List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

The Boston Celtics have kept their dreams of back-to-back NBA Finals appearances -- and a historic series comeback -- alive with a 110-97 win in Game 5 against the Miami Heat.

Thinaah Muralitharan threw her racket in the air and Pearly Tan got down on all fours to catch her breath after the women's doubles duo survived a 211-shot rally at the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament on Thursday.

The attention brought by the latest case of abuse against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has taken Spain to what could be a turning point in the fight against racism in soccer

Jurgen Klopp has shrugged off Mohamed Salah’s tweet that there was “no excuse” for Liverpool’s failure to qualify for the Champions League as a “completely normal” reaction to their disappointment. After six successive top-four finishes, which led to three Champions League finals and victory in the competition in 2019, Liverpool were condemned to fifth place this season when Manchester United beat Chelsea on Thursday. And then Salah tweeted: “I’m totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum.” But Klopp insisted it was just a spur-of-the-moment reaction and said his top scorer is fine now. He said: “It is completely normal. In the world of social media so many bad things happen constantly and I don’t think that was one of them. It was just a normal description of his situation, of his feeling, and in that moment directly after the game he’s right. It’s not the moment to immediately any send optimistic messages but maybe an hour or a day later. “The moment when it is a fact you cannot qualify for the Champions League anymore... even when I knew after the last game [against Aston Villa] they [Newcastle and Manchester United] need only one point, for me it was clear they would get that point. So I drew kind of a line underneath it. I’m a very optimistic person but, in this moment, I couldn’t see it. “It was just a normal description of his feeling, and he’s right, but I saw him in the canteen an hour ago and he was smiling. He is not in a bad mood.” Liverpool’s season will end at Southampton on Sunday when Darwin Nunez may be fit again to feature and Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are doubts. Klopp has admitted that Fabio Carvalho could leave Liverpool on loan next season after a tough first year at Anfield. He said: “This was not Fabio’s best year in his career but it might have been Fabio’s most important. No player has impressed me more. It is true. This talented boy came here with big dreams and big expectations. It didn’t work out but his work ethic will give him a fantastic career. I am not sure if he goes on loan or we keep him.” Klopp believes Liverpool, who want to sign two midfielders this summer, could struggle to get their top transfer targets straight away but is unconcerned providing they arrive by early July. Liverpool often make early signings in windows and Klopp added: It’s always possible things don’t go as quick as you want. It’s not only possible, it is probably likely. The better the players you want the lesser is the desire of the other club to let him go. “And that’s exactly what we are prepared for. But it’s a long window and a long pre-season and a long break in between so we have time if we get in players tomorrow or in six or seven weeks it is not a game-changer for me.” Read More Mohamed Salah ‘devastated’ as Liverpool fail to qualify for Champions League Roberto Firmino ends glorious Liverpool career with imperfect goodbye Manchester United owe Champions League return to one man

