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• Shaquille Stein's lone strike gifts Ja's Cavalier 1-0 advantage over Dom Rep's Cibao in Caribbean Cup final

  Cavalier FC took a crucial step toward their first-ever Concacaf Caribbean Cup title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC in the first leg of the final at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

  A 20th-minute strike from Suriname-born Shaquille Stein proved decisive in a match where both goalkeepers stole the spotlight.

  The win means Cavalier, contesting their second-consecutive Caribbean Cup final, will take an important advantage into next Tuesday’s second leg, which will be played in Cibao’s backyard at Santiago de los Caballeros.

  With the away-goals rule in effect, Cavalier’s priority will be to keep things tight defensively while seeking opportunities to extend their aggregate lead, something Head coach Rudolph Speid knows all too well.

  “There were a number of objectives that we had, and one of them was not to concede because of the away-goal rule, and we achieved that,” Speid said at a post-game press conference.

  “The other one was to try to get a lead. We didn't get as big a lead as we would have wanted, but I would take what happened today (Tuesday) anytime over any other score," he added

  Stein, Cavalier’s leading scorer and Golden Boot frontrunner, continued his dazzling form with his eighth goal of the campaign.

  Dwayne Atkinson orchestrated the move, slicing through Cibao’s defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, which Stein latched onto with precision, firing past Cibao’s experienced custodian Miguel Lloyd.

  Despite taking the lead, Cavalier couldn’t find the comfort of a second goal. Jalmaro Calvin came close in the 67th minute with a sharp effort from the edge of the box, only for Lloyd to make an acrobatic save and keep the visitors in contention.

  Lloyd denied Stein a brace in the 72nd minute, sliding in expertly to block the Cavalier striker’s attempt after another swift counterattack.

  The Cibao custodian finished the game with four saves, standing tall in several key moments.

  Cibao, though held scoreless, came alive in the closing stages as Rivaldo Correa’s header off a corner in the 85th minute seemed destined to level the match, but Cavalier’s goalkeeper Vino Barclett punched it away with authority.

  Moments later, Juan Díaz’s wickedly curling corner nearly caught Barclett, who finished with eight saves, off guard, but Calvin was well positioned to head it to safety.

  Cavalier had one last chance to double their advantage in stoppage time when Calvin rose to meet a cross with a powerful header, but Lloyd produced yet another brilliant save to ensure the margin remained just one goal heading into the second leg.

  Much like Cavalier, Cibao will look to capitalize on their home-field advantage to possibly overturn the deficit and get their hands on the coveted title as well as a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.

• Bellingham willing to adapt to new Madrid position

  Jude Bellingham feels he is most effective playing further forward but is prepared to accommodate his big-name Real Madrid team-mates by playing a withdrawn role.

  Bellingham was a key player as Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League last season, scoring 23 goals and providing 13 assists while playing predominantly as a false nine.

  Following the exit of Karim Benzema, Madrid fielded Bellingham at the tip of a midfield diamond with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior acting as split strikers.

  However, Bellingham has dropped deeper this season following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain, playing just 3% of his minutes as a striker or attacking midfielder, with 50% coming in central midfield and 35% off the left flank.

  In 2023-24, Bellingham played 69% of his minutes in the most advanced midfield role and 7% as a traditional striker.

  Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Liverpool, Bellingham insisted he is happy to play any role if it contributes to positive results for Los Blancos.

  "It's been like any other adaptation," Bellingham told reporters on Tuesday.

  "It changes the dynamic, the style of play and the approach, but I've shown that I can play in different positions. I prefer a bit more up front, but it's not important to me.

   

  "I'm willing to play wherever they put me and I'm not affected by the position. We always set the team up to win. 

  "I joined last summer and the club lost Benzema, one of its best players. There was a gap and it was a way to compensate for this lack of goals. 

  "This year we have signed one of the best players of this generation, who has scored an unbelievable amount of goals. My role is going to change and I'm totally willing to do that."

  Bellingham's goal in Sunday's 3-0 win over Leganes in LaLiga was just his second in all competitions this season, though only Vinicius (six) has bettered his four assists for Madrid.

  After travelling to Anfield for their fifth Champions League group-phase game, Madrid host Getafe in LaLiga this weekend.

• Stokes: We know what we're doing on Bethell call

  While Ben Stokes understands the choice to put Jacob Bethell in to bat at number three has raised questions, he has affirmed England's decision-makers know what they are doing.

  Bethell is 21 years old and is in line to make his Test debut against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday.

  A left-hander for Warwickshire, he has never made a century in his senior cricket career and has never batted above number four in his 20 first-class matches.

  When asked about the decision to field Bethell higher up the order than most expected, the England captain tried to allay any fears that people may have.

  "You can totally understand it, but you've got to be true to yourself when you get given the opportunity to be able to make decisions," he said.

  "We've always done what we feel is right for the team. It's gone in our favour quite a lot, so I think we do know what we're doing.

  "We're not picking people just to wind people up. We do know what we're doing.

  "We do know what we look for, and when you're in a position to make decisions you've got to do it by your standards and your means."

  Bethell comes into the Test side having made 15 white-ball appearances, with plenty of excitement around his future.

  He was originally due to be the backup batsman in the squad, but following wicketkeeper Jordan Cox's broken thumb, he was thrust into the team.

  But Stokes was relaxed about him coming in, explaining that he had full faith in his ability.

  "Beth's got the capability to be able to go out there, bat three and hopefully impact the game, like he has done throughout the summer in the white-ball team," he said.