Sports
Tottenham’s Super Cup defeat illustrates difficult task ahead for Frank
UDINE, Italy — Tottenham Hotspur desperately want to be a club defined by winning silverware.
Wednesday’s dramatic UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain was therefore a brutal early lesson for head coach Thomas Frank in the job he has inherited. Welcome to Spurs, Thomas.
May’s UEFA Europa League triumph — their first trophy in 17 years — was supposed to herald the dawning of a new era: the shedding of the derogatory “Spursy” tag, created through years of somehow always falling short when the prize was in sight.
This was, in some ways, a step back towards those difficult days. They were 2-0 up with five minutes remaining through goals from center backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero before substitutes Lee Kang-In and Gonçalo Ramos struck, the latter in the fourth minute of added time, to force penalties.
They led 2-0 in the shootout, too, after Vitinha‘s early miss, only for Van de Ven and Mathys Tel to fail from 12 yards, leaving Nuno Mendes to slot home the winning spot kick for a 4-3 win.
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The margins are fine and unforgiving. Having finally broken the psychological barrier that existed for almost two decades in Ange Postecoglou’s final game in charge, Frank will be acutely aware of the need to guard against anything approaching a return. He is, by all accounts, a “glass half-full” manager, and there was enough in his first competitive game in charge to offer tangible grounds for optimism when the dust settles on the disappointing denouement.
Two goals from set pieces, with his new captain, Romero, among the scorers. For about 70 minutes on a sweltering night in northern Italy, his team pressed superbly, looking so defensively organized and difficult to break down in a manner markedly different from the alarmingly open Postecoglou era, reflecting the work Frank has been doing in preseason. The balance in their play was back.
Mohammed Kudus, a £55 million signing from West Ham United, impressed in and out of possession playing alongside Richarlison in a 5-3-2 shape. João Palhinha, a loan arrival from Bayern Munich, added bite to midfield.
“I knew we had to do something a little bit different against PSG, so it was like a special operation,” said Frank of the change of system.
“It was, in medical terms, the operation succeeded, but the patient died. So not that good in the end. But we worked on a game plan that was a little bit different, and we were very close to succeeding.”
Frank has emphasized the importance of the collective in his preseason messaging, and there were small but telling signs of that throughout, not least when the players made a point of coming together to leave the field at halftime in unison.
It always felt like a misstep for Postecoglou to speak so dismissively about the importance of a specialist set-piece coach in an era increasingly influenced by them. Andreas Georgson, formerly of Brentford, Arsenal, and Manchester United, among others, is already showcasing how vital those details can be. PSG were almost embarrassingly lax by comparison.
And if anything, Spurs allowed PSG back into this chiefly by running out of steam, allowing their newly-instated principles of play to slip as the European champions began to find their stride.
PSG only started their preseason training a week ago following last month’s run to the FIFA Club World Cup final in the United States. They looked palpably — and understandably — undercooked, but whereas Spurs’ substitutions failed to impact the game, Fabián Ruiz, Lee, and Ramos were all heavily influential.
“I wish I knew [what went wrong],” said Frank. “Sometimes football is the smallest of margins. They kept pushing, made some subs that put us under pressure at times. But it is a shot from the edge of the box [which Lee scores with]. Before that we didn’t concede any big chances. Then the momentum built.
“I think if you play 2-2 against PSG, I think you take that. That single result is good. Then, if you separate, we have a penalty shootout, we lost, so maybe we need to work on penalties. Maybe that’s the thing to win a final. I think if everyone had said this would be a draw and we would lose on penalties, everyone would think ‘Oh, that’s quite impressive.’ And then if you look at the performance and the shift they actually put in, wow. What a mentality throughout the game. So a lot of things to be happy with.”
PSG’s pedigree came to the fore as is often the case in this fixture: the UEFA Champions League winners have beaten the Europa League in 12 of the last 13 stagings, the exception being Atlético Madrid’s win over Real Madrid in 2018.
Spurs could have become the seventh English club to win the Super Cup, but instead the opportunity passes them by with goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier making the vital save from Van de Ven in the shootout after earlier allowing Romero’s second-half header to drift past him too easily.
