The Guardian

Australian opener ‘preparing for anything’ in Brisbane Agrees with Pat Cummins that batting order ‘overrated’ Having swushbuckled Australia to victory after vaulting to the top of the order in the first Ashes Test, Travis Head arrived in Brisbane on Sunday to begin his preparations for the second, saying that the future of Test cricket lies in the hands of batters who can flex into a variety of p…

News and discussion as we build up to the day’s action Chelsea determined to stay grounded | Get in touch Krishna gets in touch: “Isn’t the match involving Manchester United no longer about the result but how many minutes before the first misplaced pass, when will Ruben disintegrate looking like a cook who forgot his recipe AND missing a key ingredient and which comic event will lead to the first…

For a man who insists football isn’t political, the Fifa boss is putting a lot of effort into into courting the most divisive politician on Earth Gianni Infantino was 18 years old the first time he ran for office. It was a presidential election at FC Brig-Glis, the local amateur football club in the small Swiss town where he grew up. Running against two older men, and with no discernible football…

Outsider repeats Champion Hurdle success The New Lion also falls when leading two out There was another twist to what is becoming a sorry tale here on Saturday as Constitution Hill, whose first two seasons over jumps led him to being ranked among the finest hurdlers of all time, fell for the third time in his past four starts in the early stages of a much-anticipated Fighting Fifth Hurdle. The Ne…

Tadeo Allende hat-trick leads Miami to 5-1 win over NYC Early Vancouver goals sink expansion San Diego FC MLS Cup matchup repeats Concacaf semi-final Lionel Messi will play for another trophy. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets clearly aren’t ready to begin their retirements, either. Tadeo Allande scored three goals – Alba and Busquets, a pair of longtime Messi teammates who will retire when this sea…

Head coach says wing-backs have ‘much more to give’ Manchester United visit Crystal Palace on Sunday Ruben Amorim has said he feels Patrick Dorgu’s anxiety every time the wing-back receives possession for Manchester United but stated the 21-year-old has “much time” to improve. Dorgu has performed unevenly since becoming the head coach’s first signing when joining from Lecce for £25m in February. …

Midfielder’s three goals illustrate the different attributes that have made her into the player she is today England laid down a marker at Wembley on Saturday evening as they waltzed to victory over China with a scintillating show of attacking force. Among the many eye-catching performances, Georgia Stanway stood out, joining Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones by becoming the third Lioness to score…

First-minute red card for challenge costs Saints dearly Gloucester off mark with victory against Harlequins Northampton ’s unbeaten start to the season came to a shuddering halt as they were blown away 46-12 by impressive Bristol at Ashton Gate. Saints lost Edoardo Todaro to a first-minute red card and it was downhill all the way after that as Bristol ran in six tries. Scrum-half Kieran Marmion s…

New 16,000-seat venue running behind schedule Test events pushed to January with no backup option First Olympic hockey game still set for 5 February There is no backup stadium if the main ice hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Winter Games is not ready on time. Construction on the arena that is set to welcome NHL players back to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade is behind sche…

Top-four seeding shows Fifa prioritising marketing over sporting integrity once again but even best-laid plans can flop The plastic balls rumble around the glass bowls of destiny. Portentous music plays. There is a sense of possibility, as though the inner workings of the universe have suddenly been laid bare, a door opening to reveal the three Fates sitting by their spinning wheel, measuring rod…

Norris slips up in final lap to give rival advantage Max Verstappen third on grid; Hamilton 18th Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, a vital result in the tense world championship fight with his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, who was in second, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third. The Australian took top spot with his final lap after Norris had laid down a…

La Liga leaders recover to beat Alavés 3-1 Munich set summit record with stoppage-time goals Barcelona recovered from an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory over Alavés , with first-half goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo and a late second for the latter sealing the win at the Camp Nou. The win lifts the defending La Liga champions to the top of the table on 34 points, two ahead of second-pl…

Wales 0-73 South Africa Springboks score 11 tries but Etzebeth sent off for eye gouge Every bit as dispiriting as expected. Worse, was it pointless? Well, it certainly had more points to it than Wales would have liked. But, worse again, was it actively alienating? A record defeat, the first time since 1967 Wales have failed to score a point here, 11 tries conceded. South Africa continue to demons…

Top tier football is awash with motivational slogans and some are so trite that many players quite possibly ignore them. Yet Sunderland’s adopted motto – ‘TIL The End’ – has become so much more than just another piece of cod psychology. After sustaining them through last season’s successful playoff campaign it has morphed into a true mantra, encapsulating everything that is so refreshing about th…

Igor Thiago scored twice in the last 10 minutes to help Brentford beat relegation-threatened Burnley after an exciting finish at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Brazilian opened the scoring in the 81st minute from the penalty spot before Zian Flemming responded with a spot-kick of his own a few minutes later. Continue reading...