Nuno Mendes insists he is prepared to face Kylian Mbappe ahead of Portugal's quarter-final meeting with France at Euro 2024. 

Mbappe, who officially joined Real Madrid at the start of the month, played alongside Mendes at Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons. 

The France captain has scored once for Les Bleus at the tournament, a penalty against Poland in their final Group D fixture and is yet to sparkle so far. 

However, Mendes knows all too well the threat Mbappe carries, and is relishing the opportunity of facing him at the Volksparkstadion on Friday. 

"I don't think he will be playing on my flank, but if it happens I'm prepared," he said. "I train every day for these moments and we are prepared to face them.

"They have high-level players, but we also have great players. We need to do everything we can to cancel France's strengths and play our game."

All eyes look set to fall on Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, as they look to spearhead their sides to the semi-finals of the competition. 

Ronaldo saw his penalty saved in extra-time of Portugal's last-16 tie against Slovenia and is yet to score at Euro 2024, despite registering 20 shots at the tournament. 

Mendes has had the luxury of sharing a dressing room with both Mbappe and Ronaldo, acknowledging the threat both possess ahead of their meeting in Hamburg. 

"They are high-level, excellent players who can make a difference at any moment," Mendes said.

"I shared a dressing room with both of them and it was a pleasure to play with Mbappé and play with Cristiano.

"They are incredible, from one moment to the next they make a difference."

Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Paul Mitchell as the club's new sporting director.

Mitchell, who previously worked for Southampton and Tottenham, replaces Dan Ashworth who joined Manchester United earlier this week. 

Ashworth's leave was due to run until mid-2025, but it emerged on Monday that the two clubs had agreed a compensation package to 

The 42-year-old has been out of work since October 2023, having most recently been the sporting director at Ligue 1 side, AS Monaco. 

Speaking on his arrival to St. James' Park, Mitchell said: "It's with immense pride that I accept the responsibility of being Newcastle United's new sporting director. 

"I've seen the recent growth and ambition of the club. This, plus the amazing fan base, made the decision to join an easy one.

"I can't wait to get started and help continue the organisation's growth and long-term competitiveness in all areas of elite football performance."

Mitchell's time in the Premier League saw him start with Southampton, where he is credited for the signings of Toby Alderweireld and Sadio Mane, earned him a move to Tottenham.

As head of recruitment with Spurs, he would help mastermind the signings of Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son and Kieran Trippier before leaving for RB Leipzig in 2018. 

Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales added: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to Newcastle United. He brings a successful track record and wealth of experience to the club.

“His extensive and diverse experience in football leadership, cultural change and recruitment mean he is the ideal person to lead our sporting directorate.

“We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him in our pursuit of long-term, sustainable success.”

Ecuador head coach Felix Sanchez has said it is an honour to face Lionel Scaloni's Argentina ahead of their Copa America quarter-final on Friday. 

Sanchez, looking to secure Ecuador's first victory over Argentina since October 2015, praised his opposite number for his role in their 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup successes. 

"Scaloni has built something with which he has made history," Sanchez said. 

"It's a team that, as a spectator, is great to watch. It is an honour to be able to play against a team of this level."

Argentina are expected to be without captain Lionel Messi for the fixture at the NRG Stadium after sustaining a hamstring injury in their 1-0 win over Chile. 

However, Sanchez insisted that his side will still face a tough task despite the absence of Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer. 

"Obviously, he is a player who makes a difference," Sanchez said. "We have played against them with him and without him.

"The way they play does not change because they have managed to create a solid group and a very defined playing style that can be tweaked depending on the situation.

"We have to be prepared for any possibility and, based on that, adjust."

Sanchez, who took over from Gustavo Alfaro in March last year, has faced La Albiceleste on two occasions, losing both 1-0. 

Asked if he would do anything different this time around, he said: "We have to try to compete in the best way against a team that is difficult to score goals against.

"They are very solid and have many offensive variables.

"Something has to be changed to try to go toe to toe with them. Our last few matches against Argentina have been closely fought encounters.

"But now we know that we have to win to advance and our aim is to give ourselves every chance to do that." 

Oliver Bearman will take a full-time seat in Formula 1 next season, having officially joined Haas.

Bearman, who finished seventh on his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix earlier this season, has signed a multi-year contract with Haas ahead of the 2025 campaign.

The 19-year-old will become the fourth British driver on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris. 

Bearman's first appearance on the track came in March in Jeddah, replacing Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis, becoming the third-youngest driver to start an F1 race at 18 years and 305 days old.

