WARSAW: Kylian Mbappé appears ready to make his debut for Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said the France striker arrived in good shape following the European Championship and was adapting well to the team after a week of practice.
Mbappé “could play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said Tuesday at a news conference at the National Stadium in Warsaw where the match will be played.
The 25-year-old Mbappe is the biggest draw in the Polish capital after finally joining Madrid following a drawn-out saga with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain. He was introduced to the club’s fans at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last month but wasn’t part of the squad on their US tour while he rested after Euro 2024.
He joins a slew of world-class forward at Madrid, including Vinícius Júnior, another new signing in Brazil striker Endrick, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Arda Guler.
Ancelotti joked he had a “huge problem” and that thinking about who might play up front “has ruined my holidays.”
“The simplest thing,” the 65-year-old Ancelotti said, “is to know that good players are always going to play and are always going to bring something in.
“There are no problems for us because there are so many games. I can’t think I am going to have to count on the same 11 players for 70-something games.”
Asked whether Mbappé’s arrival had changed the atmosphere in the locker room, Ancelotti said through a translator: “It is a very clean, healthy atmosphere, the kind of atmosphere created by players who have been here like (the recently departed) Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, (Luka) Modric, (Federico) Valverde. There are no princes or kings here.”
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperino want all of Madrid’s superstars to play against his team.
“For me it is fundamental that the team play a good game without thinking about who is there and who isn’t,” Gasperini said.
“I hope the best play, because only with the strongest can you try to gain the maximum respect.”
The Italian team will start as the underdog, like they were before beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final to win the club’s first European title and first trophy in 61 years.
But Gasperini said Atalanta were not deterred.
“We come with our usual enthusiasm, our usual eagerness to try to impress,” he said.
The Super Cup is an annual match between the winners of last season’s Champions League and the second-tier Europa League.
Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta
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Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta
- Mbappé “could play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said
- Ancelotti joked he had a “huge problem” and that thinking about who might play up front “has ruined my holidays”
Afghanistan women’s team gets funding from the International Cricket Council
- The International Cricket Council released a statement late Sunday saying it reached an agreement with the sport’s national associations in Australia, India and England to support the displaced Afghan women’s players
- An Afghanistan Women’s XI played a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in an exhibition match supported by the Australian government in January
MELBOURNE: Afghan women cricketers will finally get high-level support in a bid to rejoin international competition after the sport’s world governing body created a taskforce to coordinate direct funding, elite coaching and facilities for displaced players.
Dozens of players from Afghanistan’s national women’s team relocated to Australia after the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021 and enforced bans on women’s sports. The players have been seeking official support ever since.
The International Cricket Council released a statement late Sunday saying it reached an agreement with the sport’s national associations in Australia, India and England to support the displaced Afghan women’s players.
ICC chairman Jay Shah said his organization is “deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and ensuring every cricketer has the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances.”
“The ICC believes this (support fund) will not only help preserve the sporting careers of Afghan women cricketers but also reinforce the sport’s role as a unifying force that transcends borders and adversity,” he said.
An Afghanistan Women’s XI played a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in an exhibition match supported by the Australian government in January, bringing together 21 female players who were formerly contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Since leaving Afghanistan many of the women cricketers have been based in the Australian capital and in Melbourne and playing for club teams in local competitions.
Firooza Amiri said ahead of that exhibition match in January that her team “represents millions of women in Afghanistan who are denied their rights.”
Amiri fled her home country with her family and first traveled to Pakistan before being evacuated to Australia.
Under Taliban rule, the Afghanistan Cricket Board cannot field a national women’s team because the country’s laws forbid women from playing sport, studying and medical education, moves that have been criticized by world groups including the International Criminal Court.
Afghanistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council and a condition of that status should require it to have a women’s national team.
England and Australia have refused to participate in direct series against Afghanistan in protest, but continue to play against the Afghan men in ICC events.
It was the Afghanistan men’s historic run to the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup last year that sparked the women’s team members to again approach the ICC about funding.
The group first approached the ICC in 2023, asking for support for a refugee team based in Australia to rejoin international cricket.
Messi and Miami fire blanks in front of record Chicago Fire crowd
- Chicago, coached by former USA boss Gregg Berhalter, limited Messi and his former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez to just a handful of opportunities
- The Fire should have grabbed all three points in the 88th minute when Bamba’s shot was parried out by Ustari but Maren Haile-Selassie put the follow-up shot wide
WASHINGTON: Inter Miami failed to score for the first time this season in Major League Soccer as they were held to a goalless draw by the Chicago Fire on Sunday.
A club-record crowd of 62,358 packed into Soldier Field for the visit of Lionel Messi and his Inter team to witness a gutsy display from the home side.
Chicago, coached by former USA boss Gregg Berhalter, limited Messi and his former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez to just a handful of opportunities.
The best effort from Messi, who played the full game, came in the third minute when he unleashed a snap shot from outside the box which was denied by a fine, diving save from Fire keeper Chris Brady.
