Category: 6. Sports

Bukayo Saka is set to miss Arsenal’s game at Liverpool on Sunday as well as England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia next month.

The 23-year-old went off with a hamstring injury in Saturday’s home win against Leeds United and it is estimated the forward will be unavailable for up to four weeks.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is doubtful for the match at Anfield as a result of a shoulder injury suffered in the victory against Leeds.

Odegaard looked in pain as he was replaced in the first half of the 5-0 win and the former Real Madrid attacking midfielder is understood to have left Emirates Stadium with his shoulder in a sling.

The Norway playmaker has not yet been ruled out of the game against the Premier League champions and there is optimism at Arsenal that neither the 26-year-old or Saka will be long-term casualties.

There is particular relief regarding Saka, who missed three months of last season with a hamstring injury.

Arsenal have a much deeper pool of attacking talent this season though, having signed Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze this summer.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta also has Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman to mitigate the absences of Saka and Odegaard.

Kylian Mbappe was once again the difference-maker for Real Madrid as they secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Real Oviedo.

The French superstar netted twice, taking his tally to three goals in just two matches this season.

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From the opening whistle, Madrid were in complete control, dominating possession and dictating the rhythm of the game.

Yet, despite their superiority, the breakthrough didn’t arrive until the half-hour mark. That’s when Mbappe produced a moment of brilliance, showing his class to put his team ahead and change the tone of the match.

From then on, Oviedo simply could not keep up with the pace and quality of Xabi Alonso’s side.

The win follows Mbappe’s outstanding performance against Osasuna just five days earlier, when he won and scored a penalty.

With back-to-back dominant displays, the forward is already sending a clear message to La Liga rivals that he has now settled at Madrid and is ready to lead the attack.

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Florentino Perez delighted with his star forward

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Oviedo. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

In the stands, club president Florentino Perez watched the match closely, seated alongside Oviedo’s top official, Martin Pelaez.

Perez enjoyed some light moments during the game, even taking part in a video call, but his full attention returned once Mbappe began to shine.

After the final whistle, Perez made his way to the dressing room to personally congratulate the squad, with a special focus on the Frenchman.

Hugging Mbappe, the president joked, “At the Bernabeu, we’re going to have to make room for another Pichichi this year, aren’t we?” he said as quoted by Defensa Central.

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With his brace, Mbappe has now scored in seven consecutive domestic matches and has reached 47 goals since arriving at Real Madrid.

His consistency in front of goal, combined with his leadership in attack, is exactly what Perez and the fans hoped for.

A total of 36 of the 38 players in last week’s squad retained their places in the group for the second leg of their campaign.

The Boks will battle it out with the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, 6 September, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington a week later on 13 September in matches that will be crucial as the team seeks to defend the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title they won for the first time since 2019 last season.

With wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe injured, Makazole Mapimpi, who joined the team in Cape Town last week, will make the trip down under, while the only forward from the squad that faced Australia to miss out on selection was utility forward Cobus Wiese, who has been placed on standby.

The squad contains 20 forwards and 16 backs. No 8 Jasper Wiese, however, is still currently serving a suspension and will only be eligible for selection for the second encounter in Wellington.

“This group of players have been working hard together since our first training camp in June, and most of them have been playing together for years, while the newer players in the squad showed in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and in the last two matches against Australia that they are ready for this challenge,” said Erasmus.

“Siya (Kolisi, Springbok captain), Pieter-Steph (du Toit), Willie (le Roux), and Jan-Hendrik (Wessels) have been medically cleared from their niggles, while all the players who faced Australia in Cape Town have received a clean bill of health and will be ready to face the All Blacks.”

Erasmus expected a tremendous test against the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington, but he was excited about the challenge ahead.

“The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is still wide open with all four teams having won a match in the first two rounds, so this tour is going to be vital for us, and we’ll certainly take confidence from the win against Australia last week when we board the plane,” said Erasmus.

“Facing the All Blacks in New Zealand is a massive challenge, but all the teams in this competition are ranked among the top sides in the world, and each one has the potential to beat one another on the day.

“In the last two months alone, Australia defeated us at Ellis Park and went down narrowly in their British & Irish Lions Series defeat, while Argentina defeated New Zealand last weekend and the British & Irish Lions, so we are not paying much attention to our historic records in New Zealand.

“We learned valuable lessons from our first game against Australia, and we know exactly what we have to do to reach our standards and improve as the competition progresses, and I don’t think we need more motivation than that.”

