Football
BFF friendly football match on Sunday to mark Independence Day
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has arranged a friendly football match on Sunday (March 26) on the occasion of the country's Independence and National Day
Former national booters, split into two groups--Bangladesh Red Team and Green team-- will compete in the match.
The match will kick-off at 3:30 pm at the BFF Artificial Turf in Motijheel.
Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup champs
Messi mania gripped Buenos Aires as the Argentina national team led by Lionel Messi beat Panama 2-0 on Thursday in a friendly match that was essentially a celebration of their World Cup victory last December.
Although the world champions dominated the game, they didn’t get a goal until the 78th minute when Thiago Almada scored after a free kick by Messi hit the goal post.
Ten minutes later, it was Messi’s turn and he scored the 800th goal of his professional career with a perfectly executed free kick. He is now one short of the 100-goal mark for the national squad.
After the match, the celebrations got into full swing and Messi took center stage, smiling from ear to ear as he received awards and accolades.
“I want to thank you for all the love we've been receiving . . . We told you we were going to do everything possible to win this,” a visibly emotional Messi said as he was handed the microphone. “Let’s enjoy this because we went a long time without winning it, and we don’t know when we’ll win it again.”
When it was coach Lionel Scaloni’s turn to speak, the first thing he did was lead the packed stadium on a chant praising Messi.
“Eternally grateful to this group of players,” Scaloni said as tears streamed down his face and he thanked fans for their support.
The players’ families later joined them in the pitch and each of the players proceeded to lift a replica of the World Cup trophy in celebration. The players then walked around the pitch waving to fans as fireworks lit the night sky.
Earlier in the day, news channels carried live images of the players traveling to the stadium with a police escort as excited fans waited to see the team's first game since it beat France in a thrilling final in Qatar.
Outside the Monumental Stadium there was a party-like atmosphere from early in the afternoon as somebody impersonating Pope Francis blessed a World Cup replica, children almost universally donned Messi’s No. 10 jersey and street sellers hawked Messi dolls.
Amid the celebrations there were also recriminations as many fans lamented they'd bought tickets for several times their face value from resellers that ended up being fake. The frustration led to scuffles with law enforcement officials who fired tear gas to disperse the angry fans.
“This World Cup was a miracle,” Marcelo Saracho, 49, said while dressed up like the pope, an Argentine, but with his cheeks painted in the light blue and white colors of the national flag.
Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain star who only last week was whistled by a group of fans of the French club that had been knocked out of the Champions League, received a massive ovation when he and his Argentina teammates entered the stadium filled with 83,000 fans.
When the anthem played the cameras zoomed in on Messi, who looked to be holding back tears as fans sang along triumphantly.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” Sofía Clavero, 12, said as her eyes welled up with tears while describing how she was eager to see her “idol” for the first time on the field.
The match culminated a week in which Messi, 35, was widely celebrated as a hero after helping Argentina win its third World Cup title, a marked change for the player who once suffered the indifference and even apathy from many Argentina fans who blamed him for the team’s failings in previous championships.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi’s Records, Argentina’s Road to Victory
It all started Monday night when hundreds of fans mobbed a steakhouse in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo when word spread that Messi was inside having dinner. He needed a police escort to leave but was all smiles as people shouted “Messi I love you” and “Thank you, Leo.”
The next day, a group of fans realized the car next to them on the highway was carrying the man who is often described as the world’s best soccer player. They immediately started shouting, “I love you, Messi!” and “Let’s go, Messi!”
That’s when Messi proceeded to roll down his window and wave. The brief video of the encounter quickly went viral.
On Wednesday, the hosts of a morning network TV show went wild when they received an audio message from Messi.
“Good morning everyone,” Messi said in the message that the hosts huddled to hear. “I’m happy to be here, to enjoy everything we keep experiencing after what happened in December, and excited to enjoy tomorrow’s game.”
To avoid any issues, the players were taken to the stadium six hours before the start of the match flanked by a security operation that involved dozens of law enforcement officers. Plans for the transfer had been kept under wraps to avoid a repeat of what happened in December when a celebratory open-top bus throughout the capital had to be cut short when millions of fans made it impossible for the vehicle to advance.
Tickets to Thursday’s match sold out quickly but the game was just one chapter of the celebration that included local musicians and a trailer of a documentary about the World Cup-winning squad. The fan who wrote “Muchachos,” which became the unofficial anthem for the Argentina squad in Qatar, was also present.
The party continues next Tuesday when the team will play another friendly match against Curaçao in Argentina’s central Santiago del Estero province.
Argentina beats Panama in 1st match after World Cup title
The 83,000 screaming fans were not disappointed in Lionel Messi and his Argentina team's first international match since lifting the World Cup title last December.
Messi's Argentina beat Panama 2-0 with two late goals Thursday night at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium in Buenos Aires, in the first of two matches for the team to celebrate its triumph in Qatar.
Thiago Almada opened the scoring in the 78th minute, pushing the ball into an empty net after a free kick taken by Messi hit the post. Eleven minutes later, the Argentine great netted the second with another free kick to the delight of the capacity crowd.
