Lautaro Martinez's fine goalscoring form continued as he sealed top spot for Argentina in Group A, with a 2-0 victory over Peru, who were eliminated from the competition.
With Lionel Messi out due to a groin injury, the forward stepped up, scoring at the start and end of the second half to ease any nerves after a slow first 45 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Leandro Paredes' miss from the penalty spot did not prove costly as Peru failed to threaten in what was a must-win game.
Argentina will face the runner-up of Group B in their quarter-final, while Canada take second place in the group after their 0-0 draw with Chile, while Peru make an early exit.
With a place in the quarter-finals already secured, Argentina made a slow start to the game - Alejandro Garnacho's deflected curler was their only chance in the opening 25 minutes.
The goalkeeper was required to keep things level shortly after, getting a strong hand to stop Paredes' whipped free-kick from heading into the top-left corner.
Giovani Lo Celso was then picked out on the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, but Gallese parried his first-time shot before Garnacho fired the rebound just over the crossbar.
The half-time team talk worked wonders for Argentina, as Angel Di Maria cut Peru's defence wide open by picking out Martinez, who deftly chipped the opener over Gallese just two minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had doubled their tally moments later, poking over the line from a corner, but it was disallowed as Lo Celso was blocking the goalkeeper's view from an offside position.
Argentina had another chance to double their lead in the 69th minute, with Jesus Castillo penalised for a handball as he slid in to block Paredes' cross in the box, and the midfielder could not profit, rattling the inside of the post with a powerful spot-kick.
In an almost carbon copy of his first goal, Martinez raced in behind once again in the 86th minute and lifted a lovely effort over Gallese, who could not get a hand to it.
Franco Zanelatto almost salvaged some pride for La Blanquirroja in the dying moments, but his thumping header bounced off the near post and, agonisingly, along the face of goal.
Martinez retains golden touch
Though Argentina were already into the quarter-finals with a game to spare, it felt like they might not be at their best without talisman Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni, who was serving a touchline ban.
However, Martinez has stepped up in this tournament, scoring in all three of their group games as he leads the race for the Golden Boot with four goals to his name.
His first two strikes both came off the bench, with his late winner sending the Albiceleste into the knockout stages against Chile, and he made the most of his first start in the tournament with an early goal in the second half.
It is just the third time this century that Argentina have won all three of their group games - the last two times (2007, 2016) they finished as runners-up, but Scaloni will be hoping they can go one better and defend their title this time around.
Peru go out with a whimper
This year's Copa America has been a tournament to forget for Peru, who go out of the tournament with just one point to their name - it is the first time they have been eliminated without a single victory since 1995.
La Blanquirroja needed a win to have a chance of snagging second spot, with hope that Canada and Chile played out a draw in the other Group A game.
However, they managed just six shots in the game, creating an expected goals of 0.14, and finish the tournament with a meagre tally of 22 efforts from their three matches without hitting the back of the net.
It was always going to be a tough ask to get a win against the defending champions, even with all of their changes, but Peru's starting front three of Bryan Reyna, Paolo Guerrero and Edison Flores not managing a single shot did not make matters easier.
Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach.
It was announced on Tuesday that the club had agreed a deal in principle with the Italian, before confirming he has signed a three-year contract on Saturday.
In a statement to the club website, De Zerbi said: "I'm delighted to be joining Olympique de Marseille, as I had a very strong desire to join the club.
"The history and prestige that surround OM, the passion and fervour of its supporters, and the seriousness and enthusiasm shown to me by Frank [McCourt], Pablo [Longoria] and Medhi [Banatia] were all decisive factors in my decision to embark on this exciting challenge.
"I can't wait to sit on the bench at the Orange Velodrome, this time as OM coach, and help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves."
De Zerbi, whose shock departure from Brighton was announced the day before the end of the 2023-24 season, led the Seagulls to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League after taking over from Graham Potter in 2022, securing European football for the first time in their history.
Brighton topped their Europa League group, beating Marseille in the process, but were knocked out by Roma in the round of 16 before slumping to an 11th-place finish in the league.
The French side, meanwhile, went through three managers last season, with Jean-Louis Gasset overseeing the end of the campaign as Marseille finished eighth in Ligue 1, outside the European places.
