Sports

After plenty of hype and a big opening ceremony, FIFA were probably hoping for some fireworks in this opening game of the Club World Cup, which kicked off 1am Nigeria time today. It didn’t quite go to plan as good old-fashioned 0-0 draw was played out in Miami. It was a fairly entertaining match, despite the scoreline, with both sides having big chances to break the deadlock. Al Ahly came the closest, but Ustari did brilliantly to save from Abou Ali’s penalty while Lionel Messi hit the post.

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States.When: Saturday, June 14 --exact kick-off time depends on geographical zone. The rebranded and expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off today, June 14, and the organisers have picked a plum tie to launch the 32-team tournament. Inter Miami and their star name, Lionel Messi, take on the most successful side in world football – Egyptian giants Al Ahly -- who have won a total of 155 trophies of different types. Miami finished as the club with the most points in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season, handing them a place at the…

Thomas Tuchel wanted smiles. He wanted a response after the lacklustre performance against Andorra in Barcelona last Saturday, albeit in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win. What he got was another line to his brow, plenty to ponder as he begins what could be a long summer debrief. And more boos after losing 1-3 to visiting Senegal. There had been a bit of zip and character from Tuchel’s team in the final 25 minutes of regulation time. He made attacking changes, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder, Morgan Gibbs-White, showing up. Eberechi Eze, who played from the start, was good. The…

Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears as Portugal picked up their second Nations League title by beating holders Spain 5-3 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final. Ronaldo’s 138th international goal took the final on Sunday, June 8, to a shootout, with Alvaro Morata’s miss proving costly for Spain as Ruben Neves struck the winning spot kick to spark wild scenes of celebration, with emotion overwhelming the veteran captain. Spain’s exhilarating 5-4 victory over France in Thursday’s semifinal ensured Luis de la Fuente’s side had continued an unbeaten run that stretched back to March 2023 coming into Sunday’s…

*Set To Sign Three-year Contract By Ben Knapton, SportsMole The Victor Osimhen transfer saga is supposedly nearing its end, as the Napoli striker has accepted a mammoth contract offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal. The Nigeria international recently concluded a successful loan spell with Turkish giants Galatasaray, with whom he found the back of the net 37 times in 41 appearances. Osimhen made the surprise switch to the Turkish Super Lig after being ostracised from Antonio Conte's Napoli squad and failing to secure a deadline-day move to either Chelsea or Saudi Arabia. The ex-Lille man appeared to be on the verge…

In 2015, Luis Enrique’s Barcelona won the Champions League final, defeating Juventus 3-1. In 2017, Real Madrid claimed the title, also beating Juventus, this time 4-1. In 2023, Manchester City won their first and only Champions League by narrowly edging out Inter 1-0, thanks to a goal from Rodrigo. And in 2025, PSG secured their maiden Champions League trophy with a historic 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan—once again, with Luis Enrique on the winning bench. What do all four finals have in common? The top executive of the losing team was the same in every case. That would be the…

Tottenham have sacked Ange ­Postecoglou as their manager, describing it as “one of the toughest decisions we have had to make”, and are considering whether to replace him with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, who has a £10m release clause. Marco Silva of Fulham is also in the running. Postecoglou led Spurs to Europa League glory on 21 May, beating ­Manchester United in the final in ­Bilbao to end a 17-year trophy drought. It sparked delirium among fans, an outpouring of relief and the feeling among some of them that he deserved the chance to continue in the role. But the chair,…

Villa Like Sancho *Aston Villa have become the latest club to show an interest in signing England winger Jadon Sancho, 25, from Manchester United following his loan at Chelsea. ( Teamtalk ). Newcastle Eye Goalie Trafford *Newcastle United have made Burnley and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 22, their top target this summer. ( Times ). No Diaz Offers Yet For Liverpool *Liverpool are not looking to sell Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 28, and have received no offers, despite reported interest from Barcelona and Saudi side Al-Nassr. (Times) . But If Diaz Leaves… *But should Diaz leave, Newcastle's £80m-rated England winger…

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) George Weah remains the only African to win the prize and the Liverpool forward’s form in the past year has put him in a similar bracket to the Liberian. “The Egyptian King” scored 29 goals and assisted a further 18 to lead the Reds to the Premier League title, but he could not take them further than the last 16 in the Champions League. Arne Slot played Salah in every league match, a sign of his importance and his stupendous fitness. “He’s had very, very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in…