logo
Union wins first Belgian league title in 90 years

Union wins first Belgian league title in 90 years

Yahoo26-05-2025
BRUSSELS (AP) — Union Saint-Gilloise sealed its first Belgian league title in 90 years with a 3-1 win over Genk on Sunday.
Promise David scored twice and Franjo Ivanovic added another goal to help the small Brussels club secure its first league title since 1935.
Advertisement
Union entered the final round of the championship playoffs with a one-point lead and after near misses in the past three seasons.
In 2022 and in 2024 Union led the regular season standings then faded in the playoffs to let Club Brugge take the title. The epic 2023 title race had a dramatic ending when a helicopter carrying league officials and the trophy had to turn away from Union's tiny Joseph Marien Stadium.
Only Union and Brugge were in title contention on Sunday. Brugge drew 1-1 with Antwerp to finish in second place, three points behind.
Union had a slow start to the season under new coach Pocognoli, after more sales of star players for eight-figure fees. Led by goals from David, Union moved up to third in the regular season standings.
Advertisement
This time, Genk was the leader that collapsed in the playoffs. Union surged with a run of five clean sheets, including a 1-0 win at Brugge on April 24, to go top for the first time.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Cowboys Training Camp: Takeaways from Practice 14, Oxnard is Over, update on Diggs injury
Cowboys Training Camp: Takeaways from Practice 14, Oxnard is Over, update on Diggs injury

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Cowboys Training Camp: Takeaways from Practice 14, Oxnard is Over, update on Diggs injury

The Dallas Cowboys have concluded their final West Coast practice of the 2025 calendar, and they are set to pack up and return to Texas in advance of their second preseason game. The Baltimore Ravens will meet them in Arlington for a Saturday night matchup, but aside from a walkthrough and some media availability on Thursday, it's a wrap on yet another four-week stint on Oxnard, CA. Wednesday's practice was highlighted by a sensational interception by a defensive lineman, giving some hints as far as what can be expected once the games count, as the Cowboys' new coaching staff continues to commit to the hide-and-no-seek mantra when it comes to what they'll reveal during the exhibition season. Here are the biggest takeaways from the final training camp practice of 2025. Sam Williams' Pick-6 Late in practice, working on goal-line situations, Dak Prescott was intercepted by defensive end Sam Williams. Williams returned the interception the entire length of the field for a Practice Pick-6. That's Dante Fowler (13) lined up wide of right tackle Terence Steele. Rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku (41) is standing up in the C gap and DT Solomon Thomas in the A gap. On the OL's left side, that's Mazi Smith (58) and Marshawn Kneeland (94) taking on the LG and LT, with Kenneth Murray (59) and finally Williams (54). Running Back Depth Chart According to Dallas News' Calvin Watkins, the running back pecking order seems to be settling in. Vaughn got first-team reps again. But as camp is on the cusp of closing, it seems Javonte Williams has the lead as the Week 1 starter at running back. The backup is between Hunter Luepke, Jaydon Blue and Miles Sanders. Injury Updates LT Tyler Guyton (broken knee) began working on the resistance cords on Wednesday, per ESPN's Todd Archer RB Miles Sanders (knee) returned to team drills DE Payton Turner (ribs) returned to practice RB Jaydon Blue still isn't practicing with his knee/ankle issue Trevon Diggs has ramped up to daily sessions with trainer Britt Brown, also doing ball drills Steal of the draft? The Cowboys double-dipped at running back in the spring, taking two on Day 3 in fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue and seventh-round pick Phil Mafah. Mickey Spagnola had an interesting tidbit on Wednesday that may help explain how a battering ram like Mafah fell that far despite having back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Clemson. In an extremely deep running back class, Mafah played his final year in college with a torn labrum, and wasn't able to work out for teams in the pre-draft process. There's an assumption the Cowboys are going to carry both veteran RBs they signed this summer, but that may not be the case. MIcah Check Still no update on renewed contract talks between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons, both who brushed off questions about progress or trade talk. This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Training Camp: Takeaways from Practice 14, Oxnard is Over

Hunter Bell not ruling out 800 & 1500m double
Hunter Bell not ruling out 800 & 1500m double

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Hunter Bell not ruling out 800 & 1500m double