Julian Nagelsmann believes Germany will feel no added pressure after playing their "best" football at Euro 2024 so far during their 2-0 win over Denmark.
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala both scored in the second half to send Germany through to the quarter-finals, though it was a game that also had three disallowed goals and a near-30-minute break in the first half due to a storm in Dortmund.
Despite that, Germany remained in control for large parts of the game, though Nagelsmann pointed out there is still room for improvement before they face either Spain or Georgia in the next round.
"The first 20 minutes of the game was the best we've played at the tournament and then the rain break unsettled everyone," Nagelsmann said.
"Denmark didn't have a shot in the first half, but in the second half put more pressure on us. There's a lot of work to do ahead of the quarter-finals, we need to be a little more patient in the build-up phase and wait for our moments."
Asked if the fans' expectations will rise after Germany won their first knockout game for eight years, Nagelsmann added: "I think we have no more pressure than usual. I think the fans and also the expectation of our fans is a big push for us.
"We can deal with the pressure. For me, it's still a privilege, and we also tell the players it's a privilege to play soccer games under pressure. All the players are used to dealing with it, so it's no problem."
Nico Schlotterbeck was one of those denied by VAR after he thought he had scored his first goal for the national team after just five minutes before it was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
He later set up Musiala's strike though, with the defender echoing the praise of their manager.
"I think we had a super game and hope that the fans in Dortmund enjoyed it," said Schlotterbeck. "I'm very happy for the team, it's reward for the hard work.
"The break for the rain, we handled well. We played with euphoria and with pleasure, and now we go to Stuttgart [for the quarter-final]."
Sergino Dest has completed a permanent move to PSV from Barcelona, signing a four-year contract with the club.
The defender joined PSV on loan at the start of last season, helping them to win their first Eredivisie title in six years.
He made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and adding seven assists.
PSV's loan deal for Dest included a future option to buy, with the Dutch side now choosing to trigger that, signing him on a free transfer that will keep him at the club until 2028.
"PSV believe in me and I feel greatly appreciated here," said Dest.
"I'm really looking forward to playing again, being important and winning titles."
Dest joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2020, making 51 league appearances in his first two seasons before loan spells at Milan in 2022-23 and PSV.
Luis de la Fuente says Spain will not make the mistake of underestimating Euro 2024 surprise package Georgia in the round of 16.
Spain cruised through the so-called 'group of death', winning all three of their games against Croatia, Italy and Albania without conceding a single goal.
Meanwhile, Georgia progressed as one of the best third-place teams after stunning Euro 2016 champions Portugal with a 2-0 victory in their final group game.
La Roja also met Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying, earning a memorable 7-1 victory in the away fixture.
However, De la Fuente was quick to praise the improvement in their opponents since that meeting, noting that Spain had to expect a bigger challenge this time around.
"It was a very important game for us, we arrived [in Georgia] under a lot of pressure, and we came back from that game as a family, a lot stronger than before," said De la Fuente.
"The most important game is always the next one and now a different European Championship starts. We are bracing for a very difficult game, and we will go with the best weapons we have to get out with a win.
"We all have seen surprising things happen in football and I don't think that will stop happening.
"Georgia beat Portugal, we have to respect them as opponents, work hard and take the game with the importance that it has so it doesn't happen to us.
"They are fast in the counter-attack and very good in the set-pieces. We need to be vigilant and aware, so we don't end up exposed to counter-attacks in speed."
The knockout rounds of Euro 2024 got underway on Saturday, with the first two teams booking their places in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland stunned the defending champions, sending Italy home after a 2-0 victory in Berlin.
Later, Germany also prevailed by the same scoreline to take a step closer to potential success on home soil, beating Denmark.
Here, we round up the best Opta statistics from the first set of Euro 2024 round-of-16 ties.
Switzerland 2-0 Italy: Vargas ends Azzurri defence
The teams on Switzerland's side of the draw will be looking over their shoulders after they dumped Italy out, largely thanks to Ruben Vargas' standout performance.
He set up Remo Freuler's opener before curling in a stunning effort himself, becoming the first Swiss player to score and assist in a knockout match of a major tournament on record (since 1966 - World Cup and Euros).
