CR7 leads Portugal to Nations League final

▲ A tireless Cristiano Ronaldo (in red) scored the comeback goal as the Portuguese side beat Germany 2-1. Photo AFP

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 5, 2025, p. a11

Munich. With a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 yesterday in Munich, securing their place in the European Nations League final, where they will face either Spain or France, their opponents this Thursday, for the trophy next Sunday.

After a balanced first half, with chances for both teams, Germany opened the scoring in the 48th minute thanks to Florian Wirtz, but Portugal was quick to turn things around, with a curling shot from Francisco Conceiçao (63) and a decisive goal from their tireless star CR7 (68), who continues to be a protagonist at 40 years of age.

"Germany never had control of the match. It's a historic duel and result. I hope our fans are proud ," declared Spanish coach Roberto Martínez.

Portugal will be aiming for a second Nations League title on Sunday, once again at the Allianz Arena in Munich, having already won the inaugural edition in 2019. Germany, meanwhile, will be playing for third place that same day.

With the Portuguese side's qualification, the tournament ensures that the champion will be one of the teams that have already won the trophy in one of the three previous editions, as France did so in 2021 and Spain in 2023.

The winner will therefore remain the sole winner of this still young UEFA competition, which is barely seven years old.

To reach the decisive duel, Portugal dispatched a Germany team they hadn't beaten in a quarter of a century and had lost to in their last five matches.

The Portuguese's closest victory over Germany dates back to the Seleçao 's pre-Cristiano era , at Euro 2000, when they won 3-0 thanks to a hat trick from Sergio Conceiçao, father of Francisco Conceiçao, one of the scorers on this occasion.

For Germany, the disappointment is enormous, as they have failed again in a tournament on their home soil, a year after losing in the Euro Cup quarterfinals.

"It's a deserved defeat ," declared Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. "We lacked the defensive solidity we've had in previous matches ," he added.

In yesterday's match, which started about 10 minutes late due to a hailstorm, the Portuguese dominated at the start, but the best chance of the first half fell to Germany, with a shot from Leon Goretzka that was saved by goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

After the break, the match picked up speed. The Germans took the lead in the 48th minute with a header from Wirtz, who perfectly finished off a move led by captain Joshua Kimmich. Portugal appealed for offside, but VAR ruled the goal valid.

However, Conceiçao equalized in the 63rd minute with a magnificent curling shot that surprised Marc-André ter Stegen.

Five minutes later, Nuno Mendes provided the assist for CR7 , alone in the area, to make it 2-1 for the visitors.

▲ The legendary Serbian tennis player (pictured), 38 years old and number six in the ATP rankings , yesterday defeated German Alexander Zverev and will face Italian Jannik Sinner for a place in the Roland Garros grand final. Photo AFP

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 5, 2025, p. a12

Paris. Novak Djokovic's path to his 25th career Grand Slam title has become a little smoother. The Serbian defeated German Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 yesterday and will face Italian Jannik Sinner for a place in the French Open final.

The world number six has nine consecutive wins and hasn't lost in Paris since the 2022 quarterfinals when he fell to Rafael Nadal. He won the title the following year, but retired due to injury in 2024. A few months later, he returned to the Paris clay to claim his first Olympic gold, the missing piece of his trophy cabinet.

“The important thing for me is the Grand Slams , it's no secret. This is where I give my best. There's nothing more motivating than playing a best-of-five set in the later stages of a Grand Slam against the number 1,” he said.

Djokovic may be 38 years old now, have overcome two three-game losing streaks this season and dropped to sixth in the world rankings . What hasn't changed is his determination and ability to give his all at major tournaments.

Yesterday, the Serb proved to be too much for Zverev, a man a decade younger than him and who was runner-up at Roland Garros last year.

Earlier, Sinner continued his impressive run in the draw by defeating Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. The Italian has not only not dropped a set so far, but has also dropped only 36 games in five matches.

Djokovic and Sinner are tied 4-4 in their head-to-head matches, but the Italian has won their last three. Nole is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player in history, and Jannik is the player currently at the top of men's tennis.

No one has spent more weeks at number one in the rankings than Djokovic, nor has he won more major tournaments or reached more semi-finals than his total, which now stands at 51, after becoming the second-oldest player to reach that level in Paris.

Boisson surprises

That number two seed Coco Gauff has reached the semifinals of the French Open shouldn't surprise anyone. But that her opponent is a player ranked 361? That's a completely different story.

Gauff reached that stage in Paris for the third time, beating number seven Madison Keys 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 in a quarterfinal match between two Americans who have won a Grand Slam title.

The 2023 US Open champion's next opponent is French wild-card entrant Loïs Boisson, who extended one of the most stunning runs in tennis history by defeating number six Mirra Andreeva 7-6, 6-3. "Unbelievable ," Boisson said. "Unbelievable ."

Those are a couple of good words to describe what's been happening. A year ago, Boisson was supposed to make her Grand Slam debut in Paris, but she tore a knee ligament and couldn't compete. Now, at 22, she's the first woman to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in her debut since Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati did so at the 1989 French Open. She's also the lowest-ranked player to make it that far at Roland Garros in at least 40 years.

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 5, 2025, p. a12

Bangalore. At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 injured in a stampede Wednesday as a crowd tried to enter a cricket stadium in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, authorities said.

The incident occurred as tens of thousands of fans gathered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to celebrate the winners of the Indian Premier League, the world's most popular T20 cricket tournament.

Karnataka state minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said the crowd tried to break through one of the stadium's gates and enter to take part in the celebrations.

Eleven people were killed and 33 others were injured, Siddaramaiah said, adding that most of the injured are in stable condition and receiving treatment in hospitals.

In a moment of celebration, this unfortunate event shouldn't have happened. We're saddened by this , he told reporters. Nobody expected this crowd .

Cricket fans had come out to celebrate the Bengaluru Royal Challengers' first title win on Tuesday. The team had provided free passes to fans for the event through its website and urged them to follow the guidelines set by the police and authorities.

Local television news channels showed some people lying on the ground and emergency personnel carrying people to ambulances, while celebrations inside the stadium continued.

DK Shivakumar, deputy chief minister of Karnataka state, told the media that the crowd was uncontrollable .

In a statement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which organizes the tournament, called the incident unfortunate .

This is a downside to popularity. People are crazy about their cricketers. The organizers should have planned better , BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stressed.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident heartbreaking and said his thoughts were with all those who have lost their loved ones .

Stampedes are relatively common in India when large crowds gather in one place. In January, at least 30 people died when thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest religious gathering.

▲ Photo @redsox

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 5, 2025, p. a12

Mexican players Jarren Durán and Marcelo Mayer (pictured) each scored a run in the Boston Red Sox's 11-9 victory over the Angels. Mayer is in his first week on the Major League roster , while Durán could join the San Diego Padres, according to U.S. media.