Justin Brownlee (with ball) and Ginebra hope to book their Finals ticket on Saturday. —MARLO CUETO

Tim Cone is fully aware that recent history is not on his and Barangay Ginebra’s side as they try to finish off Rain or Shine in their emotional PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.

Game 6 tips off at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, with the Gin Kings needing just one more win to get back to the Finals.

Ginebra gained a 3-2 lead two nights ago with a 111-104 victory behind a terrific shooting display led by RJ Abarrientos, but Cone refused to get comfortable with the advantage.

“We’ve been in this situation a couple of times in a best of seven,” Cone said. “We led 3-2 and then got beaten both times.”

Cone and the Gin Kings squandered that edge twice of the last three times he was in that position: First in the 2024 Philippine Cup semifinals against the rival Meralco Bolts and in the 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against TNT.

Speaking of TNT, it will also seek a place in the championship round at 7:30 p.m. against Meralco.

The only time in that period Ginebra got the job done was during the 2024 Governors’ Cup semifinals against sister team San Miguel Beer.

Also attached to Cone’s decorated career is a similar blown chance back in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup Finals with Alaska against TNT.

That’s why Cone refuses to have any sense of confidence that Ginebra has put Rain or Shine in a difficult situation.

“It’s too easy to get euphoric with a 3-2 lead and think ‘Oh, you’re right there.’ You’re not,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. A lot of things went our way [in Game 5], which is great. I mean, we’re fortunate.

“But we’ve got to move on and be locked in,” he added.

There’s a lot of drama going on in the series, adding to the interest in the showdown between two teams, which have engaged each other in verbal spats and heated exchanges.

After the fireworks between Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao and San Miguel Corporation sports director Alfrancis Chua, tensions continued at the end of Game 5 when Elasto Painters import Jaylen Johnson got into Ginebra team manager Reyboy Rodriguez and hardly used center Raymond Aguilar.

Abarrientos played a huge role for the Gin Kings with 31 points, after he was held in check in Game 4 and scored just eight on 3-of-8 from the field.

The frontrunner for the Best Player of the Conference went 12-of-21 from the field with four three pointers and made his only attempt from four. He also dished out eight assists and stole the ball twice.

“The coaches told me that I need to work on everything,” the sophomore said. “Rain or Shine’s just denying me, bumping me all the time. So I just need to work on the things that I need so I can get open and be involved on both offense and defense.” INQ

Paris Saint-Germain make history as Qatar rule Europe again, but only after Arsenal make them go the distance. And yet that final step still eludes Mikel Arteta. Arsenal still don’t have that Champions League. A gruelling battle of a final went to the very last kick of the season, as Gabriel missed the decisive 10th penalty of the shootout.

Perhaps that was the only way Arsenal’s otherwise celebratory season could conclude: with the ultimate in set-pieces.

This time, though, one of their great protagonists of such moments had to endure the pain. While it almost feels unfair to criticise any player in the most pressurised situation they can face, the great regret for Arsenal might be that two penalties were off target against a goalkeeper, in Matvey Safonov, who didn’t even get close to any of them.

It illustrates the emotional capriciousness of football in that sense, especially at moments of such heightened stakes. Arsenal probably do more analytical work than any team in the world, seeking to calculatedly game every situation, and two of the season’s best performers don’t get the simplest set-piece of all on target.

Of course, it’s not actually that simple, given the context; much like facing PSG as a whole.

There’s too much emotion clouding everything, and this Champions League final defeat now adds a layer of emotional complication to a season that still saw them win the league for the first time in 22 years.

The English champions could not become the European champions, as a Qatari sportswashing project rules the continent again.

How Arsenal would love that European Cup, the one remaining gap in their record. Arteta can’t allow this to haunt them though, as they need to use it as fuel.

A second Champions League final in the club’s history ended in defeat, as PSG instead won their second in a row – becoming the first to retain it since Real Madrid in 2018, and just the eighth side in the competition’s 71-year history.

That feat speaks to their historic quality as a side, despite the reservations about the ownership, even if they didn’t really show it here.

It was a strange game – no doubt suffocated by the stakes – where PSG never really played that well but had the better chances, and Arsenal defended superbly while looking dangerous, without ever creating anything.

