Check out these photos from Johnny Eblen’s Bellator middleweight title defense over Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)
Sport
Angharad James: Midfielder handed Wales captain’s role
Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson says she feels James leads by example.
“Angharad has been a consistent performer for this team for so many years, which is summed up by the number of appearances she’s made,” she said.
“Her passion and commitment to her country is evident and while she’s not necessarily the most vocal leader, she’s always demanding and offering advice to her team-mates when she steps out on the field.
“I love the way she embraces the younger players in the squad with her leadership too, which is important for the future of the team and the direction we’re heading.
“Angharad understands the responsibility that comes with being a captain, both on and off the pitch, and I know this is a proud moment for her and her family.
“I have no doubt she will lead the team as impressively as Sophie Ingle and the former captains of our nation.”
James lands the role as Wales prepare to face Slovakia in the first round of play-offs for the Euro 2025 finals in Switzerland, with the first leg on Friday, 25 October, before the return game at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 29 October.
Wales could face the Republic of Ireland, who take on Georgia, in the final of the play-offs if both nations progress.
Sport
Club World Cup: Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami named as MLS participant in 32-team tournament
Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez could come up against Chelsea and Manchester City, who have already qualified for the tournament.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica are other representatives from Europe.
The 32nd spot in the tournament will be awarded to the winner of the 2024 Copa Libertadores.
Matches will be played across eight venues in the US – including at Inter Miami’s Hard Rock stadium – with the final to take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Fifa’s decision to expand the competition has drawn criticism from clubs and players, particularly after Uefa expanded the Champions League and Europa League group stages to include two further matches.
Global players’ union Fifpro and the European Leagues body, which represents 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs in 33 countries, filed a joint complaint to the European Commission in July to protest Fifa’s “abuse of dominance” in the game.
The last edition of the tournament in 2023 was contested between seven teams from six confederations, with Manchester City winning the trophy.
The full Club World Cup draw will be made in December.
MMA
Photos: Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants
Share this article
Sport
Aaron Connolly had ‘specific goal to be ready’ for return to Hull as Sunderland boss provides update after rehab hell
REGIS LE BRIS says Aaron Connolly is desperate to face some of the demons of his past and make his debut against former club Hull City.
Sunderland head to the Tigers knowing a victory would ensure they end the day top of the Championship.
Irish forward Connolly, 24, revealed last week that he underwent treatment for alcohol addiction after he was released by Hull this summer.
The brave ace, who famously burst on the Premier League scene aged 19 with Brighton thanks to a brace against Tottenham, opened up about how drinking had impacted his life and career to coincide with World Mental Health Day.
Following his spell in rehab, Connolly was handed a chance to resurrect his career by Sunderland.
And after scoring a couple of goals for the Under-21s in midweek, Le Bris says he is desperate to be unleashed against the side he got eight goals for last term despite claiming that his “life was a mess” while he was on Humberside.
The French coach said: “I think that it was a specific goal for him to be ready for this game.
“We haven’t rushed the project, it was perfect, and I don’t know if we will use him but he is available.”
He continued: “We knew before we knew we needed three or four weeks to assess his physical level.
“He was really fit at the beginning which was good news for us.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
“He needed to get to know his teammates and the team. We had two opportunities to play with the U21s and he did very well, he scored which is good for a striker.
“He needed time to connect with a structure, team and team-mates and now he’s ready.”
On the bravery of Connolly sharing his issues with the world, Le Bris said: “It is very interesting to share these ideas instead of hiding and pretending that it doesn’t exist.
“The first thing is to recognise your mistakes and then the next is to avoid any repetition.
“So it’s not a problem for us to talk about any problems a player has had in their career, whether it is a small detail on the pitch or a bigger one off it.
“I’m OK with that and it is a problem for the players in the dressing-room.”
And Le Bris says that he has not had to put a shoulder around the forward since he bared his soul.
But he did stress that everyone at the club would be there for him if he needed them.
Le Bris added: “I don’t exactly know Aaron’s personality, it’s been three weeks now, but I think that he doesn’t need specific attention.
“He knows what is important for him and that it is important to succeed now and he’s very connected to that project.
“We’ll take care of him and I’m not sure he needs attention at the moment.”
He will be vying with Wilson Isidor to start up front but Eliezer Mayenda is not expected to be available after injury until next weekend.
Dan Ballard is also likely to be back to face Oxford but summer signing Salis Abdul Samed – who is yet to play for the Black Cats – remains several weeks away from being available.
