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Ronaldo is all-time favourite; dont mind Spain or Argentina winning: Sindhu
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PV Sindhu ran into familiar finishing blues playing Chen Yufei, as she frittered four match points to exit China Open Super 1000, losing 21-16, 20-22, 18-21. It was all of her nightmares coming together — a wasted lead from the brink of winning, two poor leaves on the lines that landed IN and exhaustion killing her power-switch from the backcourt to watch smashes land in the net. Winner of the Japan Open last week, Sindhu was expected to be exhausted. But she defied it all to get to match point against an opponent, a form Olympic champ, backed by the home crowd. She even led 15-13 in the decider. But the finishing got fluffed as Yufei emboldened by her audacious second set heist, earned the decider and then ruled it.Though Sindhu’s attack was good enough till the 15-point mark, Yufei had too much mental momentum riding her way, as she knew the Sindhu smash was fading out in strength with her 7th match in 10 days. The win came from Yufei pushing the Indian back, inviting a smash, which shorn off strength, went too flat – into the meshing. It was a lesson for Irwansyah if he needs to take Sindhu to the 2019 levels — she simply needs point-by-point instructions when closing out, wven at 31. Because impatience can resurface like a nut-allergy in her case and undo all her hard work. The first set fightback from Sindhu had started at the interval with an Irwansyah pep talk. The Indian trailed 6-12, a formidable lead given Yufei’s ability to forge on. But it was this very assurance that was disrupted by Sindhu’s persistence that quietly tuned out the noisy Chinese home crowd. It wasn’t a flurry of an attack. Instead, she played the criss-crosses making Yufei twist and turn just as the coach had urged. The winners had been tough to plough down with Yufei’s stubborn defense and being better at the flatter game. The Chinese World No 4 also has a heavy shoulder smash that got matters standing at 6-12. The crisscross holding attack of Sindhu’s achieved the needful: it drew out errors in quick succession on the flanks, as the angles of returns triggered wide smash returns, and her efforts to bypass to the back ended up long. With every error, you could see the clouding doubts engulf Yufei’s game as the pace slowed down. And Sindhu went for the kill. Story continues below this ad A zip-smash for 15-13 from Yufei was her last retort, but a 44-shot rally in the next minute brought her undone. The retrieves were eye-popping from both women though the Chinese was unfortunately guilty of chasing shuttles that were clearly going wide. It ended with a body smash to bring Sindhu to within 14-15 of her opponent. The long rally had taken a toll. Yufei errors kept streaming as Sindhu levelled at 16-all. She nailed the next on the line, as the Chinese referral was unsuccessful. Sindhu though ended the set taking 15 of the last 19 points, painstakingly drawing out Chinese errors from wide smashes. A big smash to the open back court gave Sindhu a 20-16 set point, and a delectable drop to front court gave her the opener against all expectations. It all unraveled in the second set in mirror-fashion, as Sindhu fritters 4 match points, and showed familiar finishing blues. The Indian World No 8 had the lead from Point 1 to 20, before she crumbled from impatience.Story continues below this ad Sindhu had been imposing with a double body smash attack to take off at 5-2. The attacking hits increased in volume, with a massive shoulder-smssh to get to 10-7 and then a conventional hammering shot to take the 11-7 lead. She even had a surging forward cross net swoosh kill to keep the lead at 14-11, and despite Yufei threatening to overturn things at 16-18, Sindhu was up 20-16. Then panic struck. A 37-shot rally where Yufei showed why she is an Olympic champion, had tired, tormenting but tenacious retrieves as the Chinese got one back from a desperate out of position reflex return. The Chinese would incredibly get 6 in a row, a
Lionel Messi cries after receiving the FIFA World Cup 2026 runners-up medal on Sunday. (AP Photo)Lionel Messi collected the FIFA World Cup 2026 runners-up medal from US President Donald Trump after a forgettable Sunday evening against Spain at the MetLife Stadium. The highs of the 2022 triumph were swiftly erased after he exited the podium as the 39-year-old Argentina talisman broke into tears, waving goodbye to the stands before trudging down the tunnel. Messi’s forgettable night effectively depicted Argentina’s misery against Luis de la Fuente’s rock-solid Spanish unit. Their domination in the final had only one goal to show from Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute strike, but also ensured that the 2022 champions did not have a single shot on target for 120 minutes. Messi conceded that Spain were deserved victors after his magic was neutralised throughout the contest. “I feel sad, but I am aware that we played our hearts out,” Messi told reporters following the loss. “They were better, to be honest. We lost the game, and we accept that. That doesn’t mean that we will forget everything we’ve done so far, so I’d like to thank my people, my players and the country.” While his Argentina future remains uncertain, the 39-year-old scripted a memorable campaign, setting new records during his record-equalling sixth World Cup appearance. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner finished with eight goals and four assists in the campaign, finishing second in the Golden Ball race behind France’s Kylian Mbappe (10 goals, two assists). Leo Messi breaking down in 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 in front of Argentina fans pic.twitter.com/SKn8w7cHAe — Anatoly Fans (@fananatoly) July 19, 2026 Messi took his goals tally to 21 at the World Cup, only bettered by Mbappe’s 22 across three campaigns. Speaking after the defeat, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni hailed Messi’s presence.Story continues below this ad “I hope that everyone feels proud of him, of what he’s achieved because he’s the best football player ever stepping foot on a pitch,” he said. Appearing in a record third World Cup final, Argentina were stopped from being the first team to defend the title in 64 years since Brazil in 1962. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente revealed that neutralising the Messi effect was a primary requirement for his side in the summit clash. “The first idea was to keep Messi at bay,” de la Fuente said.Story continues below this ad Confined to a mere 15 touches in the first half and 54 overall, Messi once again struggled at a venue linked to one of his career’s lowest points. MetLife Stadium hosted the 2016 Copa América final loss to Chile which prompted his short-lived international retirement. He unretired 47 days later, eventually captaining Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022.
