Author: AFP

The Spanish football federation banned Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada for 13 matches on Wednesday after he punched a Huesca player in the face.

The federation’s disciplinary committee said in a statement both the Argentina international and his club would also be fined, after he was first sent off and then “attacked” Huesca’s Jorge Pulido in the second tier derby clash last Sunday.

Andrada was issued a 12-match ban for the punch itself, while his initial red card carries an automatic one-match ban, ruling him out for the rest of the season dealing a blow to Zaragoza’s hopes in their battle to avoid relegation.

The 35-year-old, on loan from Mexican side Monterrey, shoved over Pulido and was shown a second yellow card for the incident.

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Andrada then became enraged, running to hit Pulido and sparking a brawl on the pitch in stoppage time.

“The truth is I’m very, very sorry for what happened,” said Andrada afterwards.

“It’s not a good image for the club, for the fans, and especially not for a professional like myself. So, I’m very sorry.”

Huesca goalkeeper Dani Jimenez and Zaragoza’s Dani Tasende were also sent off in the aftermath of the brawl, with hosts Huesca holding on for a 1-0 win. Jimenez was banned for four matches and Tasende two.

“We witnessed scenes unbecoming of this sport and which should never have occurred,” said Zaragoza in a statement on Sunday.

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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag could face disciplinary action from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he was seen vaping in the dressing room during his team’s win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Images of Parag, 24, using an e‑cigarette during Tuesday’s match in Chandigarh were broadcast live on television and quickly went viral on social media.

E‑cigarettes are banned in India under a 2019 law that prohibits their manufacture, import, sale and storage, regardless of nicotine content.

Violations can attract fines of up to 500,000 rupees ($6,000) and jail terms. Personal possession and vaping in public is also banned.

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Riyan Parag scored 29 runs as Rajasthan handed table‑toppers Punjab their first defeat of the season, successfully chasing down 222.

The captain has struggled with the bat this season, scoring just 117 runs in nine matches at an average of 14.62.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could fine Parag for breaching IPL rules and setting a poor example.

Rajasthan, winners of the inaugural IPL in 2008 under late Australian great Shane Warne, recently had their team manager, Ravinder Singh Bhinder, fined 100,000 rupees for using a mobile phone in the dugout during a match.

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Chelsea captain and former England international Millie Bright announced her retirement from football with immediate effect on Wednesday.

Signed from Doncaster Belles, the 32-year-old defender began her Chelsea career in 2015 and made 314 appearances for the Blues.

Bright, who will take on a new role as a Chelsea ambassador, lifted 20 trophies and ended her career as the Women’s Super League club’s longest-serving player.

“Representing Chelsea over the last 12 years has been everything to me, but I’m now ready to say goodbye to playing football,” she said. “I’ve given all I can, and I never wanted to fight for any other badge.”

“It is now time, and I’m ready to go into a new era. I’m always going to be Chelsea, but just in a different way.”

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Millie Bright, who has not played since February because of an ankle injury, won 88 caps for England.

She won the European Championship on home soil in 2022 before skippering the Lionesses to the World Cup final the following year, in the absence of injured captain Leah Williamson.

“Everyone at Chelsea is so proud of Millie’s contribution to the club and the women’s game during its unprecedented period of growth,” Chelsea said in a statement.

“We look forward to continuing to work with her as she moves into her roles off the pitch with the club.”

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Hailey Baptiste defeated defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday to halt the world number one’s 15-match winning streak with a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) victory in the Madrid Open quarter-final to deliver the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

The American saved five match points at 4-5 in the decider and a sixth in the tiebreak before she handed Sabalenka just her second defeat of the year, and her first since the Australian Open final three months ago.

Sabalenka is a three-time champion in Madrid and reached the final in the Spanish capital in each of the last three editions of the event, but was unable to shake off the 30th-seeded Baptiste, who peppered her with huge serves and ultra-aggressive groundstrokes to reach a maiden WTA 1000 semi-final.

Baptiste came up with huge serves in several crucial moments, finishing the duel with a total of 12 aces and 10 double faults, and even saved a match point with a bold serve-and-volley approach on her way to a memorable two-hour 30-minute triumph.

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Next up for the 24-year-old Baptiste is ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, who gave herself an early birthday gift by defeating Canadian Leylah Fernandez 7-6(7/1), 6-3 to reach her first Madrid semi-final.

The Russian teenager, who turns 19 on Wednesday, was a recent champion in Linz and improved her clay-court record to 11-1 this season.

Earlier in the day, Jannik Sinner suggested the Madrid Open organisers should reconsider their tournament scheduling to avoid late-night finishes like the one Rafael Jodar experienced in the third round on Sunday.

