Week 4 of League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Round 3-5 ended with Gen.G showing their strength in a close 2-1 win over Hanwha Life Esports on Sunday, August 17. The win gives the team a 25-1 record, keeping them on top as title favourites. Ruler led with a strong Corki game, while Chovy’s surprise Ziggs pick in Game 3 broke HLE’s defence in under 30 minutes.
The loss puts Hanwha Life at 18-8, tying them with T1 for second place in the Legend Group. A direct playoff spot is on the line, and the match between HLE and T1 on August 27 is set to be one of the most crucial games.
Meanwhile, OKSavingsBank BRION secured a 2-0 victory over Dplus KIA, marking their second win of the season. This improves their record to 10-16 and narrows the gap in the Rise Group standings. With BRION, DRX, and BNK FearX all fighting for two Play-In spots, the lower bracket race remains highly competitive.
Colin Munro powered the Trinbago Knight Riders to victory with a stunning knock of 120 runs, steering his side past St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a 12-run win in the Caribbean Premier League.
The 38-year-old former New Zealand star smashed 14 fours and six sixes in 57 balls, partnering Alex Hales (47) for 114 runs to lift Trinbago to 231-5, the seventh-best total recorded in CPL history.
The Patriots answered with an 80-run opening from Kyle Mayers (32) and Andre Fletcher (41), but both fell quickly to spinners Usman Tariq and Akeal Hosein. Captain Jason Holder hit 44 off 22, yet the chase ended short at 219-7.
With this result, the Knight Riders are third in the CPL table, while the Patriots slipped to fourth.
Munro’s strong showing set up Trinbago’s season and proved once more that he can deliver big runs from the top of the line-up.
Bayern Munich secured the inaugural Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart. Harry Kane and summer signing Luis Díaz scored the goals, marking Bayern’s 11th Supercup win. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named Man of the Match after making several crucial saves. The win came less than a week before the Bundesliga season starts.
Kane scored in the 18th minute after a mistake in defence. Díaz doubled the lead in the 77th minute with a header from a Serge Gnabry cross. He celebrated by honouring his late former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota. Stuttgart scored through Jamie Leweling in added time, but Bayern maintained control to secure the win.
Neuer made several key saves and praised his team’s good pre-season form. He also pointed out the strong teamwork as they head into the league. Off the field, Bayern improved their defence by signing Jonathan Tah.
Meanwhile, Croatian defender Josip Stanišić also signed a new deal with Bayern that runs until 2029, reportedly turning down AC Milan’s offer. He is expected to be a key option at left-back until Alphonso Davies returns from injury.
AS Roma made a £20 million offer to sign Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho. The Italian club aims to seal a deal before the transfer window closes on September 1, 2025.
Sancho, 25, joined United in 2021 for £73 million. Unfortunately, he struggled to find a consistent form on the field. Since then, he’d just made 83 appearances and scored 12 goals for the squad. He also spent the last 18 months on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea.
The winger has not been featured for any of United’s matches this season and was left out of the club’s summer tour.
Reports say Roma’s bid is for a permanent deal rather than another loan spell. Talks between the two clubs are ongoing, with United keen to reach an agreement. After all, they’ve already told the winger to find a new club before the window shuts.
If the deal goes through, it could offer Sancho a fresh start in Italy and a chance to rebuild his career.
Even though the LEC Summer Split is ongoing, Riot Games pushes for the ‘Head-to-Head Game Score’ tiebreaker for the group stage because it was mistakenly removed, according to LEC Commissioner Artem Bykov.
Under the updated Section 7.5.13 of the rulebook, ties will now be decided in the following order:
Head-to-Head Game Score
Winter and Spring combined placements
Spring placement
Strength of Victory
Head-to-Head Victory Time
Overall Victory Time
Coinflip.
There’s an exception for teams tied at 5th place: after applying the above criteria, if there is still a tie between two teams, they will play a tiebreaker match. The loser would be eliminated from playoff contention.
