Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells Manchester United to go all out on the attack against PSG

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has put the smile back on the face of Manchester United since he took over from Jose Mourinho. (AFP)
Updated 05 March 2019
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells Manchester United to go all out on the attack against PSG

  • United 2-0 down to French champions after first leg at Old Trafford.
  • Interim boss Solskjaer would 'rather win 4-2 than simply try for a 2-0.'

LONDON: Manchester United will not sit back and hope for an edge-of-the-seat 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised ahead of their must-win clash in the French capital tonight. 

United lost the first-leg at Old Trafford 2-0 three weeks ago to leave them staring at an early exit from the Champions League. They know a 2-0 win will take the tie into extra-time at the Parc des Princes, but rather than hope the attack does its job and the defence keeps a cleansheet, the interim coach said he wants his team to
attack from the start. 

“We can’t write games off, we’ve been fantastic away from home,” Solskjaer said. “We’re not going to go out without giving a fight.

“We’re going to go out there and enjoy the game. We know it’s a difficult place to come and they played really well at Old Trafford, so it’s a great challenge for our players to go out there and show what they can do.

“We would rather win 4-2 than try to get a 2-0. We’ve got to get to half-time better off than we are now. If you can get to 1-0 at half-time then anything can happen in the second half.”

Such has been Solskjaer’s effect on the side that it would take a fool or a PSG fan to rule out an improbable come-from-behind win for the England giants. The Norwegian has lifted the Reds into the top four of the Premier League and is hot favorite to get the job permanently. He has imbued his side with a “never say die” attitude, with Ashley Young convinced United can shock the French champions. 

“We know what we’re capable of,” Young said.

“Obviously it’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy. I’ve got every faith if we defend well and if we create chances,” he added.

 


Pakistan drop Babar and Ayub for ODI series against Bangladesh

Updated 04 March 2026
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Pakistan drop Babar and Ayub for ODI series against Bangladesh

  • The 15-member squad has six uncapped players, including opening batter Sahibzada Farhan
  • Abdul Samad, renowned for his aggressive batting in T20s, is one of the other uncapped players

ISLAMABAD: After a disappointing T20 World Cup, Pakistan have dropped seasoned batter Babar Azam and allrounder Saim Ayub for next week’s ODI series in Bangladesh.
The 15-member squad has six uncapped players, including opening batter Sahibzada Farhan, who topped the batting charts at the T20 World Cup with 383 runs. However, Farhan hasn’t played a 50-over game at domestic level since October 2024.
The selectors also dropped allrounders Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, but surprisingly kept T20 captain Salman Ali Agha in the ODI squad after he scored only 60 runs at the T20 World Cup.
Abdul Samad, renowned for his aggressive batting in T20s, is one of the other uncapped players along with Shamyl Hussain, a 21-year-old opening batter, and Maaz Sadaqat. Ghazi Ghori is the backup wicketkeeper-batter as Pakistan recalled former ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan for the tour.
Mohammad Wasim and Haris Rauf are the two fast bowlers alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, who will continue to lead the ODI team. Legspinner Abrar Ahmed will be frontline spinner with left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram the other option.
The three-match series will be played from March 11-15 with Dhaka hosting all the games.
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Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shamyl Hussain.