MIAMI: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa faced calls on Friday to retire from the NFL for his own health after suffering his third documented concussion.
Tagovailoa was taken out of the game in the third quarter after suffering his latest head injury as he dived into a tackle searching for a first down in Thursday’s 31-10 defeat at home to the Buffalo Bills.
The 26-year-old was down on the floor for several minutes after the hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin but left under his own power, hobbling slightly as he talked to team staff.
The quarterback suffered two concussions — along with other scares — during a 2022 season which threw his future in the game into doubt.
But he played without any noticable issues throughout last season only to see the concerns return in week two of this campaign.
The concern is that with each concussion the risks grow of the kind of serious long term brain problems that have afflicted players in the past.
“That’s it... NFL, go ahead and do the right thing,” retired former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant wrote on X after the incident.
“Tua has had entirely way too many concussions. He needs to retire for his longevity health concerns,” he added.
Former Denver Broncos tight-end Shannon Sharpe, now a prominent television pundit, agreed that Tagovailoa should call it a day.
“Really hope Tua is ok, but he’s gotta seriously think about shutting it down,” said Sharpe on X.
“I hate saying this. His concussions are getting worse and worse, and he’s a young man with his entire life ahead of him,” he said.
On Friday, Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said if he were the player’s coach he would make it clear that he should quit.
“I’ll be honest, I would tell him to retire. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth it,” he said, noting this was the third such concussion.
“It’s scary, you could see right away the players’ faces on the field, you could see the urgency to get Tua help,” he said.
But Tagovailoa’s actual coach, Mike McDaniel, said it was not the right moment for him to broach the subject of retirement.
“It would be so wrong of me to sniff that subject. It’s more in line with actually caring about the human being. You’re talking about his career. His career is his.... Bringing up his future is not in the best interests of him. I would plead with everyone that generally cares that that should be the last thing on his mind,” he said.
McDaniel said on Thursday, in the immediate aftermath of the injury, that evaluations of the injury and questions over Tagovailoa’s return should be left to medical experts.
Some have questioned whether Tagovailoa was wise to have leaned into the challenge rather than taking the safer option of sliding to avoid contact.
But JJ Watt said he couldn’t blame the quarterback from going as far as he could to make the first down.
“It is a bit of a double-standard in my opinion, everyone wants to see modern-day gladiators but they don’t want the guilt that comes along with it,” he said.
Tagovailoa urged to retire after latest concussion
https://arab.news/n4zy5
Tagovailoa urged to retire after latest concussion
Bayern hit nine, Real Madrid and Liverpool triumph as new Champions League kicks off
- UEFA, European football’s governing body, introduced the new format to ward off the threat of a breakaway Super League by the biggest clubs
- Juventus beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in Turin, with Kenan Yildiz opening the scoring in some style
AFP PARIS: Bayern Munich became the first team to score nine goals in a game in the modern Champions League as the new format of Europe’s elite club competition kicked off on Tuesday, with title holders Real Madrid and Liverpool also among the winners.
Harry Kane scored four goals, including three penalties, as Vincent Kompany’s Bayern hammered Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 at the Allianz Arena.
Michael Olize scored twice on his Champions League debut, while Raphael Guerreiro, Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka were also on target for the home team in Germany.
Dinamo were 3-0 down at the break but scored twice in two minutes just after half-time to give the hosts a scare, with Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara on target. But Bayern then scored six times from the 57th minute onwards.
“An amazing game, a bit of a crazy game,” Kane told broadcaster DAZN.
“It’s the first time I’ve scored three (penalties) in a game. That doesn’t happen at all really.”
Bayern had been the last team to score eight in a Champions League match, when they beat Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals in 2020.
It was a remarkable way to mark the opening night of the brand-new Champions League, with the competition now featuring 36 teams all pooled together in one giant league instead of the old group stage.
Every participant now plays eight games against eight different opponents, with the top eight teams at the end of the league phase advancing automatically to the last 16.
