PARIS: A low turnout for France’s high-security Nations League soccer match against Israel at the Stade de France on Thursday would be understandable, defender Dayot Upamecano said on Tuesday.
French media expect only 20,000 fans in the 80,000 capacity stadium north of Paris, where President Emmanuel Macron will attend under tight security, with 2,500 police around the stadium, 1,500 across the city and 1,600 stadium staff deployed.
Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs, with at least five people injured after Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League game at Ajax.
Some Maccabi supporters were also seen chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday’s match.
On Sunday, Israel urged its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sports events abroad involving Israelis over the coming week.
French supporters’ group Les Irreductibles Français conducted a survey among its members, which showed 15 percent would boycott the France-Israel match due to the Israel-Gaza war.
Some 30 percent cited “security risks,” with 34 percent listing practical reasons such as being unavailable or out of holiday time.
“I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters on Tuesday.
Dutch police said they took away more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters who ignored a ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam on Sunday and detained 50 more following clashes involving Israeli soccer fans last week.
“We will stay focused on the upcoming match. Sorry I didn’t see what happened in Amsterdam,” Upamecano added.
Asked If the France-Israel match should have been moved he added: “Somewhere else? I don’t know at all. I’m just here to play. I’ve loved playing football since I was little.
“Yesterday was November 11 (Armistice Day). I love peace, I hope that one day we’ll find it again, in every country.”
France are second in Nations league Group A2 on nine points from four games, a point behind Italy and five ahead of Belgium. Israel are bottom of the four-team standings without a point.
The Europa League match between Turkish side Besiktas and Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Nov. 28 will be played at a neutral venue in Hungary, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said on Monday.
Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano
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Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano
- Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs
- “I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters
More misery for Messi and Miami with Florida derby defeat
Fort Lauderdale, United States: Lionel Messi’s growing frustration and Inter Miami’s miserable run of form continued with a 3-0 loss at home to Orlando City in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The Florida derby defeat leaves Miami with just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and they slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference with Orlando leapfrogging them.
Messi had just two shots on target in the entire game and even scuffed a free-kick from his favorite spot as his own form slumped with that of his team.
“Now we’ll truly see if we’re a team in difficult times, because when everything’s going well it’s very easy,” Messi told Apple TV following the defeat.
“When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together,” he added.
Messi also questioned the refereeing but in truth the loss had little to do with officiating and much to do with shambolic defending, a disjointed midfield and punchless attack led by the rapidly fading Luis Suarez.
Orlando grabbed the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal of absurd simplicity — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese launched the ball down the middle of the field and Luis Muriel ran clear and slotted past Oscar Ustari.
The visitors were getting plenty of joy from going direct against a Miami back-line which was all at sea and Argentine Martin Ojeda should have done better when he found himself clear on goal but blasted over the bar.
Miami’s veteran keeper Ustari then made a fine double save to deny Alexander Freeman and an Ojeda follow up shot but then the 38-year-old found himself to blame for Orlando’s second goal.
The ball fell to Marco Pasalic on the edge of the box and his low shot went through the hands and legs of Ustari.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano then threw on attacking players in a bid to retrieve something from the game but it was largely in vain.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time Duncan McGuire broke down the left and his low cross was slotted home by Icelandic forward Dagur Thorhallsson to wrap-up an impressive performance from the visitors.
Miami have conceded 20 goals and scored 11 in their last seven games with their only victory coming against the New York Red Bulls on May 3.
Mascherano said his team had started as planned before the goal changed the tone of the game.
“I’d say for 25 or 30 minutes we had it completely under control playing in the opponent’s half, but this is how it is, clearly. I’m not going to deny what the result is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we can’t afford the mistakes we make; that’s clear, but it’s pointless for me to come here and tell this story, because it keeps happening. So, clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing in many of these ways, and we have to try to find a way around them so we don’t continue failing and so the team starts getting results,” he added.
Miami’s MLS campaign was going well until their exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Mascherano admitted the team’s morale had been hit.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence. We have had a drop in level individually and collectively and it’s clear one way or another we have tried with different schemes, different names, and still today we are hurting. We will keep trying to find a way.”
Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win the Italian Open and solidify his status as French Open favorite
- Since last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times
- Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976
ROME: There’s only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume.
Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times.
“Just proud about myself, the way that I approached the match mentally. Tactically think I did it pretty well from the first to the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I maintained my level during the whole match.”
Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October — when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4.
It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.
“I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level,” Alcaraz said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him coming back from three months without playing. Making the final here is something insane.”
Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.
“On clay right now, you’re the best player,” Sinner said.
Added Alcaraz, “Beating Jannik, winning Rome. I think both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming to Paris. I always say that the final is not about playing, the final is about winning, to go for it. I just repeated (that to) myself all the time.”
Alcaraz spoils Sinner’s return
Sinner was playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams, and come back at his home tournament.
Sinner said he and his team went through “three months that were anything but easy, so achieving this result already here is really big” and that “we should be really proud.”
