Linfield need ‘ice in veins’ against Shels – Healy

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In his team’s Champions League qualifying match against Shelbourne, Linfield boss David Healy has stated that it would be “wrong” to play on any derby element.

The former Northern Ireland international will take on Shelbourne on Wednesday night in Dublin before making his Irish Premiership winning debut in Belfast a week later.

The BBC Sport website and app will host live streaming of the match in both halves.

Healy remarked, “It’s certainly not talked about north versus south, and that would be wrong of me to do that.”

You must experiment with a small amount of passion and fire, but you must also master that emotion.

Anything reckless or silly, like in any European game, will be punished, so keep an eye on it and ensure we stay focused for 90 minutes.

Healy anticipates Shelbourne fans to create a stirring atmosphere in support of their side because Linfield will receive less than 300 of the roughly 3,500 tickets for the game at Tolka Park.

He declared, “Shelbourne have a really good crowd backing them, and it’s going to be electric.”

One thing you don’t want to be doing is chasing the game, or going back and facing an assault due to the way the atmosphere is going to be.

Linfield returns to the Champions League after missing two years and winning the Irish Premiership by 22 points last year.

After some near-misses in recent years, Larne, who won the Gibson Cup in 2022-23 and 2023-24, moved to the League Cup’s Conference League division.

Before falling to RFS in the Conference League on penalties three years later, they were only defeated by FK Qarabag in the Europa League on away goals in 2019.

Healy responded, “I believe that’s the club’s end goal, of course.”

It would be very profitable financially for the club. We are self-sufficient, and all of our inputs are made up of what we bring in.

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‘Real reason’ Katy Perry is on luxurious holiday with Orlando Bloom despite split

Pop star Katy Perry baffled fans when she was spotted onboard a yacht with her ex Orlando Bloom just days after they had announced their split after nine years together

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom announced their split last week(Image: Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

Katy Perry surprised fans when she was spotted back with Orlando Bloom on a lavish holiday despite their recent split. The pop star, 40, announced her split from the actor, 48, last week but their latest public appearance left heads scratching.

They were spotted with newlyweds Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez on what appeared to be part of the couple’s honeymoon. Katy and Orlando, who said they are now focusing on co-parenting their daughter Daisy Dove, hopped on board Bezos’ superyacht in the Mediterranean with their little girl. It came just days after the former couple revealed they had decided to “shift” their relationship to focus on just parenting. Many expected they would want to be apart from each other as they navigate the new chapter.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Katy and Orlando were seen on holiday together(Image: Getty Images)

Instead, Katy and Orlando appeared relaxed and happy as they spent time with the newlyweds in their Honeymoon bliss. Reports have claimed the pair split in early June but still decided to go-ahead with their summer holiday plans in Italy.

Lauren and Jeff joined in the trip as they had lunch together on a yacht off the Amalfi Coast. The recent bride is thought to have flew in for the lunch date from their mega-yacht, which is currently in Croatia.

Katy and Orlando have surrounded themselves with their nearest and dearest as they are thought to also be with the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s son Flynn, 14, and his sister Samantha. Orlando’s manager is also thought to be on the trip.

The former pair are believed to have already split by the time Orlando headed Down Under to visit Katy with their daughter while she performed on tour. Katy is said to have felt “raw” and was tearful at the time, according to Daily Mail.

However, the pair have been trying their best to get through the split as best as possible. It has been claimed back in May, when the holiday was planned, it was clear things were turning sour.

The Italian trip was considered to be a break-up holiday, according to the publication. Katy, who missed Bezos and Sanchez’s extravagant £48 million wedding in Venice while touring in Australia, may have been making up for lost time when she spent time with the couple.

In photos from the lunch date, the Dark Horse singer looked at ease as she enjoyed the Italian coast and watched Orlando play affectionately with their daughter. Orlando, for his part, seemed equally content as he was seen throwing Daisy into the air before catching her and kissing her on the cheek.

Last week, the pair officially called it quits on their nine-year romance – six years after the Pirates of The Caribbean actor popped the question.

