Virgil van Dijk has acknowledged that establishing an understanding with new defensive arrivals Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo will take time following a major overhaul of Liverpool’s central defence this summer.

The restructuring was prompted by Ibrahima Konate’s departure over the summer after an inconsistent season alongside Van Dijk in a disappointing title defence, coupled with persistent fitness issues for Joe Gomez and Giovani Leoni which forced the club to strengthen.

A £60 million move for Jacquet was completed late in the winter transfer window, though a season-ending injury delayed his debut until Sunday’s 2-0 friendly win over Como.

The 21-year-old put in a strong 45-minute display and scored the second goal before making way for Araujo. The former Barcelona captain, who arrived a week ago on loan with an option to buy, also impressed on his debut.

Jacquet is expected to start at Newcastle this weekend, with Van Dijk acknowledging that match conditions are essential for building a genuine partnership.

“I won’t say it’s the only way, but games are totally different than training,” said the Netherlands captain. “Jeremy’s English is, I would say, a bit better than Ronald’s, but at the end of the day we are all pretty good footballers, we can see and smell some moments on how to defend certain situations.

“But it’s pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and that takes a bit of time. That’s absolutely normal, but hopefully we can get that going as quickly as possible.”

The upcoming fixture at St James’ Park will mark the first test for new head coach Andoni Iraola as he seeks to reinstate the high-tempo style associated with Jurgen Klopp following Arne Slot’s two-year spell.

Earlier in pre-season, Iraola made the surprising admission that his players were unable to run for more than 30 minutes.

Deploying Dominik Szoboszlai in a deeper midfield role alongside Ryan Gravenberch to allow Florian Wirtz to play as a number 10 has helped the process, but Liverpool still appear light in midfield and attack. They will be without Mohamed Salah for the first time in nine years and Hugo Ekitike, who is recovering from Achilles tendon surgery.

“What I see is that no team in world football can play full intensity for 90 minutes,” added Van Dijk.

“Obviously you’re going to have some moments where players get to a position where we’re going be a bit tired and then it’s down to us to make sure that we are compact and find the right moment to press again.

“Obviously everyone’s eager to go and to press and keep their intensity up, but it’s a team game and we need everyone together in order to be able to do that.

“That goes in phases through the game, but if you do that at the right time then you don’t need to run as much as we sometimes do.

“But it’s a process and we’re working on that. (Against Como) there was definitely improvement.”

Moses Itauma collides with Filip Hrgovic in a showdown for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title next week, and ahead of the action, former British heavyweight champion David Price has offered his thoughts.

Itauma has been fast-tracked to the peak of the heavyweight division since his professional debut in 2023, rising the rankings without ever fighting beyond round six in his 14 bouts to date and earning his shot at world honours.

Should he be successful against Hrgovic, the 21-year-old will become the second-youngest heavyweight ruler in boxing history, taking Floyd Patterson’s spot behind Mike Tyson, who achieved the feat as a 20-year-old.

Although, on The Smith Brothers’ YouTube channel, Price warned of Hrgovic’s quality, impressed by the Croatian’s three-round beatdown of Dave Allen back in May.

“Dave Allen, he is getting his opportunities, he is a solid heavyweight and he can take a shot. He has had a couple of notable wins but, even so, Hrgovic f***ing battered him, more than I have ever seen anyone batter Dave Allen. 

“Every shot was a good bang. He put a lot into every shot and at first I was thinking, ‘is he going to be able to sustain this?’, but he did.”

However, Price went on to declare his belief that Itauma will answer any questions regarding his potential on fight night, expecting the youngster to come out on top after a competitive battle.

“He hasn’t shown any weaknesses but he hasn’t been hit yet properly. That is the reality of it. He hasn’t had a crisis in a fight and until that happens, there will be question marks.

“This fight, I think he will take his licks a little bit and he will answer a lot of the questions that remain.”

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Itauma vs. Hrgovic takes place on Saturday, August 29, at the O2 Arena in London.

Barcelona have agreed a deal worth around £65m to sign Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City.

The 30-year-old midfielder, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Spanish champions. The transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days.

Rodri joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a then club-record £62.8m. He went on to make 298 appearances for the club and won 12 major trophies during his seven seasons in England.

