The Guardian

There are many ways to self-destruct on a football pitch but PSV Eindhoven chose one of the more obvious methods. In opting to play out slowly from the back against high-pressing opponents possessing forwards blessed with the speed and skill of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Gordon, Peter Bosz’s team were always likely to come undone. Continue reading...

Liam Rosenior’s first taste of managing in the Champions League will not live long in the memory. Chelsea toiled against determined underdogs and were at risk of a humiliating result before a late header from Moisés Caicedo kept alive their hopes of direct qualification into the last 16. Victory lifted Chelsea to eighth in the standings. Yet they will have to be much better when they visit Napoli…

Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea (Kaptein 41) Chelsea will meet Manchester United in the final Chelsea reached a seventh consecutive Women’s League Cup final as they edged past their rivals ­Manchester City with an away victory that could also give them a psychological boost in the title fight, booking a meeting with Manchester United. Wieke Kaptein’s header ultimately won the contest for the holders.…

One offshore e-casino posted Instagram promotion featuring AO logo despite no affiliation with tournament Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Offshore gambling operators are using the Australian Open to promote their illegal services, sparking calls for sweeping bans on the unlicensed websites. Australian regulators and sporting professionals have expressed rising concern…

Briton rues injury-ravaged preparation for slam ‘I just didn’t feel like I could scrap the whole match’ Emma Raducanu refused to be too critical of herself after crashing out in the second round of the Australian Open because of her injury-ravaged preparation for the tournament. The British 28th seed had been hoping to set up another meeting with the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka but she faded from …

Yankees lock up Bellinger for $32.5m annually Lefty slugger hit .302 at Yankee Stadium in 2025 Deal includes no-trade provision and opt-outs Cody Bellinger became the last of the top free-agent hitters to reach a deal, agreeing Wednesday to stay with the New York Yankees for a $162.5m, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condi…

Our cartoonist on the latest manager in north London to take the good ship Tottenham in the wrong direction Buy a cartoon | David’s favourite work of 2025 And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

⚽ Champions League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail Michael Marseille away is an absolute doozy. Drinking in the Old Port, maybe taking a day trip to out to the calanques, weaving through the streets of Noailles, soaking up heady mix of north African and French vibes, the place is absolutely electric. Oh, to be a Liverpool supporter on tour rig…

WRU chair says ‘system was essentially broken’ in Wales Fan group insists there is ‘no appetite for a merger’ Richard Collier-Keywood, the embattled chair of the Welsh Rugby Union, has insisted he has the support of fans and players in Wales as the WRU attempts to drive through radical plans to cut one of the four professional sides. Giving evidence before the House of Commons Welsh affairs selec…

Villa thought to favour loan for Milan midfielder Club also in market for striker, with Mateta among targets Aston Villa are exploring a move for Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, as they seek to absorb the absence of Boubacar Kamara amid fears he will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Villa are poised to step up interest in the former Chelsea midfielder, who in September was recalled to …

A father helping a son across the line, Kevin Sinfield’s inspirational friendship with Rob Burrow and more – when devotion to others takes centre stage The older I get, the more profoundly I appreciate that, when I’m writing about sport, I’m also writing about love. This makes perfect sense given these are mankind’s two greatest inventions and the stuff we can least do without, but there’s more t…

The opportunity for this tournament’s legacy is in the fan fests, camps and tune-ups accessible to more than the lucky few In Germany, fans watched the games on screens in crowded town squares, their roars careening off ancient buildings, or from the banks of rivers , peering at floating, double-sided big screens on barges. At the next World Cup, in South Africa in 2010, people gathered in parks …

Harry Brook’s side begin Sri Lanka ODI series in poor form but confidence is needed ahead of crucial winter period A subcontinental World Cup to close an Ashes winter? History tells us this does not end well for England. In 2014 a whitewash in Australia was followed by a group-stage exit at the World T20 with a 45-run defeat to the Netherlands in Chattogram. In 2011 the 50-over side – largely mad…

Manager showed tactical bravery in darkest hour and like Postecoglou may find respite outside Premier League Thomas Frank was backed into a corner on every level, including team selection. The Tottenham manager had next-to-no options, only 11 established outfield players for the Champions League home game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night. The expectation was for an either/or choice betw…

Kirsty Coventry steers clear of global politics in buildup Organisers will meet with vice-president JD Vance The International Olympic Committee has yet to establish formal communications with the US president Donald Trump on preparations for the Los Angeles Games in 2028, the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, has confirmed. Trump has been speaking in Davos in Switzerland after a turbulent start to…