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A large crowd gathered for the players’ funeral on Saturday

Afghanistan will no longer take part in an upcoming cricket series after it says three players in a local tournament were killed in an air strike.

The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would withdraw from November’s tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the three, who did not play for the national team, who it said were “targeted” in an “attack carried out by the Pakistani regime” on Friday evening.

The strike hit a home in Urgon district in eastern Paktika province, where the cricketers were eating dinner together after a match, eyewitnesses and local officials told the BBC.

Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike targeted militants and denied attacking civilians.

The ACB named the three players who were killed as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon, calling their deaths “a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family”.

The attack came hours after a temporary truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to expire following days of deadly clashes on the border between the two nations. Dozens of casualties have been reported.

Pakistan said it had targeted Afghan militants in the air strike and that at least 70 combatants had been killed.

Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said claims that the attack targeted civilians are “false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan”.

On Saturday, large crowds of people were seen gathering at the funeral for the strike’s victims.

In a social media post, Afghan national team captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to the “aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage”.

Other players for the Afghan national side joined the tributes, including Fazalhaq Farooqi who said the attack was a “heinous, unforgivable crime”.

The strike came after Pakistani officials said seven soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border on Friday.

The 48-hour truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began on Wednesday at 13:00 GMT, has reportedly been extended to allow for negotiations.

An Afghan delegation arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for peace talks with the Pakistani side.

The Taliban government said it would take part in the talks despite “Pakistani aggression”, which it says was Islamabad’s attempt to prolong the conflict.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Pakistan should “reconsider its policies, and pursue friendly and civilised relations” with Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Saturday that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif would lead the country’s delegation in Doha.

It said the talks will focus on ending cross-border terrorism and restoring peace and stability on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

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Gareth Taylor said his Liverpool team just need more time together to implement his style, after they lost a fifth game out of five to remain without a point in the Womenâ€s Super League this season.

Their latest defeat was inflicted by Taylorâ€s former side Manchester City, who – for the second season running – came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Anfield. Liverpool have a game in hand on the teams around them but sit joint-bottom of the table.

“Iâ€m disappointed for the group because they worked tremendously hard today and deserved more,†said Taylor, who was appointed in August.

“At this moment weâ€re not getting what we deserve, and itâ€s tough but itâ€s fine; I think itâ€s close to working, itâ€s close to coming. It takes time. There has been a lot of change but we [will] keep working in the same way.

“The results are tough at the moment because weâ€ve probably felt a little bit hard done by in a couple of games especially. But no one has consistently opened us up.

“We have changed a lot of things. We have been asked to come in and play a new way. Sometimes it takes time, and certainly with how late we came into the door [late in pre‑season], itâ€s been really tough. More time with the girls would be what every head coach wants, more time to implement your way and your style.â€

City created all of the first-half opportunities but were fairly wasteful in the final third. Kerstin Casparij did hit the target when the ball rolled to her after Khadija Shaw was tackled in the box, but her left-footed shot went straight at Rafaela Borggräfe – who produced a one-handed save to keep out an Aoba Fujino strike, after the winger had raced on to Vivianne Miedemaâ€s slick pass into the penalty area.

In contrast to their lack of adventure into the City area during almost the entire first half, Liverpool were more attack-minded at the start of the second and they went in front with an excellent team goal as Ceri Hollandâ€s right-wing cross found the back-post run of Cornelia Kapocs, who headed home in front of the Kop. Kapocs has scored both of Liverpoolâ€s league goals this season.

Liverpoolâ€s Cornelia Kapocs (centre) celebrates scoring against Manchester City. Photograph: George Wood/Getty Images

The hosts gifted the equaliser in unnecessary fashion through a mistake from Borggräfe; Shawâ€s header was bouncing comfortably wide of goal but the keeper still tried to save it, only diverting the ball into the path of Iman Beney, who gratefully tucked in the leveller.

Shaw did have a 79th-minute effort well saved, after shooting powerfully from the edge of the penalty area, as the City pressure began to intensify. It felt as though the winning goal was coming for the visitors, though, and it eventually did through Fujino. She was fed into space in the box and lashed in a clinical, low finish that had too much pace for Borggräfe.

