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Tyson Fury v Arslanbek Makhmudov: heavyweight boxing – live | Tyson Fury
Key events
Round 9
A reminder this is scheduled for 12 rounds. Will it get that far? Fury has landed over 100 punches as this round begins and while the majority are jabs, he’s increasingly upping the number of power shots. Fury is now the one pushing Makhmudov to the ropes. Fury’s jabs are piercing Makhmudov’s high guard. Makhmudov is showing plenty of guts in there but he’s getting outworked and pretty much outclassed.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 89-82 Makhmudov)
Round 8
Fury’s jab is a range-finder, a ramrod, a distraction; whatever he needs it to be. But after setting the table with the jab, the idea is you ‘eat’ with the other punches – and on cue Fury lands an uppercut and a big left hand to the head! That stiffens Makhmudov’s legs and has him in survival mode. Fury is going through the gears here and Makhmudov is tiring.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 79-73 Makhmudov)
Round 7
Makhmudov finally has some success, landing two clean shots that – if they don’t at all shake up Fury – at least get his respect. But, as Andre Ward correctly assesses on commentary, he’s smothering his own work and is unable to capitalise on what pockets of success he has. Fury lands a terrific uppercut! He’s been looking for that and it lands. Makhmudov took it well. Fury goes back to controlling everything with his jab.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 69-64 Makhmudov)
Round 6
Fury fires in some straight punches to body and head. He easily evades Makhmudov’s cumbersome blows. Anthony Joshua is filming at all on his phone at ringside. Why not, eh? Though this is hardly a classic, AJ. Makhmudov rumbles forward. In truth, Fury is rarely catching him clean but every now and then, he lands a crisp blow. Fury briefly goes southpaw, then switches back again.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 59-55 Makhmudov)
Round 5
Makhmudov is landing the odd flush punch. But they are one-offs. Fury, unsurprisingly at 37, doesn’t look as light on his feet as he once did. But he’s still quicker with his fists and Makhmudov’s output has slowed. It’s an untidy fight but in the final minute, Fury goes to work, thumping in some body shots, then he lands a clubbing left hook up close. They touch gloves at the end of the round.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 49-46 Makhmudov)
Round 4
Makhmudov clips Fury with a solid left hand! No sense Fury was rocked but it was a clean punch, the Russian is enthused and ups his work rate, launching hooks. Admittedly, they look like they’re coming through porridge, but you wouldn’t want to get caught by one. Fury grapples, counters, briefly gets Makhmudov in a headlock. A one-two right down the pipe from Fury lands flush on Makhmudov with a minute to go. It’s a bit of a roughhouse fight but Fury is busier and doing better work.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 39-37 Makhmudov)
Round 3
“I hurt him there,” Fury tells trainer SugarHill Steward in the corner between rounds. On the round’s start, he looks to use his feet, circling Makhmudov and firing out a more authoritative jab. Fury is headhunting, although Makhmudov’s body is a large target. The pair clinch in the last minute but Fury does start banging to the body now. Several times. Makhmudov is realising that in a mauling scrap up close, Fury is as comfortable as he is at range.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 29-28 Makhmudov)
Round 2
Makhmudov comes forward with more clubbing shots. He’s got a pawing jab but it’s pretty slow. Fury’s flicking jab is faster. He’s in centre ring, feinting, looking to counter ‘The Lion’. Makhmudov keeps charging Fury to the ropes but the two just clinch and grapple when Fury gets there. At the end of the round, Fury spins Makhmudov into the corner and lands some shots.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 10-9 Makhmudov (Fury 19-19 Makhmudov)
Round 1
Makhmudov, very similar dimensions to Fury, bulls forward. He lands one decent right hand. He has a host of first-round KOs – of his 19 KOs in 23 fights, the vast majority are early. Fury isn’t unsettled though, he flicks out some counters. He’s happy to back off, observe his opponent, start to get a read on his style. It is crude. In the final minute, Fury holds his feet a little more in centre ring and fires off some straight punches.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 9-10 Makhmudov (Fury 9-10 Makhmudov)
A reminder that earlier, we were promised a huge announcement post-fight – and Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are ringside at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. So, well, you do the maths. But first we have the small matter of Fury trying to earn a first win since 2023 first!
