BOLOGNA: Ollie Watkins scored twice as Aston Villa beat Bologna 3-1 in their Europa League quarter-final, first leg on Thursday, while Nottingham Forest held FC Porto 1-1 thanks to a comical own goal from Martim Fernandes.

Freiburg also have one foot in the last four after beating Celta Vigo 3-0.

Villa boss Unai Emery is aiming to win the competition for a fifth time and the favourites rode their luck to emerge victorious in Italy.

“It could’ve been different,” said Watkins. “We got lucky.”

Bologna made a bright start to their first European quarter-final in 27 years.

An Ezri Konsa own goal was ruled out by a VAR review for a marginal offside against Santiago Castro before Lewis Ferguson hit the bar.

But the Coppa Italia winners were undone by some awful set-piece defending to allow Villa two of their goals.

Konsa headed into an ungua­rded net just before the break after Federico Ravaglia flapped at a corner.

Watkins quickly doubled the visitors’ advantage after half-time with a cool finish after Emi Buendia won possession deep in Bologna territory.

Federico Bernardeschi hit the post and Jonathan Rowe was denied by a brilliant Emi Martinez save.

Rowe’s stunning finish in the 90th minute looked to have given Bologna a foothold in the tie.

But Watkins was left completely unmarked to tap in from a corner deep into stoppage time and further his case for inclusion in England’s World Cup squad.

“Back end of the season I’m raring to go,” added Watkins. “I’m excited for the next few games. I’m hungry.”

Villa will face the winners of the tie between Porto and Forest should they progress to the semi-finals.

An all-English affair in the last four is on the cards after Forest were handed a gift by Fernandes.

Porto capitalised on a strong start when William Gomes turned in at the far post.

But the lead lasted barely two minutes before Fernandes found his own net from just inside the Porto half as he overhit a pass back to goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Forest striker Igor Jesus had a goal ruled out in the second half, but the visitors were happier with the draw that leaves the tie up for grabs next week at the City Ground.

Meanwhile, the best European run in Freiburg’s history looks set to continue after Celta were blown away by the Bundesliga side.

Vincenzo Grifo’s curling effort gave the home side the perfect start on 10 minutes.

Niklas Beste doubled Freiburg’s lead at the end of a fine team move and Matthias Ginter headed in 12 minutes from time to secure a commanding first leg lead.

On Wednesday, Braga and Real Betis drew 1-1 in the other quarter-final first leg.

Mateta inspires palace

In Thursday’s Conference League first leg fixture, Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a 3-0 win over Fiorentina.

Mateta converted from the penalty spot after 24 minutes after Evann Guessand was fouled by Fiorentina defender Dodo.

The French striker also had a role in Palace’s second goal seven minutes later as Tyrick Mitchell finished off after Mateta’s close-range effort had been blocked by Fiorentina goalkeeper David de Gea.

“I keep working hard, and I’m always here to push for the victory,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “To­day we did it, but it’s not finished. We have one more game in Italy.”

Fiorentina pushed back after the break with Giovanni Fabbian rattling the woodwork after 51 minutes and goalkeeper Dean Henderson pulling off two saves for the hosts just before the hour.

But Ismaila Sarr ensured Palace take a comfortable advance to Tuscany next week when he headed in on the 90th minute.

A semi-final tie against either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dutch side AZ Alkmaar awaits either Palace or Fiorentina.

Ukrainian side Shakhtar beat AZ Alkmaar 3-0 with all goals late.

Pedrinho got the first after 72 minutes followed by a quickfire Alisson Santana brace with 10 minutes to go.

Spanish club Rayo Vallecano are one step away from playing in a European semi-final for the first in their history following a 3-0 win against AEK Athens.

The winner will play either Mainz or Strasbourg.

Moroccan winger Ilias Akho­mach opened the scoring after two minutes in the suburbs of Madrid finishing off an Alvaro Garca cross.

Unai Lopez added a second off a rebound just before the break with Rayo captain Isi Palazon scoring the third from the penalty spot after 74 minutes.

Elsewhere, German club Ma­inz beat French outfit Stra­sbourg 2-0 to maintain their unbeaten record at home this season in the competition with six wins out of six.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026

BARCELONA: Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth’s goals earned Atletico Madrid a commanding 2-0 lead over 10-man Barcelona, while, holders Paris St-Germain recorded an easy 2-0 home win over Liverpool as Champions League quarter-final first leg clashes concluded on Wednesday.

The La Liga leaders were on top in the all-Spanish tie at Camp Nou before Pau Cubarsi was sent off for bringing down Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone, who was through on goal.

Alvarez whipped home the free-kick and Sorloth doubled their advantage with 20 minutes remaining to give Atletico a strong chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Diego Simeone’s side, who have never won the competition, reached the 2014 and 2016 finals but were beaten by rivals Real Madrid on both occasions.

