Category: 6. Sports

Published:
Friday, 29 August 2025

Senegal clinched third place at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 after overcoming Sudan 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Friday.

The defending champions, denied a place in the final after losing to Morocco on penalties in the semi-finals, showed resilience once more in a tense bronze medal match.

Victory means Senegal secured a podium finish in back-to-back tournaments, while Sudan’s wait for a third CHAN medal goes on despite a spirited display.

Sudan strike early, Senegal respond

In front of a lively crowd in Kampala, Sudan looked the sharper of the two sides in the opening stages.

Their persistence paid off in the 6th minute when Mohamed Tia Asad rose highest to power home a header from Abdel Raouf Yagoub’s corner, putting the Falcons of Jediane 1-0 ahead.

That advantage stood until the break, with Sudan showing defensive discipline and goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja pulling off crucial saves to frustrate the holders.

 Senegal, however, came out stronger after half-time, pushing higher up the pitch and forcing errors.

Their equaliser arrived in the 58th minute when Seyni Ndiaye’s precise header found the net, after good work on the flank by Ousseynou Seck.

From then on, the Lions of Teranga took control of possession, but Sudan continued to threaten on the counter, with Abooja again keeping his side level.

Penalties decide bronze medal

Neither side could find a winner in regulation time, and with extra-time absent in the third-place play-off, penalties were required.

Sudan blinked first, with Walieldin Khdir firing his opening kick wide of the target. Although Mohamed Ahmed Saeed and Ahmed Tabanja scored, Musab Makeen saw his effort saved by Marc Diouf, handing Senegal the advantage.

Senegal were flawless from the spot. Joseph Layousse, Issa Kane, Vieux Cissé, and finally Libasse Guèye all converted, giving them a 4-2 shootout victory.

Redemption for Senegal

The result was bittersweet for Souleymane Diallo’s youthful side, who entered the tournament aiming to defend their crown but had to settle for bronze.

Still, it underlined their depth and promise, as they remain unbeaten in open play across their last 10 CHAN matches.

“This was about character,” Diallo said afterwards. “The players showed maturity after the disappointment of the semi-final. We wanted to finish with something, and we did that.”

For Sudan, coached by Ghana’s Kwesi Appiah, the defeat was painful but their campaign earned admiration across the continent.

Despite a domestic league crippled by conflict, they defied the odds to reach the semi-finals, eliminating Nigeria and pushing Madagascar to the limit.

Appiah praised his players’ spirit: “We came very far with limited preparation. I am proud of how the team fought. Sudanese football has shown it still has heart.”

Eyes on Saturday’s final

While Senegal celebrate a bronze medal and Sudan reflect on what might have been, all eyes now turn to Nairobi, where Morocco and Madagascar will meet in Saturday’s final at Moi International Sports Centre.

The great Rocky Clark represented England at four Rugby World Cups, appearing 17 times at the showpiece event, a record only surpassed for England by Emily Scarratt, Sarah Hunter, and Tamara Taylor. Her record at those four tournaments was not bad either: a win in 2014 and three other finals. 

So, no one better to ask for the inside track on who to pick for this week’s Fantasy RWC 2025, as well delving deep into her remarkable RWC career. 

Don’t forget you can play Fantasy RWC 2025 any time – it’s free and there is a global leaderboard, private leagues plus plenty of prizes on offer!

You’ve picked Sarah Bern and Meg Jones in your team, why?

Sarah Bern’s ability to make line breaks is second to none. She gets out in the wide channels and either gets you front foot ball or breaks through and it’s so hard to stop her. It’s like jumping in front of a truck. I particularly admire her carrying and I’ve picked her because she always gets a try. 

Meg Jones is one of the most skilful players who has ever been in an England shirt. Her ability to create something out of nothing, her ability to entice defenders and turn them inside out, her speed, bravery and skillset is just another level. Plus, she’s a hard runner and a great kicker. She can do it all and she makes everyone else around her just look better. She is a generational player.

What teams surprised you on the opening weekend?

Spain really impressed me against New Zealand. They stayed in the fight and never gave up. Maybe the scoreline doesn’t quite reflect how much Spain stepped up but they deserved their try right at the end of the game.

Scotland as well. I thought their skills were slick and just on point. Fran McGhie just showed absolute wheels for her three tries. That surprised me how much just spending that time together and improving those skills has made such an impact, especially in their backs.

Who will be in the final?

I think England and Canada. I have been so impressed with Canada’s offloading game and I think they are one of few sides who can go toe-to-toe with England’s forwards.

Memories of your first RWC?

I remember it was in the middle of nowhere in Edmonton, it was really hot, and we had a hotel which hosted a wedding the night before the final. There was an atrium with all the rooms around the edges and the wedding took place in the middle so nobody got a wink of sleep.

