The Caribbean athletes have delivered a mix of remarkable performances and near misses in various disciplines at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yariulvis Cobas of Cuba in Women’s Single Sculls
Cuban rower Yariulvis Cobas will advance to the Semifinals E/F in the women’s single sculls after finishing third in the repechage with a time of 8:10.64. Despite a strong start, Cobas was edged out by Filipino Joanie Delgaco, who won in 7:55.00, and Vietnamese Pham Thi Hue, who finished second in 8:00.97. Cobas had earlier failed to qualify directly to the quarterfinals after finishing fifth in her heat. The 33-year-old, who made her Olympic debut in London 2012, continues to showcase her resilience and determination.
Dara Alizadeh of Bermuda in Men’s Single Sculls
Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh also qualified for the Semifinals E/F in the men’s single sculls after a challenging repechage round. Alizadeh finished third with a time of 7:17.05, trailing behind Algerian Sid Ali Boudina and Hong Kong’s Hin Chun Chiu. Despite leading initially, Alizadeh couldn’t maintain his pace and was overtaken, narrowly missing out on advancing to the quarterfinals.
Andrea Becali of Cuba in Women’s 200m Freestyle Swimming
Cuban swimmer Andrea Becali fell short in the heats of the women’s 200m freestyle, finishing eighth with a time of 2:03.38. Her performance placed her 21st overall, 7.59 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, Australia’s Mollie O'Callaghan. Becali, a two-time individual finalist at the 2023 Pan American Games, faced tough competition but remains a key figure in Caribbean swimming.
Men’s 100m Backstroke
Bermuda’s Jack Harvey, Grenada’s Zackary Gresham, and Maximillian Wilson of the US Virgin Islands delivered commendable performances in the men’s 100m backstroke heats. Harvey won his heat in 55.78, while Gresham finished fourth at 58.92. Wilson also won his heat in 54.49, and Yeziel Morales from Puerto Rico finished sixth in 55.76. Despite their efforts, none of these athletes advanced to the next round. Harvey, Wilson, and Morales finished 39th, 27th, and 38th respectively, with Hungarian Hubert Kos leading the qualifiers with a time of 52.78.
Women’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting
Cuban Lisbet Hernandez and Puerto Rican Yarimar Mercado Martinez were unable to advance in the women’s 10m air rifle shooting preliminaries. Hernandez scored 624.7, placing 36th, while Martinez scored 622.0, finishing 39th. Both athletes faced stiff competition and were unable to secure a spot in the next round.
Audrys Nin Reyes of the Dominican Republic in Artistic Gymnastics
Dominican Republic gymnast Audrys Nin Reyes faced challenges in the artistic gymnastics qualifiers. In the Horizontal bar, he scored 11.400 points, finishing 58th, and in the vault, he ranked 16th overall with scores of 14.766 and 13.200. Despite his strong performances, Nin Reyes did not advance to the next round.
Antigua and Barbuda's 15-year-old swimming sensation, Ellie Shaw, has been eliminated from the Olympic Games in the 100m breaststroke after finishing third in her opening heat on Sunday. Shaw clocked a time of 1:14.78, placing her behind 18-year-old Rouxin Tan of Malaysia, who won the heat in 1:12.50, and Imane Houda El Barodi, 23, who finished in 1:14.57. Unfortunately, none of the swimmers from this heat advanced to the semi-finals as only the top 16 swimmers overall progressed on time.
Shaw, Antigua's 2023 Junior Sportswoman of the Year, swims for the Wadadi Aquatic Racers Swim Club in St John's and is coached by Edith Clashing. Despite the early exit, her participation in the Olympics marks a significant milestone in her young career. Shaw began swimming in 2013 and has since become a prominent figure in Caribbean swimming.
Earlier this year, Shaw won gold at the 2024 Carifta Championships in the 100m breaststroke. She also set a national record and a junior area record in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 37.73 at the 2024 World Championships, demonstrating her potential and skill in the sport.
