The fifth round of the Champions League witnessed a shocking upset, with big-name teams suffering defeats and one-sided victories. Is this an accident or a signal of a new pattern? On the first match day of the fifth round, nine intense battles unfolded. This night saw Manchester City surprisingly held to a draw by Feyenoord, while Arsenal and Atletico Madrid secured impressive victories. The three Serie A teams also advanced in unison, with their performances either dazzling or disappointing. There were smiles and tears, which is the charm of the Champions League and kept global fans buzzing all night. Once invincible, Manchester City struggled to hold onto victory this time. Despite a star-studded front line, with Haaland scoring from the spot in the first half and then combining with Gundogan to score two goals in just three minutes to quickly establish a 3-0 lead, an unexpected turn of events occurred - Feyenoord's Musa and Jimenez took advantage of defensive errors to score twice. In the 89th minute, Hanczko scored an equalizer, resulting in a 3-3 draw for Manchester City, extending their winless streak in all competitions to five matches, plunging Guardiola into a media storm. For Manchester City, this was not just an accidental setback but a mirror reflecting their problems. Perhaps they relied too heavily on star players or had imbalances in midfield coordination. Facing the increasingly brutal knockout stages of the Champions League, can they regain their former dominance? Led by Kane, Bayern Munich unleashed their firepower, while Paris Saint-Germain, despite missing Mbappe, still posed a threat with…

With the official announcement of Liao Jintao's joining and Ali Mi's arrival, Dalian Yingbo's recruitment is basically nearing completion, and there will not be any more major signings. The team will end the winter training phase in Haikou this week and start the final preparations after the holiday. At 15:30 on January 21, Dalian Yingbo welcomed their third friendly match in Haikou against Beijing Guoan. In the previous two matches, they won 2-1 against Tongliang Long and lost 0-2 to Shanghai Shenhua. Facing the rhythm of the Chinese Super League level, Dalian Yingbo's players still need to adapt. Guoan almost sent out all their main players, making some adjustments to the starting lineup after several national team players returned. Setien also understands "human relations," with Zhang Yuning and Abreu starting as dual center forwards, trying to coexist. New foreign aid Dawan partnered with Guga, and Serginho played. Dalian Yingbo started with a single foreign aid for the second consecutive game, with the goalkeeper changed to Huang Zihao, Xiao Wen, Yang Mingrui, Song Yue, etc., starting consecutively. Malele, Mamadou, and other foreign aids were on standby, and facing strong teams continuously was a good exercise for Yingbo. Similar to the previous game, Dalian Yingbo started passively, with Guoan's passing and control and small-range cooperation being默契. Dalian's defense was vulnerable, and Guoan's simple long pass allowed Abreu to score the first goal with a solo shot, showing his hot form. Dalian Yingbo was relatively passive, with their backline easily breached, only Kalanga starting as a foreign aid, and no midfielders controlling the…

On January 21, 2025, Beijing time, the 11-win and 32-loss Pelicans faced the 10-win and 30-loss Jazz at home. The Pelicans were missing Zion, Ingram, Jones, and Missy, starting with Murray, McCollum, Murphy, Green, and Tais. On the Jazz side, Markkanen, Sexton, Collins, and Clarkson were absent, starting with Collier, George, Mihai, Kovi, and Kesler. In the first quarter, Kesler, Collier, and George scored 14-0, followed by a three-pointer from Murphy. Collier and George responded with threes, giving the Jazz a 20-3 lead. McCollum then started scoring continuously, but Collier, Phil, and Sensabo responded, extending the Jazz's lead to 19 points. Murphy dunked, and Youban responded with a 2+1, making the gap 20 points. Murphy made free throws, but Kovi and Youban responded, keeping the difference at 22 points. McCollum scored another four points, while Phil made free throws. At the end of the first quarter, the Jazz led 38-19. In the second quarter, Murray scored a layup, but Mihai and Youban responded strongly, increasing the lead to 25 points. Hawkins and Murray reduced the gap to 19 points, but Collier and Mihai scored again. Hawkins continued to score, reducing the gap to 18 points. Phil and Kesler extended the lead to 22 points, but Murray, Hawkins, and Murphy narrowed it back to 15 points. Sensabo, Kesler, and Collier scored consecutively, while Murphy, McCollum, and Murray tried to catch up, leaving the halftime score at 69-49 in favor of the Jazz. In the third quarter, George scored four points, giving the Jazz a 24-point lead. Tais, Murphy, and Murray scored…