The great frustration will nevertheless be that Arsenal had the lead through Kai Havertz’s supreme sixth-minute goal and then kept an excellent team largely at arm’s length. No one else has done that in a full Champions League knockout tie for two years. They’ve been that good.

For an hour, it was an almost perfect defensive performance. Luis Enrique’s side didn’t really know what to do.

But the problem with facing a player like Kvicha Kvaratshkelia is that he only really needs to do something once.

After 65 minutes where Cristhian Mosquera marshalled him superbly, the Georgian finally got in and forced the foul. Ousmane Dembele naturally scored from the spot.

It was at that point that a proper football match arose, rather than a tactical battle of wits. And if there was one actual criticism for Arsenal in a game that did that ultimately go down to the finest margins, it was that they could have built on that lead more; they could have tested Safonov more. There was a nervousness about PSG’s backline.

It’s still easier said than done against a team this good.

Many will say Arsenal rightly paid for a defensive and pragmatic approach that shouldn’t have ultimately been enough in a match that is the great showcase of what the club game is supposed to be; that it would have been the wrong lesson for the sport.

Arteta could do with more attacking quality, in talent and in his own current vision. Admirably as all of the players fought, should an attack of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli really be enough to win a Champions League final? Was that really sufficient quality for a feat as emphatic as this double?

You can see why they absolutely want a higher-level left forward and maybe another attacker.

Instead, Arsenal willingly brought the game down to its margins, and ultimately got caught. The gameplan worked, but not quite enough.

Any talk about fights for the soul of football should be suppressed, mind. People don’t tend to like such discussions in the moment of victory, but it remains staggering that Qatar effectively win Europe again.

Should it really be possible that an autocratic state can just spend so much they can rise to the top of the game like this? That they can make European football their own?

Another frustration for Arsenal is nevertheless that, after the game’s first period – which felt a long time ago by the moment of Gabriel’s missed kick – PSG didn’t look that intimidating.

Kvaratshkelia and Dembele went off and they just didn’t have that much. They again have the trophy, though.

Enrique has now won three, to put him up there with Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane and Bob Paisley, and only behind Carlo Ancelotti.

Arteta and Arsenal really made him work for it here, more than they’ve had to in any other European tie. When it comes to effort, Arsenal put everything in. But they have that little bit more to do.

It’s still a great season, even if lost finals inevitably give it a different feel. You realise in the moment it isn’t actually a “free hit”, despite the Premier League title. It’s something that has a lot of emotional cost.

Arteta just needs to use that. PSG meanwhile needed to use all their power. Qatar again has the European Cup.

Champions League analysts Nedum Onuoha and Pat Nevin both feel the decision to not award Arsenal a penalty in extra-time of the Champions League final against PSG was the correct one.

MATCH REPORT: Paris Saint-Germain – Arsenal

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CommBank Stadium will play host to Saturday’s
Round 13 NRL game between Wests Tigers and
Canterbury Bulldogs. The game kicks off at 5:30 pm with Wests Tigers heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Wests Tigers vs.
Canterbury Bulldogs
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When: Saturday May 30, 2026 at 5:30 pm

Where: CommBank Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Wests Tigers vs Canterbury Bulldogs Odds

Wests Tigers vs Canterbury Bulldogs Preview

The Bulldogs will look to continue their push up the ladder when they meet a Wests Tigers side desperate to halt a recent slide. Canterbury showed significant character in last week’s comeback victory over Melbourne, particularly through Matt Burton’s running game and the side’s improved second-phase attack. The Tigers, however, regain key personnel and should be far more competitive after several disappointing performances. Adam Doueihi remains central to Wests’ attacking structure, especially when sweeping to the left edge where Canterbury has occasionally looked vulnerable defensively. While the Bulldogs have not always clicked consistently in attack this season, their defensive grit and ability to stay in contests continues to separate them from the competition’s lower-ranked sides.

Joaquin Niemann and Talor Gooch have combined to win 11 LIV Golf individual titles. They enter Sunday’s final round of LIV Golf Korea in the best position to chase another trophy.

Niemann, the Torque GC captain, and Gooch, in his first season as the OKGC captain, share the 54-hole lead at 9 under at the challenging Asiad Country Club. One stroke back is HyFlyers GC’s Scott Vincent, with Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith and Crushers GC’s Charles Howell III tied for fourth at 7 under.

