Liverpool have confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” amid reports the forward’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia.
Colombia’s president has said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing.
“Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia,” read a club statement.
“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
Colombia president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”
The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father.
“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said.
“From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”
Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.
The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.
Diaz did not feature in Liverpool’s 5-1 Europa League victory over Toulouse on Thursday but had been expected to return for Nottingham Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Sunday.
Zach LaVine poured in a career-high 51 points, but it wasn’t enough as the hot-shooting Detroit Pistons came away with a 118-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
LaVine, who was a game-time decision with back spasms, surpassed his previous career high of 50 points, set against Atlanta on April 9, 2021, also a loss.
He shot 19 of 32 from the field – 7 of 13 on 3-pointers – and was 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.
LaVine became the first Bulls player with at least 50 points and no assists since Michael Jordan did it against Miami on Nov. 6, 1996.
Jalen Duran had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Cade Cunningham added 25 and 10 assists as the Pistons ended a 15-game losing streak to the Bulls.
Detroit shot 60.5 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 52.3 percent (45 of 86).
DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points and Nikola Vucevic had 12 as the only other Bull to reach double figures.
76ers coach Nurse gets 1st win
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 34 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors 114-107 to give coach Nick Nurse his first win against his former team.
Nurse was fired by the Raptors in April after five season that including the 2019 NBA championship. He lost his 76ers coaching debut at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and Tobias Harris had 15 for Philadelphia, which again played without star guard James Harden, who hopes to be traded.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 24 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 17.
Nesmith leads Pacers past short-handed Cavaliers
Aaron Nesmith scored 17 of his career-high 26 points in the first half and the Indiana Pacers took advantage of the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers in a 125-113 victory.
Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, while Myles Turner added 20 and 12 boards for Indiana, which outscored Cleveland 29-12 in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers were without starters Donovan Mitchell (right hamstring soreness), Darius Garland (left hamstring strain) and Jarrett Allen (left ankle bone bruise).
Evan Mobley had 33 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland.
The Arizona Diamondbacks bounced back from losing game one in extra innings to tie the World Series with a 9-1 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Pitcher Merrill Kelly proved dominant as he allowed just three hits over seven innings and the Arizona bats completed the job.
Gabriel Moreno put the Diamondbacks – who were two runs up in the ninth inning before losing in extra innings the previous night – ahead with a home run in the fourth and they never relented.
A three-run eighth inning included a two-run single for Ketel Marte, who set a new record of 18 consecutive post-season games with a hit.
Tommy Pham had four hits, rookie Corbin Carroll driving in a pair of runs as Arizona won their first World Series match away from home – their only previous appearance coming in 2001.
Evan Longoria, playing in his first World Series since 2008 at the age of 38, also drove in a run.
Rookie Brandon Pfaadt will pitch for the Diamondbacks when the series resumes with game three in Arizona on Monday night, facing three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer who will be pitching for his third different team in the World Series.
Merrill Kelly shut down the Texas Rangers for seven innings and Ketel Marte extended his postseason hitting streak to a record 18 games as the Arizona Diamondbacks rolled to a 9-1 win on Saturday night, evening the World Series at one game apiece.
Gabriel Moreno opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a solo home run off Jordan Montgomery and Tommy Pham went 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles as Arizona rebounded from Friday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss.
The Diamondbacks went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position and broke open the game with three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.
Marte had a two-run single in the eighth to break a tie for the longest playoff hitting streak with Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer.
Kelly pitched three-hit ball with nine strikeouts and no walks and allowed his only run on Mitch Garver’s leadoff homer in the fifth.
Montgomery suffered his first postseason loss after allowing four runs and nine hits in six innings.
The series shifts to Arizona for Game 3 on Monday in the first World Series game in Phoenix since 2001.
Charles Leclerc saw off team-mate Carlos Sainz by just 0.067 seconds as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen improved on his final run at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but could not usurp the Ferrari drivers, finishing 0.097 sec adrift.
The triple world champion faced a nervous wait to see if he was moved down the grid after being summoned to see the stewards.
Verstappen, charged with impeding on the pit exit, was among four drivers hauled in front of the race officials.
Lewis Hamilton, disqualified from finishing runner-up to Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix a week ago, was also summoned after failing to slow under yellow flags. Hamilton finished only sixth, 0.288 sec back.
