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Judd Trump suffers surprise second-round defeat by Matthew Stevens in China

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World number one Judd Trump suffered a surprise defeat in the second round of the Xi'an Grand Prix as he fell 5-4 to Matthew Stevens in China.From 3-1 behind against 2019 world champion Trump, Welshman Stevens won the next three frames to take a 4-3 lead.Trump was trailing by 38 points with 27 left on the table in the eighth frame but earned a decider by forcing a foul on the blue and then on the pink before clearing up and sinking the respotted black.Both players had opportunities to win the decider, but 47-year-old former Masters and UK Championship winner…

NFL: Keenan Allen – why coaches love record-breaker over star receivers

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Allen was selected by the Chargers - then based in San Diego - in the third round of the 2013 draft, but he has outlasted many of the wide receivers that were drafted after him."This record basically speaks to his consistency and his availability," said McGeoghan, who was the Chargers' wide receivers coach from 2018-2020."But his intelligence and his sophistication are what has allowed him to catch that number of passes over time. He's great on third down, he's one of the best chain movers in the history of the game."Allen currently has 11,563 receiving yards - fifth among current…

NFL: Dallas Cowboys owner Jones fined $250,000 for ‘obscene gesture’

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been fined, external $250,000 (£186,000) by the National Football League for making an obscene gesture towards fans on Sunday.The 82-year-old was caught on camera raising his middle figure at the crowd during the Cowboys' 37-22 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.But Jones says he intended to put his thumb up instead, and was signalling to his own supporters - not those of the Jets."That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan."There was a swarm of Cowboys…

Jake Connor: Leeds Rhinos half-back named 2025 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel

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Matt Newsum, BBC Sport rugby league reporterJake Connor's receipt of the Man of Steel award in 2025 is somewhat fitting given the mental toughness he has shown in particular to put himself back among Super League's best players since joining Leeds.The 30-year-old has never lacked talent, but at times application and discipline have been his downfall. However, that is no longer the case, as an initial mix of tough words from boss Brad Arthur and a supportive environment since then have allowed Connor to thrive.He was pivotal in Rhinos' return to the play-offs with his creativity and kicking game, and…

Arsenal 1-2 Lyon: Is Arsenal’s winless run just ‘a blip’ after Women’s Champions League defeat?

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The fact it appears to be isolated errors which are proving costly gives Arsenal some hope that there is a clear path to reviving their campaign.Captain Kim Little said after the match that the team "cannot always be perfect all of the time"."We're in a lower space just now with the current form, but we'll come back stronger. We go into our league fixture at the weekend for a big three points," Little told Disney+.Understandably, Slegers said her side are "not happy" with their form, but their experience which led to winning this competition last year gives them reason to…

Wuhan Open: Emma Raducanu retires in first round against Ann Li

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Play was suspended on all outdoor courts on Monday because of the heat.Raducanu posted a screenshot of her phone that showed a temperature of 34C.Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired with cramp in the third round of the Shanghai Masters this week, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic vomited during his win over Yannick Hanfmann.A deep run in Wuhan would have boosted Raducanu's chances of being seeded for January's Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.The 2021 US Open champion broke in the first game before Li won six successive games - dropping only one point on serve…

Darts World Grand Prix: Luke Humphries beats Nathan Aspinall in opener

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Luke Humphries turned on the style to beat Nathan Aspinall 2-0 and reach the second round of the World Grand Prix in Leicester.Premier League champion Humphries edged a close first set 3-2, despite Aspinall recovering from a slow start to win the second leg with a 'big fish' finish of two treble 20s followed by a bullseye.Aspinall struggled to start with doubles - a requirement of the double-in double-out format - as fellow Englishman Humphries took advantage and launched into the second set with a brutal 156 finish.Humphries recovered from a wobble to see out the second set 3-0 and…

Uefa ‘reluctantly’ approves La Liga & Serie A games to be played abroad

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Uefa says it consulted stakeholders and found "widespread lack of support" for league matches to be played abroad, echoing concerns raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions.But it said world governing body Fifa's regulatory framework is "not clear and detailed enough" for it to block the plans.Fifa set up a working group last year to look at the impact of playing competitive domestic matches overseas.Last year, La Liga said it wanted to hold Barcelona v Atletico Madrid in Miami before dropping the idea because of time constraints.In 2019, Barcelona also planned to stage a league match against…

How strikers are copying Harry Kane tactic to exploit Barcelona’s defence

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Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Harry Kane scored at Barcelona last season and a tactical trend has emergedByFootball tactics correspondentBarcelona have lost their latest two games and there is a Harry Kane-inspired tactical tweak that teams are using to create chances against them this season.Budding strikers are often advised to pay attention to defensive lines and stay onside, but in the professional game there are forwards who deliberately occupy offside positions in order to score later on in attacking moves.Why strikers are standing 'offside'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Barcelona's Hansi Flick is known for his front-footed managerial stylePSG recently beat…

Fionn McLaughlin: British F4 champion says he is ‘ready’ to step up to Formula 3 in 2026

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Results are one thing in motorsport, but it was McLaughlin's rapid progress in his first season of car racing that really impressed Helmut Marko, a key figure in Red Bull's Junior programme.Less than 24 hours after taking the chequered flag in his final British F4 race, McLaughlin had arrived in Spain ready for the next step in his career, for testing with Hitech ahead of the 2026 Formula 3 season. The traditional motorsport ladder would have seen McLaughlin take a step up to the British GB3 Championship, or maybe a move to a European championship.Going straight to Formula 3 is…