Lionesses win sets up favourable route to Euro 2025 final
This significant win, combined with France's result against the Netherlands, ensured England finished second in their group.
The runners-up spot places England on the more favourable side of the tournament draw, setting up a quarter-final match against Sweden and avoiding World Cup winners Spain.
Wales, despite the heavy defeat, celebrated scoring their goal against England, which marked a memorable moment for their team.
England's performance highlighted their depth, with six different players scoring, including Alessia Russo 's first goal of the tournament.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Jake Paul is boxing's newest power broker. Taylor v Serrano was his proof of concept
On Friday night, 11 July, Katie Taylor earned the clear-cut win that had eluded her in two previous victories by controversial decision over Amanda Serrano. Fighting before a sold-out crowd of 19,721 on the first all-women's boxing card ever at Madison Square Garden, Taylor outboxed her longtime rival and solidified her status as one of the greatest women boxers of all time. The evening was a celebration of women's boxing and also marked a significant step forward for Most Valuable Promotions (Jake Paul's promotional company), which orchestrated, produced and marketed the event. Paul is a highly visible social media influencer with 28.4m followers on Instagram and 20.9m subscribers to his YouTube channel. He and Nakisa Bidarian (who was once the UFC's chief strategy and chief financial officer) met in 2019 when Bidarian began planning the 2020 exhibition between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones for Triller. Paul had only one fight on his resume at the time – a victory over social media personality Ali Eson Gib. But Bidarian signed him for the primary support bout beneath Tyson-Jones, and Jake knocked out former NBA basketball player Nate Robinson in the second round. The following year, he and Bidarian founded MVP. Bidarian has a reputation for being hard-working, abrasive and smart. One person who has worked with him says, 'Nakisa always thinks he's the smartest person in the room, and very often that's true. But he has the personality of a porcupine and can be difficult to deal with.' That said; another person who has worked with Bidarian opines, 'Nakisa is a hard negotiator but he's always professional. He thinks creatively outside the box. And once he makes a deal, he lives up to it. He doesn't look at a contract as the starting point for a new round of negotiations, which distinguishes him from a lot of people in boxing.' MVP calls itself a managerial company. But like Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions (another 'managerial' company), it functions as a promoter. In recent years, MVP has promoted numerous small fight cards on DAZN. But its greatest success has come with Jake Paul's fights. Now it's trying to build on Paul's social media presence and ring exploits to establish a promotional company that isn't reliant on Jake fighting to turn a profit. Paul's ring career has blurred the line between social media influencers and traditional boxers. After knocking out Gib and Robinson, he won four more fights against a string of aging former MMA combatants before losing a decision to Tommy Fury. That was followed by five more wins, the most notable of which was an eight-round decision over 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November. Two weeks ago, he decisioned an unmotivated, out-of-shape, long-past-his-prime Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul has the ring skills of a club fighter. That merits respect. But now that the novelty of his fighting has worn off, he needs a dance partner to attract a large audience willing to pay big money to watch him fight. Tyson-Paul fit that profile to perfection. The fight was marred by a lack of serious PED testing and questionable medical-clearance standards for Tyson. But it drew 72,300 fans to AT&T Stadium in Texas. The live gate surpassed $18m, making it the largest on-site gate ever in the United States for a fight card held outside of Las Vegas. It was also the first live professional sports event ever on Netflix and the most-streamed sports event of all time. More than 60m households around the world watched it. That made Taylor-Serrano II (which was on the undercard of Tyson-Paul) the most-watched women's sporting event in US history. Building on that success, Netflix purchased rights to stream Taylor-Serrano III as well as the upcoming 13 September Saudi-backed encounter between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford. Paul has mastered the art of making money through social media. 'We've been fortunate to have Jake as the head of our spear,' Bidarian acknowledges. 'Social media is the most important currency in the world today because the vast majority of Gen Z and younger get their news, get their content, get their updates from social media.' But once Paul stops boxing, MVP's biggest money-making vehicle will be gone. Jake simply showing up for someone else's fight that he's promoting won't create much wealth. 'They're trying to develop other stars to fill the void,' says a manager who has done business with MVP. 'But most of their young fighters aren't very good. Other than Amanda Serrano, they haven't signed a fighter who can generate big money. And Amanda has to be paired with someone like Katie Taylor to sell.' Bidarian is believed to be trying to raise capital from outside sources to expand MVP. Meanwhile, the company is working to establish a reputation as the place for elite women boxers to be and build what Bidarian calls 'a cohesive unfragmented women's boxing program'. In recent months, it has announced a series of high-profile signings and hopes to launch an all-women's boxing series. 'Women's boxing might not become as popular as men's boxing,' Bidarian acknowledges. 