I was absolutely heartbroken losing the final. Canada nearly beat us in the semi-final and it was Kim Shaylor who kept us in it by making a cover tackle. I remember the scrums in all those games being really physical and you really earned your stripes.

Was the step-up to the RWC significant?

Yes! The physicality level was totally different. The most physical Six Nations games we played were France. There was no love loss there and you would go to battle against France. But facing the USA, they were such conditioned athletes. They had players like Phaidra Knight (in action below) who were like power lifters and just flew into you. You knew you’d been into a game with them when you couldn’t walk for two days after because it was so hard. 

Best player you’ve ever played against?

Anna Richards, the four World Cup New Zealand fly-half, she was only little and I’ve since been coached by her for the Barbarians and that was incredible. I saw how brilliant she is and she just gets everyone on side and was such a skillful leader. Then she just tore us apart whenever she played us.

Then prop wise, it would be Hilary Leith of Canada. We struggled against her in 2014, she was very big and physical and such a hard player to go up against.

You’ve had the insight from a Rugby World Cup winner, but just in case you are still unsure on who to pick, here are our Top Tips: 

Layla Sae (NZL – pictured above) 59pts in Round 1 – Sae beat 11 defenders in round one. That was a high for the round alongside teammate Jorja Miller and Ayanda Malinda (RSA). Both Miller and Malinda scored two tries in that first round whereas Sae was left empty handed. Incidentally, the only other player to beat double figures of defenders was Aseza Hele (RSA) who bagged a hat-trick. Sae is doing everything right, expect some luck to come her way against Japan this weekend. If that happens, tries will follow.

Piper Duck (AUS) 41pts in Round 1 – Duck’s 24 tackles were the fourth most in round one as she was called upon to put her body on the line to stop the relentless carries of the Samoan team. Australia will come into their second round match-up against the USA as underdogs, but confident ones after their enormous 73pt-victory. If they are to endure another heroic defensive stand, expect Duck to bag another tackle haul and add to her single turnover.

Francesca Sgorbini (ITA) 23pts in Round 1 – Nobody made more carries than Sgorbini’s 19 in the first round. That game ended in a loss against France and Italy now face a must-win game against South Africa, which might be the best game of the round. Expect to see Sgorbini get a little bit more space to turn those high carry numbers into line breaks and tries. She’ll hope she doesn’t also have to make 15 tackles this time around.

Uefa will decide in September whether to approve a request by the Spanish football federation for Villarreal and Barcelona to contest a La Liga game in Miami in December.

European football’s governing body is expected to discuss the matter at its next executive committee meeting in Tirana on 11 September and, should no move be made to block the request, a landmark move will edge closer to reality. No major league has held a domestic game on foreign territory, despite prolonged attempts from the Spanish top flight to do so. Uefa’s signoff would clear a huge section of path, although the plan also requires approval from Fifa, US Soccer and Concacaf.

There is a broad acceptance within Uefa that the proposal will be difficult to reject without altering its statutes. Even then the plan appears to have irresistible momentum. Potential legal arguments against moving matches abroad have lost weight since the US-based promoter Relevent Sports agreed a settlement with Fifa in April 2024 to dismiss the global governing body from a lawsuit challenging its policy of barring league games from being staged in other countries.

It means the proposal, first made by La Liga before being approved and submitted by the Spanish federation (RFEF), stands a high chance of being accepted. It is unclear whether that would be on a one-time basis or whether the broader principle of taking league games overseas would be agreed to.

If Uefa decides not to obstruct the move it is likely discussions will begin regarding potential limits to the number of times domestic games can be held in other countries. Potential ideas include allowing two games a season to be moved as long as they are between the same teams, so that perceived home or away advantage is neutered.

Meetings involving the various stakeholders are understood to have taken place on the sidelines of the draws for this season’s Uefa club competitions, which were held in Monte Carlo, and are expected to continue over the weekend. Executives from Relevent Sports, who were appointed Uefa’s worldwide marketing and sales partner for the period between 2027 and 2033 this year, have been conspicuous throughout the season launch event on the Côte d’Azur.

Any move to approve the match, which would take place at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, would sit uncomfortably within Uefa’s corridors of power. In an interview this week the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, said: “I don’t think it’s a good thing.” Ceferin expressed unhappiness with the plan but, in line with other key figures within Uefa, admitted legal recourse was limited.

The Italian football federation has given approval for a match between Milan and Como to take place in Perth, western Australia, in February. The reasoning provided is a venue clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. The viability of that fixture will also enter Uefa’s thinking.

