⚽ Women’s Champions League news, 5.45pm BST kick-off ⚽️ Live scores | The WCL revamp: explained | And mail Taha Is this the season? WSL champions six years in a row, a domestic treble to celebrate, unbeaten in the league for yonks … but that Champions League remains missing. Barcelona have had Chelsea’s number in three consecutive semi-finals (as well as the 2021 final), but a fresh start gets that dream going again. Sonia Bompastor and her players’ opening assignment in this rejigged comp is in the Netherlands, with Twente the hosts. They faced each other last season, when Chelsea won 3-1 at De Grolsch Veste, and a 6-1 win victory at home added to the one-sided nature. Twente have those memories to contend with as Chelsea begin plotting a path to Oslo, the scene of this year’s final. We’ll play at 5.45pm BST. Continue reading...

Scotland’s manager not aware his squad shared a hotel with the pop superstar with focus solely on Greece game Even close proximity to a global superstar cannot divert Scotland’s attention from their World Cup dream. Or is it a teenage one? Katy Perry shared a city centre hotel with Steve Clarke and his squad this week as the singer’s Lifetimes Tour stopped off in Glasgow. Clarke did not quite go as far as saying, “Katy who?” but he was nonplussed by his squad rubbing shoulders with a bestselling artist. “Was she?” said Clarke when asked about Perry’s whereabouts. “I didn’t know she was there. I’ve heard the name and I’m sure if you played me a couple of her songs I’d say: ‘I recognise that one.’ But I couldn’t name you one of her songs. That’s no disrespect to Katy but I’m from a different generation.” Pressed on whether he would even recognise Perry, Clarke – by now laughing – added: “Eh, no. And she wouldn’t recognise me.” This very much feels like two worlds that should never collide. Continue reading...

* Disney or Netflix may snap up Champions League games * Media rights for 2027 and 2033 could see 10% increase Europe’s top clubs are aiming to earn at least €5bn (£4.3bn) from the sale of television rights to Champions League, Europa League and Conference League games in the next cycle, potentially sealing a 10% increase on their current value. The first media rights tenders for the period between 2027 and 2033 will be launched this month. In a groundbreaking move, one game in each matchweek could be streamed globally by the same provider, which would have the first pick from that round of games. It leaves open the possibility that Disney or Netflix could screen Champions League games. Continue reading...

* Driver’s girlfriend featured prominently in Singapore GP * ‘They didn’t show any of the four of five overtakes I did’ Carlos Sainz believes Formula One is “going overboard” by placing too much focus on the reactions of drivers’ girlfriends and celebrities during live broadcasts, obscuring the drama of grand prix racing. The Williams driver has criticised the sport after his surge from the back of the field to 10th at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix made little impression on the TV coverage from the Marina Bay Circuit on Sunday. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Whether it was Archimedes’s eureka moment in the bath, Isaac Newton’s in the orchard or Doc Brown’s in the toilet while hanging a clock, many of the world’s most important discoveries have been made in the most unlikely locations. It is a list to which we can now presumably add the recording studio in which Rio Ferdinand presents his what-it-says-on-the-tin Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. Of course, in discovering the principle of buoyancy, the law of universal gravitation or how best to transform a sports car with gull-wing doors into a time machine, the aforementioned scientists all chanced upon inspired moments of enlightenment that had never previously occurred to anybody else. When the lightbulb lit up over Steven Gerrard’s head while in conversation with Rio, he had clearly just figured out something rival fans have known for the best part of 30 years. Not so much a mic-drop as a penny-drop moment, it finally dawned on the former England international why the team with which he won 114 caps repeatedly failed to live up to expectation. I’ve been reading the acute tactical analysis in all media outlets of the trend for taking supremely well-thought out kick-offs where the ball is played to the corner touchline, enabling an early high press, etc etc. I recall that when John Beck was manager of Cambridge United and employed this exact tactic, his team was derided for hoofing the game back to the Stone Age. And if memory serves, Beck was even more tactically astute – he kept the grass in the corners of the Abbey long to keep the ball in play. When do we get Jonathan Wilson’s treatise on Nu Beckball and the enduring genius of Charles Hughes?” – Michael Hann. I only read Big Website of course (ahem) but while I was catching up on the latest edition of Architectural Digest, I came across ‘Soccer Player Ben Chilwell’s Home Brings California-Cool to Surrey, England’. The certainly-in-no-way-puff piece breathlessly states that ‘the English national team member’s house channels midcentury modern and LA contemporary in equal measure’. Rather wonderfully, it also quotes Chilwell as saying that ‘I love my sleep, so being two minutes away from where we train was a big draw’, which must be of great comfort to the player who signed for Strasbourg at the start of September” – Noble Francis. Re: strange football lavatory stories (yesterday’s Football Daily). On a wall in our loo is a framed 25-share certificate confirming investment in Berwick Rangers, the club based in England but playing in Scotland’s Lowland League. When I bought the shares they cost £1 each. I’ve failed in my inquiries into how much they’re worth now. My wife has her view” – Nigel Robson. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading...