George Russell, who qualified eighth, and Fernando Alonso, 13th on the grid, were called to see the stewards, too, for blocking on the pit exit in Q1.
However, it was announced three hours after the conclusion of qualifying that the quartet escaped without penalties.
Verstappen’s bid for pole unravelled when he hit the kerb at Turn 8 in his first attempt in Q3 to leave him trailing Leclerc by 0.120 sec.
The Red Bull man, who has won 15 of the 18 rounds so far, produced a quicker last lap, but could not prevent Leclerc from sealing his second pole in as many weekends.
“I didn’t expect to be on pole because we looked to be lacking quite a bit of pace after practice,” said Leclerc.
“But for some reason once we put everything together it went well and on the new tyres we gained a lot.
“I’m already focusing on tomorrow’s race because we have had many pole positions this season, but we need to convert it into victory and that is going to be very difficult.”
Nearly 400,000 spectators will pass through the gates at the high-altitude Mexico City venue this weekend with the majority here to support Sergio Perez.
But the home favourite failed to deliver, finishing nearly three tenths adrift of Verstappen and qualified fifth, one position behind Daniel Ricciardo who impressed in his AlphaTauri, to take fourth.
Earlier, Lando Norris was the surprise name eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying, leaving the in-form British driver in 19th place.
Norris, who has finished on the podium at the past four races, attempted to progress from Q1 on the slower medium rubber in order to save a set of speedier softs.
But the plan backfired when Norris’ lap wasn’t quick enough. Norris bolted on the soft tyres but then made a mistake at Turn 10.
He aborted the lap and prepared for one last attempt, only to run into yellow flags at the opening bend after Alonso spun in his Aston Martin. Norris’ qualifying was over leaving him a tall order to salvage anything from the race.
American rookie Logan Sargeant, who earned his first point in F1 last weekend in Austin, will prop up the grid after he saw two laps scrubbed off by the stewards for exceeding track limits.
Tyson Fury had to get up off the canvas before grinding his way to a highly unconvincing split decision win over Francis Ngannou in their heavyweight showdown in Saudi Arabia.
What appeared a mismatch between the WBC champion and a mixed martial artist boxing professionally for the first time did not go according to plan for Fury, who was decked by a left hook in the third round.
Despite rising to his feet almost immediately, Fury was on unsteady legs in the moments afterwards before getting behind his jab, keen to stay out of range of the former UFC heavyweight champion.
Fury ate a few more big shots and ended the fight with a cut above his forehead and a welt under his left eye – which could have an impact on a proposed showdown against Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.
But the Briton, whose world title was not on the line, was spared what would have been one of the biggest upsets of all-time after being given the nod 96-93 and 95-94 on two scorecards, as the third judge sided with Ngannou 95-94 following an unexpectedly keenly contested 10-round encounter.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said in the ring immediately after improving his record to 34 wins and one draw.
“Francis is a hell of a fighter; strong, a big puncher and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would ever be. He’s a very awkward man and a I respect him a lot – before the fight and afterwards.
“He’s given me one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years. I don’t know how close it was but I got the win and that’s what it is. No excuses, Francis caught me with some good punches, fair play to him.”
The fight was billed as the start to ‘Riyadh Season’, with Saudi Arabia heavily criticised for trying to ‘sportswash’ its reputation and distract from its long history history of human rights abuses.
After fans shuffled to the main arena from a nearby venue which held the undercard, there was an opening ceremony featuring performances from musicians, accompanied by dancers, and culminated in a boxing ring rising from the floor on to the stage.
It was an elaborate spectacle in front of a star-studded crowd which included rappers Kanye West and Eminem as well as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, plus a host of boxing and MMA royalty such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton and Conor McGregor.
Both fighters wore crowns and sat on thrones before making way their way to the ring, Ngannou for the first time aged 37. After the anthems and introductions, there was an expectation the Cameroonian-Frenchman would bull rush his foe but it was Fury who threw a wild overhand right at the outset.
He landed a good jab to the body and head and even appeared to be giving instructions to Ngannou when they were in the clinch, calling to ‘break’. The smaller and slightly lighter Ngannou seemed plodding in comparison as Fury ended the round with a solid combination which rocked his rival’s head back.
However, Ngannou started to settle in the second round and connected with a lead left look before an accidental head clash. It was unclear which caused the cut to Fury’s head but it unsettled the world champion who repeatedly touched the small wound.