There was no sense of Chicago being overawed by the big crowd at the stadium they share with the NFL’s Bears and they went close twice in the opening half with Mauricio Pineda forcing Oscar Ustari into a full stretch save and then Philip Zinckernagel striking the outside of the post from a narrow angle.
Suarez had a great chance to put Miami ahead just before the break when Noah Allen floated a ball in but the Uruguayan puts his shot over the bar.
After the break, Chicago enjoyed plenty of pressure with much of the creativity coming from former Lille winger Jonathan Bamba.
The Fire should have grabbed all three points in the 88th minute when Bamba’s shot was parried out by Ustari but Maren Haile-Selassie put the follow-up shot wide.
Bamba was denied again by Ustari moments later but in a frantic finale, Miami also could have stolen a win but, from a promising position, Tadeo Allende dragged his shot wide.
Miami had looked tired after their midweek exertions in their CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday and coach Javier Mascherano appeared relieved they had picked up a point.
“We came with a very, very big load not only physically, but also mentally. So not losing is always important, too,” he said.
“I’ll take the positives, which is that we didn’t concede a goal. We’d been conceding goals for three games, and today we kept a clean sheet. ... Now, luckily, we have a long week of work, which is a bit of a break for us, after the start of the season we’ve had,” he said.
Former Miami coach Phil Neville saw his improving Portland Timbers team enjoy a 4-2 win at Sporting Kansas City with Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy scoring twice.
Portland are unbeaten in five games and move up to fourth in the Western Conference.
The Columbus Crew fought back from a goal down to enjoy a 2-1 win at St. Louis City.
Brazilian Joao Klauss opened the scoring for the home side before Crew defender Steven Moreira levelled with a side-footed volley.
Uruguayan Diego Rossi secured the win with a low drive from outside the box in the 55th minute.
Alcaraz caps ‘difficult week’ with first Monte Carlo Masters title
- It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year
- Alcaraz: Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy
MONTE CARLO, Principality of Monaco: Carlos Alcaraz made the best possible start to his preparations for the defense of his French Open title, burning past the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in three sets on Sunday to win his first Monte Carlo Masters.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner, dropped the opening set but came back hard to take the next two at the cost of a single game as he cleaned up 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, albeit helped by a limping Musetti.
It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year.
It was also his first win on clay since winning the French Open last season, although in mitigation he only had one tournament after that when he missed out on gold at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,” said Alcaraz who lost in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.
“It’s been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations.
“I’m really proud of myself, how I’ve dealt with everything. It’s been a really difficult month for me on the court and outside.
“Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy.”
Alcaraz chose not to expand on his difficulties but they may be eased partly by this win which will lift him up to No 2 in the world rankings, ahead of Alexander Zverev but still behind the suspended Jannik Sinner.
However, this was no easy win in chilly conditions against a man playing in his first Masters 1000 final after taking down two top 10 players, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, to get there.
Musetti dropped his opening service but broke back straight away and took the fight to Alcaraz who, in spite of the odd blissful winner, appeared at odds with his game, making six unforced errors.
The Spaniard bounced back, however, lifting his game as he galloped through the second set 6-1.
That trend continued as Musetti began to have problems with his right leg, receiving treatment when he was 0-3 in the decider.
He battled on but could not live with the intensity or physicality of Alcaraz’s game.
“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” said Alcaraz.
“Lorenzo’s been through a really tough week, long and intense matches.
“I feel sorry for him, one of the best results he has done. To end like this is not easy. Hopefully it’s not serious and he’s 100 percent soon.”
Some consolation for Musetti is a rise to No 11 in the rankings and the promise of more to come on the clay as the season gets underway.
“It was probably one of my best tournaments so far,” said Musetti who took bronze at last year’s Olympics behind Alcaraz and gold medallist Novak Djokovic.
“I’m disappointed I couldn’t finish the match in the best way, for the crowd. You deserve it so I will keep going and try and come back for revenge.”
Both Alcaraz and Musetti will continue their clay court preparations at the Barcelona Open next week in the buildup to the French Open at the end of May.
Rory McIlroy wins Masters in dramatic fashion, completes career Slam
- It marked the fifth major championship for McIlroy, and his first since capturing the PGA Championship for the second time in 2014
It was finally Rory McIlroy’s time, even if it took a little longer than perhaps was necessary.
McIlroy birdied the first playoff hole with a short putt after missing a chance to win in regulation, capturing the Masters and completing the career Grand Slam on Sunday in Augusta, Georgia
“This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” the Northern Irishman said. “I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that — yeah, I’m sort of wondering what we’re all going to talk about going into next year’s Masters.”
McIlroy’s 1-over-par 73 left him tied with England’s Justin Rose, who posted 66 and waited for McIlroy to finish. They both shot 11-under 277 for the week.