Michael Buffer is readying and rumbling.
If it was any normal boxer, you’d say crying during the ring entrance was a bad sign – shades of Oliver McCall. But of course Tyson Fury is not normal.
His mood switches like the wind and after shedding a tear for Hatton and having got rid of that emotion, he’s got a wide grin plastered over his face as he heads for the ring and the heavyweight contest up next!
Tyson Fury is in tears as he emerges, his ring entrance the promised tribute to Ricky Hatton. We get a blast of Blue Moon and Fury is in a sky blue and black robe to pay homage to his friend and the British boxing icon.
Arslanbek Makhmudov walks to the ring, looking focused. He has a strange quirk – almost Bill Goldberg-esque (dare I saw on the Guardian) – of twitching his muscular neck. It does not detract from his intimidating aura I must say.
Donald McRae
Conor Benn, at 29, is eight years younger than Regis Prograis. He is also the bigger and much fresher man so there was little surprise in his clear points victory. But the best welterweights in the world will hardly be quaking after watching Benn tonight. Instead, I reckon they will jump at the chance of making a shedload of money by signing up to fight him.. At least to my slightly jaded eyes, Benn is not much more than a decent operator who is in supreme condition and can fight at a fair old lick.
The muted hum of the crowd throughout the fight suggested that they were not exactly blown away either.
And now for the big men…
Benn beats Prograis by unanimous decision
Conor Benn gets the same score from all three judges: 98-92 for a unanimous decision victory over Regis Prograis, who applauded the victor at the announcement.
Benn is bleeding from one of his heead-clash caused cuts, the gutsy Prograis is marked up from Benn’s fists. It was a pretty clear decision as Benn swept the second half of the contest after Prograis had his moments in the first five rounds. Cue the Sweet Caroline!
We await the decision but I suspect it’s a formality. Regis Prograis has never been stopped and you can see why, great toughness from the two-weight world champion who had his moments.
The head clashes, often a problem for an aggressive orthodox fighter against a southpaw, caused Conor Benn some cuts and moments of uncertainty. But he found a gameplan that worked, going to body and head with success.
Round 10
The final round! Benn pushes Prograis to the canvas and gets a ticking off from the referee. Prograis’ legs are looking pretty unsteady but he fires off a few right jabs to show Benn he’s still in there. Benn rotates the target, fists cocked, he’s desperate for a stoppage of course – but the distance may be against him. Yet another head clash! And Benn is bleeding once more. He’ll be marked up tomorrow but the greater punishment honestly came from Prograis’ head rather than his fists. The final bell and the two embrace.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 98-92 Prograis)
Round 9
I have the same score as David Haye. Erm, is that ever a good sign? (We didn’t score the rounds the exact same way, for what it’s worth.) Anyway, the ninth round is more of the same: Benn with the combination punches, body and head. But he hasn’t found a shot to really shake up Prograis, despite his late-fight dominance. The American’s face is very marked up now but he’s incredibly game and bites down to survive the round. He’s looking weary.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 88-83 Prograis)
Round 8
An aggressive start from Benn, unloading as he wants a stoppage inside the 10-round distance. The corner have done on a fine job on the cuts, they’re not a problem. Benn is throwing punches in bunches and while he’s getting caught with the odd one-punch counter coming in, there’s not enough on Prograis’ blows to slow down the man stalking him. Benn is twisting from the waist, trying to find the angles, another clear round.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 78-74 Prograis)
Round 7
Prograis is sucking wind a bit as Benn bangs in the body shots. The head clashes, a problem against southpaws, have caused the cuts but to be fair to Benn he looks calm again now. The uppercut is working for Benn as he has found some variety at last. Prograis landed with the odd counter but the pace of this fight is against him. A big round for Benn.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 68-65 Prograis)
Round 6
Benn is wide open for a Prograis left hand. That’s happened a few times and a bigger puncher – or just a bigger fighter than the natural light-welterweight Prograis – would have Benn in some bother here. Benn lands an uppercut, but now he’s cut over the other eye! Benn’s face is looking a bit of a mess. Prograis says “no” when Benn lands a shot as the two exchange verbals as well as blows. I actually think Benn edged that round, landing some good body punches, but he’s not looking comfortable in there.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 58-56 Prograis)
Round 5
Benn looks to open up again. He’s outworking Prograis for spells but it’s a bit predictable and plenty of shots are hitting the American’s gloves. Prograis is catching Benn with some straight lefts. Now they’re swapping blows to the body! This fight is really catching fire and becoming a slugfest. I think Benn edged that on work rate but Prograis is putting in some eye-catching counters. Good entertainment.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 48-47 Prograis)
Round 4
Benn comes out fast but Prograis surprises him slightly by coming forward for the first time and landing a few solid punches. And Benn has a cut over his right eye! I’m not sure if it was a punch or a head clash but Prograis definitely landed a few clean shots there. Benn, bleeding, is more tenative. He’s still firing off shots – and connecting – but he doesn’t look particularly comfortable.