If that was a minor issue, Fury had to confront a major setback in the third round after a clubbing counter left hook to the side of his temple – above his right ear – put him on his back.
Ngannou taunted his adversary, briefly dancing over him, but while it was a flash knockdown, it instantly swung the momentum of the fight. From that point Fury was reluctant to engage too much, wary of the power of a man who holds the world record for the hardest punch ever recorded.
Fury was off-balance again in the fourth before rediscovering some rhythm with a jab and right hand in the fifth although he stayed at range, refusing to allow Ngannou any chance of a response.
The pattern of Fury staying on the outside and flicking out the jab continued into the sixth and while Ngannou seemed to be tiring, he was able to routinely outmuscle the favourite in the rare clinches.
There was a lack of urgency down the stretch from Fury and he soaked up another heavy left from Ngannou in the eighth before perhaps doing just enough to nick the final two rounds and with it: the fight.
This was not the tune-up Fury would have envisaged for an undisputed world title showdown against Usyk, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion who was ringside to witness his rival’s underwhelming display.
“It will be our next fight guaranteed,” Fury added. “I’m going to go home, take a long, hard rest and we’ll see what’s next.”
As expected, Mahogany produced a telling performance to win a $1.4-million three-year-old and upward Open Allowance contest with consummate ease, as he signalled some semblance of readiness for the lucrative Mouttet Mile.
In fact, the run by the Ian Parsard trainee at five furlongs (1,000m) round at Caymanas Park on Saturday, was almost like an exercise given the manner in which he was tenderly handled by jockey Robert Halledeen, and even then, the 6-1/2 lengths victory was completed in a brisk 59.3 seconds. His splits were 23.3 and 46.2 seconds.
Much was said of a potential stretch duel between Mahogany and American-bred Is That A Fact, who was hunting a fifth-consecutive win. But Mahogany, coming off a Gold Cup loss to She’s My Destiny, had no equals on this occasion.
Though a shade slowly out the box, the Sensational Slam -Mete-Orite progeny, coupled up quickly and was sent straight to the front by Halledeen and from there, it was the six-year-old chestnut gelding against the clock.
Jordan Reign's (Dane Dawkins), Is That A Fact (Reyan Lewis), and Freedom Street (Roger Hewitt), were all left in Mahogany’s wake, especially when he turned for home and was briefly asked for a response by Halledeen.
Freedom Street and Jordan Reign's were second and third, while Is That A Fact, who initially placed second, was disqualified and placed fourth for causing interference to rivals in the battle for the minor placing.
Meanwhile, Digital One made in two-in-two when she won the $2-million Hover Craft Sprint feature contest.
Piloted by leading rider Reyan Lewis, the Jason DaCosta-trained charge topped the Restricted Stakes contest for native-bred and imported two-year-olds, by 6-1/4 lengths and covered six furlongs (1,200m) in 1:13.3.
Parsard’s Run Julie Run (Omar Walker) and Blu Sensation (Oneil Mullings) and Rosetta (Youville Pinnock), completed the frame.
Lewis earlier guided Leroy Tomlinson’s Victoriasmedallion to victory in the second race, while trainer Gary Griffiths, topped his peers with two winners in Turnonthelight (Tevin Foster) in the first and Here Comes Doc (Anthony Allen) in the sixth event.
Racing continues on Sunday.
With her parents starting a rich and fruitful partnership with Sandals Resorts, Wendy McClung, Executive vice-president of Baxter Media said the decision was easy for her to continue the family legacy to promote Jamaica as a golfing destination through the Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament.
The 27th edition of this tournament, which is the longest running of the three, preceding the United States and Latin American events, attracted 16 teams made up of some 61 travel advisors, who beyond basking in the fun, frolic and excitement, will ensure that Jamaica’s sports tourism stocks in North America continues to rise.
Team three comprising Christopher Gregoris, Leo Tam, Tom Liu, and Wendy Hsu, finished tops at the end of the two-day competition at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in St Ann. They tallied scores of 65 and 62 across the two days for an 18-hole total of 127.
The team of Gord Ramkissoon, Lalita Ramkissoon, Leonard Sanicharan and Lalita Sanicharan, were six strokes behind in second on 133, after daily scores of 66 and 67, while Team Five comprising David Harris, Doug Rollheiser, Jacques Gilbert and Jason Jenkins took third with 134, after daily scores of 65 and 69.
