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Liverpool Overcomes Inter Milan Without Salah, Secures Champions League Progress

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Liverpool Overcomes Inter Milan Without Salah, Secures Champions League Progress

Liverpool secured a crucial Champions League victory over Inter Milan thanks to an 88th-minute penalty converted by Dominik Szoboszlai, following a contentious VAR decision that awarded the spot-kick after Alessandro Bastoni pulled Florian Wirtz’s shirt in the box.

The match was overshadowed by the ongoing Mohamed Salah saga, as the Egyptian forward was absent from Liverpool’s squad after publicly claiming the club had “thrown him under the bus,” reflecting a strained relationship with manager Arne Slot.

Despite goalkeeper Yann Sommer diving the correct way, Szoboszlai’s powerful strike ensured Liverpool grabbed the three points, ending a chaotic few days at Anfield on a high. The win extends Liverpool’s unbeaten run to four matches following a troubling stretch of nine losses in 12 games.

Liverpool’s 12 points from six Champions League group-stage matches now secure their spot in the round of 16, while Inter Milan drops to fifth place, suffering their first home defeat in 19 tournament matches since September 2022.

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Earlier, Liverpool thought they had taken the lead in the 32nd minute when Ibrahima Konaté scored a header from a corner. However, referee Felix Zwayer, after an extensive VAR review, disallowed the goal, citing a handball by striker Hugo Ekitike.

The first half saw Liverpool dominate possession with a revamped 4-1-2-1-2 diamond midfield formation, incorporating Curtis Jones, Szoboszlai, and Ekitike, while Inter suffered injury setbacks to Piotr Zielinski and Yann Aurel Bisseck. Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez came close to scoring for the home team but were denied by Alisson Becker.

Substitute Wirtz’s introduction in the 68th minute proved decisive, drawing the foul that led to Szoboszlai’s match-winning penalty, marking Liverpool’s fourth consecutive victory at the San Siro in four years.

With Mohamed Salah sidelined and Cody Gakpo expected to be out for several weeks, Liverpool will need to build attacking chemistry quickly, especially between Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool will return to Premier League action against Brighton on Saturday (15:00 GMT) before hosting Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday, January 21 (20:00 GMT). Inter Milan will face Arsenal at the San Siro on Tuesday, January 20 (20:00 GMT).

This victory provides a morale boost for Arne Slot’s side and the 4,400 traveling Liverpool fans present at the San Siro, emphasizing the team’s unity and resilience amid recent challenges.

Liverpool Overcomes Inter Milan Without Salah, Secures Champions League Progress

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‘Completely False’ — Moreno Denies Using AI to Prepare Games

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Robert Moreno has begun his interim tenure as South Korea’s coach with a denial of one of the more unusual controversies attached to his coaching career, claims that he used ChatGPT to help prepare his teams for matches.

The Spanish coach, who arrived in South Korea this weekend, was asked about the allegation as he began work with the national side.

Moreno was accused by Russian media earlier this year of heavily relying on artificial intelligence during his spell at Sochi, where he left in September 2025 following a poor run of results.

He has consistently rejected the claim.

Moreno said the reports were “completely false” and argued that his use of technology had been misrepresented.

His explanation comes as he takes over a South Korean side attempting to recover from a turbulent World Cup campaign. The team crashed out in the group stage, leading Hong Myung-bo to resign and leaving the Korea Football Association under pressure over both the team’s performance and its previous recruitment process.

The KFA appointed Moreno as a temporary replacement rather than immediately committing to a permanent coach. He is expected to lead the team through six international matches, beginning with September and October friendlies against Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan.

His first squad includes veteran captain Son Heung-min, who now plays for Los Angeles FC, as well as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae.

Moreno said he wants his tenure to be about more than results, with the immediate goal of rebuilding the relationship between the national team and its supporters.

I want to make Korean football fans happy,” he said.

For now, however, the AI controversy remains part of the baggage surrounding his appointment, something Moreno appears keen to put behind him as he begins the task of rebuilding South Korea’s national team.

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Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

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Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

Nigeria’s Falconets have secured their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after producing a record-breaking 10-1 victory over New Caledonia in their final Group F match on Sunday.

