ELCHE, Spain — Brighton midfielder Facundo Buonanotte will play for Spanish team Elche this season in what is the Argentine playmaker’s fourth loan spell since joining the Premier League club in January 2023.
The 21-year-old Buonanotte, who signed with Brighton from Rosario Central, was loaned to Leicester for the 2024-25 season and split last season between Chelsea and Leeds.
Buonanotte played regularly for Leicester but had trouble getting minutes at both Chelsea and Leeds.
“Facundo is a talented young player who has continued to develop since joining the club,” Brighton sporting director Mike Cave said in the team’s announcement late Friday. “This loan gives him the opportunity to play regular football in one of Europe’s top leagues.”
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Elche finished 15th in La Liga last season.
“We believe this move will provide an excellent environment for him to gain further experience, and we’ll continue to monitor his progress closely throughout the season,” Cave said.
Buonanotte made his Argentina senior team debut in 2023 against Indonesia and played again for La Albiceleste in 2024 against El Salvador. He wasn’t part of the World Cup squad.
Folks, it wasn’t that long ago that Kirk Cousins was strutting around in beige denim and New Balance sneakers in the Twin Cities. Much has changed since he walked away in March of 2024.
The perpetually well-paid passer flopped with the Falcons, opening the door to getting scooped up by the Las Vegas Raiders. Going to Sin City means being able to join forces with Klint Kubiak, who was the OC for the Vikings back in 2021. Apparently, the veteran quarterback didn’t appreciate some of the extra attention from a Las Vegas defender.
Kirk Cousins Gets Physical with Maxx Crosby
In fairness, Maxx Crosby has a reputation for being a monstrous presence, largely due to effort that doesn’t stop. Still, there’s a golden rule in practice: nobody touches the quarterback.
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Cousins had good reason to be upset.
Check out what Ryan McFadden said of the “scuffle” in a piece for ESPN: “Defensive end Maxx Crosby hit quarterback Kirk Cousins twice during the team period. And when Crosby hit Cousins’ arm a second time, the 15-year veteran had had enough. Cousins got into Crosby’s face, grabbing the All-Pro’s jersey, while both exchanged words before it was broken up.”
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) looks to throw the ball in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
There’s a key word in the above McFadden quote: twice.
Hitting a passer a single time might be forgivable. Crosby has given a ton to the Raiders, so he could get away with a single infraction when most others would get an earful from coaches. Doing it a second time, though? No wonder Cousins wasn’t pleased.
More background on Crosby from the article: “Ahead of training camp, Crosby said the coaching staff warned him about touching the quarterback. They are fully aware of the passion and intensity that Crosby brings to practice, and know he can occasionally cross the line. Crosby has been that way since college. He mentioned there were times when Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton had to kick him out of practice for being too aggressive.”
Kirk Cousins has many flaws as a football player. His level of intensity and compete aren’t among the problems. Nor, for that matter, has he ever lacked for toughness.
Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) talk after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Normally, he’s an in-control guy who is deliberate with his words, but he did allow a few bad words slip out in a joint practice against the 49ers once upon a time. Getting physical with an edge rusher is an escalation of that intensity but comes from the same place.
Or, perhaps, think back to when Cousins and Mike Zimmer put hands on each other. A touch older now, Cousins hasn’t lost his fire. He’s an intense guy when he’s not looking to get a deal at Costco or turn down the extended warranty on a minivan (that’s how they get you, folks).
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Kirk Cousins, 37, is looking like the top option in Sin City for 2026. He’ll be tossing the ball to Jalen Nailor, who left Minnesota behind for a nice payday with the AFC team.
Ajinkya Rahane‘s innings as a player with Indian and Mumbai cricket came to an end. The veteran was one of India’s most trusted performers. “His calm presence, resilience and ability to deliver in the toughest situations earned him the respect of teammates, opponents and cricket lovers alike,” the BCCI stated after his retirement. While he played for India for a long time, he also led Mumbai with pride for many years. One of the most iconic moments of his domestic career as captain came during the Duleep Trophy final between West Zone and South Zone in 2022.
West Zone captain Ajinkya Rahane sent a young Yashasvi Jaiswal off the field due to disciplinary issues. The entire episode unfolded as Jaiswal was repeatedly sledging South Zone batter T Ravi Teja. Both players kept exchanging words, and finally the umpires decided to have a word with Rahane. During the 50th over of the final innings, Jaiswal and Ravi Teja engaged in a verbal exchange.
