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Dua Lipa has been awarded an honorary Lionesses cap after performing two gigs at Wembley Stadium.

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Dua Lipa awarded Lionesses capPerformed at WembleyPopstar posts image on InstagramFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The popstar performed two sets at Wembley last week before posting an image of a Lionesses cap she was awarded.

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Due Lipa's tour of football grounds is not over as she prepares for her first gig at Liverpool's Anfield on Tuesday evening. She then plays at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday.

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Dua Lipa was also present at the Emirates Stadium during the 2024-25 season, in attendance as Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League thanks to two memorable Declan Rice free-kicks.

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Her tour continues for the rest of 2025, including venues in USA and South America later in the year.

American businessman John Textor has confirmed that he is planning to buy a new club in the UK after the sale of Crystal Palace. Textor also revealed that he would no longer be associated with the day-to-day running of Lyon after the club's relegation from Ligue 1.

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Textor confirms exit from LyonSold Crystal Palace last weekPlanning to buy new UK clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Palace, who stunned Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final, faced the threat of being removed from the Europa League next season due to being in breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. Textor held a 45 per cent stake in the Eagles while also overseeing events at Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, who are also due to take part in the Europa League. However, Textor has struck a deal with Woody Johnson, who owns the Jets NFL franchise, to buy his stake in the English team.

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That does not mean his involvement in English football is over, though, as he told : "We now have to look at our strategy in the UK, which we need to study. What will our new club be? Who will we buy there? What will the partnership be like? Because it is this collaboration between clubs that has been very successful for us. We have obviously done a good job here. And at Lyon, I am very proud, we had a team that was relegated. They had not been to the Europa League for a while, we brought them back for two years in a row."

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Lyon's relegation from Ligue 1 to Ligue 2 has sparked an angry reaction in France, with the team's supporters coming out to protest against Textor on Saturday. He has opted to step away from the club, confirming his desire to focus more on Brazilian club Botafogo.

He said: "I'm going to spend a lot more time thinking about Eagle globally, coming back to Botafogo more. I have great partners in Eagle Football Group, shareholders who are going to step up to deal with issues that I honestly wasn't very good at dealing with in France. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with Brazil. We're going to be fine there [in France]. We're going to put a strong face there.

"It's clear that I was better on the field when dealing with France. I didn't do so well in politics in France, that's well known. The process for me, as an American investor, to adapt to the system there has always been strange. But we are very well capitalised. We are going to invest a significant amount of money, we just sold Crystal Palace. We certainly don't have any financial difficulties; we've never had so much liquidity. But in the process, I did some things that disappointed the regulatory bodies there and we need to fix that."

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With Textor formally out of Crystal Palace and Lyon, it remains to be seen if both clubs will now be able to take part in the Europa League in the coming season.

Victory by two wickets for Nottinghamshire ensures Kent retain Division One status

