The Demons surrendered their top-four opportunity in a 108-87 loss to the Western Bulldogs, despite Max Gawn compiling 28 disposals, 59 hitouts, 10 clearances and 10 score involvements. Injuries to Jake Lever and Matthew Jefferson may also leave Melbourne short of key-position options. Carlton surged into the finals by beating minor premier Fremantle 119-82, driven by five goals from Francis Evans and influential midfield displays from Jagga Smith and Sam Walsh. Carlton edged Melbourne 73-71 in their 2023 semi-final, although the Demons overturned a 43-point deficit to win their Round 3 meeting this season. The Blues’ current momentum and greater scoring depth make them the stronger selection.
Atletico Madrid’s Nigerian forward #11 Ademola Lookman (C) shoots between Sevilla’s Spanish defender #05 Andres Castrin (L) and Sevilla’s Spanish defender #02 Juan Iglesias to score a goal during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and Club Atletico de Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on August 29, 2026. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)
Ademola Lookman scored his first La Liga goal for Atletico Madrid as Diego Simeone’s side defeated Sevilla 3–1 on Saturday.
The Nigerian forward doubled Atletico’s lead in the 26th minute with a clever finish into the near post.
Alex Baena had earlier put Atletico ahead in the fourth minute after receiving a fine pass from Lee Kang-in.
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Baena then added his second goal seven minutes after Lookman’s strike to give Atletico a comfortable 3–0 lead before half-time.
Sevilla pulled one back through Miguel Sierra in the second half, but Atletico held on to claim all three points.
The victory takes Atletico Madrid to seven points from their opening three league matches, with two wins and a draw, and puts them top of the early La Liga table.
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Lookman’s goal is another positive moment for the Nigeria international as he continues to settle into life in Madrid.
The victory also allowed Atletico to put the ongoing Julian Alvarez transfer speculation to one side, with the Argentine striker left out of the squad for the trip to Sevilla.
The Western Bulldogs claimed eighth place by defeating Melbourne 108-87, with returning captain Marcus Bontempelli producing 27 disposals, 13 score involvements, 11 marks and two goals. Tim English is also pushing to return from an MCL injury. Collingwood enters after a 159-96 loss to Brisbane and will be without Scott Pendlebury because of a hamstring injury, while Brayden Maynard remains sidelined by a knee concern. The Bulldogs won the Round 12 meeting 97-93 and appear to carry the stronger recent momentum. Collingwood’s finals experience and rest advantage demand respect, but the Bulldogs’ midfield power and healthier attacking form give them a narrow edge in an elimination setting.
The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed Tropicana Field.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796 million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new 31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays’ new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The Tampa City Council city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team’s partnership with the county and city on the project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.
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“We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,” Babby said. “By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.”
The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.
The Rays’ ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school’s buildings. The property is located next to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL stadium.
Since the team’s inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees’ George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays’ lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop for the start of this season.
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A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the Trop fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the team, which was bought last September by Patrick Zalupski’s ownership group.
“This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily,” Zalupski said Friday. “Today’s vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.”
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York City
Prize Money: $108,000,000
Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN
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Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone preview
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic will face off against unseeded Mariano Navone in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Sunday.
Djokovic enters off a three-set loss to Thiago Agustin Tirante in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. This defeat snapped a run that had included a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open earlier this year. At 39, he’s now made a Grand Slam semifinal or better at two of the four majors in 2026, showing he’s still a threat deep into these events despite the occasional early loss elsewhere.
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Meanwhile, Navone comes on the back of a straight-set loss to James Duckworth in Winston-Salem, despite pushing it to a tiebreak in the second. He’s had a breakout season overall, highlighted by his maiden ATP title at the Tiriac Open in Bucharest back in April, and he’s already matched his win totals from each of the last two full seasons combined.
Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone head-to-head
Their current head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone odds
Player
Moneyline
Handicap Bets
Total Games
Novak Djokovic
-525
-6.5 (-135)
Under 34.5 (-115)
Mariano Navone
+360
+6.5 (-105)
Over 34.5 (-125)
(Odds via BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone prediction
Djokovic’s return game remains his defining edge, statistically still one of the best returners on tour, and he’s backed that up with a genuinely strong 2026, an Australian Open final and a Wimbledon semifinal among the highlights. Navone’s second serve has also been a genuine vulnerability of late, sitting around 42% of points won behind it in recent months, well below tour average, which plays directly into Djokovic’s biggest strength.