Silesia Diamond League Location: Silesia, Poland Date: Saturday, 16 August Coverage: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app 15:00-17:00 BST Georgia Hunter Bell remembers it well, not least the comically oversized vest. The feeling of knowing she was going to win her first ever track race as she passed everyone - girls and boys - on the final lap. Listening as her mum was told that 800m in two minutes and 39 seconds was "pretty good" for a 10-year-old. It all remains vivid, more than two decades later, as Britain's Olympic 1500m bronze medallist weighs up the potential for completing a full-circle moment in pursuit of another global podium. The dilemma over whether to stick with the 1500m, switch focus to the 800m, or even attempt a rare double, continues to occupy her mind just four weeks before the World Championships begin in Tokyo. Hunter Bell's exciting progress this season in the event which she originally showed great promise before she quit the sport for five years has teased the tantalising prospect of a showdown with training partner Keely Hodgkinson in a global final. The pair will go head-to-head over 800m at next week's Lausanne Diamond League, after which Hunter Bell will make her decision. Before then, the 31-year-old contests a 1500m in Silesia on Saturday, where, in the 800m, Hodgkinson will race for the first time since being crowned Olympic champion in that event 12 months ago following an injury-disrupted year. "This year will be the first time that it might be close," Hunter Bell tells BBC Sport, as she looks ahead to competing against Hodgkinson. "We do a lot of training together, we obviously are very good friends and we have a great team vibe, so I think at the moment we're just taking it day-by-day. "It will be interesting, if we both make the world final and we both have a chance of doing well, how we manage [the situation]. "But, at the end of the day, if Great Britain could win two medals out of three, and [our training group] M11 could go one-two, that would just be the coolest thing ever. "We're all excited about the opportunity, rather than seeing it as anything negative." Only four women have made the podium in both the 800m and 1500m at a single World Championships. They include Dame Kelly Holmes, winner of two golds at the 2004 Olympics. Hunter Bell has met the track great to seek advice about that ambitious undertaking. "I haven't completely ruled out a double yet. We're spending the next two weeks mulling over everything, it's probably 90% of what I'm thinking about all the time," says Hunter Bell. "It's head versus heart. My head is like, 'don't try and do too much', while my heart is like 'how cool would it be to try and do something amazing?' "We've had some of the British greats do it before." Hunter Bell has taken the long way round since she proudly wore the colours of Ealing, Southall and Middlesex in her first track race back in 2004 - two weeks after Holmes, now her mentor, completed that historic double at the Athens Games. Her journey from quitting the sport she had fallen out of love with to making the Olympic podium on her debut, via a Parkrun-inspired comeback, was one of the standout Team GB success stories in Paris last summer. Hodgkinson set for long-awaited return in Silesia Kerr feels 'strong enough' to retain world title Coe's record under threat as Burgin builds momentum But Hunter Bell hopes that is just the start, with this her first year as a full-time athlete after she left her cybersecurity job of seven years following a summer sabbatical to pursue her Olympic dream. It is a seismic change - one which she says has left her "still pinching myself". Back under the guidance of her former coach Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, herself a world 800m medallist, Hunter Bell has rapidly established herself among the world's best middle-distance runners. Under the husband-and-wife team, she added world indoor bronze in March. "Originally, Trev believed he could make me into a world-class 800m athlete. He always said that," explains Hunter Bell. "I want to improve on [Olympic] bronze last year, and whatever decision I make will have that in mind. "Obviously you can never have enough medals. But if there's a way to improve on that with silver or gold, then I would give that more value." Hunter Bell's performances in the 800m make that option extremely tempting. Diamond League wins in Stockholm and London - the latter in the second-fastest time this year - are among her four wins from five 800m races this season. She admits another victory in Lausanne next week, where Ethiopia's Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma is also present, would make it "hard to not do the 800m". While Kenyan great Faith Kipyegon has swept six of the past seven global 1500m titles, the 800m appears wide-open before Tokyo amid world champion Mary Moraa's inconsistency and two-time global champion Athing Mu's failure to qualify. But having witnessed first hand - and assisted in - Hodgkinson's recovery from the hamstring injury which has kept her out this year, Hunter Bell fully expects her team-mate to be back to her best. "Keely is an athlete who really thrives on and lives for race day. So it's obviously something that she's desperate to get back to, but she has dealt with it really well," says Hunter Bell. "Whenever anyone gets an injury it can be really tough. It's just about trying to make it as positive as possible, while also being realistic, and as a team we've all just tried to be really supportive." She adds: "Trev and Jenny are very jokey, they keep the training environment fun. But obviously, when we step on the track, it's all business. "They would always advise what they think is best for the individual athlete and let the chips fall where they may. We're very lucky to be being led by them."

Mike Vrabel: Kyle Dugger has to keep working, keep progressing
Mike Vrabel: Kyle Dugger has to keep working, keep progressing

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Mike Vrabel: Kyle Dugger has to keep working, keep progressing

Changes to the lineup are inevitable when a team makes a coaching change and one of the potential tweaks in New England involves safety Kyle Dugger. Dugger was a starter for most of his first five seasons with the Patriots and he's still listed as a starter on their depth chart, but the unofficial nature of that chart has been made clear by the team's look in practice. Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Craig Woodson have been the top safeties in recent practices for New England while Dugger works with the second team. On Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel noted that Dugger had offseason ankle surgery and that other players have made a strong case for first-team time while discussing what Dugger has to do in order to climb back up the ladder. "I think just making sure that he's where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do," Vrabel said. "Keep working and keep progressing. A lot of this is the guys that have earned a right to take a look with that first unit, and again, there'll be different lineups and different things, so just focus on the reps that you get. Right now, his attitude's been great, and he's had a long recovery in the offseason. He's been out there, and he's continued to get better and work, and I think the more that he practices, the better he's going to feel and the more that it's going to translate onto the football field." If Dugger is not able to reclaim his old spot, the Patriots could look to move him to a team that would offer him a starting role as they put together their roster for Vrabel's first year running the show in New England.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store