The winger's strike came just 27 seconds after kick-off in the second period, the second-fastest goal in the second half of a Euros match after Marcel Coras netted against West Germany within 21 seconds in Euro 1984.
Switzerland will face either England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals, reaching the last eight in consecutive editions after failing to make it out of their group in three of their previous four participations in the competition (reached the last 16 in 2016).
Despite being reigning champions, Italy were not touted as one of the favourites going into the tournament, and they struggled to mount a real title defence.
Their early exit means the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at each of the last three European Championships, with Portugal losing to Belgium at Euro 2020 and Spain going out to Italy at Euro 2016.
In fact, Italy conceded more goals at Euro 2024 (five) than they did in seven matches at the last edition of the tournament, when they conceded just four goals on their way to lifting the trophy.
The Azzurri have ended a run of six games without defeat in the knockout stages (90 minutes only, three wins, three draws), with their last such defeat coming in the 2012 final against Spain, by a 4-0 scoreline.
This is also the first time they have lost more than one match at a single edition of the Euros.
Germany 2-0 Denmark: Musiala draws level in scoring charts
With plenty of VAR drama, and a break midway through the first half due to adverse weather, it was certainly an entertaining tie in Dortmund.
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala were the heroes for the hosts with their second-half goals, with the latter netting for the third time in the tournament to put him level with Georges Mikautadze in the Golden Boot race.
In fact, only Wayne Rooney (four) has scored more goals aged 21 or younger at the Euros than Musiala (three), while the midfielder has also scored more goals in four games at this tournament than he managed in his first 29 appearances for the national side (two).
Germany are into their first quarter-final at a major tournament since Euro 2016 - reaching the semi-finals on that occasion - and their four-game unbeaten run at Euro 2024 is their longest streak in such matches since then.
Manuel Neuer continues to break appearance records every time he steps on the pitch - he now has the most caps at the European Championships for Die Nationalelf (19, overtaking Bastian Schweinsteiger), while it was his 39th appearance at major tournaments overall, levelling the midfielder's tally.
After another toothless performance in front of goal, Denmark will not be able to recreate their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. Indeed, they have failed to win any of their last eight games at major tournaments (four draws, four defeats).
Eduardo Camavinga is not happy with playing a limited role for France at Euro 2024, but he will remain patient in the knowledge he will get his opportunity eventually.
Camavinga was a regular for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League and LaLiga in 2023-24, playing 2,825 minutes across 46 games, 32 of them starts.
However, he has not been able to win a place in Didier Deschamps' preferred France midfield at the Euros, with N'Golo Kante returning to the setup to play alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot.
Camavinga played just 48 minutes in substitute appearances against Austria and Poland in the group stage and is not expected to force his way into the lineup for Monday's last-16 clash with Belgium.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the versatile 21-year-old said he was unhappy with the situation but has faith his chance will come.
"This is not a positive outcome for me. The fact that I don't play much doesn't necessarily make me happy," Camavinga said.
"I know that one day or another, my time will come. You have to be ready, like at the World Cup when the coach asked me to come on in the final.
"You have to be ready during training. Me, before matches, I do the same thing, I listen to music, I do my warm-ups.
"If my head is right, my legs will follow. A competition is not played with 11 players. The most important thing is to be focused until the end."
Camavinga also had limited gametime at the 2022 World Cup, appearing twice and starting once as France reached the final but lost on penalties to Argentina.
In that final – a thrilling 3-3 draw that featured a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick – Camavinga came on at left-back after illness struck the France camp.
He has also played in that position for his club, but he maintains central midfield is his preferred role, saying: "I still don't enjoy it, that hasn't changed.
"But I'm a team player. If I have to play full-back again, I will. But it remains a position that I do not like."
Camavinga will not come up against his Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois on Monday, as the goalkeeper was left out of Belgium's squad despite returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the end of the season.
Courtois has been frozen out since he stormed out of Domenico Tedesco's camp last year, and Camavinga says his absence will benefit Les Bleus.
"Him not playing is a good thing for us," Camavinga said. "Belgium are a great footballing nation, with great players.
"The group stage is the past for them, like for us, and I think mentally, the Belgians will be stronger. This remains a team that can surprise us at any time."
