16/04/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 16, 2026

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Dembele shines for PSG

half. I thought we con trolled the game in the first half but it was more complicated in the sec ond half,

albeit that’s normal because this is the Champions League,” said last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Dembele. “There are only good teams in this competi tion but we have come away from this tie with two wins so that’s great.” Dembele missed much of the first half of the season due to injury but his double against Liverpool leaves him on 16 goals for the cam paign in all competitions, including 12 in 2026. “I want to help the team in every match, whether that be by scoring a goal, setting up a goal or just pressing the goalkeeper,” added the 28-year-old France forward. I try to give my maximum for Paris Saint Germain and I hope to have a very, very good end to the season because there are big games to come.”

DOUBLE goal hero Ousmane Dembele hailed his Paris Saint-Germain teammates for holding on under pressure and in difficult conditions to beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield yesterday in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfi nal and reach the last four with a 4-0 aggregate triumph. “It is the quarterfinals of the Champions League, in a stadium like this, and even though we won 2-0 in the first leg we knew it was going to be difficult,” Dembele told broadcaster Canal Plus . “In any case there are no easy matches in the Champions League. You have to suffer if you are

going to go all the way in this competition.” Reigning champions PSG had a 2-0 advantage from last week’s first leg and had to withstand long spells of pressure in the second half in particular, with Liverpool having a total of 21 attempts on goal on a wet and windy night. Dembele opened the scoring in the 72nd minute before wrapping up PSG’s win on the night, and pas sage to the semis, in stoppage time. “We had chances in the first

Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring PSG’s first goal in the Champions League match against Liverpool yesterday. – AFPPIC

Slot in firing line … as Liverpool blown away by PSG

PSG have now reached the Champions League semifinals three years in a row since Luis Enrique became coach in 2023. – AFP

6118/2026

15/04/2026 (WED)

M OHAMED SALAH’S glorious Liverpool career will have an anti-climactic end after Paris Saint-Germain swatted aside Arne Slot’s men in a meek Champions League exit that will ensure a trophyless season for the Reds. Ousmane Dembele struck twice for the French champion to eliminate The Reds for the second consecutive season. Last season there was at least pride in bowing out only on penalties to the side that would go on to win the Champions League. Just over 12 months on, there was a chasm between the teams over two legs as PSG won 2-0 at Anfield yesterday to progress 4-0 on aggregate without even having to hit top gear. Fresh from winning the

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his exit come the end of the campaign, leaving Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez as the only survivors from the Liverpool side that last won the Champions League in 2019. Anticipating a tough transition from the dying embers of the team that Klopp built, Liverpool broke their own transfer record twice last summer on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez also joined as Liverpool spent more than any club ever has in a single transfer window. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz have proved to be massive losses, while a lack of depth has been exacerbated by significant injuries. half an hour together before Ekitike suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles that could keep the French interna tional sidelined for well into next season. “It looks really bad, but dif ficult for me to say how bad,” said Slot. “Tomorrow we will investigate this further. Let’s see, but it doesn’t look good.” Slot added: “It is part of our season. We had Alex, Hugo and Florian together for only 88 minutes before tonight. We added 28 minutes and I would be surprised if we can add a few more minutes to that (this season).” Sitting fifth in the Premier League, all that is left for Slot’s side to fight for in the coming weeks is to make sure they are back in the Champions League next sea son. For the first time all five new signings started the second leg against PSG. But they lasted less than that setback and Ousmane Dembele’s double fired holders PSG back into the semifinals. “Last season we had a penalty like that. For me it was a clear penalty and was just behind the referee but he did not blow the whistle and we have to deal with that,” Konate said after the 4-0 aggregate defeat. “If we got the penalty and score it would be completely different.” It was the second successive season that Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League by PSG. Konate urged Liverpool to focus on sal vaging a dismal season by securing a return to Europe’s elite club competition. – AFP

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Draw Date: 15/04/26 (Wed)

Draw No: 6065/26 Venue: WISMA GENTING, KL

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Premier League in Slot’s debut season, Liverpool embarked on a £450 million (RM2.4 bil lion) splurge in the transfer window. The transfer splurge was supposed to build on the club’s rise back to the top of the English and European game during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure.

RM3,691,258.20

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Arne Slot

But the campaign began with tragedy when Diogo Jota died in a car accident on his way back for pre-season training. How much the emotional toll of losing a treasured teammate has played since cannot by quantified but a shambolic sea son on the field has left Slot’s position in serious jeopardy and already had conse quences for the squad. Salah has brought the curtain down on his time on Merseyside a year early after signing a two-year deal just 12 months ago. The Egyptian, who unleashed an explosive tirade towards Slot in December for being dropped, started on the bench for both legs against PSG. Andy Robertson has also announced IBRAHIMA KONATE claimed that the deci sion to deny Liverpool a penalty in yester day’s defeat against PSG was the defining moment in their Champions League exit. Arne Slot’s side were awarded a penalty in the second half of the quarterfinal sec ond-leg at Anfield when Alexis Mac Allister tumbled under pressure from Willian Pacho. With the score on the night level at 0-0 and PSG leading 2-0 on aggregate, Konate believed that a spot-kick would have turned the tide in Liverpool’s favour. But VAR intervened to instruct referee Maurizio Mariani to reverse his original decision. Liverpool were unable to recover from

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Alonso, who departed Real Madrid in January, is the prime candidate to take over if Slot is shown no mercy just a year on from winning the Premier League. – AFP Konate fumes over rejected penalty

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