Giro d'Italia: Juan Ayuso takes stage win but Primoz Roglic is back in pink

Juan Ayuso stole a march on Primoz Roglic as the contest for the Pink Jersey began in earnest on the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia. In the first mountain finish, at the end of a draining route of 168km from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo, Ayuso rode conclusively away from the leading group at the end of the final climb to assert his credentials as the primary threat to Roglic, the race favourite, who is looking for his sixth grand tour win.
Although Roglic rallied to finish fourth, regaining the Maglia Rosa with a four-second advantage in the general classification, Ayuso was clearly the strongest rider in the first real battle among the climbers, with the last two kilometres averaging a challenging 9.1 per

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The Sun

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• The Sun

Man City 6 Al Ain 0: Cherki shows glimpse of future but they now face crunch Juventus tie to avoid horror knockout draw

ILKAY GUNDOGAN struck twice as Manchester City booked their place in the last 16 in emphatic fashion. However, Pep Guardiola 's men will now need to beat Juventus in Orlando on Thursday to avoid a likely last 16 meeting with old foes Real Madrid. 6 6 6 6 6 The Italian giants are top on goal difference going into the final Group G fixture – so only a win ensures top spot in the group for City. Former skipper Gundo is being linked with a move to Galatasaray, but put speculation to one side to spearhead this easy win. Erling Haaland, Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and new boy Rayan Cherki were also on the mark at the home of the Atlanta Falcons. And the victory – plus a safe passage into the knockout round – banks another £7 million into the Etihad coffers. For the second time in this tournament, City struck early against one of the outsiders – taking the lead in the eighth minute. Gundogan clipped a ball to the back post – aiming for Haaland – but the ball looped over keeper Khalid Eissa and dropped in. If the German meant it, then it was a stroke of genius but his cheeky grin as he celebrated suggested otherwise. Al Ain could have hit straight back as Nico Gonzalez lost possession - but Stefan Ortega had to make a full stretch save to deny Nassim Chadli. And it proved a costly miss as City edged further ahead when Argentine kid Claudio Echeverri curled home a 20 yard free kick. The January arrival from River Plate has been likened to Lionel Messi in his homeland – and it was the kind of goal the little maestro would have been happy with. Sean Dyche reveals what Pep Guardiola said to Steve Bruce about Lionel Messi that left him in tears Now it was a question of how many as Haaland dispossessed Park Yong Woo and went round the keeper but the angle was tight and he slid his effort wide of the far post. And a header from Josko Gvardiol from a Bernardo Silva corner beat the Al Ain keeper but bounced off the post. Finally, the Norwegian did get on the scoresheet after Manuel Akanji was bundled over in the box by Rami Rabia – and the ref gave a pen after a VAR check. Haaland surprisingly gave up penalty-taking duties in the FA Cup final – only for Omar Marmoush to miss – but he was back on them here and found the bottom corner. City knew only a victory by seven goals would put them above Juventus – their final group opponents in Orlando on Thursday. Top spot could be crucial with the runners up likely to be paired with Real Madrid in the last 16. But the Abu Dhabi side stood firm as both Matheus Nunes and Haaland went close. Gundogan did make it four when he ran onto a pass from Bernardo and dinked his effort over Eissa. And Bobb – who missed almost all of last season with injury - cut in from the right to send a low shot past the keeper. New signing from Lyon Cherki took a pass from Haaland before thumping home a low shot to complete the rout. However, the seventh goal – which would have seen them overtake Juve on goal difference – just eluded them. 6 Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 live on DAZN

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

Ilkay Gundogan rues Manchester City's failure to score seventh against Al Ain

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Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Leeds star leaves the field in tears after being sent off as Germany beat nine-man Italy in thrilling quarter-final at European Under-21 Championship

Wilfried Gnonto left the pitch in tears as Italy suffered a heartbreaking exit from the European Under-21 Championship, losing 3-2 after extra time to Germany despite a heroic display with nine men. The Leeds United forward was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 80th minute with the score at 1-1. Mattia Zanotti followed him down the tunnel 10 minutes later, also dismissed for two yellows, leaving Italy with just nine players heading into stoppage time. Somehow, they still found a way to equalise. In the sixth minute of added time — with virtually the last kick of the game — Giuseppe Ambrosino curled home a superb free-kick to force extra time. Italy then defended doggedly for another 27 minutes, but their resistance was finally broken just short of what would have been a penalty shootout, as Merlin Rohl drilled home from the edge of the box to send Germany into the semi-finals. Burnley 's Luca Koleosho had earlier put Italy in front on 58 minutes with a smart finish. Germany hit back 10 minutes later when Nick Woltemade, the tournament's top scorer, nodded in his fifth goal of the campaign. Gnonto had looked lively and struck the post with a curling effort before picking up two yellow cards in the space of 17 minutes. Nelson Weiper then gave Germany the lead with a well-taken header in the 87th minute, and Zanotti's red card moments later looked to have sealed Italy's fate. But Ambrosino had other ideas. His 96th-minute free-kick sparked wild celebrations and sent the tie into extra time, where Italy's depleted side battled bravely but eventually ran out of steam. Germany will now face France on Wednesday, with England up against the Netherlands in the other semi-final. Italy coach Carmine Nunziata hailed his players' spirit and performance after Sunday's defeat. 'This is the moment to praise these guys,' he said. 'They played a great game. We were two players down and only conceded four minutes from the end. The whole stadium was with us — that means we did something important.' 'It hurts to lose like this. These guys deserved to go through. They were exceptional, united, and gave everything.' Captain Lorenzo Pirola added: 'We showed our quality and played a really big game. We were just unlucky. I'm proud of everyone.' Meanwhile, Germany coach Antonio Di Salvo admitted his side had been rattled by Italy's late equaliser. 'My knees wobbled a bit,' he said. 'Italy defended really well. The goal we conceded at 2-1 must not happen, but we stayed calm. We're happy to be in the semi-finals and now it's time to recover for France.' Gnonto's red card marked a frustrating end to an otherwise strong season. Before going on international duty this summer, the 21-year-old helped Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League, scoring nine goals and registering six assists in 43 Championship games. He will now return to the English top flight, having previously made 24 Premier League appearances in 2022–23, scoring twice and assisting four times.