Liverpool bounced back from a damaging row with Mohamed Salah by beating Inter Milan 1-0 on Tuesday and kicking their Champions League campaign back into life.
READ ALSO: Kounde Double Helps Barcelona Claim Frankfurt Comeback Win
Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty gave the Reds a huge win at the San Siro in the absence of Egypt star Salah, who was left in England after publicly criticising manager Arne Slot at the weekend.
Unlikely goalscoring hero Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top eight league phase finish.
Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.
In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.
The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.
With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor Hansi Flick has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.
Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.
Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.
Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.
Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.
Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.
Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.
Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.
Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.
Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.
Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.
The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.
The French defender, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.
Yamal slung in a high, looping cross which Kounde nodded back across goal and in at the far post.
Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barca had to sweat through the final stages but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.
Gabriel Jesus has been added to Arsenal’s Champions League squad as the Brazil striker steps up his long-awaited return from injury.
Jesus has not played for Arsenal since January after suffering a knee injury during an FA Cup tie against Manchester United.
The 28-year-old is back in training and has been an unused substitute for the Gunners’ recent matches against Chelsea and Brentford.
With Arsenal’s teenage winger Max Dowman picking up an ankle injury in an under-21 match last weekend, Jesus has been elevated to the Champions League squad in time for Wednesday’s clash with Club Brugge in Belgium.
READ ALSO: Salah Trains In Liverpool As Saudis Plan Winter Transfer Move
“Gabriel Jesus has replaced Max Dowman on our UEFA A list with immediate effect. Therefore, Gabby is eligible to play in our match against Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday night,” a statement on Arsenal’s website said.
Jesus’s return is a boost to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after injuries to Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz forced him to use Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as his central striker.
Arsenal are top of the Premier League despite last weekend’s loss to Aston Villa and are also in pole position in the Champions League group phase after five successive wins in the tournament.
Mohamed Salah reported for Liverpool training on Tuesday as doubts grow about the star’s future at the Premier League champions with Saudi clubs intent on making a move for the striker in the winter transfer window.
The 33-year-old Egypt forward was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday following his extraordinary public criticism of Reds manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for the third consecutive game.
Salah said after the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with Slot, sparking reports that Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer in history could be on his way out of Anfield in January despite signing a lucrative new contract in April.
He posted a picture of himself training alone in Liverpool’s weights room on Tuesday.
Salah’s outburst has piqued interest in Saudi Arabia with a source at the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) telling AFP it will do “whatever it can” to buy him.
“We follow Salah’s position thoroughly and believe there can be a move either by loan or buying his contract,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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Asked at a pre-match press conference in Milan on Monday whether Salah, who has scored 250 times for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017, had played his last game for the Reds, Slot replied: “I have no clue.”
“He has every right to feel what he feels, but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media,” Slot added.
The Saudi source told AFP there were “no direct negotiations or talks with the club at the moment but there will be a move at the right moment”.
The PIF source said the Gulf monarchy wanted to sign the Egyptian winger in January to join stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
PIF holds a 75 percent share in Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, but the source said it was not alone in wanting the Arab world’s biggest football star.
“There is a competition inside the Saudi league who will bring Salah,” the source said, adding that the Al Qadsiah club backed by Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company Aramco was also keen.
Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez is at Al-Hillal, another former Premier League player of the season N’Golo Kante is at Al-Ittihad, but Salah is the biggest star from an Arab country along with Paris Saint-Germain’s Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi.
Salah, who was not even used as a substitute at Elland Road, is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home Premier League match against Brighton.
He said he was “very, very disappointed” to have again been named among the substitutes at Leeds, adding: “I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise.
“I said many times before that, I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.
“I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”
Salah made his explosive comments in the midst of a dismal season for both him and Liverpool.
He has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.
But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season — the title-holders are 10th in the Premier League — with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.
“All players have their ups and downs. Salah is just 33 and has a lot to do here,” insisted the PIF source.
“Salah is a beloved footballer around the globe and will have a massive impact on the Saudi League both on and off the pitch.”
Argentine authorities raided the headquarters of the national football federation and several major teams on Tuesday as part of a money-laundering probe, a police source told AFP.
In a wave of simultaneous raids ordered by a judge, officers searched the Argentine Football Federation offices, south of Buenos Aires, and teams including Racing Club, San Lorenzo, Independiente and Banfield, the source said.
“So far there have been 25 to 30 raids of teams and private homes,” the source said, also confirming the raid on the federation headquarters.
Agents were looking for accounting information related to finance company Sur Finanzas, which sponsors several teams and is suspected of malpractice.
READ ALSO: Court Orders Dismissal Of Brazil Football Federation President
Last month tax authorities filed a complaint against the firm accusing it of dodging taxes on Argentine pesos equivalent to $550 million.
The company has carried out a number of business deals in the world of Argentine football and its CEO Ariel Vallejo is close to the head of the football federation, Claudio Tapia.
Saudi Arabia says it will do “whatever it can” to recruit unsettled Liverpool star Mohamed Salah during the winter transfer window, a source at the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) told AFP on Tuesday.
“We follow Salah’s position thoroughly and believe there can be a move either by loan or buying his contract.
“There are still no direct negotiations or talks with the club at the moment, but there will be a move at the right moment,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to the standoff between the Egyptian and Liverpool.
The PIF source said the wealthy Gulf monarchy wanted to sign the Egyptian winger in January during the next transfer window to join stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
PIF holds a 75 per cent share in Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, but the source said it was not alone in wanting the Arab world’s biggest football star.
READ ALSO: Carragher Labels Salah A ‘Disgrace’ Over Liverpool Outburst
“There is a competition inside the Saudi league who will bring Salah,” the source said, adding that a club affiliated with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company was keen.
“Aramco’s Al Qadsiah has shown an interest, too. So it’s not only the PIF-affiliated clubs,” the source said.
Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez is at Al-Hillal, another former Premier League player of the season, N’Golo Kante, is at Al-Ittihad but Salah is the biggest football star from an Arab country.
Salah said after he was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with manager Arne Slot.
The 33-year-old Egypt forward was then left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Salah has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.
He signed a contract extension in April as he led Liverpool to the title.
Salah is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home match against Brighton in the Premier League.
He hinted that the Brighton game could be his last with the Reds before leaving during the winter transfer window.
In 2024-25, Salah scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists last season, but he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season — the title holders are 10th in the table — with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.
“All players have their ups and downs. Salah is just 33 and has a lot to do here.