Every year players are pushed to their limits in a sport that chases the sun. But the number of retirements, withdrawals and injuries this season has been shocking Jannik Sinner had tried everything but after baking for two and a half hours inside the suffocating sauna of Shanghai’s stadium court, he was finished. Even around midnight, the humidity was still so oppressive that Sinner had spent the final 20 minutes of his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor cramping, panting and in considerable pain. Eventually, he could not even walk properly. Midway through the final set, the 24-year-old hobbled slowly to his chair using his racket as a crutch and terminated the match. Those scenes were representative of the Shanghai Masters so far as, throughout the past week, so many players have wilted in brutal conditions. Terence Atmane and Hamad Medjedovic both retired after struggling with the heat. Francisco Comesaña appeared close to collapsing and he had to be helped mid-match by his opponent Lorenzo Musetti. Despite the benefit of competing at night, Novak Djokovic repeatedly vomited in two consecutive matches and there were times in his fourth round win over Jaume Munar where he too looked as if he had reached his limit. Continue reading...

Not only did Walters score the key try for Leeds in 2015 – he did it again in the Scottish Grand Final a decade later By No Helmets Required Ten years ago this week Josh Walters took a simple pass and plunged over the six-yard line at Old Trafford to score the final try in the Super League Grand Final as Leeds secured their seventh title. There were 73,512 fans inside the stadium and a couple of million more watching at home. He humbly plays down his role in the treble-clinching triumph. “I never say it was the winning try because Kev [Sinfield] still had to kick the two points – my try brought us level and there was still 15 minutes left.” That was his first winning try in a Grand Final. The second came this summer in Scotland, watched by a few dozen spectators at Penicuik Rugby Club. In contrast to his supporting role at Old Trafford, Walters was West End’s driving force for the whole match. The dramatic golden-point victory brought West End Warriors their first title in their debut season, Walters breaking from halfway to seal a 34-30 win over Edinburgh Eagles. “We wouldn’t have been in that position if it hadn’t been for me,” says the gently spoken Walters. “I was about to score earlier and someone knocked the ball out of my hands. So I had to make up for that.” Continue reading...

* US golfer admits home fans ‘crossed the line’ with abuse * Morikawa says he did not intend fans to get out of hand Collin Morikawa admits the behaviour of American fans at the Ryder Cup “crossed the line” but he denies he was partly to blame for inflaming the atmosphere. Two days before the event started at Bethpage in New York, the two-time major winner said he hoped the opening day was “absolute chaos”. Continue reading...

We look at how the 80 players we picked five years ago have been faring for club and country Five years ago the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading, causing untold pain – mental and physical – that we are still feeling the effects of. Football, like every other aspect of life, was affected and stopped for a period of time. Players, coaches and staff had their lives turned upside down. Career paths were inevitably changed. What kind of an impact would a fit Trent Alexander-Arnold have had at Euro 2020 if it had been played that year? As it turned out he injured himself just before the postponed tournament in 2021 and had to withdraw from the England squad. Continue reading...

We look at how the 80 players we picked five years ago have been faring for club and country Five years ago the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading, causing untold pain – mental and physical – that we are still feeling the effects of. Football, like every other aspect of life, was affected and stopped for a period of time. Players, coaches and staff had their lives turned upside down. Career paths were inevitably changed. What kind of an impact would a fit Trent Alexander-Arnold have had at Euro 2020 if it had been played that year? As it turned out he injured himself just before the postponed tournament in 2021 and had to withdraw from the England squad. Continue reading...

