分类： sports

In a dominant Friday night display at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Brisbane Lions turned in a masterclass performance to defeat the Collingwood Magpies by a staggering 63 points, securing their spot in the AFL qualifying final and putting themselves on the cusp of the ideal finals positioning for a historic third consecutive premiership.

The Lions’ victory was built on standout individual contributions across the ground, headlined by key forward Logan Morris, who delivered a career-defining performance with eight goals, keeping Collingwood’s defense under constant pressure from the opening bounce. Star midfielder Lachie Neale, who has been heavily linked to a 2027 move to Collingwood, put on a clinic in the contest, racking up 35 disposals and 16 center clearances to control the tempo of the game. Irish small forward Conor McKenna also stole the show, turning limited early opportunities into spectacular goals that had commentators and fans alike stunned. After just two touches in the first quarter, McKenna broke the deadlock to give Brisbane an early lead they never relinquished, before nailing a candidate for goal of the year: swiping the ball from a Collingwood defender in a tight pocket and converting from an impossible angle that floated the ball straight over the goal umpire’s hat. He followed that up with a second sensational 45-meter snap goal in the third quarter, prompting SEN commentator Dwayne Russell to quip, “It’s Hollywood footy from the Lions at the moment, this is Harlem Globetrotters stuff.”

Heading into the main break, the Lions held a comfortable 22-point lead, and never let Collingwood challenge for the top spot on the scoreboard. The final scoreboard reflected Brisbane’s dominance: 25.9 (159) to Collingwood’s 15.6 (96).

The result pushes Brisbane into pole position to claim third place on the AFL ladder heading into the finals, after picking up a 2.2 percent percentage boost from the win. For Hawthorn to leapfrog Brisbane into third, the Hawks will need not just a win against West Coast in Perth this weekend, but a massive 4.4 percent percentage boost – requiring a win of roughly 90 to 100 points to knock Brisbane out of the top three spot. Third place would hand Brisbane a near-perfect path to the Grand Final, with a potential qualifying final matchup against a Sydney Swans side already reeling from an alleged sexual assault scandal that has forced five key players out of their lineup.

Brisbane head coach Chris Fagan addressed the Swans scandal post-game, calling the situation “a bit of a head scratcher.” “It’s really unfortunate for Sydney because they have been such a terrific club in that regard for a long long time,” Fagan said. “You just wonder what was going through people’s heads for that to occur. But with the guys that do get to play just might go that much harder and be that much more difficult to beat.” Fagan added that Brisbane has no preferred opponent for their qualifying final, noting the scandal could galvanize the remaining Swans players.

Post-game, Neale addressed ongoing speculation about his potential move to Collingwood, admitting it would be difficult to leave the club he has called home for nine years. “I’ve been here nine years and I think this is the ninth year in a row we will play finals footy and I don’t take it for granted and I can’t wait to see what we can do,” Neale told Fox Footy. “It’s an exciting time to be a Lion.” Collingwood coach Craig McRae acknowledged Neale’s standout performance, after the star midfielder toured Collingwood’s elite facilities earlier this month. Asked if Collingwood was missing a player of Neale’s caliber, McRae called it a “pointed question” before praising the Brisbane star: “I think he’s a great player. Everyone can see that on the night. They (Brisbane) got many threats, that’s why they’re going to be really hard to beat from here on out.”

The match came with two significant sour notes for the sides: Brisbane’s Ty Gallop faces potential scrutiny from the AFL’s Match Review Officer after slamming Collingwood’s Charlie West’s head into the ground on the stroke of three-quarter-time, resulting in a free kick for dangerous tackle. For Collingwood, veteran midfielder Scott Pendlebury left the field in the first half with a knee bursa injury, leaving his availability for next weekend’s wildcard final in doubt. Collingwood will wait on Saturday’s results to confirm their opponent for the inaugural wildcard round, with the club heavily tipped to host a Friday night fixture.

Even in defeat, Collingwood star Nick Daicos reinforced his status as the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s Brownlow Medal, with experts predicting he could break the 45-vote record and even reach 50 votes this season. Despite playing just 60 percent of the match, Daicos finished with 26 disposals and a spectacular 50-meter goal that had the 66,846-strong MCG crowd roaring. “Still would have been a goal, if the posts were four inches apart,” Russell said of Daicos’ effort. Daicos was named Collingwood’s best player on the night, alongside Jamie De Goey, Sam Swadling and Charlie West. For Brisbane, Neale, McKenna, Morris, Ashcroft, Dunkley and Allen were named the team’s best, with Neale picking up three votes for the annual Player of the Year award, McKenna two, and Daicos one.

