Sunday, November 9, 2025
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It’s over for Mukhtar: Messi scores twice to lead Miami to the playoff quarterfinals

After being knocked out in the first round last year, Inter Miami is in the playoff quarterfinals for the first time. The Florida club owes this to a stellar performance by Lionel Messi.

With two goals, a direct assist and a penultimate pass, Messi was once again the outstanding player for Inter Miami on Saturday evening (local time), who ultimately qualified for the MLS playoff quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Nashville SC in the decisive game of the best-of-three series.

After the team led by former Hertha player Mukhtar had managed to equalize in front of their home crowd in Tennessee, bringing back memories of Inter’s early exit last year, Messi set the course for victory after just nine minutes this time. After a failed back pass from Nashville’s Corcoran, the Argentine set off on a solo run, was unstoppable, and sank the ball for an early lead.

After 39 minutes, the 38-year-old scored his second goal into an empty net after Silvetti’s assist, before shining as a playmaker in the final stages. However, it was Jordi Alba who made it 3-0 after a one-two with Messi for Allende, who three minutes later scored the best goal of the evening with a lob—after a through ball from Messi—to seal the final score and also score twice.

Mascherano: “To see him pressing like that at 38 is incredible.”

“I would like to congratulate Leo on his performance,” said coach Javier Mascherano. “To see him pressing like that at 38 is incredible. We all know Leo’s skills with the ball, but what Leo showed today without the ball was impressive.”

Miami will now face Cincinnati FC in the quarterfinals, who also won their best-of-three series against Columbus Crew 2-1 in the evening. The duel between Minnesota United and the Seattle Sounders turned into a thriller, with the latter losing 6-7 in a penalty shootout. Minnesota’s next opponent will be decided on Monday night when San Diego and the Portland Timbers face off in the decisive third game.

After 34 years: Berlin native Touré redeems SC Pisa

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The wait in Pisa is over. The Tuscan club has won a Serie A match for the first time since 1991—thanks to a native of Berlin.

SC Pisa had to wait 34 years for a victory in Italy’s top flight – then a Berliner saved the traditional club, which had fallen on hard times. Thanks to a goal in the 75th minute by former German U-19 international Idrissa Touré, Pisa defeated US Cremonese 1-0 (0-0) on Friday evening, winning a Serie A match for the first time since May 1991.

“I said before the match that I would score a goal. Now I’m even happier, of course, and hope that this adventure continues,” said 27-year-old Touré, who moved to Italy from Werder Bremen’s second team in 2018 and has been under contract with Pisa since 2021.

Memories of Diego Simeone

With the club from the “city of towers,” Touré made his return to Serie A this year, from which Pisa had been relegated in 1991—as a result, the club had at times only played in the fourth division. At the time of its last victory in Italy’s top flight, the club, which later went bankrupt, was still called AC Pisa. In the 1-0 win against AS Bari on May 12, 1991, the young Diego Simeone, now a legendary coach at Atletico Madrid, played in Pisa’s midfield.

“My team could have lost heart in the difficult moments, but they didn’t,” said coach Alberto Gilardino, once a star striker for Italy’s national team: “Today is a gift for all of us and for the effort we have put in over the past few weeks.”

From Buffon’s son to 40-year-old Albiol

Gilardino succeeded successful coach Filippo Inzaghi after the promotion. In the first ten games of the season, Pisa, under “Gila” and with veteran stars such as Juan Cuadrado (37, in the starting lineup against Cremona), Raul Albiol (40, bench) and Swiss midfielder Michel Aebischer (28), as well as young stars such as goalkeeper’s son Louis Buffon (17, bench), had six draws and four losses. Gilardino was nevertheless allowed to continue – not a matter of course given the traditional turnover of coaches in Italian professional soccer.

After this joyful event and the upcoming international break, Pisa will continue on November 24 with an away game at Sassuolo Calcio.

On match day: Middlesbrough lets coach Edwards move to the Premier League

Something strange is happening at Championship third-placed FC Middlesbrough: successful coach Rob Edwards is not allowed to coach the team this Saturday on club orders – because he is likely to be leaving soon.

