PSG now stand alongside some of Europe’s best-ever, but with caveats
The origin of PSG’s largesse and the effect it’s had on their domestic game can’t be ignored, even as we appreciate the team’s stunning quality afrikasportnews.co.za
Since 1990, only one side had ever successfully defended the Champions League – Real Madrid, who won three in a row between 2016 and 2018. Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the final on Saturday elevates them to a new tier of the pantheon. No bad side has ever won the European Cup or Champions League, but only great sides have ever retained it.
Arsenal pushed them much closer than Inter had in losing in the final the previous year, and there is always something slightly unsatisfying about a victory on penalties, but the quality of this PSG cannot be denied. They put six past Bayern in the semi-final – their superiority far greater than the one-goal aggregate margin would suggest. It was a similar story in the quarter-final, in which a 4-0 aggregate victory didn’t really reflect how much better they were than Liverpool. And while Chelsea may think they were slightly unlucky to lose the first leg of their last-16 tie away to PSG 5-2, the 3-0 result in the second leg was a devastating assertion of authority: three goals scored by an almost bored opponent apparently just as they felt like it.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email [email protected], and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
Continue reading...Browns will trade Myles Garrett to the Rams for Jared Verse and more
Yes, the arrival of June 1 could mean a trade of veterans other than A.J. Brown.
Per multiple reports, the Browns are trading defensive end Myles Garrett to the Rams. Cleveland will receive defensive end Jared Verse, a first-round pick, and more.
The deal will happen after 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, allowing the Browns to divide the cap charge over two league years.
Yes, the Browns had said they won't be trading Garrett. But words are merely words. The most significant action taken this offseason was the agreement to delay a $29.2 million option bonus from March until September.
Earlier in the day, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer planted a flag regarding a potential trade: "[I]t now seems as though there might be some fire where the smoke is coming from in regards to the possibility of Garrett being moved." She cited the Rams, Cowboys, and Eagles are teams "rumored to have interest" in Garrett, "but nothing has been substantiated."
It now has been.
The transaction would likely include a new deal for Garrett. When he signed his latest contract in 2025, he set a new bar with a new-money average of $40 million annually. That has since shot to $50 million, thanks to the Will Anderson Jr. deal in Houston.
Either way, the 2025 defensive player of the year will get what he has always wanted — a chance to compete for a Super Bowl run.
Winners and losers from a whirlwind NASCAR Cup race at Nashville
Hamlin had to face-off against his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, with the team scoring a 1-2-3, but it could have just as easily ended with all three in the outside wall.
The chaotic night of exploded brake rotors ...Keep reading
Jets Sign Wilson, Felton; Waive Krieg, King
Wilson, who tried out for the Jets at their rookie minicamp, had 46 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions while playing for West Virginia last season.
Felton, an undrafted free agent in 2025 who signed with the Giants and spent the entire season on injured reserve, had 70 receptions for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns at Virginia Tech.
Jets agree to terms with first-round pick Omar Cooper
The Jets signed David Bailey and Kenyon Sadiq last month and they're kicking off June by getting their third first-round pick from this year under contract.
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports that they have agreed to terms with wide receiver Omar Cooper on a four-year rookie deal. The Jets will have an option for a fifth season as well.
The Jets traded second- and fifth-round picks to the 49ers to move back up to No. 30 in order to select Cooper late in the first round. He had 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns while playing for Indiana last season.
Fourth-round defensive lineman Darrell Jackson is the only Jets draft pick who has not agreed to a contract yet.