Erasmus added: “We are under no illusions that both games are going to be massive, and every match against the All Blacks is epic given the rivalry between the teams.

“We won our last four matches against them dating back to 2023, which marked only the the second time in history that we defeated them four times in a row, and there is no doubt that will motivate both teams.

“So, we need to ensure that we build on what we’ve been working on this year in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and Castle Lager Rugby Championship and take another step-up before facing them in two weeks.

“We are travelling to New Zealand tomorrow, which will give us sufficient time to acclimatise to the time zone, so we believe we will be settled and ready for the task ahead by the time we take the field.”

The Springboks play New Zealand on consecutive Saturdays – 6 and 13 September – in Auckland and Wellington, with both Tests kicking off at 09h05 (SA time).

Springbok squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand:

Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

A busy final day saw the Scorchers defeat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs in the semi-final, before a top-order batting blitz saw them post a 15 run win the final.

Here are six central talking points from the Scorchers Top End T20 Series triumph. 

Scorchers time their title run to perfection

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Scorchers through their campaign. With just two wins from the first four games, it had to be a faultless finish from the side and the Scorchers delivered accordingly. Commanding wins over Melbourne Stars and Northern Territory Strike secured them a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament.

WA and Perth Scorchers Senior Assistant Tim MacDonald, who oversaw the campaign, felt the side built nicely into the tournament.

“As a team we probably played our best cricket in the second half of the tournament,” MacDonald said.

“It was good for the guys to experience finals cricket and be put under pressure.

“We came up here to learn about a young bunch of guys in the T20 cricket landscape and expose them to different roles.

“We also saw some good growth from last year’s tournament.

“I’ve got no doubt this is the second best T20 competition in Australia behind the BBL.”

Holt hits first T20 century in final blitz

Much like the Scorchers team, wicketkeeper-batter Baxter Holt produced his best at the end of the tournament. After scoring 179 runs in last year’s competition, Holt scored 24 runs in his first three outings of this year’s edition. Holt’s unbeaten 54 guided the Scorchers to victory against Northern Territory Strike in the final game of the regular season, before a 58-ball century in the final helped the Scorchers to an imposing score of 2/205.

Holt’s first 25 balls he faced in the final brought just 23 runs, before finishing belting 91 runs off the final 38 balls. Holt was well supported at the other end by captain Teague Wyllie, who finished unbeaten on 56.

MacDonald labelled Holt’s innings a “special one”.

“Baxter was unbelievable,” MacDonald said.

“He can hit the ball 360 and is terrific at putting the bowlers under the pump.

“He was probably at his best up here last year, but he was struggling in the first half of this year to find runs and went searching a bit.

“Those conditions though he likes and can access both sides of the wicket with sweeps.

“He hit the gaps hard in the final and we know he’s got that in him.”

Critchell hat-trick sends Scorchers through

Defending a score of 8/155 in the semi-final against Pakistan Shaheens was going to be a big ask for the Scorchers. With the game delicately poised at 5/66 in the 11^th over, Keaton Critchell stood up. The 28-year-old taking a hat-trick and effectively put the result beyond doubt.

Critchell had Mubasir Khan and Saad Masood caught behind to start the sequence, before hitting the top of off stump to remove Mehran Mumtaz and complete the hat-trick.

Kelly enjoys clean run through the tournament

After two injury-affected seasons, fast bowler Matt Kelly reminded Perth Scorchers fans just how pivotal he is to help the side return to finals action in BBL|15. Kelly was the leading wicket taker for the Scorchers in Darwin with 13 and third overall behind Faisal Akram and Scott Kuggeleijn.

Kelly also played a crucial role with the bat in the semi-final, where he made 23 off 19 balls and struck two stunning sixes. MacDonald lauded Kelly’s impact with both bat and ball.

“We asked a fair bit of Matt,” MacDonald said.

“He backed-up twice through the tournament and played in both finals.

“He hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late, so it was a good test for him at that level of intensity.

“He bowled well through the whole tournament.

“He played the shot of the tournament in the semi-final too and really got the momentum going.”

Bowling unit a model of consistency

While Kelly led the way with 13 wickets, the Scorchers bowling unit were brilliant through the tournament. Kelly was well supported by fellow quicks Bryce Jackson, Brody Couch, Critchell and youngster Albert Esterhuysen.

