Category: 6. Sports

YORK, England — New Zealand began the defence of their Women’s Rugby World Cup crown with a 54-8 over Spain on Sunday.

While the score line suggests a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Black Ferns, it was anything but with the 7,458-strong crowd treated to an entertaining afternoon of rugby.

Spain matched New Zealand’s physicality and made it difficult for the defending champions with a host of small wins throughout the first half.

Their goal-line defence was resilient and they played smart rugby, choosing the right moments to kick and when to run the ball.

A try from Ines Antolinez Fernandez on the 80-minute mark earned by far the biggest cheer of the afternoon with Spanish and neutral fans delighted.

Monica Castelo produced 22 tackles while Alba Campbell and Lourdes Alameda got through a mountain of work at the breakdown where Spain had good success at times.

While the Black Ferns didn’t truly look like conceding in the first half, they will have been frustrated with some handling errors that halted their rhythm and prevented more tries.

Sevens star Jorja Miller got New Zealand moving with a quick-fire double, the first coming on the left-hand side after some nice footwork left the Spanish defence floundering.

She used her out-and-out pace for the second after Braxton Sorensen-McGee found her in space on the right wing.

Player of the match Liana Mikaele-Tu’u added a third for the Black Ferns, charging over from close range. All three first-half tries were converted from he boot of Renee Holmes.

Coach Allan Bunting made sweeping changes at the break, with Ruahei Demant, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Risaleaana Pouri-Lane, Laura Bayfield all coming on and the bench made an immediate impact, bringing energy and direct rugby to the second-half.

Ayesha Leti’-I’iga and Georgia Ponsonby added two mores within ten minutes of the restart and the Black Ferns had their bonus point.

Olsen-Baker’s, afternoon — and potentially tournament — was cut short with what appeared to be an ankle injury. The 23-year-old was stretchered off in tears after 50 minutes.

However, the crowd soon had something to cheer about, with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe coming on and scoring her first try of the campaign.

Leti’-I’iga nabbed a double before also being forced off through injury, while Theresa Setefano capped off the scoring for New Zealand.

SECOND HALF – FURTHER FRUSTRATION 

Like in the first half, United did most of the early running at the start of the second. Amad took possession before arrowing his shot at goal, stinging the palms of Leno. It was our wing-back’s final involvement as Ruben Amorim went on the attack.

Benjamin Sesko was introduced on 52 minutes but it was Fulham pressing, and Yoro had to be sharp to see off the threat of nippy King, and the centre-back had another big moment minutes later. 

The French defender jumped highest from Fernandes’s corner and headed purposefully. Although the final touch appeared to come off Fulham striker Muniz, we had our first goal of the new season. The scoring wasn’t done there, though.

The hosts awoke when seeking an opportunity to take the ball from Diogo Dalot, the right-wing back finding trouble under pressure from Alex Iwobi, whose inviting centre served a goal on a plate for Smith Rowe.

The attacker had been on the pitch for less than three minutes when he connected from close range, unlocking the Reds’ door against the run of play.

Sunday’s stage was the second of four starting in Italy before the Vuelta heads into Spain and although it is early for Vingegaard to go into the lead, he said: “You’re not going to let a stage win pass so when I saw the opportunity, of course I’ll take it.

“It’s been a while since my last victory so I’m super happy with how I felt, how the team did, and also to have the red jersey.”

Vingegaard added: “I went on [Ciccone’s] wheel and, to be honest, before the [final] corner I didn’t think that it would be possible to pass him, but from the corner on it was longer to the finish than I thought so then I could pass him.”

A 157km flat stage from Alba culminated with a climb of almost 10km with an average gradient of more than 5%.

Rain fell on a cool day of 20C, and Pidcock and Vingegaard were among a group of riders that slipped to the tarmac on a roundabout near the bottom of that last ascent.

“I went down pretty hard, but it seems like I didn’t hurt myself too bad,” said Vingegaard.

“I have a bit of bruising, but I think because it was so slippery I was sliding more, so I didn’t get any bad road rash or anything.”

Pidcock added: “I’ve got be happy with how I rode. I think I always need a few days to get into a race. We committed, I didn’t have the legs, but we’ll try again another time.”

On Monday the riders are set for a grinding all-day ascent on a short but winding 138.5km run to Ceres in the midst of the Graian Alps.

