West of Khan Younis in Gaza, Israel bombed tents containing forcibly displaced Palestinians. After further Israeli airstrikes, civil defense teams recovered children from rubble and fire.
Third-round leaderboard for CJ Cup Byron Nelson
-23 S Scheffler (US), -15 R Castillo (US), A Schenk (US), E Van Rooyen (SA), -14 K Kitayama (US), J Vegas (Ven)
As the world number one approaches its first century victory on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler holds an eight-shot lead into the final round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The 28-year-old American completed his third round at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas, posting a five-under-par 66.
Adam Schenk and Ricky Castillo, Scheffler’s compatriots, and Erik van Rooyen, both from South Africa, share second place on the 15-under chart.
The only other players besides American Kurt Kitayama and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas are 14 under when Scheffler, who birdied the 18th hole despite finishing the round in the dark after the horn blew to a standstill, is the only other player.
Scheffler explained that he wanted to avoid the unpleasantness of having to go back to the course on Sunday morning to finish his third round before having to wait anxiously for his final 18 holes to start the final pairing.
He said, “I think it would have saved me a shot on Sunday if we were going to come back pretty early in the morning, even if finishing 18 would have cost me a shot,” citing energy, not having to arrive early, and waiting five hours or so to tee off.
I was undoubtedly very anxious to finish once they gave us the go-ahead to do so.
He continued, “I finished in the dark many times growing up, but I couldn’t see very well.” Not that big of a deal, really.
Scheffler shot a 36-hole total on Friday, matching his PGA Tour rookie record of 61.
Justin Thomas’ 123 at the 2017 Sony Open was the second-lowest 36-hole total in Tour history.
The third round didn’t begin until Saturday afternoon because the storm-affected second round was delayed for more than six hours before being suspended.
Scheffler, who won seven PGA Tour titles last year, split seven birdies and two bogeys to move one step closer to victory and the prize money of $1.78 million (£1.3 million), which Scheffler won.
Scheffler had hand injuries surgery to have him have surgery on the beginning of the season. His first major of the year, the Masters, saw him finish fourth last month.
The Denver Nuggets dominated the Los Angeles Clippers 120-101 in their do-or-die Game 7 of their NBA playoff series to set up a second-round clash with Western Conference top-seed Oklahoma City.
Aaron Gordon scored 22 points, Christian Braun added 21 and NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, whose balanced attack and stout defence were too much for the Clippers on Saturday.
The Clippers, who roared into the playoffs winning 18 of their last 21 regular-season games, had fended off elimination with a convincing Game 6 victory on Thursday.
But any momentum they had evaporated amid another dismal performance from James Harden.
Harden scored just seven points, connecting on two of his eight shot attempts.
Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points to lead the Clippers, who emerged from a tight first quarter with a 26-21 lead.
It briefly looked like it would be another close game between teams that finished the regular season with identical 50-32 records.
But the Nuggets put up 37 points in the second quarter to seize control and continued to pile it on in the third, when a 17-0 Nuggets run pushed the lead to 75-50.
The Nuggets led 93 – 66 going into the fourth quarter, and even with Jokic sitting down after he was whistled for his third, fourth, and fifth fouls late in the third period, the Clippers could make no meaningful inroads.
The Nuggets led by as many as 35 points. They out-scored the Clippers 54-42 in the paint and, with a 46-36 advantage in rebounds, grabbed 22 second-chance points to the Clippers’ 10.
“Everybody came to play,” said Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored 16 points. “Everybody was ready, the home crowd was into it, and we were able to get the job done.”
Russell Westbrook rubbed it in against his former team, coming off the bench to score 16 points with five rebounds, five assists and five steals.
He underscored his message midway through the fourth quarter, coming up with a steal, racing for a dunk, and then hanging on the rim to purposely draw a technical foul and using the moment to rile up the crowd even more.
The Nuggets advanced despite a tumultuous finish to their regular season, with David Adelman taking over as interim head coach when Michael Malone was sacked with just three games left.
Denver will play Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Thunder, who won a league-best 68 games, on Monday.
The series will pit MVP finalists Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against each other.
Mahfuza’s day begins at 5am. She wakes for dawn prayer and quickly gets ready to head out. There’s no time for a proper breakfast, just a cup of tea or maybe some leftover fish if she’s lucky. Usually, by the time the sun starts to rise, she’s already out on her boat, gliding over the river.
At the end of the day, her hair flecked with sand from the river and dust from the road, she comes home and bathes in the pond close to her house. Sometimes she swims for fun.
Mahfuza catches about five kilos of fish a month. She keeps 1kg for herself and Lavlu and sells the rest, earning about 10,000 taka ($10), which the two must survive on.
Some fish, like sardines and mola carplet, are found all year round. But her work otherwise changes with the seasons. In warmer months, she catches shrimp and hilsa, and in the cooler months, she goes after bigger fish and crabs.
