Sports

*French Team Breezes Into Sunday's Final Vs Chelsea By Sid Lowe,in MetLife Stadium There was a moment towards the end of Kylian Mbappé’s final season in France when Luis Enrique called him into his office and explained that if they did things his (Enrique's) way, then Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) could become a “machine”. Tonight's performance by PSG against Real Madrid in the second semifinal of the Club World Cup was even better than the one in which the Parisians eviscerated Inter Milan in the Champions League final last May. A little over a year after that meeting between Enrique and…

By Jacob Steinberg, at MetLife Stadium The talk was mostly about Enzo Maresca wanting to add more guile to his attack when Chelsea signed João Pedro last week. Less was made of the former Brighton forward’s ability to crash through an opposition defence. Then again Fluminense made João Pedro and were probably not surprised to find their former star in scintillating goalscoring form in this one-sided Club World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, July 8. Two thunderous finishes from the versatile attacker were enough to ensure that Chelsea will return to the MetLife Stadium to face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) or Real…

*8pm Nigeria Time Today By Tom Sanderson And then there was one. Nobody expected a Brazilian club to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals, and if any team was going to make a deep run in the tournament, it was not Fluminense. After winning the Copa Libertadores in 2023, they narrowly avoided relegation last year and have gone through four managers in less than two years. Thankfully for them, they are now coached by the charismatic Renato Gaúcho, who told us earlier in the tournament: “It’s no use having a team of 500 million reais, because football is decided on…

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu ‎A 12-year-old student, David Uche Agu, of Command Day Secondary School (CDSS), Nigerian Army's 82 Division, Enugu, has emerged overall champion of the maiden edition of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Enugu state chapter's Inter-Secondary School Table Tennis Competition held in Enugu, South-East Nigeria.‎‎Agu, an Abia-State born citizen, clinched the title after a convincing 3-0 victory over Udenwagu Chidubem of Sacred Heart College, Enugu, with set scores of 11-6, 13-11, and 11-6.‎‎The three-day event featured seven secondary schools across Enugu, and took place at the Enugu State Sports Council headquarters. The Table Tennis Association…

*Unclear Now If Wedding Will Go On Thomas Party was reportedly scheduled to get married today, Saturday, July 5, one day after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The former Arsenal midfield enforcer has denied all the allegations against him. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the United Kingdom (UK) has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Partey, who is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, August 5. The former Arsenal midfielder, whose contract expired after five years earlier this week, is alleged to have committed the offences between 2021…

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has denied all allegations after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the United Kingdom (UK). The charges relate to incidents allegedly involving three different women between 2021 and 2022. According to the CPS, Partey has been charged with two counts of rape involving one woman, three counts of rape involving a second woman, and one count of sexual assault involving a third. He is expected to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5.. In a statement issued by his lawyer,…

Mourners have gathered at a vigil in Portugal to commemorate Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, following their deaths in a car accident. Jota and his 25-year-old sibling died when the Lamborghini they were travelling in careered off a road in north-western Spain in the early hours of Thursday. The bodies of the two professional footballers were returned to Portugal later that day. Jota was 28 and had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, 11 days before his death. They had three young children. José Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in São…

Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Partey's contract at Arsenal has just expired this summer with the club not renewing it; meaning, he is presently a free agent even as clubs like Barcelona lurk. The allegations against him relate to three separate women who reported incidents between 2021 and 2022. Partey has been charged with two counts of rape of one woman, three counts of rape of a second woman, and one count of sexual assault of a third woman.…

Footballer Diogo Jota published his final social media post less than 24 hours before his tragic death in a car crash aged 28. The Liverpool star is believed to have been travelling in a car in northern Spain with his brother Andre, 26, who is also a footballer and feared dead. Jota's death tragically came just two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, in Porto. His final post on Instagram, which was published just 18 hours before Mail Sport reported the news, showed a heartwarming video of he and Cardoso tying…

Flamengo, Botafogo, Palmeiras and Fluminense are not as rich as European clubs but they have heart and heritage. By Tom Sanderson "The graveyard of football is full of ‘favourites’,” warned Botafogo manager Renato Paiva in what has proven to be this summer’s coldest line in sweltering United States heat. Gritty draws achieved by Palmeiras against Porto and Fluminense against Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup were enough to start a conversation. But the underdog heroics of Brazil’s other two clubs have shaken up how we see club football across the world. For the first time since Corinthians shocked Chelsea…