News

News through numbers

The stories everyone is talking about, and what each one changes for the next match.

Football · 22 OCT · Giovanni Di Lorenzo · Giuseppe Bruscolotti

Di Lorenzo to Napoli legend Bruscolotti: at 75, I won't attack this dressing room

Napoli's captain answered one of the club's great former captains in an Instagram comment: "sarò poca roba ma quando avrò 75 anni da ex capitano non mi metterò di certo a sparare a zero sullo spogliatoio del Napoli" (I may be not much, but when I am 75, as a former captain, I certainly won't open fire on the Napoli dressing room). Giovanni Di Lorenzo was replying to Giuseppe Bruscolotti, who had said the team has no leader, and Corriere dello Sport reports that Bruscolotti has since apologised.

Our take Napoli's problem is the table, not the armband

Football · 22 OCT · Feyenoord · Sem Steijn

Feyenoord's unbeaten leaders took their row to the dressing room. PSV are next

In the last minutes in Seville, Anis Hadj Moussa had the ball in the Real Betis box and did not find Sem Steijn, and after the final whistle the two Feyenoord players argued about it. Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed it at his press conference: the discussion carried on in the dressing room before things calmed down.

Our take The row is noise. Eight goals in three games is not

Tennis · 22 OCT · David Goffin · Alex Michelsen

Goffin had to cancel his own farewell party. Today he plays the Brussels fifth seed

David Goffin had a party booked for Wednesday night in Brussels, and he had to call it off himself: "Je vais devoir annuler la fête de ce mercredi soir" (I'm going to have to cancel this Wednesday night's party), he told the Centre Court crowd. The 35-year-old, playing the last tournament of his career, was 3-0 down in the deciding set against lucky loser Remy Bertola and won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Our take Goffin's best weapon today is the crowd

Football · 22 OCT · Bayern Munich · Jürgen Klopp

Klopp still can't work out Bayern without the ball. Kompany: "Next question"

At half-time of Bayern 2-2 Arsenal, Jürgen Klopp sat in the DAZN studio and admitted, laughing, that he still has not fully worked out what Bayern do when they lose the ball. Around midnight Vincent Kompany was asked about it and gave the shortest answer of the night: "Da sage ich nichts dazu. Nächste Frage" (I'm not saying anything about that. Next question), dpa reports.

Our take Klopp's doubt comes with a number: 8 in 4

Football · 22 OCT · Luis Suárez · Sporting CP

Luis Suárez has scored in nine straight games. The last Sporting man to do it was Yazalde

Luis Suárez scored from the spot after five minutes against LASK and again from close range in the 89th, and that makes nine games in a row with a goal for Sporting. According to Record, no Sporting player had done that since Héctor Yazalde in 1973/74, and yet Sporting lost 2-3 at Alvalade on Wednesday night.

Our take Suárez's streak is hiding Sporting's defence

Football · 22 OCT · Santos Laguna · Pumas UNAM

Pumas lost Nathan Silva inside two minutes, and Faitelson asks why VAR never looked

Pumas were down to ten men before the clock in Torreón reached two minutes: referee Guillermo Pacheco gave a penalty and a straight red to Nathan Silva for a push on Ezequiel Bullaude, and David Faitelson asked on X why the referee was never sent to the screen. Santos won 2-0 with two penalties, their sixth league win in a row, a run El Siglo de Torreón says no Santos team had managed before.

Our take The call hurt Pumas, Santos' run is real

Basketball · 22 OCT · Partizan · Antonio Reeves

Partizan sign an ex-NBA shooter the day before the Belgrade derby

Four days after Minnesota waived him, Antonio Reeves has a new club, and his first game could be the Belgrade derby. Partizan announced on Wednesday that the 25-year-old guard, who made 39.5% of his threes in 44 games for New Orleans, has signed, one day before they host Crvena Zvezda at the Belgrade Arena.

Our take Reeves is a signing for November, not tonight

Football · 22 OCT · Salomón Rondón · Pachuca

Salomón Rondón is two goals from Maldonado's Venezuelan record in Liga MX

Salomón Rondón has 13 goals in 13 Apertura games for Pachuca, and he has not gone two league games in a row without scoring all tournament. By Mediotiempo's count he now has 43 Liga MX goals, one behind Giancarlo Maldonado's 44, the most by a Venezuelan in the Mexican league.

