Category Sports News

In order to take over from Xabi Alonso as manager of Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Erik ten Hag is close to agreeing a deal.

Ten Hag hasn’t worked since being fired by Manchester United in October.

The Dutchman has received a number of offers, but he decided to wait until the summer to get started.

Ten Hag’s former Ajax boss was reportedly preparing to return at the start of July, according to sources close to Ten Hag earlier this month.

Alonso, who will take over as Real Madrid’s manager after leading the team to their first unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2024, has left Leverkusen.

Leverkusen defeated Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final to seal a domestic double last year.

The club finished second in the Champions League despite not being able to maintain the same high standards as they did this year.

After leading Bayern Munich’s second team for two years from 2013, Ten Hag has gained experience in German football.

In his two full years as United manager, the 55-year-old won the FA Cup and League Cup, placing third in the Premier League in 2022-23.

Betfred Super League

Castleford (0) 6

Milnes, senior goalie

Leeds (7) 29

With a hard-earned win over Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos moved up to third place in the Super League.

Sam Lisone’s converted try just before the half-hour mark and Jake Connor’s drop-goal just before the break served as the only consolation of a tight first half.

The hosts were one point clear of Leeds when Louis Senior scored early in the second period with two quick tries from Ryan Hall and Harry Newman.

After only eight minutes, when Liam Horne was sin-binned for a trip on Connor, Castleford were down to 12 men.

By playing the entire length of the pitch, Leeds attempted to make the most of the extra man, but a subpar pass on the final tackle let the Tigers go.

The Rhinos scored the game’s opening points on 32 minutes with Connor scoring after a first-half-hour scuffle.

The visitors were 7-0 at half-time when Connor slotted a drop goal from in front of the posts.

In the opening minute of the second half, Senior scored Castleford’s goals, collecting Alex Mellor’s offload before crossing and Rowan Milnes knocking over the extras to close the one-point gap.

Ten minutes later, the Rhinos won thanks to Newman’s fumble on a Brodie Croft kick.

After 61 minutes, Senior collected a loose ball to run in from 90 meters, but Mellor had knocked the ball on in a tackle on Connor, making it impossible for him to get it.

Hall placed him ahead of Mick Sullivan in the list of all-time top scorers in the British game with a score just short of the hour mark, which included try number 343 for the veteran.

The Rhinos had still got a chance to win the game with that score, but Newman and Lisone needed to both score their second try.

Danny McGuire, the manager of the Castleford Tigers:

“I thought the boys worked really hard and were very committed, and I don’t think the score accurately reflects the competition.

“Rugby League is all about the moments, and Leeds were in a close game, and they knew it.” You can take a defeat if you leave everything out, and I believe we did that because we lost, but I’m not pleased because of that.

“We haven’t won tonight, but we know we’re on the right track and need to work hard.”

Everyone wants it now, so it occasionally causes frustration. Although the good times are just around the corner, we will succeed with the effort, perseverance, and commitment.

Brad Arthur, head coach of the Leeds Rhinos:

We’re aiming for just getting our combinations right each week and being a little bit better each week. Our current priorities are not at the table, but it’s nice to sit there. The win column takes care of itself if we get those things right.

“I thought it was fairly professional,” she said. All of our points would come from the fact that we only made a small number of errors and discussed making sure we only made it to the tackle count.

Hall, Mustapha, Okoro, and Atkin swap.

Sin-bin: Horne (8).

Leeds: Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Gannon, McDonnell, Watkins, Hall, Handley, Newman, Lumb, Croft, and Miller.

Holroyd, Lisone, Palasia, and Smith swaps.

Betfred Super League

Castleford (0) 6

Tries: Senior Goals: Milnes

Leeds (7) 29

Leeds Rhinos moved up to third in the Super League table with a hard-earned away victory over Castleford Tigers.

It was only 7-0 at half-time with Sam Lisone’s converted try just after the half-hour mark and Jake Connor’s drop-goal a minute before the break the only points of a tight first half.

