Category: Sports

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Alcaraz dispels injury fears to reach Japan Open quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz admitted his ankle injury had worried him and was on his mind as he beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 at the Japan Open on Saturday.

The world number one hurt himself two days earlier in his opening match in Tokyo, crumpling to the ground before playing on with his ankle heavily strapped.

The Spaniard was left sweating on his fitness but he showed no evidence of discomfort as he returned to the court to beat world number 45 Bergs in front of an adoring Japanese crowd.

Alcaraz got the job done in an hour and 20 minutes and will face American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

“I was a bit worried before the match so I just wanted to warm up and let’s see how it’s going to feel,” Alcaraz said.

“I didn’t feel anything in the ankle, so after the warm-up I decided I can go and I can play.”

Alcaraz took to the court with white strapping visible underneath the sock on his left ankle.

He did not appear to be restricted in his movement but he limped briefly after chasing a shot that won Bergs a break early in the first set.

“In some movements I’m scared about going crazy so most of the time I take it a little easy,” he said.

“Sometimes I feel a little bit the ankle, which I would say is normal.”

Alcaraz is playing in Japan for the first time and delighted the crowd with a series of leaping forehand winners, claiming the first set despite having his service broken twice.

His service was broken three times overall and he blamed his injury for his lack of accuracy.

“I think because my thoughts were on the ankle, I forgot about doing a smooth movement, smooth serve,” he said.

Alcaraz raced into an early lead in the second set but Bergs made him work hard for the victory with a gritty performance.

Alcaraz sealed the deal with a thumping forehand at the net that Bergs could not return into play.

Alcaraz will look to book his place in the semi-final when he faces world number 33 Nakashima, who beat Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-3.

“I’m still taking care of the ankle and I will try to feel as good as today or even better,” said Alcaraz.

“Tomorrow is going be a great challenge that I’m really excited about, and I’m ready for that.”

Denmark’s number three seed Holger Rune also advanced, beating American qualifier Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2. (JapanToday)

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Liverpool concedes late goal as its 100% start to Premier League ends with loss at Palace


There was a flurry of stoppage-time goals in the Premier League on Saturday — and one of them ended Liverpool’s 100% start to its title defense.

Eddie Nketiah’s strike in the seventh minute of added-on time secured Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory over the champions and extended the London team’s unbeaten run to 18 games stretching back to April.

Liverpool, which won its first five games of the campaign, saw its lead trimmed to three points — with second-place Palace now its unlikely closest challenger.

The Reds have made a habit of scoring late goals themselves this season and Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute effort looked like securing a draw at Selhurst Park — or even giving them a chance of grabbing a sixth straight win.

Chelsea played almost the whole second half with 10 men against Brighton and paid the price, conceding two goals in stoppage time to lose 3-1 for a second straight defeat.

Erling Haaland scored in the 90th minute and again in injury time to wrap up Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Burnley.

Tottenham scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time through Joao Palhinha to draw 1-1 with Wolverhampton, which collected its first point of the campaign.

And Manchester United’s latest loss was sealed by a stoppage-time goal for Brentford, which won 3-1. It could have been so different had Bruno Fernandes’ penalty not been saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 76th minute, denying United an equalizer for 2-2.

Bournemouth also scored in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at Leeds and Sunderland won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, whose recently hired manager Ange Postecoglou has yet to win a game in five matches at his new club.

Liverpool had not been entirely convincing in gaining a maximum 15 points and Arne Slot’s team was undone again by Palace, which beat the Reds in a penalty shootout to win the Community Shield before the English season began.

Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through Ismaila Sarr and wasted a string of chances to move further ahead — with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta the biggest culprit.

Nketiah’s goal was scrappy but maintained Palace’s long undefeated run under Oliver Glasner, who has kept the team playing well despite losing star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal late in the transfer window.

“If one team deserved to win today it was Palace,” Slot said. (JapanToday)

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Chelsea to play Wolves in Carabao Cup fourth round

Chelsea will travel to Molineux Stadium to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup fourth round, following Wednesday’s draw.

