Category: 6. Sports

Bernardo Silva is refusing to look at Manchester City’s shock exit from the Club World Cup as a blessing in disguise.

The Premier League outfit crashed out of the competition in the early hours of Tuesday morning as they were beaten 4-3 in extra time by Saudi outfit Al-Hilal after a pulsating last-16 clash in Orlando.

City had established themselves as one of the favourites to triumph in the United States after winning all three of their group games in convincing fashion.

A run to the final would have prolonged their campaign until July 13, however, just five weeks before the next Premier League season begins.

After much debate about the impact of the Club World Cup on player welfare, there is a feeling in some quarters that City – after an underwhelming 2024-25 season – need the rest, but Silva does not see it that way.

The City captain said: “No-one wanted to lose. We are very used to not having holidays, unfortunately, because the schedule is crazy and when we are in a competition we take it very seriously.

“We had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup and we wanted to win it.”

Asked if the defeat hurt as much as Champions League elimination, Silva said: “Yes, a little bit. Yes.”

City had taken early control with a ninth-minute goal from Silva at the Camping World Stadium, but they were to rue missing a succession of chances to increase the lead before the break.

Al-Hilal turned the game around through Marcos Leonardo and Malcom and reclaimed the advantage again with a Kalidou Koulibaly header after Erling Haaland forced extra time.

Phil Foden made it 3-3, but City could not regain the initiative and Leonardo settled an eventful contest – and secured a statement victory for Saudi football – with 112 minutes on the clock.

Silva said: “There was always a feeling of danger coming from them when they recovered the ball in transition and their counters. We allowed them to run way too many times.

“But apart from that we had chances. We scored three goals and we could have scored five or six.

“They punished us. They have a good team with a lot of individual quality and congratulations to them.”

Former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves impressed in the Al-Hilal midfield and fellow Portuguese Joao Cancelo was a threat against his old City team-mates.

Silva, also a Portugal international, said: “I have friends there, I know most of their players and I know the quality they have.

“We were expecting another difficult game like Juventus and when you don’t control transitions then good players, like Al-Hilal have, punish you. That’s what happened.”

City begin the new Premier League season at Wolves on August 16.

Silva said: “We will try to have as much rest as possible but also come back to prepare for the season properly.”

Watch every Fifa Club World Cup game free on DAZN.

Now 57, Rowe, who subsequently got involved with cycling coaching, still feels the effects of the injury in terms of her mobility.

Keen to accentuate the positive, she says: “I can do things in adapted form and I just thank my lucky stars I am here.”

While Sarah may have been lost to the sport, in a competitive sense at least, far too early, her two children are showing plenty of signs that they, like their mum, could be heading to the top.

Her son, Elliot, 19, has been signed by cycling giants Team Visma Lease a Bike, as part of their development team, and won a bronze medal in June’s British under-23 individual time trial.

Her daughter, Melanie, 16, recently finished first in the under-17s race in the prestigious Tour of Flanders event.

“I have to say my heart is in my mouth every time they go out on the roads, but that is part of life and they just have to get on and enjoy it and be careful and be safe as best they can,” Rowe says.

“It is lovely seeing what they are doing because I can relate to it. I just love to see them enjoying the journey – it is such a special thing what the bike can give you.”

Elliot and Melanie were not born when their mum was competing at Olympic level.

However, her knowledge and experience is clearly a huge help as they aim to make their own way in the sport, with Elliot suggesting: “My mum is really modest.

“She never bigs it up too much, but we get little stories here and there, which is pretty cool, because it is just a reminder that it did happen and it is something that you will always remember and something that me and my sister would both want to work towards in the future.”

Melanie adds: “I find it really helpful because she always knows exactly how I feel about everything because she has done it before.”

If both children continue to deliver on their early promise, perhaps their mum will find herself back, as a proud parent, at an Olympic Games some day in the future.

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Abbi Pulling and Gabriele Minì will be back in action for Nissan Formula E Team in the upcoming FIA Formula E Rookie Test. The pair will return to the wheel of the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 on Monday 14 July at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.

Reigning F1 Academy champion Pulling impressed by finishing top of the timesheets at the all-women’s session in Jarama last November. This will be her first on-track appearance with the Japanese outfit in her new role as Nissan Formula E Team’s rookie and simulator driver. The British racer is currently competing in GB3 Championship, where she scored a strong fifth on debut at Silverstone.

