Football
EPL: Liverpool humiliate Manchester United with 7-0 rout
Liverpool brought Manchester United crashing down to earth in a stunning 7-0 rout at Anfield on Sunday.
Only a week after winning the League Cup, United experienced their heaviest defeat in the Premier League and the club’s joint worst loss in all competitions.
Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all struck twice and Roberto Firmino scored the other, with six of the goals coming in an explosive second-half performance.
It also delivered a major blow to Erik ten Hag’s four-pronged pursuit of trophies, with a league title challenge now looking increasingly unlikely.
Liverpool, meanwhile, took advantage of losses for top-four rivals Newcastle and Tottenham on Saturday to strengthen their bid to qualify for the Champions League.
Salah became the Merseyside club’s all-time leading Premier League scorer with 129 goals.
Liverpool may have endured a frustrating campaign so far as Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled for consistency but Anfield was in raptures at the sight of fierce rival United being humbled on Merseyside.
To add to that, the gap to fourth-place Tottenham is down to three points, with Liverpool still having a game in hand.
While Liverpool eyed the top four, United knew anything other than a win would be a huge blow to its challenge for the title after Arsenal’s late 3-2 victory against Bournemouth on Saturday.
History, however, was not on the visitors’ side, having failed to win at Anfield since 2016. United lost 4-0 in the same fixture last season.
For all of United’s progress under Ten Hag, this was the latest test of his team’s nerve on the big occasion, having already seen losses at Manchester City and Arsenal this season.
And seven days after the Dutch manager won his first trophy at United came this humiliating setback.
Gakpo put Liverpool ahead in the 43rd minute when collecting Andrew Robertson’s pass. He immediately charged into the box, sidestepped Raphael Varane and then swept a shot past David de Gea and into the bottom corner.
United’s players had been guilty of wasting chances of their own before that goal with Bruno Fernandes missing the target with a far post header and Marcus Rashford firing tamely at Alisson with only the goalkeeper to beat.
If United fans expected a response after the break, they were instead left stunned by Liverpool’s explosive start to the second half.
Nunez extended Liverpool’s lead when heading in Harvey Elliott’s cross after Luke Shaw failed to clear the ball.
It was 3-0 in the 50th after Salah’s clever footwork beat Lisandro Martinez and he then clipped a pass for Gakpo to lift over De Gea.
From there it went from bad to worse for Ten Hag as his team still tried to get back into the match.
Liverpool ruthlessly exploited United’s ragged defence, with Salah making it 4-0 in the 66th and Nunez scoring again in the 75th.
It was 6-0 when Salah scored in the 83rd and substitute Firmino stepped off the bench to score in the 88th.
Liverpool’s seven goals came from just eight shots on target.
Also read: Real Madrid routs Liverpool 5-2 in CL stunner at Anfield
Tri-Nation Cup training camp: First batch of players leave for Medina
A 13-member first batch of the national football players left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia's Medina on a two-week tour for intensive training ahead of the Tri-Nation Cup 2023, to be held in Sylhet from March 20 to 28.
Brunei Darussalam (No. 190 in FIFA ranking), Seychelles (No. 199) and Bangladesh (No. 192) will compete in the nine-day tournament during the FIFA window.
On Thursday, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) picked 27 players for the national training camp for the Tri-Nation Cup Football Tournament.
Twelve players from Bashundhara Kings, six from former champions Dhaka Abahani, three from Sheikh Russel, two each from Fortis and Muktijoddha Sangsad, and one each from Dhaka Mohammedan and Bangladesh Police earned a call-up to the camp.
The first batch of players led by Bangladesh national team head coach Javier Fernández Cabrera of Spain left the capital Sunday 1:15am.
The second batch of players will fly for Medina Monday also at 1:15am.
Bangladesh defender Tariq Raihan Kazi, now in Finland, will directly join the team in Medina.
Two other players – Sheikh Russel forward Mohammad Ibrahim and Police midfielder Rabiul Hasan – will not accompany the team in the second batch due to problems with their passports.
However, they will join the team later.
Barcelona edges Madrid in 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinals
Barcelona triumphed in the first battle against rival Real Madrid.
The Catalan club won 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday — the first of three matches between the Spanish powerhouses in the next few weeks.
Barcelona took the victory with an own-goal by Madrid defender Éder Militão in the first half.
The rivals will also meet in the Spanish league on March 19 in Barcelona and in the return leg of the Copa semifinals on April 5.
It was also the first match between the rivals since it became public Barcelona paid millions of euros over several years to the vice president of the country’s refereeing committee. A banner by Madrid fans at the Bernabéu said: “Clean and white, never tarnished.”
Osasuna defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home on Wednesday in the first leg of the other semifinal.
