Rangers made a disappointing start to their Scottish Premiership campaign as they drew 0-0 with Hearts at Tynecastle.
This poor result rather compounded a lacklustre pre-season, despite manager Philippe Clement signing a contract extension on Friday.
Hearts made a quick start, with debutant James Penrice going close as he burst into the box and forced Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland into a fine stop at his near post.
The hosts continued piling on the pressure as Yan Dhanda struck the crossbar with a stylish effort.
Rangers looked more assured after the break with Cyriel Dessers heading against the corner of the crossbar and post early on after a delicious left-footed cross from Tom Lawrence, who then went close himself with a dipping volley from outside the box, which Zander Clark had to acrobatically save.
Laurence Shankland drove into the area with twenty minutes to go, but he was thwarted by an onrushing Butland, though Rangers could not any inroads going the other way.
Data debrief: Dessers dangerous but Rangers struggle
Cyriel Dessers contributed 0.65 of Rangers' 0.83 xG, having the most shots for the away side with four, as well as having the joint most touches in the opposition box of any player with seven, alongside Hearts' Shankland.
However, it was a meek attacking display overall from Rangers, who had nine shots to Hearts 18, with the home team creating 1.28 xG.
They are now unbeaten in 12 home league games, which matches their best Scottish Premiership run since November 17 to April 2018. Indeed, the last team to beat Hearts in the league at Tynecastle were Rangers, back in December last year.
Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten start to pre-season came to an end as goals from Gabriel Vidovic and Leon Goretzka secured a 2-1 for Bayern Munich in Seoul.
Pedro Porro pulled a goal back for Spurs with just over 20 minutes remaining, but they were unable to find a way past Vincent Kompany's side.
It took four minutes for Bayern to open the scoring as Guglielmo Vicario's poor pass to Djed Spence was picked off by Serge Gnabry, with Vidovic finishing from close range.
In a half that saw the Bundesliga side have 12 shots compared to Spurs' two, they were unable to increase their advantage until after the half-time interval.
Mathys Tel picked out Goretzka inside the area, with the German seeing his first effort saved by Vicario, but was able to follow up the rebound to double their lead.
Spurs would improve in the second half, with Porro's strike from distance evading the grasp of Manuel Neuer in the 66th minute offering hope of a comeback.
However, Bayern would control the latter stages of proceedings, able to see out the win as Ange Postecoglou's side suffered their first defeat of pre-season.
Data Debrief: Spurs
Spurs' second half performance will be a positive for Postecoglou to take from the encounter, improving their expected goals (xG) total from 0.11 to 1.22 after the break.
But in truth, Bayern dominated from start to finish, registering 22 shots, 20 of which came inside the area, with 11 of those on target.
Tel was a particular bright spark for Kompany's side, having the most touches in the opposition box (nine) and the equal most passes in the final third (13).
Pep Guardiola insists he is committed to Manchester City as England continue their search for a new manager.
The Football Association is recruiting for Gareth Southgate’s successor after he stepped down from the role following last month’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Guardiola, who helped City claim a record fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, has a year left on his contract and is expected to leave the club next year.
The 53-year-old has won 225 of his 304 league games in charge of the Citizens, scoring 755 goals in that time and averaging a win rate of 74.01%.
But when asked about the potential of managing the Three Lions in the future, Guardiola was quick to distance himself from the position.
“I am here, I am really pleased. I cannot say anything. I don’t know where it has come from. I am really satisfied here," Guardiola said.
“I am desperate for when the players are ready to come back to start to train all together and refresh what we have to do.”
The Spaniard is currently with his squad for the pre-season tour of the United States, facing Chelsea in Ohio on Saturday evening.
Guardiola’s comments come at the end of a week that saw both Eddie Howe and Jurgen Klopp rule themselves out of contention for the England job.
England U21 head coach Lee Carsley and former Chelsea boss Graham Potter are also among the top contenders to become the Three Lions' 16th permanent manager.
Following their encounter with Enzo Maresca's side, Guardiola and his squad will return to England ahead of their Community Shield fixture with Manchester United at Wembley next week.
Matthew Ebden and John Peers were crowned Olympic champions in the men's doubles after their victory over the United States' Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The Australian duo came from a set down to win on Court Philippe Chatrier in just over two hours, emerging 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-1) 10-8 victors at Roland-Garros.
Krajicek and Ram would start well, winning a break point in the sixth game, only for their Australian opponents to respond instantly to level the encounter at 4-4.
With both pairs holding their serve for the remainder, a tie-break would decide who would take the first set, with the Americans able to obtain the early advantage.