Recently, a few seemingly casual remarks made by Zhang Jike during a live broadcast have caused a stir in the table tennis community. He mentioned that from the era of Wang Liqin to his own generation, and then to Fan Zhendong becoming the main player, Hao Shuai was always the sparring partner. However, later on, even Fan Zhendong couldn't defeat Hao Shuai anymore, so he stopped being the sparring partner. Behind these words, how many untold stories are hidden? The Changing Winds of the National Table Tennis Team In the quiet training hall at night, the sound of racket swings is crisp and loud. Under the lights, a figure repeats the same action over and over again. This is Hao Shuai, the most mysterious sparring partner of the national table tennis team. The players he has sparred with range from Wang Liqin to Zhang Jike, and then to Fan Zhendong, spanning three generations. The Bittersweet Glory of Being a Sparring Partner On the training ground, the main players shine brightly, while the sparring partners are like stars, silently shining but equally brilliant. Hao Shuai is such a bright star. Starting from the era of Wang Liqin, he stood by the court, ready to step in for sparring at any time. Back then, he was young and energetic, with exquisite skills, yet willing to be a stepping stone for others. The stories on the training ground are always touching. Sometimes Hao Shuai would continuously spar for hours without complaint, even when sweat soaked through his shirt. More surprisingly, he could adapt…

According to the views of Beijing Sports and other media outlets, Wang Chuqin is expected to carry the flag for the men's singles table tennis event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It seems as though, in their eyes, aside from Wang Chuqin, there is no one else in the current male table tennis scene capable of standing on their own. However, looking at the specific situation, Wang Chuqin has lost the most crucial element for contending the men's singles championship. Do you remember the match where Fan Zhendong made a comeback against Tomokazu Harimoto? The first game ended with a score of 2-11, the second with 9-11, and although he managed to level the score to 2-2 in the following games, he lost the fifth game with a score of 4-11. Despite receiving brief guidance and stabilizing his performance to drag the match into a decisive game with an 11-7 victory, everyone knew that Fan Zhendong had reached the point of physical and mental exhaustion. His eyes gradually transformed into a sharp, wolf-like gaze, and he ultimately succeeded in reversing the situation with powerful offensive momentum and calmness in critical moments, advancing to the semi-finals. Therefore, those who can go all the way in singles must possess both mentality and strength. On the other hand, what people discuss the most about Wang Chuqin now, and what he is most criticized for, is undoubtedly the issue of the Olympic 32nd place. Although it is known that his usual racket was stepped on and broken, this is not unprecedented. Just like…

The hot topic among Italian media is currently discussing why Inter Milan lost two excellent youth players, Esposito and young Stankovic. "La Gazzetta dello Sport" asked: Looking at the current situation of Seba, does Inter regret it? Currently, Seba-Esposito is ranked 5th in the Serie A top scorer list and is also the only U23 player in the top 12 of the Serie A top scorer list. The Italian media stated that watching Seba come off the bench to score against Inter, and seeing that his individual goals are more than the combined total of three Inter substitutes, Taremi, Correa, and Arnautovic, does the Nerazzurri regret selling him last summer for a mere 5 million euros with a buyout clause and a 20% second transfer share? Should Ausilio reflect on why he did not include a buyback clause? Here, I sincerely apologize. At the end of December, I quoted a statement from an Italian journalist on YouTube, introducing that there might be a buyback clause in Seba's loan contract. However, it has now been confirmed by the Empoli management that there is no such clause, which means that as long as Empoli activates Seba's buyout at the end of the season (highly likely), the player's ownership will have nothing to do with Inter anymore. At the same time, famous journalist Biaxin was talking about another star, Philip Stankovic. So far this season, young Stankovic has faced 78 shots on target and made 56 saves, with a save success rate of 76.9%, ranking second among all Serie A goalkeepers, only behind…

On January 20th, Beijing time, there was a focus match in the Eastern Conference of the NBA's 2024-25 season regular season. The Philadelphia 76ers had to travel to Milwaukee for a back-to-back game and continue their away challenge against the Bucks. This was the second meeting between the two teams this season. In the previous matchup, the Bucks defeated the 76ers by 15 points, gaining a certain advantage. The 76ers have really performed poorly this season, becoming a laughingstock. During the offseason, they formed an anticipated "Big Three" combination. However, at this stage of the season, these three players with a combined salary exceeding $200 million are either plagued by injuries, playing intermittently, or having issues with coordination, resulting in an unsmooth offense. So far, the team has experienced three five-game losing streaks, with a total record of 15 wins and 25 losses, ranking 11th in the East. In contrast, the Bucks were mired in the mud at the beginning of the season, much like the 76ers, with their ranking once at the bottom of the East. However, with the resurgence of Antetokounmpo and Lillard, the team's record has steadily climbed, and they have now achieved a three-game winning streak, with a total record of 23 wins and 17 losses, rising to fourth place in the East, which is a world apart from Philadelphia. Before the game, American media ESPN also provided the latest win rate prediction for that day's match. The 76ers' win rate was only 13.3%, while the Bucks' win rate was as high as 86.7%. Obviously, American…

