The Sportsletter - Real Real Special ⚽️

BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 3, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

The matchups for the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals are officially set. And now, we wait… For a whole week? Game 1s are 3-5 days away (sigh). Good thing our friends across the pond are staying busy. It’s a Euro Trip in today’s edition as we unpack the Champions League legacy of Real Madrid and check on the favorites to begin Week 2 at the French Open.

There’s a little something for everyone in today’s rundown. Thanks for spending your mornings with us.

Letter Rip!

  CHAMPIONS LEAGUE   

Real Real Special 🏆

Photo: NurPhoto / Getty Images

Real Madrid Come Alive Late to Beat Borussia Dortmund (2-0) & Win 15th Champions League Crown (Sign Kylian Mbappe 1 Day Later)

Real Madrid, the all-time winningest team in UEFA Champions League history, added to their legacy on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. But it wasn't without a fight. For the better part of one hour — 60 minutes of on-field action — the underdogs from Germany gave the titans from Spain everything they could handle in the UCL Final. Borussia Dortmund kept firing, swinging for the upset. One shot off the post, three one-on-ones parried away, and numerous chances left open. Real Madrid kept flinching, but clinging to life in a nil-nil game thanks to keeper Thibaut Courtois. Then the dam broke.

A mistake by Dortmund’s defense granted a corner-kick in the 74th minute — a header off the noggin of Dani Carvajal (74’) that propelled Los Blancos to a 1-0 lead and brought refuge to the favorites that had been outplayed. Dortmund spirits were palpably crushed as Madrid turned the pressure up. Another mistake in the backend just nine minutes later allowed Vinicius Junior (83’) to capitalize. A death blow if there ever was. This magic Cinderella run by Dortmund was special to watch, but not to be. Real Madrid remains a club of champions, and once more, for the 15th time, Europe’s ultimate juggernaut.

🏆 The Greatness is Real: Real Madrid's 15th Champions League title was also their sixth in the past 10 years. No other European club has won more than seven total (AC Milan). | All-Time UCL Titles by Team

Watch: Real Madrid Beat Dortmund (2-0) to Win 15th Champions League Crown

Kylian Mbappe → Real Madrid

As has long been expected, Kylian Mbappe reportedly signed his new contract with Real Madrid on Sunday. The former PSG star was linked to Madrid for over a year, and the club is expected to make a formal announcement this week. The French striker has 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 Ligue 1 matches. Pairing him with Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham could be one of the greatest triple threats ever seen on the pitch. The rich get richer…

Read More

FOX Sports: Real Madrid Tops Borussia Dortmund to Win 15th Champions League

NBC Sports: An Inevitable 15th Champions League, European Title for Real Madrid

The Athletic: Real Madrid Are Champions League Winners Once Again — And Their Power Only Looks Set to Grow

  TENNIS   

Paris Quarters Loading 🎾

Photo: Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images

Weekend Action Trimmed the Competition at the French Open, But Most (Or All) of the Big Stars Remain

It’s Week 2 in Paris, and the biggest stars in tennis are still swinging. An action-packed weekend at the French Open saw the fields dwindle from about 64-plus competitors to just eight by the end of tonight. Half of the quarterfinals are set with top players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic looks to add his name to the quarterfinal bracket this morning after a long, long night on Saturday. He needed five sets to finish off Lorenzo Musetti somewhere after 3:00 am local time. Only a handful of top-10 players have been eliminated, so Week 2 promises to bring some must-see matchups. Here’s the latest:

Notable Top-10 Knockouts

W: #7 Qinwen Zheng

M: #6 Andrey Rublev / #8 Hubert Hurkacz

Women’s Singles (4th Round)

#1 I. Swiatek def. A. Potapova (6-0, 6-0)

#3 C. Gauff def. E. Cocciaretto (6-1, 6-2)

Men’s Singles (4th Round)

#3 C. Alcaraz def. #21 F. Auger-A (6-3, 6-3, 6-1)

#9 S. Tsitsipas def. M. Arnaldi (3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2)

Today’s Schedule (Notable Matches)

W: #4 E. Rybakina vs. #15 E. Svitolina (5:00 am ET)

W: #2 A. Sabalenka vs. #22 E. Navarro (6:15 am ET)

M: #1 N. Djokovic vs. #23 F. Cerundolo (10:00 am ET)

M: #4 A. Zverev vs. #13 H. Rune (2:15 pm ET)

Read More

AP: No Marathons as Swiatek & Gauff Sprint Into French Open Quarters

Yahoo! Sports: Novak Djokovic Outlasts Lorenzo Musetti After 3am in Latest-Ever French Open Finish

  STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS   

Cup Clash Ready

Photo: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images

Panthers & Oilers Close Out Conference Finals (4-2 Each) to Meet in Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals are set, but it'll be five days until we drop the puck. After a pair of Game 6s on Saturday and Sunday — both decided by 2-1 score lines — the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are into the finals. The Panthers closed out the East on Saturday night thanks to Vladimir Tarasenko’s third-period insurance goal and another stellar one-goal-allowed performance from Sergei Bobrovsky in net (23 saves). On Sunday, the Oilers finished off the Stars out West with a Connor McDavid special (1G, 1A) and a celebration in front of the home crowd. Edmonton will attempt to be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Fun times are ahead, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday for Game 1.

