Category Sports News

Emma Raducanu suffered an injury scare just four days before the French Open begins as the Briton lost to Danielle Collins in Strasbourg.

The 22-year-old produced an excellent first set but needed treatment on a lower back issue after falling 5-0 behind in the second.

Seemingly uninhibited by the problem on her return, Raducanu came back from a break down in the decider – but Collins rallied again to win 4-6 6-1 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals.

Raducanu had taken a wildcard into the clay-court event in Strasbourg to get more practice on the surface before the French Open starts on Sunday.

Despite the off-court medical timeout there appeared to be no obvious signs of discomfort for Raducanu, who put Collins under sustained pressure before the American pulled away.

Raducanu said she was building a relationship with clay courts after her impressive opening win over Daria Kastakina on Monday.

Victory over world number 17 Kasatkina came after Raducanu’s run to the Italian Open fourth round, where she won three consecutive clay-court matches for the first time in her career.

Raducanu was rewarded for a solid start against Collins, breaking early for a 3-2 lead, with the American cutting an increasingly frustrated figure in response to her opponent’s consistency.

The Briton won eight points in a row on her way to serving out the set and joked with her team as she took to her chair, having made just six unforced errors in the first 10 games.

But momentum swung dramatically in set two as Collins broke serve twice without reply and Raducanu surpassed her first-set error count in the fourth game.

Raducanu called for the physio shortly before falling 5-0 behind and, after a brief discussion, left the court.

To the relief of her team she appeared to move freely once the match resumed and ended the run of games against her – but Collins would not be denied a deciding set.

Raducanu applied significant pressure, failing to take her first eight break points before converting her ninth to force the set back on serve at 3-3.

But the former US Open champion was outlasted in the closing stages and was twice broken to love as Collins completed the turnaround after two hours and 20 minutes.

Spanish third seed Paula Badosa and Russian Liudmila Samsonova are 2024 runner-up Collins’ potential semi-final opponents in Strasbourg.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium tragedy, Liverpool have made plans for a new memorial at Anfield.

Before the 1985 European Cup final in Brussels on May 29, a wall collapsed, killing thirty-nine fans as a result of the crowd’s frantic rioting between Liverpool and their Juventus rivals.

Two scarves will be knotted together and gently tied for the newly designed memorial, which will represent the mutual respect and unity between the two clubs as well as the bond created as a result of the disaster, according to a Liverpool statement.

On the wall of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand in Liverpool, the plaque that already represents the disaster is visible.

To provide a more visible and accessible space for reflection and remembrance, the new memorial, titled “Forever Bound,” will be relocated to a new location that is yet to be decided on.

Ian Rush, a former Liverpool striker and current club ambassador, was present and able to witness the events, which left 600 people injured.

He remarked, “We must never forget why this matters and why we continue to stand together in solidarity despite our differences.”

In addition to their 40th anniversary celebrations, Italian champions Juventus will also unveil a new Heysel Stadium memorial, while Liverpool will display one later this summer.

Following a five-month trial following the tragedy, 14 Liverpool supporters were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison.

According to an investigation, some of the blame should also be placed on Belgian authorities and the police.

Phil Foden, a midfielder for Manchester City, claims he has “struggled” this season due to issues with his ankle and off-field issues.

The 24-year-old scored 19 goals as City won an unprecedented fourth top-flight title in a row last term, which was his best Premier League performance to date.

Additionally, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year and won the Player of the Season and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year awards.

Foden helped England reach the semi-final of the European Championship last July, where they were defeated by Spain, by starting each of their seven games.

Foden claims that during the goalless derby draw on April 6 that he was tackled by Casemiro had “bad” ligament damage to his ankle. He missed the next two games but did return to training “quite early.”

Foden responded, “It’s been challenging. It’s been challenging. Before I could resume my training, it took a while for me to recover. I had to take care of it. For me, this has been a frustrating season.

“I am aware that if everything were going well, I would definitely be better on the field.” Sometimes a situation arises that requires you to handle it and move on. Sadly, this has been a challenging season for me.

“It’s just about improving and returning to my best,” she said. I am aware of my goals and potential. I’m eager to return.

Foden was subjected to mocking chants about his mother during the Old Trafford game, with Pep Guardiola, City manager, calling them “a lack of class.”

Foden admitted to feeling physically and mentally exhausted in January to the Manchester Evening News.

Foden continued, “I’ve had a lot of things going on mentally off the pitch.” One of them is that sometimes there are things in life that are greater than football. I’ve had a little trouble this season.