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Liverpool thought they had snatched a stoppage-time equaliser when Gemma Bonner fired in on the rebound after Hollandâ€s free-kick had been spilled – Hollandâ€s effort was Liverpoolâ€s second at goal in the whole game – but Bonner was offside.

Andrée Jeglertz, Cityâ€s head coach, said: “We dominated the first half and created a couple of scoring chances but I missed a little bit of this desperation around the penalty area, [players saying] ‘Iâ€m going to be one that is going into the box, Iâ€m the one that really wants to scoreâ€, I missed that a little in the first half. Not until Liverpool scored. It was almost as if then we woke up and thought we need a little bit more, and thatâ€s why we turned the game around.â€

There was a worry for Liverpool earlier in the game, when Marie Höbinger limped off with an injury. The midfielder appeared to be in tears of pain as she was substituted after treatment on the pitch.

Jeglertz said: “Liverpool showed they are better than the position they have. They will definitely cause problems for other teams. They have good players and I think they showed in this game that they are very structured, organised and can make it difficult for us, so I am 100% sure they will soon climb the table.â€

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Chelsea and Manchester United both maintained their unbeaten starts to the Womenâ€s Super League season, although the defending champions†100% winning record was brought to an end by an entertaining contest between the top two.

The result extended Unitedâ€s agonisingly long wait for a first WSL victory over Chelsea but they will have taken great encouragement from their performance, on a night when both teams created plenty of chances to win and the home side showed they may well have the qualities to mount a serious title challenge.

For a game played between the teams with the two best defensive records in the WSL last term, and which had conceded the fewest goals so far this season before kick-off, the game began in a surprisingly open fashion as both attacked early on. The contest opened at such a fast pace that it could easily have been 2-2 inside the first six minutes, with Hannah Hampton saving with her feet from Elisabeth Terland, Catarina Macarioâ€s effort being blocked by Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park firing narrowly over the crossbar and then Aggie Beever‑Jones following suit when she looked certain to score.

Chelsea did then provide the goal the early flurry of attacks had threatened, as Wieke Kaptein met Macarioâ€s clever back-heeled pass and slotted in a neat, clinical finish low into the corner, as the hosts conceded a league goal for only the second time this season.

Manchester United had lost 10 of their previous 11 WSL meetings with Chelsea, but this confident version of Marc Skinnerâ€s team were unwilling to roll over. Inspired by the dribbling of Park, who seemed determined to skip her way past as many defenders as possible and was the driving force of her teamâ€s adventurous play, they continued to create chances and they were soon level when Anna Sandberg scored her first goal for the club. She could hardly have caught her strike any sweeter, angling her foot perfectly over the ball to arrow a half-volley powerfully past Hampton from just outside the area.

The game was played amid Storm Amy, which brought swirling rain and gusts of wind, and started with a minuteâ€s silence following the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, with the home side also wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.

Additionally, both sets of teams joined together in a circle pre-match against racism at the start of Black History Month, in a week when the Peterborough player Kira Rai suffered racist abuse. The England and Tottenham forward Jessica Naz was the victim of racism online nine days previously.

Wieke Kaptein gave Chelsea an early lead. Photograph: Steve Taylor/PPAUK/Shutterstock

This was the ground where Chelsea clinched last seasonâ€s title, with a 1-0 victory in a game that had been fairly even. This looks like a much-improved United team since then, though, and they continued to threaten in the second half, with Fridolina Rolföâ€s deflected effort looping on to the top of the bar before Parkâ€s swerving effort flew narrowly over. Melvine Malard, on as a substitute, dragged a low shot wide with 21 minutes remaining.

Skinner had said on Wednesday that he wanted his team to be brave and “show Chelsea that you can beat themâ€, and they certainly seemed to respond to his rallying cry as they continued to play with intensity and attacking intent, while Chelsea remained dangerous at the other end too, with Beever-Jones going close.

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Such was the extent of the test Chelsea were being presented with, there was even a rare moment of frustration from Sonia Bompastor, with the Chelsea coach shown a yellow card in the second half after she bemoaned a free-kick decision against her team.

Chelseaâ€s Sjoeke Nüsken bent an effort just wide of a post as the visitors began to search for a late winner, and Alyssa Thompson was almost able to race through on to a loose ball inside the penalty area but she was tackled by the quick-thinking United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who also dived low to her left to keep out a Keira Walsh shot moments later.