His honours include four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in the 2022-23 season.

Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after suffering a serious knee injury, while a hamstring problem also affected parts of last season.

However, he returned to his best form at the World Cup in the summer, helping Spain win their second World Cup title. He was also named Player of the Tournament.

### City look at Fernandez replacement

Manchester City are still interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez as a possible replacement for Rodri.

Chelsea had set a Friday 17:00 BST deadline for interested clubs to make an offer for Fernandez, with the Blues valuing the 25-year-old at around £120m.

No bid is believed to have been made before the deadline, and Chelsea are now hoping to keep their vice-captain.

However, City are understood to believe the possibility of a deal is still open.

Fernandez has played in a deeper midfield role during his career but was often used further forward last season, scoring a career-best 15 goals.

City have also signed England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest this summer, giving the club more options in midfield.

Another player on City’s radar is 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi. The midfielder has been linked with a move to the Premier League champions, with reports suggesting he could cost around £85m.

For now, Rodri’s move to Barcelona is set to bring an end to his successful spell at Manchester City, with the midfielder preparing for a new chapter in Spain.

Cameroon have won their first ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title after beating tournament debutants Malawi 3-0 in Rabat, Morocco.

Marie Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a close-range header before Naomi Eto doubled Cameroon’s lead with a fine volley 10 minutes later.

Cameroon added a third goal in first-half stoppage time. Eto went around Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo before setting up Ngah Manga, who finished from close range.

Malawi, the lowest-ranked team at the tournament at 153rd in the world, had enjoyed a remarkable run to the final, helped by the goalscoring threat of sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.

However, Cameroon kept the two forwards quiet for most of the match and stopped Malawi from completing a surprise run to the title.

Ngah Manga came close to completing her hat-trick three minutes into the second half, but she missed from six yards with the goal open.

Malawi had their best chance shortly after the hour mark when Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina saved Tabitha Chawinga’s low shot. Tabitha’s sister Temwa then fired the rebound wide.

Cameroon’s victory is even more impressive after they missed the 2024 Wafcon and initially failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament. They lost 3-1 on aggregate to Algeria in the second qualifying round.

However, Cameroon were later included after CAF expanded the tournament from 12 to 16 teams, with their world ranking helping them secure a place.

The victory ends Cameroon’s wait after they had previously lost three Wafcon finals.

The Indomitable Lionesses will receive $2m (£1.48m) in prize money and become only the fourth country to win the women’s African title, after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

Cameroon and Malawi will also feature at the 2027 Women’s Fifa World Cup in Brazil, alongside WAFCON semi-finalists Algeria and Morocco.

Team Ireland and its popular supporters leave Birmingham this morning following a very successful European Athletics Championships from an Irish viewpoint.

Four Medals

Irish athletes won four medal – two gold, one silver and one bronze.

Finn Valley AC’s Mark English got the ball rolling when he produced a tactically astute performance to win gold in the Men’s 800m Final in a time of 1:45.26. In the process, the Letterkenny man became the first Irish male athlete to win an individual European outdoor title. His 800m Final win was his sixth European medal across indoor and outdoor championships, and he is now the country’s most decorated European track championship athlete. It should not be forgotten that English also set a new Championship Record in his semi-final when clocking 1:43.49.

Kate O’Connor added another medal to an ever-increasing haul with her victory in the heptathlon. The Dundalk St Gerard’s AC athlete set a new Irish record as she achieved the highest heptathlon score of her career to date, with 6,751 points.

Rhasidat Adeleke, who only a few short weeks ago hadn’t even qualified for these championships, won a silver medal in the Women’s 200m Final. The Tallaght AC member also set a new National Record for the distance with a time of 22.28 seconds.

Andrew Coscoran’s medal was, arguably, the surprise medal of the four for Ireland. The Star of the Sea AC man’s bronze in the Men’s 1500m was his first senior major outdoor championship medal.

Close to medals

Sarah Healy was fourth in the 5000m and fifth in the 1500m.

Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) secured a career-best senior major championship finish of fifth in the hammer.

David Kenny (Farranfore-Maine Valley AC) was sixth in the half marathon race walk on his debut over the distance.

Finals and Records

The Women’s and Men’s 4 x 100m teams qualified for their respective European finals, finishing seventh.