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On Wednesday the EU sport commissioner, Glenn Micallef, strongly criticised the scheme in a series of statements on social media. “I’m deeply disappointed by proposals to stage domestic league matches outside Europe,” he said. “This is the first big stress test for governance since the Super League. Strong, community-based clubs are the heart of the European Sport Model. Moving competitions abroad isn’t innovation, it’s betrayal.”

Samoa have described Saturday’s Rugby World Cup match against England, the hosts and favourites, as “mission impossible”; it would rank as one of the biggest ever upsets should they somehow manage to beat the Red Roses.

Samoa are 14 places below England in the world rankings and, while the Red Roses have been fully professional for more than five years, Samoa are yet to introduce full-time contracts. In their opening matches of this tournament England beat the USA 69-7, while Samoa lost 73-0 to Australia.

The different situation the teams find themselves in is something the England players are aware of and the back-row Abi Burton, who will make her World Cup debut, hopes this tournament will boost opportunities for every nation. “They are inspirational women,” she said of Samoa. “I think the different types of women who have come to this World Cup is unbelievable but they all come because they love rugby.

“That is one thing we all share. It’s really special for them to be able to share their story and it does make you reflect on what we have and how much rugby has grown in this country. How we have the opportunities we do.

“Hopefully this World Cup will give everybody more opportunities in their nations. Hopefully it will go up a level here, up a level in Spain, up a level in Samoa. That is what we want to do. We want to make it go up another level for everybody.”

The Red Roses have not gone with a full-strength team in Northampton, making 13 changes from their opener. This was always the plan; the head coach, John Mitchell, communicates his team news to players as early as possible and the thinking is to give everyone game time early in the tournament. The squad will have achieved that bar one player, Holly Aitchison, who has been injured and will hope to make an appearance against Australia next Saturday.

No matter who is on the team sheet, England have been formidable in their 28-game winning streak but the attack coach Lou Meadows says there is still more to come. “I would hope to think there are always things you haven’t seen because we are constantly trying to improve and test our game, tactically switch up as much as possible,” Meadows said, before singling out the fly-half Helena Rowland.

“It’s special to work with someone like Helena and the rest of the back line are electric, as well as our very mobile forwards. We’ve got an opportunity here to really play the picture in front of us.

“We have not really seen a lot of what Samoa can do because WXV [the tournament held outside World Cup years] footage doesn’t reveal too much. They have worked really hard on their game and we are really excited for the opportunity they have got in this tournament. I think it is going to be an opportunity again for us to test another side to our game to prove we can physically dominate still against a side like Samoa but equally how we can adapt to the pictures in front of us.”

The two nations have played each other only twice before, with England winning on both occasions: 53-0 in 2005 and 65-3 in 2014. Marlie Packer and Natasha Hunt are the only two players in England’s matchday 23 to have played Samoa, in the victory at the 2014 World Cup. None of the Samoa players have faced the Red Roses.

Mitchell said for nations such as Samoa it is less about what the scoreline says and more about the performance and pride of playing for their country on a World Cup stage. Nothing epitomised that more than the viral video of Samoa’s Fa’asua Makisi after the team’s loss against Australia.

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Makisi’s mother, Petra, flew from New Zealand to surprise Makisi, getting off the plane at 8am and travelling straight to the Pool A match in Manchester. The player’s reaction was complete shock and she burst into tears when she spotted her mum post-match.

“She was holding up a flag behind her and I screamed,” Makisi said. “It was a natural response. I couldn’t believe she was here in England and I fully had an emotional breakdown in front of the crowd.

“My mum has been my rock and she’s been one of the main reasons I’ve been able to come here and to see her here was really overwhelming, but happy tears for sure! Being the type of supporter my mum is, she will be here for all of our pool games and until we go home.”

Samoa also believe this tournament is an opportunity for the players to be offered a chance to play for Premiership Women’s Rugby teams. Bella Milo, the Samoa defence coach, said: “I think for them to be able to gain experience overseas would be awesome. In order for us to play at that level, being able to play against players from here and also being able to be looked after in terms of a PWR contract and the facilities they have, I think our players would be able to continue to grow and hopefully bring those opportunities back to Samoa.”

England are expected to win but the margin will become the focus as the game goes on. The record score at a women’s Rugby World Cup is the Black Ferns’ 134-6 victory over Germany in 1998. It is one record that the competition will not want to see broken on Saturday.

Toto Wolff has said he would welcome something of a Formula One supergroup returning to the sport in the form of Christian Horner, Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore potentially uniting to buy the Alpine team.

When asked at the Dutch Grand Prix what he thought of the concept, albeit a somewhat unlikely proposition despite rumours persisting that Horner is interested in purchasing Alpine if he can obtain the substantial financial backing required, the Mercedes principal was all in favour.

“If there was such an exciting project, these three guys coming together, all of the mafia reunited, that would give good content. The shark mafia. Three sharks,” Wolff said.

