Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after they were beaten by Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the last 16.

The Reds, who had won 1-0 in Paris last week, were beaten 1-0 in normal time, thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembele, before losing on spot-kicks.

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is no stranger to being a penalty hero on these shores, stepped up to prevent both Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones from scoring.

Nunez and Jones will get criticism for their misses but there were several individuals who failed to perform during the match, including Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

The Netherlands international completed zero of his two attempted dribbles and lost 70% (7/10) of his ground duels on the night, which shows that he was too easy for the PSG midfield to play against.

The plan for this season may not have always been for him to be the first-choice holding midfielder, however, as there was well-publicised interest in Martin Zubimendi in the previous summer transfer window.

Liverpool's interest in Martin Zubimendi

Liverpool were interested in a deal to bring the Spain international to Anfield ahead of the 2025/26 campaign to bolster their options in the number six position.

Sky Sports reported that the impressive midfielder, who won the European Championship with Spain last summer, was expected to move on from Real Sociedad before the end of the window, due to a £51m release clause that was in his contract at the time.

The outlet added, however, that Zubimendi turned down the chance to make the move to England after his club offered him a new contract on higher wages, which convinced him to remain with the LaLiga outfit.

This meant that Liverpool missed out on a deal to bring the defensive midfielder to Merseyside, and they did not opt to find an alternative before the end of the window – going with Gravenberch and Wataru Endo as their number six options.

Earlier this year, Arne Slot all-but-confirmed the club’s interest in the Spaniard when speaking about his midfield composition, saying: “I even think the player we wanted to bring in [Zubimendi] – I think that’s pretty much out in the open now – he was also a player who was really comfortable. He’s still a player who could bring the ball from the last line to our forwards.”

Despite his poor showing against PSG on Tuesday night, Gravenberch’s form for the club this season may have alleviated any concerns about the failure to bring Zubimendi to Anfield in the summer, as he has been a fantastic performer at the base of the midfield.

Ryan Gravenberch's form compared to Martin Zubimendi

The Netherlands international has started 29 times in the Premier League this season, which shows that he has emerged as a consistent starter under Slot as the holding midfielder.

In The Pipeline

Gravenberch has offered a dominant presence in midfield, winning 56% of his ground duels and 72% of his aerial contests, whilst Zubimendi has won 56% of his ground duels and 66% of his aerial battles in 26 LaLiga matches this season.

This shows that they are both holding midfielders who can dominate opposition players on the ground and in the air, screening in front of their back four.

As you can see in the chart above, Zubimendi and Gravenberch excel in similar areas of the game, as they both offer little as goalscorers or creators but thrive defensively and in their passing game.

However, the chart does also show that the Spaniard offers more per 90 from a defensive perspective than the Dutchman, which suggests that he could offer slightly more when it comes to breaking up attacks and clearing danger.

Liverpool, though, may have their own version of Zubimendi brewing in a young star who is currently out on loan away from Anfield, in 20-year-old starlet Stefan Bajcetic.

Why Stefan Bajcetic could be Slot's own Zubimendi

The Spain U21 international, who has played 22 times for Liverpool’s first-team, is currently on loan at Las Palmas in LaLiga and is a player with the potential to be the perfect modern day number six in the future.

Whilst he may not have been 100% ready to step into Slot’s starting line-up this season, hence his loan moves to RB Salzburg and Las Palmas, Bajcetic could be a future star for the Reds and save the club millions on signing another holding midfielder.

The Spanish starlet could return to Anfield in the summer and compete for a place in the team in pre-season, allowing Slot to save the board millions by unleashing him as competition for Gravenberch – rather than attempting to go back in for Zubimendi.

Bajcetic, who stands at 6 foot 1, is a towering, yet slim-built, number six who can cover ground to make defensive interventions, whilst also providing quality in possession with his use of the ball, as explained by ‘Serbian Football Scout’ on X back in 2023.

He has made six appearances in LaLiga since his move to Las Palmas in January and averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game, as well as 2.7 clearances per match, whilst Zubimendi has made 3.4 tackles and interceptions and 2.1 clearances per match in the division.

This suggests that Bajcetic, who was once dubbed “special” by writer Zubin Daver, can offer similar qualities in the number six position from a defensive perspective, as he has performed to a similar level in that area in LaLiga.

Of course, there is still much to learn for him at the age of 20 and his use of the ball could still do with improvement. He completed 82% of his passes in the Bundesliga with Salzburg, but that has dropped to 72% in LaLiga with Las Palmas.

However, Bajcetic has other qualities on the ball that go beyond his pass completion rate, as was showcased during his spell in the Liverpool first-team in the 2022/23 campaign.

