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South Korea coach says Son won’t be pushed too hard in 2026 qualifiers

South Korea captain Son Heung-min will be used sparingly in their World Cup qualifiers against Iraq and Kuwait as he builds up his match fitness following his return from a foot injury, coach Hong Myung-bo said on Monday. South Korea, who lead Group B by three points, face Iraq in Basra on June 5 before returning home for their final qualifier of the third round against Kuwait five days later. The Koreans will qualify for their 11th successive World Cup if they avoid defeat by Iraq, who last month appointed former Australia boss Graham Arnold as their head coach. Son has been dealing with the injury for the past two months and was restricted to a substitute’s appearance in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final. “He and I have not yet discussed exactly how much he will play. But my staff and I already know all about his drive and his desire to play,” Hong told reporters. “Since we have two matches coming up (to try to qualify for the World Cup), I will not push him too hard.

’Hand of Neymar’ earns Brazilian red card in potential Santos send off

Neymar has spoken about the impact Diego Maradona had on his career after meeting him as a child but his bid to emulate the late Argentine great’s “Hand of God” goal backfired on Sunday when he was sent off in what could be his last game for Santos.With Santos and Botafogo locked at 0-0 heading into the last 15 minutes of their Brazilian league game, Neymar launched himself at a rebound in the penalty area and steered the ball into the net with his hand.The Brazilian was quickly surrounded by furious Botafogo players before the referee flashed a second yellow card at the forward, cutting short his first start for the club since he made his return from injury last month.Rubbing salt into the wound, Botafogo scored with four minutes left to secure a 1-0 victory.The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris St. Germain attacker later apologized to his team and fans.“I made a mistake, forgive me!” he posted on social media.“Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have gotten the three points.

Australia’s two-time World Cup champion Glenn Maxwell retires from one-day international cricket

MELBOURNE:Two-time World Cup champion Glenn Maxwell is retiring from one-day international cricket in a bid to play a role in Australia’s push for a Twenty20 world title next year.Cricket Australia confirmed Maxwell’s decision Monday. The 36-year-old Maxwell played 149 ODIs for Australia in an enduring career that is memorable for his unbeaten double-century in the 2023 World Cup, his unconventional shot-making and his brilliant fielding.Maxwell said the physical toll of the ODI game, which can take up to eight hours and be played on short turnarounds, was beginning to impact on his fielding ability and he didn’t think he’d make it to the 2027 World Cup.“I always said I wasn’t going to hand my position over if I felt like I was still good enough to play.

Matheus Cunha has already said how Manchester United must handle him in 2025/2026

Some players need an arm around their shoulder and others need to be shouted at.

Pyramids survive tense finish to be crowned African champions

JOHANNESBURG: Pyramids of Egypt survived late pressure to beat Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa 2-1 in Cairo on Sunday and win the CAF Champions League for the first time. Competing in the premier African club competition for only the second time, Pyramids triumphed 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg was drawn 1-1 in Pretoria last weekend. Fiston Mayele scored after 23 minutes and Ahmed Samy on 56 minutes for the Egyptian outfit before Iqraam Rayners reduced the arrears in the 75th minute. Listless for much of the match, Sundowns pressed in the closing stages, but the second goal that would have given them overall victory on away goals proved elusive. Pleas by Pyramids, who normally attract crowds of just a few thousand, for support led to their 30,000-seat stadium being about half full for the second leg. Both clubs made one change to the first-leg starting line-ups last weekend in Pretoria, where Walid el Karti headed an added-time equalizer after Lucas Ribeiro gave Sundowns an early second half lead. Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurcic, a former Croatia midfielder, dropped forward Ibrahim Adel, scorer of six goals en route to the final, and promoted ex-English Premier League forward Ramadan Sobhi. Sundowns’ Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso left out Brazilian forward Arthur Sales and gave a starting place to midfielder Jayden Adams. Cardoso is only the second coach after Argentine Oscar Fullone to reach consecutive Champions League finals with different clubs. Fullone, who died in 2017 aged 78, guided ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast in 1998 and Raja Casablanca of Morocco the following year to victory in finals of the premier African club competition. Cardoso took Esperance of Tunisia to the 2024 final, which they lost

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South Korea coach says Son won’t be pushed too hard in 2026 qualifiers

’Hand of Neymar’ earns Brazilian red card in potential Santos send off

Australia’s two-time World Cup champion Glenn Maxwell retires from one-day international cricket

Matheus Cunha has already said how Manchester United must handle him in 2025/2026

Pyramids survive tense finish to be crowned African champions

Alcaraz, Swiatek pass tough French Open tests

Musetti swings past Rune into French Open quarter-finals

USMNT's Folarin Balogun to miss Gold Cup with injury; World Cup vet Walker Zimmerman added