Latest news with #InterFinal
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neymar Explains Champions League Lore Ahead of PSG vs Inter Final
Neymar Explains Champions League Lore Ahead of PSG vs Inter Final originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Neymar has experience at the top level of soccer, having spent a decade in Europe. During his time at FC Barcelona and PSG, Neymar played in two Champions League Finals. Advertisement The Brazilian star experienced both outcomes in the Champions League Final. He won the UCL with Barcelona in 2015 and lost the final with PSG in 2020. Ahead of the Champions League Final, Neymar gave his personal experience of anticipating the final, which in many soccer fans' eyes is the biggest game of every season, every year. When asked what he did to prepare ahead of the Champions League final, Neymar mentioned how different both the 2015 and 2020 finals were for him. Neymar: "Oh, nothing, it was very calm for me. In the first final, I slept with my mother and my son the night before the match, woke up, went to the game, and we won the title. As for the other final, it was during the pandemic, so we stayed at the hotel, rested, went to the match, then met with the family, but unfortunately, we lost in the second final." Neymar on the Champions League competition Soccer fans know the importance of the Champions League, and many wonder if the players feel the lore of the competition before a big game in the tournament. Advertisement Neymar speaks on what it means to play in the Champions League, a competition many players wish to win. Neymar: "It's a unique feeling, an unmatched sensation. One of the best tournaments in the world, and to be there and live this experience is truly amazing. I think it's hard to explain the feeling when you hear the anthem, when you're listening to a match in the Champions League. It's amazing, truly amazing. Anyone who's had the chance to play in it knows exactly what I'm talking about." PSG and Inter Milan Stars on UCL Final PSG star Ousmane Dembele is on the verge of becoming the main candidate to win the Ballon d'Or. With a Champions League trophy this season, Dembele could win this prestigious award. But the final means more to him on the collective side. When asked about potentially winning the Ballon d'Or award later this year, the French star spoke about what the final means to the team. Ousmane Dembele: "I'm not thinking about that [Ballon d'Or award]. The most important thing is winning the Champions League. I'm focused on the team, not individual awards." Inter striker Lautaro Martinez has experience in playing for important trophies in soccer. The Argentine star still has not won the Champions League trophy in his career, and he dreams of lifting it with Inter Milan, proving the importance of this trophy. Lautaro Martinez: "It's true, I've won many important things, a World Cup, the Copa América, several trophies with Inter. The Champions League is the one I'm missing, and it's a very important goal. I'm happy, proud, and excited to play another final. We'll try to play the perfect match.' Advertisement Related: Champions League Final Could Trigger $28M Coach Move and Blockbuster Teen Signing Related: Champions League Final Explained: Who's Playing, What's at Stake, and Why It Matters This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Tuesday trial to decide whether Inter Dominion dream still alive
'That is why we are leaving him in for now but, basically, he won't be going unless some major names, most obviously Leap To Fame, come out,' says driver Carter Dalgety. 'And even then that would need to happen soon because after this week he would have been spelling too long to get him back up and fit enough for the series.' While horses like Pinseeker and Beach Ball, who has transferred to Sydney trainer Luke McCarthy, could start in the series the only Group 1-winning contender New Zealand still has is Chase A Dream. He has become the great enigma of New Zealand harness racing, wonderful some weeks but woeful others. The four-year-old doesn't have to go down the traditional Inter Dominion path as trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon have accepted an invite to the Rising Sun on the first night of the carnival and if he wins that Three and Four-Year-Old race he will basically be invited straight into the Inter Final two weeks later. The problem is nobody, not even one of the greats of all-time in Mark Purdon, knows what to expect from Chase A Dream. He was supposed to race at Alexandra Park last Friday but was too highly rated compared with his rivals so wasn't allowed to start, hence he heads to the Pukekohe trials on Tuesday. 'At this stage Queensland is still on,' Purdon the Herald. 'He'd obviously need to trial ok and if he does he will be on a plane with Oscar Bonavena and Rubira on Sunday.' That would see the trio land in Sydney and go by road to Brisbane in the hope of gaining consistent racing leading into the series. 'We are still keen to take him and Oscar will be going as this is possibly his last season and it is a big stake [A$500,000] for the trotters. 'Rubira was one of our better three-year-olds until he got hurt in a trackwork incident but he will go with the two open-class boys and race in the Derbys.' Purdon knows just how awesome Leap To Fame is as Chase A Dream finished second to him in his stunning Race by Betcha win at Cambridge before the latter's form fell off a cliff. 'We are hoping he can get to Queensland and get into at least one easier lead-up race away from Leap To Fame so maybe we can get his confidence back up,' says Purdon. 'We toyed with the idea of not going but we still think he is good enough to be there.' Oscar Bonavena may have taken loyal punters on a rollercoaster ride this year but the Inters could be his last shot at big-time glory, especially with doubts over trotting series favourite Keayang Zahara, who is drifting to turn up in Brisbane. If the young superstar doesn't head there then Oscar Bonavena and Rowe Cup winner Bet N Win look two of the few realistic chances in the series alongside TAB Trot winner Arcee Phoenix and highly talented Victorian mare Susan Is Her Name. While Republican Party is long odds to go to the pacer's series his juvenile stablemate Fugitive looks certain to get a slot in the A$500,000 Ladbrokes Protostar on July 12 especially if he wins the Welcome Stakes at Addington this Friday. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