Here we are! The end of the road in Fantasy Premier League this season - gameweek 38. Twenty teams, ten games all kicking off at 4.30pm GMT and one final chance to get some points in before the FPL league tables are finalised. With that in mind, here are five essential picks for your team this week: (All prices accurate as of Thursday 25 May) For more picks, differential top tips, chip strategy and more, sign up for our newsletter by entering your email address at the top of this article or clicking here. Sam Johnstone - £4.4m Consider bringing in Sam Johnstone to stand between the sticks. With Nottingham Forest now safe, expect Steve Cooper's side to take their foot off the gas in their final game against Crystal Palace. The English shot-stopper has averaged over four points per game in his 12 appearances in the League this season, and Palace's recent form, which includes three clean sheets in their last seven, should give you hope that Johnstone could punch above his averages. Crucially, at just £4.4m, Johnstone would allow you to re-direct funds from goal to more important areas of the squad. Mohamed Salah - £13.1m The Egyptian winger has enjoyed yet another astonishing season in terms of output, which has perhaps slipped under the radar given the exploits of Erling Haaland and Liverpool's struggles. Against an already relegated Southampton, the dynamic forward is an essential pick and is a strong candidate for captaincy. James Maddison - £7.8m Cometh the hour, cometh the man? Leicester's talisman simply must perform against West Ham if his side have any chance at staying up. His (and Leicester's) attacking output has actually been quite respectable (currently his second-best season for goals in the Premier League), despite their league position, and the maverick midfielder grabbed a goal in the reverse fixture at the London Stadium. Eberechi Eze - £5.7m A favourite of The Independent’s FPL newsletter, it just feels wrong to leave out the inspired Eberechi Eze for this final gameweek. Whilst sentimentality may have had a small part to play, the English midfielder's numbers speak for themselves, with Eze standing as the top-scoring Crystal Palace asset this season - no mean feat, given competition from the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise, Vicente Guaita and Jordan Ayew. His final fixture is a kind one, too, as outlined above for our goalkeeper pick this week - Forest need to be wary of the threat Eze poses if they stand any chance. Rico Lewis - £3.8m An outside choice - but why not consider the ridiculously cheap Rico Lewis for the final day? City proved that a clean sheet with a much-rotated XI (we daren't use the words 'weaker' and 'Manchester City' in the same sentence) is possible against Chelsea in GW37, and we should expect to see a similar number of fringe players in the squad for the Brentford game. As much as selection is a guessing game with Pep Guardiola, Lewis seems like a strong candidate to start, given the upcoming FA Cup and Champions League finals for City. For more picks, differential top tips, chip strategy and more, sign up for our newsletter by entering your email address at the top of this article. Read More Fantasy Premier League tips for GW37: Wilson, Dias, de Gea and more £600m spent but still outscored by Haaland – Chelsea’s masterpiece of stupidity ‘It is theatre’: Inside the chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle £600m spent but still outscored by Haaland – Chelsea’s masterpiece of stupidity ‘It is theatre’: Inside the chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle Mark Robins vowed to lead Coventry back to the Premier League – Michael Doyle