“I always dreamed of this moment, celebrating with you,” an emotional Messi said after the match, standing with his family on the pitch. He lifted the World Cup trophy once more in front of his fans and took a slow victory lap with his teammates, who carried miniatures of the same trophy, as fireworks erupted over the stadium.
It was Messi's 800th goal in his professional career. If he scores another in Argentina's next friendly against Curacao on Tuesday, he will hit the mark of 100 goals for the national team.
Argentina's full squad in Qatar attended the match. Messi and others brought their families to the stadium. Coach Lionel Scaloni was one of the most emotional; he was tearful before and after the match.
The match culminates a week in which the 35-year-old Messi was widely celebrated as a hero after helping Argentina win its third World Cup title, a remarkable change from years when some of the same fans accused him of apathy with the national team.
FIFA international series: Bangladesh to lock horns with Seychelles Saturday
Bangladesh will face visiting Seychelles at the Sylhet District Stadium Saturday.
The two-match FIFA Tier-1 International Football Series will kick off at 3:45pm.
The second and last match of the series will be held on March 28 at the same time and same venue.
Bangladesh Television will telecast both matches live while Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the running commentaries.
Member of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and President of Sylhet District Football Association Mohiuddin Ahmed Salim disclosed the match schedules at a press conference in Sylhet Thursday.
The current FIFA ranking of Bangladesh is 192 and Seychelles ranks 199.
The only match between Bangladesh and Seychelles ended in a draw in the four-nation football tournament in Colombo in 2021.
Tickets for both matches would cost Tk50 each, he said.
Seychelles arrived in Dhaka Wednesday at 5pm. They reached Sylhet on the same day.
Seychelles in Dhaka to play two-match FIFA international series
Seychelles arrived in the capital Wednesday to play a two-match FIFA Tier 1 International Series 2023 against Bangladesh in Sylhet next week.
The visitors reached Dhaka at 5pm and left for Sylhet at 8:30pm.
Seychelles will play two matches against the hosts on March 25 and 28, both at the Sylhet District Stadium during the FIFA window.
Bangladesh, now in Sylhet, joined their gym session at the team hotel Wednesday morning and took to the field in the afternoon.
The Seychelles team will take to the field Thursday at Sylhet BKSP.
Former Germany midfielder Mesut Özil retires at 34
Former Germany midfielder Mesut Özil, who won the World Cup in 2014, retired from soccer Wednesday at the age of 34.
Özil said injuries played a role in his decision.
"I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity," Özil wrote on social media. "But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it's become more and more clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football."
His immediate retirement brings an early end to his season with Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir, where he made only seven appearances for the team.
Özil won the Spanish league title with Real Madrid in 2012 and the FA Cup four times with Arsenal. His international career ended abruptly in 2018 when he quit the Germany squad citing "racism and disrespect."
That followed anti-Turkish comments from German politicians and abuse from some fans toward Özil, who has Turkish heritage, amid criticism of his decision to pose for a picture with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.
Özil started his career in Germany with hometown club Schalke before a good spell at Werder Bremen earned him a spot on the German national team. Standout performances for Germany at the 2010 World Cup were followed by a move to Madrid. He then had an eight-year stint with Arsenal.
Özil moved Turkish club Fenerbahce in 2021 after his relationship with Arsenal broke down. He was left out of the Arsenal squad for months before his departure following a rift with manager Mikel Arteta. The club also distanced itself from Özil for posting his support for Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China, comments which led to an Arsenal game being pulled from Chinese television.
SAFF U-17 Women's Champs: Russia start first- ever campaign beating Bangladesh 3-0
Russia started their first- ever campaign in Bangladesh in style beating hosts Bangladesh by 3-0 goal in their first appearance in the five-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-17 Women's Championship' 2023 at the
Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here Wednesday afternoon.
Russia, the hosts of the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup, currently 26th in FIFA women's world ranking earned a deserving victory in the day's match over the 140th FIFA women's ranked Bangladesh
In their first appearance against an European side, Bangladesh women' s never settled down in the match against their physically and technically superior rivals Russia and suffered a big defeat.
In the day's match, captain Elena Golik opened the Russian account in the very 5th minute of the match (1-0) and she again doubled the margin in the 45th minute (2-0) to dominate the first half by 2-0 goal.
Anastasia Karataeva scored the 3rd goal for Russia in the 62nd minute (3-0) in their 3-0 victory over the home side.
Bangladesh, which made a flying start in the regional soccer meet with an emphatic 8-1 goal victory over Bhutan last Monday, will play India on March 24 at 7:15 pm and Nepal on March 28 at 3:15 pm in remaining matches.
Earlier in the tournament opener, India, riding on hattrick by Shilji Shaji, made a good start outplaying Nepal by 4-1 goal Monday afternoon.
Five countries, four from South Asia --- India, Nepal, Bhutan and hosts Bangladesh, alongwith European side Russia --are taking part in the nine-day meet, organized by SAFF, under the supervision of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in collaboration with UEFA.