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin knew his team would "destroy" Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2024 when he saw the Azzurri had made a change of formation.
Switzerland are into the European Championship quarter-finals for just the second time after beating the defending champions 2-0 in Berlin, having also reached the last eight by claiming the scalp of France at Euro 2020.
Yakin's team were good value for their victory, leading Italy for shots (13 to 11), shots on target (four to one), expected goals (1.3 to 0.78 xG) and touches in the penalty area (24 to 12).
Azzurri boss Luciano Spalletti made several changes to his starting lineup for the match, reverting to his usual 4-3-3 shape after employing a 3-5-2 versus Croatia in their last group game.
After that match – a 1-1 draw which saw Italy sneak through Group B in second place – Spalletti hit out at reports that his players had forced the change of system.
Yakin believes Italy's revised setup played into the hands of his team on Saturday, telling SRF: "It's unbelievable what's going on here. We've enjoyed ourselves in every stadium. Big praise to the fans.
"I knew if the Italians came with a back four, we would destroy them. Then we would let them run.
"Dan [Ndoye] closed down the midfield. His man, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, hardly saw the ball."
Switzerland will now face either England or Slovakia in the last eight next Saturday, as they bid to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the very first time.
Yakin has no preference regarding his team's next opponent, saying: "You'd have to ask the fans if they prefer England or Slovakia.
"We won an important game, and that's crucial. As for what happens tomorrow, and what comes after that, we'll prepare well again for our next opponents."
England face Slovakia in their last-16 tie on Sunday, with the Three Lions looking to reach the last eight at back-to-back editions of the Euros for the first time ever.
Euro 2024 hosts Germany booked their place in the quarter-finals, with Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala scoring in a 2-0 victory over Denmark on Saturday.
The tournament's joint-leading scorer, Musiala, curled in a wonderful strike after Havertz's spot-kick to send Denmark crashing out of the tournament.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Joachim Andersen were earlier denied openers following VAR reviews early in each half, while the game was also paused for close to half an hour amid a torrential downpour in Dortmund.
At the end of a dramatic encounter, Denmark are heading home while Germany have set up a meeting with either Spain or Georgia in Stuttgart on Friday.
Denmark got an early let-off as Schlotterbeck saw what would have been his first international goal ruled out for a foul by Joshua Kimmich in the build-up, after the defender headed home from a corner inside four minutes.
Germany kept the pressure on, with Kasper Schmeichel making a string of fine saves to keep out Kimmich, Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz before Antonio Rudiger smothered Christian Eriksen’s shot at the other end.
A heavy storm brought the first half to a halt after 35 minutes but a near-30-minute break only revitalised Germany, with Havertz's header smothered by Schmeichel before Schlotterbeck sent another effort just wide.
On the stroke of half-time, the hosts' defence was cut wide open, but Manuel Neuer rushed out to smother Rasmus Hojlund’s first-time effort.
There was more drama early in the second half as Andersen, who coolly drilled his strike into the back of the net, was also denied a first international goal for a tight offside call against Thomas Delaney.
At the other end, the defender was then penalised as David Raum's cross struck his arm in the box, and with a penalty awarded after a VAR review, Havertz slotted into the bottom-right corner.
Havertz looked sure to double his tally minutes later after a lovely bit of skill to get in behind Denmark, only to dink his shot over Schmeichel and wide of the far post, while Neuer stood tall to deny Hojlund as Denmark chased an equaliser.
However, Germany got their all-important second through Musiala in the 68th minute, moving it upfield in three passes before the youngster curled in his third goal of Euro 2024.
Florian Wirtz thought he had added some gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time when he poked the ball into an empty net, but he became the third man to be denied by an offside decision.
Havertz closing in on greats
Havertz made a crucial impact for Germany in the second half, despite missing a host of golden opportunities throughout the game.
His penalty was his fourth goal at the Euros overall, with only Jurgen Klinsmann and Mario Gomez, who each found the back of the net five times in the competition, scoring more for Die Nationalelf at the tournament.
He could have moved to the top of that list against Denmark, having five shots in total and missing two big chances.
Meanwhile, Neuer made yet more history at the Euros, making his 19th appearance in the competition to overtake Bastian Schweinsteiger’s national record of 18.