'But it can carry its own weight.' Meanwhile, there's a huge plus to what MVP is doing. It's generating the cash through live gate receipts, pay-per-view buys, license fees, sponsorships and other income streams to cover what Paul and the company are paid. No big loser is keeping MVP afloat, which is an all-too-common formula in the boxing business today. That brings us to Taylor-Serrano III. Most boxing trilogies result from the first two fights between the combatants being split. Here the trilogy came about because, even though Taylor emerged victorious on the judges' scorecards in Taylor-Serrano I and II, they were exceptionally good fights. And many knowledgeable observers thought that Serrano deserved the decision in one or both of them. Taylor-Serrano I was a watershed moment for women's boxing. Promoted by Eddie Hearn, it was contested at Madison Square Garden on 30 April 2022, before a sellout crowd of 19,187 and engendered a live gate of $1,450,180. The atmosphere was electric. The action was heated. Taylor won a 97-93, 96-93, 94-96 verdict. Taylor-Serrano II (on the undercard of Tyson-Paul) was just as enthralling. Once again, Taylor prevailed; this time by a slender 95-94, 95-94, 95-94 margin. On both occasions, Serrano was remarkably gracious in defeat and accepted her loss without public complaint. But her resentment showed at the 9 April kick-off press conference for her third encounter with Taylor. Not one to shy away from hype, host Ariel Helwani began the press conference by calling it 'one of the most important press conferences in combat sports history'. Eventually the fighters had their say. Serrano called Taylor a great champion and said she respected her in and out of the ring. Katie responded, 'There's no animosity on my side. I'm just here to fight.' But things got testy when Serrano said that she'd wanted 12 three-minute rounds for their upcoming fight rather than the 10 two-minute rounds that are traditional for women's championship bouts and claimed that Taylor had reneged on a promise to accept that format. Taylor countered that she'd declined the request because the WBC wouldn't sanction the fight on those terms and added, 'The challenger shouldn't be dictating the terms of the fight. Amanda's not in a position to dictate and Amanda's not in a position to change the format of women's boxing.' That pushed Serrano's buttons and she turned to the judging of the first two fights, declaring, 'The world has eyes. They saw what they saw. It sucks that three judges see something completely different. But millions of people saw it another way.' 'I'm not interested in what Amanda says about the fight,' Taylor countered. 'I'm only interested in what the judges say about the fight. I am 2-and-0 here. I was the deserved winner. Here we are again, having a silly conversation because you're trying to create a narrative that you were robbed in that fight. That's not OK, Amanda.' 'A lot of times I let those comments go,' Taylor said afterward. 'But enough is enough of all the silly comments and the complaints over the decision and stuff. I'm 2-and-0 against her. She actually feels like she won that fight, which is not correct. She wants to walk to the ring second. She wants to be announced second. It's absolutely ridiculous. After I beat her a third time, I don't want any more complaints.' Fight week offered the usual mix of media workouts, photo ops and other promotional activities. Serrano gave the impression of enjoying it. Taylor is on the shy side and would rather train and fight than talk. MVP announced that the event would 'break the official Guinness World Records title for the most world championship belts ever contested on a single fight card, male or female, with 17 world titles on the line across five bouts'. But while fighters and networks care about the belts, most fight fans don't. Championships were devalued in boxing long ago. And that's particularly true of women's boxing. Meanwhile, Ariel Helwani upped the ante at the final pre-fight press conference, calling the event 'the greatest fight card of all time'. Some of the undercard bouts that preceded Taylor-Serrano III were competitive and spirited. Others weren't. Of particular note, Shadasia Green won a 96-93, 95-94, 93-96 split-decision over Savannah Marshall in an action fight that saw both women dig deep and could have gone either way on the judges' scorecards. Finally it was time for the main event. Taylor-Serrano III was for all four of Taylor's 140lb belts. But as a concession to Serrano, there was a 136lb contract weight. The high stakes and enthusiastic crowd (which leaned toward Serrano) gave the bout high drama. But the action was far more muted than in their first two encounters. This time around, Taylor put on a defensive boxing clinic. The first three rounds were tactically fought with both women probing for openings and finding little to exploit. A judge could have scored them either way. Taylor's game plan was clear. She had no intention of engaging in firefight exchanges. She would move, box and pick up points when and where she could. She fought a smart, measured, disciplined fight with side-to-side movement that exposed Serrano's limitations as a boxer. And Amanda had no Plan B to break through Katie's defensive shield. Serrano clearly won round six. But other than that, her stalking was largely ineffective aggression. Two of the judges scored the fight 97-93 for Taylor, which was on the mark. The third tally (95-95) was bad judging. 'The whole game plan,' Taylor said afterward, 'was to not let her feet set. I knew I was capable of a performance like that in the other two fights as well. But the two fights previously ended up as complete wars, and I came out of the ring battered and bruised and I'm thinking, 'Why am I just standing there, fighting?'' Putting that comment in perspective; Serrano landed 173 punches to Taylor's 147 in their first encounter. In Taylor-Serrano II, those numbers increased to 324 to 217 in Amanda's favor. This time around, each fighter landed a meager 70 punches. Both women were gracious in the aftermath of the fight. 