Newcastle wrap up pre-season friendlies with 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao

Newcastle United's Callum Wilson in action with Athletic Bilbao's Yeray at St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain, on July 30, 2022. (Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes)
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Updated 30 July 2022
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Newcastle wrap up pre-season friendlies with 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao

  • Goals by Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin secure second victory in two days following Friday’s 1-0 win over Atalanta

NEWCASTLE, Britain: Two days, two totally different starting XIs, but exactly the same result. Newcastle United made it back-to-back pre-season victories at St. James’ Park, this time seeing off Athletic Bilbao 2-1.

Less than 24 hours after Chris Wood's penalty ensured a 1-0 win over Atalanta, strike rivals Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin netted to see off La Liga opposition this time out. Raul Garcia added a consolation for Los Leones.

In a ploy that has intrigued many among the United faithful, head coach Eddie Howe has opted to split this Newcastle group throughout pre-season.

Hour and half-hour stints in Austria, then a 45-minute show apiece at Benfica before the full 90 for much of the squad this weekend is Howe's way of easing his players into things and firing them up at just the right time.

In truth, it is impossible to know whether this tactic will work — judgments will be reserved for after the clash with Nottingham Forest next weekend — but it's kept everyone guessing as to what constitutes Howe's strongest XI, with Premier League football looming large on the horizon.

“The last two games have been brilliant exercises for us," said Howe on selection. “Two top teams. Two different XIs for a big test for us, but I think we've come through with no injuries. Two positive results and two good performances.

“We wanted a tough test. We wanted every game to examine our team and make sure we’re ready for the rigors of Premier League football. Definitely, the last three games have given us top-quality opposition who have all played in slightly different ways, but they’ve taken the game to us so it was an equal challenge.

“Both teams in the last two days have been going for each other and played some really good football at times. That was the type of test we needed because we know the level of Nottingham Forest will be very high. None of our players can turn round and say they weren’t ready for Premier League football.

“Pre-season is done, we’ve got the last few bits of training to get us up to top speed. I’m sure we’ll be ready.”




Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and Matt Ritchie after the match with Bilbao at St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain, on July 30, 2022. (Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes)

While what looked very much like at least four of United's first-choice back five — four plus a goalkeeper — was deployed against the Italians last night, it looked, to the untrained eye at least, that this XI makes up much of Newcastle's forward big hitters.

Saint-Maximin and Wilson were joined by Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Joe Willock, all of whom look set to be guaranteed starters with the newly-promoted Tricky Trees in town in seven days.

And it was two of those who combined to get Howe's men off to the perfect start.

With just three minutes on the clock, Saint-Maximin cut in from the left, as has become his trademark, and laid into the path of Matt Ritchie, who in turn flipped through the Bilbao backline to Wilson who showed his usual level of composure and class to turn home for 1-0.

Dominant from minute one to 45, Guimaraes ran rings around the visiting midfield, spraying balls left and right and drawing tackles and fouls at will as he frustrated those on the Bilbao bench and the pitch.

Sven Botman, making his home debut, also excelled at the heart of defense as his timely blocks and interceptions shed light on the very different side to his game, the blood and guts defensive work, to go with the slick, unflappable passing game he so clearly possesses.

Like the previous night, a raft of changes from the visiting bench freshened things up for the opposition and, with fatigue a factor, the balance of play leveled somewhat — although not before Saint-Maximin had worked some match-winning magic of his own.

A curled ball from the outside of Joelinton's right boot set the Frenchman away down the left and driving toward goal, and Saint-Maximin rolled past the outstretched frame of Ander Iruarrizaga for 2-0.

That goal, more than any other this pre-season, will likely have a profound impact. No player has been transformed in approach so starkly this summer than Saint-Maximin. While the goals and assists have evaded him this summer, like the tail end of last season, this all-round player has gone up levels.

Where previously decision-making was found wanting and often the ball turned over to the opposition, the former Monaco man is now doing the simple things well - and, importantly, is a vital and willing component in Howe's high praise.

“I thought he was excellent today,” Howe said of Saint-Maximin. “Allan thrives on the crowd here, thrives off the energy and the love of the crowd. You could see that in his performance today, it was probably his best performance during pre-season.

