Author: The Guardian

City’s idea is to channel the pain of their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid into something more positive, something that undoubtedly speaks most strongly to their players.The negativity was epitomized by Bernardo Silva’s horrific penalty in Wednesday’s shootout with Real Madrid, which went horribly wrong and turned the tide for his team. This is what redemption looks like.It’s been a strange performance from Manchester City as they struggle to keep their hopes of next season alive. The double treble may be gone, but the double is not. Chelsea were dangerous, they created great chances – mainly for Nicholas…

Liam and I met in October 2019 and by the time we were “official” there was only a few months until the first Covid lockdown. He was living on the New South Wales Central Coast and I was in Sydney – many local government areas apart. We had the chat of “Oh God, what do we do? I hardly know you!” Surely there was no way we could do long distance – this was our honeymoon period!Once I had received word that Home and Away had paused production “until further notice”, I packed up my 2003 Golf and drove from…

medium sizeAnchester City were thrust into a strange, unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation at the start of their FA Cup semi-final. It felt chaotic and uncontrolled, almost as if it was designed for Conor Gallagher, who is stationed on Chelsea’s left flank as a hard-running, counter-pressing thrill machine whose main job is to blast away Kai Walker’s heart.Mauricio Pochettino’s positional flexibility has long baffled Manchester City. Pep Guardiola was on the touchline with constant gesticulations and nervous energy and was soon having a frantic chat with John Stones over minor tactical details.It must be noted that this is not for show.…

After months of stalling, the US House of Representatives finally approved more than $61bn worth of military assistance to help Ukraine in its desperate defense against Russia, as well as billions for other allies including Israel and Taiwan.In a bipartisan vote, 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans joined to support Ukraine, with 112 Republicans – a majority of the GOP members – voting against. It came after the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, forced a series of bills onto the floor in the face of fierce resistance within his own Republican party, many of whom oppose spending more on Ukraine’s defense.Voting began…

One day England’s dominance in the Women’s Six Nations will come to an end. Their 28-game winning streak in the tournament will be broken. But Ireland could not stop England on a windy day.The Red Rose’s stranglehold has long been talked about and it was evident in their effort to score a bonus point with 14 tries before 20 minutes.England have been professional longer than any other team and although other countries are slowly closing the gap, it will take time for that to show on the scoreboard.”I’m sure people will talk about competitiveness, but ultimately we’ll push it ourselves,”…

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature90 min +7: Chelsea do indeed launch long, but City come away with the ball on the break. De Bruyne has options in the middle but decides to take it to the corner instead. The professional’s professional.Share90 min +6: Chilwell drives down the left and wins a free kick just inside the City half, Silva diving in needlessly. A chance to line up on the edge of the City box and launch long.Share90 min +5: Kevin De Bruyne is named player of the match by the BBC’s Jermaine Jenas.Share90…

Willie Mullins took a big step towards winning the British High Jump Trainers’ Championship for the first time with a narrow victory over Macdermott 18 on Saturday 1 to win the Coral Scottish Grand National, beating Surrey Quest by a slim margin after a tight battle from the final fence to the finish line.Mullins also finished fourth, fifth and sixth, taking his total to £131,120 out of a £200,000 prize pool. He now leads Dan Skelton, his nearest competitor in the title race, by more than £150,000, with defending champion Paul Nicholls some £75,000 adrift of third place.quick guideGreg Wood’s…

The US House of Representatives will finally vote on Saturday on a series of foreign aid bills, bringing an end to a months-long standoff in Congress led mostly by Republicans who refuse to support funding Ukraine’s ongoing military defense against Russia’s invasion.House members will hold separate votes on four bills that represent $95bn in funding altogether – including roughly $26bn in aid for Israel, $61bn for Ukraine, $8bn for US allies in the Indo-Pacific region and $9bn in humanitarian assistance for civilians in war zones, such as Gaza.The package largely mirrors the foreign aid proposal passed by the Senate in…

With just months to go before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, 23 Chinese swimmers have tested positive for the banned drug TMZ. However, they were allowed to compete in the Olympics after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) accepted Chinese authorities’ explanation that their hotel’s kitchen was contaminated.The story came to light following a joint investigation by German television channel ARD and Deutsche Telekom. New York TimesIt sparked widespread criticism of WADA from senior anti-doping figures, with one calling the case “shocking” and another calling it a “devastating stab in the back for innocent athletes”.Several Chinese swimmers subsequently won medals in Tokyo,…

Republican divisions over military support for Ukraine were long simmering. Now, ahead of Saturday’s extraordinary vote in Congress on a foreign aid package, they have erupted into open warfare – a conflict that the vote itself is unlikely to contain.Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, triggered an all-out split in his own party’s ranks last week by finally agreeing, after months of stalling, to a floor vote on the $95bn foreign aid programme. Passed by the Senate in February, it contained about $60bn for Ukraine, $14bn for Israel, and a smaller amount for Taiwan and other Pacific…