Krajicek and Ram found another early break in the second, but again saw their lead vanish as Ebden and Peers rallied to win three consecutive games.
The Australian's took the game to a second tie-break, producing some stunning tennis along the way as the encounter went the distance in the French capital.
Ebden and Peers would carry their momentum into the decider, and despite missing four gold medal points, were able to hold on to secure the triumph.
Data Debrief: Australia strike gold at Roland-Garros
Ebden and Peers showed grit and determination worthy of winning a gold medal, coming from a set down to scoop the top prize.
The Australian's impressed on serve, scoring nine aces compared to Krajicek and Ram's six, winning 73% of their first-serve points.
Jamaica’s Sabrina Lyn, Bahamas’ Rhanishka Gibbs and St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Kennice Aphenie Greene were all eliminated at the preliminary stage of the women’s 50m freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday morning at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Greene, 17, was the first of the trio to compete, producing a time of 27.23 to finish third in heat number five.
The 20-year-old Lyn and 18-year-old Gibbs both lined up in the seventh heat and finished fifth and sixth with times of 26.08 and 26.27, respectively.
Lyn was the highest placed of the three in the overall standings after the heats in 29th while Gibbs and Greene came in at 31st and 42nd, respectively.
Only the top 16 swimmers advanced to the semifinals.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson expectedly headline Caribbean men through to the 100m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games, as both were very easy in winning their respective heats at Stade de France on Saturday.
Seville, Thompson, and compatriot Ackeem Blake, along with the British Virgin Islands’ Rikkoi Brathwaite and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa, are the Caribbean representatives that remain on course for the final.
Currently the world leader at 9.77s, Thompson was easy in victory in heat one in 10.00s, ahead of Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati (10.08s) and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa (10.11s).
Kenyan stalwart Ferdinand Omanyala topped heat two in 10.08s, ahead of Italy’s Chituru Ali (10.12s) and Joshua Hartmann (10.16s) of Germany. Trinidad and Tobago’s Devin Augustine (10.31s) was fifth in that heat and missed out on the semi-finals.
Great Britain’s Louie Hinchcliffe sprang a surprise to win heat three in 9.98s, upstaging American Noah Lyles (10.04s), who had to work somewhat toward the end. South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi (10.06s) secured the third automatic spot in the heat. Naquille Harris (10.38s) of St. Kitts and Nevis missed out.
Seville also ran a relaxed race to finish tops in heat four as he stopped the clock at 9.99s. Japan’s Sani Brown (10.02s) and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (10.13s) also progressed. Bahamas’ Terrence Jones (10.31s) was fifth in that heat.
Heat five was topped by Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02s), ahead of Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs (10.05s) and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (10.06s). Cayman Island’s Davonte Howell (10.24s) was sixth.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine produced a late surge to top heat six in 10.03s, ahead of Blake (10.06s) and Brathwaite (10.13s). Bahamas’ Wanya McCoy (10.24s) and Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald (10.40s) were fifth and eighth, respectively.
American Kenneth Bednarek was joint fastest in qualifying at 9.97s, which he clocked in winning heat seven, ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (9.98s) and Canada’s Andre de Grasse (10.07s). Jose Gonzalez (10.40s) of the Dominican Republic was eighth.
A stacked eighth and final heat was topped by another American, Fred Kerly, who also stopped the clock in 9.97s. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (10.01s) and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.03s) also progressed.
Cejhae Greene (10.17s) of Antigua and Barbuda ran well for fourth, but wasn’t fast enough for one of the non-automatic qualifying spots, while Haiti’s Christopher Borzor (10.28s) was fifth.
Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey failed to capitalise on a second chance at the women’s 800m semi-finals as she again finished down the track in the Repechage round on day two of athletics action at the Paris Olympic Games inside the Stade de France on Saturday.
With the winner of the four Repechage heats and the next two fastest non-automatic qualifiers guaranteed a semi-final spot, Tracey, running in heat two, could only manage fifth in 2:03.67.
While the Jamaican missed out, Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza ran a well-timed race where she controlled the pace, backed off, and then rallied late to win heat three to continue her medal hunt. Almanza won in 2:01.54.
The other qualifiers include Australia’s Abbey Caldwell (2:00.07), France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:59.52), Germany’s Majtie Kolberg (1:59.08), and Kenya’s Vivian Chebet Kiprotich (1:59.31). These ladies will join the 18 automatic qualifiers from day one, including Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
World number one Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova headlined a number of players to withdraw from the Canadian Open next week.
