Orient heartbroken at Wembley - one moment makes the difference
So close, yet again. Leyton Orient fell to a narrow 1–0 defeat in the League One play-off final at Wembley, a single Macaulay Gillesphey free-kick separating the sides in a match filled with tension, chaos, and raw emotion.The boys left it all out there. Josh Keeley kept us in the game with two massive stops — especially one from a May header early in the second half. Player of the Match from our end? Keeley, hands down. He gave us a chance to push, and push we did.
Charlie Kelman nearly gave us our moment, but his deflected strike clipped the crossbar. The late VAR delay — eight minutes of confusion due to faulty comms — only ramped up the nerves. We had the momentum then, and it felt like the goal was coming.
This one hurts. But we went toe-to-toe with a former Premier League club and proved we belong on this stage.
Next season, we go again.
📸 James Fearn - 2025 Getty Images
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Champagne shades: The NBA-inspired trend that's taking over soccer celebrations
Trophies and rings are the renowned physical marks of success in American sports, but there's an accessory that has become just as prevalent in championship-winning locker rooms as the shine of platinum or gold: 'champagne goggles'. Champagne has a long-term association with sporting glory. A bottle of Moet & Chandon, from one of the world's most prominent champagne houses, was passed to Italian motorsports driver Tazio Nuvolari after winning the Vanderbilt Cup in 1936. By 1969, honouring success with a bottle of champagne became part of the formal victory celebrations in Formula One, establishing a relationship between triumph in the sporting arena and sparkling wine. Advertisement It turned out to be a lasting one, with this niche motorsport tradition spreading across the sporting sphere in the United States and Europe. During the Premier League era, it was standard practice for man-of-the-match recipients to be handed a large bottle of champagne as a prize until 2012, when the league switched to a trophy in acknowledgement of the multi-faith diversity of its players. Still, drinking and spraying champagne to mark sporting success has remained, with soccer clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool even bringing non-alcoholic versions into the locker room to ensure everyone could participate in celebrating their respective Europa League and Premier League successes. Until recently, the 'champagne goggles' phenomenon was an entirely American one. However, it's inspired a trend that has been adopted by some of soccer's biggest names — and sometimes, champagne isn't even involved. It's unclear where the trend started but baseball hall-of-famer David 'Big Papi' Ortiz is probably the first influential figure to bring goggles to the locker room. The designated hitter was a star of the famous 2004 Boston Red Sox team that swept the St Louis Cardinals 4-0 in the World Series to end their 86-year wait for a title. As is customary in the MLB, they celebrated that triumph with champagne but long before ski goggles became the champion's eyewear du jour, Ortiz protected his eyes with swimming goggles. According to former team-mate Torii Hunter, Ortiz learned a lesson from their divisional title in 2002 with his previous club, the Minnesota Twins, where they celebrated without eye protection. As reported on the MLB website, 'their eyes burned enough from the champagne that they still hurt the next day'. Corks flying around the locker room at up to 30mph present a real danger, too. In 2022, Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay suffered an eye injury when a prosecco cork hit him after he won the 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia. The injury forced him to withdraw from the competition. As players looked to avoid the sting of the sparkling wine in their eyes or protect themselves from flying corks, 'champagne goggles' became common in World Series-winning locker rooms. However, the key crossover moment, perhaps the watershed juncture in its eventual international appeal, wouldn't happen until 2013. Despite falling well behind the NFL in viewership and interest in the United States, the NBA is comfortably America's most influential league internationally. There is arguably no greater driver of fashion and culture in world sport than the NBA and its superstar players. Follow the Club World Cup on The Athletic this summer… As the Miami Heat's 'Big Three' (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) celebrated their first title together with a locker-room champagne shower, veteran Ray Allen protected his eyes with a pair of Oakley ski goggles. Allen, who won championships with the Heat and the Boston Celtics in a hall-of-fame career, is often credited as the player who popularised goggles in NBA locker-room celebrations. Advertisement Now, they're essential for any equipment manager whose team are on the verge of a championship. After lifting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 2022, Steph Curry celebrated while wearing ski googles from Under Armour, the shoe and sportswear company he has been signed to since 2013. Some of his Golden State Warriors team-mates wore Moet-branded goggles, while others donned black-and-gold variations designed by the NBA for the occasion. Giannis Antetokounmpo and James celebrated their recent championship successes with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, with pairs made by Nike. Last year, Jordan Brand athlete Jayson Tatum had a custom-made pair with 'champ' written behind a large Jordan logo on the lens as the Boston Celtics toasted becoming NBA champions. Primarily associated with basketball shoes and apparel, ski goggles made by Jordan are not available to the public. What started as a way to protect athletes from the hazards of champagne celebrations has become a prominent way for brands to advertise in the most significant moments. Now, the trend is spreading to Europe in the form of 'champagne shades'. While Ortiz and Allen were the pioneers of baseball and basketball respectively, Barcelona and Spain's 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal (main image) is leading a generation of players wearing sunglasses in title celebrations. Celebrating Barcelona's Copa Del Rey final win over arch-rivals Real Madrid in April, Yamal donned two pairs of sunglasses at once as he carried the trophy on the pitch at the Estadio La Cartuja. In recent weeks, Serie A MVP Scott McTominay was pictured with the Italian trophy wearing a pair of sunglasses, as were Napoli team-mates Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku. Many of the Tottenham group brought ski glasses to Bilbao for the Europa League final and wore them as they celebrated with the trophy in the locker room afterwards. Most recently, Paris Saint-Germain duo Desire Doue and Achraf Hakimi were pictured holding the Champions League trophy wearing sunglasses after hammering