Football

PRINCE William and his son George showed a rollercoaster of emotions as they watched Aston Villa’s Champions League quarter-final with PSG in Paris.The Prince of Wales was seen wildly celebrating and hugging his son, 11 after Villa’s Morgan Rogers first-half goal.Prince William and son George celebrated wildly as Aston Villa scored against PSG last nightThe Prince of Wales was pictured punching the air and hugging George as he celebrated Morgan Rogers first-half goalThe Prince has been in the crowd for three of Aston Villa’s European fixtures this seasonBut later, the older Prince was seen with his head in his hands as three spectacular goals gave the French side a 3-1 victory to take to Villa Park next week.Ahead of kick-off the younger Prince said he ‘wearing his lucky clothes’ before the tie at Parc Des Princes.George was seen wearing a blue jumper above a shirt and a black jacket, which was accompanied by a Villa scarf.And minutes before the game started his dad  gave an interview to TNT Sport, in which he admitted to be “pretty terrified” ahead of the clash.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLThe Prince of Wales said bringing Prince George to Aston Villa’s crunch game was a “big deal”, as he spoke to pundits Ally McCoist and Rio Ferdinand.When asked if he was nervous, he said: “I’m pretty terrified. It’s been a while coming this, so it’s a big game. “43 years since the last time this happened, a big European night for Villa.”So yeah, I’m nervous, but I’m confident, but also excited by the whole prospect.”Most read in Champions LeagueAsked in the interview ahead of the match, William was asked whether he was on a “lads tour” whilst at the game – when he jokingly admitted that he would be on his “best behaviour” because he had George with him.He replied: “Well, I’ve got my son here as well, so I’m on my best behaviour as well. “But I thought, you know what? It’s been 43 years since anything like this has happened in my generation as a Villa fan, and I want George to experience a night out away from home in a big European competition.”William told the pundits that he was predicting a 2-1 victory for underdogs Villa.The royal hugged some of Villa’s players, including Marco Asensio and England international Marcus Rashford, as they came out of the dressing room.William was in the crowd for Villa’s victory over Bayern Munich earlier in the competition and away to Monaco in January.Prince William said he was “pretty terrified” before the clashCredit: GettyThe Prince of Wales said he would be on his “best behaviour”Credit: GettyThe Prince of Wales shows his frustration as his beloved Villa fall behind in the first legPrince William also impressed fans with his pre-game punditry for Aston Villa vs PSG More

THE comparisons with David Beckham were obvious once Declan Rice bent in two long-range free-kicks to demolish the champions of Europe.Arsenal’s £105million man had kept his dead-ball prowess pretty quiet during the first 405 games of his professional career.Declan Rice can bend it like Beckham and he should follow his path by becoming England captainCredit: EPABecks skippered the Three Lions on 59 occasionsCredit: ReutersBut in his 406th, in a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, came an extraordinary one-two to surpass even old Goldenballs.Rice should be emulating Beckham in more ways than one. He should be captaining England, for starters.The idea that there are ‘no leaders’ and ‘no talkers’ in modern football is always overstated. And such sentiment certainly ignores Rice.Thomas Tuchel was so convinced England lacked leadership that he controversially recalled the 34-year-old Jordan Henderson when he named his first squad as Three Lions boss last month.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut why hark back to Henderson when you’ve got Rice?It has often been difficult to pin down Rice’s best position.He emerged at West Ham as a teenage centre-half, has generally been used as a midfield anchorman by England but is more of a box-to-box, Bryan Robson ‘Captain Marvel’ type at Arsenal. And never more so than on Tuesday night as the 15-time European champions were skewered.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSRice scored two spectacular free-kicks against Real MadridBut what has never been in any doubt is that Rice is a leader of men.At West Ham, he learned that concept from Mark Noble, one of the Premier League’s finest captains and one-club men.’Give me your right foot please’ – Crocked Arsenal star issues plea to Declan Rice in dressing room after stunning goalsAt 26, Rice possesses the force of personality, the team ethic and the ability to lead by example — the key characteristics of a great captain.He is one of the most likeable men in the game, a hugely popular figure for club and country.The former Irishman has certainly been on kissing terms with the Blarney Stone.He speaks with candour and humour in the media, while in the dressing room he is both a setter of standards and a shoulder to cry on.Oh, and what better way of showing leadership than by winning an argument with three of his team-mates to take a free-kick from the best part of 30 yards — then bending it round the Real wall, twice in the space of 12 minutes?Rice should be emulating Beckham in more ways than one. He should be captaining England, for starters.Rice is a more obvious captain than either Beckham, who skippered England 59 times, or the current long-serving incumbent Harry Kane.Henderson, when his form earned him a place in the team, was England’s true captain — as we learned during the behind-closed-doors era when his hectoring of team-mates was all too apparent.Kane is a leader by example but no rabble-rouser on the pitch or in the dressing room.Rice, however, fits the bill. When Gareth Southgate handed him the captaincy for the night to mark his 50th England cap against Belgium last year, Rice spoke with such passion and alacrity that it seemed only a matter of time before he succeeded Kane as the permanent skipper.He lifted West Ham’s first major trophy in more than four decades in the 2023 Conference League final against Fiorentina — his final match before that ‘half price’ move to the Emirates.And at Arsenal, Rice is also the most obvious man to wear the armband, too.Martin Odegaard, who has been Mikel Arteta’s skipper for three seasons, is a quiet man who is struggling for form and might benefit from a lightening of the load.The idea that there are ‘no leaders’ and ‘no talkers’ in modern football is always overstated. And such sentiment certainly ignores Rice.Even during that historic victory over his former club Real, Odegaard struggled to make much of a personal impact.The Norwegian has lost his rhythm, his instinctive ability to pick out the right pass, since an early-season injury.Rice and Odegaard are the same age, but the Londoner is the man who so often urges Arsenal on, with words and deeds.Odegaard and Saka both ceded to Rice during a lengthy conflab before the first of those two extraordinary free-kicks.Read More on The SunHere was a bloke who had never scored a direct free-kick in his 405 previous matches, managing to convince his team-mates that he could ping one in from 30 yards against Real Madrid.And if that isn’t leadership ability, I don’t know what is. More

