Robert Lewandowski has paid tribute to great champion Iga Swiatek following his compatriot s US Open triumph.
Swiatek became the first Polish singles champion at Flushing Meadows after defeating Ons Jabeur in straight sets on Saturday.
It was the world number one s second grand slam success of a brilliant season, having won a further six WTA titles including the French Open in June.
The 21-year-old became the first woman to triumph at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows in the same campaign since Serena Williams in 2013.
Swiatek and Lewandowski are among the pre-eminent Polish sports stars of this generation and shared an embrace on Court Philippe Chatrier following the former s success in Paris.
Congratulations Iga! You’re a great champion and y…
Pep Guardiola is ignoring Liverpool s below-par start to the Premier League season ahead of Manchester City s trip to Anfield on Sunday, declaring: Nothing changes what I feel about Liverpool.
City and Liverpool have finished as the Premier League s top two teams in three of the last four seasons, but the Reds trail the champions by 13 points after a poor start to the new campaign.
Liverpool s tally of 10 points is their lowest at this stage of a season since 2012-13 (nine), and Jurgen Klopp s team have already lost as many league games this campaign as they did throughout the entirety of last term (two).
That form represents quite the drop-off for a side who went tantalisingly close to a stunning quadruple in 2021-22, but Guardiola believes City will still face…
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With the 2024/25 Premiership campaign getting underway on Saturday lunchtime, Rangers will travel to Tynecastle when they meet Hearts.
Hearts
Starting with the hosts, while Hearts might have secured a bronze medal finish among Scotland’s elite last season, Steven Naismith’s men limped their way over the finishing line. Failing to win any of their final six appearances against top-flight opposition, the Jambos will be hoping to make an early statement of intent here. However, signing off their pre-season preparations with a nightmare performance as they slumped to a 3-0 drumming at the hands of League One outfit Fleetwood, the one-time Everton midfielder saw his squad lose all of their three friendly showdowns by an aggregate score…
Diego Simeone was left to rue two dropped points in Sunday s 1-1 draw with Almeria, but backed his Atletico Madrid players to soon regain their goalscoring touch.
Atleti took the lead at Estadio Mediterraneo through Angel Correa s 18th-minute strike, only for El Bilal Toure to level up before half-time and earn the mid-table hosts a point.
Los Colchoneros return of 28 points after 17 LaLiga games is their worst tally at this stage since 2011-12 (20 points) – also the last time they failed to finish in the top four.
Simeone s side failed to convert three further Opta-defined big chances, with substitute Alvaro Morata missing two of those and Correa the other.
Having scored more than once in a single game just three times in their past nine league outings…
Steve Cherundolo has urged Los Angeles FC to control their emotions when they face the LA Galaxy in an El Trafico clash that could decide the top seed in the Western Conference.
LAFC sit four points adrift of the Galaxy at the top of the West with two games in hand to come, though they have only won one regular-season match since July 5.
Cherundolo s team did beat the Galaxy 2-1 when the sides last met in April, though, and he says his team must keep their cool at Dignity Health Sports Park if they are to take three points.
It s another great setup and matchup and I m looking forward to it, Cherundolo said. There s always things going on in this game, there s always emotion spilling over.
They re always tight matches and I hope that our ideas will be ef…
Steve Clarke insists he is giving no consideration to which pot Scotland end up in at Euro 2024 as he focuses on trying to end their successful qualification campaign on a high against Norway at Hampden on Sunday.
The Scots sealed their spot in Germany last month, with two games to spare, and will learn who they will face in the group stage when the draw is made in Hamburg on Saturday, December 2.
A victory by two goals or more against Norway this weekend would likely lift the Scots into pot two, while any other result is set to place them in pot three.
Given the way things are shaping up – with the likes of Albania, Hungary and Turkey among the teams on course to be in pot two – there is a school of thought among Scotland supporters that they may have a chan…
Fleetwood owner Andy Pilley will be sentenced next month after being convicted on four counts of fraud.
Pilley was found guilty last week of two counts of fraudulent trading, fraud by false representation and being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts.
He was remanded in custody and, following a further hearing at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, told he will be sentenced on July 3.
Details of the offences have also been revealed by National Trading Standards.
At the heart of the fraud “was a web of interconnected companies that misled innocent small businesses across the UK” into signing long-term energy contracts between 2014 and 2016.
The fraudulent mis-selling inclu…
Roberto Mancini has warned Italy not to underestimate the less glamorous teams joining them in Group A at Euro 2020.
The Azzurri will face Turkey, Switzerland and Wales next June after receiving a relatively kind draw.
Mancini s men will be expected to reach the knockout rounds after maintaining a perfect record through qualifying, the only nation alongside Belgium to accomplish this feat.
But in 2016 semi-finalists Wales, a talented Turkey team and a Switzerland side boasting the best FIFA ranking of the four, Mancini found hidden demons.
I don t think the group will be as simple as some are saying, the former Inter head coach told Radio Anch io.
They are annoying teams with nothing to lose. They all have good players and a lot of young players…
Spain, Portugal and Morocco are set to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup, with three South American nations staging the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.
Montevideo in Uruguay, the city which hosted the first World Cup finals match in 1930, is poised to stage the opening match in seven years’ time with games in Argentina and Paraguay to follow.
The rest of the 48-team tournament will then move to north Africa and Europe, under a proposal from UEFA, the Confederation of African Football and South American confederation CONMEBOL which was accepted by the FIFA council at a meeting on Wednesday.
The hosting arrangement is now subject to formal approval by FIFA’s congress.
Uruguay’s selection for 2030 is in recognition of their role …
Mats Hummels was hurt by Julian Nagelsmann s decision to leave him out of his preliminary Germany squad for Euro 2024, Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic has revealed.
The 35-year-old centre-back has joined BVB team-mates Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Karim Adeyemi in being omitted from Germany s party for their home tournament.
Terzic believes Hummels – who helped his country win the 2014 World Cup – will now put all his energy into Dortmund s Champions League final clash with Real Madrid on June 1.
I felt that the decision affected Mats and after the discussion [with Nagelsmann], he was very disappointed, Terzic said ahead of Dortmund s clash with Darmstadt 98 on Saturday.
He assured me we will now go for the one goal left, the Champions League.
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