Rahane quickly stepped in to pacify the situation. The experienced player was seen having a word with Jaiswal. However, Jaiswal continued to exchange words with Teja, and Rahane then decided to send him off the field. Jaiswal was seen murmuring something to himself as he walked away.
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“Sledging happens in the game, and it should happen. It adds a bit of fun,” he said in an interview with The Indian Express. “I read the situation. I sensed at that point in time that it probably would have gone out of hand. Yes, at that point Yashasvi must have felt bad. But I sensed what could happen going ahead. I have seen many situations where players have been banned, and you never know how times change. You lose one opportunity and your time is up. You never know. I sensed the situation and realised it was going out of hand. Both the players were losing control. And it was my responsibility to stop my teammate.”
Ajinkya Rahane sends Yashasvi Jaiswal off the field after consistently sledging the batsman…
Rahane then revealed what match referee Vengalil Narayanan Kutty told him after the incident.
“The match referee did not expect that. They didn’t realise I would do such a thing. The match referee was ready with a four-match ban. The letter was written. He came up to me and said, ‘This is the letter, but because you did this, I’m tearing it up.’ He tore the letter up in front of me. In the end, I was happy that Jaiswal didn’t get a match ban, and now he’s playing for India. What could have happened? Maybe he wouldn’t have played after that, or maybe not. He’s a quality player. I’m not taking any credit away from him. But you never know,” he said.
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Twenty-year-old Tom Wachman from Tipperary and Do It Easy won a thrilling CSIO5* Gallagher Stakes 1.50m class at the Dublin Horse Show this afternoon.
With 11 of the 12 combinations that qualified for the jump-off electing to return, the Coolmore Showjumping-owned bay gelding left all poles in place and delivered a jump-off clear round in 37.02 seconds.
Big names such as Richard Vogel and Kevin Staut were still to come, and though both had faster times, they each had a fence down with Phenyo Van Het Keysersbos and Ever De Turan respectively.
American Aga Khan-winning riders from Friday Natalie Dean and Laura Kraut took second and third with Pedro Van De Barlebuis and Una Mariposa respectively – both also delivering clears in the jump-off.
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Richard Vogel & Chember 3 win RDS Stakes
The World Number 2-ranked rider Richard Vogel won the CSIO5* 1.45m RDS Stakes in the Laya Arena, the first International class in the Laya Arena on Saturday. The German rider and Chember 3 were clear in the fastest time of 59.33 seconds.
Commandant Geoff Curran and the Minister For Defence’s DHF Alliance, who had led for much of the class, took the runner-up spot, clear in 60.18 seconds.
The third place on the podium went to Kevin Staut from France, riding Fast de Denat, following their clear round in 60.42 seconds.
Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable has done a tremendous job in his first season with the club, with many fine moments throughout the season.
However, in the White Sox’s 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field on Friday, Venable did not have one of his finer moments, as he forgot a key rule and cost his team dearly.
Just four batters into the game, White Sox starting pitcher Noah Schultz had loaded the bases, drawing a mound visit from pitching coach Zach Bove. One batter later, left fielder Angel Martinez ripped a two-run single.
Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable talks with umpire Andy Fletcher after the team’s second mound visit during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug. 7, 2026.(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Venable then went to the mound to talk about an appeal play but forgot that he wasn’t allowed to do so.
Under official rule 5.10(l), “a manager or coach is allowed only one visit to the mound per pitcher in a single inning without penalty. If the same coach or manager makes a second visit to the same pitcher in the same inning, the pitcher must be removed from the pitching position.”
Venable’s visit to the mound meant that he had to remove Schultz from the game just five batters in. His gaffe was especially costly, because the team lost in 13 innings the night before and taxed its bullpen.
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Venable’s blunder meant that his already taxed bullpen was going to have to work 8 2/3 innings. David Sandlin, who replaced Schultz, hadn’t even begun throwing in the bullpen when Venable went to the pitcher’s mound; he was just getting loose and stretching.
Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable reacts against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug. 7, 2026.(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
While Venable said after the game that Schultz was not going to pitch long in the game anyway, he certainly would have lasted more than the five batters he faced if it weren’t for Venable’s mound visit. The 43-year-old manager took full responsibility for his error.