While the change doesn’t affect the current standings, fans still criticised the LEC for updating rules mid-tournament, with some even saying that ‘it gives a crappy and careless image of how the LEC is being handled right now.’
The LEC Summer Split continues into its third week, with matches scheduled for Saturday through Monday.
Throughout the 21st century, England have become one of the most prominent cricketing countries. With this rise, they have created some unforgettable moments across different formats. They have staged some of the most intense and iconic clashes in international cricket, including the Ashes and World Cup glory.
Here are some of the defining highlights of modern English cricket:
The dramatic 2005 Ashes win
For many cricket fans, the 2005 Ashes is one of the greatest series of cricket ever. England had not beaten Australia in an Ashes contest since 1986-87, so getting some payback was long overdue.
The Aussies had one of the most dominant teams in cricket history over those two decades, with names like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, and Ricky Ponting leading the way. That meant England had to overcome a tough team when they played in the 2005 Ashes.
This series began with Australia taking the first Test rather easily. However, England managed to roar back and win a close match at Edgbaston by only two runs. It is still one of the most discussed matches in cricket history due to its level of thrill and the close result.
It was a see-saw series between the two powerhouses at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge. In the decisive fifth Test, Kevin Pietersen’s 158 in the second innings secured a draw, clinching a 2-1 series win for England.
The first ICC trophy for England
During the 21st century, England were competitive against other countries. However, they did not have a major ICC trophy in the 2000s. That is why the 2010 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was a massive success for the team when they won the tournament held in the West Indies.
Spearheaded by Paul Collingwood, England had a mix of strong batting and amazing bowling. Kevin Pietersen was present again with his powerful stroke play, but he had awesome support from his teammates, including Craig Kieswetter with his powerful hitting and Graeme Swann’s talent.
The final was played against Australia, and England made sure not to lose to their rivals. They were chasing 148, which led to Kieswetter and Pietersen dismantling Australia’s bowlers. They secured a seven-wicket win with more than three overs to spare. They won their first major ICC title, signalling the start of a new era.
This victory set the tone for England, as they would win the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019, and they won the ICC T20 World Cup again in 2022. England are one of the best countries in the cricket world, with multiple trophies in the 21st century.
A magical 481 against Australia in 2018
For the Test side of the Ashes, 2005 would be most people’s favourite moment. For white-ball cricket, the 2018 ODI series could be considered the peak. England broke the world record for the highest ODI total, getting 481/6 against Australia at Trent Bridge.
The Three Lions demolished Australia during that June 2018 day, as Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales were the stars of the show. Australia’s bowlers did their best, but England were in their best form on that day. Adil Rashid and Eoin Morgan chipped in with some fiery batting to end the match and surprise the rest of the cricket world.
In addition to their batting dominance, England also had Moeen Ali and Rashid performing well with their bowling. This was a fearless England squad, and under Morgan’s leadership, they continued their aggressive and relentless style of playing cricket.
Stokes’ heroics in the 2019 Ashes
Ben Stokes has become one of the most recognisable cricket players in the world. When it comes to English cricket, he is one of the first names mentioned as a contributor. His best moments for the England team were during the 2019 Ashes, as England were trying to chase an improbable 359 in the Third Test.
Stokes had an innings for the ages, as he started cautiously but kept hunting. He kept improving throughout his stint, unleashing a counterattack to drag England from the jaws of defeat to a one-wicket victory.
The reaction in the stadium and on commentary cemented how significant this moment was. Even the most neutral fans were shocked by what happened, and that is due to Stokes’ stellar performance. Of course, the Aussies would win the urn at the end of the series, but people mostly remember 2019’s Ashes due to Stokes’ performance.
The 2019 World Cup victory against New Zealand
England have always been involved in dramatic matches, but the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final against New Zealand is an important one for the sport. After their struggles in the 2015 World Cup, England came into this matchup as the favourites.
