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BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Five facts about England teenage striker Michelle Agyemang
England are through to the Euro 2025 semi-finals after a nailbiting match against of the Lionesses' standout players was Michelle Agyemang, who came off the bench to score England's equaliser, keeping their trophy hopes manager Sarina Wiegman had predicted the 19-year-old would "bring something different", when naming her in the Euros who is Michelle Agyemang? Here are five facts about her you may not know... 1. She joined Arsenal at the age of six Agyemang is a lifelong Arsenal fan and joined the club's academy at the age of six, after her dad, a grassroots football coach, secured her a started out playing as a defender but developed into a played through the age categories and moved into Arsenal's first-team set-up, making her debut in November 2022 at the age of scored her first goal for the club two months later and made her first appearance in a European competition in Arsenal's Champions League semi-final in May has also had loan spells with Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion. 2. She was a regular goalscorer for the Young Lionesses Before joining the senior side, Agyemang had been a regular goalscorer for the Young Lionesses. She made 25 age-group appearances for the national team - from the under-16s to the scored 10 goals in 12 appearances for the under-17s, before making the step up to the under-19s within the space of a few days in April this year, she went from scoring for the under-19s to producing an amazing debut for the senior side, which led to her Euros call-up. 3. She has previously been a ballgirl for England Euro 2025 isn't technically Agyemang's first senior tournament appearance for the Lionesses. Did you know she's previously appeared as a ballgirl for England?In October 2021, Agyemang was at Wembley Stadium during Sarina Wiegman's first game in charge of the it appears she could well have been a lucky mascot that went on to win the match 4-0 against Northern Ireland. 4. She scored on her England senior debut Scoring on your England senior debut is something many players dream about, but how about netting your first England goal just 41 seconds after being subbed on?That's exactly what happened to Michelle earlier this made her first senior appearance in the Nations League against Belgium in 19-year-old fired in a stunning volley within a minute of coming on as a substitute late on in the the match, Wiegman was full of praise for Agyemang."That goal was just incredible. The composure, the first touch and the second touch. For her, it was really nice that she comes on and within a minute she has the moment," she said. 5. She's the youngest Lioness at Euro 2025 Despite having only played 14 minutes of senior international football, manager Sarina Wiegman named Agyemang in England's Euro 2025 squad last the age of 19, Agyemang is the youngest Lionesses at the tournament - and also the only the striker says she's ready to play and support her fellow teammates."Just focusing on how I can improve my game and how I can help the team is my most important thing."All of us on the bench know that we could be called upon any time and we have gone through scenarios. It could be anyone at any time," Agyemang added.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tour de France peloton faces famous Tourmalet climb on brutal stage 14 – ‘there's no easy way up'
'Vous êtes des criminels!' Octave Lapize is said to have shouted in the general direction of race organisers at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. Lapize would go on to win the 1910 Tour de France, but he was extremely annoyed he had to climb a mountain to do it. It was the first time a mountain pass had ever been included in the Tour's route, a decision considered downright sadistic by riders at the time. The Tourmalet has since become an integral part of its story, featuring more than any other mountain climb, and on Saturday it will be ridden for the 91st time when the peloton traces the same Pyrenean roads that peeved Lapize 115 years ago. Both sides of the Tourmalet are brutes to climb, but the longer western ascent being tackled by this year's peloton is the more common approach. It is steep, at 7.4% average gradient, but what makes it so gruelling is the feeling that it might never end, going on for 19km, when the 20km leading to the foot of the climb are all incline too. The wind blows hard and, in mid-July at southern tip of France, it is usually ridden in hideous heat, though the weekend's forecast is not quite so intense. 'It's a b****r,' says Luke Rowe, the former Ineos and Team Sky road captain who marshalled Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas to glory in the yellow jersey. 'But it's an iconic part of the Tour de France. You ask someone who watches the Tour, 'Name me three climbs', they'd all mention the Tourmalet.' There were many times when Rowe led the entire peloton to the foot of the climb, setting the pace, although he was usually left behind by the summit. 'There's no easy way of going up,' says Rowe, who is joining TNT Sports' live coverage from stage 16 to Paris. 