What was meant to be a veterans' contest has reignited a familiar debate over politics, patriotism, and the role of sport as diplomatic leverage.
Chloe Kelly fired in the decisive spot-kick as England beat Spain 3-1 in a penalty shootout to win Women's Euro 2025 title in Basel on Sunday.
As the spotlight shines on Carlos Alcaraz's title defence and Novak Djokovic's pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam, a determined group of challengers is quietly preparing to shake up the draw.
The Indians finished Pool A engagements with an all-win record, beating China 4-3, Japan 3-2 before demolishing minnows Kazakhstan 15-0 on Monday.
Winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 is likely to prove a rather more arduous challenge for Liverpool.
Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic scored his 100th match win at Wimbledon and led the march of the old guard into the last 16 on Saturday while an ailing Barbora Krejcikova's title defence ended in defeat and tears.
Liverpool talisman Mo Salah and substitute Federico Chiesa struck late goals as the Premier League champions began the defence of their title by beating Bournemouth 4-2 in a thriller on the opening night of the season at Anfield on Friday.
France claimed their seventh Six Nations trophy in a record-strewn 35-16 victory Scotland on Saturday, shaking off their beautiful runners-up tag on a crisp evening at the Stade de France.
FC Goa join fellow ISL team Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the continental tournament's group stage. The Mariners had secured a direct berth by clinching the 2024-25 Indian Super League Shield.
Four-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who is gearing up to defend the French Open title later this month, fired off 24 winners in a strong performance to seal victory.
'Shock, confusion, and paralysis reigned.' 'Pakistan was caught in a most embarrassing situation. It could neither claim credit for the operation nor admit to a dismal intelligence failure and lack of army preparedness.'
The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation and appeared to address Real's defensive frailties from a disappointing, trophyless 2024-25 campaign.
Indian doubles coach Tan Kim Her praised Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for winning a bronze medal at the World Championships but rued the missed opportunity, saying the doubles specialists need to work more on their fitness to go the distance.
Ayush stuns Naraoka to join Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya in quarterfinals at Hong Kong Open
The second half followed a similar rhythm with India dictating possession and Bangladesh defending deep. Although chances were rare, India never looked in danger.
Alcaraz's triumph on the Parisian red dirt was the third Grand Slam trophy of his young career and followed the Spanish world number three's breakthrough title at the 2022 U.S. Open and epic Wimbledon victory 12 months ago.
Six different champions in the last six years suggests that tipping a French Open women's champion is something of a lottery, but those backing world No 1 Serena Williams are surely investing wisely.
Kylian Mbappe's second-half penalty earned Real Madrid a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Osasuna in their opening LaLiga game of the season
In the women's singles match, Sindhu brought some smiles back in the Indian camp after seeing off Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-15, 19-21, 21-13, setting up a clash with Japan's Aya Ohori on the eve of her 23rd birthday on Thursday.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last six Grand Slam titles and their mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final is being touted as one of the greatest of all time.
Harmanpreet Singh expressed optimism that the team would start well and highlighted the need for both strong attacking and defensive play.
PV Sindhu's campaign at the BWF World Championships 2025 ended in the quarterfinals on Friday, as she went down to Indonesia's World No. 9 Putri Kusuma Wardani in Paris.
David Rudisha's defence of his world 800 metres title in Moscow next month is in doubt because of a knee injury, the Kenyan's coach said on Wednesday.
Chelsea will start the defence of the Champions League trophy they won so dramatically last season with a Group E match against former winners Juventus at Stamford Bridge.
Carlos Alcaraz got his grasscourt campaign up and running with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Australian Adam Walton
India thrash Sri Lanka 8-0 in SAFF U19 C'ship opener
The World No 1 faces the possibility of being banned for up to two years.
The following are five contenders for the men's title at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant created history by becoming the first team in the Indian Super League (ISL) to successfully defend their title. With a 1-0 victory over Odisha FC, they secured the ISL Shield and a spot in the AFC Champions League 2. The win in their 22nd league game brought their total points to 52, ensuring their victory with two matches remaining.
Lieutenant General Shakti Gurung deserves to be complimented in telling his life story and that of his people, as subaltern communities within this vast and diverse nation of ours clamour for recognition and a plea for their voices to be heard and their aspirations to be met, notes Lieutenant General Gautam Moorthy.
Sreejesh took up the role as the head coach of the Junior team following his retirement from the sport after India's bronze medal win against Spain at the Paris Olympics.
He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.
Commonwealth Games medallist Jaismine Lamboria and two-time Asian Champion Pooja Rani secured gold medals at the Elite Women's National Boxing Championships
Slowly but surely emerging as one of India's key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
'This is going to be my 14th year in the IPL. I've played with them outside of IPL as well. It's like a family-based team for me. Every time I play with the Knight Riders logo, it feels like this is where I belong.'
Chelsea's struggle to retain the title is hardly surprising as the club returned to the Champions League and their league rivals strengthened their squads, former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has said.
Aryna Sabalenka took a step closer to a first trophy of the year before her Australian Open title defence begins later this month.
World number one Naomi Osaka will "probably" defend her US Open title, even if it means defying her doctor's orders.
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