The Guardian

Two decades of disappointment followed Parisian nightmare of Lehmann, Eto’o and all that, but now a first Champions League title is in sight They left London in their thousands, full of hope and devotion, heading for Paris in the springtime, yet romantic anticipation lasted all of 18 minutes, which was when Arsenal’s goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann, was sent off in the 2006 Champions League final agains…

Head coach ‘confident our best cricket is in front of us’ Issues with alcohol among tourists due to ‘distractions’ Brendon McCullum has promised to use “a firm grip” to eradicate issues with alcohol and attitude among the England squad, admitting that “there were some mistakes made” by his players during last winter’s tours of New Zealand and Australia. In his first interview since returning to E…

Dane wins in Andalo after sweltering stage Vingegaard has four-minute lead over Gall Denmark’s Michael Valgren won the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia but his compatriot Jonas Vingegaard continued his march to a first overall victory on the Grand Tour. Valgren took the honours in Andalo after attacking from a small group with a kilometre remaining of the undulating 202km ride from Cassano d’Adda …

Atalanta star is not in Brazil’s World Cup squad United looking for midfield depth after Casemiro exit Manchester United have agreed to sign the Atalanta midfielder Éderson for a fee which could rise to about £37m as they work to bolster the squad for their return to the Champions League. Éderson is in line to be the first summer arrival as United aim to provide Michael Carrick with the depth to …

Joint investigation run by NY and NJ attorneys general Subpoena seeks information on Fifa’s ticket practices Investigation centers on games at MetLife Stadium The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have launched an investigation into Fifa’s ticketing practices around the 2026 World Cup, focusing specifically on the matches due to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jer…

Hugo Broos has transformed Bafana Bafana, creating a side strong on teamwork and held together by Teboho Mokoena This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 J…

An epic first game was won by the veteran Blues fullback but the contest was turned by Kalyn Ponga’s sending off with his team 20-6 up In drizzling rain, fatigued bodies, all flailing and falling – except one. Evergreen James Tedesco rose to bump then clutch then plant the ball, securing New South Wales a famous State of Origin victory. This was a man said to be too old for rugby league’s grand c…

The face of the Saudi Pro League scored twice in the final game of the season to secure the title with Al-Nassr Cristiano Ronaldo will report for World Cup duty fresh from winning his first major trophy since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2022, after Al-Nassr became Saudi Pro League champions last Thursday. That’s the good news for Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martínez, but there is more to think about …

Two penalty shootout triumphs in the playoffs sent the Czechs to a first World Cup in 20 years and an experienced side look capable of progress This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the…

The MCC Library has gone from three books to a proper archive with scrapbooks, letters, diaries and newspaper cuttings In the spring of 2011, I went to the MCC library at Lord’s – the world’s largest collection of printed material on cricket. I was near the start of a PhD on the history of women’s cricket and I wanted source material: this, surely, would be where I would find it? Nope. When the M…

Former Italy stars criticised over presence in Moscow They defend visit as being for sport and children The presence of the Italian World Cup winners Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi in Russia for a sports event has sparked outrage. The former players signed autographs and posed for selfies with Kremlin supporters on the day Moscow launched one of its most brutal missile attacks on Kyiv. The form…

Blues defeat Maroons 22-20 in 2026 men’s series opener Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco seal victory in final minute New South Wales have conjured one of the greatest State of Origin comebacks, fighting back from 20-0 down to snatch a 22-20 victory with a minute on the clock. Nathan Cleary was the hero for the home side, scoring a crucial try and kicking three clutch goals to put the Blues one-nil…

After two decades, long-suffering Gunners fans from across the diaspora have been rewarded with a Premier League win. So why has this sometimes beleaguered team earned such adulation? Don’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up here Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. As the resident Arsenal fan, I’m stepping in for Nesrine the week after my club lifted the Premier League trophy for th…

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32 points in victory OKC lead best-of-seven series 3-2 after 127-114 win Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not like the way he started on Tuesday night, but the Oklahoma City Thunder star came up big in the second and third quarters – with plenty of help from the cast around him – as the Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conferen…

Golden Knights will face Hurricanes or Canadiens Avalanche had blown through early rounds of playoffs Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored for Vegas and the Golden Knights suffocated Colorado’s high-powered offense to beat the Avalanche 2-1 on Tuesday night for a surprise sweep to make their third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons. The Golden Knights will get a break while they watch to see whether C…