Though her journey in Paris has come to an end, Shaw's accomplishments at such a young age highlight her promising future in competitive swimming. Her dedication and achievements continue to inspire young athletes in Antigua and Barbuda and across the Caribbean.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says he has held "really positive talks" with the club amid uncertainty over his future.
While Howe has reiterated his commitment to Newcastle, the former Bournemouth boss did suggest there were some frustrations over the club's dealings and concerns about how he would fit into a new structure under sporting director Paul Mitchell.
At the end of June, Newcastle had to cash in on youngsters Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in order to comply with the Premier League's financial rules.
Howe, meanwhile, has also been touted as a possible replacement for Gareth Southgate, who resigned as England manager in the wake of the Three Lions' loss to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
But speaking after Newcastle's friendly win over Hull City, Howe dismissed the suggestion he wants the final decision on the club's transfer activity while confirming he has held positive discussions with the hierarchy.
"It's not about having a final say" he said, as reported by The Athletic.
"I'm not going to say anything different to what I said before: collaboration.
"We’ve had really positive talks and we're trying to bring the right players for the football club.
"It's never about one person's decision and neither should it be. It's about a group of people coming together and making the right decisions, all for the benefit of the football club.
"Towards the end of collating information, that's when I'll have my input. There's a lot of work going on always through the year in terms of trying to bring players in.
"I've just been working every hour to make sure we're ready for next season."
Travis Kelce conceded last season took a toll on him, but the Kansas City Chiefs star is confident he can prepare fully for the upcoming campaign.
Tight end Kelce helped the Chiefs to their second straight Super Bowl triumph earlier this year.
The 34-year-old has spent much of the offseason on tour with his girlfriend Taylor Swift, even appearing in some of the pop superstar's shows in Europe.
However, now back at training camp, Kelce is not planning on slowing down any time soon.
"Last year was pretty taxing on my body," Kelce said after Saturday's session at Missouri Western State University.
"I've had more snaps than a lot of guys if not everybody in the NFL over the past five, six years, and I'm very prideful of that, but I know it has taken a toll on my body.
"So it's just making sure that my body's getting that rest and that ability to train harder and be able to withstand an entire 17-to-20-game season.
"This is my sanctuary. Everybody may say that is pretty gruelling, but I enjoy it. There's something about this place to get you ready every single year, and I'm not going to lie, I got pretty excited as the time started counting down to get out here and get this thing rolling.
"This is where it all starts. You can say it starts in the offseason, and yeah, you want to get that foundation set in the offseason of the leadership and the mentality and things like that.
"But at the end of the day, this is where you really find out what the team is made of, how you sharpen the iron, how your guys practice your practice habits, the attention to detail, and nobody does it better than coach [Andy] Reid."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca knows there are plenty of improvements for his team to make after the Blues were thrashed 4-1 by Celtic.
Fresh from beating Manchester City, Celtic rounded off their tour of the United States in sensational style on Saturday.
Matt O'Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi, Luis Palma and Mikey Johnston put the Bhoys 4-0 up before Christopher Nkunku grabbed a consolation from the penalty spot.
And Maresca, whose team had 10 shots on target and also hit the woodwork twice, conceded there is work to do.
"Off the ball we need to improve things," Maresca said.
"You can see sometimes we confuse when we need to play short and when we need to play a little bit longer but that is part of the process.
"We maintained a high line but when the ball is not under pressure, you need to drop.
"We are still confusing some things on the ball and off the ball. It is normal in this moment when we are trying to do something new."
Chelsea open their Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on August 18, though the teams first face off in a friendly on August 3.
And City themselves are enduring a difficult pre-season tour so far, having suffered a 3-2 defeat to Milan on Saturday.
Erling Haaland scored again, but Marco Nasti's 78th-minute goal proved decisive for Milan.
City's defeat follows on from a 4-3 loss to Celtic, and Pep Guardiola said: "We were better than the first game.
