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Messi gala at the start of the playoffs – Mukhtar’s dream goal comes too late

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Messi gala at the start of the playoffs – Mukhtar’s dream goal comes too late

Thanks to Lionel Messi, Inter Miami has made a successful start to the MLS playoffs. Opponents Nashville were unlucky with two of the three goals they conceded – and delivered their own highlight too late.

Even before Inter Miami kicked off their first playoff round against Nashville SC on Saturday night (CEST), chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed through Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Lionel Messi was honored as the regular season’s top scorer for the first time – and then demonstrated his sensational form in the game.

MLS rule helps Inter to 2-0 win

The 38-year-old Argentine, who has just extended his contract for another three years, gave Inter the lead in the 19th minute in an unusual way: with a header. In mid-air, he deflected a perfect cross from Luis Suarez into the net to give his side the lead at half-time. After the restart, his compatriot Tadeo Allende also scored with a header. Messi had previously played in Ian Fray on the right wing (62′).

It was a bitter blow for Nashville: the visitors had to play with ten men during this phase because Jeisson Palacios had previously received treatment on the pitch and MLS rules stipulate that the player in question must wait two minutes before returning to the pitch in such cases.

The Eastern Conference’s sixth-placed team was also unlucky with the third goal deep into stoppage time: goalkeeper Joe Willis failed to hold onto a cross from Jordi Alba, and Messi pounced to score the first playoff brace of his career (90+6).

However, Hany Mukhtar provided the final highlight of the game. The Berlin native, once MLS top scorer himself and long a club legend at Nashville SC, curled a free kick from just under 25 meters over the wall and into the net (90+11) to make it 1-3.
Teammate Sam Surridge, who had long enjoyed the best prospects of winning the top scorer crown but was clearly overtaken by Messi in the final sprint, remained lackluster at the start. Nashville must now win their home game against Inter in a week’s time to keep their chances of advancing alive.
Messi & Co. should be warned: last year, they also started with a win against Atlanta United, only to suddenly have a summer break two games later. “That won’t be enough,” coach Javier Mascherano warned immediately. “We have to improve.” The winner of the tie will face Columbus Crew or FC Cincinnati in the Conference Semifinals.

Chaos in Sheffield: Wednesday files for bankruptcy

Jeffrey Gooding
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Chaos in Sheffield: Wednesday files for bankruptcy

What had already been hinted at in recent months came to pass on Friday. The traditional English club Sheffield Wednesday filed for bankruptcy and will receive a double-digit point deduction.

Sheffield Wednesday is one of England’s most historic clubs. However, the club has not made any positive headlines for some time, at least off the field – quite the contrary. Since its takeover by Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri in 2014, the club has suffered heavy losses. Among other things, the EFL (English Football League) imposed a 12-point deduction on the Owls in 2020 due to excessive spending on transfers and salaries. In the following years, the situation continued to escalate because Chansiri refused to continue investing money after criticism from fans. The situation became particularly precarious in recent months. In five of the last seven months, Wednesday did not pay salaries on time. This led to a protest by the players, who boycotted the friendly match against Burnley FC, and a transfer ban. The club is not allowed to sign any new players until winter 2026/27. In addition, Sheffield was also unable to pay its former coach Danny Röhl, who took over Glasgow Rangers a few days ago.

Employees and players have been informed

Accordingly, it was only a matter of time before Wednesday would file for bankruptcy. That day came on Friday. “The EFL can confirm that it has now been officially informed that Dejphon Chansiri, the director of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, has taken the necessary steps to appoint an insolvency administrator for both the club and the company that owns Hillsborough,” the league wrote in a statement.

According to English media reports, the Owls thus preempted an application for dissolution of the club by the English tax authority His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. Employees and players have already been informed of the application.

The bottom team in the Championship will receive a 12-point penalty as a result, increasing the gap to the first non-relegation spot to a whopping 15 points. They could reduce the deficit as early as tomorrow, Saturday, when Oxford United, a team just above the line, visits Hillsborough Stadium.

“Could be down to Trent”: Slot speculates on reasons for Salah’s slump

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“Could be down to Trent”: Slot speculates on reasons for Salah’s slump

Just like Liverpool, Mohamed Salah is currently in a bit of a crisis. Coach Arne Slot was unable to give a concrete answer as to why the Egyptian has lost his scoring touch this summer.

Mohamed Salah is probably experiencing the most difficult period in his more than eight-year era at Liverpool FC. The Egyptian has been waiting for a goal for six games across all competitions. In addition, he is no longer undisputed under Arne Slot, as his place on the bench during the away game in Frankfurt made clear.