Guro Reiten had a shot blocked in stoppage time, as late Chelsea pressure grew, but in the end a draw was a relatively fair result and sets the weekendâ€s action up nicely before the other two title contenders, Manchester City and Arsenal, go head-to-head on Saturday. They will be hungry to capitalise on Chelsea and United sharing a point, with City able to close to within a point of the leaders if they win.

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The sky held back rain for most of the Championships and then sent down beaucoup buckets as the crowd saluted Cole Hockerâ€s last lap gold dash in a highly entertaining 5000 on the final evening. (KEVIN MORRIS)

TOKYO, JAPAN, August 13–21 — The noise often seemed deafening. The return of the worldâ€s best track & field athletes packed National Stadium with throngs of enthusiastic fans, most of them Japanese, who of course cheered on their own with gusto but were more than happy to share their noise with athletes from around the globe.

The last World Championships held in the fabled venue* back in â€91 hosted 581,462 fans over 9 days. (*=The stadium used in â€91 and constructed for the â€64 Olympics was rebuilt on the same site between â€16 and â€19.) The â€21 Olympics, handicapped by the Covid pandemic, hosted just upwards of zero. This time, unburdened by quarantine restrictions, the fans returned in droves, with a total of 619,288 attending during the 9-day span.

The difference couldnâ€t have been more mind-blowing. In â€21, athletes broke World Records only to hear scattered clapping from a few dozen volunteers and journalists. Nothing felt more eerie than watching an athlete produce the performance of a lifetime and by reflex, look up into the stands almost expecting to see loved ones and fans reacting. Their disappointment was palpable as they pivoted to do a half-hearted celebration for the TV cameras, empty seats behind them.

This time, the spirited fans made sure the athletes got their due recognition. When vaulter Mondo Duplantis flew over the highest height in history in the meetâ€s sole World Record, the reverberation of their roar shook the night.

Mondoâ€s 20-8 (6.30) marked his 14th flight over a global standard, keeping this yearâ€s competition from joining the four editions (â€97, â€01, â€07, â€13) where no World Records toppled.

Of Championship records, fans saw many, including Duplantisâ€s, of course. He topped his own 20-4½ (6.21) from Eugene â€22.

In the 800, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya commandeered the lead from start to finish to clock 1:41.86, leading the top 6 finishers under the 1:42.34 MR that Donavan Brazier set in Doha â€19.

Canadaâ€s Ethan Katzberg demolished the hammer best with his 277-11 (84.70). The old topper was 274-4 (83.63) by Ivan Tikhon of Belarus when he won his second World title in Osaka â€07.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden rocketed to a 10.61 in the 100, snapping the record of 10.65 that Shaâ€Carri Richardson set in Budapest â€23.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levroneâ€s 47.78 American Record in the 400 broke one of the oldest meet standards, the 47.99 that Jarmila Kratochvílová set in Helsinki â€83. Also under the old mark was Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic at 47.98.

A bigger shock came in the womenâ€s 800, not that the meet record fell, but who it was that made the falling happen. Kenyaâ€s unheralded Lilian Odira surprised with her 1:54.62 to upset Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson. That broke the 1:54.68 that Kratochvílová set in Helsinki â€83 the day before her 400 standard, the oldest of the meet records.

In the steeple, Faith Cherotich of Kenya won in 8:51.59, breaking Norah Jerutoâ€s 8:53.02 from Eugene â€22.

The United States womenâ€s 4×4, running in a downpour, clicked off a record 3:16.61 to nip the 3:16.71 that the U.S. set in Stuttgart ‘93. Fans debated whether the rain robbed the Tokyo crowd of a second WR.

The last in this compilation but the first of all the meet records this time around was the United States tying its own 3:08.80 best from Budapest in the mixed 4 x 400.

The forecasted and much-feared heat played a role, to be sure, but did not wreak the havoc that some had seen coming. In the end the start times of some of the road events were moved up, but there was no rescheduling of track events.

The rains of monsoon season stayed away until the final night, when they had a dramatic effect. No event felt the brunt more than the menâ€s discus, which faced a delay of 2 hours before a competition where good footing was worth gold, particularly to Swedenâ€s Daniel StÃ¥hl.