It was an even match at the Bernabéu, with the teams struggling to create significant scoring opportunities. Madrid controlled possession but couldn't break through the Barcelona defense, ending the match without any shots on target.
The visitors took the lead in the 26th when the ball careened off Militão after a run into the area by Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessié. The goal came after Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga lost possession near midfield. It was initially disallowed for an offside by Kessié but later got confirmed after video review.
“I’m satisfied with the result but not with how we played,” Barcelona coach Xavi said. “It will be good to play at home in the return leg, with our fans, but I still think that Madrid is the favorite to advance.”
Madrid thought it had opened the scoring with Karim Benzema in the 12th but he was offside. Kessié came close to adding to Barcelona's lead in the 74th but his shot from the middle of the area was inadvertently deflected near the goal line by teammate Ansu Fati.
Barcelona got the win despite playing without some of its top scorers because of injuries — Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé and Pedri, a trio that has combined for 40 goals this season, with 25 coming from Lewandowski. Xavi also couldn't count on central defender Andreas Christensen because of an injury. He started with Marcos Alonso in Christensen's place and Ronald Araújo was improvised in the right back position.
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets played in his 46th “clasico” to surpass former teammate Lionel Messi and Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for most appearances in the game between the clubs.
“It’s an important result that gives us a small advantage for the return match at home,” Busquets said. “We were coming off two losses and were missing some players, so this strengthens the group.”
Barcelona was coming off a 1-0 loss at Almería in the Spanish league, which marked the first time the Catalan club failed to score since October. Before that, it was eliminated by Manchester United in the Europa League playoffs. It leads Madrid by seven points in the league.
Barcelona defeated Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January but had lost by the same score in the first “clasico” of the season in a league match at the Bernabéu last year.
Barcelona also got the best of Madrid the last time they met in the Copa, advancing in the 2019 semifinals with a 3-0 win in the second leg at the Bernabéu.
Madrid was without central defender David Alaba and left back Ferland Mendy because of injuries. Rodrygo was back from injury but started on the bench, with Vinícius Junior and Benzema in the starting lineup but not being able to produce much.
“We didn't deserve the loss, we played well,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “It gives us confidence for the return match. If we can do the same in Barcelona, we will have a chance to advance.”
A fan was detained by security officials after invading the field at the Bernabéu.
Barcelona is the club with most Copa titles with 31, eight more than Athletic. Madrid is next with 19, but none since 2014.
The final will be played on May 6 in Seville.
Gunmen leave threatening message for Messi
Gunmen left a threatening message Thursday for Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi and opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina’s third-largest city, police said.
Nobody was injured in the early morning attack, and it was unclear why assailants would target Messi or the Unico supermarket in Rosario, owned by the family of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo.
The city’s mayor, Pablo Javkin, lashed out at federal authorities over what he called their failure to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, located about 190 miles ( 300 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Buenos Aires.
Police said two men on a motorcycle fired at least a dozen shots into an Unico branch in the early hours, and left a message on a piece of carboard that read, “Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”
Read: Lionel Messi Won The Best FIFA Men's Player Prize For 2022, Records
Messi, captain of the national team that won last year’s World Cup for Argentina for the first time in 36 years, has not commented. Messi currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and spends much of his time overseas, though he often visits Rosario where he has a home in the suburb of Funes.
Javkin, a center-left politician in opposition to the ruling Peronist coalition, appeared to throw suspicion of complicity for the attack on both criminal gangs and federal security officials.
“I doubt everyone, even those who are supposed to protect us,” Javkin said in an interview with a local radio station.
He said the supermarket was in a section of Rosario that has seen frequent crimes, that he has raised the issue in recent meetings with federal and provincial official law enforcement officials, and that no action has been taken.
“Where are the ones who need to take care of us?” Javkin said. “It’s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren’t doing it, and it’s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this.”
Youth Games: Khulna beat Sylhet to seal 3rd place in men's football
Khulna Division finished third in the men's football of the Sheikh Kamal 2nd Bangladesh Youth Games 2023, beating Sylhet 5-3 in the tiebreaker in the third-place match at the Paltan Maidan Outer Stadium Thursday.
The bronze medal match ended 1-1 after regular time.
Alamgir put Khulna ahead in the fourth minute; Nasir equalised for Sylhet in the 79th minute.
The men's final match between Rangpur and Rajshahi will be held Friday at the same venue.
The women's final match between Rangpur and Rajshahi will be held on the same day at the BFF Artificial Turf in Motijheel.
Bangladesh team announced for AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Thursday announced a 35-member team for the three-nation AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup qualifiers, to be held during March 8-12 at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal Stadium in the capital's Kamalapur.
Earlier, the hosts were placed in Group H along with Iran and Turkmenistan.
The final round of the competition will be held next year in Uzbekistan.
