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[ad_1] LONDON: Former England Women's rugby captain Sarah Hunter was among a host of British female sports stars recognised in King Charles III's birthday honours list on Friday. Hunter was given a CBE for her services to rugby union after winning a record 141 caps and playing for England in their 2014 Women's World Cup-winning campaign. The 37-year-old also featured in England's 2022 Women's World Cup final loss to New Zealand before retiring in March. "Never in a million years did I ever expect to have the career I've had and for it to be recognised like this," she said. "I'm just an ordinary girl from the north-east of England who has happened to have an incredible time playing rugby." Hunter was one of a number of influential women on the honours list, which also included former England footballer Eniola Aluko, ex-England cricketer Lydia Greenway and darts player Fallon Sherrock. Aluko, who won 102 caps for the England

[ad_1] PARIS: Marseille lost ground in the race for automatic Champions League qualification after a 0-0 stalemate at Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday, while Monaco blew a two-goal lead to draw with French Cup finalists Nantes. Cengiz Under forced a good save from Lorient goalkeeper Vito Mannone in the first half but Marseille struggled to create chances as their eight-match winning run away from home ended. "It's disappointing. The match was within our grasp but we were a bit lacking when it mattered most," Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi told Prime Video. Former Marseille striker Bamba Dieng went close to scoring against his old club but was denied by Pau Lopez on the hour as Igor Tudor's side dropped two points behind second-placed Lens. "There's no pressure, there's still a lot of matches," said Guendouzi. Marseille also missed the chance to further distance themselves from Monaco, who were held 2-2 at Nantes earlier in the day.

[ad_1] SYDNEY: Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo did the damage late on in Sydney as England shattered Australian dreams Wednesday with a clinical 3-1 win to set up a Women's World Cup final against Spain. The Lionesses had stumbled at the same stage twice before but the European champions made no mistake this time to reach the final for the first time. They took the lead nine minutes before the break with Manchester United's Ella Toone unleashing a rocket just inside the box with the outside of her boot. A fit-again Sam Kerr, starting for the first time this tournament, hit back for the home side in the second half with a world-class goal that set the game on fire, picking up the ball and letting fly from 30 yards after a weaving run. It sparked ecstatic scenes from the 75,784-strong partisan crowd. But they were silenced eight minutes later when Hemp muscled her way into the box and stabbed into the corner before Russo put the icing on the cake with four minutes lef

[ad_1] MIAMI: Lionel Messi is suffering from "muscle fatigue" and will not be rushed back, Inter Miami coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino said on Saturday after his team's playoff hopes suffered a blow with a 5-2 thrashing at Atlanta United. Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba both sat out the game with Martino saying it would have been "very reckless" for the Argentine to play in Atlanta. Martino said that his focus was on having his team ready for the September 27th final of the US Open Cup when Miami host Houston as they look for their second trophy of the season. "They will train tomorrow (Sunday) and we will see day by day. Nothing changes our outlook on how he (Messi) will train. We have no urgency," said the former Barcelona and Argentina coach. Miami face Toronto, the only team below them in the Eastern Conference, at home in MLS action on Wednesday. "If he is well and confident he can get to play and if th

[ad_1] BUENOS AIRES: Argentina will host the Under-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11, FIFA said Monday, after taking the tournament from Indonesia just weeks before kick-off.  Having been awarded hosting rights, Argentina will also participate in Indonesia's place. The team had failed to qualify on merit.  "FIFA is delighted to announce that this year's edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Argentina, as the home of the world champions opens its doors to tomorrow's superstars of world football," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.  FIFA withdrew hosting rights from Indonesia last month after protests Israel's participation the tournament.  Indonesia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, and support for the Palestinian cause in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation runs high.  Argentina put itself forward as an alternative host, and FIFA conducted an on-site inspection of facilitie

[ad_1] LONDON: Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly became the latest star name to head to Saudi Arabia on Sunday as he joined Al-Hilal from Chelsea, the Premier League club confirmed. Koulibaly joined the Blues just last year from Napoli for a reported £33 million ($42 million). However, the 32-year-old struggled in the Premier League as Chelsea finished 12th – their lowest league finish since 1994. "Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after completing a permanent transfer to Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal," Chelsea said in a statement. "We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career." Backed by the nation's sovereign wealth fund, the Saudi Pro League is luring big names from the major European leagues with the promise of huge salaries. Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr in January started the trend. His former Real Madrid

[ad_1] MANCHESTER: Manchester City have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday that served as a reminder of manager Pep Guardiola's brilliance despite his long wait to conquer Europe. Guardiola claimed to have been "emotionally destroyed" by the tension of a night on which his current side showed a clinical edge they have often lacked to get over the line at this stage of the competition. In the 12 years since Guardiola last lifted the European Cup as Barcelona boss, he has often been accused of over-complicating things in the Champions League knockout stages. That included three semi-final exits during his time in charge of Bayern between 2014 and 2016. The closest Guardiola has come to delivering City's long-awaited Champions League glory came in losing the 2021 final to Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea. Tuchel's appointment as Bayern boss less than three weeks ago appeared very much with this tie in

