Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's critics want to see them wiped "off the face of the Earth" as the hearing into their 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League rules continues.

In February 2023, City were charged with breaching the Premier League's financial rules 115 times over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

The club, who have strongly denied all the charges and say they have "irrefutable" evidence of their innocence, were referred to an independent commission, and their long-awaited hearing began last week.

City, who have won an unprecedented four straight English top-flight titles, could in theory be expelled from the Premier League or handed a huge points deduction if found guilty.

While addressing criticism of teams' early-season performances at a press conference to preview Sunday's huge clash with Arsenal, Guardiola said City's rivals were desperate to see them punished harshly.

"During a season, you can say, 'Oh, it was a bad season'. But for performances some people say, 'Oh, it's a disgrace, it is a disaster, it's unacceptable," Guardiola said.

"No, during 90 minutes, sometimes it's one bad afternoon when they were better.

"But I would say... I'm sorry, I want to defend my club, especially in these modern days when everyone is expecting us not [only] to be relegated, to be disappeared off the face of the Earth, the world. 

"We have better afternoons than the opponents. That's why we win a lot."

Beatriz Haddad Maia clinched her first WTA title of the year by fighting back from a set and a break down to beat Daria Kasatkina 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the Korea Open final on Sunday.

Haddad Maia, who produced her second-best major run by reaching the US Open quarter-finals earlier this month, was a distant second-best as she lost the opener 6-1.

Top seed Kasatkina then broke in the first game of the second set but Haddad Maia rallied from there, hitting back in the sixth game then later winning set point against her opponent's serve.

The Brazilian was irrepressible in the decider, winning 100% of her first-serve points (10/10) and saving three break points in a row when Kasatkina did put the pressure on midway through the set.

Haddad Maia made that count by going two breaks up, then served out the contest to love to earn her first title since winning the WTA Elite Trophy in China last year.

Data Debrief: Haddad Maia goes one better

Haddad Maia reached the final of the Korea Open on her tournament debut in 2017, only to go down to Jelena Ostapenko in her first WTA showpiece match – and her last until she won the 2022 Nottingham Open.

A dominant performance on serve got her over the line on Sunday, after her early wobble.

Haddad Maia won 72% of first-serve points to Kasatkina's 63%, also converting four of the five break points she generated.  

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi hailed Los Pumas for combining "beautiful" attacking play with resolute defensive work as they kept their Rugby Championship hopes alive with a dramatic victory over South Africa.

Having won their first four games of the 2024 tournament, the Springboks knew a win in Santiago would have clinched their fifth Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship crown with a match to spare.

They raced into an early lead with tries from Aphelele Fassi and Jesse Kriel, only for Mateo Carreras, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi and Tomas Albornoz to go over in response for the hosts.

The visitors later re-established their lead in the second half, only for Albornoz's penalty to put Argentina 29-28 ahead, which remained the final score following a late penalty miss from South Africa's Manie Libbok.

After the win, which preserved Argentina's hopes of overhauling the Springboks in matchweek six, Contepomi said: "The victory could have been a defeat in the last minute. 

"Beyond the result, which is obviously welcome, the important thing is what we were able to do at times, which is to impose our game.

"At times it came out and we shot ourselves in the foot, because we gave them an entrance into the game with penalties and unforced errors.

"South Africa are predictable, but it's not easy. You know what they are going to do, but they do it so well that it is very difficult to stop. Every centimetre counts.

"The attacking play is what is easiest to see, or the most beautiful, but I think a lot about our work on defence."

Argentina go to Mbombela for their final game next Saturday, sitting five points behind the world champions in the standings.

"We have many areas to correct," Contepomi said, looking ahead to that rematch. "There are small mistakes that allowed them into the game. 

"It's about trying to minimise the ones you can control, the unforced errors. We are going to work on that to continue growing."

Ravichandran Ashwin added a six-wicket haul to his century as India recorded a dominant 280-run victory in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

The hosts were well on their way to victory at the start of play on day four, with three Ashwin wickets helping them drop the tourists to 158-4 on Saturday, chasing a daunting target of 515.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept India waiting for their fifth wicket on Sunday, his resistance defining a wicketless first hour of play.

