Sports
Goals galore for Gattuso’s Italy in World Cup qualifiers, France start with win | The Express Tribune
PARIS:
Gennaro Gattuso enjoyed his start to life as Italy coach on Friday as his team beat Estonia 5-0 to get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, while Kylian Mbappe struck as France began their bid with a win against Ukraine.
A World Cup winner as a combative midfielder in 2006, Gattuso was brought in as coach in June to stop Italy’s slide towards a third-consecutive missed World Cup finals.
His tenure started in style as second-half strikes by Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui — who netted twice — Giacomo Raspadori and
Alessandro Bastoni fired Italy to three points and had fans chanting the coach’s name in Bergamo.
Italy are third in Group I after three matches, six points behind leaders Norway who have played one game more, and boast a superior goal difference.
“We played well and it was all down to the way the boys have conducted themselves this week,” said Gattuso.
“We’ve worked hard and there’s been a good atmosphere around the squad.
“When you play as attacking as we did tonight against a better team you expose yourself to risks, but today we were up against a side that had a bit les than us so it was the right thing to do to be so attack-minded.”
Three points separate Italy from second-placed Israel and the group’s play-off spot which is the likelier route for a place in next year’s finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico with only first place offering direct qualification.
Israel prepared for Monday’s meeting with Italy with a win of their own on Friday as they beat Moldova 4-0 in Chisinau.
‘Brilliant’ Olise
In the Polish city of Wroclaw, Michael Olise’s early strike and Mbappe’s 51st goal for Les Bleus handed the 2018 World Cup winners a 2-0 victory over Ukraine as Group D got underway.
“It was an important match because of the limited number of games (to qualify) against a quality team. We could have sealed the deal in the first half because we were in control and created a lot of chances,” Deschamps said.
“We faltered for four or five minutes in the second half, but the main thing is that we got the result.”
Olise started and finished the opening goal on 10 minutes when he released Bradley Barcola down the left flank from deep.
The Bayern Munich man ghosted the length of the pitch to arrive unmarked into the Ukraine box and calmly sweep Barcola’s return ball into the bottom corner.
Olise and half-time substitute Ousmane Dembele nearly doubled the visitors’ lead either side of the break but goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin denied them impressively.
Ukraine responded by coming within inches of levelling the encounter twice inside two minutes after the hour.
Ibrahima Konate first turned a goalbound Artem Dovbyk header off his own goal-line, before new Paris
Saint-Germain signing Illia Zabarnyi struck the woodwork with a headed effort following a set-piece.
But Mbappe made the win safe for France when he raced onto a pinpoint through-ball from his Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni before cutting inside and rifling home on 82 minutes.
Deschamps had praise, in particular, for 23-year-old Olise after he netted his third goal in nine outings for Les Bleus.
“Michael is brilliant in everything he does, his movement, his combinations, his passing quality,” the coach said.
After the first matchday, France sit second in the four-team group behind Iceland, who beat Azerbaijan 5-0 in Reykjavik.
Elsewhere, Denmark and Scotland played out a goalless stalemate in Copenhagen as Group C started, with Greece topping the pool following their 5-1 victory at home to Belarus.
Switzerland opened Group B with a 4-0 win over Kosovo as group mates Sweden and Slovenia played out a 2-2 draw in Ljubljana.
Former World Cup runners-up Croatia struggled to a 1-0 win away to Faroe Islands to stay second in Group L.
Pool leaders Czech Republic beat third-placed Montenegro 2-0 to remain three points ahead of the Croats, although with two games in hand.
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Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 for “aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Saturday.
The league’s announcement said the incident happened with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 126-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns Friday.
Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game when he stormed the court after a no-call against Sam Merrill for driving on Collin Gillespie after he bumped into an official before being escorted off and ejected from the game.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat April 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise)
Atkinson whipped his arm against the nearby referee before the whistle was blown.
