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France 28-29 South Africa: Defending champions overcome hosts in World Cup thriller
South Africa kept the defence of their title alive with a thrilling quarter-final victory over France in one of the greatest matches in World Cup history.
Eben Etzebeth’s powerful late surge saw the Springboks come from behind to end France’s 18-game winning run on home soil and book a semi-final with England in a repeat of the 2019 final.
Both sides scored three tries in a pulsating first half at Stade de France before a Thomas Ramos penalty handed the hosts a narrow lead at the interval.
Ramos added another three points as France, led by their returning talisman Antoine Dupont in their pursuit of a maiden title, looked to wrestle momentum from the defending champions in a more attritional second half.
But Etzebeth’s try overturned the deficit before Handre Pollard’s huge penalty from inside his own half proved to be decisive.
Another Ramos penalty brought France to within a single point, to set-up a tense finale at the same venue that witnessed another last-eight thriller between New Zealand and Ireland just 24 hours earlier.
France were urged on by their partisan home support as they looked to keep the ball alive with the clock in the red, but as it spilled forward and Kurt-Lee Arendse gathered to pump it into the stands, the French challenge ended as the Boks celebrated.
Line-ups
France: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Baille, Mauvaka, Atonio, Woki, Flament, Jelonch, Ollivon, Alldritt.
Replacements: Bourgarit, Wardi, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Cros, Macalou, Lucu, Moefana.
South Africa: Willemse; Arendse, Kriel, De Allende, Kolbe; Libbok, Reinach; Kitshoff, Mbonambi, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert, Kolisi (capt), Du Toit, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Fourie, Nche, Koch, Snyman, Smith, De Klerk, Pollard, Le Roux.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
(BBC)
Clashes between football fans and police across France have led to more than 400 arrests following the victory of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League final against Arsenal.
Thousands of officers were deployed to curb unrest that disrupted bus, train and rail services in the capital Paris.
Fireworks and flares were set off, while several police officers were injured in the fray. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in the city centre.
There was similar violence when PSG won the same trophy last year, with celebrations turning deadly. This time, the authorities were better prepared with a “very robust, very solid system in place”, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
Paris’s iconic Champs-Élysées was swarmed by fans shortly after the French team won in a penalty shootout.
Footage from the city shows flares being set off, electric bikes burning on roads and revellers smashing the glass of at least one shopfront.
Earlier in the day there were clashes between police and supporters who showed up to watch the final on giant screens at PSG’s Parc des Princes.
Police said six vehicles, two businesses and a bus shelter were damaged during the unrest.
According to the authorities. 416 had been arrested in the early hours of Sunday, including 280 people in Paris.
Nuñez said seven officers had been injured and called the unrest “absolutely unacceptable”.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen wrote on X: “Only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots.”
“Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence,” she said.
Players are due to take part in a victory parade on Sunday afternoon, which includes touring the Champ-de-Mars next to the Eiffel Tower and a reception held by French President Emmanuel Macron.
[BBC]
Paris Saint-Germain held their nerve in a cagey Champions League final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as Saturday’s nail-biting showdown ended 1-1 after extra time, cementing the French side’s status among Europe’s modern greats.
Arsenal defender Gabriel blasted his spot kick over Matvey Safonov’s crossbar at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, his miss confirming PSG as the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid completed their three-year reign from 2016 to 2018.
Long dismissed as glamorous underachievers despite vast resources, the Ligue 1 champions have now forged a dynasty under Luis Enrique, marrying attacking brilliance with resilience to establish themselves as the dominant force in European football.
“It’s stronger than last year because we knew before the match just how difficult it would be to play against Arsenal,” said Enrique, whose side had thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 a year ago to claim Europe’s elite trophy for the first time.
“As a club and a city, it’s incredible to win, and I think we deserved it over the course of the season. The final was a real battle,” added the Spanish coach.
The outcome left Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice devastated but proud as his side finished their European campaign without losing a match, aside from the shootout defeat in the final.
“It’s gutting. It’s devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties,” he said. “But we try to take a lot of perspective from how far we’ve come as a group.
“An incredible season. Given it absolutely everything up until this point. We took the game to penalties. It’s a lottery.”
Eleven days after celebrating their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal looked set for a maiden triumph on Europe’s biggest stage after Kai Havertz’s sixth-minute opener and a first hour spent smothering PSG’s vaunted attack.
However, the final in the Hungarian capital became chaotic, once PSG’s Ousmane Dembele equalised with a penalty in the 65th minute, the pace turning frantic before exhaustion took the match to a shootout.
Under Enrique, PSG have won the six shootouts they have contested, with the 56-year-old winning 12 of the 13 one-off club finals as coach.
After brushing aside Premier League opposition on their way to the final by eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool, PSG were facing a much sterner test against an Arsenal team playing their second Champions League final after losing to Barcelona in 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead when Marquinhos’ clearance bounced off Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard into the path of Havertz, who raced into the box and fired into the roof of the net.
