Arsenal secured a place in the Champions League semi-finals after a tense goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium, sealing a narrow 1-0 aggregate win on Wednesday night.

Mikel Arteta’s side were far from their best in the second leg of the quarter-final, struggling to impose themselves and lacking sharpness in attack. However, they managed to protect their slender first-leg lead as Sporting failed to capitalize on Arsenal’s inconsistent performance.

Scrappy Arsenal getting desired results 
Despite reaching the semi-finals for a second straight year, a first in the club’s history, Arsenal’s form remains patchy, with just one win in their last five matches across competitions.

Arteta had urged his team to play with intensity and fearlessness, but Arsenal started brightly only to fade quickly, allowing Sporting to grow into the game. Defensive lapses and a lack of fluency in attack kept the visitors in contention.

Viktor Gyokeres struggled to make an impact against his former club, while missing key players Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard left Arsenal short of creativity. Sporting also came close through Francisco Trincao and Geny Catamo, but Arsenal held firm amid mounting pressure.

In the second half, Arsenal created chances through Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, and Noni Madueke, but failed to convert. Late substitutions, including Kai Havertz and Max Dowman, helped steady the side as they survived a nervy finish to progress.

Bernardo Silva has announced he will leave Manchester City this summer, bringing an end to nine years at the club.

The 31-year-old has made over 450 appearances, scored 76 goals and provided 77 assists, playing a key role in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.

During his time at City, he won 19 major trophies: six Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the Treble in 2023.

In a message shared on social media, Silva reflected on his journey at the club.

“When I arrived 9 years ago, I was following a dream of a little boy, wanting to succeed in life… much more than that, much more than I ever hoped for. What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will forever be cherished in my heart.”

He also thanked manager Pep Guardiola, his teammates, and his family.

“To the fans, your unconditional support throughout the years is something that I will never forget… My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so you guys could feel proud and well represented on the pitch.”

Silva urged supporters to continue backing the team as the season closes.

“I arrived a City fan. I leave as one, supporting this amazing team, and I’m pretty sure they will bring you a lot of new fantastic memories in the future.”

Manchester City has confirmed his departure, while tributes have continued to come in from across the football fans.

Barcelona say refereeing “errors” cost them a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and have caused “significant sporting and financial harm to the club”.

As a result, the Spanish giants have made a second complaint to Uefa about officiating across both legs of the tie.

Barca had a player sent off in each leg of their 3-2 aggregate defeat by Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid, with their 2-1 win on Tuesday not enough to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first game.

In both cases, a yellow card was upgraded to a red after the referee was instructed to review at a pitchside monitor the possible denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Pau Cubarsi was dismissed by Istvan Kovacs in the first leg, and fellow Barca defender Eric Garcia was sent off by Clement Turpin in the second.

Kovacs was also criticised by Barca after he and video assistant referee (VAR) Christian Dingert allowed play to continue when Atletico defender Marc Pubill handled the ball in his own penalty area.

Barca had already protested a “grave lack of VAR intervention” following the first leg, with Uefa deeming the club’s complaint “inadmissable”.

After filing a second complaint to Uefa, the club released a statement claiming that “several refereeing decisions were made that did not comply with the laws of the game”.

Barca accused officials of “incorrect application of the regulations” and criticised the lack of VAR intervention “in incidents of clear significance”.

The statement added that “the accumulation of these errors had a direct impact on the course of the matches and on the final outcome of the tie, causing significant sporting and financial harm to the club”.

Barcelona forward Raphinha, who missed each game through injury, told reporters after the second leg: “For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this match but the other one as well.”

A Barcelona statement added: “Through this complaint, the club reiterates the requests previously made to Uefa and, at the same time, offers to collaborate with the organisation with the aim of improving the refereeing system to ensure a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the laws of the game.”

Anfield Watch can exclusively reveal Liverpool are lining up a move for a new right-back ahead of the summer window.

As this season has unfolded, the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield has grown more apparent.

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There are very few players in world football who can match his quality, especially in terms of distribution and creativity from deep and especially from right-back. His ability to dictate play and break down defences is unrivalled – there is no one like him.

Although Conor Bradley has often been seen as the natural heir, ongoing injury issues have raised concerns about his reliability as a long-term first-choice option.

There’s no doubt he still has a role to play within the squad, but Liverpool need more certainty in such a vital position.

Meanwhile, Jeremie Frimpong has yet to prove himself as a dependable defensive presence, with his strengths clearly better suited to more advanced, attacking roles.

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That lack of confidence in Frimpong and the doubts over Bradley’s fitness has forced Liverpool into action and they will be tempting to reinforce the right-back position this summer in order to replace Alexander-Arnold ‘properly’ once and for all.

So, who could Liverpool be targeting?

Anfield Watch can exclusively reveal that one of the club’s top targets for the position is Daniel Banjaqui and Liverpool are exploring a potential move for the 18-year-old right-back, who is seen as an ideal profile for the football the Reds want to play.

Banjaqui has only made two senior appearances for Benfica’s first-team under Jose Mourinho, but he has caught the eye in those games.

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In his first ever start, he won the most tackles (4) and the most duels (12) in the game, but perhaps the most important aspect of his performance was his assist, a clever cross finding Anisio Cabral to help Benfica to a 4-0 victory.

Banjaqui also caught the eye at the U17 World Cup, where he played a key role in Portugal triumphing in the tournament, playing all of his country’s eight matches en-route to lifting the trophy and becoming a world champion.