After three games without a win, Middlesbrough FC were hoping to get back on track this Saturday (4 p.m.) in their home game against promoted Birmingham City. But in the hours before kick-off, the action on the pitch took a back seat.

As initially reported by the English media, coach Rob Edwards was banned from coaching the team against Birmingham. The background: The 42-year-old Welshman wants to leave the third-placed Championship side for the Premier League at short notice.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who parted ways with their head coach Vitor Pereira just under a week ago, are courting Edwards intensively. Although they reportedly failed to make an official offer on Thursday, when Middlesbrough canceled the mandatory matchday press conference a day later and Edwards’ assistants led training, it was already clear that the transfer was by no means over.

Boro has now officially announced that it has reached an agreement with Wolverhampton and given Edwards permission to talk to the Premier League’s bottom club. Against Birmingham, the head coach will be represented by his assistants Adi Viveash and Harry Watling, as well as academy director Craig Liddle.

Middlesbrough, who finished tenth last season, four points shy of the promotion play-offs, only signed Edwards in the summer as Michael Carrick’s successor, giving him a three-year contract. After starting with four league wins, the traditional club was among the leaders from the outset.

Edwards has already stood on the sidelines for the Wolves

Edwards himself played for the Wolves, who are still winless in the Premier League and bottom of the table with only two points, between 2004 and 2008. He later started his coaching career in their youth system and even served as interim coach of the first team for a short time in the fall of 2016.

In Wolverhampton, Vitor Pereira’s predecessor Gary O’Neil was initially considered the favorite for the vacant coaching position, but the Englishman ended talks at the beginning of the week. In the league match at Chelsea FC in the evening, U-21 coach James Collins and U-18 coach Richard Walker will step in.

Wirtz puts his numbers into perspective

Ahead of the big game at Manchester City, Florian Wirtz sees a positive trend not only at Liverpool FC, but also for himself. Will the performance against Real Madrid mark a double turnaround?

Whether this is an indication that Florian Wirtz will also be in the starting lineup on Sunday remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it speaks well for the new signing from Leverkusen that Liverpool FC allowed him to make a few statements on its website the day before the top match at Manchester City.

“I spoke to my teammates, of course, and they told me it would be a tough game,” Wirtz explains ahead of his debut against ManCity. Having impressed as a starter in Tuesday’s 1-0 home win against Real Madrid in the Champions League after several substitute appearances, he has a good chance of starting this game.

“First and foremost, I just enjoyed playing because I wasn’t sure if I would play,” he said, looking back on the match against Los Blancos, where he experienced the “craziest atmosphere since I’ve been here.” “We had the right mentality from the start and were good in the challenges.” That also applied to Wirtz himself, who gave his all on the left side with and against the ball and earned extra praise from teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, among others.

“Of course, the numbers aren’t there yet, but…”

“I can play in the middle, at number ten or on the left,” says the 22-year-old dispassionately in the debate about his best position. “I just play in the position the coach asks me to.” Because Szoboszlai recently moved back into central midfield and impressed there, Wirtz will probably remain on the left for the time being.

The national team player sees not only the Reds (“We’re back”) but also himself on the right track, even though he is still waiting for his first scoring point in the Premier League. “I think I already have a good connection with my teammates on the pitch. Of course, the numbers aren’t there yet, but I just try to do my best in every game and I’m happy that I can create some chances.”

Alba continues its winning streak, Ulm loses at the buzzer – Oldenburg remains at the bottom of the table

Alba Berlin secured its fourth consecutive victory in the BBL thanks to a home win against MBC, while runner-up Ulm suffered its fourth defeat in a row. Earlier, the Skyliners, led by an outstanding Jaedon Le Dee, stopped the Bamberg Baskets’ upward trend, and Oldenburg lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Alba Berlin defeats league leaders MBC

Former basketball serial champions Alba Berlin continued their upswing against the previous Bundesliga leaders SYNTAINICS MBC. The capital city team defeated the cup winners 88-80 after a successful comeback and climbed to fifth place in the table after their sixth competitive win in a row.

