Cardiff City’s Emiliano Sala was on missing plane, French authorities say

• Flight from Nantes to Cardiff missing over Channel
• Sala signed for Cardiff for £15m last Saturday

Emiliano Sala, the Argentinian footballer who signed for Cardiff City last Saturday, was on a private plane that disappeared near the Channel Islands on Monday evening, the French civil aviation authority has said.

A small plane – a Piper Malibu – travelling from Nantes to Cardiff went missing near the Casquets lighthouse, with Sala one of two people on board.

Rafael Nadal v Frances Tiafoe: Australian Open quarter-final – live!

Petra Kvitova beats Ashleigh Barty: Australian Open quarter-final – as it happened

Petra Kvitova proved too strong for the home hope Ashleigh Barty in an impressive 6-1, 6-4 victory

10.20am GMT

From the Press Association:

Petra Kvitova ended hopes of a home singles champion at the Australian Open with a crushing victory over Ashleigh Barty in the quarter-finals.

10.10am GMT

Here’s the Nadal v Tiafoe liveblog. See you there. Bye!

Rugby still has room for unorthodox magic to prevail in Six Nations | Robert Kitson

Stuart Barnes’ latest book is a timely reminder before the 2019 Six Nations of how the unexpected can be decisive

The language of rugby has changed hugely in the past quarter of a century. What used to be a tackle is now a big hit and wingers have wheels or gas as opposed to pace. The term dummy scissors belongs in a museum, along with garryowens and argy-bargy. Naughty feet, game-changers, taking the learnings and going upstairs are rather more commonplace now than sidesteps, replacements, mud-baths or players drinking bottles of red to help them sleep better on the eve of major internationals.

It partly explains why Stuart Barnes’s new book, Sketches from Memory, is such a thought-provoking read. As a commentator and pundit, few wrestle with rugby’s modern lexicon on a more regular basis than Barnesy, never one to employ a cliché where a smart literary reference might do instead. The former Bath and England fly-half writes as he once played: dull orthodoxy remains his sworn enemy. His latest tome, typically, is not just any old rugby book. From Bob Dylan to Bath and Shakespeare to Sky, there is something for everyone in its honest, trenchant revealing and, occasionally, poetic pages.

Stefanos Tsitsipas extends Australian Open fairytale by beating Bautista Agut

• Tsitsipas wins 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) to reach semi-final
• The 20-year-old will play Nadal or Tiafoe in the last four

Danielle Collins continues Australian Open run to reach semi-finals

• American beats Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets
• Collins reaches her first grand slam semi-final in Melbourne

Danielle Collins continued her remarkable grand slam breakthrough by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her first semi-final at the Australian Open.

The 25-year-old American arrived at Melbourne Park having never won a match in the main draw of a slam but recovered from a set down to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 16 minutes.

Five West Indies players to watch against England

From Roston Chase to Shimron Hetmyer, the players who could give England problems during the forthcoming Test series

Spin-bowling all-rounder who has been outscored by only Kraigg Brathwaite over the 30 months since his Test debut. He disappointed on the tour of England in 2017, when he averaged 13.33 in six innings, but stood out in last year’s trip to India, where he averaged 46.25, scored a century – the only one in his last 30 Test innings – in Hyderabad and was his team’s most consistent player. “He’s a quality player,” says the former West Indies head coach, Stuart Law. “I think he understands spin. They face a lot of spin back in the Caribbean. He has a long reach and he’s a clean striker of the ball. He has worked hard against pace and it’s not a weakness any more, it has started becoming a strength.” The 26-year-old is increasingly unlikely to be seen with the ball in his hand, though: Chase bowled at least 30 overs in four of his first five Tests, but has not done so since Headingley in 2017 and these days rarely gets into double figures.

Ronaldo agrees to pay €19m fine to settle tax fraud case

Juventus footballer pleads guilty after agreeing to fine and suspended sentence in Madrid court

The Portugal and Juventus footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted committing tax fraud while playing for Real Madrid and agreed to pay an €18.8m (£16.5m) fine after striking a deal with prosecutors and tax authorities in return for a 23-month suspended prison sentence.