"It was a step forward - no injuries, minutes in our legs, another test - and now we fly to another game in a few days."
Aston Villa are another Premier League team in action in the United States, and like City and Chelsea, suffered a defeat, going down 4-1 to MLS side Columbus Crew.
On the bright side, Unai Emery was able to welcome back Emiliano Buendia, who missed last season due to injury.
"The best news is his comeback," said Emery. "We are happy with his return and we have to work now with him trying to get the best of him progressively.
"The first 30 minutes he played, really, is fantastic for us and for the team."
West Ham, meanwhile, went down 3-1 to Wolves, with Julen Lopetegui coming unstuck against his former team.
Erik ten Hag said Manchester United must wait another 24 hours to discover the extent of the injuries suffered by Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund.
The pair went off injured in the first half of United's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Hojlund opened the scoring in the 10th minute at SoFi Stadium, but Arsenal won thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
Yoro, a £52.2million (€62m) signing from Lille, started despite having featured in only half of United's training sessions, and Ten Hag explained his staff were being cautious with the 18-year-old.
"We have to wait, in 24 hours we will hopefully know more, so we were very careful, especially with Leny," Ten Hag told MUTV.
"He did only 50% of the sessions, so it's disappointing he had to come off. But let's be positive and see what comes out."
Ten Hag was pleased with United's display overall. His team mustered only 0.56 expected goals but did have 10 shots to Arsenal's six, while the Dutchman feels Jesus' equaliser should have been called offside.
"A very intense game, a good level," he said.
"We were the better team in the first half, we scored a very good goal – a good move, a good finish. We conceded a goal, but it [should have been given] as offside."
United won a pre-arranged penalty shootout 4-3 at the end, with Andre Onana making two saves and Jadon Sancho converting the winning spot-kick.
Ten Hag added: "It's important – we know all the cup competitions we are in, so penalties can be important.
"Two good saves from Andre. It's important to have a goalkeeper that is good at penalty shootouts and he proved that again. The penalties, except one, were all very good."
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, hailed the impact of matchwinner Martinelli.
"One training session and he comes in and plays at that level," he said of the Brazilian.
"That's the mentality of the team and individuals.
"Gabriel looks really sharp. He has changed a lot of things over the summer. You can see. The way he looks, his rhythm, his sharpness.
"You can see it in his eyes. There's some spark there. Now he has a point to prove and that is good."
New signing Leny Yoro trudged off injured as Manchester United lost 2-1 to Arsenal in a pre-season friendly at SoFi Stadium.
Teenage defender Yoro, signed for big money from Lille earlier this month, suffered an injury in the first half on Saturday.
So too did Rasmus Hojlund, who had put United ahead against their Premier League rivals in the 10th minute.
United's lead lasted only 15 minutes before Gabriel Jesus drew Arsenal level.
And the Gunners grabbed the winner nine minutes from time when Gabriel Martinelli got the better of youngster James Scanlon.
United did, however, win a pre-arranged penalty shootout at full-time. Jadon Sancho scored the winning spot-kick in a 4-3 victory.
Data Debrief: Close encounter
There was not much to separate the teams in Los Angeles, in all truth, with Arsenal mustering 0.95 expected goals to United's 0.56.
Arsenal had only six shots, so Erik ten Hag can at least take solace in a relatively solid defensive display, even if Martinelli's quality told in the end.
Antoine Dupont celebrated a "sensational" triumph for France after he led the Olympic hosts to gold in the rugby sevens.
Having skipped the Six Nations earlier this year to focus on his preparations for the Paris Games, Dupont starred through France's campaign.
And he was equally as influential in Saturday's gold medal match as France overcame two-time defending champions Fiji 28-7, with Dupont scoring twice and setting up another try.
It marked France's first gold of their home Games.
"It is sensational. It is unbelievable. It is a big reward for us," said Dupont, who was introduced as a half-time substitute with the scores tied at 7-7 at the Stade de France.
"It is huge. We worked a lot for a lot of months and a lot of years – in some players' case – for this moment."