“He took his goal very well and worked hard, looking like a real threat. Delighted for him.”

As the game stretched and United's powers waned, substitute Garcia got on the end of an inviting cross to hammer home a header to reduce arrears but, despite some sustained pressure and thanks to some Martin Dubravka heroics, the Magpies held on to round off their summer in style.

“The first half was good. There were a lot of fluent attacks, good individual displays and collective too,” said Howe, summing up another victorious afternoon for his side. “We looked dangerous, defended well, and were on the front foot - everything we want to be. An intense game.

“Second half, similar to yesterday when the changes were made, we suffered with their fresh legs and our tired bodies but that’s the beauty of the exercise of playing two games in two days so we can get the majority of players 90 minutes.”


Knicks rally for another road win over Celtics, lead set 2-0

Updated 08 May 2025
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Knicks rally for another road win over Celtics, lead set 2-0

Jalen Brunson made two free throws with 12.7 seconds to play, lifting the New York Knicks to a 91-90 win over the host Boston Celtics on Wednesday and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Boston had a chance to recover in the final seconds, but Mikal Bridges knocked the ball away from Jayson Tatum and New York took possession.
Josh Hart had a game-high 23 points for New York, which trailed by 20 points in the third quarter and by 16 in the fourth. The Knicks received 21 points and 17 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns. Bridges put up 14 points — all in the fourth quarter.
Brunson, finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists, said of the decisive foul shots, “I got up there, heard the noise and then I just tried to block everything out. And then I made two.”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, “We started slowly, got in a big hole, dug out way out and then guys made a lot of tough plays. (Our players) were at their best when their best was needed down the stretch.”
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each scored 20 points for the Celtics.
“They made the necessary plays to win,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of the Knicks. “We put ourselves in position to do that and we just didn’t make the plays (down the stretch).
“You just take a look at it and figure out where you have to be better and put a full 48 minutes together. Have an understanding that it’s going to be difficult, but that’s why we do what we do. Figure out where we have to get better and do that. We got to get on the road and we got to find a way to win.”
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in New York.
New York took its first lead on a Brunson layup that made it 87-86 with 1:59 to play. Another Brunson layup capped a 21-2 run that stretched New York’s lead to three points before two Tatum free throws pulled the Celtics within one point with 44.9 seconds left.
Boston took a 90-89 lead on a Tatum dunk with 18.5 seconds to go, but Brunson knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession.
Tatum, who averaged 26.8 points per game during the regular season, was held to 13 points, but he grabbed 14 rebounds.
Boston also received eight points off the bench from Kristaps Porzingis, who didn’t play in the second half of Game 1 because of an illness. Porzingis played 14 minutes in Game 2.
The Celtics played without Sam Hauser, who sustained an ankle injury in the third quarter of Game 1.
Boston led 24-13 after one quarter on Wednesday and 50-41 at halftime. The Celtics were up by 16 before the Knicks finished the second quarter on an 11-4 run. Tatum was held to two points in the first half.
The Celtics extended their lead to 70-50 on a Porzingis dunk with 4:05 remaining in the third, but New York scored the final eight points in the quarter to cut Boston’s lead to 73-61 entering the final frame.
Boston was again foiled by poor 3-point shooting. The Celtics were 10 of 40 (25 percent) from long range on Wednesday after going 15 of 60 (25 percent) in their overtime loss on Monday, when they also squandered a 20-point lead.
“The way the game goes now, you can make up ground a lot quicker with the way teams shoot threes,” Thibodeau said. “For the writers around us, they always think every lead is safe, but it’s not. Everything does matter.”


PSG finish off Arsenal to reach Champions League final

Updated 08 May 2025
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PSG finish off Arsenal to reach Champions League final

  • Nevertheless, PSG made it 2-0 on the night when Dembele, on from the bench, teed up Hakimi to finish in style