Denmark struggle again
Group C was notoriously short on goalmouth action, with Denmark responsible for two of the seven goals scored, and they continued that trend against Germany.
Before this game, Eriksen was directly involved in 55% of Denmark's 42 shots in that group, attempting 10 and creating 13. He was the creative spark for them in Dortmund too, having (two) shots and creating a further (two) chances.
It has been a tough run at major tournaments for the Red and Whites lately, having only won three of their last 16 matches (seven draws, six losses), with this loss stretching their winless streak to eight such games.
The last time Denmark faced Germany in the knockout stages of a major tournament, they beat them 2-0 in the Euro 1992 final. While Kasper Hjulmand would have hoped that was a good omen, it did not turn out to be the case.
Luciano Spalletti has taken responsibility for Italy's Euro 2024 exit, though the Azzurri boss feels his limited time to prepare the team contributed to their poor displays.
The defending champions crashed out in the last 16 on Saturday, with Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scoring as Switzerland claimed a deserved 2-0 victory in Berlin.
Following the Azzurri's defeat, the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at three successive editions of the tournament, with Spain going out to Italy in 2016 and Portugal doing so versus Belgium at Euro 2020.
The loss was Italy's first in a knockout game at the Euros since the 2012 final versus Spain (90 minutes only), ending a run of six such matches unbeaten (three wins, three draws).
Spalletti only became Italy coach last September after Roberto Mancini quit to take the Saudi Arabia job, and he used Saturday's post-match press conference to remind reporters of his late appointment.
"I have to say this, even if it may seem like I'm looking for alibis. Before this competition the other coaches had 20 or 30 games," he said.
"I had 10 and I already had a gun pointed at me, saying that I had to win.
"Then we had several injured players that I was counting on, and today we saw that in terms of the intensity we were inferior. Switzerland qualified in a fair way."
Spalletti was then asked whether he was likely to stay on as Italy coach in the aftermath of their worst Euros performance since 2004's group-stage exit.
The former Napoli boss has no intention of stepping down but admits things must change for the team, responding: "It's a natural question, don't feel guilty for asking me.
"It changes nothing for me in the sense that I take responsibility for what happened.
"I picked the players. I am not happy with the performance we produced or the performance against Spain.
"I am partially happy with the other two matches we played. This time I rested them up and changed the team.
"After the previous game, I blamed it on myself, regardless of team selection, for not making too many changes."
Aquatics Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) president Lance Rochester says the achievements of Yona Knight-Wisdom, Sabrina Lyn and Josh Kirlew in making the cut for this summer’s Paris Olympic Games are not just personal victories, but are pivotal in adding to a legacy for Jamaican aquatics sports.
Rochester’s sentiments came as he highlighted the importance of continued investment in training and youth development programmes, in particular, to sustain and grow all eight disciplines –swimming, open water swimming, master’s swimming, artistic swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, and beach water polo –across the aquatics umbrella.
British-born Knight-Wisdom, 29, the country’s diving flagbearer, continues to inspire with his dedication and remarkable skill, as he secured qualification to a third-straight Olympic Games, following appearances at the 2016 and 2020 Games.
Sabrina Lyn
For 18-year-old Lyn and British-born Kirlew, 24, it will be their first outing at the global multi-sport showpiece, as they were selected as the country’s highest ranked athletes to fill the two universality spots allotted to the ASAJ.
“Visibility is critical in sports and those who compete at the highest level help to inspire the next generation. Ultimately, the ASAJ wants to bring all of the eight disciplines which are currently under the umbrella to the top of the world stage and we are working assiduously towards laying the foundation to achieve that goal over time,” Rochester told SportsMax.TV.
“With regard to diving, the ASAJ is looking forward to the development of this discipline and the support which Yona continues to provide. After Paris, Yona will be in Jamaica hosting another installment of his diving camp, which aims to develop a generation of local divers. So we are committed to nurturing and developing talent so that Jamaica continues to shine in aquatics sports,” he added.
Josh Kirlew
While there were concerns that the retirement of the decorated Alia Atkinson, Keanan Dols, Kelsie Campbell and others, would take away from Jamaica having at least one prominent figure on the world stage, Rochester could not be more thrilled about Knight-Wisdom, Lyn and Kirlew’s upcoming Olympic Games participation.