Sophie O’Sullivan was eighth in the 1500m and Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) took the same position in the Men’s 5000m Final.

Eric Favors of Raheny Shamrock AC finished secured 10th in the shot put, as did Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers) in the 10,000m Final.

The Men’s 4 x 400m team finished 10th overall with the third-fastest performance in Irish athletics history.

The Women’s 4 x 100m team of Lucy-May Sleeman, Ciara Neville, Sarah Leahy and Lauren Roy produced a National Record of 43.13 seconds.

Team Ireland Results

CR = Championship Record; NR = National Record; SF = Semi-Final, DNF = Did Not Finish; DNS = Did Not Start

1st – Mark English – Men’s 800m Final – 1:45.26 (1:43.49 CR in semi-final) GOLD

1st – Kate O’Connor – Heptathlon – 6,751 Points NR GOLD

2nd – Rhasidat Adeleke – Women’s 200m Final – 22.28 NR (22.43 SB in semi-final) SILVER

3rd – Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 1500m Final – 3:36.24 BRONZE

4th – Sarah Healy – Women’s 5000m Final – 15:40.95

5th – Sarah Healy – Women’s 1500m Final – 4:10.76

5th – Nicola Tuthill – Women’s Hammer Throw Final – 70.33m

6th – David Kenny – Half Marathon Race Walk – 1:24:49 PB

7th – Men’s 4 x 100m – Final – 40.26 (39.13 SB in R1)

7th – Women’s 4 x 100m Final – 44.18 (43.13 NR in R1)

8th – Sophie O’Sullivan – Women’s 1500m Final – 4:11.72

8th – Nick Griggs – Men’s 5000m Final – 13:21.07

10th – Eric Favors – Men’s Shot Put Final – 19.59m

10th – Men’s 4 x400m Relay R1 – 3:01.76 SB

10th – Jack O’Leary – Men’s 10,000m Final – 28:24.89 SB

11th – Oisín Lane – Half Marathon Race Walk – 1:27:09 PB

12th – Lauren Roy – Women’s 200m SF – 23.16 seconds

12th – Seán Aigboboh – Men’s 200m SF – 20.46 seconds

14th – Brian Fay – Men’s 5000m Final – 13:31.15

15th – Women’s 4 x 400m R1 – 3:32.70

16th – Bori Akinola – Men’s 100m SF – 10.38 seconds

18th – Cian McPhillips – Men’s 800m R1 – 1:46.84

18th – Darragh McElhinney – Men’s 5000m Final – 13:37.62

20th – Fiona Everard – Women’s 10,000m Final – 33:08.60

20th – Israel Olatunde – Men’s 100m SF – 10.49 seconds

21st – Jack Raftery – Men’s 400m SF – 45.81 seconds

24th – Ciara Neville – Women’s 100m SF – 11.57 seconds

24th – Sophie Becker – Women’s 400m SF – 52.47 seconds (52.28 SB in R1)

24th – Marcus Lawler – Men’s 200m SF – 21.11 seconds

26th – Jodie McCann – Women’s 1500m R1 – 4:14.63

27th – Lauren Roy – Women’s 100m R1 – 11.32 seconds

27th – Sarah Lavin – 100m Hurdles R1 – 13.07 seconds SB

29th – Abbie Sheridan – Women’s 3000m SC R1 – 9:57.50

31st – Cathal Doyle – Men’s 1500m R1 – 4:36.28

43rd – Paul O’Donnell – Men’s Marathon – Final – 2:20.41

DNF – Niamh Allen – Women’s 10,000m Final

DNF – Fionnuala McCormack – Women’s Marathon – Final

DNF – David McGlynn – Men’s Marathon – Final

DNS – Ryan Creech – Men’s Marathon – Final

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after scoring in the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

ATLANTA — After the Indiana Fever’s fourth straight win, Caitlin Clark said coach Stephanie White “made a great point” in her postgame talk with the team by saying “This felt like a playoff game.”

If so, the Fever looked playoff-ready in their 95-91 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.