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2023Middlesex’s latest stay in Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship is over, although they at least went down with a fight on a dramatic final day at Trent Bridge.In a match they ultimately had to win, following Kent’s draw against Lancashire, to avoid joining Northamptonshire in Division Two next season, there had looked to be only one outcome as skipper Toby Roland-Jones set Nottingham a target of just 207 in a generous 58 overs.But on a dry, turning pitch on a beautifully sunny last afternoon, spinners Jayant Yadav, Josh De Caires and Sam Robson – who finished with a career-best 4 for 46 with his legspin – gave the home side a real scare before Matt Montgomery (34 not out) held the tail together to drag Nottinghamshire across the line at eight down, with 16 balls to spare.Fittingly, it was No. 10 Jake Ball – in his final appearance for Nottinghamshire – who swept Robson for the winning boundary.Earlier, as Nottinghamshire set fields that allowed Middlesex to set the game up, Robson hit an 109-ball unbeaten 105 that contained only three fours, and De Caires 49 from 47 as the two shared an 83-run sixth-wicket partnership before the declaration came, with Roland-Jones needing to take a gamble if his bowlers were to have any chance of taking 10 wickets on a pitch that, while taking spin, was still essentially a good surface for batting.Brett Hutton’s 2 for 38 had confirmed him as the season’s leading wicket-taker across both divisions on 62 and as Ben Slater added a 49 to his first-innings 140 Nottinghamshire looked to be cruising on 133 for 2.There had been only sporadic glimmers of hope for Middlesex. Haseeb Hameed, without a hundred this year after four in 2022, pulled Tom Helm straight to square leg in the 16th over. Ten overs later, John Simpson executed a sharp stumping to enable De Caires to end Steven Mullaney’s progress at 30 from 34 balls.But then wickets came in consecutive overs twice as the turning ball suddenly became a potent weapon. Joe Clarke was bowled by offspinner Jayant for 22 in the 31st, before Slater was leg before to Robson in the 32nd.Tom Moores was caught at deep midwicket on the slog-sweep off Robson in the 36th and Lyndon James leg before on the back foot to Jayant in the 37th, leaving Nottinghamshire 152 for 6, still 55 short of the target.And the odds looked to be tipping firmly in Middlesex’s favour as Robson bowled Calvin Harrison in the 40th, giving Robson career-best figures with the ball as a bonus. But Montgomery played the spinners well and Hutton brought a calm authority to proceedings, the pair adding 45 for the seventh wicket.There was still for one more scare as Hutton, with just five needed, swiped at Robson to be caught behind.But Ball kept his nerve to get the job done, punching the air as his sweep off Robson beat the infield, achieving for a fourth win of the season and a sixth-place finish for Nottinghamshire, who were promoted with Middlesex as Division Two champions last year.At the start of the day, with just one slip in place as Ball bowled the opening delivery with a ball just three overs old, it was clear that Nottinghamshire were happy to let Middlesex progress at their own pace towards the declaration they had in mind. Quite soon there were no slips and ultimately nine Nottinghamshire players stationed by the boundary rope.The wonder was that Middlesex managed to lose five wickets in taking their total to 177 in the 29 overs up to lunch, although Stevie Eskinazi’s freakish demise capped an unfortunate match for the former captain.His firm drive towards mid-on hit Robson on the foot at the non-striker’s end and rolled gently towards Mullaney, the bowler, who picked up the ball and lobbed it to wicketkeeper Tom Moores with Eskinazi, who had copped one on the helmet on day one, hopelessly stranded.Either side of this moment of comedy – dark comedy from a Middlesex point of view – Mark Stoneman picked out Lyndon James at deep midwicket and Max Holden fell to an excellent catch by Ball at third man as Hutton extended his wickets tally for the season, before Dane Paterson raised his total to 50 – for the third consecutive season – by having Ryan Higgins caught behind off a thin edge and Mullaney removed Simpson via a much thicker edge, a steepler that Moores had to run to backward point to take.A breezy innings by De Caires either side of lunch helped things along, the young allrounder lofting Ball into the Fox Road stand beyond square leg before he was caught at deep extra flinging the bat.It gave Ball his final wicket as a Nottinghamshire player – and the first from the Stuart Broad End, as the pavilion end here will henceforth be known following a lunchtime announcement in the presence of the retired England pace bowler.Moments later, Robson completed his third hundred of the season, Middlesex declared, mindful mostly of how many overs their bowlers might need to have any chance of taking 10 wickets, and Ball led his team-mates off the field for the last time. Another county will surely find room for him next season.

The favourite holiday destinations of top footballers have been revealed in a new study, with Dubai leading the way.

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Dubai the most travelled to destinationMessi's favourite holiday confirmedRonaldo heads to Marbella Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A study from the Boat Charter has revealed the destinations favoured by the world's top players. They have analysed destinations previously visited by footballers and ranked yacht hire availability, sea temperature, average temperature and number of tourist attractions to determine players' ideal getaway. Coming out on top was Dubai, which has been frequented by England and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, as well as former Manchester City ace Riyad Mahrez.

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Also on the list is Lionel Messi's favoured destination of Ibiza, which has also hosted the likes of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, as is Marbella, which has been graced by Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Dubai has a staggering 2,335 5* resorts, and beats out second-placed Barcelona in the ranking; the Spanish city has recently been visited by Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Mykonos rounds out the top three and has seen the likes of Mo Salah, Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli head to the Greek island.

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Summer holidays are starting to wind down as pre-season preparations begin in earnest. Still, Dubai has emerged as the footballers' favourite holiday.

It was Afghanistan’s highest successful chase in ODIs, and took them to their first win over Pakistan in the format in eight attempts

Ashish Pant23-Oct-20231:50

Bond: ‘There was a real calmness about Afghanistan’s chase’