In a statement, their respective representatives declared: “Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on coparenting. They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is – and always will be – raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect.”

Article continues below

The Mirror has contacted Katy and Orlando’s representatives for comment.

READ MORE: ‘Biggest ever’ teeth whitening sale beats Amazon Prime Day with 50% off

‘Real reason’ Katy Perry is on luxurious holiday with Orlando Bloom despite split

Pop star Katy Perry baffled fans when she was spotted onboard a yacht with her ex Orlando Bloom just days after they had announced their split after nine years together

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom announced their split last week(Image: Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

Katy Perry surprised fans when she was spotted back with Orlando Bloom on a lavish holiday despite their recent split. The pop star, 40, announced her split from the actor, 48, last week but their latest public appearance left heads scratching.

They were spotted with newlyweds Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez on what appeared to be part of the couple’s honeymoon. Katy and Orlando, who said they are now focusing on co-parenting their daughter Daisy Dove, hopped on board Bezos’ superyacht in the Mediterranean with their little girl. It came just days after the former couple revealed they had decided to “shift” their relationship to focus on just parenting. Many expected they would want to be apart from each other as they navigate the new chapter.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Katy and Orlando were seen on holiday together(Image: Getty Images)

Instead, Katy and Orlando appeared relaxed and happy as they spent time with the newlyweds in their Honeymoon bliss. Reports have claimed the pair split in early June but still decided to go-ahead with their summer holiday plans in Italy.

Lauren and Jeff joined in the trip as they had lunch together on a yacht off the Amalfi Coast. The recent bride is thought to have flew in for the lunch date from their mega-yacht, which is currently in Croatia.

Katy and Orlando have surrounded themselves with their nearest and dearest as they are thought to also be with the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s son Flynn, 14, and his sister Samantha. Orlando’s manager is also thought to be on the trip.

The former pair are believed to have already split by the time Orlando headed Down Under to visit Katy with their daughter while she performed on tour. Katy is said to have felt “raw” and was tearful at the time, according to Daily Mail.

However, the pair have been trying their best to get through the split as best as possible. It has been claimed back in May, when the holiday was planned, it was clear things were turning sour.

The Italian trip was considered to be a break-up holiday, according to the publication. Katy, who missed Bezos and Sanchez’s extravagant £48 million wedding in Venice while touring in Australia, may have been making up for lost time when she spent time with the couple.

In photos from the lunch date, the Dark Horse singer looked at ease as she enjoyed the Italian coast and watched Orlando play affectionately with their daughter. Orlando, for his part, seemed equally content as he was seen throwing Daisy into the air before catching her and kissing her on the cheek.

Last week, the pair officially called it quits on their nine-year romance – six years after the Pirates of The Caribbean actor popped the question.

In a statement, their respective representatives declared: “Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on coparenting. They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is – and always will be – raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect.”

Article continues below

The Mirror has contacted Katy and Orlando’s representatives for comment.

READ MORE: ‘Biggest ever’ teeth whitening sale beats Amazon Prime Day with 50% off

US envoy Steve Witkoff suggests Gaza ceasefire deal is close

An aide to United President Donald Trump has suggested a Gaza ceasefire is close, saying Washington hopes to see an agreement finalised by the end of the week.

“We’re in proximity talks now, and we had four issues, and now we’re down to one after two days of proximity talks,” special US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

“So we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire.”

Witkoff said the deal would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and the bodies of nine. He added that the Trump administration thinks the deal “will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Washington, DC, that while Israel “still has to finish the job in Gaza”, negotiators are “certainly working” on a ceasefire.

Trump and Netanyahu dined together on Monday at the White House during the Israeli leader’s third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20.

The two leaders are to meet again later on Tuesday.

“He’s coming over later. We’re going to be talking about, I would say, almost exclusively Gaza. We’ve got to get that solved,” the US president told reporters at a cabinet meeting in the White House on Tuesday.

“It’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to.”