Who are these famous footballers?
Motorsports
Van der Linde snatches points lead with Saturday win
Abt Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde moved into the lead of the championship with victory in the penultimate DTM race of 2024 at Hockenheim, as Mirko Bortolotti could only salvage fifth place.
Starting from pole position, van der Linde was able to outduel Winward Mercedes driver Lucas Auer to claim his third victory of the season and overturn a 12-point deficit to Bortolotti into a two-point advantage ahead of the title decider on Sunday.
Ayanchan Guven completed the podium spots for Manthey EMA Porsche, while Auer’s team-mate Maro Engel kept his slim championship hopes alive by finishing fourth ahead of SSR Lamborghini rival Bortolotti.
At the start of the race, van der Linde pulled away cleanly from pole position, with Auer consolidating second place after securing his first front-row start in the DTM since 2022.
Bortolotti and Engel had qualified out of position in seventh and ninth respectively, but both were able to climb up the order on the opening lap, rising up to fourth and fifth behind Guven.
When the pit window opened at the 20-minute mark, Engel immediately pulled into the pitlane, with Winward sending him back out after servicing his car in just six seconds.
Bortolotti followed him on the next lap, but a sluggish 8.2s stop – down to a slow front-left tyre change – left him vulnerable to his Mercedes rival.
Mirko Bortolotti, SSR Performance Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Although the Italian managed to rejoin the track in front despite being delayed, Engel already had his tyres up to temperature and muscled his way past at Turn 8, taking fourth position away from him.
At the end of the same lap, van der Linde finally peeled into the pits from the lead of the race, with Auer – who had been on his tail in the first stint – covering him next time out.
Winward’s decision to delay Auer’s pitstop initially appeared to pay off as he rejoined the track at the front, but a lap later the Abt driver was able to pass him into Turn 2 to reinstate the status quo.
The Austrian kept the pressure up on van der Linde for the remainder of the race, with the two drivers even making contact at the hairpin on lap 30.
Ultimately, van der Linde was able to do enough to fend off his Mercedes rival, taking the chequered flag by 0.508s to put himself in the best position to win the 2024 DTM title in Sunday’s finale.
Guven had a lonely race en route to third in the lead Porsche, while Engel held off Bortolotti to put himself 20 points behind van der Linde in the championship standings.
Jules Gounon, substituting for Luca Stolz at HRT Mercedes, rapidly closed in on Bortolotti in the closing stages of the races, but ultimately had to settle for sixth place on his DTM debut.
The top Schubert BMW driver on Saturday was Rene Rast in seventh, ahead of HRT driver Arjun Maini and team-mate Marco Wittmann. Nicki Thiim completed the top 10 for SSR Performance.
Emil Frey Ferrari’s Jack Aitken was the only retirement from the race, as 19 of 20 drivers made it to the finish.
Sport
Southampton boss Russell Martin faces test of principles
There was venom in the reaction from Southampton’s stunned fans when Anthony Taylor’s final whistle sounded. It was the sharpest of contrasts from the reception at half-time.
The statistics illustrate Martin’s reliance on passing, as they rank fourth in the Premier League with an average of 528 passes per game and sixth measured in possession, 55.6%.
Martin must now reflect on the more telling statistic that Southampton are bottom of the Premier League with one point from eight games, conceding 18 goals, second only to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A journey through Martin’s managerial career does not offer any suggestion he will change his modus operandi, even though there must be increasing concerns around Southampton that such a poor start will be a main ingredient in a recipe for relegation.
From the start of his time at MK Dons from November 2019 his team were top of the table for both passing and possession in League One, averaging 469 passes per game and 58.5% possession until the end of that season, then heading that measure again the following season with 544 passes per game and 64% possession.
MK Dons finished 19th in 2019-20 then 13th in 2020-21, his approach earning him a move to Swansea City, where he succeeded Steve Cooper, Leicester City’s manager here, before the start of the following season.
The trend continued in south Wales, Swansea finishing top of the Championship passing standings with 598 per game and also the possession statistics with 63.9% as they finished 15th. The following season they were top of passing with 594 per game and second in possession on 64% as they finished 10th.
It was next stop Southampton for Martin, his style reflected once more as they played more passes per game than any other team, 667, enjoying 66.1% possession, the highest in the division as they came up via the play-offs.
