LONDON: At Jose Mourinho's new home, the Stadio Olimpico, Luke Shaw chose the perfect setting for his latest riposte to his former boss with two assists in England's 4-0 thrashing of Ukraine to reach the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
Shaw suffered at the hands of Mourinho for three seasons at Manchester United, a string of public criticism not a patch on what was said behind closed doors, the 25-year-old admitted this week.
Mourinho's arrival at Old Trafford came hot on the heels of a horrible double leg fracture Shaw suffered in September 2015.
The former Southampton defender revealed in 2018 there had even been fears his right leg would have to be amputated because of blood clots that required emergency surgery.
His career never got back on track during Mourinho's tempestuous time at United, where he was far from the only player the Portuguese did not take kindly to.
At one point Mourinho even remarked he was the "brain" controlling Shaw's body by having to coach him through games.
"I don't think any of you realise the two or three years I had with him and how bad it was then, what it was like then," Shaw told reporters this week.
"What he says now is nothing compared to how it used to be. I am being totally honest. I am so past it now. I have grown up a lot."
Newly installed as Roma boss, but working as a pundit at the Euro, Mourinho's latest barb was to criticise Shaw's set-piece delivery after England's 0-0 draw with Scotland.
"Clearly I am in his head a lot and he clearly thinks about me a lot," added Shaw in a withering critique of his former boss.
There was no problem with Shaw's delivery in Rome on Saturday as two pinpoint crosses picked out Harry Maguire and Harry Kane early in the second half as England romped to their biggest ever win at a European Championship.
Shaw was also the creator for the vital opening goal, scored by Raheem Sterling, in a 2-0 win over Germany in the last 16 which ended a 55-year wait for a knockout victory over the four-time world champions in a major tournament.
Another 55-year milestone is now England's target as they return to Wembley with 60,000 in attendance for a semi-final against Denmark on Wednesday.
The Three Lions have never even reached the final of a major tournament since winning the 1966 World Cup, but will scarcely get a better chance with momentum and home advantage on their side.
"We won't win the game because we're at home. We've got to play well and we've got a fabulous opportunity," said England boss Gareth Southgate.
"It's a chance to make history. We've never been to a European Championship final, it's not so much pressure but it's another challenge for these players to take on."
Southgate's calm and caring relationship with his squad is in stark contrast to Mourinho's old-fashioned method of encouraging his players to prove him wrong.
There is no doubt which gets the best out of Shaw and England are reaping the rewards.
"Of course I could go through a lot of people to thank but I think the most important one is obviously Gareth for trusting me and putting me in the squad and picking me and playing me," added Shaw.
"A lot of people maybe will have doubted me to be in the squad and to play maybe.
"But I've kept my head down, kept working hard and hopefully I can keep this responsibility up for the manager."
Luke Shaw shows Jose Mourinho who’s boss in Rome as England roll on to Euros semis
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Luke Shaw shows Jose Mourinho who’s boss in Rome as England roll on to Euros semis
- English defender suffered at the hands of Portuguese for three seasons at Manchester United
- The Three Lions have never even reached the final of a major tournament since winning the 1966 World Cup
Djokovic, Sinner into French Open quarters as No.361 Boisson springs upset
- The 38-year-old Djokovic dusted aside Britain’s Cameron Norrie in three sets, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier
PARIS: Novak Djokovic sailed into a record 19th French Open quarter-final on Monday, while world number one Jannik Sinner dismantled Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
World number 361 Lois Boisson knocked out women’s third seed Jessica Pegula to become the first home quarter-finalist at Roland Garros since 2017.
The 38-year-old Djokovic dusted aside Britain’s Cameron Norrie in three sets, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier bringing up the Serbian’s 100th match win at the French Open.
His tally of 19 quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros is the record for a single Grand Slam tournament, surpassing Roger Federer’s 18 Wimbledon quarter-finals.
But Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, is focused on much bigger goals as he chases a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week.
“I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it’s been solid so far,” said Djokovic, who will likely face a much more difficult test against world number three Alexander Zverev.
“It’s great, but victory number 101 would be better. I’m very honored... But I need to continue now.”
Djokovic has not played anyone ranked higher than 73rd through the first four rounds. Zverev is last year’s runner-up and advanced when Djokovic retired injured from their last meeting in the Australian Open semifinals in January.
Zverev moved into his seventh Roland Garros quarter-final when Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor quit with an abdominal problem while trailing 6-4, 3-0.
The German is still hunting a first Grand Slam title. He lost the 2024 final to Carlos Alcaraz and then finished runner-up to Sinner in Melbourne.
