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BIRMINGHAM, England: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique praised his squad as the best in the world early this morning after they qualified for the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-4 aggregate victory over Aston Villa.

The French champions, who have never won Europe’s elite club competition, will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid for their second semi-final appearance in two years.

Earlier this morning, they lost 3-2 to Aston Villa in the second quarter-final and the English club could have tied the aggregate score at 5-5 or even won it if not for the brilliant action of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the second half.

“I think we have the best squad in the world, not just the goalkeepers. When you are at a club like PSG, you have a lot of quality players,” Enrique told Amazon Prime TV.

“I think overall for the two games, we deserved to win… I’m very happy because I can offer our fans another qualification to the semi-finals.”

The PSG boss praised Villa’s quality and intensity, which saw them come back from 2-0 down early on Sunday – trailing 5-1 on aggregate – before scoring three goals.

“We started the game in a great way, scoring two impressive goals, trying to take advantage of the open spaces,” he said.

“We can’t forget, this is the Champions League and you have to accept the fact that the opposing team has a lot of quality. Aston Villa played with high intensity in the second half.

“They are not worried about losing because they lost the first game and were crushed in the first half (of the second match).”

LONDON: Chelsea’s quest to qualify for next season’s Champions League looks increasingly challenging after being held to a 2-2 draw by Ipswich in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Although Chelsea dominated the game, Ipswich opened the scoring first through Julio Enciso who finished off Ben Johnson’s cross.

Enciso assisted Ipswich’s second goal after his pass was headed by Johnson, allowing the visitors to take the lead until the end of the first half.

Axel Tuanzebe’s own goal just 20 seconds after the break reduced the deficit for Chelsea before Jadon Sancho tied the score with a thrilling goal with 10 minutes remaining.

The result leaves Chelsea fifth in the league, three points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest but ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference.

Ipswich are 14 points clear of the relegation zone following Wolves’ victory over Tottenham at Molineux.

MADRID: Barcelona will face arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final after Ferran Torres secured a 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid early this morning, qualifying 5-4 on aggregate.

Record 31-time winners Barca dominated the action at the Metropolitano Stadium after a 4-4 draw in the first semi-final and the defeat saw Diego Simeone’s Atletico fail to win any trophies this season.

On the other hand, the Catalan giants are chasing a potential four titles and are unbeaten throughout 2025, extending their record to 21 matches without a defeat.

Atletico were the last team to beat Barcelona, ​​winning before Christmas to move top of La Liga, but they now trail Hansi Flick’s side by nine points with nine games remaining.

“We can’t relax, we have to keep believing and working hard, with humility and I’m sure good things will come,” Torres told Movistar.

“If the final is a big motivation, imagine playing against your arch-rivals.”

Madrid also eliminated Real Sociedad 5-4 on aggregate after a 4-4 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu early yesterday morning.

Teenage winger Lamine Yamal was a thorn in the side of the home side with his quick runs and the 17-year-old fed Torres, who finished with a clinical finish in the 27th minute to seal the win.

LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo has slammed ‘rude’ questions from reporters ahead of the second leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark.

Roberto Martinez’s Portugal trail 1-0 heading into the second leg after a disappointing performance in Copenhagen on Thursday.

Rasmus Hojlund came on as a substitute and scored the only goal of the game to give Denmark the lead and then celebrated the goal in Ronaldo’s ‘siu’ style.

Ronaldo, who has scored 135 goals for his country, was the target of criticism from journalists during a press conference.

Before the second leg, Portuguese journalists criticised Ronaldo and the team, asking whether the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was still capable of playing at full international level.

The 40-year-old took just 30 touches – the fewest for a player other than a goalkeeper – and failed to make any accurate attempts throughout the 90 minutes on the pitch.

“I feel like there’s a negative atmosphere surrounding the national team. I saw the press conference a few days ago – I didn’t like what I saw.

“And honestly, some of the questions you asked were quite rude. If you want an answer from me, look me in the eye when you ask.”

“There’s no point in asking me something and then bowing down to your computer. You have time for that later. If necessary, I’ll repeat it 10 times,” Ronaldo said.

Portugal have endured a difficult period under Martinez after being knocked out of Euro 2024 at the quarter-finals.

Ronaldo failed to add to his goal collection at the tournament and his place in the national team began to be questioned.

With the semi-final appearing bleak, the striker and Martinez continued to come under criticism, and Ronaldo admitted he and his teammates were feeling the pressure.

“The atmosphere is more tense. I won’t hide it. We are in a stressful situation because we have to win, but that’s the beauty of football. Tomorrow, I will appeal to the fans to be with us.

“To give us strength, because we will try to do our best. That’s my hope, tomorrow will be a beautiful day for everyone.”

“There is no other choice. Anyone who is proud to represent this symbol must have this ambition. I have lost a match in 90 minutes, but I have never lost in the first half. Tomorrow is the second half,” he said.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has been angry with journalists, eight years ago he vented his anger more aggressively when he threw a microphone into a lake.