Cristiano Ronaldo will be in peak condition for the World Cup and Portugal can "rest easy" about what he will bring at Qatar 2022, says Selecao legend Luis Figo.

Superstar forward Ronaldo has found himself out of the team at Manchester United in recent weeks, following on from a pre-season of uncertainty.

The 37-year-old reportedly wanted to depart Old Trafford just 12 months after returning in order to find a move to a club playing in the Champions League.

A move failed to materialise, though, and Ronaldo's only start this season under new boss Erik ten Hag came in the humiliating 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

That is partly explained by the fact Ronaldo missed much of United's pre-season due to personal reasons, but the Red Devils have chalked up four straight wins with the legendary forward out of the starting XI.

With a little over two months until Fernando Santos' side begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana, Portugal fans will hope their leading man is afforded more starts.

Real Madrid great Figo is confident he will be in prime form for the tournament.

Speaking at the FPF Football Talks 2022 in Lisbon, Figo said: "I have no doubt about Cristiano [Ronaldo]'s quality, commitment and professionalism. 

"I'm sure he'll be at the World Cup in the best possible [physical] condition. What will those conditions be? I don't know. 

"But without a doubt, given his quality and professionalism, as I said, Portugal can rest easy about what he can give to the Selecao."

Portugal needed to win a play-off against North Macedonia to book their spot in Qatar but, in a tournament considered wide open by most pundits, the Selecao will fancy their chances of a deep run.

Figo is also sure they can be a force to be reckoned with in Qatar.

"I think Portugal has one of the best teams in the world. But a Euro and a World Cup depend on many factors. Not only on individual and collective quality," he added.

"I hope that Portugal, after a complicated qualification phase, can show its value, that we can achieve our goals, that is to say, reach the final and win this World Cup."

During his playing days, Figo was involved in one of the most controversial transfers in football history when he swapped Barcelona for Clasico rivals Real Madrid for a then world-record fee back in July 2000.

The story of the move has been retold in the Netflix documentary 'The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football'.

Asked how he felt about the situation having relived it via the show, Figo said: "I lived it so I don't feel any different. 

"Of course, those who didn't live it, who have spoken and criticised, will have a different feeling. But my feeling is the same as 22 years ago."

Tottenham are gearing up for their first Champions League campaign in three seasons with momentum on their side and expectation levels high.

A large part of that is down to head coach Antonio Conte, who guided Spurs back into Europe's elite club competition in his first half-season in charge of the north London club.

Conte boasts a CV that is the envy of many managers around the world, the Italian having won eight major trophies during his coaching career, including five top-level league titles in two countries.

But Conte's domestic success has not transferred onto the European stage, having exited the Champions League in the group stage more times than he has advanced, despite managing some of the continent's elite clubs.

Ahead of Tottenham's Group D opener against Marseille on Wednesday, in which Conte will become the fourth coach to take charge of more than one English club in the competition, Stats Perform looks at the 53-year-old's underwhelming record.

JUST ONE KNOCKOUT WIN

Tottenham will be the fourth side Conte has taken charge of in the Champions League after Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. He has managed 36 games with those three heavyweight sides but won just 12 for a 33 per cent win rate.

To put that into some context, that compares to a 65 per cent win rate in the Premier League (over a much larger sample of games) and 68 per cent win rate in Serie A.

Breaking down that European record further, Conte won six of his 16 matches as Juve boss in the competition and just three each with Chelsea and Inter across eight and 12 matches respectively.

Those victories with Juve, Inter and Chelsea, if you were wondering, came against Celtic (twice), Qarabag (twice), Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach, Chelsea, Copenhagen, Nordsjaelland, Shakhtar Donetsk and Slavia Prague.

Conte's best run in UEFA's elite club tournament remains his first campaign when taking Juve to the quarter-finals in the 2012-13 season, where his title winners were well beaten by Bayern Munich over two legs.

Remarkably, that season's 5-0 aggregate win over Celtic in the last 16 remains Conte's only knockout-stage success in the Champions League.

That was one of only two occasions in five attempts a Conte side has made it beyond the first round, in fact, the other instance being in the 2017-18 season when Chelsea finished second to Roma in the group and were then eliminated by Barcelona in the last 16.