Our take Rondón takes Maldonado's record this Apertura

Hockey · 22 OCT · Ottawa Senators · Linus Ullmark

Ottawa are 7-1 with Ullmark in goal. He left on a routine save, and Ersson is 0-2

Linus Ullmark is 7-1-0 with a .945 save percentage this season, and Samuel Ersson is 0-2-0 at .831. On Wednesday night Ullmark went down on an ordinary save with nobody near him and was helped off the ice, TSN and Daily Faceoff reported, and Ottawa host San Jose on Thursday night.

Our take Ottawa's 7-3 start rests on one goalie

Basketball · 22 OCT · Los Angeles Lakers · Walker Kessler

Walker Kessler went 12 for 12 in the Lakers' first game after LeBron

Twelve shots, twelve makes, on his first official night in purple and gold. Walker Kessler scored 26 points in the Lakers' 127-105 win over Golden State, their first game since LeBron James left for Philadelphia, and according to the AP only Wilt Chamberlain, 14 for 14 in March 1969, has made more shots without a miss in a Lakers game.

Our take Doncic finally has a lob target he trusts

Football · 21 OCT · Barcelona · Hansi Flick

Flick benched Rodri for the Clásico. Barcelona conceded twice in five minutes in Paris

Lamine Yamal equalised for Barcelona with a left-footed shot from a tight angle on 79 minutes in Paris, and by the 86th they were 4-2 down: Vitinha scored on 81, Fabián Ruiz on 86. Afterwards Hansi Flick admitted that Sunday's Clásico against Real Madrid shaped his line-up, with Rodri on the bench and Marc Bernal in his place.

Our take Rodri was not what Barcelona missed in Paris

Basketball · 21 OCT · Markus Howard · BaskoniaUnconfirmed report

Report: Baskonia pay Markus Howard €2M to leave for half the salary at Zenit

Two years ago Markus Howard won the EuroLeague scoring title for Baskonia; this month the club is paying him to play somewhere else. According to El Correo, Baskonia will pay Howard about €2 million, in instalments, to end a contract that ran to 2028, because Zenit St Petersburg will pay him only about €1 million a year.

Our take €2M only makes sense if it buys a scorer

Basketball · 21 OCT · Olympiacos · Evan Fournier

Olympiacos lose Fournier, Montero is a doubt, Dorsey trains alone before Fenerbahçe

Three guards have scored 224 of Olympiacos' 589 EuroLeague points this season, and on Friday against Fenerbahçe none of them is a sure starter. Evan Fournier is out for about 20 days, Jean Montero is doubtful and Tyler Dorsey trained on his own on Tuesday while the club decides his punishment, SPORT24 and Gazzetta reported.

Our take The Dorsey call matters more than the injuries

Football · 21 OCT · Leandro Paredes · Boca Juniors

Paredes sends Boca to the Sudamericana final with an 88th-minute winner at the Maracanã

Eleven days after tearing his right hamstring, Leandro Paredes came off the bench at the Maracanã and hit the goal that put Boca Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana final: a shot from about 25 metres in the 88th minute. Boca won 3-1 in Rio, 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-0 at La Bombonera, and will play the final on Saturday 21 November in Barranquilla.

Our take Rio ended a curse. Barranquilla is the real exam

Football · 21 OCT · Sevilla · Real Madrid

Sevilla demand LaLiga's raw footage after Güler's elbow got no close-up replay

Arda Güler's elbow on Peque Fernández reached Sevilla fans only in a wide shot, while Kylian Mbappé's penalty was replayed from several angles. On Tuesday Sevilla turned that into a formal complaint to LaLiga's Competitions Department, signed by president José María del Nido Carrasco, asking for the raw footage of four incidents from Sunday's 4-1 defeat at the Bernabéu and for "depuración de responsabilidades", an inquiry into who decided what.

Our take "Nothing hidden" needs the raw footage

Football · 21 OCT · FC Porto · Jan Bednarek

Bednarek applauds Porto's boos. Eight from eight in Portugal, zero in Europe

Porto have won all eight of their league games this season, and on Tuesday night some of their own Super Dragões whistled them off after a 1-0 home defeat by PSV. Jan Bednarek walked towards the stand and applauded them back, then told reporters, as quoted by Record: "Adorei" (I loved it).