The Blues booked their place in the next stage after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lincoln City at the LNER Stadium.

An excellent 20-yard strike from Tyrique George and a first Chelsea goal for Facundo Buonanotte sealed the win for Enzo Maresca’s side, despite a spirited challenge from the hosts.

There are no replays in the Carabao Cup, and extra time is not used until the semi-final stage. If a game is level after 90 minutes, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout.

Fourth-round ties are scheduled to be played in the week commencing October 27. (Punch)

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Ballon d’Or: NFF congratulates Nnadozie, Madugu

The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated Super Falcons and Brighton and Hove Albion’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie on her fourth-place finish at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night.

Ademola Olajire, Head of NFF’s Media and Communications department, stated this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Nnadozie, who has been Africa’s Best Goalkeeper for the past two years, was also named Goalkeeper of the tournament for this summer’s Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

She played a key role in Nigeria’s 10th triumph at WAFCON.

“We heartily congratulate Nnadozie on her fourth-place finish in the race. It is a commendable feat given the calibre of goalkeepers she was up against.

“Finishing fourth is a big achievement, and we believe in her capacity to win this trophy very soon,” NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said.

Sanusi also gave kudos to Super Falcons’ Head Coach Justine Madugu, who also finished fourth in the Women’s Coach of the Year category.

“Madugu’s feat further underscores the fact that the NFF was right to have given him the Super Falcons’ job, which had earlier been validated with him leading the team to victory.

“We congratulate him on this feat and wish him victory in the awards in the coming years.”

Nnadozie finished fourth behind England and Chelsea FC’s Hannah Hampton, who took home the Trophée Yachine, Gotham FC’s Ann-Katrin Berger, and Barcelona FC’s Cata Coll.

She, however, finished above Arsenal FC’s Daphne van Domselaar in the Top Five.

Madugu was fourth in a race won by Sarina Wiegman, who led England to the UEFA Women’s Championship title, and which also included Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor, Brazil’s Arthur Elias and Arsenal FC’s Renée Slegers. (Punch)

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Joshua, Paul reach agreement over 2026 bout

Nakisa Bidarian has revealed that Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are still set to fight, despite numerous setbacks.

Paul and Joshua were believed to be in advanced talks, with a date pencilled in for the pair to clash in early 2026.

Although the Ring Magazine reported in August that they were facing difficulties with broadcasting rights, due to the Brit having an exclusive deal with DAZN.

Shortly after that, the announcement came that Paul would be meeting Gervonta Davis in an exhibition bout instead of fighting Joshua.

As the YouTuber-turned-boxer now gears up to meet Davis on November 14, the promotional tour began on Monday night in New York.

Despite it being the launch press conference for the bout between Paul and Davis, questions were unsurprisingly circulating regarding the former’s plans to fight Joshua.

Most Valuable Promotions’ co-founder, Bidarian, confirmed to assembled media that a fight between the rivals is still on the cards.

Bidarian reiterated: “We have an agreement in principle.”

After a Seconds Out host furthered the questioning to clarify what he meant by that, Bidarian responded: “To fight each other.”

Paul made it clear that this would still be the case, after he took to social media to reveal his plan to first ‘kill David’ and then ‘slaughter Goliath’. (Punch)

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Arsenal snatches 1-1 draw with Man City with Martinelli’s stoppage-time goal

A goal by Erling Haaland was perhaps to be expected. What Manchester City did next certainly wasn’t.

With an ultra-defensive performance so unlike a team coached by Pep Guardiola, City came close to holding out against Arsenal for the most unusual of wins in a Premier League match between two title contenders on Sunday.

Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, Eberechi Eze played a ball over City’s packed defense and substitute Gabriel Martinelli latched onto it before lobbing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for Arsenal’s dramatic equalizer in a 1-1 draw.

“We’ve obviously gained the respect of the opposition,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said, “… we probably haven’t dominated a game against Man City as we did today.”

No one has.

The 32.8% average possession by City is the lowest by a Guardiola team in a top-flight match, according to statistic supplier Opta.

Rice noted City went to a 5-4-1, adding: “I’ve never seen them do that.”