“We have things to improve and learn from… we’re happy for the win but there’s a long way to go,” Atletico’s Antoine Griez­mann told Movistar. “We’re very far from the semis, we’re 90 or more minutes away… we’re confident but keeping our feet on the ground.”

Barca, semi-finalists last season, need to make a huge comeback next Tuesday in Madrid if they are to stand a chance of lifting the trophy they last won in 2015.

“It will be tough there but if anyone can do it, it’s us,” Barca defender Ronald Araujo told Movistar. “We’ve got great players, quality, personality — we will look for the comeback.”

Atletico knocked Barca out of the Copa del Rey in the semi-finals in March and this was the second of three meetings betw­e­en the sides in a space of a fortnight.

Hansi Flick’s side controlled the game with Atletico talisman Griezmann quiet against his former team, but a moment of clumsiness from Cubarsi dramatically gave the visitors the upper hand before half-time.

The 19-year-old centre-back, chasing Giuliano Simeone as he ran through on goal to reach a ball in behind Barca’s defence from Alvarez, clattered the Atletico coach’s son from behind.

Although referee Istvan Kovacs only produced a yellow card for Cubarsi, he upgraded it to a red after a VAR review.

Worse was to come for Barca, with former Manchester City striker Alvarez whipping the free-kick into the top corner.

Flick tore into the officiating after an incident in the 53rd minute when Barca appealed for a penalty. Goalkeeper Musso appeared to have put the ball in play from a goal kick before defender Marc Pubill handled it inside the six-yard box to retake the goal kick.

Referee Kovacs waved play on and the VAR crew did not call him to the monitor, sparking animated protests from the home bench.

“The VAR was very focused today for Atletico, he’s a German guy, so thanks Germany,” former German national team coach Flick told reporters. “It’s for me a clear red card.”

Flick said the VAR officials should have asked Kovacs to review the incident.

“For my perspective it’s clear, he has to call and say okay come on look at this, the same like before. I don’t understand,” added Flick.

“I haven’t spoken with the referee. I think it was better not to speak with him.

“We have to accept it, and focus in the match next Tuesday in Atletico. We have the quality, the players who can decide (this game) and we have to fight.”

Barca tasted defeat at home for the first time since Camp Nou reopened in November 2025 — and Atletico coach Simeone won at the stadium for the first time in his 14-year career at the helm of the Rojiblancos.

Musso later saved from Joao Cancelo and Yamal, but Barca could not pull a goal back, leaving the five-time winners in a tough spot ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.

DOUE, KVARATSKHELIA ON TARGET

In the other last-eight fixture, PSG were a cut above Liverpool as goals by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia spurred them to a comfortable win at the Parc des Princes Stadium.

Doue and Kvaratskhelia struck either side of halftime to give Luis Enriques side a solid advantage ahead of next weeks return at Anfield, where PSG booked their place in the last eight last season.

Doue opened the scoring with a deflected effort before Kvara­tskhelia doubled the lead with a superb solo run and finish, but PSG wasted a handful of chances that would have further strengthened their push for the semi-finals.

Liverpool, thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, set up cautiously with three centre backs and Mohamed Salah on the bench, but struggled to contain a PSG side that mixed patient possession with bursts of attacking intensity.

Arne Slot opted for a back three with wings but the defence held for only 11 minutes at the Parc des Princes.

Doue picked up the ball on the left side of the box and his curled shot towards the opposite top corner took a slight deflection off Ryan Gravenberch and went out of Giorgi Mama­rdashvilis reach.

Liverpool were hanging on for dear life, picking up two yellow cards in three minutes, and barely threatened.

Slot admitted his team were well beaten but defended his decision to play with three central defenders and insisted the Reds still had hope going into the return.

“PSG were by far the better team today and could have scored more than two goals, but the good thing was the Liverpool players showed fighting spirit and kept going,” Slot said.

“Of course you think you can do better, but we were in survival mode for large parts of the game, and maybe also we are in survival mode at this period of the season,” said Slot, whose team have won just one of their last six matches.

“It is really hard against this team. We didn’t give up and that is why we still have a chance in this tie, and now we can bring the tie back to Anfield.”

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2026

KARACHI: Kusal Mendis struck a blistering century while Babar Azam smashed an unbeaten 87 as Peshawar Zalmi handed Kar­achi Kings a crushing 159-run defeat here at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday night.

The top-order pair’s brilliance, followed by Abdul Samad’s late onslaught, propelled Zalmi to a mammoth 246-3 before their bowlers skittled the Kings for a paltry 87, with Nahid Rana, Sufiyan Muqeem and Iftikhar Ahmed claiming three wickets each to seal the heaviest victory in PSL history.

The victory lifted Zalmi to second in the PSL standings with three wins out of four matches —one of which was washed out — as Karachi dropped to fourth.

