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Cristiano Ronaldo admitted at the World Cup on Sunday he is not the player he once was but came out fighting against critics ‘trying to kill me for the past 23 years’. The 41-year-old Portugal superstar was in turns bullish, jovial and sentimental on the eve of the last-16 showdown with Spain at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in what will be his last World Cup. One of the finest footballers in history, the former Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid superstar refused to say when he will end his international career. But to numerous questions about what lies ahead and the flak that has come his way in recent years, Ronaldo conceded that ‘I am not the player I used to be’. But the attacker and Portugal skipper said ‘I am not doing too bad’, pointing out that he has scored three goals in North America – two against Uzbekistan in a 5-0 thrashing in the group phase and a penalty in the 2-1 win over Croatia in the last 32. Relishing taking on journalists eager to ask about his future and the harsh spotlight on him, he told reporters: ‘It's been like this since I was 18, it is not going to change. ‘I always put body and soul trying to get our goals – playing or not playing, I will always have an important role to play. ‘As I said before, (I will stop) when I choose, not when you choose, you always ask the same question. ‘I don't want to draw attention to this because it is less important.’ 'Waste of time' Ronaldo said this was the World Cup he had enjoyed the most, citing the ’emotions’ of it on and off the pitch. Asked again about his international future, he shot back: ‘You have been trying to kill me for the past 23 years, but you must have seen that is not worth it, it's a waste of time, but you try and try and try and try and try. ‘I am so used to this,’ said the veteran, who is the leading scorer in the history of international football. Ronaldo, who was clapped out of the press conference, added: ‘I am not going to be more Cristiano Ronaldo or less because I win the World Cup.’ ‘Age gives you maturity and experience to see how relative things can be,’ he said. ‘I even say thanks for the attacks I feel after I turned 40… the criticism is how you grow, so thank you for doing this.’ Ronaldo even picked out one reporter because “I know he does not like me” and challenged him to ask a question. “To speak to you, some of you, those who do not like us especially – I remember people’s faces very well,” he said grinning. “Listen, I am going to be honest: whatever happens tomorrow, Cristiano Ronaldo will leave with a clear conscience – not 100 percent but 1,000 percent because in life and football I gave everything.” On the encounter in Texas with Spain, a country he considers a second home after playing for Real Madrid, Ronaldo conceded Portugal were underdogs. “It’s going to be a very hard battle,” he said. “We need a lot of faith, we need to run and we need to be brave.” Source link
Pakistan on Sunday replaced struggling Test captain Shan Masood with Babar Azam, who will start a third stint as skipper on the tours of the West Indies and England starting later this month.Masood, 36, took over from Azam in December 2023 and led the side to 12 defeats in 16 Tests. Pakistan finished ninth and last in the last World Test Championship cycle.They again lie ninth in the current cycle after a 2-0 series defeat in Bangladesh in May.”Azam will be our new Test captain as we feel that Masood could not lead as desired,” said Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed at a news conference to announce the squad on Sunday.”The selection committee discussed who could be the best player to lead Pakistan and Azam is the best option,” said Javed.This will be top-order batsman Azam’s third spell in charge of the side, having stepped down in November 2023 and then again in October 2024.Pakistan will play the first of two Tests against the West Indies in Tarouba, Trinidad, from July 25. The second begins in Port-of-Spain from August 2,Pakistan will then travel to England for Tests at Headingley, beginning August 19, Lord’s from August 27 and Edgbaston starting on September 9.Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali were omitted after being part of the squad that lost 2-0 in Bangladesh.Selectors awarded a place to 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem, who was left out of the squad.Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali were the three other fast bowlers selected.Uncapped middle-order batsman Awais Zafar and left-arm spinner Ali Usman were included for the first time.Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness for England). Related Story Source link
After amassing 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first Champions League, Pep Guardiola will…
