Declan Rice could barely contain his delight after two stunning free‑kicks from the England midfielder gave Arsenal a famous victory against Real Madrid that leaves Mikel Arteta’s side within touching distance of reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009. Mikel Merino ensured Arsenal will head to the Spanish capital for the … Read more
Two very different scenarios – a long-awaited title and a dramatic upset – unfolded in San Antonio and Tampa last weekend. UConn’s women’s basketball team won their first national title in almost 10 years and Houston’s men pulled off a stunning comeback victory over Duke in the Final Four. Both teams were well supported by … Read more
A night when visiting fans lamented the absence of VAR was infinitely more uncomfortable for Leeds than it should have been but still ended with Daniel Farke’s team top of the Championship. Farke was furious to see two “goals” from first Ao Tanaka and then Patrick Bamford disallowed for imaginary offsides but his players somehow … Read more
English club rugby is being undermined by a “dysfunctional” fixture schedule that is making it harder to compete with other top European sides, according to Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson. Saints are the only English team still involved in the Champions Cup this season but Dowson believes Premiership teams are being handicapped by their … Read more
Jimmy White kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the World Snooker Championship for the first time since 2006 with a nail-biting, final-frame win over Ukrainian Anton Kazakov. The veteran six-time runner-up, who turns 63 next month, was 7-3 down just after the resumption of the evening session but reeled off six frames in a … Read more
They’ve been charging towards the wicket ever since overarm bowling was standardised in 1864. Well, not exactly charging. They amble. They shuffle. They waddle. They gather at the crease and unfurl dibbly-dobblers. The peaches they send down are not quite ripe. The jaffas they deliver are gluten free. These are the unblessed athletes, bereft of … Read more
Fourteen months ago, Maxi Oyedele was experiencing the lowest moment of a burgeoning career, being substituted after coming off the bench for a team destined for relegation from League Two. Now he is preparing for a European quarter-final with Legia Warsaw against one of the biggest clubs on the continent. Forest Green feels a world … Read more
The Premier League will be guaranteed at least five teams in the 2025-26 Champions League after Arsenal’s stunning 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. The English top flight needed one win from its clubs in any of the three European competitions to secure one of … Read more
“Ipswich. Leicester and Southampton have a combined total of 47 points. Are they on course to be the worst bottom three in Premier League history?” asks Will Hollis. In a 24-season period from 1999 to 2003, there were no cases of all three promoted clubs being relegated from the Premier League. Now it is probably … Read more
Sometimes you have to hold up your hands and recognise that your defeat was more down to the skills of your opponent than your own failings. Take Aston Villa’s loss to Juventus in the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1983. Thousands of fans left Villa Park after the first leg knowing their team’s grip … Read more