THIS wasn’t what we usually think of when it comes to a romantic trip to Paris in the springtime. Blood, sweat, tears, bruised bodies and dogged defensive spirit. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sunk Aston Villa hearts in Paris with a stunning goalCredit: ReutersMorgan Rogers had fired Villa into a surprise leadCredit: GettyBut PSG wonderkid Desire Doue equalised four minutes laterCredit: APNuno Mendes added a devastating third for the hosts in injury timeCredit: ReutersPrince William and his son George were in the house to watch the gameCredit: APIn front of the next two kings of England – Princes William and George – Unai Emery’s workaholic Aston Villa suffered an injury-time sucker punch from Nuno Mendes, which turned this Champions League quarter-final significantly in favour of Paris Saint Germain.For so long, Villa kept PSG – one of the most potent attacking forces on the planet – down to a single-goal lead ahead of next Tuesday’s return leg. But in the final seconds, Mendes drilled past Emi Martinez, leaving Villa with a serious mountain to scale.They will bring the noise at Villa Park – they always do at one of English football’s loudest venues – and the prospect of an all-English semi-final against another of Emery’s former clubs, Arsenal, still isn’t beyond them. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAfter Morgan Rogers fired Villa into a shock first-half lead, Desire Doue and Khvichka Kvaratskhelia hammered home excellent strikes either side of the break. But Luis Enrique’s men were unable to make their dominance count to the full, unable to put Villa to the sword and make the second leg a formality.PSG had three-quarters of the ball as they peppered Villa’s goal but Emery’s men gritted their teeth and held out right up until those final seconds. Martinez, the bete noire of all France after his antics during and after the 2022 World Cup Final, was the first Villa player out to take the heat from the local ultras who swore at him in Spanish. Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKVilla’s supporters hailed their man as ‘the world’s No 1’ as they enjoyed their club’s most high-profile match in more than four decades. Prince William was in the house, Villa’s most famous fan offering some pretty decent pre-match tactical analysis of the Paris high press to TNT Sports.  Prince William and George were all smiles after Rogers’ goalCredit: TNT SportBut the PSG comeback left William with his head in his handsCredit: RexPSG arrived here after confirming another Ligue 1 title and having dispatched Liverpool on penalties in an epic last-16 tie. Villa were on the back of seven straight wins in all competitions and Emery opted for Marcus Rashford, ahead of Ollie Watkins, at centre-forward with his prolific PSG loanee Marco Asensio starting on the bench. Right from the off it felt as if this was going to be a night for Villa to graft and slog, with PSG pinning them back.  Martinez, whose every touch was met with derision, was forced into a smart save early on – pushing away an Ousmane Dembele shot after Boubacar Kamara had escaped a penalty appeal for a challenge on Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian, known as ‘Kvaradona’ at his former club Napoli, has an extraordinary ability to dribble at express pace and Matty Cash was soon booked for hauling him down. Yet after sucking up 35 minutes of almost relentless pressure, Villa broke away and scored a classy team goal. John McGinn, the skipper with the bullish physique and the dog-of-war spirit, won a thundering tackle to dispossess Mendes and released Rashford with a diagonal ball.The Manchester United loanee fed Youri Tielemans, who squared for Rogers to apply the finish, with PSG stretched to breaking point. Those travelling Villa fans in the corner went ballistic but the lead would last for only four minutes.After Martinez had made a scrambling save, a corner was cleared only as far as Doue, who bent a sumptuous shot into the top corner to give Villa’s Argentinian keeper no chance. Before half-time Rashford skinned Ashraf Hakimi down the left but couldn’t provide the final ball. At half-time, Emery replaced Cash with Axel Disasi but the incoming right-back was handed a baptism of flames from Kvaratskhelia. Within four minutes of the restart, the Georgian turned the on-loan Chelsea inside, then outside before he leathered home a shot which beat Martinez at his near post and almost burst the roof of the net. The pattern of the match continued – an attack v defence drill in which Villa frequently employed six men strung across the back, interspersed with occasional counter-attacks. The dancing feet of Doue and Kvaratskhelia provided constant peril for Villa, the two men combining to set up Hakimi, whose shot was pushed away by Martinez.At this point, Emery introduced Asensio against his parent club but the Spaniard was seeing little of the ball. Soon, Martinez was beaten at his near post again, this time by Hakimi, but the full-back had been flagged narrowly offside. It was seat-of-the-pants stuff for the visitors, desperate to keep the deficit down to a single goal. Read More on The SunEmery made a triple change, with Watkins replacing Rashford as part of it. But deep in injury time, Mendes rounded Martinez and thumped home the third to give PSG a major advantage. 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