“Novak Djokovic will never be a (dark) horse. For me, Carlos is the favorite,” said Zverev. “Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik, myself, and Novak, right? I still believe that.”
World number one Sinner fired a warning shot to his title rivals with a ruthless 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Russian 17th seed Rublev in the night session.
Sinner, who returned from a three-month doping ban last month at the Italian Open, will face the unseeded Alexander Bublik for a place in the last four.
Italy’s Sinner is targeting a third consecutive Grand Slam title after lifting the US Open trophy last year and winning his second successive Australian Open in January.
“Today was a very good performance but we try to keep going and see how it goes,” said the three-time major champion.
Bublik took down his second top-10 rival in Paris as the rejuvenated Kazakh came from a set behind to defeat British fifth seed Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Bublik, ranked 62nd, is into his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Boisson sent shockwaves through Roland Garros as she kept the French flag flying with an improbable 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula, to join Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Boisson, 22, came from a set down against last year’s US Open runner-up to prolong her dream run on her Grand Slam debut.
She is the first French singles quarter-finalist in Paris since Caroline Garica and Kristina Mladenovic made it to the same stage eight years ago. Mary Pierce was the tournament’s last French champion in 2000.
“I really don’t know what to say,” said Boisson, who was roared on by the home fans on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“To play on this court with such an atmosphere was incredible. I was confident before the match and knew I could do it even if she was really strong.”
Boisson missed last year’s French Open after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee a week before it started.
She is the lowest-ranked woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since former top-20 player Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 US Open. Kanepi had dropped to 418th at the time.
Boisson goes on to face 18-year-old Russian rising star Andreeva on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
Sixth seed Andreeva moved through in straight sets as she cut short an attempted fightback by Daria Kasatkina to advance 6-3, 7-5.
Andreeva is through to her second major quarter-final, having reached the last four at Roland Garros 12 months ago when she knocked out Aryna Sabalenka.
World number two Gauff brushed Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova aside 6-0, 7-5 to step up her pursuit of a first Roland Garros crown, and second Grand Slam title.
Former US Open champion Gauff will play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an all-American quarter-final.
Unseeded Frenchwoman Boisson stuns Pegula and joins No. 2 Gauff in the quarterfinals
- Boisson, a wild card entry ranked 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Monday’s fourth-round play
PARIS: Lois Boisson had never even played at the French Open before, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros, and now the unseeded 21-year-old Frenchwoman is through to the quarterfinals.
Boisson, a wild card entry ranked 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Monday’s fourth-round play.
Quite some victory, considering Pegula was the US Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points.
After Pegula missed an easy-looking winner at the net, and then clutched her head in her hands, Boisson had her first match point, and the biggest point of her career so far.
Pegula returned a strong serve to the back of the court, where Boisson unleashed a brilliant forehand winner down the line. She then raised her arms in the air, realizing the enormity of her win.
“I really don’t know what to say, but ‘Thank you to all of you’” Boisson told the crowd in her post-match interview. “Playing on this court with such an atmosphere was really incredible.”
Boisson made the notoriously hard-to-please crowd laugh when she added: “I’m really happy on here. I can stay a long time if you like.”
The crowd broke into chants of “Lois, Lois” and she waved back to them.
She was in the news last month. British player Harriet Dart apologized to Boisson after asking the chair umpire to tell her to put some deodorant on. Now she’s the only French player — male or female — left at Roland-Garros.
Asked what her ambitions were for the rest of the tournament — she plays sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in the quarterfinals — she replied, “I hope to win, right?”
That prompted more laughter from the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier, which included tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who has been criticized in some quarters for the lack of women playing in the night session.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner was playing his fourth-round match later Monday in the night session against No. 17 Andrey Rublev, following 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic’s match against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
What else happened at the French Open on Monday?
In other women’s fourth-round play, second-seeded Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, won 6-0, 7-5 against No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Over on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 18-year-old Andreeva, who reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros last year for her best performance at a major, won 7-5, 6-3 against No. 17 Daria Kasatkina. She playfully threw her wristband at Andreeva when they came to the net and Andreeva joked she would keep it.
No. 7 Madison Keys also advanced on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after beating Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American contest. There’s another one coming up for Keys against Gauff.
In remaining men’s fourth-round play, No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year’s runner-up, was leading 6-4, 3-0 against Tallon Griekspoor when the unseeded Dutch player retired from the match. He later said it was due to an abdominal strain.
Who is playing Tuesday at Roland-Garros?
The quarterfinals are underway, with two men’s matches and two women’s matches, all on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng followed by defending women’s champ Iga Swiatek against No. 13 Elina Svitolina.
