Liverpool could not produce another famous European comeback at Anfield as they were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain – but had their second-half penalty not been controversially overturned, things could have been very different.

The hosts were trailing 2-0 on aggregate but still had the second leg finely poised at 0-0, knowing the pendulum could swing heavily in their favour if they made PSG’s net bulge.

It looked like they had secured the golden opportunity to do just that as Alexis Mac Allister went down under the challenge of Willian Pacho to earn Liverpool a penalty on 64 minutes.

Former referee Mark Clattenburg said on Prime Video’s coverage of the match that he expected the call against what he branded a “clumsy challenge” to stand, but to his and the commentators’ surprise, match official Maurizio Mariani was ordered to the pitchside monitor and promptly overturned his decision.

“We talk about clear and obvious every time we talk about interventions,” Clattenburg, bemoaning the decision. “When we see the contact on Mac Allister, people will say it’s soft but it’s not wrong. There is contact. Once the referee gives it, I expect the penalty to be upheld.”

Alan Shearer then added: “I’m surprised as well because Mac Allister does ever so well to protect that ball, inviting the challenge in from Pacho and once he tries to get the ball and doesn’t, and does make contact with him and the referee gives it, I’m really, really surprised he’s overturned it.”

It proved the beginning of the end for Liverpool’s hopes of a fightback, with PSG going up the other end and scoring through Ousmane Dembele eight minutes later, taking the aggregate score to 3-0.

Dembele then doubled his tally and PSG’s lead on the night in stoppage time to compound Liverpool’s woes.

Speaking after the match, both Liverpool manager Arne Slot and defender Ibrahima Konate expressed their frustration at the penalty decision.

“If you look at our season I am completely not surprised because so many decisions have gone against us,” Slot said, bemoaning his side’s luck with penalty call this season.

“For me it is quite simple, if the referee did not give a penalty the VAR would never have intervened. As I said I don’t think it is a surprise this season, not just the Champions League but also in the Premier League many decisions have gone against us.”

Konate added: “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. If we got the penalty and score it would be completely different.”

And echoing their annoyance, Wayne Rooney was the first to highlight how he felt the referee was wrong to reverse his call, even if the original decision was “soft”.

“I think after giving it, I don’t think it should go to VAR,” he said. “It should have stood. It should be the penalty.

“Liverpool are really not to get that penalty at that 0-0 in tonight’s game. If they get that and they score, I think that it’s a different game, maybe a different outcome. You can see there’s clear contact on Mac Allister and I think that was the wrong decision.”

Robbie Fowler added that he felt “ VAR has probably not done its job there”, while Daniel Sturridge was resolute on the fact it was penalty offence.

 “There’s clear contact. If it’s on VAR and you can see the contact then it’s a penalty,” Sturridge said.

“You can say that the action is to get his body across, which as an attacker, that’s what you do normally. So if the contact’s there and the ball’s coming to me, then it’s a penalty. Simple as that.”

Are you itching for the Minnesota Vikings to draft a cornerback early in the draft? If so, it may not be in Round 1, says one popular analyst.

Minnesota could bypass the cornerback early and trust its board.

The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis, who is plugged into the Vikings’ interworkings, claimed this week that cornerback may not be on the menu in Round 1.

Minnesota Has More Than One Path if CB Waits until Day 2

If not a CB, then what?

Lewis: CB May Not Be the Pick for Vikings

Sizing up the draft in nine days, Lewis opined this week, “Coaching input will be weighed heavily. And unlike previous seasons, the Vikings have a bevy of picks in the top 100. The team’s leadership knows it needs to find hits.”

“The Vikings haven’t used a first- or second-round pick on a cornerback since Flores arrived, and I don’t expect them to start now, especially after signing free agent James Pierre.”

Until Lewis’s declaration, cornerback felt like a draft need — and probably still is — especially in January and February.

The Defense Is Great without Elite CBs

Listen, if you want an argument to suggest the Vikings don’t need a cornerback in Round 1, well, the team has it. These are the defensive numbers under Flores:

Meanwhile, the Vikings have featured these cornerbacks with Flores in charge:

• Byron Murphy Jr.
• Isaiah Rodgers
• Stephon Gilmore
• Akayleb Evans
• Mekhi Blackmon
• Shaquill Griffin
• Andrew Booth
• Jeff Okudah
• Fabian Moreau

Flores hasn’t needed elite cornerbacks — or even young ones — to generate the NFL’s second-best defense over the last three years. This might just be his modus operandi.

The Precedent

Want to know why Lewis is probably onto something? The evidence from precedent is already lurking. In 2023, the Vikings could’ve drafted a Round 1 corner; they picked wide receiver Jordan Addison. In 2024, the Vikings could’ve drafted a Round 1 corner; they picked quarterback J.J. McCarthy and outside linebacker Dallas Turner. In 2025, the Vikings could’ve drafted a Round 1 corner; they picked guard Donovan Jackson.

In each of the last three drafts, cornerback was considered a vivid draft need. Minnesota didn’t take any until after the 1st Round.

