Japan celebrates after winning vs Czechia in the VNL Women’s Week 2 in Pasig City. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Japan escaped Czechia’s tough third-set challenge and scored a 25-15, 25-23, 27-25 win to stay unbeaten in six games in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Women’s Week 2 on Friday at Philsports Arena.

Czechia reached the set point, but a crucial successful floor touch challenge by Japan mid-rally tied the third at 25-all. Yukiko Wada scored back-to-back kills to seal the win for her team and keep them on top of the standings of the 18-nation field.

READ: VNL: Foreign stars relish passion of Filipino fans

Yoshino Sato set the tone in the opening set, scoring 10 of her 21 points for their second win in Pasig City.

Japan’s Yoshino Sato goes for a hit vs Czechia defenders during a game in the VNL Women’s Week 2 in Pasig. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“I think we were able to bounce back by using the momentum of our opponents in the second half of the game,” said SV.League MVP Sato. 

“Volleyball is very popular here in the Philippines. So we feel like we play a home game.”

Team captain Mayu Ishikawa was also instrumental with 16 points, while Wada added 13.

Japan takes on the Dominican Republic on Saturday at 4 p.m. before capping Week 2 against defending champion Italy.

Czechia, which entered Week 2 with a 3-1 record, has yet to notch a win in the Philippine leg and slid to 3-4.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. might be a little sore.

The New York Yankees second baseman had found his groove following early-season struggles, but now, he might not have any type of groove at all.

Chisholm’s night was cut short in the fourth inning on Thursday after he fouled a pitch off that took a direct shot in his man area.

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New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after hitting himself with a foul ball in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on June 18, 2026. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)

He fouled a breaking ball off that hit the dirt surrounding home plate and bounced directly back at him. After the ball made contact, he collapsed and was tended to by trainers while clearly in some serious pain.

Apparently, the injury was not a quick fix, as Anthony Volpe took his spot in the lineup.

In his first 21 games, Chisholm struggled after boldly claiming he’d hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, hitting .164 with a .498 OPS and zero homers.

But in his last 49 games, while 50-50 might be a far cry, he is hitting .254 with an .811 OPS, both of which are above his career numbers and extremely similar to last year’s .242/.813.

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. receives medical attention after fouling a ball off his lower leg during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on June 16, 2026. (John Jones/Imagn Images)

PRO BASEBALL TEAM FORFEITS PRIDE NIGHT GAME AFTER PLAYERS REFUSE TO WEAR THEMED JERSEYS, ORGANIZATION SAYS

The Yankees have been hit with the injury bug this season, as Aaron Judge is out with a broken rib, and Giancarlo Stanton “reinjured” a bothersome calf recently. Trent Grisham was also placed on the injured list, while Cy Young candidate Max Fried is also on the shelf.

However, the team has been able to more than tread water without them and are in first place in the American League East by 3.0 games.

The Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners are the only teams in the American League that are above .500, so New York has been able to take advantage.

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after hitting himself with a foul ball in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on June 18, 2026. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)

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But they can only survive so many injuries to All-Stars.

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An investigation into the nightclub incident, when Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson were present when a member of security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player, remains ongoing.

While the England and Wales Cricket Board is hopeful of a swift resolution, no update is expected on Friday.

There remains a growing likelihood Stokes will return as England captain for the third Test at Trent Bridge next week.

“This is a difficult situation,” added Bostock. “It sounds like common sense is prevailing.

“We are happy to have Ben here but not under these circumstances.”

England introduced a curfew after a number of off-field incidents dogged their defeat in last winter’s Ashes in Australia.

In the aftermath of the incident on 8 June there were fears Stokes would retire, ending a storied England career. Those fears were allayed when he returned to training with Durham last weekend.

He has continued to train with his county through the past week and, with the investigation not preventing the all-rounder – nor fast bowler Atkinson – from playing in domestic, both returned to the field on Friday.

After having a catch dropped in his first over, Stokes had returned figures of 0-26 in nine overs by tea on day one against Northants at Chester-le-Street.

Atkinson dismissed Kiran Carlson and Ben Kellaway in his first 11 overs in Surrey’s visit to Glamorgan.

“[Stokes] should be playing for England,” Bostock said. “Hopefully will be back captaining next week.”

If Stokes and Atkinson are picked to play in Nottingham they may have to be withdrawn from the latter part of the county fixtures, given the Test begins on Thursday.

Lindsay Gough is banking on jockey Robbie Dolan’s significant experience in major Cups to see Cavalry Man perform well on Saturday, despite the gelding’s draw of barrier ten for the Ipswich 2150-metre start.

While the Melbourne Cup is a grander stage, the Ipswich Cup represents a premier event for Queensland racing this weekend.

