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Max Verstappen&nbsp, won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, the reigning world champion slowing McLaren’s dominance of Formula One with a phenomenal display from pole in Monza.

Red Bull’s Verstappen held off Lando Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri after setting the fastest lap in F1 history when taking top spot on the grid on Saturday.

The Dutchman has little chance of securing a fifth straight drivers ‘ title as he still trails Piastri by 94 points, with the Australian finishing third.

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Piastri leads the driver standings by 31 points from Norris, who finished second, as the top five positions ended up staying as they were on the starting grid of a rapid race.

Sunday’s win was just Verstappen’s third of a season dominated by a McLaren car, which has blown away the competition by winning all but four GPs.

But a second win in Italy this year, after triumphing in the last Emilia Romagna GP back in May, caps a historic weekend for the blunt 27-year-old.

Charles Leclerc couldn’t take a podium spot for the massed ranks of Ferrari fans in the stands, the Monegasque finishing fourth.

Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton gave it his best shot after a five-place grid penalty had him bumped back to 10th at the start, charging up to sixth thanks to some spectacular driving early in the race.

But the seven-time F1 champion couldn’t push past his former Mercedes teammate George Russel and was left with another underwhelming result in his first Monza GP with Ferrari.

Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday criticised the “serious and avoidable” injuries suffered by Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue while on international duty with the France national team.

After the PSG stars were both forced off during France’s 2026 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday, their club sent a letter to the French Football Federation (FFF) requesting better “medical and sporting coordination between clubs and the national team”.

PSG, who will be without a hamstrung Dembele for around six weeks and Doue for some four weeks with a calf issue, are “urgently requesting a new protocol… that is more transparent and collaborative” regarding player health, they announced in a statement on their website Sunday.

The European champions said they “had provided the FFF with concrete medical information, even before the French team gathered, on the acceptable workload and injury risks for their players”.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, Poignant Portugal Cruise, England Unbeaten In World Cup Qualifying

PSG added they “regret that these medical recommendations were not taken into account by the (national team) medical staff”, as well as criticising “the total lack of consultation with their medical teams”.

The club reaffirmed their commitment to Les Bleus, but added the “serious and avoidable incidents” must serve as a catalyst for change, particularly in the case of players “underdoing treatment for a medical issue”.

“(PSG) hope that these regrettable events will pave the way for the establishment of a new formalised framework for medical coordination, ensuring systematic, documented and reciprocal exchanges between the medical staff of clubs and the national team”, they said.

France coach Didier Deschamps said he sympathised with the French Ligue 1 champions ‘ complaints.

“If I were at a club, I would feel the same way”, he said, before adding: “There is no such thing as zero risk. If you leave players on the bench, you’re not taking any risks…”

The 2018 World Cup winning coach went on to defend Les Bleus ‘ practices.

He cited the examples of William Saliba and Rayan Cherki, of Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, whose pre-existing injuries had been announced by their clubs and who Deschamps allowed to stay at home.

“The protocol stipulates that they must come and have their injuries assessed on Monday morning (at the national team’s training camp)”, he said. “I didn’t make them come”.

Deschamps also added he takes “the player’s feelings” into account when deciding to play them.

Dembele and Doue will miss PSG’s first domestic match after the international break, as well as the start of their Champions League defence at home to Atalanta on September 17.

The pair will also be doubts for the trip to Barcelona in the league phase of Europe’s top club competition at the start of October.

Following a short pre-season after playing key roles in PSG’s run to the Club World Cup final in July, Dembele and Doue had appeared in all three of the Parisian club’s Ligue 1 outings before the international break.

 President Donald Trump is to attend the US Open men’s final on Sunday, adding the Grand Slam tennis tournament to a list of high-profile sports outings since beginning his new term.

The New York-born billionaire plans to join a host of other celebrities taking in the battle between top-seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

It will mark Trump’s first appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2015 — when the then-presidential candidate and wife Melania were booed on arrival by the crowd.

Many are anticipating a similar welcome this time round.

READ ALSO: Alcaraz, Sinner Set Up Blockbuster US Open Final

While the Republican leader enjoys pockets of support in his native city, it is overwhelmingly Democratic.

Spanish star Alacaraz said Friday he plans to “try not to think about” the hubbub in the stands, but appreciated the attention it would bring to the sport.

“I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it, but I think attending the tennis match is great for tennis to have the president (at) the final,” he said.

Already, tight security is expected to be heightened with the US head of state in attendance.

Trump has attended a series of glitzy sporting events since retaking office in January.

He was booed again at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey but had a warmer reception at the Super Bowl and a number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts, as well as the Daytona 500 NASCAR race.