22/23 Premier League	Stefan Bajcetic (per 90)	Percentile rank vs midfielders
Pass accuracy	77.5%	Bottom 30%
Progressive carries	1.71	Top 35%
Successful take-ons	1.20	Top 24%
Passes into the penalty area	1.20	Top 26%
Crosses into the penalty area	0.17	Top 38%
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the teenager may not have been efficient with his passes, but he offered plenty of quality by driving forward with the ball and trying to make things happen in the opposition’s box.

At the age of 20, there is still plenty for Bajcetic to learn and he may not immediately step into the starting XI next season. However, there are plenty of promising signs from the youngster, who could develop into Slot’s own version of Zubimendi, saving the club millions in the process.

Better passer than Van Dijk: Liverpool ready £42m bid for 6'3 centre-back

The Dutchman is still on course to become a free agent…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 12, 2025

Nottingham Forest have now held talks with the agents of a £25 million winger who has also been contacted by Serie A champions Inter Milan, according to a new report.

Marinakis chasing attacking reinforcements ahead of busy summer

The Reds’ Champions League hopes suffered a blow over the weekend, as not only were they beaten by Everton but the teams around them won to close the gap in the race to finish in the top five. Forest are still in a good position to finish in a European spot, but Nuno Espirito Santo and co. are desperate for a Champions League berth given how long they have been in the top three this season.

Nottingham Forest and Marinakis ready to pay huge £75m to sign 25 y/o star

He’s been superb this season.

1 ByBarney Lane Apr 13, 2025

Securing a place in the Champions League could see owner Evangelos Marinakis unleash the purse strings and spend big, as he wants his club to continue their rise in England and abroad. It’s been recently reported that Forest are keen on signing Clayton, a striker who is currently on loan at Rio Ave from Vasco da Gama.

That loan is expected to turn into a permanent switch, and given Marinakis owns Rio Ave, it makes the Reds’ pursuit easier, as it could cost them as little as £9 million to get it completed.

As well as looking at Clayton, Nuno’s side are also keeping their options open, and it’s been reported that the Reds are willing to fork out £75 million to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, the Brazilian is wanted by several teams from the Premier League and could cause quite a chase in the market this summer.

Nottingham Forest hold talks with agents of £25m winger Henrique

The options for improving their attacking threat for next season don’t stop there, as according to L’Equipe, relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are now in talks with Luis Henrique’s agents over a possible move to the City Ground this summer.

The report states that the Reds are very much interested in signing the 23-year-old, so much so that they have held talks with his entourage, and Marseille are potentially open to a sale as they look to balance their books.

His age, physicality and versatility make him a ‘rare profile’, but Forest are not the only Premier League team interested, as Newcastle United are also keen on the Brazilian, who has seven goals in Ligue 1 this season.

Both English teams face a further obstacle, as Inter Milan and AC Milan are also keen on signing the winger, with Inter president Giuseppe Marotta holding talks with Lyon director Medhi Benatia. The report does go on to state that Henrique’s agents could be using Forest and Newcastle’s interest to ramp up the pressure on Inter, who are very keen on a deal.

Apps

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Henrique, who has been dubbed “explosive” by football scout Jacek Kulig, has been with Marseille since September 2020, and during that time, he’s played in multiple positions across the attack, much like Forest’s current group of wingers. It’s been previously reported that the French side may want as much as £25 million before they consider his departure.

Stats highlights from the final day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba

Gaurav Sundararaman27-Nov-201729 Unbeaten Tests for Australia at the Gabba – They have won 22 and drawn 7, with their last defeat at the venue coming against West Indies in 1988-89. In this period Australia have had enjoyed several resounding wins against England at the Gabba. They have won four Tests by more than 180 runs and two by 10 wickets.7 Ten-wicket wins for Australia against England in the Ashes – and their first since 2006-07. Two of those ten-wicket wins against England have come at the Gabba. In 1990, Australia chased down 157 without losing a wicket.Australia’s Gabba Streak continues and are now unbeaten for 29 Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd1930 The year of the previous highest opening partnership in a successful Test chase – David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have broken an 87-year-old Test record by adding 173 and winning the Test. Archie Jackson and Bill Ponsford added 172 against West Indies in Adelaide. The unbeaten 173 is also the second-highest fourth-innings opening stand for Australia in Tests behind the 208 added by Michael Slater and Mark Taylor against England at Sydney in 1994-95.82 Highest individual score for Australia on debut in the fourth innings of a Test – Bancroft went past Norm O’ Neil’s 71 which was scored way back in 1958. 7 Man of the Match awards for Steven Smith in the last three years – the most for any cricketer in this period. Three players are in second position with five each. Smith also has four such awards as captain – joint most in this period,along with Virat Kohli. 15.13 Average runs added by England for the last six wickets at the Gabba since Australia’s unbeaten run began in 1989 – the least for any team that has played in this venue during this period. England’s lower middle order and tail have failed to contribute at this venue in their last seven Tests here. The highest the team has added in this period is 139 in the first innings of this Test.