It wasn’t just the paceman that played a key role through the tournament. Spin trio Corey Rocchiccioli, Matthew Spoors and Luke Holt all played key roles in applying the pressure to opposition sides. All three were a part of the victorious side in the final.

MacDonald said all the bowlers complemented each other well.

“I think the balance of the bowling group was perfect,” he said.

“It’s not often you see the Scorchers play three spinners in the one team.

“All three spinners were solid and bowled against good players of spin.

“The quicks were good for us too.

“It was pleasing to see someone like Bryce Jackson, who’s obviously contracted with the BBL squad, put under the pump a few times and learn what he’s got to offer on different occasions.”

Wyllie and Curtis continue white ball emergence

After a breakout season for WA in 2024-25, Joel Curtis sounded an early warning he could be in for just as prolific a season in 2025-26. Curtis produced crucial knocks of 31, 44* and 63 against Pakistan Shaheens, Bangladesh A and Melbourne Stars respectively through the early part of the tournament.

The tournament also served as another test of the skill and leadership of 21-year-old Teague Wyllie. Wyllie was given the responsibility of captaining the Scorchers in the semi-final and final. He played a significant role making 56 alongside centurion Baxter Holt in an unbroken partnership of 164 in the final against Adelaide.

The 2025/26 Barça jerseys for basketball, handball, futsal, and roller hockey are now available to purchase from the club’s official online store and at all Barça shops.

Just like the football team’s kit, the new design for the teams playing at the Palau Blaugrana brings back the club’s iconic vertical stripes, a tribute to over 125 years of tradition. This season’s shirt moves on from the half-and-half design used to mark the 125th anniversary last year, returning instead to a classic striped look, featuring a blurred, speed-inspired gradient effect, evoking the dynamism and modern identity of today’s FC Barcelona.

Inside the collar, the shirt reads “FC Barcelona,” while on the back (just below the neck) two colored details fuse the club flag with the senyera, the Catalan flag. The shorts are deep blue with sharp horizontal edging and vertical striping on the legs for a bold finish.

Fans of Barça’s basketball, handball, futsal, and roller hockey teams can now show their colours by picking up their favourite team’s kit from the strres at Spotify Camp Nou and Canaletes as well as online, while basketball tops can also be purchased at the store in Passeig de Gràcia.

Models from each team

For the new kit launch, each team has chosen one standout figure as the face of the campaign.

In basketball, the honour goes to rising star Juan Núñez.
Dika Mem, widely considered one of the world’s best, represents the handball section.
Brazilian goal machine Pito leads the way for futsal.
And Ignacio Alabart is the chosen figure for roller hockey.

With these kits, fans can wear the blaugrana badge with pride across every corner of the Palau.

Sharvari Shende wrapped up India’s campaign at the World Archery Youth Championships 2025 with the gold medal in the Under-18 women’s recurve event in Winnipeg, Canada, on Sunday.

The 16-year-old archer became only the third Indian world champion in the women’s U18 recurve category, following in the footsteps of Deepika Kumari (2011) and Komalika Bari (2021).

Seeded 20th after qualifying, Shende stunned higher-ranked opponents en route to the gold medal.

She defeated the Republic of Korea’s third seed Kim Yewon in the final, holding her nerve in a shoot-off to win 10-9 after the match ended 5-5. In the semi-final, she had already toppled top seed Kim Minjeong of South Korea 7-3.

“Am I really the world champion? Oh my God, it was amazing,” said the 16-year-old Indian archer while speaking to World Archery after the final.

“I’m just thinking that I will shoot my best. One arrow will decide if I’m going to be a world champion or not. My coach was telling me to be confident, believe in yourself, you’re going to be the champion,” said Shende.

“I always had a dream to become the world champion and this is my last year in the cadet, so I feel very proud, I feel I make my India proud.”

Earlier in the week, Shende also helped India secure a bronze in the U18 women’s recurve archery team event. On the final day, Gatha Khadake and Agastay Singh added another bronze by edging Chinese Taipei in the U18 mixed recurve category.

The two medals took India’s overall tally at the World Archery Youth Championships 2025 to eight – four gold, two silver and two bronze.

India also dominated the previous edition held in Limerick, Ireland, two years back, claiming six golds, including three in individual events.

The World Archery Youth Championships 2025 was the 19th edition of the biennial meet that has been held since 1991. A total of 570 top youth archers from 63 countries around the world competed for medals in Winnipeg.

The next World Archery Youth Championships will take place in Antalya, Turkiye, in 2027.

