logo
Verona races to solo Giro stage win as favourite Roglic loses time on leader Del Toro

Verona races to solo Giro stage win as favourite Roglic loses time on leader Del Toro

The Guardian25-05-2025

Carlos Verona raced to a solo victory on stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia as Primoz Roglic lost more time on the pink jersey held by Isaac del Toro.
A day after Lidl-Trek lost their team leader, Giulio Ciccone, following a heavy crash, Verona delivered an outstanding response as he claimed his first career Grand Tour stage win – and only his second professional victory – at the age of 32.
The Spaniard attacked out of a seven-strong breakaway at the foot of the Dori climb around 45km from the finish of the 219km stage from Fiume Veneto, building a slim advantage by the summit and holding off his challenges over a rolling finale. But behind it was another bad day for pre-race favourite Roglic who was unable to follow the moves of his general classification rivals.
Egan Bernal had made the first significant move with an attack on the mighty Monte Grappa midway through the stage, and it was notable that Roglic had no response as Del Toro and others covered the attack.
The main leaders came back together on the descent but it had been a preview of what was to come as further attacks followed on the Dori, as Roglic was again distanced, losing 90 seconds by the end of the stage.
Del Toro remains one minute 20 seconds ahead of Simon Yates, with the Mexican's UAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso a further six seconds back in third. But Roglic fell five places to 10th, his deficit to pink just shy of four minutes going into Monday's rest day and the final week of racing.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tuesday's football predictions and 13/1 acca tips: Netherlands & Republic of Ireland to win
Tuesday's football predictions and 13/1 acca tips: Netherlands & Republic of Ireland to win

The Independent

time15 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Tuesday's football predictions and 13/1 acca tips: Netherlands & Republic of Ireland to win

Tuesday football tips The final matches of the summer international break take place early this week as nations face World Cup qualifiers and friendlies before the end of the season. The Club World Cup is around the corner for some, but for most these matches will spell the end of 2024/25, though many countries are already preparing for the 2026 World Cup. That is especially true for teams like the Netherlands, who face another World Cup qualifier this week alongside sides such as Italy, Wales and the South American nations. And other nations are simply contesting friendlies as they look to test themselves against varied opposition, with the Republic of Ireland taking on Luxembourg and Northern Ireland play Iceland. Ahead of these matches, we've put together a small accumulator for three of the Tuesday fixtures featuring Northern Ireland, Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, with odds of 13/1 at Bet365 for any interested punters. Luxembourg vs Republic of Ireland prediction The Republic of Ireland are yet to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign in a difficult group containing Portugal and Hungary, though a 4-2 aggregate win in the Nations League play-off with Bulgaria has shown that they are more than capable of competing with those nations outside of the top tier. Heimir Hallgrimsson's side drew 1-1 with Senegal last week in their first friendly of the summer international break, and this match should provide a far easier opponent after a respectable result at the Aviva Stadium. Luxembourg have lost six of their last 10, though they drew with Bulgaria, Belarus and Northern Ireland while also beating Sweden in a surprise result. However, the minnows have conceded 12 goals in their last 10 matches and often against inferior sides to Ireland, so the hosts remain the clear favourites. While Ireland have lost five of their last 10, those results came against Portugal, England and Greece, and they have beaten Finland and Bulgaria twice each in that time, scoring seven goals in the process. Due to the obvious gap in quality there is little value in several of the main markets on football betting sites, so we think a wager on the Republic of Ireland to win to nil provides the best value at 2/1 with William Hill. Tuesday football prediction 1: Republic of Ireland to win to nil - 2/1 William Hill Northern Ireland vs Iceland prediction This match throws together two sides ranked 71st and 74th in the world respectively, as Iceland travel to face Northern Ireland in Belfast. Michael O'Neill's side are yet to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign, though they lost 2-1 to Denmark last week in another friendly. But as they gear up to face Iceland, Northern Ireland have lost just three of their last 10 matches, two of which were to Sweden and Denmark – teams ranked within the top 30 in the world. Interestingly, each of these losses was in an away game, with the difference between playing home and away illustrated by following a 1-0 loss away in Bulgaria with a 5-0 home win. Iceland beat a poor Scotland team 3-1 last week but that is just their third win in 10 games, having lost to Turkey and Wales alongside a disappointing 5-2 aggregate defeat to Kosovo in the Nations League relegation play-offs. And it's Northern Ireland who are the slight favourites in this one, so we've gone with a simple wager here, with the host priced at 11/10 to win with various betting sites including Ladbrokes. Tuesday football prediction 2: Northern Ireland to beat Iceland - 11/10 Ladbrokes Netherlands vs Malta prediction The Netherlands' loss on penalties to Spain in the Nations League quarter-finals showed that the Dutch are certainly back among Europe's elite after a good showing at Euro 2024, and they head into their second World Cup qualifier having won their opener against Finland 2-0 away from home. The Dutch will be expected to win Group G, and their second test comes against a Malta side ranked 169th in the world. Malta have lost five of their last 10 matches, with two draws coming against Andorra and Lithuania and the wins against Moldova, Andorra and Liechtenstein. Within those matches, they lost 7-1 to Czechia and 2-0 to both Poland and Greece, illustrating the fact that they can concede quite a few goals when up against top-tier opposition. And the match against the Dutch will be a far tougher task than any of their last games, with Ronald Koeman's side having lost just two of their last 10. The Netherlands have played England, Spain and Germany in that time and have scored 19 goals, including three against Spain and four against Hungary. And there's real potential for goals against a lowly Malta side who tend to concede against the top teams, so we think a wager on over 4.5 goals could provide value at 6/5. Responsible gambling When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