Crushers Captain Bryson DeChambeau, winner of last year’s LIV Golf Korea when it was held outside Seoul, suffered two late bogeys to drop into a share of sixth with 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson and RangeGoats GC’s Ben Campbell. Johnson produced the lowest round of the day, a 6-under 64.

On the team leaderboard, the Crushers – winners last season in Korea– are at 16 under, one shot ahead of OKGC, which is playing just its second tournament since rebranding from their previous Smash GC name. Ripper GC is solo third at 12 under.

The individual leaderboard is stacked with winners, as eight of the top 10 have won at least one LIV Golf title. Niemann is the league’s all-time individual wins leader with seven, including five last season. He’s yet to win this season, though, but that might change if his putter remains as hot as it was on the back nine Saturday when he rolled in three long birdie putts, including a big breaker from 34 feet at the 14th hole, to shoot a 4-under 66.

“Putter did behave a lot better today than the first two days, so pretty happy about that,” said the 27-year-old Niemann, the league’s youngest captain. “It did love me a lot. I did love it a lot, too.”

Gooch has four career LIV Golf wins, including two at LIV Golf Andalucia, the next tournament on the 2026 schedule set for next week in Spain when he will defend his title from last year. He entered Saturday as the solo leader after a second-round 63 in which he produced eight birdies, but he started his third round with 14 consecutive pars before posting his lone birdie at the par-5 15th for a bogey-free 69.

“You’ve got to stay patient and just wait for your time and hope that it comes, and it unfortunately didn’t come much today,” Gooch said. “But that’s why we stay patient. Maybe tomorrow it’ll come.”

Although both Niemann and Gooch have extensive history playing in the final group in a LIV Golf final round – this will be Gooch’s 16th time and Niemann’s 14th – Sunday will be the first time they’ve been in the same final group in nearly four years, since LIV Golf Boston in the inaugural season in 2022.

Vincent is the third member of the final group, and he continues to thrive since joining HyFlyers GC as a reserve filling in for captain Phil Mickelson. The Zimbabwean shot a 3-under 67 and is now in position to chase his first individual title.

“Winning out here is not easy,” said Vincent, who has finished top 10 in each of his first two starts with the HyFlyers after starting the season as a Wild Card player. “I think just big picture-wise, just putting myself in this position is just great for me, try and get better and develop as a player.”

Howell was the runner-up to DeChambeau last year, and he’s given himself another chance in Korea, thriving on this shot-maker’s course. He was a bogey-free 4 under through his first 13 holes before suffering a double-bogey in which he four-putted from 35 feet.

“Man, this place is tricky,” Howell said. “If you miss the fairway, it is really hard around here. Hole locations are quite difficult here on these corners. It’s tough to make birdies.”

Johnson had six of them in his bogey-free round. LIV Golf’s first season-long Individual Champion in 2022 posted at least one win in each of the league’s first three seasons before going winless last year. He’s anxious to get back into the winner’s circle.

So is Niemann, despite all the success he had last season.

“Last year was an exceptional year. Winning five times, it was pretty cool,” he said. “… It’s obviously a nice feeling to win, and we’re out here for that. But I’m just more focused on what I’m doing now and the way I’m hitting the ball, just trying to keep chasing that trajectory that I’m seeing in my head, so that’s what I need to do.”

TOP OF THE LEADERBOARDS

Individual Top 10

T1 (-9) – Joaquin Niemann, Torque (66-69-66); Talor Gooch, OKGC (69-63-69)

3 (-8) – Scott Vincent, HyFlyers (65-70-67)

T4 (-7) – Charles Howell III, Crushers (65-70-68); Cameron Smith, Ripper (67-68-68)

T6 (-6) – Ben Campbell, RangeGoats (69-69-66); Dustin Johnson, 4Aces (70-70-64); Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (65-68-71)

T9 (-5) – Harold Varner III, OKGC (68-69-68); Marc Leishman, Ripper (69-68-68)

Team Top 3

1 (-16) – Crushers GC (DeChambeau 65-68-71, Howell III 65-70-68, Lahiri 68-73-70, Smyth 72-66-68; Rd. 3 total: -3)