Fulham substitute Emile Smith Rowe’s strike held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on Sunday, meaning Ruben Amorim’s side are still looking for their first Premier League win this season.

Smith Rowe tucked home Alex Iwobi’s cross to cancel out Rodrigo Muniz’s own goal and end United’s incredible run of eight successive victories at Craven Cottage.

Visiting captain Bruno Fernandes also missed a first-half penalty on a frustrating afternoon for United boss Ruben Amorim.

For the last 40 minutes United fielded their new £200million frontline of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, but all they had to show for it was a deflected header from teenage centre-back Leny Yoro which went in off Muniz.

Sesko started on the bench with Mason Mount leading the line and Rasmus Hojlund, linked with a move away next week, conspicuous by his absence in the squad.

The visitors almost took the lead inside two minutes when Mount laid the ball back to Cunha whose deliberate, sidefooted shot went through the legs of Calvin Bassey and hit the foot of Bernd Leno’s post.

Fulham’s first opportunity arrived in the 12th minute when fit-again Ryan Sessegnon’s clever flick played Josh King through on goal.

But Altay Bayindir, preferred to André Onana in the United goal despite his costly error in the opening-day defeat by Arsenal, was out quickly to make a good save.

United are understood to be in talks with Royal Antwerp about a move for their goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Bayindir’s limitations were there for all to see as he caused blind panic in his own penalty area at three corners in the first half alone.

Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

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However, his distribution is a clear upgrade on Onana’s, illustrated when a drilled clearance flew all the way into the Fulham box and dropped over the shoulder of Cunha, who controlled it in an instant before forcing a point-blank stop from Leno.

The match really burst into life after half an hour when the VAR spotted some grappling in the area between Bassey and Mount at a corner.

Replays showed the Fulham defender had virtually thrown Mount over his shoulder to the ground, WWE style.

Referee Chris Kavanagh went to the screen before announcing his decision to the obvious dismay of Fulham boss Marco Silva.

However, Bassey and Silva cheered up considerably at the sight of Fernandes blazing his spot-kick high into the Hammersmith End.

– As it happened: Man United held to Fulham draw

– How did Marcus Rashford do on his full Barcelona debut?

– Lammens left out of squad amid Man Utd talks

Amorim sent on Sesko in place of Casemiro in the 51st minute and the goal arrived seven minutes later from the unlikely source of Yoro, who met Mbeumo’s corner with a header which hit the back of Muniz and wrongfooted Leno as it flew into the net.

However, Fulham responded in the 72nd minute when Iwobi’s ball into the box was missed by Matthijs de Ligt and prodded home by former Arsenal forward Smith Rowe.

It was another defender, substitute Harry Maguire, who almost snatched the win for United but his late header flew wide as Fulham held out for a point.

Week 2 of La Liga saw FC Barcelona complete their first comeback of the 2025/26 season. Two goals down at half time against Levante in the Ciutat de València stadium, in the second half Hansi Flick’s team turn the game on its head to take a 3-2 victory with midfielder Pedri the catalyst for the team’s second win two matches in this season’s La Liga campaign. 

The midfielder from the Canary Islands put in a virtuoso performance in Valencia against Levante, kick starting the comeback with a brilliant strike from the edge of the penalty area just four minutes into the second half with Barça two goals down in the Ciutat de València stadium. 

 

Impressive stats 

The statistics confirm Pedri’s dominance in the win over Levante. The midfielder completed 118 passes., 45 of which came in the final third. Pedri also won the ball back on 10 occasions. leading the blaugranes in all categories. 

A threat from outside the box 

Pedri’s strike against Levante was his fourth from outside the penalty area as a Barça player – the most recent prior to Saturday coming in the Copa del Rey final last season against Real Madrid. Curiously, it was also his second long range strike against Levante after an effort in a 3-2 win back in the 2021/22 season. 

The 2025/26 season is shaping up to be a good one for Barça and for Pedri and the man of the match award for the midfielder was a just reward for his impressive performance in the Ciutat de València stadium. 

 

As pre-match pyrotechnics sent blue smoke arching in the direction of the River Mersey, it was a day of new beginnings for Everton – and for a player who risked becoming one of the Premier League’s great lost talents.

Everton were playing the first Premier League game at their magnificent new state-of-the-art stadium, finally leaving Goodison Park behind after 133 years.