Read: Tri-Nation Cup: BFF picks 27 players for national training camp
In the Group matches, Iran will play Turkmenistan in the opening match on March 8 at 5pm, and Bangladesh will face Turkmenistan on March 10 also at 5pm.
The hosts will face a stronger Iran on March 12 in the last group match.
Bangladesh team
Goalkeepers
Rupna Chakma (vice-captain), Sathi Biswas, and Swarna Rani Mondal
Defenders
Surma Jannat, Afeida Khandakar, Nasrin Akter, Kohati Kisku, Ety Khatun and Unnoti Khatun
Midfielders
Swapna Rani, Sohagi Kisku, Mahfuza Khatun, Nouson Jahan, Miss Rupa, Rehena Khatun, Shamsunnahar (captain), Halima Akter and Trishna Rani
Forwards
Shaheda Akter Ripa, Aklima Khatun, Anika Tanjum, Airin Khatun and Souravi Akhand Prity
Tri-Nation Cup: BFF picks 27 players for national training camp
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Thursday picked 27 players for the national training camp for the Tri-Nation Cup Football Tournament 2023, to be held during March 20-28 in Sylhet.
Brunei Darussalam, Seychelles and the hosts will compete in the nine-day tournament during the FIFA window.
Bangladesh national team head coach Javier Fernández Cabrera of Spain announced the national team at a press conference at the BFF House in Motijheel in the afternoon.
Twelve players from Bashundhara Kings, six from former champions Dhaka Abahani, three from Sheikh Russel, two each from Fortis and Muktijoddha Sangsad, and one each from Dhaka Mohammedan and Bangladesh Police earned a call-up to the camp.
Read more: England aim to seal series against Bangladesh in second ODI
Selected players
Goalkeepers
Anisur Rahman Zico, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Mitul Marma and Mehedi Hasan Srabon
Defenders
Tariq Raihan Kazi, Saaduddin, Rimon Hossain, Bishwanath Ghosh. Tutul Hossain Badsha, Topu Barman, Alamgir Mollah, Rahmat Mia Midfielders
Masuk Miah Zoni, Sohel Rana, Jamal Bhuyan, Hemonto Vincent Biswas Mujibur Rahman Jony and Robiul Jasan
Forwards
Rakib Hossain, Sumon Reza, Matin Mia, Foysal Ahmed Fahim, Eleta Kingsley, Mohammad Ibrahim, Aminur Rahman Sojib and Emon Shahiar
Youth Games: Rangpur, Rajshahi divisions reach women's football final
Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions reached the final of the women's football at the Sheikh Kamal 2nd Bangladesh Youth Games 2023 after winning the semi-finals at the BFF Artificial Turf in Motijheel Wednesday.
In the women's semi-final, Rangpur made the final after thrashing Chattogram 7-2 riding on four goals from Swapna.
Also, Rivana netted two goals in the 57th and 71st minutes; Mowrashi scored one.
Menti Chakma scored both goals for Chattogram in the 75th and 88th minutes.
Read more: Malan century guides England home as Tigers bemoan batting woes
In today's other semi-final, Rajshahi managed to secure their place in the final after beating Dhaka 3-2 in the tie-breaker as the regular time ended in a 0-0 draw.
The men's gold medal match between Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions will be held Friday at 3 pm at the Paltan Maidan Outer Stadium.
Lionel Messi Won The Best FIFA Men's Player Prize For 2022, Records
Lionel Messi, often considered one of the greatest football players of all time, has once again been crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player award. This prestigious award, which recognizes the world's top footballer, was presented to Messi at a glitzy ceremony held in Paris. This is the second time that Messi has won the award after it got separated from the Ballon d’Or in 2016. The Argentine forward had an outstanding year, leading Argentina to the World Cup trophy, where he was also named the tournament's best player.
A Brief History of The Best FIFA Men's Player Award
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award is an annual award presented by the world governing body of football, FIFA. It was established in 2016 as part of a revamp of the FIFA World Player of the Year prize, which was presented between 1991 to 2015.
Initially, the FIFA awards were given to the world's best men's football players, while similar awards for both males and females were presented between 2001 and 2009. In 2010, the men's award was merged into the FIFA Ballon d'Or, while the women's award remained until 2015. After 2015, both men's and women's awards were integrated into The Best FIFA Football Awards.
Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi’s Records, Argentina’s Road to Victory
The award is presented to the player deemed to have performed the best in the previous calendar year, as determined by a voting process involving captains and head coaches of international teams, as well as journalists and fans. 25% of the total vote is held by each group.
The inaugural winner of The Best FIFA Men's Player Award was Cristiano Ronaldo, who was then playing for Real Madrid. Ronaldo went on to win the award again in 2017, making him the only player to win it twice in the first three years of its existence.
