Author: AFP

France’s record goalscorer Olivier Giroud has extended his contract with Ligue 1 outfit Lille by one season, the club announced on Monday.

The 39-year-old former Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan striker scored 57 goals in 137 games for France during a 13-year international career.

“I identify with Lille’s vision, a club with values I share, one that works hard and stands out from the rest through its approach and results,” 2018 World Cup winner Giroud said in a statement.

“I always want more, and I’m determined to keep going and do even better this year.”

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Giroud joined Lille last season and scored decisive goals including four in the Europa League.

Lille finished the season third qualifying for the Champions League.

His leadership was regularly praised by coach Bruno Genesio who has been replaced by Italian Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“I don’t know Davide Ancelotti personally, but the fact that he’s a young coach is great,” Giroud said.

“He’s a coach with fresh ideas. I’m convinced he has a lot to offer the club, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Giroud’s goal-scoring record with France could soon be overtaken by Kylian Mbappe who has 56 goals.

READ: Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson under investigation for ‘nightclub incident’

Teenage Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams will be available for Spain’s World Cup opener against debutants Cape Verde on June 15, coach Luis de la Fuente said on Sunday.

Yamal and Athletic Bilbao’s Williams both missed the end of the club season with hamstring injuries and their imminent returns will be a big boost to the European champions.

Osasuna winger Victor Munoz is also expected to be fit for Spain’s opening game in Atlanta, although none travelled to Mexico for Monday’s friendly with Peru and instead remained at their training camp in the United States.

“We regret that they are not here with us, but the medical and physical conditioning staff advised them to stay there,” De la Fuente said.

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“All three should be available for the next match… they are progressing well in their recovery and are doing very well.”

Spain will be one of the favourites at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and the 18-year-old Yamal could be one of the star performers.

After facing Cape Verde, Spain will play Saudi Arabia in Atlanta before finishing their group stage campaign against Uruguay in Guadalajara.

READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Complete squad lists for all 48 nations

England could face a tricky decision over Jofra Archer’s return, with coach Brendon McCullum “hopeful” that the fast bowler will be available for next week’s second Test against New Zealand.

Archer, despite having an England central contract, was not considered for the series opener at Lord’s following a lengthy stint in the Indian Premier League.

The 31-year-old rested up instead in his native Barbados as England, who are looking to recover from a humiliating Ashes series loss in Australia, started their international season with a comprehensive 115-run win over the Black Caps.

England’s pace attack made the most of excessively seam-friendly conditions in what was the 150th Test staged at Lord’s, the most of any ground, with Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson taking seven wickets each and Josh Tongue bagging five.

The trio will all expect to feature at the Oval, where England will bid to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Express quick Archer, however, has long been regarded as a first-choice selection when fit and available.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir did not send down a single over at Lord’s but, with improved batting conditions expected at the Oval, England may decide they still need a specialist slow bowler.

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Archer is due back in England later this week and could be added to the squad.

“In the next couple of days we’ll probably drill down on that but we’re hopeful he will be available for the second Test, then we’ll work out conditions-wise where we’re at,” said McCullum.

“He’s following a plan (in Barbados). He’s bowling.

“We completely trust Jof and he’s shown us in the past what he does, which is get himself ready based on the plans we get together and come up with. He’s always turned up in the condition we wanted from him.”

England captain Ben Stokes is the fourth seamer in the pace attack, and the all-rounder was more of a support act at Lord’s, a ground where he often has been the star of the show.

He only bowled himself for seven overs in the match, taking one wicket on Sunday’s fourth and final morning, and was dismissed for 12 and nought.

Batters on both sides struggled on a pitch of sharply uneven bounce, but Stokes has been light on runs for England for a couple of years.

Since the start of 2024, he has averaged a modest 27.09, with just one hundred in his past 48 innings.

Stokes has just moved down a place in the batting order to number seven, and McCullum believes his skipper, who turned 35 during the first Test, has the experience to succeed in the new role.

“Stokesy obviously hasn’t got the runs that he wanted of late but I’m confident with the work he’s been doing,” said McCullum. “I feel like he’s moving a lot better. I feel like his fluency is starting to come back.