He added: “We’re bringing home a very special trophy, even if I wanted the other one.”
Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He was also trying to complete a sweep of the Rome singles titles for Italy after Jasmine Paolini won the women’s trophy on Saturday.
Paolini and partner Sara Errani also defended their women’s doubles title earlier Sunday, making Paolini the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.
A large number of the 10,500 fans in Campo Centrale were decked out in orange — Sinner’s theme color — and they were chanting Sinner’s name before the match even began, and even after Sinner lost.
“You gave me a lot of energy, lot of courage to be here on court, I tried with everything I had,” Sinner told the crowd. “It was something very, very special. Thank you.”
Sinner also cracked a joke about offering “special thanks” to his brother, Mark, “who instead of being here, decided to go to Imola to watch Formula 1.”
Sinner wasted 2 set points
Sinner wasted two set points on Alcaraz’s serve when he led 6-5 in the first set and then Alcaraz jumped ahead in the tiebreaker with two aces and held on to seal it before cruising in the second set.
On Alcaraz’s third match point, Sinner ran down a drop shot but Alcaraz was waiting for his reply and hit a stretch volley winner into the open court.
Alcaraz then held his hands out wide and flashed a wide smile.
Alcaraz hit 19 winners to Sinner’s seven and only had one more unforced error than his opponent — 31-30. Half of Sinner’s errors came from his backhand, which is usually his most dependable shot.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will move back up to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday after his third final in three clay-court events this season. He won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open before withdrawing from the Madrid Open because of injury.
Having also won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, Alcaraz became the fifth man to win all three Masters 1000 clay events after Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.
Syrians chase equestrian glory in sport once dominated by Assads
- For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in December
DAMASCUS: For weeks, Ziad Abu Al-Dahab has been training for gold at an equestrian tournament near Damascus — in a sport once dominated by Syria’s Assad family and their inner circle.
“Results used to be decided in advance, always favoring those close to the government,” the 25-year-old rider said.
“My greatest ambition was to reach third place, but today, I can aim for first and do well with my new horse.”
For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in a lightning Islamist-led offensive in December.
Equestrian sports surged in the 1990s under Assad’s late brother Bassel, who was being groomed to succeed their father Hafez before dying in a car crash in 1994. Bashar took over and became president in 2000.
Bassel used to take part in tournaments at home and abroad and styled himself as Syria’s “first rider.”
His profile helped shine a spotlight on the sport, which came to symbolize elite status under the Assads.
Abu Al-Dahab said those close to the family had European horses, which far outperformed the local ones of other competitors.
“It was impossible to compete with the ruling family,” he said while walking his horse on the sand.
Banned from competing
Outside the Dimas equestrian club near Damascus, a statue of Bassel still stands, his face now hidden by the new Syrian flag.
The family’s grip on the sport passed to the next generation, including Sham, daughter of Bashar’s brother Maher.
Sham used to compete in Syria and at international tournaments, often placing high.
The attention she received in the media stirred controversy, with critics seeing it as propaganda.
That grip on the sport kept some away. Munana Shaker, 26, said her father banned her from competing until the Assads were gone.
“My father forbade me from practicing due to fear (of the ruling family), and he always told me that competition with them was impossible,” she said as she stroked her white mare, Mariana.
“He didn’t want us associating with the Assad family at all. He told me the story of the equestrian who was jailed after beating Bassel Assad, and did not want to put me in danger.”
She was referring to Adnan Qassar, a prominent rider who outperformed Bassel before being imprisoned without trial in 1993, accused of plotting to kill him.
Many believe his sporting success was the real reason for his arrest. Qassar was freed 21 years later under a presidential pardon.
“I have long stayed away from this sport, but it is now time to come back strong. I am from the Shaker family, not the Assad family,” she said.
Dream come true
Shadi Abu Al-Dahab, 48, oversees about 240 horses — including some of the Assads’ former European ones.
“Around 40 horses were set aside for the Assad family. No one else was allowed to get near them,” he said.
But today, he’s seeing new faces and growing interest in the sport.
“We have new skills that we discover daily, and enthusiastic children... We now have a large number of riders aspiring to compete and get titles,” he said.
Fellow trainer Salah Al-Ahmad, 52, was beaming as his son took the mare Topsy for a spin — once ridden by Sham Assad.
“He used to dream of touching her or patting her head,” Ahmad said. “Now in this new era, the mare is with him, and he has won two tournaments.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder roll into West finals with 125-93 rout of Nuggets in Game 7
- Oklahoma City went a league-best 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games
OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma City Thunder grew up on Sunday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7.
The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016.
Oklahoma City went a league-best 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games. To back up their status as the best team in the league, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023 and beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round this year.
Coach Mark Daigneault said his players handled the pressure well.
“There’s not many games, you wake up in the morning and you know that you’re going to remember the game for the rest of your life, and Game 7 is one of them,” he said. “To be able to focus through that and perform the way these guys did today was very impressive.”
Jokic had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon, a key player for Denver throughout the playoffs who hit the winner in Game 1 against the Thunder, started despite a strained left hamstring. He had eight points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.
