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Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria shone as Argentina beat Italy at Wembley in the Finalissima - a renewal of the contest between the champions of Europe and South America, BBC reported.

Messi's run and cross set up the opener for Lautaro Martinez, who then turned provider for Di Maria to chip a second.

Substitute Paulo Dybala rounded off a handsome win in injury time.

Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini played the first half of what was his 118th and final international match.

The contest is the first between the two continental champions in 29 years, according to BBC.

It is a revival of the Artemio Franchi Cup, competed for twice before - in 1985, when France beat Uruguay and in 1993, when Argentina beat Denmark on penalties.

Rafael Nadal insists he can’t know for sure whether any match at Roland Garros might be his very last at a place he loves, a place he is loved, Associated Press reported.

For now, if he keeps winning and keeps performing the way he did during his monumental quarterfinal victory over longtime rival Novak Djokovic that began in May and ended in June, Nadal will have more chances to play.

With a mix of brilliant shot-making and his trademark resilience, Nadal got past the top-seeded defending French Open champion Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to move a step closer to his 14th championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and what would be a 22nd major trophy overall, adding to records that he already owns.

“One of those magic nights for me,” Nadal said.

For anyone lucky enough to be there, too — provided they were able to stay awake — or even anyone watching from afar. The match began a little past 9 p.m. Tuesday and concluded more than four hours later, after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

“TV decides,” Djokovic said about the late start. “That’s the world we are living in.” 

The bracket said this was a quarterfinal, yes, but it felt like a final, from the quality of play to the quality of effort, from the anticipation that preceded it to the atmosphere that enveloped it, according to Associated Press.

The only missing ingredient: There was no trophy handed to the winner. 

Nadal turns 36 on Friday, when he will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. When the subject of Nadal’s future was brought up during his on-court interview, he smiled.

“See you, by the way, in two days,” Nadal said. “That’s the only thing that I can say.”

It’ll be difficult for any match the rest of the way to live up to this one.

Nary a game, a point, a stroke or, indeed, a step came with a hint of insouciance. Both men gave their all. Nothing came easily. 

Nadal’s 3-0 lead in the second set did him no good; Djokovic ended up taking it and would say later, “I thought, ‘OK, I’m back in the game.’”

But Djokovic’s 3-0 lead in the fourth did him no good, even though he served for it at 5-3, even standing one point from forcing a fifth twice. Nadal saved those set points and broke there, then ran away with the closing tiebreaker, seizing a 6-1 edge and and never losing focus after his first three match points went awry, Associated Press reported.

“I lost to a better player today,” said Djokovic, who had won 22 sets in a row until the 49-minute opener against Nadal. “Had my chances. Didn’t use them. That’s it.”

This showdown was their 59th, more than any other two men have played each other in the Open era. Nadal narrowed Djokovic’s series lead to 30-29 while improving to 8-2 against his rival at Roland Garros.

Nadal is now 110-3 for his career at the place. Two of those losses came against Djokovic, including in last year’s semifinals. This time, Nadal made sure Djokovic remains behind him in the Slam count with 20. Nadal broke their three-way tie with Roger Federer at that number by capturing the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic was not able to play because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Before Nadal advanced to his 15th semifinal in Paris, Zverev reached his second in a row by holding off 19-year-old rising star Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7).

“Not really getting easier from here,” Zverev said after putting an end to Alcaraz’s 14-match winning streak.

“I told him at the net, ‘You’re going to win this tournament a lot of times, not just once,’” said Zverev, the runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and the gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. “I hope I can win it before he starts ... beating us all.”

In women’s action Tuesday, 18-year-old American Coco Gauff and 28-year-old Martina Trevisan of Italy reached their first Grand Slam semifinals. The 18th-seeded Gauff beat 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2, while the 59th-ranked Trevisan eliminated U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3, according to Associated Press.

The nightcap was saved for two players who know each other so well. The tendencies and tactics. The mannerisms and moods. 

So it should come as no surprise they engaged in points so involved, so lengthy — 57 of at least nine strokes, with one that went 25 — that before some were concluded, folks in the stands would let out a gasp or an “Aaaah!” or “Awwww!”, drawing rebuking hisses of “Shhhhh!” in response.

Debutants Gujarat Titans were crowned the Indian Premier League (IPL) champions on Sunday after they beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final in Ahmedabad, The Indian Express reported.

Opting to bat first, Rajasthan never got going and posted a below-par 130-9 with Jos Buttler, this IPL’s leading scorer, topscoring for them with a rather subdued 39.

Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya (3-17) led by example with the ball. Pandya shone with the bat too, scoring 34 and forging a 63-run stand with Shubman Gill to help Gujarat overcome a slow start to their chase, according to the Indian Express.

Opener Gill remained unbeaten on 45, sealing Gujarat’s victory with a six and with 11 balls to spare.

Liverpool's bid to claim the Champions League trophy for the seventh time ended in bitter disappointment as Vinicius Jr's second-half winner gave Real Madrid victory in Paris, BBC reported.

Jurgen Klopp's side ran into a one-man wall of defiance as Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced one of the great individual performances to thwart Liverpool time and again. 

Mohamed Salah, seeking revenge for his early departure through injury in the 2018 final against Real, was denied six times by Courtois who was simply unbeatable.

The victory also sees Carlo Ancelotti make history by becoming the first coach to win a fourth Champions League title.

Real were always a threat and the decisive moment came after 59 minutes when Vinicius stole in unmarked at the far post to score. 

This was also a final marred by chaotic scenes outside Stade de France with thousands of Liverpool fans, some targeted with pepper spray by French police, unable to get into the stadium, forcing the kick-off to be delayed by more than 30 minutes, according to BBC.

Liverpool's magnificent season brought them the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup - both won on penalties against Chelsea - but ended in a double disappointment in the final week of a stellar campaign.

The Champions League might have eased the agony of just missing out on the Premier League to Manchester City by one point, only for Liverpool to find themselves on the wrong end of a goalkeeping masterclass from Courtois. 

The Belgian was simply perfect as he was a constant thorn in Salah's side, turned Sadio Mane's shot on to the post brilliantly and commanded his penalty area with faultless handling. 

Salah held his head in disbelief on many occasions as Courtois manned the barricade for Real, leaving the Egyptian to nurse the pain of another Champions League final defeat by the Spanish giants.

Liverpool were not quite at their best and eventually paid the price for not taking chances as Real pounced in trademark fashion to win this tournament for a record-extending 14th time, BBC reported.

Klopp's side could not have given any more as they pushed to the final whistle but looked jaded towards the end - no surprise given the demands made of them this season. 

Liverpool will still take huge credit by maintaining a push for an historic quadruple until the final week of the season but the conclusion will sting. 

The occasion left even more of a sour taste given the events outside Stade de France. Liverpool are demanding a full investigation into how thousands of their fans could not get into the stadium, with dangerous numbers packed into small areas as kick-off approached, according to BBC.