The first men’s contest sees eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti take on No. 15-seeded American Frances Tiafoe, before defending champion Carlos Alcaraz plays 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul.
Gauff into fifth successive French Open quarter-final
- Coco Gauff reached a fifth successive French Open quarter-final on Monday as the world number two brushed Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova aside 6-0, 7-5
Gauff raced through the opening set backed by three breaks of serve. Alexandrova put up more of a fight in the second set but Gauff eventually closed out victory in 82 minutes.
The 21-year-old Gauff will play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys or unseeded Hailey Baptiste in an all-American quarter-final.
Max Verstappen blames frustration for a ‘move that was not right’ after colliding with Russell
- Verstappen says in a post on Instagram that “our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration” before the incident
Max Verstappen said Monday that frustration caused “a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened”, a day after he initially seemed unrepentant over his collision with George Russell at Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen had been asked by his Red Bull team to give up a place to Russell following an earlier incident between the two drivers when he hit Russell’s Mercedes.
The race stewards ruled Verstappen had “suddenly accelerated” before the collision and Russell said it “felt very deliberate”. The stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty which dropped him from fifth to 10th and left him 49 points off standings leader Oscar Piastri, who won Sunday’s race.
“We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out. Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened,” Verstappen wrote on Instagram.
“I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you (at the next race) in Montreal.”
Initially in the aftermath of Sunday’s race, Verstappen had said that “next time I will bring a tissue”, responding to Russell claiming he set a poor example for young drivers.
A series of setbacks
The collision followed a series of setbacks for Verstappen, who had been in third and pressuring the two McLaren drivers in front before the safety car came out.
Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen into the pits for fresh tires, even though the only ones he had left were slower hard-compound tires, a type that no other driver used.
At the restart, Verstappen lost grip and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari made contact with Verstappen’s Red Bull. Neither driver was ruled at fault for that.
Verstappen then went off the track while defending against Russell and Red Bull asked Verstappen to give up the place to Russell, apparently because the team expected Verstappen would be given a penalty. The stewards later ruled they wouldn’t have taken action against the Dutch driver for that incident.
Risking a suspension
Verstappen needs to be careful in the next two races because the penalty for the collision with Russell also brought him penalty points on his license, taking him to 11 in the last 12 months. Drivers get a one-race suspension if they hit 12 points in a year.
Two of those points expire at the end of the month, but until then Verstappen needs to get through the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without any further penalty points.
MENA clubs back Ben Sulayem for second term as FIA president
- Regional officials say he has shown ‘integrity, innovation, and courage’ in driving positive change on the world stage
DUBAI: National motor sport and mobility authorities from across the Middle East and North Africa region have delivered another major vote of confidence in Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s leadership of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and urged him to seek re-election as president.
The 29 FIA member clubs have written to Ben Sulayem saying that his tenure “has brought vital reforms across mobility and motorsport, marked by enhanced transparency, governance, sustainability, and inclusivity.”
Backing him for a second term in office, they expressed confidence that this will “further strengthen and modernize the organization for the benefit of all its members and stakeholders.”
In a letter of support to Ben Sulayem, the clubs said: “Your vision has helped bridge gaps, inspire unity, and empower regions like ours to contribute more meaningfully to the global FIA mission.
“We now feel equal as members of the FIA regardless of our size or location. We are proud to stand behind a leader from our region who has shown integrity, innovation, and courage in driving positive change on the world stage.”
Among the senior regional officials to sign the letter were MENA FIA Vice President for Mobility Essa Hamza Al-Failakawi from Kuwait, MENA FIA Vice President for Sport Abdulla bin Issa Al-Khalifa from Bahrain, and President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdulla Al-Faisal.
The clubs told Ben Sulayem: “The modernization of our institution and the strong emphasis you have placed on member engagement and regional development have greatly benefited our clubs and the communities we serve.”
Ben Sulayem responded, saying: “I am deeply grateful for the trust and encouragement shown by the 29 sport and mobility member clubs from across the MENA region.
“This support holds special meaning for me, given my close connection to the region. I’ve seen firsthand the exceptional talent, commitment, and ambition that define the MENA community, and it is a true honor to have this backing.
“The work being done by clubs in both sport and mobility across the region reflects the core values of the FIA — from grassroots initiatives like the MENA Karting Cup to ongoing efforts in road safety and sustainable mobility.
“Together, we will continue to shape a stronger, more dynamic FIA — one that truly represents the strength, diversity, and potential of every region we serve.”
The overwhelming support for Ben Sulayem from his home region quickly follows another powerful endorsement of his achievements as president, delivered in a letter of support from 36 FIA member clubs across the Americas.
