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A record-breaking semi-final – the antidote to modern football?

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Every once in a while a match comes along that reminds us all why football is referred to as the beautiful game.

Paris St-Germain's record-breaking 5-4 Champions League semi-final first-leg victory over Bayern Munich was one such occasion.

It was the highest scoring semi-final since Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers 6-3 in the 1959-60 European Cup – and will live long in the memory.

Not for its tactical genius or calculated gameplans, but for two sides with remarkable attacking quality and throwing everything at it in the hope of securing a place in next month's final in Budapest.

In a campaign where set-pieces have become king, defensive interventions are celebrated like goals and the long throw-in has made a comeback, this was a refreshing reminder that simply scoring more goals than your opponent can be the key to success.

Bayern twice took the lead in a breathless first half, but defending European champions PSG came back in thrilling style to gain a three-goal advantage at 5-2 and surely put one foot in the showpiece.

But the German champions showed their tenacity and talent to reduce the deficit to one and ensure they remain in the tie for next week's return leg in Munich.

As pundits and fans celebrated an extraordinary advert for the game, PSG boss Luis Enrique enjoyed it too.

"It was amazing. I think it was the best match I have ever managed as a coach," he said.

"It had amazing rhythm, trying to play offensive football, trying to show their quality. I think everybody had fun watching the match. I'm happy because we won."

PSG edge Bayern in record nine-goal semi-final first leg

The tone was set for a dazzling European encounter when both sets of fans unfurled giant tifos before kick-off – PSG's was emblazoned with the words 'the conquest of Europe', while the visitors' banner urged their side to 'give everything'.

In a chaotic opening 45 minutes at the Parc des Princes, both sides did just that.

It was fitting the two top-scoring sides in the Champions League this season put five goals on the scoreboard in a mesmerising, end-to-end opening period.

Harry Kane's penalty was cancelled out by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's clinical finish, before Joao Neves' glancing header and Michael Olise's moment of individual brilliance left the sides level.

Many will suggest the PSG penalty, awarded after Bayern defender Alphonso Davies was deemed to have handled an Ousmane Dembele cross in the box, was harsh. Dembele calmly converted to give PSG a 3-2 lead at the break.

But the controversial incident was ultimately overshadowed by what pundits called one of the greatest halves of football they had ever witnessed.

Former England captain Alan Shearer said on Amazon Prime: "I can't stop smiling at how open and bonkers this game is.

"It's one of the greatest games I've ever been to. Two teams that believe in their own ability to outscore their opponent."

The chaos continued after the break with PSG building a three-goal cushion, again through Kvaratskhelia and Dembele, leaving some to wonder if the outcome had been settled.

But Bayern were unwilling to let the chance of a first Champions League title since 2020 get away from them as they fought back in fearsome fashion.

Goals from Dayot Upamecano and Diaz were met with stunned silence from the home fans and no further response from the PSG players as the hosts finished with a slim advantage.

"I have been managing for more than 15 years, and I have to say it was the most exciting [match]," added Luis Enrique.

"It is important to show that that is the way to try to play football. OK, we are not happy as a coach when you concede four goals, but I'm happy because we won."

It was the first time in any major European semi-final that both sides had scored at least four goals, and just the second time in a Champions League knockout match after Chelsea and Liverpool drew 4-4 in the 2008-09 quarter-final.

With PSG netting 43 goals and Bayern 42, it was also the first time two teams have each scored more than 40 times in a Champions League campaign.

In a match littered with fascinating battles, it was ultimately a showdown between Europe's two most potent attacking line-ups.

For PSG, there was the composure and speed of Vitinha, the incisive passes and clinical finishing of Dembele and the moments of Kvaratskhelia magic.

Bayern had the electrifying ability of Olise, the explosive energy of Diaz and the ruthlessness of Kane. The trio have netted more than 100 goals between them across all competitions this season.

But at times, defences could be called into question.

Bayern's full-throttle approach in the second half left them exposed at the back and PSG duly punished them, while the Ligue 1 side appeared stunned as the visitors pulled back two goals, unable to believe they had not put the tie to bed.

Bayern boss Vincent Kompany admitted: "We suffered but we were dangerous. Five goals away from home in the Champions League normally means you're out but the chances we had, made us believe.