In 2018, Luka Modrić broke Ronaldo's streak by winning The Best FIFA Men's Player Award for the first time. After that, Messi won it in 2019. In 2020, Robert Lewandowski was awarded the title after an exceptional year with Bayern Munich.
Read More: Messi voted best player at FIFA awards again
Overview of Lionel Messi's Career in 2022
Messi passed a magical year in 2022. He appeared in 51 games for clubs and the national team. He scored 35 goals in total and had 35 assists. Among these 35 goals, he scored 17 goals for his club Paris Saint-Germain and 18 goals for Argentina. However, above all, his outstanding performance in the World Cup exceeds all his previous achievements.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Argentina's Lionel Messi had a tournament to remember. In the opening match against Saudi Arabia, Messi scored from the penalty spot in a 2–1 defeat. In the next match against Mexico, Messi scored a low 20-yard strike and recorded an assist on Enzo Fernández's goal in Argentina's 2–0 win.
In the last 16 games versus Australia, Messi scored the opening goal of the game on his 1,000th senior career appearance, becoming the most-capped South American (CONMEBOL member) footballer of all time. He also surpassed and equaled several FIFA World Cup and national team records.
Read More: Ronaldo set to face PSG, Messi in first game in Saudi Arabia
In the quarter-final against the Netherlands, Messi assisted the first goal for Nahuel Molina with a reverse pass before scoring a penalty as the game ended 2–2 after extra time, and Argentina won 4–3 in the penalty shootout.
In the semi-final against Croatia, Messi made a record-equalling 25th World Cup finals appearance, drawing level with Germany's Lothar Matthäus, and scoring the opening goal with a penalty before assisting Julián Álvarez’s goal in a 3–0 win. With his 11th World Cup goal, Messi overtook Gabriel Batistuta to become Argentina's all-time top scorer at the World Cup. Messi then declared the final against France to be his last World Cup appearance.
Read More: Argentine foreign minister will visit Dhaka late Feb, asked to bring Messi with him: Momen
Lionel Messi Won the Best FIFA Men's Player Prize For 2022
In 2022, Lionel Messi was awarded the Best FIFA Men's Player prize, making him the third individual to receive the honor twice, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo (2016, 2017) and Robert Lewandowski (2020, 2021). The last time Messi won The Best award was in 2019.
Lionel Messi made history at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, becoming the sixth player to score in every knockout round of the world cup. His impressive performance included 7 goals and 3 assists, with his most impressive contribution coming during the final at Lusail, where he scored a brace. It was a remarkable achievement for Messi, who had never accomplished such a feat in his international career prior to Qatar.
Kylian Mbappé was another contender for this award. Mbappé had 44 points, while Messi won The Best with 52 points. Voting for the FIFA The Best men's awards took into account performances from August 2021 to December 2022, with a particular emphasis on the FIFA men's World Cup, which ended in December of the same year.
The award ceremony was designed to recognize the efforts of all participants throughout the world cup as well as the club, ensuring that everyone's accomplishments were acknowledged.
Following is the resulting breakdown for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022.
Rank
Player
Points
Coaches
Captains
Media
Fans
1.
Lionel Messi (PSG / Argentina)
52
728
717
836
1,345,851
2.
Kylian Mbappe (PSG / France)
44
478
395
433
391,676
3.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / France)
34
230
301
304
200,009
Read More: Bruised Ronaldo scores twice to edge showdown with Messi
Final Words
Lionel Messi's technical skills, breathtaking goals, and exceptional performances have earned him worldwide acclaim, making him a true legend in the world of football. His remarkable goalscoring record, his ability to lead his team to victory, and his commitment to the game make him a truly deserving recipient of The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022.
Fed Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani Ltd beat Sheikh Russel KC 5-4 in penalty shootout
Former champions Dhaka Abahani Limited beat Sheikh Russel KC by 5-4 goals in penalty shootout in a Group C match of the Bashundhara Group Federation Cup Football 2022-23 at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj on Tuesday.
The match was locked in 3-3 goals in the stipulated 90-minutes.
Abahani dominated the first half by 1-0 goal
In the day's match, local forward Mehadi Hasan put the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani ahead in the 16th minute (1-0) while striker Eleta Kingsley doubled the Abahani margin in the 48th minute (2-0).
Medio Dipok Roy pulled the Sheikh Russel margin one back in the 67th minute (2-1) while Ivory Coast midfielder Kephi leveled Sheikh Russel margin in the 78th minute from a penalty (2-2).
Defender Khalekuzzaman put Sheikh Russel KC ahead from behind scoring the 3rd goal in the 84th minute (3-2) while Abahani's Nigerian forward Peter Nworah neutralized the margin the 89th minute (3-3) to force the match to the tie-breaker.