“Yeah, just an inexcusable mistake by me where we had an appeal play that we wanted to execute, and in the urgency of trying to make that happen, just totally lost that we had visited,” Venable said, according to MLB.com. “Obviously that was a mistake. So, just messed it up.”
Sandlin, who was callup from Triple-A before the game, ended saving the bullpen, as he pitched 5 1/3 innings on 96 pitches. While the circumstances of his entering the game were odd, he didn’t make any excuses.
Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable reacts to a call during the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago.(AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
“I got a little extra time out there,” Sandlin said. “I think I got about eight pitches in the ‘pen and then got to warm up out there. Can’t make any excuses, just have to get going. Felt good enough and started off great.”
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For the White Sox, it was their fourth straight loss, making them the last team in baseball to have a four-game losing streak this season. They had not lost more than three in a row before Friday.
The White Sox (59-56) will look to bounce back in the second game of their three-game series against their American League Central foe, the Guardians (58-59), on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Jorge Messi, the father of Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68, SportsRation reports.
Jorge reportedly passed away on Friday night in Rosario, Argentina, after a prolonged illness. His death has been reported by several outlets, with Spanish newspaper El País reporting that the news was confirmed by Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys.
Jorge was a major figure in Lionel Messi’s life and career. He supported his son from his early days in football and later became his long-time representative and adviser.
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The news comes less than two months after the Messi family confirmed that Jorge was receiving medical treatment and recovering from an undisclosed health condition. At the time, the family had also urged the public and media to respect their privacy after false reports of his death circulated.
The Messi family has yet to issue a detailed public statement on his death.
Manchester United have just two weeks and two games left to prepare for the new season and if Michael Carrick had arrived in Gothenburg with a good idea of how his team were shaping up, he will head to Ireland for a training camp with a couple of unwanted concerns back on the agenda.
Carrick’s team selection against Paris Saint-Germain felt like it gave us a few clues ahead of the Premier League campaign. Ayden Heaven and Harry Maguire continued at centre-back, despite Leny Yoro no longer being needed on right-back duty, while Andrey Santos and Mason Mount continued their own partnership in midfield, with Youri Tielemans forced to wait for his first appearance.
The decision to continue with those partnerships looked like the strongest evidence yet of Carrick’s thinking for the trip to Hull City, but in pre-season, the best-laid plans can soon change, and midway through the first half in Gothenburg, they were, if not in tatters, then at least subject to a rethink.
Heaven, 19, had looked assured so far this summer, but he was caught out for Ibrahim Mbaye’s goal and then showed his inexperience with a poor pass to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and a rash attempt to make up for it. Worse was to follow when Mount took a knock to the foot and decided he couldn’t continue.
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The former Chelsea midfielder has been the standout star of pre-season and he’s been so impressive that plans to sign a third midfielder this summer have been reconsidered. But Mount’s fitness record is always a concern and two weeks out from the start of the season, this was a worry Carrick could have done without.
Tielemans only made his first appearance for the club later in the second half, and one sharp pass to Bruno Fernandes caught the eye, while Kobbie Mainoo will return to training next week. Any absence for Mount would leave United short in midfield and contemplating entering the market again.
His early departure felt like a reminder of the need to strengthen further. United will be back in the Champions League this season and eyeing up a 60-game campaign. They arguably need five midfielders anyway, and Mount’s early withdrawal here should sharpen minds in the recruitment department at Old Trafford.
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But on the pitch, United have made progress and they were the better side against PSG, although the obvious caveat is that they are further along in pre-season. One area of concern will be how they start games and for the second week in a row, they fell behind early in Sweden.
PSG only played their first friendly on Wednesday, losing 3-0 to Mallorca, and only arrived in Gothenburg on Saturday morning. It took just 101 seconds to shake off the rust.
Noussair Mazraoui was sucked up the pitch by Kvaratskhelia and left space in behind down the left, which Dro Fernandez darted into. His low cross caught Heaven out and gave Mbaye a tap-in. Kvaratskhelia then forced Tom Heaton into a low save straight from kick-off.
But United gradually settled and ended the half strongly. Bryan Mbeumo scored twice in Stockholm last week and continued to look the part as a No.9 here after a slow start.