Paul Pogba’s ‘pace and power’ stresses need for rethink over BAME coverage | Sachin Nakrani

Language used to describe Frenchman’s revival highlights importance of the debate sparked by Raheem Sterling

Championship promotion race: who’s heading up and who’s missing out? | Ben Fisher

Leeds have set the pace but the chasing pack are closing and the race to reach the Premier League is hotting up

Ever since Marcelo Bielsa took charge last summer the fear, in some quarters at least, was that Leeds would fail to last the distance – or that ‘El Loco’, a headline appointment, might himself not finish the season in charge. The early pacesetters, Leeds now face the true litmus test given they have lost four of their last five games. They have coped admirably with injuries, strengthening their goalkeeping options with Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid, while the next generation have flourished, none more so than Jack Clarke. Until the turn of the year there were no blemishes but Bielsa’s spying revelations have brought with them even greater scrutiny. So far Bielsa and Leeds – a sleeping giant in every sense – have proved a match made in heaven, a glorious cocktail, though the next four gruelling months represent the final hurdle.

Transfer window January 2019 – every deal from Europe's top five leagues

All the latest deals and club-by-club guides for the top divisions in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany

Marc Skinner: ‘Orlando Pride are mesmerising. It’s a different level’

After leaving his beloved Birmingham, the young manager is relishing working with global stars such as Marta and Morgan

“I asked the guys if I could just spend a little bit of time in the middle of the pitch to visualise what the players go through.”

Standing in front of 25,500 purple seats, the new Orlando Pride manager Marc Skinner paused to drink it all in. It is a world away from Solihull Moors’ 3,050‑capacity Damson Park, where his former club, Birmingham City women, ply their trade.

Rise of the TV rules analysts shows the NFL has a problem

Former officials were picking over controversial decisions on Championship Sunday, a sign that things had gone badly awry for the league

Here is one statistic you won’t find in the official game book from Sunday’s AFC Championship Game: it took 59 minutes in real time to complete the last eight minutes and 39 seconds of the fourth quarter. All the more time for ad breaks selling pickup trucks and building drama with men who have become central to NFL broadcasts, the “rules analysts.”

The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots combined to score 31 points in that span, but the game was also stopped four times so critical plays could be reviewed by the replay official. The longest stretch came when play grinded to a halt for seven minutes while officials reviewed New England receiver Justin Edelman’s apparent muffed handling of a punt, which the Chiefs, trailing 17-14 at the time, recovered at the New England 28-yard line.

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson to stake England claim with overdue first cap

• Robson is one of only two scrum-halves in Six Nations squad
• ‘Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can cement my place’

For a sense of just how long overdue Dan Robson’s first England cap is, Dai Young’s explanation for taking him off in the latter stages of Wasps’ defeat by Leinster on Sunday is revealing. “I wouldn’t live with myself if he got a bump in the last 12 minutes.”

Granted Wasps’ European campaign was long since over at the point Robson made way but Young is in the majority in thinking his scrum-half’s international debut ought to have come some time ago. It would probably have arrived last autumn, only for an ankle injury to rule him out of England’s entire campaign, but as one of only two scrum-halves in Eddie Jones’s Six Nations squad it will surely come against Ireland.

Warren Gatland may coach in Premiership again after Wales farewell

• ‘I have had a couple of discussions,’ says Wales head coach
• Gatland enjoyed success coaching Wasps in 2000s

Warren Gatland, who ends his 12-year association with Wales at the end of the World Cup, has held discussions about his next full-time job and has not ruled out a return to the Premiership where he enjoyed a trophy-rich period with Wasps in the 2000s.

Gatland is preparing for his final Six Nations as Wales head coach. He had intended to take a few months off after the World Cup before deciding his future but, as a coach with a winning record at Wasps, Waikato and Wales, he was always going to be sounded out early. As one of the highest paid coaches in the world, he will not come cheap but Premiership clubs come armed with cash from a private equity company.

Saints 'unfairly deprived' of Super Bowl place by missed call, says team owner

Moeen Ali makes peace with role as England’s sole spinner in West Indies

• ‘I can’t hide behind saying I’m second spinner. I need to face it’
• Moeen: 2015 Barbados Test was worst I’ve bowled for England

Moeen Ali has made peace with his role in this England Test team, insisting it is time to stop hiding behind the tag of second spinner and accept he is No 1.

The 31-year-old all-rounder has long held ambitions to play as a batsman first, while England have also tried to ease the pressure on his bowling by selecting a another spinner in the side where possible.

