Don’t attack with Barcelona, Barcelona beat Newcastle 7-2
In the early morning of March 19th, Beijing time, Barcelona returned to home to face Newcastle in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
In the first half, Newcastle equalized the score twice after falling behind twice. Yamal scored a penalty kick in injury time to give Barcelona a 3-2 lead;
In the second half, Barcelona showed off its power and scored four goals in a row. In the end, Barcelona completed a 7-2 victory at home, with a total score of 8-3 in the two rounds to advance to the top 8.
Rafinha has 2 goals and 2 assists in this game, and he scored a hat trick in the last La Liga game against Sevilla. The last Barcelona player to be involved in a total of 7 goals in 2 consecutive games was Messi. The latter scored a hat trick against Betis in March 2019 and had 2 goals and 2 assists against Lyon.
"This was a difficult game, and we knew the opponent was a very physical team. They are very strong and have amazing strength. I knew their strength when I played in the Premier League." The Brazilian attacker said after the game that he believed the team's performance in the second half was much better.
Lewandowski also scored two goals in this game, bringing his number of goals in the Champions League to 109. "I am very happy with every Champions League goal I have scored, even the one I did not score in this game. I think if I feel good and have enough confidence, I can seize the opportunity to score."
He admitted that the starting opportunity is particularly important now. "As long as you can participate in the game, you can score a goal at some point to open up the situation, and you will always find an opportunity. That's the case today. Keep trying and working hard. I have to do my job for the team, because we are a collective and we have goals for the season to achieve."
Barcelona coach Flick thought the first half was very difficult after the game, "We knew they would press hard and they did a very good job of one-on-one defense. After we scored the first goal, the game became ups and downs. When the third goal came, I was very happy."
"Our strategy has been to advance gradually, but we lost the ball many times. Because Newcastle is very fast, it is not easy to defend. I asked the players to be more precise at halftime and press Newcastle at the back, and this strategy worked well."
According to the schedule, Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. In this season's Copa del Rey semi-finals, Barcelona was eliminated by Atletico Madrid 0-4/3-0. In the league, Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1 at home. Regarding the game against Atletico Madrid, Flick said, "The next round of games will also look very difficult. We have to take it step by step, one game at a time. This is what we did last season and we will continue to do this this season."
4-0 win, Liverpool reverse Galatasaray and advance to quarterfinals
In the early morning of March 19th, Beijing time, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Liverpool returned to home against Galatasaray.
Szobosroy broke the deadlock in the first half and Salah missed a penalty kick;
In the second half, Ekitic, Hrafenbeek and Salah scored successively. In the end, the Red Army clocked out early in the 62nd minute and completed a 4-0 victory over the Turkish Super League giants. The total score of the two rounds was 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
After losing in the first round of the Champions League knockout rounds, Liverpool reversed and advanced in the second round. This is the third time in Liverpool's history that they have done this. The previous two were against Chelsea in 2007 and Barcelona in 2019. Liverpool will face defending champion Paris in the quarter-finals. This will be the third knockout match between the two giants in the European competition. The previous two were the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals in the 1996-1997 season and the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2024-2025 season. Interestingly, Paris has successfully advanced in both previous series against Liverpool.
"Last season against Paris, we were completely suppressed on the road. Although we played well at Anfield, we lost on penalties. Their level has never declined. This team is already too strong to go further, and their performance so far is still very good." Regarding this game with Paris, Liverpool coach Slott did not show any timidity in an interview. "After seeing our performance tonight, Paris should not want to meet us. Last season, we were the only team that dragged them into overtime and penalty shootouts."
According to media statistics, Salah became the first African player to score 50 goals in the Champions League, including 47 goals for Liverpool, 2 goals for Basel, and 1 goal for Roma. Ekitic said in an interview after the game, "He is a legend. Some people say that Salah is not in good form this season, but for those of us who have followed him for many years, he got a lot of opportunities tonight. He still used his excellent vision to provide me with wonderful assists and help me score."
Wirtz created 8 scoring opportunities against Galatasaray, which is the highest number of opportunities created by a Liverpool player in a single Champions League game in the past 10 seasons. "We deserved to advance. We performed well tonight and could have won 10-0, but missed some chances. We still did well and should be proud and look forward to the quarter-finals."
Ekitic said, "We needed this result. We missed a penalty kick at the end of the first half. I was thinking in the locker room at halftime that we must continue to perform like this. I got a chance to score today and could have scored more goals. We played very relaxedly in this game and everyone performed well and ran for each other. This is why we won."
Tottenham won and were eliminated, the Premier League team was brutally defeated by La Liga
In the early morning of March 19th, Beijing time, Tottenham faced Atletico Madrid at home in the second round of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Muani and Simmons helped Tottenham take the lead twice, and the visiting team Alvarez and Hanzke equalized the score;
Simmons scored a penalty kick in stoppage time. Tottenham beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at home and won their first victory since January 28, ending their eight-game winless streak in all competitions. But the 2-5 score in the first round still saw them eliminated with a total score of 5-7.