Additional: the replays show a clash of heads caused the cut.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 9-10 Prograis (Benn 38-38 Prograis)
Round 3
Benn starts firing off his own jab, he’s boxing more now, rather than just looking to knock Prograis’ block off. Probably wise. He lands some jabs to the head. Prograis is looking a bit marked up as he dodges some blows but plenty more find their mark. Benn is setting a fast pace.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 29-28 Prograis)
Round 2
Prograis seems to have recovered fine at the start of the second. But he’s still standing in the pocket and trading with Benn, which may be risky. That said, Benn is missing a lot in this round. Prograis touches down as he throws a shot, but it was clearly a slip. A slightly untidy round from Benn, Prograis landed the better punches, but how long can he keep it up?
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 9-10 Prograis (Benn 19-19 Prograis)
Round 1
Conor Benn on the attack in the first minute, looking to utilise his weight as the bigger man. Benn is on the offensive early on and he seems to stiffen Prograis’ legs a touch with one clubbing shot. Prograis might be best to avoid a firefight and the southpaw backs off and fires off with his job for the second half of the round. And Prograis’ knees buckle at the bell from a straight right! He was rocked there, the bell came at the perfect time.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Benn 10-9 Prograis (Benn 10-9 Prograis)
Conor Benn gets a good ovation from his home crowd, despite being a divisive figure to many in boxing. We’re about to hear the first bell in this 150lb contest!
Donald McRae
It’s pretty cold out here in Tottenham tonight but at least the atmosphere is starting to heat up. The arena is around 80% full and a sign that the once magnetic power of Tyson Fury is just fading a little as, at various promotional events this week, they were reduced to plugging ticket availability. Clearly, the fact that Arslanbek Makhmudov is not a stellar name has contributed to Fury’s failure to sell out the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight. But time is also ticking for Fury and his latest return follows two narrow defeats in a row to the mighty Oleksandr Usyk.
Conor Benn v Regis Prograis is about to start. I’ve been close to Prograis over the years and was in his locker room for one of the great world title nights of his career. But Prograis is 37 now and this could be a hard night…
Conor Benn emerges in a black and gold robe with his father, Nigel, who you may be familiar with, over his shoulder. We get a full orchestra at the top of the ramp! Nothing spells terror like a harmony of strings.
Michael Buffer is in the ring and the veteran MC announces Regis Prograis, who is walking to the ring in a wonderfully elaborate mask. His nickname, Rougarou, is a sort of Cajun werewolf, so that’s one of the cooler/more original boxing monikers.
His song of choice is Stand by Me by Ben E King. I’ve heard more intimidating entrance music if we’re honest.
We await Conor Benn v Regis Prograis – which looks simple to predict on paper. Benn is younger, bigger and coming off a career-best win after dominating an admittedly shopworn Chris Eubank Jr. Prograis is a former two-time world champion and, if he was still the fighter who gave Josh Taylor a hell of a scrap in this city in 2019, we’d be sizing up a very different contest.
But at 37, Prograis appears diminished. He’s endured knockdowns and wobbles in losing two of his last three fights, and was at his best at 140lb. There’s even talk that the American is carrying an injury going into tonight.