"I've seen a lot of good defending today but the game is such fine margins, you either go full into the battles, or retreat fully. The in-between doesn't work against that level of players."

Kane also praised his side's defence, despite it being the first time Bayern had conceded five goals in the competition since 1994-95.

But former England forward Wayne Rooney disagreed with the sentiment as he added: "I love Harry Kane but there is no way he can be praising his defenders. The defending from both teams was really bad, I think he is being modest there."

While this was the opposite to the style many fans have become weary of this season – defensive set-ups and an over-reliance on set-pieces – it is perhaps unlikely to be replicated in Wednesday's second semi-final between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Two sides who pride themselves on their defensive resilience, and more likely to be found holding out for a late goal than playing heavy metal football, will have watched this match with caution.

Chances from open play have been tough to come by for the Gunners this season and a battle to see who can outscore who may not fall in their favour.

But they know they can rely on their defensive strengths and that may prove crucial to preventing a chaotic final.

"Ask the goalkeepers if they were happy with the scoreline," said former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf. "We've seen teams like Arsenal getting so many clean sheets and making a difference.

"If there is a team that could bring it home, it could be them."

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Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cp3pd2kgy76o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Should I Marry a Murderer? – the love story that uncovered a killer

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What would you do if the person you love told you they had killed a man?

It's easy to imagine you would act rationally, morally and without hesitation but Should I Marry a Murderer?, Netflix's new true crime documentary, suggests that in real life, love complicates everything.

In 2017, drink-driver Alexander McKellar – known as Sandy – struck and killed charity cyclist Tony Parsons in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. McKellar and his twin brother Robert then buried Parsons' body.

It lay there undiscovered for three years until McKellar's new girlfriend, Dr Caroline Muirhead, found out the truth and led police to the shallow grave.

When director Josh Allott first heard of the story he "couldn't believe it was real".

"I thought it was the plot of a drama and it couldn't happen to anyone in real life."

Series producer Clare Beavis, who was aware of the case as it unfolded because it had "had a big impact in Scotland" says that the "missing part of how the story was reported was Muirhead's testimony and her account of events".

The series opens with Muirhead reeling from a difficult break-up before meeting McKellar on Tinder in the autumn of 2020, sparking a whirlwind romance that within weeks lead to an engagement.

Shortly after their engagement, she asked him if there was anything in his past which may affect their future together.

He told her that a few years before he had hit a cyclist as he drove home from a hotel with his brother, but did not seek medical assistance.

It was later revealed that Parsons' injuries were so extensive that he would only have survived for 20 or 30 minutes without help – but it was unlikely that he had died instantly.

The twins left the area and came back to the site in another car before taking Parsons' body to the nearby Auch Estate, where they buried him.

The revelation threw Muirhead into a conflicted position, torn between loyalty and doing the right thing.

For Allott, it was that emotional and moral tension that made the story impossible to ignore.

"The dilemma is impossible not to imagine in your own relationship, it makes you think about what would you do in her position as it's a terrifying, nightmare scenario."

Muirhead reported the crime to the police but what she did next is what makes the story so extraordinary and, arguably, explains why the series exists at all.

Rather than walking away, Muirhead continued the relationship, all while secretly going to the police and cooperating with their investigation, without McKellar knowing she was the one who had reported him.

It would be almost three years after McKellar first confessed to Muirhead that he would be handed a prison sentence.

During that time, Muirhead recorded secret confessions on her phone and went back to the Auch Estate with McKellar where she secretly dropped a Red Bull can as a marker for the spot, before later calling police to tell them where to search for the body on the remote estate.

While some may question such decisions, Allott says Muirhead did the right thing by reporting the crime to the police.

The brothers were arrested in December 2020 and released on bail – they were only charged in December 2021.

"She expected the brothers to be remanded in custody, face trial and be in prison forever and be out of her life but they were thrust back into her life," Allott explains.

He says that she had to navigate this uncertain period alone as she was "left exposed to them for almost a year and that's where the decisions come into it."

It's precisely the complexity of Muirhead's personality that makes her such a compelling figure as, according to Allott, she "was articulate and intelligent, a promising young pathologist with eight years of medical training".

"She had her whole life on track and after meeting Sandy and hearing what he did, everything falls apart."

