The Guardian

It was a see-saw tie. And if it lacked the beauty of Paris Saint-Germain versus Bayern Munich in the other Champions League semi-final, first-leg from Tuesday night, it still had drama; knife-edge tension. It was a tale of three penalties, two scored, one by either team; the award of the last one rescinded amid wild scenes. That had stood to give Arsenal the opportunity to take a 2-1 lead to Lond…

LIV staring at closure in absence of alternative funds Leading names expected to eye return to main tours LIV Golf executives are poised to confirm to players that Saudi Arabia’s funding of the circuit will cease at the end of 2026, in a move that will begin a scramble between some leading names in the sport to return to traditional tours. Without an alternative and unlikely funding source from 2…

Manager has helped players rediscover their form and they want to repay him with a fitting farewell in Europe It’s an occasion Crystal Palace supporters have waited a lifetime for. Around 6,000 are expected to make the pilgrimage to southern Poland for the first leg of their Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday evening, with many travelling in expectation of eventuall…

The Premier League isn’t as fun and fizzy as PSG v Bayern but that’s the price of the twice-weekly churn that rewards discipline and sacrifice In the novel Rabbit, Run , John Updike has one of his characters, a groovy and progressive 1960s priest, calling round to talk to his fellow minister, a hard German Lutheran, about the secret doubts he harbours about his faith. Is the doctrine really neces…

Former world No 4’s knee problem follows arm injury Draper says it is ‘gutting’ to miss Roland Garros Britain’s Jack Draper has been ruled out of the French Open with a knee injury. It is another blow in the former world No 4’s attempts to re-establish himself following the long-term arm injury that ruled him out for the best part of eight months. Draper has managed just nine matches across five …

Ukrainian has not played since November 2024 Cas confirms appeal by Mudryk against the FA The Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has appealed to the court of arbitration for sport after he received a reported four-year playing ban from the Football Association for the use of banned substances. Mudryk has not played a competitive match for the Blues since November 2024 after he failed a drugs test wh…

French driver struck animal while driving at 230 mph Peta says 40-year-old failed to show compassion for death French racing driver Romain Grosjean has angered animal rights group Peta for “flippant” comments after hitting a bird while testing for next month’s Indianapolis 500. The driver, who survived a fireball crash during the 2020 Formula One Bahrain GP, described the bird strike at around 23…

Case dismissed after court rules the charges were ‘invalid’ 37-year-old had been accused of illegally accessing emails Rui Pinto, the hacker behind the Football Leaks revelations that exposed dodgy dealings in world football, was acquitted on Wednesday of all charges in a second Portuguese trial, despite having previously been convicted for similar offences. The 37-year-old had been on trial sinc…

Fears that Salah had played last game for Reds have eased Injury sustained against Palace found to be minor Mohamed Salah is expected to play again for Liverpool before the end of his farewell season after being diagnosed with a minor muscle injury. Salah was substituted in the 59th minute of Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday with a hamstring problem. The 33-year-old’s reaction …

Ángel Mateos González due to play for CD Colunga, making him oldest player to take part in official match At an age when many veteran footballers might prefer to be regaling grandchildren, friends and assorted barflies with slightly embroidered tales of their former sporting prowess, 70-year-old Ángel Mateos González is heading back on to the pitch. The Spaniard, who retired from competitive foot…

British player wins 13-10 in gripping quarter-final World No 4 latest to succumb to ‘curse of the Crucible’ Defending champion Zhao Xintong was knocked out of the world snooker championship on Wednesday following a 13-10 quarter-final defeat by Shaun Murphy. Zhao, 29, was the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion when he beat three-time winner Mark Williams 18-12 in last year’s final.…

World No 1 halts Jodar’s run 6-2, 7-6 (0) in quarter-finals Anastasia Potapova beats Karolina Pliskova in three sets Jannik Sinner ended the inspired run of teen home favourite Rafael Jodar with a 6-2, 7-6 (0) victory at the Madrid Open on Wednesday to complete his set of semi-finals reached at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. The 19-year-old Jodar has taken the tour by storm this clay season, …

While Unai Emery’s side are hoping to right past wrongs, their opponents are a serious threat under Vítor Pereira It is eight years since Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest played out a Championship classic, a topsy-turvy 5-5 draw at Villa Park in which Tammy Abraham got four goals. John McGinn was also in the Villa side and Matty Cash scored to earn Forest a 3-2 lead with 22 minutes on the clock,…

Campaigners hit out at striker’s role in ‘Let It Pour’ video ‘He is a great hero for many young people’ Erling Haaland’s collaboration with a leading American beer brand has caused a backlash in his native Norway, where alcohol advertising is banned. World Cup sponsors Budweiser’s hiring of the Manchester City and Norway striker to help launch its “Let It Pour” promotional video together with the…

PSG 5-4 Bayern, arguably the wildest match in Champions League history, has sparked a debate about football’s finest dramas – here are six to savour It’s hard not to start with the most recent World Cup final , which for entertainment is surely the finest in the tournament’s 96-year history. Two protagonists, each the heartbeat of their sides, stole the show: Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, the f…