Good evening!

Sometimes referees don’t get the credit they deserve. Here’s a photo from a Spanish football match last weekend of assistant referee Rodríguez Moreno putting in the extra work… Have a great weekend!

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Stat of the day

3
The number of goals Alex Ovechkin needs to score to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL scoring record. The Washington Capitals star scored for the third consecutive game, in the Capitals' 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, to edge closer to what once seemed like an impossible record to break. Gretzky and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attended the game, as they will for all of Ovechkin’s games until he breaks the record. 

Quote of the day

"You don't know what you're doing!"
The chant Tottenham Hotspur fans directed at Ange Postecoglou when the Australian coach made a substitution in the second half of his side’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea. Pressure has continued to mount on Postecoglou in his second season at Tottenham. The team sits in 14th on the Premier League table, having lost 16 of its 30 Premier League matches this season.

Random fact of the day

The second-biggest points margin in AFL history was set in July 2011, when Geelong defeated Melbourne by 186 points. The Cats face the Dees again tonight.

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In case you missed it…

⚽ Tonight in Sydney, the Matildas will play the first of two international friendlies against South Korea. Already missing star striker Sam Kerr, the Matildas have been hit with more injuries this week. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold will miss tonight’s match, while Hayley Raso and Ellie Carpenter have both been ruled out for the series. The Matildas are still favoured against world number 19 South Korea and will be hoping to break a three-match losing streak. Kick-off is at 8:00pm. 

🏉 Seb Kris of the Canberra Raiders scored a stunning 79th-minute try to steal the lead and claim a 24-20 victory over the Cronulla Sharks last night. Tied 18-all at half-time, the Sharks broke the deadlock with a penalty goal in the 58th minute before the Raiders scored the match-winner. The result means the Raiders have won three of their first five matches, and the Sharks have only won two. Tonight’s matches will see the Panthers (13th) host the Cowboys (14th) and the hotly anticipated local derby between the South Sydney Rabbitohs (8th) and the Sydney Roosters (15th). 

⚽ The U.S. are expected to be the host of the 2031 Women’s FIFA World Cup. America, which is also co-hosting the 2026 men’s World Cup, has submitted the only bid for 2031, with the deadline for bids approaching this weekend. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also told the UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Serbia, that the UK had submitted the only valid bid for 2035. Infantino said: "The path is there for the Women's World Cup to be taking place in '31 and '35 in some great countries and some great nations to boost even more the women's football movement". The 2027 Women’s World Cup is being hosted by Brazil.

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Two men charged after being caught with firearms in MCG

Two men have been charged after allegedly taking firearms into an AFL match at the MCG.

Victoria Police said they were initially “called by security at the MCG to assist with two males refusing to leave the venue”.

Police found the firearms in a routine search after arresting the men.

Context

The two men, aged 21 and 27, were reportedly on bail at the time of the incident.

They are set to face court on Friday on a range of charges.

It remains unclear how the men were able to smuggle the weapons into the venue, which had more than 82,000 fans in attendance.

Seven News reports that the MCG’s security measures were upgraded last year to a screening system that uses AI to detect weapons. In a statement, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said security staff didn’t search the men after they were flagged by the screening system.

Game result

After trailing by four points at halftime, Collingwood won the match 63-46. Carlton remains winless after four matches. The Blues have never made the finals after losing the first four matches of the season.

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Formula One is back this weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix

Formula One returns this weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix. It is the first race of a triple-header, with races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to follow in the coming weeks.

Favourites

Max Verstappen has won the last three Japanese GPs. In all three of those races, Verstappen started in pole position. Given the speed that McLaren has demonstrated in the first two races of the season, Verstappen is not favoured to win a fourth consecutive Japanese GP.

McLaren’s team of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the obvious favourites, but given the two have each won one race, the contest between the Brit and the Aussie is one Formula One fans will be watching closely. Piastri won the most recent race in China.

Tsunoda’s Red Bull debut

The most intriguing storyline of the weekend is Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion to Red Bull from its feeder team, Racing Bulls. Tsunoda has replaced Kiwi driver Liam Lawson, who was demoted after just two races in the Red Bull car. To add to the excitement for Tsunoda, the Japanese driver’s Red Bull debut is at his home race. According to Tsunoda, the team expects him to be as “close to Max [Verstappen] as possible”. His best result in F1 is fourth.

He told reporters: "I’m really looking forward to it. It can’t be crazier than this… first race in Red Bull Racing but also on top of it at [my] home Grand Prix. I think [it’s the] best situation ever. I’m just excited.”

After finishing 16th with Red Bull at the Chinese GP, Lawson’s response to being sent to Racing Bulls will also be of interest.

The course

The Suzuka Circuit is unique in Formula One as the only figure-eight course on the race calendar. It has hosted almost every Japanese GP since 1987.

Drivers will race 53 laps of the 5.8-kilometre circuit. Lewis Hamilton set the lap record in 2019.

How to watch

You can watch the Japanese GP on Kayo or Foxtel. The race will begin on Sunday at 3:00pm (AEDT).

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Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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