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Navone’s actual counter here is his own return game. He’s been the more disruptive returner in his recent matches, taking close to 48% of opponents’ second-serve points, numbers that suggest he can create pressure even against a bigger name. But Djokovic’s own service numbers have held up well this season too, running above his career averages in first-serve points won, so Navone’s return quality would need to be near its peak just to generate the looks he’d need.
The bigger factor might simply be physical. Navone’s already logged a long season with a title run and multiple deep finals, while Djokovic, at 39, has generally managed his schedule carefully and arrives comparatively fresher heading into a best-of-five format.
Pick: Djokovic to win in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone betting tips
Tip 1: The match will have at least 30 games.
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Tip 2: Navone to win a set with a score of 7-5 or better.
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York City
Prize Money: $108,000,000
Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN
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Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin preview
Venus Williams will face off against fellow American Sofia Kenin in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Sunday.
Williams enters on a wild card, still winless at the tour level in 2026 and carrying a 14-match losing streak that stretches back to 2025, most recently a straight-sets loss to Emiliana Arango in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. She’ll have the emotional weight of this stage, having won this title twice and made her debut here nearly three decades ago.
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Meanwhile, Kenin, also on a wild card, enters off a tight three-set loss to Marta Kostyuk in Cincinnati, part of an even rougher season by the numbers, just six wins against 20 losses, a stretch she’s called her worst as a pro. She is a former Grand Slam champion and will be hoping a change of scenery back to a Major can spark a turnaround.
Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head
Their current head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin odds
Player
Moneyline
Handicap Bets
Total Games
Venus Williams
+450
+5.5 (-105)
Over 19.5 (-110)
Sofia Kenin
-700
-5.5 (-140)
Under 19.5 (-135)
(Odds via BetMGM)
Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin prediction
Williams’s power and experience at this exact stage remain real, and she’s shown flashes of her old level in defeat this season, but a 14-match losing streak dating back over a year is hard to ignore heading into the match.
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Kenin, despite her own struggles, arrives closer to a competitive baseline right now; that Cincinnati loss to Kostyuk went the distance rather than getting run off court. Her career mark against players outside the top 100, roughly where Williams now sits, remains solid even in a down season.
Given how much longer and deeper Williams’s slump has run, and Kenin’s slightly steadier recent results even in defeat, she looks like the favorite to snap her own skid here.
Pick: Sofia Kenin to win in straight sets.
Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin betting tips
Tip 1: The match will have at least 18 games.
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Tip 2: Kenin to win a set with a score of 7-5 or better.
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Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion “should have won”
Manchester City transfer latest includes the pursuit of Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez and more incomings needed
Manchester City are set for crunch talks with Chelsea as they look to complete their biggest deal of the transfer window. The Blues have already smashed their club record to bring in Elliot Anderson for £116m but will almost certainly have to go higher to sign Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez’s future at Chelsea has been uncertain all summer but the West London club have been reluctant sellers. An unofficial deadline was put in place before the start of the season where interested parties were told they must offer £120m or the player would not be leaving Stamford Bridge.
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That has been and gone but City never lost confidence that Chelsea would be open to business for the right price and have been encouraged that agreeing terms with the player will not be an issue. Fernandez starred under Enzo Maresca at Chelsea and is keen to reunite with his former boss, who in turn needs another experienced midfielder he can count on after seeing Bernardo Silva and Rodri depart the Etihad this summer.
Despite expectations that the deal will be done, the price still needs to be set and Chelsea need to have enough time to find a replacement for Fernandez before the window officially shuts on Tuesday. Chelsea may try to hold out for more than the £120m they previously asked for but City will try to hammer out an agreement this weekend.
Those negotiations are contributing to a hectic end to the transfer window for the Blues with more incomings required and expected. Palmeiras winger Allan is putting the finishing touches to his £32m move, and another forward will be signed as well; Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo are among City’s targets.
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Jack Grealish could head back to Everton for the season and help City’s attempts to sign Ndiaye. Maresca spoke with the 30-year-old on Thursday to confirm he would not be part of the travelling squad for the Palace game.
Amid several exits, City are still exploring a deal for another midfielder as well. Roma’s Manu Kone is one of the names being looked at, although time is running out to complete their business and talks between Maresca and sporting director Hugo Viana will determine exactly how many deals are completed.