In addition, Minì returns to the squad for a third time thanks to Nissan Formula E Team’s collaboration with Alpine Racing. The Italian driver will be looking to develop the skills he learned in his previous two outings in a Formula E car, having taken a top-10 finish in last year’s Berlin Rookie Test, before securing an impressive second in FP0 in Jeddah. Minì has enjoyed a solid debut FIA Formula 2 campaign so far, earning a podium finish in the Monaco Sprint Race.

The pair will take on two sessions at the 2.343-kilometre circuit, which features 15 corners and runs anti-clockwise. Drivers’ tire management will be tested by the famously abrasive surface, which will add another level of difficulty for the rookies.

On-track action begins at 09:00 local time (UTC+2) before the checkered flag at 12:00. Testing resumes with the second three-hour session at 13:00, running until 16:00. 

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “We’re very happy to have Abbi and Gabriele with us for the Berlin rookie test this year. It will be Abbi’s first on-track action since joining us as our rookie and simulator driver, and we’re happy to welcome Gabriele again thanks to our close collaboration with Alpine Racing. We’ve worked with them separately in the past with a lot of success, so it will be great to see them teaming up for this test. They’re both very talented drivers and for us it is great to have continuity with our rookies, so they can keep developing at the same time as doing a better job for the team every time.”

Abbi Pulling, rookie and simulator driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I’m really excited to get out on track and to work with the team again. I’ve driven street circuits before but never in such a high-powered car, so it will be an amazing opportunity. Berlin looks like a fun track – Gabriele has been there with the team before, so it will be interesting to work with him and get up to speed from his previous experience. I’ll be there for the race weekend prior to the test as well, so my goal is mainly to pick up as much information as possible, improve my understanding of the car, and make the most of the experience for both the team and myself.”

Gabriele Minì: “It’s great to be back, I’ve enjoyed my two previous outings with the team, so I’m delighted to work with them again. It’s a track I know well, having driven there in the Rookie Test last year. I also had the chance to drive the GEN3 Evo in the FP0 session in Jeddah, with the 350kW power mode, new tires, and all-wheel drive, so I will be aiming to put these two experiences together. My main goal is to keep learning and to help the team complete its program for the day, like we did in Jeddah, while also showing my pace.”

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The revamped Club World Cup has not received universal acclaim but an unforgettable last-16 tie will be talked about in all corners of the globe.

Al-Hilal clung on in the first half and were fortunate to only be 1-0 down thanks to goalkeeper Bono’s heroics but they recovered to go ahead in the second period.

They were twice pegged back but Marcos Leonardo delivered the decisive blow and once the final whistle was blown, staff and substitutes poured on to the pitch to enjoy the moment with their players.

The joyous Al-Hilal fans, a large cluster of whom were directly behind the dugout, waved the blue flags of the club and the green and white of the country.

Exiting the Camping World Stadium, travelling supporters packed out the concourses, dancing and singing “ole, ole ole ole”, while Saudi journalists hugged and kissed each other in the post-match news conference room.

One walked in with wide eyes and arms raised, screaming “Mabrook” in Arabic, translating as “congratulations”, almost in disbelief as to what he had witnessed.

It was the first time an Asian club have defeated a side from Europe in an official Fifa tournament. European teams have won 18 of the previous 20 meetings, with two matches drawn.

A journalist from the media outlet Arryadia called the result “one of the biggest in the history of Saudi football” – but added that the country’s shock 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup will “always be top”.

A lot of money has been spent to try to grow the Saudi game’s profile – more than £700m has gone on bringing players to the Pro League, while Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al-Nassr two and a half years ago was a significant signing.

Saudi Arabia will also host the 2034 World Cup – a decision that has been defended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino amid significant criticism – with the human rights campaign group Amnesty International describing it as “reckless”.

Infantino – the man behind the new 32-team Club World Cup format – has argued that staging the World Cup in the Gulf kingdom can be a catalyst for social improvements.

Saudi Arabia has faced years of scrutiny over its human rights and environmental record. Its World Cup bid was backed by the Football Association in December after it received assurances that all fans would be welcome.

The Saudi bid for the World Cup was unopposed, as Australia – the only other potential candidate – decided not to enter the running, hinting it was futile to do so after being given less than a month by Fifa to mount a challenge.