In a rare 11:00 am start on Tuesday, Sinner moved past British 19th seed Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals.

He explained that he was scheduled first at Manolo Santana Stadium so that Jodar, his potential next opponent, would be scheduled in the afternoon, giving the Spaniard time to recover from his three-set win over Joao Fonseca, which ended at 1:00 am on Monday morning.

READ: PSG edge Bayern Munich in nine-goal Champions League semi-final

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele scored twice each as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in an epic first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, an extraordinary encounter that was the highest-scoring match ever at this stage of the competition.

The first half alone was crazy, with Harry Kane giving Bayern the lead from a penalty, only for Kvaratskhelia to equalise before Joao Neves headed the hosts in front at an enthralled Parc des Princes.

Michael Olise made it 2-2, but a Dembele penalty in first-half stoppage time had the reigning champions back ahead at the interval.

Kvaratskhelia, surely the standout player in this season’s Champions League, and Dembele both then scored again to have hosts PSG seemingly out of sight, only for Dayot Upamecano to pull one back before Luis Diaz made it 5-4.

An unforgettable game, perhaps better even than last season’s semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona, leaves the tie between the continent’s two best teams of the moment wonderfully poised for next Wednesday’s return at the Allianz Arena, with a place in the final in Budapest on May 30 on the line.

“I’m sure everyone who loves football really enjoyed watching that. It was a real pleasure to play in that game, the kind of game we dream of playing as kids,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.

His team will be returning to Munich, scene of their 5-0 win over Inter in last year’s final, with the advantage, but Bayern will be confident they can overturn the narrow deficit at home.

“We fought, and we clawed, and we’re back in the tie,” Kane told Amazon Prime. “I thought there was amazing defending even though there were nine goals.”

The French champions are seeking to become just the second side in the modern Champions League era to retain the trophy, while Bayern Munich are hoping to reach the final for the first time since 2020, when they defeated PSG to lift the trophy for the sixth time.

Vincent Kompany’s team arrived in Paris having scored 167 goals this season, led by the remarkable Kane and his 53 goals in 45 appearances.

This tie had a lot to live up to, after Bayern’s spectacular win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, but it was an instant classic as both teams showcased their devastating firepower.

Bayern Munich went ahead in the 17th minute as Willian Pacho chopped down Diaz, and Kane converted the resulting penalty for his 54th of the campaign.

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The visitors won 2-1 here in November in the league phase thanks to a Diaz double, and they were the better team early on this time.

But their front-foot approach made them vulnerable to the counter-attack, and PSG’s leveller came just after the midway point in the first half.

The brilliant Kvaratskhelia broke clear of Josip Stanisic down the left before cutting inside and firing into the far corner.

A classic Kvaratskhelia goal was followed by Neves heading in Dembele’s corner on 33 minutes.

The action was only just getting started, however, as French international Olise drove towards the PSG box before smashing in for 2-2.

PSG then won a penalty at the end of the first half when a Dembele cross struck the arm of Alphonso Davies, the Canadian making his first start in the Champions League this season after injury.

It was given by the Swiss referee after a VAR check, and Dembele beat Manuel Neuer to make it 3-2 at half-time, a lead which PSG added to after the restart, leaving Bayern stunned.

Achraf Hakimi’s assist was swept in by Kvaratskhelia for 4-2 on 56 minutes, the Georgian getting his seventh goal in seven games in the knockout phase.

Bayern were not able to reset before Dembele surprised Neuer with a shot in off the near post to make it 5-2 with his second of the night.

But Bayern were not done, as Upamecano headed in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick to take Kompany’s side to 170 for their season tally.

Diaz, who was sent off in the November meeting, then dribbled past Marquinhos before slotting in for the night’s final goal, making it 5-4.

Kompany, watching from the stands due to suspension, would have been delighted with his team’s response, even if they were relieved to see Senny Mayulu’s late strike for PSG come back off Neuer’s crossbar.

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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) stepped down on Tuesday after the government asked the sporting body’s executive committee to make way for a new board, officials said.

SLC is the country’s richest sporting body, but it has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. A board official said that its president, Shammi Silva, convened a special meeting to announce his resignation, with 11 months remaining in his fourth two-year term.

“The committee resigned to make way for an interim management team headed by a former investment banker, who is also an opposition politician,” the official told AFP, asking not to be named.

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A government official said Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had met with Silva over the weekend to discuss the future of the board under new management.

Sri Lanka made an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026, which it co-hosted with India in February–March.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport’s world governing body, suspended Sri Lanka’s membership in November 2023, citing political interference in the running of the national board.

That suspension had been lifted at the end of January 2024, and Silva’s committee was restored. He subsequently won a fourth term uncontested as president.