Liverpool set eye-watering Darwin Nunez price tag as Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal eye move ahead of Club World Cup deadline
Liverpool set eye-watering Darwin Nunez price tag as Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal eye move ahead of Club World Cup deadline

Daily Mail​

time18 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Liverpool set eye-watering Darwin Nunez price tag as Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal eye move ahead of Club World Cup deadline

Liverpool value Darwin Nunez in excess of £70million as they listen to offers this summer. Al Hilal are one of the clubs keen on the Uruguay international who is ready to leave Anfield after a lack of starting opportunities under Arne Slot. Al Nassr made enquiries to sign the 25-year old in January and were prepared to offer £70m but Liverpool were unwilling to listen at that stage as their focus was on winning the Premier League title. Now, with clubs circling and tension high for the Club World Cup deadline, Liverpool want in excess of what Al Nassr were willing to bid earlier in the year. Nunez is a popular figure at Anfield but only managed seven goals in all competitions last season. Still his energy and pace caused consternation in defences and Slot took to using him predominantly from the bench to help swing tight matches Liverpool's way. However, Liverpool are in the market for improvements and with the expected outlay for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and Bournemouth 's Milos Kerkez, plus a possible striker and centre back to come later in the window, are looking at opportunities to offset their spending. A number of clubs are showing interest in Nunez but Al Hilal are weighing up a bid today after failing, so far, to tempt Napoli's Victor Osimhen. Sporting Lisbon's Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres is another on their list. Al Nassr, meanwhile, are keen Liverpool's Luis Diaz but the only club to have made contact so far for the Colombian winger are Barcelona. Ajax want Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros on loan. The Czech Republic international, 23, is well known to Ajax coach John Heitinga after working with him last season. Talks are ongoing for Wirtz and Kerkez. Bournemouth are willing to sell Kerkez after agreeing a fee with Rennes for left back Adrien Truffert.