Conte was unable to guide Juve out of the group stage in 2013-14, failing to finish ahead of Galatasaray for second place behind Real Madrid, and also fell at the first hurdle in successive seasons with Inter.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

But exactly why has one of the best coaches of his generation struggled so badly when it comes to balancing domestic and European football?

One suggestion is that, like a lot of Italian coaches, Conte prioritises league titles over continental cups, but the Spurs boss laughed that idea off at a news conference on Tuesday and pointed to the success of compatriot Carlo Ancelotti, the winner of more European Cups than any other coach.

"Success in Europe with a trophy is important for every manager," Conte added when probed on his underwhelming Champions League record. "You know very well that it is not simple, not easy to lift a trophy in Europe and especially the Champions League. 

"It is important to be there and you have more probability if you are the coach of a team who expects to win. Two years ago, with Inter, we lost the final of the Europa League against Sevilla. For sure, in my heart, in my mind, in my ambition, there is the will to have success in Europe."

Conte did indeed reach the final of the Europa League with Inter in the 2019-20 season, but even that can be considered a disappointment as a much-fancied Nerazzurri lost to Sevilla in the final and were only in the competition by virtue of their early Champions League elimination.

Another theory, put forward by Conte himself, is that his squads simply have not had the depth to cope with demanding runs across multiple competitions. 

"Some important mistakes have been made at the planning stage; we can't play both the Champions League and Serie A with such a small squad," Conte said two years ago on the back of Inter's second successive group-stage exit.

"I'm tired of saying the same things over and over again. Perhaps the [club directors] could come over here and say something. I hope that this will help them understand a few things."

SIXTH TIME LUCKY WITH SPURS?

Passing the buck to those higher up is very much out of the Conte playbook, a classic ploy usually used to help get his way when the transfer window approaches.

But on the back of a busy few months of transfer activity at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in which the Italian has been backed heavily, that excuse will surely not cut it with Daniel Levy and Co.

While Tottenham are not realistically expected to challenge for the Champions League trophy this term, failing to advance from a favourable group that contains Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP would be yet another blight on Conte's CV.

However, Conte may already be laying the foundations to cover his back should Spurs miss out on a place in the last 16, with the ex-Chelsea boss hitting out at the congested fixture list this side of the World Cup.

"Honestly, to see this schedule about Tottenham is incredible, it's crazy because we played three games in six days against Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham," he added on Tuesday.

"Now we are playing after four days, but we are starting to play again three important games against Marseille in the Champions League, [Manchester] City away and Sporting Lisbon away in six days. I think maybe this is my first time in my career to see a schedule like this.

"I think in this situation we are unlucky, but I think in the future, and also I spoke with the club, we have to pay great attention to speak also to the Premier League. One day more, one day less can change totally your life and you can drop points. This is no good for a team like Tottenham."

These are the same issues the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have also raised, the difference being each of those have lifted the Champions League trophy aloft during their careers.

Now, as he embarks on his sixth season in the greatest club competition of them all, Conte must put talk of fixture congestion, a lack of squad depth or simply being unlucky with the draw to one side and prove that lessons have been learned from the past.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played just 10 times for Lokomotiv Moscow, and only one of those appearances was as a starter.

Yet, his father claimed in 2020 that then-Lokomotiv coach Yury Syomin cried actual tears when Kvaratskhelia said he would not be staying beyond the end of his initial loan agreement. The youngster also apparently broke down.

Seemingly the teenaged Kvaratskhelia made quite the impression on his coach, though curiously not enough to play on a regular basis. It's fair to say Kvaratskhelia's decision to move on and ultimately join fellow Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan was a smart one.

"After that, I was glad my son was in Rubin, where they let him play football," Kvaratskhelia Sr added, and it was in Kazan where the talented winger began to consistently show the talents that Napoli will hope can help them get the better of the mighty Liverpool on Wednesday.

Kvaratskhelia will make his Champions League bow when the Reds come to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a commendable achievement given his rollercoaster of a 2022.

Turbulent times

A couple of weeks on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, FIFA made it possible for foreign players and coaches in both countries to suspend their contracts.

