Bayern Munich snatch Bundesliga title at death as Dortmund slip up against Mainz
Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal saw Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title for an 11th year in a row as they snatched it away from rivals Borussia Dortmund on a dramatic final day. Dortmund would have claimed their first title since the 2011-12 season if they had beaten Mainz at home but drew 2-2, only levelling in the sixth minute of stoppage time, while Musiala’s late strike gave Bayern a 2-1 win at Cologne to take the honours on goal difference. Dortmund, for whom England midfielder Jude Bellingham was an unused substitute after injury, quickly got the sense this would not be their day. They fell behind to Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s 15th-minute header, then saw Sebastian Haller’s penalty saved moments later before Karim Onisiwo doubled Mainz’s lead in the 24th minute. Raphael Guerreiro offered the hosts hope when he hammered in a cross from Gio Reyna in the 69th minute. And soon after Dortmund were back at the top of the standings as Dejan Ljubicic’s 81st-minute penalty cancelled out Kingsley Coman’s early curling strike to make it 1-1 in Cologne, Dortmund ahead by a point at that stage. But there was one final twist as Serge Gnabry, guilty of conceding that late penalty, teed up Musiala to fire in the winner. Niklas Sule scored deep into time added on for Dortmund but it would make no difference as Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern took the title.
1970-01-01 08:00
Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco
Max Verstappen saw off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in a scintillating qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso’s Aston Martin mechanics celebrated wildly after it appeared as though the 41-year-old Spaniard had taken his first pole in 11 years. But Verstappen delivered a mesmerising final sector in Monte Carlo to take top spot with his final throw of the dice, beating Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon with Carlos Sainz fifth. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, with Sergio Perez set to start Sunday’s 78-lap race from last place after he crashed out. “I’m very happy,” said Verstappen. “We knew that this was going to be a little bit of a struggle to get everything together. “In qualifying you need to go all out and risk it all. “My first sector wasn’t ideal in my final lap and I was a bit cautious, but then I knew I was behind so in the last sector I just gave it everything I had, clipping a few barriers along the way. I am happy to be on pole here for the first time.” It has been 3,691 days since Alonso’s last pole in the sport and the rejuvenated Aston Martin driver looked on course to finally end his losing streak when he temporarily moved to the top of the time charts after declaring he was “pushing like an animal”. Verstappen was the only driver who could spoil both the dreams of Alonso and Aston Martin, and he trailed the Spaniard by two tenths heading into the final sector. But the double world champion danced his way through the final part of the circuit to finish clear of Alonso and claim a pole which he will be expected to convert into his fourth victory from the opening six rounds. Alonso said: “Obviously pole position means a lot in Monaco, but today Max was a little bit faster, which is a shame. “Let’s see what we can do tomorrow in terms of strategy and if there is any weather coming. We will try to win it. “It’s a very short run into Turn 1. We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent so maybe he has one of those bad ones tomorrow.” Mercedes were banking on their much-anticipated upgrade providing them with a springboard to challenge the grid’s all-conquering Red Bull team. But on its grand unveiling here in the sun-cooked principality, Hamilton was at odds with his new machine. The British driver, who crashed out of final practice following a mistake at the right-hander Mirabeau, missed the chicane in Q1, only avoiding an early bath with his final lap, before scrambling into Q3 after he grazed the wall at the swimming pool chicane. “Man this car is hard to drive, mate,” said the seven-time world champion, who also reported there was “something wrong” with his right-rear suspension. He finished four tenths behind Verstappen in Q3 with team-mate Russell six tenths adrift. Perez is Verstappen’s closest championship challenger, but the Mexican driver will start the race at the back of the pack. The running was just six minutes old when Perez – 14 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings – carried too much speed through the opening Sainte Devote corner and thudded into the wall. Perez sustained extensive damage to the left-hand side of his Red Bull before coming to a standstill in the middle of the circuit. “I crashed, I crashed,” said Perez, who now faces losing serious ground to Verstappen in the championship race with overtaking extremely challenging at this most unique of configurations. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled
1970-01-01 08:00
Donald Trump Jr shares doctored Office clip showing Ron DeSantis wearing a woman’s suit
Donald Trump Jr has shared a seemingly AI-generated clip of Ron DeSantis edited into the role of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott in The Office in a clip in which the character is mocked for wearing a woman’s suit. “Imagine when next time it’s not an obvious spoof from The Office but an attempt to depict itself as legitimate and much more nefarious,” CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeted. “Don Jr among others has shared this video. I don’t think any of us are ready for this next election online,” Alex Thompson of Axios said. Democratic consultant Tim Hogan added that “Folks, we simply are not ready for the 2024 GOP primary memes”. “Rhonda Santis is a perfect drag name, just saying,” Mr Hogan tweeted. Philip Germain at the Lincoln Project added: “I am once again asking for Steve Carrell to play DeSantis on SNL.” “I for one welcome the onslaught of election-season deepfakes,” Jesse Walker of Reason magazine wrote. As the mockery continued of Mr DeSantis’s glitch-ridden campaign launch, the Florida governor began to push back. He slammed his main rival for the 2024 GOP nomination, former President Donald Trump, claiming he “is a different guy” than when he first ran for president. Mr Trump is leading all other Republican candidates for the party’s presidential nomination, with Mr DeSantis running in second place, according to polls. Mr DeSantis officially embarked on his own bid for the White House earlier this week in a chaotic Twitter Spaces event with billionaire Elon Musk. The governor told radio host Matt Murphy that he was running to the right of Mr Trump and portrayed himself as more conservative, according to USA Today. “It seems like he’s running to the left and I have always been somebody that’s just been moored in conservative principles,” said Mr DeSantis. “So these will be interesting debates to have, but I can tell you, you don’t win nationally by moving to the left, you win nationally by standing for bold policy. We showed that in Florida. I never watered down anything I did.” And Mr DeSantis claimed that Mr Trump is not the same person who first ran for office. “I don’t know what happened to Donald Trump – this is a different guy today than when he was running in 2015 and 2016 and I think the direction that he’s going with his campaign is the wrong direction,” Mr DeSantis said. And he attacked Mr Trump over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic while in office. “I think [Trump] did great for three years, but when he turned the country over to Fauci in March of 2020 that destroyed millions of people’s lives,” Mr DeSantis said on a podcast. “And in Florida, we were one of the few that stood up, cut against the grain, took incoming fire from media, bureaucracy, the left, even a lot of Republicans, had school open, preserved businesses.” Read More Florida mom who tried to ban Amanda Gorman’s book has ties to far-right groups DeSantis accuses Trump of ‘moving to the left’ as he tells ex-president: ‘You’ve changed’ Ron DeSantis news – live: Don Jr shares AI-doctored clip of The Office showing DeSantis wearing woman’s suit Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement
1970-01-01 08:00
Bayern Munich wins record-extending 11th consecutive Bundesliga title
Jamal Musiala has scored in the 89th minute to fire Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title with a 2-1 victory in Cologne after Borussia Dortmund could only draw on the final day of the season
1970-01-01 08:00
Unstoppable Chelsea beat Reading to clinch fourth straight title
Chelsea celebrated their fourth successive Women’s Super League title after beating Reading 3-0 at Select Car Leasing Stadium. Having seen off Manchester United in the FA Cup final earlier this month, Chelsea wrapped up the double in style as they breezed past relegated Reading courtesy of Guro Reiten and a Sam Kerr double. The Blues’ recent dominance shone through as their hosts failed to deal with the attacking talent of Emma Hayes’ side, who finished the 2022-23 season victorious and on a seven-game league winning run. Chelsea knocked on the door early and were unlucky to not take the lead through Kerr’s missed opportunity before a fantastic save by goalkeeper Grace Moloney, who tipped Erin Cuthbert’s effort onto the crossbar. But the breakthrough came in the 18th minute through Kerr, who did not have to be asked twice when she picked up a neat pocket of space inside the box before heading Reiten’s cross past Moloney to make it 1-0. Reiten turned scorer after 42 minutes when she pounced on a loose ball in the Reading backline to go one-on-one with Moloney before holding her nerve to produce a composed finish and put Chelsea 2-0 up. The shackles were off for Chelsea, who played the start of the second half with the comfort of a two-goal lead as they enjoyed long periods of possession which further piled the misery on Reading’s forgettable season. And the Champions began to ramp up the pressure through Kerr, Reiten and Lauren James, who drove at the Reading defence in a persistent hunt to grab another but were left disappointed through their opponent’s stubborn low block to keep the score at 2-0. But Kerr’s efforts paid off in the 88th minute. The Australia captain was slipped through on goal and her first effort came back off the post but she was first to react to claim a simple tap-in and round off a well-deserved Chelsea victory. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
