Sports
England v Belgium: Declan Rice set to captain Three Lions as he wins 50th cap
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![Declan Rice](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/624/cpsprodpb/E542/production/_133009685_gettyimages-2107363153.jpg)
Declan Rice says it will be a “pinch me” moment as he captains England on his 50th appearance in Tuesday night’s friendly against Belgium at Wembley.
The 25-year-old Arsenal midfielder has become a key figure for the Three Lions since making his debut in 2019.
He takes the captain’s armband, with Harry Kane and Kyle Walker out injured.
“On my 50th cap, to walk out at Wembley in front of my family and friends, it is a great honour – I’m a bit speechless,” Rice said.
“It is a pinch-me moment, it will be an honour. I was absolutely lost for words when [manager Gareth Southgate] said to me I was going to be captain.”
It is almost exactly five years since Rice made his England debut against the Czech Republic, having switched his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland for whom he appeared on three occasions.
During that time he has helped England reach the final of the 2020 European Championship and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I have grown so much as a player and person since I first came into the group,” he added.
“As time has gone on I’ve played more big games, more games at major tournaments. I have enjoyed every moment.”
Toney set to start as absentees mount
England boss Gareth Southgate has had to contend with numerous injury problems during the March international break.
Alongside Kane and Walker, Harry Maguire and Sam Johnstone are both out of Tuesday’s match while the likes of Bukayo Saka, Luke Shaw and Trent Alexander-Alexander Arnold are also among the absentees.
While that means others will be given their chance to stake their claim for this summer’s Euros in Germany, it is far from an ideal set of circumstances for the England boss.
“It is an incredible number who are unavailable to us,” Southgate said. “I haven’t experienced that before, but it means there are opportunities for other people.
“You can’t worry about what we haven’t got. You’ve got to move forward. There’s a lot of different reasons for those injuries.”
Southgate confirmed Jude Bellingham is fit after cramp forced him off against Brazil on Saturday, while forwards Cole Palmer and Ivan Toney, midfielder James Maddison and defender Jarrad Branthwaite will also come into contention.
Toney received his first England call-up since serving an eight-month suspension for breaching FA betting rules, and the Brentford striker will play for the first time since his debut exactly a year ago.
“Ivan will be involved in the game for sure,” Southgate added. “I have to say, with everything that’s happened, the original idea or plan for the week is a little bit different.
“We’re probably finding out about more players but that’s really helpful. To see all those players against high-level opposition will help us make better decisions moving forward.”
England to wear nameless shirts in second half
![Harry Kane celebrates with Jack Grealish after scoring the winning goal against Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley in 2022](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/624/cpsprodpb/AEED/production/_133018744_gettyimages-1387976395.jpg)
England will play without names on the back of their shirts during the second half, with the match dedicated as an Alzheimer’s Society International as part of the Football Association’s partnership with the charity.
The aim is to draw “attention to how people with dementia lose precious memories, even the names of their favourite football players”.
It is the second time England have done so, after the 2-1 win against Switzerland at Wembley in March 2022.
Sports
US Open women’s final 2024: Aryna Sabalenka holds off Jessica Pegula to win third Grand Slam title
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After losing to Gauff in last year’s final, a tearful Sabalenka admitted she had struggled to deal with the crowd, later saying the noise was so loud it “blocked my ears”.
The atmosphere was no different this time around, with Pegula receiving the majority of the support from the packed 23,000-seater stadium.
There were times when Sabalenka looked like the occasion would again get the better of her as she hit 34 unforced errors and five double faults.
Once the type of player who failed to keep her emotions in check, she has taken active steps to strengthen her mentality, including working with a psychologist, to become one of the most consistent competitors on the WTA Tour.
With injuries disrupting her season – she struggled with a stomach problem at the French Open before a shoulder issue ruled her out of Wimbledon – Sabalenka has got back on track with successive titles after beating Pegula in the final of last month’s Cincinnati Open.
“I wish she would have at least let me get one set. We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she’s one of the best in the world,” Pegula said.
“She’s super powerful and isn’t going to give you anything, she can take the racquet out of your hand.”
Sabalenka’s victory in New York sees her become the first player to win both hard-court Slams in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
Sports
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: What BBC Radio 5 Live saw in Lee Carsley’s first game
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Ian Dennis
Even before we had gone live on air for 5 Live, it was noticeable how involved Lee Carsley was with the warm-up.
The interim head coach even placed the red and white cones out in the England half of the field.
He was waiting on the pitch as a solitary figure before the players came out to warm up.
Carsley was actively involved along with his assistants Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott. It’s a significant change in approach to that of Gareth Southgate or previous managers.
I even remember Fabio Capello, when he was England head coach, watching intently from the sidelines along with his assistant Franco Baldini – but they would study and monitor the opposition.
Carsley was purely focused on his England players and looked comfortable as a tracksuit manager.
John Murray
If you were looking for a different approach from Lee Carsley, it was there right from the start. There was an initial mis-step when he turned right to the home dugout when he first walked down the tunnel, but it was a tracksuited Carsley who laid out the balls and the cones and oversaw the whole of the warm-up.
It served to underline how he wishes to be seen very much as the head coach. And if England replicate the first-half performance, he will not be interim for too much longer.
Sports
Paris 2024 Paralympics: Finlay Graham, Emma Wiggs and Charlotte Henshaw win trio of golds for GB
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Finlay Graham, Emma Wiggs and Charlotte Henshaw won gold medals on Saturday morning at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, taking Great Britain’s tally to 45.
Graham, 24, won the men’s C1-3 road race, while Wiggs, 44, was victorious in the women’s VL2 200m Va’a Single final.
Henshaw, 37, continued GB’s Para-canoe success, winning the women’s VL3 Single final, where there was also a silver medal for Hope Gordon. David Phillipson took silver in the men’s KL2 Single final.
Daniel Powell has guaranteed himself at least a silver medal in the men’s -90kg men’s J1 judo.
In Para-equestrian, Sophie Wells won the bronze medal in the Grade V individual freestyle event.
Great Britain now have a total of 106 medals at the Paralympics, including those 45 golds. Only China, with 85 golds and 195 total medals, have more.
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