“Number seven is quite a nice role for him. With his experience and cricketing nous, he’s able to operate and guide the tail quite nicely, plus he’s got the raw power if you’re eight or nine wickets down.”

READ: Litton Das calls Mohammad Rizwan ‘unprofessional’ over handshake snub

NEW CHANDIGARH: Spinners Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav took seven wickets between them as India hammered Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs inside three days in their one-off Test on Monday.

India bowled Afghanistan out for 112 in their second innings after debutant spinner Manav Suthar took 6-33 to force the visitors to bat again.

After forcing the visitors to follow on, Indian spinner Washington Sundar took his third wicket to dismiss Sediqullah Atal for 42 at the stroke of tea on day three in New Chandigarh, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 98-5.

After the break, Indian spinners quickly wrapped up Afghanistan’s innings to clinch the thumping victory.

Afghanistan trail by 314 runs in a one-sided match, and a big India win is now just a matter of time in front of a sparse crowd at India’s newest Test venue.

The Afghan openers started steadily before fast bowler Mohammed Siraj sent back Abdul Malik for eight.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav then broke through Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s resistance on 24 and Sundar dismissed Rahmat Shah for 13.

Sundar struck again to remove skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi for five.

In the morning session, Afghanistan were bowled out for 152 in response to India’s first-innings 564-8 declared with Suthar returning figures of 6-33.

Afghanistan put up a semblance of fight through Rahmat’s 60 before their first innings folded in 58.4 overs.

Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna struck first in the morning as he bowled Azmatullah Omarzai for a duck after the batsman inside-edged the ball on to his stumps.

Rahmat then put on a stubborn stand of 24 with Sharafuddin Ashraf, who made 11, to frustrate the Indian bowlers in the first hour of play.

Rahmat raised his sixth Test half-century with a four.

Suthar, 23, a left-arm spinner who impressed on Sunday with three wickets, broke the stand after he had Ashraf trapped lbw.

Suthar then bowled Rahmat for his five-wicket haul, and three balls later he trapped Mohammad Saleem lbw for a duck.

He is only the fifth Indian and first since veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in 2011 to take a six-wicket haul on Test debut.

READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Complete squad lists for all 48 nations

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed during the friendly against Ukraine but was later able to walk off the field, five years after suffering a cardiac arrest during the European Championship.

The 34-year-old former Manchester United midfielder, who has a type of pacemaker, fell to the ground in the 64th minute of the match in Odense on Sunday.

Medical staff rushed onto the pitch while players from both teams gathered around him to shield the scene from television or smartphone cameras.

The referee called off the match with Denmark leading 2-1, and Eriksen was subsequently taken to the hospital, having been shielded by both sets of players as he walked off the pitch.

“Christian Eriksen is conscious and doing well under the circumstances,” the Danish football association wrote on social media.

Eriksen has worn a type of pacemaker since he collapsed during the group stage game against Finland at Euro 2020, which was played in 2021. That led to him spending more than six months away from football.

Denmark’s team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Christian Eriksen was “doing well”.

“As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should,” he said. “He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him.”

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“He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident.

“We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was OK.”

Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg praised the swift help his team-mate received.

“There was a throw-in, and I walked calmly to the touchline. Then I turned around, and I saw Christian collapse,” he told Danish television station TV2.

“We know very well what that means, and the reaction was extremely rapid and respectful.”

Denmark coach Brian Riemer, who worked with Eriksen at Brentford, said it had been “an extremely shocking experience for everyone, the staff, the players and the opponents”.

“He’s someone who counts a lot for me. You’re closer to certain players than others, and he was one of the ones I got close to at Brentford,” he said.

READ: World Cup 2026: Ederson to replace injured Wesley in Brazil squad

The Brazilian football federation (CBF) on Sunday announced that injured full-back Wesley will be replaced in the FIFA World Cup 2026 squad by midfielder Ederson.

Wesley suffered the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Egypt before leaving the field in tears.

Atalanta’s 26-year-old Ederson made the last of his three international appearances in March 2025.

“The Brazilian Football Confederation announces that the player Wesley was re-evaluated this Sunday by the medical staff of the Brazilian National Team and underwent imaging tests,” the CBF said.