Horner was recently sacked by his Red Bull team and Ecclestone, F1’s long-term ringmaster and chief executive, has not been directly involved since Liberty media took over the sport in 2017. Briatore is executive adviser to the Alpine team and close friends with Ecclestone and Horner.

“That would be an exciting story and would create lots of buzz around Formula One,” Wolff added. “ I think we need that and Formula One has always been about the best racing with exciting drivers and great personalities. When you look back at the grand era of team owners and team principals around Frank Williams and Ron Dennis, Flavio, Luca di Montezemolo – maybe we need to work on that.”

On track in first practice at Zandvoort, McLaren maintained their hold on the front of the field with Lando Norris just having the edge over his teammate Oscar Piastri by two-tenths of a second, on a blustery, chilly day on the North Sea coast. Rain repeatedly swept across the circuit, weather that is expected to remain over the weekend including on Sundaytomorrow, and may yet play its part in the race.

Red Bull’s struggles remained all too clear at Max Verstappen’s home circuit, where he has traditionally been so strong, with three wins from the past four races. The Dutchman managed only sixth in first practice, almost a second off Norris and he also slid off track as the session closed.

In the afternoon session, with running limited due to crashes by Lance Stroll and Alex Albon, Norris was again on top, eight-hundredths in front of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, with Piastri third, Verstappen fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth.

Honda opened the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with back-to-back victories on oval tracks. Alex Palou claimed his first career oval win May 25 at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, followed by Kyle Kirkwood’s breakthrough victory June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Christian Rasmussen became the third driver to earn his first oval win this season, capturing victory in last Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250.

Pato O’Ward and Palou added wins in July at Iowa Speedway.

Last year at Nashville Superspeedway, Andretti Global’s Colton Herta earned his maiden oval victory in the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot.

Of the nine previous INDYCAR SERIES races held at Nashville Superspeedway, the winners have combined for seven Indianapolis 500 victories and 14 series championships. Only Alex Barron and Herta have won here without going on to achieve either milestone.

Here’s a look at the top drivers to watch in this Sunday’s 225-lap race (2 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Favorites

Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet)

Newgarden’s 2025 oval season has been filled with misfortune: Mechanical failure while running in the top five at the Indy 500 led to a 22nd-place result, followed by a crash while leading at WWTR that wasn’t his fault. He earned a second-place qualifying effort and third-place finish at Nashville last year and enters this race off a seventh-place showing in Milwaukee.

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet)

McLaughlin (photo, above) finished fifth at Nashville in 2024. His oval finishes this season have been inconsistent: 30th, 24th, fourth, 26th, and third, respectively, but he enters with three straight top-10 finishes on the season.

Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

O’Ward finished second to Herta at Nashville last year. His 2025 oval résumé includes podiums in the Indy 500 (third), WWTR (second) and Iowa-1 (first), plus fifth at Iowa-2 and Milwaukee. He trails only Palou by just 13 points in oval standings.

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Dixon (photo, above) placed 17th at Nashville last year but previously dominated the track with three consecutive wins (2006-08). This season, he has four top-10 finishes in five oval starts and ranks fifth in oval points.

Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Palou finished 11th in his Nashville debut in 2024, while focused on securing the championship. In 2025, he’s been stellar on ovals: wins at the Indy 500 and Iowa-2, plus finishes of fifth (Iowa 1), eighth (WWTR) and second (Milwaukee). With the championship clinched and only he and Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dixon and Kyffin Simpson testing here a few weeks ago, he’s THE favorite.

Sleepers

David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet)

Malukas finished second in the Indy 500 and led the most laps at WWTR before a late error dropped him to 12th. He also earned a top-five finish at Iowa-2 and placed eighth last week in Milwaukee. He was ninth at Nashville in 2024 and ranks fourth this season in oval points.

Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet)

Rasmussen (photo, above) has top-10 finishes in all five oval races this year. He won at Milwaukee, finished sixth in the Indy 500, third at WWTR and posted sixth and eighth at Iowa. He ranks third in oval points (168).

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)

Herta (photo, top) is the defending Nashville winner, but it remains his only career oval victory. His 2025 oval finishes of 14th, 17th, 13th, 20th and 11th, respectively, suggest he enters this year’s race as more of a longshot than favorite.

Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda)

This car finished ninth at Nashville last year with Malukas driving. Armstong (photo, above) has stepped up this season driving this machine for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. He has four top-10 results in his last five oval starts, including a third-place at Iowa-2. He ranks seventh in oval points.

Conor Daly (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)

Daly qualified sixth and finished 10th at Nashville in 2024. His 2025 oval campaign has been solid: finishes of eighth, sixth, seventh, 16th and 13th. He ranks ninth in oval points this season.

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