Sport

England v New Zealand: second women’s T20 cricket international – live
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

OBO updates from 2.30pm BST start at Canterbury
Capsey steers England to opening win | Email Tanya

Charlie Dean flicks the coin and Melie Kerr calls correctly.

More on Ecclestone, in Raf’s report from the last game.

Hull City v Middlesbrough: Championship playoff final – live
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

⚽️ Wembley showdown kicks off at 3.30pm BST
⚽️ Match preview | Scottish Cup final live | Email Scott

In one of the infinite number of parallel universes that definitely exist, this match will be contested by Millwall and Southampton. They were the two in-form teams during the Championship run-in, after all, respectively winning five and eight of their last ten matches, while Hull and Middlesbrough both managed only three. But Millwall didn’t really show up for the play-off semi-finals, while as for Southampton … oh Tonda.

So in the end it’s sixth versus fifth for a place in next season’s Premier League. And it’s not as though Hull and Middlesbrough aren’t worthy of a place at Wembley. Boro looked good for automatic promotion for large portions of the season, and despite that aforementioned stumbling end to the campaign, still finished a mere five points off achieving that goal. Hull meanwhile, having avoided relegation to League One last year by the skin of their teeth, have turned things around admirably and timed their run almost perfectly.

Celtic v Dunfermline: Scottish Cup final – live
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

⚽️ 3pm BST kick-off; Celtic can secure domestic double
⚽️ Follow Championship playoff final live | Email Barry

Celtic: Sinisalo, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, Nygren, Yang, Maeda, Forrest

Subs: Doohan, McCowan, Iheanacho, Osmand, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Saracchi, Murray, Tounekti, Ralston

Former F1 world champion Alain Prost reportedly injured in robbery at Swiss home
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Police investigating an alleged home invasion
71-year-old sustained a head injury, says reports

Swiss police are investigating an alleged robbery with reports that the four-times Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost was injured during a home invasion. The Swiss tabloid Blick reported late on Friday that the 71-year-old Frenchman sustained a head injury from intruders who forced his son to open a safe during the incident on Tuesday morning.

“The perpetrators entered the residence while the occupants were present, threatened them, and forced one family member to open a safe before fleeing with the stolen goods,” the public prosecutor’s office said. “Despite the extensive search operation launched, the perpetrators have not yet been apprehended.”

Premier League 2025-26 fans’ verdicts: stars, flops, and funniest moments
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Our fans’ network reviews the season with one game to play: the highs, the lows and what they need in the summer

In this age of the managerial revolving door, I’m enormously proud that the Premier League champions (man, does that sound sweet!) stand as the antithesis to that. Admittedly, “trusting the process” aged a lot of us massively, but the agony of the past three campaigns evaporated with the final whistle at the Vitality. Sure, it would’ve been great to have enjoyed the sort of free-flowing football that the Cherries produced, but you won’t find a Gooner anywhere who gives a monkey’s how Mikel got us over the line. 19 great clean sheets. In the words of Fergie, attack wins games, but defence wins titles. Season rating: 10/10

Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5

Jonathan Pritchard

The Joy of Six: Mohamed Salah at Liverpool
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

From Champions League redemption to that stunner against City, we look at half a dozen memorable moments from striker’s Anfield career

It was surely the worst moment of Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool career, yet the reaction said everything about his impact on the English game; the respect he had earned in his first season at Anfield. It was not just the Liverpool support who were upset to see Salah so upset, leaving the pitch at Kyiv’s Olimpiyskiy Stadium in tears, utterly inconsolable, having been levered out of the biggest game of his life by Real Madrid’s pantomime villain, Sergio Ramos. It was fans of all stripes. After the season Salah had enjoyed, what he did and how he carried himself, everyone knew he did not deserve this. There was the sense that Salah’s humility as much as his brilliance transcended tribal divides.

Welcome to sport’s ultimate taboo where athletes risk it all for millions in Las Vegas
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

The Enhanced Games promise human advancement and world records but critics fear more worrying effects

On the eve of the most controversial sports event of the 21st century so far, one swimmer is explaining how it felt to take banned drugs for the first time. “I was anxious, to be honest,” says Andriy Govorov, the 50m butterfly world record-holder. “Because there’s no way back.”

The 34-year-old Ukrainian points to his backside. That is where the first needle carrying performance-enhancing drugs went into his body. Then to his stomach. That one hurt less. “I don’t like needles being stuck in me,” Govorov says. “When I was younger, I would pass out when I had blood tests.”