Not only did Walters score the key try for Leeds in 2015 – he did it again in the Scottish Grand Final a decade later By No Helmets Required Ten years ago this week Josh Walters took a simple pass and plunged over the six-yard line at Old Trafford to score the final try in the Super League Grand Final as Leeds secured their seventh title. There were 73,512 fans inside the stadium and a couple of million more watching at home. He humbly plays down his role in the treble-clinching triumph. “I never say it was the winning try because Kev [Sinfield] still had to kick the two points – my try brought us level and there was still 15 minutes left.” That was his first winning try in a Grand Final. The second came this summer in Scotland, watched by a few dozen spectators at Penicuik Rugby Club. In contrast to his supporting role at Old Trafford, Walters was West End’s driving force for the whole match. The dramatic golden-point victory brought West End Warriors their first title in their debut season, Walters breaking from halfway to seal a 34-30 win over Edinburgh Eagles. “We wouldn’t have been in that position if it hadn’t been for me,” says the gently spoken Walters. “I was about to score earlier and someone knocked the ball out of my hands. So I had to make up for that.” Continue reading...

Seven national-team players, including one from La Liga, have been suspended by Fifa over claims of cheating There hasn’t been that much to smile about for Malaysian football fans in recent years, so there was real jubilation among the 60,000 home spectators upon the final whistle in Kuala Lumpur on on 10 June. A 4-0 win over regional rivals Vietnam not just kept the Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) on course for the 2027 Asian Cup but well and truly confirmed they were dining back at the top table in southeast Asia. Four months later, they are still the talk of the region of 650 million people, but not in a good way. The story starts, as it does increasingly in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) football these days, with naturalisation. In January, the crown prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim football club, and former president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), wrote on social media: “We have identified 6-7 heritage players … and hope the Malaysian government could assist in the process of obtaining Malaysian passports in order for them to play in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.” Continue reading...

Seeing a match on the Greek island may be unusual but it gave one American boy a touching link to his dead father The boy had been loitering for about 15 minutes, edging steadily closer to the waiting batters seated around the nonexistent boundary edge, when he eventually plucked up the courage to ask who was winning. It was the type of uninformed query that ordinarily prompts eye-rolls in cricket’s complex spheres. But the match situation – 60 for one, chasing a victory target of only 86 – made the response quite simple on this occasion. Besides, he was just a kid; an American one, at that. How was he to know that cricket’s ebbs and flows rarely render it condensable into such binary terms? Continue reading...

* Uruguayan was appointed in May and has Watford 11th * Gracia had spell as club’s manager that ended in 2019 Watford are poised to sack their manager Paulo Pezzolano after only five months and 10 games in charge, with their former manager Javi Gracia expected to be confirmed as his replacement. It is understood that Pezzolano, who was appointed to replace Tom Cleverley in May, and his technical staff were told not to take training on Wednesday after speculation that he was to depart began to mount on Tuesday. The Uruguayan has been summoned to a meeting at which it is expected he will become the 11th manager Watford have sacked since the start of 2020. Continue reading...

Updates from the ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium Play starts in Colombo at 10.30am BST/8.30pm AEDT Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email 1. Alyssa Healy (c, wk) 2. Phoebe Litchfield Continue reading...

The former Newcastle and Peru winger became Pakistan’s head coach in July and he tells Tusdiq Din he enjoys the challenge of making the team more competitive Nolberto Solano has become accustomed to firsts. He was the first Peruvian to feature in the Premier League after he joined Newcastle in 1998, and the first to play in an FA Cup final the following year. In April 2001 he became the first Premier League player to be sent off by Mike Dean. Now, in the latest stop on a peripatetic coaching journey, the 50-year-old is hoping to lead Pakistan’s men to their first Asian Cup. After taking the lesser trodden path from Lima to Lahore, Solano faces crucial back-to-back qualifiers for the 2027 tournament against Afghanistan, beginning at home on Thursday. Then, in November and March, come visits from Syria and Myanmar, who won the reverse fixtures. Solano, who replaced the Englishman Stephen Constantine as Pakistan’s head coach in July, is clear on his ambitions. Continue reading...

* Top-flight players over 23 to be paid at least £40,000 * Bottom bracket will be above national living wage Senior Women’s Super League players will be guaranteed a minimum annual salary of £40,000 under financial rules brought in this season. The salary floor has different levels depending on the age of the player and whether their club is in WSL1 or WSL2, but those aged 23 and over in the top flight will receive at least £40,000. Continue reading...

* Australia captain set to be ruled out of opener against England in Perth * Star quick yet to return to bowling as he recovers from back injury Australia captain Pat Cummins is expected to miss the Ashes opener in Perth as doubts grow around his availability for the entire Test series against England. Cummins has been sidelined with a back injury that the latest scan revealed has not yet healed. Continue reading...