However, after drinks, Chennai local Ashwin and Chennai Super Kings star Ravindra Jadeja combined to brilliant effect to rip through the visitors. 

Ashwin made the breakthrough by having Shakib Al Hasan caught for 25 from just his fourth delivery of the day, then Jadeja's full ball was helped straight to Rohit Sharma at first slip by Litton Das (1).

Ashwin brought up his five-for soon afterwards by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz (8), then Shanto's courageous knock of 82 was finally brought to an end by Jadeja, the Bangladesh skipper's top edge being well held by Jasprit Bumrah.

Jadeja finished 58-3 by bowling Hasan Mahmud (7) for the final wicket, but not before Ashwin had brought up his sixth dismissal, having Taskin Ahmed caught for five runs.

India will now look to clinch the two-match series when the second Test gets underway in Kanpur on Friday.

Data Debrief: Ashwin closing on Botham 

Ashwin's first-innings knock of 113 helped India build a commanding lead before Bangladesh took up the bat for the second time on Friday, and he was equally brilliant with the ball.

Having dismissed three before stumps on Friday, he did likewise in an enjoyable second session on Saturday, bringing up his 37th five-for in red-ball cricket.

It is the fourth time he has hit a hundred and scalped five wickets in a single Test, and he has also done so in successive Tests in Chennai. Only England great Ian Botham (five times) has ever achieved both feats in the same Test more often.

Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid have no choice but to manage their players' minutes with the new Champions League format dialling up the intensity of their schedule.

Atleti have made a positive start to the season, registering three wins and two draws from their first five matches in LaLiga to match Real Madrid's pace and sit four points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

They also made a winning start to their Champions League campaign in midweek, fighting back to beat RB Leipzig 2-1 with a last-gasp winner from Jose Maria Gimenez.

With eight European league-phase games to play this term, Atleti face an incredibly busy schedule, with no free midweek slots until December, excluding international breaks.

After going to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, Los Colchoneros visit Celta Vigo on Thursday then face Real Madrid, Benfica and Real Sociedad in the space of a week. 

"It makes us try to manage the squad in the best way but the difficulties come in the hours approaching the game, when we need to win," Simeone said ahead of Sunday's trip across the Spanish capital. 

"The word rotation is not good, it is an opportunity for those who play and you cannot always repeat the same players, because then you are on the way to significant injuries as we have seen.

"On our physical side, we have to try to manage their health in the best way. Only with health can we have a team.

"On the pitch there is little to work in the time we have left for each game, especially when it is Thursday and Sunday."

Paris-Saint Germain coach Luis Enrique is cautious about crowning Ousmane Dembele as Kylian Mbappe's replacement, instead preferring to avoid heaping pressure on him.

Dembele's second-half strike maintained PSG's unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season as they drew 1-1 at Reims on Saturday, taking him to four goals for the campaign.

In just four matches, Dembele has already bettered his tally from 26 league games last term (three), while his six goal involvements (four goals, two assists) are a league-high figure.

Having lost Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer ahead of the campaign, PSG need their remaining forwards to step up, but Luis Enrique says it cannot be up to Dembele alone.

"We're not looking for a goalscorer, because if you put the pressure on Dembele and then he doesn't score the goals you want him to score, we'll start with the problems," he said.

"What we want is for the team to win. Who scores? I don't care. Let someone who wears the PSG shirt score. 

"There is no pressure on one player only. The whole team has to keep improving."

PSG arrived in Reims on the back of a late victory over Girona in the Champions League, but struggled to find their rhythm with the likes of Marcos Asensio and Gianluigi Donnarumma out injured.

"We knew from the start that it was going to be a very difficult game. They played very well, they're physically very strong and they were good on the ball," the PSG boss said.

Next up, PSG host Rennes on Friday before facing Arsenal in a mammoth Champions League tie four days later – one of several tough fixtures the French champions were handed in last month's draw.

"We will change players depending on what we see in the games," Luis Enrique said of his plan for those games. 

"I have a lot of versatility in my squad to be able to use that and it's an option we have on a regular basis with different players."

The Cleveland Guardians’ rally on the field may have come up short on Saturday night, but that didn’t stop the celebration afterwards.

The Guardians lost 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals but clinched their 12th AL Central title since 1995 after the Kansas City Royals were beaten by the San Francisco Giants.