Fifa stood by a fast-tracked process that critics argued lacked transparency. They suggested it effectively paved the way for the Saudis thanks to a decision that only bids from Asia and Oceania would be considered.

Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Lazio in 2023, was asked about the disapproval players have received in leaving Europe for the riches of the Middle East.

“Let’s see now if they will criticise us,” he said. “We showed them it’s not like they are speaking about the league.

“We show against Real Madrid, Salzburg, Pachuca and tonight. I hope we will continue to show it.”

Former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who scored in extra time, added: “We knew it would be difficult against one of the best in the world.

“We wanted to show our talents. We are so happy because we wanted to show Al-Hilal had the talent to be here.”

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Maro Itoje’s head has been in Moussa’s hands for more than a decade.

From behind the barber’s chair, Moussa has seen Itoje mature from a much-hyped teenager to a three-time 30-year-old British and Irish Lion.

Now captain for the first time, one of Itoje’s final appointments before departing for Australia is to have his mane trimmed.

“It has been a while,” says Itoje of his and Moussa’s relationship.

“It is going to be a challenge on tour.

“You always have to have some trust – a bit of a leap of faith – when you walk into a new barber’s chair. Especially in Australia, where I don’t think they are too used to Afro-Caribbean hair!”

Faith, and contingency plans, will be a theme for Itoje over the next five weeks.

When asked about how religion fitted into his tactics, former Labour spin guru Alastair Campbell famously said “we don’t do God”.

Itoje, who was introduced to Campbell by England team manager Richard Hill as a youngster and remains in touch, definitely does.

At his unveiling as Lions captain in May, he revealed he had missed Bible study to be there.

When he was promoted to England captain in January, his pastor was one of six people he told before the public announcement., external

Asked about the long journey to both posts, Itoje has a simple explanation: “God’s timing is always the best time.”

“In the last two or three years I have made a conscious decision to double down in that regard,” he tells BBC Sport.

“I was probably a lukewarm Christian for a large part of my life. I was probably someone who went to church, but was not really living the principles or values of it that deeply, but I have always been a believer.

“The humility that I have tried to embody throughout my life definitely comes from knowing that everything I have has been a gift, not by my own doing, but by the guy upstairs.”

By Itoje’s high standards and own admission, that humility wasn’t always present on previous Lions tours.

He has described his 22-year-old self, who won over the Lions fans’ sea of red in New Zealand in 2017, as “a little bit brash and a bit naive”.

This time around, at the very centre of the hype and hoopla, he is determined to keep his calm and routine.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned Manchester City 4-3 in extra time in Orlando, Florida, on Monday night to pull off one of the shocks of the Club World Cup and set up a quarterfinal against Brazil’s Fluminense.

Marcos Leonardo scored his second goal of the night in the 112th minute as Simone Inzaghi’s side eliminated the Premier League club, which had taken a ninth-minute lead through Bernardo Silva.

Quick-fire goals from Leonardo and Malcom in six minutes immediately after the restart put Al Hilal in front before Erling Haaland equalized for City in the 55th minute.

Four minutes into extra time, Kalidou Koulibaly headed in Rúben Neves’ corner to put the Riyadh-based club back in front, and while Phil Foden tied the score again for City, Leonardo netted with seven minutes left to take Al Hilal through.

“We knew it was a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world,” Koulibaly said. “We wanted to show our ideas, our talent, our power and I think that we made a very good game.

“Defensively we were very strong and offensively all of the opportunities we could put inside we put in, so we can be happy.”

Portuguese playmaker Silva had put City ahead when he pushed the ball over the line after Renan Lodi’s attempted clearance ended up at his feet inside the six-yard box.

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Replays showed the ball had brushed the wrist of City’s Rayan Aït-Nouri earlier in the move, but the referee waved away the Al Hilal protests.

Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou then made a string of saves to deny City a second before halftime and within seconds of the restart the Saudi club had tied it.

Malcom drove down the right and found João Cancelo, whose ball into the six-yard box was initially blocked by a sprawling Éderson, but Leonardo headed the looping rebound into the unguarded net.

Six minutes later, Malcom was released behind the defense by Cancelo’s pass from deep inside his own half and the Brazilian showed composure to stroke his shot past Ederson.

But the lead lasted only three minutes as Haaland pounced on Silva’s corner and the Norwegian was denied a late winner by a desperate clearance on the line from Ali Lajami.