Kvaratskhelia was eligible for such action, and while he did suspend his agreement, it seemed his initial plan was to eventually return to Rubin.

However, he and the club later announced a mutual termination after it emerged his family were subject to threats due to the original decision of not permanently leaving Russia.

He saw out the remainder of the 2021-22 season back home in Georgia with Dinamo Batumi – it was clearly a level below his usual standard as he scored eight goals in 11 league games, but it helped keep Kvaratskhelia sharp for his national team, netting three times from four Nations League outings in June.

Nevertheless, few would have considered those early months of the year to be ideal for a young talent hoping to make the step up to one of Europe's major leagues – that was where he had previously looked destined to end up.

Arsenal had been known admirers for a long time, sending scouts to watch him as early as September 2019. Several other English and Italian clubs were linked with him, but it was Napoli who ultimately took the punt.

The early signs suggest it is going to pay off for them rather handsomely.

Blossoming at Napoli

Replacing a club great is never a simple task, but if Kvaratskhelia continues at his current rate, Lorenzo Insigne will become a distant memory very quickly.

Insigne's move to Toronto in Major League Soccer came as something of a surprise when initially announced, and filling that void with a player who had most recently been playing in Georgia will have raised some eyebrows.

Additionally, bringing in Kvaratskhelia for Insigne was hardly like-for-like. The latter was all about dropping deep and essentially playing as a playmaker, with his 74.1 touches and 45.2 successful passes per 90 minutes both highs among Opta-classified forwards (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in Serie A last term.

Kvaratskhelia is far more direct and intent on getting in behind the defence, while his ability on the ball makes him a threat both as a carrier and dribbler – his nine carries with a take-on is bettered by only Rafael Leao (12) among wingers this term.

A predominantly right-footed winger who prefers to operate from the left, one might expect him to be a little one-dimensional, but he has already shown in Serie A how effective he can be chopping back on to his left foot, bamboozling the Monza defence with a feint before slotting home left-footed in last month's 4-0 win.

That was one of four goals already this season, none of which were penalties – that is a haul no player can better without adding in spot-kicks, and that form helped him win the first Player of the Month award of the campaign.

Of course, it remains early days in his Napoli career, but he has taken to Serie A with promising ease and has a style of play that will endear him to a set of supporters always ready to fall in love with talented attackers.

Hopefully Syomin's tears of disappointment will turn to pride when 'Kvaradona' makes his Champions League introduction on Wednesday.

Christian Yelich blasted the biggest home run seen in the majors since 2019 as the Milwaukee Brewers lost 10-7 to the Colorado Rockies in extras on Tuesday.

Yelich led the game off with a 499-foot home run into the third deck at Coors Field, which was also the third largest blast since Statcast started tracking homers in 2015.

Only home runs from Nomar Mazara, 505 feet in 2019, and Giancarlo Stanton, 504 in 2016, bettered Yelich's effort. Yelich's dinger came from the fourth pitch of the game from Rockies starter Chad Kuhl.

It was only one part of a thrilling contest that ended in the 10th inning with Randal Grichuk delivering a three-run home run to give the Rockies the edge.

The Rockies had trailed 6-1 going into the eighth inning before Grichek capped a five-run rally with a solo blast.

Colorado did most of their damage after Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff exited, having allowed one earned run, two hits and two walks across seven innings with five strikeouts.

Benches clear as O's edge Jays

The benches cleared as tempers flared during the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles' 9-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The incident occurred after Bryan Baker struck out Matt Chapman to finish the Blue Jays innings, with the right-hander appearing to make a "chirping" signal at the Toronto dugout who took umbrage and rushed on field on masse.

The Orioles, who improve to 72-64 to boost their wild card hopes, scored three runs in the eighth inning to pull away led by Ryan Mountcastle's two-run single, with Adley Rutschman safe after review.

Mets NL setback as Cruz blasts

Oneil Cruz lined a home run out of PNC Park into the Allegheny with a two-run blast as the Pittsburgh Pirates blew out the New York Mets 8-2.

Cruz displayed his unique power from Tommy Hunter over right-field and to blast his side into an 8-2 lead.

The result is a major blow for the Mets who slip to 85-51, alongside the Atlanta Braves with the same record in the National League East.