“This is awesome just to see the joy,” Cleveland manager Steven Vogt told reporters after the game. “The result of tonight's game, it matters, but at the end of the day, we need to celebrate this. Any time you get the chance, you win the division, you've got to enjoy every second of it.”

The Guardians (90-66) have spent 170 days in first place this season, the most in the American League and trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 181 days in the majors.

Jose Ramirez starred in the losing effort on Saturday, hitting his 37th home run and 36th double this season.

Entering the eighth inning, Cleveland trailed 6-1 with their only run coming on a Bo Naylor solo shot.

Ramirez’s homer provided three runs in a fourth-run eighth inning, but the Guardians could never close the gap entirely.

Nick Sandlin gave up four runs in the seventh, but they were all unearned, coming after a Naylor fielding error.

Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker went deep for the Cardinals. Miles Mikolas gave up one run and four hits in six innings to earn the win.

White Sox on brink of losses record

The Chicago White Sox took one more step toward infamy, tying the American League record with their 119th loss of the season.

Xander Bogaerts, David Peralta and Elias Diaz hit home runs and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2 as the Padres moved closer to securing a post-season berth.

Chicago (36-119) fell into a tie with the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) for the worst season in AL history. The expansion 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games, the most in baseball’s modern era.

San Diego picked up a game in the NL West standings on the Los Angeles Dodgers and now trail by three with seven games to play.

The Padres are currently slotted as the NL’s top wild card team with a three-game lead over the final wild card spot.

San Diego have won seven of their last eight games and have baseball’s best record since the All-Star break at 38-17.

Mets top Phils to stay alive in NL East

Sean Manaea had another strong outing, Brandon Nimmo sparked a three-run seventh inning and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3, denying Philly a division-clinching win.

Francisco Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña hit solo home runs early, and Alvarez added a two-run double in the seventh as the Mets collected their 17th win in 22 games.

Manaea won his fourth consecutive decision, allowing three hits and three runs in seven innings’ work. Edwin Diaz got the last four outs for his 19th save of the season.

New York (86-69) remained two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the NL’s final wild card spot.

Philadelphia (92-63), who clinched a playoff berth on Friday, needed one more win over the Mets to secure their first NL East title since 2011 but will have another chance on Sunday.

Kyle Schwarber extended his MLB record by hitting his 15th leadoff home run of the season, his 36th homer overall. Nick Castellanos also went deep, but Philadelphia managed just four hits.

The Phillies’ staff issued seven walks in the game, while the Mets’ staff issued none.

Luka Modric lauded Real Madrid's attacking ranks as the LaLiga champions fought from behind to thrash Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday.

Thibaut Courtois' blunder handed the visitors a shock lead in the 54th minute, only for Dani Carvajal to level four minutes later after Jude Bellingham's cross was spilled by Joan Garcia.

Vinicius Junior's introduction breathed life into Carlo Ancelotti's side, however, teeing up Rodrygo's first-time finish with 15 minutes remaining.

Brazil star Vinicius followed that up with a goal of his own to make it 3-1 before Kylian Mbappe sealed all three points with his third penalty in as many LaLiga games.

Madrid captain Modric still saw room for improvement but acknowledged the attacking quality Los Blancos have after moving one point behind leaders Barcelona, who visit Villarreal on Sunday.

"We played a very good game but it's true that it was difficult for us to finish plays. We created a lot of chances but we have a lot of room for improvement," Modric told Movistar Plus.

"I don't know if it was our best or not but it was a great game, from start to finish. We must continue like today. To have Vinicius, Mbappe, Bellingham and Rodrygo is awesome; they are great.

"They and the whole team are doing everything right but we still can improve; we'll keep going in the next few games until we feel we reach out true potential. This match can give us confidence."

Vinicius was left on the bench but his second-half impact saw him both score and assist in a single Madrid game as a substitute for the first time in his career across all competitions (272 games).

That set the stage for Mbappe to put the result beyond any doubt, becoming just the second Madrid player this decade to score penalties in three straight LaLiga games, after his compatriot Karim Benzema.

A fine fightback performance left Ancelotti delighted, though the Madrid head coach was still cautious, primarily due to managing Bellingham's troublesome should injury.

