Manchester City and Inter Milan, looking to advance to the next round

▲ Norwegian striker Erling Haaland will be a key part of Pep Guardiola's squad. Photo @mancity

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La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a11

Orlando. After a devastating group stage, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are making progress in their rebuilding process. They've recovered their spirit after failing to win a title last season—for the first time since 2017—and, with renewed competitive spirit, will face the dangerous Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghui, in the Club World Cup Round of 16. Inter Milan and Fluminense will decide their place in the next round in another tie.

City will return to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, where they crushed Juventus 5-2 on Thursday. They were the only team to win all three of their first-round matches. Guardiola, who avoided renewing his contract during his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, said he was comfortable with his squad's attitude.

"It's been a long time since we put in a performance like the one we put in against Juve ," the Spanish coach said. "The players have once again seen what it takes to be a good team ."

The Manchester club, winners of six of the last eight Premier League titles, as well as the 2023 European Champions League, appeared to be in decline last season, finishing 13 points behind champions Liverpool and putting in disappointing performances.

In addition to securing Guardiola's continued presence, City also moved swiftly in the transfer market to rejuvenate the dressing room. For this World Cup, the Spanish coach already has Algerian full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, and young Frenchman Rayan Cherki, who has demonstrated his talent in the United States, under his command.

"It will be a pleasure to play for City and meet Pep. We've played in a Champions League final. Then we met in Manchester last year in the Champions League group stage. They're intense matches. I think he's the best of all of them; his career speaks for itself ," Inzaghi said of his colleague and rival.

In a match that promises to be even more even, Inter Milan and Fluminense will face off, relying heavily on their South American forwards to stay in the tournament. Led by Jhon Arias and Germán Cano, the Brazilian club is looking to advance to the quarterfinals against the Nerazzurri, led by Argentine World Cup champion Lautaro Martínez, at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

If there is no winner in regular time, extra time will be called, and if necessary, the teams will go to a penalty shootout, according to the competition regulations.

As happened on Saturday during Chelsea's 4-1 victory over Benfica, the threat of a storm could play tricks on them, forcing the game to be temporarily suspended in accordance with US protocols.

Summer is just beginning in the United States, so temperatures are expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius at match time, along with possible showers. The loser will go home, and the winner will face the winner of the Manchester City vs. Al-Hilal match.

▲ Renata Zarazúa (left) and Giuliana Olmos (right) will be the first women's duo to appear in the tournament's main draw. Photo @guguolmos

Adriana Díaz Reyes

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a12

Although they've only played two tournaments as a doubles pair, Renata Zarazúa and Giuliana Olmos understand each other very well on the court. Their chemistry will be put to the test this Wednesday, when they become the first Mexican women's duo to appear in the main draw at Wimbledon.

"We're very proud and happy to play together. We get along really well, and we're going to make history. She didn't have a partner, and she told me we could try. Although we don't have much experience as a duo, the quality of both of us will ensure we have a good showing ," Olmos, 32, told La Jornada .

A few days ago, Renata and Giuliana advanced to the semifinals of the Eastbourne Tournament, which gave the pair a confidence boost for their debut in the third Grand Slam of the season.

“It's difficult to face opponents who also play singles like Renata; you have to adapt to her schedule, but this time we managed to agree. I have a lot of confidence in her; she works very hard every day, and that relaxes me on the court because I know I only have to focus on playing a good match. It's a good idea to play with her. I don't know if we can continue as a team after Wimbledon, but we'll talk about it.”

Zarazúa, 27, who will also compete in the individual event, and Olmos will face the pairing of China's Guo Hanyu and Russia's Alexandra Panova.

“We prefer not to talk about expectations for the tournament because anything can happen at a Grand Slam . We'll take it round by round, and the most important thing will be to enjoy playing Wimbledon for the seventh time. It's a tournament I debuted at in 2018, and I'm really looking forward to participating,” added Olmos, who finished runner-up in the mixed doubles last year with Veracruz native Santiago González.

The most difficult aspect for Olmos this season has been having to constantly change partners, which hasn't allowed him to develop a specific style of play.

I feel like I'm playing well this year, but sometimes I can't gel with a player and we decide to do it with other players. Tennis is all about ups and downs, so I'm going to try to be my best at Wimbledon and find a partner with whom I can be more consistent.

Giuliana recently participated in Queens, a tournament that reintroduced the women's branch to its program.

"It was an incredible experience because after many years, women returned to play. I hope more opportunities and tournaments open up for us to participate more. In Mexico, we have three women's tournaments, in Mérida, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, and that's very good for the new generations. Investing in our tennis is a great success and a vote of confidence for our continued development ," she concluded.