Dupont teed up Aaron Grandidier within 21 seconds of his introduction, before twice going over himself.
Grandidier was born in London but elected to represent France.
"I found out France had a system that allowed you a bit more time to break out on to the scene, so I was like, 'you know what, screw it, I've got nothing to lose, this is what I want to do'," he told BBC Sport.
"So I decided to chase it and pursue that dream."
Fiji had never previously before lost an Olympic match, while they conceded 20 points in a game for the first time.
Blake Snell struck out a career-high 15 over six scoreless innings and Patrick Bailey snapped a tie with a two-run double to give the San Francisco Giants a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in a doubleheader opener on Saturday.
Snell struck out 15 of 18 batters and induced 30 swings and misses, one shy of Tim Lincecum in the 2010 NL Division Series opener against Atlanta for the Giants’ most since pitch tracking started in 2008.
He walked two and his 15 strikeouts were the most for a pitcher this season and the most for any pitcher in an outing of six innings or fewer since at least 1901.
Bailey broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a two-out, opposite-field double to the left-center field gap.
Matt Chapman homered in the second for the Giants and Michael Toglia hit a tying homer in the seventh for the Rockies.
In the second game, rookie Hayden Birdsong and four relievers combined on a four-hitter in the Giants’ 5-0 victory.
Streaking Padres roll over Orioles
Michael King pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and Manny Machado hit a three-run homer against his former team to lead the San Diego Padres to their seventh straight win, 9-4 over the reeling Baltimore Orioles.
King gave up two runs over 6 1/3 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts to win for the fourth time in five starts.
The Padres scored twice in the second on a two-run error by Ramon Urias and went up 3-0 an inning later on Xander Bogaerts’ RBI double.
Gunnar Henderson’s throwing error in the fourth allowed another run to score and Machado broke open the game with his 14th home run in the seventh off Cole Irvin.
Machado, who spent his first seven seasons with the Orioles, picked up his 1,000th career RBI on the homer.
Jackson Merrill drove in two runs and Machado and Bogaerts each had three hits for the Padres, who have outscored opponents 43-12 during their longest winning streak of the season.
Cedric Mullins had a two-run double and a two-run homer for the Orioles, who have lost five of six and 10 of their last 14 games but remain atop the AL East.
Yankees rally, outslug Red Sox
Austin Wells had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and Gleyber Torres added a two-run double as the New York Yankees rallied for a wild 11-8 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Judge reached base a career-high six times, going 4 for 4 with his major league-leading 37th home run, three RBIs and two walks. Juan Soto and Oswaldo Cabrera also went deep as the Yankees snapped a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.
The game was tied five times, matching the most in the majors this season. New York led 3-0 and 4-3, and Boston went ahead 5-4, 6-5 and 8-6.
Tyler O’Neill hit a pair of homers and Wilyer Abreu also cleared the fence for the Red Sox, who have lost six of eight since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox were one strike away from an 8-7 win with closer Kenley Jansen on the mound, but O’Neill couldn’t catch Trent Grisham’s deep fly to left-center and the tying run scored.
After Wells’ sacrifice fly off Chase Anderson snapped a tie, Torres, who had been 0 for 5, doubled off the base of the Green Monster to score two.
Clay Holmes – the seventh pitcher used by New York – worked two hitless innings for the win.
Blake Snell struck out a career-high 15 over six scoreless innings and Patrick Bailey snapped a tie with a two-run double to give the San Francisco Giants a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in a doubleheader opener on Saturday.
Snell struck out 15 of 18 batters and induced 30 swings and misses, one shy of Tim Lincecum in the 2010 NL Division Series opener against Atlanta for the Giants’ most since pitch tracking started in 2008.
He walked two and his 15 strikeouts were the most for a pitcher this season and the most for any pitcher in an outing of six innings or fewer since at least 1901.
Bailey broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a two-out, opposite-field double to the left-center field gap.
