Szczesny jokes Lewandowski should retire before Juventus move

In a light‑hearted comment, Szczesny told Eleven Sports that Lewandowski should consider retirement before a move to Juventus, joking that the best offers come when a player retires. The Polish striker, who is set to leave Barcelona in 2026 and turn 38, still has multiple options, but Szczesny’s remark highlights the humor behind transfer speculation. chickenroad-game.rodeo

For the second time in three seasons, Bayern Munich fell short in the Champions League semifinals with regrets about a referee’s decision in the second leg.

A free kick that should have led to a second yellow card for handball by Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes was overturned after just 29 minutes when Bayern badly needed a way back into Wednesday's game.

“That would have been a decisive moment if PSG had lost a player so early,” said Bayern’s Konrad Laimer, who instead was eventually judged — on the fourth official’s advice — to have handled the ball seconds earlier.

Two years ago, a potential goal in stoppage time by Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt to force extra time at Real Madrid was ruled out by a quickly raised flag for a possible offside that was marginal at best.

In 2024, Bayern’s then-coach Thomas Tuchel called the on-field ruling a “disastrous decision” that “feels almost like a betrayal.”

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It is now six years and counting — and two semifinals exits — since six-time European champion Bayern last played in the final.

An added frustration is the passage of play around the Nuno Mendes handball could not be reviewed by the VAR system — though a similar incident could be next season when the rules are updated.

Key moment

PSG took a deserved third-minute lead in Munich on Wednesday when Ousmane Dembélé finished a fast break driven by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s skills and speed.

That made it 6-4 on aggregate to PSG, and Bayern seeking a big change in momentum.

It seemed to come when Laimer surged forward and flicked the ball up to the side of Nuno Mendes, whose outstretched right arm made his body bigger and blocked the ball.

Referee João Pinheiro blew his whistle and signaled with his left arm a free kick to Bayern. Another yellow card for Nuno Mendes, already booked for tripping Michael Olise, seemed inevitable.

Before Pinheiro reached the spot to take the free kick, his right arm was out in the PSG direction of play. The Portuguese referee gave a thumbs up signal to his fourth official on the touchline, Espen Eskas from Norway.

Laimer was judged to have handled the ball several meters (yards) further back when he first controlled the bouncing ball. Television replays were inconclusive.

“You don’t feel it during the game itself. I thought I had played the ball with my stomach, and then Mendes with his hand,” Laimer said. “The referee whistled for handball against me five seconds later. That’s really strange.”

No VAR review

The VAR protocol today allows video review of “clear and obvious errors” in four game-changing situations: A goal, a penalty, direct red cards, mistaken identity when the wrong player is shown a red or yellow card.

Starting at the World Cup next month, VAR can intervene to overturn a red card if a second yellow was shown in error.

Nuno Mendes never was shown a second yellow on Wednesday. However, a similar situation next season will let the referee follow their first instinct and review the whole passage of play at a pitchside monitor.

“I though he was giving it,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of Pinheiro moving toward a second yellow for Nuno Mendes. “I felt he pulled out because he realized he had already given him a yellow and he didn’t want to send him off for that, and he’s turned it around to the other side.

“I’ve seen it from a few angles. I don’t see Konrad Laimer touch the ball with his hand.”

Instead of playing one hour against PSG down one man, Bayern faced a full-strength opponent and did not score until Harry Kane’s goal at the very end of a 1-1 game that cut the overall score to 6-5.

Minutes after the Laimer decision, Bayern was correctly denied a penalty for handball by PSG’s João Neves because the ball was played to his arm by a teammate. That nuance is not specified in The Laws of the Game but it is in a supplementary document called Football Rules.

PSG will defend its Champions League title against Arsenal on May 30. Bayern’s wait goes on.

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Climbing is the biggest winner among a number of sports benefiting from millions of pounds of additional funding as UK Sport bids to boost Britain's medal hopes at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

In recognition of its medal potential, the sport has been handed an extra £1.4m, an increase of more than 60%.

It will enable eight athletes to be added to an expanded performance programme and preparation for new events before the next Paralympics and Olympics, which will feature three climbing medal categories for the first time.

Toby Roberts won gold - Great Britain's first medal in sport climbing at an Olympics - in the boulder and lead event at Paris 2024, at the age of 19.

Since the triumph, there has been a surge in participation in the sport in Britain, with the Pro Climbing League launched earlier this year.

Climbing is one of 16 sports benefiting from £4m of additional funding that UK Sport is distributing after an annual review.

The agency says the money will play "a critical part in enabling British athletes to deliver their best performances in the USA in two years' time…[and is] essential to ensuring Britain can continue to compete at the top table of Olympic and Paralympic sport".

It is investing a total of almost £334m for the whole LA 2028 cycle, across both Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Canoeing (£163,825) and Para-canoeing (£112,000) will also receive uplifts to support adaptation to changes in qualification rules.

Lacrosse, which will make its Olympic debut at LA 2028, will receive a £201,600 uplift as it prepares for inclusion on the programme.

Other sports to benefit include visually impaired judo, table tennis, surfing and wheelchair fencing.

Dr Laura Needham, performance director at the British Mountaineering Council, said: "As the sport continues to evolve towards LA 2028, this funding also allows us to expand the wider support services around our athletes, including psychology, nutrition, physiotherapy and medical provision.

"Bringing these elements together is vital to ensuring the GB Climbing team can maximise their potential and continue to progress on the world stage."

Kate Baker, director of performance at UK Sport, said: "This uplift comes at a crucial point in the LA 2028 cycle and is critical to our collective efforts to help British athletes perform at their best when it matters most.

"By investing early, whether backing emerging medal opportunities, responding to changes in competition structures or preparing for new Olympic sports, we are strengthening our competitive edge on the world stage."

Which sports have received funding boost?

Canoeing - £163,825

Cycling - £369,000

Equestrian - £207,000

Fencing - £150,000

Goalball - £32,434

Lacrosse - £201,600

Para-badminton - £193,600

Para-canoe - £112,000

Para-swimming - £45,000

Rowing - £192,000

Sport climbing - £1,406,044

Surfing - £150,000

Table tennis - £206,000

VI Judo - £202,500

Volleyball - £120,000

Wheelchair Fencing - £32,000