Zarazúa will make her singles debut against Yanina Wickmayer, while Santiago González and Austin Krajicek will face Adan Pavlasek and Jan Zielinski; Miguel Reyes Varela and his partner Sriram Balaji will play their first match against Aleksandar Kovacevic and LearnerTien.

▲ Norris's victory is the first for the McLaren team at the Spielberg circuit since 2001. Photo AFP

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La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a12

McLaren maintains its dominance of the Formula One season. McLaren driver Lando Norris cruised to a commanding victory in the Austrian Grand Prix yesterday at the Red Bull Ring circuit in stifling heat, ahead of his teammate, championship leader Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was forced to retire on the opening lap after being hit by the Mercedes of Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Norris topped the podium, joined by his teammate and Monaco driver Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). The Briton reduced the gap to Piastri (216) in the drivers' championship standings to 15 points.

Yesterday's victory was McLaren's first at the Spielberg circuit since 2001, when David Cloulthard was at the wheel. Norris earned his third win of the season and turned the page on his mistake two weeks ago at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he retired due to a collision with his teammate.

It was a tough race, pushing all the way. Very hot, tiring, but it's a perfect result, 1-2. We had a great battle (with Piastri), a lot of fun, and a lot of stress , Norris said.

The two McLaren drivers battled for the lead from the start, with the Australian briefly leading before the Briton regained the position. A lunge from Piastri nearly caused a collision shortly after.

Four-time world champion Verstappen retired on the opening lap after being hit by Antonelli's Mercedes, which locked its wheels while braking at Turn 3 and was unable to avoid the collision.

Antonelli was penalized with the loss of three places on the starting grid for the next Grand Prix, in a week's time at Silverstone. Mad Max , third in the world championship, is 61 points behind leader Piastri and 46 behind Norris.

Still in contention for the title thanks to his consistency, Sunday's withdrawal is a blow to his chances of winning a fifth world title.

Britain's George Russell (Mercedes), winner in Austria last year and riding high after his victory two weeks ago in Canada, finished fifth, ahead of New Zealander Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), who achieved the best result of his F1 career.

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La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a12

Los Angeles, NBA icon LeBron James, 40, has exercised his option to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for one more season in exchange for $52.6 million, U.S. media reported yesterday.

King James , the leader of the Los Angeles franchise since 2018, also had the option of declaring free agency and negotiating with other teams or retiring.

However, the NBA's all-time leading scorer has opted to remain on the court for a twenty-third season, according to reports from ESPN and The Athletic.

As he has done in recent years, LeBron did not confirm what his plans were after finishing last season with the Lakers, which ended with a first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He seeks to continue fighting for titles

Rich Paul, the forward's agent, told ESPN that James' intention is to continue fighting for titles even though the starting five is also building its future around its new star, Luka Doncic.

LeBron wants to compete for a championship , Paul told the network.

"He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values ​​a realistic chance of winning it all.

We understand the difficulty of winning now while preparing for the future. We want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage of his life and career , the agent said. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, support him, and want the best for him .

Last season, LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, an exceptional average at this point in his career, but he was once again far from contending for his fifth ring, even with the unexpected reinforcement of Luka Doncic in the February transfer market.

James will turn 41 in December. He has been selected All-NBA in 21 of his 22 seasons in the league, including a second-round selection last season.

No other player has been selected All-NBA more than 15 times.

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La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a31

Los Angeles, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hit two home runs in a 12-5 win over the Oakland Athletics, giving him his 30th home run of the season.

Judge , the current American League MVP, is second in that category behind fellow American Cal Raleigh, who has 32 home runs for the Seattle Mariners.

In front of 42,000 fans, Judge blasted home runs in the fourth and seventh innings at Yankee Stadium, driving in a total of four runs. Bahamian Jazz Chisholm Jr. also drove in four runs with a home run and two hits . The Bronx Bombers turned the page on the unusual shutout they received from Oakland (7-0) on Saturday afternoon.

Sometimes you're going to get hit, sometimes things aren't going to go your way. You just have to go out the next day and get to work , Judge emphasized. The Yankees, last year's World Series runner-up, hold the AL East lead with 48 wins and 35 losses.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on the road, fueled by a two-run home run by Puerto Rican Kike Hernández, which neutralized the home team's initial run.

Japanese Shohei Ohtani went hitless in his four at-bats this time, as did Mookie Betts. Cuban Andy Pagés, a fellow All-Star finalist, contributed two hits and two runs for the reigning champions.

The day also saw Washington Nationals slugger James Wood become the first player since Barry Bonds to be intentionally walked four times in a game. Wood's performance was key in the Nationals' 7-4 extra-inning victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal also excelled yesterday, striking out 13 Minnesota Twins batters over seven innings, allowing only one hit . Led by the reigning Cy Young Award winner, the Tigers defeated the Twins 3-0.