Eight teams have completed a clean sweep of domestic and European silverware in the last 34 years, but which stands out as the best?

At long last, Paris Saint-Germain have got their hands on the Champions League trophy after demolishing Italian giants Inter 5-0 in the 2025 final at the Allianz Arena. The first European crown in PSG's entire history capped a remarkable season that also saw Luis Enrique's side romp to the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France as they joined a very exclusive club.

PSG are only the eighth team to have won the treble since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1991. Luis Enrique also achieved the feat at Barcelona in 2014-15, which puts him alongside Pep Guardiola, who is the only other manager to deliver the three biggest trophies on offer in a single season for two different clubs (at Barcelona in 2008-09 and Manchester City in 2022-23).

Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson became the first modern-day coach to achieve the feat at Manchester United in 1998-99, Jose Mourinho defied all the odds at Inter in 2009-10, and Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick both became immortals at Bayern Munich (in 2012-13 and 2019-20, respectively). There have been plenty of other great Champions League-winning teams, but these eight sit in a class of their own for showing such incredible consistency across all of the major competitions.

GOAL has attempted to rank the holy octet below, and the comments section is now open… let the debate begin!

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  8Inter (2009-10)

  Jose Mourinho's second season at Inter was arguably his last truly great season as a manager, and perhaps the finest one of his entire career. The Portuguese delivered the Scudetto in his first year at San Siro, but the summer additions of Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito and Lucio took the Nerazzurri to a whole new level.

  Inter were pushed all the way in the Serie A title race by Roma, but pipped them to the post by two points after Milito's final-day winner against Siena, and finished with the best attacking and defensive records in the division. Mourinho's side also beat Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final, courtesy of more heroics from Milito, who would incredibly also prove to be the hero in the Champions League showpiece.

  Inter saw off Chelsea and CSKA Moscow before pulling off an upset for the ages against Barcelona in the semi-finals, progressing after a 1-0 loss at Camp Nou that Mourinho called "the most beautiful defeat of my life", because it wasn't enough for the Blaugrana to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Another counter-attacking masterclass would come in the final as a Milito brace fired Inter to a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich.

  It wasn't always pretty, but each and every member of the dressing room was willing to run through a brick wall for Mourinho, and that team spirit gave Inter the edge in all of the biggest games.

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  7Bayern Munich (2019-20)

  Bayern's 2019-20 season did not start well, with Niko Kovac losing his job at the start of November after a chastening 5-1 Bundesliga defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. Hansi Flick was the man tasked with lifting a Bayern team that had fallen to fourth in the table, and though he would lose two of his first four league games in charge, he soon transformed the team into an unstoppable winning machine.

  With 18 wins from their final 19 games, Bayern romped to the title, finishing 13 points clear of arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. They also downed Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the DFB-Pokal final to complete a domestic double, but that wasn't much of a surprise considering they had managed the same feat in 2018-19.

  Bayern had pulled so far ahead of the rest in German football that they were being judged mainly on their Champions League exploits. Flick's men had to win the competition to silence those who doubted their overall quality, and they did so in emphatic fashion, winning all of their games (albeit while benefiting from UEFA temporarily scrapping two-legged knockout ties due to Covid-19 pandemic).

  After dispatching Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate before that change, Bayern absolutely battered Barcelona into submission with an 8-2 win in the quarter-finals, and then saw off Lyon and PSG to lift the trophy. Flick's direct, high-intensity style of play made Bayern the footballing equivalent of a bulldozer, and Robert Lewandowski served as the wrecking ball with a staggering 55 goals across all competitions.

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  6Manchester City (2022-23)

  Man City became the most dominant team in England after Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016, but for so long Champions League success remained elusive. Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon all ended City's European dreams before they suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 final and an agonising semi-final loss to Real Madrid the following year, leaving many fans wondering if they were under some kind of curse.

  That was lifted in 2022-23, though, with Erling Haaland proving to be the final piece of the puzzle after his transfer from Dortmund. The Norwegian terminator plundered 52 goals in his debut campaign at the Etihad, including 12 in the Champions League, with City blitzing past RB Leipzig and Bayern before exacting revenge on Madrid in the last four and edging out Inter 1-0 in the final.

  As a result of their European exertions, City were not always at their best domestically, but they clicked into top gear down the home straight with 11 wins on the bounce to secure a third-successive Premier League title with three games to spare. Guardiola's all-conquering team also conceded just one goal en route to winning the FA Cup, and completely outclassed neighbours Manchester United in the final.

