what to remember (also) from the sports weekend

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Yes, the women’s XV of France has again broken its teeth on these cursed English women in the final of the Six Nations Tournament in an unprecedented format. The defeat is short (10-6) since it is the eighth in a row against the Red Roses.

Yes, for the second year in a row, Julian Alaphilippe was beaten in the sprint by a Slovenian rider at the finish of Liège-Bastogne-Liège: after Primoz Roglic, in 2020, it was Tadej Pogacar who beat him on Sunday.

Yes, in Ligue 1, it’s Lille, overthrowing in Lyon (3-2), which occupies the first place in the standings with one point ahead of PSG, and two over Monaco, four days from the end of the championship .

But something else happened this weekend that you might have missed.

The three weekend lessons

  • At the Giro, you will turn your back
Thibaut Pinot believes that

He may have Italy pegged and tattooed on his body (“Solo la vittoria è bella”, translate “only victory is beautiful”, is written on his right forearm), Thibaut Pinot said no to the next Giro (du May 8 to 30), his goal for the season, however. Blame it on that damn back. Since his fall at the very start of the Tour de France 2020, the Groupama-FDJ climber has been dealing with pain.

This decision follows a Tour of the Alps that the French judge “Catastrophic” with a 60e place in the general classification. “It’s not even a question of form, but back pain prevents me from performing”, continues Pinot, in a statement released by his team on Saturday. The runner must pass new exams during the week to know the exact nature of his illness. For the moment, participation in the Tour de France seems excluded.

PSG player Alana Cook (right) equalizes against FC Barcelona in the semi-final first leg of the Women's Champions League.

In the semi-final first leg of the Women’s Champions League, PSG failed to win Sunday at home against FC Barcelona and had to settle for a draw (1-1). The “fault”, in particular, to Jennifer Hermoso, a former striker of the Parisian club (season 2017-2018), who opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute. The Spaniard, who became the best cobouteuse in the League, grabbed a good center to put the ball in the net and, throughout the match, tormented the Parisian defense.

PSG equalized thanks to a goal from the American Alana Cook, usually a substitute. Subsequently, the Parisians have mostly suffered the technical actions and the pressing of the Barcelona women. They have failed to reverse the balance of power.

With its victory in the quarter-finals against Olympique Lyonnais (2-1), five-time defending champion, PSG will have to surpass themselves for the return match in Barcelona. On its Twitter account, the FC Barcelona women’s team can already be seen in “FINAAAAAAL! “. It will take place on May 16, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Jorge Masvidal (right) was knocked out by Kamaru Usman the second time the fight resumed.

Nigerian MMA fighter Kamaru Usman retains his title of world champion in the welterweight category. From a lightning right in the face, he sprayed on Saturday night at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, the American star Jorge Masvidal.

The latter, after having sketched a provocative smile, was knocked out – a first since his UFC debut in 2008 – from the second resumption of their fight. The Nigerian champion defended his world champion belt for the fourth time. In July 2020, the 33-year-old fighter had already won against Masvidal and inflicted his first defeat. This Saturday in Jacksonville, he recorded his fourteenth consecutive victory.

The weekend figure

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Like the age of the French Prithika Pavade. Born in 2004, the licensee of the Saint-Denis club was the great hope of French table tennis for Paris 2024. But the teenager anticipated the call to validate her ticket for the next Olympic Games in Tokyo (23 July-8 August). Saturday in Guimaraes (Portugal), the table tennis player lined up the victories against opponents better classified than she during the qualifying tournament of which she was the youngest.

“The Olympics are the major tournament, I did not expect to achieve it so soon”, she commented, in English, at the microphone of the European Table Tennis Union. Often outclassed, Pavade was crowned European Under-21 Champion in 2020 at the age of… 15 years old. In Japan, she will be able to benefit from the experience of the other qualified Frenchwoman, Jia Nan Yuan, 35 years old and a career that began long before the birth of her compatriot.

The weekend video

You can be the best rally driver in the world and have a trivial traffic accident with a Sunday driver. At the time of getting to the start of the first special of the third day of Rally Croatia, Sunday, Sébastien Ogier was struck by a car overtaking him on his right in a lane reserved for buses.

In a hurry not to miss the start of the special, the seven-time world champion did not have time to make a statement or answer questions from the local police. Despite the right door of his damaged Toyota, the Frenchman then won this rally by six tenths of a second ahead of his teammate, the Welshman Elfyn Evans.

A victory yet to be confirmed, the FIA ​​stewards could sanction the Frenchman for his behavior during the morning’s incident. Will the investigation tell if Ogier had put on his turn signal before turning?

The declaration of the weekend

“Racist behavior is unacceptable, and the appalling abuse of players on social media cannot continue. There is an urgent need for these companies to do more to eradicate racial hatred online. “

English Premier League and second division clubs as well as those of the Women’s Super League will boycott the networks for three days next weekend to protest against the racist insults to which their players are victims on these platforms. forms, announced on Saturday, Richard Masters, the CEO of the Premier League.

The weekend quiz

Alexander Pedro