Karen Khachanov reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time as he ended Nick Kyrgios' US Open run in a five-set three-and-a-half-hour epic on Tuesday evening.

The 27th-seeded Russian, who had fallen in the quarters at the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 over the Australian 23rd seed.

The result ended the run of Kyrgios who had won the most matches on the ATP Tour since losing July's Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had taken out reigning champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.

The 26-year-old Russian broke Kyrgios' serve in the 12th game of the first set with an exquisite lob clinching the frame where the Australian's second serve let him down.

Kyrgios responded to win the second set, despite a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg after exclaiming "I can't walk", breaking the Russian early and hitting 12-5 winners.

Khachanov claimed the third set in similar circumstances to the first, with Kyrgios failing to hold his serve in the 12th game, this time producing unforced errors in the key moments.

The two players traded breaks early in the fourth set but Kyrgios would force a fifth set after a dominant tie-break where he converted his second set point.

The Russian got an early break in the fifth set, while Kyrgios failed to convert break points in Khachanov's next two service games and he would not recover.

Data Slam: Khachanov cool under pressure

Little split these two players in an extremely tight quarter-final, with 31-30 aces edged by Kyrgios, but many of Khachanov's came at crucial moments under pressure.

Kyrgios' flamboyance and shot-making ability was on show, but his inability to convert break points, along with 58 unforced errors, ultimately proved the difference, taking two of nine.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 31/5
Khachanov – 30/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 75/58
Khachanov – 62/31

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 2/9
Khachanov – 4/8

Karen Khachanov reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time as he ended Nick Kyrgios' US Open run in a five-set three-and-a-half-hour epic on Tuesday evening.

The 27th-seeded Russian, who had fallen in the quarters at the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 over the Australian 23rd seed to set up a semi-final date with fifth seed Casper Ruud.

The result ended the run of Kyrgios who had won the most matches on the ATP Tour since losing July's Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had taken out reigning champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.

The 26-year-old Russian broke Kyrgios' serve in the 12th game of the first set with an exquisite lob clinching the frame where the Australian's second serve let him down.

Kyrgios responded to win the second set, despite a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg after exclaiming "I can't walk", breaking the Russian early and hitting 12-5 winners.

Khachanov claimed the third set in similar circumstances to the first, with Kyrgios failing to hold his serve in the 12th game, this time producing unforced errors in the key moments.

The two players traded breaks early in the fourth set but Kyrgios would force a fifth set after a dominant tie-break where he converted his second set point.

The Russian got an early break in the fifth set, while Kyrgios failed to convert break points in Khachanov's next two service games and he would not recover.

Data Slam: Khachanov cool under pressure

Little split these two players in an extremely tight quarter-final, with 31-30 aces edged by Kyrgios, but many of Khachanov's came at crucial moments under pressure.

Kyrgios' flamboyance and shot-making ability was on show, but his inability to convert break points, along with 58 unforced errors, ultimately proved the difference, taking two of nine.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 31/5
Khachanov – 30/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 75/58
Khachanov – 62/31

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 2/9
Khachanov – 4/8

After once being considered one of the top young prospects in all of tennis, Caroline Garcia says she feels like she is finally prepared to handle everything that is required to deliver on the biggest stages.

In her toughest matchup of the tournament so far, the Frenchwoman was emphatic as she comfortably handled rising star Coco Gauff 6-3 6-4 in Tuesday's quarter-final.

Garcia, 28, shot onto the international stage when she was impressive before ultimately losing to Maria Sharapova back in 2011 when she was just 17 years old.

At the time, Andy Murray tweeted that she would be a future world number one, and she appeared to be on that path when she peaked at fourth in the world in 2018, before a couple of rough years had her residing outside of the top 50.

Now in career-best form, Garcia has 31 wins from her past 35 matches, including 13 wins in a row and six straight-sets victories on the trot.

Speaking to the media after her quarter-final triumph, Garcia said the long, winding journey to this point has only given her valuable experience.

"When it was 2011 after the Sharapova match, it was a lot of pressure coming from actually nowhere," she said. "I was 150, 200 in the world, 17 years old. My game was not ready. 