While the original planning had set the menâ€s 4×1 as the climactic event, no one could argue that StÃ¥hlâ€s amazing final throw did not fit perfectly as the moment to wrap the meet. Certainly the fans agreed, staying in their seats despite the inclement weather, long after the relay had finished, spellbound by the amazing platter battle.

Worth noting is that 53 nations scored medals, the most ever. With each edition, the World Championships becomes more of a truly global event. In the inaugural event in Helsinki, 42 years ago, only 25 nations made the podium.

United States Produces Record Medal Count

When Noah Lyles brought the relay team across the line first in the 4 x 100, that gave Team USA its highest-ever gold medal total at 16, bettering the 14 that the team had scored in â€05, â€07 and â€19.

The 26 overall medals that the U.S. scored easily topped the medals table, but did not come close to the record 33 medals scored by Team USA when it had a home field advantage for Eugene â€22.

American fans had plenty to cheer about, with gold medals every day but one. No one came through with a better medal set than Jefferson Wooden, who scored three golds in the 100/200/4×1. That made her the only woman besides Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to have managed that triple.

McLaughlin-Levrone, in capturing gold in the 400 and 4×4, joined Jearl Miles (â€93), Allyson Felix (â€09) and Phyllis Francis (â€17) as the only ones to win those two golds in the same meet.

On the menâ€s side, it was Lyles who won three medals, though he started off with a bronze in the 100 before he won golds in the 200 and relay. Rival Kenny Bednarek, with a silver in addition to the relay gold, was the only other American male to score multiples.

Fans of Cole Hocker didnâ€t take his DQ in the 1500 well, but surely enjoyed his surprise win in the 5000, when he became only the second U.S. athlete to win the gold, after Bernard Lagatâ€s â€07 victory.

One additional bit of medals trivia is that in winning the 100 on the second night of the meet, Jefferson-Wooden captured the 200th gold medal ever won by the United States. By meetâ€s end, that total number had reached 211. Only six other nations have topped 100 cumulative medals of any color: in order, the Germanies (combined), Kenya, Jamaica, Russia, Great Britain and Ethiopia. The U.S. now boasts 469 in all, far more than double any other nation.

Was it a fantastic track meet? It surely was. And the Japanese people proved excellent hosts, putting on the event seamlessly, managing the biggest crowds ever, and generating plenty of noise. Itâ€s been said that the awarding of this championships to Tokyo was motivated by the desire to let the city show its capabilities and splendor, something that it was robbed of by the pandemic-delayed Olympics.

Mission accomplished.

The By-Nation Medal Chart

Nation
Men

Women

Overall

Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total

United States*
6
2
3
11
9
3
2
14
*26

Kenya
1
—
2
3
6
2
—
8
11

Jamaica
1
3
2
6
—
3
1
4
10

Italy
1
1
2
4
—
2
1
3
7

Netherlands*
—
—
1
1
2
1
1
4
*6

Canada
2
1
1
4
1
—
—
1
5

Germany
1
2
—
3
—
1
1
2
5

Great Britain
—
1
—
1
—
2
2
4
5

Australia
—
—
1
1
1
—
2
3
4

China
—
1
1
2
—
1
1
2
4

Ethiopia
—
1
—
1
—
1
2
3
4

Botswana
2
—
1
3
—
—
—
—
3

Brazil
1
2
—
3
—
—
—
—
3

Cuba
—
—
1
1
1
—
1
2
3

New Zealand
2
—
—
2
—
—
1
1
3

Spain
—
—
1
1
2
—
—
2
3

Sweden
2
—
1
3
—
—
—
—
3

Bahrain
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
2
2

Belgium*
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
*2

Ecuador
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
2
2

France
1
—
1
2
—
—
—
—
2

Japan
—
—
1
1
—
—
1
1
2

Mexico
—
1
—
1
—
1
—
1
2

Portugal
2
—
—
2
—
—
—
—
2

Trinidad
1
1
—
2
—
—
—
—
2

Algeria
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Colombia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Czechia
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Dominica
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Dominican Republic
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Greece
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Grenada
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Hungary
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Ireland
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Korea
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Latvia
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Lithuania
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Morocco
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Nigeria
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Poland
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Puerto Rico
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Qatar
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Saint Lucia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Samoa
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Serbia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Slovakia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Slovenia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

South Africa
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Switzerland
—
—
—
—
1
—
—
1
1

Tanzania
1
—
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Ukraine
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Uruguay
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Venezuela
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

24
24
24
72
24
24
26
74
*149

* = includes mixed-sex relay medal

Jeff Hollobaugh is a writer and stat geek who has been associated with T&FN in various capacities since 1987. He is the author of How To Race The Mile. He lives in Michigan where he can often be found announcing track meets in bad weather.

