The Guardian

Arsenal rout Bayern to stake a claim as Europe’s best, Liverpool spiral again, Benfica revive under Mourinho, and Estevão dazzles on a crowded week of stars • Bayern Munich’s unbeaten run and claim to be the best team in European football were both punctured at the Emirates. Arsenalwere rampant against an opponent who have handed them so much pain in the past. The Gunners opened the scoring throu…

Retired rider to work closely with head of sport Brailsford ‘This team has been my home since day one,’ says Thomas Geraint Thomas has been appointed as the new director of racing at Ineos Grenadiers, only a few weeks after retiring from competition at this year’s Tour of Britain. “This team has been my home since day one, and stepping into this role feels like a natural next step,” Thomas said. …

A few years ago James Cook worked in a Surrey cinema and Max Pircher played in Austria. Now they’re in the NFL By No Helmets Required The United States is a country of immigrants but the NFL remains dominated by players born in the USA. Only 5% of players are born abroad and the majority of them make the step into the sport by going to college in the US. True outsiders are unusual and foreign coa…

Supporters ‘targeted with pepper spray and batons’ French police used ‘excessive tactics’, claim Newcastle Newcastle are to complain over the “unacceptable treatment” their fans endured after Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Marseille in the Champions League. The Premier League club accused French police of using pepper spray, batons and shields to subdue supporters in the wake of Tuesday night’s loss at …

Forward boosted by backing from supporters at games Madueke not worried if reception at Chelsea is hostile Noni Madueke has said he ignored criticism on social media over his move to Arsenal and gained confidence from the reception he has received from the supporters. The England forward scored his first Arsenal goal in Wednesday’s impressive 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League in …

The Euro 2025 semi-final remains fresh in the memory, but this contest exists in a very different context Just for a moment, cast your mind back to that summer’s evening towards the end of July when Spain earned their first win over Germany . The illustrious newcomers (relatively speaking) needed the genius of Aitana Bonmatí and her 113th-minute goal to eventually break down the resilience of the…

Gray pleased team scored three goals in Paris He praises ‘helpful’ individual plans from coaches Archie Gray believes Tottenham can take a number of positives from Wednesday night’s 5-3 Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain despite describing the result as “not good enough.” The pre-match talk at the club had been about effecting a reset after Sunday’s 4-1 derby humbling at Arsenal to bo…

A new documentary charts how a song that featured a 335lb rapper and bad dancing went viral in the pre-internet era The Chicago Bears are 8-3 and soaring in this season’s NFL standings . For a fanbase that’s grown accustomed to looking up at the division rival Green Bay Packers and looking ahead to the next season’s prospects, it’s reason to smell the roses and indulge in some light strutting. Bu…

McCullum books extra time in nets before second Test Australian captain Cummins may return from injury A week of inactivity for England’s cricketers will end on Saturday following confirmation of additional training sessions having been scheduled in the wake of their howling eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test. As reported by the Guardian on Monday , head coach Brendon McCull…

New players have come in, too many of them, and has meant a dilution of the collective will instilled by Klopp Before this game Arne Slot had announced that he was “almost confused”. Which does at least raise some tantalising questions. Mainly, what is this Liverpool team going to look like when he gets there, when a state of full confusion is finally attained, when even Slot’s confusion stops be…

Britain’s most successful female UFC fighter on knowing when to stand her ground, why she won’t box in Saudi Arabia and aiming to win a world title in the next year “I give my hidings and I take my hidings and so they have seen me with snapped ligaments in my knee, broken feet, broken toes, broken hands, stitches, broken legs,” Molly McCann says of the damage she has endured as a fighter and the …

The driving force behind the continent’s standout team resembled four players in one as Arsenal put their old nemesis Bayern Munich to the sword Shortly before the goal that left Arsenal’s supremacy in no doubt, Harry Kane embarked upon a lonely jaunt up their left flank. Much like the majority of Bayern Munich’s attacking endeavours, it ended almost as soon as it had begun. In common with a size…

Fears over direct-signings’ 12-month release clause PCA is contesting the plan of the franchise owners The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has advised players not to sign Hundred contracts for next season amid a dispute with the new franchise owners over their terms. In a supplementary process to the new IPL-style auction that will take place next year, Hundred teams are permitted to m…

It’s hard to disagree with Ian Wright when he suggests the midfielder has been subjected to a timeworn double standard Sir Alex Ferguson was there. Bryan Robson was there. Eric Cantona was there. The manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær was there, and yet even as these four club legends sold the dream of Manchester United to a 17-year-old from the Midlands, they could sense the elusiveness, the coldness, …

Englishman was not an obvious candidate to lead them but Swedes pushed Nottingham Forest all the way in 1979 Early in the 1979 European Cup final, Kenny Burns misjudged a long ball and ended up lobbing it up in the air for Jan-Olov Kindvall. He, in turn, attempted to knock the dropping ball over Peter Shilton but the goalkeeper was not as close as he had perhaps anticipated and Shilton ended up c…