“What he played with today, I don’t know many people that would even attempt to go out there and run up and down,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “And he did it in Game 7 against Oklahoma City on the road. That that was one of most incredible things I’ve ever seen. He was extremely close to not playing. I was surprised.”
The Thunder fell behind by 11 in the first quarter, but took the lead early in the second. Oklahoma City outscored Denver 39-20 in the period to take a 60-46 lead at the break.
Gordon was called for a flagrant-1 foul for elbowing Gilgeous-Alexander in the face early in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws, and then Williams hit a short jumper to give Oklahoma City a 66-46 lead.
Cason Wallace got loose on a fast break and dunked on Jokic to put the Thunder up 78-57, sparking delirious roars from the crowd.
Oklahoma City cruised from there and now hopes to make another leap.
“We’re better now than we were at the beginning of the series, and it’s because of them,” Daigneault said. “They pushed us to the limit.”
Villarreal dampens Barcelona’s title celebrations. Mbappé scores again for Madrid
- Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022
MADRID: Villarreal dampened Barcelona’s title celebrations by handing the Catalan club its first defeat of 2025 in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona, which clinched its 28th league title midweek, presented the trophy to its fans in the team’s final home match of the season at Montjuic stadium. Players were announced one by one after the game, which Villarreal won 3-2, before lifting the trophy.
Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey trophies also were displayed at Montjuic, with players dancing around the silverware during the celebrations.
“We can be proud of this team for winning these titles and for how it did it,” Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. “We had a great season in all levels.”
Before the match, Villarreal players did a guard of honor for the new league champions, with its players lining up to congratulate Barcelona as the team entered the field.
Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé extending his league-leading tally to 29 goals with one round to go. Jude Bellingham also scored. Madrid reached 81 points, four fewer than Barcelona.
Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022.
It will join Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao in Europe’s top club competition next season. Spain will have five clubs in the Champions League next season.
Real Betis clinched one of the Europa League spots. Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna will be chasing the final Europa League place and the Conference League spot.
Leganes, owned by former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, and Espanyol will try to avoid the last relegation spot in the final round when Leganes is at last-placed Valladolid and Espanyol faces relegated Las Palmas.
Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico and Athletic will play in next year’s lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
All 10 games were played at the same time on Sunday.
Barcelona’s loss
Barcelona hadn’t lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat against Atletico on Dec. 21, with 15 wins and two draws since then. Villarreal’s win was its fifth straight victory in the league.
Ayoze Pérez put the visitors ahead after a breakaway four minutes into the match. The hosts equalized when Lamine Yamal scored with yet another beautiful goal in the teenager’s outstanding season, curling in a left-footed shot from outside the area.
Fermín López put Barcelona ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Santiago Comesaña scored for Villarreal in the 50th and Tajon Buchanan netted the winner in the 80th.
It was likely the last match Barcelona played at Montjuic stadium as the club plans to return to the Camp Nou Stadium next season even though renovation work at the venue is not expected to be fully completed until mid-2026.
Mbappé’s goals
Mbappé strengthened his chances of finishing as the league’s top scorer this season with a goal from a low shot from outside the area in the 75th.
Mbappé now has 29 league goals. Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (25 goals) is his nearest rival.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade was sent off in the 12th for a foul on Mbappé to stop a breakaway. Then Isaac Romero was shown a red card for a hard foul on Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It was the second-to-last match for Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti before he becomes Brazil coach. Xabi Alonso is widely expected to be Madrid’s next coach.
Sevilla, sitting in 16th place, had only one win in its last 10 games.
Relegation fight
Leganes kept its survival hopes alive by winning 1-0 at Las Palmas with a sixth-minute goal by Dani Raba.
It is two points behind the first team outside the relegation zone, Espanyol, which remained in danger after a 2-0 loss at Osasuna for its fifth straight defeat.
Alaves escaped the drop by winning 1-0 at Valladolid, while Getafe did the same by beating Mallorca 2-1 to end a six-game losing run.
Second-to-last Las Palmas and bottom side Valladolid had already been relegated.
European places
Celta Vigo lost 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano but holds the final Europa League spot in seventh place. It is one point ahead of both eighth-placed Rayo — in the Conference League position — and ninth-placed Osasuna.
Rayo will host Mallorca in the final round, while Osasuna visits Alaves and Celta is at Getafe.
Spanish Super Cup
The top two teams in the league and the Copa del Rey finalists are awarded places in the Spanish Super Cup. Since this season’s final was between Barcelona and Madrid, two other spots were made available through the league.
Third-placed Atletico guaranteed its spot with a 4-1 win over Betis with Julián Álvarez scoring twice, including with a superb curling free kick in the first half. Fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 at Valencia with a goal by Álex Berenguer.
Alguacil honored
Real Sociedad honored coach Imanol Alguacil in its final home match, a 3-2 win against Girona.
Alguacil will step down this summer after a mostly successful six-and-a-half-year stint in charge of the Basque Country club.