Qatar’s archers delivered an outstanding performance on the penultimate day of the 4th GCC Games – Doha 2026, claiming three gold medals while the karatekas added another gold as the hosts picked up a further 11 medals on Thursday strengthening the host nation’s dominance at the regional event.With the latest victories, Qatar overall medals tally swelled to 133 – 48 gold, 49 silver, and 36 bronze, maintaining a comfortable lead at the top of the standings.Saudi Arabia are in second place with a total of 79 medals, comprising 30 gold, 27 silver, and 22 bronze medals. Bahrain occupied third position with 62 medals – 24 gold, 22 silver, and 16 bronze medals.The archery competitions at the Lusail Shooting Range concluded on Thursday with a spectacular finish as Qatar athletes continued their dominance of the podium securing six additional medals – three gold and three bronze – to raise their historic overall tally in shooting and archery to 26 medals.The thrilling final rounds witnessed Qatar securing their first gold medal in archery in the compound mixed team event with Hamad al-Yafei and Aisha al-Saei delivering a highly accurate and composed show to finish ahead of UAE pair of Jumana al-Najjar and Shehab al-Saadi, who claimed silver, while Kuwait’s Hanan al-Mayas and Abdullah Mal Allah secured bronze.Qatar also imposed their dominance in the recurve mixed team event, where Ahmed al-Sada and Reem al-Saei won gold after a dramatic final against Saudi Arabia’s Hessa al-Saree and Mansour al-Alawi, who claimed silver.The UAE duo of Hessa al-Awadhi and Omar al-Ali secured bronze.In the women’s recurve individual event, hosts’ Reem al-Saei claimed gold after another dominant performance, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Safana al-Ahmadi, who won silver, while Hessa al-Saree secured bronze.In the men’s recurve event, UAE’s Omar al-Ali won gold, Saudi Arabia’s Mansour al-Alawi claimed silver, and Abdulrahman al-Mousa secured bronze.The women’s compound individual event saw UAE’s Amna al-Awadhi claim gold ahead of compatriot Jumana al-Najjar, while Qatar’s Aisha al-Saei won bronze.In the men’s Compound individual event, Saudi Arabia’s Bilal al-Awadhi won gold, Kuwait’s Abdullah Mal Allah secured silver, and the UAE’s Shehab al-Saadi claimed bronze.Qatar’s success also extended to the team events, as the men’s compound team trio of Abdulaziz Al Abbadi, Hamad al-Yafei, and Omar Laram secured bronze behind Saudi Arabia and the UAE.Meanwhile, Qatar women’s recurve trio of Maha Abdulhai, Reem al-Saei, and Haya al-Hajri also claimed bronze, while Saudi Arabia won gold and the UAE secured silver.Dr. Mishaal Ibrahim al-Nasr, President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA), and Jassim Shaheen al-Sulaiti, Secretary-General of the federation, alongside GCC sports officials and delegation representatives, crowned the winners.Qatar also enjoyed success in karate competitions, securing five medals – one gold, three silver, and one bronze. Yaman Ashraf claimed gold for Qatar in the under-67kg category defeating Saudi Arabia’s Saad al-Saif 10-9 in the final, while the Saudi athlete claimed silver. The bronze medals went to the UAE’s Rashid al-Suraidi and Kuwait’s Mohammed al-Otaibi.In the under-60kg category, Qatar’s Mustafa Abdulrahman won the silver medal, while Kuwait’s Ali al-Ajmi claimed gold. The bronze medals were awarded to Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al Aryani and the UAE’s Ibrahim Bakhit.In the under-84kg category, Qatar’s Abdullah Rashid secured silver, while Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed al-Malki won gold. The bronze medals went to the UAE’s Ali al-Ali and Kuwait’s Mohammed Hassan.In the over-84kg category, Qatar’s Khalid Samir won silver, while Saudi Arabia’s Anas al-Zahrani secured gold. The bronze medals were claimed by the UAE’s Saif al-Qaidi and Kuwait’s Mohammed al-Majadi.In the under-75kg category, Youssef Riyadh of Qatar secured bronze, alongside the UAE’s Ali Youssef, while Kuwait’s Omar al-Janai won gold and Saudi Arabia’s Ali Mejari claimed silver.The medal ceremony was attended by Eid Ali al-Marikhi, President of the Qatar Taekwondo, Judo and Karate Federation, Rashid al-Hajri, Assistant Secretary-General of the federation, Abdullah Shaaban, Head of the Kuwaiti delegation, Abdulilah al-Shaya, Secretary-General of the Saudi Karate Federation, and Turki al-Bukhari, Board Member of the Saudi Federation.With this exceptional achievement, Team Qatar shooting and archery extended its lead at the top of the overall standings with 26 medals – including 12 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze medals – ahead of Saudi Arabia in second place with 16 medals, followed by the UAE with 18 medals.Kuwait finished fourth