McClung, who believes the prospects for the tournament is far-reaching where impacting visitor arrivals to Jamaica is concerned, is hoping to build on what her parents Edith and William Baxter accomplished.
Baxter’s Media is the publisher of two of Canada's leading travel trade magazine, the Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier.
“This was actually started by my parents and my parents always had a good relationship with Jamaica, in fact, my mother was conferred with the Order of Distinction. So, Sandals has been a partner of ours for a very long time and every year we bring travel agents and people who serve Jamaica just to have a nice kind of thank you gathering. It is four days of golf, fun and entertainment and so it’s a great way to celebrate the partnership,” she said.
“Every year it gets better and better. In fact, we had to turn people away because it’s a popular thing and it’s the highlight of the year for many people. As you know, Jamaica has the perfect weather, Sandals is a perfect resort with a perfect golf club, my only complaint is that we are not here long enough,” McClung added.
Meanwhile, the side competitions which raised US$1,528 (about $235,869 Jamaican dollars) for the Sandals Foundation, were won by Curtis Dewar and Norah Hogan, in the closest to the pin, while Colin Harris and Tobe Leney, were the male and female longest drive winners.
New Zealand captain Sam Cane admitted he was feeling “so much hurt” after he was sent off in Saturday’s 12-11 World Cup final defeat by South Africa.
Cane’s yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel in the 28th minute of a dramatic clash at the Stade de France was upgraded to red by the bunker review system.
It was the first time a player had been dismissed in a men’s World Cup final and although the All Blacks showed heart to overcome the setback and score through Beauden Barrett, they could not pierce South Africa’s defence again.
“So much hurt right now. It’s actually hard to find the words to explain it,” Cane said.
“It’s hard because you are feeling so much hurt, but at the same time you are so proud of the group in how they fought back.
“We really gave ourselves a good shot of winning that game. I think it speaks volumes of the group as a whole.”
A despondent Cane refused to blame the officials led by referee Wayne Barnes or the bunker review system for a decision that left New Zealand swimming against the tide.
“At the time, I wasn’t even aware (of the head contact). It sort of caught me off guard because of the fact he stepped back,” Cane said.
“But we’ve been at this tournament for two months now and anything around the head has ramifications.
“I’m not here to discuss whether it was right or wrong. It can’t be changed. It’s something unfortunately I am going to have to live with forever.”
New Zealand head coach Ian Foster stood by his skipper and insisted the high tackle was not a red card offence, adding that Siya Kolisi’s challenge on Ardie Savea in the second half that was a yellow only was equally severe.
“We’ve all seen the way Sam has contributed to the game, to our team behind the scenes, and it’s fantastic,” Foster said.
“He’s worthy of being captain of the All Blacks, which is an honour and a privilege, and he has carried that magnificently. I’m incredibly proud of him and proud to coach him.
“There was an intent to wrap and there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of force in the contact.
“The hit on Ardie had a lot of force going into that contact and had a direct contact on the head. The game has got a few issues it has got to sort out. That’s not sour grapes.
“You’ve got two different situations with different variables and one is a red card, one is a yellow card. That’s the game.
“We got the same behaviour from that TMO (Tom Foley) that we got during the Irish series last year. The same TMO. We expected what we got.”
South Africa defended their crown through four Handre Pollard penalties, all of them coming in the first half, to win a third successive knock-out game by a single point.
It lifts them above New Zealand as the most successful side in World Cup history with four titles.
“There aren’t a lot of things going right in our country and we have the privilege to be able to do what we love and inspire people in life, not just sports people,” Kolisi said.
“Where I come from, I couldn’t dream I could be here today. We come from different walks of life. I had my own goals and ambitions.
“I want to look after my family, I want to give back to my community. You need to come and see South Africa to understand.
“When we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life.”
Charles Leclerc saw off team-mate Carlos Sainz by just 0.067 seconds as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen improved on his final run at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but could not usurp the Ferrari drivers, finishing 0.097 sec adrift.
The triple world champion also faces a nervous wait to see if he is moved down the grid after being summoned to see the stewards.
Verstappen, charged with impeding on the pit exit, is among four drivers who will be hauled in front of the race officials.
Lewis Hamilton, disqualified from finishing runner-up to Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix a week ago, may too feel the wrath of the race referees for failing to slow under yellow flags. Hamilton finished only sixth, 0.288 sec back.