The Fever showed impressive depth with four players scoring 18 or more points. Perhaps of more importance, Indiana responded to a major challenge from an Atlanta team that began the day one-half behind the Fever for the important fourth-place spot in the playoff standings. The top four teams receive home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

READ: WNBA: Makayla Timpson, Caitlin Clark push Fever past Dream in OT

“Coming into each night, we know how important that win is to hopefully get home-court advantage in the playoffs,” Clark said.

Atlanta led 72-64 entering the fourth quarter. Indiana held the Dream to nine points in the final period of regulation.

Despite giving the Fever an overall grade of only “B-minus” for the game, Clark had praise for her team.

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball against Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) in the second half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

“Just proud of our group,” Clark said. “Super resilient. … Obviously, this was a big one.”

Clark scored 26 points with nine assists. After scoring only five points in the first half, Kelsey Mitchell had an important layup late in overtime to finish with 20 points. It was Mitchell’s 19th consecutive game scoring at least 20.

“Kelsey struggled from the floor in the first half, and she found it in the second half,” White said. “I think that’s part of her growth, which is knowing to stay with it, that it’s going to come.”

READ: WNBA: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers duel in Fever win over Wings

White said Clark and Mitchell “were both terrific” and said Clark was effective in creating scoring opportunities for her teammates.

“The way that she’s getting us into offense, the way she’s using the floor to give her teammates shots … she’s allowing the game to flow, and she’s doing a great job of finding her teammates in that,” White said. “The way she does that, it opens things up for her.”

Makayla Timpson delivered Indiana’s first three field goals of overtime to score a career-high 20 points. Aliyah Boston added 18 points with 14 rebounds.

Clark said Atlanta, which had 32 points from Allisha Gray and 15 points with 14 rebounds from Angel Reese, “is a team that will be scary in the playoffs. They’re great at what they do. They have a lot of different weapons.”

The Dream also had the support of a sellout crowd of 17,044 at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and also the usual site of Dream games when Clark and the Fever are in town.

“For us, these are the games you get up for, that’s what’s fun about competition,” Clark said. “You know, you want to play the best. It brings out the best in you. Obviously, that’s been a challenge and we’re really good at that.”

High on confidence after holding Olympic silver medallists and world No. 4 China to a draw, India will look to strengthen their bid for a top-two finish in Pool D when they face South Africa in their second Women’s Hockey World Cup match here on Tuesday.

India, ranked ninth in the world, produced a disciplined display to secure a 2-2 draw against a fancied Chinese side in their tournament opener. The result has given them a valuable point and put them in a good position to qualify for the second round.

England currently lead Pool D following their 4-0 win over South Africa, with China and India next in the standings, while South Africa are fourth.

For the semifinal race the top two teams from each pool will be divided into two groups (E and F) of four teams each. Each team will play matches against the opponents they did not face in the first round.

A team’s result in the first round against the progressing team from its pool will be carried forward in second round. It means that India and China will not play each other if they reach the second round and their one point each from the draw will be carried forward.

For India, Tuesday’s game is, therefore, an opportunity to put themselves firmly in control of their qualification hopes. A win over 18th-ranked South Africa would not only boost their chances of finishing in the top two but also provide momentum ahead of their final pool game.

“We don’t have to worry about the other teams’ positions, but we need to maintain this momentum in the upcoming matches while avoiding complacency,” coach Sjoerd Marijne said after the China game.

India showed plenty of promise in their opening match. Drag-flicker Deepika converted a penalty corner and also earned another, while World Cup debutants Sunelita Toppo, Ishika and Shilpi Dabas displayed composure well beyond their experience. 

Navneet Kaur, who was named Player of the Tournament at the World Cup Qualifiers, has also carried her impressive form into the tournament and will be one of India’s key attacking threats.

However, Marijne knows there is room for improvement, particularly in possession and ball retention.

India controlled the opening quarter and went into half-time with a 2-1 lead, but their intensity dropped after the break. They sat deeper in the third quarter, allowing China to take control and eventually find the equaliser.

“We scored a penalty corner and a field goal, but I’m not happy with the third quarter. We need to work on ball possession and ball retention. The team must have felt relieved after the draw in the first match,” Marijne said.

South Africa’s 0-4 loss to England means they will enter the contest under pressure, but India will not be taking their lower-ranked opponents lightly.

