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Arsenal subs snatch win in Bilbao Champions League opener | The Express Tribune
BILBAO:
Arsenal substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard pounced in the final stages to secure a 2-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
Last season’s beaten semi-finalists got off to a winning start in the Basque country as they shaded a tight game at the San Mames stadium in the first of eight group matches.
Mikel Arteta’s side, chasing a first major trophy since 2020 and their first ever Champions League win, ground out their victory with a typically sturdy defensive display and their late goals.
Martinelli scored in the 72nd minute, 36 seconds after coming off the bench, before Trossard added a second after 87 minutes, each setting the other up.
“We started to grow throughout the game. In the second half we were more fluent, dominant, and the finishers made the impact for us to win the game,” Arteta told reporters.
“(The substitutes) are at least equally important, if not more important.”
“We have discussed that — the finishers are going to be more important this season sometimes than the starters, and we can change the game then, when teams start to drop off.”
Athletic, back in the competition for the first time in 11 years, were on top in the early stages, buoyed by boisterous home support.
Their coach Ernesto Valverde lined up with an entire team of players making their Champions League debut, including talisman striker Inaki Williams but not his injured brother Nico Williams.
Arsenal started with four Spaniards, including two Basque midfielders in Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi, who used to play for Athletic’s rivals Real Sociedad.
The Gunners, missing several regulars including Bukayo Saka, began to turn the tide through the movement of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke’s persistence on the right wing.
Swedish striker Gyokeres had an effort saved by Unai Simon and then headed narrowly wide of the post after reaching a dangerous cross by Jurrien Timber.
Alejandro Berenguer pulled a shot wide of the far post with Athletic’s first real chance shortly before the break.
Gyokeres, sporting a bandage after a clash of heads left him bleeding, nodded Declan Rice’s free-kick wide when well placed.
Williams was denied by David Raya and Merino headed straight at Simon at the other end as the match stepped up a gear.
– ‘Fully deserves it’ –
Arteta, who hails from the Basque country, was praised as one of the best coaches in the world by his counterpart Valverde and proved it with substitutions which changed the game decisively to ensure a happy return to home soil.
The Spaniard brought on Martinelli for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and immediately found the goal Arsenal craved as the Gunners countered at pace.
Martinelli ran on to Trossard’s pass, took a fine touch to leave Andoni Gorosabel trailing in his wake and then fired under Simon.
The Brazilian was involved again in the second, cutting the ball back for Trossard, who beat Simon with the help of a deflection.
“(Martinelli) fully deserves it,” said Arteta. “I adore Gabi, his attitude, his commitment, his positivity and what he’s willing to do for the team.”
“We value all the qualities he has and what he brings to the team and I’m so happy that today he decided the game for us in two actions.”
“These are the moments that are hopefully going to give him the confidence (he needs).”
Arsenal reinforced heavily in the summer to increase their squad depth, particularly in attack, and it paid dividends here.
Arteta brought on two more new arrivals in Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie for their debuts late on with the points safe.
“The result doesn’t reflect what the match was like, because I thought we had a good game,” said Williams.
“We gave every drop of sweat and there are seven games left — Athletic didn’t come here to enjoy the competition but to compete in it.”
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will kick off on Thursday, March 26, featuring eight teams following the inclusion of two new franchises.
The date was decided during the meeting of PSL Governing Council convened at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Friday evening to finalise preparations for the upcoming season, according to a press release issued by the cricket board.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives of all eight PSL franchises, along with PCB and PSL officials.
The council welcomed the new team owners of Sialkot and Hyderabad to the PSL family and congratulated the board and league officials on the successful conclusion of the new teams auction.
The two new PSL franchises were acquired by FKS Group and OZ Developers for a whopping Rs1.75 billion and Rs1.85 billion, respectively.
Detailed discussions during the meeting covered the schedule of PSL 11, player retentions, the adoption of the player auction or a hybrid format called ‘drauction’, and the option of opening direct signings.
It was confirmed that PSL 11 will kick off on Thursday, 26 March, ushering in a new era for the league.
The meeting concluded with the formation of a working group set to convene on Saturday to deliberate further on remaining agenda items. The governing council will reconvene immediately as required to finalise decisions.
The PSL, which began in 2016 with five teams and expanded to six in 2018, further grown with the addition of two new franchises in its 11th edition.
PSL 2026 matches will be hosted in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and, for the first time, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, marking the venue’s debut as a PSL host city.
Amid the wild west of NIL money and transfers, college football is attracting viewership unmatched in its history.
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Patrick Mahomes says he has to be held back from pushing so hard in injury rehab, shares hopes for Week 1
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Patrick Mahomes said Thursday the doctors have been holding him back a bit in his rehab because he’s been pushing hard as he recovers from the knee injury he suffered late in the season.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback set a hopeful timeline for when he’ll be ready to go as he addressed reporters while he continues to work on getting back to full strength.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 14, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
“First off, rehab is going great so far. I’ve been hitting all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do and getting the strength and the range of mobility back,” Mahomes said. “So, that’s been going great. I’ve been doing all of it here in Kansas City so far. (Assistant athletic trainer) Julie (Frymyer) has been crushing it, pushing me. The doctor kind of gives you goals to get to, and I just try to maximize those, and they hold me back because I always want to go a little bit further. It’s been going great.
“I think the long-term I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctor says that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process but that’s my goal, so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and giving us the best chance to win. Obviously, I hope to be able to do some stuff in OTAs and get to training camp and hopefully be able to do a lot there. I’m excited for the process. It’s a long process, but I’m excited for it.”
Mahomes had 3,587 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in 14 games during the year, but Kansas City’s season was a bit unusual.
Patrick Mahomes watches the action from a suite during the third quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
FOX SUPER 6 CONTEST: CHRIS ‘THE BEAR’ FALLICA’S NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND PREDICTIONS
The one-score games they won in 2024, which helped them to a Super Bowl appearance, turned out to be defeats in 2025. Too many dropped passes and other silly mistakes cost the team multiple times.
“I think just compounding mistakes,” Mahomes said when asked what went wrong in 2025. “You make mistakes throughout a game. For myself, I look at some of the red zone interceptions I threw in kind of bigger moments in the third and fourth quarter of games. That’s stuff that I haven’t done in the past, and so speaking for myself, just trying to be better in those moments. I think offensively we weren’t consistent enough throughout games. We had stretches in games where we played good, we had stretches in the season where we played really good.
“We’ve got to be better and that starts with me and then it kind of has to feed throughout the entire offense. So, I think like I said, guys are motivated, coaches, players, we’re all motivated to be better this next year. Like I said, it sucks watching these games. I want to be out there playing football, especially this time of year, it’s the best time of year to play football. It’ll give us the motivation, hopefully, for us to come back stronger next year.”
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) lowers his head during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
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The Chiefs finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season.
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