The Guardian

⚽ Champions League playoff first leg, 5.45pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | And email Xaymaca Some pre-match reading for you , before we get on to this game: Some early scene-setting from Baku … Continue reading...

Russia is back in love with the Games and a return to athletes competing under their own flag at LA in two years’ time seems highly likely First came the reverberating cheers. Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands. But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles. For now. So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to w…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! An Italian word that roughly translates to the grit and fierce determination upon which Juventus have historically based their relentless, never-say-die attitude, “ grinta ” was fairly conspicuous by its absence in Istanbul on Tuesday night. Instead it was replaced by a collective performance that had all the structural integrity of a soggy cann…

Seven-time world champion upbeat for 2026 ‘I’m more connected to this car for sure,’ he says Lewis Hamilton believes he is in the “best place” he has been at Ferrari with a new car that carries his “DNA”. Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari was disappointing, with the seven-time champion failing to take a podium for the first time and finishing sixth in the drivers’ championship, behind his team…

What made the Manchester United co-owner’s anti-immigrant screed so revolting was his brazen willingness to say it all out loud. Remind you of anyone? Did British petrochemicals billionaire and Manchester United’s controlling minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, really mean it when he proclaimed to Sky News that “the UK is being colonized by immigrants”? Is Ratcliffe simply a gutter racist or actua…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Nicky Bandini as a brilliant Vinícius goal is overshadowed by alleged racist abuse at Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica Continue reading...

Nazgul makes unexpected entry in team sprint Owner says two-year old looking for company A local dog has missed out on a historic cross-country medal at the Winter Olympics despite a lung-bursting surge in the homestretch. Nazgul, who according to NPR lives at a nearby hotel in Tesero, broke on to the course on Wednesday morning and sprinted for the line behind Croatia’s Tena Hadzic as she came t…

Longstanding owner Neil Hudgell has revived club and the Super League champions take on Brisbane Broncos with the world crown up for grabs To appreciate the absolute highs, you perhaps have to first experience the ultimate lows: when Hull KR walk out for Thursday’s World Club Challenge, few will be better placed to say they have done that quite like their longstanding owner, Neil Hudgell. The Sup…

American wins third gold overall and first since 2018 Shiffrin over a second ahead of Rast in silver spot With one last chance to break an Olympic hoodoo stretching back a remarkable eight years, Mikaela Shiffrin delivered in style. The 30-year-old American surged to victory in the women’s slalom on a sun-splashed Wednesday in the Dolomites with a two-run time of 1min 39.10sec, becoming the first…

Benfica manager strongly criticised by Kick It Out Uefa investigating Real Madrid player’s claims The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has accused José Mourinho of gaslighting for his response to Vinícius Júnior’s allegations of racist abuse. Vinícius reported that he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff first leg . On Wednesday…

Club admit they have concentrated on commercial development of Old Trafford, but Farington complex is part of the switch to cricket and facilities The 2025 season for Lancashire’s men started full of cheerful high hopes. In the spring many, including a now bashful Spin, tipped them for immediate promotion back to Division One of the County Championship after being relegated in the last game of 20…

Norwegian claims his fifth gold medal at Milano Cortina USA have to settle for silver in cross-country battle Johannes Høsflot Klæbo led Norway to victory in the men’s cross-country team sprint on Wednesday to claim his fifth win at Milano Cortina Olympics – and a record 10th Winter Olympic gold medal. Alongside Einar Hedegart in the final, the Norway duo saw off the United States, clocking 18 mi…

The Winslow pub closed last month after serving pints to Everton players, managers and fans for 140 years By When Saturday Comes On Saturday January 24, Duncan Ferguson walked into the Winslow Hotel pub on Goodison Road and handed licensee Dave Bond £1,000 to put behind the bar. Ferguson, the former Everton centre-forward, was there because the Winslow, 140 years old and standing in the shadow of…

Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing Follow us over on Bluesky | And you can email Tanya Women’s curling: GB’s women are 3-2 down to the USA at the Milano curling centre. Denmark lead China 6-3 and, in a complete surprise, South Korea are thrashing unbeaten Sweden 8-0. Women’s slalom: over the radio, the French skier Marion Chevrier , is told to take ‘some really risky line…

Paying homage to 1956, when Cortina previously hosted the Winter Olympics , a trio of Getty Images photographers have been using vintage Graflex cameras at the 2026 Games. In a modern twist, they have been adapted to record images on smartphones, enabling live transmission of the content captured Continue reading...