BREAKING: Kylian Mbappe's tribute to Diogo Jota speaks volumes after tragic death
In a quarterfinal Club World Cup match against Borussia Dortmund, the French superstar delivered a game-winning goal in extra time to lift Madrid 3-2 over its German opposition at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Mbappe's twisting, acrobatic right-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box, rifled into the bottom left corner following a cross from Turkish star Arda Guler.
Advertisement
Madrid booked their place in the semifinals against the striker's former club, PSG, and Mbappe reminded the world why he remains one of football's most unstoppable forces. He ran to the sideline and raised both hands to the sky, flashing a No. 20 with his fingers before placing his palms together in a prayer motion.
READ MORE: Reason why Diogo Jota and brother Andre Silva had different last name revealed
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo absence explained after Portugal captain misses Diogo Jota funeral
The tribute was to former Liverpool, Wolves, and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who tragically lost his life in a fatal car crash in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva just days before the match. With his head bowed, Mbappe then turned to celebrate with teammates Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio.
Advertisement
There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Liverpool.com will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.
Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story as they happen.
Follow @Liverpoolcom_ : The official Liverpool.com account for all the latest sports news as it happens in real time.
Follow us on Facebook or visit Liverpool.com homepage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Youthful Chelsea ready for Thiago Silva reunion at Club World Cup
Former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is still going strong at the age of 40 and will lead out Fluminense against the Blues in Tuesday's Club World Cup semi-final (Paul ELLIS) Chelsea's young side are targeting a place in the final of the Club World Cup when they take on Fluminense in the last four on Tuesday, with the Brazilian team marshalled by former Blues defender Thiago Silva who is still going strong at the age of 40. Silva was already a veteran when he signed for Chelsea in 2020 before going on to have an impressive four-year stint at Stamford Bridge. Advertisement One of the finest centre-backs of his generation, Silva arrived after eight years at Paris Saint-Germain and in his first season at Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League. He played 155 games for the London club and left 12 months ago after helping oversee the development of some of the young talents now featuring regularly under Enzo Maresca. "He's a legend of football, a top player," Marc Cucurella, a teammate of Silva's for two years, told English media, adding that the two had exchanged messages about their impending reunion. "We have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things, win this game and play in the final." Advertisement Silva initially made his name at Fluminense, featuring in the team that reached the Copa Libertadores final in 2008 before losing to LDU Quito of Ecuador. He returned there upon leaving Chelsea, once again pulling on the green, red and white of the Rio de Janeiro outfit who won the Copa Libertadores in 2023. The evergreen Brazil international was then reunited earlier this year with Renato Gaucho, the coach in 2008 who is now in his sixth spell in charge. An impressive run at the Club World Cup has seen Fluminense hold Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, eliminate Inter Milan in the last 16 and get the better of Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal in the quarter-finals. Advertisement "If you had asked me beforehand if we would have got this far I would have said we were a long way away from doing so," Silva told broadcaster DAZN after the victory over Al Hilal. "We know the financial size of these teams, the difference is enormous, absurd. But often our collective, the family atmosphere that we have, gives us strength that you maybe don't think you have." - Brazilian opposition again - It is not just Silva raising the average age at Fluminense. There is also 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio, wing-back Samuel Xavier at 35 and 37-year-old Argentine forward German Cano. Advertisement But the man giving them the X-factor is 27-year-old Colombian winger Jhon Arias, unquestionably one of the players of the tournament. "I have watched some games that they have played and you can see that they are very well organised. They have some very good players. The manager is doing a fantastic job," Maresca said as he prepares to face Brazilian opposition for the third time at the tournament. They lost to Flamengo in the group stage but beat Palmeiras in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia. "The energy from Brazilian teams in this competition has been high -- probably the reason why is because they are at the start of their season while we are finished the season," Maresca added. Advertisement Chelsea now get their first taste of the MetLife Stadium, the hulking 