02/06/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 2, 2026

29

Undav shines in Germany’s win over Finland

SHORTS Like father, like son

FORWARD Deniz Undav scored twice and set up another goal as Germany eased past Finland 4-0 in a friendly international yesterday, two days before the four-time champions depart for the World Cup. Undav, who will compete with Kai Havertz for a starting spot at the World Cup, headed in for a 34th minute lead before setting up Florian Wirtz for their second goal three minutes after the restart. He added another from a Lennart Karl pinpoint pass in the 57th and Jamal Musiala rifled in their fourth goal six min utes later. Germany have set their sights on the World Cup title as they look to redeem themselves following their shock first-round exits in the past two editions in 2018 and 2022.

keeper Lukas Hradecky. Finland have not qualified for the World Cup. It was third time lucky for Undav in the 34th when he headed in at the far post for the lead. The VfB Stuttgart forward then turned provider four minutes after the restart, pressing high and inter cepting the ball before sliding it to Wirtz for a tap-in. Karl, who was a constant threat, hit the post in the 55th but then delivered a perfect pass two minutes later into the run of Undav for 3-0. Musiala then found enough space to beat Hradecky with a powerful shot as the hosts kept their foot on the gas. Germany kick off their World Cup Group E matches against Curacao on June 14 before facing Ivory Coast and Ecuador. – Reuters

The Germans, who have one last warm-up match against joint hosts the United States on Saturday, five days before the tournament starts, will leave from Frankfurt today. “That’s for the coach to decide,” Undav said when asked whether his performance was enough to nail down the starting spot. “I am here to do my job and I did it well today,” Undav said, adding that the World Cup would be a success for Germany only with a title win. “If we win it, then it will be a success.” The hosts were in complete control from the start with teenager Karl, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season with Bayern Munich, adding pace to their game and Undav twice being denied by Finnish g g

MANCHESTER UNITED’S Tyler Fletcher has been called into Scotland’s World Cup squad in place of the injured Billy Gilmour despite not being on Steve Clarke’s initial standby list. Son of former Scotland cap tain Darren Fletcher, the mid fielder was among a group of youngsters used by Clarke to train alongside the squad over the past week. The 19-year-old was then thrown on for his international debut in the second half of Saturday’s 4-1 friendly win over Curacao. Rangers’ Connor Barron, Udinese’s Lennon Miller and Andy Irving of Sparta Prague were the midfielders who had ini tially been placed on Clarke’s reserve list. But Fletcher has jumped ahead of them, despite having played just 17 minutes of senior football for United. “I had to disappoint another three players this morning again, to tell them that they had missed out,” said Clarke. “I just felt Tyler came into the squad this week and showed up really well, did well in the game so that was the thinking behind that one. Obviously devastated for Billy and also really disap pointed for Lennon, Andy Irving and Connor Barron.” Clarke’s men face Bolivia in a final warm-up friendly on June 6. Crowning glory PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN’S Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was named Champions League player of the season on Sunday by a Uefa panel of judges. Kvaratskhelia was a constant menace in PSG’s defence of the title with ten goals and six assists from his 16 games. UEFA’s technical observer board of around 30 football dig nitaries such as Gareth Southgate, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Rafa Benitez voted for the award. The panel’s statement described his season as pivotal and dazzling. “Arguably Kvaratskhelia’s fin est performance came in the unforgettable 5-4 semifinal first leg win over Bayern, as he curled in a beauty to draw his side level at 1-1 before adding a fierce drive in the second period to complete a fine double,” they said. He also scored three goals over the two legs against Chelsea in the last 16 and another at Liverpool in the quarterfinals. The now 25-year-old was also on the score sheet in the 2025 final as PSG thumped Inter Milan 5-0.