Cavalry Man, trained by Gough at Eagle Farm, is set to compete in the Listed Ipswich Cup, with the stable aiming for its first black-type victory since 2013.

The gelding’s last start saw him victorious at benchmark 60 level over 1810m at Eagle Farm, starting as a $3 favourite according to leading Aussie betting sites. Gough is now hoping the horse can avoid a lapse in concentration during the race.

“He worked nicely into it but just when they straightened he probably got a bit flat for a few strides,” Gough remarked. “It is hard to say but they might have dashed a little bit quicker than him but he looked the winner from the furlong.”

“He has prepped up well but we have our fingers cross from a sticky draw,” Gough added, referring to barrier ten. “I’ve done my job so it is up to Robbie Dolan now. I’ll leave it to him. He’s competed at the top level winning the Melbourne Cup and he’s ridden more winners than me.

“Ideally we’d like to get some cover.”

For Gough, who oversees a stable of around 15 to 20 horses, there’s a statistical comfort: five of the last ten Ipswich Cups have been won from barriers 10 to 12.

The five-year-old gelding is currently priced at $5 for this event, with Matthew Dunn’s Belvedere Boys the $3.70 favourite according to popular betting apps Australia. Explore the latest racing odds for the Ipswich Cup with online bookmakers.

For nearly two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo has lived with a burden that very few athletes in any sport have had to carry.He has spent most of his career being measured not against his contemporaries, but against his own past. Against the winger who burst through at Manchester United. Against the athlete who leapt higher than defenders and outran full-backs. Against the machine that scored 50 goals every season almost as a matter of routine. That standard has not changed. Only the player has.Which is perhaps why Portugal’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo in Houston quickly became less about the result and more about Ronaldo. The criticism came from everywhere. Thierry Henry accused him of thinking about his own goal when Bruno Fernandes was in a better position. Paul Scholes described him as a ‘problem’. Chris Sutton suggested Roberto Martinez was too afraid to substitute him.The contrast with Lionel Messi only amplified the noise.A day earlier, Messi had scored three against Algeria. Kylian Mbappe had announced himself with a brace. Harry Kane had scored twice for England. Erling Haaland had found the net too.And then there was Ronaldo. Three attempts. No shots on target. No goals.Ronaldo’s performance sparked the debate that has the 41-year-old become a liability compared to younger stars lighting up the FIFA World Cup.The numbers, however, paint a more complicated picture. Yes, nobody needs numbers to tell them that Ronaldo had a poor night in front of goal, but football has never been a game where strikers operate in isolation.What happens around them matters almost as much as what they do themselves. The deeper data suggests Portugal’s biggest problem may not have been Ronaldo.According to FIFA’s post-match tracking reports, Ronaldo made 47 off-ball runs during the match — second only to Mbappe’s 50 and more than Harry Kane and Haaland combined. Yet Portugal found him with a pass only 10 times, meaning just 21.3 percent of his runs were rewarded with possession.

Messi, by comparison, made 32 runs and received the ball on 16 occasions, a 50 percent success rate. Kane received four passes from 15 runs while Haaland was found twice from eight movements.The figures raise an uncomfortable question for Portugal: was Ronaldo ignored too often?The passing numbers tell their own story, and perhaps explain why comparing Ronaldo directly with Messi has become increasingly misleading. Messi attempted 40 passes in Argentina’s opener, twice as many as Ronaldo, and completed 30 of them.The difference, though, says more about role than influence. Messi operated deeper, often dropping into midfield and acting as Argentina’s chief creator. Ronaldo, meanwhile, attempted only 20 passes, the same as Harry Kane and more than Erling Haaland’s eight.More interestingly, he completed 19 of them, giving him a 95 percent success rate – the highest among the five.

At 41, Ronaldo is increasingly resembling a penalty-box striker whose value lies in movement rather than orchestration.Haaland’s numbers offer perhaps the closest parallel. The Norwegian attempted only eight passes because Manchester City’s approach with him has long been built around service rather than involvement.Ronaldo’s passing load points in the same direction. He is no longer trying to be the man who touches the ball 50 times and runs the game.The challenge for Portugal is that while their captain has evolved into a specialist finisher, the team around him still appears caught between using him as a focal point and asking him to do things he no longer needs to do.Where the criticism holds weight, though, is in front of goal.Ronaldo’s three attempts failed to trouble the goalkeeper. Messi produced six shots and four on target en route to his hat-trick. Mbappe hit the target with all four of his efforts and scored twice, while Kane and Haaland also made their chances count.Physical data offers another intriguing insight.Ronaldo covered 8,389 metres during the game – more than Messi’s 6,808m – dispelling claims that he no longer puts in the hard yards. However, the numbers also reveal where age has caught up.