Back to his prolific best, Haaland made it 13 goals in eight appearances for club and country this season by sprinting upfield and collecting a return pass from Tijjani Reijnders to slot home a finish in the ninth minute.

The Emirates Stadium was then treated to a defensive master class from the visitors as Guardiola, who is famed for cherishing possess, set up City to let Arsenal have plenty of the ball and to defend deep. He kept putting on defenders to protect the lead.

It almost worked, except for the late twist by Martinelli — who has become something of a supersub for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this season.

The result left Liverpool, the defending champion, with a five-point lead after just five games, with Arsenal in second place on goal difference over Tottenham and Bournemouth.

“They win every match,” Arteta said of Liverpool. “It’s going to be very difficult but if we play at this level, like we did against Manchester City, we will be fine.”

City is already eight points off the pace and showing it is willing to shake up the team’s tactics deep into Guardiola’s tenure.

Guardiola made no apologies for eschewing his long-held soccer principles and adjusting for a match that came three days after a 2-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League. Arsenal had two extra days to prepare, having played — and beaten — Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.

In Haaland, Guardiola also has one of the most dangerous players in the world on the counterattack and it was from that source that City took the lead with the Norway striker’s sixth league goal this season.

“We don’t try to come and be like this,” Guardiola said. “But when the opponent is better and we defend deeper and we have Erling and Tijjani, we can use the counterattack, yes. But our intention is not like this.

“I would prefer to not do it but you cannot expect at this level to not do it. It’s impossible.”

City defender Ruben Dias said it was nice to have such “safety” in numbers in defense and to have a goalkeeper behind with the presence of Donnarumma.

“We are proud of what we have done,” Dias said, “and how we behaved on the pitch.”

Aston Villa ended its goal drought but still couldn’t beat 10-man Sunderland in a 1-1 draw.

Matty Cash blasted a swerving shot from 25 meters that Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs could only parry into his own net in the 67th, giving Villa its first goal after five games in the league.

However, Sunderland — playing with 10 men from the 33rd minute after Reinildo’s red card for kicking out at Cash — equalized in the 75th through Wilson Isidor to leave Villa without a victory and in third-to-last place.

Newcastle rotated its team after a Champions League loss to Barcelona on Thursday and struggled to create many clear-cut chances in a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

It meant Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who used to coach Bournemouth, has now not beaten his former side in seven attempts.

Bournemouth was seeking a fourth straight win after an opening-round loss at Liverpool and was unable to take advantage of Newcastle making seven changes to the team which was defeated 2-1 by Barcelona. (JapanToday)

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Ballon d’Or 2025: Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati win top prizes as Sarina Wiegman lands award for best coach

Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati were crowned the best men’s and women’s player in the world at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.

Dembele, the Paris Saint-Germain and France forward, took the men’s prize after leading his club to a treble-winning season and their first Champions League success. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal,18, was runner-up after being voted the best young player.

A tearful Dembele collected the prize in Paris in front of a partisan crowd that chanted his name. If not for injury, he would have been playing for PSG in Marseille in a rearranged league fixture.

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Bonmati becomes the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or for three consecutive years. Lionel Messi and Michel Platini are the only men to have achieved that feat.

“It’s incredible this feeling. I never thought when I was a kid that I could achieve this because I didn’t think women’s football can exist,” Bonmati said.

“I had idols like Andres Iniesta and Xavi and when I was a kid I only saw them on TV. It’s incredible to be here and make history.

“But all of these trophies are because of collective work. We had a difficult season because we won some trophies, but we also lost some to amazing footballers.”

Arsenal and England’s Alessia Russo got the better of Bonmati in the Champions League and Euros finals, but finished third in the women’s rankings. Her club-mate, Mariona Caldentey of Spain, came second.

Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman was named best women’s coach after England’s triumph over Spain in Switzerland, while PSG boss Luis Enrique picked up the men’s Johan Cruyff award.

England and Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton won the inaugural award for best women’s goalkeeper, with Man City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma picking up the seventh edition of the men’s prize for his season with PSG.

