United News of Bangladesh

Cristiano Ronaldo has rested and now is returning his attention to winning his first major trophy in Saudi Arabia. Despite breaking the Saudi Pro League’s scoring record last season with 35 goals and leading the standings in this campaign, the 40-year-old Ronaldo is yet to collect any silverware since signing for Al-Nassr in December 2022. On Saturday, he’ll be leading Al-Nassr against Japan-based Yokohama F.Marinos in the Asian Champions League Elite quarterfinals. The Riyadh club, still yet to win a continental championship, is expected to progress to the last four, particularly after Ronaldo was rested this week for Al-Nassr's domestic league win over Damac. Even without the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, coach Stefano Pioli has a star-studded roster at his disposal. It includes Jhon Duran, signed from Aston Villa in January for over $100 million, former Liverpool star Sadio Mane and Spanish international defender Aymeric Laporte. Al-Nassr also has home advantage, as all playoff games are taking place in Jeddah along the Red Sea coast. Barcelona takes a commanding 4-1 lead over Chelsea in Women's Champions League semifinals series “We're now fully focused on Asia,” Pioli said Tuesday. “We have been working hard to prepare for it and I'm satisfied with the performance of the players.” Yokohama was a beaten finalist last season but is struggling in last place in Japan's domestic league after collecting just two points from the last seven games. The club last week fired Steve Holland, a former England national team assistant to Gareth Southgate, after just four months as coach. “To fill the void,” the club said in a statement, Australian "Patrick Kisnorbo will serve as an interim manager for the time being.” Nassr’s Riyadh rival Al-Hilal has won a record four Asian titles and plays Friday against Gwangju FC, a South Korean club making its first appearance in the tournament. Hilal was the best performer in the ACL group stage and, as it is unlikely to catch Al-Ittihad at the top of the Saudi Pro League, is focused on its bid for a fifth continental championship. “The Asian Champions League is a personal dream for me, as I have not yet achieved it with the team,” Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said. “It is also a dream for the fans and the club president, and we will continue to play to win every match.” Al-Ahli is the third contender from Saudi, and the two-time finalist is determined to lift the trophy in its home stadium in Jeddah on May 3. First, though, it must win a quarterfinal against Thai powerhouse Buriram United. Manchester United sets another unwanted Premier League record The only one of the four ties not to feature a Saudi club takes place on Sunday when two-time champion Al-Sadd of Qatar takes on Kawasaki Frontale, a Japanese club looking for a first title.

The final match of the 10-team Bashundhara Group Federation Cup Football 2024–25 between defending champions Bashundhara Kings and 12-time winners Dhaka Abahani Ltd was postponed in the dying moments due to poor lighting at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Tuesday afternoon. The title-deciding clash between the two arch-rivals was initially halted in the second minute of the second half following heavy rain and strong winds. After more than an hour’s break, the match resumed on a waterlogged, muddy, and slippery pitch. However, referee Saimon Hasan Sunny was forced to suspend the game again after the first extra-time session (105th minute) due to insufficient light, as the Mymensingh venue lacks floodlights. At the time of postponement, the match was locked at 1-1, with both goals coming early in the first half. Argentine forward Juan Lescano gave Bashundhara Kings an early lead in the 6th minute with a well-placed header from the danger zone, capitalizing on a free-kick delivered by defender Mohammad Saaduddin (1-0). But the lead was short-lived, as Abahani’s Mohammad Ibrahim equalized in the 13th minute with a precise placing shot from close range, set up by a cutback from Nigerian forward Emeka (1-1). Abahani gained momentum after the equalizer and dominated much of the first half but failed to convert their chances into goals. Following the resumption of play after the weather break, Bashundhara Kings took partial control of the game. Despite the poor pitch conditions, both teams battled hard through the regulation 90 minutes and the first 15-minute extra-time session. Bashundhara Kings were reduced to 10 men in the 102nd minute when Foysal Ahmed Fahim was shown a straight red card for an illegal tackle. The match will be rescheduled, with the new date and time to be announced by the Bangladesh

Two powerhouses in the country's football defending champions Bashundhara Kings and 12th times champions Dhaka Abahani Limited will lock horns in the grand final of the 10-team Bashundhara Group  Federation Cup Football' 2024-25 on Tuesday. The title deciding match between two arch-rivals will kick off at 2:45 pm at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh. The sky- blue Dhanmondi outfit Dhaka Abahani Ltd, having 10-man, reached final beating Bashundhara Kings by 4-2 goals in penalty shootout in the first qualifier while Bashundhara Kings,coming from behind, booked a seat for the final eliminating Rahmatganj MFS by 2-1 goals in the extra time of the 2nd qualifier last Tuesday..  