Sam Stosur edges closer to elusive home success in Australian Open doubles

• Australian and Zhang Shuai move into semi-final
• Stosur already has two major doubles titles to her name

Samantha Stosur is two wins away from her first grand slam title in eight years after reaching the Australian Open women’s doubles semi-final. Playing with China’s Zhang Shuai, the pair upset top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4). The Czech duo are the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champions.

With a career high No 4 ranking in singles, winning the 2011 US Open title, Stosur has two major women’s doubles titles but lost the only final she reached at Melbourne Park in 2006. Her last doubles crown came at the French Open in 2006, partnering American Lisa Raymond.

Novak Djokovic sees off Medvedev to set up Nishikori battle at Australian Open

• Djokovic into last eight with 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 win
• Nishikori beats Carreño Busta, Raonic defeats Zverev

If the guard is changing at the summit of tennis, it is doing so slowly and without conviction, as Novak Djokovic steps into the void left by the departure of Roger Federer. After eight days of the fortnight the world No 1 is again instilling fear into his side of the draw, as he lurks – fit, seasoned and determined – three matches away from a record seventh Australian Open title.

From Blissett to Bendtner: eight of football’s most unlikely transfers

In light of the transfer of Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo to Barcelona, here are eight unlikely transfers with mixed results that raised eyebrows in the football world

Shai Hope aims to beat the England team he might have played for

West Indies batsman says playing for England crossed his mind but he is happy to inspire Caribbean cricketers instead

Shai Hope made his debut against England at the Kensington Oval four years ago and has since risen to become the West Indian batsman of whom they are truly wary.

A Test average of 28 might not suggest such but after those sparkling twin hundreds at Headingley in 2017 – the only time in the ground’s 129-year first-class history – the tourists know full well the numbers are misleading. What they may not be aware of, however, is that Hope once briefly considered throwing his lot in with them.

Tom Brady was already the greatest QB of all time – now he's just rubbing it in

The New England Patriots quarterback stepped up with his team’s season on the line and time running out on Sunday. Then he did it again in overtime

Did you feel the inevitability? Tom Brady in overtime, needing to put together a drive to win the game and send the New England Patriots to their ninth Super Bowl. And, of course, he delivered, because Brady always delivers. He marched his team down the field with the confidence and presence of the greatest to ever play quarterback.

Rugby union: talking points from the European Champions Cup

Dan Robson’s display is silver lining for Wasps, Tadhg Beirne outmuscles Exeter while Saracens look Leinster’s biggest threat

Dan Robson’s performance for Wasps was one of the few shining lights on what was a difficult day for the home side, even if they avoided the thrashing they received in Dublin. He looks back to the kind of form he began the season in before the injury that denied him a first cap in autumn struck.Robson’s try, selling Andrew Porter a fine dummy before racing to the line, was a demonstration of what he can bring, most likely off the bench, for England and Eddie Jones, who was watching in the stands. Bath can take heart from their performance in a scrappy match at Toulouse, even if the French side may have had a reason to avoid pressing for the bonus points. Both English sides have much to do in the Premiership, though, so will be somewhat relieved that forgettable European campaigns are over. Gerard Meagher

Rio Ferdinand: ‘I used to drink 10 pints then move on to vodka’

Since retiring, the former England footballer has campaigned against Brexit and knife crime, and made a moving documentary about the death of his wife. Now he has embarked on a health business – but is it credible?

Rio Ferdinand has experienced terrible loss in recent years. In 2015, his wife and the mother of his three children, Rebecca Ellison, died of cancer aged 34. Then in 2017 his mother, Janice St Fort, died from cancer too, aged 58. Now, he says, he is doing anything he can to ensure he and his children are not prematurely bereaved again.

So perhaps it is not surprising to find the former footballer promoting a DNA kit that claims to pinpoint the personalised exercise and nutrition needed for a longer life. Ferdinand is 40 now, and looks even stronger than he did when he was one of the best defenders in the world, an imposing, beautifully balanced ball-playing centre back who won 81 England caps and six Premier League titles with Manchester United. He is certainly bigger – 16kg (2st 7lb) heavier, a brick wall of a man, with arms like surfboards.

Football transfer rumours: Bayern Munich to move for Rabbi Matondo?

Today’s rumours are taking the strain

Rumours of players staying put are never that exciting, we know that. You come here for big-money talk, hot gossip of signings emerging from the leftfield. But we can’t just play to the gallery, and the top line today concerns Eden Hazard, who is now thinking of signing a new contract at Chelsea, perhaps buoyed by the impending arrival of Gonzalo Higuaín.

