23 h. ago Barcelona’s rebirth and one last job for Szczesny: La Liga season review

It’s the Sids! Barça reclaimed the title as Madrid’s giants faltered while Athletic, Celta and Rayo shook up the European placesThe day La Liga 2024-25 began, Wojciech Szczesny was sitting on the beach in Marbella lighting up a cigarette, enjoying his retirement. The night it ended, he sat in the dressing room in Cornellà, 1,000km round the coast, and lit up a cigar instead. He had walked away in August, at 35 years old, unwanted and his heart no longer in it, or so he thought. Nine months on, here he was surrounded by kids half his age, a footballer again and winner of every trophy his new home country had to offer. He had not lost a single league match en route to becoming a champion.“I’ve arrived where even my imagination wouldn’t even dare to take me,” Szczesny had said when he retired. And if he hadn’t dared imagine that, there was no way he could imagine this: a Copa del Rey, a Super Cup and a Champions League semi-final to go with the title. Continue reading...

Politics

42 h. ago Lee Carsley ‘delighted’ for Liam Delap despite England Under

Chelsea’s new signing Delap will go to the Club World Cup rather than the European Under-21 Championship.

Politics

59 h. ago Olympic champ Imane Khelif skips Eindhoven event after World Boxing introduces mandatory sex testing

Olympic champion Imane Khelif is skipping the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes

Sport

5 d. ago Facing Rangers at Ibrox was the craziest experience of my career and I've won the World Cup AND the Champions League

One former star was blown away by Ibrox during a Champions League clash way back in 2007

Sport

5 d. ago Salt Bae responds to claims he was 'KICKED OUT' of Champions League final party

The notorious restauranteur attended the showpiece event in Munich, in which Luis Enrique's side cruised to a 5-0 win - the largest ever margin of victory in a Champions League final.

Sport

5 d. ago Salt Bae denies being kicked out of Champions League party after World Cup final drama

Salt Bae has waltzed into more football-related controversy after he was reportedly turned away from a party in the aftermath of PSG's Champions League final victory

Sport

6 d. ago Denver Barkey helps lead London Knights to a Memorial Cup championship

Denver Barkey helps lead London Knights to a Memorial Cup championship  Broad Street Buzz

Politics

6 d. ago Jordan Spieth leaves Sky Sports commentators stunned as he narrowly misses spectators with wild shot

The Ryder Cup star and major champion attempted to drive one down the middle towards the green but horribly missed the target

Politics

7 d. ago Why are Inter Milan not playing in their home kit? Gold choice explained for Champions League final

This is Inter Milan's seventh appearance in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final

Sport

7 d. ago Inter Milan’s kit choice explained ahead of Champions League final

This is Inter Milan's seventh appearance in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final

Sport

8 d. ago 'Pretty angry' Henry Pollock breaks silence on Cardiff incident that led to ban

The England international was at the centre of a clash at the end of the Champions Cup final

Politics

8 d. ago Henry Pollock breaks silence on Champions Cup final melee with Bordeaux

Jefferson Poirot has been suspended for two matches after grabbing Pollock’s throat

Sport

9 d. ago Poirot suspended two weeks for Pollock altercation in Champions Cup final

Prop alleged to have grabbed Northampton No 8’s throatBordeaux player will miss last two regular-season fixturesBordeaux-Bègles prop Jefferson Poirot has been suspended for two weeks following an altercation with Henry Pollock after Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup final.Poirot was alleged to have grabbed the throat of the Northampton No 8 amid an on-pitch fracas in the moments after the final whistle of his side’s 28-20 win at the Principality Stadium. Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago World Club Cup launch tosses away decades of European rugby history | Robert Kitson

Every four years, event will replace the Champions Cup knockout stages in announcement made earlier than intendedSome people are never satisfied. They firmly believe that if things are constantly tweaked there is a better chance of staying relevant. In certain areas of retail they are right. Years ago, on a dusty pavement in India, I once encountered a man selling second-hand false teeth from a small wooden table. I think of him whenever people lament the size of their annual bonus or their boss’s failure to appreciate them.Sport, though, is rarely that simple. While you don’t want to end up miles behind the curve, retaining an element of familiarity is crucial. Supporters love the comfort blanket of their favourite local team, the club colours their parents wore, the same time-honoured songs and competitions. It rarely pays to confuse your existing audience or, worse, to announce that things that should matter hugely are now as sexy as 30-year-old dentures. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Alex Mitchell confident English clubs can stop France’s Champions Cup dominance

Saints showed their quality in outstanding Champions Cup campaign.

Politics

1 week ago Rangers Women crowned Scottish Cup champions as Mia McAulay and Kirsty Howat the Hampden goal heroes

Jo Potter's side suffered SWPL heartache seven days ago but make amends at the expense of their City rivals to lift the Scottish Cup.

Politics

1 week ago Northampton boss fumes over ‘out of order’ Henry Pollock incident in Champions Cup final

Northampton felt that their young back row was targeted late on in their defeat to Bordeaux-Begles

Sport

2 w. ago Saints accuse Bordeaux of ‘foul play’ towards Henry Pollock in post

Bordeaux players ‘were after him’, complains Fin SmithPhil Dowson says early losses of two players had ‘huge impact’Northampton have urged tournament officials to launch an investigation into a post-game fracas involving England’s Henry Pollock after Bordeaux’s Champions Cup final victory. It is understood Saints will make a citing complaint if the incident does not lead to an official disciplinary probe.Phil Dowson, Saints’ director of rugby, said the 20-year-old had been the victim of “foul play” by a Bordeaux player. The meleé was initially sparked by an altercation between the Northampton captain, Fraser Dingwall, and the French international fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, before several other Bordeaux players became involved. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Northampton heartbreak as Penaud inspires Bordeaux to Champions Cup glory

Final: Northampton 20-28 Bordeaux BèglesFrench side claim their first Champions Cup titleBeneath the roof of Welsh rugby’s noisiest cathedral here was a game to raise anybody’s blood pressure. There have been some extraordinary finals in this tournament but none as breathless or frenetic for such long periods. This was rugby on fast forward, a blink-and-you-miss-it thriller that finally ended with Bordeaux winning the first Champions Cup title in their history.They just about deserved their special vintage but what a contest. Northampton, reduced to 13 players at one stage with two men in the sin-bin, were heroically brave and insanely committed. Every single Saint refused to bend the knee despite a worsening casualty list and collectively played a full part in a final that rocked and rolled from start to finish. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Cardiff witnesses a classic as Bordeaux power over Saints in brutal Champions Cup final

Bordeaux beat Northampton Saints 28-20 in Cardiff to claim European silverware

Sport