2 (-15) – OKGC (Gooch 69-63-69, Kokrak 68-70-69, McDowell 68-71-73, Varner III 68-69-68; Rd. 3 total: -1)

3 (-12) – Ripper GC (Smith 67-68-68, Leishman 69-68-68, Herbert 71-66-69; Smylie 71-69-74; Rd. 3 total: -1)

ROUND 3 NOTES

TOP-HEAVY WINNERS’ LEADERBOARD: Of the top 10 players after 54 holes at Asiad Country Club, eight have won a cumulative 25 LIV Golf individual tournament titles – Joaquin Niemann (T1) with seven; Bryson DeChambeau (T6) with five; Talor Gooch (T1) with four; Cameron Smith (T4) and Dustin Johnson (T6) with three each; and Charles Howell III (T4), Harold Varner III (T9) and Marc Leishman (T9) with one win each.

The only two players inside the top 10 without a LIV Golf win are Scott Vincent (solo 3rd) and Ben Campbell (T6).

Although Asiad Country Club has not been an easy course to score on, it may take an aggressive mindset Sunday to win the title. “You’ve got to keep making birdies,” Howell said. “You’ve got to keep pushing forward. There are too many good players up there.”

Gooch has always leaned on the “rule of 67” when it comes to golf success – shoot 67 each round and good things happen. But will 67 be enough on Sunday? “When you see a leaderboard with guys like this,” Gooch said, “you feel like you’ve got to do more than 67.”

NIEMANN’S BIG BREAKER: Joaquin Niemann rolled in a birdie putt at the 14th hole from 34 feet that had at least 10 feet of right-to-left break. Even he knew it was a special putt.

“14 was a beautiful putt,” he said. “As soon as I hit it, I kind of knew. Every time you’ve got that feeling of hitting a great stroke, you can hear the sound, and immediately you know it’s going to be a big chance to go in, and it was one of those that I was so into it, and I hit a good putt. It was right on my line, and I saw it perfectly, I was just walking it in. There was nowhere else to go.”

GOOCH TO WATCH THUNDER: Talor Gooch’s hometown NBA team, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, are set for an epic Game 7 in the Western Conference finals against San Antonio, with the winner moving on to the NBA Finals.

Thanks to the time zone differences, Gooch will be able to watch the game in its entirety on TV, since it begins at 9 a.m. Sunday in Korea. The final round of LIV Golf Korea does not begin until 1:05 p.m. locally.

“I definitely get more nervous for Thunder games, important Thunder games, than about anything else,” Gooch said. “Ironically tomorrow might be a good thing to watch the Thunder and kind of get some of my nerves out of my system before we tee it off. But I will be watching all of it.”

RAHM’S STREAK ENDS: Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, the reigning two-time Individual Champion and current points leader, saw his streak of consecutive rounds under par end at 40 after shooting a 1-over 71 on Saturday.

Rahm suffered a bogey on his final hole, the par-5 fourth, to break the streak. He enters the final round tied for 25th at 1 under; he has never finished lower than 11th in any LIV Golf tournament that he’s completed.

SMITH’S DRIVING ACCURACY: Cameron Smith hit 12 of 14 fairways on Saturday, tying with Ian Poulter for the best percentage in the field at 85.71%. It’s the first time the Ripper GC captain has ever ranked first in driving accuracy after any LIV Golf round and is another sign that his game is headed in the right direction after his recent switch to Claude Harmon III as his swing coach.

CONVERTING LEADS: Co-leader Joaquin Niemann will take the lead into the final round of a LIV Golf tournament for the sixth time; he has converted four of the previous five into wins. His fellow co-leader Talor Gooch enters the final round with the lead for the seventh time; he’s converted three of the previous six into wins.

DECHAMBEAU LEVELS OFF: Bryson DeChambeau opened the tournament on Thursday by playing the first 10 holes in 6 under. He has since played the last 44 holes at even par. He has found just 50% of fairways and 61% of greens in regulation through the first three rounds.

STATS LEADERS

Round 3

Driving Distance: Jon Rahm, 339.4-yard avg.

Longest Drive: Jon Rahm, 379.1 yards (11th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 11 and 12.