Real Madrid’s head coach Jose Mourinho sits on the bench before the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
With the 2026 Ballon d’Or drawing closer, Jose Mourinho has offered a rather different way of looking at football’s biggest individual prize, arguing that winning the Champions League or World Cup should not automatically put a player at the front of the queue. The Real Madrid manager believes the award should recognise the players who stand out at the very highest level and leave a lasting mark on the sport, rather than simply rewarding whoever happened to collect the biggest trophies.Mourinho made the comments during his press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga meeting with newly promoted Malaga, where he also suggested that some of the strongest Ballon d’Or candidates are already playing under him at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Mourinho wants the award to recognise greatness, not just trophies
Mourinho’s argument is rooted in the idea that the Ballon d’Or should belong to players whose careers and performances make them impossible to forget, rather than someone whose main case rests on winning a major competition.“The Ballon d’Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, we miss them for eternity. Maradona, Cristiano, Messi, R9, Zidane… You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a guy just for winning the UCL or the World Cup. If you should give it to someone just for winning the UCL, then give it to Luis Enrique.”He then made it clear that, in his view, the award should not become a contest based on nationality, club or the biggest trophy won during the season.“No, it needs to go to the best player in the world, not necessarily a Spanish guy, or a PSG player. It needs to go to one of the 3-4 best players in the world, and those guys are here. But politics come into the Ballon d’Or, so I don’t like getting into politics.”Mourinho’s comments touch on a long-running debate surrounding the award, where players whose teams win the Champions League, World Cup or other major honours can often gain a significant advantage in the voting, even when another player may have produced a stronger individual season.
Who does Mourinho believe can win it?
Although Mourinho did not name a single player as the only deserving candidate in his broader comments, his reference to the “3-4 best players in the world” being at Real Madrid points towards a number of his own stars, including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.Mbappé, in particular, has a compelling case after a remarkable 2025-26 campaign. The French forward scored 43 goals in 47 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions, while also winning both the LaLiga Golden Boot and the Champions League Golden Boot.His year became even more extraordinary at international level during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mbappé scored 10 goals in eight appearances, becoming the first player to reach double figures at a World Cup tournament in the 21st century and moving to the top of the competition’s all-time scoring charts.That form has continued into the new campaign, with Mbappé recently scoring a hat-trick against Real Sociedad.For a player who has spent much of the past decade being discussed among the world’s elite but has never won the Ballon d’Or, the timing could hardly be more interesting.Real Madrid will return to LaLiga action on Sunday, August 30, when they host Málaga CF at the Santiago Bernabéu. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM IST (5:00 PM local time), with Mourinho and his squad looking to continue their campaign in Spain’s top flight.
A long day at Oracle Park opened with a bang on Saturday, even if it went unnoticed by most fans: Ron Wotus, a non-traveling member of the San Francisco Giants coaching staff, got himself tossed during the scorecard exchange.
The bench coach for the Giants‘ three championship teams the previous decade, Wotus clearly didn’t care for the ejections leveled the previous night. Alan Porter, who was the home-plate umpire Friday night, had tossed manager Tony Vitello and he and Wotus exchanged some heated words Saturday until Wotus earned the early shower.
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That was the most significant action in the first game of the day-night doubleheader until Lars Nootbaar‘s grand slam in the seventh off reliever Ryan Walker made up the bulk of the scoring in the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ 7-1 win. All three baserunners reached via walks, two by starter Matt Wilkinson in an otherwise excellent six-plus inning home debut, and one by Walker. It was the second slam the Giants’ bullpen has allowed this week following Eugenio Suárez‘s drive off Dylan Smith on Wednesday, the centerpiece of the Reds‘ historic comeback from a six-run deficit in the ninth.
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Wotus clearly was defending the Giants’ manager and, in doing so, he reflected the anger still percolating in the Giants’ dugout. There was a strong feeling after Friday’s game that the umpires are singling Vitello out because of his lack of pro baseball experience, or, at the very least, are quicker with the hook than they might be with others. Both Vitello and director of pitching Frank Anderson, who came with Vitello from Tennessee, have seen umpires make disparaging comments to them this season because of their college background, and Vitello said things “turned personal real quick” with Porter on Friday.
Dusty Baker, on hand for Jeff Kent’s jersey retirement before Game 2, said he’s unsure if the treatment Vitello is receiving is just because he’s a rookie manager or because he came from the college ranks. “Maybe both,” Baker said.
Vitello and the umpires kept their distance Saturday, at least in Game 1. The lineup-card exchange before Game 2 will be watched closely, and the choice for delivering the card will be interesting.