[ad_1] LONDON: Liverpool destroyed West Ham 5-1 to reach the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, easing the frustration of their weekend Premier League stalemate against Manchester United. Curtis Jones scored twice and Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah were all on the scoresheet for Jurgen Klopp's dominant team. They join Chelsea, Fulham and Middlesbrough in the last four of the competition. No team have won more League Cups than Liverpool, who lifted the trophy for the ninth time in the 2021/22 season, and they tore into the visitors from the start at Anfield. Liverpool, who had 34 shots against United on Sunday without finding the net, launched wave after wave of attacks, with West Ham struggling to lay a glove on their opponents. Harvey Elliott blasted over the bar in the 14th minute and Szoboszlai fired wide but the Hungary midfielder gave the home side the lead they deserved shortly before the half-hour mark. It came after Said Benrahma lost the

[ad_1] LISBON: Inter Milan put one foot into the Champions League semi-finals with a comfortable 2-0 win at Benfica on Tuesday, with Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku netting in Lisbon. The Italians, three-time winners, took a commanding quarter-final first leg lead at the Estadio da Luz, inflicting Benfica's first defeat in the competition. After an even first half, Barella headed home from Alessandro Bastoni's cross and substitute Romelu Lukaku netted the second from the penalty spot late on. Roger Schmidt's Benfica, aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1990, were not able to put a glove on the visitors, who controlled the pace of the game. Despite Inter's poor form, they conjured a patient, professional display when they needed it most. Having scored two goals in their previous five games across all competitions, they managed the same tally in Lisbon with clinical finishing. "It's been one of our best games this season,"

[ad_1] ROME: AC Milan and Inter Milan secured matching 2-0 victories over Roman clubs as they briefly swopped places in Serie A ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash. Milan briefly jumped from sixth to fourth, leapfrogging Inter, with a home victory over second-place Lazio in the early game. "We played a great game. Now there is plenty of time to recover ahead of the semi-final against Inter," said Milan coach Stefano Pioli . "Now let's think about the Champions League." Inter then jumped back to fourth when they won away at Roma, keeping Jose Mourinho's team outside the European places. Inter coach, Simone Inzaghi said the Champions League semi-final would be "a showdown played over 180 minutes." "We know what we have to do," he added. At the San Siro, Ismael Bennacer pounced on a loose ball in the Lazio area and thrashed his shot home to give AC Milan the lead in the 17th minute. After 29 minutes, wingback Th

[ad_1] MILAN: Romelu Lukaku's return to sparkling form has given Inter Milan an extra weapon ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final decider with AC Milan. Out for much of the season with injuries and with a damaged reputation following a disastrous World Cup, Lukaku has slowly worked his way back to his best. The Belgium striker has scored five times and set up three more in his last six matches and his double in Saturday's 4-2 win over Sassuolo highlighted his new-found confidence. Lukaku celebrated his 30th birthday by beginning and ending the scoring at the San Siro, spinning and lashing home the opener from the edge of the box shortly before half-time and drilling in his eighth league goal of the season just before the end. A striker in his sort of form should probably expect to be starting such a huge match on Tuesday, where Inter defend a 2-0 first leg lead in a bid to reach their first Champions League final since the last time they won it under

[ad_1] LONDON: England's Real Madrid bound midfielder Jude Bellingham will miss his country's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Instead of linking up with Gareth Southgate's squad, Bellingham will spend time at England's national football centre to rehabilitate the injury that ruled him out of Borussia Dortmund's final game of the season. In the 19-year-old's absence, Dortmund gifted the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich by drawing 2-2 against Mainz. Bellingham, one of the stars of England's World Cup campaign last year, recently agreed to join the Spanish giants in a blockbuster deal that will be completed once he passes a medical. Bellingham is not the only absentee from Southgate's 25-man group as Brighton defender Lewis Dunk also pulled out on Sunday. "Lewis Dunk has withdrawn from the England squad due to injury, while Jude Bellingham will also play no part in this month

[ad_1] PARIS: Harry Kane scored again as England made it two wins from two in Euro 2024 qualifying by beating Ukraine 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday, while Cristiano Ronaldo extended his international goals record to 122 with a double as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg. Captain Kane, who broke Wayne Rooney's all-time England goalscoring record in midweek, turned home his 55th international goal from Bukayo Saka's cross in the 37th minute. In-form Arsenal winger Saka all but ended Ukraine's resistance three minutes later, turning from Jordan Henderson's pass and curling a sublime strike from outside the area into the top corner. The victory takes England three points clear at the top of the early Group C table after winning in Italy for the first time since 1961 on Thursday. "Two wins out of two is all we asked for at the start of the camp," midfielder Jude Bellingham told Channel 4. "We've followed up a really good result in Italy with another on