Barcelona shrugged off an early setback to seize control of their Women’s Champions League semifinal against Chelsea on Sunday, cruising to a 4-1 victory. The match got off to a shaky start for the Spanish giants when captain Alexia Putellas saw her 12th-minute penalty saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. But Barcelona quickly regrouped and put on an attacking clinic. Claudia Pina, coming off the bench, made a huge impact with two goals, while Ewa Pajor and Irene Paredes each added one to complete the comeback and give Barça a commanding advantage heading into the second leg. Sandy Baltimore scored for Chelsea. Manchester United sets another unwanted Premier League record “No winning scoreline is enough,” Barcelona coach Pere Romeu said. “There’s huge evidence in soccer that you can’t ever rely on a first-leg lead. We are going to have a beautiful battle over there at Stamford Bridge.” Chelsea will host the return semifinal leg next Sunday and the winner on aggregate will advance to the final in Lisbon next month. It was the eighth straight win for defending champion Barcelona in the European women's competition. It has scored 40 goals across those eight consecutive wins since losing 2-0 to Manchester City. Barcelona and Chelsea are meeting in the last four for the third consecutive season. Barcelona has advanced each time. “I still believe in my team and my players, 100%,” Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor said. "It’ll be difficult, but the main goal is to score early in the return leg. In football everything is possible, so let’s try to win the game and, if we score early, maybe we can put Barcelona under pressure.” Pajor opened the scoring in the 35th and Pina added to the lead in the 70th, not long after entering the match. Baltimore pulled the visitors closer four minutes later, but Paredes gave Barcelona a two-goal lead again in the 82nd. Pina added a fourth in the 90th at the Johan Cruyff stadium. “When I’m on the bench, we’ve already spent a whole week analyzing a rival like Chelsea," Pina said. "You have lots of ideas in your head. When the game goes on, you progress those ideas and look at where your teammates are already creating gaps in the opponents’ defense.” In the other semifinal series, Lyon weathered a second-half rally by Arsenal to claim a 2-1 away win on Saturday, putting the record eight-time champions on course for another Women's Champions League title match.    