Manchester United won’t satisfy your crazed lust for fresh meat either. They’re mainly concerned with tying down both Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial to new deals, you see, with the pair willing to talk now the gaff has been decontaminated. Scott McTominay has already put pen to paper on a spanking new contract as well, upping the current feelgood factor at Old Trafford to 11.

Millwall close to agreement with council over deal to stay at The Den

• Club now working on its own plans to transform the stadium
• There were fears Millwall would be forced out of Bermondsey

Millwall Football Club is close to reaching an agreement with its local authority, Lewisham, that would see the club stay in its south London home. The club is now working on its own plans to transform the stadium and the land around it.

Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín to miss rest of season with ruptured cruciate ligament

• Defender injured during win over Chelsea on Saturday
• Player waiting to learn if there is further damage

Héctor Bellerín’s season is over after he was diagnosed with a ruptured cruciate knee ligament and the Arsenal right-back faces a battle to be fit for the beginning of the next campaign.

Kevin-Prince Boateng completes surprise loan move to Barcelona

• Barça confirm forward’s arrival with €8m purchase option
• Former Spurs and Portsmouth forward joins from Sassuolo

Kevin-Prince Boateng has joined Barcelona in a shock move from the Italian side Sassuolo. The La Liga leaders have announced the arrival of Boateng on an initial loan deal with the option for an €8m (£7.05m) permanent move in the summer.

Barcelona confirmed the forward’s arrival shortly after Boateng told reporters in Italy that the transfer was complete. The 31-year-old will sign his contract on Tuesday before a photo session and press conference at Camp Nou.

Seething Sarri, Liverpool win again and a slide-tackling fan – Football Weekly

Parkinson unhappy with Bolton fans over protests before loss to West Brom

The Bolton manager, Phil Parkinson, urged supporters to stop their protests against the club’s owner, Ken Anderson, and get behind the team after another home defeat, their eighth of the season.

Huddersfield confirm appointment of Jan Siewert … with help from lookalike

• German, 36, succeeds David Wagner after departure
• Club announce arrival with ‘Martin from Wakefield’

Twenty-four hours after he was catapulted to fame when he was mistaken for Huddersfield Town’s new head coach, Martin Warhurst was back in the limelight on Monday as the chief executive of the Martin House hospice in Wetherby helped to announce the appointment of his doppelganger, Jan Siewert.

“Yes it’s Martin from Wakefield,” began Warhurst in a video released on social media by the club. “Oh you must have seen it? It was announced on Sky.”

Peter Bosz’s Bundesliga luck yet to turn as he makes Leverkusen bow | Andy Brassell

Even if the result irked against Mönchengladbach, there was a feeling of optimism for the new man at Bayer Leverkusen

It was a victory that was “somewhat flattering,” as Kicker put it, and even Borussia Mönchengladbach’s coach Dieter Hecking admitted his side were “a bit lucky”. Yet all it ultimately meant was that Peter Bosz returned to coaching in the Bundesliga as he had left it just over 13 months ago – with defeat, as he took the reins at Bayer Leverkusen.

It was rarely dull when the Dutchman was in charge at Borussia Dortmund, a short spell so out of kilter with current events that it’s almost as surreal as the extended period in which the leaders were glued to the foot of the table during Jürgen Klopp’s final campaign at the helm. If the evidence of his reintroduction to German football on Saturday afternoon is anything to go by, it is unlikely to be so this time either.

Jorge Molina and his remarkable road to the brink of Europe with Getafe | Sid Lowe

Right now, it’s not unrealistic to suggest Getafe’s well-travelled striker could contribute if he got the call to represent Spain

Jorge Molina set out in an old Seat 850, sitting proudly behind the wheel of a car that hadn’t come off the production line for 30 years and shuddered as it made its way down the road, so the journey was bound to take a while. It’s a long way from Alcoyano to Europe and the verge of the national team, after all, but he’s nearly there now. Looking up from the bottom of tercera division, the place where it all began around the turn of the century, 466 teams stand between you and the very top; looking up from the place where he and his team are this morning, almost 20 years on, long after he should have left, just five do. As for Molina himself, no one stands before him any more. That, at least, was the verdict of the Getafe fans this weekend.