Liverpool had a lot of scouts present at that tournament in Qatar, and the Reds have already signed two players from the tournament in Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye.

In terms of his playing style, Banjaqui is quick, and he loves to bomb forward but he’s also a very good defender. In many ways, you can draw similarities with his style of play to that of his compatriot Nuno Mendes who came through the ranks at Sporting CP and plays for Paris Saint Germain.

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Mendes was a player Liverpool really liked at Sporting but never ended-up signing because at the time they had Andy Robertson.

The reason why Liverpool are ready to move for Banjaqui now, who recently penned a new deal with Benfica until 2031, is because securing him this summer will ensure that he could become a homegrown player by the time he turns 21-years-old as per current Premier League squad registration rules.

The same will apply to Giovanni Leoni, and the aforementioned Ndukwe and Ndiaye.

It would be a genius move from Liverpool, who believe Banjaqui would be ready to play a role in the first-team immediately.

With less than three months left for the FIFA World Cup 2026, India remains without an official broadcaster, an unusual situation for one of the world’s biggest sports markets. While private media companies hesitate due to valuation concerns, attention is now turning toward an unexpected name: Prasar Bharati, which has already held preliminary discussions with FIFA.

A senior government official confirmed that exploratory talks have taken place to understand the pricing structure and feasibility of acquiring the rights.

Private broadcasters hold back as valuation gap widens

FIFA launched its India media rights sale process in mid-2025, bundling the 2026 and 2030 World Cups to attract buyers. However, negotiations have stalled despite multiple rounds of discussions.

The governing body is believed to have reduced its asking price from nearly $100 million to around $35 million for both tournaments. Even after this revision, no agreement has been finalized.

On the other side, industry estimates suggest that the merged entity JioStar values the package at closer to $25 million, significantly lower than FIFA’s expectations. For comparison, Viacom18 had paid about $62 million for the 2022 World Cup alone, highlighting the sharp correction in perceived market value.

Prasar Bharati emerges as a possible alternative buyer

Officials argue that the public broadcaster operates under a different framework than private networks, where commercial returns are not the sole priority. Instead, large-scale sporting events are often viewed as part of its public service mandate.

With DD Free Dish reaching a massive television audience and the WAVES OTT platform expanding its digital presence, Prasar Bharati now has a stronger distribution setup than in earlier years.

Guaranteed exposure through public service broadcasting rules

Under India’s Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, key sporting events classified as “national importance” must be shared with the public broadcaster. This ensures that marquee matches such as semi-finals and finals are likely to be shown on Doordarshan regardless of the primary rights holder.

This regulatory framework effectively guarantees Prasar Bharati access to the tournament’s most high-profile content.

JioStar still seen as frontrunner despite delays

Despite the uncertainty, industry experts continue to view JioStar as the most likely eventual rights holder. The combined strength of Star Sports on television and JioHotstar on digital platforms gives it strong monetisation potential across India’s fragmented media landscape.

In the previous World Cup cycle, digital platforms showed strong revenue potential, with JioCinema (Now JioHotstar) reportedly generating substantial advertising income through brand partnerships during the 2022 tournament.

However, analysts say the current deadlock is less about interest and more about price alignment. While FIFA wants a higher valuation, broadcasters are waiting for a correction before committing.

Final outcome depends on pricing compromise

Industry insiders believe a resolution will eventually be reached, but only once either side adjusts its expectations. If negotiations continue to stall, broadcasters like JioStar may still enter the deal closer to the tournament window, when FIFA’s bargaining position weakens further.

For now, India’s FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast rights remain in limbo, with no confirmed partner despite growing urgency.

One of the biggest questions going into WWE WrestleMania 42 has to do with Stone Cold Steve Austin’s potential involvement, and recent reports regarding the topic are sure to excite fans.

With WrestleMania 42 just two days away, there’s growing buzz around a potential appearance by Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake schedule has not aligned with WWE Wrestlemania events in recent years, but that could change this weekend. According to a report from Bodyslam, Austin is currently scheduled to be backstage at the event. While it’s unclear whether he’ll simply be present or take part in an on-screen segment, his involvement hasn’t been ruled out. Adding to the speculation, Austin is also advertised for meet-and-greet sessions across both days at WWE World.

Whether Stone Cold Steve Austin does make an on-screen appearance at WrestleMania 42 or not is a question that remains unanswered for now.

Stone Cold Steve Austin has previously spoken about a WWE return

While Stone Cold does want to return to the active WWE scene, he is not quite interested in a full match.

Speaking on Busted Open, The Texas Rattlesnake stated that his legs were good now after a replacement surgery, but he was not looking to put them through the grinder of another match. He said:

“It’d be to go back for one of those moments. Not a match itch… I got a left knee replacement a little over a year ago and God dang, my leg feels good. I’m glad I got it done. But, yeah, I get the itch for certain moments but, to try to do a match? No.” Austin was asked who he would want that moment to be with, and he replied, “Sh*t, line ‘em up and let me Stun ‘em. All those guys that are selling the tickets now, put ‘em in a line, f*ck ‘em,” he laughed. “I don’t know. It’s not something that I think about. I’m so far gone. I’m happy that 3:16 Day is here and lasts with wrestling fans. I’m happy for the career I had but, in my current life, I don’t think about (it),” he said.

It remains to be seen what his plans are for the future.