After the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Premier League dropped from six teams in the top 16 to only two teams, while all three La Liga teams advanced on the Premier League teams – Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-0, 2-1, Barcelona eliminated Newcastle United 1-1, 7-2, and Atletico Madrid eliminated Tottenham 5-2, 2-3. In six games, the La Liga team achieved 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
In another quarter-final second leg match in the early morning of March 19, Bayern returned home and defeated Atlanta 4-1 again. The total score of the two rounds was 10-2 to advance. Bayern will face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. So far, all the Champions League quarter-finals have been played – Paris vs. Liverpool, Real Madrid vs. Bayern, Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid, and Sporting CP vs. Arsenal.
Bayern Sports Director Eberl was asked about an embarrassing record of the team – Bayern has not won against Real Madrid since 2012. In this regard, Eberl said: "It's time!" Coach Kompany said that both teams are very strong. "I hope we can give the fans a wonderful knockout match. Real Madrid is the best team in the history of the Champions League, so this will be a difficult task for us."
"It all means a lot to both clubs. It doesn't matter which team is better right now, the history of both clubs and the talent of the players on the field is very special. We are looking forward to a fantastic game and I hope that even neutral fans can appreciate this game. Of course, in the end what we want is to win and advance."
Shanghai men's basketball team beats Shandong to win eight consecutive games
On the evening of March 18th, Beijing time, in the 27th round of the CBA League regular season, the Shanghai Men’s Basketball Team faced Shandong Express at home. In this game, the Shanghai Men's Basketball Team sent out a starting lineup of Goodwin, Li Hongquan, Zhang Zhenlin, Lofton, and Wang Zhelin.
In the first quarter, Lofton hit a free throw to score the first point for the Sharks. Shandong Express responded by scoring 4 points in a row. Goodwin scored 5 points with a sudden outside shot. Wang Zhelin scored against a tough defense. Zhang Zhenlin and Wang Zhelin scored consecutive dunks to stop the opponent. After the timeout, Goodwin made two free throws, Li Hongquan received an assist and dunked with both hands, Wang Zhelin hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc, Shandong Expressway scored 6 points in a row to close the gap, Lofton broke through and made a layup, and Fogg scored 6 points with consecutive shots and free throws. After the first quarter, Shanghai 29-25 Shandong.
In the second quarter, Whiteside scored a free throw, Li Yongwei hit a mid-range shot, Tao Hanlin responded with two points, and Whiteside scored 4 points in a row inside. Li Tianrong scored 5 points in a row with a sudden inside and outside shot, Goodwin succeeded in a fast break layup, Lofton scored from the basket, Li Tianrong hit a three-pointer from the outside, and Wang Zhelin scored consecutive dunks to widen the point difference to double digits. Subsequently, Goodwin and Lofton scored 12 points together, and Zhang Zhenlin scored 5 points inside and outside. At halftime, Shanghai 70 to Shandong.
In the third quarter, Wang Zhelin scored a tip-in, Gao Shiyan responded with a three-pointer, Goodwin succeeded in a layup, and Li Hongquan made a three-pointer from the bottom corner. Li Tianrong scored a layup, Johnson responded with two points, Li Hongquan hit another three-pointer, and Whiteside scored 3 points with consecutive free throws. At the end of the quarter, the Shanghai team's offense came to a standstill, and Shandong Hi-Speed seized the opportunity to close the gap with a 14-2 run. At the end of the third quarter, Shanghai Jiushi beat Shandong Expressway 87 to 78.
In the fourth quarter, Li Tianrong hit a three-pointer from the corner, Tao Hanlin responded with a two-point layup, Wang Zhelin hit a mid-range jumper, and Goodwin and Li Tianrong hit three-pointers successively. After the timeout, Li Tianrong felt hot and scored 5 points in a row, widening the point difference to double digits again. Wang Zhelin scored a layup, Goodwin scored a tough 2+1 under the basket, and Zhang Zhenlin scored 4 points in a row inside. At the end of the game, Shanghai beat Shandong 112 to 96, winning eight consecutive games in the regular season. Currently, the Shanghai team ranks first in the CBA standings with a record of 23 wins and 4 losses.
In terms of player statistics, Goodwin had 24 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, Li Tianrong had 21 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Wang Zhelin had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist, Lofton had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal, and Zhang Zhenlin had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Head coach Lu Wei thought after the game, "First of all, our entire team attaches great importance to this game, because the Shandong team is currently one of the top four teams in the league. Overall, I felt that our offense throughout the game, especially in the first half, was smoother than in the previous games." But he also said, "But to be honest, several players still showed signs of slacking off in their thinking, so they kept letting the opponent chase the score to single digits. I asked everyone to tighten their minds, bring back the rhythm of offense and defense, and finally won the game."
