分类： sports

LONDON – In a warm-up fixture that failed to deliver the positive momentum England was hoping for ahead of this summer’s World Cup, head coach Thomas Tuchel is adamant that his side’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday will not impact the team’s performance in the upcoming tournament.

The result marked a second consecutive underwhelming outing for England under Tuchel, following a hard-fought draw with Uruguay on the same pitch just four days prior. The only goal of the game against Japan came from Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma in the first half, a score that would ultimately decide the tie.

Tuchel has offered context for the two underwhelming results, noting he fielded experimental lineups for both pre-tournament friendlies. Several of England’s most important regular starters – including captain Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka – missed the fixtures due to minor injury concerns, forced to sit out to protect their fitness ahead of the World Cup. The German manager added that most of his squad are already carrying heavy workloads from their ongoing club seasons at this point in the calendar, leaving many fatigued ahead of the international camp.

For these reasons, Tuchel made clear that the results from this international break will not define his side ahead of the World Cup, which is being hosted in the United States this summer. “It’s just a reality if teams like Uruguay or Japan come well-drilled, with their top lineup, it’s a difficult task,” he told reporters after the match. “It was not necessary to lose the match. Unfortunately, we lost it, which is disappointing, and I hate losing, like no one else, and it will take a while to digest. But it will not affect us massively for when we arrive in the U.S.”

The defeat offered a particularly underwhelming opportunity for two of England’s attacking Premier League stars, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, who were hoping to cement their places in Tuchel’s final World Cup squad. The pair, who have been battling to secure their spots in the 26-man group, were handed starting spots against Japan – but failed to convert their chance into a convincing performance.

Opta statistics confirm that England’s first-half display against Japan was the team’s first goalless, shot-on-target-free first half in a friendly match since 2017. With young talents like Morgan Rogers pushing for inclusion alongside established starter Jude Bellingham in attacking midfield roles, Palmer and Foden now face an anxious wait to learn if they will be on the plane for the tournament. Deployed as a false nine in the absence of Kane, Foden could not create the attacking threat Tuchel’s side needed.

“I’m not the biggest fan of talking about individuals, but, of course if we put offensive players on the pitch, we demand offensive actions, we demand creativity, we demand shots, we demand assists, and we clearly didn’t have enough. We could not create,” Tuchel said. “We made it difficult for us to find them in the half-spaces. We struggled to open up these spaces. We played against the deep 5-4-1. We didn’t use the width of the field enough to make the difference, and our offensive players struggled to make the difference.”

Tuchel openly acknowledged that the absence of captain Harry Kane had a noticeable impact on the side’s performance. “No team in the world has the same threat (without Kane),” he said. “It’s just normal. On top of it, Harry dropped out so we lost not only him as a player, but we lost him as a personality. It’s always a bit disruptive if the captain leaves the last training after 15 minutes and is out of the squad. We can win games without Harry. We will win without Harry. We have won without Harry, but it’s easier to win matches with Harry, of course.”

Ahead of the World Cup, other top contenders also played out their final pre-tournament friendlies on the same day. Euro 2024 champions Spain were held to a goalless draw by Egypt, while another tournament favorite, the Netherlands, settled for a 1-1 home draw against Ecuador. The Dutch were forced to play more than 78 minutes with 10 men after right back Denzel Dumfries received a red card in the 12th minute of the fixture.

In a groundbreaking achievement for Chinese motorsports, manufacturer ZXMOTO has captured an unprecedented double victory at the World Superbike Championship’s Portuguese round, concluded March 29. The remarkable feat marks the first time a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer has claimed victory in the World Supersport category, breaking the longstanding dominance of established European and Japanese brands that have traditionally ruled the premier global competition.

The historic triumph represents the culmination of an extraordinary journey by founder Zhang Xue, whose path from rural workshop apprentice to international racing champion embodies determination and technical innovation. Born in a small Hunan province village, Zhang began his mechanical education at age 14 as a motorcycle repair apprentice, spending countless hours dismantling and studying engines while saving for his first second-hand motorcycle.