Who knows what the now discarded Gianluigi Donnarumma made of it all?
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Will PSG defend their UCL title after Super Cup win?
Steve McManaman and Nedum Onuoha debate PSG’s Champions League hopes after their Super Cup victory vs. Tottenham.
Perhaps one of the conclusions to draw is that Frank needs more from the transfer market to build on what he is trying to do. Spurs have been frustrated in that regard — most obviously in missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White after he chose to sign a new deal at Nottingham Forest — but James Maddison‘s serious knee injury and the absence of Dejan Kulusevski have exposed a lack of creativity. Crystal Palace‘s Eberechi Eze and Manchester City‘s Savinho are two options they have identified as potential solutions.
Whatever happens before the deadline, Frank can be hopeful that a standard has now been set by those opening 70 minutes. “Hopefully the intensity and aggressivity in the pressure early in the defending, the foundation, and the mentality to run hard, that needs to be the foundation every single time,” said Frank.
“Sometimes you succeed very well, sometimes you need to do a little bit better. Another very positive thing was the set pieces. We knew that was an area we could hurt PSG. We worked very hard on it so big credit to the players, it almost gave us the win.”
Almost. PSG boss Luis Enrique summed up how his team found a way to win, their fifth trophy of 2025.
“We have faith,” he said. “We think we can win every single match, even if we are losing. But if I am honest, Tottenham deserved much more. Football is sometimes unfair. I have to say in this case, I am very happy for that!”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Nearly eight months after Jayden Quaintance tore his right ACL, Kentucky coach Mark Pope said Tuesday there is no chance the sophomore star will skip this season to rehab and prepare for the NBA.
The 6-foot-10 forward and Arizona State transfer is projected as the sixth pick in ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft. Pope, a former NBA big man, said the team has been cautious with Quaintance’s rehab in part because of his future at the next level. But he also said he can’t imagine a scenario in which Quaintance won’t suit up for the Wildcats later this season.
“I’m not exactly sure how long of a wait it is, but I don’t think there is a chance we could keep him from playing this season,” Pope said at SEC media day. “He’s too talented. He’s worked too hard.”
Kentucky is ranked ninth in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. Pope said the ranking made him happy because the team believes the program’s ninth national championship “is our future destiny.”
There was more good news Tuesday as Otega Oweh was named the SEC preseason player of the year, but Quaintance’s recovery could be the most important factor in the Wildcats’ pursuit of its ultimate goal.
Quaintance is a skilled big man and a physical force. During an exhibition against Duke last year, he arguably frustrated Wooden Award winner Cooper Flagg more than any other defender Flagg faced in the 2024-25 campaign. Quaintance scored 18 points in 26 minutes against Kansas State in his last game of the season before he suffered his injury.
According to teammates, Quaintance is eager to return, perhaps sooner rather than later if he’s allowed. Denzel Aberdeen, the Florida transfer who helped the Gators win the national title in April, said Quaintance has impressed his teammates with his work ethic.
“He’s working very hard to get back. He is always dribbling a basketball everywhere he goes,” Aberdeen said. “He’s been in and out of the treatment room doing what he has to do to get back, fast and quick. From 7 a.m., he doesn’t leave until about 6 or 7 p.m. He’s always happy and always cheering us on in practices, even though he knows he wants to get out there and compete. He’s going to be back real soon, and when he does, he’s going to be great.”
Pope would not say whether he had a definitive date for Quaintance (9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG) to return this season, but he said staff members have been stunned by Quaintance’s progress in less than eight months. Pope expects him to be a major contributor to the program before he takes his talent to the next level.
“He is as unique an individual as I’ve ever had the privilege of recruiting, coaching — physically and mentally and emotionally,” Pope said. “So with him, he has been racing back to help at lightning speed. Right now, it’s remarkable what he’s doing. We’re all kind of shaking our heads like, ‘How is this humanly possible?’ He feels like he’s on the verge of being ready to go in. We’re just hitting the brakes full time right now to be sure because his future is going to be incredibly bright in this game.”