"It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me," said Bearman.

"To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas makes me so immensely proud.

"To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing that they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible.

The Ferrari reserve driver will be on track at the British Grand Prix on Friday for the first free practice session before handing the car back to Kevin Magnussen for the rest of the weekend.

Bearman is 14th in the F2 standings this season.

Manchester United have confirmed Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension.

The new terms take manager Ten Hag through to the end of the 2025-26 season.

Ten Hag's job looked under threat after United finished eighth last term, their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League.

Yet a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, combined with an apparent lack of top-class managerial options, meant United instead decided to stand by the Dutchman.

"I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together," Ten Hag said in a statement on United's official website.

"Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.

"However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

"In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together."

United have won 54% of their top-flight games under Erik ten Hag (41/76), with only Alex Ferguson (65%) having a higher win percentage in charge of the Red Devils in the Premier League.

Dan Ashworth, United's freshly appointed sporting director, said: "With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.

"While the club's review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

"This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.

"With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club."

Phil Foden wants England's players to take responsibility as they aim to discover their best form at Euro 2024.

England have limped through the tournament so far, and looked to be heading out in the last 16 until Jude Bellingham's last-gasp overhead kick against Slovakia.

The Three Lions turned things around in extra time, with Harry Kane heading in the winner, but the level of their displays continues to be underwhelming.

Gareth Southgate, who will manage his 100th match in charge of England when they take on Switzerland on Saturday, has taken much of the criticism, but Foden says the players must shoulder responsibility.

"The players have got to take some of the blame," Foden said.

"There has to be some leaders to get together and find out a solution to why it is not working.

"There is only so much the manager can do. He sets you up in a system and tells you how to press. If it is not going like that, you have to [work it out].

"I feel sorry for Gareth. In training, he has been telling us to press and be high up on the pitch and I feel like sometimes, it has to come from the players.

"We have to be leaders. In games we could have got together a little bit more and worked out a solution.

"So yes, we have spoken about it more. If it happens again in a game, we can get together and find a solution, see where it is going wrong and adapt our press."

Southgate will be just the third manager to hit the 100 milestone in charge of England. Walter Winterbottom drew his 100th match (3-3 against Northern Ireland in 1958), while Alf Ramsey won his 1-0 against Wales in 1972.

England have now reached the quarter-final in all four of their major tournaments under Southgate, the first time they have ever reached the last eight at four consecutive Euros/World Cups.

They have progressed from two of their four Euro quarter-final matches, with three of the four such games being decided on penalties.

Manchester United expressing their commitment to Erik ten Hag can only build togetherness, so says Wes Brown, who urged the Red Devils to improve next campaign.

Ten Hag was reportedly nearing the exit door at Old Trafford after guiding United to eighth in the top flight last season, their lowest finish in the Premier League era.

Yet the Dutchman saved his job with the FA Cup final victory over fierce rivals Manchester City, securing his second trophy in as many seasons and sneaking into the Europa League in the process.

Former United defender Brown believes the club's backing of the manager can only improve the mood in the squad, who must perform better for Ten Hag when the 2024-25 campaign begins.

"He's done well, we obviously won the cup last season against Man City," said Brown, speaking to Stats Perform at the Home of Adidas football in Berlin. 

"I think expectations are always going to be high for any manager at Manchester United. But since we were let down a little bit in the league last year, we want to be in the Champions League, we want to finish as high as we can.

"I think that is a priority. No one knows [the new] signings yet, that normally happens after a major tournament, so we're not sure what's going to happen there yet.

"But I really like the manager and at times the players have let themselves down. But you can see there's a togetherness coming together and he just has to keep that going now.

"He knows where he's going to be now for the next few years. With that all sorted out, he can now move on and do the job to the best of his ability."

Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank were all linked to the United job as speculation loomed over Ten Hag's future.

Brown, who played 232 times for United after coming through their academy, says ending those rumours should positively impact Ten Hag's players.

Asked if uncertainty around Ten Hag's future would impact the squad, Brown responded: "I think it does. I've probably been in the same situation at other clubs.

"It definitely helps going forward, if anything you don't think about it, it's all done now.

"It definitely helps in the sense of coming together as a team and we're all in it together, and we can now move forward for the next few years and make the club better again."

Ten Hag will be expecting additions to a squad that was ravaged by injury struggles last term, especially in defence.

Raphael Varane has left the club, while Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire struggled with injuries last campaign.