Martin Hermannsson was the hosts’ top scorer with 19 points, while Justin Bean and Jack Kayil each contributed 16. New signing Alex O’Connell scored two points, one assist and one rebound on his debut. Khyri Thomas was the MBC’s top scorer with 16 points.

Comithier becomes the hero: Bonn defeats Ulm in a thriller

Telekom Baskets Bonn celebrated their fourth win of the season in a heart-stopping finale. Alijah Comithier became the match winner with a buzzer-beater in the 81-79 victory over runners-up ratiopharm Ulm. Prior to that, both teams had been evenly matched, with neither side able to pull away decisively. Bonn turned the game around after a weak start, but had to accept the equalizer in the meantime. The game was overshadowed by injuries on both sides. Bonn’s Michael Kessens had to be taken to hospital in the second quarter with a suspected concussion, while Ulm lost its top scorer Christopher Ledlum shortly before the break. Despite the absences, however, the game remained open until the end. It was only in the final attack that Bonn’s Grayson Murphy provided the assist for Comithier with a clever throw-in, who finished coolly.

With this narrow home win, the Baskets give themselves some breathing space in the table, while Ulm remains in search of consistency after its fourth league game in a row without a win.

Le Dee excels: Skyliners win in Freak City

The Skyliners Frankfurt confirmed their strong start to the season and stopped Bamberg’s winning streak for the time being. From the start, the Hessians set the pace, defended aggressively and forced numerous missed shots by the visitors. An 11-0 run in the first quarter laid the foundation, while Jaedon Le Dee (20 points, 21 rebounds) dominated under the baskets almost single-handedly. Anton Gavel’s team struggled to find their rhythm offensively and trailed by double digits after ten minutes.

In the second quarter, Frankfurt seemed to pull away, leading by +18. But the Franconians did not give up: Led by Cobe Williams (26, 5 rebounds), who reduced the deficit with ten quick points, Bamberg fought its way back into the game by halftime. By then, the long-range shots were also falling and Ibi Watson (25, 6 rebounds) breathed new life into Bamberg’s game with important baskets. At the break, with the score at 45:41 for Frankfurt, everything was suddenly up for grabs again. After the break, Bamberg even took the lead briefly, but Frankfurt kept its cool. Once again, it was Le Dee who made the decisive plays. A 9:0 run by the Skyliners set the course for victory. In the end, even a strong 51 points from the Williams/Watson duo was not enough. Frankfurt won the game 80:77 and remains one of the surprise teams of the season.

EWE Baskets Oldenburg remain at the bottom of the BBL table. In a 59-65 defeat in Ludwigsburg, the Lower Saxony team put up a fight, but found few solutions offensively against the aggressive defense of MHP RIESEN, led by Traveon Buchanan (15 points, 5 rebounds).

After an evenly matched first half (33-34), Predrag Krunic’s team once again lacked punch in the final quarter. Chris Clemons was the top scorer with eleven points, but overall Oldenburg’s offense remained too harmless. It was already their sixth defeat in seven games this season.

Bourdais furious about Button penalty in Bahrain: “I’m just fed up!”

Sebastien Bourdais is seething with rage after the penalty against Cadillac 38 in Bahrain and accuses the race commissioners of having no idea about racing.

Sebastien Bourdais is furious after the season finale of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Bahrain. The Frenchman, who shares the Cadillac V-Series.R 38 with Earl Bamber and Jenson Button, sharply criticizes the stewards after the trio received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for the accident with the AF Corse Ferrari 54 (Flohr/Castellacci/Rigon), which ended the GT team’s race.

“To be honest, I’m just tired of the stewards’ decisions, who clearly don’t understand racing situations,”

“It’s extremely frustrating. Every driver in the paddock—I’d say 75 percent—thinks the GT was at fault in this case. I just don’t understand how you can penalize the prototype.”

“I just want us to get to the point where they tell me what they think should have been done. If they have a valid argument, then I understand. But otherwise, I’m sorry. It was just a racing accident, and we’re lucky we didn’t retire.”