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain clinched a place in the Champions League final as goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave them a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.
Ruiz crashed in a shot from the edge of the area in the 27th minute at the Parc des Princes to leave PSG firmly in the driving seat after they had withstood an early bombardment from the visitors.
Already leading in the tie after Ousmane Dembele’s goal in last week’s first leg, PSG then saw Vitinha have a second-half penalty saved.
However, Hakimi put the tie beyond Arsenal when he scored in the 72nd minute, even if Bukayo Saka did then pull one back for the visitors.
PSG advance to a showdown in Munich on May 31 against Inter Milan, and it will be the second Champions League final in their history, five years after a defeat by Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Arsenal, meanwhile, saw their European dream come to an end as they fell short of reaching what would have been their second final, 19 years after losing to Barcelona in Paris.
Still without a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, all that is left to play for now for Mikel Arteta’s side is securing a third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League.
There was an electric atmosphere all evening in Paris, and PSG were able to celebrate getting to a final in front of their fans for the first time, after their victory against RB Leipzig in the last four in 2020 was played behind closed doors during the pandemic.
There was a feverish mood in and around the ground pre-match, but PSG have tripped up in big Champions League ties plenty of times over the last decade.
In addition, their top scorer Dembele was not in the starting line-up having come off with a hamstring problem in the first leg.
Arsenal, with Thomas Partey back in midfield after missing the first leg through suspension, did their best to silence the raucous home support by throwing everything at the Parisians right from the off.
Declan Rice headed just wide, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Gabriel Martinelli from close range before producing a stunning save low to his left to keep out a Martin Odegaard shot, all inside the opening eight minutes.
PSG did eventually settle, and they almost went ahead on 17 minutes when Desire Doue teed up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose curling shot hit the far post.
Then Doue wasted a great chance, shooting straight at David Raya in the Arsenal goal after Bradley Barcola had intercepted a loose ball.
But PSG did score before the half-hour mark, the goal coming in the wake of a free-kick awarded for a Rice foul on Kvaratskhelia.
Vitinha’s delivery was headed out by Partey but fell to Ruiz on the edge of the box, and he controlled before smashing in a left-foot shot as the ball bounced back up.
It was the ideal moment for the 29-year-old Spaniard to score his first Champions League goal.
Barcola failed to convert a good chance for the hosts to score again moments later, and Arsenal still had some hope going into the second half.
Only another stunning Donnarumma save with his fingertips prevented Saka from pulling one back on 64 minutes, before PSG were awarded a spot-kick.
German referee Felix Zwayer gave the penalty after being summoned to the pitchside monitor when a shot by Hakimi brushed the outstretched hand of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arteta was furious at the decision, yet Vitinha’s kick was turned away by Raya diving to his left.
Nevertheless, PSG made it 2-0 on the night when Dembele, on from the bench, teed up Hakimi to finish in style.
This being PSG, however, there was a wobble as Saka quickly pulled one back from close range after Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard had got the better of Marquinhos on the wing.
Saka then somehow blazed over with an open goal gaping from Riccardo Calafiori’s cross, ensuring that there would be no miracle Arsenal comeback and it would be PSG’s night.


Al-Ittihad take step towards SPL title

Updated 08 May 2025
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Al-Ittihad take step towards SPL title

  • Algeria international Houssem Aouar, scored the winner in added time from close range following a cross by Moussa Diaby

Al-Itithad defeated Al-Nassr 3-2 on Wednesday to take a big step towards the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title. With four games of the season remaining, Ittihad are six points clear and are looking good for the big prize.

It was not an easy win but somehow the visitors came back from two goals down to record the win. It was a close-run thing however. By the break, Al-Nassr were two goals to the good and were on course for a huge win.

It started in fine fashion as, Sadio Mane put Nassr ahead and then eight minutes before the break, Ayman Yahya  made it 2-0,

In the first ten minutes after the restart and Ittihad were level. First, French international striker  Karim Benzema pulled a goal back and then N’Golo Kante scored to level the game. It seemed as if it that was that but then Al-Ittihad scored once more through Houssem Aouar and that ended up winning the game.

In the other big game of the day, Al-Hilal won 5-3 at Al-Raed to ensure that the race for the top was not over.

Salem Al-Dawsari was the hero for Al-Hilal as he scored three goals for the 19-time champions. The Saudi Arabian international scored a hat-trick. His first came four minutes before the break.

The result means that there is still a long way to go in this season.


Grant back in Italy hoping to follow Sinner as the country’s next tennis star

Updated 07 May 2025
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Grant back in Italy hoping to follow Sinner as the country’s next tennis star

ROME: Tyra Caterina Grant grew up playing and living at the same tennis academy in northern Italy that Jannik Sinner attended before he went on to become No. 1.