'I'm so grateful for Amanda Serrano,' Taylor said. 'What an amazing champion. And we created history together three times. My name will be embedded with hers forever. I'm very very happy about that.' Serrano responded in kind, saying, 'Thank you Katie Taylor for an incredible three fights and 30 rounds. It has truly been an honor to face you.' As for the future; Taylor's voice is starting to sound softer and a bit less crisp and clear than it once did. Serrano is showing the wear and tear of 52 professional fights. Each woman has earned life-changing money. Their health shouldn't be trifled with. It would be nice if they both retired now. Thomas Hauser's email address is thomashauserwriter@ His next book – The Most Honest Sport: Two More Years Inside Boxing – will be published this month and is available for preorder. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing's highest honor - induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Transfer latest: Arsenal agree £16.5m deal for Mosquera, Wolves poised to sign Arias
Arsenal are hoping to complete the signing of Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia this week in a deal that could take their summer spending past £200m. Negotiations with Valencia over the 21-year-old defender have been taking place since an initial offer of £14m including bonuses was rejected this month. It is understood an agreement has been struck for Arsenal to pay an initial £13m plus up to £3.5m in bonuses. Mikel Arteta's squad are due to fly to Singapore for the first leg of their Asian tour on Saturday and there is a chance that Mosquera – who represented Spain at this summer's European Under-21 Championship but is also eligible to play for Colombia – could complete his move in time to join his new teammates. Mosquera was identified as Arsenal's main target to provide competition for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães after establishing himself as a first choice for Valencia over the past two seasons. His deal means Arsenal have committed to spending potentially more than £200m on players since March's appointment of the sporting director, Andrea Berta. They are also poised to announce the signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea for up to £52m and have agreed a deal with Sporting for Viktor Gyökeres, with the total package for the Sweden striker potentially worth £64m. Arsenal have confirmed the arrivals of Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for about £55m, Christian Nørgaard from Brentford for up to £12m and Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5m. They remain interested in Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace but have yet to make an official approach for the England forward, who has a £67.5m release clause. It is understood Arsenal are hoping to offload some fringe players as Arteta continues to shape his squad, with Leandro Trossard attracting interest from Bayern Munich and Fenerbahce. Jakub Kiwior – who deputised for the injured Gabriel at the end of last season but could find himself down the pecking order given Mosquera's arrival – Fábio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko are among others facing uncertain futures. Wolves are poised to sign one of the stars of the Club World Cup in Fluminense's Jhon Arias. The Colombia winger, who impressed as the Brazilian club exited in the semi-finals to the eventual winners Chelsea, will cost about £15m. Arias will boost Vítor Pereira's attacking ranks after the £62.5m departure of Matheus Cunha and is in line to become Wolves' third summer signing after the £19.5m arrival of Fer López from Celta Vigo. Jørgen Strand Larsen, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season, has also signed from Vigo after his loan move was made permanent. Aston Villa have agreed to sign the experienced goalkeeper Marco Bizot, with the club thought to be paying a six-figure fee to take the Dutchman from the Ligue 1 side Brest, for whom he played in the Champions League last season. The 34-year-old has played regularly as a No 1 over the past four seasons in France and before that impressed in the Eredivisie and Belgian Pro League with AZ and Genk respectively. He is expected to be joining Villa as a backup goalkeeper, though uncertainty surrounds the long-term future of Emiliano Martínez. Bizot began his career at Ajax and won his sole Netherlands cap in 2020, playing in a friendly against Spain while with AZ.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Cole Palmer's Chelsea finally believe they are Premier League contenders
When Chelsea won the Conference League in May, a victory secured by the standard ice‑cold Cole Palmer performance in a final, the reaction was restrained and there was no internal talk of an impending title challenge. Now the vibe is different. It is hard not to dream when Chelsea perform as they did against Paris Saint‑Germain in the final of the Club World Cup. Nobody is getting carried away. Chelsea know what the rest of us know, which is that they are not the best team in the world. They are not the finished article. They are young and still have much to learn. Yet there is a gold badge on the shirt for the next four years and if Chelsea woke up feeling $100m on Monday morning it will not only have been because of the prize money made during their month in the US. Where does this end? Chelsea have built priceless momentum and will head into the new season with serious aspirations of winning the Premier League and going far in the Champions League. They are youthful, aggressive, motivated and extremely talented. They are champions of the world, an achievement that should not be played down. They were the second-youngest side at the Club World Cup and have benefited from treating it seriously. They have grown as a team, honing their tactical vision and hardening their mentality, and it has done wonders for Enzo Maresca's standing as head coach after a challenging first year. Maresca has seemed on dodgy ground at times. He wobbled during a difficult spell after Christmas and has not found it easy to convince match-going fans to embrace his patient, positional football. The players, though, are different. Maresca clearly has total buy-in from the squad. 