Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Color me shocked that the Sixers were able to give the Knicks a scare without Joel Embiid.
In today’s SI:AM:
⚾ Ohtani’s hot pitching start
🏇 Trouble for Triple Crown
⛳ Rory’s different approach
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Get ready to be a soccer fan
This is going to be a great appetizer before a summer full of World Cup soccer.
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are set to face off in the UEFA Champions League final later this month after they prevailed in their semifinal matches this week. The Gunners defeated Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, while PSG held off Bayern Munich yesterday.
The semifinals were a perfect illustration of the two teams’ vastly different styles of play. Arsenal and Atléti played to a 1–1 draw in the first leg last week before Arsenal ground out a 1–0 win in the second leg to win on aggregate. By contrast, PSG and Bayern played a wild 5–4 first leg in Paris last week, and then PSG punched its ticket to the final with a 1–1 draw on Wednesday. The final will be played at noon ET on May 30.
Arsenal has faced criticism this season for its style of play under manager Mikel Arteta, due to an unusually high number of the team’s goals coming from corners and free kicks. Arteta has repeatedly dismissed complaints about the way his team plays, though.
“I hear completely the opposite, all around Europe that we are the most exciting team in Europe,” the manager said in February. In March, he suggested that fans seeking “beautiful football” might be better served watching competitions other than the Premier League.
Whatever the aesthetic complaints, there’s no denying that Arteta’s style has gotten results. Arsenal is in first place in the Premier League, five points ahead of second-place Manchester City with three games left to play. The Gunners have not won the league since 2004 but finished second in each of the past three seasons (twice behind Manchester City and once behind Liverpool). And it’s been just as long since Arsenal performed this well in the Champions League. The club’s only other appearance in the final came in 2006, when it lost to Barcelona. Last year marked just the third time Arsenal had even advanced as far as the semifinal.
PSG is very familiar with the long wait for a European trophy. Les Parisiens have dominated the French domestic league since being purchased by the government of Qatar in 2011 but had to wait until last year for their big continental breakthrough. PSG finally lifted the Champions League trophy last season after a 5–0 win over Inter Milan in the final. Now, the club will seek to become just the second team in Champions League history to win back-to-back titles. (Real Madrid won three in a row from 2016 to ’18.)
Even if you’re not a huge soccer fan, the Champions League final is always a must-watch event. It’s a winner-take-all game on a Saturday afternoon for the most prestigious trophy in club soccer. You might not have been paying attention to the Champions League since it started in September, but the final can serve as a kickoff to a great summer of soccer. The opening day of the World Cup is less than two weeks later, on June 11.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- As the last player standing from the 2010 draft class, Dallas Wings forward Alysha Clark has seen many versions of the WNBA. Emma Baccellieri writes that after fighting at the table for a new CBA, the league’s oldest player gets to enjoy its most fruitful era yet.
- Olivia Miles has been a member of the Lynx for only a few weeks, but the No. 2 pick is already fitting right in. Madison Williams dives into the rookie point guard’s rapid transition to the WNBA ahead of her regular-season debut Sunday.
- Tom Verducci breaks down how Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has gotten off to a historic start on the mound.
- Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t race in the Preakness Stakes. Pat Forde explains the sport is failing its stars with an outdated Triple Crown schedule.
- Matt Verderame hands out his AFC West grades, with a surprise team receiving the highest mark.
- Rory McIlroy says winning his second Masters title felt different, which has helped him refocus for the summer portion of the season, writes Bob Harig.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. A rare two-run sacrifice fly to give the Reds the lead over the Cubs in the ninth inning.
4. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game-tying homer for Chicago in the bottom of the ninth. (The Cubs eventually won on a walk-off walk.)
3. Devin Vassell’s wacky shot to beat the shot clock, where he caught the pass already in the air.
2. Jalen Brunson’s clutch jumper over a much taller defender late in the Knicks’ win over the Sixers.
1. Kirby Dach’s goal for the Canadiens while falling to the ice. (That was a rare bright spot for Montreal in a 4–2 loss to the Sabres.)
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