Category: 6. Sports

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic suffered an embarrassing exit from the Champions League play-off round after they went down in penalties against Kazakh side Kairat Almaty. After both legs ended in goalless draws, the tie was taken to the penalty shootout, where Kairat emerged victorious 3-2 and progressed to the league stage. The Kazakh club will be placed in Pot 4 during the draw.

It used to be said that the shorter formats were a young man’s game.

Well, tonight at Headingley it was two 40-somethings that led the way in the first innings.

Anderson, 43, got it all started. England’s legendary swing king took the new ball, inevitably got the ball moving and after a tidy first five balls, was asked to bowl five more and struck twice.

The first got rid of left-hander Dawid Malan, who played for another in-swinger and skied the out-swinger Anderson sent down, allowing Buttler to come from behind the stumps to take the catch.

If that wasn’t the typical Anderson caught-behind dismissal, his second wicket was much more like it – a nip-backer that caught Dan Lawrence on the crease and was given lbw.

Anderson could have walked off with a four-for but for two dropped catches in the deep – Harry Brook and David Miller the two fortunate batters, showing Anderson can still cause problems for some of the world’s finest.

His figures of 2-30 were dented the ball after the second of those drops as Patel hammered him over square leg for six.

By that point, the 40-year-old had already dispatched Ish Sodhi into the stands as he managed to find his timing where just about every other Superchargers batter had failed on a stopping pitch.

Not bad for a man who admitted he was nervous because he’d been “sitting on a beach in Alicante” prior to his late call-up to The Hundred.

His blistering innings gave Superchargers a chance but unfortunately for Patel, Jos Buttler – a real youngster by comparison at 34 – also got the measure of the pitch to take Originals to victory.

MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – When Argentina needed them the most, their up-and-coming players came to the rescue.

Down three men (Gonzalo Bressán, Francisco Cáffaro, and Juan Pablo Vaulet) after Sunday’s game against Dominican Republic, the young guys in Pablo Prigioni’s squad stepped up big time and salvaged a last-second victory against Colombia at Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua.

Juan Fernández and Gonzalo Corbalán are two of the most prominent faces of Argentina’s next generation and are tasked with complementing (and this year, supplementing) big stars like Gabriel Deck and Facundo Campazzo.

The duo was on fire in the dramatic win on Monday, combining for 56 of Argentina’s 84 points and 24 of their 32 field goals.

“Was a show of character,” said head coach Prigioni. “We have young players and nine of them are making their AmeriCup debut, but we don’t set any ceiling or floor.”

Forced into a bigger role as the lone remaining big man, Fernández uncorked a historic performance. He dropped 36 points on 15-for-20 from the field, including a strong 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. His 36 points were the most by any player at a FIBA AmeriCup in a decade, when Gustavo Ayón of Mexico scored 38 against Argentina in 2015.

“We knew we all had to take a step forward,” Fernández said. “We were missing important players and we all leaned on each other… I wanted to help the team with whatever I could.”

Only Juan Espil (twice), Carlos Raffaeli, and Esteban Camisassa had scored 36 or more for Argentina at an AmeriCup tournament.

The 22-year-old Fernández added 16 rebounds, setting a new record for his country at AmeriCup (since 2003). The previous high mark was owned by the legendary Luis Scola, who had grabbed 14 boards on three different occasions.

In fact, the whole performance was reminiscent of Scola and his dominance wearing the light blue and white jersey. Fernández admired the comparison.

“Just that my name is mentioned with his is a great source of pride for me,” he added.

Fernández had a 44-efficiency rating after also contributing an assist, a steal, and 2 blocks in 37 minutes. That’s the second-highest mark of the tournament after Norchad Omier’s 48 against Colombia from Sunday’s game.

Even then, Fernández is not satisfied. Asked about whether it was a dream game for him, he focused on what he needs to improve on going forward.

“I shot 3-for-9 at the free throw line. That can’t happen. I’m obviously proud of the game, but I feel like I can do even better still.”

Corbalán scored 20 for the second consecutive game and leads Argentina with 17.7 points at the conclusion of the group stage. The 23-year-old is also averaging 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals.

Juan Bocca, a 20-year-old forward, added five points off the bench.

“I don’t compare this group with any other,” Prigioni stated in the post-game press conference. “I don’t judge anyone against players from the past. I’m convinced that they still have a lot of potential to unlock, and hopefully we can see it in this tournament.”

FIBA

LUANDA (Angola) – Angola President Joao Lourenco hosted the 2025 AfroBasket champions at the Presidential Palace in Luanda on Tuesday.

This was Mr. Lourenco’s first AfroBasket celebration as head of state, as Angola last won the African Championship in 2013. Mr. Lourenco is currently serving his second term.

A dominant force in African basketball from the late 1980s to 2013, Angola won eleven AfroBasket championships during that time. They faced a 12-year title drought until defeating Mali 70-43 on Sunday, August 24, to restore their continental glory.

Addressing the new African champions, Mr. Lourence said: “You are role models for future generations and young players who aspire to be champions like you.”

“We have to build more basketball courts and sports facilities. This is something we have already started working on.”

Mr. Lourenco emphasized the importance of building 12 new gymnasiums, ensuring that every Angolan province must have facilities for basketball, handball, martial arts, swimming, and gymnastics.

The official continued, noting: “We just have to believe that we can achieve these goals. This is much more than financial investment; it’s also an investment in people to ensure the well-being of future generations.”

“We would like to thank you for bringing joy to the Angolan people with this victory. We hope you bring more victories to our country in the coming years.”

On this occasion, the 2025 AfroBasket champions presented the Angolan presidency with autographed jerseys, a basketball, and the competition’s title.

FIBA