So perhaps it feels natural that the 17-year-old Grant, a three-time junior Grand Slam doubles champion, will try to follow in Sinner’s footsteps again after announcing that she has switched nationalities from the US and will represent Italy for her promising professional career.

Grant’s father is American basketball player Tyrone Grant, who spent most of his pro career in Italy. Her Italian mother, Cinzia Giovinco, taught her to play tennis. She grew up in Vigevano, a town near Milan, and can switch between fluent Italian and English from one sentence to the next.

“I switched to Italy because I feel mostly Italian even though I’m half and half,” Grant said upon arriving in Rome, where she’s been given a wild card to play the Italian Open. “I’m more connected to the Italian part because I was born here and I grew up here and my friends are here. I feel more connected to the Italian culture and I feel more at home here.”

Grant and Sinner

Grant trained at Riccardo Piatti’s academy in Bordighera from age seven to 14 before she moved to Orlando, Florida.

Sinner, who is 6½ years older than Grant, was already one of Piatti’s star pupils when she arrived.

“Growing up with Jannik was great,” Grant said. “He was I think around 14 when we first met and I was a little younger so obviously it was kind of an age gap, but in Bordighera we were all just like a big family so it was lovely.”

Coco Gauff sees Grant’s potential

While Grant is ranked No. 335 by the WTA Tour, she is No. 6 in the International Tennis Federation’s junior rankings.

Grant also reached the semifinals of the junior singles tournament at last year’s French Open; and got to the semifinals of the senior mixed doubles competition at the US Open with American partner Aleksandar Kovacevic. Grant and Kovacevic were beaten by eventual champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy.

Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, got to know Grant a bit when she was among the juniors brought in to practice with the US national team.

“I’ve actually never watched her play,” Gauff said. “Based off the results, what I see her doing in juniors, obviously she has a lot of potential. I just never sat there and watched a match. I will now that she’s playing on the same level. I’ll try to get ready. Probably going to play each other sooner than later.”

Gauff and Grant were guests of honor at the Italian Open draw at the Trevi Fountain on Monday.

“If I had a cool option like Italy — I think they’re a great place to represent — I might do the same,” Gauff said, before quickly adding, “I love being American, too.

“When I see her interacting with Italians here, I’m like, ‘OK, yeah, I see why she made the change,’” Gauff said.

More attention in Italy

Italy has only one woman in the top 50 of the WTA rankings with Jasmine Paolini at No. 5.

Gauff, who is No. 3, leads a group of 10 Americans in the top 50.

So Grant could potentially attract more attention in Italy than in the US

“Obviously the US is bigger and probably has more female players but I was (already) one of the top players there so it’s not much of a difference,” she said.

Tyra or Tyra Caterina?

While Grant is often referred to by only her first name, her official bio on the WTA website lists her as Tyra Caterina Grant.


NEOM launches Champions of Progress initiative to drive community football

Updated 07 May 2025
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NEOM launches Champions of Progress initiative to drive community football

  • Scheme open to nominations from across Middle East, Asia
  • The initiative is open to individuals aged 18 and above from across the region

NEOM: The Asian Football Confederation’s official partner, NEOM, on Wednesday launched an initiative that aims to celebrate community heroes in football across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and Asia.
Known as Champions of Progress, the scheme will use football’s global platform to drive positive change across the region and help the development of talent from grassroots to elite players.
The partnership supports NEOM’s vision to grow football in the Kingdom, improve access to physical activity for people and help make the country a global sports destination, it said in a statement.
“Champions of Progress seeks to celebrate individuals and projects that promote positive community engagement, support innovative sports development and show a commitment to diversity and inclusion in football,” it said.
The initiative is open to individuals aged 18 and above from across the region, as well as projects that have had a significant impact in the development of football at a community level, increased participation numbers or improved accessibility.
A panel of judges, including experts from NEOM and AFC, will review all submissions to determine the winners.
The six “champions” will be invited to the AFC Champions League Elite at the beginning of the 2025/26 season where they will meet senior members of the Saudi football community.
Their stories will also be shared across selected partnership channels to drive awareness and encourage positive change in pan-Asian football.