As his team-mates and boss Ange Postecoglou prepare for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt, midfielder James Maddison says, “we’re behind the manager, 100%.”
We’re behind the manager 100% – Maddison backs Postecoglou
Arteta Urges Arsenal To Deliver ‘Special’ Fightback Against PSG
After scoring 1-0 in the Champions League semifinal first leg on Tuesday, Miguel Arteta pleaded with Arsenal to unleash a “special” comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal were unable to bring themselves level in a tense match featuring key misses from both teams when Dembele scored in the fourth minute at the Emirates Stadium.
In the final moments, PSG wasted two excellent chances to take control of the game, with Bradley Barcola striking from close range and Goncalo Ramos hitting the bar.
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard were denied by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made two outstanding saves in the closing moments of the game.
READ MORE:  , Arsenal Can Win Anywhere, Says Merino Following PSG’s Champions League defeat.
The Gunners will have to do it the hard way this time, as opposed to the previous two rounds, when they established significant first-leg leads in the fight against PSV Eindhoven and Real Madrid.
On May 7, they will travel to Paris for the second leg knowing that a spectacular performance is necessary to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
Arteta, whose team has never won the Champions League, saw enough in the first leg to realize that Arsenal’s victory would not be possible.
He said, “We are at half-time, and my message is exactly the same as it was after we defeated Real Madrid 3-0 in the quarter-final first leg.”
“We must win the game in Paris, and we are more than capable of doing that.”
We will have to do something special in Paris to be in the Champions League final, and that is what you need to do. There are still many chances for us to make the final.
Arsenal was on the verge of becoming the most recent English team to be completely overtaken by PSG in the first half.
However, Arteta made an unspecified tactical move that he claimed helped PSG, who had already defeated Manchester City and Liverpool in the league round, regain control.
The margins are so small, says the author.
There was only one problem. After 15 minutes, we fixed it and restarted the game. We had to get something very specific wrong with our play, he said.
We had two one-on-ones with Donnarumma, and if they go back, it will be different.
He saved the saves, which made the difference in the Champions League, he said. The margins are so small, and things didn’t go our way.
This was a significant step in the direction of PSG’s goal of winning Europe’s elite club competition for the first time.
Although the tie is not yet over, Luis Enrique’s team has the advantage and demonstrated enough leadership to suggest they are capable of extending their lead in Paris.
The stadium had an incredible atmosphere, which was deafening, but we started off strong and the early goal gave us a boost of confidence, according to Luis Enrique.
“The game had a lot of chances,” he said. It had the potential to be better or worse. The opponent could have taken the game away from us after 10 or 15 minutes, but it didn’t happen.
Luis Enrique has no intention of underestimating the north Londoners in the second leg despite having a long history of mentorship with Arteta and a steadfast admirer of his team.
This evening, “mission accomplished.” However, he said, “our goal is to win the second leg at home.”
“With Arsenal, we can’t let our guard down or be complacent because they can score quickly and we are back on our feet.”
They can completely rewrite history with a goal in a second.
Nothing is in the bag,” the statement read. Arsenal now has nothing to lose, so we must win when we are at home.
Capital FM fans all say same thing about Summertime Ball headline acts
People have been saying the same thing since Capital FM revealed the line-up for their 2025 Summertime Ball, which will take place on June 15 at Wembley Stadium, and some are not pleased.
Capital FM has just confirmed the line-up for this year’s Summertime Ball, including such stars as Benson Boone, Busted VS McFly, and Rita Ora. However people have been left disappointed by the event’s two main headliners.
Hosts Jordan North, Chris Stark and Siân Welby will be guiding fans through the day-long event as some of the biggest names in music take to the stage. Mariah Carey and Will Smith have been announced as the two headliners for this year’s event, which will take place on Sunday, June 15, in London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. Some of the other performers include KSI, Lola Young, Zara Larson, Reneé Rapp, and Jessie J.
However, despite the long list of famous and popular performers, people have taken to social media to share their disappointment after learning about who the headliners were. One of these people was Lauren, who took to TikTok to film her reaction to finding out that Will Smith was one of the headliners.
Lauren, who is seen watching the headliner announcement with anticipation, wrote on the video, “When Capital said to film your reaction to the stb headliner.”