Inter 5-0 in the final last weekend. Advertisement Perhaps the most illustrative example of the NBA's impact on European soccer was Bayern Munich star Michael Olise not only putting on a pair of sunglasses to celebrate their Bundesliga title win but pairing them with a set of 'grills', a type of dental jewellery worn over teeth popularised by American hip-hop artists. NBA and hip-hop is a marriage that has transcended eras and generations, from Allen Iverson's rap-inspired attire to nine-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who has released several studio albums under Dame D.O.L.L.A.. Yamal, born four years after 50 Cent released Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2003, cites the New York rapper as his favourite. Even before Yamal's professional debut, Barcelona were one of the first high-profile soccer teams to document players arriving at the stadium in their pre-game outfits, taking influence from American sports. The trend has evolved from Ortiz's swimming goggles to luxury shades, with players sporting them in moments of celebration — and not necessarily always when the champagne corks are flying, with footballers wearing sunglasses both on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of a trophy win or during post-victory parades. The custom is a way to show off a slice of their personal style, similar to Iverson's popularisation of the shooting sleeve or Jimmy Butler's ninja-style headband. Butler, who now plays with Curry on the Warriors, is a big soccer fan and is friends with Brazilian star duo Neymar and Vinicius Junior. In an interview with the Associated Press, he described soccer players as 'the coolest people in the world'. Led by Yamal, these 'champagne shades' are yet another example of how soccer's new generation is unashamedly taking inspiration from the American sports' swagger and adding their own style and flavour to it.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump arrives at UFC 316 to cheers of ‘USA!' from packed crowd
President Trump made a grand, heavyweight-style entrance to the UFC 316 fight Saturday night in New Jersey, sending the crowd into a frenzy of 'USA!' chants. The commander in chief walked ringside at the Prudential Center with UFC CEO Dana White scored to the Kid Rock song ' American Badass.' AFP via Getty Images Trump greeted several celebrities in attendance including former World Heavyweight Champion Boxer Mike Tyson and UFC announcer Joe Rogan. Also in attendance Saturday were First Daughter Ivanka Trump and Acting Attorney for the State of New Jersey Alina Habba. Last time President Trump took a trip to UFC he was accompanied by SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk, who dramatically called out the president over social media in a series of deranged posts on his platform X. Saturday's main event is a bantamweight bout between Merab 'The Machine' Dvalishvili and 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley. Dvalishvili has won a UFC-bantamweight division record of 11 straight victories leading up to Saturday.
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Jannik Sinner bids for first French Open title against defending champ Carlos Alcaraz
But Alcaraz has considerable factors in his favor. He has a 21-1 record on clay this year, winning titles on the dirt in Rome — beating Sinner in the final after the Italian returned from his doping ban — and Monte Carlo. Advertisement Alcaraz also has won the past four matches against Sinner, leads him 7-4 overall, and has won more majors — 4-3 — despite being one year younger at 22. He has also played in a French Open final before, which Sinner has not. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz owns a 21-1 record this season on clay courts heading into Sunday's French Open final. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images Djokovic, who owns a men's-record 24 major titles and 100 in total, has faced and beaten the greatest players of his era. But he felt the relentless aggression of Sinner's forehand and booming power of his serve during his straight-set defeat on Friday — his fourth straight loss to Sinner. Djokovic has also lost in two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, who displays shot-making wizardry from anywhere on the court, and sometimes hits even harder than Sinner does. Advertisement So Djokovic knows just how difficult it is to cope against both players, saying 'these kind of guys, like Sinner and Alcaraz, they're constantly on you and basically increase the pressure as the match progresses.' Djokovic added: 'When the opportunities are presented, they're very rare, so it makes you a little more anxious.' Jannik Sinner (left) simply overpowered the legendary Novak Djokovic in the men's semifinals on Friday. Thibault Camus/Associated Press Sinner said the key to his victory against Djokovic, who pushed him hard in the third set on Friday, was staying calm and, somehow, managing to have enough focus amid the onslaught of Djokovic's attacks to still see the big picture. 'It's important to take your time. It's important to understand the moments of the match, which I think I made very good,' he said. 'The mental part was in a good spot.' That's where he maybe has the edge over Alcaraz. The jovial Spaniard, who loves to entertain the crowd, has looked the more nervous player at Roland-Garros so far. At times he struggled against eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in their semifinal, which Alcaraz won in four sets after the Italian retired with a leg injury. But he's 'not worried' about dropping a few sets. 'Because I know that I have time and I'm strong mentally enough to come back,' Alcaraz said. Alcaraz proved that in last year's French Open final, when he came back from 2-1 down in sets to beat Alexander Zverev, another big server like Sinner. The hallmarks of his comeback in that match were down-the-line, forehand winners mixed with remarkable drop shots launched from anywhere. Carlos Alcaraz loves to entertain with his shot-making ability, but he also badly wants to win his fifth Grand Slam title on Sunday. Thibault Camus/Associated Press Sinner is serving better than Alcaraz, however, and also showed his deft touch with a majestic flick-of-the-wrist drop shot that mesmerized even Djokovic. 'It's going to be a really great Sunday,' Alcaraz said. 'For the fans of tennis.' Advertisement The result will see either Alcaraz pulling away to a 5-3 lead in major titles, or Sinner equalizing on 4-4. A new tennis rivalry to match the glorious three-way battle for supremacy between Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? 'At the moment, that's kind of hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years nonstop in order to be part of the same discussion,' the 38-year-old Djokovic said Friday, laughing. 'But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something that our sport needs, no doubt. I'm sure that we're going to see them lifting the big trophies quite often.'
