Sports
Arteta hails depth after resting Rice, Saka in win
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal‘s strength in depth makes them better equipped to go even further in this season’s Champions League.
Arsenal reached the semifinals last term before bowing out to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Arteta was able to rotate his squad for Tuesday’s 2-0 league phase win over Olympiacos with a stacked bench including Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka.
And it was England winger Saka who settled some frayed nerves when he climbed off the bench to score their second goal.
“With all respect, last season we were looking [at the bench] and we had five academy players there, that probably never played professional football in the Champions League, so it makes a difference,” Arteta said.
“Today we decided to change six players because I want everybody to really be involved and feel part of it, and it was great.
“We had the feeling as well that physically we were dropping because we played a really intense match in Newcastle a few days ago.
“The ones that came in again, they lifted the level, and they helped us to win the game, and that’s great.”
Gabriel Martinelli tapped Arsenal into a 12th-minute lead but they needed a David Raya wonder-save to deny ex-Wolves man Daniel Podence an equaliser.
And the tension was palpable around the Emirates until Saka plundered the second two minutes into stoppage time.
“I’m very happy, winning in the Champions League is always very complicated,” Arteta added.
“We started really well, got the goal, a lot of threats and two or three big chances, but when you don’t put them away in this competition you have to be careful.
“We had to make an incredible save to deny them a goal which you need in this competition as well.
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“After that we had moments of overall dominance but we got a little bit deeper and every time they put balls in the box it was dangerous.
“We missed two big chances but found a way with Bukayo and breathed a little bit.”
It was a surreal evening for the Gunners boss as he was up against veteran Olympiacos boss Jose Luis Mendilibar, who had coached Arteta when he was just 13.
“It was great to see him,” Arteta said. “So glad that he’s doing so well. Very happy for him.
“And it’s strange at the same moment because he was my coach. So when you have to play against your former coach, it’s always something weird.
“I’m getting older — which I think is good. I learned a lot from him and from my time with him. It was a good experience.
“Thank God we won the game and I wish him all the best.”
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The minute sports fans found out there was a new American pope and he’d been born in Chicago, every American sports fan had one thought: was he a Cubs or White Sox fan?
Soon, news emerged that he was a White Sox fan — not without a false report, however, that he was a Cubs fan — and shortly thereafter footage emerged that not only was the newly christened Pope Leo XIV a fan, he’d been in the stands for the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won in a series sweep.
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Justin Ishbia, Ambassador Brian Burch and Clay Travis with an autographed World Series 2005 jersey signed by all the players seen on the left, as Pope Leo XIV is seen on the right. (OutKick; Reuters)
Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost, was elected as pope in May of 2025 and then one month later it was announced that my Vanderbilt law school friend and classmate Justin Ishbia was buying the Chicago White Sox.
The two of us were chatting about fun ways Justin could introduce himself to Chicago sports fans and I tossed out an idea — we should travel to the Vatican and invite Pope Leo to throw out the first pitch at a planned new White Sox stadium.
After all, Pope Leo was a big enough White Sox fan that he’d attended the World Series 20 years ago as a fan in the crowd. Sure, he’s the pope now, but deep down he, like all of us, is a diehard sports fan.
We were both convinced the idea was a good one, but it presented a challenge: how do you get a meeting with the pope to invite him to throw out the first pitch?
Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful ahead of his inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on May 18, 2025. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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An Invitation to the Pope
It’s not like you can just call the Vatican and ask to speak to the pope’s people.
Ultimately we hit on our answer: Vatican ambassador Brian Burch, who lived in Chicago with his family prior to his confirmation as ambassador.
Luckily, Ambassador Burch loved the idea and, this morning in Vatican City, Justin and his wife Kristen met the pope, delivered a team autographed 2005 White Sox World Series replica jersey, and conveyed the first pitch invitation to Pope Leo, who said yes so long as his schedule permits. (It turns out the pope is kind of busy).
So, the result, as many of you have likely seen on social media already, is an awesome one — the first ever American-born pope will hopefully be throwing out the first pitch in a new Chicago White Sox stadium, which will potentially mark the first time the pope has visited Chicago since 1979.
Pope Leo XIV prays over members of the international media in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on May 12, 2025. (Domenico Stinellis)
Let’s hope it’s a strike.
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And that Pope Leo can help return the magic of the 2005 season for White Sox fans.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have made notable gains in the latest ICC ODI rankings after delivering standout performances in the team’s emphatic 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka.
In the updated batters rankings, Babar climbed one position to claim sixth place with 722 rating points, while Salman Ali Agha maintained his 16th position.
Rizwan enjoyed a significant rise, jumping five places to 22nd. Opener Fakhar Zaman has also benefited from the series, moving up five spots to 26th with 589 points.
Meanwhile, other Pakistani batters saw a decline. Opener Saim Ayub dropped three places to 38th, while left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq slipped seven spots to 54th with 516 points.
In a major shake-up at the top, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been dethroned as the number one ODI batter, with New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell claiming the top spot.
Sharma now sits second, Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran dropped to third, and the Indian duo of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli hold the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
In the bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed makes a remarkable jump of 11 places to enter the top 10, now sitting ninth with 624 points.
Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi drops five spots to 21st, while right-arm pacer Haris Rauf climbs five places to 23rd with 562 points.
Another pacer, Naseem Shah, falls three places to 36th, whereas Mohammad Wasim Jr makes a massive leap of 20 spots to 64th. Spinner Mohammad Nawaz, however, slips seven places to 71st.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to dominate as the number one ODI bowler, followed by England’s Jofra Archer in second and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in third.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued an updated list of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) granted to national players for participation in various international leagues.
As per the details, several Pakistani cricketers have been cleared to take part in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and the ILT20.
The NOCs for Abu Dhabi will remain valid until November 25.
Additionally, three players have been granted NOCs for the Dubai T20 League, scheduled from December 2 to January 4.
These include Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, and Naseem Shah.
A number of other players have also received NOCs for different leagues, among them Iftikhar Ahmed, Khawaja Nafee, Asif Ali, Salman Irshad, Mohammad Amir, Arafat Minhas, Irfan Khan, Azam Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Abbas Afridi, Akif Javed, Mir Hamza, Obaid Shah, and Zaman Khan.
The updated list reflects PCB’s ongoing efforts to manage player workloads while facilitating their participation in global cricket events.
Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali have already been issued NOCs for BBL.
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