One might ask: Why would Flores start needing cornerbacks now? The only answer might be that former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is out of the way. He was fired on January 30th, mainly for poor drafting habits and offseason quarterback decision-making.

Moreover, when Flores coached the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021, his employer drafted just one 1st-Round cornerr.

In contrast, Zone Coverage‘s Chris Schad noted on the Vikings draft this week, “Grabbing a cornerback would be a pick that satisfies Flores but also gives the Vikings a premium position at a potential discount. The same would go for edge rusher. Minnesota already has Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner, and Andrew Van Ginkel. However, they could easily be in a different situation if they trade Greenard and let Van Ginkel walk at the end of his contract.”

“The offense could also use help at offensive tackle and wide receiver. That may be enough to keep Flores salivating at the thought of a top safety for another round or two. Minnesota’s defense definitely needs some help, and Dillon Thieneman could contribute. But they also must be careful not to lean too heavily into Flores’ demands and build a team that can compete long after he heads to his next coaching destination.”

The Draft Options if No R1 CB

After Round 1, a cornerback feels like fair game, particularly as Minnesota has nine picks overall. These are the corners to know between Round 2 and 4, men whom Minnesota could pick and expect to blossom into something before too long:

• Avieon Terrell (Clemson | R1-R2)
• Colton Hood (Tennessee | R2)
• Chris Johnson (San Diego State | R2)
• Brandon Cisse (South Carolina | R2)
• D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana | R2)
• Treydan Stukes (Arizona | R2)
• Keionte Scott (Miami (FL) | R2)
• Keith Abney II (Arizona State | R3)
• Davison Igbinosun (Ohio State | R3)
• Julian Neal (Arkansas | R3)
• Chandler Rivers (Duke | R3)
• Malik Muhammad (Texas | R3)
• Devin Moore (Florida | R4)
• Daylen Everette (Georgia | R4)
• Will Lee II (Texas A&M | R4)
• Tacario Davis (Washington | R4–R5)
• Ephesians Prysock (Washington | R4–R5)
• Hezekiah Masses (California | R4–R5)

SI.com‘s Will Ragatz mock-drafted Stukes to the Vikings earlier this month, explaining, “If the Vikings don’t take a safety in the first round, Stukes is one of my favorite targets at that position in round two. He’s listed as a cornerback in some spots, but he’s really a versatile defensive back who projects as either a slot corner or strong safety in the NFL.”

“Stukes is an older prospect, having spent six years at Arizona, where he went from walk-on to team captain and star. Last season, he bounced back from a 2024 ACL tear and recorded four interceptions with a 90.4 PFF coverage grade.”

Minnesota hasn’t successfully drafted a cornerback with staying power since Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander — a decade ago.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 23rd match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The M Chinnasway Stadium in Bengaluru will host the match on Wednesday, April 15.

After registering an 18-run victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI) away, the defending champions will be keen to register a hat-trick of wins at home. They have already defeated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the first two matches. In their last match, they put 240/4 in 20 overs. Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, and Rajat Patidar chipped in with their 50s.

On the other hand, LSG will be keen to bounce back after losing to GT by seven wickets. Having said that, they beat SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first two away games this season. None of the batters found themselves going against the Titans, managing 164.

Here are 3 batters who are likely to score big in the RCB vs LSG IPL 2026 match:

Rajat Patidar

RCB captain Rajat Patidar has been in exceptional form with the bat in IPL 2026. The right-handed batter is one of the leading run-getters, amassing 195 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 214.28, including two half-centuries. In the home games, the 32-year-old smashed 31 (12) and 48* (19) against SRH and CSK, respectively. He will now look to continue his exploits with the ball against GT.

In the IPL, Patidar has scored 1,306 runs in 42 innings at a strike rate of 161.03, including one century and 11 fifties. Overall, he has 3,083 runs in 102 T20s at a strike rate of 158.26, including one ton and 28 half-centuries.

Virat Kohli

Like Patidar, Virat Kohli has been in stunning form in IPL 2026. The right-handed batter has scored 179 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 162.72. The 37-year-old smashed 69* (38) and 50 (38) against SRH and MI, respectively. With 657 runs in 15 matches, he also emerged as their highest run-getter when they lifted their maiden IPL trophy after 18 years last season.

In his last outing against LSG, Kohli slammed 54 off 30 deliveries in 2025. He has a terrific record at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, amassing 3,299 runs in 93 innings at a strike rate of 144.31, including four tons and 25 half-centuries. Having scored 8,840 runs in 271 matches, he is also the leading run-getter in the T20 league.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant enjoys a promising record against RCB in IPL. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 539 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 158.06, including one century and four fifties. In his last outing, he slammed an unbeaten 118 off 61 balls against the Bengaluru-based franchise. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the southpaw has amassed 160 runs in three innings, comprising two half-centuries. The 28-year-old recently slammed an unbeaten 68 off 50 deliveries against SRH. After managing 10 and 18 against KKR and GT, he will look to bounce back against RCB.

In the IPL, Pant has 3,656 runs in 129 matches at a strike rate of 147.06, including two tons and 20 half-centuries. Overall, he has over 5,000 runs in T20s, comprising three centuries.