Category Sports News

The penultimate round of Scottish Premiership football is staged on a hectic Wednesday night when all 12 teams are in action and key tussles at either end of the table could be settled.

Hibernian would effectively secure third place if Aberdeen fail to take something against champions Celtic at Pittodrie, while a win over Hibs could propel St Mirren into the European places.

The shootout at the bottom is more compelling, though, with basement club St Johnstone travelling to Heart of Midlothian and flatlining Ross County, one place above them, pitted against 10th-placed Dundee.

One of the current bottom three will be condemned to relegation.

They were calling time up in Perth’s Last Chance Saloon when County came south on Saturday, and anything but three home points would have ended St Johnstone’s 16-year stay in the Premiership.

Simo Valakari’s men won a nerve-shredding battle, squandering a glut of chances and seeing Ronan Hale’s last-gasp equaliser disallowed in a 2-1 victory.

St Johnstone slither a little higher on the greasy pole, moving within three points of the Highland side with six more on offer.

They have another whopper on the cards this midweek.

Hearts have nothing tangible to play for, but have roused themselves following Neil Critchley’s dismissal, Lawrence Shankland rediscovering his best position and his goal-scoring mojo, and the club extinguishing any fears of being sucked towards the play-off berth.

And to make matters worse for their visitors, St Johnstone have a heinous record in this fixture.

They have lost nine matches in a row against Hearts, last winning in September 2022, and have not prevailed at Tynecastle in five-and-a-half years, when a Christophe Berra own goal earned them a 1-0 triumph and current St Johnstone striker Uche Ikpeazu was leading the line for the home team.

Aberdeen were shredded by Rangers in a chastening second half on Sunday afternoon.

Competitive in a tepid first 45 minutes, they capitulated after the interval, shipping four unanswered goals and raising searching questions about their Scottish Cup final credentials.

Aberdeen totem Willie Miller hammered the Dons defence, highlighting their full-backs’ propensity to run forward rather than dig in to help their centre-backs, leaving vast expanses of Govan turf for Rangers to exploit.

A similarly porous display against Celtic would not only torpedo Aberdeen’s bid to finish third, but strike a huge psychological blow against their cup final opponents 10 days out from the Hampden showpiece.

In that regard, captain Graeme Shinnie’s experience, leadership and snarl will surely be key.

Deployed at left-back, he is likely to face fit-again Nicholas Kuhn, one of the stars of the Premiership season, and an array of attacking ammunition from the champions’ arsenal.

Rewind a few months and there was little anxiety over Ross County’s Premiership status.

They had a clear identity, claimed some decent scalps and seemed secure enough in mid-table. As recently as early March they occupied eighth place, seven points clear of the bottom two and 10 ahead of St Johnstone at the foot of the log.

A seven-game losing run has dynamited any positivity and placed Don Cowie in the crosshairs of angry fans, some of whom have grown tired of his post-match mantra that County “can’t feel sorry for ourselves”.

The Staggies have set a new club record for consecutive top-flight defeats at the worst possible time, and with ever diminishing opportunities to haul themselves out of trouble.

They have plummeted to 11th spot, three ahead of St Johnstone and two behind Wednesday’s hosts Dundee, but with the poorest goal difference of the trio.

There are two crumbs of comfort.

Firstly, County have beaten Dundee three times already this season, and handsomely at that – an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.

And secondly, the club acquired the slightly unenviable tag of play-off specialists, having eased Raith Rovers aside last summer and stunned Partick Thistle with an incredible comeback victory on penalties a year earlier.

Kagiso Rabada has been named in South Africa’s squad for next month’s World Test Championship after completing a one-month ban for recreational drug use.

The seamer returned to the camp of his Indian Premier League side Gujarat Titans shortly before the competition’s suspension last week and looks set to feature against Australia at Lord’s.

Cameron Green and Pat Cummins have been named in the Australia squad for the final, for which both sides have named 15-man parties.

All-rounder Green has not played for Australia since he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back during the one-day international series in England last year and had surgery in October.

Cummins returns as captain after missing the tour of Sri Lanka because of the birth of his second child in February as well as being ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year because of an ankle injury.

Fellow pace bowler Josh Hazlewood is included after missing the Sri Lanka series with a hip injury, while teenage opener Sam Konstas could make his first overseas appearance after his debut in the Australian summer.

Rabada is one of six quick bowlers in the Proteas group, with Lungi Ngidi – who has not played Test cricket since last August – preferred over 19-year-old Kwena Maphaka.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett

“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat, Josh and Cam back in the squad,” Australia chief selector George Bailey said.

“The team finished the WTC cycle with an impressive series victory in Sri Lanka following an equally strong summer in defeating India for the first time in a decade.

“Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now present us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the WTC.”

“A key part of our success has been consistency in selection, and we’ve stuck with the core group of players who have been part of this WTC cycle,” said South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad.

“We’ve selected a balanced squad for the conditions we expect at Lord’s.

A number of players from each squad could face a quick turnaround before the final given the Indian Premier League now only finishes eight days earlier.