"We started well and reacted well after the 1-0, it was complete," Ancelotti said, as quoted by AS.

"We played better than in other games; with more rhythm and generating more opportunities. I'm happy.

"Jude has had the shoulder problem and it has resolved well. He was able to play the whole game without any problem.

"He's always played with protection. A month ago he took it off because he was fine, but he has had this problem again. I don't think it will be a problem, although it must be taken care of, obviously."

Anthony Joshua is likely to call for a rematch against Daniel Dubois, having conceded he "came up short" after he "rolled the dice" in Saturday's bout at Wembley Stadium.

In front of a record-breaking, 96,000 crowd that had been further geed up by a performance from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, it was Dubois who turned in a supersonic display on Saturday.

Joshua saw his hopes of clinching the IBF heavyweight title slide away as Dubois dominated from the off, before delivering the knockout blow in round five.

Some pundits suggested this should be the end for Joshua, though the 34-year-old insisted he is not planning on stopping any time soon.

"Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short," he told DAZN.

"You know I'm ready to kick off in the ring, but I'm going to keep my cool, keep very professional, and give respect to my opponent.

"I'm always saying to myself I'm a fighter for life... We keep rolling the dice.

"I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that's the game."

Promoter Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, claimed Joshua would likely take up the option of a rematch.

"I'm sure he'll exercise that rematch clause, it's a given, it's a dangerous fight because he's growing in confidence all the time but he'll believe he can beat him," Hearn told DAZN.

Dubois, though, will likely want to turn his attention to facing the victor out of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, with their rematch set to take place in December in Saudi Arabia.

Daniel Dubois does not want his "redemption story" to stop after dominating Anthony Joshua to reclaim his IBF heavyweight title.

Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF belt, labelling it as a present for the fight between Joshua and Dubois, the latter taking the title by default.

Dubois left no doubts over the merit of his belt on Saturday, though, delivering a brutal fifth-round knockout blow to Joshua in front of a record-breaking crowd for the all-British clash at Wembley Stadium.

Speaking on DAZN after an impressive triumph, Dubois addressed the record-breaking crowd: "I've only got a few things to say, are you not entertained?!

"It's been a journey and I'm grateful to be in this position. I'm a gladiator, I'm a warrior until the bitter end. I want to get to the top of this sport and reach my full potential.

"Behind the scenes, the work with my dad. I've been on a rollercoaster run, this is my time, this is my redemption story. I'm not going to stop until I reach my full potential."

Tyson Fury and Usyk are set for a Riyadh rematch in December, though Dubois will be waiting in the wings for a shot at the heavyweight pair.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn immediately suggested his fighter will seek to activate a rematch clause with Dubois, however.

Whether Joshua can recover from this defeat remains to be seen, having been sent spiralling to the canvas multiple times, including in the opening round.

Joshua appeared to have found a way back into the bout in the fifth, only for Dubois to land a crucial right-hand finisher, much to his understandable delight.

"I am the man," he added to Sky Sports. "A mix of emotions. I can't say too much right now. I'm fighting to get all the glory. To me, I'm the hunter and I need to hunt."

As for his next fight, Dubois is dreaming big, adding: "All of the best, maybe Usyk [for] a big shot at my redemption. Anyone can get it."

Frank Warren echoed Dubois' sentiment, with the Queensbury promoter eyeing another shot at Usyk for Dubois, who lost to the Ukrainian in August last year.

"It was a phenomenal fight and I always felt it would be a [Marvin] Hagler versus [Thomas] Hearns situation," Warren told DAZN. "AJ showed his heart right until the end. It was a brilliant fight.

"I always felt Dubois would do it and he has. It's not a turnaround, it was there. He was a young man and had double fractures in his eyes, he couldn't fight. He hurt him [Usyk], I'd like to see him fight him now but he has to fight Tyson now.

"Everyone here has seen a champion's performance. He's done everything you could ask for. AJ caught him with a shot over there and I was worried. He's a young man and on top of his game, he can improve."

WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker also put his name into the hat to face Dubois, with Fury and Usyk not set to meet until later this year, which would keep any challenger waiting.

"If he [Dubois] wants to get it on then let's go," Parker said on DAZN immediately after the result.