George Russell, who qualified eighth, and Fernando Alonso, 13th on the grid, have also been called to see the stewards for blocking on the pit exit in Q1.
Verstappen hit the kerb at Turn 8 in his first attempt in Q3 to leaving him trailing Leclerc by 0.120 sec.
The Red Bull man, who has won 15 of the 18 rounds so far, produced a better last lap, but could not prevent Leclerc from sealing his second pole in as many weekends.
“I didn’t expect to be one pole because we looked to be lacking quite a bit of pace after practice,” said Leclerc.
“But for some reason once we put everything together it went well and on the new tyres we gained a lot.
“I’m already focusing on tomorrow’s race because we have had many pole positions this season, but we need to convert it into victory and that is going to be very difficult.”
Nearly 400,000 spectators will pass through the gates at the high-altitude Mexico City venue this weekend with the majority here to support Sergio Perez.
But the home favourite failed to deliver, finishing nearly three tenths adrift of Verstappen and qualified fifth, one position behind Daniel Ricciardo who impressed in his AlphaTauri.
Earlier, Lando Norris was the surprise name eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying, leaving the in-form British driver in 19th place.
Norris, who has finished on the podium at the past four races, attempted to progress from Q1 on the slower medium rubber in order to save a set of speedier softs.
But the plan backfired when Norris’ lap wasn’t quick enough. Norris bolted on the soft tyres but then made a mistake a Turn 10.
He aborted the lap and prepared for one last attempt, only to run into yellow flags at the opening bend after Alonso spun in his Aston Martin. Norris’ qualifying was over leaving him a tall order to salvage anything from tomorrow’s race.
American rookie Logan Sargeant, who earned his first point in F1 last weekend in Austin, will prop up the grid after he saw two laps scrubbed off by the stewards for exceeding track limits.
Jude Bellingham scored twice as Real Madrid took El Clasico honours with a 2-1 win at Barcelona.
The England midfielder struck with a 30-yard drive to cancel out Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for the hosts.
Bellingham then volleyed a stoppage-time winner to take his goal tally to 13 in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid from Borussia Dortmund.
Goals from Lucas Ocampos and Ivan Rakitic saw Sevilla come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Cadiz, Las Palmas won 2-1 at Almeria and Mallorca were held 0-0 at home by Getafe.
In the Bundesliga, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick – including a goal from inside his own half – as Bayern Munich thumped Darmstadt 8-0.
Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break after a goalless first half.
Kane’s second goal was a magnificent effort from four yards behind the halfway line. Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane scored two apiece and Thomas Muller was also on target.
Bayern moved to the top of the table after Stuttgart slipped up 3-2 at home to Hoffenheim.
Borussia Monchengladbach beat Heidenheim 2-1, Augsburg were 3-2 winners at home to Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen sank Union Berlin 2-0 and Leipzig thumped Cologne 5-0.
Andrea Cambiaso struck with virtually the last kick of the game as Juventus climbed to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over Verona.
Moise Kean had earlier seen two goals disallowed by VAR as Verona chased an unlikely point in their battle against relegation.
But Verona have never won away at Juventus in Serie A history, and that record now stands at 33 matches, following a heartbreaking defeat.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Arkadiusz Milik’s header came back off the inside of the far post and Cambiaso smashed in the rebound.
Alessandro Buongiorno goal just before half-time gave Torino a 1-0 win at Lecce, while Sassuolo drew 1-1 at home to Bologna
In France, two penalties from Florian Sotoca helped Lens to a 4-0 win over Nantes and Reims beat Lorient 1-0.
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City gatecrashing the established elite is “uncomfortable” for their Premier League rivals.
Famously labelled Manchester United’s ‘noisy neighbours’ by Sir Alex Ferguson, City’s takeover by their Abu Dhabi owners in 2008 and then the appointment of Guardiola as manager in 2016 have led to gradual progress from insignificant upstarts to the dominant force in English football.
City have lifted the Premier League trophy in five of the last six campaigns, including three in a row, while their crowning moment came last season as they emulated Ferguson’s 1998-99 treble-winning side.
Guardiola marvelled at how the fortunes of the clubs have switched ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, where City could extend their lead between the teams to nine points with a victory.
“Sir Alex was right (at the time), City were not challenging, they were in the middle to bottom,” Guardiola said. “United and Arsenal at the time were the richest ones, that’s why City were there.