Cricket Australia said on Tuesday it was working with the government and India’s cricket authority the BCCI with regard to security arrangements, with several players poised to decide whether to return to the IPL when it resumes this week.

The world’s biggest franchise league was suspended on Friday amid the ongoing tensions between India and neighbouring Pakistan.

The BCCI announced on Monday the remaining 17 games would resume on 17 May, with the final rescheduled for 3 June.

“Following the announcement that the Indian Premier League will resume on Saturday, Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.

Cameron Green and Pat Cummins have been named in Australia’s 15-man squad for next month’s World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.

All-rounder Green suffered a stress fracture in his lower back during the one-day international series in England last year and had surgery in October.

Cummins returns as captain after missing the tour of Sri Lanka because of the birth of his second child in February as well as being ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year because of an ankle injury.

Fellow pace bowler Josh Hazlewood also returns after a spell out with a hip injury while teenager batter Sam Konstas is included.

The final between defending champions Australia and South Africa begins on 11 June.

“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat, Josh and Cam back in the squad,” chief selector George Bailey said.

“The team finished the WTC cycle with an impressive series victory in Sri Lanka following an equally strong summer in defeating India for the first time in a decade.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.

Some Australia players such as Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Inglis could face a quick turnaround before the final given the Indian Premier League now only finishes eight days earlier.

Cricket Australia said on Tuesday it was working with the government and India’s cricket authority the BCCI with regard to security arrangements, with several players poised to decide whether to return to the IPL when it resumes this week.

The world’s biggest franchise league was suspended on Friday amid the ongoing tensions between India and neighbouring Pakistan.

The BCCI announced on Monday the remaining 17 games would resume on 17 May, with the final rescheduled for 3 June.

“Following the announcement that the Indian Premier League will resume on Saturday, Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.

Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid the debut season of the Baller League UK.

Social media has been full of action and talk about the six-a-side tournament – set up in Germany by entrepreneur Felix Starck alongside footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski – and which is now in its first season in the United Kingdom.

The UK version of the competition is fronted by influencer KSI, the teams are managed by celebrities and the games are live streamed on Twitch.

Rather than the players on the pitch, many of whom are free agents, semi-pros or former professionals, most of the attention is directed towards the multi-millionaire managers on the touchline.

Angry Ginge, Maya Jama and Chunkz are the stars of Baller League. They attract the crowds. They sell the product.

“Baller League – a new era of football” reads Starck’s LinkedIn bio. Influencers are the draw for now, but his real goal is to futureproof football by making it more entertaining.

Marvin Sordell is a name most football fans will recognise,

He starred as a youngster for Watford, appeared for Bolton and Burnley in the Premier League, and featured in Stuart Pearce’s Team GB squad at the London 2012 Olympics.

But, after a 10-year career, Sordell retired from the professional game aged 28 back in 2019, citing the impact on his mental health. The pressure of the professional football industry was not worth the toll it was having on him.

Instead of stepping away from football completely, Sordell runs a video production company focused on combining entertainment, art and sport, and a marketing agency which helps brands connect with the worlds of sport, music and entertainment.

Already working in the intersection between sport and entertainment, the 34-year-old didn’t hesitate to join Baller League when the opportunity arose – and now plays for Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards’ Deportrio FC side.

“Football has been something I’ve loved since I was a kid,” says Sordell. “I was willing to hold on to that love that I have for the game and I knew that wasn’t going to stay from being a professional. It just wasn’t working, it just wasn’t right.

“I was potentially doing some work with them (Baller League) through my marketing agency. We had quite a few conversations before it was even announced and then in one of the meetings they asked if I’d be interested in playing.”

Without any trepidation, he jumped at the chance to have fun on a football pitch again.

Sordell had already been playing at different levels and in different formats of the game since he retired from professional football in 2019. From five-a-side games with mates to semi-pro matches with Kettering Town, he was more than ready to roll back the years in Baller League.

Despite the cameras broadcasting the action for Sky Sports, Sordell feels none of the pressure he did as a pro.

The big talking points after matches usually surround the antics of the celebrities rather than the actual gameplay, allowing many of the players to enjoy their football under the radar.

Timelines are filled with videos of ex-England defender Richards dancing, John Terry clashing with former referee Mark Clattenburg on the touchline or Troy Deeney receiving a red card for an unnecessary foul.

“From my perspective, I get to go on Monday, play football and catch up with loads of people I know from the world of football,” adds Sordell. “I don’t feel like there’s the same level of pressure or scrutiny as players in the professional level get because people are there to be entertained.

Remy Mitchell always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.

From the age of nine to 18, he progressed through the ranks as a goalkeeper at Arsenal’s academy, but was released without the offer of a contract.

He joined Swansea shortly after but, without a senior appearance, Mitchell was again released last summer and has since played non-league football while studying for a degree in business and football management.

The 21-year-old is currently a free agent, but in goal for YouTuber and Sidemen member Tobi “TBJZL” Brown’s team VZN FC.

“I’m quite a big fan of a lot of the managers there,” says Mitchell. “I’ve always watched them and it’s quite a cool experience to see them all in person. I’ve watched [TBJZL] since I was 10 and it’s quite cool to be coached by him every week.”

