Sports
PSG beaten by Monaco before Chelsea clash | The Express Tribune
Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates after scoring Monaco’s third goal in their 3-1 win over PSG. Photo: AFP
PARIS:
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as Monaco won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain on Friday, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch Champions League last-16 tie.
Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the Ligue 1 clash.
Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious win in their quest to qualify for Europe next season.
The principality side were seeking revenge after a 5-4 aggregate defeat by PSG in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs last month, when they squandered a two-goal lead before losing 3-2 in the first leg and came up short with a 2-2 draw in the return.
That result allowed Luis Enrique’s side to reach the last 16 and they will now put their title on the line against Chelsea, with the first leg in Paris on Wednesday and the return on March 17.
That will be a season-defining tie for PSG, who won the Champions League for the first time last season, before losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final.
“It is not the best result going into the Champions League. We are aware of that,” said Luis Enrique.
“When you play like that against a team in a very positive dynamic like Monaco, you pay for it.”
The result is a setback for PSG in their bid to win a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title, with closest challengers Lens now able to trim their lead at the top from four points to one by beating bottom side Metz on Sunday.
This was PSG’s fourth league loss in 25 games this season, as many defeats as in the last two seasons combined.
They have now been beaten seven times in all competitions in 2025/26, and four times this calendar year.
Luis Enrique will be concerned at how far away his team are from the remarkable form they showed in the second half of last season on their way to winning the Champions League.
“We are clearly in difficulty at the moment but we need to maintain hope that will change,” he added. “Confidence is not just something you buy at the supermarket.”
Dembele returns
One plus was the latest return from injury of last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who came off the bench in the second half.
However, he has started only 14 of PSG’s 40 games this season and it remains to be seen how long he will be able to play against Chelsea.
Monaco were worthy winners, going ahead just before the half-hour mark.
PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery gave possession away inside his own box, and the ball ricocheted into the path of Balogun who teed up French international Akliouche to score.
The hosts were wasteful with their final ball and Golovin showed them how it should be done on 55 minutes, the Russian applying a clinical first-time finish with his first touch having come on as a substitute after Vitinha inadvertently played the ball into his path.
PSG got one back on 71 minutes when Achraf Hakimi set up Barcola to score his 10th of the season with a first-time effort that took a deflection off Jordan Teze and beat Monaco ‘keeper Philipp Koehn at his near post.
But Monaco snuffed out the PSG comeback, Balogun’s shot from outside the area going in via a touch off Nuno Mendes.
That was a 13th of the season in all competitions for the striker who is set to play a leading role for co-hosts the United States at the World Cup.
Monaco have won five and drawn two of their last seven Ligue 1 games and are now fifth in the table.
“I am proud of the team,” said Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli. “We feel there is a really positive momentum building.”
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Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was hospitalized on Friday, TMZ reported.
The New York Giants legend suffered a medical emergency in New Jersey, warranting the visit, the outlet said.
Taylor’s status is unclear at this time, but TMZ said that it does not appear to be serious, citing “those close to” him.
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Former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor attends a game between the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Taylor’s former Giants did not immediately respond to an email.
L.T. is widely regarded as the greatest linebacker to ever play. He was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, including in his rookie season.
He won two Super Bowls, made 10 straight Pro Bowls and was named the MVP of the 1986 season. He also remains the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, which includes his 9½ sacks from his rookie season, before sacks became a stat.
New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor enters the field before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 8, 2024. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
This came despite a lavish lifestyle off the field, which resulted in legal troubles after his playing days. Drug problems have also resulted in health problems later in life.
Taylor showed his support for President Donald Trump in 2024, appearing at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.
“I grew up a Democrat, and I’ve always been a Democrat, until I met this man right here,” Taylor said to cheers. “Nobody in my family ever will vote for a Democrat again.”
President Donald Trump and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor attend an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2025. The order formally reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test, creating school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
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Taylor made Giants headlines last year when he quickly turned down Abdul Carter’s request to wear his No. 56 that has been retired by the organization since 1994, just one season after he retired.
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KARACHI: Islamabad United on Friday handed Hyderabad Kingsmen a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in the 36th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium.
The victory, which marked United’s fifth in the ongoing eight-team tournament, propelled the three-time champions into the playoffs, joining leaders Peshawar Zalmi and 2021 champions Multan Sultans.
Set to chase a modest 81-run target, the United comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 80 balls to spare.
The 2024 champions, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost left-handed opener Devon Conway (zero) on the second delivery of the innings.
But Sameer Minhas and Mohsin Riaz batted sensibly to put United within touching distance as they put together 79 runs for the second wicket until Ali struck again, dismissing Riaz, who top-scored with 42 off just 18 deliveries, studded with six fours and two sixes.
Minhas, on the other hand, remained unbeaten with 27 off 20 deliveries, featuring three fours and a six, while skipper Shadab hit the winning runs in the same over with a boundary on the first delivery he faced.
For the Kingsmen, Mohammad Ali remained the solitary wicket-taker in the gruelling defeat with two scalps.
United captain Shadab Khan’s decision to field first paid dividends as his team’s bowling unit booked the new entrants for 80 in 15.5 overs.
Kingsmen got off to the worst possible start to their innings as Gleeson dismissed Maaz Sadaqat (zero) on the first delivery of the innings.
The right-arm pacer swept through their top order by getting rid of Marnus Labuschagne (five) and Saim Ayub (12) in his next two overs and brought the total down to 24/3.
Following Gleeson’s early blitz was backed by the experienced spin duo of captain Shadab and Imad Wasim as they dismantled Kingsmen’s middle and lower orders by taking three wickets each despite last match centurion Usman Khan’s grit.
The wicketkeeper batter waged a lone battle for the Kingsmen with an unbeaten 25 off 35 deliveries, during which he struck only one boundary.
Besides Usman and Saim, only Kusal Perera and Asif Mehmood, 12 each, could amass double figures against a ruthless United bowling attack.
For United, Gleeson, Imad and Shadab bagged three wickets each, while left-arm pacer Salman Mirza chipped in with one scalp.
Playing XIs
Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Usman Khan (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali and Asif Mehmood.
Islamabad United: Devon Conway (wk), Sameer Minhas, Mark Chapman, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan (c), Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson and Salman Mirza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the 2026 Fifa World Cup but he added the players will not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio told reporters.
President Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect the athletes” in comments he made at the White House.
The 2026 soccer World Cup is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.
“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.
“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio added. Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation.”
Currently there is no suggestion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on.
After the start of the Iran war, Iran requested that Fifa move the team’s three group matches from the US to Mexico, which was rejected.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war began over two weeks ago.
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