“The seasons dictate everything,” she says. “You have to keep up with the water, or you’ll fall behind.”
On a good day, she makes a few hundred taka, enough to cover her expenses, which include the constant burden of renting her boat. The work is always unpredictable. “Some days are good, some are empty,” she shrugs.
The seasons pose other challenges. Annual government bans lasting a total of five months during fish breeding seasons to prevent over-extraction make things harder. In those months, Mahfuza and Lavlu are often forced to borrow rice or money or sometimes go hungry. “If the government wants to protect the species, then they should protect us too,” she says.
From May to October, the monsoon season, Mahfuza risks being caught in a cyclone. She is adept at reading the weather, relying on the wind, the colour of the sky and the patterns of the waves to gauge whether a storm is coming. “The sky darkens, the wind shifts – then I know I need to get back to shore,” she says. Sometimes the weather turns quickly. “You can feel it in the air before you see it,” she explains, “but there are times when the wind changes and you know it’s already too late.”
When she’s been caught in a storm, she has had no choice but to hunker down in her boat and wait for it to pass, bobbing helplessly in the churning waters.
Mahfuza has been caught on the water in some of the worst storms, including Cyclone Aila in 2009, which killed more than 100 people and caused tidal surges and flooding, displacing half a million people.
Sometimes she has had no choice but to fish, even when the weather doesn’t look promising. “The sea doesn’t wait for you to feel ready,” she says. “I have to fish to survive – cyclone or no cyclone.”
Pirates also prey on small fishing boats in the remote waterways, especially those with lone fishers like Mahfuza. They often demand money and fish, and though raids aren’t daily, they’re enough to keep villagers on edge. Sometimes, they hold fishers for ransom. “They usually are here for money. They think that we have money. How foolish they are!” says Mahfuza.
Seven years ago, Mahfuza and her older brother Alamgir were fishing when they were surrounded by five unmasked men in boats armed with guns. They demanded 12,000 taka ($98). Mahfuza and Alamgir said they didn’t have it, so the pirates forced them onto another boat close to the shore. “They are very dangerous. They kidnap and sometimes even kill people if they refuse to pay money. I was very scared,” she says. They were held for hours until a coastguard vessel appeared in the distance, and the panicked raiders pushed Mahfuza and her brother into the shallow shore waters.
To this day, sudden noises in the water from another fisher make her jumpy.
But as the sole provider for her children since the age of 30, she has had no choice but to fish. “When my children cried for food, I did not care about the pirates,” she says.
She now jokes about that experience, but her laughter is brief. Even now, she hides her earnings in different places and rows faster when the sun starts to go down and raiders tend to strike.
For the last 44 years, she has braved tigers, crocodiles, cyclones and pirates and stood up to her own community to provide for her family.
It’s “something to write in history” for Dungannon, winning the first ever Irish Cup and winning a goal in a final during an Irish Cup.
In the Irish Cup final, John McGovern and Dungannon Swifts perfectly sum up a wonderful day.
The Swifts, who played a large portion of the game with 10 men, held their nerves to earn a 4-3 penalty shootout victory after 1-1 draw after extra time, scoring the winning goal.
With the Swifts entering the Uefa Conference League in the second qualifying round, that result not only brings a maiden Irish Cup victory, but also European football.
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For instance, McGovern was a striker at Newry City who struggled with injuries and consistency before joining the Swifts last summer. He has since been a revelation.
He has been linked with a number of full-time clubs, but he declined to comment on his future after the final, instead choosing to enjoy the momentous occasion instead of being namedchecked by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill as a player of potential.
“I’m absolutely buzzing.” Coming into this people made us feel like underdogs, but going down to ten men, especially, makes the characters in our dressing room look different, he said.
“We’ve been unbelievable, and I’m proud to finish fourth, which is great, but the cherry on top was the Irish Cup,” he said.
Declan Dunne, the hero in the shootout who saved Shea Kearney and Luke Conlan’s penalties in the Irish Cup, is also present.
He was a part of the Swifts’ promotion to the top of the table play-off against Annagh United just two years ago, and he is aware that they must have had some “bad times” as well.
The Swifts scored all four of their penalties, and the stopper was certain that they would win the trophy when the game featured spot kicks.
When the boys hit penalties in training on Thursday, and you know they’re going to score, the team has confidence, he said.
Also on hand is the match winner, Gael Bigirimana, who scored his penalty after clearing Eric McWoods’ chance off the line in extra time.
The midfielder first came to Ireland in the Premier League with Newcastle before eventually claiming the title.
He has returned to Dungannon and has been a standout player this season after a negative spell at Glentoran.
We played Cliftonville and a few months ago, I told the boys, “I feel like we are going to do something special,” and Cliftonville beat us 4-1, so I thought maybe not. “It is very special,” I said. he made fun of.