In fact, the president viewed the trio’s efforts in maintaining a competitive presence as invaluable for Jamaica's growing reputation in aquatics sports.
“It's always important to have representation at top tier events, especially the Olympic Games. Our selectees, Sabrina and Josh, went through a rigorous and stressful selection process where they came out ranked at the top. The ASAJ is proud of their efforts and those who were in contention. Yona making a third straight Olympic Games is a remarkable feat and one we are also very proud as he continues to keep Jamaica on the map where diving is concerned,” Rochester said.
“I must also emphasize that, while Alia is no longer in the water representing Jamaica, she provides invaluable support to the development of our aquatics programmes behind the scenes,” he revealed.
Yona Knight-Wisdom
“This year alone, Jamaica had strong performances at key regional events such as the Carifta Games and CCCAN. We had a strong medal haul and some standout performances, so we have to ensure that we provide all of our athletes with first rate support to ensure that they transition to the elite level,” the president noted.
Finally, Rochester pointed out that the upcoming participation of the country’s aquatic athletes has already fostered a sense of pride and optimism. As such, he encouraged the trio to continue striving for excellence as their respective journey to the Olympic Games is a story of hope and inspiration for all Jamaicans.
“For an event like the Olympic Games, the ASAJ is grateful to the Jamaica Olympic Association and Government of Jamaica for the financial, logistic and technical support for our athletes. So, we just want our athletes to prepare well, trust their coaches, do their best and continue to represent Jamaica proudly and inspire others,” Rochester ended.
Gareth Southgate believes "nobody will care about the group stage" if England enjoy a good run in the Euro 2024 knockout stages, starting with Slovakia on Sunday.
Despite topping Group C, England came under fire for their below-par performances in the group stage after edging past Serbia in the opener before playing out draws with Denmark and Slovenia.
First place in the group means the Three Lions avoided the side of the draw including a lot of the favourites, but even that has not raised morale among the fans.
While Southgate accepted the criticism the team received, he was adamant that the real jeopardy of the tournament starts in the round of 16.
"Reality is that nobody will care about the group stage if you get it right? That is the reality, and of course, we have to deliver it," Southgate said in his press conference.
"The fact is you go into a different mental state. Everybody knows that knockout football is jeopardy. Everybody knows that, on a given day, an opponent can make it really tough for you. You know the quality of the opposition left is high and so it changes the mindset.
"It is about 'how far can we go?' We are trying to achieve something exceptional. But it is a step at a time and tomorrow is a chance to improve aspects of our game, to show composure in moments.
"The game will take us in different directions at different moments, and you've got to be able to respond and react in the right way in all of those moments."
If England do beat Slovakia, they will set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland, who knocked out holders Italy with a 2-0 victory earlier on Saturday.
Southgate said he was not thinking that far ahead, but that his side do not fear of what awaits them in the knockout rounds.
"It could be another brilliant night to create more memories for our supporters," he added.
"I have played in a semi-final of a major tournament, and managed in a semi-final and a final. Tomorrow, it's about the team progressing.
"We shouldn't have a fear of losing, it's about opportunity. We are trying to reach for something which is a challenge.
"We have lost matches before, life goes on. At that point, when you can handle the worst, you are free to try and go and win the game."
Atlantic Industrial Electric Supply Company Limited, the company owned by former national Table Tennis champion Peter Moo-Young, has signed on to help three members of Jamaica’s team to the Caribbean Mini and Pre-Cadet Table Tennis Championships set for July 1-7 in the Dominican Republic.
The three members, brothers Anthony, Malone and Shacoil Bird, were left with very little resources after an unfortunate and tragic house fire in February.
“We had reached out to Mr. Moo-Young about sponsorship of three of the youngsters. The fire earlier this year left them lacking with certain resources so we reached out to Mr. Moo-Young to see if he could assist in any way to help us send these three players off to the Dominican Republic for the upcoming Pre and Mini Cadet Championships,” JTTA President Ingrid Graham told Sportsmax.tv in an interview earlier this week.
Moo-Young happily obliged, providing background on how he first heard about the three brothers and how this sponsorship came together.