8-0 or 7-1? Nah, we are not talking about one. Coming into their fifth game of the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had not beaten Pakistan in an ODI in seven attempts. They had run them close on at least two occasions but had to suffer one heartbreak after another. But on probably the biggest stage of them all, Afghanistan finally managed to break the hoodoo. And they did it, in Chennai, by eight wickets chasing down 283 with six balls to spare, crafting their highest successful chase in ODIs in the process. A ‘W’ against Pakistan finally, and 1-7, too. It was also the highest successful chase against Pakistan in a World Cup game.Should it count as an upset? Maybe not after what Afghanistan did to England, not after the clinical manner in which they chased down the target on Monday to move to sixth position on the table.Batting first on a surface that didn’t have a blade of grass, Babar Azam had no hesitation in batting first. Babar and Abdullah Shafique’s fifties backed up by excellent cameos from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan helped Pakistan post a formidable 282 for 7.In reply, Afghanistan were switched on like men on a mission. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran posted a 130-run stand for the opening wicket, with both batters scoring fifties. Once they exited, it was the turn for Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi to shepherd the chase and close it in 49 overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdAfghanistan’s chase started on a perfect note with Gurbaz picking Shaheen Shah Afridi to the fine-leg boundary and Ibrahim driving Afridi through the covers three balls later. While Ibrahim took Hasan Ali to the cleaners, Gurbaz targeted Haris Rauf, smashing him for four fours in his opening over as Afghanistan raced to 60 after nine.While the boundary-scoring was impeccable, their running between the wickets was even better. They were also helped by Pakistan’s sloppy fielding – they were all over the place.It took Afghanistan just 15.3 overs to breach the 100-run mark. By that time, both Ibrahim and Gurbaz had brought up their fifties. Pakistan’s first wicket only came in the 22nd over, when Afridi induced a top edge off Gurbaz’s blade that was snapped up by deep third.No panic stations, though. Rahmat came in, and immediately got to work in his usual industrious style. Whenever there were a string of dot balls, Ibrahim or Rahmat broke the shackles with a boundary. They added 60 off 74 for the second wicket before Ibrahim, struggling with cramps, edged Hasan behind for 87.Any thoughts of a collapse, or even a couple of quick wickets, were quickly shut down by Shahidi and Rahmat. They added 96 unbeaten runs for the third wicket, not once giving Pakistan a sniff. The calmness with which they went about their work was probably the most striking feature of the chase.1:53

Babar: ‘The defeat has hurt us a lot’

And Pakistan looked toothless for most of the chase, the bowlers hardly getting anything out of the surface.While Rahmat with five fours and a six remained unbeaten on 77, Shahidi scored a 45-ball 48*. It was the captain who hit the winning runs, a pull/flick off Afridi to spark emotional scenes in the dugout.The first innings was one of three chunks: Pakistan dominated the first 15 overs; Afghanistan spinners had a stranglehold on the proceedings for the next 25; Pakistan pumped 91 runs in the last ten. And that seemed to have given them the momentum heading into the break.The pitch in Chennai was the same one used for India’s opening game against Australia, so Afghanistan brought in Noor Ahmad for Fazalhaq Farooqi to make it four spinners in their XI. The move, at least for the first 15 overs, seemed to have backfired.Pakistan moved to 56 for no loss in the first ten overs, the best powerplay they have had in ten innings at the World Cup. There was another first – and second – that took place in these ten overs: Abdullah Shafique hit two sixes. The first was Pakistan’s first after 1169 balls in powerplays this year.Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam – not a bad haul for Noor Ahmad•Associated PressPakistan had actually raced to their 50 in 7.4 overs with Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Ur Rahman both leaking runs. At this stage, Shahidi turned to Mohammad Nabi and the veteran, through his effective variations of pace and length, put a hold on the run-scoring. Azmatullah Omarzai benefited from this at the other end when Imam-ul-Haq miscued a pull to short midwicket.Babar and Shafique took the innings forward with Shafique soon reaching his second successive fifty, off 60 balls. However, once the ball got a bit older, and the surface a tad tired, it started playing a few more tricks. Between the 16th and the 31st overs, Pakistan could only manage two fours and a six and scored 61 runs while losing two key wickets. Noor struck both the telling blows.He first took out Shafique lbw with a wrong’un and then removed Mohammad Rizwan. Babar took 69 balls to reach his fifty before falling to Noor for 74.At 206 for 5 at the end of 42 overs, Pakistan seemed to be falling short of a par score. But Iftikhar and Shadab changed the script. The two added 73 off just 45 balls, taking apart what was a poor show at the death by the Afghanistan bowlers.In the end, though, the batters came through.

Pucovski is being “managed” following his return to Shield cricket against WA

Alex Malcolm11-Oct-2023Will Pucovski will miss Victoria’s upcoming Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland at the Gabba despite making a promising return to domestic cricket against Western Australia last week, as his comeback continues to be managed.Pucovski played his first Shield match in nearly 12 months in Victoria’s opening-round loss to WA in Perth. He made 39 in the first innings, sharing in a century stand with Travis Dean, before being dismissed for a duck in the second as Victoria slumped to an innings and 53-run defeat at the WACA ground. Pucovski has not played in any of Victoria’s three Marsh Cup fixtures to start the season with Victoria allowing him to focus on red-ball cricket.Related

Pucovski tracking well despite thumb injury ahead of potential Sheffield Shield return

But he has been ruled out of the next Shield clash against Queensland in Mackay starting on Saturday as part of his management given the various issues he has had over the past few years.There was optimism that he could play close to a full Shield campaign coming off a season of club cricket in England that was almost uninterrupted for Surrey Championship side Weybridge. He played 18 matches during the English summer and did not miss a weekend of cricket up until he suffered a thumb injury late in the season.Victoria’s next Shield game after the trip to Queensland is against New South Wales at the MCG starting on October 26 with Pucovski’s availability to be assessed in the lead-up. That looms as Nathan Lyon’s Shield return from the calf injury he suffered in the Ashes.

