Sports
Trent Alexander-Arnold: ‘People expected Real Madrid to get battered’ by Man City
Trent Alexander-Arnold said there was an expectation Real Madrid would “get battered” by Manchester City on Wednesday, praising the team’s “mentality” and “perfectly executed gameplan” in their 3-0 win in the Champions League round of 16.
Federico Valverde‘s stunning first-half hat trick put Madrid on top at the Bernabéu, with Vinícius Júnior‘s failure to convert a second-half penalty the only negative for coach Álvaro Arbeloa’s side ahead of next week’s second leg in Manchester.
Madrid have been in inconsistent form since Arbeloa took charge in January, with four defeats — to Albacete in the Copa del Rey and Benfica in the league phase, and consecutive LaLiga losses to Osasuna and Getafe — raising the prospect of the 15-time European champions ending the season trophyless.
“[There was] a lot of the noise when the draw happened and leading up to this game,” Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports. “Especially with how we’ve been playing the last few games, and the results we’ve had. A lot of people just expected us to get battered tonight.
“But we showed the mentality. It doesn’t matter what injuries you’ve got, what players are out. This competition means a lot to the club and us as players understand that… We executed the gameplan perfectly in the first half.”
Madrid went into the City first leg without stars Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, as well as Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Álvaro Carreras, David Alaba and Dani Ceballos.
“People will say that they’re favourites, and going off results and the way both teams have been playing, it could have been true,” Alexander-Arnold said. “But when you get to knockout football in the Champions League, anyone can beat anyone… We scored our goals very very ruthlessly.”
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Madrid are four points behind rivals Barcelona in the LaLiga title race, while their form in Europe — losing to Liverpool, City and Benfica in the league phase — seeing them rated by many as being outside the favourites to win the Champions League.
“I think the size of the game is the main thing,” Alexander-Arnold said. “I don’t want to say that other games are less important, but when there’s so much hype around a game and so many eyes on it, as a player you know you need to perform. Especially when you play for a club like this, there are no excuses, you have to win.”
Sports
Man City 2-1 Arsenal (Apr 19, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN
Erling Haaland struck a vital winner as Manchester City slashed Arsenal‘s Premier League lead to three points with a 2-1 victory over the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian pounced after 65 minutes of a compelling clash on Sunday, sparing Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s blushes after the goalkeeper had gifted Kai Havertz an equaliser following Rayan Cherki‘s opener.
It was Arsenal’s second successive defeat and City, with a game in hand, clearly have the momentum as they bid to overhaul the long-time leaders and claim a seventh title in nine years.
Arsenal, seeking their first league crown since 2004, still have the advantage of points on the board but the loss was undoubtedly a bitter blow.
City had come into the game with their tails up after capitalising on Arsenal’s slip-up last week and their fans were expectant.
(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
With last month’s Carabao Cup final victory over the same opponents also still fresh in the memory, the atmosphere was buoyant and City responded.
They started strongly and Haaland almost forced David Raya into an early error before having a shot blocked.
City sounded a further warning as Cherki fired at goal and his effort ricocheted off the arm of Gabriel onto a post. The hosts appealed for a penalty but nothing was given.
Arsenal threatened themselves as Cristian Mosquera headed over from a corner but City took the lead with a brilliant goal from Cherki in the 16th minute.
The Frenchman was fed by Matheus Nunes after a Rodri cross was only half-cleared and weaved around two defenders before placing a shot into the bottom corner.
It was a stunning effort but, for City, the sublime was immediately followed by the ridiculous as, just two minutes later, Donnarumma dithered as the ball was sent back to him from a throw-in.
Havertz chased what seemed an unlikely cause and was rewarded as Donnarumma’s clearance cannoned off his foot into the net.
It was the German’s first league goal since scoring against City in February 2025 but the visitors could not build on it.
Haaland missed the target and Marc Guéhi headed at Raya before Antoine Semenyo went close.
Haaland hit the outside of a post early in the second half but Arsenal did begin to step up approaching the hour.
A slick move led to Martin Ødegaard playing Havertz through on goal but Donnarumma atoned for his earlier error as he raced off his line to block. City had another let-off as Eberechi Eze curled against a post.
The game swung from end to end and City reclaimed the lead as they attacked down the left and Nico O’Reilly‘s cross was helped on by Rodri and Haaland swivelled inside the area to score.
Arsenal rallied and Gabriel thumped a header against the base of the post from a free-kick.
Tempers began to fray late on and Gabriel was fortunate to escape with a booking after pushing his head towards Haaland in a flare-up of an old rivalry.
Havertz went close to a stoppage-time equaliser but his header flew over and City held on.
Sports
Netflix documentary director on Hulk Hogan’s Trump support and the backlash that followed him to the end
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In his final appearance for WWE, Hulk Hogan, undoubtedly the greatest wrestler in the history of the company, was booed.