City’s poor campaign saw them relinquish control of the Premier League title, exit the Champions League in the last 16, and be defeated by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

Knowing a point will earn them a Champions League spot for the coming season, they travel to Fulham on Sunday (kick-off 16:00 BST).

However, City can make a quick turnaround this summer because they will be competing in the expanded Club World Cup, which begins in the US on June 14.

Foden said, “It’s obviously difficult because the lads are mentally drained from this season. Everyone needs to recover at the appropriate point, in my opinion, before returning to the previous season.

“This competition is going to be very, obviously. Although some clubs will take it more seriously than others, I know City and the club we are will definitely take it seriously.

Before that, manager Thomas Tuchel names his England squad for the opening match of the World Cup against Senegal at Wembley on Friday for the friendly against Senegal on June 7 in Andorra and the World Cup qualifier in Andorra on June 7.

Foden responded, “Obviously it’s a difficult situation for me with the internationals right around the corner.

We need to talk about it with the club and national team to see if it’s better to rest and get my ankle back to where I want it.

Bath vs. Lyon in the European Challenge Cup final

Where: Cardiff’s Principality Stadium When: Friday, May 23rd, 2019 20:00 BST

As they prepare to face Lyon in the final on Friday, van Graan has urged his Bath players to “keep it simple” and “stick to the process.”

The Premiership leaders are aiming for their first European Cup victory in 12 years as they prepare for their first competition since head coach Van Graan’s arrival in 2022.

After winning the Challenge Cup title in 2008 and placing second in 2003, 2007 and 2014, Bath will now make its fifth appearance in the final.

The first European final that the entire group has participated in, according to Van Graan, is “a special moment for the club.”

I’m looking forward to the moment because that’s what finals are all about, and I’m excited. We’re playing against a good side, and we respect them, so it’s a once-off.

Van Graan said his players’ messages to them have been straightforward and that Bath beat Leicester 43-15 to reach the final.

He advised you to “keep it simple, stick to your process, and continue to do the things that got you in the final.”

With three games left, Bath will go on top of the table, while the Premiership team, which currently leads by 15 points, have been the standard bearers.

After winning the Premiership Rugby Cup in February, they are now on course for a historic treble with the European final.

Van Graan, who over the course of his tenure has left the club as a bottom-of-the-table outfit, asserted that the organization will continue to strive for improvement.

He said, “We have to keep moving forward because if you stand still someone else is moving forward.”

We want to improve, and we have already improved, so we won’t be stopping right away.

We’ll keep trying and coming up with better solutions. Our process must result in performance, according to one of our proverbs. Let’s find a better way to do it if it doesn’t result in performance.

After winning just one of their four pool games, Bath dropped into the second-tier European competition in April, where they had won 2024-25 in the Champions Cup.

They defeated Edinburgh for a spot in the final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium before sweeping past Pau in the last 16 and beating Gloucester in the quarter-finals.

They square off against French Top 14 side Lyon, who are currently 11th in the league and have lost to Racing 92, Sharks, Ospreys, and Racing 92 in three of their most recent knockout European matches. They also won the Challenge Cup three years ago.

Leo Berdeu, a fly-half playmaker, Sam Matavesi, a Fiji hooker, and Semi Radradra, a former Northampton and Bristol player, make up their lineup.

Van Graan characterized Lyon as a “typical side” that advances to the final.

They have some fantastic broken-field runners, he said, “Good maul, especially their five-man maul, good scrum.”

We respect them for who they are, but we don’t care about our own actions.

It’s nice to get results, he said, but that’s not the point of what we do. We work hard for one another and strive to improve daily, but it’s nice when the results lead to big games and stadium attendance, he said.

Rachel Dugdale, a defender for Blackburn Women, claims that players’ “lack of communication” with the club regarding their decision to withdraw from the Women’s Championship has caused them to feel “devalued.”

Rovers announced on Tuesday that the club would leave the second-tier next year because Venky, the league’s administrator, is unwilling to meet its standards for facilities, player welfare, and staffing.

Dugdale claimed that manager Simon Parker only received the news an hour before it was made public before the club’s HR department sent an email.

According to the email, which was viewed by BBC Sport, the decision would “significantly impact the staffing and playing structure moving forward.”

Dugdale told BBC Sport the day after the news was confirmed that “there is just a feeling of being devalued.”

“Our sacrifice and dedication paid off” despite having by far the league’s most modest budget for the amount of work we put in this year.

“We really felt devalued as players by not having that communication,” he said. Owners and those in charge don’t have the will or desire to do what right by us, so it sends a really bad and powerful message to younger female footballers.

The 28-year-old added that since the announcement, the club has “absolutely nothing” and that the club’s members are still unsure of their future.

