Real Madrid wins Champions League final marred by crowd chaos
Paris(AP): Yet another Champions League title for Real Madrid, the undisputed king of Europe. Yet another showpiece European soccer game tarnished by chaotic crowd issues and disorder.
Madrid became European champion for a record-extending 14th time double the number of any other team on the continent after beating Liverpool 1-0 in a final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing scenes outside the Stade de France on Saturday.
It evoked memories of the violence that marred the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium 10 months ago.
Brazil winger Vin cius J nior was the match-winner, applying a close-range finish in the 59th minute from Federico Valverde's drive across the face of goal, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois took just as many plaudits by making breathtaking saves by Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
"Today nobody was going to get in my way," Courtois said.
"I was going to win a Champions League no matter what."
It gave Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti a fourth European Cup title, the most ever for a manager in the competition's history, and completed the Champions League-La Liga double for a Spanish giant for whom winning titles is ingrained in its culture.
And this time, there was no need for the kind of stirring comeback that Madrid had to produce in getting past Paris Saint-Germain, defending champion Chelsea and Manchester City in the knockout stage. It might go down as the most grueling run to the title in the long history of the competition
"We are the best," Madrid striker Karim Benzema said.
"It was a very difficult competition for us and we deserved to win this final. With all the history this team has, we showed everyone that we are always here."
Liverpool's players finished a season that promised so much a week ago, it was in contention for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies with just the two domestic cups in England to show for their efforts. They lost out on the Premier League title by one point last weekend and the Champions League to a Madrid team that had one shot on target in the final.
Playing its 64th game of the season, Liverpool just couldn't find a way past Courtois, who tipped Mane's first-half shot onto the post and produced an even better save to turn away Salah's effort in the 81st.
It's unfathomable that Liverpool, which owns one of the most devastating attacks in world soccer, has failed to score a single goal in its three cup finals this season. The Reds won the FA Cup and League Cup via penalty shootouts after 0-0 draws after extra time.
"In the dressing room, nobody feels it was a great season at the moment," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
Liverpool's players stayed on the field to watch Marcelo, Madrid's serial winner of trophies who didn't even play a minute of the final, given the honour of lifting the trophy to a backdrop of fireworks and tickertape.
Marcelo is one of a slew of Madrid players to capture a fifth Champions League title, just one off the record held by Francisco Gento, a Madrid great from the 1950s and '60s.
For many, especially Liverpool fans, pre-match crowd problems overshadowed this final, though, and are sure to be the focus of an investigation by UEFA and authorities in the coming days.
Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at Liverpool supporters forced to wait in long lines to get into the biggest club game of the European season, whose kickoff was delayed.
UEFA blamed the chaos on people trying to get into the stadium without legitimate tickets.
"In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles," UEFA said in a statement.
Some fans climbed fences surrounding the stadium to get in. Others barged their way past security and sprinted onto the concourse before getting wrestled to the ground.
Riot police with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent pockets of fans forcing their way into the stadium.
"I've got really bad asthma and I've been tear gassed twice," Liverpool fan Angela Murphy told The Associated Press through a fence. "I'm really struggling.
About 15 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of 9 pm local time, an announcement was made that there would be a delay. It was greeted by jeers inside the stadium.
Liverpool said it was "hugely disappointed" with the security issues experienced by its fans which were reminiscent of last summer outside Wembley before the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy. That was largely due to England fans aggressively trying to get into their home stadium.
"I know families had real struggles to get into the stadium," Klopp said.
"We will leave it for the investigation to figure out ... Obviously it was pretty tricky out there."
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Prez Murmu urges families to encourage women to speak up about their health issues
Bengaluru, Jan 3: President Droupadi Murmu urged people on Friday to encourage women in their households to openly discuss their health-related issues.
Many times, women in a family do not receive timely diagnosis and treatment for their health issues. This may be due to traditional mindsets where addressing their health concerns is not a priority for the family, including the women themselves. Such delays, especially in cases of cancer, can be critical, said Murmu, delivering the key-note speech after inaugurating KLE Cancer Hospital in Belagavi.
She also emphasised that society, as a whole, needs to take women's health more seriously and actively contribute to their care, ensuring they receive timely and appropriate treatment.
Murmu highlighted a global study identifying cancer as a leading cause of death worldwide.
In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths globally. In India, the incidence of cancer is approximately 100 cases for every one lakh people, she said.
She mentioned that, according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the incidence of cancer in India is expected to increase by about 13 per cent in 2025 compared to 2020.
The setting up of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Belagavi is a significant step toward providing specialised cancer treatment and palliative care to the people, Murmu said.
She also said that according to a globally respected medical journal, there has been a significant improvement in the timely initiation of cancer treatment due to the Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana.
The duration between cancer diagnosis and the beginning of treatment has been reduced compared to the period before the launch of this scheme, particularly for low-income groups, Murmu added.
Now that the scope of the scheme has been expanded to include all senior citizens aged 70 and above, Murmu said this will further help senior citizens access affordable healthcare services for various diseases, including cancer.
The President also underscored the need for greater awareness regarding the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
"We come across many cases where, either due to the ignorance of the patient and family or financial constraints, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are delayed. In the case of cancer, this can prove fatal," Murmu said.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi, who was also present, spoke about the origins of KLE Society in Belagavi.
"It was seven school teachers who came together nearly 100 years ago, contributing from their meagre salaries to start the KLE (Karnataka Lingayat Education) Society," he said.
Today, it has grown into a massive institution, running over 300 establishments engaged in education, healthcare, and research across Karnataka and Maharashtra, he added, expressing gratitude to the President for inaugurating the cancer hospital in Belagavi.
There was no full-fledged cancer hospital in this region, and people had to travel to Bengaluru for treatment, he added.