Louis Senior responded for the Tigers early in the second period to put the hosts within one point of Leeds, but two quick tries from Harry Newman and Ryan Hall put the Rhinos in control.

Castleford were down to 12 men after only eight minutes when Liam Horne was sin-binned for a trip on Connor.

Leeds tried to make the most of the extra man by going the length of the pitch but a poor pass on the last tackle let the Tigers off the hook.

After an arm wrestle of an opening half-hour, the Rhinos scored the first points of the contest through Lisone’s score on 32 minutes with Connor converting.

Connor then slotted a drop goal from in front of the posts to make it 7-0 to the visitors at half-time.

Senior got Castleford’s first points in the opening minute of the second half, collecting Alex Mellor’s offload before crossing, with Rowan Milnes knocking over the extras to close the gap to one point.

But the Rhinos extended their lead ten minutes later when Newman seized on a fumble from a Brodie Croft kick.

Senior thought he had a second for the hosts after 61 minutes when he collected a loose ball to run in from 90 metres but it was ruled out as Mellor had knocked the ball on in a tackle on Connor.

Hall’s score just short of the hour mark – try number 343 for the veteran – moved him ahead of Mick Sullivan into standalone 19th place in the list of all-time scorers in the British game.

That score made the game secure for the Rhinos but there was still time for Newman and Lisone to both get their second tries of the game to secure a fifth victory in six league matches.

Castleford Tigers boss Danny McGuire:

“I was really pleased with the boys, I thought they worked tirelessly and really committed, and I don’t think the score reflected the contest.

“Leeds were in a close contest and they knew it, but they took their opportunities, and rugby league is all about moments. I’m not pleased because we lost, but you can take a defeat if you’ve left everything out there, and I think we did that.

“We haven’t got the win tonight but we know we’re on the right track and we’ve just got to keep working hard.

“There is frustration at times because everyone wants it now. The good times are around the corner, but it will be through patience and hard work and commitment that we get there.”

Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur:

“We’re chasing just being a little bit better each week and getting our combinations right. Where we sit in the table is nice but not where our priorities are right now. If we get those things right the win column takes care of itself.

“I thought it was pretty professional. We made limited errors and we talked about just making sure we got to the end of the tackle count, and that’s where all our points would come.

Castleford: Hoy; Simm, Cini, L Senior, I Senior; Asi, Milnes; Amone, Horne, Lawler, Lawler, Westerman, Mellor, Singleton.

Interchanges: Hall, Mustapha, Okoro, Atkin.

Sin-bin: Horne (8).

Leeds: Miller; Hall, Handley, Newman, Lumb; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Gannon, McDonnell, Watkins.

Interchanges: Holroyd, Lisone, Palasia, Smith.

Novak Djokovic, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz to claim his 100th ATP singles title, added another piece of tennis history to his already impressive Geneva victory.

Djokovic, who almost has won everything in tennis, is only the third player to do so in the Open era after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

The 38-year-old had won all seven of his previous matches against Polish team Hurkacz, but this time he came out on top by beating them 7-5 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2).

After their father’s passing, Djokovic’s children congratulated him on the court, with their wife Jelena keeping watch.

He acknowledged that “I had to work for it,” foregoing all else. The match was “probably closer to victory” than I was.

With the French Open starting on Sunday, Djokovic had some welcome time on the clay.

He didn’t start his tournament in Geneva without winning, having lost his first match in four of his previous five.

With his goal of winning a stand-alone record 25th Grand Slam title on track, Djokovic is relieved to travel to Paris where he will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round.

This is Djokovic’s first title since taking home the gold at the Olympics last year, and it represents a turning point for the tennis legend.

Before Czech teenager Jakub Mensik’s first attempt to win his 100th title in the Miami Open showpiece, his injury-affected run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open was ended.