“The MRI revealed a muscle injury in the adductor muscle of his left thigh.

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“In light of the diagnosis, the CBF announces the call-up of the player Ederson, who will join the squad this Monday in the United States,” the governing body added.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil start their campaign on Saturday against Morocco before facing Haiti and Scotland in Group C.

Brazil squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Gremio)

Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Danilo (Flamengo), Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Ibanez (Al-Ahli), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)

Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo), Ederson (Atalanta).

Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Neymar (Santos), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

READ: Alexander Zverev ends wait for Grand Slam title with French Open triumph

Alexander Zverev finally secured his maiden Grand Slam title with a dramatic five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday.

The second seed became the first German man to win a major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 victory after four hours and 16 minutes.

“This court is so special to me in so many ways… but now finally, it’s a happy end,” said Zverev, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the 2022 semi-final against Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he was also edged out in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 final.

It was Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland Garros after some heartbreaking near misses in his career.

“We’ve been through losses, we’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments,” he said during the trophy presentation, turning to his team.

“But at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now, and that’s what counts.”

Cobolli, the 10th seed, was bidding to become the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta to win the French Open in 50 years.

The 24-year-old had never even played a Slam semi-final before, let alone a final, after his last-four opponent Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the tournament through illness.

“It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” said Cobolli after receiving his runner-up trophy from Panatta, before addressing Zverev.

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“I’m happy for you, but I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it. So now you’ve achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”

Both players appeared to struggle with nerves at various points in the match, especially Cobolli during an error-strewn first set.

But Zverev’s greater experience showed in a deciding set that was far tenser than the scoreline suggested, as he managed to get over the line.

The 29-year-old was handed a golden opportunity to break his Grand Slam duck by the injury-enforced absence of reigning champion Alcaraz and surprise early exits for Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.

The world number three was not always in control, making 54 unforced errors, but did enough to finally shed the tag of being one of the best players to have never won a major.

Alexander Zverev had previously also lost in six Slam quarter-finals and seven semi-finals, alongside his three final defeats.

The most agonising miss of all was his first major final when he blew a two-set lead and failed to serve for the championship against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

The now-retired Thiem was watching on from the stands at Roland Garros as Zverev belatedly put the memories of that match to bed six years later.

READ: Tamim Iqbal becomes Bangladesh’s youngest cricket chief

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal became the country’s youngest cricket chief on Sunday, weeks after he was appointed interim president and vowed to repair the sport’s damaged reputation in the country.

Cricket and politics are intertwined in Bangladesh, and the game was affected by turmoil after the 2024 uprising that ousted long-term ruler Sheikh Hasina.

A new government elected in February dissolved the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over alleged “gross irregularities” and appointed an interim board led by 37-year-old Tamim, who retired from international cricket in 2023.

Tamim was elected after topping a board election with 73 votes from 75 councillors, and led a 16-candidate field competing for 12 director positions.

Fahim Sinha, who received 66 votes, was named vice-president at the board’s first meeting.

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“We all have to keep one thing in mind, which is that the reputation damage that Bangladesh cricket has suffered worldwide, I alone cannot fix this,” Tamim told reporters after the first meeting.

“I will need everyone’s support here,” he added.

Under the previous board, Bangladesh refused to play in India at this year’s T20 World Cup, citing security concerns after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dumped by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) refused a Bangladesh request to play their matches in Sri Lanka and kicked them out of the tournament.

Notably, as a player, Tamim Iqbal scored more than 15,000 runs for Bangladesh in a career spanning 15 years and remains the only Bangladeshi to make centuries in all three formats of international cricket.

READ: Travis Head to miss Bangladesh tour as Australia announce multiple squad changes

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez won on a Sunday for the first time this season as he held off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to take the Hungarian MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out on the first corner.

In a battle of the generations, 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday’s sprint, and Acosta, 22, exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.

Marquez beat Acosta by just over 1.343 seconds. It was the veteran’s 100th victory across all categories, and Ducati’s 100th win in the sport.

“I’m super happy,” said Marquez who rushed back after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and a broken foot after a crash at the French Grand Prix in early May.