United are in the market for centre-back options, with Bayern Munich's Matthjis de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite, of Everton, both linked as potential additions.

Brown insists that position must be the priority for United in the transfer window.

"Branthwaite had a good season," Brown added. "It's been difficult for Everton, but his personal performances have been very highly rated and De Ligt as we know is a great player.

"Depending on what happens at Munich, you never know, but I think a priority is a defender coming in alongside Martinez and if we could get one of them, I'd be very happy as a fan."

Chris Sale pitched six strong innings to become the second 11-game winner in the majors and Austin Riley had a two-run double to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Sale allowed three hits and struck out nine with two walks to join Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 11-game winners.

The veteran left-hander needed only six pitchers to retire the Giants in order in the first and struck out the side in the third. He added two more strikeouts to open the fifth before Curt Casali lined a single to center for San Francisco’s first hit.

Three relievers finished the four-hitter with Raisel Iglesias working the ninth for his 21st save.

Atlanta had three straight hits to open the second and took a 1-0 lead on Adam Duvall’s run-scoring double off Jordan Hicks.

Riley’s two-run double off the right-field wall in the fifth made it 3-0.

Kremer, O’Hearn lift Orioles

Dean Kremer pitched five scoreless innings in his return and Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Kremer was excellent in his first start since May 20 due to a triceps strain. He yielded just two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth for his 21st save of the season and 438th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list.

O’Hearn delivered a two-out, two-run double in a three-run third against Logan Gilbert and added a solo home run in the fifth.

Baltimore won for the sixth time in seven games and sent Seattle to its 10th loss in 13 contests. The Mariners’ lead in the AL West has been cut to two games over Houston.

Alvarez homers again as Astros roll

Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game and Jose Altuve delivered a tiebreaking single during a four-run seventh inning as the surging Houston Astros rolled to a 9-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs to help the Astros win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Alvarez doubled home a run in the third, led off the sixth with his 19th home run, scored after an intentional walk in the seventh and capped his night with an RBI double in the eighth.

Alvarez, who has seven home runs in 13 career games in Toronto, is 11 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs in his last six games overall. 

Last-place Toronto (39-47) has lost 11 of 15 to match a season high at eight games under .500.

Pedri hopes Spain team-mate Nico Williams will soon join him at Barcelona after the pair's quest for Euro 2024 glory is over.

The youthful La Roja duo have been integral to Spain's perfect start at the international tournament in Germany, winning all four matches to reach the quarter-finals.

Williams netted a fine solo goal in Sunday's 4-1 hammering of Georgia, becoming the first player on record at the Euros (since 1980) to score, assist and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.

Germany await for Luis de la Fuente's side on Friday in the last eight, yet regardless of that result, Pedri wants to be playing in LaLiga with winger Williams next season.

Barcelona have been linked with a move for the Athletic Bilbao forward, with Liverpool reportedly also interested, and fellow Spain winger Lamine Yamal has already endorsed a move to the Blaugrana.

Pedri echoed Yamal's sentiment, telling Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo that Williams joining would mark a significant acquisition for Barcelona.

"We don't talk about it much. It's a decision that he and Barca have to make," the midfielder said. "Yes, it's clear that he would be a spectacular signing.

"We're already seeing what he's doing at the Euros. Hopefully he can be with us, but we don't know yet because he has a contract with Athletic.

"Whatever has to happen, will happen."

Chelsea are also said to have an interest in Williams, who has three years left on his contract in Bilbao.

Williams, who plays club football with brother Inaki, previously suggested his future remains at his current club, rather than elsewhere.

"I am very happy in Bilbao and that is all I have to say," Williams said in an interview last month. "Yes, I am quite clear, in the end, as I have told you, Athletic is my home."

Jannik Sinner battled his way into the Wimbledon third round after overcoming Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian classic on Wednesday.

Centre Court was treated to a hard-fought spectacle between the pair as the world number one triumphed 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-4).

The victory marked somewhat of a changing of the guard between the Italian duo, with Sinner rising to the top after a fine year that has also brought Australian Open glory.

Berrettini is no stranger to the SW19 stage, reaching the final of the grass-court major in 2021 and taking the first set before falling to Novak Djokovic, and proved a tough opponent for Sinner in an enthralling clash.

The 14-time ATP Tour champion struggled to assert his dominance early on, failing to snatch a set point in the first before eventually triumphing in a tie-breaker with a thumping backhand.

Sinner repeated the same dose in the second set, trading breaks to leave the clash level at 4-4 before the top seed's forehand exposed Berrettini in another tie-break decider.

