Igor Tudor has resigned from his position as Lazio head coach following the conclusion of the 2023-24 Serie A season.
The Croatian was appointed in March following Maurizio Sarri's resignation at the Stadio Olimpico, signing an 18-month contract.
However, the Biancocelesti have now confirmed his departure, despite Tudor having led the Italian side to a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.
"S.S. Lazio announces that, today, Igor Tudor has resigned as head of the first team," the statement read.
"The Club would like to thank the coach for his work and wishes him the best of luck personally and professionally."
The 46-year-old started his coaching career in his home nation with Hajduk Split, for whom he made 66 appearances during his playing days.
Tenures in Greece and Turkey would follow, before Tudor moved to Serie A for the first time in 2018 with Udinese, who he coached on two separate occasions in the space of a year.
Tudor also took charge of Hellas Verona and Marseille, leading the French club to a third-place finish in Ligue 1 and ensuring qualification for the Champions League before returning to Italy in March, though his Lazio spell has proved short-lived.
Mitchell Marsh has confirmed Mitchell Starc's early exit from Australia's T20 World Cup win over Oman was precautionary after he complained of cramp.
In the Oman innings, Starc began to limp after bowling the first delivery of the 15th over, handing the ball over to Glenn Maxwell before making his way off the field.
Australia – who are looking to add the T20 crown to the 50-over World Cup they won in India last year – had been in a spot of bother early in their own innings, but Marcus Stoinis' unbeaten 67 helped them reach 164-5, which proved beyond Oman.
The victory takes Australia top of Group B after England's opener against Scotland was abandoned on Tuesday.
Australia face their old rivals in their second match of the tournament at the Kensington Oval on Saturday, and Marsh expects Starc to be fine for that contest.
"Starcy was just cramp so we didn't want to take a chance," Marsh said.
"When Starcy asks if he's okay to go off, you let him go off."
Reflecting on the victory – Australia's eighth in their last nine T20 World Cup matches – Marsh added: "It was a close game but it's good to get the win. It's not going to be the 200 types in this tournament.
"We are kind of going back to the old T20 style here in this tournament. We might get few wickets that are good for batting but that's the old T20, right?
"Things may look a little different on these sorts of wickets, but I think that's exciting. We go on to England now and hopefully that'll be a good game with a good crowd."
Marcelo Bielsa questioned Mexico's approach after Darwin Nunez scored a hat-trick in Uruguay's comprehensive 4-0 friendly win over El Tri in Denver.
Uruguay warmed up for their Copa America campaign with their seventh win in 12 games under Bielsa (three draws, two defeats), thrashing a much-changed Mexico side.
With Mexico set to face Brazil in their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday, head coach Jaime Lozano benched the likes of Santiago Gimenez and Alexis Vega and saw his team torn to shreds.
Uruguay raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time as Nunez netted twice and Facundo Pellistri converted Brian Rodriguez's cross, then the Liverpool man made it a treble by finishing into an empty net shortly after the interval.
After the win, former Leeds United boss Bielsa suggested Mexico took the game lightly, saying: "I think a team that is preparing should have taken today's game with maximum power, knowing that they have to play Brazil."
However, Bielsa expects far more from El Tri at the Copa America, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica.
"It was a deceptive result, in the first half Mexico could have scored and it would have been different," he said.
"Don't lose sight of the fact that today there were many important players out of the team, too many.
"Keeping the stars they had on the field today and adding the players that came on, Mexico will be a very difficult opponent."
Uruguay begin their Copa America campaign against Panama on June 23, taking on Bolivia four days later and rounding off Group C against the host nation, the United States.
Australia overcame a rough start to open their T20 World Cup campaign with victory, as Marcus Stoinis dominated with bat and ball in a 39-run win over Oman.
Mitchell Marsh's side, who are hoping to follow in England's footsteps by capturing both limited-overs world titles after winning the ODI crown last year, slipped to 50-3 when Glenn Maxwell fell for a golden duck.
However, Stoinis (67 not out) teamed up with David Warner (56) to put on a partnership of 102 as they reached 164-5.
Stoinis was dropped soon after coming in and Oman would regret missing that opportunity as he smashed two fours and six maximums off his 36 deliveries faced.
The all-rounder was equally impressive with the ball, posting figures of 3-19, including the vital wicket of Oman skipper Aqib Ilyas (18) six overs in. Ayaan Khan hit 36 for Oman but their challenge was as good as over when he was bowled by Adam Zampa for his 300th T20 wicket.
