Luke Littler admitted he had been annoyed after beginning the defence of his Betfred World Matchplay title with a 10-6 victory over Niko Springer.

World number one Littler roared out of the first-round blocks in Blackpool to take a 2-0 lead, but then lost three consecutive legs to trail at the first break.

“It felt good, felt very nice. First five legs was OK but when I came back on after the break I felt very good,” Littler told Sky Sports after recording a match average of 109.53.

“It was a bit annoying not being in the lead, but Niko played his part. I found another gear and finished it off.”

World champion Littler went into overdrive at the start of the second mini-session, producing 10 and 11-dart legs to stun his German opponent.

But Springer, ranked 43 in the world, then went out on 114 and 100 to level at 5-5.

There was no stopping Littler after that with three more 11-dart legs and an average of 124.39 in the final six legs.

Littler – who quipped ‘I’ll be the next England manager” after seeing a fan in the Winter Gardens crowd holding up a card asking him to do Thomas Tuchel’s job – said: “I couldn’t tell myself to play better because I was playing some really good stuff.

“But I had a little look at the board there and from leg 11 onwards I was on 120 average.

“It goes to show how well I am coming on stage after a break. If I can be better.

“I’ll be happier and as always sharpen up on those doubles. I want to win every major this year.”

Ninth seed Stephen Bunting survived three match darts to beat Niels Zonneveld 13-12 in an overtime thriller.

Bunting instantly broke the Dutch left-hander’s throw and a 121 finish in the second leg suggested it might be an easy night for the Liverpudlian.

Matchplay debutant Zonneveld missed four darts at double 11 to break back and ‘The Bullet’ broke again, taking out the bull for an 8-5 lead.

However, that was the signal for a Zonneveld surge: two 10-dart legs and a 164 finish squaring the contest in remarkable fashion.

Zonneveld won a fourth straight leg to lead for the first time, but missed three match darts for an 11-9 victory and Bunting ensured extra time with a 118 checkout.

Four shared legs meant a sudden death decider and Zonneveld stumbled to allow Bunting to nail a match-winning double 16 at the fourth attempt.

Bunting will meet Josh Rock in round two after the Northern Irishman breezed past Luke Woodhouse 10-4.

Rock, a semi-finalist in Blackpool 12 months ago, was always in command as Woodhouse missed 20 darts at doubles.

Minnesota Vikings training camp is about a week away, when rookies report to Eagan, and the big summer party officially gets underway. In the backdrop, as always, we tracked the team’s main rumors, a saga that never ends because of constant speculation about the purple team.

This week involves adding a new cornerback, the 1st-Round rookie’s forecast, and the skipper.

A Busy Rumor Week Hits Every Part of the Roster

Rumor: The Vikings should investigate a trade for Kansas City Chiefs CB Kristian Fulton.

Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton came up with the theory, writing this week, “Minnesota Vikings: Trade a late 2027 pick for Kansas City Chiefs CB Kristian Fulton. Aside from Byron Murphy Jr., the Vikings’ cornerback group is highly questionable with Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre in line for big roles.”

“Rodgers had a decent 2025 campaign, allowing an 88.2 passer rating in coverage. Pierre only has 13 career starts. Minnesota should add veteran insurance to cover the boundary when Murphy lines up in the slot.”

Fulton entered the NFL as a 2nd-round pick in 2020, following Justin Jefferson. He caught the Vikings’ attention during the mock draft stage. But Minnesota ultimately selected Jeff Gladney in the 1st Round instead.

“Fulton could be serviceable in that role. Last year, he only appeared in eight games but allowed a solid 81.7 passer rating in coverage,” Moton continued.

“The 27-year-old may be behind L’Jarius Sneed and Nohl Williams on the Chiefs’ depth chart. With 53 career starts, Fulton could take on a prominent role on the perimeter in nickel packages or provide quality depth.”

The Vikings are probably all set at cornerback: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, James Pierre, and rookie Charles Demmings. But if the franchise prefers extreme depth — all the way down to CB5 — sending a late-rounder to Kansas City for Fulton isn’t the worst idea ever.

Rumor: Caleb Banks will be a bust in 2026.

The same guy from BR dropped the bust label this week and opined, “According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Caleb Banks broke his foot at the NFL Scouting Combine and was expected to be out until June.”

“ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that teams received a letter with confirmation of that recovery timeline. The Minnesota Vikings selected Banks with the No. 18 overall pick in the draft, and he’s yet to participate in practice.”