He is the fourth player to score in two different European Cup or Champions League finals with two different clubs.
It was the nightmare scenario for PSG – trailing so early against the best defence in the competition.
Arsenal lived up to their reputation as the best team without the ball and looked perfectly content with the script, doubling up on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and suffocating the usual danger posed by the Georgian magician on the left flank.
PSG’s Fabian Ruiz was unable to impose his usual rhythm in midfield and, despite monopolising possession for long spells, the French side struggled to carve out clear-cut chances.
By half-time, PSG had attacked 32 times, Arsenal three.
Arsenal, however, were flirting with the boundaries with their challenges and Cristhian Mosquera brought down Kvaratskhelia in the area, with Dembele converting the penalty to equalise with his eighth goal in the competition.
The momentum had shifted.
Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres replaced Mosquera and Martin Odegaard. Arsenal had a more attacking mindset but were exposed to PSG’s counter attacks and at the end of one of them, Kvaratskhelia sped into the box, only for his left-footed effort to crash onto the outside of David Raya’s post.
After controlling the tempo in the first half, Arsenal played into PSG’s hands as the pace increased significantly, giving too much space to Kvaratskhelia or Bradley Barcola, who replaced the Georgian winger with seven minutes remaining.
In the 89th minute, PSG came close to giving the final an abrupt end as Vitinha’s shot grazed the top of the net. Barcola also shot over the bar after a counter attack, with what would have been the last kick of the game.
With both teams having run out of steam, extra time was a cautious affair and when referee Daniel Siebert blew his whistle, Arsenal had only managed one shot on target.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed his penalty before Raya saved Nuno Mendes’ attempt. Gabriel had to score to keep the Gunners’ hopes alive but, facing PSG’s end, he fired over.
The French side were left to celebrate being European champions once again, with extra-time substitute Lucas Beraldo’s goal in the shootout proving to be the winner.
[Aljazeera]
United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been discussing key foreign policy issues for Washington at a defence summit in Singapore.
On Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth commented on America’s main rival, China, as well as Iran, NATO and Taiwan — a major point of contention between Washington and Beijing.
The US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, rattling global markets, triggering an energy crisis and causing shortages of critical US munitions, including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which cost about $12m each.
In a report published on Wednesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said it would take two years — and in some cases more than three — to replenish four critical munitions used heavily during the war.
Here are Hegseth’s most important comments.
Beijing is widely seen as Washington’s greatest geopolitical challenge, and Hegseth expressed alarm about China’s growing military presence in the Asia Pacific.
“There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said.
Washington’s latest National Defense Strategy describes China as the world’s second-most powerful country after the US.
Hegseth used his speech to call on US allies in the region to increase defence spending in an attempt to offset China’s growing power.
The defence secretary, who said relations with Beijing were “better” than they had been in many years, warned that unless action was taken, China would become the regional hegemon.
“A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,” Hegseth said.
“No state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.”
Taiwan has been improving its defence capabilities in response to concerns about a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwan, which has never officially declared independence from China, has de facto functioned as a separate country since 1949, despite Beijing viewing the island as its territory.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump travelled to China to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, who sees Taiwan as the most important issue in China–US relations. Xi told Trump that “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries could occur if the Taiwan situation is mishandled.
Since then, Trump has cautioned Taipei against formally declaring independence from China, prompting the island to issue a statement saying it was “sovereign and independent” but planned to maintain the status quo.
Following the meeting, Trump said he was not sure whether he would approve an arms sale to Taiwan worth up to $14bn. On Saturday, Hegseth suggested Washington’s commitment to Taiwan remained, but that Trump would ultimately decide whether the weapons deal is finalised.
“Those decisions will depend on the president and the nature of that relationship. There’s been no change in our status,” Hegseth said.
Trump has long pressured allies to increase their military budgets and become less dependent on US firepower under his America First doctrine.
Trump has recently confused European allies after announcing he would deploy a further 5,000 troops to Poland, despite having recently pledged to reduce the number of American soldiers on the continent.
It remains unclear whether the deployment to Poland includes the same troops the Pentagon said would no longer be stationed in Germany.
“The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over,” Hegseth said.
“We need partners, not protectorates. We don’t have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game. No freeloading.”
Hegseth also discussed Iran — a key issue for much of the world as well as the US. Tehran and Washington are believed to be close to signing a memorandum of understanding to bring the war to a permanent end.
Hegseth, who has played a key role in the US-Israeli war on Iran as defence secretary, warned that the US would resume attacks on Iran if a satisfactory deal isn’t reached.
His comments come as Washington seeks to reassure allies that the Strait of Hormuz — which Iran closed at the start of the war in a bid to deter US and Israeli attacks — will soon be reopened, helping to bring down energy prices. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flowed through the crucial waterway prior to the conflict.
[Aljazeera]
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