Leeds United are interested in signing ex-Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares this summer, two months after his exit from the Gunners was confirmed.

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Tavares joined Lazio permanently this summerLeeds interested in Premier League returnWas previously on loan at Nottingham ForestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per Calciomercato, Leeds are interested in signing Tavares this summer as they prepare for a return to Premier League action. The left-back left Arsenal for the Serie A side on loan last summer, and the move was made permanent just two months ago. Now, though, Lazio are said to be willing to do business at around €25 million (£21.5m/$29m).

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West Ham are also said to have an interest in the full-back, who made just 28 first-team appearances for the Gunners. He has been on loan at Marseille and Nottingham Forest before heading to Lazio, where he enjoyed a standout season last term. He made 23 appearances in the league, providing eight assists.

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Leeds have already strengthened their backline this summer, bringing in centre-backs Jaka Bijol and Sebastian Bornauw from Udinese and Wolfsburg respectively. They have also signed forward Lukas Nmecha from Wolfsburg on a free transfer.

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Leeds and West Ham may look to formalise their interest in Tavares in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen if he would be willing to move, however, having only just confirmed his transfer to the Italian giants.

It is understood that Rohit will continue playing for Mumbai in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-20238:59

Jaffer: Surprised that Mumbai Indians moved on from Rohit so quickly

Hardik Pandya will captain Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, taking over from Rohit Sharma, who led the team through a decade of thrilling highs. Rohit, who led Mumbai to five IPL titles, is the joint-most-successful captain in the tournament’s history alongside Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni.The leadership change comes less than a month after Mumbai brought Hardik back to his original franchise after he had captained Gujarat Titans to a title and a runners-up finish in back-to-back seasons.Related

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IPL 2024 auction: Titans' Hardik-sized hole, and other key positions the teams need to fill

While the development might come as a surprise to some, Mumbai had a clear plan when they traded Hardik from Titans. The franchise had identified Hardik as Rohit’s successor and wanted to ensure a smooth transition as in the past, when the captaincy baton had passed from Sachin Tendulkar to Harbhajan Singh and then Ricky Ponting to Rohit.It is understood that Rohit will continue playing for Mumbai in the IPL.”It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready,” Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai’s global head of performance, said in a statement. “Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL.”Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI. We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best.”In all, Rohit led Mumbai 163 times in the IPL and the Champions League T20, winning 91 games, tieing four and losing 68. Under him, Mumbai reached five IPL finals – in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 – and won all of them. The last three seasons have been less successful for Mumbai, though. They failed to make the playoffs in 2021 and 2022, and went out of the 2023 tournament with a loss to Titans in the second Qualifier.It remains to be seen whether the captaincy change at Mumbai is a precursor to a similar shift in India’s T20I team. Rohit is currently India’s all-format captain, but has not played a T20I since the semi-final defeat at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. In that time, Hardik has captained India in the format when available – he has led them in 13 of their last 25 T20Is – but is currently out of action with an ankle injury sustained during the recent ODI World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav – another Mumbai Indians player – captained India in the recently concluded T20I series in South Africa.

Luka Modric says Real Madrid president Florentino Perez treated him "differently" as the iconic midfielder bid farewell to the club.

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Modric leaves as Madrid's most successful playerConfesses president treated him "differently"Midfielder set to begin new chapter in ItalyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Croatian midfielder issued an emotional goodbye to Madrid after playing his final game in the Club World Cup semi-final. Speaking to the club's media, the six-time Champions League winner reflected on the "victorious and unforgettable era," and expressed his lifelong gratitude to the fans. The 39-year-old also confessed that he felt he had a unique relationship with the president, who he felt had a sense of "special affection" towards him.

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Modric leaves Madrid with a record 28 titles, making him the most successful player in Los Blancos' history. The player reflects on this but emphasises that even if the journey was long, it was an unforgettable one. The four-time La Liga winner further shares about his relationship with the president, calling Perez a very important person for him, and the president's tears during his farewell speech in the Spanish league's last game showed that the feeling shared was definitely mutual.

WHAT MODRIC SAID

Speaking to the club's official media, Modric said: "He's been very important to me, first because he brought me here. Since then, he's always shown me special affection. Now I can say it: he treated me differently; he had a very special affection for me. And I think he showed it in my last match, because I'd never seen the president cry. When I saw the images, you realise that this person truly loves you. I will be eternally grateful for everything he's done for me and my family."

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The Croatian is set to begin a new chapter in Italy with AC Milan. The midfielder signed a one-year contract until 2026 with the Serie A giants and will join the rest of the squad in August.