Zhang’s persistence became evident in 2006 when, at 19, he rode over 100 kilometers through rain for a television appearance opportunity to demonstrate his riding skills. Though initially unsuccessful, his dedication eventually earned him a position with a professional racing team where he served as both stunt rider and mechanic, achieving podium finishes in domestic competitions.

After years of high-intensity training led to injuries, Zhang recognized the technological gap between China’s motorcycle industry and global leaders, prompting his strategic shift from racing to manufacturing. Between 2009-2012, he mastered full vehicle development processes at a Zhejiang province factory before relocating to Chongqing, China’s motorcycle manufacturing hub, to begin his own production journey.

The technological breakthrough came with the 2024 founding of ZXMOTO and development of fully independent engine technology. The mass-produced 820RR civilian motorcycle, powered by this domestically developed engine and adapted for racing, ultimately delivered the team’s historic double victory in Portugal, demonstrating Chinese engineering capability on motorsports’ global stage.

LONDON — Three key England first-team players will miss the international friendly against Japan at Wembley on Tuesday, after a series of fitness issues hit the Three Lions’ squad just 24 hours ahead of kickoff.

The biggest absentee is captain and star striker Harry Kane, the all-time leading goalscorer for both England and Bayern Munich. The forward picked up a minor knock during a team training session, according to the English Football Association, and coaching staff made the call to rest him as a precautionary measure. Despite being ruled out of the match, Kane has remained with the national squad to undergo ongoing evaluation of his injury, with no major concerns raised about the severity of the issue.

Kane is far from the only high-profile name missing from Thomas Tuchel’s lineup for this international break. The England head coach already confirmed on Monday that Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice would also be sidelined for the fixture, after both players reported feeling unexplained discomfort during routine pre-camp medical assessments.

The spate of fitness issues comes at a highly sensitive point of the season for all three players, who face a grueling run of fixtures over the coming weeks with their domestic clubs. Both Kane’s Bayern Munich and Arsenal sit atop their respective national leagues — the Bundesliga and the Premier League — and both sides have advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, putting them in contention for major domestic and European titles before the end of the campaign. Clubs and national team staff alike have prioritized player welfare in this congested fixture schedule, leading to the decision to rest the injured stars rather than risk further damage that could impact their club campaigns.

In a stunning upset that has reshaped the global motorcycle racing landscape, Chinese manufacturer ZXMOTO has claimed back-to-back victories in the World Superbike Championship’s Supersport class. The weekend triumph at the Portugal round marks the first time any Chinese manufacturer has achieved top podium finishes in this elite racing category, breaking decades of dominance by established European and Japanese brands including Ducati, Yamaha, and Kawasaki.

French professional rider Valentin Debise piloted ZXMOTO’s flagship 820RR model to victory in both races, demonstrating exceptional performance from the relatively unknown manufacturer. The World Superbike Championship holds particular significance in the motorsports world as it requires competitors to use production-based motorcycles, making it both a competitive arena and a critical showcase for manufacturers’ engineering capabilities.

The company’s remarkable journey began just two years ago in April 2024 when founder Zhang Xue, a former mechanic’s apprentice from Hunan province, established ZXMOTO in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area. The startup made its market debut at the 22nd China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition in September 2024 with its inaugural 500RR model.

ZXMOTO’s rapid ascent has been nothing short of extraordinary. Initial deliveries commenced in March 2025, with annual sales surging past 25,000 units by year’s end. Founder Zhang Xue recently disclosed impressive financial metrics for 2025, reporting a total output value of 750 million yuan ($108.54 million) with substantial reinvestment of 69.58 million yuan into research and development.

Zhang attributes much of his company’s success to its strategic location in Chongqing, renowned as China’s ‘Motorcycle Capital.’ Despite arriving in the city in 2013 without established connections, he recognized the unparalleled advantages of the region’s dense manufacturing ecosystem. Chongqing hosts over 40 vehicle manufacturers and more than 400 parts suppliers, boasting an annual production capacity of 10 million vehicles and 20 million engines. According to local authorities, one of every three motorcycles exported from China originates from Chongqing’s manufacturing base.