JAMES McATEE paid tribute to George Baldock after firing a late double to seal an epic comeback over Ukraine.

McAtee lifted his shirt up twice to reveal the name of his old Sheffield United teammate, who was found dead in a swimming pool on Wednesday.

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The Manchester City starlet played alongside the former Greece defender in loan spells at Bramall Lane over the past two seasons.

And after both his fine finishes for the Young Lions, McAtee peeled his shirt up to show a white top with the words “GB 2 REST EASY BROTHER X”.

Ahead of kick-off the 21-year-old had posted: “I love you to bits brother, thank you for looking after me and also thank you for the memories that we shared together.

“Thoughts go out to your amazing family. Special player, special teammate, special person.”

On the pitch it looked like the Young Lions would endure the same fate as the senior side the previous night as Dynamo Kyiv defender Taras Mykhavko put Ukraine ahead on 70 minutes at a sold-out Vitality Stadium.

But McAtee, who has made just one Premier League appearance for City this season, saved the day with a ferocious strike into the top corner on 88 minutes.

He then wrapped things up by firing in a fierce, low drive for the winner two minutes later to give Pep Guardiola some food for thought following his first-ever City goal against Slovan Bratislava a week ago.

The defending champions are now two points behind Group F leaders Ukraine with one match to play against Azerbaijan next Tuesday, while the table-toppers will take on Serbia.

England were in the driving seat for most of the game with Ipswich’s Omari Hutchinson being teed up by Aston Villa’s Jaden Philogene, but blazing over the bar.

The best chance of the first-half came 23 minutes in when McAtee stung the hands of an onrushing Ruslan Neshcheret with a rasping, close-range shot.

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After the break, the Young Lions had a fire lit in their bellies with Neshcheret tipping a rocket strike from Liam Delap over the bar before McAtee fired one agonisingly wide moments later.

England were wasteful in front of goal though and scuppered another peach of a chance as Philogene broke free in front of goal but fired straight at Neshcheret.

The hosts shirked their defensive duties and Kostiantyn Vivcharenko nearly poked one home before Jack Hinshelwood cleared the danger.

England should have seen the warning signs as Mykhavko headed home after an inch-perfect corner from Oleh Ocheretko with half-an-hour to go.

The hosts were handed a golden chance to get back in it when Maksym clattered into McAtee on the edge of the box before the winger equalised and hit the winner.

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Jorge Masvidal is looking to make his UFC comeback in the first quarter of 2025.

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) retired from MMA at UFC 287 in April 2023 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss to Gilbert Burns. He was granted permission while under contract with the UFC to box Nate Diaz in July, but lost the bout by majority decision.

It didn’t take long for “Gamebred” to get the itch to compete in MMA again, and hopes to return early next year.

“Next year in March, I’m there,” Masvidal said on Bo Nickal’s YouTube channel. “If they go to Miami, I’m going to f*ck somebody up in Miami.”

Despite Masvidal’s enthusiasm, UFC CEO Dana White said “probably not” when recently asked about the possibility of having both Tyron Woodley and Masvidal back to the UFC.

Masvidal, 39, capitalized on his time off since retiring from MMA to rest his body. He may have been prepping for a boxing match, but he wasn’t putting his body through strenuous sparring sessions, as well as grappling and jiu-jitsu.

“There’s nothing more f*cking demanding in this world, sport-wise, than MMA,” Masvidal said. “Because when you add in the wrestling, mixed with the f*cking knees to your nose, mixed with people trying to choke you out, and then the strength and conditioning we’ve got to do to keep it up, to be able to stay healthy. In a way, time away from MMA is like getting healthy (laughs).”

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, says he is “shocked” and “overwhelmed” by the news that Rafael Nadal will retire at the end of the season.

Reflecting on the exit of three of the ‘Big Four’, Djokovic said “a part of me left with them” as Nadal follows Andy Murray and Roger Federer in choosing to retire from the sport.

READ MORE: Djokovic & Federer lead tributes to retiring Nadal

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Bo Nickal reiterates he is in no rush to climb to the top.

Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) faces his most notable name to date when he takes on Paul Craig (17-8-1 MMA, 9-8-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout at UFC 309 Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden.

Although Nickal is a highly touted prospect, he isn’t looking to be fast tracked. He has an idea of how his path to the UFC title will look like.