Sports
Boston mayor responds to Trump’s threats to pull World Cup games out of city amid safety concerns
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu responded after President Donald Trump threatened to pull FIFA World Cup games out of the city next year.
“Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions,” she said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
Boston is currently set to host seven matches when the World Cup comes to North America next summer. The slate includes five group-stage games, one Round of 32 fixture and the first quarterfinal on July 9.
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks during a Democratic election night party, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Trump made the suggestion that he would have games moved out of Boston while speaking to reporters on Tuesday while discussing an incident that happened in the city this week when a group of people took over one of the city’s streets in a violent display.
According to the Boston Police Department, over 100 people were involved in the takeover that involved street racing just after 2 a.m. on Oct. 5. Officers found people trying to attack police cruisers with fireworks, cones, poles and other items. One police cruiser was destroyed by flames and needed to be towed away from the area, officials said.
BLUE CITY STREET TAKEOVER SUSPECTS TORCHED POLICE CRUISER IN ‘HELL-BENT’ ATTACK ON COPS: UNION CHIEF
“We can take them away. I love the people of Boston. And I know the games are sold out, but the mayor is not good. There are worse than her. At least she’s intelligent. You know, some are extremely low IQ. Those bother me more. She’s intelligent, but she’s radical left,” Trump said.
Trump added he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino to have the games moved.
“The answer is yes, if somebody’s doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it, very easily he’d do it. And this is the right time to do it.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey addressed the violent incident in Boston on Tuesday.
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(Left) U.S. President Donald Trump holds the World Cup Trophy in the Oval Office. Trump announced the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22, 2025. (Right) Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Aug. 28, 2025. (Getty Images)
“I’m committed to doing everything I can to get after this issue,” Healey said. “That’s my message today: No more.
“Not going to happen here. And if you do it, you’re going to be punished. I’m serious.”
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NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad was at a loss for words after he and the New York Rangers made history Tuesday night by becoming the first team in NHL history to get shut out in each of its first three home games of the season.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Zibanejad said after a 2-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. “I honestly don’t know.”
The Rangers’ 180-minute drought at Madison Square Garden is the second longest to start a season at home, behind only the now-defunct Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928. They went the first 187:19 without a goal at Duquesne Gardens before Hib Milks scored. The Pirates’ streak was longer because of overtime.
The previous longest in the modern era among teams that still exist was 155:17 by the Florida Panthers in 2001.
“This is a unique start to a season,” captain J.T. Miller said. “It sucks that we had a couple games where we feel like we’ve really thrown a lot at the other team and we’re not getting rewarded.”
Artemi Panarin had an early chance all alone in front against Edmonton that was stopped by Stuart Skinner. Will Cuylle also got the puck on net after an Oilers turnover only to be turned aside, and fourth-liners Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe had quality opportunities on the edge of the crease.
“We can all go home and sleep well knowing we played another good home game,” Miller said. “We’re competitors. We want to win. We’d love to see the puck go in the net. Right now, it’s not.”
Sam Carrick almost scored with 2:31 left, but Skinner flashed his glove to make the save.
None of those shots made it over the goal line, and a couple of other attempts rang off the crossbar and out.
“We have two crossbars that go crossbar or post that goes right by the goal line,” Zibanejad said. “I think we’re creating lots of chances. I think there’s enough high-danger chances that we’re creating, but we’re not scoring. Simple.”
The Rangers have failed to score on their first 90 shots on goal at home, and fans booed at one point when they came up empty on consecutive power plays.
“You’re dying to give the fans a reason to cheer,” Carrick said. “They support us every night hugely here. Obviously they want to come and see goals. That’s the frustrating part.”
They will have to wait nearly a week for their next game on home ice. New York goes on the road for games at Toronto and Montreal before returning to host Minnesota on Monday night. Every player who spoke after the Oilers game had the same train of thought about not abandoning the structure that contributed to winning twice on the road and being competitive.
“It’s on us to make sure that the mindset stays the same in here and we don’t go off the grid to find something,” Miller said. “We need to stay the course. Over time, results will come.”
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