Matt Chapman homered in the second for the Giants and Michael Toglia hit a tying homer in the seventh for the Rockies.
In the second game, rookie Hayden Birdsong and four relievers combined on a four-hitter in the Giants’ 5-0 victory.
Streaking Padres roll over Orioles
Michael King pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and Manny Machado hit a three-run homer against his former team to lead the San Diego Padres to their seventh straight win, 9-4 over the reeling Baltimore Orioles.
King gave up two runs over 6 1/3 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts to win for the fourth time in five starts.
The Padres scored twice in the second on a two-run error by Ramon Urias and went up 3-0 an inning later on Xander Bogaerts’ RBI double.
Gunnar Henderson’s throwing error in the fourth allowed another run to score and Machado broke open the game with his 14th home run in the seventh off Cole Irvin.
Machado, who spent his first seven seasons with the Orioles, picked up his 1,000th career RBI on the homer.
Jackson Merrill drove in two runs and Machado and Bogaerts each had three hits for the Padres, who have outscored opponents 43-12 during their longest winning streak of the season.
Cedric Mullins had a two-run double and a two-run homer for the Orioles, who have lost five of six and 10 of their last 14 games but remain atop the AL East.
Yankees rally, outslug Red Sox
Austin Wells had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and Gleyber Torres added a two-run double as the New York Yankees rallied for a wild 11-8 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Judge reached base a career-high six times, going 4 for 4 with his major league-leading 37th home run, three RBIs and two walks. Juan Soto and Oswaldo Cabrera also went deep as the Yankees snapped a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.
The game was tied five times, matching the most in the majors this season. New York led 3-0 and 4-3, and Boston went ahead 5-4, 6-5 and 8-6.
Tyler O’Neill hit a pair of homers and Wilyer Abreu also cleared the fence for the Red Sox, who have lost six of eight since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox were one strike away from an 8-7 win with closer Kenley Jansen on the mound, but O’Neill couldn’t catch Trent Grisham’s deep fly to left-center and the tying run scored.
After Wells’ sacrifice fly off Chase Anderson snapped a tie, Torres, who had been 0 for 5, doubled off the base of the Green Monster to score two.
Clay Holmes – the seventh pitcher used by New York – worked two hitless innings for the win.
Matthew Wright’s career can be likened to fine wine, given the fact that it got better with age. In fact, if the current upward trajectory of the triathlete’s career is anything to go by, then his best is still yet to come.
Having started from the beaches of Barbados, Wright is now set to grace the grand stage of the Paris Olympic Games, and this remarkable feat serves as the highlight of a journey that has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Wright, who was introduced to triathlon in primary school, opted to focus fully on the sport that involves running, swimming, and cycling at age 16 and produced some credible performances across 19 international competitions between 2014 and 2016, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His best placement during that period came at the 2015 Bridgetown CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup, where he was fourth.
However, that period was not without its challenges, as Wright faced numerous setbacks, including serious injuries that threatened to derail his dreams and almost forced him to call it quits in his early 20s.
“I had some pretty good highs, but faced some extremely tough times as well, particularly with injuries. I've had bad bike crashes, broken bones, and torn ligaments. My first ever World Junior Championships I qualified for, I tore a ligament one month before in my knee. So I missed that, and I've just been up and down all around with so many injuries in my 20s that I felt like I was never able to get a full season out. That was really, really hard because I had my heart broken so many times due to it,” Wright told Sportsmax.TV from the Barbados team base in France.
Matthew Wright (second left) shares a photo opportunity with his Barbados teammates ahead of the Paris Games opening ceremony.
He continued: “I almost gave up the sport multiple times. I remember the 2012 London Olympics; I didn't watch anything, any sports. I was just at home; I was properly depressed and I was going to fully give up the sport. Fortunately, I had to go back to university, where my training group was, and I met this amazing physio at the time, and he got me back on track, and I qualified for my first Commonwealth Games. But then I suffered multiple injuries again since then, the biggest one being when I was trying to qualify for Tokyo in 2020 in February, and I ended up getting a metatarsal stress fracture.