Driving Accuracy: Cameron Smith, Ian Poulter, 85.71% (12 of 14)

Greens in Regulation: Cameron Smith, Laurie Canter, Bubba Watson, 88.89% (16 of 18)

Scrambling: Nine players tied at 100%, led by Ian Poulter (8 of 8)

Fewest Putts: Danny Lee, 23

Bogey-free rounds: Dustin Johnson (64), Ben Campbell (66), Abraham Ancer (66), Bubba Watson (67), Cameron Smith (68), Talor Gooch (69)

Cumulative

Driving Distance: David Puig, 311.8-yard avg.

Driving Accuracy: Ben Campbell, 80.95% (34 of 42)

Greens in Regulation: Joaquin Niemann, Laurie Canter, 79.63% (43 of 54)

Scrambling: Charl Schwartzel (15 of 18), 83.33%

Fewest Putts: Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Pieters, Ian Poulter, Yosuke Asaji, Danny Lee, 80

Lowest Rounds: Rd. 1 – Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Scott Vincent (65); Rd 2 – Talor Gooch (63); Rd. 3 – Dustin Johnson (64)

This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.

BUDAPEST — What about if Cristhian Mosquera hadn’t got his legs in a tangle? Imagine in that moment, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele hadn’t clicked as they so often have in every game other than this one. Maybe the pass got overhit for once or Mosquera got a foot to the ball instead.

That’ll be the question that haunts this team. Maybe not forever. When you are this good, this organizationally aligned and this able to improve in the transfer market, there is no reason to think they won’t be back in Madrid in 2027 or Munich in 2028. Arsenal have already proven they have the guts to go again and again. The cruel truth, though, is that they might not have to. That Bukayo Saka was right when he said the game would be decided in moments but there was just that one for Paris Saint-Germain to balance out theirs.

Could Arsenal really have held on to the lead Kai Havertz won them in such thunderous fashion? There really was little else in the 90 minutes that would have you believe they couldn’t. A moment or two where Arsenal were similarly jittery, Kvaratskhelia breaking away from William Saliba only to tire under pursuit and see his shot cannon off the post via Myles Lewis-Skelly. A last push for a winner at the end of 90 minutes, where Bradley Barcola stayed high and nearly got something on the counter. That was your lot.

Arsenal were so close to perfection. If they weren’t erring, PSG were getting nothing. Europe’s finest attacking force were made to look as toothless as Burnley. Wait, no, that’s an exaggeration. Michael Jackson’s men came back from the Emirates Stadium last week, having put up shots worth 1.29 non-penalty expected goals. PSG’s tally when you strike out the Dembele penalty was just 0.84. From their perspective, this was also remarkably low, a tally that this season they have dropped below only in two Ligue 1 games. 

Arsenal’s xG was not all that high either but then Mikel Arteta didn’t need his team to chase this match right the way through. The squiggly lines you’ll see above don’t tell the story of how well Arsenal did. They are entitled to play the game as they want. They came to win the Champions League and they came incredibly close. It is not their job to captivate the neutrals, though those who cannot admire a team as organised and ferocious as Arsenal might need to prove their ball knowledge. Ultimately, this was the sort of six of one, half a dozen of the other game that could only be decided from 12 yards out.

Arteta knew he could not have asked for more. 

“What I said to the players and the staff is that if I tell them thank you a million times, it won’t be enough. It’s not because we won the Premier League. It’s not because we played the cup final, because we played the Champions League final in the manner we did. It’s because of the joy and the moments we have lived together every single day. That’s above anything else,” he said.

Still, they were so close to the best of those days. And maybe closer than many expected. The natural inclination for anyone looking at a game like this is to unleash something akin to combined XI brain. PSG had comfortably the better attack, two-thirds of a superior midfield and fullbacks you’d die for. Why wouldn’t they win this? Well, because this game isn’t attack vs. attack. It’s attack vs. defense. And football history has at most a handful of defenses that have sustained Arsenal’s level for this long.

Their rearguard was brilliant. Gabriel was his customary self whenever PSG got the ball in the box, an achievement in itself. Flying into challenges with the ferocity that so entranced this club six years ago but that aggression now wholly focused on the ball. Whenever his teammates need him, he stepped up, dropped back or hurled himself into the line of fire. He is the Arsenal project writ large: shrewd recruitment, exceptional player development, incredible at set pieces and a ferocious competitor to the last.