Djokovic lost his opening matches in Monte Carlo and Madrid in straight sets before deciding against competing in the Italian Open, which has been a particularly challenging situation for the clay.

Following a split with Andy Murray, Djokovic decided to take a wildcard to Geneva, where he has improved throughout the series, with the most notable improvement being in particular in terms of his serving and returning performance.

At 2-2, the Serb had the first break opportunities, and the majority of the packed crowd in Geneva was on his side.

Hurkacz, a big server returning from a serious knee injury at Wimbledon last year, produced aces and service winners in the key moments to keep him at bay.

The first set was ultimately decided by Djokovic’s errors rather than his opponent’s outstanding play. Hurkacz received his first break point of the set thanks to an unfortunate net cord that forced a tie-break, and Djokovic’s terrible double fault gave it to him.

Every second set of Hurkacz service matches appeared to be going deuce, with Djokovic pressed for an opening every time, but his uncharacteristic errors made it possible for his 28-year-old opponent to wiggle free, much to Djokovic’s wry amusement.

Hurkacz broke at the start of the third set after smashing a winner to make it a tie-break.

Before the Pole played a terrible game at 4-3, both players shook off the service games. An error caused Djokovic to get the break when Hurkacz was tight in his body and in full tension, and the six-time world champion celebrated by shaking his racquet.

Djokovic ran away with a tie-break before scoring an ace to make it happen once more when it seemed almost inevitable.

Novak Djokovic, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz to claim his 100th ATP singles title, added another piece of tennis history to his already impressive Geneva victory.

Djokovic, who almost has won everything in tennis, is only the third player to do so in the Open era after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

The 38-year-old had won all seven of his previous matches against Polish team Hurkacz, but this time he came out on top by beating them 7-5 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2).

After their father’s passing, Djokovic’s children congratulated him on the court, with their wife Jelena keeping watch.

He acknowledged that “I had to work for it,” foregoing all else. The match was “probably closer to victory” than I was.

With the French Open starting on Sunday, Djokovic had some welcome time on the clay.

He didn’t start his tournament in Geneva without winning, having lost his first match in four of his previous five.

With his goal of winning a stand-alone record 25th Grand Slam title on track, Djokovic is relieved to travel to Paris where he will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round.

This is Djokovic’s first title since taking home the gold at the Olympics last year, and it represents a turning point for the tennis legend.

Before Czech teenager Jakub Mensik’s first attempt to win his 100th title in the Miami Open showpiece, his injury-affected run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open was ended.

Djokovic lost his opening matches in Monte Carlo and Madrid in straight sets before deciding against competing in the Italian Open, which has been a particularly challenging situation for the clay.

Following a split with Andy Murray, Djokovic decided to take a wildcard to Geneva, where he has improved throughout the series, with the most notable improvement being in particular in terms of his serving and returning performance.

At 2-2, the Serb had the first break opportunities, and the majority of the packed crowd in Geneva was on his side.

Hurkacz, a big server returning from a serious knee injury at Wimbledon last year, produced aces and service winners in the key moments to keep him at bay.

The first set was ultimately decided by Djokovic’s errors rather than his opponent’s outstanding play. Hurkacz received his first break point of the set thanks to an unfortunate net cord that forced a tie-break, and Djokovic’s terrible double fault gave it to him.

Every second set of Hurkacz service matches appeared to be going deuce, with Djokovic pressed for an opening every time, but his uncharacteristic errors made it possible for his 28-year-old opponent to wiggle free, much to Djokovic’s wry amusement.

Hurkacz broke at the start of the third set after smashing a winner to make it a tie-break.

Before the Pole played a terrible game at 4-3, both players shook off the service games. An error caused Djokovic to get the break when Hurkacz was tight in his body and in full tension, and the six-time world champion celebrated by shaking his racquet.

Djokovic ran away with a tie-break before scoring an ace to make it happen once more when it seemed almost inevitable.