They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Argentina, who hold the record with six titles, lost a final for the second time after their defeat by Brazil in 1983.
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
Spain bounced back from an opening singles defeat on Thursday to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time in six years where they will face Germany, who earned their own comeback win over Argentina.
Arsenal re-established their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 home win against Brentford on Wednesday and for the second evening running the goals flowed as Aston Villa won 4-3 in a thriller at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Uzbekistan's GM Javokhir Sindarov set up a title clash against Chinese GM Wei Yi in the FIDE World Cup in Panaji on Sunday as the two players also confirmed their spots in the Candidates tournament.
FIDE World Cup 2025: Praggnanandhaa survives scare; Arjun, Karthik, Harikrishna also draw first game of Rd 4
Manchester City seized the opportunity of Arsenal's 2-1 loss at Aston Villa earlier in the day to climb within two points of the leaders.
Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa played out solid draws while P Harikrishna wriggled out of a difficult situation to head into a tie-break in the fourth round of the Chess World Cup, in Panjim on Wednesday.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland came back to haunt Borussia Dortmund with a clinical finish against his former team, while Phil Foden bagged a brilliant brace as the hosts cruised to a 4-1 win in the Champions League on Wednesday to climb to fourth.
FIDE World Cup: Arjun storms into quarterfinals of the World Cup
This is Balaji's maiden French Open match victory and overall his fourth in Grand Slams.
Arsenal missed a chance to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea on Sunday.
The United States Department of Homeland Security condemned the brutal murder of the Indian national Chandra Nagamalliah in Texas by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, stating that the incident could have been completely preventable if the 'criminal illegal alien' had not been released by the Biden administration.
Lyon thump Maccabi Tel Aviv to go top, Forest keep on winning
Arsenal maintained a searing pace at the top of the Premier League with a straightforward 2-0 win at Burnley, while Liverpool snapped a dreadful four-match losing run with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa to climb provisionally to third.
Chandra Mouli 'Bob' Nagamallaiah, originally from Karnataka, was killed after a dispute over a broken washing machine with a co-worker.
A fundraiser launched to support Nagamallaiah's wife, Nisha, and 18-year-old son, Gaurav - who witnessed the attack - has raised nearly $200,000, at last reckoning, to help cover funeral expenses and Gaurav's college education.
Jannik Sinner has decided not to take part in this year's Davis Cup Finals with reigning champions Italy confirming his absence in Monday's team announcement, while world number one Carlos Alcaraz will represent Spain at next month's competition.
Arjun Erigaisi will start as the favourite against veteran Hungarian Peter Leko, while R Praggnanandhaa faces the inventive Daniil Dubov.
Portugal will benefit from the wealth of experience veteran Cristiano Ronaldo brings to their squad, manager Roberto Martinez said ahead of this month's European Championship in Germany.
Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna had another good day as they sent veteran Peter Leko of Hungary and Swede Nils Grandelius packing in the fourth-round tiebreaker at the Chess World Cup, in Panaji on Thursday.
Harikrishna continued his success story with the seasoned Grandmaster, who famously assisted Gukesh in the World Championship title match, showcasing his skills as a brilliant attacker.
Grandmasters Raunak Sadhwani and S L Narayanan, India's two best hopes, were held to draws by Daniel Barrish of South Africa and Steven Salas Rojas of Peru in the first game of the opening round of World Chess Cup, in Panjim, on Saturday.
Three first half goals handed Punjab FC a comfortable 3-0 victory over Gokulam Kerala FC in the Group C opener of the Super Cup in Bambolim, Goa, on Monday.
US President Donald Trump has condemned the murder of an Indian-origin motel manager in Dallas, allegedly by an undocumented Cuban immigrant, blaming the Biden administration's immigration policies.
'Back to No. 1 again and a new look. Carlos we're crazy'.
Argentina's national team unveiled a revamped 31-man squad on Monday, led by Lionel Messi, for the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador for the 2026 World Cup.
Man City ease to 3-0 win over Liverpool as Guardiola celebrates 1,000th game in style
World Junior champion Pranav Venkatesh scored a crushing victory over Grandmaster Alan Pichot of Spain to win the Fujairah Global Superstars chess tournament.
Portugal qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday with a 9-1 hammering of Armenia that included hat-tricks from both Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
Cash on target as Villa hand Man City their first defeat since August
Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on a five-year contract for 18.1 million pounds plus add-ons, according to British media reports.
Arsenal marked Mikel Arteta's 300th game in charge with a convincing 2-0 home victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Nine players from treble-winning Paris St Germain have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or this year along with the club's coach Luis Enrique as France Football announced the list of nominees on Thursday.
Emiliano Martinez said he had always wanted to come to India.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland extended his remarkable scoring streak to 12 straight matches as his side recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory at Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Neville said that within next week or two, Manchester United will have to "magic up a bit more money" or bring someone on loan.
'Being able to finish this way here with my people is what I always dreamed of.'
Virgil van Dijk scored with a stunning late header in the second minute of stoppage time to give Liverpool a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in their opening group stage match of the Champions League, at Anfield, on Wednesday.
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