Global soccer governing body FIFA has handed down severe disciplinary penalties to multiple Argentina national team players following an on-field brawl that broke out after the recent World Cup final against Spain, the organization confirmed in an official announcement on Friday. The fallout from the chaotic post-match clash extends beyond individual player bans, with Argentina facing a closed-doors sanction for their next two home international fixtures — though one of those matches has been suspended from the penalty, allowing the side to host fans for one of the matches. The most severe punishment is reserved for Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes, who will miss the next 10 senior international matches and has been ordered to pay a $90,000 fine. Paredes emerged as the central figure in the conflict after the July 19 final, held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium where Spain claimed a 1-0 victory. Witnesses and match reports confirm Paredes grabbed Spain defender Eric Garcia by the throat before driving Spain midfielder Gavi to the ground while clutching his substitute training bib, an incident that turned a minor exchange into a full-scale scuffle between squads from both nations. Paredes was not the only Argentine player sanctioned. Teammate Nahuel Molina received a seven-match international ban and an identical $90,000 fine for his role in the unrest. Two other Argentina squad members, Thiago Almada and Pablo Martin Paez Gavira, received lighter penalties: a one-match suspension each and a $30,000 fine per player. The sanctions mark one of the harshest sets of penalties issued by FIFA for post-match misconduct in recent years, sending a clear signal about the governing body’s stance on on-field violence between international sides in major tournament fixtures.

As the clock ticks down to his first Premier League match in charge of Manchester City, new manager Enzo Maresca has made a clear case that the club needs time to navigate its ongoing rebuild, after sweeping changes both on the bench and on the pitch that represent the biggest transition the Etihad Stadium side has seen in a decade. The Italian coach stepped into the role vacated by Pep Guardiola, the legendary Spanish manager who stepped down at the end of last season after an unparalleled 10-year tenure that brought 20 major trophies, including six Premier League titles. Filling the void left by Guardiola’s unprecedented success is already one of the most daunting jobs in European football, and Maresca’s challenge has grown far more complex with a wave of high-profile departures hitting City’s first-team squad this summer. Fan-favorite midfield and defensive mainstays Rodri, John Stones, and Bernardo Silva have all already left the club, and star winger Savinho is on the brink of completing a move to Tottenham Hotspur. City’s current rebuilding phase comes after the club ended its 2024-25 campaign without a Premier League title, finishing seven points behind defending champions Arsenal. The gap between the two sides was highlighted again just last weekend, when Arsenal crushed City 3-0 in the annual Community Shield curtain-raiser, a result that put the size of Maresca’s task firmly in the spotlight ahead of Sunday’s opening home fixture against Bournemouth. Speaking to reporters on Friday ahead of the game, Maresca acknowledged the scale of the upheaval at the club but stressed that change is not an excuse for underperformance. “When you make many changes, not only the manager, Rodri was here, John (Stones) was here, Bernardo (Silva) was here. It’s a big change, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t be ready to compete,” Maresca said. “It’s a context, it’s not an excuse. We need to be ready, I want to compete. The reason I’m here is because I want to try and win titles, and carry on what this club stands for in the last 15 years. Where we are now, it’s a bit complicated because we started one month ago. But the intention is to compete as soon as possible.” Maresca is under no illusion that a slow start to the new season will bring immediate pressure from fans and pundits alike, but the former Chelsea head coach remains confident his side will deliver results in time. “When we win games, fans are happy. When we don’t win games, everyone is upset. It’s important to win games because we are all more happy but no doubt we are going to win games,” he added. The rebuild is still very much a work in progress as the summer transfer window enters its final 11 days. Along with Savinho’s impending exit, reports have linked Egypt forward Omar Marmoush with a move to Tottenham, and there are lingering question marks over the future of attacking midfielder Nico Gonzalez. On the incoming side, Maresca has been heavily linked with a move for Lille teen prospect Ayyoub Bouaddi, former Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister. When asked whether the stream of outgoing players had disrupted his early squad planning, Maresca admitted that convincing players to stay when they have already made up their mind to leave is all but impossible. “It’s quite clear when players want to leave, for any reason, then it’s complicated to convince them to stay or change their thoughts,” he explained. “It happened with Rodri, the same thing is happening with Savinho, since day one he asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting.” Maresca clarified that Marmoush’s situation is far less settled than Savinho’s, noting: “I don’t know. Omar is still here. Different situation than with Savinho. We’ll see what happens.” The City boss worked with Enzo Fernandez during his time at Chelsea, and he is well aware of the Argentine midfielder’s elite quality, but he declined to comment on a potential £120 million move for the star, citing professional respect for his former club. “Enzo is a Chelsea player and I’m not going to talk about players who are not with us, first of all, because I think it’s a lack of respect, and second of all because I don’t like when different managers talk about our players,” Maresca said. Despite the ongoing uncertainty around incomings and outgoings, Maresca says he remains completely unruffled by the situation, with the club working closely alongside the sporting director to land the right targets before the transfer window closes. “I’m not worried, I’m not concerned. Since day one, we knew exactly what we need. We are working together with the sport director of the club, there are 11 days to go until the window shuts and many things can happen.”

