International match reports, teams and sporting developments.
Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola has reaffirmed his confidence in Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola while asking the wider squad to provide more goals. Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai remain unavailable with injuries sustained on international duty.
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Louis Rees-Zammit has called for Premiership rugby to stop using artificial pitches after suffering friction burns during Bristol’s defeat at Saracens. The Wales winger shared an image of his leg and urged action on the playing surface.
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Josh Hazlewood took a career-best six for 49 as Australia bowled South Africa out for 206 in Durban. The performance secured a 214-run Test victory after the home side had resisted other members of Australia’s attack.
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Formula One has announced a ten-year agreement for a race in Rwanda, with the first meeting planned for the early 2030s. The proposed African Grand Prix would bring the championship back to the continent for the first time since 1993.
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Japan’s women’s football development system is receiving renewed attention after continued international success. A Guardian feature traces part of that progress to the Japanese Football Association’s academy network, which combines player development with a long-term pathway.
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Eighteen-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew has been selected for England’s white-ball tour of Australia. The trip includes three one-day internationals and five Twenty20 matches, with several uncapped players receiving an opportunity.
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A Guardian rugby analysis argues that the Champions Cup is becoming too predictable at the top. Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles are presented as the strongest candidates in a tournament shaped by six consecutive seasons of French success.
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Christian Pulisic’s position at Milan and with the United States is changing after several seasons as a central attacking figure. A Guardian analysis considers that transition alongside his recovery from injury and the national team’s selection of younger prospects.
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Viking Stavanger’s Champions League campaign reflects a project built by joint head coaches Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim. Appointed together in November 2020, they have guided the Norwegian club from a less prominent position towards Europe’s leading competition.
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The Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Rams 37–34 in overtime, with Tyler Bass converting a 45-yard field goal. The result gave Josh Allen his first career overtime victory after seven previous defeats in that situation.
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Milwaukee defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7–4 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. William Contreras hit a tying home run in the fifth inning and supplied the go-ahead run with a single in the sixth.
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Australia placed South Africa under pressure on the fourth day of the Durban Test after Matt Renshaw followed his first-innings 190 with 82. Declaring at 316 for six, the visitors set a target of 421.
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