The Guardian

Manager relishes ‘challenge’ of Champions League return Emi Martínez reveals he played game with broken finger For Aston Villa, the Europa League must only be the beginning, Unai Emery insisted after winning the trophy for a fifth time. Beating Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday evening brought Villa’s first major piece silverware since the League Cup in 1996, but Emery is determined this should not be th…

She thought the 1976 Roland Garros women’s singles title was the first of many; half a century later no British man or woman has repeated the feat As one of Britain’s leading TV sports presenters for the best part of three decades, Sue Barker has always been more comfortable asking questions than answering them. Many who watched her relaxed, confident style as she presented coverage of Wimbledon …

After Jose Fernandez ripped the Wings’ selfishness, they responded with an emphatic win – but that doesn’t always happen. Plus, a big week for denim Sign up to get WNBA 30 in your inbox every Tuesday I’ve never envied the job of a head coach. From high school to college to the pros, it’s a public position that invites scrutiny from all corners. At the end of last week, the Dallas Wings lost a clo…

From the best matches and great goals to scheduling gripes and the biggest disappointments, how was the WSL season for you? There is little question that Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is the best striker in the world right now. The Jamaica international capped off her league campaign in style with a double against West Ham, bringing her tally to 21. In doing so, she became the first player in WSL history …

Athletes spend thousands of hours refining their game. But sometimes they try other measures to gain success For Jason Terry, everything changed in 1997. It was the night before the NCAA national championship game and Terry’s Arizona Wildcats were set to take on the University of Kentucky. Terry shared hotels rooms with teammate Mike Bibby on road trips and the pair understandably had trouble sle…

Unai Emery has reconfirmed his status as master of the competition, but will now want to set his sights higher There are two ways to win a final. You can win it by the odd goal, amid a frenzy of anxiety so the final whistle comes as a relief. Or you can win it as a procession, flexing your superiority, so the final whistle is almost resented for spoiling the fun. For Aston Villa, this was very mu…

Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a record fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformative body of work. Those who were not around for Rotterdam in 1982 will always cherish Istanbul i…

1st T20i: England, 140-3, bt New Zealand, 136-7, by seven wkts Capsey finishes unbeaten on 74 with 16 balls remaining England got off to a winning start in their Twenty20 series against New Zealand after Alice Capsey struck an unbeaten 74 from 51 balls – her highest score for England, and her first T20i half-century since July 2024. Capsey has generally batted at No 3 for England but on this occa…

Four-time MVP agreed to one-year deal with Steelers Rodgers is reuniting with ex-Packers coach McCarthy Aaron Rodgers has said that the 2026 season will be the final one of his NFL career. “Yes. This is it,” the Steelers quarterback told reporters in Pittsburgh on Wednesday when asked if the upcoming campaign would be his last. Continue reading...

Changes apply to World Cup and Euro qualifiers Starts in 2028-29 season with elements of Swiss system Europe’s larger nations will no longer face mismatches against minnows such as San Marino or Andorra in men’s World Cup and European Championship qualifying after Uefa agreed a new format designed to produce more competitive fixtures. As reported by the Guardian in April the structure, which will…

Friendlies against Denmark and Chile still going ahead Team staff who are based in DRC ‘leaving in next hours’ The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have cancelled their three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country. Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a…

While there is no denying the magnitude of his achievements, his legacy is also tied up in politics, propaganda and hard power Well, that’s that then. Put out more flags. Mount the iconic Jedi‑style woollen cardigan in the club museum. He really does seem to be done this time . In the absence of formal denials , it now seems highly likely the scheduled final year of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Cit…

Manager’s early seasons were far from plain sailing but insiders credit club’s owners for staying the course It didn’t start well for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. On a crisp December night in 2019 at about 1am in a Manchester suburb, Vinai Venkatesham stepped out of Arteta’s home. The Arsenal managing director looked around, satisfied with his meeting. Arteta had just outlined a “hugely impressive” …

Ecuadorean collects stage victory No 3 of this edition Favourite Vingegaard stays 27 seconds behind leader Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narváez edged out the Spaniard Enric Mas at the end of Wednesday’s stage 11 to win his third stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia as Afonso Eulálio retained the leader’s pink jersey. Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Mas (Movistar) were left to battle for the win after lea…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! It may have taken Mikel Arteta six years and well over a billion pounds but his team trusted the process and got there in the end. Arsenal are Premier League champions and in scenes that called to mind the closing moments of the movie Fever Pitch, jubilant Gooners spilled out of homes and pubs around Highbury and Islington in a collective releas…