Mendis smashed 109 off 52 balls, hitting 14 fours and four sixes, while sharing a record 191-run partnership — the highest in PSL history — with Babar, whose 51-ball knock included 10 boundaries and two sixes.

Samad then capped the innings with a belligerent 40 off just 12 balls, hammering three fours and four sixes after arriving at the crease at the start of the 18th over.

Zalmi raced to 65-1 in powerplay, both Babar and Mendis displaying flair and aggression after Mohammad Haris fell on the second ball of the innings to spinner Khushdil Shah.

Mendis launched the counterattack with consecutive sixes off Mir Hamza, while Babar accelerated at the other end with two fours and a six — the latter taking him past 12,000 T20 runs — off Khushdil.

Mendis then took apart Abbas Afridi for three successive fours, before both batters capped the powerplay with a boundary each.

The Sri Lankan brought up his half-century off 26 balls in the ninth over, having earlier swept Adam Zampa for six. He continued to dominate, pulling and driving Hamza Sohail for boundaries as Zalmi reached 102-1 at the halfway mark.

Babar reached his fifty off 32 balls, elegantly driving Moeen Ali inside out before striking him through the covers for consecutive boundaries.

Zalmi surged past 150 in the next over as Babar and Mendis took further toll on Zampa, wi­th the latter reaching his century off just 48 balls. Zampa endured a tough outing as both the batters continued to attack but the partnership was eventually broken when Mendis miscued an attempted big hit against Abbas to substitute Haroon Arshad in the covers.

Abbas struck again two balls later, dismissing Michael Bracewell, who had earlier hit a six off his first delivery, as Zalmi briefly lost momentum.

However, Babar ensured there was no let-up, guiding Zalmi past 200 in the 18th over with a crisp boundary off Mir Hamza.

Samad then unleashed a stunning display of power-hitting, smashing Abbas for three consecutive sixes before plundering Mir Hamza for three fours and a six in the final over to lift Zalmi to an imposing total.

Kings’ chase began disastrously, with Moha­mmad Waseem holing out to Iftikhar on the third ball. Farhan Yousuf’s diving catch then removed captain David Warner, while Iftikhar trapped Salman Ali Agha lbw to deepen the crisis as they fell to 8-3 in the third over.

Azam Khan (25 off 27) briefly resisted with a six, but the Kings only managed to limp to 27-3 in powerplay. Nahid Rana’s sharp bouncer accounted for Saad Baig, and Moeen Ali soon followed, falling to Sufiyan Muqeem.

Any hopes of recovery ended when Azam was bowled by Sufiyan, leaving Karachi at 65-6.

Play was halted for nearly 30 minutes due to a technical fault with the spider cam, which remained suspended above the pitch.

After the resumption, wickets continued to tumble. Khushdil top-edged a Nahid delivery to the wicket-keeper, while Nahid then bow­led Zampa to complete his three-wicket haul.

Sufiyan also claimed his third by dismissing Abbas, before Iftikhar wrapped up the innings as Mendis stumped Hamza Sohail to seal a comprehensive victory for Zalmi.

SCOREBOARD

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

Mohammad Haris c Salman b Khushdil 0

Babar Azam not out 87

Kusal Mendis c (sub) b Abbas 109

Michael Bracewell c Azam b Abbas 6

Abdul Samad not out 40

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-3) 4

TOTAL (for three wickets, 20 overs) 246

DID NOT BAT: Farhan Yousaf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Haris), 2-191 (Mendis), 3-197 (Bracewell)

BOWLING: Khushdil 4-0-37-1 (1w), Mir Hamza 4-0-57-0, M. Hamza 3-0-30-0 (2w), Abbas 4-0-55-2, Zampa 4-0-51-0, Ali 1-0-15-0

KARACHI KINGS:

Mohammad Waseem c Aamer b Iftikhar 0

David Warner c Farhan b Shoriful 0

Salman Ali Agha lbw b Iftikhar 5

Saad Baig c&b Nahid 14

Azam Khan b Sufiyan 25

Moeen Ali c Samad b Sufiyan 9

Khushdil Shah c Mendis b Nahid 10

Abbas Afridi c Farhan b Sufiyan 9

Adam Zampa b Nahid 0

Mir Hamza not out 4

Mohammad Hamza st Mendis b Iftikhar 2

EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1, W-6) 9

TOTAL (all out, 16.1 overs) 87

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Waseem), 2-4 (Warner), 3-8 (Salman), 4-35 (Saad), 5-50 (Ali), 6-65 (Azam), 7-81 (Khushdil), 8-81 (Zampa), 9-81 (Abbas)

BOWLING: Iftikhar 2.1-0-9-3, Shoriful 3-0-23-1 (3w, 1nb), Nahid 4-1-7-3, Aamer 3-0-28-0 (3w), Sufiyan 4-0-18-3

RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by 159 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kusal Mendis

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2026