"I was not able to play that consistent, this kind of level. The weeks after I went back trying to play the same level, but it was not possible for me.

"It was tough because people were expecting a lot. But the game, I was not ready for anything like that. It took me some time to come step-by-step to the top.

"End of 2017, 2018 was a great year, a lot of success. Yeah, I made some mistakes. We made some mistakes. I really hope and think we can learn from it.

"Now, it's a new year, trying to learn from every challenge. I think I've grown up a lot with all the challenges on and off court. Off court, it's very important to manage all of it."

Touching on what has clicked in her recent run, Garcia said she has figured out what works for her, which has simplified everything.

"I'm just trying to focus on my game, on what I like to do, and how is the best way for me to play tennis," she said.

"The path is very clear right now, which direction I have to go, under stress, under pressure. I'm just trying to follow this path. That's how we prepare with the team. We try to do the best we can in this direction.

"It was not that clear in the past. It was not that clear. I mean, I've always been very aggressive. I always try to put the pressure on the other one to be on the court.

"But I was younger… and now [I can] accept that it's actually the only way for me. So if I want to do good, I have to go that way. Yeah, now it's way more clear.

"Obviously with a lot of wins, I'm having fun playing. I can see so many things I can still improve, so it's a great challenge for our team."

Garcia will play world number five Ons Jabeur in the semi-final, with Jabeur winning both of their two previous matches since turning professional.

The most decorated club competition in the world is back underway, and Wednesday's Champions League action promises some fireworks.

Winners in 2019-20, Bayern Munich will travel to the San Siro to take on Inter, while last year's runners-up Liverpool head to Napoli for a game they are favoured in.

Reigning Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt will look to keep up Germany's strong record against Portuguese teams when they host Sporting CP, and Harry Kane will be aiming to build on his superb European record as Tottenham host Marseille.

For a closer look, Stats Perform have dove into some interesting facts and nuggets about each matchup on Wednesday to give a clearer picture about how these clashes of champions may play out.

Inter v Bayern Munich

After their last Champions League run ended in a quarter-final loss to Villarreal, Bayern Munich will be desperate for a much improved result as they seek their seventh title, beginning their campaign away from home against Inter.

The sides have evenly split their seven previous European meetings, with three wins each and one draw, although it has been over a decade since their last Champions League fixture back in 2011.

While they do not have much recent history against Bayern in this competition, Inter's games against German opponents have turned into goal-fests, with 39 total goals (19 for, 20 against) in their past 10 matches.

Bayern have had much more success against Italian sides, going unbeaten in their past 10 (8W, 2D) – with their last loss coming in that 2011 battle with Inter, and the Nerazzurri were also the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in the 2010 final.

Romelu Lukaku will be a hard man to replace for the Italians as he will be absent after suffering a thigh injury. In his 16 European contests for Inter, he has 17 goal involvements (13 goals and four assists).

Napoli v Liverpool

This will be the third time in the past five seasons that Napoli and Liverpool have landed in the same Champions League group after back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with the Italian side winning all three of their home games.

Napoli have not featured in the last two editions of Europe's top competition, but they were a force in the group stage before their drought, with only one loss from their previous 12 matches (5W, 6D).

Mohamed Salah's seven goals in last season's group stage was the second-most ever in a group stage from a player on an English team, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy's eight during Manchester United's 2004-05 campaign. Salah is also one assist away from tying James Milner and Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's record number of assists in the Champions League (12).

Tottenham v Marseille

In the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, Tottenham will likely be confident in their ability to get the job done at home against a Marseille side long removed from any Champions League success.

From their past 15 Champions League games, Marseille have only one win, against Olympiakos in 2020. English sides have given them particular trouble as well, as they have 12 losses against Premier League sides in their history in the competition – twice as many as against any other nation (six losses against Italian teams).

Harry Kane will be looking to add to his stellar European record, with 23 goal involvements (20 goals, three assists) in 24 career fixtures. Of all players with at least 20 Champions League goals, only Erling Haaland (64), Mario Gomez (102) and Lionel Messi (103.7) have a better minutes-per-goal figure than Kane's 104.4

Eintracht Frankfurt v Sporting CP

The reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt are making history with their first-ever Champions League berth, becoming the 14th German side to ever qualify – breaking the tie with Spain (13) for the most by any nation.