World Archery Youth Championships 2025: Indian medal winners

• Recurve U18 women’s individual: Sharvari Shende – gold medal
• Compound U21 men’s team: Kushal Dalal, Apar Mihir Nitin, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru – gold medal
• Compound U18 men’s team: Mohit Dagar, Yogesh Joshi, Devansh Singh – gold medal
• Compound U21 women’s individual: Chikitha Taniparthi – gold medal
• Compound U18 women’s individual: Prithika Pradeep – silver medal
• Compound U18 mixed team: Prithika Pradeep-Mohit Dagar – silver medal
• Recurve U18 women’s team: Sharvari Shende, Gatha Khadake, Jiana Kumar – bronze medal
• Recurve U18 mixed team: Gatha Khadake-Agastay Singh – bronze medal

South American battles and final tune-ups ahead of WTCS French Riviera were on the menu over the past weekend and the days leading up to it. In Paraguay, there was a double gold for Team USA, while Team France claimed a double gold of their own in Uzbekistan. Perhaps the biggest statement, however, came from one of this year’s WTCS gold medallists. Find out all that happened in the latest Monday Morning Mix.

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Asuncion Junior Pan American Games

Braxton Legg (USA) starred in the men’s race at the Junior Pan American Games, beating out Blake Bullard (USA) and Andree Buc (CHI) in the final chase for gold. Bullard led the sprint distance 750m swim in 10:15. Legg was the next athlete out out, 10 seconds down, with Buc following a further 14 seconds in arrears.

Twelve men joined the lead trio at the head of the race on the bike. Caua Diniz (BRA) rode particularly well on a course that kept the leaders honest, trying his luck and coming away with the fastest split over 20km (27:37). Bullard and Buc, though, regained control on the run, with Legg emerging from T1 a few seconds back.

Legg had already medalled at Americas Cup events against senior fields this year and his composure separated him over the 5km run. A field-leading 14:23 proved too good for his rivals and handed him the win over Bullard by 13 seconds.

A second gold for the American team came through Naomi Ruff (USA) as she overpowered Sidney Clement (CAN) and Julia Visgueiro (BRA) in a successful breakaway. Clement stood atop the swimming charts, logging a split of 10:49 and creating a lead pack of five going into T1. Ruff and Visgueiro were with her while Zoe Adam (PUR) and Rafaela Capo (CHI) completed the breakaway quintet.

The pack was the fastest group on the road, save for a couple of athletes moving up between the various chase packs. By the time they made it to T2, Visgueiro’s 29:44 split was the joint-best of the day and the group’s efforts ensured no one in the chase would threaten the medals. Then, on the run, a 17:02 split by Ruff handed her the win in comfort. Her total time of 59:49 distinguished her as the only woman to finish in under an hour. View the full results here.

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Around the world

Earlier in the week, Dorian Coninx and Mathilde Gautier won at the World Military Championships in Uzbekistan. Gautier had enjoyed a successful start to the Samarkand World Cup earlier this year as she escaped off the front as part of a small breakaway. When her breakaway partners crashed out, however, she was forced to complete the bike alone and then fell back on the run. This time, she manufactured a happier ending with a commensurate performance across all three disciplines.

For his part, Coninx’s win showcased several of his best attributes, especially on the run, as he out-classed the field. One interesting point to note is that in the 2023 season, when he became world champion, Coninx did not win a WTCS medal until August. His impressive win therefore indicates a step forward in form that could translate at WTCS French Riviera and beyond.

Meanwhile, the latest supertri round in Chicago attracted a host of athletes that will be racing at WTCS French Riviera next week. Taking 1^st place in the men’s and women’s races were Alberto Gonzalez Garcia and Jeanne Lehair, beating out Tyler Mislawchuk and Georgia Taylor-Brown, respectively. Lehair’s win continues a phenomenal season and the speed the WTCS Yokohama winner showed on the run should put several of her French Riviera rivals on notice.

Dorothea Wierer, Tommaso Giacomel and the entire Italian team are preparing for their home Olympics at Milano-Cortina in 2026 with smiles, professionalism and the dream of making history.

A beautiful sunny day welcomed the Italian biathlon team in Forni Avoltri during a training camp that revealed the most authentic side of the squad: focus and dedication, of course, but also friendship, laughter, and late-night battles over the board game Risiko. In this calm yet energetic atmosphere, the Azzurri shared their thoughts on the season leading to the most anticipated moment: the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Tommaso Giacomel, Dorothea Wierer and Didier Bionaz, together with coaches Andrea Zattoni and Fabio Cianciana, offered valuable insight into how the team is experiencing the build-up to the five-ringed event.