with 10 medals, Bahrain fifth with 12 medals, and Oman sixth with six medals.Qatar’s handball team will face Saudi Arabia on Friday at the Duhail Sports Hall in a decisive encounter, with the silver medal at stake.The Qatari side currently sits second in the standings with four points, collected from victories over the UAE (28-20) and Kuwait (34-19), alongside a defeat to Bahrain (24-19).Saudi Arabia occupies third place, level with Qatar on four points but trailing on goal difference. The Saudi team recorded wins against the UAE (34-21) and Kuwait (25-23), while suffering a loss to Bahrain (36-25).Meanwhile, Bahrain has already clinched the gold medal after defeating the UAE 31-20 to move to eight points at the top of the standings.The UAE remains fourth with two points, while Kuwait is fifth without a point. The awards ceremony for the handball competition will be held on Friday, following the conclusion of the Qatar-Saudi Arabia match, which will also mark the end of the Games.Qatar will be aiming to finish strongly and add another medal to its campaign, having won the gold medal in handball in the 2022 edition of the Games. Source link
Unai Emery has now won the Europa League five times after leading Sevilla to the trophy three times…
Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran Thursday for fresh talks aimed at salvaging stalled efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, as President Donald Trump warned that negotiations were on the ‘borderline’ between a deal and renewed strikes.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio however, voiced cautious hope of progress. ‘I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that'll advance this further,’ he told reporters.Iran's ISNA news agency said Munir's visit was aimed at continuing ‘talks and consultations’ with Iranian authorities, without providing further details. Three sources told Reuters the army chief — a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations — was possibly heading to the Iranian capital for a new round of mediation.’We're speaking to all the various groups in Iran to streamline communication and so things pick up pace,’ one source familiar with the negotiations said. ‘Trump's patience running thin is a concern, but we're working on the pace at which messages are relayed from each side.’Pakistan hosted in April the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since the war began on February 28. Munir was at the centre of the action during that round, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying remarkable bonhomie with US Vice President JD Vance. But the talks ultimately did not lead to a breakthrough, with Iran accusing the US of making ‘excessive demands’.A ceasefire on April 8 halted the fighting launched weeks earlier by the US and Israel, but no lasting peace agreement has been reached. ‘It's right on the borderline, believe me,’ Trump told reporters on Wednesday. ‘If we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go.’ He said a deal could come ‘very quickly’ or ‘in a few days’, but warned Tehran would have to provide ‘100 percent good answers’.The deepest splits remain over Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and control of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump vowed Washington would not allow Iran to retain the material. ‘We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it,’ he said.Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has, however, issued a directive that the uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said. Top officials in Tehran believe shipping the material out would leave Iran more vulnerable to future US-Israeli strikes. The sources said ‘feasible formulas’ remained, including diluting the stockpile under IAEA supervision.Tehran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of preparing fresh attacks, warning of a ‘forceful response’. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran was studying the latest US points while reiterating demands for the release of frozen assets and an end to the US naval blockade.The impasse continues to batter the global economy. The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and LNG, remains largely shut, with Iran allowing only a trickle of vessels through under a new toll regime. US crude rose 3.22% to $101.42 a barrel, while Brent climbed to $107.71. The International Energy Agency warned the market could enter the ‘red zone’ in July and August. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation cautioned that a prolonged closure could trigger ‘a severe global food price crisis’.Rubio also criticised Nato allies for refusing to back Trump's campaign. ‘He's not asking them to commit troops…But they refuse to do anything. We were very upset about that.’ Source link