“That meant the Olympic Games was going to be out of the question because I wasn't going to be able to do the needed qualifying races and I remember my coach saying, just go home, recover, refresh, and come back to Cardiff and we can get back training. But at that point, my fire completely went out because I was in my late twenties and I'd failed yet again to qualify for the Olympic Games. So I felt like I hadn't reached my potential; my body had given up on me again, and at that point, I really thought I was going to give up.”
Though the extensive rehabilitation and time away from training and competition tested Wright’s resolve, he found out in the most astonishing way that in the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity, as it was during the Covid-19 period that he rekindled his passion for the triathlon.
“Covid-19 was kind of a blessing for me. The world stopped for four months, and I was able to have, like, a guilt-free break. There was no race to get ready for, the Olympics was cancelled, and I was able to just fully switch off and almost heal from what was 10 years of a bad pattern of injuries, illnesses and setbacks. It really, really helped, and that was the time when I met my now-fiancé, so my life really changed for the better in 2020,” Wright shared.
“But I was one step away from giving up in 2020, and for me, that's the biggest story where I was thinking you're 28 years old, go get a job, like, move on with life... sport isn't for you, but I'm so happy I never gave up at the time. I met the woman of my dreams and she's supported me so well in these last three years and I've had the most amazing period of my entire career since 28,” the Loughborough University graduate noted.
Since then, the now 32-year-old has registered a slew of top performances, including winning his first international competition—the Asia Triathlon Cup—at the age of 30 in 2022. A year later, in 2023, he opened the season with three medals in three events: gold at the Africa Triathlon Cup, bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, and gold at the Americas Triathlon Sprint Championships.
However, Wright’s most important performance came at the World Triathlon Championship Series earlier this year, where he placed 41st to book his spot at the ongoing global multi-sport showpiece.
For Wright, achieving his recent successes and a lifelong Olympic Games dream makes overcoming such adversities all the more fulfilling in a sport that requires 17 sessions and 30-plus hours of training per week.
“So all those moments throughout my twenties make the high of qualifying for an Olympic Games and having an amazing few seasons, pretty healthy in the grand scheme of things, all worth it. Look at me now; I've qualified for the Olympic Games, I've won some massive races all over the world, and I've got a CAC Games medal. I've done so much for in the sport that I'd wanted to achieve before that point and if I'd given up, none of that would have never been the case,” Wright declared.
“Those moments taught me so much about great determination, never giving up, you know, always finding a way where I never settled. I had to keep looking for answers, having to work with different physiotherapists and different doctors to find out why this is happening, just to make sure that I could reach the potential I believed was within me. So, yeah, it's taught me a whole lot, and it makes these highs even sweeter,” the jovial athlete noted.
As his July 30 race date draws closer, Wright admits that there are some nerves ahead of his Games debut, but in the same breath, the grounded family man pointed out that his objective is to relish the experience.
"Definitely have a little bit of nerves but I think the biggest key with triathlon is to not get overwhelmed with the event. The key is to make sure that I just control what I can control, focus on my race and I think I'll be super happy if I go out there and perform the way I know I can and not get caught up with the names on the suits,” he said.
“The Olympics is like nothing you've ever seen. Like, the whole world cares about it. The amount of messages, emails, sponsorship opportunities... everyone wants a piece of you, but I think the biggest thing for me is to balance that and to fully enjoy the Olympic experience. For me, the overarching thing is I'm here as an athlete to have the best performance possible,” he added.
Still, given his peak physical condition and mental fortitude, Wright has sights set on a top 20 finish, a feat that would mark a significant achievement in his career.
“I know I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life, and I think based on what I have done before, a top 20 finish is a realistic goal, but of course you want to strike with some Olympic magic and maybe squeeze into the top 15. I think the best is still yet to come in my career, again, I'm in the best part of my career and hopefully I can ride this wave a little longer as I take a dive in the deep end to make Barbados and the whole Caribbean proud,” Wright ended.
