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Updates from the first day’s play in the latest round Sign up for The Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Gary Naylor’s talking points. DIVISION ONE Continue reading...

⚽ Fixtures | Latest tables | Premier League top scorers ⚽ Premier League: 10 things to look out for | Mail David Let’s start with Aston Villa cruising past Bologna. Ollie Watkins reached a couple of landmarks in the 4-0 win and perhaps gave Thomas Tuchel a nudge. Good morning! Aside from Liverpool’s predictable exit to PSG, it’s been a rather excellent week for English teams in their respective E…

Researchers say mainstream framing of the condition as a characteristic for success can be invalidating for those who are struggling Kirsty Brown is a keen golfer. “If I could just transport myself straight to the first tee, that would be amazing,” she says. “But getting there on time, remembering all my kit, making sure I’ve eaten before I play – all those aspects are more challenging than compe…

Manchester City and Arsenal managers were both schooled in the expansive Barça tradition but the latter opting for caution could be his team’s undoing When Pep Guardiola was preparing for the challenge of taking on Jürgen Klopp’s peak Liverpool team at Anfield in February 2021, training that week at Manchester City was a little different, according to Oleksandr Zinchenko. Guardiola’s instructions…

The Uzbek 20-year-old won first prize unbeaten but his girlfriend, Bibisara Assaubayeva, finished second to the lowest seed in the Women’s Candidates Javokhir Sindarov finished with a record total in the world championship Candidates in Pegeia, western Cyprus, as the 20-year-old from Uzbekistan won the competition with a record 10/14 total, 1.5 points clear of his nearest rival, Anish Giri. The w…

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What a time it is to be a Crystal Palace supporter. Twelve months ago, the south London club was still waiting to win their first major trophy and even the most optimistic fan could never have imagined that they would be contesting the semi-final of a European competition. Despite a few anxious moments when a motivated Fiorentina team cut the deficit from last week’s 3-0 defeat in the first leg a…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! While a church bell clanged intermittently and bits of tumbleweed blew across the pitch at the Emirates Stadium, the Allianz Arena hosted a ding-dong battle that pretty much had it all on Wednesday night. For the second evening in eight days, it was left to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to pull out all the stops and provide the box-office entert…

Former Iranian women’s team players ‘overwhelmed’ by support Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh have trained with Brisbane Roar The two members of the Iran football team who remained in Australia after the Women’s Asian Cup are beginning their new lives away from the spotlight, even if their dream is to return to elite football. Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh issued a statement on Friday s…

Thirteen of the Damallsvenskan’s 14 teams are based in the south. For Piteå IF, rising costs are now the priority Piteå IF are entering their 17th season as a top-division side in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, but the challenge for them is getting tougher and tougher every year. And it is not a small budget compared to clubs such as Hammarby and Häcken who have, in recent years, been able to rely on t…

A seismic clash between City and Arsenal, Tottenham need leadership, and could Eddie Howe recall Yoane Wissa? Josh King learned of the difficulties that come with being a Premier League player at Liverpool on Sunday. The 19-year-old was withdrawn at the break after a tough first half at Anfield as Marco Silva wanted to change things when two goals down. It will be interesting to see how King reac…

Public Investment Fund withdraws support for rebel tour and other sports could be hit too with Newcastle United uncertain The reverberations of an unscheduled meeting of LIV Golf executives in New York this week have been felt way beyond their swanky offices in Hudson Yards, on the west side of Manhattan. A slowdown in Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sport, which is conservatively estimated to …

Hull 14-24 St Helens Battling display in defeat feels like coach’s last stand There is rarely a shortage of emotion and passion in this particular part of the rugby league world but even by the usually high standards set in Hull, this was a night many, least of all their head coach, will never forget. On any other night, the headline would be St Helens producing another impressive statement of th…

The final whistle brought a second of relief before the celebrations truly kicked in after Nottingham Forest secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals. It should have been easier but nothing is simple at the City Ground as they made hard work of overcoming Porto, who played almost the entire match with 10 men. Morgan Gibbs-White settled the match, to set up an all English clash with Aston …

Ollie Watkins kickstarted Aston Villa’s near-perfect evening as his 100th goal for the club enabled Unai Emery’s side to cruise into a semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The England striker, looking to earn a late recall into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, tapped home in the 16th minute before goals from Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers followed the latter’s spurned penalty. Ezri Konsa, wh…