1. Spurs to face Liverpool in Madrid
Tottenham Hotspur followed Liverpool’s lead by mounting a superb comeback to reach the final of the Uefa Champions League.
Lucas Moura scored a second-half hat-trick in the semi-final second leg against Ajax to give Spurs a 3-2 win on the night.
The tie ended 3-3 on aggregate but Tottenham went through on away goals. They will now face Premier League rivals Liverpool in the Madrid final on 1 June.
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See the match report for reactions and videos and today’s back pages for the newspaper headlines.
2. Kane’s fitness and final ticket allocations
Harry Kane had to miss out on the semi-finals because of an ankle injury but the Tottenham striker hopes to fit for the final against Liverpool in Madrid. The England captain said: “Rehab is going well. I started straight line running this week and I have to start training even harder to prove myself to the gaffer.” Meanwhile, the BBC reports that both Tottenham and Liverpool will be allocated 16,613 tickets each for the Champions League final.
3. Joshua vs. Wilder the ‘only fight’ next
Anthony Joshua is preparing for his New York title bout against Andy Ruiz Jr on 1 June but his promoter Eddie Hearn is looking forward and says that the “only fight” next is a heavyweight showdown against American Deontay Wilder. Hearn told Sky Sports: “Josh is fighting 1 June and then he’ll go in November-December, and that’s when we want the Wilder fight. It’s the only fight to make next for both guys, but everything we’re hearing out of their camp is not really giving us much encouragement that this is the fight that is going to happen.”
4. Rain ruins Archer’s day at the Oval
The Daily Telegraph reports that Jofra Archer shined for England against Pakistan at the Oval on Wednesday but heavy rain forced the abandonment of the one-day international. Scyld Berry wrote: “Archer made the definitive statement that, T20 specialist or not, he is already England’s most penetrative fast bowler.” Archer took 1-6 from his four overs as Pakistan reached 80-2 from 19 overs before rain stopped play.
5. Asics cuts ties with Folau
Sportswear company Asics has dropped its sponsorship deal with Israel Folau after the Australian rugby union star sent homophobic social media posts. The firm said in a statement: “Asics is dedicated to sport and its healthy contribution to society. We believe sport is for everyone and we champion inclusivity and diversity. While Israel Folau is entitled to his personal views, some of those expressed in recent social media posts are not aligned with those of Asics. As such, our partnership with Israel has become untenable and he will no longer represent Asics as a brand ambassador.”
6. Merc will keep foot ‘firmly on the floor’
Mercedes may have recorded four successive 1-2s so far in the 2019 Formula 1 season but Toto Wolff has urged his team to keep their foot “firmly on the floor”. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Wolff said: “Despite the good start to the season we remain quite sceptical of our own performance and know that there are a number of areas where we can and must improve. We anticipate a tough and competitive weekend, first against our rivals and also between our drivers. Everything is still very much up for grabs this season and we will be keeping our foot firmly to the floor.”
7. ‘Ferrari could veto Wolff F1 role’
It’s claimed that Mercedes chief Toto Wolff could be in line to take over as Formula 1’s top boss when Chase Carey’s contract expires next year. However, Pit Pass reports that Ferrari and Red Bull would have something to say about that. “While Red Bull would have to do what it always does, whinge, Ferrari would at least have recourse to its well-documented power of veto,” said the website.
8. Cipriani has targets after award win
After being named as the Rugby Players’ Association Player of the Year Danny Cipriani now has Premiership glory and an England World Cup spot in his sights. The Gloucester fly-half told the BBC: “I am very honoured, but the job is not done this season.”
9. Can Arsenal and Chelsea also reach a Euro final?
After Liverpool and Tottenham dramatically set up an all-English final in the Champions League Arsenal and Chelsea will look to repeat the feat in the Europa League. In tonight’s semi-final second leg Arsenal take a 3-1 aggregate lead to Valencia. Chelsea drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt last week and the Blues will be confident of winning the return fixture at Stamford Bridge. See our Europa League guide for tonight’s possible line-ups and TV guide.
10. Blues transfer ban appeal rejected
The BBC reports that Chelsea have been unsuccessful in their appeal against Fifa’s transfer ban and the London club will now take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Chelsea are banned signing players for the next two transfer windows.
