Author: AFP

Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years as they survived a dramatic penalty shoot-out after squandering a two-goal lead in a thrilling clash with West Ham on Sunday.

Daniel Farke’s side were moments away from victory at the London Stadium after Ao Tanaka’s first-half goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty put them in control.

But West Ham staged a stoppage-time rally as Mateus Fernandes reduced the deficit before Axel Disasi’s equaliser forced extra time.

With the score still level at 2-2 after the additional period, Leeds keeper Lucas Perri emerged as their shoot-out hero.

Joel Piroe missed Leeds’ first penalty, but Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Pascal Struijk all converted their kicks.

Perri saved Jarrod Bowen’s opening effort for West Ham and also denied Pablo as Leeds won 4-2 on penalties.

It was their second shoot-out victory in the competition this season, following their fourth-round success at Birmingham.

Leeds will face Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley later in April.

“We always do it the tough way, never the easy way. We could have made our lives easier,” Farke said. “We had a late sucker punch when the whole stadium was buzzing. To keep the nerves and win the penalty shoot-out shows great mentality and character.”

“A chapter of Leeds history. It will be a big night for us at Wembley. It’s a great step for this club and a great reward for everyone.”

The Yorkshire club are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1987, when they lost to eventual winners Coventry at Hillsborough.

Leeds have lost on their past three trips to Wembley, in the 2024 Championship play-off final, the 2008 League One play-off final, and the 1996 League Cup final.

FA Cup winners for the only time in 1972, Leeds’ last victory at Wembley was a 4-3 success against Liverpool in the 1992 Charity Shield.

Their win over West Ham was a welcome lift in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle for both clubs.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Third-bottom West Ham are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham with seven games left. Leeds, four points above the Hammers, face a return trip to West Ham for a potentially decisive clash on the last day of the season.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo made five changes as he prioritised Friday’s vital showdown with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Leeds grabbed the opener in the 26th minute thanks to an eye-catching effort from Japan midfielder Tanaka, who cleverly twisted to find space inside the penalty area for a shot that deflected off Disasi and bounced in off the crossbar.

Leeds struck again in the 75th minute after Max Kilman chopped down Aaronson in the area, with referee Craig Pawson changing his decision to a penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Calvert-Lewin confidently stroked his spot-kick past Alphonse Areola before sprinting to celebrate with 9,000 raucous Leeds supporters crammed behind the goal.

Leeds lost focus in the closing stages, allowing West Ham to stage their remarkable comeback.

Fernandes tapped in the rebound after Bowen hit the post in the third minute of stoppage time.

Stunned by the decision to play 11 minutes of additional time, Leeds were unable to hold their nerve.

Three minutes after Fernandes’ goal, Adama Traore whipped an inswinging cross into the six-yard box, and former Chelsea defender Disasi volleyed home with his outstretched foot.

Thousands of West Ham fans had already left before Disasi’s equaliser, and hundreds flooded back in after the goal, although some found the gates shut, leaving them stuck outside for the rest of the match.

With Areola forced off injured late in extra time, West Ham had to give a debut to reserve keeper Finlay Herrick.

The 20-year-old, who was on loan at non-league side Boreham Wood earlier this season, saved Piroe’s penalty.

But there was no fairytale ending for Herrick as Leeds celebrated a semi-final berth almost four decades in the making.

READ: Pep Guardiola dodges Manchester City exit question

Former Kenya national team captain Victor Wanyama, the first from his country to join the English Premier League, announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.

The midfielder, whose career spanned nearly two decades, signed for Southampton from Scottish club Celtic for a reported fee of £12.5 million in July 2013.

He made 85 appearances for the Saints, scoring only four goals, before agreeing a £11 million move to fellow League side Tottenham in June 2016.

“Today I announce my retirement from football,” Wanyama said late Friday on X. “Four different countries, six different clubs, a boy from Muthurwa with a big dream, carrying a nation’s pride every time I stepped onto the pitch.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Victor Wanyama made 64 international appearances for Kenya before quitting as Harambee Stars captain in September 2021 after being overlooked for Kenya’s unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

He was called out of retirement by the current coach, Benni McCarthy, as the team prepared for the African Nations Championships, which was played in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in August 2025, but did not take up the offer.