Naturally, the veteran was the focus of attention at the press conference ahead of the away game in Brentford (Saturday, 9 p.m.), where the team will be looking to end their run of three consecutive league defeats. Arne Slot himself could not give a concrete answer as to why last season’s Premier League top scorer (29 goals in 38 games) has not yet found his form this season (2 goals in 8 games). “I don’t know if it’s down to sharpness or not. It’s very difficult for me to say why that is,” said the Dutchman.

However, “he could think of a few reasons, but he’s not sure if they’re accurate.” For one thing, he cited the poorer scores compared to last year. “It’s perhaps easier to take advantage of a chance when you’re 3-1 up than when you’re 0-1 down,” speculated the Bergentheim native. However, the slump could also be due to changes in the squad. He first needs to “find new connections.”

Frimpong out for several weeks

But how can this be achieved when Salah is constantly forming the duo on the right side with a different defender? With Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, and Dominik Szoboszlai, three players have already played behind the winger in the right-back position. The former will now be out for a longer period of time after suffering a thigh injury. “He definitely won’t play tomorrow or next week,” explained the LFC coach.

Salah was not used to such rotation before, because home-grown player Trent Alexander-Arnold – who moved to Real Madrid – played alongside him for years. “It could be because he has played with Trent throughout his career at Liverpool,” Slot replied when asked if the changes were affecting Salah’s performance.

Despite the speculation, the coach is not worrying about his protégé. “Mo has always scored goals for our club, and the last thing I’m worried about is Mo starting to score goals again,” said the 47-year-old. Perhaps he will break his duck against the Bees, where he could replace Alexander Isak in the starting lineup: there is still a question mark behind the injured Swede.

Setback ahead of El Clásico: Barcelona will have to do without Raphinha for even longer

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Setback ahead of El Clásico: Barcelona will have to do without Raphinha for even longer

Raphinha was supposed to be fit again in time for Sunday’s El Clásico at Real Madrid after recovering from a thigh injury. However, according to media reports, the winger has suffered a setback and will therefore be unavailable to FC Barcelona for even longer.

On Thursday, Raphinha returned to partial team training after suffering a thigh injury in the 3-1 win at Oviedo at the end of September. FC Barcelona were therefore hopeful that the winger could return to action in Sunday’s Clasico at Real Madrid (4:15 p.m.).

However, as The Athletic now reports, the Brazilian, who finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or awards, suffered a setback in training. He will therefore not be able to make his comeback in the clash with his archrivals. Worse still, Raphinha could be out for another whole month, according to reports.

Personnel problems in attack

In coach Hansi Flick’s team, who is unlikely to be on the sidelines at Real due to his suspension, injury worries remain in the attacking positions. In addition to Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Gavi are also currently unavailable. Although the season is still young, the Catalans are under pressure in Madrid despite already having seven La Liga wins this season. A defeat would see them fall five points behind Los Blancos.

Despite Wagner’s strong performance: Magic collapse completely against the Hawks

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Despite Wagner’s strong performance: Magic collapse completely against the Hawks

The Orlando Magic collapsed completely in the final quarter against the Atlanta Hawks and suffered their first defeat of the season. Even another strong performance from Franz Wagner couldn’t change that.

Orlando played another really strong game for three quarters. The offense ran well, the ball was moved around nicely, and the defense kept the newly formed Hawks well in check. The first quarter was evenly matched, but then the Magic took control and steadily pulled away, leading by 12 points at the start of the final quarter. But then memories of last season came flooding back.

Suddenly, the offense completely stalled. Atlanta noticeably increased its defensive intensity and caused one Magic turnover after another (10 in total in the second half). In addition, they were suddenly on point offensively and went on a 15-0 run that put them ahead in the middle of the final quarter. Meanwhile, not much was happening for the Magic. The three stars, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Desmond Bane, combined to shoot 4/15 from the field and 0/5 from beyond the arc in the final quarter.

It was Wendell Carter Jr. who kept the team in the game with his free throws, tying the score from the charity stripe with 54 seconds left on the clock. However, it was also Carter Jr. who fouled Trae Young on the decisive possession and sent him to the line, where the guard scored twice. Orlando still had 21 seconds to win the game or send it into overtime, but Banchero took a completely rushed fadeaway three-pointer that clearly missed and sealed the deal.

Orlando Magic: Pale Banchero, strong da Silva

Overall, Banchero had a pretty rough night, finishing with a meager 11 points (4/15 FG) and six rebounds. Franz Wagner, on the other hand, was once again his team’s best player with 27 points and good field goal percentages (10/17 FG, 2/5 three-pointers). He also grabbed six rebounds. Bane and sophomore Tristan da Silva contributed another 15 points, with the German adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals and having the best plus-minus on his team (+8).