Those finishing from ninth to 24th will go through to a play-off round to decide the remaining sides in the last 16, while the bottom 12 will be eliminated.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, introduced the new format to ward off the threat of a breakaway Super League by the biggest clubs, but it also hopes the changes will breathe new life into the competition.
There was plenty of excitement around the continent on Tuesday, with reigning champions Madrid made to work hard before beating VfB Stuttgart 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe marked his first game in the competition with Real by scoring the opening goal just after halftime.
However, Deniz Undav equalized midway through the second half for a Stuttgart side appearing in the Champions League for the first time since 2010.
Real nevertheless emerged victorious as Antonio Rudiger headed them back in front against his old side seven minutes from time, and Brazilian youngster Endrick got the third goal in stoppage time.
“I know I can do more, each game I feel better and now I’m scoring goals, and I’m happy here,” new signing Mbappe told broadcaster Movistar.
“What we know is that the Champions League has changed and it’s important to win quickly to see if we can qualify quickly or not.”
Liverpool marked their return to Europe’s top table by coming from behind to win 3-1 away to seven-time champions AC Milan in Italy.
Christian Pulisic gave Milan an early lead, but Ibrahima Konate equalized and Virgil van Dijk headed the away side in front before the interval. Dominik Szoboszlai then wrapped up the victory for Liverpool at San Siro.
Aston Villa enjoyed a 3-0 win away to Swiss champions Young Boys in Bern in their first ever match in the modern Champions League, 41 years after they last appeared in the old European Cup.
Youri Tielemans and Jacob Ramsey scored in the first half for the 1982 European champions, and Amadou Onana completed their victory late on.
Villa boss Unai Emery wanted his team to take three points as a tribute to the club’s former striker Gary Shaw, a member of their European Cup-winning side who died on Monday aged 63 after being injured in a fall.
“Forty-two years (ago) they achieved winning the Champions League. We want to try and follow what that team achieved,” Emery said.
Elsewhere Juventus beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in Turin, with Kenan Yildiz opening the scoring in some style and Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez also netting. Ismael Saibari pulled one back.
Portuguese champions Sporting beat Lille 2-0 at home, with impressive Swedish striker Viktor Gyoekeres on target before a Zeno Debast piledriver. The French side had Angel Gomes sent off.
The action continues on Wednesday, including a rematch of the 2023 final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Man United rout third-division Barnsley 7-0 in English League Cup
- It was United’s biggest margin of victory under the Dutchman, who has been in charge for more than two years
- Everton’s troubled campaign went from bad to worse after it was eliminated by second-to-last Southampton — losing 6-5 on penalties
MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag savored the “perfect night” after routing third-division Barnsley 7-0 in the English League Cup on Tuesday.
It was United’s biggest margin of victory under the Dutchman, who has been in charge for more than two years.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored two goals each in the third round match at Old Trafford, with Antony also on target.
“Not for me, but for the team, this is the perfect night. I think we could do everything that we planned to do. We won, (we are in) next round, scored some great goals, entertained the fans and we worked on our game model, so we are happy,” Ten Hag said.
The size of the victory surpassed United’s previous best under Ten Hag: 4-1 wins against Real Betis and Chelsea in his first season at the club. It was the biggest since a 9-0 win over Southampton under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.
Encouragingly for Ten Hag, Rashford’s scoring touch appears to have returned after a troubled season last year when he managed just nine goals.
Rashford’s double came after he ended a 12-game barren run with a goal against Southampton over the weekend.
“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency,” Rashford said.
Garnacho also scored in that 3-0 win in the Premier League and emulated Rashford by making it three goals in his last two games.
Eriksen struck twice late on.
Rashford blasted United in front after cutting inside Marc Roberts in the 16th minute. Antony doubled the lead when winning and then converting a penalty in the 35th.
Garnacho poked home from close range in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
United overpowered Barnsley after the break with Garnacho scoring his second when racing through on goal in the 49th. Rashford scored again in the 58th.
