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  SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium —  Max Verstappen ‘s march towards a third world championship continued at the  Belgian Grand Prix  with his 10th win of the season, his eighth in a row, and a 22.3-second victory margin over teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen , who started sixth on the grid Sunday because of a gearbox penalty, was up to third by Lap 6 at Spa-Francorchamps, in second place by Lap 9, and took the lead on lap 17 of 44. He is now one short of Sebastian Vettel’s consecutive victory record from 2013 and could draw level with a win at his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix in four weeks. The only moment in which the win looked in doubt came on Lap 21 when a brief rain shower resulted in Verstappen losing the rear of his Red Bull car in the daunting Eau Rouge corner. He caught the slide and the mistake barely made a dent in his lead. “That’s probably the worst corner to have a moment,” Verstappen said after the race. “It’s tricky in those laps when it’s raining a ...

  The 2022–23  Premier League  season saw a significant improvement in the performance of several teams. Clubs that had struggled in the 2021-22 season made significant changes to their squads, coaching staff, and their overall in-game strategies. As a result, they were some of the biggest climbers in the Premier League table compared to their respective finishes in May 2022. Some mid and bottom table teams had a far better campaign than they would’ve anticipated in a keenly contested 2022-23 Premier League season. Some ended up in European places, some even in Champions League spots! The league also witnessed the downfall of some giants with Chelsea finishing in a lowly 12th place whereas league contenders Liverpool ending fifth. However, our focus today are the units who defied the odds and gave a much improved performance this time around and signalled to other teams that they cannot be ignored. Without further ado, let’s take a look at them with a focus on their perfo...

  Cristiano Ronaldo   failed to make an impact in   Al Nassr ’s goalless draw against Al-Shabab on Friday. Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench. He was brought on with 30 minutes to spare but couldn’t make the difference. The decision to remove the 38-year-old from the starting lineup raised a few eyebrows as the former Manchester United started against Paris Saint Germain and Inter Milan in recent friendlies. Al-Nassr  manager Luis Castro introduced Ronaldo to change the game flow in the 62nd minute as the game was 0-0 till that point. Though Ronaldo managed himself in an excellent position to open the scoring he was deemed off-side and the entire attack phase broke down. The Saudi club will play Tunisian side Monastir on Monday before finishing off the group with a game against Egyptian side Zamalek on Thursday. Ronaldo’s teammate at Manchester United full-back Alex Telles has left Manchester United to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr on a contract until 2025....

  Despite claims that the France forward only has eyes for the Bernabeu,  Real Madrid  can’t rest on the laurels given the size of Al-Hilal’s offer Paris Saint-Germain will take the money for Kylian Mbappe wherever it comes from. The superstar forward has been on the market for less than a week, and the suitors have started queuing up. The first to move was Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who offered  PSG , and Mbappe, an unprecedented figure to coax the player to the Middle East. Despite the animosity between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Parisians will have no qualms about accepting the bid, and who can blame them? A club, that is not a direct rival, is handing them €300 million (£259m/$333m) for a footballer. Players aren’t worth that. This is a cash commitment that simply cannot be beaten. PSG  have made it clear to Mbappe that they don’t care where the money comes from. They are selling to the highest bidder, and someone has already fielded an offer that simp...

  The Saudi Arabian club  Al-Hilal  have submitted a world-record bid for Kylian  Mbappé , understood to be worth €300m (£259m), and are willing to have the forward for only one season if that is what is takes to get the deal done. The move comes after Paris Saint-Germain left Mbappé out of their squad for their pre-season tour of Japan, determined to sell him unless he signs a new contract. PSG will accept Al-Hilal’s offer but there have been no talks between  Al-Hilal  and Mbappé, and  PSG  remains convinced the 24-year-old has agreed terms to join Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer. Al-Hilal will try to tempt Mbappé with a world-record salary and, mindful that it may suit him to come for only one season, are open to a deal that – even by recent Saudi Pro League standards – would destroy football’s financial norms. Al-Hilal offered Lionel Messi more than £350m a year to join from PSG but the Argentina forward opt...

  Lionel Messi ’s Inter Miami debut was a grand success. The star’s first game as an Inter Miami player saw him score a 94th-minute spectacular free kick to win a 2-to-1 game against the Mexico City-based Cruz Azul, reports Yahoo Sports. The free kick even amassed huge applause and praise from David Beckham, who is also an Inter Miami co-owner. The game-winning moment was witnessed by football fans and many Hollywood A-listers, including Kim Kardashian, Lebron James, Serena Williams, and more. David was there with his wife, Victoria Beckham. The match was Inter Miami’s first in the Leagues Cup, a monthlong tournament between Major League Soccer and Liga MX teams. Messi and Inter Miami’s next match is on July 25 against Atlanta United. Kardashian , 42, went to the game with her 7-year-old son Saint West, whom she said is “obsessed with soccer.” “I will do anything for my babies,”  Kardashian  told Major League Soccer. “So I traveled the world. We do soccer trips. All summe...

  Mukesh Kumar (India), the Bengal pacer, was handed his Test cap ahead of the second match against West Indies on Thursday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Mukesh  replaced  Shardul Thakur , who BCCI said was not available for selection due to an injury. “Shardul Thakur was not available for selection for the 2nd Test due to a sore left groin,” BCCI said right after the toss. Shardul’s injury, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for both India and Mukesh Kumar. Mukesh, who was born in Gopalganj, Bihar, made his IPL debut for the Delhi Capitals in 2023. In the 10 matches that he played for DC, he picked up 7 wickets. He is known to be a workhorse in domestic cricket and someone who can bowl on one spot over and over in tough conditions. “Unfortunately, Shadul has pulled up. He is not fit. Mukesh Kumar will make his debut. A very talented guy, who has worked really hard in domestic cricket. So hopefully, we can get behind him,” Rohit said a...

  IND vs WI  India Tour of West Indies 2nd Test Preview: India and West Indies played one match against each other in this two-match Test series so far where India won that game and is currently leading the series by 1-0. In the first Test, India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs. In that game, West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first. Coming to bat, West Indies managed to put 150 runs on the board where Alick Athanaze managed to score 47 runs for them. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 5 wickets while Ravindra Jadeja grabbed 3 wickets for India. IND vs WI  India Tour of West Indies 2nd Test Preview: India and West Indies played one match against each other in this two-match Test series so far where India won that game and is currently leading the series by 1-0. In the first Test, India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs. In that game, West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first. Coming to bat, West Indies managed to put 150 runs on the board...