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Wilkinson, 23, worked limited innings in his two stints as more of an opener; two in his big-league debut against Cleveland, his former organization, and 3⅔ innings at Boston on Sunday. With the Giants playing two games Saturday and the bullpen covering four innings the night before, Wilkinson needed to go as deep as possible, and he scattered three hits in his first six innings of work, retiring 12 in a row in the middle innings.
He didn’t walk a batter until the seventh, when eight of the nine pitches he threw were balls, likely a sign of fatigue. Walker, back up from Triple-A Sacramento just this week, walked Tim Tawa then gave up Nootbaar’s slam on a 2-2 fastball at the top of the zone. Typically, Walker throws the four-seam fastball sparingly, just 4% of the time entering Saturday. Last year, he threw two, total.
The Giants’ staff, especially the relievers, are under instructions to throw strikes because they’ve walked far too many – 48 this month from the bullpen entering Game 1, fifth most in the majors. Avoiding walks is laudable, but too many strikes can backfire occasionally, making pitchers a little more predictable.
Left-hander Seth Lonsway, who was called up earlier in the morning, made his big-league debut and struck out Ildemaro Vargas to open the eighth. He gave up two hits and the Diamondbacks scored an unearned run off him thanks to Turner Hill’s error in left, and Arizona scored two more off him in the ninth.
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Jung Hoo Lee, the Game 1 bobblehead honoree, drove in San Francisco‘s run with a single in the eighth.
WBO heavyweight champion Dubois was sat ringside to watch the fight unfold, and whilst speaking to Seconds Out, he began by praising Hrgovic for his victory.
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“It’s boxing. The better man won. It was a good fight while it lasted. I knew Hrgovic had it in him. He’s a tough competitor.”
Dubois is the only man to have defeated Hrgovic, claiming an eighth round TKO win due to cuts back in June 2024, and ‘DDD’ felt that Itauma’s performance against his former rival showed that the two Brits aren’t on the same level.
“[I have a] different mindset, [I’m a total] total different animal. I wasn’t going to be denied. He’s not me. He can come again I suppose. Maybe rebuild I suppose. It tests his team out around him now. He’ll see who’s really with him.”
A unification fight between Dubois and Itauma had been touted for Wembley Stadium next year, but those plans have now gone up in smoke after the victory by Hrgovic.
Kai Sotto (right) and AJ Edu will anchor the Philippines’ interior against Iran. —FIBA PHOTO
A dramatic Friday night win over Jordan did nothing to widen the margin of error for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Filipinos know they need to set aside an 82-81 victory and go for another favorable result when they host Iran on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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“From our calculations, we got to win five or six in this round,” coach Tim Cone said ahead of the 8 p.m. matchup, which the Philippines must win in hopes of closing in on the standings in Group E.
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For Cone, defeating Jordan was just half the job, and beating Iran would check a major task box.
Gilas’ win over Jordan and Iran’s loss to New Zealand, also in overtime, made the standings interesting for the Philippines. While Australia is running away from the pack with a 7-0 (win-loss) record, Jordan and Iran fell into a tie with New Zealand at 5-2.
The Philippines, meanwhile, has three wins in seven matches.
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Sunday will also see New Zealand playing Syria at 2 p.m., and Jordan taking on Australia at 5 p.m. at the same venue. The Jordan-Australia game could also have some implications in Gilas’ World Cup bid.
But Cone said they won’t rely on other results.
“We got to take care of our own business,” he said. “This (Jordan win) is like halftime for us, but we haven’t won anything. We have to win the whole thing. Right now, it’s just halftime and we got another [half] to play.”
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Momentum is something Gilas hopes to maximize, not only because of the way it won, but also because it is playing at home once more.
The win was cemented by Kai Sotto’s game-saving block in the end, Kevin Quiambao’s go-ahead three, CJ Perez’s clutch buckets and Scottie Thompson’s defense and hustle.
Sotto’s presence justified what many believe—that he’s the missing piece to the Gilas puzzle since he last played for the national team in 2024. Perez, on the other hand, put up what is arguably his best performance on the international level.
Perez also set up the pass for Quiambao, whose three gave Gilas the lead for good. Thompson, however, remained a polarizing figure, with fans either praising the intangibles he provided or ruing his five-second inbound violation that almost cost the game.
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One concern being determined at press time is the status of Carl Tamayo, who scored eight points, for Sunday. The former University of the Philippines standout rolled his left ankle during the third quarter. Cone hinted that he may tweak his roster by replacing him with either Justin Arana or RJ Abarrientos if he can’t go. INQ
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