Author: Guardian sport and agencies

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European football: Milan blow away Inter to reach Coppa Italia final

  • Jovic double gives Milan 3-0 win over rivals
  • Juventus lose 1-0 at Parma in fresh setback

Milan ruined Inter’s push for a treble and advanced to the Coppa Italia final with a 3-0 derby win courtesy of two goals from Luka Jovic.

Inter pressed forward early on and Federico Dimarco struck the crossbar in the 23rd minute. But Jovic put Milan ahead 13 minutes later with a powerful header and then doubled the advantage from close range shortly after the break. Tijjani Reijnders added another for Milan in the 85th minute by finishing off an excellent team move, giving them a 4-1 aggregate triumph over two legs.

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Serie A matches and Italy’s Women’s Six Nations game move due to pope’s funeral

  • Serie A leaders Inter will now host Roma on Sunday
  • Italy v Wales in Women’s Six Nations to be rescheduled

Serie A has postponed its three fixtures on Saturday because of Pope Francis’s funeral being held that day in Rome. Meanwhile, Italy’s Women’s Six Nations match against Wales is also expected to be rescheduled as the country prepares to pay its respects.

Earlier media reports in Italy had suggested that Serie A might make an exception for Inter’s clash with the visitors Roma to allow Simone Inzaghi’s side additional rest time before their midweek Champions League semi-final at Barcelona. However, the league has confirmed that the game at San Siro will now kick off at 2pm (all times BST) on Sunday.

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Simone Biles unsure of competing at 2028 LA Olympics: ‘My body is aging’

  • American has won seven Olympics golds
  • Biles would be 31 at the start of next Summer Games

Simone Biles says she is unsure whether she will compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The 28-year-old says she has other priorities, and is mindful of the demands her sport puts on her body at an age when most elite gymnasts have long since retired. Biles will be 31 when the LA Olympics start: the oldest all-around female gymnastics champion is Maria Gorokhovskaya, who won gold at the age of 30 at the 1952 Games.

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R&A ‘would love’ the Open to return to Donald Trump’s Turnberry course

  • Scottish course last hosted event in 2009
  • R&A says logistics, not politics, are a concern

The R&A would like to see Donald Trump’s Turnberry course in Scotland return as host of the Open but will first need to assess the feasibility of the venue, the governing body’s chief executive, Mark Darbon, said.

Turnberry, a seaside course in South Ayrshire, has staged the Open four times – most recently in 2009 when American Stewart Cink edged past his compatriot Tom Watson to claim the title in a thrilling victory. Trump bought the property in 2014 and has spent £200m upgrading the resort’s courses.

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European football: Orsolini last-gasp bicycle kick dents Inter’s title charge

  • Bologna shock leaders with stunning ultra-late winner
  • Real Madrid score stoppage time winner against Bilbao

A stunning last-gasp goal by striker Riccardo Orsolini gave Bologna a 1-0 home win against Inter in Serie A on Sunday in a blow to the visitors’ hopes of retaining their title.

Treble-chasing Inter stayed top of the standings with 71 points after 33 games but second-placed Napoli are now level on points with the leaders after securing a late 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Monza on Saturday.

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‘Welcome to the club’: Woods leads salutes to McIlroy’s Masters win and grand slam

  • Media in Ireland and US pay tribute to epic achievement
  • ‘This means everything to him,’ says Shane Lowry

Tiger Woods welcomed Rory McIlroy to golf’s most exclusive club after his dramatic victory in the Masters. McIlroy, born in Holywood, Co Down, defeated Justin Rose on the first hole of a playoff at Augusta National to join Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen in having won all four major titles.

“Welcome to the club @McIlroyRory,” Woods posted on social media. The 15-time major winner, who achieved three grand slams, added: “Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!”

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Sporting KC, coach Peter Vermes part ways after more than 15 seasons

  • Vermes had the world’s fourth-longest managerial tenure
  • KC failed to make playoffs in two of last three seasons

Sporting Kansas City and longtime coach Peter Vermes have mutually parted ways, the team announced on Monday.