Burgeoning 'Baller League' offers zany remix of Beautiful Game
Burgeoning 'Baller League' offers zany remix of Beautiful Game

Reuters

time24 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Burgeoning 'Baller League' offers zany remix of Beautiful Game

LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - An enthusiastic announcer rallies the crowd inside London's Copper Box Arena for a noisy five-second countdown to Santan FC vs MVPs United, the former managed by rapper Dave, the latter by popular player Alisha Lehmann and TV host Maya Jama. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg tosses the ball in the air to begin a 30-minute, six-a-side game but before he can take his position on the side, MVPs score in six seconds: the quickest goal yet in the fledgling Baller League UK. Twelve minutes later, it is time for a twist - the "Plus One" rule reduces the teams to one-versus-one plus goalkeepers with the rest allowed back after next goals. Social media-focused soccer tournaments like the German-founded Baller League and Spanish-origin Kings League have sprung up in Europe and elsewhere to offer young consumers a cheaper, crazier and shorter version of traditional 90-minute soccer. Some older fans scoff at these formats as a gimmicky distortion of what Brazilian great Pele called "The Beautiful Game", and predict they will quickly fade. But for now, ex-professionals, online influencers and entertainment figures are piling in. Viewing figures are soaring and investment is mounting into what supporters see as a back-to-roots, playground-style version of the sport. "The way they play the game is the way that kids on the street play it all over the world," EQT Ventures' Partner Ashley Lundstrom told Reuters. 'The ecosystem of fans is so open-minded to a new sport, a new style of sport.' Her company led an investment round for Baller League that raised $25 million in early December 2024. The UK league, in its inaugural season, has drawn a multitude of personalities including some who could not quite make it in mainstream professional football. "It's so close to being what I've always wanted with being a pro footballer and just having that recognition of, okay, this kid can play," said midfielder Harry Cain, 27, who plays for Yanited managed by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Angryginge. "My socials (were) absolutely blowing up from friends, family. 'Can't believe we just watched you on Sky Sports'." Cain, who produces soccer content for 1 million-plus TikTok followers, said one of his highs was scoring in front of former England international and Baller League UK coach John Terry. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year, with 12 teams, after its founding in Germany in 2023 where games were livestreamed from an old plane hangar in the city of Cologne. The Kings League, established by former Spanish player Gerard Pique, has a growing fanbase, with 80% of its 30 million social media followers under 34. Founded in 2022, the seven-a-side Kings League has expanded to Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and the Americas. "Investors also see that we have a disruptive, creative new product, that is solving perhaps the biggest problem in sports: attracting and retaining the attention of young audiences," Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua told Reuters. "The increasing competition for audience attention means that it's harder and harder to get younger fans to watch a 90-minute live game." The Kings League raised $60 million in its last funding round last year and is in partnership with Surj Sports Investment, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to launch Kings League MENA (Middle East and North Africa). With the majority of Saudis under 30, the synergy is obvious. As pay-TV fees increase, the young are increasingly watching sport for free on platforms like YouTube, Kick and Twitch. According to a Deloitte study, about 90% of Generation Z and Millennials consume sport via social media. On the day Santan FC played MVPs United, matchday 8 drew more than 900,000 viewers on YouTube. 'I don't think it's as simple as the older generation watches sports over linear channels and the younger generation does it over social channels,' said Pete Giorgio, global and U.S. sports leader for Deloitte. "Both generations are moving towards a mode where they do not consume sports monolithically." European clubs have taken note, trying to work with new leagues rather than treat them as rivals. In Italy, Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has cast it as a 'cross-marketing" opportunity. Juventus, for example, offer facilities to Zebras FC, a Kings League Italy side led by content creator and Juventus fan Luca Campolunghi. Zebras had 2.5 million engagements across social platforms in its first season. "Collaborating with content creators helps us speak a native digital language that truly resonates with younger audiences,' Juventus' head of brand Gianmarco Pino told Reuters. In France, Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille have teamed up to help Kings League France club Wolf Pack FC, founded by former Olympique de Marseille, opens new tab player Adil Rami. However, one football insider in a major European league told Reuters he thought the proliferation of new mini-leagues may prove too much, with one likely to dominate eventually. With the Baller League UK reaching its season finale on Thursday and the Kings World Cup Clubs culminating in Paris on Saturday, the hype is reaching fever-pitch. But not all are convinced. "I just don't think it's particularly entertaining," said a 30-year-old Englishman who supports Premier League team Arsenal and tried the Baller League on YouTube. "Beyond an influencer or a former footballer's team winning, there's no emotional investment in any of these teams which makes it difficult for us to care," he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store