Berrettini responded by breaking twice to take a 4-1 lead in the third, though, striking back to halve the arrears and offering his countryman a stark reminder of his quality on this surface.

The pair once again exchanged a break apiece in the fourth set before Sinner squandered a glorious match-point chance when 6-5 ahead.

Yet, as was the case in the first two sets, Berrettini skewed a forehand into the net as Sinner sealed victory on his third match point with another tie-break success, just before the curfew at Wimbledon.

Data Debrief: Super Sinner downs another Italian

Sinner, who reached the semi-finals at this tournament last year, is now 14-0 against fellow Italians.

The 22-year-old is just the third player in the Open Era to win his first 14 ATP matches against compatriots, after Australia's Bob Hewitt and Argentina's Guillermo Vilas.

Sinner hit 32 winners and committed 25 unforced errors en route to his 40th tour-level win of the season, teeing up a third-round meeting with Miomir Kecmanovic, who overcame Tallon Griekspoor.

Cristiano Ronaldo will bounce back from his Euro 2024 disappointment and find form due to his elite mentality, according to former Manchester United team-mate Wes Brown.

The Portugal captain is the record appearance maker (29) and goalscorer (14) at the Euros, yet has failed to find the back of the net in this edition of the competition.  

Ronaldo was reduced to tears after his penalty was saved by Jan Oblak in extra time before making amends and scoring in their last-16 penalty shoot-out win over Slovenia.

That brought questions once more over the veteran forward's ability and influence for Roberto Martinez's side, who face France in the quarter-finals on Friday.

However, Brown, who spent six years with Ronaldo at Manchester United, believes his former team-mate has the mentality to recover and prove his doubters wrong in Germany.

"Mentality [wise], there's no one better," Brown said, speaking to Stats Perform at the Home of Adidas football in Berlin. 

"He'd be disappointed he didn't score the penalty in normal time, that would have frustrated him, but there were a lot of people I was talking to, and they thought he might not even start games.

"I totally disagreed and thought he's still got it to perform. He will be disappointed he's not scored, but he's a team player, he's won the competition before, and he just wants to do well, helping the team.”

Though the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has a list of records to his name, he has added some unwanted statistics to his displays after an underwhelming Euro 2024.

Ronaldo is the biggest expected goals (xG) underperformer in the tournament (0 goals from 2.75 xG), while he has had nine shots on target, which is the joint-highest along with Germany's Kai Havertz.

No player has had as many shots as Ronaldo during UEFA's flagship international competition either. He is five clear of any other player, while only Havertz has a higher xG (3.6 to Ronaldo’s 2.75).

Emma Raducanu simply could not refuse a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to partner her "hero" Andy Murray in the Wimbledon mixed doubles.

Murray pulled out of the men's singles draw on Tuesday after having minor surgery on a troublesome back issue, but confirmed he would partner brother Jamie for the doubles on the male side of the draw.

The two-time Wimbledon singles champion will be in action in another competition, too, after the tournament granted Raducanu and Murray a wild-card entry to the mixed doubles draw.

Speaking after sweeping aside Elise Mertens 6-2 6-2 in the women's singles second round on Wednesday, Raducanu revelled in her chance to play with Murray.

"My doubles record isn't exactly the longest, or the most vast, but I couldn't say no," Raducanu said after her victory over Mertens. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"It's been a dream of mine since I was a young girl, since watching the Olympics. Andy's a hero to all of us.

"So for me, it's a real gift and it's a real honour that he asked me and it's a moment that I could never say no to.

"And I'm just super excited to be on the mixed doubles court and hopefully learn a thing or two about coming to the net or something!"

Murray suggested there has always been a desire to partner Raducanu, with two of the biggest names in British tennis now joining forces.

"We'd spoken about it during the COVID year but obviously both of us were doing quite well in the singles and it didn't happen," Murray said after his practice session at the All England Club.

"Last night I messaged her coach and asked if he thought it might be something she'd be up for doing.

"He said it was worth asking, so I did. It was quite late yesterday evening when I sent the message, it would have been after 9 p.m. so I was a bit worried she might have been in bed.

"But I got a quick reply. She said: 'Yeah, let's do it.' That was it."

A tough test awaits for the newly formed pair, however, after being drawn to face Marcelo Arevalo and Zhang Shuai in the first round.

Arevalo secured French Open men's doubles glory for the second time last month, while Zhang is a two-time major champion in the same format.