Supporters gathered in their thousands hours before kick-off, making their way from the famous Liver Birds at the Pier Head to Hill Dickinson Stadium for a historic day, the start of what Everton hope will be a prosperous new era after years of financial and footballing struggle.

And the name on so many fans’ lips was that of Jack Grealish, released from life in the shadows at Manchester City to start again on loan at Everton, the most high-profile arrival at the club this summer.

Grealish, who will turn 30 in September, has lived life on the margins under Pep Guardiola in recent seasons, making only seven league starts last term.

He has the motivation of knowing England head coach Thomas Tuchel is a confirmed admirer, with the World Cup on the horizon next summer. The goal is obvious.

So the stage was set, Grealish instantly feeling the love of more than 50,000 Everton fans as he swiftly showed a desire to take on defenders, a quality that seemed lost in his latter days at City.

Everton’s performance may not have been perfect, but on a day when only victory mattered, they achieved the desired outcome with a 2-0 win against Brighton, with Grealish playing a significant role.

He felt, for the first time in a long time, the buzz of the crowd when the ball was at his feet, and it took only 23 minutes for Grealish to deliver exactly what Everton manager David Moyes wanted when he made his pitch to lure him to Merseyside from Etihad Stadium.

Grealish drove deep into the Brighton penalty area, leaving Mats Wieffer in his wake before drilling a cross to the far post, where the incoming Iliman Ndiaye made a difficult finish look easy.

It was Grealish in the one-on-one territory he loved so much at his peak, and how he relished the release of emotion and celebration with Ndiaye.

Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar extended his winning streak to five events this season with an 8.06m leap at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2025 in Chennai on Sunday.

However, the 26-year-old Indian athlete fell short of the 8.27m men’s long jump qualifying mark for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month.

Returning from knee surgery that sidelined him from Paris 2024, Sreeshankar has now won every competition he has entered this season.

With the 2025 World Athletics Championships qualification window closing today, the six attempts at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai were Sreeshankar’s final opportunities to secure a direct spot at Tokyo25.

Sreeshankar, who holds the national record of 8.41m, has cleared 8.27m five times in his career.

Having missed a majority of the qualification window for Tokyo25, it may be difficult for Sreeshankar to qualify for the upcoming global showcase through the rankings route. The final list of qualified athletes will be announced on August 27.

S Lokesh (7.71m) and Swaminathan R (7.70m) took silver and bronze, respectively.

In the men’s javelin throw, Rohit Yadav led the field with a personal best of 83.65m and was followed by Sachin Yadav (83.20m) and Shivam Lohakare (80.20m).

Rohit, ranked 57th on Road to Tokyo 25, needed to breach the entry standard of 85.50m to qualify for the World Championships. The rankings, including the points from Inter-State Championships, will be updated on Monday.

With defending world champion Neeraj Chopra already assured of a berth, India are expected to field at least three throwers in Tokyo. Sachin Yadav (22nd) and Yash Vir Singh (30th) are currently sit inside the cut-off rankings.

Yash Vir Singh logged a distance of 76.22m at the Inter-State Championships to finish fourth.

Maria Sharapova’s induction into the Hall of Fame turned into something more than a career tribute when Serena Williams stepped forward to deliver it.

It was a fitting turn for two players whose careers became deeply intertwined. Sharapova’s breakthrough came in 2004, when at 17 years old, she upset Williams in the Wimbledon final to win her first major.

That victory seemed to mark the start of a rivalry, but Williams would go on to dominate, winning 19 consecutive meetings, including three Grand Slam finals and the 2012 Olympic gold medal match.

In all, she prevailed in 20 of their 22 encounters. Sharapova’s career closed with five major titles to Williams’ 24,  a contrast in achievement, yet a rivalry that bound their careers together for more than a decade.

On Saturday, Sharapova acknowledged as much in her speech.

“We left everything out on the lines of the court every single match,” she said. “We both hated to lose more than anything on this earth. We both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy. That’s the root of how we got here.”

Williams acknowledged that Sharapova’s challenges brought out her best.

“Whatever her weakness was the match before, you better believe that was her strength next time,” she said. “She was relentless about improving.”

Beneath the rivalry, their stories shared strikingly similar foundations. Both were shaped by fathers who placed extraordinary belief in their daughters, by early sacrifices that defined their journeys, and by an eventual shift from competitors to peers.