However, Australia's win did come with an injury scare as Mitchell Starc left the field during his final over with an apparent calf issue, just three days out from their meeting with England in Barbados.
Data Debrief: Stoinis in exclusive club
Stoinis showed his talents as a true all-rounder on Wednesday, becoming just the third player to score 50 or more runs and take three or more wickets in a single T20 World Cup match, and the first since Shane Watson achieved the feat twice in 2012.
Aaron Judge drove in five more runs and Carlos Rodon won his sixth straight start as the New York Yankees rolled to their seventh consecutive victory with another win over the Minnesota Twins, 9-5 on Wednesday night.
Judge had an RBI groundout in a four-run first against Chris Paddack, lined a three-run triple in the fifth and added a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
Judge is 10 for 21 with four home runs, a double, a triple and 15 RBIs in his last six games. He has 54 RBIs this season, second in the majors behind Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (58).
The Yankees have won six straight against the Twins dating to last season and are 106-42 in the series since 2002.
New York, which has outscored Minnesota 28-7 in winning all five meetings in 2024, matched its longest win streak of the season and is tied with Philadelphia for the majors’ best record.
Rodon retired the first 16 batters before Carlos Santana homered with one out in the sixth. The left-hander allowed two runs on three hits in six innings, striking out nine and walking none.
Royce Lewis homered in the seventh on his 25th birthday, a day after he went deep in his return from a strained right quadriceps that sidelined him for 58 games. Lewis became the first player in franchise history to homer in his first three games of a season.
Pivetta dominates Braves as Red Sox win
Nick Pivetta pitched one-hit ball over seven innings and Rafael Devers hit a pair of home runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-0 rout of the Atlanta Braves.
Pivetta allowed his only hit on an Austin Riley leadoff single in the fourth inning and struck out nine with two walks.
Zach Kelly and Brad Keller each worked one scoreless inning to finish up the one-hitter.
Devers hit a solo homer in the second inning and added a two-run shot in the seventh for the 17th multi-homer game of his career.
Jarren Duran also went deep for the Red Sox, who moved back to .500 by completing a 3-3 homestand.
Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach was tagged for six runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in his second career start.
Cubs walk-off lowly White Sox
Mike Tauchman homered to lead off the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs rallied again to finish a two-game sweep with a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox, who lost their 13th straight game.
Tauchman sent Michael Kopech’s second pitch in the ninth deep to center for his first career game-ending home run.
One night after blowing a 5-0 lead, the White Sox squandered a 5-1 advantage in this one.
Cody Bellinger had a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the fifth and another run scored on a balk to get the Cubs within 5-3. They took the lead with three runs in the seventh on a wild pitch, Bellinger’s sacrifice fly and Ian Happ’s broken-bat RBI single.
Corey Julks and Paul DeJong homered for the White Sox, who have lost 17 of 18 to drop to a major league-worst 15-47.
They have led by at least two runs at one point in each of their last five losses. The 13-game skid matches the single-season franchise record set in 1924.
While disappointed that the adjusted time of their opening Concacaf World Cup qualifying fixture will affect spectator turnout, Reggae Boyz Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson and his team are focused on the task at hand, as they brace for a tough encounter against Dominican Republic.
Thursday’s second round Group E clash was initially scheduled for a 6:30pm kickoff, however, Concacaf opted to move the game up to 3:30pm to allay concerns about the poor lighting situation at the National Stadium.
Though an earlier kickoff is likely to result in hot and humid conditions, Hallgrimsson is forecasting a win for his team, as he stressed the importance of starting the campaign on a high, especially with only the top two from the group to progress. British Virgin Islands, Guatemala, and Dominica are the other teams in the group.
“It (the time) will of course affect how we play, but most of all, it's a shame that people cannot attend the game because people are at work at that time. But the most important thing is to win this game, I think Domincan Republic is the team that everybody should be on the lookout for because they are a tricky team to play so we want to take three points and start this World cup campaign on the front foot,” Hallgrimsson told journalists during a pre-game conference.
Jamaica will be without some of its first choice players for various reasons.
That said, the Icelandic coach is by no means expecting their Spanish-speaking Caribbean opponents to be pushovers, and is looking forward to a highly competitive and difficult contest.
“I feel like everybody think it's going to be an easy game for us, but I promise you it's not going to be. It's going to be an equal game because Dom Rep are a tactical and really improving team with really promising young players. They have been recruiting some really good players playing high level in Spain and England, so I am expecting a tough match,” he noted.