Vermes, 58, was the longest-tenured skipper in MLS, having originally taken over as interim coach in 2009. He also owned the fourth-longest active managerial tenure in the world before his firing. His 15 year, seven month, 24 day tenure stands as the 38th-longest tenure by any soccer manager in the world since the second world war.

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Tiger Woods confirms relationship with Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law

  • Golfer announces relationship on social media
  • Vanessa Trump was married to Donald Trump Jr

Tiger Woods has confirmed he is in a relationship with Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump.

Woods announced the news on Sunday. “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together,” Woods wrote on X to his 6.4 millions followers … At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.”

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Hearn warns ‘boxing has changed’ after Eubank hits Benn with egg at face-off

  • ‘Never lay a hand on a fighter at a press conference’
  • Eubank made reference to two drugs tests Benn failed

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has warned that the sport “changed tonight” after the incident in which Chris Eubank Jr slapped rival Conor Benn with an egg as their personal enmity boiled over in a press conference ahead of their highly anticipated middleweight clash in April.

Hearn, who represents Benn, told the Radio 4 Today programme on Wednesday: “I’ll choose my words carefully [as I’m on the BBC] but I wasn’t overly happy with it if I’m honest. “I never feel like you should lay a hand on a fighter at a press conference, especially not with an object.

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Lionel Messi fined by MLS after grabbing opposing coach by neck

  • Inter Miami star was booked for dissent
  • Messi provided two assists in the match

Lionel Messi has been fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer after grabbing the neck of a New York City assistant coach at the end of Saturday’s game between the sides.

The World Cup winner was caught on camera in a confrontation with NYC FC assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy after the final whistle. Messi twice put his hands on the back of Ballouchy’s neck during the arguments. MLS said in a statement that their disciplinary committee had ruled that the Argentinian had violated the league’s “Hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent policy.”

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Tiger Woods announces death of mother Kultida, ’my biggest fan’

  • Former world No 1 announces death of mother at 78
  • Kultida Woods attended son’s TGL match last week

Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that his mother Kultida had passed away, paying tribute to her as “my biggest fan”.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” the 15-time major champion wrote on Instagram.

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European football: lifelong Roma fan Pellegrini takes down Lazio in derby

  • Under-fire captain helps extend Ranieri’s perfect record
  • Dembélé’s last-gasp strike wins French Super Cup for PSG

Claudio Ranieri extended his perfect record in the Italian capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season.

Roma’s captain and lifelong club fan, Lorenzo Pellegrini, scored a superb opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area to end his long wait for a goal. Then Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes.

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Atalanta show their mettle at Lazio to keep in-form Inter off Serie A summit

  • Marco Brescianini scores in 88th minute to earn 1-1 draw
  • Martínez ends drought in Inter’s 3-0 win at Cagliari

Atalanta’s 11-match winning streak in Serie A ended with a 1-1 draw at Lazio, but Marco Brescianini’s 88th-minute equaliser kept them top of the table.

Fourth-placed Lazio dominated the first half in Rome and were rewarded in the 27th minute when Nicolò Rovella played a high through ball to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who cut inside the box and sent a bouncing volley into the net to break.

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Champions League: Atlético leave PSG in trouble while Musiala revives Bayern

  • Barcelona hit five at Red Star Belgrade
  • Brest and Atalanta continue superb starts

Paris Saint-Germain’s disappointing Champions League campaign continued on Wednesday as they slumped to a last-gasp 2-1 home defeat by Atlético Madrid that left the Ligue 1 leaders in the elimination zone.

Warren Zaïre-Emery’s opener was quickly cancelled out by Nahuel Molina in the first half of a largely disappointing match which ended with Ángel Correa stabbing in the winner three minutes into added time.

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Jordan Chiles appeals to Swiss supreme court over stripping of Olympic bronze

  • Romanian athlete was awarded bronze over Chiles
  • IOC ordered American to return Olympic medal

Jordan Chiles is asking Switzerland’s supreme court to overturn a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stripped the gymnast of a bronze medal in the floor exercise at the 2024 Olympics.

Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed the appeal on Monday.

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