“This is a good step up with Paul Craig,” Nickal said on his YouTube channel. “So, take care of business and then I want to (fight) two more guys that are unranked. Then fight a ranked guy.

“So at that point, I’ll be 7-0, 8-0, 9-0, fight a ranked guy, 10-0. 11-0, probably fight a top-five guy, and then fight for the belt around 12-0. That’s what I’m planning on right now. We’ll see, but definitely zoom focused on this next fight.”

If he can get through Craig, Nickal hopes to draw bigger names moving forward.

“I’m just going to smash this guy, and then I want to get exciting fights now,” Nickal said. “I feel like I’ve fought enough guys that have kind of not really been very dangerous to me. I haven’t even been hit really in a real fight yet.

“So I want to start fighting better guys for sure. Once I get a ranked fight, I think I’m only going to have to fight two or three before the belt. At that point, it’s like straight to it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

After securing the title with a thumping win over their nearest rivals on the pitch, Cliftonville lifted the trophy at the home of their neighbours.

Crusaders gave a guard of honour as Kelsie Burrows led Cliftonville out at Seaview, and, despite the celebrations that followed the win over Glentoran, they did not look like a team with a hangover on the pitch.

They dominated the majority of possession in the early stages, and Marissa Callaghan clipped the top of the crossbar with a long-range effort.

The Northern Ireland midfielder then hammered the crossbar with a header from Toni-Leigh Finnegan’s cross.

The pressure continued to build as Fi Morgan, Caitlin McGuinness and Carla Devine all saw chances slip away.

Callaghan was denied the opener by the offside flag as she chipped the ball into the bottom corner, and Devine fired over late in the half as the teams went in level.

After Callaghan poked an effort wide after the restart, the deserved winner came in the 52nd minute when Maxwell’s cross drifted into the bottom corner to give the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.

Finnegan fired over as the Reds looked for a second, and substitute Kirsty McGuinness saw an effort parried away by Harvey-Clifford.

The Crues had a huge chance to level the game with 20 minutes to play when Rebecca Mann raced through on goal but the substitute hooked her effort wide.

McGuinness forced Harvey-Clifford into a superb diving save, and further chances fell to Caitlin McGuinness, who hit over from Katie Markey’s cross, and Maxwell, who fired narrowly wide.

The game fizzled out in the closing stages, with the Reds perhaps having one eye on Saturday’s cup final but when the final whistle blew, the Cliftonville bench ran onto the pitch to celebrate with their team-mates.

BRITISH middle distance Robbie Fitzgibbon has died at the age of 28.

His tragic death was announced by his club, Brighton Phoenix, on Friday evening.

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The team confirmed he had died on October 7 as they paid tribute.

A statement from chairman Mike Townley and vice chair Josh Guilmant said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our most cherished athletes, Robbie Fitzgibbon.

“A friend to many, and a source of motivation for all who had the privilege of knowing him, Robbie was the epitome of a runner’s runner, embodying everything we value at Phoenix.

“Though Robbie will no longer run alongside us, share his stories, or lift our spirits with his humour and kindness, his presence will continue to be felt in everything we do as a club.

“His contribution to Phoenix is enduring, living on through the countless memories we have shared.”

Fitzgibbon had been a standout talent at junior level, winning the English schools 1500m title in 2014 and finishing fifth in the 1500m final at the European Athletics U20 Championships.

He finished 13th in the 1500m in the London Anniversary Games in 2017.

Fitzgibbon had originally joined Phoenix at the age of 12, and continued to represent Great Britain at international level, including several Diamond League events.

“In recent years, Robbie took a step back from the intense nature of track running moving from middle-distance to becoming a key member of our distance group, finding enjoyment again not just in racing cross country and road but being part of the team and wider Phoenix community.

“He would always be the first to put his hand up for another race.

“This summer, he was part of the South Downs Way Relay team, setting a leg record along the way, medalling in the County Cross Country Champs at Goodwood where he started his club running career and running Christmas day parkrun at Preston Park on a monumental hangover.

“Robbie gave so much to the club, and we know the club meant just as much to him.

“It is difficult to find the right words in moments like these.

“Robbie was not just an athlete to us; he was a friend, a team-mate, and an irreplaceable part of our Phoenix family.”

More to follow.

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