It’s a familiar tale for many players who choose to chase the dream of going pro.

It’s a precarious path with no guarantees. Only 0.012% of boys playing organised youth football in the UK will ever play a minute of Premier League football.

Lasse Lehmann, director of Operations and Sports UK for Baller League, reached out to Mitchell directly to offer him a chance to play ahead of former players, such as his idol Ian Wright.

“It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, 6,000 people,” adds Londoner Mitchell. “And then there’s hundreds of thousands of people watching on YouTube, Sky Sports and Twitch.

“I think if you think about it (the media attention) too much, you’ll get a bit inside your head and get pretty nervous. I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.”

Baller League is essentially fulfilling its promise – entertaining football that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Mitchell, says: “It does put you in a good spotlight and I’ve had a lot of good things out of it, like I’m sponsored by a glove brand.

Jalen Brunson scored 39 points as the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 to leave the reigning NBA champions on the brink of elimination from the play-offs.

The Knicks stormed back from 14 points down in the third quarter to go 3-1 up in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final and are in sight of the finals for the first time since 2000.

The Celtics also lost forward Jayson Tatum, who scored 42 points before being carried off in the fourth quarter with what coach Joe Mazzulla described as a “lower body injury”.

The six-time All Star, who was later seen being taken to the Madison Square Garden locker room in a wheelchair, will have a scan on Tuesday to assess the damage.

“He’ll get the MRI and we’ll see what it is,” said Mazzulla.

“Obviously you’re always concerned about someone’s health. It’s two-fold, we’re concerned about his health and where’s he’s at. And then we’re concerned what we’ve got to do better in game five.”

The Knicks can clinch the series with a win in Boston on Thursday (00:00 BST).

Boston, who won game three on Saturday, started strongly with Tatum and Payton Pritchard leading the charge.

A Derrick White three-pointer gave the Celtics their biggest lead of the night early in the third quarter (72-58) but from then on the Knicks took over, taking an 88-85 lead into the final quarter.

Brunson controlled matters and when OG Anunoby grabbed a steal off Tatum in the incident that left the Celtics star writhing in pain before making a dunk, the Knicks were 118-106 ahead.

“I was just in a flow and doing whatever. I wasn’t really trying to take over. It was just ‘whatever we’ve gotta do’,” Brunson said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves went 3-1 up in their Western Conference semi-final series against Golden State Warriors thanks to a 117-110 win on the road.

Anthony Edwards finished with a 30-point tally in the win over the Warriors, who are missing injured star player Stephen Curry.

The Timberwolves hit 17 unanswered points in the the third quarter which helped them build an 85-68 advantage which they never looked like losing.

A win on their home court in game five on Thursday (02:30 BST) will see them advance to the finals.

Edwards revealed a half-time dressing down by Minnesota coach Chris Finch had sparked the second-half revival.

“We came out like we had won the series already, and when we went in at half-time coach said we were playing like losers,” he said.

Euro 2025 is just around the corner, with the first match kicking the tournament in Switzerland off on 2 July.

With squads expected to be confirmed in early June, injured players face a race against time to prove their fitness.

23 years old, 27 caps

Forward Lauren James suffered a hamstring injury midway through England’s 5-0 win over Belgium in April and there is no timeline for her return.

26 years old, 75 caps

Georgia Stanway was one of four players to start every match as England won Euro 2022 while she also helped the Lionesses reach the final of the 2023 World Cup, and has scored 21 goals in 75 caps.

33 years old, 139 caps

The Chelsea midfielder, who will be leaving the Blues this summer, hasn’t featured this season after damaging her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season victory over Feyenoord. Ingle, who captained Wales for nine years, is their most experienced player after Jess Fishlock and has a long-standing partnership with Angharad James-Turner in the centre of the midfield.

23 years old, 51 caps

Lena Oberdorf was named young player of the tournament as Germany reached the final of Euro 2022 and started every game at the 2023 World Cup.

28 years old, 124 caps

Vivianne Miedema suffered a hamstring injury during the Netherlands’ Nations League victory over Austria in early April. Manchester City’s interim manager Nick Cushing later confirmed she would likely miss the remainder of the Women’s Super League season but did not comment on her chances of playing at the Euros.

35 years old, 178 caps

Centre-back Maren Mjelde hasn’t featured for club side Everton since 30 March after picking up an unspecified injury before Norway’s Nations League fixtures at the beginning of April.

22 years old, 43 caps

Barcelona forward Kika Nazareth was ruled out for four months in mid-March after undergoing surgery on damaged ligaments in her left ankle and is not expected to be available for Portugal.

29 years old, 54 caps

Defender Luana Buhler hasn’t played since mid-March due to an unspecified injury but Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn has been positive about her recovery. “She’s on grass now, with her studs on and running but not with the collective group. Plan is to get her back for the Euros and it looks like a good possibility she will be,” he said on 8 May.

25 years old, 44 caps

Teresa Abelleira suffered a ruptured ACL in her left knee in February while training at Wembley before Spain’s Nations League match against England. Real Madrid later confirmed she had undergone surgery in March.