It’s worth noting that Moton found a bust for every NFL team, so it’s not like Banks was specifically singled out.

Moton continued, “Head coach Kevin O’Connell expects the 6’6″, 327-pound defensive tackle to be ready for training camp (h/t ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). Even if Banks is on the practice field in a couple of weeks, the Vikings probably won’t ramp him up to full speed right away.”

“After missing spring practices, the rookie first-rounder may see limited reps, which may delay his start to the season and push for a prominent role on the defensive line.”

Banks absolutely cannot be a bust; the Vikings have a horrid draft record over the last four years and cannot afford another miss.

Rumor: Kevin O’Connell is a surprise hot-seat candidate this season.

On a list that included Detroit Lions boss Dan Campbell, SB Nation‘s Bill Williamson noted, “O’Connell’s situation is similar to Campbell’s. He is considered an excellent coach and he won the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2024, but if he fails to lead the Vikings to the playoffs for a second straight year, there could be consequences, especially if the quarterback situation is a mess again.”

“He was hired partly because of his prowess as a quarterback whisperer. If progress isn’t made, he could be in trouble. Remember, new Minnesota general manager Nolan Teasley doesn’t have ties to O’Connell, so he must prove himself in 2026.”

David Canales Carolina Panthers), DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans), and Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) also made the cut for fringe hot-seat contenders.

There’s a clear solution for O’Connell: to achieve success in a playoff game. This would be a significant advancement for O’Connell, who has made the playoffs twice — first in his debut season and then in 2024. It is now time to progress further. Winning a single playoff game could greatly affect perceptions of O’Connell’s future, signaling growth and progress. For example, Mike Zimmer’s prolonged stay as the Vikings’ head coach, which lasted two more seasons after 2019, came after the team won a playoff game.

That’s the crucial next step for O’Connell.

While the 40-year-old may not face immediate pressure as he begins 2026, a failure to secure a playoff spot or a notable loss in the Wildcard Round could lead to discussions about his job security, as Williamson points out.

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Trainer Gavin Bedggood is eyeing a Stakes win in Adelaide for his promising filly Burning Heartz, with ambitions for an Oaks campaign down the track.

Having broken her maiden status at Sandown on July 1, Burning Heartz is now set to compete in the Group 3 South Australian Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400 metres at Morphettville Parks this Saturday.

Bedggood considered spelling Burning Heartz after her initial victory but decided against it, believing a Stakes win would be a valuable addition to her burgeoning race record.

The decision was also influenced by the track conditions, with the Adelaide track reported as heavy on Friday, similar to the surface on which the filly had previously won.

“I had the option of tipping her out and putting her away for the spring, but’s shown us that she’s very adept on wet ground,” Bedggood commented.

“There was this Stakes race, so it’s a chance to have a two-year-old that’s a city winner with the chance to add some Black Type to her name.”

“It is almost mission accomplished if she could do that.”

“She’s got good ability. Wet ground is zero issue, and she’s drawn a good barrier, so I think she will be very competitive over there.”

Bedggood indicated that Burning Heartz would eventually require a spell, which might make a start in the VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington in November unlikely.

However, he noted that there are several Oaks races in the autumn that might offer more suitable conditions.

“We’ll reassess what happens after Saturday’s race, but she will need a break at some point,” Bedggood said.

“How long that is, I’m not too sure.”

“You would like to think she could be an Oaks filly, but that may be in the autumn when the tracks are a bit softer too.”

Consider checking out Australian betting sites for the latest racing odds on the South Australian Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Official lineups for France-England

England: Maignan – Gusto, Konaté, Lacroix, T. Hernandez – Zaïre-Emery, Rabiot – Olise, Cherki, Doué – Mbappé (c).

Angleterre: Henderson – Quansah, Konsa, Guéhi, Spence – Rice (c), Eze – Saka, Rogers, Rashford – Toney.

This match marks the conclusion of Didier Deschamps‘ record-breaking tenure as France manager. France‘s coach will oversee his 185th and final match leading Les Bleus, hoping to bow out with a victory. Deschamps has steered France through a golden era, but his time ends on a bittersweet note after their semi-final defeat to Spain.

Kylian Mbappé carries additional motivation into this match, sitting level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the pursuit of the Golden Boot. The French superstar also has his eye on World Cup history: with 20 tournament goals, he sits just one behind Messi’s all-time record of 21.