Atkinson ripped the officials in a postgame news conference.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 6, 2025. (David Richard-Imagn Images)
“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls],” Atkinson said. “And the second free throw we got was after a flop. I’m not pleased. I thought the game got out of hand, quite honestly. Parts of the game seemed circus-like, quite honestly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.
“Certain characters in this league take liberties, and we don’t stand up to them. And the game turns into reviews, challenges, go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think it’s good for the league, and I know it wasn’t good for us tonight. Thought they let the game get out of hand.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 4, 2025. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19.
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Inter Miami CF signed Mexico national team forward Germán Berterame from Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey, the team announced Friday.
Berterame joins Lionel Messi and the reigning MLS Cup champions as a designated player on a contract running through 2029, with a club option for an additional year.
Miami secured the deal by paying Berterame’s $15 million release clause, sources told ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano.
Mexican forward Germán Berterame joins as a Designated Player, bringing a proven goal-scoring pedigree ⚽ Welcome to Miami!
Details: https://t.co/CBJatdte0z pic.twitter.com/IlIoaBuAbc
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 30, 2026
“I’m leaving with a clear conscience, knowing I always gave my all for this club [Monterrey], and I hope I can return further down the road,” Berterame said in a video posted on Rayados de Monterrey social media accounts.
“This opportunity [signing with Miami] is all new; it’s a unique and fresh experience at the same time. It was unexpected, but I think it’s going to be a beautiful experience.
“When I renewed my contract [with Monterrey], I told him [Héctor Lara, the club’s sporting director], ‘I’m not leaving unless something really eye-catching comes along.’ I was obviously talking about teams from Europe. And I also said, ‘Unless, obviously, Messi comes and takes me with him.’ So that anecdote stuck.”
The Argentine-born forward, who became a naturalized Mexican in 2024, started his career in the Argentine Primera División, starring for San Lorenzo and Patronato before making his Liga MX debut with Atletico San Luis in 2019. While playing for Atletico San Luis, Berterame scored 31 goals in 93 games in all competitions and earned the Golden Boot for the 2021 Apertura tournament.
His efforts in Liga MX earned him recognition from the Mexican national team after he became eligible to play for El Tricolor. Although Berterame previously featured for the Argentina youth national team, his lack of appearances with the senior squad allowed Berterame to represent Mexico without filing a one-time switch with FIFA.
Berterame scored the winning goal for Mexico last Sunday in a World Cup warmup friendly against Bolivia.
Other MLS teams previously expressed interest in Berterame. FC Cincinnati attempted to trigger Berterame’s previous release clause, but the two parties failed to agree to complete the transfer.
Green Shirts on Saturday set several new records during their dominant 90-run win over Australia in the second T20I of the three-match series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Opting to bat first, the home side accumulated a massive total of 198/5 in 20 overs, courtesy of blistering half-centuries from captain Salman Ali Agha and wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan.
Agha top-scored with a 40-ball 76, studded with eight fours and four sixes, while Usman smashed six boundaries, including two sixes, on his way to a 36-ball 53.
Their batting prowess helped Pakistan register their highest score against Australia in T20Is, surpassing the previous best of 194/7, which they achieved during the league-stage match of the Zimbabwe-hosted tri-series in 2018.
Set to chase a daunting 199-run target, the 2021 champions’ batting unit was dismantled by Pakistan spinners, who shared all 10 wickets between them for the first time in the shortest format, while it was the second such occurrence during a T20I between two full-member nations.
Reigning champions India were the first team to achieve the feat during their fifth away T20I against West Indies in 2022.
Overall, in T20Is, however, it was the 10th instance when the spinners took all 10 wickets.
Leading Pakistan’s spin charge were Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan, who picked up three wickets each, followed by Usman Tariq with two, while Saim Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz chipped in with one apiece, as Australia were booked 108 in 15.4 overs and thus succumbed to a gruelling 90-run defeat.
Pakistan’s 90-run victory over Australia in the recently concluded fixture is now their largest against Australia in T20Is, bettering their 66-run triumph in the first T20I of the 2018 series, played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in 2018.
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