Lewandowski brace ensures victorious end to Barcelona's season in Bilbao
A rapid pair of goals by Robert Lewandowski early in the first half and a penalty by Dani Olmo deep in added time ensured a comfortable 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, ending the season on a high note for the LaLiga champions, Reuters reported.
With the title clinched more than a week ago, Sunday's match at San Mames stadium had little at stake for either side.
Barcelona ended their LaLiga campaign at the summit with 88 points, four ahead of Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid third on 76 points. Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal round out the top five, ensuring their places in next season's Champions League.
They are followed by Real Betis and Celta Vigo who will represent Spain in the Europa League while eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano booked a spot in the Conference League, according to Reuters.
Sameer Rizvi stars with maiden IPL half century as Delhi Capitals defeat Punjab Kings by 6 wickets
The Top 2 race is still wide open as Delhi capitals signed off their IPL campaign with a win against heavy favourites Punjab Kings on Saturday, Indian Express reported.
Sameer Rizvi starred with his maiden IPL half century while Karun Nair chipped in with an important 44 to help their team over the finishing line.
Shreyas Iyer scored a half century while Marcus Stoinis chipped in with a blistering 16-ball 44 as Punjab Kings posted 208/6 against Delhi Capitals.
While Punjab kept losing regular wickets, their run rate never dipped even as Mustafizur Rahman and Kuldeep Yadav took 3 and 2 wickets each.
Vipraj Nigam also took 2 but the punjab batters went after Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar to score the massive total, according to Indian Express.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bat first against the Punjab Kings. Axar Patel will not be available for DC so Faf du Plessis will lead the side.
With Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluruboth dropping points against Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings are in pole position to finish in the Top 2 considering they don’t slip up against Delhi Capitals at Jaipur on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah named Premier League player of the season
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been named the Premier League Player of the Season for 2024–25, winning the award for the second time after first claiming it in 2017–18.
The 32-year-old led Liverpool to the league title with 28 goals and 18 assists — both the highest in the league. He beat competition from team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch, as well as Arsenal’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Declan Rice, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, and Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, BBC reported.
Salah also became the Premier League’s highest-scoring overseas player, overtaking Sergio Aguero, and was named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year for a third time.
Qatar boosts FIFA Arab Cup prize fund to record $36.5 million
The 2025 FIFA Arab Cup will have a record prize fund of more than $36.5 million, Qatar's Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the regional tournament announced on Thursday, Reuters reported.
The competition, which features senior men's national teams from the 22-member Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), representing both Asia and Africa, takes place from December 1 to 18.
"This announcement further elevates the stature of the FIFA Arab Cup, a tournament we reinstated in 2021, and reflects Qatar's leading role in developing football across the region and beyond," said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, Minister of Sports and Youth and LOC Chairman in a statement, according to Reuters.