After the league basis matches, the highest points holder team will be the champions.
SAFF U-17 Women's Champs: Bangladesh starts campaign with emphatic 8-1 victory over Bhutan
Hosts Bangladesh started their campaign in the five-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-17 Women's Championship' 2023 in style with an emphatic 8-1 goals victory over Bhutan in their first appearance at the floodlight Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur Monday evening.
Earlier in the tournament opener, India, riding on a hattrick by Shilji Shaji, made a flying start outplaying Nepal by 4-1 goals at the same venue Monday afternoon.
Shilji Shaji made a hattrick scoring three goals in the 10th, 40th and 81st minutes while Pooja netted the other goal for India in the 41st minute.
Barsha Oli netted the consolation goal for the Himalayan nation Nepal in the 54th minute.
Five countries, four from South Asia --- India, Nepal, Bhutan and hosts Bangladesh, alongwith European side Russia --are taking part in the nine-day meet, organized by SAFF, under the supervision of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in collaboration with UEFA.
Related: SAFF U-17 Women's Championship begins Monday
In the remaining matches, Bangladesh will play Russia on March 22 at 3:15 pm, will face India on March 24 at 7:15 pm while will meet Nepal on March 28 at 3:15 pm.
After the league basis matches, the highest points holder team will be the champions.
SAFF U-17 Women's Championship begins Monday
The five-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-17 Women's Football Championship' 2023, will begin here on Monday (March 20) at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.
Five countries, four from South Asia --- India, Nepal, Bhutan and hosts Bangladesh, along with European side Russia --will compete in the nine-day meet, organized by SAFF, under the supervision of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
Hosts Bangladesh will play Bhutan at 7:15 pm (Bangladesh time) on Monday in one of the two opening day's matches while India will face Nepal in the inaugural match at 3:15 pm on the day.
In the remaining matches, Bangladesh will play Russia on March 22 at 3:15 pm, will face India on March 24 at 7:15 pm while will meet Nepal on March 28 at 3:15 pm.
After the league basis matches, the highest point-holder team will be the champions.
All the three South Asian teams--India, Nepal and Bhutan--already reached the capital on Saturday to participate in the SAFF Women's Junior meet.
Real Madrid beats Liverpool to reach Champions League QF
There was no historic comeback for Liverpool. Real Madrid's title defense in the Champions League rolls into the quarterfinals.
Liverpool never really came close to overcoming its three-goal deficit from the first leg against the titleholders at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to end its hopes of another run to the final.
Karim Benzema scored late and Madrid advanced to the last eight for the third straight season with a 6-2 aggregate score following a 5-2 win from the first leg in England, when it rallied from two goals down early in the first half.
Liverpool was trying to pull off something never done before in the Champions League — erase a three-goal loss as a visitor. Only five times the team that lost at home rallied in the second leg in Europe's top club competition.
"You needed a special performance and we didn't show a special performance," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. "In moments, it was a good performance, but Real Madrid was the team in control the whole game. Madrid was the better team and deserved to advance."
The only time Madrid failed to advance in the Champions League after winning the first leg on the road was in 2019, when it was eliminated by Ajax in the round of 16. It had won six of its last seven matches against Liverpool in the tournament, drawing another.
"It was the type of match we wanted," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "It was difficult for them to press up front. The team played well, it was focused from the start."
Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the other round-of-16 match on Wednesday to join Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City in the draw for the quarterfinals on Friday.
Benzema scored from close range after a pass by Vinícius Júnior in the 79th minute. The France striker, who had missed Madrid's Spanish league win against Espanyol last weekend because of an injury, has scored 13 goals in his last eight Champions League knockout stage matches. He limped during the goal celebration but said afterward it was just a knock.
"It was a complicated match, against a good opponent," Benzema said. "We showed from the start that we wanted to attack, so it was a good match for the fans and we are into the quarterfinals."
Liverpool came out with an attack-minded lineup and showed its intentions early, with Darwin Núñez forcing Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to make a tough save on a breakaway seven minutes into the match.
It was an open match at the Bernabéu and Madrid had its chances as well, with Eduardo Camavinga coming close to scoring in the 20th with a shot from outside the area that struck the crossbar after a deflection by Alisson Becker. The Liverpool goalkeeper also stopped a chance by Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in the first half and another in the second in a one-on-one situation with midfielder Federico Valverde.
Klopp kept trying to push his team forward from the sideline, but as the minutes passed it became clear it wasn't going to be enough for the English team.
Liverpool had managed a big comeback at home in the 2019 semifinals, rallying against another Spanish club, Barcelona. It won 4-0 after losing 3-0 at the Camp Nou to keep alive a run that eventually ended with the team winning the trophy.
Madrid, which had beaten Liverpool in last year's final, played in its 300th Champions League game.
The loudspeakers at the Bernabéu played Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem at the end of the match as fans from both clubs applauded.
"We are two heavyweights who meet each other quite frequently in international football and quite clearly we respect each other a lot," Klopp said. "It was a really nice gesture, absolutely."