Young was the Hawks’ top scorer with 25 points (7/18 FG), followed by Nickeil Alexander-Walker (19) and Onyeka Okongwu (17). Big man Mouhamed Gueye also had a strong game, contributing 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists off the bench. New signing Kristaps Porzingis missed the game with a cold. However, the Magic have the chance to make up for the defeat tonight when they host the Chicago Bulls at the Kia Center. The Hawks are also back in action, but they face the reigning champions from Oklahoma.

“Exclusive experience”: Microsoft is working on a new Xbox

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“Exclusive experience”: Microsoft is working on a new Xbox

Xbox President Sarah Bond has revealed that the next generation of hardware is already in development. What is the significance of these announcements and what could they mean?

These days, Xbox stands for one thing above all else: steep prices. After an increase in Game Pass costs at the beginning of October led to a wave of cancellations that crippled the corresponding website, the first Xbox handhelds were released a few days ago: ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X – for around $600 and $1,000, respectively.

At the same time, Microsoft is already working on the next generation of the console, as Xbox President Sarah Bond confirmed during a launch event for the current handhelds. “Our next-generation hardware is in development. We’ve been working on prototypes and design,” she is quoted as saying by Variety.

New Xbox a half-baked gaming PC?

Bond has high expectations for the upcoming hardware. In an interview with Mashable, she did not dismiss rumors that it could be a kind of middle ground between a gaming PC and a classic console: “I can tell you that you are right: the next-generation console will offer a very high-quality, very exclusive experience. You can already see some of our ideas in the handheld consoles,“ said Bond, who ”doesn’t want to reveal everything yet.”

But what is the truth behind Bond’s statements? And what could these ideas mean in terms of price?

Less than a year ago, Xbox was promoting the idea that virtually any device could be an Xbox. Shortly before that, a partnership with LG and Samsung had made it possible to play games on smart TVs, smartphones, and in some cars. Microsoft also acquired numerous studios, but decided not to release several prominent exclusive titles, making them available on Sony’s PlayStation, for example. This was a sign of a shift away from proprietary hardware toward cloud gaming and service offerings.

Console as a loss-making business: Is Microsoft pulling out?

This trend is also underlined by the current handhelds. After all, these are not Xbox’s own products, which had been rumored for a long time, but a collaboration with Asus. Even before the Xbox version, their Ally was already an established part of the mobile gaming market.

The main reason for this development is likely to be the fact that consoles are generally a loss-making business for manufacturers: gamers are attracted by low prices, with the aim of then generating profits through game sales, subscription services, and offers in the respective console store.

The financial tipping point

With regard to the upcoming Xbox, the price will therefore depend crucially on how much of the console is actually manufactured by Microsoft itself. If the company takes complete control of the project, there is a possibility that it will go down the loss-making route.

If a similar collaboration with Asus were to take place, the cost of a new purchase could reach new heights. As with the handhelds manufactured by Asus, which must generate a profit for the hardware developer with every sale. After all, without any profit sharing from game sales and the like, there are no subsequent earning opportunities for the developer.

Following rumors about the sale of Manthey: Porsche finally speaks plainly!

Jason Maverick
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Following rumors about the sale of Manthey: Porsche finally speaks plainly!

Porsche puts an end to speculation and clarifies that there are no plans to sell Manthey: But why has the denial come so late?

What is behind the rumors that Porsche wants to sell its shares in Manthey? The car manufacturer has now made its position clear, stating that it “asks for your understanding that we do not comment on speculation or rumors.”

“Rumors are currently circulating in the press about a possible sale of Manthey by Porsche. These are completely unfounded,” a Porsche spokeswoman said. “Manthey is a long-standing and proven partner of Porsche. A sale is not planned.”

This should effectively rule out the sale of the 51 percent stake that Porsche AG holds in Manthey Racing GmbH. Nevertheless, the question arises as to why a clear statement was not made immediately.

Why did Porsche’s denial come so late?

Originally, the fact that Porsche AG is a publicly traded company seemed to play a role in this regard, as denying reports relevant to the financial market is more difficult than for a private company due to potential implications.

For example, a publicly traded company is not allowed to publish a denial of stock market-relevant information that later turns out to be false, as this constitutes market manipulation and misleading investors.