'He is building something special,' Palmer said after leading the destruction of PSG with two goals and an assist for João Pedro before half-time. 'He's a top coach,' Malo Gusto said before the final. 'He's always watching his next opponent and doing analysis. That helps us.' Maresca's plan was perfect against PSG. Chelsea were coherent and disciplined. 'The first 10 minutes, the team was there to showed that we were there to win,' Maresca said. Chelsea were physical from the start. They went direct, beating Luis Enrique's ferocious pressing system, and targeted PSG's left flank. 'That's where we tried to win the game,' Maresca said. 'But you can give the players a plan – in the end it's them who have to execute it.' Chelsea delivered, the collective combining to create conditions for Palmer's quality to shine. It should do wonders for their confidence. They are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence and will believe they can compete with the best after doing to PSG what the French club have been doing to everyone else in Europe during the past eight months. This is a project moving in the right direction. Palmer is the jewel in the crown – incredibly he was unwell last week but still left PSG feeling under the weather – but it is a team effort. The work conducted by the recruitment team of Paul Winstanley, Joe Shields, Laurence Stewart and Sam Jewell cannot be overlooked. They have faced external criticism but will earn more respect after this triumph. The question is whether Chelsea can push on. They were reluctant to say that they were challengers last season, even when two points off the top just before Christmas. But something shifted when they got over the line during the run-in and finished fourth. Champions League qualification gave them belief; thumping PSG enhances it. 'I said at the start of this tournament that our plan is to win it and people looked at me as if I was crazy,' Levi Colwill said. 'I'm going to say the exact same thing now going into the Premier League and Champions League. I think we're ready.' Chelsea look stronger. João Pedro has transformed the attack in the space of two weeks, impressing with his pressing, mobility and link play. Maresca has options. He was able to bring on Liam Delap against PSG and use the striker's pace on the break. Chelsea have different modes of attack. They can counter with Pedro Neto's pace on the flanks. Jamie Gittens and Estêvão Willian are joining and will provide more depth on the flanks. Another positive from the tournament? Estêvão proving he can take on English defences by scoring against Chelsea in his final game for Palmeiras. The unknown is whether Chelsea are going to be more adept at breaking down low blocks. There was space against PSG but other sides will not be as accommodating. Chelsea are going to come up against a lot of deep defences. It is partly why João Pedro has been signed; Maresca regards the Brazilian's versatility as a way to unlock tight games. Enzo Fernández's development as a box-crashing midfielder is another plus. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion There will be challenges, not least when it comes to dealing with the physical impact of the Club World Cup. Chelsea have three weeks off before returning for pre-season and host Crystal Palace in their opening Premier League game. It is hard to know how this plays out. They could use the positive vibes to hit the ground running but there may come a point when they crash. Or they may start slowly and find themselves in another battle for the top four. The additional demands of an expanded Champions League further complicates matters. Chelsea were able to rest their A‑listers in the Conference League but that is not an option this time. It is acknowledged that Maresca needs cover for Marc Cucurella at left-back. But the squad does not need a lot of work. It is said that Robert Sánchez is not a title-winning goalkeeper but he was outstanding against PSG. There has been a lot of talk about a new centre-back but Chelsea gave away little against Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. There is depth in a lot of other positions. Not that it will be quiet before the window shuts. Chelsea's bank balance has been boosted and they are nothing if not afraid to trade. Noni Madueke is going to Arsenal and another attacker could be targeted if Nicolas Jackson or Christopher Nkunku leaves. Tyrique George has a lot of wingers in front of him. Chelsea have been fined by Uefa for breaching financial fair play rules and must generate positive income if they are to register new players in their Champions League squad. The goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is joining Bournemouth for £25m. Chelsea have outcasts to sell; plenty of ways to bring in money. Buyers must be found for Raheem Sterling, João Félix, Axel Disasi and many more. That element of the approach led by Clearlake Capital, the club's majority owner, leaves some observers cold. It is important that Chelsea embrace stability and keep the core group together. 'We've got the best players in our team, young players, and that's our plan: to win the biggest trophies for Chelsea,' Colwill said. 'No matter what, we've got to stick together.' He was on top of the world. Chelsea have no intention of crashing back to earth. They think this is just the beginning.