By the time Jan. 6, 2025, his last appearance, had rolled around, Hogan became outwardly supportive of President Donald Trump, which turned off some of his followers.
“But he never expressed regret. He stood by who he was,” Brian Storkel, the director of Netflix’s upcoming documentary on the late wrestler, said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
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Businessman Donald Trump and World Champion Wrestler Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania Vl Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey March 29 1987. (Jeffrey Asher/Getty Images)
Hogan had done five days of interviews with Netflix, totaling 25 hours. However, he will not get to see the final product, as he died in July at the age of 71.
Long before becoming an outward Trump supporter, Hogan had been involved in some controversies in the past. But from the jump, Storkel wanted to “humanize him and really get to know Terry Bollea, the person.”
“With all the subjects in my documentaries, I don’t like viewing people in black-and-white terms. Even if someone has done wrong, I don’t see them as purely good or evil. People are more complex than that, and that nuance is where the story becomes interesting,” Storkel said. “You need a subject willing to go there, reflect, and be open — and Terry was.”
Hogan began to be more public with his support for Trump after an assassination attempt in July 2024.
“He said he’d supported him quietly for a long time but felt embarrassed to wear the hat. He mentioned that the assassination attempt was what pushed him to speak out. Soon after, he was speaking publicly and took some backlash for it,” Storkel said.

Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler, speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote address by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (IMAGN Syndication: USA TODAY)
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Ironically, the last time Storkel chatted with Hogan was right after an interview with Trump for the documentary.
“I was at the White House, just outside the West Wing, on a call with Hulk Hogan, which was the weirdest thing. It felt like one of those surreal moments you’d imagine as a kid — a made-up story you’d tell people. I had just spent time with Donald Trump, something Hulk Hogan had set up so I could interview him, and then I’m standing there talking to Hogan about it. He was so excited it had happened,” Storkel recalled.
“At that point, he was already in and out of the hospital after surgery, so that ended up being the last call I had with him.”
Storkel admitted that not much was different about the documentary following Hogan’s death from his original plans, outside of some late tributes and more time with his son, Nick. Storkel was doing interviews for the documentary at WWE headquarters in Connecticut the day Hogan died.
“There’s also a moment in the film where I say we’ll come back in a couple of months for another interview. He agrees and walks out of frame—and that ends up being the last time. It becomes a powerful moment because you realize that follow-up never happens,” Storkel said.
But no matter the case, Storkel felt a responsibility to tell the story of the greatest.

Nick Hogan and Hulk Hogan during VH1 Big in ’05 – Backstage and Audience at Sony Studios in Los Angeles, California. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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“With every project, I want to be fair and accurate. Of course I want the people involved to feel good about it, but I won’t change the truth to make that happen,” Storkel said. “With Hulk, getting to know him personally made it more important to honor him properly. Yes, he was flawed and polarizing, but he was also a caring person with a big personality.
“I didn’t want his legacy reduced to a single label or judged solely on politics or past mistakes. My goal was to show the full human being. Regardless of how people feel going in, I think they’ll come away with a deeper understanding of who he was. I really valued getting to know him, and I hope the audience gets that same experience through the documentary.”
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Sports
Quetta Gladiators opt to bowl after winning toss against Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 11 clash
Quetta Gladiators won the toss and elected to field first against Peshawar Zalmi in the 29th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Playing XIs
Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam (c), Kusal Mendis, Aaron Hardie, Farhan Yousaf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Michael Bracewell, Abdul Samad, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Basit and Ali Raza.
Quetta Gladiators: Shamyl Hussain, Saud Shakeel (c), Rilee Rossouw, Hasan Nawaz, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Jahandad Khan, Saqib Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.
Head-to-head
Historically, both sides have faced each other 27 times, with Zalmi leading with 14 wins, followed by the Gladiators with 12, while one match has ended in a no result.
Their last meeting came at the same venue in the ongoing edition earlier this week, which saw the leaders prevailing comfortably by eight wickets.
- Matches: 27
- Peshawar Zalmi: 14
- Quetta Gladiators: 12
- No Result: 1
Form Guide
Zalmi and Gladiators enter the fixture with contrasting momentum as the 2017 champions are on a five-match winning streak, besides holding the distinction of being the only unbeaten side in the ongoing PSL 11 standings.
The Zalmi, as a result, have already booked their spot in the playoffs as they sit at the summit of the standings with 13 points in seven matches.
Gladiators, on the other hand, have just two victories in their last five matches, but are fresh from a resounding six-wicket triumph over holders Lahore Qalandars.
Peshawar Zalmi: W, W, W, W, W (most recent first)
Quetta Gladiators: W, L, W, L, L
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