Former Lionesses keeper Mary Earps was on stage presenting the award to Hampton, who took her spot as England’s No 1 ahead of the Euros, prompting her to retire from international football five weeks before the tournament.

Arsenal and PSG won the awards for women’s and men’s club of the year after their Champions League successes.

Viktor Gyokeres’ 63 goals for Sporting and Sweden last season earned him the men’s Gerd Muller Trophy. Barcelona and Poland’s Ewa Pajor, scorer of 48 goals, scooped the women’s award. (SkySports)

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Verstappen takes pole after wild session of six red-flag crashes

Max Verstappen tip-toed through the hazards of a wild qualifying session featuring six red-flag stoppages on Saturday to claim pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

As series leader Oscar Piastri crashed and his McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris struggled for outright speed on his final lap, Red Bull’s four-time champion made the most of treacherous damp conditions to end a near-crazy two-hour session on top.

The Dutchman clocked a best lap in one minute and 41.117 seconds to finish 0.478 seconds ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and half a second clear of Racing Bulls’ rookie Liam Lawson, who secured his best qualifying result.

Sainz had made the most of his opportunity in Q3 to go quickest before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed to bring a sixth red-flag stoppage that wrecked his hopes of a fifth straight Baku pole – and deliver a mixed up grid.

Mercedes’ under-pressure rookie Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were fourth and fifth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull and Norris, who qualified seventh.

Racing Bulls’ second rookie Isack Hadjar was eighth ahead of Piastri and Leclerc with two-time champion Fernando Alonso taking 11th for Aston Martin and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 12th for Ferrari.

It was Verstappen’s first pole in Baku, his sixth of the season and the 46th of his career.

“It was difficult to get a lap together, with all the red flags,” said Verstappen.

“In the final lap, you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres. So, I am happy with the weekend!”

The chaos began in gusty conditions with light drizzle expected and rain threatening for Sunday’s race.

“We nailed it today by being on the right tires at the right time,” said Sainz. “So tomorrow I will try to stick it on the podium.”

As Q1 began, Piastri was in the pits for a new front wing while his rivals hurried for an early banker lap, but as he started his first lap, a red flag halted the action when Alex Albon hit the barriers, leaving the Australian in danger of elimination.

After eight minutes’ delay, Hamilton went top, Piastri took second, just two seconds before Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg hit the wall at Turn Four, triggering a second red flag.

Another eight-minute stoppage followed, after which Russell, Leclerc and then Norris bagged top spot before yet another red flag crash – Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at Turn Four – ended the action.

Q2 began after a further 12 minutes’ inaction, but it lasted only three minutes before Oliver Bearman smacked the wall at Turn Two and broke his car’s rear suspension – causing a fourth red flag to retrieve his abandoned machine.

The stop-go-stop-go session was running nearly an hour off schedule by the time Leclerc and Hamilton led them out again before the Monegasque, chasing a fifth consecutive Baku pole and first win, ran deep at Turn One.

Verstappen then stole top spot again as a luckless Hamilton exited along with two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and Haas’s Oliver Bearman.

On cue, rain fell as the top-ten shootout began.

“It’s too slippery,” reported Russell after running deep at Turn Four before Leclerc, the ‘Baku maestro’, hit the wall at Turn 15, his hopes wrecked,

A fifth red flag followed and, with only three drivers’ laps recorded, Sainz was top ahead of the two Racing Bulls.

“You can start dancing to see if it rains a bit harder, no?” said Sainz on team radio before a frantic, dramatic and slippery finale. (JapanToday)

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Man Utd earns vital win against Chelsea as Liverpool stays perfect

Manchester United beat Chelsea 2-1 in a chaotic match at Old Trafford on Saturday to earn vital breathing space for beleaguered manager Ruben Amorim as Liverpool stayed perfect in the Premier League.

But Graham Potter’s future as West Ham boss appears bleak after a fourth defeat in five matches left the club firmly rooted in the relegation zone.

All eyes were on a rain-lashed Old Trafford for the early evening kick-off, with Amorim in desperate need of a win after a terrible start to the season.