In the series, Muirhead talks candidly about how she turned to alcohol and drugs in a bid to cope with the situation she found herself in.

Allott and Beavis are clear their intentions are to present a balanced account of the events but want to ultimately highlight "what being on the periphery of crime but not involved can do to someone's life".

There is also a focus on the way the police conducted their relations with Muirhead after she came forward to report a crime.

Allott argues that the police "didn't know how to handle Caroline" and, without giving too much away, says that had she received "consideration and kindness from them she wouldn't have had to make some of the decisions she did."

Beavis agrees and adds that Muirhead's experience "echoes many experiences of people in the criminal justice system".

"The wheels of justice turn so slowly and that affects peoples lives and that's what we wanted to show."

Police Scotland and Victim Support Scotland declined to take part in the series.

Muirhead made multiple complaints against Police Scotland.

After a five-year investigation, the majority were not upheld and the police maintain they offered Muirhead appropriate support.

In a note about the show, Muirhead said she "trusted the system would stand by me and keep me safe when I was at my most vulnerable but that wasn't my experience.

"I hope by speaking out and sharing what happened to me, we can start an honest conversation about greater protection for victims and witnesses and why a far deeper understanding of mental health within the police and court system is so desperately needed.

"All too often the impact of trauma and abuse is overlooked or dismissed entirely and this means people like me are being left high and dry to pick up the pieces alone."

In July 2023, shortly before the brothers' trial was due to begin at the High Court in Glasgow, McKellar admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide.

His brother had his not guilty plea to murder accepted, but the pair both admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by covering up the crime.

Sandy McKellar was sentenced to 12 years in jail, while his brother was jailed for five years and three months.

The case was also previously covered in BBC documentary series Murder Case: The Vanishing Cyclist.

Should I Marry a Murderer? is out now on Netflix.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8j8xxzzjko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Early care scheme could prevent thousands of miscarriages a year

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After going through two devastating miscarriages, Lisa Varey could not believe what she was thinking.

She knew she would have to miscarry again before she could get the help she needed. Only when you have had three miscarriages do you normally qualify for specialist NHS help in England. One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, most before 14 weeks.

Lisa, 34, told her husband: "We're not waiting another year. We need to be pregnant and miscarry as soon as we possibly can."

She says they looked at each other, and said: "I can't believe I'm actually saying this out loud."

After her second miscarriage, Lisa was invited on to a pilot project at Birmingham Women and Children's Hospital, which experts believe will prevent thousands of miscarriages every year by offering earlier checks and advice.

Tests showed she would benefit from taking the hormone progesterone to help maintain her pregnancy and a regular aspirin tablet to increase the chances of a healthy birth.

Lisa is now pregnant and in the last weeks of her second trimester. She breaks down in tears as she speaks about how much difference the project's help has made.

"There's so much support for pregnant women, but it didn't always feel like there was any support for women who were no longer pregnant. We're having to go through that journey of just feeling very sad."

Emily, 42, from Birmingham, suffered two miscarriages in one year and it left her feeling like her body had "failed" her.

She had struggled to get pregnant and was undergoing rounds of IVF – so when she got a positive test, she says she felt "this is it". Then a scan showed the baby was not growing as it should, which she says was devastating.

She went on to have a second miscarriage, before she was invited to join the Birmingham project.

She was put on aspirin and a higher dose of folic acid. She says being offered early tests gave her possible reasons for the miscarriage, which took away "the guilt and shame that you feel".

"Knowing there were things that could make a difference. That gives you some hope to hang on to," Emily says.

Tommy's, the pregnancy charity, says NHS care offered to women who have suffered three miscarriages can be "inconsistent and inadequate". Before then, women are often told to simply go home and to try again.

Both Lisa and Emily were part of the Birmingham study, which compared two groups of 203 women who had previously suffered miscarriages. One group was treated under standard NHS care, while the other was treated with a different model of care.

The new model started after just one miscarriage, and gave the women progressively more care after each baby loss. Researchers say it found a small reduction in the miscarriage rate among its test group. Where women did go on to have more miscarriages, researchers say they received better care and support.

One in five women in the study had treatable health issues, such as abnormal thyroid function and anaemia, which could affect their chances of a healthy birth.