Francis Tiafoe enjoyed an important Laver Cup victory over Daniil Medvedev on Saturday, with the American thriving on confidence after feeling "like Roger Federer".

American Tiafoe rallied past Team Europe's Medvedev 3-6 6-4 10-5 to send Team World into a 4-2 lead, at least temporarily.

Carlos Alcaraz soon levelled the team series in Berlin with an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory over Tiafoe's fellow American Ben Shelton.

Swiss great Federer was in the crowd to watch Tiafoe's performance, much to the delight of the 26-year-old.

"Honestly I just started having fun. Laughing with my team, laughing with my team over there and here. Just having a bit of fun and started really finding my rhythm," Tiafoe said.

"The courts are obviously much slower than I'm used to playing on, so it's tough playing Daniil on this court. But after the second set, midway into the second and in the tie-break, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly."

Tiafoe had lost all five previous ATP Tour meetings with Medvedev but continued his fine form after reaching the US Open semi-finals for the first time, along with making the final in Cincinnati.

"I just have a lot more confidence in myself. I'm having a lot of fun playing the game at the moment," Tiafoe added. 

"I'm just trying to play the right way and compete as hard as I can, let the chips fall where they may. I respect everyone, but I'm just not fearing anyone at the moment.

"I'm just going out there, taking it to guys and seeing what happens."

Alcaraz fell on his Laver Cup debut in the doubles alongside Alexander Zverev but responded with a near-perfect singles performance against Shelton.

"I'm really happy to be part of Team Europe in the Laver Cup for the first time," Alcaraz said after his first win in the competition.

"I'm trying to be as [good] a partner as I can, as [good] a player as I can to help my team. I played against Ben, a really powerful player, a really tough one.

"I'm pretty happy because I played a really solid match from the beginning until the end of the match."

Taylor Fritz subsequently restored Team World's lead with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Germany's Zverev, before doubles success followed for Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo.

The Team World pair dispatched Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1 6-2, securing a 8-4 lead for their side heading into the third day of action.

Daniel Dubois claimed an eye-catching victory over Anthony Joshua with a fifth-round knockout in an all-British clash for the IBF heavyweight title.

Joshua was tipped as the pre-fight favourite, aiming to become a three-time heavyweight champion in front of a record-breaking 96,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Yet Dubois came out on the top, dominating from the off before catching Joshua with a brutal right-hand blow.

His reward will likely prove to be a clash with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, who face off in their December rematch in Riyadh.

With Fury and Usyk watching on, Dubois came flying out the blocks, landing back-to-back jabs before downing Joshua in the first round with a bruising overhand right.

Challenger Joshua survived the count and was saved by the bell, before a further onslaught followed by Dubois resulted in a similar conclusion in the third just as the round ended.

Dubois floored Joshua once more just seconds into the fourth, with brief confusion as the referee waved for a knockdown rather than knockout as the one-sided bout continued.

Joshua appeared to have recovered, landing a few shots in the fifth before overcommitting as Dubois delivered the decisive blow to settle any talk over his IBF title, which was initially handed over by Usyk.

Ousmane Dembele climbed off the bench to earn Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw at Reims on Saturday.

The Ligue 1 champions ensured they maintained their unbeaten start to the season, though they had to settle for a point.

Reims took an early lead when Junya Ito's clever cross into the box found his Japanese compatriot Keito Nakamura, who superbly struck home after the ball bounced off PSG captain Marquinhos.

Luis Enrique's side were desperate to equalise and midfielder Lee Kang-in had the clearest chance after Randal Kolo Muani's incisive cross, but he could not get his effort past goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf.

Yet Dembele proved decisive off the bench.

Having replaced Desire Doue in the 65th, Dembele latched on to Joao Neves's fierce cross to slot home from a tight angle and rescue a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: PSG remain unbeatable on the road

It is now 27 Ligue 1 away games unbeaten for PSG, which is the longest such run in the competition's history.

They were not at their best this time out, though Luis Enrique will no doubt feel his team were at least worthy of a point, having seen them have 11 shots to Reims' eight, while mustering a higher xG (1.63 to 0.34).

Dembele, meanwhile, has already scored more goals in five Ligue 1 matches (four) this season than in 26 last season (three). He has been involved in six goals in the top flight this term (four goals, two assists), more than any other player.