If information is stock price-relevant and false, the company may issue a correction—but only if it communicates truthfully and completely. It can therefore now be assumed with certainty that everything will remain as it is and that Porsche AG will continue to hold a majority stake in Manthey Racing GmbH in the future.

Manthey as an extension of Porsche

However, Porsche does not deny in its statement that an audit of the numerous investments that tie up the company’s capital in other companies has taken place.

The sports car brand recorded a significant drop in profits this year and therefore has to lay off some of its workforce. For this reason, Porsche also carried out a portfolio review, which included an examination, evaluation, and realignment of its investment business.

However, selling the Manthey shares would have been a heavy blow, as Porsche and Manthey are closely linked. The Nürburgring-based company is much more than just a racing team for the car manufacturer. In addition to the Porsche Track Experience and brand cups, it also handles the maintenance, construction, final assembly, and delivery of Porsche racing cars. It acts as an extension of Porsche in these areas. Manthey Racing GmbH, founded in 1996 as a racing team by racing legend Olaf Manthey, merged with Nicolas and Martin Raeder’s Raeder Automotive GmbH in 2013. The two brothers have also served as managing directors of Manthey since then. Porsche has also been involved since 2013, with Olaf Manthey now only active in an advisory role and as a shareholder.

Formula 1 dispute at Red Bull? Verstappen clearly contradicts Marko

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Formula 1 dispute at Red Bull? Verstappen clearly contradicts Marko

Max Verstappen strongly contradicts Helmut Marko’s statements about allegedly declining motivation and explains why nothing has changed for him.

Max Verstappen contradicts Red Bull sporting director Helmut Marko, who claimed that his motivation had suffered during the summer months.

Marko told Sky in Austin last weekend that Red Bull had “already given up on the 2025 Formula 1 season in the summer. But then Max suddenly won at the Nürburgring and came back incredibly motivated. Now everyone is motivated again.”

Verstappen refutes this portrayal, saying in Mexico: “Of course, it’s more enjoyable to come to race weekends like this when you know you have a chance of winning than when you don’t.”

“But I know for myself that when I’m in the car, I always try to give it my all—even if I’m fighting for fourth or ninth place. Then I’m more or less satisfied with certain results.”

A spontaneous trip to the Nürburgring? Not at all!

Verstappen emphasized that his Nürburgring outing in a GT3 car was not a spontaneous decision, but had been “planned for a long time.” “It’s not something that just happened suddenly. Something like this has to be well organized in advance, and you have to prepare accordingly.”

“This year, I had the opportunity to take part in the races. It was my first chance on the real track after I had already trained a lot online – even during Formula 1 race weekends. So nothing has changed in my professional approach.”

Verstappen’s philosophy for the title fight

And now that he is still 40 points behind and still has a chance of winning the world championship title, “nothing really changes” for him, said Verstappen: “In the worst case, I’ll finish third.”

“I’ll just try to win races until the end of the season. Hopefully that will be possible every weekend, but you can’t know that. We’re just on a good run right now and we know that everything has to go perfectly until the end.“

”If we succeed, great! Then it would be an incredible comeback. If not, then we’ll move on. We can still be proud of the final phase of this season and the upturn in performance. But those are things we’ll deal with in Abu Dhabi.”

Oscar Piastri: Why Austin was just a one-off for him

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Oscar Piastri: Why Austin was just a one-off for him

Oscar Piastri explains why his poor weekend in Austin is no cause for concern—and what McLaren’s analysis says was really behind it.

McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri considers his poor form in Austin to have been a “one-off” and very “Austin-specific,” he explained ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

Piastri said: “It was just a chaotic weekend with everything that happened. That made things a bit difficult, of course.”

Piastri is referring in particular to the crash involving his teammate in the sprint race, which took him and Lando Norris out of the race on the first lap and cost them important points. In the subsequent qualifying and Grand Prix, Piastri fell well short of expectations by his own standards.

Were Piastri’s difficulties just track-specific?

Now he says: “According to our analysis, many of the problems were specific to Austin. So I’m not too worried that these problems will continue. And of course, I hope things will go a little better this weekend.”

One thing is certain: the technical basis of his McLaren MCL39 will remain unchanged in Mexico City compared to Austin.

Piastri explains: “A few things on the car may not have been as good as they could have been. But there was nothing seriously wrong with the car either.”

Firstly, things turn out differently than you think

On the other hand, the course of the weekend contributed significantly to his performance, Piastri continues. “A few things turned out differently than we had expected from various perspectives.”

“If the car wasn’t ideal and if we could do the weekend again, we would probably do a few things a little differently, but nothing fundamental.”