Swiatek, who became the first player from Poland to win an Olympic medal in tennis history at the Paris Games on Friday, withdrew due to fatigue.
Meanwhile, Krejcikova, who returned to the top 10 in the world rankings after her success at the All England Club, cited a thigh injury for her decision not to travel to Canada.
"I'm sorry to announce that due to overall fatigue caused by the last couple of weeks on the court I need to withdraw from the tournament in Toronto," Swiatek said in a Tennis Canada news release.
"Due to an intense tennis schedule with the Olympics taking place this year and changing surfaces, I need more time to rest and recover in order to be ready to play the US swing in good health and at my best possible level."
Krejcikova was beaten in the quarter-finals in both the singles and doubles at the Games, and said she is looking after her health ahead of the U.S. Open.
"The past four weeks have been incredible; however, the intense schedule has taken a toll on my body, and I need to prioritise my health to ensure I can continue competing at my best," said Krejcikova.
"Thank you for your understanding and support, and I look forward to returning to the court soon."
Tennis Canada said other withdrawals included Jasmine Paolini, Maria Sakkari, Danielle Collins and Caroline Garcia following their participation in the Paris Olympics.
"We understand the unique honour of athletes in an individual sport representing their country at the Olympic Games and that players must do what is best for them in terms of their health, recovery and schedules," said Karl Hale, director of the Canadian Open.
Past grand slam champions Sofia Kenin and Slone Stephens moved into the main draw for the Toronto tournament.
The NBO's men's tournament in Montreal took a hit earlier this week with the announcement that both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz would also be missing the event.
Aryna Sabalenka expressed her delight at overcoming a "tough" match with Victoria Azarenka to advance to the semi-finals of the Washington Open in straight sets.
World number three Sabalenka needed an hour and 45 minutes to get past her fellow compatriot, prevailing 6-4 6-4 to progress to the next round.
The two-time grand slam champion served eight aces compared to Azarenka's one, and although the encounter looked one-sided, it was anything but for Sabalenka.
"Always tough battles against her," Sabalenka said. "She always brings the best fight she can.
"I always enjoy playing against her. Just super happy to get through this tough match.
"I feel like with every set, I play better and better. Hopefully I can just (keep) building my level and by the US Open, I'll be 100 percent ready."
Sabalenka claimed her second Australian Open title earlier this year, but was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with a shoulder problem.
However, the Belarusian showed no signs of injuries in the American capital and is confident of maintaining her recent form.
"I'm super happy. I'm doing really great so far. Fingers crossed, the injury's in the past. I feel really good," Sabalenka said.
"We're doing everything we can with my team to keep my shoulder strong and make sure (such an injury) will never happen again."
Top seed Sabalenka advanced to Saturday's semi-final where she will meet Marie Bouzkova, who beat 19-year-old American Robin Montgomery in straight sets.
Thierry Henry admitted he did not agree with the scenes that followed France's 1-0 win over Argentina in the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's fifth minute strike proved to be the difference in Bordeaux, but ugly scenes at Ilgiz Tantashev's full-time whistle overshadowed Les Bleus' triumph.
Tensions between the two nations had been at boiling point after Argentina's Copa America winning squad were filmed singing a racist chant aimed towards the French.
Argentina's Marco Di Cesare set the tone in a feisty encounter early on, picking up the first of 10 yellow cards shown in the match.
After the Olympic hosts had confirmed their place in the semi-finals, celebrations spilled onto the pitch, which sparked a reaction from the Albiceleste players.
Enzo Millot, who had been substituted five minutes before full-time, received a red card for his actions, much to the frustration of his head coach.
"I don’t agree with what happened at the end of the match. My player [Millot] got a red card and I don’t accept it, it shouldn’t happen," Henry said.
"I couldn’t control what happened. I went to greet the coach and when I turned around, what happened, happened.
"We won, but I didn’t like what happened at the end with my player.
"We don't take this match as revenge because the World Cup was with other teams, Henry continued. "Having scored the goal quickly gave us a decision.
France will face Egypt in the last four of the competition, with the opportunity to win gold for the first time since Los Angeles 1984.
San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell threw his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner threw 78 of his 114 pitches for strikes, striking out 11 batters and allowing three walks.
Snell also recorded the first complete game of his career, pitching into the ninth inning for the first time in his 202 career starts, and his first win in a Giants uniform.
Tyler Fitzgerald and Casey Schmitt each homered for San Francisco, who have won six of their last seven.
Snell’s no-hitter was the 18th in Giants franchise history, with the most recent coming in 2015 from Chris Heston.
Snell threw the third no-no in the major leagues this season, joining Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros and Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres.