Her face quickly faded as Will Smith was announced as the headliner on the radio. While the announcement was being made, Lauren kept looking disappointed.
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“I was expecting more… where is Gracie and Sabrina and Ed Sheeran,” the 22-year-old wrote in the caption of the video.
The headliner announcement also left Lauren and other people disappointed. People quickly took to social media to share their opinions after Capital announced Mariah Carey and Will Smith would co-headliners of the one-day festival, some calling it “the worst” lineup.
One user wrote on X, “I believe this is the worst Capital Summertime Ball lineup I’ve ever seen. I think I might want to go again.”
Mariah Carey and Will Smith are Capital’s summertime ball’s headliner, according to another person. along with a confused man’s gif.
A third person went so far as to defend the event, saying that it was “wild to see literal tasteless children” responding to Capital FM’s criticism of the Summertime Ball lineup because it didn’t have many one-hit dancers.
“There are literally hundreds of hits between Mariah Carey, Will Smith, JADE, Busted, McFly, Jessie J,” according to the lyrics.
Another person replied: “If I see one more 12 year old say ‘why Mariah Carey she’s only known for a Christmas song’” along with a facepalm emoji.
One user praised the summertime ball lineup as “10/10 this year,” while another wrote that it was “probably the best lineup I’ve seen for a hot minute #CapitalFM.”
Another person said, “The summertime ball lineup is actually good for once.”
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One user responded, “Contrary point: Mariah & Will Smith don’t appeal to that demographic, and it’s a brand that’s meant to appeal to younger audiences.”
‘Milestone’: Russia, North Korea begin first road bridge construction
The Tumen River, which serves as the Allied nations’ natural border, has been the site of Russia’s and North Korea’s first-ever road bridge, and they cite it as a sign of their deepening partnership.
Mikhail Mishustin, the country’s prime minister, announced the project on Wednesday, claiming it would lower transportation costs, promote trade, and encourage tourism.
During a video conference with North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly chairman Pak Thae-song, Mishustin stated, “This is truly a milestone for Russian-Korean relations.”
The significance transcends just an engineering task, he continued, “because it represents our shared desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighbourly relationships and increase interregional cooperation.”
A railroad bridge across the Tumen River already rusting from the Soviet Union.
“Another road will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase the volume of transportation goods] and lower transportation costs, and, of course, provide favorable opportunities for tourism,” Mishustin said.
By mid-2026, according to Russia’s Kommersant newspaper, the bridge will be operational.
The phrase “Eternal historical monument”
North Koreans were seen standing in line during a ceremony to mark the start of construction, according to Russian state TV’s broadcast of the site.
According to a Russian translation, North Korean artist Pak Thae-song said, “It will become an unbreakable historical memorial structure symbolising the unbreakable Korean-Russian friendly relations.”
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia’s Primorye region, said he hoped the meeting would increase bilateral ties.
Without going into further detail, he said, “There are many sportspeople and kids there.”
During Russia’s conflict with Russia in Ukraine, North Korea and Russia, two of the most overt nations in the world, have benefited from their cooperation.
Pyongyang has repeatedly backed Russia’s invasion, and it has even sent its own troops to battle alongside them.
According to South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday, about 600 North Korean soldiers have died in the conflict, according to intelligence officials.
Kyiv also accuses North Korea of providing Russia with heavy weapons, including a missile that left a dozen people dead in Kyiv last week.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership last year that called for both nations to immediately offer each other military assistance using “all means” if either is experiencing “aggression.”
Arsenal Can Win Anywhere, Says Merino After Champions League Defeat By PSG
Arsenal, according to steadfast manager Mikel Merino, has “proved we can win anywhere” and insists they can still reach the Champions League final following their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-four tie.
After Ousmane Dembele’s only goal of the game was scored on Tuesday at the Emirates, the Gunners must overcome a challenging situation.
In the opening moments of the second period, PSG were just inches away from double their lead when they hit the crossbar toward the end. However, Merino had a goal that was ruled out for offside.
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“Paris is a challenging place to travel, but we have always shown that we can compete against anyone,” Merino said. “With all due respect, I believe we will win the second leg.”
We have shown that we can win anywhere, at the Bernabeu (beating Real Madrid 2-1), and also against Premier League opponents, so that gives us a lot of confidence.