Manchester United set another unwanted club record on Sunday after losing 1-0 to Wolverhampton. A 15th league loss of the season is the most United has suffered in any single campaign in the Premier League era and emphasizes the club's ongoing decline. United has dominated England's top flight since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 — winning 13 titles. But it has not been crowned champion since 2013 when former manager Alex Ferguson retired. Last season it set a new high for league losses with 14 defeats. With five rounds still to go, Ruben Amorim's team has already gone past that benchmark. “We need to fight for wins, score goals and try to get more points,” Amorim said. "This season is going to end like this. We need to take the positives, try to work on the things we need to improve. “We have to work and try to be better in the first game of next season.” Amorim said in January that this might be the worst team in the club's history and the lows have kept on coming. A 15th league loss is the most for any United team since the 1989-90 campaign when it was defeated 16 times in England’s old Division One. AHF Cup Hockey: Bangladesh earn 2nd consecutive victory beating hosts Indonesia 3-2 Premier League statistician Opta said an eighth home defeat in the league was the most since United was beaten nine times in 1962-63. Worst points total in Premier League United is already certain to set the club’s worst-ever points total in the Premier League. The latest loss left it on 38 points. United’s lowest total was 58 in the 2021-22 season. Even a perfect finish would only see United amass 53 this term. The record 20-time English champion is also on course to record its lowest league finish in the Premier League. The previous low was set by Erik ten Hag's team last season when finishing eighth in the standings - the club's worst final position in 34 years. United is currently 14th and 11 points behind eighth-placed Bournemouth. Silver lining But Amorim could still end the campaign on a successful note by winning the Europa League. United staged a dramatic fightback to beat Lyon 5-4 on Thursday and advance to the semifinals of Europe's second tier competition. United plays Athletic Bilbao in the next round. The Europa League winner also qualifies for next season's Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain labored past lowly Le Havre 2-1 on Saturday and moved closer to finishing Ligue 1 unbeaten. In other games, Marseille thumped rock-bottom Montpellier 5-1 to reclaim second place by one point from Monaco, which drew 0-0 at home with fifth-placed Strasbourg. PSG has already clinched the league title, and coach Luis Enrique rested 21-goal top-scorer Ousmane Dembélé and gave 17-year forward Ibrahim Mbaye a chance up front. Another teenage forward, Désiré Doué, gave PSG an early lead with a deflected strike after being set up by winger Bradley Barcola's league-leading 10th assist. The second goal came in the new half when 18-year-old midfielder Senny Mayulu broke down the left and allowed center forward Gonçalo Ramos an easy tap-in. Sloppy defending from a corner let striker Issa Soumaré head a goal back on the hour for Le Havre, which remained 16th and in the relegation playoff spot. Raphinha’s last-gasp penalty seals dramatic win for Barcelona PSG is on course for the first treble in its history. It travels to Arsenal on April 29 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, and takes on Reims in the French Cup final on May 24. The top three sides in France gain automatic entry into next season’s Champions League while the side in fourth spot enters qualifying. Marseille looks well set with only four games left. English forward Mason Greenwood scored twice against a woeful Montpellier to take his league tally to 18, with only Dembélé ahead of him. Greenwood scored from the penalty spot eight minutes into a one-sided contest at Stade Velodrome. Then defender Amir Murillo found Greenwood just inside the penalty area and he controlled the ball before finishing with a neat side-footed shot. The visitors pulled a goal back before France midfielder Adrien Rabiot completed the scoring with a cool finish from Ismaël Bennacer’s pass. Montpellier is almost relegated after an 11th straight loss. Balogun goes close United States forward Folarin Balogun came off the bench late on for Monaco and almost scored when Dorde Petrovic tipped over his powerful header. There was tension at the end between the two coaches. Strasbourg's English coach Liam Rosenior claimed he had to wait five minutes before Monaco counterpart Adi Hütter shook his hand, which Hütter refuted. Messi set to star as Inter Miami take on Crew in Cleveland “It's the first time in 16 years of my career that I have heard something like this,” Hütter said. “I've coached in many countries, taken charge of 650 games. I've been in France for two years and a coach never said I disappointed them.”

Raphinha converted a penalty in the 98th minute to seal a stunning 4-3 comeback victory for La Liga leaders Barcelona against Celta Vigo. The Brazilian forward scored from the spot after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Dani Olmo inside the box, rescuing Barca in the dying moments. Hansi Flick’s men had been trailing 3-1 just past the hour mark, with Borja Iglesias netting a hat-trick to overturn Ferran Torres’ early goal and put the visitors in control. However, Barcelona fought back, with quick-fire goals from Olmo and Raphinha leveling the match. Just as it seemed Celta would escape with a draw, the VAR intervention handed Barca a lifeline — and Raphinha made no mistake. The win pushes Barcelona seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who face Athletic Club on Sunday. Source: BBC

Lionel Messi, one of the most iconic figures in global football, is set to add another memorable chapter to his storied career this time, in the heart of Cleveland. Inter Miami’s matchup against Columbus Crew will take place at Cleveland’s NFL venue, Huntington Bank Stadium, marking the first time the Crew will host a Major League Soccer match outside of Columbus. The unique setting, better known for the Cleveland Browns’ raucous “Dawg Pound,” will instead be filled with passionate Crew fans as Messi takes center stage. The opportunity came thanks to the Haslam Sports Group, which owns both the Browns and the Crew. Since acquiring the MLS club in 2019, the Haslams have held the option of staging a match in Cleveland, and the Messi effect made this the perfect moment. “This is a unique moment in time with Messi where we can fill the building and ensure that the first experience Northeast Ohio has with the Columbus Crew is in a packed house,” said Josh Glessing, the Crew’s president of business operations. This will be Messi’s 11th MLS game played in an NFL stadium since he joined Inter Miami in 2023 after guiding Argentina to a World Cup triumph in 2022. These matches have proven to be major draws, averaging more than 61,000 fans. Last year’s clash between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium drew a massive 72,610 fans—far surpassing typical MLS attendance figures. The Crew hopes to break their own single-game attendance record of 31,550, set in 1996 at Ohio Stadium. MLS executive vice president Camilo Durana said Messi’s presence is doing more than selling tickets—it’s building lasting enthusiasm for the sport. “The impact Messi has on MLS and soccer in the U.S. is clear. But there’s also a long-term legacy being created that people are just starting to recognize,” Durana said. Northeast Ohio isn’t new to soccer. The Cleveland Force of the 1980s was one of indoor soccer’s biggest draws, and the region continues to foster talent at the youth and collegiate levels. The University of Akron's soccer program remains one of the most successful in the nation, having produced multiple MLS players, including current Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe. Cleveland nearly landed a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team, and while that bid fell short, a new local group has announced plans to join the WPSL Pro—a Division II league considered a pipeline to the NWSL. This game also has serious on-field significance. It’s a battle between the last two unbeaten teams in MLS. Columbus Crew (5-0-3) lead the Eastern Conference with 18 points, while Inter Miami (4-0-3), with one game in hand, trails just behind in fourth. Messi has already tallied three goals and two assists in four matches this season. For Cleveland native Sean Zawadzki, a midfielder for the Crew, the match has extra meaning. “It’s a dream come true,” Zawadzki said. “I grew up cheering for teams at this stadium. To play here in front of family, friends, and fans in my hometown—it’s something I’ll never forget.” With high stakes, record-breaking expectations, and the Messi factor in full effect, Saturday’s match in Cleveland promises to be a landmark moment for Ohio soccer.    