Qatar confirmed on Tuesday that Hamas and Israeli delegations are in Doha to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

“There is a positive engagement right now. The mediation teams – the Qataris and the Egyptians – are working around the clock to make sure that there is some consensus built on the framework towards the talks,” Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 57,500 Palestinians, internally displaced nearly the entire population of the enclave and placed hundreds of thousands of people on the verge of starvation.

United Nations experts and rights group have described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a genocide.

Netanyahu suggested on Monday that the US and Israel are working to ensure the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – an idea first proposed by Trump in February.

Israeli officials have been framing the push to remove all Palestinians from Gaza Gaza as an effort to encourage “voluntary migration” from the territory.

“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice,” Netanyahu told reporters.

Rights advocates said the removal of Palestinians from Gaza, which would amount to ethnic cleansing, cannot be considered voluntary.

Prominent legal expert Ralph Wilde said that with the widespread destruction, siege and daily attacks in Gaza, the concept of free choice to stay there or leave “is a lie”.

Somerset overpower Essex to reach Blast quarter-finals

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Tom Kohler-Cadmore smashed a brilliant half century to propel Somerset to a convincing 95-run victory over Essex Eagles and guarantee the runaway South Group leaders a place in the T20 Blast quarter-finals.

In scintillating form beneath the Taunton floodlights, the 30-year-old right hander played a breathtaking innings of 90 from just 39 balls, striking eight fours and seven sixes and dominating stands of 88 and 55 with Will Smeed and Tom Abell.

Somerset ran up an imposing 225-6 and, amid the carnage, Mohammad Amir emerged as the only Essex bowler to escape punishment, the Pakistan left-armer returning stand-out figures of 3-22 from four overs.

Undermined by overseas bowlers Matt Henry and Riley Meredith, who claimed 4-21 and 2-22 respectively, the Essex chase came up well short as the visitors were dismissed for 130 in 14.1 overs, Noah Thain top-scoring with 38.

Tom Banton looked as though he meant business, plundering three boundaries at the expense of debutant Charlie Bennett to move to 15 in quick time, only to then chip Amir to mid-on in the third over as Somerset lost their first wicket with 21 on the board.

There was no loss of momentum though, with Kohler-Cadmore and Smeed taking 16 off the next over, sent down by Thain, while Bennett again proved expensive when switching to the River End and Paul Walter conceded 19 off the sixth as Somerset raced to 67-1 by the end of the powerplay.

Essex turned to spin in an attempt to stem the flow, but Kohler-Cadmore struck a brace of sixes off successive deliveries from Matt Critchley and hit Luc Benkenstein straight for another to raise a blistering 24-ball half century in the grand manner.

The visitors did little to help themselves, Bennett dropping Smeed on 20 at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Critchley.

Smeed had contributed 32 to a stand of 88 from 44 balls when he hit Benkenstein to long-off as the home side reached halfway on 114-2.

There was no let-up in the scoring rate, Kohler-Cadmore applying further pressure by hoisting Benkenstein for a towering six over long-off as the Essex bowling wilted in the face of heavy firepower.

Kohler-Cadmore was within 10 runs of what would have been a magnificent hundred when a loss of concentration saw him hit Simon Harmer high to long-off to afford Essex overdue relief.

Critchley removed Abell for 20, but there was precious little breathing space for the visitors, Sean Dickson and Lewis Gregory picking up the cudgels in a stand of 28 from 12 balls.

Required to score at 12.5 an over, Essex made a decent enough start, Walter taking Craig Overton for a six and two fours in a first over that yielded 15 runs.

But Meredith redressed the balance, clean bowling Michael Pepper with 28 on the board in the third.

Somerset struck another blow in the next over, Ben Green taking a startling diving catch at long-on to send back Jordan Cox and give Henry a wicket on his final appearance before returning to New Zealand, while Meredith accounted for Charlie Allison.

Henry then struck twice in three balls, removing Walter for 24 and Benkenstein without scoring to reduce Essex to 48-5, their prospects of pulling off an unlikely victory in tatters before the powerplay had even ended.