The team’s mindset is always to win, even if we were three up and going to Paris, so the outcome (at the Emirates) has no impact.
Thomas Partey was suspended for the first leg, and Merino switched to midfield. Merino could be moved back up front with Partey available for the match in Paris on Wednesday.
Both PSG and Arsenal are attempting to first-ever champion.
Why Arsenal can still reach Champions League final
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“With all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg.”
Should Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino’s claim give fans hope?
Many supporters reacted as though the tie was dead and buried after the Gunners were beaten at home by Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
But, as Merino went on to explain, there are signs that the tie remains in the balance.
Manager Mikel Arteta was quick to make clear in his post-match news conference that it is only “half-time” before the second leg in Paris next Wednesday.
Arsenal could turn the tie around and reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
Chances will come
PSG dominated the early part of the match, had 75% possession in the opening 15 minutes and raced into a 1-0 lead from Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike.
But even though the Gunners were pinned back for what felt like large periods of the first half, they grew into the game.
Arteta said that he “corrected” an issue that was causing problems for his side during the first half and said that after that Arsenal did “much better”.
He is right that his team did do better, and, even though PSG had two good chances late on through Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos, Arsenal had chances of their own.
Gabriel Martinelli had a good opportunity inside the area saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma before half-time and Leandro Trossard forced the PSG goalkeeper into an excellent stop after the break.
Arsenal had a higher expected goal ratio (1.65), than PSG (1.14), and more shots on target (5 v 4), while Donnarumma had to make five saves compared to David Raya’s four.
Partey will be back
One of the biggest challenges for Arteta to deal with was the absence of Thomas Partey in midfield.
His suspension for picking up a cheap yellow card in the victory over Real Madrid in the Bernabeu meant Arteta had to rejig his midfield.
When the Ghanaian returns next week it will allow Rice to move back into the number eight role that he has excelled in in recent weeks and Partey will give solidity and structure to the base of the Arsenal midfield.
Rice moving back into a more advanced role may also help captain Martin Odegaard, who had a quiet match on Tuesday.
PSG can be beaten
Luis Enrique’s side have wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and were attempting to complete their first unbeaten season, but lost to Nice in their most recent home league game.
The pressure may have been off with their main objective complete but Arsenal could take a positive from the fact that PSG’s strongest XI were beaten comprehensively at home.
Aston Villa beat them 3-2 in their quarter-final second leg despite losing on aggregate, Liverpool beat PSG 1-0 in the last 16 first leg and Atletico Madrid were also victorious in the group stage at the Parc des Princes.
Of course, the pressure, teams and circumstances are different, but Arteta will have examples to study when setting out his game plan.
Arsenal have also picked up impressive wins in the competition themselves away from home, putting five past Sporting, seven past PSV Eindhoven and beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu.
Dembele fitness question
Every manager wants their best players available but there is a question mark for Luis Enrique about the fitness of match-winner Dembele.
He limped off in the 70th minute and was replaced by Barcola.
The PSG manager was asked about the fitness of Dembele, who has scored 32 goals and registered 12 assists in all competitions this season, in his post-match press conference.
Enrique did not elaborate and said that Dembele had a “niggle” and it was “nothing serious”. But if he is not able to start the match it will give Arsenal – and their supporters – a huge lift.
Why Arsenal’s away form could help
Although Arsenal dropped away in the race for the Premier League title in recent weeks, with only one win in their past four matches, their form throughout the season has largely been good.
When playing away from home in the league they have won eight games, drawn seven and lost two.
Those two losses came in back-to-back away games against Bournemouth and Newcastle in October and November respectively.
The Gunners have lost only once away from home in the Champions League this season too, losing 1-0 to fellow semi-finalists Inter Milan.
The main criticism thrown at Arteta is that he is unable to get Arsenal over the line to win a trophy.
And the fact that Arsenal have failed to win any of their past seven semi-final matches in all competitions (L5 D2) and have failed to score in those matches will also dampen spirits heading into the match next week.
Merino, however, hopes not.
“Paris is a tough place to go, but we have always proved that we can compete against anybody and, with all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg,” he said.
“We have proved we can win anywhere, the Bernabeu, and against any side in the Premier League, too, so that gives us a lot of confidence.
“The result (on Tuesday) changes nothing because the mentality of this team is always to win.
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