In March 2025, Wanyama returned to the Scottish League when he joined Championship club Dunfermline Athletic on a short-term deal after a two-and-a-half spell with the Canadian Major League soccer (MLS) club Montreal Impact.

READ: Mohammad Naeem helps Lahore Qalandars thump Multan Sultans

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez will miss Chelsea’s next two matches after he “crossed a line” with comments that cast doubt on his future at Stamford Bridge.

The 25-year-old, linked with Real Madrid, fuelled speculation by telling a podcast he would like to live in the Spanish capital.

Defender Marc Cucurella also spoke openly about “instability” at the club and questioned its recruitment strategy.

Fernandez’s remarks, however, were viewed as the most damaging and the strongest indication yet that he may be considering a move.

After Chelsea’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last month, he said he did not know whether he would still be at the club next season.

Head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed Fernandez would not be part of the squad for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and next weekend’s Premier League game against Manchester City.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I spoke with Enzo about an hour ago,” Rosenior said on Friday. “As a football club, with me as part of the decision, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game or Manchester City next Sunday.

“It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I have got no bad words to say about him, but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build.”

Fernandez joined Chelsea for a then-British record £107 million in 2023 and was named vice-captain the following year. After a challenging start, he has become one of the club’s most influential figures both on and off the pitch.

“Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect,” said Rosenior. “He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful.

“In terms of the decision, it’s not all about me, or the sporting directors, the ownership, the players; we are aligned in our decision. The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture and, in terms of that, a line was crossed.”

READ: ‘Hard work is paying off’: Azam Khan opens up on fitness transformation

Harry Kane will miss the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Freiburg this weekend but should be fit for their Champions League clash with Real Madrid next week, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday.

Kane missed England’s friendly defeat by Japan this week with an ankle problem and has not recovered in time to face Freiburg on Saturday.

Bayern take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

“Harry trained well until Sunday, then he felt something in his ankle while with the national team,” Kompany told reporters.

“That will have an impact on tomorrow’s game — he won’t be available. Nevertheless, I’m positive about Tuesday. It’s not great, I’d like him to play against Freiburg, but as things stand today, that won’t be possible.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Bayern lead second-placed Borussia Dortmund by nine points in the Bundesliga and can take another step towards a second straight title this week. But they will be without Kane and his suspended understudy, Nicolas Jackson.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund also confirmed that Raphael Guerreiro will leave the club at the end of the season, with Juventus reportedly interested in signing the Portugal full-back.

“Rapha will be leaving us. It wasn’t easy because he’s a great lad, has played a lot of good games, is very versatile – a great strength of his,” said Freund.

“But we’ve always said that when we make a decision, we tell the lads, so that’s what we’ve done now.”

Guerreiro has scored 12 goals in 89 appearances for Bayern since signing from Dortmund three years ago.

READ: Gennaro Gattuso resigns as Italy coach after World Cup flop

Gennaro Gattuso quit as Italy coach on Friday as the Azzurri failing to reach a third straight World Cup continued to send shockwaves through Italian football.

A World Cup winner in 2006, Gattuso leaves after less than a year in charge of Italy, a team which has fallen far behind historic rivals like France and Spain in the last two decades.

Defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Hercegovina in Tuesday’s qualification play-off final ended up costing Gattuso his job, as the man who hired him also stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Gabriele Gravina had asked Gattuso to stay on immediately after elimination in Zenica, but his departure, and that of national team general manager Gianluigi Buffon, paved the way for the 48-year-old to resign.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Gattuso took charge of Italy in June last year following the sacking of Luciano Spalletti, himself a victim of a dismal title defence at Euro 2024 and a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Erling Haaland’s Norway in their first World Cup qualifier.

His record is impressive on paper, with six wins, one defeat and one draw in eight matches with 22 goals scored and 10 conceded.

But that draw was the 1-1 with Bosnia, which preceded a penalty shoot-out in which Italy missed twice, while the loss was another humiliating one to Norway, this time 4-1 at the San Siro.