German sides have given Sporting trouble over the years, with 13 losses and one draw from 14 tries in European competition, with that emerging as a theme between the two nations.

Against all Portuguese sides, German teams are undefeated in their past 15 Champions League matches (13W, 2L) dating back to 2006.

After netting five times in last season's Europa League triumph to take his tally up to 11, Eintracht's Daichi Kamada can enter the club's record books as one of their top-three goalscorers in European competition with one more.

Other fixtures: 

Ajax v Rangers

20 - Ajax scored 20 goals in their six matches in last year's Champions League group stage, winning all six. It is the most goals they have ever scored in a Champions League group stage, before being eliminated by Benfica in the first knockout round.

19 - This will be Rangers' first Champions League appearance since 2010-11, and in their history, only Anderlecht (17 per cent) have a worse winning percentage in the competition than Rangers' 19 per cent. They have lost all four of their previous European meetings against Ajax.

Atletico Madrid v Porto

13 - This will be Atletico Madrid's 13th Champions League campaign, moving them past Valencia into the third-most for a Spanish side, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 27). This is Atletico's 10th berth in a row, all under Diego Simeone.

26 - This is Porto's 26th Champions League, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid. If they were to be eliminated in the group stage this season, it would be the first time they failed to make it through the group stage in back-to-back campaigns since 1998.

Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen

1 - There has been only one win from a Belgian side against a German team in 24 Champions League meetings (18L, 5D) – and it was Brugge just last season, defeating RB Leipzig 2-1.

9 - Leverkusen have failed to win the opening match of their Champions League run the past nine times they have qualified (8L, 1D), with their last opening win coming in 2001.

Barcelona v Viktoria Plzen

33 - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandwoski is the top overall Champions League goal-scorer from the past three seasons, with 33 goals in 26 games. Last season, he netted nine goals in five home games,

24 - In their only two previous Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen have averaged 24 per cent of the possession, and have lost the shot-count by a combined margin of 36-4.

A dramatic late comeback was needed for Athletico Paranaense to book their spot in their second-ever Copa Libertadores final, securing a 2-2 draw away at Palmeiras after a 1-0 win at home in the first leg.

Palmeiras controlled the first leg, finishing with 63 per cent of the possession while Athletico scored from their only shot on target, so when Gustavo Scarpa equalised on aggregate less than three minutes into the second leg, it appeared the reigning back-to-back champions would run away with the tie.

With 11 shots to three in the first half, it was all Palmeiras in front of their home fans – until a VAR review deemed centre-back Murilo Cerqueira's challenge worthy of a straight red card.

Everything changed after half-time, as it was now Athletico controlling 62 per cent of the ball and dictating play, but in the 55th minute Palmeiras took control as Gustavo Gomez found the back of the net to make it 2-0, and 2-1 on aggregate.

Needing goals, Athletico subbed on Pablo, who paid immediate dividends when he scored one minute after his arrival in the 64th minute.

Pablo then turned distributor for the decisive strike, finding David Terans in the 85th minute to stick a dagger into home fans and secure the 3-2 aggregate victory.

It will be Athletico's first appearance in the final since 2005, where they lost to Sao Paulo.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has finally broken his silence regarding the team’s quarterback competition.

Mitch Trubisky will be the Steelers’ starter Sunday when they open the season at the Cincinnati Bengals, Tomlin confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday, a day after Trubisky was voted one of the team’s five captains.

"We're just really comfortable with what Mitch has shown us," Tomlin said. "He's a guy that came to us with franchise quarterback experience. He's comfortable in those shoes. He's been the focal point of a football team, in the organization before. He's had success in doing so.

"Like I mentioned when we acquired him, he took the Bears to the playoffs two out of four years. He has a winning record as a starting quarterback. Those things were attractive to us.

"His athleticism and mobility were attractive to us. He took care of the football in-stadium, all our quarterbacks did."

Trubisky won the job over 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett, who was confirmed to be the number two option. Mason Rudolph, who is entering his fourth season in Pittsburgh, is listed third on the depth chart.

The number two overall pick in 2016 by the Chicago Bears, Trubisky spent last season backing up Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills and signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Steelers this offseason after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.