When players talk about the anguish of a final-day relegation battle, one of the main memories that most recall is the unsettling sense of quiet. That isn’t when the final whistle goes, and reality sinks in. It is actually during the chaos, when something happens at another game, and the news seeps through to the crowd. The players realise something big has changed. It affects performance. “The atmosphere and pressure is palpable,” says Gareth Farrelly, who was the decisive figure in one of the Premier League’s most famous final days 25 years ago. This may yet be the decisive factor on Sunday. Because, although there are three clubs vying for one place, the general feeling in the game is that it is only going one way. An Everton win is guaranteed to keep them up, and they probably have the most forgiving fixture in terms of playing a recently safe mid-table in Bournemouth. There is also the argument, put forward from what is being said within all three clubs, that they have the manager in Sean Dyche who is the best fit in terms of both team and situation. Sam Allardyce has yet to fully rally Leeds United, who look fragile. The feeling from within Leicester City is that there isn’t yet that connection between the squad and Dean Smith, and there have been some questions about his tactics. The great disruptor is that, with all of these clubs, it's pretty difficult to predict such wins with any confidence. That's why they're in this position in the first place. There are no guarantees. You can think it’s going to go one way, but the first development - and that first ripple around the stadium - can transform the entire mindset at a stadium and the dynamic of the day. It is why the first goal on Sunday might be so important, and have a chain reaction. It could yet be one of the most manic final days of all at the bottom of the table. It is certainly the one that involves the biggest clubs, as well as the most titles. Everton, Leeds and Leicester have 13 leagues between them, the last of them only further raising the stakes Should Leicester go down a mere six years after the most sensational title win of all - and just two years after an FA Cup win that rightly saw them hailed as a model club - it would bookend a story that somehow became even more incredible. And yet it still wouldn’t be as big a story as Everton enduring their first relegation in 72 years, especially given the potential consequences for the club. The prospective MSP Sports Capital purchase of 25 per cent has at least eased concerns over the future, but this is also about much more than finances. It is about prestige and glory, and what football really comes down to. Everton going down would be a symbolic moment - as well as a profoundly emotional one. It is about that long history but also what next. There is a great persistent pride to this club, that could well be punctured. Leeds know all about that. Their return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa felt like a restoration of the club’s rightful status, only for it to go wrong so quickly. Not quite as quickly as Leicester, though. No matter who of the three go down, they would all do so with considerable weight. Some of the key factors of the day are naturally similar to the key factors of the campaign. It does not feel a coincidence that all changed manager mid-season, even if it can’t be said any were wrong to make a change. The bigger question might be in who the next appointment was, with clubs’ different policies proving the decisive quality in the entire bottom half. Crystal Palace's appointment of Roy Hodgson changed so much. Bournemouth got it right in bringing in Gary O’Neill, who could yet bring the response that puts Everton in real trouble. West Ham United were vindicated in being a rare club to stick by their manager in David Moyes, and Leicester now have to get around that stability. Leeds offer maybe the greatest contrast to all, and one of the bigger complications, even if they still have a chance. It’s hard not to feel their overall fortunes have been affected by picking a manager respected for rigid defensive organisation to take charge of a squad built for the most frenetic pressing. Little wonder Allardyce - and, before him, Javi Gracia - has found it difficult to get that defensive resilience out of his team. It just isn’t attuned to that. They're built to run. Leeds now have to go in the other direction and attack to get a win. That difficult switch may be from the most forgiving game, though, given how Tottenham Hotspur’s season has drifted. Dyche is at least working with a squad more used to that approach, and there was the recent electric charge of that freakish 5-1 win over Brighton. Dean Smith represents a compromise in terms of style which means he isn’t a total contrast from how Brendan Rodgers set up Leicester, but the greater question there is whether his tactical approach is up to it. There is talk that he hasn’t yet got a connection with the squad. The difference is that Leicester have by far the highest individual quality in this race. That can have a profound difference on any one day, no matter how the rest of the season has gone. If it comes right down to that moment, you want - say - Harvey Barnes striking that ball rather than the vast majority of others involved. At the same time, the extremity of the day can draw excellence from unexpected figures. Farrelly knows that too well. It was his shot out of nothing against Coventry City in 1997-98 that meant everything to Everton, relegating Bolton Wanderers instead. Farrelly says the memories of the day are a medley. “It is theatre, heroes, villains, destiny in your own hands, home fixture, opposition with nothing to play for… there is a unifying sense as all of the protest, anger, mania is overtaken by a greater force. Survival, history, and all that means…” In other words, mayhem. This is one of the elements that makes the survival battle so different from the final day of a title race, while remaining just as engaging. It is sometimes more enthralling because of the depth of emotion. There is obviously far less quality involved, which brings more errors, and only deepens the desperation that drives the afternoon. Panic can take over from very early on, especially depending on that first goal. There are bigger discussions to be had on why this battle means as much as it does. That comes down to the money, and the immense gaps obviously aren't good for the game. Farrelly - who now works as a lawyer and with the Union of European Clubs, who seek to represent continental sides outside the elite - describes it as the “commodification of feelings”. It is undeniably one of the elements that can make the day feel almost intrusive. Neutrals are obviously watching for the drama, but that is heightened by the emotion, that despair, and the images of fans crying. Broadcasters will really be showing images of public grief. They will also be showing celebration and relief, though. On Sunday, it is only one team who will experience that. It just might go down a number of different paths until we get there. Read More Everton stare into the abyss due to a mess of their own making Premier League relegation: What do Leeds, Everton and Leicester need to survive? Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act Roberto De Zerbi preparing for busy summer building competitive Brighton squad Mark Robins vowed to lead Coventry back to the Premier League – Michael Doyle Harry Kane taking inspiration from greats as he eyes another decade at top

German football fans are gearing up for a dramatic showdown this weekend, when the Bundesliga title race will

Diana Taurasi had 23 points and 10 assists and the Phoenix Mercury hit 11 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 90-81 win over the Minnesota Lynx

After blowing a second straight chance to eliminate the Celtics, the Miami Heat are headed home with still two more chances to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals

Ty France homered twice in his return to the lineup, Logan Gilbert pitched eight outstanding innings and the Seattle Mariners finished a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 3-2 victory

Joe Pavelski scored on a power play at 3:18 of overtime and the Dallas Stars avoided a sweep in the Western Conference final with a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night

So much for the Block party at Colonial