on a summer spending spree, paying about £30m for players and having one of the highest net spends around, Wrexham are well within the financial parameters because of the commercial revenue already being brought in thanks to deals with giants such as United Airlines and HP.
In League Two, they were already bringing in more than 20 of the 24 Championship clubs.
“Under the PSR rules, you’re allowed to lose £39m over three years,” said Maguire. “Looking at their two most recent sets of accounts, Wrexham lost around about £23m – but they’ve had substantial increases in broadcast revenue, from about £1.2m in TV money in League Two to about £12m this season.”
That is before taking into account a significant jump in sponsorship and commercial income, with chief executive Michael Williamson estimating they are already on a par with some top-flight clubs.
“We have a global brand, a Premier League brand in the Championship,” Williamson told Ben Foster’s Fozcast podcast in August 2025.
“What we don’t have is the broadcast revenue of Premier League clubs or the parachute payments.
“From a commercial standpoint, if you compared us to Championship clubs, I’m sure we’d be among the top and – on commercial revenues only – we would probably surpass a handful of Premier League clubs, around four or five I would guess.”