[ad_1] LONDON: Chelsea extended the contract of 38-year-old centre-back Thiago Silva to the end of the 2023/2024 season on Friday. Despite spending in excess of £500 million ($606 million) on new players this season, the Brazilian international has remained indispensable at the heart of the Blues defence. "I am honestly so happy to continue my career with the Blues," said Silva, who joined Chelsea on a short-term deal from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020. "When I signed my first contract here, it was to just do one year. Now it is already the fourth. I could not have imagined that, but really it is a very special moment for me to sign and stay at Chelsea." Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have come under fire for a scattergun approach to the transfer market during their first year in charge of the club. But in a joint statement they hailed Silva's experience and leadership skills as a vital complement to the array of young talent they

[ad_1] MADRID: Eder Militao's own goal handed a depleted Barcelona a surprise 1-0 away victory over Real Madrid in a stormy Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Thursday. The Catalans arrived on the back of two consecutive defeats and without an injured trio of key players – top scorer Robert Lewandowski, key midfielder Pedri and explosive winger Ousmane Dembele. After their Europa League elimination by Manchester United last week and a first ever loss against La Liga minnows Almeria, Madrid fans smelled blood, but left bitterly frustrated. Militao deflected a rebound into his own goal after 26 minutes to split the teams and hand Barcelona the edge ahead of the second leg on April 5 at Camp Nou. Barcelona lined up with Marcos Alonso out of position at centre-back, after Andreas Christensen was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench. Sergio Busquets made his 46th Clasico appearance, overtaking former Real Madrid and Barcelona greats Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi

[ad_1] GIRONA: Alvaro Morata snatched a 94th minute winner to earn Atletico Madrid a 1-0 victory at Girona on Monday and tighten their hold on third place in La Liga. After La Real, fourth, drew at Mallorca on Sunday, Atletico moved three points clear of the Basque side with their last-gasp victory at Montilivi. Morata turned home from close range after a corner was flicked on to him by Angel Correa, with Atletico surviving a long VAR check to see if the striker had strayed offside. "For me it was very clear (that it was valid), but if it wasn't I'd have gone home by bicycle," Morata told DAZN. "(My team-mates) were annoyed because I touched it, but VAR gave it, so I am happy. "It's hard to see it there and not touch it, maybe they would have been more annoyed if I didn't touch it and it didn't go in." Girona, 12th, started brightly and thought they had won a penalty when Stefan Savic handled in the box, but striker Taty Cast

[ad_1] LIVERPOOL: Liverpool owner John Henry has denied the English giants are up for sale despite seeking fresh investment in the club. Henry's Fenway Sports Group (FSG) said in November it would "consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club." That sparked speculation that the 19-time English champions were on the market alongside rivals Manchester United. "I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about LFC (Liverpool Football Club), but I keep to the facts," Henry told the Boston Sports Journal in an interview published online Monday. "We merely formalized an ongoing process. Will we be in England forever? No. Are we selling LFC? No. Are we talking with investors about LFC? Yes. "Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won't be a sale. Have we sold anything in the past 20-plus years?" FSG – who also own baseball giants the Boston Red Sox – paid £300 million ($361 milli

[ad_1] CAIRO: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah on Wednesday called for an end to what he described as "massacres" in Gaza, saying humanitarian aid must immediately be allowed into the besieged Palestinian enclave. Salah released a video message on his social media accounts, making his first comments on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict after coming in for some fierce criticism in his native Egypt for staying silent on the issue for over a week. The Gaza health ministry said at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza since Oct 7, the day Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed into Israeli towns, killing 1,400 people and taking hundreds of hostages. On Tuesday, Egyptian trucks carrying aid to Gaza moved closer to the Rafah border crossing but it was unclear when or whether they would be able to cross into the enclave, with Egypt looking to get security guarantees from Israel after the border area was shelled four

[ad_1] LONDON: Antonio Conte has thanked Tottenham Hotspur fans and all those at the club who shared his "passion" following his departure from the Premier League side. The Italian left his position as Spurs manager "by mutual agreement" on Sunday following 16 months in charge of the north London team. His departure came after the Italian's extraordinary post-match rant following a 3-3 draw at Southampton on March 18, a game in which Spurs blew a 3-1 lead, with Conte slamming Spurs players as "selfish" and unable to perform under pressure. Conte, 53, wrote on Instagram on Monday: "Football is a passion. I would like to deeply thank everyone at Spurs who appreciated and shared my passion and my intense way of living football as a coach. "A special thought to the fans who always showed me support and appreciation, it's been unforgettable to hear them singing my name. Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best for th

[ad_1] LONDON: Life after Gareth Bale appeared bleak for Wales, but Rob Page's men have the chance of a third consecutive appearance at the European Championship in their own hands after a remarkable turnaround in Euro 2024 qualifying. Page's job was reportedly in danger after a damaging 4-2 home defeat to Armenia was followed by a 2-0 loss away to Turkey in June. However, a famous 2-1 win over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia in Cardiff last month has given Wales new hope they can make it to Germany next year and fuelled optimism for the future. Wales still need two wins from their final two games in Group D, away to Armenia and home to already-qualified Turkey, to guarantee qualification. But they do have the safety net of being virtually assured of a playoff place thanks to their ranking in the Nations League. "We want to win both games to qualify as it's in our own hands," said Page. "We didn't like what we saw in June. We put things r