The emphatic victory at the Stadion Miejski ŁKS in Łódź lifted Nigeria to second place in Group F with four points, behind Spain, and earned the team a knockout-stage meeting with England, who topped Group E. The Round of 16 clash is scheduled for Thursday, September 17.

The result marked a dramatic turnaround for the Falconets, who had struggled to find the back of the net in their opening two matches. Nigeria began the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China, leaving qualification in doubt heading into the final group fixture.

With their knockout hopes on the line, coach Moses Aduku’s side responded in emphatic fashion, racing into a four-goal lead before half-time and adding six more goals after the break.

Ramotalahi Kareem opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 17th minute before Rebecca Adegbemile doubled Nigeria’s advantage two minutes later.

Janet Seimeyeha Akekoromowei added the third in the 23rd minute, while Kareem struck again in the 27th minute to complete a first-half brace and give the Falconets a 4-0 lead at the interval.

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Nigeria continued to dominate after the restart, with substitute Winner Onajite David joining the scoring in the 60th minute.

Kareem completed her hat-trick in the 64th minute before Tosin Rafiu added the seventh goal in the 70th minute. Adegbemile then scored her second of the match four minutes later.

David returned to the scoresheet in the 75th minute to make it 9-0 before New Caledonia finally found a consolation goal through Joceline Kourevi in the 89th minute.

David completed her own hat-trick in stoppage time to round off a remarkable 10-1 victory for Nigeria.

The win is the biggest victory recorded by Nigeria at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, giving the Falconets a significant boost in goal difference, which proved decisive in determining their final position in Group F.

Nigeria and China both finished the group stage on four points. However, Nigeria advanced in second position because of their superior goal difference, while Spain topped the group with nine points after defeating China 3-1 in the other final Group F fixture.

The victory also ensured that Nigeria maintained their impressive record of reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The Falconets have been regular participants in the latter stages of the competition and have twice finished as runners-up, although they are still searching for their first world title.

For New Caledonia, the match brought an end to their historic debut at the U-20 Women’s World Cup. The Pacific island nation made history by qualifying for the tournament for the first time.

Despite the heavy defeat to Nigeria, Kourevi’s late goal provided a memorable moment for New Caledonia as the team recorded its first goal at the tournament.

The Falconets, meanwhile, will now turn their attention to England. The knockout fixture presents a significantly tougher challenge, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Nigeria will enter the match with renewed confidence after scoring 10 goals in their final group game, while coach Aduku will be expected to build on the attacking display as the Falconets continue their bid to go all the way in Poland.

The dramatic victory has transformed what appeared to be a difficult group-stage campaign into another opportunity for Nigeria to make a deep run at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Falconets Crush New Caledonia 10-1, Set Up England Clash

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‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

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‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

Arsenal left the Stadium of Light with another three points, but Mikel Arteta was far from satisfied with one of the major refereeing decisions in the champions’ 2-0 win over Sunderland.

The turning point came early in the second half when Sunderland were awarded a penalty following a physical battle between Arsenal’s Ezri Konsa and Dan Ballard.

Although VAR reviewed the incident, the original decision stood. Arteta strongly disagreed, insisting that the footage showed no offence worthy of a penalty and warning that such calls could have serious consequences in a Premier League title race.

Sunderland had a chance to capitalise, but Raya came to Arsenal’s rescue. The goalkeeper guessed correctly to keep out Le Fée’s penalty and turned the ball onto the post.

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Arsenal needed only a short time to make the save count.

Guimarães, introduced at half-time, collected the ball outside the area and unleashed a curling strike that flew into the top corner. It was his first goal since joining Arsenal and gave the visitors the breakthrough they needed.

Sunderland refused to collapse and continued to test the visitors, but Arsenal’s defence survived the pressure. Saka then put the result beyond doubt from the spot in stoppage time after Reinildo was sent off for a second yellow card.

The victory means Arsenal have won all four of their Premier League matches this season, maintaining their flawless start and moving to 12 points.

For Arteta, however, the result did not erase his concerns about the penalty decision.

He argued that football’s extensive use of VAR should ensure such controversial calls are corrected, saying the incident was not acceptable at the highest level.

Arsenal ultimately had Raya’s heroics, Guimarães’ brilliance and a resilient defensive performance to thank for turning a potentially difficult night into another important victory.

‘Unacceptable’ — Arteta Furious Over Sunderland Penalty in Arsenal Win

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