Gattuso was considered by many a strange choice to replace Spalletti due to his spotty club coaching record, and he was heavily criticised after Tuesday’s elimination.

READ: PSL 11: Weather forecast for Lahore Qalandars-Multan Sultans clash

Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up another as Argentina thrashed Zambia 5-0 on Tuesday in the South Americans’ final game on home soil before launching the defence of their World Cup crown.

Messi, restored to the starting line-up by coach Lionel Scaloni after Argentina’s lacklustre win over Mauritania last Friday, made an immediate impact in Tuesday’s friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.

The 38-year-old superstar set up the opening goal for Julian Alvarez before bagging his 116th goal for Argentina with an individual strike just before half-time.

Tuesday’s game marked a World Cup send-off for the reigning world champions, who will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J of the finals in June.

Argentina will also play a friendly against Serbia in June, and are seeking to arrange another warm-up fixture before the tournament.

Messi is firmly expected to captain Argentina into what will be a record sixth World Cup finals as the South American giants target back-to-back titles.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Inter Miami playmaker once again demonstrated his enduring influence on the Albiceleste with a typically decisive contribution in a comfortable win.

Alvarez fired Argentina into the lead after just four minutes when Messi effortlessly controlled a lofted pass on the edge of the area and then threaded a pass into the feet of the Atletico Madrid striker to score.

Messi doubled Argentina’s lead with the 902nd goal of his career two minutes before half-time, working a clever one-two with Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister before tucking a low finish past Zambia goalkeeper Willard Mwanza.

Messi could have added to his goals tally just after half-time when Argentina were awarded a penalty following Albert Kangwanda’s foul on Thiago Almada.

But rather than take the spot kick himself, Messi handed the ball to veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi, and the 38-year-old made no mistake from the spot for a 3-0 lead.

An own goal from Dominic Chanda in the 68th minute put Argentina 4-0 up, before rising star Valentin Barco completed the scoring in stoppage time to make it 5-0.

READ: Glenn Maxwell axed as Cricket Australia unveil central contract list

Young opening batter Sam Konstas and veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell were axed on Wednesday as Cricket Australia (CA) announced a list of 21 nationally contracted players for the 2026-27 season.

Australia, who will play 20 Tests in a 12-month period from August, have opted to go with opener Jake Weatherald, 31, instead of the out-of-form 20-year-old Konstas.

With Australia facing such a Test-heavy schedule, white-ball specialists Maxwell and Matt Short were also dropped from last year’s list, along with retired opener Usman Khawaja and injured fast bowler Lance Morris.

A surprise was the omission of fast bowler Jhye Richardson, who played his first Test in four years in the Boxing Day Ashes clash.

The 29-year-old had been touted as one of the natural successors to Australia’s ageing pace stalwarts Mitchell Starc (36), Josh Hazlewood (35) and Scott Boland (36).

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Cricket Australia (CA) instead opted to reward fellow Ashes-winning quick bowlers Brendan Doggett, who is 31, and the 36-year-old Michael Neser.

“The next 12 months encompasses a busy Test schedule across a range of conditions and challenges,” said chair of men’s selectors George Bailey. “This is reflected in the contract list through a predominance of Test and multi-format players for this cycle.”

Australia start their 2026-27 season with a two-match home series against Bangladesh in August. They will travel for three ODIs in Zimbabwe, plus three ODIs and three Tests in South Africa during September and October.

Australia return home for a white-ball series against England followed by 10 Tests in 14 weeks, starting with four at home to New Zealand in December and January.

A five-Test tour of India begins on January 21, and the season will end with the 150th anniversary Test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027.

Cricket Australia central contract list for 2026-27

Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, Adam Zampa

READ: Adam Zampa reveals why he opted for PSL instead of IPL

The India cricket team is set to tour Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series in July, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday, packing more matches into their already-busy calendar.

The matches will all be played in Harare, on July 23, 25 and 26,  before the teams meet again in January next year for three ODI matches in India.

India last toured Zimbabwe in 2024, winning a five-match T20 series 4-1.

Top-ranked India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, won the T20 World Cup last month at home.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Zimbabwe are a lowly 11th in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings but were a surprise package at the World Cup, topping their group to make it through to the second stage.