A ruthless Celtic brushed aside Chelsea in a 4-1 thrashing at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
The Scottish champions scored twice in either half before Christopher Nkunku's consolation, with Enzo Maresca still without a win after his first two friendly games in charge of the Blues.
Matt O'Riley, who is being heavily linked with a move away from Celtic, put the Bhoys in front after 19 minutes before setting up Kyogo Furuhashi for a close-range tap-in just after the half-hour mark.
Kasper Schmeichel proved the difference for Celtic, making a string of fine saves in the first half to protect his clean sheet, though he got lucky as Raheem Sterling and Marc Guiu both struck the woodwork after the break.
Despite signs of life from Chelsea, they were masters of their own downfall for the third goal – Benoit Badiashile's loose pass out from the back went straight to Luis Palma, who pounced on the chance.
The Honduran then set fellow substitute Mikey Johnston up for a deft finish just three minutes later, though Chelsea salvaged some pride late on as Nkunku beat Vijami Sinisalo with an emphatic penalty, but it was too little, too late.
Data Debrief: Problems to solve for Maresca
While the scoreline certainly paints a picture of dominance by Celtic, the stats show that Chelsea matched their opponents out on the pitch, but lacked just one thing - a clinical edge.
The Blues created 23 chances, nine more than Celtic, and had 10 shots on target, though an inspired performance from Schmeichel certainly did not help.
As for Celtic, they round off their pre-season tour having scored four goals in both of their last two matches, having beaten Premier League champions Manchester City 4-3 earlier this week.
Angelique Kerber breezed into the second round at the Paris Olympic Games with a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka.
In her final tournament, the German kept her hopes of going out on a high alive, getting a 7-5 6-3 victory in just 69 minutes at the end of a rainy opening day at Roland Garros.
Osaka started strongly, racing into a 3-1 lead, but Kerber fought back and eventually got the vital break in the penultimate game of the set to edge in front.
The two were evenly matched again at the start of the second, but Osaka struggled to maintain her high level and lost her serve twice at the end as Kerber's four-game winning run carried her over the line.
Kerber will now face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the second round.
Data Debrief: Going for gold
Kerber won a silver medal in singles at Rio 2016, and she is looking to sign off her glittering career by going one better in Paris.
She asserted her dominance in the second set, particularly, winning 13 of 14 points when she got her first delivery into play.
Kerber also bows out holding a 5-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, who once again struggled on clay.
Kiliann Sildillia's second-half goal helped France continue their perfect start to the Olympic Games as they booked a place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.
Les Bleus made it two wins from two thanks to the right-back's header, though they rode their luck against a spirited Guinea side, who had two first-half goals disallowed.
Amadou Diawara forced Guillaume Restes into a superb fingertip save just minutes into the tie before Jean-Philippe Mateta wasted a hat-trick of chances to put the hosts ahead.
A cheeky backheel dribbled wide, and a thumping header missed the target on either side of Soumaila Sylla's smothering save.
Naby Keita clinically picked out the bottom corner from an offside position just before half-time, with Abdoulaye Toure also seeing a goal ruled out moments later after meeting a free-kick.
France came to life in the second half and gave a warning sign when Loic Bade struck the post from a tight angle.
In the end, Sildillia proved the difference as he was left unmarked to meet Michael Olise's cross, and Sylla could not get to his thumping header.
France are through to the next round, and top Group A with six points, while Guinea sit bottom of the group having lost both of their matches so far.
Data Debrief: Les Bleus leave it late
For much of the first half in this game, France were sluggish and could have easily gone into half-time 2-0 down if it was not for two tight offside calls.
In the end, Thierry Henry's side showed their quality, with Olise proving the key man. He created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, with one of those resulting in an assist.
It is the first time France have reached the quarter-finals at the Olympics since 1996, as they looked to end a 40-year wait for a gold medal in the event.
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