1970-01-01 08:00
Verstappen takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Alonso as Perez crashes
Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen produced a superb final lap to take pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and deny Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso his first pole in 11 years
1970-01-01 08:00
Bulgarian Government Deal Hits the Rocks Over Leaked Wiretaps
Bulgaria’s long-awaited coalition deal may face collapse, prolonging a years-long political crisis, as the Balkan country’s biggest party
1970-01-01 08:00
Fernando Tatis Sr. was key in helping Ronald Acuña Jr. regain his swing
Ronald Acuña Jr. can credit a refined approach at the plate to none other than Fernando Tatis Sr.Ronald Acuña Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. are very close, but it was Fernando Tatis Sr. who may have made all the difference in Acuna's newfound swing at the plate.The Atlanta Br...
1970-01-01 08:00
Fans will see ‘new Rangers team come together’ next season – Michael Beale
Michael Beale insists fans will see a new Rangers side next season – but insists this current version was not broken despite a trophyless campaign. The Light Blues concluded their cinch Premiership season with a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren in Paisley, thanks to a double from Fashion Sakala and a third from substitute Antonio Colak. Rangers were already consigned to second place behind treble-chasing Celtic and after 38 fixtures, ended with 92 points, seven behind the Hoops. Since sporting director Ross Wilson left the Ibrox club in April, the former Gers assistant coach, who took over from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst in November, has been more involved in recruitment with Norwich midfielder Kieran Dowell’s pre-contract signing the first of several to come, while the departures of Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander have been confirmed. “Probably the last five or six weeks have been the busiest I’ve ever been,” said Beale. “I’m not shocked by anything in the job or demands. “I was used to it here before but the added responsibility and added time off the pitch, managing other areas and doing recruitment, it’s been busy. “I’m glad the end of season is here if I am honest. But we’re really in a good place. We’re waiting for one or two things to be signed off then we’ll start seeing a new Rangers team come together. “Albeit, we’ve got over 90 points this season which, someone will tell me, but I don’t think we have done that too often in the last 15 or 20 years. When we have, we generally have won the league.” There appeared to be more than a hint of sarcasm in Beale’s voice when he added: “Again, everything is broken at Rangers so I’m looking forward to mending it. That’s the perception, I’m not sure if that’s quite true. “Celtic deserved to win the league this year, they were the outstanding team but our record was a strong one and I believe we’ll be adding to a very good team.” Buddies boss Stephen Robinson, who claimed a “clinical” Rangers side punished St Mirren for “three mistakes”, admitted that it was unlikely that out-of-contract striker Curtis Main would be staying at the Paisley club. The Northern Irishman said: “Curtis is very unlikely to stay. “When you are getting double and triple your money offers in England’s League One and Two then you need to just admit that you are not going to get there. “Curtis has been absolutely excellent for me, he’s been terrific every time he has played and he’s earned the right for possibly one big move. “Even today he was playing with an injection in his foot and he’s given absolutely everything so that’s the kind of quality people we have inside this building and I wish him nothing but the best if he moves on.”
1970-01-01 08:00
Jarry downs Dimitrov to win Geneva final
Outsider Nicolas Jarry beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the Geneva Open final on Saturday, sending him into next week's French Open bolstered...
1970-01-01 08:00
French teen Fils claims first ATP title in Lyon
French teenager Arthur Fils claimed his maiden ATP title in Lyon on Saturday with a straight sets win...
1970-01-01 08:00
Russia blames US, EU for escalating tensions in Kosovo
Russia on Saturday blamed Kosovo, the United States and European Union for escalating tensions in the Balkans and
1970-01-01 08:00