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John Stones said he had lived “all my dreams out” as he announced on Tuesday he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season after 10 trophy-laden years at the Etihad.

The defender, 31, joined City from Everton in 2016, becoming manager Pep Guardiola’s second signing, and has made 293 appearances to date, scoring 19 goals.

The England international has won six Premier League titles and the Champions League among multiple trophies and there may be more silverware to come this season, with City chasing a domestic treble.

Guardiola’s men, who have already won the League Cup, are battling with Arsenal for the Premier League title and will face Chelsea in next month’s FA Cup final.

“It has been my home for the past 10 years and it will be my home for the rest of my life,” Stones said in an emotional social media post.

“It’s been a rollercoaster in many ways.

“I came as a kid and I’m now leaving as a man — becoming a father, a husband and, on the pitch, a very fulfilled player I suppose in living all my dreams out and lifting all the things that I came here to achieve.

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“At the start of my career here I never would have thought I would be in this position. Firstly, to achieve everything but to have the love, the bond with everyone. Every dream has been smashed out of the park.”

The centre-back joined City for £47.5 million ($64 million), a fee that made him the world’s second-most expensive defender at the time.

Stones, whose contract expires at the end of the season, hailed City boss Guardiola as the best manager in the world.

“I don’t think it would have been anywhere near as successful… if it wasn’t for him,” he said.

“I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to spend so long with him, win everything with him and share and have so many incredible moments together,” he added. “I feel lucky and grateful for what he’s done.”

Stones, expected to be in England’s World Cup squad, is the second long-serving player at City to announce his impending departure after club captain Bernardo Silva.

Injuries have restricted Stones to just 16 appearances in all competitions this season.

City paid tribute to the player on their website, saying: “The 31-year-old’s huge contribution across the most sustained and successful era in the club’s history stands without question.

“Now the club and all of our supporters will take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to a superb servant of Manchester City at the end of the season.”

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Jannik Sinner suggested the Madrid Open organisers should reconsider their tournament scheduling to avoid late-night finishes like the one Rafael Jodar experienced in the third round on Sunday.

In a rare 11:00 am start on Tuesday, Sinner moved past British 19th seed Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals.

He explained he was put on first on Manolo Santana Stadium so that Jodar, his potential next opponent, would be scheduled in the afternoon to give the Spaniard time to recover from his three-set win over Joao Fonseca that ended at 1:00 am on Monday morning.

“It’s quite unusual for me,” Sinner told Tennis TV about his early kick-off.

“I don’t know the last time I played at 11. But for me it doesn’t matter what time. I try to do my best. For me, there was a question if it would be me or Jodar to play at 4. But I think it’s right he plays at 4, because he finished very, very late.

“But at the same time, I feel like we need to make some adjustments to the scheduling of the day. Two matches (starting) from 8pm is very late.

“Even though you have one day in between. But still it’s very, very late. You finish at 1:30am, and you need to eat, you need to have treatment, so it’s very late. But we try to adapt ourselves, our bodies, our minds, so from my side it was a good performance today.”

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In his first-ever meeting with Norrie, Sinner won 81 per cent of his first-serve points, and 63 per cent of the points behind his second delivery on his way to notching a 25th consecutive victory at the Masters 1000 level.

“We know each other quite well. We practised a lot in the last tournaments, also. So, we both knew what to expect. I was serving well today in the important moments,” said Sinner, who awaits Jodar of Vit Kopriva in the last-eight stage.

The Italian world number one is just the second man in series history to win his first 20 Masters 1000 matches of the season, joining Novak Djokovic, who achieved that feat twice, in 2011 and 2015.

Sinner is competing in Madrid for just the fourth time in his career and is bidding to reach the semi-finals for the first time in the Spanish capital.

“This surface is very, very different than all the other surfaces, so it’s very tough to get the right feedback,” Sinner said after his win over Norrie.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re not playing your best but from the outside it seems that you are, and sometimes it’s also the opposite. But I’m very happy to be in the quarters again. It’s a tournament I haven’t played a lot, so it means a lot to me and I’m happy to be through in two sets.”

Meanwhile, last week’s Barcelona champion Arthur Fils advanced to the quarter-finals at the Caja Magica with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentine 25th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Fils, seeded 21 in Madrid, has made the quarter-finals in six of the seven tournaments he has contested so far in 2026.

The Frenchman will take on Lorenzo Musetti or Jiri Lehecka for a place in the final four.

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Manchester United moved within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League as Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealed a 2-1 win against Brentford on Monday.

Casemiro put United ahead in the early stages at Old Trafford, and Sesko doubled their lead before the interval. Mathias Jensen’s late strike couldn’t stop United from cementing their grip on third place in the Premier League.

They are 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton, with the top five guaranteed to reach next season’s Champions League.