Fun Fact: The distance between Miami and Edmonton (2,541 miles) will be the furthest between two cities in Stanley Cup Finals history.

Eastern Conference Finals

Gm 6: Panthers def. Rangers (2-1)

FLA Wins Series (4-2)

Western Conference Finals

Gm 6: Oilers def. Stars (2-1)

EDM Wins Series (4-2)

Stanley Cup Finals

Gm 1: Oilers at Panthers (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

Read More

NHL: Instant Reaction: Oilers Advance to Cup Final With McDavid’s Highlight-Reel Goal

ESPN: Stanley Cup Final Preview: Players to Watch, Goalie Confidence Levels, Top Trends & More

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Yankees Sweep Giants With Juan Soto’s 2 HRs

Rangers’ Corey Seager Extends Hit Streak (14 Gms)

D-Backs’ Ketel Marte Has Huge Day (3-for-3, 2 HRs)

⚽️ Soccer

Pachuca Thrash Columbus Crew (3-0)

Surprise Result in Concacaf Champions Cup Final

USWNT Shut Out South Korea (4-0)

Emma Hayes Era Starts With a Bang

⛳️ Golf

LPGA: Yuka Saso (-4) Wins 2nd U.S. Women’s Open

1 of 2 Players Under Par for the Tournament

PGA: Robert MacIntyre (-16) Wins RBC Canadian Open

Holds Off Sunday Surge from Griffin (-15) & Perez (-14)

🥎 Softball World Series

#1 Texas def. #4 Florida (10-0)

#2 Oklahoma def. #6 UCLA (1-0)

#8 Stanford def. #6 UCLA (3-1)

#4 Florida def. #14 Alabama (6-4)

#1 Texas & #2 Oklahoma (0 Losses)

#4 Florida & #8 Stanford Still Remain

🥊 UFC 302

Islam Makhachev Retains Lightweight Belt

5th-Round Submission of Dustin Poirier

🏀 WNBA

Sun def. Dream (69-50)

Connecticut Still Perfect (8-0)

Lynx def. Wings (87-76)

Napheesa Collier Has Huge Night (24 pts, 14 rebs)

Fever def. Sky (71-70)

Chennedy Carter’s Off-Ball Foul on Caitlin Clark Goes Viral

  NEWS   📰 

⛳️ Fan at RBC Canadian Open Gets to Caddie for C.T. Pan After Regular Caddie’s Injury (ESPN)

🥊 Mike Tyson’s Fight With Jake Paul Postponed After Health Scare on Flight (FOX Sports)

🏈 Resolution of Falcons & Eagles Tampering Cases ‘Likely to Come This Week’ (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Deion Sanders’ Son Files for Bankruptcy For $11 Million in Debt Stemming From 2015 (CBS Sports)

🏀 Angel Reese Earns 1st WNBA Fine for Not Speaking to Media After Sky-Fever Game (SI)

🏈 Commanders Release Kicker Brandon McManus After Sexual Assault Accusations (CBS Sports)

🏅 Simone Biles Wins Record 9th All-Around Title at U.S. Championships Ahead of Paris Olympics (B/R)

⚾️ Division III Baseball Team Making World Series Run Representing School That No Longer Exists (USA Today)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🎾 French Open (4th Round)

W: #4 E. Rybakina vs. #15 E. Svitolina (5:00 am ET)

W: #2 A. Sabalenka vs. #22 E. Navarro (6:15 am ET)

M: #1 N. Djokovic vs. #23 F. Cerundolo (10:00 am ET)

M: #4 A. Zverev vs. #13 H. Rune (2:15 pm ET)

🥎 Softball World Series (Semifinals)

#2 Oklahoma vs. #4 Florida (Noon ET, ESPN)

#1 Texas vs. #8 Stanford (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)

⚾️ MLB

Brewers at Phillies (6:40 pm ET, MLBTV)

Orioles at Blue Jays (7:07 pm ET, ESPN+)

Giants at D-Backs (9:40 pm ET, FS1)

  POLL   📊

NBA Finals Picks

The NBA Finals are set! It’s Mavericks vs. Celtics, and it all starts on Thursday. Boston has 17 banners, but they’ve been left hanging in the search for No. 18. Dallas has one championship — that time Dirk Nowitzki stunned Miami’s Big 3 in 2011 — but the Luka Doncic era is heating up. It’s a backcourt dream with delightful matchups across the board. Who are you taking? (click to vote)

🐴 Dallas Mavericks

🍀 Boston Celtics

We'll share our team's picks and the results in tomorrow's edition.

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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