France's Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Kylian Mbappe won back to back Golden Boots after the French sensation topped the goal-scoring charts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 10 goals. He pipped closest rival Lionel Messi who could not score or assist in the final vs Spain, ending the tournament with 8 goals. This was also the second straight time Mbappe had won the Golden Boot over Messi, with the French player winning the prize in Qatar as well with 7 goals, one more than the Argentinian. The other awards were swept by the World Cup winning Spanish team as goalkeeper Unai Simon won the Golden Glove after getting beat only once the entire tournament while midfielder Rodri was adjudged the player of the tournament and awarded the Golden Ball. Defender Pau Cubarsí was elected as the best young player.Who are the top scorers at the 2026 World Cup? Kylian Mbappe – France: 10 goals Lionel Messi – Argentina: 8 goals Jude Bellingham – England: 7 goals Erling Haaland – Norway: 7 goals Ousmane Dembele – France: 6 goals Other awards: FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Glove winner: Unai Simon (Spain) FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Ball winner: Rodri (Spain) FIFA World Cup 2026 Young Player of the tournament: Pau Cubarsí (Spain) What happened in the final Spain needed an extra-time goal by substitute Ferran Torres to edge past 10-man defending champions Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup on Sunday. Torres broke the deadlock early in the second half of extra time, firing home on the rebound to give the European champions their second World Cup title. Argentina were down to 10 men when Enzo Fernandez was dismissed with a second booking in second-half stoppage time. The Argentines were toothless in attack and did not have a shot on or off target for 115 minutes. At 65 years old, Spain’s Luis de la Fuente became the oldest World Cup-winning coach. Argentina’s 39-year-old captain Lionel Messi became only the second player to feature in three World Cup finals and also the oldest outfield player to feature in a final.
Sindhu noted that the long wait for a title had made her careful and even disbelieving when she was on 21-17, 20-17, a point away. (BWF/Badminton Photo) PV Sindhu might be using all the data points on loading, in-game metrics and recovery, but she said she prioritized the very human – simple interaction with her coach, as she returned to title winning ways at the Japan Open. It was a ‘waited and wanted’ title, she said. “Training can go up and down because one day you train hard. Next day you might feel tired. It’s important to talk to my coach and know why it’s happening and strategise,” said the Super 750 winner in an interaction facilitated by BAI. Sindhu cannily noted that while tech and data was useful, she wouldn’t let hard cold numbers push her into a negative mindset.Speaking to Indian media after her win, Sindhu noted that the long wait for a title had made her careful and even disbelieving when she was on 21-17, 20-17, a point away. “Even after the challenge, I couldn’t believe I’d won because it was almost after 2 years,” she said of getting on top step of the podium. For someone known for her unfailing fitness for years early on, even the smallest niggles could turn “irritating,” she noted. “It was a tough journey. Niggles took time. I came back. Got injured again. After injury, you doubt yourself, wonder if you will play at 100% again. It can get emotionally draining and mentally low,” she said. Yamaguchi, despite 30 faceoffs remains a tricky opponent. “We know each other’s games, we play a lot. But I need to be prepared. The slightest chance you give her, once she starts, she will take many points and find her rhythm.” Sindhu made sure she was consistent in her attack and made fewest unforced errors. When asked if she was close to beating An Se-young, Sindhu noted, “Last two times, i couldve taken a set. Smallest things matter. Every shot selection matters,” she said. Her hunger was intact. “Yes this title gives me relief, but there are so many tournaments to win,” the elite athlete who goes up to World No 7, said.Story continues below this ad On the 15×3 format, Sindhu said she was cognizant of the fact that even if matches were to get smaller, the intensity of every point would increase. She also added shuttlers now needed an all-round game with half smashes, drops, net and clears not just a smashing attack. Her return to top tier wins however had been focused inward. So even the twars shed were preceded by self belief where she told herself, “It was not over yet.” The Japan title will be easy to remember as the FIFA final date. “I’m OK with either Spain or Argentina winning. Both are playing well. My all-time favourite is Cristiano, unfortunately he lost,” Sindhu said. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from
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