Trump says he also plans to attend the first day of golf’s Ryder Cup later this month, while preparations are underway to host a UFC fight on the White House grounds.

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Meanwhile, he is also hailing the 2026 World Cup — jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as part of what he claims is a “Golden Age of America” ushered in by his presidency.

The last sitting president to attend the tennis Grand Slam in New York — and the first in history to go to the US Open — was Democrat Bill Clinton, who watched the women’s final in 2000.

Trump was there too and had a cordial meeting with Clinton, according to pictures from the encounter.

Though Trump made his name in New York, he changed his residency during his first term from Manhattan to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

The 79-year-old has only intermittently returned to New York, but spent several weeks at his luxury Fifth Avenue condo last year while undergoing a historic criminal trial mid-campaign.

Sunday’s visit will be his first to the most populous US city of his second term.

He is, however, expected back in the city later this month to attend a baseball game on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as to address the UN General Assembly on September 23.

Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez, his older sibling, won the Catalunya MotoGP on Sunday, squeezing his brother’s winning streak to seven straight victories.

Standings leader Marc Marquez, who finished second, is unable to win a seventh world title at Misano following his triumph on his home circuit.

Marc Marquez, a Ducati rider, has 487 points overall, with Alex having a 182 point gap.

READ MORE: &nbsp, Alcaraz, and Sinner Set Up Blockbuster US Open Final.

On his Gresini Ducati, polesitter Alex Marquez crashed out of the lead in the Saturday sprint.

Marc Marquez capitalized on victory.

The 32-year-old jumped out of third place on the grid to lead Alex in the first turn of the race this time.

However, Alex fought back to retake the lead in turn one of the fourth and shutting out his brother in the following turn to reclaim the lead that he had never relinquished.

The gap between Alex Marquez and his brother was well-kept, lasting 0.6 seconds.

With the exception of Pedro Acosta, who was medium/medium tyres, he fell 2.66 seconds behind third-place Enea Bastianini at the finish.

In the final lap, Marc Marquez was more than four seconds ahead of Bastianini, who finished third overall.

At a packed Circuit de Barcelona in Montmelo, the brothers celebrated together without exception in front of enthralled fans.

After winning the ninth National Youth Games, the winner, Team Lagos, according to governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will host it.

Sanwo-Olu thanked the team for their outstanding performance.

He claimed that the young athletes, their coaches, and the Lagos State Sports Commission made history and demonstrated Lagos’s strength in sports.

Team Lagos won the medals at the 9th National Youth Games in Asaba, earning a total of 110 medals, 52 gold medals, 32 silver, and 26 bronze. “I am very proud of Team Lagos for their outstanding performance.

Read more about Trump’s latest high-profile sports performance at the US Open.

Our young athletes have made history and demonstrated the strength of Lagos in sports, along with their coaches and the Lagos State Sports Commission. I look forward to hosting the team to celebrate this incredible accomplishment in the coming days. Team Lagos, congratulations. He stated on Sunday on his X handle, “We are very proud of you all.

The team, which had won all of the games’ previous competitions, defeated Team Delta, who had lost all of its dominance at the end of its campaign.

The host Delta won 39 gold, 38 silver, and 39 bronze medals in the end, according to the medal table.

Eric Chelle, the team’s coach, is pleased with their victory over Rwanda on Saturday in Uyo’s 2026 World Cup qualifier.

The goal, scored by Tolu Arokodare, gave the Super Eagles a glimmer of hope as they raced to the top of the group to earn the distinction.

The Malian tactician praised his team after scoring all three points against the Amavubis in his post-game press conference.

“The three points are all good,” I said. Because we had 70% of the possession in the first half and Rwanda was tired, I’m happy about how the team played in the second half, Chelle said. Because of this, they didn’t press us when we scored the goal.

The Super Eagles’ victory, according to the coach, gives them hope for a crucial match against South Africa on Tuesday.

“We are now content because we won 1-0,” the statement read. The coach addressed the audience at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, “and we can go to South Africa with a lot of ambitions.”

READ ALSO: UPDATED: Rwanda’s Super Eagles Pip To Keep Their World Cup Qualification Hopes Alive

Victor Osimhen, the star striker, injured himself in the game. Chelle claims that the player will undergo a scan to determine the severity of the injury concern.

Adel Amrouche, Chelle’s Rwandan counterpart, questioned the officiating of the game.

Amrouche criticized some of the officials’ choices in the fiercely contested match, despite expressing his gratitude for the victory.

Because of what has already happened in the past, I don’t want to discuss officiating much. He declared to reporters in the state of Akwa Ibom on Saturday night, “I don’t want to be banned once more.”

“Both teams put up a strong fight in the endgame, but the officiating was subpar.”