In recent years, they often crossed paths not on court but at the Met Gala or fashion events, where they discovered a rapport that competition once obscured.

“If you’re an athlete, you eventually find the other athletes in the room,” Williams said. “Our guards were down. Little by little we started to see each other differently. … This person I spent years battling with across the net — we actually like each other? And we did.”

Sharapova closed on a note of gratitude.

“Serena did more than just sharpen my game,” she said. “She helped crystallize my identity as a competitor. It’s a gift to find someone who motivates you to reach those heights.”

 

LUANDA (Angola) – Senegal finished third in the 2025 AfroBasket tournament after defeating Cameroon 98-72 on Sunday in Luanda.

Jean-Jacques Boissy set a new AfroBasket record with his impressive 40-point performance. The previous record was 38 points, set by Cape Verde’s Jeff Xavier in a 2009 clash against the Central African Republic.

Boissy’s teammates Brancou Badio and Ibou Badji scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.

Jordan Bayehe and Jeremiah Hill scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, for Cameroon.

Cameroon was coming off a heartbreaking 74-73 loss to Angola in the semifinals. Senegal was coming off an 88-80 loss to Mali in their Last Four clash. The two teams met in the third-place game, where only pride was at stake.

The two teams had also met in the tournament qualifiers, with Senegal winning both games.

Senegal stepped onto the court with the right energy in this game and found themselves up 49-26 at halftime.

Cameroon looked like they were still reeling from their loss to Angola. They made only 30% of their shots and were 0/8 from outside the arc.

Boissy, the 2025 BAL MVP, kept the scoreboard ticking for Senegal, ending the first half with 16 points after making 7 of 11 field goal attempts.

TURNING POINT: DeSagana Diop’s men came with the energy and drive and had a 25 lead (45-20) with the second quarter nearing completion. The telling statistic was Senegal’s 52% made field goal attempts, while Cameroon had dropped from 35% to 30% going into halftime.

The electric Boissy kept the scoreboard ticking for Senegal, ending the first half with 16 points on making 7/11 of his field goal attempts

Senegal maintained their iron grip on the game, going 26 points up (56-30) after a 6-0 run.

HERO: Jean-Jacques Boissy, who was scoring like it was practice, had dropped 24 points late in the third quarter and was 4/9 from three-point range. Badio and Badji both had double figures in the third, helping the Lions of Teranga amass a 30-point (78-48) lead going into the fourth quarter.

STATS DON’T LIE: Senegal were statistically dominant throughout the game, outrebounding Cameroon (48-37). Apart from dominating the boards, the Lions of Teranga also outscored Cameroon in the paint (38-30), second chance points (23-12), turnovers (20-1), and fastbreak points (19-1).

BOTTOM LINE: Senegal arrived with the most energy, and they did not let the disappointment of losing to Mali in the semi-final take away their appetite to win.

Cameroon finished the first half with just one foul, perhaps reflecting the team’s exhaustion from returning to the floor less than 24 hours after losing to Angola.

After placing last in the 2021 AfroBasket tournament, their fourth-place finish after a grueling one-point semifinal loss to the host team tells the story of a competitive team with potential for future success.

Meanwhile, Senegal reminded everyone of their potential to contend for medals.

WHAT THEY SAID: “It’s hard to finish fourth, especially after last night’s tough loss. It’s hard to prepare mentally after losing that game against Angola. You are physically on the court, but mentally, you are not there because of the tough semifinal loss. If the team needs me, I will definitely be back for the World Cup qualifiers.” – Cameroon shooting guard Fabien Ateba.

“It’s part of the game of basketball. Either you win or you lose. I don’t call it finishing fourth a loss; I would rather say that we learned a lot. This is a big experience for us. We have a group of young guys who have never played in an environment like this. We are taking many positives. We are continuing to learn from an experience like this championship. The future is promising for Senegal.” Senegal guard Brancou Badio.

“I couldn’t sleep well last night because of that loss against Mali. We have to learn to be a professional, that’s what I told guys. We had to come out ready to win and we did it. for the whole country of Senegall. It’s not just a bout the players, it’s’ about the country. We came ready to play and it feels good to finish this championship with a win.” – Senegal guard Brancou Badio.

FIBA