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He twice tested Matvey Safonov with free-kicks and then equalised after sharp work from Amad. The quality of the Ivorian’s pressing has been a feature of the last two weeks and he won possession high up the pitch again before finding Mbeumo, who drilled a low finish across Safonov.
More smart link-up play between Mbeumo and Amad ended with the latter testing Safonov as the attack began to click into gear. Mbeumo was suddenly at the centre of everything, bringing another save out of Safonov after a brilliant pass from Maguire.
United looked the likelier to win it. Tyler Fletcher had two close-range efforts blocked in the final moments and Fernandes fired an effort just wide.
The captain will be a certain starter at Hull, as will Maguire, who was a major positive here. At one point in the second half he strode through the PSG midfield before firing a shot at Safonov and he ended the game making runs into the centre-forward position to try and win it. His passing was excellent throughout.
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Around him, there are debates still to settle, and some have been reopened by events in Gothenburg. United have two games and two weeks to go until the real business begins.
Bangladesh suffered a major setback ahead of their Test series against Australia after they were dismissed for just 54 in their second innings, handing the Cricket Australia XI an innings-and-38-run victory in a three-day warm-up game on Saturday. Left-arm pacer Campbell Thompson was the chief destroyer for the hosts, finishing with 8/25 as Bangladesh’s batting collapsed in just 17 overs on the third morning. Bangladesh had resumed their second innings with two wickets already down and needed to produce a strong response after conceding a 92-run first-innings lead. However, they failed to withstand the CA XI attack and were bowled out before lunch. Tanzid Hasan was the only Bangladesh batter to cross the 10-run mark, scoring 22.
Thompson, a 22-year-old South Australian who had played only one first-class match before this game, took the first five wickets to fall in the second innings after beginning the damage late on the previous day.
Off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli briefly interrupted Thompson’s run by taking a wicket, adding to the six wickets he had claimed in Bangladesh’s first innings.
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Thompson then returned to finish the job. He dismissed Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for a duck after trapping him lbw and ended the match by taking the final two wickets with successive deliveries.
“Sometimes you get lucky. It fell my way today, which was nice. It’s always a good experience and opportunity to come and play against a Test side a few days out from a series. Then to play alongside experienced Aussie guys as well, like Kurtis Patterson and Corey Rocchiccioli and stuff like that. So, just involving myself around these guys has been awesome,” Thompson said after the match.
The CA XI had earlier posted 355 in their first innings, with opener Sam Wyllie leading the way with 130. Kurtis Patterson contributed 53, while Doran scored 76. Hasan Mahmud was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler with 4/42.
Bangladesh managed 263 in their first innings, largely because of an unbeaten 109 from Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The visitors had struggled at the top of the order before Mehidy’s innings helped them reach a competitive total.
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Rocchiccioli claimed 6/83 in that innings, while Thompson’s second-innings burst ensured Bangladesh could not force the CA XI to bat again.
For Bangladesh, the defeat comes at an important stage of their preparations. They now have four days to regroup before facing Australia in the first Test.
The series will be Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in 23 years, with the visitors set to face a formidable pace attack featuring Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Bangladesh will need a significant improvement with the bat after their collapse in Darwin if they are to compete against Australia’s Test attack.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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One of the best offensive tackles in recent NFL history is likely to hang up his spikes after the 2026 season. Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson told reporters Saturday that the upcoming season will likely be his last in the NFL. Johnson missed a few practices in recent days for personal reasons and told reporters that he feels the pull of off-field responsibilities. Johnson also said he felt it was important to go public with his retirement plan, “to put [his] mind at ease,” per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Looking like this is probably, potentially going to be, probably my last year, just because I had gotten to that point of those priorities away from football are starting to merge,” Johnson said, according to The Athletic. “Not that I don’t enjoy (it) — I love everything about this game and preparing for it — but that’s where I’m at in my career. Looking forward to this year, playing the best I can, stay healthy, and that’s about it.”
Johnson is a 13-year veteran who has made six Pro Bowls, two All-Pro First Teams and three All-Pro Second Teams. He’s also a two-time Super Bowl champion, having won with the Eagles in both 2017 and 2024.
He’s still widely considered one of the small handful of best offensive linemen in the NFL, even at age 36. He checked in ninth in the recent CBS Sports poll, which ranked the top 10 players at every position, and he ranked even higher (third) in ESPN’s annual poll of league executives and coaches.