And while no formal data is collected on the number of miscarriages that happen every year – with many going unreported – they estimate the pilot project could prevent around 10,000 miscarriages a year, if its findings were implemented across the NHS.

As part of the project, women who had suffered one miscarriage were given a one-to-one consultation with a specialist nurse to discuss lifestyle changes – including reducing alcohol consumption and giving up smoking – and using the hormone progesterone, which can help prevent miscarriage.

After a second miscarriage, women were tested for anaemia and abnormal thyroid function, which can affect pregnancy outcomes. They were also offered early scans to reassure them the pregnancy was advancing normally.

Following a third miscarriage, the pathway joins up with what the NHS currently offers – including a referral to a recurrent miscarriage clinic, further blood tests and a pelvic ultrasound.

Professor Arri Coomarasamy, head of miscarriage research at Tommy's, says the three miscarriage wait is an unacceptable anomaly.

"We don't do that with any other medical condition. If somebody has a heart attack, we don't say have your third heart attack and then we will see if there is anything we can do," he says.

He says the findings of the study, if rolled out across the NHS, could also save the NHS money. The pilot suggests the extra costs of staff and training are outweighed by the money saved having fewer women miscarry.

Sally, who is 33, has had two miscarriages and feels let down by the care she was given. She says she's not ready to try for another baby because of her experience.

Living in Gloucester, she doesn't have access to the pilot project but says if she did, she might change her mind.

"Putting these systems in place show women that they are thought about, that one miscarriage is enough to be thought about and to be supported," she says.

In the Women's Health Strategy announcement last week, the government said it was considering "wider adoption" across the NHS in England.

Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care said: "This will be carefully considered as part of our ongoing work to make sure women get the high-quality, compassionate NHS care they deserve."

NHS Scotland is already making improvements in miscarriage care, including not waiting until a third miscarriage and providing separate rooms in maternity units for women who are going through pregnancy loss.

Northern Ireland and Wales currently follow the same guidelines as England. Researchers on the Birmingham team say they are "hopeful" their model will bring about change.

Kath Abrahams, chief executive of Tommy's, says the pilot would give women an understanding of the care they would be offered.

"Knowing what's going to happen next can be incredibly comforting in a moment when you're in crisis," she says.

If you have been affected by any of these issues, go to BBC Action Line for information and support.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62r8lzgnk2o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Trump's face to feature on commemorative US passports

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The US will release a limited number of passports that feature a portrait of US President Donald Trump, the White House has confirmed.

First reported by Fox News, the passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence in July.

An administration official has confirmed to the BBC that the new designs will be available for "any American citizen" who applies for a passport when the rollout kicks off, and will continue for as long as there is availability.

The passports will also only be available at the Washington Passport Agency.

In a rendering of the passport released by the US State Department, an image of Trump is seen surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag, along with the president's signature in gold.

"President Trump's new patriotic passport design provides yet another great way Americans can join in the spectacular celebrations for America's 250th birthday," a spokesperson for the White House told the BBC.

"Between the UFC250 Fight, the Great American State Fair, Freedom250 Grand Prix, and this new passport celebrating our freedom, President Trump continues to proudly lead a renewal of national pride and patriotism during our historic semiquincentennial celebration," they added.

Current US passports depict scenes from the country's history, such as the Moon landing, along with American symbols like the Statue of Liberty.

It is not clear whether US citizens will be able to opt out of the special edition.

The commemorative passport is the latest move by the administration to associate Trump's name and likeness with various government programmes and public buildings.

The US Mint has recently announced plans for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump as past of the 250th anniversary, and the president is also set to become the first sitting US president to have his signature on US banknotes.

The board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the performing arts centre the Trump-Kennedy Center in honour of the president, which was denounced by members of the late President John F Kennedy's family.

In early April, the White House unveiled the plans for the gold-accented giant victory arch, dubbed the "Arc de Trump". A federal panel has given preliminary approval for the 250ft (76m) in Washington DC, despite overwhelmingly negative feedback from members of the public and preservationist groups.

The president has also made a permanent mark on the White House itself, demolishing the East Wing of the building as part of his plans to build a ballroom.

The White House has since been sued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which alleges that construction began before plans were filed with the National Capital Planning Commission.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5pn1ngerpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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