LEEDS, England: Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka scored deep into stoppage time to earn his side a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, rifling home from a corner at the back post to salvage a valuable point after a frenetic fight-back.
It was another disappointing day for the reigning champions, who should have coasted to victory but for the defensive frailties that exposed them late on.
In the first half, Curtis Jones curled a brilliant shot that smacked off the crossbar and captain Virgil Van Dijk flashed a header over the bar in the 27th minute but, other than that, Liverpool were sluggish.
That was quickly forgotten shortly after half-time as Joe Rodon’s ill-judged pass was snapped up by Hugo Ekitike to score.
He added a second just over two minutes later when Leeds again lost the ball and Conor Bradley crossed for the 23-year-old to fire home again.
However, a penalty from Dominic Calvert-Lewin after a foul by Ibrahima Konate and a brilliantly worked goal from Anton Stach got Leeds back level in a three-minute spell, igniting the home crowd again. Dominik Szoboszlai looked to have sealed it for Liverpool with a coolly taken goal in the 80th minute, but they were pinned back late on, conceding a series of corners as Leeds pressed.
The equalizer came from a set piece as substitute Tanaka lurked at the far post, the ball dropping for him to rifle into the net six minutes into stoppage time to secure a much-needed point in their battle to avoid relegation.
The draw leaves Liverpool eighth in the table on 23 points, while Leeds move up to 16th spot with 15 points from their 15 games so far.
Tanaka on target as Leeds snatch 3-3 draw with Liverpool
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Tanaka on target as Leeds snatch 3-3 draw with Liverpool
- It was another disappointing day for the reigning champions
- The draw leaves Liverpool eighth in the table on 23 points
FIFA apologizes to Argentina coach over World Cup trophy gloves rule
- Scaloni, visibly taken aback, said that the officials did not know who he was
- “I apologize on behalf of FIFA. I didn’t know,” Infantino said
WASHINGTON: FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologized to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni after a mix-up during Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw required the coach to wear gloves to touch the trophy.
Infantino invited Scaloni to lift the Cup without gloves during a separate ceremony on Saturday.
The incident came during Friday’s draw for the tournament, set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, when organizers seemingly failed to recognize the World Cup-winning coach.
Scaloni, visibly taken aback, said that the officials did not know who he was.
Twenty four hours later, at an event to confirm the tournament’s schedule, Infantino aimed to make amends.
“I apologize on behalf of FIFA. I didn’t know,” he said, calling Scaloni on stage and presenting him with the trophy.
“Of course, the world champions can touch the Cup. I apologize, I didn’t know,” repeated Infantino, adding with a laugh, “What an outrage! It’s just that when you’re a world champion, you look younger every day.”
Argentina will open their 2026 World Cup campaign on June 16 against Austria in Kansas City. They will then face Jordan in Dallas and Algeria.
