Sports
Aston Villa humble Liverpool | The Express Tribune
BIRMINGHAM:
Aston Villa secured Champions League football with a 4-2 win over Liverpool on Friday that leaves the Reds still at risk of missing out on Europe’s elite competition next season.
Ollie Watkins struck twice as Villa boss Unai Emery was rewarded for naming a strong side just days before the Europa League final.
“Champions League, this is something amazing,” said Emery. “To compete in both competitions and being consistent is not easy. We had a fantastic season in the Premier League and I am so proud.”
Liverpool slip to fifth and remain just four points ahead of Bournemouth, who have two games remaining.
Even if the Reds do limp over the line to Champions League qualification, the manner of another dismal defeat raised fresh questions over Arne Slot’s future.
The Liverpool boss has remained confident he will be in charge next season despite a desperately disappointing title defence.
“It’s not about me, it’s about us being disappointed with the result. I spoke yesterday on it and that’s enough,” said Slot when asked again about the rising calls for him to be dismissed.
“Our focus is on the Brentford game and making sure we earn the support of the fans by starting the game aggressive and well.
“The culmination of the fan support and a good performance will lead us to what we want to achieve and that is qualifying for the Champions League.”
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Slot was again hampered by a lengthy injury list with Alisson Becker, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike absent, while Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah were only fit enough to come off the bench.
But Liverpool collapsed alarmingly in the second half just when they had got back into the game thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser.
Emery learned his lesson after a second string side were booed off and beaten by struggling Tottenham ahead of Villa’s Europa League semi-final, second leg against Nottingham Forest.
The Spaniard named what many expect to be his starting line-up for Wednesday’s final against Freiburg in Istanbul as Villa aim to win a major trophy for the first time in 30 years.
A brilliantly worked short corner routine teed up Morgan Rogers to curl in the opening goal four minutes before half-time.
Liverpool responded after the break as Van Dijk headed in from Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick.
Moments later the visitors were inches away from taking the lead when Rio Ngumoha rattled the inside of the post.
But momentum swung back decisively in Villa’s favour when Szoboszlai slipped deep inside his own half to allow Rogers to cross for Watkins to tap in.
Wave upon wave of Villa attack then raged towards the Liverpool goal.
Emi Buendia’s curling effort then came back off the crossbar
Liverpool failed to clear the resulting corner and Watkins pounced for his second goal despite a fine double save from Giorgi Mamardashvili to deny Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres.
A sensational strike from captain John McGinn that found the top corner rounded off a night to remember for Villa as they are set for just a second season in Europe’s top competition since 1982/83.
Van Dijk nodded in another consolation in stoppage time for Liverpool.
But should Bournemouth shock Manchester City on Tuesday, Liverpool face the prospect of a nervy final day at home to Brentford to ensure they do not miss out on the Champions League.
Sports
Athena goes above and beyond to retain title at Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor, eyes legendary reign
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Athena has been one of the most dominant champions across pro wrestling and that dominance continued on Friday night at Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor.
The Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship was up for grabs in a Survival of the Fittest six-way match. Athena had to outlast Billie Starkz, Maya World, Trish Adora, Yuka Sakazaki and Zayda Steel. Chairs, ladders and other foreign objects would enter the match through the night.
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Athena enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event Stardom at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
While Athena eliminated Steel early, putting down the rest of her opponents was not an easy task. Athena found herself in a precarious position. Competitors stacked chairs on top of each other and Adora made use of them. She chokeslammed Athena through them during the match.
Sakazaki even tried her best to keep Athena down.
Athena was laid out on a table. Instead of going to the top turnbuckle to hit a splash, Sakazaki springboarded herself off the top rope in the middle of the ring and hit the Magical Girl Splash onto Athena and through the table.
Still, Athena was undeterred.
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Athena needed to go nearly 10-feet up onto a ladder. She flipped off it and hit World with the O-Face. She then pinned World, completing the final elimination.
Athena has now eclipsed 1,253 days as the Ring of Honor women’s world champion.
She told Fightful earlier in the week that her goal was to surpass Bruno Sammartino’s reign as champion. The legendary pro wrestler held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for 2,803 days at the height of his career.
“Hey man, when we get to Supercard of Honor this week and I beat the epic Roman Reigns’ last championship run, I just want you to know that I’m gonna be so petty,” she said. “I want everyone to know that we are gonna have the pettiest celebration ever. We’re gonna have kittens, green apple skittles, whiskey, tequila, you name it. … But we are just gonna have a big smorgasbord of a party. We’re gonna have a cookout. It’s gonna be amazing.
“But like I said before, my goal is Bruno Sammartino. Seven years, baby, seven years. But you know what, when you’re ‘forever champion,’ what’s years? What’s years? A lot of people think that might be getting ahead of myself. But at the end of the day, I’ve been champion for over—what is it 1,250 days or something like that? I don’t see this anytime soon.

Athena enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event Stardom at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
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“Hell, all these girls that are in this match think that they’ve learned something by experiencing Athena, but I’m ever changing, ever evolving. That’s just the way I’ve always been and there’s not gonna be a harder worker than me. As I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, no man can touch my reign, no woman can live up to my legacy. I am the forever Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion. It’s about time y’all get over it.”
It’s clear that the “Forever Champion” is focused on being just that.
Supercard of Honor results

Bandido and Ryusuke Taguchi compete in a bout during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling ‘Best of Super Jr.’ at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on May 24, 2019. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
- Sammy Guevara def. Action Andretti.
- Rush def. LSG.