The Indian team’s best finish at the World Cup came at the inaugural edition in 1974, when they finished fourth under captain Ajinder Kaur. Their fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics under Marijne had raised hopes of another strong showing on the global stage.

Daniel Coyle won the $35,000 USD CSI2* Canada Gold Grand Prix at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa on Sunday.

The Derry rider had the advantage of going last in the jump-off. As the final entry in the opening round, Coyle stayed at the ingate to watch the first jump-off challenger, Canada’s Gavin Moylan, execute his plan with Lordy-P.

By the time four others had jumped, Moylan still held the lead with a clear round in a time of 39.94 seconds. Only Coyle remained with Nord Face VDL, and though he looked to be behind Moylan’s pace at the beginning, Coyle turned on the speed half-way through the short course, leaving out strides to cross through the timers in 38.55 seconds and claim victory.

“I knew I had to catch up”

“I was last to go so that’s always a huge advantage,” said Coyle, who represented Ireland at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. “I knew Gavin was winning and, having watched his round, I knew what I had to do to beat it. I knew half-way around the course that I wasn’t fast enough. My horse was jumping very high at the beginning of the course, but you don’t need to be that high over the jumps; it’s not fast to do it that way. I knew I had to catch up, and he’s got to learn to go fast!”

By turning on the afterburners, the pair were able to better Moylan’s time by over one full second. Moylan finished as runner-up riding Lordy-P, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion.

Four-time Olympic medallist for the United States, Beezie Madden, was also double clear in a time of 41.30 seconds to take third riding Nairobi, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, while Canada’s Seán Jobin riding Qourtois and Blyth Marano of the United States aboard Theo Duc T&L Z were also double-clear to finish fourth and fifth respectively.

“This horse is special”

Nord Face VDL, who is new to the international show jumping scene, is quickly forming a successful partnership with Coyle, who admitted:

“From the moment we tried him, we thought, ‘this horse is special’ (but) it was just a matter of whether we could contain it. He has so much blood, so much scope, and so much power. It seems strange to say but don’t need all that; you need to be clever and handy.

“He’s so talented but he’s a dinosaur,” continued Coyle. “I don’t know if I’ve ridden a bigger horse and I don’t know if I’ve ever ridden a more talented horse. Next year will be very telling.”

Swail wins three CSI4* Classes

Coyle wasn’t the only Irish rider to have a good week at the Ottawa International. Conor Swail scored a hat-trick by winning three of the four CSI4* classes on offer, all aboard Casturano, a 13-year-old Holsteiner geldin.

Swail also won Friday’s $31,000 USD CSI2* Qualifier after topping an 11-horse jump-off riding Nadal Hero & DB, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.

$35,000 USD CSI2* Canada Gold Grand Prix

1. 1. Daniel Coyle / Ireland / Nord Face VDL / 0:0 / 38.55
   2. Gavin Moylan / Canada / Lordy-P / 0:0 / 39.94
   3. Beezie Madden / United States / Nairobi / 0:0 / 41.30

11. Conor Swail / Ireland / Nadal Hero & DB / 4

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Nigerian footballer Ndifreke Effiong has joined Libyan Premier League side Al-Afreeki Sports Club ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The Derna-based club announced the signing on Sunday, August 16, 2026, welcoming the experienced Nigerian international to the team.

“From a distant sky… to the sky of the veteran ✨️

Ndifreke Effiong joins our ranks for the 2026-2027 sports season, starting his new journey from El Zahra. ✈️

Welcome to Alafreky, Ndifreke. ,” the club said in its announcement.

Effiong is a versatile and experienced player who is expected to strengthen Al-Afreeki as the club looks to have a more competitive campaign this season.

The Nigerian famously won the Nigeria Premier Football League title with Akwa United in 2021. He has since continued his career with clubs in Europe and Asia.

Al-Afreeki, also known as Al-Afryki Derna, compete in the Libyan Premier League and are coached by experienced Libyan manager Abdulhafid Erbeish.

The club finished third in their preliminary group during the 2025/26 season, collecting 23 points from 14 matches after seven wins, two draws and five defeats.

They later finished sixth in Group 2 during the final stage and did not reach the championship play-off final.

Al-Afreeki will now hope Effiong’s experience can help improve their fortunes as they prepare for the 2026/27 campaign.