He registered only 73 metres of high-speed running at 25 km/h or above. Haaland managed 438 metres, Mbappe 225 and Kane 117. Ronaldo still has the speed to touch 30.7 km/h, but the repeated explosive bursts that once defined his game are becoming increasingly rare.What has changed is not his willingness to run. It is the frequency with which he can produce those explosive bursts that once terrified defenders. Haaland covered six times more distance at top speed. Mbappe remains in a different category altogether.

Portugal also created very little all evening. Their expected goals figure stood at just 0.57, comfortably the lowest among the five teams led by global superstars in this comparison. Argentina scored three. France scored three. England scored four. Norway scored four.Portugal scored once inside the opening minutes and spent much of the evening struggling to regain control. Roberto Martinez himself admitted as much afterwards.“We didn’t reach the final third at the level we needed in order to provide service to the striker and make use of his movements,” he said.

Ronaldo’s finishing deserves scrutiny, but the idea that he was unwilling to work does not stand up to data.He kept running. Portugal simply kept looking elsewhere.And as the World Cup has shown before, one quiet opening game rarely tells the whole story. Lionel Messi failed to score in Argentina’s first match in Qatar four years ago before lifting the trophy weeks later.

Liverpool and Micky van de Ven, Transfer Admiration Meets Tottenham Reality

Van de Ven Links Refuse to Fade

Liverpool and Micky van de Ven have become familiar companions in the transfer rumour mill. The Dutch defender has long been admired at Anfield, with Liverpool’s recruitment team understood to have tracked him before his move from Wolfsburg to Tottenham.

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Now, according to information originally reported by Fabrizio Romano, the latest noise around Van de Ven requires some caution. Dutch reports had suggested Liverpool and Barcelona had registered serious interest, with suggestions that the Reds had even made a formal enquiry.

That, naturally, was enough to stir excitement. Van de Ven is quick, left-footed, Premier League-proven and still developing. In other words, he fits plenty of modern Liverpool recruitment boxes.

Romano Update Cools Liverpool Talk

Romano, however, has made Tottenham’s position clear.

“Many questions I’m getting coming out of the Dutch press. With maximum respect to anyone who has their own information or own news.”

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“Micky van de Ven linked with Liverpool? What I can say is that he is considered a crucial player by Tottenham management and Roberto De Zerbi – same as Pedro Porro who signed a new contract,” Romano explained.

“He’s completely untouchable and they want van de Ven to stay. So the expectation is no movements around Micky van de Ven in this summer transfer window.”

“If something changes, I will let you know, but the stance today is very clear – no exit for Micky van de Ven.”

That wording matters. Transfer windows are rarely absolute, but “untouchable” is as close as clubs tend to get in public-facing transfer language.

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Liverpool Need Centre-Back Clarity

For Liverpool, this story still says something important. Their interest in defenders of Van de Ven’s profile suggests a clear preference for athleticism, recovery pace and technical comfort in possession.

Van de Ven would make sense tactically. He can defend big spaces, carry the ball aggressively and offer balance on the left side of central defence. Yet wanting a player and extracting him from Tottenham are two different sports entirely.

Spurs have no obvious reason to sell. Van de Ven is young, valuable, tied to their project and already proven in England. If Liverpool are serious about strengthening at centre-back, they may need to look elsewhere rather than wait for a door that is currently locked.

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Transfer Admiration Has Its Limits

There is a familiar rhythm to these stories. Liverpool admire a player. Reports emerge. Fans imagine the fit. Then reality intrudes, usually in the form of price, contract length or a selling club with no appetite for negotiation.

Van de Ven may be admired at Anfield, but admiration does not equal movement. For now, this feels less like an active transfer chase and more like Liverpool keeping tabs on an elite-level profile.

That is sensible recruitment. It is not, at this stage, a deal.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

From a Liverpool fan’s point of view, Van de Ven is exactly the type of defender you would want the club to like. He has pace, power, Premier League experience and the sort of left-sided balance Liverpool have lacked too often.

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But this is also where supporters need to separate excitement from probability. Tottenham selling Van de Ven to Liverpool this summer would feel highly unlikely unless the player pushed hard, the money became enormous or Spurs’ stance changed dramatically.

The frustrating part is that Liverpool’s need at centre-back feels real. Supporters can see it. The squad needs fresh legs, recovery pace and long-term planning. Van de Ven would tick those boxes, but he may simply be the wrong target at the wrong time.

That does not mean the interest is meaningless. It tells us Liverpool know the profile they want. The key question is whether they can find a more attainable version before the window moves away from them.

For now, Romano’s update should calm the noise. Van de Ven looks like admiration, not acceleration.