That match was originally thought to be one that Ding Junhui could easily win, after all, he had performed exceptionally well in previous matches and was in excellent form. However, the final result shocked everyone as Ding Junhui lost 3-4 to Brecel and failed to reach the semi-finals. The development of events was very dramatic. Ding Junhui started the match smoothly, firmly controlling the situation with a 3-1 lead. Just as he was preparing to steadily advance towards victory, a fatal mistake occurred in the fifth round. This mistake allowed Brecel to seize the opportunity, quickly turn the tide, and win three consecutive games, ultimately reversing the match. Such a result undoubtedly made Ding Junhui extremely disappointed because he not only missed the opportunity to enter the semi-finals but also ended his eight-match winning streak against Brecel, truly breaking a record—though this is a record no one wants to break. But before the shadow of the match defeat had dissipated, Ding Junhui directly vented his anger on the event organizers. After the match, Ding Junhui did not hold back and openly criticized the organizers of the Scottish Open through social media. He bluntly stated that the quality of the tables used in the competition was worrying, even describing them as nothing more than a pile of amateur tables. He mentioned that the elasticity of the tables, especially at the cushions, made him very dissatisfied, like springs, such abnormal rebounds completely affected the normal progress of the game. Ding Junhui angrily questioned: You say this is a professional event, how can…

On January 21, 2025, Beijing time, the Indonesia Badminton Masters (Super 500) officially kicked off! This event features China's men's singles led by Shi Yuchi with the full main lineup participating, while other core main players in other events are absent, focusing primarily on training reserve forces! On the first day of competition, China's team has achieved a record of 4 wins and 3 losses so far! Among them, Wang Zhengxing lost 0-2 to Ng Ka Long in the men's singles and failed to qualify for the main draw! In the men's doubles, Xie Haonan/Zeng Weihan made a stunning comeback against the sixth-seeded Indonesian pair of Kiatman/Isfahani, ranked 10th in the world, while Sun Wenjun/Zhu Yijun lost 0-2 to Wan Weicong/Zheng Kaiwen! In mixed doubles, Li Hongyi/Bao Lijing defeated Brakard/Liona 2-0. In women's doubles, Li Yijing/Luo Xumin eliminated the Hong Kong pair of Fan Jiayin/Yu Manying 2-0, and Jia Yifan/Zhang Shuxian defeated Pang Shuliang/Wang Zimeng 2-0! Detailed match results are as follows: In the men's singles event, China sent its full main lineup this year, led by Shi Yuchi, with Li Shifeng, Lu Guangzu, Weng Hongyang, Lei Lanxi, and Wang Zhengxing participating! On the first day of the competition, only Wang Zhengxing competed in the qualifying round against Hong Kong player Ng Ka Long. Wang Zhengxing is 23 years old and currently ranked 39th in the world. He has won four low-level event championships and his best result in Super 500 and above events is the round of 16! Hong Kong player Ng Ka Long is 21 years old and…

A former high-ranking member of Al-Nassr FC has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that "he does not compete for space with opponents nor participate in defense, making Al-Nassr play as if they are one man down." This individual also believes that Al-Nassr's chances of winning the championship were slim from the beginning of the season. Coincidentally, Al-Nassr currently ranks fourth in the Saudi Professional League, trailing the top teams, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad Jeddah, by 11 points, making their title hopes bleak. The reason given by this high-ranking official is straightforward: when Ronaldo is on the field, Al-Nassr effectively plays with one less player. This observation is clear to all fans, yet some prefer to ignore the obvious and blame the coach for the team's poor performance. Recently, there have been rumors that Pioli is at risk of being sacked, a situation that feels familiar. In the first season after joining the Saudi league, without a championship, Rudi Garcia was dismissed. In the second season, Castro led Al-Ahli to win the AFC Champions League, but was also fired due to the lack of a regular-season title. Now, in the third season, the problem of not being able to compete for the championship still exists. Do you think this is related to the coach? Firstly, before Ronaldo arrived, Al-Nassr had one fewer match played and led by five points in second place under Rudi Garcia. Castro, an experienced coach who had never been fired before, was let go by Al-Nassr because of his tenure with Mr. A. Now, it's Pioli's turn. Do you…