Then again, it’s not all plain sailing for Benn who looked a tad drawn coming in at 150lb having fought the two Eubank contests at middleweight. Plus there’s all the distractions of his conscious uncoupling with Eddie Hearn and embrace of new promoters Zuffa. A case of Prograis winding back the clock or Benn earning a statement win? Let’s find out!
Anthony Joshua is ringside in Tottenham and Turki al-Sheikh, boxing’s Saudi powerbroker, is speaking on Netflix. He hints at “a big surprise” tonight and says that “we will announce the biggest fight in the history of England”.
Right, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work out what he means. So if all goes to plan tonight, we’ll be getting a Fury-Joshua post-fight face-off tonight. Unless Makhmudov can upset the odds.
Riakporhe wins KO5 against Tshikeva
Richard Riakporhe wins the British heavyweight title by stopping Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva. Riakporhe adds his name to the list of heavyweight danger men, the former cruiserweight displaying heavyweight pop as he dominated TKV.
Riakporhe dropped TKV with a powerful right hand in round five, then bludgeoned the defending British champ along the ropes, prompting the referee to leap in. A little early? Arguably, but that was one-way traffic and there was only one winner.
The new champion, looking younger than his 36 years (what’s your secret, Richard?) is now 3-0 (3 KOs) since moving up from cruiserweight.
Huni defeats Clarke by majority decision
We’ve had one heavyweight contest involving a Briton already: Frazer Clarke lost a majority decision to Australia’s Justis Huni. It’s a third defeat in his past four for the veteran Olympic bronze medallist Clarke – though he was in tough against Huni, who’s only loss came against Fabio Wardley in a bout he was winning handily before he was spectacularly stopped.
A close fight with one judge seeing it even probably isn’t the worst outcome for Clarke, who’s also suffered at the fists of the unbeaten Wardley. Huni confirms his standing as a decent heavyweight contender.
More elite-level pre-fight previewing: Donald McRae on the reasons behind Tyson Fury’s latest comeback. I encourage you to give it a read.
For me, it’s everything,” Fury said of boxing. “It’s everything that I love to do and it’s something that I’ll continue to do.” He then added, with aching simplicity: “It’s been a while and I’ve missed it.”
Arslanbek Makhmudov may look ferocious but Donald McRae found him to be very friendly when they sat down together. Unless, perhaps, you are a bear.
Although it does sound like he regrets that particularly contest. “It was very terrible to be honest,” Arslanbek told Don.
Preamble
Welcome to Tyson Fury’s return to the ring after a 16-month absence, officially ending retirement number 1,247 (OK, it’s number five, but close enough). His opponent? The fearsome-looking Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov, although you suspect the real prize for Fury is victory setting up a long-awaited megafight with Anthony Joshua.
Not that victory is guaranteed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fury turns 38 in August, hasn’t won a fight since October 2023 and – while there’s no shame in two competitive points losses to Oleksandr Usyk – he’s probably no longer at the peak of his considerable powers. There’s always a danger with his age, wear and tear, and a previously less-than-spartan lifestyle outside of the ring that Fury might just turn up and discover he no longer has it.
As for the 36-year-old Makhmudov: it’s obvious why he’s been chosen. A whopping 6ft 6in, 265lb with the look of a James Bond henchman/Rocky villain/WWE monster heel (delete as applicable). Yet for all his solid amateur pedigree and a decent 21-2 (19 KOs) record, he’s a pretty straightforward boxer – and one who’s been stopped in two of his last five fights.
In his last outing, Makhmudov beat a Briton in Doncaster’s Dave Allen. But Fury is no Allen and the best version of ‘The Gypsy King’ would absolutely toy with Makhmudov. How much of that Fury is left, however, is a real point of intrigue on a card that also includes Conor Benn v Regis Prograis in a 150lb catchweight bout as Benn moves on from Chris Eubank Jr and his former promoter, Eddie Hearn.
There’s some good heavyweight scraps on the undercard as well but we’re expecting Benn v Prograis to begin around 8.55pm (BST), while the first bell for Fury v Makhmudov will probably be approx 10pm. Please follow along with us!
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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