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His impact on Philadelphia’s offense is dramatic, as the Eagles have experienced a huge drop-off in efficiency with Johnson off the field both in recent seasons and throughout his decorated career. The Eagles have averaged 0.04 EPA per play with Johnson on the field since 2013, and -0.05 EPA per play with him on the sidelines, according to TruMedia. That’s equivalent to the difference between the third-best offense in the NFL during that time and the 27th-best.
2013
0.08
—
0.08
2014
0.00
0.00
0.00
2015
-0.04
—
-0.04
2016
0.06
-0.08
0.14
2017
0.06
-0.09
0.15
2018
0.02
0.01
0.01
2019
0.03
-0.01
0.04
2020
-0.11
-0.10
-0.01
2021
0.06
0.03
0.03
2022
0.10
-0.12
0.22
2023
0.06
-0.05
0.11
2024
0.10
0.00
0.10
2025
0.05
-0.04
0.09
All
0.04
-0.05
0.09
Given his resume, Johnson is a potential future Hall-of-Famer. Our Bryan DeArdo recently named him the most likely Eagle to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, for example. If Johnson can put together one last season at an extremely high level, as we should expect given his recent track record, it would only improve his chances.
The Eagles, meanwhile, were seemingly prepared for this to be Johnson’s last NFL season, having drafted a potential successor in the third round in former Miami Hurricanes tackle Markel Bell. The monster-sized Bell (6-foot-9, 345 pounds) would give Philadelphia one of the largest tackle duos in the NFL, though he obviously will have big shoes to fill in the event that Johnson decides to step away after the 2026 campaign.
Nat Sciver-Brunt made a stylish unbeaten 67 as Trent Rockets booked their spot in the knockout stage of The Hundred with an emphatic nine-wicket win over MI London.
Sciver-Brunt hit nine fours and one six in her knock off 36 balls, which helped the Rockets chase down 122 for victory at The Oval.
It was the England captain’s first 50 in this year’s tournament and her 11th in The Hundred overall.
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Sciver-Brunt shared a tournament record second-wicket stand of 118 with Australian Beth Mooney, who finished on 54 not out off 44 balls, as the Rockets breezed past the target with 18 balls to spare.
Victory for the Rockets puts them four points above second-placed Southern Brave, who face Manchester Super Giants later in the day.
The Rockets face Brave in their final group match in a game which could well decide who progresses directly to the final.
Earlier, Samantha Bates had taken 3-13 to help restrict MI to a modest 121-5.
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Bates had the dangerous Hayley Matthews lbw for 10 early on then the left-arm spinner claimed two wickets in two balls to leave MI struggling at 49-4.
Bates trapped top scorer Kira Chathli lbw for 31 before Nicola Carey was stumped next ball following a smart piece of glovework by Beth Mooney.
The 30-year-old Aussie thought she had a hat-trick when Alice Monaghan was given out lbw, only for the decision to be overturned on review with the ball sliding down leg.
Monaghan and Chinelle Henry led the fightback – both players finishing unbeaten on 27 off 21 balls – as they helped MI recover to post a respectable if not especially challenging total as Rockets cruised to victory with plenty to spare.
The Philippine men’s football team’s Jarvey Gayoso during the match vs Thailand in the 2026 Asean Hyundai Cup at New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine men’s football team officially missed out on a semifinals berth in the Asean Hyundai Cup after being handed a 1-0 defeat by Malaysia on Saturday at Kuala Lumpur Stadium.
Slim hopes of qualifying to the semis immediately vanished when G. Pavithran scored a header in the 16th minute that spelled the difference as Malaysia progressed into the last four of the prestigious Southeast Asian competition.
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Malaysia will join Group B winner Thailand, defending champion Vietnam and fellow Group A side Singapore in the semis that features all former winners of the competition.
Coach Carles Cuadrat’s side finished the campaign in fourth place with three points on one win and three defeats, missing out on a semis berth which the Philippines did in the last edition back in 2024.
Chances of replicating that feat began to dwindle when the Filipinos were handed a 4-1 defeat by Myanmar in the opener at New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
They bagged their only win of the Asean Championship against Laos, 4-1, where they made up for conceding an early opener in Vientiane.
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