The Saudis went ahead four minutes into extra time when Koulibaly rose to glance home a header from a corner, but City tied it again, substitutes Rayan Cherki and Foden combining for the England international to steer a sublime first-time volley across Bounou and into the bottom corner.

Al Hilal would not be denied and Leonardo claimed his second of the night after seeing Ederson save Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header, the weary Brazilian stumbling as he steered the winner home.

Rugby fans across Australia are set to score, with Liquorland confirmed as Official Supplier
of the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour and the Wallabies.

The tour kicked off on Saturday in Perth, marking the Lions’ first visit to Australia in 12
years, with matches to cover ground in eight cities and more than 40,000 international
fans expected to visit across the country.

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said the Lions Tour is building into a huge national
moment and Liquorland’s sponsorship has got fans covered for game-day cheers.

“The British & Irish Lions Tour is going to be a massive event across six cities with packed
stadiums, and fans flying in from all over. There’s nothing quite like a Lions Tour, and we’re
excited to see the whole country get behind it.”

“Having Liquorland on board adds to the momentum and energy. It’s great to see them
backing the Wallabies and helping fans get in the spirit of the game particularly as the
wider support for rugby across the country continues to grow.”

Coles Liquor General Manager of Customer Loyalty Mia Horner said the team was proud
to be part of the action celebrating the world’s biggest and most in-demand rugby tour.

“We’re incredibly excited to be part of the tour and take up this once in every 12-year
opportunity. It’s a bucket-list moment for fans from abroad to join the Lions tour and we
can’t wait to welcome them down under,” she said.

“We’ve lined up a cracking offer to help international fans find their local away from home
with Liquorland and score great deals and money off their in-store shop through our
partnership with SEN.”

The British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia 2025

Western Force v British & Irish Lions at 5:45pm AWST on Saturday 28 June at Optus
Stadium, Perth

Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday 2 July at Suncorp
Stadium, Brisbane

New South Wales Waratahs v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday 5 July at
Allianz Stadium, Sydney

ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday 9 July at GIO Stadium,
Canberra

AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:15pm ACST on Saturday 12 July at Adelaide
Oval, Adelaide

Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 19 at Suncorp
Stadium, Brisbane

First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Tuesday 22 July at
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne

Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 26 at Melbourne
Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday August 2 at Accor
Stadium, Sydney

England pacer Mark Wood, who has been ruled out of the series, and former captain Mike Atherton discussed Bumrah’s situation on Monday, dissecting the pros and cons of including him in the XI for the second Test.

Earlier, selectors had confirmed that the injury-prone Bumrah would feature in only three of the five Tests on the England tour to manage his workload. Head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated the plan after the Leeds Test. However, given India’s lacklustre bowling display at Headingley — where Bumrah’s five-wicket haul was the only bright spot — the debate around his inclusion has gained momentum.

The sight had the legendary Sunil Gavaskar sending a special request to Bumrah, while Shastri warned that India could not afford to trail 0-2 in Edgbaston, making Bumrah a necessity in the XI for the second Test. Wood agreed with the former India all-rounder, but Atherton pointed out that the third Test in Lord’s will begin just three days after the conclusion of the second game.

“They cannot afford to go 2-0 down. So you want your best bowler,” Wood said on the Sky Sports podcast. “There’s no way he’s saying, ‘I’m not playing at Lord’s.’ I don’t think so. I think he’ll want to play both games. Even if, let’s just say, India win the next one, and it’s 1-1, I still think they’ll want him to make the difference, to get them ahead. I think every overseas bowler wants to get on that board, and he’ll be the same.”

Atherton added that while Manchester could be the venue where India can rest Bumrah, they have to have him in the XI for the second and third Test.

“They have got a decision to make over Bumrah, first of all, because every overseas player wants to play in a Lord’s Test. The Lord’s Test is three days after Edgbaston. In cricketing terms, he should certainly play at Edgbaston, and I’d think very carefully about Old Trafford, because that’s the kind of ground where pace and reverse swing are really important. But as you say, every cricketer wants to play at Lord’s and get on that honours board,” he said.

The former England batter concluded by backing Kuldeep Yadav in the XI, saying India could have won the series opener had he featured in the match.

“I do think they should play Kuldeep Yadav. I think had they had Kuldeep in their team, they would have won that game,” he added.

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