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When Son Heung-min arrived at Los Angeles Football Club last month, there was a huge sense of excitement: here was South Koreaâ€s most popular athlete and one of the best Asian footballers in history. In a city with the largest South Korean community in the United States, there was also a belief that – just as with Lionel Messi and Miami – the diaspora would create a strong bridge between club and city.

But this was also about LAFC itself. Undoubtedly, there was much Son could offer to Steve Cherundolo and a squad that was already blessed with attacking talent, including Denis Bouanga, the 30-year-old France-born Gabon international. Just before Sonâ€s debut for LAFC on 9 August against Chicago Fire, Bouanga – a three-time All-Star – had 13 goals in the league and had long served as the main goal threat for the club, who at the time were sixth in the Western Conference.

The potential of adding Sonâ€s production to Bouangaâ€s was tantalizing. But both men presented similar profiles – speedy forwards used to playing on the wing. It was no sure thing that they would gel.

That aforementioned game against Chicago put those concerns to rest. Son won a penalty in the late stages of the game, which was converted by Bouanga, making it 2-2 on the night. But the most important takeaway from that evening was that the two looked in-sync, despite limited training time together.

The next game against New England didnâ€t feature goals from either player but after that, on 23 August against FC Dallas, a magnificent hot streak began. Today, Son and Bouanga have scored 17 consecutive goals between them – an MLS record for any goal scoring pairing in league history.

This past weekend against St Louis City, Son scored a brace while Bouanga netted another, giving LAFC their fourth consecutive win, with a combined 15-4 scoreline.

Quite simply, this is the most lethal pairing in the league.

“We are feeling good,†Bouanga told the Guardian. He has 23 goals in the league and trails Messi in the golden boot race by only one goal. “I feel so good with Sonny on the pitch. As you can see, I get along with him so well and so as a result the team does well when we go forward.â€

Since Sonâ€s arrival, Bouanga has scored 10 goals, including two hat-tricks, which passed Carlos Vela to make him the top scorer in club history. He made even more history by becoming the first MLS player to score 20 or more goals in three straight seasons. Bouanga has never been short of confidence but thanks to Son, it has skyrocketed and itâ€s because his teammates†career achievements inspire him to push himself further.

“Heâ€s such a great football player with a huge reputation,†says Bouanga. “Especially in the Premier League and everyone knows him. And now here? Heâ€s so happy to have joined us and I think we can do even more with him on the squad.â€

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Bouanga has always been a great goalscorer in this league so itâ€s not like much is changing for him on the training ground. For him, itâ€s more about the mentality of wanting to be the very best that he can be, and Sonâ€s presence – alongside the elite depth of this squad, which includes Sonâ€s former Spurs teammate and World Cup champion Hugo Lloris – helps him get even better as a scorer.

“I havenâ€t done anything different compared to last year,†says Bouanga. “Iâ€m still doing the same, I am the same, trying to be a killer in front of goal and this year, itâ€s working too. Iâ€m super happy so far but it is not over.â€

LAFC sit fourth in the West with 30 points, trailing San Diego FC by four points. But they have two games in hand so there is a possibility of topping the table and securing home field advantage at least until MLS Cup. That is another incentive for Bouanga and his team as they want to do everything possible to make sure Cherundolo wins the title in his final season – in April he announced his departure from the club at the end of the 2025 campaign.

“I would like to win this last title for him. I think it would be very important for LAFC and for him to win MLS Cup,†says Bouanga.

As long as the dynamic duo of Son and Bouanga continue to flourish, there is a very real possibility that could happen.

• Luis Miguel Echegaray is a writer, analyst and host specializing in soccer and sports content that also appeals to the U.S. Latino and young audience. He has previously worked at ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and is returning to the Guardian as a contributor.

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