United News of Bangladesh

Alessia Russo scored twice and Arsenal staged a remarkable comeback to reach the Women’s Champions League (WCL) semifinals with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid. Mariona Caldentey scored the other as Arsenal grabbed three goals in 13 minutes to overturn the team’s 2-0 loss in the first leg of the quarterfinal in the Spanish capital last week. Caldentey, who used to torment Madrid while playing for Barcelona, wheeled away in delight after leveling the tie three minutes after Russo pulled a goal back as Arsenal couldn’t have had a better start to the second half. Russo fired Arsenal in front for the first time in the tie with an acrobatic finish in the 59th. It proved to be the winner in the 3-2 victory on aggregate. The England star might have had a hat trick only to be denied by a VAR call for offside, then by Madrid goalkeeper Misa in a one-on-one, then by another offside call. Arsenal needed a save from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar in stoppage time to prevent Madrid star Linda Caicedo from sending the match to extra time. Arsenal will face last season’s beaten finalist Lyon as it seeks to win the trophy for the second time after success in 2007. Lyon advances Kadidiatou Diani scored one goal and set up two more as Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the second leg of their quarterfinal earlier. The French powerhouse needed a wake-up call before reaching the semifinals for the 13th time. Klara Bühl opened the scoring in the 33rd minute off the far post to claw a goal back for Bayern after losing the first leg 2-0 in Munich. Who qualified for the 2026 World Cup? Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate with Diani scoring and setting up goals for Melchie Dumornay and Tabitha Chawinga, who both scored in Munich last week. Dumornay played in Ada Hegerberg to seal the rout with a flourish by shooting the ball through Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa “Mala” Grohs ’ legs in stoppage time. Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining its comeback hopes. The other quarterfinal second legs are scheduled for Thursday, with defending champion Barcelona in a comfortable position after a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in Germany, and Chelsea needing goals as it hosts Manchester City after losing the first leg 2-0. Barcelona defeated Lyon in last year’s final.

After two consecutive matches without a win in the Premier League 2024-25 season, Arsenal were eager to succeed. They found the perfect opportunity against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League 2024-2025 season to unleash their full stamina and set a rare record in the process. On Tuesday night, Arsenal travelled to PSV’s Philips Stadium for the first leg of the Round of 16, where they dominated the hosts with a stunning 7-1 victory. With this historic win, Arsenal became the first team in Champions League history to score seven or more goals in an away match throughout the knockout stages. Read more: CONCACAF clears LAFC's Sergi Palencia of discriminatory language charge by Rapids' Chidozie Awaziem Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard led the way, scoring a brace, while Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori each found the back of the net once. A Glowing Performance by Arsenal in the First-Half From the very start, Arsenal looked determined to put up a big score. Declan Rice thought he had opened the scoring in the 12th minute, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. PSV then created a golden chance in the 16th minute, but Ismael Saibari’s close-range effort struck the crossbar. That miss proved costly as Arsenal swiftly punished the hosts. Goals from Timber in the 18th minute and Nwaneri in the 21st put Arsenal ahead. Read more: Real Madrid beats Atletico 2-1 in Champions League derby, Arsenal romps to record away win at PSV Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third goal in the 31st minute. However, just before halftime, Thomas Partey conceded a penalty by fouling Luuk de Jong inside the box. Noa Lang converted a spot kick to goal in the 43rd minute to make it 3-1 at the break.

Arsenal's Premier League title challenge has been dealt a blow after forward Kai Havertz was injured during a training camp in Dubai. The Germany international tore his hamstring and was set for a lengthy layoff, British media reported on Thursday said. Arsenal has not confirmed the injury, AP reports. The loss of Havertz would leave manager Mikel Arteta desperately short of attacking options with Gabriel Jesus out for the season after ACL surgery. Kane lifts Bayern to beat Celtic in Champions League playoffs. Milan, Atalanta and Monaco all lose Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also sidelined with hamstring injuries. Arteta wanted to sign a forward during the January transfer window, with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins a reported target. “We had a clear intention to explore the opportunities to improve our squad with players that can impact it,” Arteta said after the window closed. "And we haven’t achieved that so we are disappointed in that sense. “We’re going to have to be very flexible with the front line. It’s not a gamble, it’s reality, and we have to face the reality." Arsenal is second in the Premier League, seven points behind leader Liverpool. The London club has not won the title since 2004 and finished runner-up in the last two seasons.

Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leader Liverpool to four points after a 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta’s team took advantage of Liverpool’s draw with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, with Leandro Trossard firing the winner in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium. “Everybody knows you need to win these games, the fans are buzzing and it’s a great night for us,” Trossard said. “It’s an amazing feeling, especially to get the winner as well, it had to come and now we need to look forward.” Arsenal was runner-up to Manchester City in the last two seasons and is in contention for the title again this year. But it was given a fright by Spurs when Son Heung-min opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute. A Dominic Solanke own goal when trying to defend a corner leveled the game in the 40th and Trossard struck low from just inside the box four minutes later to put Arsenal ahead. Liverpool still has a game in hand on second-place Arsenal but has dropped points by drawing its last two league matches and is on a run of just one win in four in all competitions. That was against fourth-division Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup. Arsenal bounced back quickly after the disappointment of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on penalties and opened up a two-point lead over Forest in third. “Less than 72 hours ago we played 120 minutes in another competition that we went out of — that is not easy psychologically. So the way we performed and played today was exceptional,” Arteta said. Tottenham has won just one of its last nine games in the league. Read: Juventus the draw specialists, Milan the comeback kings “The losses hurt me but they aren’t acceptable. We have had too many losses this year and too many games that have got away from us. That needs to stop,” head coach Ange Postecoglou said. Isak on target again Alexander Isak scored for the eighth straight league game to propel Newcastle into the top four. The Sweden international struck twice in a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton to take his season total to 17 in all competitions. He became the fourth player to score in eight consecutive games in the Premier League, following Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge. Vardy scored a league record 11-straight games. “Like most strikers, Isak wants to practice his finishing. It is an art form. He is there after training every day trying to do more,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. Isak's form has pushed Newcastle into Champions League contention. He's scored 12 in his last 10 games in all competitions and Newcastle is on a nine-match winning streak. Isak opened the scoring in the 34th against relegation-threatened Wolverhampton at St James' Park. He got his second in the 57th and Anthony maintained his own scoring form with his fourth goal in successive games. Howe's team is now one point ahead of fifth-place Chelsea. Unhappy homecoming for Moyes David Moyes' return to Everton didn't get off to the start he wanted after a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa. In his second spell at the Merseyside club, Moyes took charge of his 519th game as Everton manager and was welcomed by the Goodison Park crowd. But he couldn't inspire his relegation-threatened team to victory as Ollie Watkins' goal six minutes into the second half sealed Villa's win. Everton is 16th in the standings and a point above the bottom three. Moyes' immediate priority is to find goals from somewhere. Everton has failed to score in nine of its last 11 league games. Leicester slumping The hiring of Ruud van Nistelrooy hasn't paid off for Leicester yet. A 2-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace leaves the 2016 champion second from bottom of the standings and without a league win since Van Nistelrooy's first game in charge at the start of December. Read more: Christian Pulisic limps out of AC Milan match sparking new injury fears It's now six straight defeats in the league, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guehi scoring for Palace in the second half at the King Power Stadium. “Six without a win is not good enough. You can’t keep talking about performances. We need to win and that needs to happen soon,” Van Nistelrooy said. United drops Manchester United doesn't play until Thursday, but Palace's win saw the record 20-time champion slip to 15th in the standings. Ruben Amorim's team plays last-place Southampton at Old Trafford.

Striker Folarin Balogun equalized deep into stoppage time as Reims earned a 1-1 draw at French league leader Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, keeping PSG three points ahead of second-place Lens. Balogun, who began his career at Premier League team Arsenal and stood out throughout the game with his movement, latched onto a long pass in the sixth minute of injury time. He easily beat veteran defender Sergio Ramos for pace before confidently shooting past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was the 21-year-old forward's 11th league goal of the season and one less than PSG's scorer Neymar. Neymar struck in the 51st to move one behind league top scorer and teammate Kylian Mbappé, before PSG had midfielder Marco Verratti sent off for a dangerous tackle on Japan winger Junya Ito in the 59th. Verratti made his return from a thigh injury when he came on for the second half. Read more: Late goals help PSG beat 3rd-tier Châteauroux in French Cup Midtable Reims extended its unbeaten run to 12 games, which included holding PSG to a 0-0 draw at home in October, and was the better side in the first half. Donnarumma almost gave a goal away after 23 seconds when he hacked a back pass straight to the opposition but got away with it. Balogun went close midway through the first half and teammate Marshall Munetsi — a midfielder with Zimbabwe — also caused problems for PSG's static defense. Referee Ruddy Buquet awarded Reims a penalty shortly after Neymar's goal for a foul on Balogun but changed his mind following a video review. In the end, Balogun had his say. PSG has won only one of its last four league games, losing two, and coach Christophe Galtier acknowledged there is a problem. “We were soporific in the first half, we were quickly split in two and we were on the back foot,” he said. “We abandoned our defense.” Since the World Cup, PSG has won only two of its five league games and both have been against strugglers. PSG needed an injury-time penalty from Mbappé to beat Strasbourg 2-1, and it beat rock-bottom Angers 2-0. With a much tougher test against Bayern Munich approaching in the round of 16 of the Champions League, PSG needs to improve fast. Either side of playing Bayern on Feb. 14, PSG has two away games at bitter rival Marseille, in the French Cup and in the league. Marseille is only five points behind PSG in third spot. Earlier, striker Gaetan Laborde scored the winner as Nice beat Lille 1-0 to end the northern side's six-game unbeaten run. Laborde netted in the 34th minute after Badredine Bouanani intercepted a poor back pass and set him up for a first-time finish. Lille had not lost in the league since Oct. 30. Read more: Leader PSG loses 3-1 at Lens for 1st defeat; Monaco in 4th TEMPERS FLARE Alexandre Lacazette notched his 12th league goal of the season as Lyon won 2-0 at Corsican side Ajaccio to move into ninth place. Tempers flared after the game as Lyon coach Laurent Blanc grabbed Ajaccio coach Olivier Pantaloni's face after they had shaken hands, and shoved him away following a verbal exchange. Pantaloni, who played for Ajaccio as a striker in the 1990s, then walked over to Lyon's bench and clashed with Lyon's goalkeeper coach Rémy Vercoutre. Security officials had to separate them as angry home fans banged on the dugout. Lacazette cut short his post-game television interview when a lighter thrown from the crowd landed near him. Vercoutre had to be escorted away as fans insulted him and some tried to get on the field. The visitors took the lead in the 20th when 20-year-old midfielder Johann Lepenant turned in Bradley Barcola's pass. Lacazette, who re-joined hometown Lyon in the summer after five seasons in the Premier League with Arsenal, scored his 144th goal overall for the club in the 72nd. France's 2018 World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso and Argentina's World Cup-winning left back Nicolás Tagliafico combined to set him up. OTHER MATCHES Dutch forward Thijs Dallinga scored twice for Toulouse in a 2-1 win at struggling Strasbourg. Veteran striker Kevin Gameiro put the Alsace side ahead in the 20th, but Dallinga equalized for Toulouse five minutes later and struck again early in the second half. Strikers Jérémy Le Douaron and Steve Mounie scored first-half goals for Brest in a 4-0 home win against bottom side Angers. Midfielders Franck Honorat and Pierre Lees-Melou scored after the break. English forward Stephy Mavididi scored both goals as Montpellier got a much-needed 2-0 win at 19th-place Auxerre to move away from relegation trouble, and Clermont drew 0-0 at home to Nantes.

