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Arsenal’s Arteta Rues Missed Opportunity After FA Cup Exit

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Southampton v Arsenal - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - April 4, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Southampton v Arsenal - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - April 4, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts. (Reuters)
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Arsenal’s Arteta Rues Missed Opportunity After FA Cup Exit

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Southampton v Arsenal - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - April 4, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Southampton v Arsenal - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - April 4, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts. (Reuters)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ‌could not hide his disappointment after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton on Saturday, suggesting the team’s poor defending was the major contributing factor.

The 2-1 quarter-final defeat follows on from the League Cup final loss to Manchester City last time out as Arsenal’s "quadruple" hopes this season have suddenly been downgraded to a "double" as they now chase Premier League and Champions League honors.

"The result and especially the way we conceded the two goals (were disappointing)," Arteta told the BBC. "We had so much dominance in and ‌around the ‌box. We conceded the first goal in a ‌very ⁠unusual way for ⁠us, the second one from direct play as well.

"We had two massive chances and needed to capitalize on that. If you make the defending errors we made today, it's very difficult to be in the semi-final."

Arsenal were without several first team regulars for a match played in driving wind and rain, but Arteta refused to blame ⁠either of those factors and was not surprised ‌by the test Southampton gave them.

"They ‌are a very good side on a very good run and you have ‌to congratulate them," he said. "You have to adapt to the ‌wind, the injuries. You have to adapt to difficult situations in the season. Now we have to show what we are made of.

"That (Arsenal) team had very good moments. They should have capitalized and be going to Wembley, ‌and we haven't done it."

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert is now unbeaten in 15 matches in all ⁠competitions with ⁠the south coast club, but is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

"We put on a good shift today. It was a challenge, we knew it was going to be a tough game. The second half always has the chance to shift and we reacted quite well," he said.

"You always need to find a balance, it's not going direct for the sake of going direct. You need spells with shorter solutions and we had a good mix today.

"Belief is always there, it's not been a problem. The reality is that the game is close. It's going to be nice to celebrate today but we open up Wrexham and Championship football tomorrow."

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Formula 1 to Return to Africa with Rwanda Grand Prix in Early 2030s

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads the field after the start of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads the field after the start of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
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Formula 1 to Return to Africa with Rwanda Grand Prix in Early 2030s

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads the field after the start of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads the field after the start of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Formula 1 announced on Tuesday that Rwanda will host a race from “the early 2030s” when the series returns to Africa after about 40 years.

The African Grand Prix will have a 10-year contract and take place at a track in Bugesera, southeast of the capital Kigali. F1 said the purpose-built track will be ready “early in the next decade.”

"Today is a landmark moment for Formula One," F1 president Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said at a launch event in Kigali that it was "a success and a milestone for the entire continent, especially for the African fans,” adding he hoped it could lead to more F1 events in Africa.

Racing in Africa will fulfil a long-held ambition for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1. The 41-year-old British driver has said he has been “fighting in the background” for years to have a race in Africa.

"With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the world championship closer than ever to fans around the globe,” said Domenicali.

“Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the beginning we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, a long-term commitment and a clear vision for creating meaningful impact,” he added.

Rwanda will become the third African country to host a round of the championship that started in 1950, with Morocco putting on a race outside Casablanca in 1958.

Sports

Swiatek Aiming to End Year on a Positive Note as WTA Finals Spot Hangs in Balance

Poland's Iga Swiatek serves to Belgium's Elise Mertens during their women's singles quarter-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 9, 2026. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek serves to Belgium's Elise Mertens during their women's singles quarter-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 9, 2026. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)
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Swiatek Aiming to End Year on a Positive Note as WTA Finals Spot Hangs in Balance

Poland's Iga Swiatek serves to Belgium's Elise Mertens during their women's singles quarter-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 9, 2026. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek serves to Belgium's Elise Mertens during their women's singles quarter-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 9, 2026. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)

Iga Swiatek has played at every edition of the WTA Finals since 2021, but with the Pole running out of time to claim a place at this year's season-ending tournament she knows the importance of going deep at her few remaining events.

The six-time major champion has won only one tournament this year at the Canadian Open in August and failed to advance beyond the quarter-final stage at all four Grand Slams.

The 25-year-old, who won the WTA Finals in 2023, is 10th in the qualifying table for the November 8-15 tournament ⁠at Indian Wells ⁠with only four of the eight spots still up for grabs.

She sits on 3,799 points, 111 behind Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in 9th place. Karolina Muchova, on 4,615 points, is the lowest-ranked player not to have sealed qualification.

"Obviously I'm aware of the situation and it would be great to ⁠get into the Finals, for sure it's our goal," Swiatek told reporters on Monday ahead of the Wuhan Open, according to Reuters.
"It's the first time I've faced a situation like that, to get into the finals.

"It's a challenge, but I feel like it's a positive one and I'm really motivated ... There are still a few tournaments ahead."

Swiatek said she had made some positive changes to her game under coach Francisco Roig, whom she appointed in April after parting ways with Wim ⁠Fissette.

"I needed ⁠to change some stuff, and Francisco has a really great idea for my game, and I feel like we're developing my game on the practice court quite a lot, and it's been good progress," she added.

"The US Open swing, for sure, was the most positive part of the season, so that shows that I'm going in the right direction."

Swiatek, who faces compatriot Magdalena Frech in her opening match in Wuhan on Wednesday, is also scheduled to compete at WTA 500 events in Ningbo and Tokyo before the WTA Finals slots are wrapped up.

Sports

Al-Nassr Defeats Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in AFC Champions League Elite

Al-Nassr defeated visiting Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite. (SPA)
Al-Nassr defeated visiting Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite. (SPA)
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Al-Nassr Defeats Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in AFC Champions League Elite

Al-Nassr defeated visiting Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite. (SPA)
Al-Nassr defeated visiting Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite. (SPA)

Al-Nassr defeated visiting Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite, the Saudi Press Agency said Monday.

Ângelo Gabriel opened the scoring for Al-Nassr in the 33rd minute, before Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead in the 42nd minute, giving the Saudi side a 2-0 advantage at halftime.

Early in the second half, Alisher Odilov pulled one back for the Uzbek side in the 51st minute. Anvarjon Gofurov then scored an own goal to restore Al-Nassr’s two-goal cushion, securing a 3-1 victory.

The result earned Al-Nassr its first three points in the league stage, following a 4-0 defeat to the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain in the opening round. Neftchi Fergana remained on three points after opening its campaign with a 1-0 win over Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.