It was the first time Rashford has scored more than one goal in a game since February 2023.
Eriksen’s double came in the 81st and 85th.
Everton troubles
Bottom of the Premier League and without a point, Everton’s troubled campaign went from bad to worse after it was eliminated by second-to-last Southampton — losing 6-5 on penalties.
The Merseyside team had taken the lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 20th at Goodison Park, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis evened the game in the 32nd.
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved Ashley Young’s penalty in sudden death to seal Everton’s fate.
Eberechi Eze struck the winner as Crystal Palace beat second-division Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and Brentford survived an early scare against third-tier Leyton Orient to win 3-1.
Brandon Cooper fired Orient ahead in the 11th, but Fabio Carvalho, Mikkel Damsgaard and Christian Norgaard eased Brentford to victory.
Shootout drama
Second-division Preston secured the biggest shock of the night by beating Fulham 16-15 in an epic penalty shootout.
The game ended 1-1 at full time with Ryan Ledson putting Preston ahead in the 35th and Reiss Nelson equalizing for Fulham in the 61st.
What followed was the longest shootout in League Cup history with Preston eventually triumphing after 34 spot kicks.
After 32 penalties were successfully converted, Fulham’s Timothy Castagne missed the target and Ledson made no mistake to fire Preston into the fourth round.
It was a different story as Stoke overcame Fleetwood 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Sheffield Wednesday beat Blackpool 1-0.
Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois lead boxing stars at Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition grand arrivals
Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois lead boxing stars at Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition grand arrivals
- Fans got a glimpse of the stars and the entire undercard line-up at Leicester Square event
LONDON: Leicester Square in London played host to a boxing fan’s dream on Tuesday night when the 12 British boxers taking part in Saturday’s Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition made their grand arrivals.
The parade of talent was headlined by Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, who will battle it out for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title at a sell-out Wembley Stadium.
Fans got a glimpse of the stars and the entire undercard line-up, as well as the promoters of the event - Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions.
-------
PHOTO GALLERY OF GRAND ARRIVALS HERE
-------
Joshua admitted at the event that although he was feeling tense about the fight, his body was in good condition and he felt he could continue boxing for another four years.
“I’m tense,” he told DAZN on the red carpet. “I’m tense. The fight’s around the corner – I don’t forget that the fight’s around the corner. This is chilled though. We’re not fighting today so I’m chilled.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Dubois said he was feeling “in the right place at the right time” to take on Joshua and defend his IBF belt, adding that he needed to “stay in his bubble and stay focused.”
Stylish Liverpool strut past Milan in confident Champions league opener
- Fashion Week got underway in Milan on Tuesday and it was the away team who made all of the slick moves at the San Siro in a clash of European football royalty
MILAN, Italy: Liverpool strutted to a 3-1 win at AC Milan on Tuesday as the Reds got their campaign in the revamped Champions League off to a stylish start.
Arne Slot’s team reacted superbly to going behind in the third minute to a Christian Pulisic goal and ended up cruising to the three points thanks to strikes from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Fashion Week got underway in Milan on Tuesday and it was the away team who made all of the slick moves at the San Siro in a clash of European football royalty.
Liverpool and Milan have been crowned continental kings 13 times and have beaten each other in Champions League finals but the Reds were a class above and would have won by more had the woodwork not twice denied Mohamed Salah in the first half.
“It was a great day to celebrate your birthday at a stadium like this, and then to win,” said Slot, who turned 46 on Tuesday, to Prime Video.
“I wouldn’t have said this after five minutes but it went quite well.”
For Liverpool it was a return to perfect form after falling to a shock home defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend while Milan again struggled under new coach Paulo Fonseca ahead of Sunday’s Milan derby.
Fonseca has failed to convince Milan supporters, a large number of whom stayed away on Tuesday night with fewer than 60,000 turning up for their team’s highest profile fixture of the new league phase of Europe’s top club competition.
