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In the world of football, Lionel Messi has made his return to football after recovering from a hamstring issue, scoring for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Athletic Bilbao defeated Mallorca to win Copa del Rey, their first silverware in 40 years. In F1, Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position ahead of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Lionel Messi returns from injury to score for Inter Miami in MLS
On his return from a hamstring issue, which forced him to miss four matches, Lionel Messi scored a goal for Inter Miami, to help them secure a 2-2 draw against Colorado Rapids in the Major League Soccer (MLS). He played as substitute in the second half, equalising the score for his club with the left foot shot before setting up a goal for his teammate Leonardo Afonso.
Athletic Bilbao defeat Mallorca on penalties to secure Copa del Rey trophy
Athletic Bilbao won their first silverware in 40 years, defeating Mallorca 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, to secure the Copa del Rey trophy. This was the 24th Copa del Rey title win for Athletic Bilbao, ending their run of six successive losses in the final of the tournament, at the La Cartuja Stadium in Seville.
Kalvin Phillips emerges as Fulham’s summer transfer target: Reports
Kalvin Phillips, the Manchester City midfielder, who is currently on loan at West Ham, has reportedly been lined up by Fulham as their summer transfer target. As per the report from the Football Transfers, the London-based club is also looking to bring in Charlie Patino from Arsenal and Callum O’Hare from Coventry.
Atletico Madrid interested in signing Andreas Pereira from Fulham: Reports
Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in signing the Fulham midfielder, Andreas Pereira, 28, who is about to enter in the final two years of his contract, as per the report from Sky Sports. The 28-year-old and his camp expects that Fulham will consider any bids that come in for him during the summer transfer window, and his preference would be to stay in the Premier League.
Some major results in football are as under:
Premier League 2023-24
Crystal Palace 2-4 Manchester City
Aston Villa 3-3 Brentford
Brighton 0-3 Arsenal
Copa del Rey Final 2023-24
Athletic Bilbao 1-1 (4-2) Mallorca
Bundesliga 2023-24
Heidenheim 3-2 Bayern Munich
Union Berlin 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund 0-1 VfB Stuttgart
Serie A 2023-24
AC Milan 3-0 Lecce
Roma 1-0 Lazio
Ligue 1 2023-24
Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Clermont
Eredivisie 2023-24
PSV Eindhoven 5-1 AZ Alkmaar
Saudi Pro League 2023-24
Al-Ettifaq 1-0 Al-Riyadh
AL-Tai 0-0 Al-Shabab
Major League Soccer 2023
Inter Miami 2-2 Colorado Rapids
Tennis
Novak Djokovic to prioritise Paris Olympics this year
The world number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, 36, spoke about prioritising the Paris Olympics this year after he hasn’t yet won a gold medal at the multi-sporting games in his three appearances. The Serbian was quoted as saying, “The Paris Olympics are very important - the Olympics have always been a priority for me. But in the last three or four Olympics, it's not been possible for me to reach the later stages [the final]. The situation is a bit different now. We are playing our first Olympics on clay. I want to be ready physically and mentally.”
F1
Max Verstappen wins Japanese Grand Prix from pole position
The multi-time F1 world champion, Max Verstappen, won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, staying ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Notably, this is the third victory for Max Verstappen in the first four races of the 2024 season after failing to finish the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago, due to a car malfunction.
Hockey
Australia defeat India 4-2 in second men’s hockey Test match
Australia registered a comprehensive 4-2 win over India in their second men’s hockey Test of the five-match series in Perth. After losing the first Test by 5-1, the Indian hockey team did deliver an improved performance, taking a lead at the close of the first half, but Australia were far superior in the second half, scoring three goals to secure the victory.
Pro-wrestling
The Rock and Roman Reigns defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40 Saturday
In the main event of WrestleMania 40 Saturday, The Rock and Roman Reigns teamed up for the first time to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a blockbuster tag team match. With this massive result, the upcoming Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will be contested under the Bloodline rules, where anything goes.