“The price was expensive, but happy to have another comeback.”

The 4.8km Balaton Park circuit, which hosted its first MotoGP last year, is narrow, twisty, and not conducive to overtaking. Most riders do not like it, but Marc Marquez feels right at home. Last year, the Spaniard swept the board taking pole position, sprint race, fastest lap, and overall victory.

An additional advantage for Marquez is that Balaton Park is one of the six circuits this season that run counter-clockwise. The Spaniard has always prefered left-hand corners but they was even more helpful this weekend because he was nursing his right shoulder.

“I don’t know if I’ll have chances like this again in the upcoming races. I wasn’t feeling great on Friday, but I made a good step forward on Saturday,” he said.

Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a matching factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.

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At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into at the first corner.

Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short starting straight, lost control and he, and his bike, flew into the tightly-bunched pack hitting Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Fabio di Giannantonio on a VR46 Ducati also went down.

Bagnaia said he saw Martin coming out of the corner of his eye.

“When I started to break, I just saw something arriving so fast, and it was Martin arriving at double speed.”

“Maybe he was too inside and locked the front, because the new tarmac on corner one was very slippery.”

Di Giannantonio remounted and collected four points as he trailed in 12th.

Marquez had sped off from pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly outpaced the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed and shot past.

By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia

Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off 22-year-old Acosta’s instant counter-attack pulling clear before relaxing in the fnal lap.

“We tried everything, it was a really good battle, I hope that everyone at home in enjoyed it,” said Acosta who is still chasing his first MotoGP victory. “The pace was good. qualifying again was good. Back-to-back podiums, I’m quite happy.”

Ai Ogura on a Trackhouse was fourth and Luca Marini fifth for Honda.

Bezzcchi, Martin and Di Gianntonio stayed in the first three places in the standings. Acosta jumped to fourth and Marquez into fifth.

READ: Pakistan thump Afghanistan to reach four-nation tournament final

Debutant spinner Manav Suthar took three wickets to dent Afghanistan’s reply after India declared their innings on 564-8 in their one-off Test on Sunday.

Afghanistan were 113-5 at stumps on day two after Suthar had Afsar Zazai caught and bowled for three.

Rahmat Shah was unbeaten on 43, with Afghanistan still trailing India by 451 runs at New Chandigarh.

Afghanistan pace bowler Mohammad Saleem earlier took six wickets before India ended their first innings in the second session with Washington Sundar unbeaten on 52.

A fourth-wicket stand of 169 between captain Shubman Gill, who made 126, and Rishabh Pant (81) was the highlight of the Indian innings after the hosts resumed on 368-3.

Afghanistan started on a shaky note when left-arm spinner Suthar dismissed opener Abdul Malik for 16 with his fourth ball in Test cricket on the stroke of tea.

Pace bowler Prasidh Krishna dismissed Sediqullah Atal for 17 before 23-year-old Suthar had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught at second slip for 12.

Shah then attempted to steady the innings with Hashmatullah Shahidi, who was trapped leg before by Krishna for 20.

Saleem, 23, struck twice in the morning session and then dismissed Suthar for 28 after lunch to claim his first five-wicket haul in Tests.

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He consistently bowled at speeds above 140 km/h (86.9 mph) to impress in just his second Test.

Left-hander Sundar and Mohammed Siraj went on the attack to boost India’s total.

Siraj hammered debutant left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote for a four and two sixes in one over before he was bowled by Saleem.

Saleem earlier broke the stand between Gill and Pant when he had the Indian captain caught behind with a delivery that held its line.

Wicketkeeper Pant added 31 runs to his overnight score and was eyeing a century when he was caught at long-off while attempting a big hit off Shahidi.

Afghanistan made even harder work of it by repeatedly failing to review borderline decisions.

Gill had added just five runs to his overnight score of 103 when he was struck on the pads by pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai.

Afghanistan did not ask for a review after Gill was given not out, but ball-tracking technology showed the delivery would have hit the leg stump.

Pant, on 54, also survived the next ball despite ball-tracking showing that Omarzai had caught a faint edge, with Afghanistan again deciding against a review.

READ: Five-star Atkinson seals England victory over New Zealand