“But after that, Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon (Al Mubarak), who took over and made an investment. After that Sir Alex could not expect to know that and not even myself who was in Barcelona.
“We were not in the elite and now we are in the elite, maybe it’s uncomfortable for many things. That is a reality and we want to stay as long as possible.”
United have not won the league since Ferguson’s departure at the end of the 2012-13 season, coming closest under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, both of whom presided over runners-up finishes.
While Guardiola was adamant United will always be regarded as one of the top English clubs, the Spaniard suspects any chance of bringing back the glory days the red half of Manchester enjoyed under Ferguson is gone because of the number of sides now challenging for honours.
Such has been the trajectories of both clubs over the last decade, Guardiola admitted he does not consider United their biggest rivals – insisting that honour belongs to Liverpool.
Asked if United can dominate again, Guardiola responded: “Maybe not in the way that Sir Alex Ferguson did because back then there were just two or three teams, now there are more with a lot of incredible managers.
“Maybe not in that way but if they take good decisions, with the hierarchy, with the sports director, with the managers, with the players and the same ideas, Manchester United when something happens is in the highlights all day.
“The reputation and the prestige they have is always there. It just needs to click.
“There was one year with Ole that was close. But Liverpool have been our biggest rivals – they made us challenge higher and higher and helped make us a better team in all departments. They challenged us like no other team has done before.”
Erik ten Hag led United to third place last season, as well as winning the Carabao Cup and finishing runners-up to City in the FA Cup final, but they have fluctuated in this campaign with four losses in nine games.
Guardiola pointed out it took him a while before finding sustained success with City, having finished third in his first season in charge in 2016-17.
“It takes time,” Guardiola added. “United is able to win four, five six games in a row. If they do that they will be on top.
“Leave the manager to do the job that here they allowed me to do in my first season when we didn’t win. Give time to the managers and they will do it.”
New Zealand captain Sam Cane became the first player to be sent off in a World Cup final as South Africa retained their title with a nail-biting 12-11 victory at Stade de France.
Cane was shown a red card for in the 28th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel but the All Blacks responded with character and resilience to take the champions to the wire on a wet Paris night.
Beauden Barrett ran in the first try ever scored against South Africa in a World Cup final as the final quarter approached but, with Richie Mo’unga unable to add the conversion, New Zealand still trailed.
Jordie Barrett then missed a tricky long-range penalty that would have toppled the Springboks and despite furious late attempts to strike from long range they were unable to break through the green wall.
Andrea Cambiaso struck with virtually the last kick of the game as Juventus climbed to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona.
Moise Kean had earlier seen two goals disallowed by VAR as Verona chased an unlikely point in their battle against relegation.
Verona have never won away at Juventus in Serie A history and that record now stands at 33 matches, following a heartbreaking defeat.
Juve thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Kean, after 10 league games without a goal, spun his marker 25 yards out and launched an unstoppable drive past Lorenzo Montipo.
But the VAR took the play back to when Kean originally collected the ball before turning back on himself and adjudged him fractionally offside.
Kean was denied again moments later when his header from Manuel Locatelli’s corner was tipped over by Montipo.
The Italy striker, still aggrieved at having his goal ruled out, beat another couple of challenges on the edge of the box but, having been forced wide, he lashed his shot off target.
Verona weathered the storm and fashioned a couple of half chances, but Michael Folorunsho and Milan Djuric fired wide while Wojciech Szczesny saved from Federico Bonazzoli just before the break.
Kean squandered another presentable chance early in the second half when he planted a free header wide.
His frustration grew to boiling point when he glanced a superb header home after a sweeping Juve attack, only for VAR to haul it back for a foul by the forward in the build-up.
The 23-year-old was promptly booked for hurling the ball away after another decision went against him.
An 11th match without a goal came to an end on the hour when Kean was replaced by Federico Chiesa.
The substitute was immediately in the thick of the action, forcing Montipo to acrobatically tip his shot over the top.
Chiesa had his head in his hands moments later when he received a cut-back from the byline, only to see his first-time shot from 10 yards cleared off the line by Davide Faraoni.
Federico Gatti tried his luck from 25 yards, but his fierce drive flew wide and teenage substitute Kenan Yildiz lifted a glorious chance too.
But Juve’s moment came at the end of six minutes of stoppage time when Arkadiusz Milik’s header came back off the inside of the far post and Cambiaso smashed in the rebound.
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