And Milan will likely have to face Italian champions Inter Milan, who take on Manchester City on Wednesday, without France goalkeeper Mike Maignan who limped off with a knee injury early in the second half.
“It’s a difficult start for us and we have to change things,” Pulisic told Sky in Italy before looking for an immediate response against Inter at the weekend.
“Of course it (the derby) is a big match for us,” he said. “We need to turn things around. We have a big opportunity to do that.”
Milan fans put up a giant display which read “fearless” before kick-off and the hosts tore straight into Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk desperately clearing Tijjani Reijnders low cross.
And Pulisic quickly had Milan ahead with his super low finish, punishing Liverpool’s dawdling defense after being brilliantly sent scurrying toward goal by Alvaro Morata at the end of a move which was started by Maignan.
Liverpool quickly responded however and were unlucky in the 16th minute when Salah smashed an effort with his weaker right foot off the crossbar.
And the away side, whose pressing had started to force Milan into giving the ball away cheaply, were level when Konate nodded home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s floated free-kick.
With the Reds taking control, Milan should have been behind before Van Dijk nodded Liverpool ahead, as Diogo Jota wasted a great chance seconds after Konate’s leveller and Salah smacked another shot off the bar on the half-hour mark.
Things got even worse for the home team in the 51st minute when Maignan, who had already dropped to the ground in pain twice during the first half, limped off after being clattered by Fikayo Tomori as the England defender desperately tried to stop Jota from extending Liverpool’s lead.
Maignan was replaced by teenager Lorenzo Torriani and the rookie could only look on in the 67th minute as Szoboszlai bundled home Cody Gakpo’s teasing cross after the Netherlands forward eased past sluggish Strahinja Pavlovic.
Disappointed Milan fans began streaming toward the exit long before the final whistle, after which a deluge of whistles and boos, and loud chants for their team to “show some balls,” met a thoroughly deserved defeat.
Runners-up Yokohama thrashed 7-3 in goal fest
- Shanghai Shenhua drub South Korea’s Pohang Steelers 4-1, while Buriram United of Thailand and Vissel Kobe of Japan play out a 0-0 draw
SOUL: Asian Champions League debutants Gwangju FC scored after just 90 seconds on the way to a 7-3 home hammering of last year’s runners-up Yokohama F-Marinos on Tuesday.
Also on the second day of action in Asia’s top club competition, which has been rebranded as the Asian Champions League Elite, Shandong Taishan won 3-1 at home to Central Coast Mariners of Australia.
On a good night for Chinese teams, Shanghai Shenhua thrashed South Korea’s Pohang Steelers 4-1, while Buriram United of Thailand and Vissel Kobe of Japan played out a 0-0 stalemate.
In South Korea, Gwangju grabbed an early lead over Japan’s Yokohama when Jasir Asani’s tame effort from outside the box squirmed under the grasp of visiting goalkeeper Riku Terakado.
The hosts extended their lead at a sparsely attended Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the quarter-hour mark when Oh Hu-seong headed in unmarked at the back post.
Yokohama hit back on 34 minutes when the Brazilian Elber slammed home as the rain came down.
The game turned goal crazy in a madcap second half, with Albanian international Asani netting twice more for his hat trick and the hosts adding three more.
Elber, with his second, and Takuma Nishimura pulled goals back for the bedraggled away team, who were reduced to 10 men late on.
The J. League’s Yokohama are coached by the Australian John Hutchinson following the sacking of compatriot Harry Kewell after just six months in the job.
The former Liverpool and Leeds star Kewell took Yokohama to the two-legged Champions League final in May, where they lost to Al Ain of the UAE 6-3 on aggregate.
Kewell was axed two months later after a torrid run of form and Hutchinson was promoted from the backroom staff on a caretaker basis.
The Asian Champions League Elite begins with two leagues containing 12 teams each and split between East and West Zones.
The competition kicked off on Monday and concludes in May next year.