It could not have been crueller that he was the one to miss the decisive penalty. Just as it felt brutal that Mosquera should concede the penalty. There was no disputing that he had made a calamitous error; it was just that for so much of the hour that preceded his tackle, Arsenal’s third-choice right back had been infuriating, arguably the best player in this season’s Champions League.

Luis Enrique cements legacy as PSG wins back-to-back Champions League titles

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Time and time again, Kvaratskhelia looked for space and found that Mosquera, dropping deep and wide, was only prepared to cede the areas he wanted. If the Georgian wanted to drive to the byline and lob a cross in, he could be Arsenal’s guest. When he did try to drive into the box, he hit a wall. No way around it either, with Saka dropping back to help out. The same was true on the opposite flank, where Leandro Trossard and Piero Hincapie had Desire Doue locked up. This was not even the A team at the back, either. Riccardo Calafiori had been banged up in the week and, despite Arteta’s insistence to the contrary on Friday, Jurrien Timber had not been fit enough to start at right back.

Then again, this was more than just a back four effort. For an hour, Martin Odegaard struggled to get the possession he needed but his work without the ball was exceptional. As something of the line backer of this Arsenal rearguard, it looked like he was calling out PSG’s deep passes before they came, easing the defensive line from one side to another, gumming up progression lines that went through Vitinha. Havertz too did yeoman’s work with and without the ball.

Should Arsenal have offered more to add to the goal he fired high over Matvey Safonov? Certainly. It is natural that they wanted to go over the PSG man-to-man press at every opportunity but David Raya going long with 35 of his 37 passes was comfortably in the realms of perverse. Too often, any opportunity to build possession died because Havertz could not win the aerial duel, hold the ball up and bring his teammates into play all at once. When the openings came for Saka late in the second half, he just couldn’t find the guile to get a good shot away.

As was the case last year, the solution to what ails Arsenal when they are beaten by the best teams, they just need a few more of the game-breaking attackers that the other guys have. What this team could do with a Kvaratskhelia of their own. What they did to him, too.

Arsenal, champions of England, a club who have restored hope to a bereft fanbase, really did give themselves an almighty shot at immortality. They demanded perfection of themselves, just as they knew PSG would of them. How close they came. 

Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their place among Europe’s greatest football clubs after successfully defending their UEFA Champions League title.

The French giants defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the final played in Budapest. The victory came a year after their impressive 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich.

PSG became the first team since Real Madrid’s run of three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018 to retain the trophy. They are also only the second club to achieve the feat in the Champions League era, which began in 1993.

In the competition’s 71-year history, PSG are now just the 10th club to win the European title in successive seasons.

Head coach Luis Enrique expressed his delight after the victory.

“I’m feeling many emotions – excitement, tiredness and happiness. This is the best moment of the season. We are still champions and have won it twice in a row. It’s incredible,” he said.

Ten of the outfield players who started against Arsenal were also in the starting line-up for last year’s final against Inter Milan. The only change was goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, who replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma following his move to Manchester City last summer.

Over the past two seasons, PSG have dominated both domestic and European competitions. They have won eight of the 10 trophies available to them, missing out only on last year’s Club World Cup and this season’s French Cup.

If they win the Champions League again next season, PSG will become only the fifth club to lift the trophy three years in a row. However, they remain some distance from the record set by Real Madrid, who won five consecutive European Cups between 1956 and 1960.

Football journalist Julien Laurens believes this triumph may be even more satisfying than last year’s success.

“Last season was special, but this victory will mean even more because they had to fight hard and come from behind. Against Inter, things were much easier. Winning back-to-back titles puts them among the greatest teams in football history,” he said.

The second day of the seventh NMPA Indian Open of Surfing 2026, a crucial stop on the national surfing series and a significant event in the selection of the Indian team for the 2026 Asian Games, greeted competitors with cool breezes and clear, sunny skies. A total of six quarterfinals and six semifinals were contested today across five different categories.

The penultimate day of the national championship witnessed one of its most significant contests as the Men’s Open quarterfinals delivered intense action on the waves. Kerala’s Ramesh Budihal topped the standings with an impressive score of 14.83, while Srikanth D followed closely with 13.00. Teenage sensation Kishore Kumar (11.80), Ajeesh Ali (9.93), Sanjay Selvamani (9.57) and Sivaraj Babu (8.76) also secured their places in the semifinals after strong performances across the heats.

