The Guardian

Multibillion stage of title-relegation stagger boils down to a referee in front of a screen decoding a raised forearm There’s a great moment towards the end of the otherwise non-great Rocky III, when Clubber Lang is asked by a straw-hatted, bowtie-twirling US sports reporter for a prediction before his imminent title fight. There’s a pause as Clubber looks down, lets the mask of showmanship drop,…

Experts warn of ‘soft target’ vulnerabilities and intelligence gaps as federal agencies prepare to secure 78 matches across 11 cities Fifa World Cup matches set to be held across the United States face heightened terrorism risks, with experts warning that vulnerabilities are being amplified by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and a depletion of counter-terrorism expertise within federal law enfor…

Knicks return to East finals after 4-0 series win Team hit record 11 three-pointers in first quarter Knicks fans dominate in 76ers’ home arena The New York Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference finals, setting an NBA postseason record with 11 three-pointers in the first quarter in front of a raucous crowd mostly rooting for the road team in Philadelphia. The Knicks’ 144-114 win on Sunday comp…

Italy 33-61 England Packer scores four to set up possible France showdown Marlie Packer made her England debut 18 years ago, but she is playing some of her best rugby, with the openside flanker once again key as the Red Roses set up a Championship decider against France next Sunday. The former England captain has won back the starting shirt because of the unavailability of other players after fal…

Deep in stoppage time, Dario Vidosic’s staff tried to ask him about plans for extra time, but the Brighton head coach had a feeling. “Just wait ... I feel like it’s coming here.” He was right. Nadine Noordam pounced on a loose ball in the box from a free-kick and completed a remarkable comeback to book Brighton a place at Wembley for the first time in their women’s team’s history. The substitute’…

This time it was Marcus Rashford who delivered the knockout blow. Three days after the fight between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni that ended with Real Madrid’s vice captain taken to hospital and the crisis at the club laid painfully bare for all to see, they went to the Camp Nou and finally relinquished the league title they had effectively lost long ago. For the first time in 94 years a…

1st ODI: England, 211-9, bt New Zealand, 210, by 1 wkt Captain guides long tail to low target After all the hype about England’s biggest summer, it got off to an underwhelming start at Chester-le-Street on Sunday, as they limped to a one-wicket win in the first one-day international against New Zealand, chasing just 211. Only a calm rearguard effort from the stand-in captain, Charlie Dean, who fi…

Khadija Shaw showed Manchester City what they are giving up and Chelsea what they are potentially getting in emphatic style at Stamford Bridge, scoring the injury-time equaliser and then the winner as City came from two goals behind to earn a place in the FA Cup final against Brighton. Shaw has dominated headlines this week: the Women’s Super League top scorer is set to leave Manchester City and …

Boreham Wood 2-2 Rochdale (Rochdale win 3-1 on pens) Rush 22, Abdulmalik 69; Smith 78, Dieseruvwe 90+6 Supporting Rochdale should come with a health warning. For all that football has a wonderful propensity for drama, few clubs have ever packed in the heart-stopping tribulations of their past fortnight. But, after it all, they are a Football League club again. And that is all that matters. Hopes …

Exeter 35-12 Bath Fourth-placed Chiefs secure bonus-point victory The road to the Prem playoffs continues to be full of compelling twists and turns. For a while it seemed Exeter might be about to be reeled in by a Bath side renowned for their finishing strength, only for second-half tries from Paul Brown-Bampoe, Len Ikitau and Campbell Ridl and a resilient defensive effort to steer the Chiefs to …

Italian could win record sixth straight Masters 1000 title Naomi Osaka beats Diana Shnaider to reach fourth round Casper Ruud believes Jannik Sinner is not unbeatable but the rest of the field will have to catch the world No 1 on a favourable day as they try to stop him winning a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title on home soil at the Italian Open. “His results this year kind of…

For Nottingham Forest, just how precious might Elliot Anderson’s late equaliser at home to Newcastle prove? Vítor Pereira’s side knew they had to match or better West Ham’s result later against the Premier League leaders, Arsenal, and if West Ham fail to win at the London Stadium, then Forest’s mood will improve again and relegation fears will substitute. In a game devoid of quality, the Newcastl…

David Moyes’s European dream is now hanging by a slender thread. Against a Crystal Palace side who have been otherwise distracted by their Conference League exploits, Everton were unable to take their opportunity to close the gap on their rivals as Jean-Philippe Mateta came off the bench to deny them victory. It could have been even worse for Moyes had the referee, Tom Bramall, awarded a penalty …

Leicester 41-17 Northampton Freddie Steward caps six-try victory for hosts You can play all the classy rugby you want, you can be leading the table with a few matches to play, but certain elemental truths still apply. One of them is that if you find yourself overpowered up front away from home in a sold-out East Midlands derby, you will be blown away. Northampton could have secured themselves a p…

Global game celebrates centenary event in London as players of all ages showcase their skill, style and speed “Table tennis is very good for the mind as well as the body, whatever age you are,” says 73-year-old Wang Qi, the oldest competitor at the Table Tennis Team World Championships in London. Incredibly the Fiji player, who hails from China, is 61 years older than the youngest player, Enya Hu…