Our take Porto lose Europe in both boxes, not the stands

Football · 21 OCT · İsmail Kartal · Fenerbahçe

Kartal hears "resign" chants and promises Fenerbahçe fans: win the derby, make peace

Fenerbahçe were 2-0 up on Slavia Prague after 11 minutes, conceded the equaliser in the 90th, and the Şükrü Saracoğlu answered with "istifa", resign, aimed at İsmail Kartal. He walked straight to the dressing room without waiting for his players, A Spor reports, and later told reporters: "Derbilere alışığız" (we are used to derbies), with Galatasaray away on Monday and Nathan Aké waiting for an MRI.

Our take The derby is Kartal's real vote of confidence

Tennis · 21 OCT · Marta Kostyuk · Karolina Muchova

Marta Kostyuk needs a Ningbo final, or Muchova takes the last WTA Finals place

One player in the world can still take the last WTA Finals place away from Karolina Muchova, and she plays her first match in Ningbo today. The WTA puts it in one line: "If Kostyuk does not reach the final, Muchova secures the last spot."

Our take Muchova can book her flight to Indian Wells

Hockey · 21 OCT · Connor McDavid · Edmonton Oilers

McDavid has 26 points in nine games, and Minnesota's bench gave him the last one

With 1:59 gone in overtime, Minnesota were caught with too many men on the ice, and 93 seconds later Evan Bouchard beat Jesper Wallstedt high on the short side from a Connor McDavid pass. Edmonton won 4-3 at Rogers Place on Tuesday, McDavid assisted on all three Oilers power-play goals, and he now has 26 points in nine games, the official NHL game summary shows.

Our take Minnesota lost this game in the penalty box

Hockey · 21 OCT · Pittsburgh Penguins · Bryan RustUnconfirmed report

Report: Penguins shop Rust and Rakell after four losses and 21 goals against

Before Kirill Marchenko went from Columbus to Toronto, Pittsburgh tried to get him too, and Rickard Rakell was the piece they offered to sweeten the deal. Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Penguins want to get younger and named Bryan Rust among the veterans they would part with, Pro Hockey Rumors reported on Tuesday.

Our take Selling forwards won't fix 21 goals against

Basketball · 20 OCT · Aday Mara · Casademont Zaragoza

Zaragoza tell the NBA Aday Mara needs their papers. OKC say he doesn't

Casademont Zaragoza say they still hold Aday Mara's international transfer, and they have written to the NBA, the Thunder, FIBA and the Spanish federation to say he needs it to play. Oklahoma City's answer, given through a spokesperson, is that the league told them no clearance from the Spanish club is required, and Mara is set to make his debut in San Antonio on Tuesday night.

Our take Zaragoza lose the debut fight, not the money

Football · 20 OCT · Ermedin Demirovic · VfB Stuttgart

Demirovic is "still boiling" after Hamburg. Stuttgart: 6 from 6 in Europe, 13th in Germany

For two days after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Hamburg, the city where he was born, Ermedin Demirovic says it "really cooked" inside him: he had missed two big chances. Now the Stuttgart striker calls the loss ticked off "even if it is still boiling in me", and he told the German agency dpa that against Atlético Madrid tonight the team must reach "Champions League level in every respect" or there will be no points.

Our take Stuttgart need Demirovic's finishing, not his anger

Football · 20 OCT · Galatasaray · Leroy Sané

Galatasaray's seven attackers: 4 goals in 10 games, Sané and Leão still on 0

İlkay Gündoğan, Alexey Batrakov, Rafael Leão, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Yunus Akgün, Leroy Sané and Deniz Gül: seven Galatasaray attackers, 4 of the club's 19 goals in 10 games, and Sané and Leão still on 0. Fotomaç ran the count on Tuesday morning, citing Takvim, a day before Galatasaray go to Lille with no Champions League points.

Our take Galatasaray's goals still run through Osimhen

Football · 20 OCT · Inter Milan · Ivan ProvedelUnconfirmed report

Report: Inter top Serie A with 0 Champions League points, and Chivu turns to Provedel

Inter lead Serie A with 19 points from seven games, yet they sit 29th of 36 in the Champions League with none. For Wednesday's must-win game against Shakhtar at San Siro, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Cristian Chivu will rotate and hand Ivan Provedel his Inter debut in goal, 231 days after his last match.

Our take Inter's European problem is six goals, not one goalkeeper