'Whether you're riding a Tour de France and are amongst the fittest 0.1 per cent of the planet's population, or whether you're a club rider, it's tough. It's very exposed, there's not a lot of cover, and the temperature often plays a factor. You can easily cook yourself up there. It can make or break your race.' Tourmalet is just one part of a merciless stage 14 which also features the Col d'Aspin and Col de Peyresourde, all part of the series of mountain passes at the heart of the Pyrenees known dramatically as the 'Circle of Death'. That trio is just the warm-up before the final 12.4km hors-categorie climb to the summit finish at Superbagneres. After the past two days, in which Tadej Pogacar first destroyed his rivals on the road to Hautacam and then ripped up the mountain time trial to extend his vast lead over Jonas Vingegaard to more than four minutes, he may be tempted by the lure writing more history on the Tourmalet, and by the prize of the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, awarded to the first rider over the 2,115m summit. From Lapize's fury in 1910, to Eddy Merckx's dominant performances on the mountain in 1969 and 1974, to Bernard Hinault v Greg Lemond in 1986, and Thibaut Pinot's emotional stage win in 2019 when the climb was used as a rare summit finish, the Tourmalet is steeped in historic moments. But Rowe has ridden alongside the yellow jersey on the Tourmalet stage before, and he advises caution. 'I think the best way to stamp his authority is cross the finish line first, not attack on a certain climb because it's got an iconic name. If I'm UAE, then if Visma want to put the pressure on, just let them ride. Just sit there. There's only one guy from their team you've got to follow. Wait, wait, wait, and attack 3k from the finish line. There's no reason to do more. You've got that gap – now it's just about preservation.' Route map and profile Start time Stage 15 is going to be a long one with more than five hours in the saddle for most riders. It is scheduled to start at around 11.15am BST and finish between 4-4.30pm, depending on the pace of the race. Prediction Of course there is an obvious answer, here. Tadej Pogacar is the best rider in the peloton on just about any terrain and a brutal mountain stage like this one will only accentuate his dominance over the rest, should he choose to show it. That may ultimately come down to Visma-Lease a Bike and whether they are willing to push his buttons – and whether Jonas Vingegaard feels fresh enough to attack – or whether they would rather keep their powder dry for the Alps in the hope Pogacar's form somehow tails off in the Tour's final week. If the GC race is a little less frantic then that opens up a real opportunity for the breakaway. The winner will need phenomenal climbing legs, so it's worth looking to riders such as Carlos Rodriguez, Ben O'Connor and Mattias Skjelmose who are more than 20 minutes behind Pogacar overall and therefore might be allowed to escape up the road and compete for the stage win. Simon and Adam Yates are also well down the GC field, though they may have more pressing duties looking after their team leaders Vingegaard and Pogacar respectively. My pick is Enric Mas, the Spanish Movistar rider who has four podium finishes at the Vuelta a Espana and one stage win at his home grand tour. Mas has never won a stage of the Tour de France, but the 30-year-old is an excellent climber and his 24-minute deficit on GC gives him plenty of space to get away. 'A stage win would be great,' Mas said after falling down the overall rankings following a tough stage 12 on Thursday. 'But I'd also like to get a good result in the GC, so I hope both things happen. I'm going for it.' The challenge for the breakaway will be building a big enough lead over Pogacar at the base of the day's final climb to beat the yellow jersey to the summit finish at Superbagneres. Given Pogacar's form, even a three or four-minute headstart might not be enough.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Alix Earle and NFL star boyfriend Braxton Berrios reveal surprise friendship with fellow sports star
Alix Earle and her boyfriend Braxton Berrios recently enjoyed some summer travels - and revealed a friendship with an unexpected star athlete in the process. Earle and Berrios, who signed a one-year, $1.8million deal with Houston in March, went to the South of France before the beginning of his Texans training camp. And Berrios' Instagram post recapping the memorable trip shows that F1 star Charles Leclerc was in their group for at least part of the sun-filled vacation. In a group mirror selfie, both Leclerc and his influencer girlfriend, Alexandra Saint Mleux, were spotted in the frame with Berrios (though Earle was not in the shot). In another picture, Berrios and Leclerc could be seen sitting next to each other at a beachfront meal. All-Pro returner Berrios captioned the carousel post 'Couldn't draw it up any better,' as he shared several other pictures from the trip - including a couple of him and Earle. Earle and Berrios started dating in 2023 after the receiver and model Sophia Culpo ended a two-year relationship. And Earle, who attended the University of Miami, was a huge supporter of Berrios while he played for the Miami Dolphins over the last two seasons. Berrios played just six games last season after tearing his ACL in October. Nonetheless, he landed with the Texans over the winter as the former sixth-round pick prepares to head into his seventh NFL season. His fame off the field has certainly risen since he began dating Earle, who boasts 7.5million followers on TikTok. Berrios himself has over 554k followers on Instagram. His Texans will report for training camp on July 23, with their preseason beginning on August 9 against the Jaguars. They'll then open their regular season against the Rams. Leclerc, meanwhile, endured a difficult outing at his last race as he finished just 14th at the British Grand Prix on July 6. The Ferrari driver is fifth in the F1 standings this season, with 119 points and four podium finishes. His next race will come at the Belgian GP on July 27.
