AL KHOR: England set up a titanic World Cup quarter-final against holders France as Jude Bellingham’s masterclass inspired a 3-0 win against Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s side survived a nervous start at the Al Bayt Stadium before Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane put Senegal to the sword with a pair of clinical finishes before half-time.
Bukayo Saka scored England’s third, but it was Bellingham’s prodigious work-rate and burgeoning quality in possession that allowed them to turn the tide.
Bellingham set up Henderson’s opener and the Borussia Dortmund midfielder was involved again when England captain Kane bagged his first goal in this World Cup.
Kane has now netted 11 times at major tournaments, overtaking Gary Lineker as England’s all-time top scorer in those competitions.
But at the tender age of 19, it is Bellingham who has emerged as England’s driving force.
He is the first teenager to assist in a World Cup knockout stage game since 1966, having already announced his arrival on the global stage by netting his first England goal in the 6-2 rout of Iran in their group opener.
Just two years after he was playing in the English second tier with Birmingham, the precocious Bellingham was totally unfazed against Senegal in the biggest game of his life.
England will need another command performance from Bellingham if they are to extend their stay in Qatar beyond the last eight.
Eyeing a third successive semifinal appearance at major tournaments, England will return to the Al Khor desert on Saturday to take on the red-hot Kylian Mbappe and company after France brushed aside Poland 3-1 on Sunday.
Euro 2020 runners-up England have won only one of their last eight meetings with France, who pose a significant threat to their hopes of winning a first major title for 56 years.
The depth of attacking talent available to Southgate could be crucial and, defending his decision to drop Marcus Rashford for Saka despite the forward’s double against Wales, he boasted “we have an embarrassment of riches in all areas of the pitch.”
After a rocky opening when they passed too slowly and looked anxious at the back, England hit their stride to show why Southgate has such confidence in them.
Fuelled by the incessant drumming from their vibrant fans, African champions Senegal initially showed no fear as they tested England’s composure with a high press.
Senegal squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead when Harry Maguire gave the ball away and Boulaye Dia’s volley deflected off John Stones into Ismaila Sarr’s path, only for the Watford forward to blaze over from close-range.
Preying on England’s nerves, Sarr harried Saka and Dia seized the loose ball, forcing a good save from Jordan Pickford with a fierce drive.
That proved the turning point as England snatched the lead against the run of play in the 38th minute.
Bellingham sprinted onto Harry Kane’s incisive pass into the Senegal area and clipped a precise cutback into the path of Liverpool midfielder Henderson, who guided his low strike past Edouard Mendy from 12 yards.
Henderson’s goal served as a jolt of adrenaline that coursed through England as they doubled their lead seconds before the interval.
Bellingham was the catalyst with his well-timed tackle and a crisp pass to Foden, whose perfectly-weighted lay-off allowed Kane to race clear for a clinical finish.
England strolled through the second half and, repaying Southgate’s faith, Saka put the result beyond doubt in the 57th minute.
Foden made a dynamic run down the left and Saka reached his cross to flick a clever effort over Mendy from close-range.
England subdue Senegal to book France clash in World Cup quarters
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England subdue Senegal to book France clash in World Cup quarters
- Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane put Senegal to the sword with a pair of clinical finishes before half-time
- Bukayo Saka added a third, but it was Jude Bellingham’s prodigious work-rate and burgeoning quality in possession that allowed England to turn the tide
Pakistan moves T20 league, India’s IPL awaits government advice
- IPL organizers have said they are awaiting government advice before determining the fate of the remainder of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament
NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will move its remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates in the wake of Pakistan’s ongoing conflict with India, the country’s cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday.
Thursday’s PSL match in Rawalpindi was postponed amid escalating hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and Naqvi said the decision to move the last eight games was made to ensure players avoid “possible reckless targeting.”
Across the border, India’s cricket board is considering suspending the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the rising tensions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
IPL organizers have said they are awaiting government advice before determining the fate of the remainder of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart,” Naqvi, also Pakistan’s interior minister, said in a statement.
“As a responsible organization that has overcome adversities repeatedly and ensured that the game of cricket flourishes, it was important for us to ensure the mental well-being of all players participating in the PSL.”
India’s cricket board (BCCI) has moved Sunday’s IPL match in Dharamsala near the Pakistan border to Ahmedabad in the west. A match at the same venue in the northern city was abandoned midway due to what officials said was a power failure.
Vice president Rajeev Shukla said they were waiting for government advice on Friday.
“The situation is changing day by day,” Shukla told the Indian Express newspaper.
“We will do whatever we are told and inform all stakeholders. At the moment, our priority is the safety of all players, fans and other stakeholders.”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had told Reuters on Thursday that the IPL’s foreign players were “comfortable” to continue playing. He did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The two countries have been clashing since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on Wednesday that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for a deadly attack in its restive region of Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved.
Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries have exchanged cross-border firing and shelling and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace since then, with nearly four dozen people dying in the violence.
Stephen Curry says he knows patience will be required when dealing with hamstring injury
- Stephen Curry sat down after the Golden State Warriors went through their gameday shootaround practice in Minneapolis and quickly announced that he’s feeling great
- Curry is going to be a postseason spectator for at least a few games, his Grade 1 hamstring strain bad enough that it took him out of most of Game 1 of the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinal
Stephen Curry sat down after the Golden State Warriors went through their shootaround practice in Minneapolis on Thursday, quickly announcing that he’s feeling great.
He was not telling the truth.
“Sarcasm,” the four-time NBA champion with the Warriors quickly clarified, just in case anyone missed the joke.
Curry is going to be a postseason spectator for at least a few games, his Grade 1 hamstring strain bad enough that it forced him out in the second quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series at Minnesota on Tuesday night. He missed the lopsided Game 2 loss to the Timberwolves on Thursday night that evened the series and will likely be sidelined for at least Games 3 and 4 in San Francisco, too.
Curry — who is with the team but isn’t allowed to do anything basketball-related yet, even stationary shooting — isn’t exactly sure how or why the injury happened. He’s never had any hamstring issue of significance before.
“It’s hard to really predict this stuff is what I’m learning,” Curry said. “There were no, like, warning signs or any weird feelings. I felt great the whole game up until that point. And then I made a little pivot move on defense and felt something.”
Curry thought he would be able to return to Game 1, then quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Playing with the strain could have made the issue far worse, Curry said. Hamstrings, he’s quickly learning, need time no matter what sort of rehabilitation program he partakes in.
“Obviously, a tough break,” Curry said. “Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.”
Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes of Game 1 before his exit, and Golden State went on to a 99-88 win. Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green combined for 62 points for the Warriors, who held Minnesota to a 5-for-29 clunker on 3-point tries and limited the Timberwolves to 60 points through three quarters.
“We have a lot of confidence that we can still win the series and guys will step up no matter how it looks,” Curry said. “And it’s obviously a situation where you want to think positively and optimistically that we can win games and buy me some time to get back and hopefully have another series after this and be able to be in a position where I can get back out there safely, where I’m not putting too much risk on the body if it’s not ready.”
Curry, who is averaging a team-best 22 points in these playoffs, can still contribute in small ways even if he’s not playing.
“The guys obviously revere Steph, and they love his presence and that’ll matter to us tonight during the game,” coach Steve Kerr said in his pregame interview. “I’m sure he’ll be talking to the guys on the sidelines and giving some thoughts. He may come into our huddle and make a suggestion, which I always welcome, so it’s good to have him here for sure.”
At one point, when Green picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs, two short of an automatic one-game suspension, Curry was concerned enough about his pal getting ejected for a second technical that he went over to the scorer’s table to try to talk Green down and walk him back to the bench.
But not having Curry on the court clearly hurt.
“Everybody knows it’s difficult to recreate or even get close to doing what he does, but we’re going to have to find a way,” Butler said. “So we’ll go to the tapes, talk about it and execute it to the best of our abilities.”
Timberwolves overpower Warriors to level series
- Golden State coach Steve Kerr said his team had learned valuable lessons on how to play without the talismanic Curry
LOS ANGELES: The Minnesota Timberwolves exploited the injury absence of Stephen Curry to defeat the Golden State Warriors 117-93 and level their NBA Western Conference semifinal series on Thursday.
A fired-up Timberwolves line-up, who had been stunned by the Warriors in game one on Tuesday, were always in control as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory in Minneapolis that squares the series at 1-1.
Julius Randle led the scoring for Minnesota with 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added an eye-catching 20 points off the bench, including four three-pointers, on a night when five Timberwolves players finished in double figures.
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors scoring with 18 points from the bench, Jimmy Butler finishing with 17.
Edwards said an improved defensive effort led to Minnesota’s win after a dismal offensive display in their game one loss.
“We watched film yesterday and we saw it wasn’t just that we didn’t make our shots — it was more so our defensive effort and intensity. We didn’t bring it,” Edwards said.
“So we knew we had to bring it today.”
With Golden State taking to the floor without Curry, who suffered a hamstring injury in game one, Minnesota set the tone early in the first quarter, racing into a hefty 25-7 lead that left the Warriors chasing the game.
Minnesota were given a scare when Edwards limped off with an ankle problem in the second quarter, but the Timberwolves went into half-time with a commanding 56-39 lead.
Edwards returned for the start of the third quarter, but Minnesota were rocked by an early Golden State onslaught.
Butler and Kuminga both grabbed eight points apiece in a rally that helped the Warriors slash the Timberwolves’ lead to just seven points at 62-55 with just under seven minutes remaining in the third.
