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‘We cannot look forward with hope,’ says FFIRI presidentEngland Lions match in Abu Dhabi cancelled due to warThe president of Iran’s football federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the US after the US and Israeli bombardment of the country.“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj said to the sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment. Continue reading...

20-year-old claims victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne‘I’m always there in these kind of races’The 20-year-old British sprinter Matthew Brennan rocketed out of an accelerating pack to win the Flemish classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne for team Visma-Lease-a-bike on Sunday.Brennan, from Darlington, is the first Briton to win the race since Mark Cavendish in 2012 and 2015, whose finishing sprint was similar to the burgeoning star. Brennan avoided the Cavendish comparison after the race. Continue reading...

There were 63 minutes on the Emirates Stadium clock and the Arsenal crowd were in a state of extreme agitation. William Saliba had the ball at the back and he was taking his time – largely because there was nothing on for him. The fans screamed at him to hurry up. To do something. Anything. It was all going wrong because Chelsea were not just level at 1-1, they had dominated the second half up to this point.Out on the right flank, Jurriën Timber held his arms out and gestured for everybody to calm down. There was still time. Arsenal would be fine if they could keep their focus and do their stuff. It took Timber precisely three minutes to practise what he preached. When Declan Rice arched over a corner, it was Timber who wriggled free to head home what would prove to be a priceless winning goal. Continue reading...

2-1 defeat at Fulham was Spurs’ fourth league loss in a row‘We are always late on everything. That’s the problem’Igor Tudor described the situation Tottenham find themselves in as “amazing” and suggested they have just three major problems as they fight relegation: the attack, the midfield and the defence. Spurs’ 2-1 defeat at Fulham was their fourth in a row in the league and leaves them just four points above the relegation zone.“I cannot tell you anything new,” said a downbeat Tudor. “We need to find the forces inside each of us. I said to the players: ‘It’s always what you’re going to do, what you want to do with yourself,’ you know? More personality, more wish to do before reacting, plenty of things … We are lacking when we attack, we lack the quality to score the goal. We are lacking in the middle to run and we are lacking behind to stay there to suffer and not concede the goal. So, an amazing situation. Amazing.” Continue reading...

Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali reports insultMir then scores 90th-minute penalty to secure 2-2 drawThe Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused the Elche forward Rafa Mir of a racist insult during their teams’ La Liga game on Sunday, according to the referee’s report.Iosu Galech Apezteguia briefly paused the match under the anti-racism protocol in the 80th minute after speaking to the Morocco international El Hilali. “El Hilali informed me that he [Mir] addressed him in the following terms: ‘You came here on a dinghy,’ which could not be heard by any member of the refereeing team,” wrote the referee in his report. Consequently, I proceeded to activate the anti-racism protocol, for which reason the match was stopped for three minutes.” Continue reading...

Samson guides India to five-wicket win to reach last fourT20 World Cup co-hosts play England in Mumbai on ThursdayFor the third time in three T20 World Cups, England will meet India in the semi-finals, after the co‑hosts beat West Indies in what was in effect a quarter-final on Sunday night to seal their place in the final four and eliminate their opponents.Sanju Samson, who lost his place in the side on the eve of the tournament but who was recalled after India’s humbling Super 8s defeat by South Africa, dramatically rediscovered his touch, batting through the innings to finish unbeaten on 97. Chasing 196, the co-hosts looked in control with the 31-year-old at the crease and fittingly it was Samson who struck the winning runs, lifting his 50th delivery over mid-on to seal victory by five wickets, with four balls remaining. Continue reading...

As the second half began, a banner appeared in the Stretford End that read: “MUFC proudly colonised by immigrants”. If this was a riposte to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s assertion that these shores have been overrun by those from overseas (for which the co-owner half-heartedly apologised), Manchester United needed their own reply to a listless opening period that left them trailing to Maxence Lacroix’s early header.Eleven minutes after the restart, they found one. Continue reading...

These are concerning times for Vítor Pereira. Nottingham Forest’s fourth permanent manager of this crazy season may be only four matches into his spell in charge but – given the record of the owner, Evangelos Marinakis – his position is already looking most precarious.A second Premier League defeat in succession since he was appointed to replace Sean Dyche a fortnight ago leaves Forest only two points clear of the drop zone and facing a daunting trip to Manchester City on Wednesday. Continue reading...

A penny for the thoughts of the Hearts manager, Derek McInnes, as John Beaton was diverted by the video assistant referee towards the pitchside screen. Only seconds of regulation time remained. An afternoon that for so long looked to belong to Rangers was about to take a significant twist. As Beaton awarded Celtic a penalty, from which Reo Hatate eventually scored, idle Hearts emerged the real winners.The Edinburgh club’s aspirations of winning the Scottish title for the first time since 1960 have been enhanced over back-to-back weekends. Hearts lead Rangers by six and Celtic, who play their game in hand at Aberdeen on Wednesday, by eight. McInnes has the making of history within his grasp. No wonder Sir Alex Ferguson, the last non‑Old Firm manager to win the top league, thought it appropriate to take in the weekend fixtures at Tynecastle and Ibrox. Continue reading...

Trump quipped about inviting US women to White HouseKnight appears on SNL with Hughes brothers US ice hockey star Hilary Knight aimed a barb at Donald Trump during an appearance on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live.Knight led the US women to gold at last month’s Olympics, scoring the Americans’ first goal as they beat Canada in overtime. But after the US men’s team won gold Trump joked that he would have to invite the women’s team to the White House too or risk being impeached. Many of the men’s players laughed at Trump’s comments, and Knight later called them “distasteful and unfortunate.” While the US men visited the White House last week, Knight and her teammates said they were too busy to attend and will instead celebrate at an event in July organized by rapper Flavor Flav. Continue reading...