“Matches against India always generate enormous interest, and this is a fantastic opportunity for our players to test themselves against the world champions on home soil,” said Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Managing Director Givemore Makoni.

“Following our encouraging performances at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, this series gives us a strong platform to build momentum and continue growing as a competitive force in international cricket.

“We are looking forward to competitive and high-quality cricket and we believe this engagement will further strengthen the relationship between the two cricketing nations while providing invaluable exposure for our team.”

Zimbabwe-India T20I Series Schedule

1st T20I – July 23

2nd T20I – July 25

3rd T20I – July 26

READ: Fakhar Zaman challenges ban over ball-tampering allegation: sources

Iraq football coach Graham Arnold challenged his players to “shock the world” after they became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico on Tuesday.

Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and will play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway.

Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured a famous win for Iraq, whose last appearance at the World Cup came at Mexico in 1986.

“With everything going on in the Middle East at the moment, it made it harder for the players,” said the Australian Arnold, who had initially sought to have the fixture postponed due to the disruption caused by the conflict.

“Delighted for the players, very good boys, very happy for the 46 million Iraqis,” he added.

“Hopefully, it will help change the perception of Iraq and football in Iraq. Doing something in the World Cup that nobody expects us to do. Let’s shock the world.”

Because of travel disruption caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, most of the Iraqi squad only reached Mexico after a gruelling three‑day journey from Baghdad that began with an overland crossing into Jordan.

But there was little sign of weariness during a confident start by Iraq, who took the lead after nine minutes through Luton Town striker Al-Hamadi, the 24-year-old who moved to Liverpool as a toddler following the outbreak of the 2003 Iraq war.

Iraq midfielder Amir Al-Ammari won a corner after a superb free-kick that was saved at full stretch from Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.

From the subsequent set piece, Al-Ammari curled a pinpoint corner onto the head of Al-Hamadi, who nodded home for 1-0.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Iraq were well worth the early goal and looked in control until Bolivia, who had gradually grown into the game, equalized after 38 minutes.

Ramiro Vaca’s shot from the edge of the area was controlled with one touch by Moises Paniagua, and the Morocco-based central midfielder swept it into the roof of the net.

The goal stunned Iraq, and Bolivia looked likely to grab a second after dominating the remainder of the half.

Iraq regained the lead eight minutes after the break, when a long ball forward was nodded into the path of substitute Marko Lawk-Farji.

His cross found captain Hussein, and the veteran striker clipped a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

Bolivia pressed frantically for a goal to force extra-time, but Iraq’s well-marshalled defence held firm during nine minutes of stoppage time.

The 62-year-old Arnold, who took Australia to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, said: “We have two months to get fit.

“For us to do something at this World Cup would be a miracle.”

Oscar Villegas, the Bolivia coach, was visibly distraught.

“Devastated, totally devastated because we believed we could be at the World Cup,” he said.

READ: Iran football players in Turkey pose with photos of Middle East war victims

Iran football players and team officials posed with photographs of children killed in the Middle East war before their friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday.

Every Iran player held a photo during the national anthem before their 5-0 victory near the city of Antalya.

Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, and the vice-president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, were among the officials who also held up the photographs.

Iranian officials said some of the children pictured were the victims of an airstrike on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli assault, that killed at least 170 people, including students and teachers.

“Iran is undergoing an extremely unjust and brutal aggression. It is therefore a responsibility that falls to our national team to show its solidarity with our people,” said Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh, who was present at the match.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Before their last game, a friendly against Nigeria last Friday, Iran’s players held up children’s schoolbags in tribute to the victims of the Minab school strike.

The New York Times has reported that the preliminary findings of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school due to a targeting mistake.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended the game on Tuesday and insisted Iran would be at the World Cup, after their participation was thrown into doubt by the war.

Infantino also said Iran would play their group matches in the United States as scheduled, after the Iranian federation said earlier this month it was “negotiating” with FIFA to try to relocate the country’s matches to Mexico.

Iran are set to play their first Group G game against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They are then scheduled to play Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

READ: Iran will play World Cup 2026 matches in USA: FIFA president Infantino