Hallgrimsson will be without a number of his first choice players –Demarai Gray, Amari’i Bell, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Andre Blake and Dujuan Richards –due to injury, while Leon Bailey remains unavailable. However, the tactician is confident that his squad, which includes 17-year-old Adrian Reid Jr, possesses enough quality to get the job done.
Still, there is no doubt that the weight of the Reggae Boyz attack will rest on West Ham United’s Michail Antonio and Clermont’s Shamar Nicholson, both of whom Hallgrimsson insists will deliver the goods.
“Both of them have played really well for Jamaica, whether they are playing good for their clubs or not, and especially Shamar. He has really played some fantastic games for Jamaica, even though he's not even playing in his club, and we were really happy to see Michail coming back, progressing and getting sharper every game. So happy to have them both here. It's a good option for us up front, both powerful guys,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.
Michail Antonio expected to lead from the front.
Where Reid Jr is concerned, Hallgrimsson hinted at the possibility of the teenager getting his first senior international cap, as the Boyz will also be without right-back Dexter Lembikisa and midfielder Kasey Palmer, who will both serve card suspensions for the opening World Cup qualifying contest.
“I think for the younger players like Adrian, it's an opportunity for him to measure himself. He's a versatile player, he can play right back, and he can play in the middle, so we kind of don't know where he will end up, but it's really nice for me to get to look at him in this camp,” the coach shared.
“For other (players), it's an opportunity for them to step up and show what they can do and try to increase the depth in that position. Jamaica doesn't have many players playing at a high level in midfield, we have an abundance of wingers and strikers, but we don't have many, especially defensive midfielders,” he opined.
Regardless of which 11 players gets the start or whatever position they have to fill, Hallgrimsson declared that the objective remains the same.
“We're going to start the game on the front foot, try to get some tempo in and truly maximize the qualities we have. So we're thinking about our tactical approach, I won’t say here what we are going to do tactically, but we are going to start on the front foot, and try to put in some pressure right in the beginning,” he ended.
Alexander Zverev has no interest in recovering fitness as the world number four aims to push to an "absolute limit" at the French Open.
The German overcame Alex de Minaur in straight sets on Court Philippe-Chatrier, progressing to the Roland-Garros semi-finals for a fourth straight year on Wednesday.
Yet that does not tell the whole story as Zverev battled relentlessly to earn his 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph over the Australian world number 11.
Falling 4-0 and 5-1 down in the second-set tie-break, Zverev seemed to afford De Minaur a route back into the match, only for the fourth seed to come crashing back in a response.
Zverev eventually sealed victory in just under three hours of the quarter-final meeting, and has every intention of pushing himself further for the last-four clash with Casper Ruud.
"Everybody in the press keeps asking me what I do for recovery and the answer is very simple – you don't recover after matches, you recover in the off-season," Zverev said in his on-court interview.
"I have the mindset you have to work harder than everyone else to be the best player. I like to work to my absolute limit. If I do that then playing five sets all of a sudden is not that difficult.
"I've been doing that over many years and I'm happy to be in another semi-final. Hopefully I can win one."
A fourth semi-final appearance in Paris means Zverev will equal Dominic Thiem for the most of any player born since 1990.
Among players with five main draws in the Open Era, Zverev (80.5 per cent) also holds the best winning percentage at Roland-Garros of any player not to have won the singles title at the event.
Ruud will stand in the way of a major final outing for Zverev, who says his battling identity has been embroiled in his mind from a young age.
"I have a coach who's my father who couldn't care less how I feel on the practice court," he added.
"Since I was three years old, it was run here, run there, run for four hours straight. He sometimes forgets I'm two metres tall and can hit a serve 230 kilometres an hour.
"I wish I would be more aggressive sometimes, but if I'm winning, I'm happy."
Kylian Mbappe put the furore over his move to Real Madrid to one side as France's "fantastic leader" dominated in Wednesday's 3-0 friendly victory over Luxembourg.
Didier Deschamps lauded the leadership qualities of star striker Mbappe, who celebrated confirmation of his switch to the Spanish capital with a goal and two assists at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz.
Mbappe dazzled down the left flank to find space and tee up Randal Kolo Muani's first-half opener before paving the way for Jonathan Clauss' finish after the break.
The France forward was not done there, however, rounding off a fine individual performance with a late goal after an assist from former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Bradley Barcola.
Just 12 days before Les Bleus' Euro 2024 opener against Austria, France head coach Deschamps was delighted with Mbappe's resounding international return.