Ahead of Mexico, Piastri leads the Formula 1 drivers’ standings by 14 points ahead of Norris. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is 40 points behind.

Upside-down MotoGP world in Sepang practice: Ducati suddenly just a spectator?

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Upside-down MotoGP world in Sepang practice: Ducati suddenly just a spectator?

No Ducati in the top 5 in Malaysia practice: Nevertheless, the riders are very optimistic – Francesco Bagnaia is also doing slightly better despite finishing 12th

No Ducati rider was among the top positions on the practice day for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Half a second behind, the VR46 duo Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli took sixth and seventh place. Otherwise, only Gresini rider Alex Marquez managed to qualify directly for Q2 in ninth place, despite two crashes.

His teammate Fermin Aldeguer and factory rider Francesco Bagnaia finished twelfth and thirteenth and will have to compete in Q1 on Saturday. However, all five Ducati riders believe that Friday’s result does not reflect the full picture.

“Yes, to be honest, today was a good day,” says rookie Aldeguer. “At least until the last ten or twenty minutes. With the rain setting in, I took a very calm approach to the last attempt, but the front tire wasn’t ready yet. That was a bit of a disaster moment.”

“But the feeling, and that’s the most important thing, was good. We were fast all day, in all conditions. I also like the track because it’s one of my favorites and suits my riding style well.” Aldeguer started the Sepang weekend with the fastest time. And despite finishing 0.6 seconds behind, Bagnaia doesn’t see the situation as bleak as it was at the last two race weekends: “Overall, it was better than at Phillip Island, but also better than in Indonesia.”

The Italian takes responsibility for not making it directly into Q2: “I messed up myself by not getting into Q2. I left the pits too late and only had two laps.”

“Under these conditions, two extra laps would have been a clear advantage. So it was my mistake,” said Bagnaia, who was less behind overall than last time. Is the stability of his bike better now in Sepang?

“Yes, a little better. But since Austria, we’ve had more movement overall, and we’re still trying to understand the cause. The feeling for the performance isn’t there yet. I can’t brake and turn in the way I want to.“

”We’re still working on that. But it’s definitely a better start than the past two weekends,“ Bagnaia emphasized after the practice day. When asked how different his bike is compared to the winter test, he replied: ”Not at all, the bike is the same.”

Di Giannantonio dreams of pole position

Behind Pedro Acosta in first place, two Honda and two Yamaha riders were in the top 5. This was an unusual result, as in recent weeks, Aprilia in particular had been the strong force at the front alongside Ducati. But in Sepang, no Aprilia made it into Q2.

“I think the Hondas are really strong,” says Di Giannantonio. “But in MotoGP, you never know. At the end of the day, we have a lot of engineers—the best motorcycle engineers ever. Everything can change from one session to the next.”

“At the moment, the guys in the top 10 don’t necessarily seem to be the ones with the best rhythm. But that can change, and maybe they’ll confirm it tomorrow. We’ll see.“ In any case, Di Giannantonio doesn’t believe Ducati is out of the running in Sepang after Friday.
”I’m satisfied because the feeling wasn’t good in the morning. I think we identified the problem quite quickly and turned the whole thing around for practice. I think we’ve worked out a good starting position for qualifying today.“

”Of course, the current setup is still causing us some problems, but we have a good chance of driving a strong lap. My personal goal is to be in the first two rows,“ says ”Diggia,” setting himself ambitious targets.

“Pole position would be fantastic, of course – with a new clock and all that – but for me it would be great to start in the first two rows. I’m confident we can do that tomorrow.”

Alex Marquez has neck pain after crash

After three race weekends, his teammate Morbidelli made it back into Q2 on Friday. The stability problems he experienced at Phillip Island seem to have been largely resolved.

“There’s still something there, but it’s much better. I’m satisfied,” confirms Morbidelli. “Today we’re at the top instead of at the bottom. Anything can happen, because we know that anything is possible in MotoGP today. But today was good.”

Despite making it into Q2, Alex Marquez had a difficult Friday. The World Championship runner-up crashed in Turn 8 in the first practice session and in Turn 2 in the second. The Spaniard suffered neck pain in the first crash, which is why he did not give any interviews.

Gresini sent out a short statement from Alex Marquez: “It wasn’t an easy first day here in Malaysia. I think we started really well in the morning, but then we had some problems. The crash in particular set us back a bit in our work.“

”Nevertheless, I’m quite happy with our pace in the afternoon. It’s true that the track is very different from the pre-season test. The session was a bit difficult overall because I have muscular neck pain after the crash in the morning. We need to recover by tomorrow and then just keep going.”

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