Re-playing the 18th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, McIlroy’s approach shot rolled back toward the hole and inside Rose’s ball. After Rose missed a birdie attempt and notched a par, McIlroy didn’t flub another chance for a victory.
He dropped his putter, put his hands on his head and fell prostrate on the green, sobbing.
“There was a lot of pent-up emotion that just came out on that 18th green,” McIlroy said. “A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.”
It marked the fifth major championship for McIlroy, and his first since capturing the PGA Championship for the second time in 2014.
McIlroy needed par at No. 18 to win in regulation, but after blasting from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole he rolled a 5-foot par putt too far to the left.
It was a starkly different reaction from when he departed the 18th green following Thursday’s first round, which included a pair of backside double bogeys and dodging the media on the way to the practice area.
Rose spoke briefly to McIlroy after the playoff and later added perspective to what just happened.
“This is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it — someone who achieves the career Grand Slam,” Rose said. “I just said it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously, I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s a momentous occasion for the game of golf.”
The new champion — who gave away his two-shot lead through 54 holes with a double bogey at No. 1 — also recovered from a disastrous stretch on the back nine to birdie the 17th hole for a brief one-stroke lead. McIlroy’s bogey on No. 11, double bogey on No. 13 and bogey on No. 14 appeared to send him on track for another final-round collapse at a major.
McIlroy said sending his ball into the creek on a wedge shot on the par-5 13th could have doomed his chances.
“I did a really good job of bouncing back from that,” he said.
McIlroy recovered for a birdie on the par-5 15th hole by drawing a tremendous second shot around a tree, over a water hazard and to 6 feet of the pin, where he two-putted for birdie.
Then he stuck his approach on No. 17 and sank the putt to take the lead.
Rose, seeking his first Masters title, had six birdies and two bogeys across the last eight holes, finishing with a 20-foot birdie putt.
“To make the putt on 18, the one you dream about as a kid, to obviously give myself an opportunity and a chance was an unbelievable feeling,” Rose said.
Rose was the leader after the first and second rounds, and after a tough 75 on Saturday he made a major final-round push. He had only four pars on his card — countering four bogeys with 10 birdies.
Patrick Reed (69 on Sunday) was third at 9 under. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (69) placed fourth at 8 under, giving him four consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters.
“I was just proud of the way we hung in there and put up a good fight,” Scheffler said.
Bryson DeChambeau, who figured to be McIlroy’s biggest threat and in the final pairing, took the lead after the second hole before stalling with back-to-back bogeys and a string of pars to skid off the path. By the time he double-bogeyed No. 11, he was tied for ninth and seventh strokes back.
DeChambeau’s 75 left him at 7 under, tied for fifth place with South Korea’s Sungjae Im (69).
DeChambeau said his troubles began with a putt on the third hole that scooted well beyond the cup.
“There’s no way that putt goes that far by,” he said. “I just didn’t realize how firm and fast it could get out here. It’s great experience. Won’t let that happen again.”
Saudi Arabia squeeze past Japan in U17 Asian Cup quarter final
- After 90 minutes of football ended 2-2 in Taif, penalty shootout needed to separate two teams
TAIF: Saudi Arabia beat Japan in a dramatic penalty shootout on Sunday to move into the semi-final of the U-17 Asian Cup for the first time since 1992. After 90 minutes of football ended 2-2 in the city of Taif, the young Green Falcons triumphed from the spot.
The shootout ended 3-2 to leave the teenagers celebrating with their home fans and looking forward to Thursday’s last four clash with either South Korea or Tajikistan.
It was a busy start to the game. In just the third minute, Abdulrahman Sufyani had his close-range shot saved and then, from the rebound, curled an attempt that bounced off the crossbar.
Soon after, however, Abubaker Saeed handled in the area and, after a check from VAR, Taiga Seguchi scored from the spot in the ninth minute.
It was a short-lived lead. In the 15th minute, Abdulaziz Al-Fawaz was bundled over in the area and Saeed stepped up to convert the penalty and send the goalkeeper the wrong way.
For Saudi Arabia it got even better eight minutes before the break. The lively Sufyani ran free down the right, cut inside the area and pulled the ball across goal for Sabri Dahal to fire home from close range.
It was all looking good for the West Asian team until Japan equalised with 18 minutes remaining. Daichi Tani’s through ball from the middle dissected the Saudi defence for Hiroto Asada to sprint through and roll the ball past Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi.
Then it all came down to a penalty shootout. Otaibi almost kept out Asada and then Nasser Al-Fihani made it 1-1. Yazeed Al-Dosari did the same with his kick and it was 2-2. Then Otaibi got down quickly to save a low strike from Yuito Kamo but then Thari Saeed saw his attempt kept out.
It was still two each but Shota Fujii hit the bar, giving Saudi Arabia another chance and this time it was taken, oh so coolly, by Maher Tawashi. It meant that Japan had to score their last kick but once again, they hit the woodwork to keep the hosts on course for a first continental title since 1988.