The home side were given a huge helping hand when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off in the fifth minute of a stormy encounter.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made frantic personnel changes to compensate for the loss of Sanchez but the match immediately became an exercise in attack versus defense.

United captain Bruno Fernandes made the breakthrough in the 14th minute, prodding home from close range in his 200th Premier League game.

Casemiro doubled the lead before the Brazilian midfielder was shown a second yellow card on the stroke of half-time for tugging back Andrey Santos.

Even though both teams were now down to 10 men, Chelsea struggled to create chances in sodden conditions until Trevoh Chalobah brought the visitors back into the match with a bullet header 10 minutes from time.

But United survived some nervy moments to record just their second win of the season, lifting them into the top half of the table.

It was a first league defeat for Chelsea.

“Every win especially in this moment is important, against a great opponent,” Amorim told the BBC.

“We started the game in the right way, really aggressive. The red card helped us dominate the game but we were already there.

“We scored two goals and then we tried to complicate our game again. It’s always complicated with us. It should have been different, this game.”

In the early kick-off, Arne Slot’s Liverpool were 2-0 up against Everton inside half an hour through Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike and seemingly coasting to a fifth straight league win.

But they had to withstand an impressive fightback from their Merseyside rivals, who have not won at Anfield in front of fans in the 21st century.

The champions took the lead in the 10th minute when Gravenberch collected Mohamed Salah’s lifted cross before hooking a rasping shot over Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

France international Ekitike finished off a silky move in the 29th minute, with Gravenberch turning provider.

Liverpool have not made things easy for themselves this season, relying on a series of late winners, and Everton made them sweat when Idrissa Gueye pulled a goal back in the 58th minute.

But Arne Slot’s men held on win 2-1 and make it six victories out of six in all competitions as they hunt down a record 21st English title.

“We needed mentality today in a different fashion than the few times before,” said Slot, who left Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak — costing a combined £225 million ($303 million) — on the bench.

“You can see how well we can play when we are fresh in the first 45 minutes. We ran out of energy a bit but we didn’t run out of mentality.”

West Ham boss Potter admitted that his side’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace was a “tough moment” as he fights to keep his job.

Former Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-Wolves manager Gary O’Neil have been linked with the position at the London Stadium.

Asked whether he felt he still had the support of the Hammers’ hierarchy, he replied: “I’ve no reason to think not.

“But I also understand the environment and the results. But I have no complaints about the support I have had.”

Tottenham came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Brighton, climbing to second in the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

Goals from Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari gave the home side a cushion before Richarlison pulled one back shortly before half-time and Jan Paul van Hecke’s own goal made it all square.

Newly promoted Leeds recovered from conceding the first goal to beat Wolves 3-1, leaving the Midlands club without a single point from their five matches.

Burnley and Nottingham Forest shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday, seeking their third straight win against Pep Guardiola’s men at the Emirates. (JapanToday)

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Spain reclaims FIFA top ranking, knocks Argentina off No. 1 spot

Spain has returned to the summit of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in over a decade, dislodging Argentina after a strong run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The updated rankings, released on FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, mark Spain’s first time at the top since 2014. Argentina, which had led the standings since April 2023, dropped to third place, with France moving up to second.

Portugal, Croatia, and Italy recorded slight gains, now occupying fifth, ninth, and tenth positions respectively.

Brazil slipped to sixth following a poor run of form, while Germany fell to 12th after a shock defeat to Slovakia in their qualifiers—pushing them outside the top 10 for the first time since October 2024.

Slovakia proved the biggest movers, climbing 10 places to 42nd after consecutive qualifying wins, including their upset victory against Germany.

Morocco remained just outside the top 10 after securing eight wins in their last nine matches, while other notable risers include The Gambia, Madagascar, Paraguay, Uganda, Libya, Suriname, and the Faroe Islands, each improving by at least five places.

Co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, Canada, moved up two spots to 26th, while Kosovo achieved a historic milestone by climbing four places to 91st.

The latest rankings highlight the shifting balance of power in world football as nations gear up for upcoming qualifiers and tournaments. (Punch)