Above all stands the calm confidence of Giacomel. At 25, he looks to the coming season with trust in the work he has done, perfectly representing how this team approaches the big event aware of its potential, built over years of hard work: “I feel good about it. I think it would be harder if I were an outsider. Instead, I know I’m among the favourites, so I feel calm, because if I do things well, the results will come. If I were an outsider, I’d need something extraordinary to reach a medal. To be honest, I’m also looking more at the overall World Cup than the Olympics.”

For coach Zattoni, another reason for their calm attitude lies on the fact that the path so far has been steady: “We haven’t had any problems, neither physical nor health issues. No injuries or illnesses that forced us to reduce training days. So overall, everything has been positive up to now, and we hope to continue this way.”

The project is clear: “Our goal is always to work hard and give our best. Until you’re right at the big event, the pressure is quite constant, quite like any other season. Having drawn up a training plan very similar to last year gives confidence to us, as coaches, but also to the athletes, because last season we saw that things worked well.”

His fellow coach Cianciana confirms: “I haven’t felt any tension. I think we’re quite ready. Last year we went through a very difficult December and first two weeks of January, and then we managed to come out of that dark time. I think that experience could help us manage the pressure that will come at the Olympics.”

In that sense, a major help comes from the group spirit which is also a strength: “I see professionalism, dedication to work, and also a great group atmosphere. They’re all friends, laughing, joking. In the evenings, they have huge Risiko matches with shouting, laughter and a lot of fun.”

But confidence does not come only from out-of-biathlon activities. The hard work is showing in the progresses of each and every of the team members: “I’m happy because in the functional tests you can see improvements. It confirms the whole process. Now it’s time to finalise.”

From the athletes’ side, Wierer is living this period with particular intensity, after announcing she will end her career after these home Olympics: “There are pros and cons in knowing that my clock is set to that goal. I can’t wait, because it’s a unique event, and not many athletes have the chance to compete in an Olympics at home, right where you grew up, where you first put skis on. It’s wonderful to be able to close my career like that, isn’t it?”

Her preparation has also been a little unusual, shaped by the many requests and commitments linked to being a home Olympics icon: “With the Games at home, everyone has something to ask of you, so you have to manage your schedule too. I chose to squeeze most commitments in spring, so in May I trained very little – about 30 hours, which some do in a week! Then I really started training in June, but things are going well. It’s not easy, because I feel this is a special year, and also very tiring from that point of view.”

For Giacomel, there is no doubt the veteran is doing everything to be ready for her final big stage in Antholz though: “She says herself that she’s counting the days. Honestly, I see her doing well for now, and I hope it continues like that. She’s still the same, always complaining – and that’s a good sign,” he commented with a smile.

Coming from a troubled winter, Bionaz, on the other hand, keeps a more detached approach: “Honestly, I’m not thinking much about it, even though it’s a question we get asked a lot. If you think about it, it’s something that happens once in a lifetime, and not everyone gets the chance to race an Olympics at home. But honestly, I’m not thinking about it now. My expectations are mainly to get back to doing what I know how to do. So, for the moment, I’m living it as a season like any other.”

This mix of calmness and awareness is well summed up by a conversation between Cianciana and Giacomel, as the coach recalls: “The other day Tommy told me: ‘We want to go to the Olympics to win, not just to take part.’ Right now, potentially, in our team there are two athletes who can win any race. But we all know how unpredictable a single race can be: in the sprint in Pyeongchang, Fourcade and JT Boe were the clear favourites, but they both missed three or four shots, and neither of them won. Like in every World Cup race, if you’re fast and you shoot well, you’re there. But of course, if you’re ranked fifth on paper and all four in front of you do the same, you may still end up fifth. But if even one of them misses a shot more than you, you’re ahead. That’s the beauty of our sport.”

A first test of this team’s progress in the lead up to the Olympics will come this weekend on the very stadium that will host the Games. In Antholz-Anterselva, the Italians will face a fierce international opposition during the Summer Biathlon National Championships. Wierer will be the only one to skip these competitions, a decision taken long ago to fit her different training schedule. However, the Italian veteran is already looking forward to the Loop One Festival in October, where she will be wearing a racing bib again.

Photos Gasparin/IBU