Critchley was run out by Abell’s direct hit and Lewis Goldsworthy had Robin Das held on the deep mid-wicket boundary with the score 81-7.

Only Thain attempted to carry the fight to Somerset, crashing a four and four sixes in a defiant 17-ball innings of 38, but his dismissal – caught by Henry at long-on off the bowling of Overton – signalled the end of meaningful Essex resistance.

Somerset batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore:

“That was a real team performance and a great win for us. We had partnerships all the way down and then did really well with the ball and produced a nice fielding display.

The groundsmen produce absolutely belting pitches here week in and week out. I’m lucky to be able to bat on these surfaces and the wind helped me as well in this game.

“Will Smeed has taken his game to a different level this year and the partnership we put together was a really important one. He puts the bowlers under so much pressure when he’s on strike, that it seems like they’re giving me easier balls. H

“You look to bring in world class overseas stars and Matt Henry and Riley Meredith have raised standards this season. They add a lot both on and off the pitch and their experience has helped us win so many games.”

Essex skipper Simon Harmer:

“That’s the story of our season – we just weren’t able to put together the performance we wanted to. We produced some of the best fielding I’ve seen against Surrey in the last match, but were pretty dismal today.

“The only way you stop teams like Somerset from building momentum is to take wickets, but it makes it even more difficult when you’re not taking your catches.

“When your chasing a total of more than 200, you have to go for it from the off. Matt Henry and Riley Meredith are class players and they made it very difficult for us to do that.

Wednesday T20 Blast fixtures

North Group

Edgbaston: Bears v Lancashire Lightning (19:00 BST start)

South Group

Northwood: Middlesex v Hampshire Hawks (17:00 BST)

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey (19:00 BST)

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  • County Cricket
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Arsenal set to beat Spurs to Eze – Wednesday’s gossip

Arsenal are favourites to sign Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, Manchester United will have to pay £65m for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Jadon Sancho tries to facilitate a move to Juventus.

Arsenal are prepared to offer a player swap for Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, 27, and look set to beat Tottenham Hotspur to the Englishman’s signature. (Sun)

Brentford are likely to demand £65m for their striker Bryan Mbeumo, 25, having already rejected bids of £55m and £62.5m from Manchester United for the Cameroon international. (Mirror)

Sporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, is prepared to wait until the end of the summer window to get a loan deal to another European club if his move to Arsenal does not materialise. (Sun)

England winger Jadon Sancho, 25, is prepared to take a significant pay cut in order to move from Manchester United to Juventus, but the Serie A club are still unwilling to meet the terms. (Il Corriere dello Sport – via The Mail)

Nottingham Forest are targeting a move for PSV Eindhoven and Belgium winger Johan Bakayoko, 22, as they line up a replacement for 23-year-old Sweden international Anthony Elanga, who looks set to move to Newcastle United. (Telegraph – subscription required)

Manchester United are set to get £8m as part of a sell-on clause they negotiated when they sold Elanga to Forest in 2023. (Talksport)

Forest are also considering Bakayoko’s Belgium team-mate Malick Fofana, 20, with the Lyon winger also linked with Chelsea and Bayern Munich this summer. (Sky Sports)

Unai Emery is keen to bring Barcelona striker Ferran Torres, 25, to Aston Villa and is prepared to offer £43m for the Spaniard. (Fichajes – in Spanish)

Arsenal‘s attempts to sign Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, 21, have stalled as the La Liga club are asking for more than £20m for the Spanish international. (Mirror)

Bayern Munich have held talks with Christopher Nkunku’s agent as they consider a move for Chelsea’s 27-year-old France striker. (Bild – in German)

Napoli have made a £42m bid for Liverpool’s 26-year-old Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez. (Gianluca di Marzo)

Sunderland are close to completing a deal to sign 20-year-old Morocco forward Chemsdine Talbi from Belgian side Club Brugge. (Fabrizio Romano)

Atalanta have rejected a £45.7m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah for Italy striker Mateo Retegui, with the Serie A side wanting £51.8m for the 26-year-old. (Football Italia)

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