MMA
Battle of the Giants photos
Share this article
Check out these photos Francis Ngannou’s superfight title victory over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Hyperelastic gel is one of the stretchiest materials known to science
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Is sharing your smartphone PIN part of a healthy relationship?
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
‘Running of the bulls’ festival crowds move like charged particles
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Maxwell’s demon charges quantum batteries inside of a quantum computer
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
How to unsnarl a tangle of threads, according to physics
-
Technology1 month ago
Would-be reality TV contestants ‘not looking real’
-
Science & Environment4 weeks ago
X-rays reveal half-billion-year-old insect ancestor
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Liquid crystals could improve quantum communication devices
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Sunlight-trapping device can generate temperatures over 1000°C
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Quantum ‘supersolid’ matter stirred using magnets
-
Womens Workouts4 weeks ago
3 Day Full Body Women’s Dumbbell Only Workout
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Why this is a golden age for life to thrive across the universe
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Quantum forces used to automatically assemble tiny device
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Laser helps turn an electron into a coil of mass and charge
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
How to wrap your mind around the real multiverse
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Nerve fibres in the brain could generate quantum entanglement
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
ITER: Is the world’s biggest fusion experiment dead after new delay to 2035?
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A slight curve helps rocks make the biggest splash
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A new kind of experiment at the Large Hadron Collider could unravel quantum reality
-
News1 month ago
the pick of new debut fiction
-
News1 month ago
▶️ Hamas in the West Bank: Rising Support and Deadly Attacks You Might Not Know About
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Time travel sci-fi novel is a rip-roaringly good thought experiment
-
News4 weeks ago
Our millionaire neighbour blocks us from using public footpath & screams at us in street.. it’s like living in a WARZONE – WordupNews
-
News1 month ago
▶️ Media Bias: How They Spin Attack on Hezbollah and Ignore the Reality
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Nuclear fusion experiment overcomes two key operating hurdles
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Why Machines Learn: A clever primer makes sense of what makes AI possible
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Ukraine is using AI to manage the removal of Russian landmines
-
Business2 weeks ago
DoJ accuses Donald Trump of ‘private criminal effort’ to overturn 2020 election
-
TV2 weeks ago
সারাদেশে দিনব্যাপী বৃষ্টির পূর্বাভাস; সমুদ্রবন্দরে ৩ নম্বর সংকেত | Weather Today | Jamuna TV
-
Business2 weeks ago
When to tip and when not to tip
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Microphone made of atom-thick graphene could be used in smartphones
-
Technology2 weeks ago
This AI video generator can melt, crush, blow up, or turn anything into cake
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Wales fall to second loss of WXV against Italy
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Physicists have worked out how to melt any material
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Physicists are grappling with their own reproducibility crisis
-
News2 weeks ago
Massive blasts in Beirut after renewed Israeli air strikes
-
TV2 weeks ago
Love Island star sparks feud rumours as one Islander is missing from glam girls’ night
-
Sport3 weeks ago
World’s sexiest referee Claudia Romani shows off incredible figure in animal print bikini on South Beach
-
MMA2 weeks ago
Julianna Peña trashes Raquel Pennington’s behavior as champ
-
News2 weeks ago
Navigating the News Void: Opportunities for Revitalization
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Coco Gauff stages superb comeback to reach China Open final
-
Business3 weeks ago
Eurosceptic Andrej Babiš eyes return to power in Czech Republic
-
News1 month ago
You’re a Hypocrite, And So Am I
-
News2 weeks ago
▶ Hamas Spent $1B on Tunnels Instead of Investing in a Future for Gaza’s People
-
News2 weeks ago
Heavy strikes shake Beirut as Israel expands Lebanon campaign
-
News2 weeks ago
Heartbreaking end to search as body of influencer, 27, found after yacht party shipwreck on ‘Devil’s Throat’ coastline
-
Sport3 weeks ago
Sturm Graz: How Austrians ended Red Bull’s title dominance
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Samsung Passkeys will work with Samsung’s smart home devices
-
News2 weeks ago
Hull KR 10-8 Warrington Wolves – Robins reach first Super League Grand Final
-
Football2 weeks ago
Rangers & Celtic ready for first SWPL derby showdown
-
Sport1 month ago
Joshua vs Dubois: Chris Eubank Jr says ‘AJ’ could beat Tyson Fury and any other heavyweight in the world
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Rethinking space and time could let us do away with dark matter
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Caroline Ellison aims to duck prison sentence for role in FTX collapse
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A tale of two mysteries: ghostly neutrinos and the proton decay puzzle
-
Health & fitness1 month ago
The secret to a six pack – and how to keep your washboard abs in 2022
-
News1 month ago
New investigation ordered into ‘doorstep murder’ of Alistair Wilson
-
News4 weeks ago
The Project Censored Newsletter – May 2024
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Quantum computers may work better when they ignore causality
-
Sport3 weeks ago
Watch UFC star deliver ‘one of the most brutal knockouts ever’ that left opponent laid spark out on the canvas
-
Technology3 weeks ago
University examiners fail to spot ChatGPT answers in real-world test
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Dana White’s Contender Series 74 recap, analysis, winner grades
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Texas is suing TikTok for allegedly violating its new child privacy law
-
Money2 weeks ago
Why thousands of pensioners WON’T see State Pension rise by full £460 next year
-
Business3 weeks ago
Bank of England warns of ‘future stress’ from hedge fund bets against US Treasuries
-
Business3 weeks ago
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she needs to raise £20bn. How might she do it?