Michael Carrick’s side need just two points from their last four matches to ensure their return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.

On Sunday, United host bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit three points behind them in fourth, in a clash that will go a long way to deciding who finishes third.

Interim boss Carrick, who replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim in January, is still waiting to discover if he will land the United job permanently.

The former Manchester United midfielder has made a strong case by steadying the ship after Amorim’s turbulent reign.

Leading United into the Champions League would be another persuasive argument as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe considers his options.

A 1-0 win at Chelsea in their previous match had reinvigorated United’s top-five charge after a home defeat against Leeds and a draw at Bournemouth.

Brentford last won at Old Trafford in 1937, and they paid the price for a slow start on their latest fruitless visit.

Kobbie Mainoo scythed through the Brentford defence with a superb run in the second minute, but Amad Diallo wasted the chance with a close-range shot that was cleared off the line by Sepp van den Berg.

Harry Maguire was inches away from marking his return from suspension with a goal when the United defender’s towering header was clawed off the line by Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

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United’s pressure was rewarded in the 11th minute as Casemiro finished off a well-worked corner routine.

Bruno Fernandes whipped the set-piece to Maguire, and his looping header evaded a gaggle of Brentford defenders at the far post as Casemiro rose highest to head home from an acute angle.

Casemiro’s fourth goal in his last six games underlined the enduring value of the veteran Brazil midfielder, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season.

He celebrated by kissing the badge on his shirt as United fans implored him to stay by chanting “one more year”.

Michael Kayode nearly silenced the love-in with a header that Manchester United keeper Senne Lammens pushed away at full stretch.

Igor Thiago’s muscular power was a thorn in United’s side, but the Brazilian couldn’t finish, scuffing one chance under pressure from Diogo Dalot before Kelleher saved his close-range drive.

Ayden Heaven’s last-ditch attempt to deny Thiago almost ended in an own goal, but Lammens spared the United teenager’s blushes with a fine save.

United took advantage of those misses to double their advantage in the 43rd minute.

Diallo’s determination to win a tackle deep inside his own half started the move before Fernandes drove towards the Brentford area, slipping a pass to Sesko, who lashed home from 10 yards.

Fernandes has 19 assists this season as he chases the Premier League record of 20 in a single campaign set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

United were less dominant in the second half, and Jensen whipped an eye-catching curler past Lammens from 20 yards in the 87th minute to set up a tense finale.

Carrick’s men wobbled but just about held firm as Mikkel Damsgaard’s header was clutched by Lammens in stoppage-time.

READ: Aryna Sabalenka reaches Madrid Open quarter-finals

World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame Naomi Osaka 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-2 in a gripping battle on Monday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals.

Sabalenka, who has claimed titles at Miami, Indian Wells and Brisbane this year, was tested by her Japanese opponent but came back from a set and a break down to triumph.

“I’m really happy that I didn’t give up and I was pushing until the very last point,” said Sabalenka on court.

She later told reporters: “When (she) put me under pressure, I was able to pull out really incredible shots and incredible tennis. So I’m happy.”

The first set between the two four-time Grand Slam winners was tight, with only one break point forced by Sabalenka, which Osaka saved to hold for 2-1.

Osaka dominated in the tie-break, ripping into a 5-0 lead and then triumphing when Sabalenka lashed a return wide.

Reigning champion Sabalenka stepped up a gear in the second frame, although world number 15 Osaka dug deep to survive three break points and then managed to engineer a break for herself to take a 2-1 lead.

However, the Belarusian immediately broke to love and then again in the eighth game, serving out to take the second set.

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Only Elena Rybakina has beaten Sabalenka this year, in the Australian Open final, and the 27-year-old dominated in the third set, securing breaks in the fifth and seventh games while Osaka could not put pressure on her opponent’s serve.

Sabalenka sealed her victory by serving to love with an ace to reach the last eight, where she will face American Hailey Baptiste, who beat Belinda Bencic in three sets, including losing a tie-break 16-14 in the second.

Osaka said she was happy with pushing Sabalenka to the wire after going down in straight sets when they met at Indian Wells.

“I feel like every game was super close. I think… I could potentially match her in power,” said Osaka.

“I feel like in Indian Wells I was a little overwhelmed. Here I did a little bit better.

“Obviously she’s the number one player in the world, so it was a really cool match for me to know that I’m kind of there.”

World number three Gauff, who had been dealing with a stomach bug this week, fell to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/5) defeat by Noskova.

The Czech earned a decisive break in the fifth game of the first set, but American Gauff secured two of her own to claim the second.

Gauff moved two breaks up in the third but let the match slip away from her as Noskova pulled back to level 4-4.

The American led 3-0 in the tie-break before again she could not hold on.

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