A qualified teacher with a degree in PE, coaching badges and his sporting director’s licence, the man teammates say seems shy but does a great impression of the boss, supporters reckon Jorge Molina is qualified to play for Spain too. Which perhaps they would, but that doesn’t make them wrong. As he departed on Friday night with Getafe on course for a 4-0 win over Alavés, first he was handed a standing ovation and then he was serenaded, a song starting, “Jorge, selección!” running around the Coliseum and welcomed by everyone except maybe the man himself. Asked about it afterwards, he blushed a little, smiled awkwardly, almost laughed and looked away, as if embarrassed. “Nah,” he said. “It’s nice, and I’m happy, but that’s all. Let’s be realistic: I’m of an age now …”

'I surprised myself': Tsitsipas through to Australian Open semi-final – video

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 20-year-old from Greece, has extended his run at the Australian Open after beating Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets. Tsitsipas will face either Rafael Nadal or Frances Tiafoe on Thursday in his grand slam semi-final 

‘We'll fight again if you want’: Manny Pacquiao to Floyd Mayweather after Broner fight – video

Manny Pacquiao showed Saturday night he's still got plenty of fight for a someone on the wrong side of 40. Whether Pacquiao's dominating win over Adrien Broner gets him a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, though, is a question that will have to be answered another night. In a press conference after the match Pacquiao sent a message to Mayweather: ‘I’m still active, go back to the ring … challenge me, I'm a champion.’ With Mayweather watching from ringside, Pacquiao showed flashes of his old speed in winning a unanimous 12-round decision over Broner to easily defend his piece of the welterweight title

Maria Sharapova rebuffs questions on meldonium and booing after Australian Open exit – video

'Rashford is playing the best football in his career,' says Solskjær after United win – video

Chelsea players are 'extremely difficult to motivate', says Maurizio Sarri

'The boys are ready to fight,' says Jürgen Klopp after 4-3 win against Crystal Palace – video

The Liverpool manager said the main emotion after after a less than convincing display against Crystal Palace was relief. The Reds managed a 4-3 victory over Roy Hodgson's side, despite going down to 10-men after James Milner was dismissed. Liverpool remain top of the table

The Fiver | What happens next is the fun part

The Recap: sign up for the best of the Guardian's sport coverage

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The Fiver | A kind of softly moving statue by which to remember Arsène Wenger

Megavalanche, footballers dancing badly and a perfect 10 | Classic YouTube

Also featuring a full-court buzzer beater, some dire defending and a 1956 lap round Le Mans (including oncoming traffic)

David Squires on ... the Socceroos' progress at the Asian Cup

Our cartoonist reflects on Australia’s late win over Syria – and the tournament’s outrageously large accreditation lanyards

The Breakdown | Concentration of Ireland rugby talent leaves English trailing in Europe

Leinster – and the fast-rising Scottish sides – are packed full of internationals while Test players are spread more thinly across their Premiership and Top 14 rivals

The Premiership goes into the final round of the European Champions Cup group stage this weekend hunting a first victory over an Irish province in this season’s tournament. Its clubs have three opportunities: Ulster travel to Leicester, Leinster are away to Wasps and, in the one contest that has an outcome for both teams, Exeter have to become the fourth team to topple Munster at Thomond Park in the competition.

Which football teams doctored their playing surface to hinder opponents? | The Knowledge

David Squires on … football spying and Neil Warnock's Brexit views

Our cartoonist looks at the off-field stories dominating the headlines at Leeds, Derby, Cardiff … and Newcastle

Jasmin Paris’s feat of endurance was a welcome antidote to modern sport | Sean Ingle

The runner’s remarkable story evokes a bygone age of pushing at impossible boundaries for the sheer love of sport

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend's action

Unai Emery gets better of Maurizio Sarri, Mohamed Salah takes shine off his milestone and Riyad Mahrez victim of City’s power

Dakar Rally 2019: Sand, sea, helicopters and canines – in pictures

After 10 stages and more than 5,000 kilometres of brutal racing on a giant loop rally-route entirely in Peru, 70% of which was across desert, we bring you some of our favourite images from this year’s Dakar Rally

Stuart Lancaster: ‘I haven’t decided if I’ll go to watch England play Ireland’

The Leinster coach on the bruising aftermath of his 2015 England exit, finding fulfilment in Dublin and the pain of his father’s death