-
TV2 weeks ago
Phillip Schofield accidentally sets his camp on FIRE after using emergency radio to Channel 5 crew
-
MMA2 weeks ago
Pereira vs. Rountree preview show live stream
-
Technology2 weeks ago
A very underrated horror movie sequel is streaming on Max
-
News2 weeks ago
Balancing India and China Is the Challenge for Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake
-
Football1 month ago
Mike Williamson: Carlisle United appoint MK Dons boss as head coach
-
Servers computers4 weeks ago
What are the benefits of Blade servers compared to rack servers?
-
Business3 weeks ago
Should London’s tax exiles head for Spain, Italy . . . or Wales?
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Conor McGregor challenges ‘woeful’ Belal Muhammad, tells Ilia Topuria it’s ‘on sight’
-
Politics4 weeks ago
UK consumer confidence falls sharply amid fears of ‘painful’ budget | Economics
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Meta has a major opportunity to win the AI hardware race
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Robo-tuna reveals how foldable fins help the speedy fish manoeuvre
-
Technology3 weeks ago
‘From a toaster to a server’: UK startup promises 5x ‘speed up without changing a line of code’ as it plans to take on Nvidia, AMD in the generative AI battlefield
-
Football3 weeks ago
Football Focus: Martin Keown on Liverpool’s Alisson Becker
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney renews blast at ‘gatekeeper’ platform owners
-
Business2 weeks ago
LVMH strikes sponsorship deal with Formula 1
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Amazon’s Ring just doubled the price of its alarm monitoring service for grandfathered customers
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Musk faces SEC questions over X takeover
-
MMA2 weeks ago
Pereira vs. Rountree prediction: Champ chases legend status
-
TV2 weeks ago
Maayavi (මායාවී) | Episode 23 | 02nd October 2024 | Sirasa TV
-
Politics2 weeks ago
Hochul’s careful conversations
-
Politics3 weeks ago
Robert Jenrick vows to cut aid to countries that do not take back refused asylum seekers | Robert Jenrick
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Man City ask for Premier League season to be DELAYED as Pep Guardiola escalates fixture pile-up row
-
Football3 weeks ago
Simo Valakari: New St Johnstone boss says Scotland special in his heart
-
Business2 weeks ago
CEOs turn to podcasts to control their message
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24+
-
News2 weeks ago
Reach CEO Jim Mullen: If government advertises with us, we’ll employ more reporters
-
Money2 weeks ago
Wetherspoons issues update on closures – see the full list of five still at risk and 26 gone for good
-
Politics2 weeks ago
Rosie Duffield’s savage departure raises difficult questions for Keir Starmer. He’d be foolish to ignore them | Gaby Hinsliff
-
News2 weeks ago
Family plans to honor hurricane victim using logs from fallen tree that killed him
-
Technology2 weeks ago
The best shows on Max (formerly HBO Max) right now
-
News1 month ago
Israel strikes Lebanese targets as Hizbollah chief warns of ‘red lines’ crossed
-
Technology1 month ago
The ‘superfood’ taking over fields in northern India
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Future of fusion: How the UK’s JET reactor paved the way for ITER
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Artificial flavours released by cooking aim to improve lab-grown meat
-
Sport1 month ago
UFC Edmonton fight card revealed, including Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi headliner
You must be logged in to post a comment Login