The Guardian

Qatar 0-3 Australia (McGree 5, Yengi 32, Irankunda 40) Julen Lopetegui under pressure as Qatar head coach It was a win almost as comfortable as the buildup had been turbulent, as the Socceroos placed the drama of a week dominated by talk of everything but the football to one side and cruised to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Qatar. Pressing high, Australia’s men were ruthless in attack and dominant…

Finals have hit California desert after a stormy few years and pre-tournament kerfuffle has added to the fun Towards the end of a positive day for Mirra Andreeva, one of the brightest young stars of women’s tennis, the 19-year-old approached the broadcast cameras to dissect her excellent 6-4, 6-0 win against Elina Svitolina in her first match at this year’s WTA Finals. Andreeva took her place alo…

She was the world No 1, whose fight for equal prize money changed women’s lives. As competitive as ever in her ninth decade, she discusses sexuality, tenacity and what it was like to finally graduate college this year Every day, Billie Jean King tries to come up with a “gratitude list” in her head, identifying the people who have played a part in making her life so fulfilling. On the day we speak…

Steve Borthwick has picked a team to excite fans – let’s see them beat the Brave Blossoms at their own game on Saturday Based on England’s performance last week, there was part of me that thought about writing a piece that would light another fire under the squad. As predicted a week ago , England were galvanised by events leading up to the game against Australia and I cannot remember the last ti…

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Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! So farewell then, Pierre Sage . Many coaches leave under a cloud, not many have their departures completely obscured by the foul, retch-inducing one emanating from another team’s managerial circus, but such was Sage’s fate . The news section of Crystal Palace’s website helpfully tells you the amount of time it might take you to read each story i…

Claire Emslie and Emma Kelly are among those taking advantage of new research and guidelines for pregnant players Claire Emslie wasn’t expecting to be able to run at 81% of her max speed at 32 weeks pregnant. Emslie, a Scotland international who also plays as a forward for Angel City FC , documented her journey through pregnancy and football training on social media and is part of a growing numbe…

The Test captain kept his promise to answer all questions at a press conference that made his position clear and filled some but not all gaps Our coverage on Thursday said that Pat Cummins needed to front up , and nobody can fairly say that he didn’t. It was a proper ’til-they-drop affair from Australia’s cricket captain, an hour and 10 minutes at a press conference podium taking questions about …

Neither side have lost in the league yet but a more competitive division should take title race to the wire There was a time when the games between the top three – traditionally Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal – were title-deciding games. Where every point taken off a title rival was key. Such was the gap in investment and quality between those teams and the rest of the Women’s Super League …

Robyn Cowen is joined by Jacob Steinberg, Lars Sivertsen and Paul Watson as Manchester United appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their head coach and Harry Kane becomes the sole leading appearance maker for the England men’s team Continue reading...

England prevail 50-38 over France in Wollongong final Joe Coyd scores four tries to set England up for glory England successfully completed their defence of the wheelchair Rugby League World Cup after edging old foes France in a thrilling final in Wollongong. The two best sides in the wheelchair discipline were perhaps always destined to meet in the final given the superiority they possess over t…

Despite all the advantages offenses have secured over the years, defenses are better at pressuring the QB than any other time in recent history The Baltimore Ravens are preparing to start their fourth quarterback this year, Jacoby Brissett, against the beleaguered Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, because of injuries to Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley and Joe Fagnano. That puts them dangerously close …

A week of quietly watching Australian cricket descend into civil war ended with smiles being wiped from English faces as a stunning debut from fast bowler Mahli Beardman consigned the tourists to an all-too-familiar hammering in Perth. Victory in a low-key one-day international was never going to atone for the galling start to that failed Ashes campaign here 12 months ago. Nevertheless, England a…

Football and the art world have long remained distant but the breadth of entries for this year’s award revivals a healthy revival It may be the Beautiful Game, but in its early decades football was a rare subject for artists. The Italian Futurist Umberto Boccioni whirled an athlete’s body into a vortex of movement in his 1913 painting Dynamism of a Soccer Player . You can see one of the earliest …

USMNT head coach is due to speak later on Friday Today’s fixtures | Follow us on TikTok | Mail David Ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s unveiling at Manchester United , Andrew Beasley crunches the numbers to look at the Argentine’s possible impact. An elite manager? The stats say yes: only the five “big beasts” of Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have better…