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LIVERPOOL: Liverpool can mount another memorable Champions League comeback at Anfield when they take on a depleted Real Madrid in the quarter-final, second leg but they cannot afford any more defensive errors, manager Juergen Klopp said on Tuesday (Apr 13). Down 3-1 from the first leg, Klopp's side find themselves in a near-impossible situation in the knockouts again and will seek inspiration from their 2019 semi-final comeback against Barcelona when they 4-0 to advance with a 4-3 aggregate score. With their backs against

TOKYO: Holding the postponed Tokyo Olympics this summer will be "really difficult" given a spike in COVID-19 infections across Japan, the head of the Tokyo Medical Association has warned. Haruo Ozaki sounded the alarm as rising daily cases prompt new coronavirus restrictions in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. "If infections spread further, in reality it would be difficult to hold the Olympics in its regular form with athletes coming from various countries, even if the Games are held with no spectators," the Sports

Spain and Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos faced a new setback in a season littered with injury problems when his club said on Tuesday he had tested positive for COVID-19. Ramos has been nursing a calf injury since April 1 which led him to miss his side’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in their Champions League quarter-final first leg and Saturday’s 2-1 victory over rivals Barcelona in La Liga. The central defender, 35, who underwent knee surgery in February, had already been ruled out

Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season after breaking his finger in their opening match, his franchise said on Tuesday. Stokes sustained the injury while fielding during Monday’s narrow four-run loss to Punjab Kings, where he bowled only one over and was dismissed for a duck after opening the innings in the run chase. The Royals said the 29-year-old will not be returning to England yet. “Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained

Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece recorded a 6-3, 6-4 win over Aslan Karatsev of Russia on Tuesday in their second-round match at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco. Tsitsipas smashed four aces en route to dispatching Karatsev in one hour, 24 minutes. He advanced to the third round of the tournament for the second straight edition. “I’m putting (in) hours on the court, trying to become consistent (and) get close to the legends of our sport,” Tsitsipas said. “I am working every

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was the recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee medal as player of the year for the fourth time in six years at the country’s 2020-21 cricket awards on Tuesday. Williamson, the number one test batsman, also bagged the International Test Player of the Year award as he led from the front with New Zealand winning 17 of 20 matches across all formats played over their summer, winning all seven series. The 30-year-old plundered test runs which included double

SEVILLE, Spain -Chelsea hung on to reach the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win despite Mehdi Taremi’s stunning overhead kick in added time handing Porto a 1-0 victory in the quarter-final second leg on Tuesday. The substitute had been responsible for his side’s only attempt on target as they chased a 2-0 deficit from last week’s first leg but he provided an emphatic response in a cagey game with his acrobatic strike deep into added time. Thomas Tuchel’s side had a

The Premier League, EFL, Premiership Rugby, F1 and British Horseracing have adjusted their schedules "as a mark of respect" to avoid clashing with Saturday's funeral of Prince Philip. The Duke of Edinburgh died at the age of 99 on Friday and his funeral will be held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 17 April. A national minute's silence will be held at 15:00. The Football Association recommends no games played between 14:45 and 16:15. In addition, a minute's silence

PARIS - Bayern Munich felt the best team did not reach the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday after they went out on away goals but Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reminded them that as well as a beautiful game football was a fight. PSG had struggled in the quarter-final first leg in Munich but won 3-2 thanks to their ruthless efficiency in front of goal and Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Mueller were confident the German champions would go through at the

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley due to a hamstring injury, manager Thomas Tuchel said. Kovacic missed Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League quarter-final second leg defeat by Porto, though Chelsea still reached the last four 2-1 on aggregate and will face either Real Madrid or Liverpool. “(On Monday) in training he got a muscle injury in his hamstring after 20 minutes, more or less out of nothing,” Tuchel said after Tuesday’s game. “He is for

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League with a broken finger, his Rajasthan Royals team say. The Royals say Stokes, 29, was injured while fielding during their four-run loss to Punjab Kings on Monday. England say their medical staff are in contact and Stokes will have a second X-ray "in the next 24-48 hours" to assess the seriousness of the injury. "I'm devastated," Stokes told the Mirror. "To suffer a broken finger in the very first game is just devastating."

Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets players wore T-shirts calling for "liberty and justice for all" following the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer on Sunday. The death of Daunte Wright, 20, in Brooklyn Center sparked days of angry protests and an overnight curfew. Tributes were paid at Tuesday's NBA game in nearby Minneapolis, which had been postponed for 24 hours. There was a moments silence before the Nets beat Minnesota 127-97. The Timberwolves also used social media to focus attention on

Mixed doubles will return for the 2021 French Open after being cancelled last year because of Covid-19 restrictions. The draw will feature 16 pairs, rather than the usual 32, when the tournament begins in May. Latisha Chan of Taiwan and Croatia's Ivan Dodig are the two-time defending champions on the Roland Garros clay. The French Open will run from 30 May to 13 June after being pushed back by a week in the hope that more spectators will be able to attend. Source:

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said reaching the last four of the Champions League is a "great achievement" as the Blues moved into the semi-finals for the first time since 2014. Chelsea will play either Liverpool or Real Madrid for a place in the final after a 2-1 aggregate win over Porto. "We will become a strong side," he told BT Sport after his team lost the second leg 1-0 in injury time. "We could not finish it off with a goal so we

Chelsea survived a spectacular late overhead kick from Mehdi Taremi to overcome Porto and confirm a place in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in seven years. Thomas Tuchel's side went into this 'home' last-eight second leg - with both games being played in Seville during the current Covid-19 pandemic - protecting a two-goal lead they only briefly threatened to surrender in the dying seconds following Taremi's brilliant finish. Chelsea, who will now face either Liverpool or Real Madrid in the

Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray returned to the court Monday after missing four games with a sore right knee, then in the final minute of the fourth quarter went down with a non-contact injury where he is grabbing his left knee in pain. Murray refused a wheelchair to leave the court but had to be helped back to the locker room because of the knee injury. The Nuggets are waiting on an MRI for a complete picture and diagnosis. Murray is scoring 21.3 points a

Kolkata Knight Riders made a winning start to an IPL season for the eighth time in the last 10 editions, kicking off their 2021 campaign with a 10-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chennai. Despite the presence of several heavyweights, it was the domestic duo of Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi who led KKR to 187/5, sharing a 93-run second-wicket partnership in just 8.2 overs. In response, SRH lost captain David Warner early, and a disciplined all-round bowling effort from KKR kept them

Punjab Kings had staged a miraculous comeback last year after a disastrous start, nearly making it to the playoffs in the process, and captain KL Rahul will hope his side is able to build momentum early so as to not build too much pressure over the playoffs qualification towards the business end of the tournament. With their purchase of top-ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan, and shoring up the pace department with the acquisition of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, Punjab will certainly fancy

Madrid will host two groups, two last-eight ties, the semi-finals and the final. The 2021 Davis Cup Finals will be held in three cities, with Innsbruck and Turin joining Madrid as hosts, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Monday. The competition was reformed in 2019, with Rafael Nadal's Spain winning the 18-team competition in Madrid, but scheduling issues resulted in a number of late finishes and poor attendances at some matches. The ITF said Madrid, Austrian city Innsbruck and Turin in Italy

Even Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga weighed in, telling reporters the performance had been 'really wonderful.' Tokyo: Thrilled Japanese fans welcomed Hideki Matsuyama's historic Masters victory on Monday, with broadcasters close to tears and the country's prime minister hailing the win as a bright spot during the pandemic. "Matsuyama Masters" trended on Twitter after the 29-year-old earned himself a place in history by becoming the first Japanese man to capture a major golf title. "Matsuyama opens the door of history," declared the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. In Japan, the