Snell was one of the most celebrated off-season moves when he signed a two-year, $62million deal with San Francisco, but he made just his 11th start of the season on Friday due to two stints on the injured list.
Snell’s first three starts with the Giants were a disaster, saddling him with an 0-3 record and an 11.57 ERA. Since returning from his most recent IL stint, however, he has allowed just 2 runs in 33 innings, and batters are hitting .078 against him over that five-game stretch.
St Lucia’s Luc Chevrier, Aruba’s Just Aanholt, and Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands all redeemed themselves in races three and four of the men's dinghy event at the Marseille Marina – Frioul on Friday.
The standout performance came from Lettsome, who secured an impressive second place in race four. He started strong and led at mark 1, but slipped to third at mark three before inching up to second at mark 4, where he stayed until the end.
Lettsome finished just behind Croatia's Filip Jurisic. Aanholt and Chevrier placed 24th and 25th, respectively.
Race three saw Chevrier deliver the best performance among the trio, as he placed 19th, while Aanholt and Lettsome were 25th and 36th, respectively.
The overall standings reflect improvements for the Caribbean trio, with Chevrier now ranked 31st, Aanholt 33rd, and Lettsome 34th. All three sailors have advanced from their former positions after the first two races, demonstrating their determination and competence.
Bermuda’s Penruddocke, Cayman Islands’ Webster represent the Caribbean in women’s dinghy
Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke had a great start in the women’s dinghy event, finishing 14th in race one at the Marseille Marina – Frioul.
Meanwhile, Cayman Islands’ Charlotte Webster finished 41st in the same race.
Both sailors struggled in Race 2, with Penruddocke finishing 35th and Webster 40th. Penruddocke, on the other hand, redeemed herself in race three, finishing 26th, while Webster was 39th.
After three races, Penruddocke is 26th overall with 40 points, and Webster is 41st with 79 points.
Penruddocke, 24, secured her spot in Paris 2024 with a sixth-place result at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Webster, 20, qualified by finishing 12th in the ILCA 6 at the same games, becoming the third woman sailor from Cayman Islands to represent the country at an Olympic Games.
As the competition progresses and the upcoming races begin, the spotlight will be on these Caribbean competitors as they work to improve their place in the sport.
Steve Kerr laid down the marker for his United States team ahead of their final group game at the Paris Olympics.
Team USA won their first two Group C encounters, overcoming Serbia and South Sudan.
They face already-eliminated Puerto Rico on Saturday, and though they are assured of progression to the last eight, there is still plenty on the line for the USA.
Kerr's team must win by more than four points to be sure of clinching the top seed for the knockout stage, which would mean they would be drawn against the lowest-ranked team in the quarter-finals.
"We want the No. 1 seed," Kerr said.
"It gives you the best matchup in the quarter-finals. So if we drop down to two or three – which I think is unlikely, but we've got to take care of our business – we possibly have a much tougher opponent."
Points differential is the primary tie-breaker to settle the seeds in the knockout stage. Canada and Germany both stayed perfect through their group campaigns, with the latter occupying the top seed as it stands with a differential of +43.
"The point differential is a big thing, and so even the first two games we were focusing on not taking our foot off like you do in the NBA sometimes," guard Derrick White added.
"So it's a little different than what we're used to, but that's all part of the tournament."
While Jrue Holiday nurses an injury, Anthony Davis is expected to feature for Team USA, while Kevin Durant is embracing his role as a super-sub.
"It's basketball," said veteran Durant.
"It really doesn't matter who starts. It's about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they're in the game.
"So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can."
Should the USA claim the top seed, they could go up against Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece, who beat Australia to finish ahead of Spain in Group C.
Greece have to wait on the result of Serbia v South Sudan in order to see if they will qualify.
Nicholas Pooran hit a second consecutive half-century to lead the Northern Superchargers to a 19-run win over the Oval Invincibles in the Men’s Hundred at The Oval in London on Friday.
Pooran hit a 41-ball 65* including four fours and as many sixes, following up his 62 in their previous game against the Southern Brave, to help the Superchargers post 145-5 from their hundred balls after being put in to bat by the Invincibles.
Sam Curran was the best bowler on the day for the Invincibles with 2-20 from 15 balls.
The Invincibles were then restricted to 126-9 from their 100 balls in reply.
Donovan Ferreira tried his best with a fighting 24-ball 49 including two fours and five sixes but excellent spells of 2-18 off 10 balls from Matthew Potts and 2-26 from 20 balls from Jordan Clark proved too hard to overcome.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