The day resumed with the action in Men’s Open category which saw 24 surfers compete across six heats of the second round for quarterfinal berths. Kishore Kumar topped the qualifiers with a score of 14.17, followed by Ajeesh Ali (13.33) and Ramesh Budihal (13.00). Also advancing were Sanjay Selvamani (11.27), Srikanth D (11.00), Sivaraj Babu (10.23), Tayin Arun (9.80), Naveenkumar R (8.10), Harish M (7.83), Som Sethi (7.77), Ruban V (7.57) and Sanjaikumar S (7.20), showcasing skilful rides, technical manoeuvres and confident wave selection in challenging conditions.

The second category in action was the Surfing Juniors 18 & Under Male, where 12 surfers competed across three quarterfinal heats for a place in the semifinals scheduled for the final day of competition. The young surfers put on an impressive display, with Harish P (13.60), Tayin Arun (12.67), Som Sethi (12.00) and Yogesh A (11.34) emerging as the top performers to secure semifinal berths. They will be joined by Prahlad Sriram (9.40) and Pradeep Pujar (6.56), who also advanced after strong performances in their respective heats.

Overnight rains made the conditions more unpredictable today, making wave selection and positioning crucial. It’s encouraging to see the top surfers rise to the challenge, and with the Asian Games venue also being a beach break, this event is offering valuable insights ahead of Team India selection,” said, Nawaz Jabbar, Competition Director, NMPA IOS 2026.

The Surfing Juniors 18 & Under Female semifinals saw Kamali Moorthy emerge as the standout performer, posting an impressive score of 12.44 to comfortably secure her place in the final. Joining her in tomorrow’s title-deciding contest are Aadya Singh (7.50), Saanvi Hegde (5.30) and Dhamayanthi Sriram (4.27), who also advanced with solid performances in the semifinals.

The day also featured the semifinals of the Surfing Juniors U-14 Boys and Girls categories, popularly known as the Groms division, where some of the country’s youngest surfers showcased their talent in highly competitive heats. In the boys’ category, Harish P led the qualifiers with an impressive score of 14.40, followed by Sheik Davudh S (13.00), Yogesh A (9.40) and Prahlad Sriram (7.27), all of whom advanced to the final. In the girls’ division, Dhamayanthi Sriram (9.50) and Sanvita Kundar (5.10) secured the top two spots, while Arabolu Nethra (1.00) and Gauri Srimushnam (0.50) also booked their places in the final.

The championship is being organised by the Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), with support from the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Surfing Association. The New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) has returned as the

title sponsor for a third consecutive year, while Cycle Pure Agarbatti and Deconstruct Skincare continue their association as Gold Sponsors, underlining the growing institutional and corporate support behind the development of surfing in India.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)

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Scotland have been dealt a blow to their World Cup 2026 preparation as influential midfielder Billy Gilmour has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

The 24-year-old suffered a knee issue during Scotland’s 4-1 victory over Curacao at Hampden Park on Saturday and sank to the turf unchallenged before calling for the physios.

After receiving some treatment on the pitch, Gilmour was substituted off before the end of the first half and departing the playing surface unaided. That raised hopes that his injury was not a serious issue but following further tests the decision has been made to rule him out for the tournament which begins in two week’s time.

Gilmour will now return to his domestic club, Napoli, for rehabilitation.

The Scotland National Team announced the news on social media and posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter. It reads: “We regret to announce that the knee injury sustained by Billy Gilmour in today’s win over Curacao will rule him out of participation in @FIFAWorldCup.

“We’re all with you, Billy.”

Gilmour had initially been called up to Scotland’s 26-man squad by manager Steve Clarke and looked set to play a crucial role in the team’s World Cup campaign alongside Napoli teammate Scott McTominay in the middle of the pitch.

Clarke said: “I am devastated for Billy because he has been an integral part of our World Cup qualifying campaign. The timing of this injury is so, so cruel and we all feel for him.

“He knows what we all think of him as a footballer and a person and while no words will give him any comfort tonight, I am certain Billy will have many major tournaments ahead of him in the future.”

Scotland next play a warm-up game against Bolivia on June 6 before their first World Cup game against Haiti in Boston on June 14.