* Former champion missed three tests last year * He could return for UFC bout at White House in 2026 Conor McGregor has been handed an 18-month suspension for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy after missing three attempted tests last year, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced on Tuesday. “McGregor missed three attempted biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC ADP [anti-doping policy],” the CSAD said in a statement. The missed collections occurred on 13 June, 19 and 20 September 2024, and were each recorded as whereabouts failures. The sanction runs through to 20 March 2026. CSAD noted McGregor was recovering from an injury and not in fight preparation during the missed collections, and that he fully cooperated with the inquiry, accepted responsibility and supplied information that explained the circumstances. Continue reading...

Veteran struggled with Liverpool ‘break-up’ but leadership skills and Brentford form justify his recall With Jordan Henderson, it is always tempting to focus on the rebound relationship, what he did after his departure from Liverpool in the summer of 2023. Because goodness knows, if the move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia seemed like a bad idea, the reality was even worse. Henderson’s reputation was trashed after he was accused of putting financial gain before his support of LGBTQ+ rights. He was booed on England duty by the Wembley crowd. Even after jumping back to Ajax in January 2024, it felt as if the collateral damage continued. Henderson, who is now at Brentford, was overlooked by Gareth Southgate for his Euro 2024 squad, having been involved throughout qualification. It was the beginning of a long international exile. Continue reading...

Reigning European champions Arsenal began their title defence with defeat to last year’s semi-final opponents Lyonnes in a thrilling encounter in north London. Renée Slegers’ team had taken the lead in style through Alessia Russo early on against the tournament’s most decorated team, but two goals in seven minutes from Melchie Dumornay, courtesy of some questionable defending, gave the visiting side all three points. Continue reading...

* Jones claims he was trying to show thumbs up * Gesture came during victory over New York Jets The NFL has fined Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for what he claims was an “inadvertent” obscene gesture towards fans at the New York Jets’ MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Viral clips captured Jones appearing to flash his middle finger at Jets fans during the Cowboys’ 37-22 win. Jones claimed he was actually trying to give Cowboys fans in the stadium the thumbs up as his team rolled towards victory late in the fourth quarter. Continue reading...

The two-time Olympic gold medallist details the grit and sacrifice needed to succeed and says Ineos are held to a different standard than other teams “I’m pretty laidback and don’t take myself too seriously off the bike,” Geraint Thomas says as, in retirement, the 2018 Tour de France winner reflects on the contrast between his relaxed public persona and his real self. “I think people assume I’m like that in every aspect of my life. But when it came to training and racing I took it really seriously. I did everything I could to reach my very best and always go as deep as possible. I had that determination to perform.” The 39-year-old Welshman pauses as he thinks of his old contemporaries Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins: “Cav was obviously a lot more outspoken. I didn’t tend to tell people what I was hoping to do. And Brad’s spoken recently about how he had troubles in the past while he portrayed the whole rock-star image. Continue reading...

The former Wales and Pontypool scrum-half has written an autobiography on a life blighted by violence and reflects on the punch that ended his international career Imagine, for a moment, the following scenario. Having broken his neck in a freak rugby accident and avoided paralysis by a millimetre, the player concerned is back for a meeting with his spinal consultant. The specialist advice is crystal clear. Make the most of your second chance and, if you fancy staying alive, never do either of the following again: dive off a high board or resume playing rugby. And now just imagine being the kind of guy who leaves the room and immediately nips home to pick up his swimming trunks before heading to the nearest swimming pool. Who puts on the swimmers, climbs up to the highest platform and dives straight off. Not once but twice. The rationale being that, if he survives, there will be no reason not to give rugby another go. This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading...

* Amo Racing founder beats Coolmore to Lot 15 by Frankel * Football agent aims to compete with richest operations The first seven-figure buy arrived within an hour on the opening day of the elite Book 1 sale at Tattersalls auction, and so too an early contender for the most tongue-in-cheek remark of the week. “An early strike,” said Kia Joorabchian, football super-agent and founder of the Amo Racing operation, after splashing 3.6m gns (£3.78m) on Lot 15, a bay colt by Frankel. “Hopefully, no more.” Joorabchian left last year’s Book 1 around £25m lighter in his wallet, but with 25 new yearling recruits as additional ammo for Amo. He has made no secret of his ambition to buy in at the top table of global Flat racing, and challenge the old money of John Magnier’s Coolmore Stud operation and the sovereign wealth of Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin, so he was never likely to stop at a single purchase this time around. Continue reading...