Sports

​Defending champions Bangladesh secured their place in the SAFF Women’s Championship semi-finals with a 4-2 victory over the Maldives, but head coach Peter James Butler was left visibly frustrated by his team’s profligacy and shocking defensive lapses. Despite taking a comfortable 2-0 lead inside 34 minutes, starting with Anika Rania Siddiqui’s strike a mere 11 seconds into the match, Bangladesh ...

This year’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony will be held in ​London for the first time on ‌October 26, organisers said on Thursday, as the prestigious prize celebrates its 70th anniversary. Created ​by France Football magazine in ​1956, the Ballon d’Or is regarded ⁠as the most coveted individual award ​in world football. The decision to stage ​the 70th edition in London ...

Arsenal’s top priority is agreeing a new contract for manager Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard delivered the club’s first Premier League ​title in 22 years, co-chair Josh Kroenke said. Arteta, who ‌said last month he was fully committed to the club, has a contract that runs until the end of next season. “I think the good news for Arsenal ​fans ...

Lionel Messi will captain Argentina at the World Cup, national coach Lionel Scaloni announced Thursday as he unveiled his 26-man squad. Messi, 38, had not previously confirmed he would play in what will be a record-breaking sixth tournament for the Argentine superstar. But it had been widely assumed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would again lead Argentina, four years after ...

Defending champions Bangladesh secured their place in the SAFF Women’s Championship semi-finals with a breathless 4-2 victory over the Maldives, but it was a performance far beneath their usual high standards. Peter James Butler’s side looked uncharacteristically disjointed and threw away a comfortable two-goal cushion before ultimately riding their luck to claim all three points. It was far from a ...

Paris Saint Germain’s road to the Champions League final has been fuelled by collective brilliance, but few players capture the chaos and beauty of Luis Enrique’s side better than Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. As PSG prepare for another ​showdown, against Arsenal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the Georgian has become one of the symbols ‌of Enrique’s exhilarating side, adding improvisation and ...

European champions Spain will travel to next month’s World Cup with plenty of Barcelona swagger but no-one from Real Madrid after manager Luis de la Fuente named a 26-man squad on Monday built ​around eight players from the Catalan club. It is the first time since 1950 that Spain will ‌go to a World Cup without a Real Madrid player ...

From Jens Lehmann’s rush of blood to “Nayim from the halfway line”, Arsenal will have to banish three decades of European final misery if they are to win the Champions League for the first time. Fresh from clinching their first English title since 2004, Mikel Arteta’s side are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest ...

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has accused Roy Keane of lying about his successful bid to break the Premier League record for most assists in a single season. Fernandes reached a record 21 assists for United in the top-flight this term when he laid on a goal for Patrick Dorgu in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion. The ...

Lionel Messi remained at the heart of an injury scare only weeks before the World Cup after medical tests diagnosed him with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, Inter Miami announced on Monday. The Major League Soccer club’s update provided no clear timetable for the Argentine superstar’s return after his abrupt exit from Miami’s 6-4 victory over Philadelphia in the ...