  City's domestic procession was too predictable for them to be any higher on this list, but they were undeniably one of the most complete sides of all time. Haaland wasn't the only one to deliver, as Kevin De Bruyne reached the pinnacle of his playmaking abilities, Rodri ran the show in a deeper role, Ruben Dias was colossal at the back and Rico Lewis and John Stones both shone in hybrid midfield roles, with Guardiola once again leading the way as a tactical innovator.

• AFP
  

  5Paris Saint-Germain (2024-25)

  Let's get this harsh truth out of the way first: PSG are by far and away the best team in the worst of Europe's top five divisions. Ligue 1's status as a 'farmer's league' was cemented this term as Luis Enrique's side finished 19 points clear of second-placed Marseille with a +57 goal difference and only two losses on their record.

  It was practically a certainty that PSG would be crowned champions again, and retain the Coupe de France, which they achieved via a comfortable final win against Reims. There's no doubt that the competitiveness in the French top-flight has suffered since the Qatari takeover at PSG some 14 years ago, but that fact will be put to one side for a while longer after their spectacular run in the Champions League.

  PSG became only the second French club to ever win the trophy, and the manner in which they dismantled Inter was nothing short of breath-taking. Simone Inzaghi's team couldn't lay a glove on PSG, who were also single-handedly responsible for busting the myth that the Premier League has become too powerful after overcoming Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa Arsenal in the earlier rounds.

  Luis Enrique created a special team after losing Kylian Mbappe, with Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho and Khivicha Kvaratskhelia all proving to be incredible signings while the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma have taken their respective games to new levels. Ligue 1's failings should not count against this ruthless, swashbuckling version of PSG, who can outplay and outwork any team.

Mandhana let a couple of chances go abegging while five others dropped a catch each

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-20230.2, Renuka to Litchfield
looks like a dropped catch! Yup, Amanjot there. Short extra cover dives to her left, and palms the ball wide of mid-off, as Litchfield gets off the mark. The length of this ball was fuller, and the line wider too, as she drove with a flat bat4.6, Renuka to Litchfield
dropped by Mandhana at mid-off! Initially it seemed that the ball fell short of her, as she dived forward, but it just about landed in her hands, which were low. Litchfield chipped this full delivery landing on off, as it went dipping towards Mandhana. More fortune going Litchfield’s way7.3, Vastrakar to Litchfield
dropped again! This time by Bhatia at first slip. Litchfield pushed at this length ball angling across towards sixth stump, but got an outside edge. Bhatia juggled the ball twice, and it eventually fell16.5, Rana to Perry
Rana gets one hand on a tough caught-and-bowled chance! It was flying over her head, she popped her right hand up and it deflected off the fingers to long-off. Fullish ball was looped up at 80ks, Perry charged down and pumped it, replays show that she tried to clobber it but the bat face closed early and it went off the inner-half.43.2, Deepti to Sutherland
Mandhana drops a sitter at midwicket She was on one foot, was turning to the right, got hands on it and almost held it before the ball popped out. Was a fullish ball outside off, Sutherland tried to whip it but it was shorter than she expected. One hand came off and it ballooned.47.2, Vastrakar to King
Harman drops it at midwicket, how many is that for the innings? It’s six, confirms Mohandas Menon. Harman lunged on both knees and tried to take it with both hands but it burst in and slid out of the thighs. It was a full ball that was flicked. Grace Harris hides her face but can’t stop the laughter.48.1, Renuka to King
Seventh drop of the day, Deepti this time! She ran in from deep midwicket, reached it and tried to take it in front. Ball took the fingers but burst through again. It was a length ball on the pad that King heaved across the line

Agni Chopra has become the first batter to score centuries in his first four first-class games after making his debut for Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy Plate League earlier this month. Chopra, 25, is the son of film critic Anupama Chopra and filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who recently made the popular movie (KC Cariappa) and Mohit Jangra,” he told PTI. “They are inclusive and welcoming and I never felt like an outsider. I have been taught a few Mizo words and phrases and I don’t feel in a vastly different place.”Chopra admits that moving from Mumbai to Mizoram in the domestic circuit would not have been a lateral move and the bowling attacks in the Plate League would not be the same. While the top 32 teams in the domestic circuit play in four groups of the Elite League, six other teams, five of which are from the north-east region, feature in the Plate League.He says his current aim is to help Mizoram qualify for the Plate League final, which will promote them to the Elite League next season.”People will say what they have to say but, at the end of the day, it’s your performance and there are lot many players who are playing in the same division and not scoring that many runs. The standard is same for everyone.”I think I am trying to be in present and my aim is to take Mizoram to Elite division. If we are in Elite division, then there is nothing to think about in terms of quality of bowling and I will play for Mizoram.”