The incident occurred when Button was battling with the BMW 20 (Rast/Wittmann/S. van der Linde) and collided with Thomas Flohr’s GT Ferrari in traffic. Button saw a gap on the left, while Flohr didn’t expect anyone to pass there. “The guy just overreacted when the BMW stuck its nose in on the right and drove into Jenson’s car. How can that be our fault?” asks the former Formula 1 driver rhetorically. “The GT drivers have rear cameras, they can see exactly what’s happening behind them. And yet they still drive into us, and in the end it’s the prototype’s fault again.”

“You might as well park the car right away”

Bourdais is particularly angry about the severity of the penalty: “It wasn’t even a normal drive-through penalty or a ten-second penalty—we lost a full minute! You might as well park the car.”

Up to that point, the performance had been better than the result suggested: “I had two good stints, Earl was driving strongly, and Jenson also did a good job. But somehow we’re always on the wrong side of the fence,” he says. “The performance was there, but it just always goes against us.”

“We made the wrong strategic decision in the first phase,” admits Bourdais. “We had saved fuel and should have stayed out longer. But the engineers overreacted because the BMW was in traffic, and we pitted too early. Then you refuel less, think you can push—but instead you have to save fuel again. That basically ended the race.”

A safety car could have helped—but it was the Cadillac itself that caused the neutralization with the incident. “We were hoping for a yellow phase, but in the end, we were the ones who triggered it,” says Bourdais. “It’s always the same—as soon as an accident happens, someone has to be to blame. And that’s always the prototype. I’m just tired of it.”

Alpine crisis: Pierre Gasly wants to be “the main factor for motivation”

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Pierre Gasly is taking responsibility at Alpine and wants to keep the team’s spirits high despite continued lack of success – focus on 2026

Pierre Gasly speaks openly about the difficult situation at Alpine. The Frenchman explains that he is trying to be “the main factor for motivation” in the team, while the team has focused its development heavily on 2026.

“I think the most important thing on my part is to keep the motivation high in the team – for everyone in the team,” says Gasly. “Because at the end of the day, as much frustration as I build up because I can’t bring back any points, they are just as disappointed. Everyone puts their heart into it, works crazy hours, travels around the world to give us the opportunity to drive with the best possible equipment.”

Alpine is currently in what is arguably the weakest phase of its history. Over the last five Grands Prix, Gasly’s 15th place in Mexico was the best result, while every other team scored at least nine points.

Full focus on 2026

Gasly explains that the Enstone-based team focused its resources on the new regulations early on. “We definitely know that we’ve taken a step back in terms of performance,” he says. “We’ve seen teams like Haas still bringing upgrades, even in Austin, while we haven’t brought any updates for months—but that’s okay. We know we have four race weekends left, and after that, another project begins.”

He defends the decision to barely develop the current car further: “I’m very excited. I’m sitting between two stools right now because this year is extremely tough for everyone in the team, and we’re not competitive at all – for reasons we know and because of decisions we’ve made tactically.”

“If it brings me better results next year, I don’t care about this season at all – and it will be worth it,” he emphasizes.

Gasly: Sometimes you have to make tough decisions

Gasly believes the strategy is the right one, even if it hurts in the short term. “What we could have achieved this year wouldn’t have been good enough for us anyway,” he says. “These weeks and months can give us an edge over other teams and bring us much greater success – that’s ultimately the goal.”

“I fully support the team in what we’ve done. It’s a bit drastic, but sometimes you have to make tough decisions to achieve greatness.” He is convinced that the sacrifices will pay off in the long run: “We know what we’re working towards, and I’m not losing sight of the big picture.”

Responsibility as team leader

Gasly emphasizes that his role goes beyond just driving. “I have to look at the bigger picture—beyond the 1,500 people who work at the track and in the factory,” he says. “And especially when we know we’re working toward something much bigger for 2026.”

He admits that he is not enjoying the current situation very much. “Am I enjoying it as much as I usually do? No. But I am aware of the project I am working on and what is coming in the next few years. That’s why it’s important for me to be the main factor in motivating everyone on the team,” Gasly emphasizes.

Despite accident in Brazil sprint: Oscar Piastri still believes in World Championship success

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After his unfortunate accident in the Brazil sprint, Oscar Piastri is not giving up: the McLaren driver still believes he can crown the season with his first World Championship success.