82,500-capacity venue in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City. Many of Maresca's players may not have been sure what to make of FIFA's new tournament which came at the end of a campaign in which they finished fourth in the Premier League and won the UEFA Conference League. But suddenly they stand one game from the final, in which they would face either Real Madrid or PSG. With Silva gone, Maresca has been working with a young squad at Chelsea, and the average age of his starting line-up against Palmeiras last Friday was just 24. Advertisement There are more young players coming in too, with 23-year-old Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, formerly of Fluminense, making his debut in the quarter-finals. Brazil prodigy Estevao Willian, 18, will join from Palmeiras ahead of next season and 20-year-old winger Jamie Gittens has just signed from Borussia Dortmund. Moises Caicedo, the midfield linchpin who is still only 23, will return to the midfield against Fluminense after suspension. as/dh
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tidjane Salaun's Grit Is Starting to Pay Off in Charlotte
Tidjane Salaun's Grit Is Starting to Pay Off in Charlotte originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, Tidjane Salaun looked more like a long-term project than a polished NBA player. His rookie campaign was filled with multiple growing pains that included shooting slumps and defensive lapses that left many questioning if Charlotte's sixth overall pick was ready for the big stage. Now, just months later, the tone around the French forward is starting to shift. Advertisement 'He's working hard, working hard on his body,' Hornets assistant coach Chris Jent said. 'He's going to bring the intensity.' And that intensity is exactly what Charlotte fans have been desperate to see. Raw, But Not Done Statistically, Salaun's rookie season was a struggle. His 41.7% effective field goal percentage and 56% shooting at the rim ranked near the bottom of the league, according to Cleaning the Glass. His block and steal rates, which ranked in the fifth and 29th percentile respectively, did little to change the perception that he wasn't ready for NBA speed or strength. But Charlotte didn't draft Salaun for his rookie numbers, they drafted him for his ceiling. Advertisement Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) drives in as he is defended by Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the second half at the Spectrum Center.@Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images A Summer of Transformation With a full offseason under head coach Charles Lee, Salaun is attacking the game, and his body differently. Focused on strength and conditioning work, defensive communication drills, and situational film study have become daily rituals. 'Tidjane just has to not want everything now,' Jent added. 'Let the game come to him.' It will be interesting to see if that message begins to resonate. Early reports from one-on-one workouts say Salaun has added noticeable upper-body strength, and continues to work on attacking the rim. There's still a long way to go, but the game no longer seems too fast for him. Advertisement The Long View What Hornets fans saw in 2024-25 was a young man thrown into chaos. With injuries to key rotation players and no clear system in place, Salaun was asked to do too much, too soon. Now, he's being developed the way he should have been from day one, with patience. The goal was never instant stardom. It was to mold a raw, fiery teenager into a two-way weapon. If this summer is any indication, that vision is still alive, and gaining momentum. Related: Charlotte Hornets Turn Heads with Offseason Moves This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Leeds United's goalkeeper search: Perri and Zentner interest but net cast far and wide
Leeds United are shopping for a goalkeeper this summer. Illan Meslier is, after being dropped last season, not Daniel Farke's preferred No 1 as they return to the Premier League. Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns are perfectly serviceable back-up options that also aid the club's homegrown quota in the division's squad rules. In a season when United should expect their goal to be under a lot of pressure, they need a commanding presence. Advertisement Lyon's Lucas Perri and Mainz's Robin Zentner are on Leeds' shortlist but there will be more names that are not in the public domain at the time of writing. The Athletic is not presenting a list of the goalkeepers Leeds definitely want to sign. This is an analysis of who performed well last year across Europe's big five leagues and, of them, who United could realistically acquire. We started by looking at which goalkeepers prevented the most goals, a key attribute, last season. One way of quantifying goalkeepers' shot-stopping abilities is to look at their performance relative to post-shot expected goals (PSxG). This metric estimates the quality of on-target shots given their placement within the goal frame, the angle from which they were taken and the distance from goal. It aims to measure how likely the average goalkeeper will save each shot. Comparing post-shot expected goals with the number of goals actually conceded can help show how well they are keeping out efforts on