Unfortunately, this was not a cakewalk for the English team, as New Zealand posted 241/8. It was a tough yet reachable target that motivated England. Stokes anchored the innings for his team, but the game went to a Super Over.
Jofra Archer had to bowl the most important over of his life, and yet New Zealand matched England’s 15. It was another dramatic moment, but England won on the boundary countback rule, becoming the ODI world champions for the first time. This cemented their place among the best teams in the ODI format, as they are often contenders.
England will continue to have these moments
From the glory of the 2005 Ashes to their success in the World Cup tournaments, England will continue to succeed in the 21st century. They might have some dark months or even years, but they have the infrastructure to become one of the brightest cricketing countries alongside the likes of Australia, India, and the West Indies.
Former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington doubts the club’s new signings can match the impact of last season’s backline. Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, and Illia Zabarnyi were key to Bournemouth’s ninth-place finish in the Premier League but have now moved to Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain for big fees.
Partington said the Cherries need at least two new central defenders who can perform at the same high level as Zabarnyi and Huijsen. Without that, he believes chasing European qualification this season will be tough. Speaking on the Cherries: Unpicked podcast, he admitted the current back four has quality but lacks the proven strength of last season’s defence.
While he praised the club for securing strong transfer fees, he warned that replacing three vital players would be a major challenge. Bournemouth’s recruitment team has a track record of finding talented but lesser-known players who become top performers.
Partington said losing three key defenders is ‘good business’ financially, but the real test will be whether the replacements can help the team match or improve on last year’s results.
England’s top cricket batter, Joe Root, has responded to a playful pre-Ashes jab from Australia’s David Warner. Warner joked that Root needs to ‘take the surfboard off his front leg,’ referring to Root’s occasional leg-before-wicket (lbw) dismissals.
Root brushed it off, calling it ‘all part of the fun,’ and said he’s more focused than ever on finally scoring his first Test century in Australia.
Root will be central to England’s Ashes campaign in November, as they seek their first win since 2015. With over 150 Test caps and 537 runs in five Tests against India this summer, he feels ready. He is ranked second among all-time Test run-scorers.
He admits past Ashes tours were marred by distractions, from captaincy pressures to COVID-19 rules and off-field incidents. This time, Root wants to enjoy the experience, focus on his game, and help England win their first Ashes in Australia.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) claimed its first UEFA Super Cup title after a thrilling comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur in Udine, Italy, on Wednesday, August 13. The match ended 2-2 before the Parisians edged the penalty shoot-out 4-3.
The Spurs looked in full control after taking a 2-0 lead, with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero netting goals before and right after half-time. Spurs were organised in defence and quick on the field, which left PSG chasing the game.
However, it was a substitute with Lee Kang-In that rewarded the Parisians late in the game. He scored a long-range goal in the 85th minute, as Gonçalo Ramos powered in an equaliser from Ousmane Dembélé’s right-wing cross, which forced penalties.
In the shoot-out, the Spurs fell behind as van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed their attempts to lead. PSG showed the opposite, with Nuno Mendes sealing the 4-3 win.
Club captain Marquinhos praised his side’s strong will to fight through the right calls. PSG’s win also made history as they are the first French club ever to lift the Super Cup trophy.
Esports has seen its fair share of match-fixing scandals, like the iBuyPower scandal in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Esports are facing it again with League of Legends team FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) and their jungler Cai ‘milkyway’ Zi-Jun.
Reports of match-fixing during the 2024 Demacia Cup are the reason behind his suspension. On August 11, 2025, FPX announced that the team received a report that milkyway did not follow the rules. They are getting ahead of the issue, as he was not an FPX player during the event.
This event took place in Shanghai, China, from December 19–29, 2024, and featured teams from the LPL, LDL, and other invited teams. The issue stems from milkyway playing for RNG in December 2024, as he only joined FPX again in July 2025. If the reports are confirmed, he could face a lifetime ban from the League of Legends esports scene.