Oscar Piastri’s run of bad luck continues at the Brazilian Grand Prix: After his unfortunate accident in the sprint, he is now nine points behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. However, the Australian is far from giving up on the World Championship battle.

“I still believe that I can win races and take the championship, but of course things aren’t coming as easily as I would like at the moment,” Piastri admitted after a disappointing Saturday in Sao Paulo.

Nevertheless, Piastri is convinced that the problems with his driving style that he experienced in Austin and Mexico have now been overcome. And although the weekend in Brazil presented him with new challenges, he still believes he can catch up with and beat his teammate in the final races of the year.

Problems from Austin and Mexico have been solved

“I think there were definitely some things to learn in Austin and Mexico, as well as things that I didn’t feel comfortable with naturally and had to adapt to,” said Piastri, who only secured fourth place on the grid in qualifying, while Norris is once again on pole.

But: “This weekend, especially yesterday, everything felt much more normal,” the Australian sums up his initial assessment. “I felt comfortable right from the first lap of practice, and the lap times came easily.” In qualifying, however, he was still 0.375 seconds off Norris’ best time.

“Today was a little more difficult in terms of conditions and just getting the most out of everything, but I don’t think there were the same issues this weekend.” The McLaren driver is convinced that he has put the difficulties of recent races behind him.

Accident in the sprint was “a bit unfortunate”

The accident in the sprint was simply unfortunate. “I used [the kerb] a little bit on the lap before and had no problems with it,” reports the 24-year-old. “Looking back, a few drivers in front of me also used it and possibly brought a little more water to the spot where I ended up.”

This includes his teammate Lando Norris. “The track was in a different condition than in the lap before, and obviously I wasn’t the only one who got caught out,” Piastri recalls, pointing out that Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) also crashed at the same spot.
Nevertheless, the McLaren driver admits that he has to take responsibility for his own actions. “I probably shouldn’t have been on the kerb,” Piastri admits after his zero points on Saturday. “But it’s a bit unfortunate that the consequences were so serious.”

Acosta vs. Marquez: The decisive differences in the Portimao sprint

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KTM lacks traction but is strong on the brakes – Alex Marquez shines with his drive out of the last corner – Both talk about their close duel in the Portimao sprint

Pedro Acosta missed out on his first sprint victory in Portimao and the first for KTM since Jerez 2023 by just one tenth of a second. In an exciting Spanish duel, runner-up world champion Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) ultimately prevailed and celebrated his second sprint victory in the 2025 MotoGP season. Both describe their individual strengths and weaknesses on this track.

“The problem is,” says Acosta, “that our weak point is traction, and that’s his strong point. In fact, I lost hardly anything in sectors 1, 2, and 3. I was even able to catch up in sector 1. I was very strong in sector 3 and turn 5.“

”The plan was first and foremost to be at the front. Because when you’re at the front, you control the pace of the race and decide what you want to do. I tried as long as I could. We’re just trying to get the most out of the package.”

Alex Marquez also recognized that Acosta, in the lead, was trying to control the pace at the front and secure his position at the back: “When Marco was in front, the pace was quite high. But after Pedro overtook him, the pace was significantly lower.”

“That made it easier for the riders behind. At that moment, I said to myself, ‘Okay, I’ll wait a bit.’ I knew exactly where my point of attack was—it was the last corner. From there to the first corner is my best section on this track.“

”So I was pretty relaxed at that moment,” Alex Marquez describes the duel from his point of view. “I had some trouble stopping the bike in many places, which meant I couldn’t defend myself as well as I would have liked.”

Acosta was better at the hard braking points and exploited the KTM’s advantage there. Alex Marquez came out of the fast final corner best and took the highest speed onto the 970-meter-long home straight.

“I definitely took more risks than he did,” says Acosta, “because I had to ride a lot on the front brake in turns 3, 5, and 1. And he just used a lot of the rear tire in the last corner and was fast enough to overtake me.”

“Right from the start of the race, we had less grip than the others,” says the KTM rider, comparing his bike with the Ducati and Aprilia. “We just try to fight with the means we have: with the braking points, so that we can somehow block the others.”