Paris divided PSG celebrate Champions League glory as unrest casts a shadow over the party

T HE French capital laid out a red, white and blue carpet Sunday for Paris Saint-Germain players to mark their second straight Champions League title, amid bitter recriminations after hundreds of people were arrested and dozens of police hurt in a night of unrest. Tens of thousands of flag-waving fans took to the streets again to see the team parade from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to the Champ-de-Mars plaza in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The team flew back from Budapest where they beat English Premier League champions Arsenal on Saturday 4-3 in a penalty shootout. They were also received by President Emmanuel Macron before returning to their Parc des Princes stadium for a final encounter with more than 40,000 fans, bringing to a close a day of festivities. The previous night of celebrations was blighted however by clashes between youths and police in Paris and other cities, cars set on fire and shops looted. One man died riding his motorbike around the Paris ring road in celebration while authorities reported stabbings and other attacks. They said 57 police and 219 “participants” were injured. Eight of the injured were in critical condition. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there were 780 arrests across France, nearly a third more than when PSG’s triumph last year over Inter Milan also set off a night of disturbances. He said looting had taken place in around 15 cities across the country. Municipal workers hurried Sunday morning to clear the Paris streets of broken glass, wrecked bus

council from the Republicans party, slammed “the brainless thugs who allow themselves to destroy everything, tarnishing the image of Paris and France!”. A spokesperson for the hard-left France Unbowed said: “We cannot be satisfied with the way last night’s event was managed and organised by the government.” Nunez promised “strongarm” security for Sunday’s celebrations and some 6,000 police were on duty across central Paris. “We’re still riding yesterday’s high, so we want to keep the party going,” said 25-year-old Abou, a PSG fan “since he was little”. “Paris, Paris” chanted supporters wearing the team colours and carrying flags, as they filtered through security checkpoints to get near a stage where the players appeared. The “We Are the Champions” pop song blared out on speakers. PSG captain Marquinhos and striker Ousmane Dembele were among the most applauded as they lifted the trophy before the adoring crowds. “We will be back next year for the third,” said Dembele. But PSG’s Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi appealed to the crowd: “Please celebrate calmly today. We must protect our city.” The streets were so packed that the team arrived more than an hour late at the Champs-de-Mars, where they paraded on a red, white and blue tricol our carpet to the stage. “It was great, there was the stress of the penalty shootout but it was good stress in the end,” said Mirna Makima, a 39-year-old physiotherapist who travelled from Belgium for the celebrations. – AFP

shelters, trash cans and burned out cars and bikes before PSG’s return. French President Emmanuel Macron called the violence “unspeakable”. He said PSG were an “immense pride” for France but said the country was “fed up” with the violence. “We will be ruthless with those who have been caught,” he vowed. Amid political recriminations over the troubles, Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire played down the severity, saying such incidents were nothing new. “In the vast majority of cases, people celebrated with family and friends. And it was an extraordinary celebration,” the mayor told BFM TV . “And inci dents on the fringes of major events have been going on for centuries.” Gregoire blamed the “media coverage” of the unrest “and perhaps also the obsession of these troublemakers who come to cause trouble and show themselves on social media”. The town hall for the Paris district that includes the Champs-Elysee, where tens of thousands went after the football victory, called for a ban on such gatherings. On Saturday, the “Champs-Elysees avenue and its surroundings ceased to be a place of celebration and became an arena of urban guerrilla warfare”, the town hall said in a statement. Politicians from all sides lambasted the troubles and questioned the way it was handled. Far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen wrote on X that “only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots”. Valerie Pecresse, the head of the greater Paris

Swiss score four against Jordan in rainy World Cup send off

SWITZERLAND scored three goals in the first half but added only one more after the break as they beat Jordan 4-1 in their friendly interna tional yesterday. The Swiss struck two penalties, both awarded after VAR reviews, to be 3-0 up at halftime. Both teams are World Cup bound but there

team goal in five years to restore the Swiss three goal advantage with 11 minutes left. A sudden torrential downpour in the closing minutes saw the final whistle blown two min utes short of the 90-minute mark and the Swiss were forced to cut short their planned send off in front of their home fans before they head to the United States today. – Reuters

kick of the half. Jordan, who are making their World Cup debut at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States, pulled one back in the 52nd minute through 20-year-old Odeh Fakhoury, who squeezed a shot into the corner of the Swiss goal from the edge of the penalty area. Christian Fassnacht scored his first national

was an obvious gulf in class as Breel Embolo con verted the first spot kick in the 28th minute after a foul on Remo Freuler. The 29-year-old Embolo provided a defence splitting pass for Dan Ndoye to make it 2-0 five minutes later and a foul on Embolo in stoppage time at the end of the half saw captain Granit Xhaka convert the second penalty with the last