Joe Thompson, a former Manchester United academy player who made more than 200 appearances for local club Rochdale, has died. He was 36. Fifth-tier English club Rochdale announced that Thompson, who had been fighting cancer for a third time, died Thursday at home with family by his side. “We first knew Joe primarily as a talented footballer, but we would soon grow to adore his loving, infectious personality,” Rochdale said in a statement on Friday. “He faced every battle head-on, both on and off the pitch. His journey and indomitable spirit have been an inspiration for everyone who has been touched by his story. Above all of that, Joe was a loving husband to Chantelle and an incredible father to Thailula and Athena Rae.” A midfielder, Thompson was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013 while playing for Tranmere. The disease returned three years later. Thompson announced he was cancer-free in 2017 and less than a year later entered himself “into Rochdale folklore,” the club said, by coming off the bench in the final game of the 2017-18 season to score in a 1-0 win that kept the team in the third tier. Slot avoids talk of Premier League title, Alexander-Arnold's future at Liverpool He retired in 2019 and went on to become a motivational speaker and soccer pundit. He also held an ambassadorial role with United. Last year, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer for a third time. United posted a tribute to Thompson on its social media channels, saying he “epitomized our club’s values.” Rochdale, located just north of Manchester, said its players would wear black armbands during Friday’s match at Altrincham in the National League.

Arne Slot says he's not thinking about Liverpool clinching the Premier League title on Sunday. The Dutchman would join a small group of coaches to win the title in their first year in charge at a new club, reports AP. “The honest answer is no, but I’m not sure if you believe me,” Slot said Friday when questioned about securing the crown. “I’m not looking backwards a lot, and I’m not looking forward a lot. That’s the type of person that I am.” Liverpool is on the verge of sealing its 20th English top-flight title, which would equal Manchester United's record. It can happen Sunday if, first, Ipswich beats second-place Arsenal, and then Liverpool defeats Leicester. “My thoughts are not on that at all,” said Slot, whose team holds a 13-point lead with six games left. Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp last summer, is set to join elite company. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea, 2004-05), Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea, 2009-10), Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City, 2013-14), Claudio Ranieri (Leicester, 2015-16), and Antonio Conte (Chelsea, 2016-17) all won the Premier League in their first season. Of that group, only Ranieri had previously coached in the division. Pakistan clinch Women's Cricket World Cup spot after four straight wins It wouldn't be the first time that a Liverpool manager accomplished the feat. Joe Fagan led the Reds to the top-flight title in 1984, two years before Kenny Dalglish did the same. Alexander-Arnold's status Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have both signed two-year extensions, but Slot offered no insights on the contract status of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right back has been strongly linked to a move to Real Madrid this summer. “We don't talk about this as long as things are not done yet, and they aren’t, so that’s why we don’t talk in public about this situation,” Slot said. Alexander-Arnold, whose current contract ends in the summer, could be an option off the bench for the game at Leicester, the manager added. The defender has returned to training after being sidelined with an ankle injury sustained more than five weeks ago.