goal, relative to the quality of shots they have faced. The goals prevented metric indicates whether they have underperformed or overperformed in line with expectation. So here are some possible goalkeepers that would suit Farke's squad. Lyon are in limbo around their league status for next season. Inevitably, someone of Perri's reputation is going to be far easier to acquire if his club drops into France's second tier. Perri conceded 44 goals in 33 appearances last season, but the data shows he should have conceded 47.8 — he prevented 3.8 goals. That ranked him sixth in Ligue 1. The 27-year-old, who is 6ft 5in, has only had that one season in Europe, which may put off some clubs but in his final season with Botafogo, in Brazil, he was exceptional, preventing 13.1 goals in a single campaign. Lyon's head coach, Paulo Fonseca, described him as 'the best goalkeeper in the world' in March. Perri has been called up by Brazil too, but is yet to make his debut. The other data available for Perri would suggest he is a goalkeeper who tends to stay on his line and tends to keep things relatively short with his distribution. In the images below, he makes three saves in quick succession against Nantes. He gets down low to his left to divert Moses Simon's cross, but it runs to an attacker. Matthis Abline has a shot, but Perri has recovered to parry again. Unfortunately, Nemanja Matic spoons his clearance into the air. Perri gets up again and leaps to claim the ball with Pedro Chirivella advancing on him. The other name The Athletic knows Leeds have on their list. Zentner is a good example of someone who performed exceptionally last season, but for several years he was fairly mediocre in the Bundesliga. The data shows he conceded 41 goals for Mainz against a PSxG of 45 and that had Zentner ranked fourth in the Bundesliga last season. There was a similar overperformance in 2023-24, at a lower 2.2, but between 2017 and 2023, Zentner consistently conceded more goals than the data suggested he should. The graph below plots the goals prevented metric with a rolling 50-save average. The statistics show he is a commanding goalkeeper, claims a lot of crosses and is generally happy to make sweeping actions far from his goal. Zentner ranked seventh of goalkeepers for the total number of defensive actions outside his penalty area last season. The 30-year-old came close to winning his first call-up to the Germany squad in the spring. He's had arguably the best season of his career and clearly responded well to Bo Henriksen's coaching. Advertisement Henriksen has a reputation for taking pressure off his players and has generally been reassuring when they have made mistakes. Zentner is a big unit at 6ft 4in and has a reputation as a good shot-stopper. Farke has been open to recruiting from his homeland in the past and, generally, English clubs can find better value for money in Germany. The 27-year-old prevented 7.2 goals last season, the second-best performer in the German top flight and 10th-best across Europe. The German youth international, whose mother is English, became Augsburg's No 1 halfway through last season and did not look back. He made 19 appearances and through his run in the team there were some stellar individual performances. Against Stuttgart, Bochum and Bayern Munich, Dahmen recorded 11, nine and seven saves respectively. Dahmen went 683 minutes without conceding through February and March, and even when he did eventually concede, it was from a penalty. That streak was the sixth-longest in Bundesliga history. The above triple-save against Borussia Monchengladbach, after a corner, was particularly impressive. What may put Leeds off is the small sample size for Dahmen. He is 27 and only has 63 Bundesliga appearances in his career, which was spent on Mainz's bench for a long time. At 6ft 1in, he may not be big enough for the Premier League either. Dahmen claimed just six per cent of his crosses last season, but that metric can sometimes be unfair because many crosses are impossible to collect. At 32 and with more than 250 appearances for Getafe, Soria may be difficult to land, even if his side finished 13th last season. But, of the four goalkeepers here, Soria is the most proven and has the best long-term record of preventing goals. For the last seven seasons, Soria has consistently overperformed. Since 2018-19, Brice Samba, Walter Benitez, Thibaut Courtois, Alisson and Jan Oblak are the only goalkeepers who have prevented more goals in the big five divisions. Last season was his best since 2019-20, as he conceded 39 goals against a PSxG of 42. He has been crucial to Getafe's excellent defensive record since they returned to the top flight as a notoriously difficult team to break down under Jose Bordalas. They play direct, intense football and, as a result, Soria's distribution has been markedly no-nonsense. No goalkeeper launched a higher proportion of their passes more than 40 yards (72.6 per cent) last season across Europe's top five leagues. That is not to say he can't adapt his game, but that may be something to consider if Farke wants to play out from the back. If the manager did not want to remove any risk-tasking from the last line of his defence, Soria has proven he can send the ball, but then be adept at keeping it out when his defence is breached.