A little over a month after signing Trubisky, the Steelers used the number 20 overall pick on Pickett, who played at the University of Pittsburgh.

While it is no surprise to see the Steelers starting the more experience quarterback to start the season, many pundits and Steelers fans alike wonder if Pickett’s ascension is only a matter of time.

"I thought [Pickett’s} acceleration of development really took off once we stepped into stadiums," Tomlin said. "And once we started stepping into stadiums, his decision-making – the fluidity of it – his competitive spirit, his pinpoint accuracy, all of those things I thought really came to the forefront. I thought that he grew – and grew at a really fast pace once we got into stadiums.

"And I also think it's reasonable to expect that growth and development to continue as we push into the regular season."

Ons Jabeur believes she can win a major title following her Wimbledon run to the final, having clinched a spot in the US Open semi-final with a straight-sets victory over Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday.

The world number five secured her spot in the last four in one hour and 41 minutes, winning 6-4 7-6 (7-4), having trailed 5-3 in the second set.

The win was Jabeur's 43rd this season, trailing only world number one Iga Swiatek, and comes after she lost to Elena Rybakina in July's Wimbledon decider, fueling her belief that she can secure a breakthrough grand slam title.

"I believe in myself after Wimbledon," Jabeur said during her an on-court interview. "I know that I have it in me to win a [major] final. And here I am in the semi-finals."

Jabeur had reached the quarterfinals at the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, with her recent runner-up finish proving a breakthrough.

"I think the fact that I broke that barrier of being in the quarterfinals all the time, that did help with my confidence," she said.

"Knowing that I could make finals in grand slams really helped my game, just trying to build that experience to go into second weeks in grand slams.

"It was very tough coming here, you know, just the hard court season like wasn't that great for me. So I was trying to build more and more confidence on hard courts.

"Wimbledon helped a lot, for sure."

The 28-year-old Tunisian has made history several times, the latest being becoming the first African or Arab woman in the Open Era to reach the US Open semifinals.

On a personal level, she has now also reached the second week in all four major tournaments.

"I’m just trying to do my job here, hopefully I inspire more and more generations from Africa," Jabeur said. "It really means a lot to me."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the performance of Jack Grealish after playing an hour in his first game back from injury in Tuesday's 4-0 Champions League win at Sevilla.

Grealish had not played since City's 4-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on August 13 due to a minor injury.

The pressure is on the 26-year-old England international, who underwhelmed in his first season at City after joining from Aston Villa in August last year for £100million.

Grealish played 38 times, scoring six goals in all competitions last season for City, but did not live up to the expectations of his hefty transfer fee, nor play with his typical freedom.

The midfielder started and played 62 minutes against Sevilla, and while he did not score or provide an assist, Guardiola was delighted with his return.

"Jack arrived incredible in the pre-season," Guardiola said at the post-game press conference.

"In the first game against West Ham unfortunately he had a little injury. It's important for him to have again this 53, 60 minutes."

"The pitch was uncomfortable for the players. He was so aggressive in the first half, more than aggressive than Phil [Foden] in terms of goal and making the movements in there.

"Sometimes missed the last pass but it's not easy there. We need him a lot this season. Jack will be so important. He played a really good game."

Guardiola was also rapt with the debut of deadline-day signing Manuel Akanji, who only joined team training earlier this week following his move from Borussia Dortmund.

"We are delighted, just training one day and a half with us," Guardiola said.

"He showed in Dortmund his experience in Europe. A really, really good central defender that City bought to us.

"He played really well, his focus, attention. He has a quality quite similar to Aymer [Laporte], he can break the lines with a pass. He read the spaces really well. I am very pleased for him."

Erling Haaland grabbed two of City's four goals, taking his season tally to 12 since his move from Dortmund.

"I think his numbers in his career, not just here, in previous teams is quite similar," Guardiola told BT Sport. "He has an incredible sense of goal."

Haaland became the first City player to score on both his Premier League debut and Champions League debut for the club.

The 22-year-old is also the fastest player to 25 goals in Champions League history, coming across 20 games, bettering Ruud van Nistelrooy and Filippo Inzaghi's mark of 30 games.