Expresso Top National and International Sports stories of the week

In some football news. Brazilian star Neymar is likely to leave Paris Saint Germain before the transfer window closes at the end of this month, multiple news outlets, including The Telegraph reported. The 31-year-old Brazilian has informed PSG that he wants to leave. Neymar’s contract with the French club is till 2027, but with Lionel Messi moving on to play for Inter Miami and Kylian Mbappe set to leave, PSG is facing a talent drain. Neymar is keen to return to former club Barcelona but the club may not be able to afford him because they have to sell players to balance their books. According to ESPN, there is an ongoing debate among the decision-makers at Barcelona about Neymar.

From Alfredo Di Stéfano to Raúl González and from Cristiano Ronaldo to Karim Benzema. It seems there's always been a world-class scorer associated with Real Madrid throughout the club’s storied soccer history. It may not be the case this season, though, as Madrid is about to begin the campaign without a high-profile striker in its squad. Benzema, the team’s best player in the last few seasons, made the move to Saudi Arabian soccer. The Spanish powerhouse has yet to replace him with someone of the same prominence. Madrid has tried to sign Kylian Mbappé but has been unable to reach a deal. They may have to wait until his contract with Paris Saint-Germain ends at the end of the season.

Moving on to some cricket news. The International Cricket Council on Wednesday, 9th August, rescheduled the India vs Pakistan ODI World Cup match from October 15 to October 14 which led to some revisions in the dates of some other matches as well. England’s fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi now moved from its original October 14 date to October 15. Pakistan’s contest against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad has moved from October 12 to October 10. Australia’s match against South Africa in Lucknow will now be played on October 12 instead of October 13. Similarly, New Zealand’s game against Bangladesh which was originally a day match on October 14 in Chennai, will be held on October 13 as a day-night contest.

Pakistan on Wednesday, 9th August named all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and Saud Shakeel in their 18-member squad that will take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka from August 22. Pakistan selectors also named Tayyab Tahir who is yet to make his ODI debut. The squad will be pruned to 17 for the Asia Cup slated later this month. Afghanistan is the designated host of the series, and because of the political turmoil back home both the Boards have agreed upon a neutral venue in Sri Lanka. The recently-appointed chief selector and former captain Inzamam-ul Haq released the names of 18 players after consultations with team director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn.

In some tennis news. Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz won his first match since his Wimbledon victory, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the National Bank Open on Wednesday, 9th August. Preparing for his U.S. Open title defence, the 20-year-old Alcaraz ran his match-winning streak to 13, dating to his Queen’s title run. The Spanish star has won six titles this year. Alcaraz said, post-match - " I tried to play my level but it wasn’t easy. I tried to be solid and to get my rhythm and I’m really happy to be through to have an opportunity in the next round." In the third round, Alcaraz will face 15th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz.

Meanwhile in some hockey news. There’s not a lot Harmanpreet Singh can't do. Yet, on most days, it’s his misses that get talked about more. The India captain often gets asked about his ‘poor’ conversion rate from penalty corners. It’s a travesty that Harmanpreet’s contribution is reduced merely to his drag flicks, though. The final group stage match of the Asian Champions Trophy against Pakistan, a 4-0 victory, was another reminder of all that he brings to the table. He had told The Indian Express in an earlier interview - "I try to learn a lot from the lives of other players. You get to learn about their mentality, the way they think. It’s inspiring to be in this team."

In some chess news. Chess legend Viswanathan Anand recently described 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh overtaking him as the highest-rated Indian player in FIDE rankings as a “historic” achievement and said the teenager is spearheading the country’s rise in the sport. Gukesh posted a win over Azerbaijan’s Misratdin Iskandarov in a second-round match of the World Cup in Baku to overtake his idol Anand in live world rankings. Anand told PTI - "Obviously, it is a historic day for Indian chess, what Gukesh has achieved. To lose a spot you have held for 37 years is, well it’s historic, I have to admit that. There is no sign that Gukesh is ready to stop, which is fantastic news for us."

Lastly, in some athletic news. World’s season leader long jumper Jeswin Aldrin produced his best performance in five months as he cleared 8.22 meters to win gold in the CITIUS Meeting in Bern, Switzerland. This was Aldrin’s fourth career-best performance. The 21-year-old Aldrin had jumped 8.42 meters, the best in the world so far this season, during the National Open Jumps Competition at Bellary on March 2 and then had two 8-meter-plus efforts in Havana, Cuba in May. The CITIUS Meeting in Bern is a World Athletics Tour bronze-level event. Aldrin has now qualified for the World Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held from August 19-27, in Budapest, Hungary.