The Timberwolves regrouped impressively and closed the quarter with a 20-5 run to build an 85-65 lead heading into the final frame.
Without the deadly three-point scoring threat of Curry, the Warriors never looked like closing the gap and Golden State coach Steve Kerr ran up the white flag with four minutes remaining, removing his starters as Minnesota coasted home.
Kerr said his team had learned valuable lessons on how to play without the talismanic Curry as they return to San Francisco for game three on Saturday.
The 11-time All-Star Curry was ruled out for at least a week on Wednesday.
“We’re trying to figure out what we’re gonna be able to do in this series without Steph, so we gave a lot of people a lot of chances,” Kerr said of his shifting line-up.
“I thought we made a really spirited run to get the lead down to seven, but then we just kind of lost a little bit of composure. We turned it over a couple of times, gave up a couple of threes when we lost our defensive connection.
“But we learned a lot and I think this game will help us figure out how to move forward.”
Belal Muhammad confident vs. Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315
- Muhammad, a Chicago native, said Thursday that Della Maddalena will see a new version none of Muhammad’s previous opponents have seen before: “Canelo Hands.”
The UFC is back in Montreal for the first time in a decade on Saturday night with a pair of title fights, which includes welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and No. 5-ranked Australian challenger Jack Della Maddalena topping the 12-fight card for UFC 315.
Muhammad is making his first title defense after suffering an injury late last year. Muhammad upset former champion Leon Edwards last July in the main event of UFC 304 to usher in a new era at 170 pounds.
Muhammad, a Chicago native, said Thursday that Della Maddalena will see a new version none of Muhammad’s previous opponents have seen before: “Canelo Hands.”
“Jack goes down in three ,” Muhammad told reporters at the pre-fight presser.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Muhammad is in the mix for a potential super-fight against former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria or UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev if he were to be victorious. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira also is in the conversation for a title shot, barring possible outcomes.
“That’s pretty accurate,” White said.
Della Maddalena didn’t take too kindly to Muhammad’s words, dismissing the notion that Muhammad won’t use his potent wrestling base to win the fight.
“That’s not gonna happen,” Della Maddalena said.
Della Maddalena hasn’t lost in nine years, compiling an unblemished UFC mark after earning a UFC contract by winning his Dana White Contender Series bout against Ange Loosa in September 2021.
The co-headliner sees Valentina Shevchenko begin her second stint as UFC flyweight champion against French native Manon Fiorot. Shevchenko exacted revenge last September against Alexa Grasso to regain the belt. Meanwhile, Fiorot looks to become the first Frenchwoman to win a UFC title and extend her promotional win streak to eight.
The rest of the card features a mix of former champions, veterans and top prospects.
The main card festivities get underway at 10 p.m. ET/5 a.m. KSA time.
Main card:
• Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena, welterweight — Muhammad’s UFC welterweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot, flyweight — Shevchenko’s UFC flyweight title
• Jose Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi, bantamweight
• Alexa Grasso vs. Natalia Silva, flyweight
• Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Kyle Prepolec, lightweight
Keith Mitchell opens with 61, leads Truist Championship
- Mitchell stayed hot on the front nine with a 6-under 29 coming in, including four straight birdies at Nos. 5-8
- The Philadelphia Cricket Club is serving as a temporary host for the $20 million signature event while Quail Hollow prepares to host the PGA Championship next week
FLOURTOWN, Pennsylvania: Keith Mitchell used a late birdie run to shoot a 9-under-par 61 and take the early lead at the Truist Championship on Thursday in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.
Mitchell started his first round at the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course on the back nine and parred his first five holes. After birdieing Nos. 15, 17 and 18, he stayed hot on the front nine with a 6-under 29 coming in, including four straight birdies at Nos. 5-8.
At day’s end, it was only good for a one-stroke lead over Denny McCarthy. Tied for third at 7-under 63 are Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Akshay Bhatia and Austria’s Sepp Straka.
McCarthy had a five-birdie run, Fowler posted a front-nine 29 and Morikawa went bogey-free in his first competitive round with new caddie Joe Greiner as the Wissahickon Course made its PGA Tour debut. The Philadelphia Cricket Club is serving as a temporary host for the $20 million signature event while Quail Hollow prepares to host the PGA Championship next week.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley were part of a tie for seventh at 6-under 64. A massive tie at 65 included Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim.
Rory McIlroy is the four-time champion of the event at Quail Hollow, including last year, and he managed an opening 66 with six birdies and two bogeys. Justin Thomas, Max Homa and Will Zalatoris are among those tied with him at 66.
Only five players failed to shoot even par or better, including Canada’s Adam Hadwin (1-over 71) and Lucas Glover (2-over 72). There will be no cut after 36 holes.