So much for Arsenal being one of the elite soccer clubs in Europe. Three weeks after being among the instigators of the controversially closed-off and ultimately ill-fated Super League, the English team is facing the ignominy of being shut out of continental competition for the first time in 25 years. A failure to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Villarreal in the Europa League semifinals on Thursday would end Arsenal’s quarter-century run of participating in either the Champions League or UEFA’s secondary club competitions. Such a degrading of status would be ironic, considering the planned Super League — devised and then aborted within a chaotic 48-hour period last month — would have positioned Arsenal as one of 12 elite teams in the European game. The significance of the match against Villarreal, likely to be played against the backdrop of more fan protests against Arsenal’s American ownership for its involvement in the Super League project, isn’t lost on Mikel Arteta. “It is a big moment,” the Arsenal manager said. “Not for me but for the club, for everything that has happened in the last two years, in the last months, and for all the instability that we have been hit with for many different reasons. “I think it will be really important, and a big step forward, if we are able to be in that final and have the opportunity to win that trophy.” It’s not just Arteta’s future that could be on the line on Thursday. Arsenal’s ability to attract players for next season, and to retain the services of its own best players, might hinge on winning the Europa League and gaining the bonus prize of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Otherwise, it’s out of Europe, a situation Arsenal hasn’t been in since the 1995-96 season — a year that fell between the storied managerial eras of George Graham and Arsene Wenger. For Arteta, that would be unacceptable. “But it’s the reality,” he said. “It’s not what we want, obviously, but there are a lot of things that have happened in that period for many reasons. “One is the level has been raised to a standard that is unprecedented in the (Premier League) and we are not the only club that has been out of that. But obviously no one accepts that situation and we want to change it straightaway. This season, we have the opportunity to do that.” Arteta delivered the FA Cup to Arsenal in August, at the end of his first season at the club, but his position would be uncertain should his team be eliminated by Villarreal, which — adding to the weight of the occasion — is coached by Unai Emery. Emery is a Spaniard who replaced Wenger at Arsenal in May 2018, following the Frenchman’s nearly 22 years in the job. He lasted only 18 months. Arteta said the success of this season will now be determined by winning the Europa League or not. “It will be judged like this,” he said. “How good or bad job you are doing is judged by many factors by different people. Externally, it’s only when you win or lose. That is the defining moment.” Arteta’s big players need to step up against Villarreal and there’s no one bigger in the team than captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who declared upon signing a three-year deal in September that he wanted to become an “Arsenal legend.” That hasn’t materialized, because of a mixture of off-field issues — he recently contracted malaria, and also took time off in February when his mother became seriously ill — and poor form, which he partially put down to struggling to get fired up for matches because of the lack of fans in stadiums. Aubameyang, whose season tally of 15 goals in all competitions is way down on what he typically delivers, said Wednesday he owes Arteta a big performance. “I have to give something back to the club and the fans who are awaiting something from me,” the striker said on a video call. “This is the right moment to show I am capable of doing it.”

Last season’s FA Cup winner Arsenal was eliminated from the competition in the fourth round on Saturday thanks to Gabriel’s own-goal in a 1-0 loss to Southampton, while Manchester City survived a scare to beat fourth-tier Cheltenham 3-1.

Members of Arsenal's playing squad went into self-isolation in a coronavirus precautionary move, forcing the postponement of the Premier League game at Manchester City later Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta earned his first win as Arsenal manager Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United secured by first-half goals from Nicolas Pépé and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Not since 1977 have things been this bad at Arsenal.