Deschamps told French channel TF1: "He's a fantastic leader. His head and body weren't used to playing so little. He lacked a bit of juice.
"But he got it in his head that he was going to do everything to make up for his PSG frustration. It was a good example during the week."
France have a final warm-up friendly to come against Canada on Sunday before heading to the Euros, with Netherlands and Poland also in their challenging group.
Deschamps says this dominance over Luxembourg was a positive sign, though there remains room for improvement.
"It's a good rehearsal for the work we've done," he added.
"We're not going to get excited but there are some interesting things. I'm going to correct some positioning.
"But in the offensive animation, we had a lot of variety."
Olivier Giroud also became France's oldest player in history in the victory, coming on as a second-half substitute aged 37 years and 249 days.
Alexander Zverev secured his place in the French Open semi-finals for a fourth straight year after overcoming Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.
The world number four will meet Casper Ruud, who progressed with a bye after Novak Djokovic's injury withdrawal, in the last four after a battling 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
De Minaur overcame Daniil Medvedev in the previous round to earn his first Roland-Garros quarter-final appearance, though it was one to forget as his serving – and Zverev's grit – proved the 11th seed's undoing.
Both players traded a break apiece during an entertaining opening in the French capital, only for De Minaur's double fault to hand Zverev the 4-3 advantage to hold his serve and take the first set.
The Australian snatched a crucial break midway through the second set, yet Zverev – who was warned with a time violation by the umpire for taking too long over his serve – saved a set point to keep his hopes alive.
That was a sign of things to come, too, as Zverev once again fought from 4-0 and 5-1 down in the tie-breaker, somehow clinching a 2-0 lead in the match from a seeming point of no return.
Having failed to level in that cruel tie-break defeat, De Minaur managed to break Zverev late in the third set but the former responded immediately to secure a hard-fought win in just under three hours.
Data Debrief: Zverev continues on song
Zverev extended to 11 straight wins after this victory, with that run including his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome two weeks prior to the start of this major.
The German is just the 11th man of the Open Era to reach four consecutive semi-finals at the French Open, where a rested Ruud awaits next.
De Minaur, meanwhile, misses out on the chance to become the first Australian man since Pat Rafter in 1997 to make the last four on Parisian clay.
Mikel Oyarzabal staked his claim for a place in Spain's final Euro 2024 squad after his hat-trick in Wednesday's 5-0 friendly victory over Andorra.
Real Betis forward Ayose Perez marked his international debut with a 24th-minute opener in Badajoz, capitalising on Pau Cubarsi's headed assist to edge the hosts ahead.
Perez added further credit to his European Championship hopes with a smart assist after the break, teeing up a tap-in for Oyarzabal, who then added his second of the game after 66 minutes.
Oyarzabal completed his treble just seven minutes later before Ferran Torres netted a fifth as Spain, who face Northern Ireland in their final warm-up on Saturday, eased to victory just 10 days before their Euros opener against Croatia.
Data Debrief: Treble heroics from Oyarzabal
Oyarzabal is the second player to score a hat-trick for Spain under Luis de la Fuente, after Alvaro Morata against Georgia in September 2023.
The Real Sociedad man accounted for 2.61 of La Roja's 3.89 expected goals (xG), while Andorra mustered just 0.08 xG in response as David Raya went largely untested.
For Pepetho Barrett, a devoted Real Madrid fan, attending the UEFA Champions League final between Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium was a dream come true. Barrett, who won an all-expenses-paid trip courtesy of JustBet and SportsMax, described the event as “an experience of a lifetime.”
Departing from Norman Manley Airport last Wednesday, Barrett was filled with excitement and anticipation. “This is such a dream come true for me. I am still pinching myself and don’t think I am over the shock. I am so thankful to JustBet and the team,” Barrett exclaimed before his departure.
JustBet ensured Barrett had a packed itinerary, which included a tour of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and sightseeing around London before the grand final. Barrett was accompanied by his father, Pepetho Barrett Sr., and fellow winner from Guyana, Keith Dowridge.
Reflecting on the match, Barrett shared his thoughts: “Just as I predicted it would. I am not disappointed, good experience. Evenly contested game. Dortmund dominated the first half but did not translate that into goals. The second half saw Real Madrid taking center stage and actually scoring goals. Hala Madrid!”
The match held special significance for Barrett, as it marked the final game for Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos. “This match was very special for me because I am a long-time Real Madrid fan, and this is the last match for Toni Kroos. He is a Madrid legend, and to retire with a win is so exceptional. I look forward to watching him in the Euro,” Barrett added.
The highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final took place on Saturday, June 1, at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
“I am ready again. Let’s do this trip again. I think I will continue to bet and bet,” Barrett said jokingly, indicating his excitement for future opportunities.
Kamal Powell, Head of Marketing at Supreme Ventures Limited, expressed his delight in making such dreams a reality for fans. “We are elated to make this dream a reality for two of the many football fans out there. Sports betting is our fastest growing segment at Supreme Ventures, and so it made sense for us to enhance our customers' betting experience by partnering with SportsMax to offer a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the UCL Finals.”
For Barrett, the trip was not just about the game, but about experiencing football at its highest level and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Kylian Mbappe assisted two goals and scored the other as France eased to a 3-0 victory over Luxembourg in Wednesday's international friendly at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz.
In a game in which Olivier Giroud came on to become Les Blues' oldest-ever player aged 37 years and 249 days, new Real Madrid superstar Mbappe stole the show as France kicked off their preparations for Euro 2024 in a serene manner.
The former Paris Saint-Germain forward crossed for Randal Kolo Muani to head home the opener two minutes before half-time after a jinking run down the left, before fizzing in a delivery for Jonathan Clauss to settle himself and flash home a second in the 70th minute.
Mbappe was not finished there as he was teed up by former club-mate Bradley Barcola to slide in the third of the game for France, who did have one moment of concern as Dayot Upamecano departed with a knock.
Data Debrief: Mbappe overtakes two fellow greats
Mbappe has now assisted 28 goals for France, which is two more than Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. Indeed, over the past 50 years, only Antoine Griezmann (30) has provided more.
While the victory was straightforward enough for Didier Deschamps' men, who face Canada in their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly, their expected goals return (xG) of 1.46 - compared to 0.13 for Luxembourg - was lower than many would have anticipated.
In a last-minute change, the Reggae Boyz's crucial World Cup qualifier against the Dominican Republic on Thursday, June 6, will now kick off at 3:30 PM instead of the previously scheduled 6:30 PM. This adjustment comes amid ongoing efforts to upgrade the lighting at Jamaica's National Stadium to meet international standards.
Sports Minister Olivia Grange recently highlighted the installation of new LED lights on Tower Four and additional lamps on the stadium canopy. These enhancements aimed to significantly improve the lighting quality, surpassing the minimum requirement of 1,000 lumens for international matches.
"The National Stadium lights over time have been less than optimal," Minister Grange stated last week. "Independence Park Limited has installed LED lights on Tower Four and some additional lamps on the canopy, pending further upgrades. This latest shipment of equipment, once installed, will improve the lighting substantially."
Despite these efforts, Major Desmon Brown, General Manager of Independence Park Limited (IPL), explained the decision to reschedule the match time in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.
"Despite efforts by Independence Park Limited (IPL) to bring the lighting levels at the National Stadium up to the standards required by CONCACAF, the World Cup qualifying football match slated for Thursday, June 6, 2024, will kickoff at 3:30 p.m.," Brown stated.
The decision was influenced by broadcast requirements and was finalized on May 31. IPL had initially been notified by CONCACAF via a letter dated May 9, stating that the lighting levels during the last CONCACAF match on February 22 were below the required 1,000 lumens.
Consequently, no international night matches would be sanctioned at the National Stadium until the lighting was improved.
To address this, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport authorized IPL to purchase light fixtures to meet the required standards pending a larger reconstruction project for the National Stadium.
IPL made swift arrangements, securing and installing lighting locally while awaiting fixtures from China, aiming for an inspection date of June 4. However, despite these proactive steps, the early kick-off time was necessitated to accommodate broadcast needs and ensure compliance with international standards.
The National Stadium, through a 'grandfather clause', has been allowed to host regional or international events sanctioned by FIFA or World Athletics, despite not meeting the latest standards. This clause allows the stadium to continue operations that were approved before the implementation of new regulations.
Fans are encouraged to adjust their schedules accordingly to support the Reggae Boyz in this pivotal match, now set for a 3:30 PM start.
The Boston Celtics will get starting centre Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It was reported Tuesday that he would return, and when asked by reporters on Wednesday, he said he would be back.
"I'll play tomorrow," he said.
The Celtics later submitted their official injury report and he was not included.
Porzingis sustained a right calf strain in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29 after averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds in the first three meetings.
Al Horford moved into the starting lineup after Porzingis went down and averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games as Boston went 9-1 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last June, and the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games for Boston this season.
Porzingis spent part of three seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2022.
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