Sports & Casinos UK

Semi-final first leg: Atlético Madrid 4-0 BarcelonaE Garcia 6og, Griezmann 14, Lookman 33, Alvarez 45+2You must always have faith, Diego Simeone had said and so it was. A biblical storm blew through the Metropolitano, leaving Barcelona torn to pieces and Atlético Madrid closer to a first Copa del Rey final in 13 years than even he could ever have believed. Forty-five extraordinary minutes gave them a 4-0 lead to take to the second leg at Camp Nou in three weeks’ time. An own goal from Eric García and three more, from Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez before the half-time whistle did the kind of damage that only a miracle can repair now.Barcelona could not even begin to fix it here in a second half in which they had a goal ruled out after seven long minutes waiting on the VAR not bringing any more goals. They then had Eric García sent off late on. It was a wonder they were still standing at all, given what had hit them from the very start. Continue reading...

York Knights 19-18 Hull KRHingano drop goal earns stunning comeback winYork Knights produced an incredible comeback to stun the reigning Super League champions and win their first ever game in the top flight on the opening night of the 2026 season.North Yorkshire hosted Super League rugby for the first time in front of a full house and many of those who were watching York for the first time will have seen enough to return. They trailed last year’s treble winners 18-6 at one stage but scored 13 unanswered points in the final quarter to inflict a rare defeat on the Robins and cause pandemonium in the stands. Continue reading...

This was billed as a test of Arsenal’s mettle after Manchester City had picked themselves off the canvas against Liverpool at Anfield to reignite the title race. But having seen their lead at the top whittled down to just three points since the weekend, Mikel Arteta’s side showed their fallibility as they were held by a dogged Brentford side who felt that they should have even claimed victory.Just when they needed to put in a statement performance, Arsenal were edgy throughout and struggled to create anything of note until Noni Madueke opened the scoring. Keane Lewis-Potter’s equaliser that came from a Michael Kayode long throw was fully deserved as Keith Andrews’ side showed exactly why they are enjoying such a successful season since he stepped up to replace Thomas Frank last summer. Continue reading...

Manchester United took a big step towards the quarter-finals of their Women’s Champions League by sealing a comfortable lead in the first leg of their playoff against Atlético Madrid after goals from Elisabeth Terland, Melvine Malard and Julia Zigiotti Olme.“I think it was [a professional win],” a delighted Marc Skinner, the United manager, said. “It was difficult for both teams on the pitch. I can understand it with the number of storms they had … but I did think it affected the football. I thought we were ruthless. The three goals were fantastic. I felt like our defending as a whole team was excellent.” Continue reading...

Wigglesworth worked with Russell on the Lions’ tour‘He’s one of those guys whose talent speaks for itself’The England defence coach, Richard Wigglesworth, has admitted it is pointless trying to come up with a plan to stop Finn Russell after getting a closeup view of Scotland’s star fly-half during last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.England head to Murrayfield on Saturday favourites to defend the Calcutta Cup on the back of 12 straight victories while Scotland are reeling after last Saturday’s shock defeat by Italy. England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020, however, and only once since 2016 with Russell proving their nemesis on several occasions. Continue reading...

Tax exile has already proven himself a terrible club owner; now his ill-informed diatribe about immigration has poured fuel on wider flamesWell I, for one, am shocked. Shocked to learn that a tax-exiled English expat who made his billions squeezing chemical plants doesn’t have liberal, let alone accurate, views on immigration. Or at least, in public anyway.It seems highly likely Sir Jim Ratcliffe knew what he was doing in the course of his now semi-recanted Sky News interview. And it is above all vital that at least one part of his empire of influence – football, sport, Manchester United – rejects it, as the club have done to some extent in their statement. Continue reading...

Choi wins snowboard halfpipe title with third runAmerican star takes silver behind strong first roundThe snowfall coming down on Livigno Snow Park on Thursday night helped produce one of the bigger Olympic upsets in snowboard history, as Chloe Kim’s bid to become the first rider to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals fell just short.Kim finished with a best score of 88.00 from her opening run, settling for silver behind surprise winner Choi Gaon of South Korea, whose heroic third run after an early fall earned 90.25 and rewrote the Olympic record books. Japan’s Mitsuki Ono took bronze with 85.00. Continue reading...

Head coach’s deal was due to finish after World CupEngland get Spain, Croatia and Czechs in Nations LeagueThomas Tuchel believes he can lead England to a victorious World Cup this summer in what he hopes will be the first of multiple successes with the national team after signing a ­surprise contract extension.The fresh deal means Tuchel will stay in charge until after Euro 2028, which England will co-host, barring an unexpected change in fortunes. It puts to bed speculation that he could be tempted by a high-profile club vacancy and provides all ­parties with certainty before their tilt at football’s biggest prize begins in June. Continue reading...

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s Olympic competition is set against backdrop of assault and abuse allegations involving their former partnersThe American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning three-time world champions contentiously missed out on Olympic ice dance gold on Wednesday despite a flawless skate. But the controversy surrounding the event is not merely a debate over artistic and technical merits.Gold went by a narrow margin to the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. It was a stunning achievement for a partnership that is less than a year old. But the union was forged after the fallout from sexual assault allegations levelled at Fournier Beaudry’s boyfriend and former ice dance partner, while Cizeron is the subject of allegations of abusive conduct from his erstwhile skating partner. Continue reading...

Scotland slipped up in Six Nations opener in ItalyTownsend keen to lean into strong Calcutta Cup recordGregor Townsend has warned England against underestimating his Scotland team and believes the hosts can maintain their fine recent Calcutta Cup record in Edinburgh on Saturday. The visitors have only won two of the last eight fixtures between the two countries and Townsend wants his players to feed off the feelgood memories of previous English losses.While last weekend’s deeply disappointing loss to Italy in Rome has generated plenty of external criticism, England have won only once at Murrayfield since 2017. Townsend is expecting his players to bounce back from their Italian setback and says they will be inspired by past successes. “I would hope they don’t fade into irrelevance because our players have evidence that they’ve won in this fixture,” stressed the head coach. Continue reading...