Dugdale has played for a squad that has since dropped out of the league after Reading moved up to the fifth tier in 2024 for the second time in a row.

The Northern Ireland international defender added that there have been discussions with us about paying out the rest of our contracts or what that would mean.

“They still don’t know what tier we’ll be in,” he added. That is currently the main subject we are thinking about.

We “demorise and need additional support for the staff and the players.”

Dugdale wanted to speak out about the situation because she believed it was crucial that clubs treated footballers as “people not just players.”

Players from Wolves Women were frustrated in April because the organization had already decided not to apply for the Women’s Championship, despite the players’ claims that they were chasing promotion. This was followed by players from Reading last year.

Dugdale said she was “too worried to speak up about it” last year while studying in Reading, but she doesn’t want women’s teams to continue to suffer lower down the pyramid.

All of the advice that was given to us was really well-intentioned, including that we shouldn’t speak out, we should protect ourselves in terms of making sure we get those final salary payments, and make sure we don’t appear a troublemaker for future clubs.

That advice was given to me last year. However, my current top priority is influencing and improving the women’s game.

“I don’t believe there was enough noise at Reading last year. I had no sense of bravery to speak out. That, in my opinion, has made it acceptable and acceptable for Blackburn to do it this year.

“I don’t want any more players or staff to go through this uncertain and challenging time.” I want the women’s soccer team to continue to expand.

Dugdale claimed that she made £15, 000 annually at Blackburn, which is below the national minimum wage, and that the majority of players make an average of £9, 000 annually.

She stays with a friend and travels from the south of England to Blackburn on weekends to play games.

The 28-year-old added that while the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), which represents the majority of Blackburn’s players, does not provide that legal support, she is “lucky.”

She demanded change before moving forward.

“The issue is that you can only be a part of the PFA as a female player if you have participated in the Women’s Super League, like I did with the Doncaster Belles,” said Dugdale.

It descends to the fourth tier in the men’s game all the way down. I don’t see why the PFA shouldn’t be covering the Women’s Championship because it is completely professional going into the following season.

“It is very important that many of my team-mates haven’t received the support I do right now,” said one of my teammates. That needs to change, in my opinion.

Dugdale also wants the “fit and proper person test,” a background check conducted by the Football Association, to make sure potential club owners and directors are qualified to buy and run them.

What requirements must that meet? Is it a “sweeping test” that the men’s team takes while the women’s team is “bolted on”? she continued.

Tom Aspinall says it is “difficult mentally” waiting for a UFC undisputed heavyweight title bout with Jon Jones.

Britain’s Aspinall, 32, has been the interim champion since November 2023 and last fought in July, defending his belt against Curtis Blaydes.

American Jones beat Stipe Miocic in November to defend his championship but a unification bout with Aspinall is yet to be scheduled by the UFC.

Aspinall says the wait to fight Jones has been “trickier” than the year he spent out injured after seriously injuring his knee in 2023.

“Now, I’ve been almost a year inactive with no prospects of anything apart from wait,” Aspinall said on Demetrious’ Johnson’s podcast.

“I constantly had little goals to work towards [during recovery from injury]. Whereas now it’s just like: ‘Just be ready and we’ll just let you know.’

Aspinall beat Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023 to become interim champion when Jones pulled out of his original bout with Miocic because of injury.

But rather than pair Jones up with Aspinall when the American recovered, the promotion rebooked the fight with Miocic in November.

UFC president Dana White has said previously he is confident of making the bout between Jones and Aspinall, which would be the “biggest heavyweight fight in the promotion’s history”.

Aspinall has called for the fight to be set up on multiple occasions but Jones has been less forthcoming on the prospect.

This week the 37-year-old, who is also a former light-heavyweight champion, jousted online with fans who were goading him about Aspinall.

He added: “I told the UFC my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven’t shared them with you guys yet.”

Aspinall has won eight of nine UFC bouts since his debut in 2020 and holds multiple records in the heavyweight division.

Jones holds the record for the most title fight wins in the promotion’s history, with 16 – and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Despite frustration at waiting on the sidelines, Aspinall says he can empathise with Jones’ position.

He added: “I get it. I get it. It’s just about the title for me.

“I just want the title, that’s it. Nothing else really matters. So I get it completely, get his point of view, get what everybody’s saying, completely understand. I just want to prove I’m the best, that’s all.”

With the organisation’s main events on their flagship numbered shows booked until UFC 319 on 16 August, the earliest Jones and Aspinall could realistically fight is at UFC 320 in Guadalajara, Mexico on 13 September.