- Mina Shirakawa and Queen Aminata def. Janai Kai and Lacey Lane.
- Dezmond Xaver and Myron Reed def. Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese.
- Nigel McGuiness def. Josh Woods.
- Red Velvet def. Viva Van to retain the Ring of Honor Women’s World TV Championship.
- AR Fox def. Lio Rush to retain the Ring of Honor World TV Championship.
- Deonna Purrazzo def. Diamante to retain the Ring of Honor Women’s Pure Championship.
- Lee Moriarty def. Ace Austin to retain the Ring of Honor Pure Championship.
- Dalton Castle, Truth Magnum, Turbo Floyd def. Carlie Bravo, Shane Taylor and Shawn Dean to win the Ring of Honor Six Man Tag Team Championship.
- Mark Davis def. Xelhua to retain the AEW National Championship.
- Bandido def. Blake Christian to retain the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship.
Sports
Pakistan steady after Das ton | The Express Tribune
Pakistan closed the opening day of the second Test match with 21 for no loss in six overs, trailing by another 257 runs, after pacers Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali shared nine wickets to dismiss Bangladesh for 278 in 77 overs here at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
After they were inserted in by Shan Masood, Bangladesh were reeling at 116-6 in 38.2 overs and then 176-7 when Litton Das helped them recover with a 126-run knock off 159 balls as he shared two half-century partnerships with Taijul Islam and Shoriful Islam lower down the order.
Pakistan’s breakout stars of the first Test Azan Awais (13 not out, 20b, 3x4s) and Abdullah Fazal (8 not out, 16b, 1×4) opened the innings with 36 balls to see off the day as incumbent opener Imam-ul-Haq made way for Babar Azam in the playing XI.
Azan and Abdullah saw out the two overs each bowled by Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nahid Rana sent down an over each before stumps were drawn.
Earlier, pacer Khurram Shahzad – playing his seventh Test and first since January 2025 – returned a haul of four for 81 in 17 overs and he was ably supported by the senior spearhead Mohammad Abbas, who backed up his six-wicket match haul from Dhaka Test with figures of 16-3-45-3.
Hasan Ali picked up two for 49 in his 11.5 overs after being stretchered off the field in the eighth over of the day – his first – when his head hit the turf in follow-through attempting to catch the ball.
Sajid Khan replaced Noman Ali and picked up the solitary wicket of Taijul, breaking the 114-ball 60-run stand and giving Pakistan the coveted seventh breakthrough.
Hasan put an end to Litton’s knock before snapping Nahid’s scalp to finish the Bangladesh innings, while Khurram broke the 38-run stand between Litton and Taskin.
At the start, Abbas gave Pakistan the perfect start with a wicket-maiden opening over removing Mahmudul Hasan Joy for a two-ball duck before removing the debutant Tanzid Hasan (26, 34b, 3x4s) as well in the 10th over.
Pakistan pacers put a spanner in the works for the Bangladesh batting line-up as they took five for 72 from last ball of 10th over to second ball of 38th over as Tanzid, Mominul Haque (22, 41b, 3x4s), Najmul Hossain Shanto (29, 74b, 3x4s) and Mushfiqur Rahim (23, 64b, 2x4s) perished after getting starts.
Khurram brought one in from outside off from round the wicket to beat Mominul’s inside edge as the ball crashed into the stumps. Shanto edged one behind to Mohammad Rizwan off Abbas, who plucked his 100th Test wicket overseas becoming just the sixth Pakistan pacer to do so.
Mushfiqur Rahim was pinned leg-before wicket by Khurram four overs after Shanto’s departure, while 10 balls later Khurram induced a catch at deep fine leg with a short ball off Mehidy, which was plucked by Hasan, who had returned to the field earlier towards the end of first session.
Scores in brief:
2nd Test – Day 1 Stumps – Pakistan v Bangladesh at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet
Bangladesh 278 all out, 77 overs (Litton Das 126, Najmul Hossain Shanto 29, Tanzid Hassan 26, Mushfiqur Rahim 23, Mominul Haque 22; Khurram Shahzad 4-81, Mohammad Abbas 3-45, Hasan Ali 2-49)
Pakistan 21-0, 6 overs (Azan Awais 13 not out)
Sports
PCB chief Naqvi ‘receives invitation’ to attend ICC meeting, IPL final in India
- PM Shehbaz to decide Naqvi’s visit.
- Invitations sent to PCB chief.
- Ahmedabad to host both events.
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has been invited to attend the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meeting and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final in Ahmedabad later this month, sources told Geo News on Saturday.
An international cricket news website reported that the ICC is set to hold a series of meetings, including the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) and Board meetings, to resume discussions on the future of the World Test Championship (WTC).
As per the report, the CEC meeting will be held virtually on May 21, while the in-person Board meeting is scheduled to be held on May 30 and 31 in Ahmedabad, where the IPL 2026 final will also be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31.
The report further suggested that Naqvi would ordinarily be expected to attend the meeting in person, but the tense relationship between the governments of the two countries, as well as their cricket boards, cast doubts over his participation.
Meanwhile, sources have claimed that the PCB chairman has been invited to attend both the Board meeting and the final of the cash-rich league in Ahmedabad later this month.
Consequently, the PCB head has forwarded the invitation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will decide whether he will cross the border to attend the meeting and the IPL 2026 final, sources added.
It is pertinent to mention that the upcoming meetings, part of the ICC’s quarterly gatherings, were originally scheduled to be held in March-April in Doha, Qatar, but had to be postponed due to conflicts in the region.
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