“I tried as long as I could, but yes, the race was just too long. By then I was already too far behind to attempt an attack. It’s also true that Marco was putting pressure on me from behind, and I tried to attack him again on the last lap.”

Why it got exciting again on the last lap

Because on the last lap, it suddenly got exciting again. Alex Marquez started the last lap with a four-tenths of a second lead, but suddenly Acosta and Bezzecchi were back on the light blue Ducati.

“That was my mistake, completely my mistake,” said the runner-up world champion, annoyed. “I made a mistake in turns 3 and 4, and my bike wobbled badly, pumped badly, and that allowed him to catch up with me again.”

“At that moment, I heard his bike right behind me and thought, ‘Okay, I have to push until the end now.’ So it was clearly my mistake.”
Apart from his crash in qualifying, Alex Marquez has been the fastest rider so far this weekend at Portimao. Did he set up his bike specifically for the last two corners and accept a compromise on the rest of the track? “That may be the case. But since my first year here – 2020 with Honda – I’ve always been super fast in that corner.”

“I remember in 2021 with the LCR team, I was battling Miller there and was able to overtake a Ducati even though it was about 10 km/h faster on the straights. That corner just suits my riding style perfectly.”

“I feel very comfortable there when accelerating out and driving. Not always, but in general I can make a small difference in this section,” says Alex Marquez, who is also considered the favorite for the Grand Prix.

What will happen in the Grand Prix?

Tire management will play a role on Sunday over the full distance of 25 laps. On Sunday, all riders will probably switch from soft to medium rear tires. That could change the balance of power at the front. Acosta believes that tire wear will be a question mark for everyone. Alex Marquez says: “On Friday, we worked really well with the medium rear tire and were able to set a very good pace.”

“What we have to do now is manage the rear tire well, stay patient, and ride really consistently without making any mistakes. We’ll do our best, and I think we have a great chance.”

Bezzecchi also sees opportunities from pole position. In the sprint, he was able to keep up with the pace of the two Spaniards, but couldn’t make his mark. “When Pedro and especially Alex overtook me, I saw that Alex was the strongest, but Pedro was also really fast.”

“At one point, when I was with Pedro, I wanted to try to catch up with him, but then I got a vibration in the first braking zone and Alex passed me. From that moment on, it was a little more difficult for me. Nevertheless, I’m super happy with the result.“

”The last sector, especially the last two corners, is extremely demanding, and Alex has been super, super strong there since yesterday,” Bezzecchi confirms, confirming the impressions that proved to be an advantage for the Gresini rider, especially in the race.

“Let’s say that for one lap or maybe two with a new tire, many of us can set a fast time in the last sector, but Alex is the one who manages to stay consistent over many laps,” said Bezzecchi.

“So yes, we’ll analyze everything and see what we can do to make a step forward there. But otherwise, I have to say that I can’t complain. The Aprilia worked really well.”

ATP Finals: Zverev starts on Sunday

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Alexander Zverev desperately needs a win to get his campaign in Turin off to a good start. He will face American Ben Shelton on Sunday.

Starting with a minor final: For Alexander Zverev, the ATP Finals in Turin will begin with a crucial match on the opening day. The two-time tournament winner will face American Ben Shelton on Sunday in the second match of the evening session (not before 8:30 p.m.).

A defeat would make it extremely difficult to secure the second place in the group of four needed to reach the semifinals, with top favorite Jannik Sinner.
Zverev’s third opponent in the “Björn Borg Group” has not yet been determined. If Italian Lorenzo Musetti wins Saturday’s final in Athens against Novak Djokovic, he will face his compatriot Sinner in Turin on Monday. If Musetti loses, Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime will be there.

In the “Jimmy Connors Group,” Sinner’s great rival Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) and Australia’s Alex de Minaur will play the opening match on Sunday as the second match of the early session (not before 2:00 p.m.).

Before that, at 11:30 a.m., defending German champions Kevin Krawietz/Tim Pütz will face French and US Open winners Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos (Spain/Argentina) in the doubles.