ENGLAND
Wax Mbappe unveiled
France superstar Kylian Mbappe on Friday received one of the greatest honors that England can bestow upon a sportsman from a rival nation — a lifelike waxwork at London’s Madame Tussauds museum. The statue shows the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner striking a familiar pose — arms crossed and wearing France’s white away jersey from last summer’s UEFA European Championships, along with the captain’s armband. “The entire ... outfit was donated by Mbappe himself,” Madame Tussauds said in a press release. The statue went on public display at the central London venue, with Mbappe take his place alongside waxwork clones of other greats such as Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo. “Let me introduce you to my twin,” Mbappe joked in a post on Instagram.
Photo: AFP
BUNDESLIGA
Bayern beat Augsburg
Bayern Munich on Friday came back from a goal down to beat hosts Augsburg 3-1 and move nine points clear at the top of the table. However, Jamal Musiala was taken off injured ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Bayern, who are to host Serie A pacesetters Inter in the first leg on Tuesday, are already without injured defenders Hiroki Ito, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano. They moved to 68 points with six games left in the German league, nine ahead of Bayer 04 Leverkusen ahead of their game yesterday.
LA LIGA
Espanyol ease pressure
Two goals in the first 15 minutes on Friday set relegation-threatened RCD Espanyol on their way to a vital 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. The result — only their second away win all season — extended a run in which Espanyol have lost only once in six league matches and lifted them one place into 15th and five points clear of the relegation zone.
ITALY
Mats Hummels to retire
Mats Hummels has announced the end of his soccer career. The AS Roma defender and 2014 FIFA World Cup winner on Friday said that he will retire from professional soccer at the end of the season. “I’m struggling with my emotions right now,” the 36-year-old Hummels said in a video on X. “Now comes the moment that no footballer can avoid. After 18 years and so many things that football has given me, I’m ending my career this summer.”
LIGA MX
Sergio Canales kicks door
Sergio Canales on Thursday injured his left leg from kicking and breaking a crystal door after an argument with his Monterrey coach Martin Demichelis, the club said on Friday. The disagreement and injury happened in the locker room after practice at the team’s training center, the club said. Canales was reportedly frustrated about the team’s poor performances and questioned Demichelis. The injury put in doubt Canales’ availability to face CD Guadalajara yesterday.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
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