Zhou Qihao qualified for the London World Table Tennis Championships team competition
According to Xinhua News Agency, on March 18, Beijing time, the Chinese table tennis men's team, which is undergoing closed training in Chengdu, held the second stage of the first team selection of the 2026 London World Table Tennis Championships team competition. Zhou Qihao won this selection and qualified for the competition.
Xu Yingbin, who won the first stage of the competition and entered the knockout round, entered the second stage of competition with Xiang Peng, Liang Jingkun, Zhou Qihao, Wen Ruibo, Chen Yuanyu, Chen Junsong, and Huang Youzheng. The knockout round will be drawn based on the latest world rankings, using a best-of-five-game system. The winner will lock in the qualification for the World Table Tennis Championships team competition.
Xiang Peng, Wen Ruibo, Zhou Qihao and Chen Junsong won the first round. In the semifinals, Wen Ruibo defeated Xiang Peng 3-1, and Zhou Qihao defeated Chen Junsong 3-1. In the final, Zhou Qihao defeated Wen Ruibo 3-1 and won the men's team's first trial championship.
In the follow-up, the men's team will confirm the participation status with the players based on the actual competition training, then set up an in-team tryout, and finally determine all participating quotas based on the evaluation of the coaching staff. Chen Xingtong won the women's team trials held earlier this month and qualified for the competition. The women's team will also hold team trials at a later date based on the training situation, and determine the final lineup based on World Cup results.
The London World Table Tennis Championships team competition will be held from April 28 to May 10.
AERO GLIDE 4 GRVL mixed-terrain running shoes.
Salomon Salomon releases spring series of diverse shoes and clothing combinations
Recently, Salomon, a French professional outdoor sports brand, officially released AERO GLIDE 4 GRVL mixed-road running shoes and FALCON FLY's second spring series of competition training running clothes, jointly building a footwear and clothing product matrix that combines professional performance with trendy style and outdoor lifestyle expression. Centered around the pioneering running aesthetics led by GRVL and FALCON FLY's "reconstructed running clothing imagination", Linking real diverse runners with a comprehensively upgraded pioneering running lifestyle, it continues to inject power into the return of Salomon's professional footwear and apparel matrix to the high-end road running market.
Through AERO GLIDE 4 GRVL and FALCON FLY's diverse shoe and apparel combinations, Salomon extends the spirit of exploration from the mountains to urban life scenes, breaking the constraints of terrain and conventional form constraints, allowing running to be integrated into the rhythm of daily life.
The concept represented by Salomon's new GRVL series is leading a new expression of road running. The world's first GravelShanghai Unfixed Route Challenge will be launched in Xintiandi, Shanghai in September 2025. The all-road running experience advocated by the brand combines outdoor authenticity and urban exploration. With the core concept of "pioneer, breakthrough, and no limitations", it shuttles through diverse terrains and real perceptions, giving running more imagination. The GRVL series not only represents a running method that breaks through the limitations of terrain and form, but also is a symbol of the brand's pioneering running aesthetics – under the design language that coexists performance and trendy style, the diverse running culture is naturally integrated into the context of urban life, and you can build your own life rhythm through unrestricted exploration.
FALCON FLY spring series of competition training running clothes.
also. Continuing the "ski racing DNA" and "pioneering spirit" derived from the brand's genes in the first series of FALCON FLY's high-end competitive training running clothes, FALCON FLY's new spring series focuses on three major themes: reconstructing the light experience, reconstructing the running suit scene, and reconstructing the running suit design. It reconstructs the imagination of spring training and running suits and helps runners start lightly in spring training and go as fast as they want.
The FALCON FLY spring series uses lightweight breathable fabrics with Polygiene® antibacterial technology to resist the sweat of spring running training, bringing a light and breathable body feel and maintaining a comfortable and dry running experience at different speeds. The overall design style follows the conceptual design language of speed presented in the first series, with functional details such as hidden pockets and adjustable cuff hems, showing the dynamic posture of runners who constantly break through the pace and keep moving forward during training.
This series is also equipped with a multi-scenario running clothing system, which provides a clear path to choose from for warm-up, training, and post-run relaxation to create multiple scenarios throughout a runner's daily life. The pre-run/post-run suit uses three layers of windproof and waterproof fabrics to calmly cope with the changeable weather in spring. It is equipped with underarm mesh design and laser perforation on the back to improve breathability, and connects to more life training scenes with a comfortable and light wearing feel.
In the future, Salomon will continue to delve into China's high-end road running market with a product matrix of shoes and apparel that combines professional performance with outdoor lifestyle aesthetics. Upgrading from a single product to a complete equipment system, it continues to expand the boundaries of innovation around more diverse running scenarios, conveys the brand's unique pioneering running aesthetics, and provides Chinese runners with more professional and cutting-edge outdoor road running products and experiences.
