Archive May 4, 2025

Ex-Liverpool Star Firmino ‘Proud’ After More Champions League History

By in News, sport-news

Roberto Firmino said he was proud of making history with his Saudi club and becoming an Asian Champions League winner, six years after lifting the prestigious European equivalent with Liverpool.

The 33-year-old Brazilian forward was an important member of Jurgen Klopp’s side who won the UEFA Champions League in 2019.

Firmino was named the AFC Champions League’s most valuable player after inspiring Al Ahli to beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 on Saturday as the Jeddah club became Asian champions for the first time.

“I’m very happy and very proud of the team,” said Firmino. “Happy to make history here and able to repay the support of the club, family and friends.

“I’m very grateful and I feel privileged to be given this talent and opportunity. I always do my best to help my teammates and my team.”

Firmino scored six goals en route to the final and was pivotal again in the showpiece.

The veteran laid on the pass for fellow Brazilian Galeno to curl a delicious shot into the top corner in the 35th minute before producing a pinpoint cross seven minutes later for Franck Kessie to nod home.

“This title win shows us to have a monster mentality,” said Firmino.

“We always believed we could be champions and we have done it.”

Al Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle praised the 58,000 home fans at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium for playing their part in the win.

“I’m so proud of the players for how they were doing, how they were performing, how the journey went in this competition,” said the German coach.

 ‘A crazy journey’

“Also the fans who created an amazing atmosphere, which we never take for granted. Together we can achieve special things and that was tonight. It’s nice to give something back to the supporters.”

The win was even more remarkable given that just three years ago Al Ahli were relegated from the Saudi Pro League.

“It’s been a crazy journey. Not that long ago, it looked completely different,” said Jaissle.

Kawasaki coach Shigetoshi Hasebe conceded that his team had been outplayed.

Having knocked out Al Sadd of Qatar after extra time and then upsetting Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nassr, Hasebe admitted his tired Frontale players had been unable to hit the heights again in their third tough match in seven days.

“They deserved to be champions,” said Hasebe of Al Ahli. “They could show their strength, especially in the first half, and we couldn’t. The key was the second goal.

“If we could play as we know we can, we could have won. The last two games were the proof. Tonight it didn’t work and we have to do more in the future.”

Hasebe admitted that Frontale’s defensive frailties had cost them, after they had edged both their quarter-final and semi-final 3-2.

“Every single game we played here, we conceded two goals and that’s the part we have to improve on for the future.”

Dominant Scheffler closes in on first win of year

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty
Poole, Harry
journalist for BBC Sport

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.

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Nuggets eliminate Clippers in Game 7 to advance in NBA playoffs

By in News, World News

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.

Russell Westbrook (#4) of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket against Kawhi Leonard (#2) and Ivica Zubac (#40) of the LA Clippers during Game 7 of the Western Conference first round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 3, 2025, in Denver, Colorado, US [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP]

The woman braving tigers, crocodiles and pirates in Bangladesh’s mangroves

By in News, World News

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.

‘Hard luck stories’ turned into success by Swifts

By in News, Sports News
Inpho
McCann, Lauren
Journalist for BBC Sport Northern Ireland

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.

Irish Cup victory for prolific McGovern was “the cherry on top.”

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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.

Bigirimana, a midfield legend, remarked, “It’s so special.”

Gael Bigirimana with the man-of-the-match trophyPacemaker Press

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.

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