Jonathan Liew

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Liew

The winning moment is perfect. Perfect in concept, in balance, in execution, in placement, in flourish. The ball disappears through mid-on, and before it has even reached the boundary the lid is off and the smile is unsheathed, and for some reason it matters a great deal that the stroke to complete a towering one-day chase of 309 is not a wallop or a swipe, but an artful on-drive for four.

3 weeks ago | msn.com | Jonathan Liew

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3 weeks ago | msn.com | Jonathan Liew

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Liew

As Paris Saint-Germain clinched their first Champions League title, Luis Enrique’s thoughts turned to his late daughter. Six years ago Xana died of osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. She was nine. And at the moment when he scaled the peak of his coaching career, Luis Enrique paid tribute to the child who he said was “always in my heart”.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Liew

They stay just long enough to see the trophy lifted. Most have discarded their losing medals by the time the pyrotechnics go off and Marquinhos raises the European Cup into the muggy Munich night. There is a watery smattering of applause. Then, with a turn of pace so sadly lacking during the game itself, they turn and head for the tunnel, past a battalion of photographers whose lenses are facing in the opposite direction. What does it feel like to lose a Champions League final 5-0?