Martin Odegaard believes his “amazing” midfield partner Declan Rice is already proving his worth after Arsenal eased into the Champions League knockout stages. England international Rice, a £105million summer signing from West Ham, was among a host of standout performers as the Gunners secured top spot in Group B with a 6-0 demolition of French club Lens. Arsenal captain Odegaard has been impressed with the instant impact and consistency of his 24-year-old team-mate, who has been ever-present in the Premier League and Europe this term. “It’s brilliant – I think he’s been amazing since he came here,” the Norway international said of Rice. “Every game he’s showing his qualities. He’s a great player, a great guy, so a great addition to the squad.” Rice was afforded a rest for the final 15 minutes on Wednesday evening as in-form Arsenal won their pool with a fixture to spare, four days after going top of the Premier League. Odegaard volleyed home the last of the rampant hosts’ five first-half goals against last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up before Rice’s replacement Jorginho converted a late penalty to complete the rout. The former Real Madrid playmaker says the Gunners are constantly striving to produce statement performances. “Every time we play we want to send a message,” said Odegaard. “Of course, we want to win every time we play and we want to put on performances like this. “The way we started the game was brilliant. We had complete control of the game with the ball. We played with a really high rhythm and intensity and we were effective in front of goal. “The last few games we’ve been really good defensively and we wanted to show even more on the ball and to get some more goals as well. “We did that and we knew what we were playing for and we saw the motivation and the hunger out there.”

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YouTube star KSI beat Joe Fournier with a controversial knockout on Saturday, finishing the former professional boxer with an accidental elbow. KSI, 29, landed the bigger punches throughout the first round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Arena, and he tagged Fournier, 40, with a huge overhand right in Round 2. That was followed by an attempted right hook, with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) instead making contact with his elbow. The strike sent Fournier tumbling to the canvas and left him staring up at the ceiling, unable to beat the referee’s count. In a post-fight interview, KSI denied that he had stopped his fellow Briton with his elbow, before calling Tommy Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. KSI’s controversial win was his fourth straight KO victory in as many exhibition bouts. The YouTube star, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, previously fought Logan Paul twice, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – is best known for his time as a contestant on Love Island, but he is also unbeaten as a pro boxer. The 24-year-old outpointed Logan Paul’s brother Jake in February. No fight between KSI and Fury has been scheduled, and for some time KSI has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. Jake Paul has gone 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Fournier LIVE: Latest Misfits boxing match ends in chaos as KSI wins with controversial knockout KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd

A 6-year-old horse died after being injured in a race at Belmont Park ahead of next week’s Triple Crown finale in New York

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