“About a year or so ago, Dale (Parham) alerted me that he had identified three youngsters that happen to be brothers who are uniquely talented and invited them to come to my club to play. I saw the kids and I will confirm, they are exceptionally talented for their ages,” he said.
“In keeping track of their progress, I was told that they had a tragic fire a few months ago and it hurt my heart because we wanted them to keep playing. So, I was pleased to hear that they continued to play,” Moo-Young added.
Atlantic Industrial Electric is going into this with their partners, KIC Ventures, an American company involved in the medical field.
“We will jointly underwrite the cost of the three brothers to go to the tournament,” Moo-Young said.
Founder of KIC, Dr. Kingsley Chin, also commented on the decision to help out.
“The only reason I’m able to do what I do today is because, when I was young, I got the opportunity to play sport. This is what I love about these boys; they faced obstacles and they kept going, they never stopped. You never know the future of somebody but if they show they have an interest in being good at something it’s like a plant, you water it and the fruits will bear,” he said.
“Exceptional,” was how National Coach Dale Parham described the talent of the youngsters.
“They’ve been playing for about two or three years now and they have shown dedication to the sport. I can tell you that these guys play probably about 4-5 hours everyday and that is something that is unheard of based on our situation now here in Jamaica,”
“When you have youngsters like this with that kind of drive and passion for the sport, I think it’s only fitting that we try to support them as best as possible,”
Students at Whitfield Town Primary and Junior High School, the brothers recently emerged victorious at the JTTTA/ OSIL/SDF Prep and Primary School Rally at the Excelsior High School on June 24.
Jamaica’s team is scheduled to leave the island on Saturday for the championships.
India ended their 17-year wait to win the T20 World Cup as they edged out South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final in Barbados.
Saturday's match went right to the wire with South Africa requiring 16 runs from the final over, but Hardik Pandya clinched a hat-trick with the late dismissals of David Miller and Kagiso Rabada as the Proteas lost their nerve.
Virat Kohli had earlier smashed 76 runs off 59 balls, comfortably his best score of the tournament, to help India set a daunting target of 177 – the highest ever in a men's T20 World Cup final.
Kohli's innings came to an end in the penultimate over as he swung Rabada's delivery straight to Marco Jansen at long-on, after partner Axar Patel (47) was run out by Quinton de Kock.
That knock proved to be the title clincher, though, as the India bowlers provided able support to their batsmen.
South Africa were reduced to 12-2 within the first three overs as Jasprit Bumrah sent wickets flying with a brilliant outswinger to beat Reeza Hendricks (4) and Arsheep Singh had Aiden Markram (4) caught behind by Rishabh Pant.
If India thought they would be able to defend their total in comfort, however, they were mistaken.
Heinrich Klaasen slammed 52 off 27 balls with support from De Kock (39) and Tristan Stubbs (31), to take them close.
Thirty runs from as many deliveries was the target at one point, but Klaasen nicked Pandya's ball through to Pant in the 17th over and Bumrah followed up by dismissing Jansen for two.
The tail was unable to provide the heroics for South Africa, desperate final-over swings from Miller (21) and Rabada (4) going unrewarded as Pandya finished with an efficient 3-20.
Kohli picks his moment
Kohli has not been on top form throughout this tournament, 37 versus Bangladesh his best score until this point with five of his innings bringing single-digit tallies.
He stepped up when it mattered most, though, becoming just the third player to make a half-century in multiple T20 World Cup finals, having made 77 in India's 2014 loss to Sri Lanka (also Marlon Samuels and Kumar Sangakkara).
After being presented with the Man-of-the-Match award, Kohli suggested he will not play at the next edition of the tournament in 2026. If his T20I career is over, he certainly went out on a high.
Klaasen's historic knock in vain
South Africa ran India close despite being tasked with chasing the best total ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final, and that was mostly due to Klaasen's efforts.
He made his half-century in 23 balls, the fastest 50 in a T20 World Cup final. He obliterated the previous record, Mitchell Marsh's 31-ball half-century for Australia in 2021.
Long wait over for India
Most observers would agree India are fitting champions, having marked themselves out as the best team at the tournament during the last few weeks.
It is their first T20 World Cup crown since they won the inaugural edition in 2007, and they have joined England and West Indies as the only teams to triumph more than once (two titles each).
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