Thomas Tuchel’s England side arrive in Miami nursing deep wounds after their dramatic semi-final loss to Argentina. The Three Lions were within touching distance of their first World Cup final in 60 years before Messi’s Argentina delivered a devastating 2-1 comeback blow. England’s anguish is palpable, and their enthusiasm for this third-place match remains minimal…

It’s a big weekend for IndyCar with the series’ race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday getting a big lead-in from the FIFA World Cup final, but it got off to a scary start thanks to a big crash for Team Penske’s David Malukas that has ruled him out of Saturday’s qualifying session.

Malukas, who is in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet, lost the rear of his car mid-corner and went left rear first into the SAFER barrier during practice on Saturday morning.

It was a heavy impact that destroyed the rear of Malukas’ car.

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That was obviously the end of Malukas’ practice session, and he was reported to be “awake, alert, and in good spirits.”

Team Penske’s David Malukas suffered a big crash in practice at Nashville Superspeedway that heavily damaged his No. 12 Chevrolet and sent him to the hospital. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)

But a little bit later, it was revealed that Malukas had been taken to a local hospital for further testing and evaluation.

IndyCar vet Conor Daly has since been tapped to take over Malukas’ car for qualifying. However, his status for Saturday evening’s practice and Sunday’s race, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, remains unclear.

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Interestingly, Malukas was already set to serve a nine-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.

David Malukas will miss qualifying, with Conor Daly taking his place. The team said that if the car is ready, Daly will use the session to perform a shakedown run. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)

Now, with the car needing major repairs after the crash, if it’s ready for qualifying, Daly’s job will be to perform a shakedown run to ensure it’s ready to go for the rest of the weekend regardless of who is in it.

Even after qualifying had gotten underway, the team was still working to put the car together, with the added consideration that if Daly drives in qualifying, he will have to drive the rest of the weekend, even if Malukas is healthy enough to return.

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Malukas is currently sitting in fourth place in the championship standings, 66 points behind leader Alex Palou, and has performed well in his first season with one of the series’ premier teams.

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While he’s still chasing his first win, the 24-year-old from Chicago has one pole, five top fives, and 9 top tens on the year, including a second-place finish in this year’s Indianapolis 500.

This week, Malukas was one of three drivers — along with Palou and Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist — who visited the White House ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, DC.

Canadian rapper Drake has placed his bet on who will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy between Argentina and Spain on Sunday, July 19. The musician backed the defending champions to make it back-to-back triumphs on the grandest stage in football.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has finally reached the stage everyone has been looking forward to since the start of the summer. Argentina and Spain are scheduled to go head-to-head for the coveted prize at the New York New Jersey Stadium after seeing off England and France, respectively, in the semifinals.

Ahead of the encounter, Drake has chosen to make his prediction by placing a bet on the fixture. The musician has placed a massive $1.5 million on the South American giants to come out victorious from the encounter.

The bet, which was placed on Stake, has 3.45 odds and will be settled within 90 minutes. Hence, to win the bet, Argentina must win the game within regular play time, excluding extra time and the penalty shootout.

Should the defending champions secure the victory, Drake would pocket a whopping $5,175,000, leaving him with a profit of $3,675,000. The rapper shared the screenshot of the bet slip on his Instagram page. However, there have been a couple of hilarious reactions in the comments.

A user named charrlatteeee wrote: “Thank God, Argentina might actually lose because of this.” Another user, antoniomvrcos wrote: “Thank you for cursing them” while 630massage simply wrote “Congratulations, Spain”.

While some people align with his bet, most fans feel it indicates that Argentina would lose the match. Drake has had ill luck in betting in recent years, with most of his picks failing to play out, and many believe that the defending champions will also be affected.

He backed Argentina to beat France in regular time in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. The Albiceleste claimed the trophy, but the musician lost the bet because the match ended 2-2 in normal time and was dragged into extra time, eventually going to a shootout.

All eyes on Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup final

Argentina and Spain are gearing up for a massive clash that will determine who goes home with the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy. As expected, the spotlight has shone on Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, the superstars of their respective teams who have much in common.

Messi has been the best player in the competition so far. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner currently tops the goalscoring chart with an impressive eight goals to his name in seven matches. He’s also bagged four assists and picked up five Man Of The Match awards.

Yamal, on the other hand, has also been a shining light in the tournament. The 19-year-old has a goal to his name and three Man Of The Match awards. With both superstars carrying their nations on their shoulders, it’d be interesting to see who will end up claiming the crown on Sunday.