The English Premier League’s new season is finally upon us, launching Friday with defending champions Arsenal opening their title defense at the Emirates Stadium against newly promoted Coventry City. Just 34 days on from the conclusion of the last men’s World Cup, the world’s most-watched club football league returns with a fresh narrative: a seismic shift in the league’s biggest clubs has left defending champions Arsenal as the overwhelming pre-season favorites to etch their names into history.

Arsenal ended a 22-year title drought last season, lifting the Premier League trophy after years of near-misses that left fans and pundits questioning the club’s big-match temperament. That long-awaited triumph was a cathartic turning point for the North London side, and now manager Mikel Arteta is targeting a second consecutive title — a feat the club has not achieved since the 1930s.

Arteta’s side has entered the new season reinforced by a string of shrewd transfer moves. The club has already added elite midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and winger Christos Tzolis to their ranks, with a deal for Aston Villa center-back Ezri Konsa close to completion. This strengthened squad proved their early credentials with a dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester City in last weekend’s Community Shield, sending a clear warning to all title challengers that the Gunners mean to retain their crown.

For Arteta, the pressure of being the hunted side — the team every opponent raises their game to beat — is a challenge he welcomes. “We start from scratch, from zero, and we’re going to have to prove we are at the level to go back to that position again,” the Spaniard told reporters ahead of the opening match. “We need to show that desire, and the ambition to be better than what we were last season, a month ago, a week ago. If you give me the choice, I want to be first, I want to be hunted, and I want to be in control of our future, rather than depending on somebody else.”

Acknowledging the 38-game league season is a grueling test of endurance rather than a short sprint, Arteta added: “We need to breathe because it’s going to be a long marathon. We have the ability to improve, to evolve, and that’s what I sense and I feel around the club, especially around the players.” The lessons learned from years of falling short before last season’s title win, Arteta believes, have prepared his squad to handle the weight of expectation this term.

This season marks a historic transition for two of Arsenal’s biggest traditional rivals. Manchester City, last season’s runners-up, begin their first campaign under new manager Enzo Maresca on Sunday against Bournemouth, following the departure of Pep Guardiola. Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season after a legendary 10-year tenure that delivered 20 major trophies, transforming City into a global football powerhouse. Maresca, formerly of Chelsea, faces the unenviable task of matching the Catalan’s unprecedented success.

Over at Liverpool, another new era begins: iconic forward Mohamed Salah has left for Turkish club Trabzonspor, and new manager Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first match this Sunday when the Reds travel to face Newcastle United. Iraola, the former Bournemouth boss, was hired to replace Arne Slot, who was sacked after Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth last season, outside of the top-four Champions League places.

Other high-profile new managerial regimes get underway this opening weekend. Xabi Alonso, who was sacked by Real Madrid after less than eight months in charge last term, begins his reign as Chelsea manager with a tense West London derby against Fulham on Monday. Chelsea finished a dismal 10th last season despite a massive outlay on transfer talent, and Alonso has made it clear his side is hungry to prove their credentials this term. “We feel ready. The desire, the ambition, the hunger to start the Premier League is already in the building, looking forward to it,” Alonso said.

Elsewhere in the opening round of fixtures, Manchester United kick off their campaign on Saturday away to Hull City, who are returning to the top flight for the first time since 2017. United manager Michael Carrick has strengthened his squad with the additions of Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, defender Andrey Santos and goalkeeper Karl Darlow, with a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba still in the works.

Big-spending Tottenham Hotspur, who narrowly avoided relegation in a shocking 2024-25 campaign, travel to Brentford on Saturday. The North London club has poured more than 200 million pounds into two high-profile signings, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, who are both set to feature in the opening match. Europa League winners Aston Villa, meanwhile, have been decimated by player departures this off-season and head to Brighton for their opening fixture on Sunday.

While the departures of Guardiola and Salah have marked the end of an era for two of the league’s biggest clubs, the Premier League remains brimming with elite world-class talent and exciting emerging young stars, set to deliver another season of high-stakes, unpredictable drama over the coming nine months.