I’m speechless but over the moon because the boys have been amazing.
Andrew Mitchell, who almost skipped the Swifts before returning to Stangmore Park, has since resurrected under McAree and has established a fantastic partnership with McGovern upfront.
After the game, he explained, “I was very emotional because I decided 18 months ago that I wasn’t going to play again, that I was retiring, and I’m glad I have had the opportunity to come back,” which is wonderful for everyone at the club.
“I’m so happy we were able to deliver for the people of Dungannon, especially Rodney and Dixie [Robinson], good people who have put their trust in me to return.”
Mitchell praised McAree for bringing the squad of experienced pros and young, hungry players together to such great effect.
He also mentions Danny Wallace, another person who has changed since Glenavon’s replacement for the Swifts.
“Rodney is the best manager in the league, without a doubt, he instills the belief that we are the best players in our positions in every game in each of us,” he said.
I enjoy seeing people turn around their careers and prove to others that Danny Wallace has done a lot, and he has signed so well.
Sven-Göran Eriksson, who arguably had the best management in football, said a wise phrase that resonated with Lee Mack. Before Sven tragically passed away last year at the age of 76, the comedian and actor collaborated with the late manager on a documentary.
Over the course of his career, the former right-back went on to become the coach of the England national team, Leicester City and S.L. Benfica, picking up invaluable experience which he put to use when he worked with Soccer Aid as the England manager in 2021.
Prior to filming the documentary, Lee had played for the England team and took three penalties – missing out on each opportunity. But it was a few words of advice from Sven which saw Lee’s outlook on the match completely change. “We did a documentary of me as the old player building up to being in Soccer Aid for the fourth time,” Lee told the Mirror.
The 56-year-old Not Going Out Star went on to add: “It was an hour special on ITV, we got the late great Sven involved and he basically told me what I needed to do and then I went and did it. ‘Go and practice your penalties, go and get fit, start acting like a footballer.
I think it was very clear that the entire thing was just one big sketch, and that I just decided it’s only fair that I share out the badness. He sacked me at the end and said, “You can’t play for England, go and play for World XI.” You share the love, so you have to share the badness with England because I’ve been doing it for a while.
Lee joked that due to his Irish heritage, he made the decision to play for the World XI after years of playing for England. He responded, “So I thought I’ll even up the sides by playing for the other side.” Because I scored, it turned out well. I believe that European footballers understand that the weakest player is only as good as the weakest player, so they are a little more encouraging than some of the obedient England players.
The comic acknowledges that European footballers are very different from English footballers, despite being “great fun.” Arsene Wenger was the first manager to avoid shouting at the players, he said. He arrived, introduced himself, and kind of spoke to players with less cynicism and more intelligence. We still practice the adage, “Roll your sleeves up and scream.” “
This year, the Southport-born star is returning to Soccer Aid for the eighth time, alongside players including Gorka Márquez, Martin Compston, and YouTube star TBJZL. They’ll be joined by footballing legends, Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidić and Leonardo Bonucci as they battle against Tom Grennan, Louis Tomlinson, Joe Hart, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney.
Lee remarked about the event, “I wouldn’t do any exercise without this every year. I say to myself, “Right, I have to get in shape,” so a treadmill I bought a few years ago is now, and it always comes back and forth. I believe I went on it the night before last year.
Although this is his eighth call up, he always thinks he won’t play again despite it being his eighth. He continued, “I assume they won’t ask me back every year, so it’s very exciting when I get the call. I’m in the point where I should stop thinking after each one because it takes months and months before I feel better.
“But when the call comes, and says, “Do you want to do it?” I always say, “Yes, definitely. ” However, he made fun of the fact that he is the “oldest outfield player” every year, which means he must deal with physical ailments every year. Lee joked that his position essentially serves as a “goal hanger.” But when he first began using Soccer Aid, he quickly realized that being on the pitch in one spot is “exhausting,” he joked.
He continued, “You’ve got to get a little fit; the training lasts three days and consists of a few hours of play; at my age, you don’t play football three days on the run, then you play the match,” adding, “You’ve got to get a little fit.” I’ve always enjoyed playing with local dads once per week.
Over £106 million has been raised for UNCIEF since Soccer Aid’s launch 20 years ago, with records being broken year after year. Lee continued, “It doesn’t seem to slow down in any way,” adding that despite being held once every two years, he anticipated it would be more difficult to draw in crowds and money each year.
The stadium always sells out, he said, adding that “the money raised is incredible and seems to keep rising.” He continues, “As an abstract concept,” the money raised is difficult to imagine how much money would cost.
When they show it in action or when you learn what £100 or £20 can buy, it’s fantastic.
The match takes place on Sunday 15th of June at Old Trafford, Manchester, with adult tickets priced at £20 and juniors from £10. Tickets are available now on the Soccer Aid for UNICEF website.