sporting

THE Cypriots have a saying: “We always survive.”

It is a mantra that echoes in my head as my golf ball makes a sickening plonk into the middle of a lake.

I’m hacking my way around Limassol Greens, the Mediterranean’s newest sporting crown jewel.

It only opened to the public in late 2025, but it is already making a splash (literally, in my case).

I might have lost three balls but the sun is out, the air is crisp and, true to the local spirit, I’ll survive.

The vibe is “modern luxury” from the second you pull up to the pristine clubhouse near Cyprus’s second city. We are greeted by smiley, attentive staff who make us feel more than welcome.

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My hired Callaway clubs appear brand new and the Trackman technology on the range ensures my swing is dialled in before I hit the first tee.

Once on the course, the tech stays with you. Our buggy comes equipped with a GPS screen that acts as both a sat nav directing us around the 71-par course and a digital caddie, calculating yardage to the pin.

Carved out of an old orange grove, the still course has some citrus trees around the perimeter.

This is Cyprus’s fifth course, meaning the island can truly claim to be a “golf destination” for holidaymakers.

Limassol Greens is curated by the same course designer as Aphrodite Hills, the best-known course on the island, and its mix of challenging holes coupled with forgiving fairways and fast-running greens means it may soon be challenging its more established neighbour for supremacy.

After 18 holes we retreat to clubhouse restaurant The Roost. It’s a bright sanctuary serving exactly the kind of high-protein fuel a weary golfer needs.

Another restaurant is under construction, suggesting that, like the golf course itself, Limassol Greens will only flourish with time.

I’m staying at the City Of Dreams Mediterranean resort, a five-minute transfer away.

Dominated by the lively casino at its heart, the 500-room hotel is a playground for adults and a fantastic base for playing golf.

My room was a masterclass in high-spec comfort, featuring a huge comfortable bed perfect for relaxing after hours out on the course.

The pièce de résistance? A free-standing bathtub separated from the bedroom by a glass wall.

You can soak in the suds while staring at the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

Keen to fuel up before heading out for 18 holes, the options and quality at breakfast are faultless.

The orange juice tastes as fresh as if it’s come from the groves by the golf course.

Among three premium restaurants is Prime Steakhouse, where I tackled a cut of wagyu steak imported from the US so tender it practically melted on the fork.

The next night, I swapped the steak knife for chopsticks at Amber Dragon.

The roasted duck truffle puffs — flaky, buttery and decadent — are the stars of the show.

The variation of food and inventive presentation make for a memorable evening.

The hotel provides free transfers to the popular Lady’s Mile beach during the summer months.

But I head to the spa instead. It exudes calmness with low lighting and soothing music.

I’ve booked an express treatment, with my masseuse happy to focus on my legs and shoulder, which are feeling achy after so much golf. While only 25 minutes long, I feel rejuvenated by the time I leave.

Even in January, the main city of Limassol — about 15 minutes from the hotel by taxi — feels alive. I took a breather from the greens to explore the historic centre.

While the medieval castle where Richard the Lionheart had his wedding is impressive, I was more captivated by the city’s feline residents.

Legend says St Helena imported 1,000 cats in the 4th century to hunt snakes. Today, their descendants rule the sun-drenched streets like royalty.

I finished my trip with a stroll along the marina as the sun dipped behind a forest of multi-million-pound yachts.

With a cold Keo beer in hand and the feel of a breeze blowing over the Mediterranean sea, I realised the Cypriots aren’t quite right. You don’t just survive here — you thrive.

Arsenal play out an unconvincing goalless draw at home with Sporting to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will meet Atletico Madrid.

MATCH REPORT: Champions League – Arsenal 0-0 Sporting (1-0 agg)

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Raya has kept the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues, with his 22 across all competitions four clear of Inter’s Yann Sommer.

The former Brentford goalkeeper has become a big presence at Arsenal and is part of the team’s leadership group.

He made a vital save to deny Maxi Araujo early on in Tuesday’s match, tipping a thumping strike on to the crossbar before making three saves late on to keep the tie level before Havertz’s winner.

“It’s something that I’m there for. I’m trying to help the team as much as possible in any single action, not just defending but commanding and on the ball,” Raya told Amazon Prime.

The clean sheet was Raya and Arsenal‘s seventh in the Champions League this season – the most of any goalkeeper and any side in the competition.

“That’s something we’ve worked on a lot. It’s so important for us, those clean sheets make it easier to win games. It showed tonight, scoring in the last minute and keeping that clean sheet decides those type of games,” Raya said.

The goalkeeper’s acrobatic saves are not the only impressive aspect of his game.

Raya is given a lot of responsibility with the ball at his feet and his passing range and decision-making make Arsenal a better attacking side.

“That’s the evolution of the game,” Arteta said. “The keeper in the last few years has changed and evolved rapidly, and the amount of things that we ask him to do, it’s a lot.

“But many positions have very similar situations and demands right now, and the players have to adapt to that.

“Apart from the qualities of David, the courage, the will to do certain things, that’s when you can reach another level.”

But the Gunners boss would not be drawn on if he thought that Raya was the best goalkeeper in the world.

“He’s extraordinary, magnificent, incredible,” Arteta said. “I don’t know the right adjective. We are so happy to have him.”

Raya has 15 clean sheets in 31 Premier League matches this season, the most in the division.

He shared the Golden Glove trophy with Nottingham Forest‘s Matz Sels in 2024-25 – but Arsenal will hope that if Raya lifts that personal accolade again, it will mean they have secured silverware as a team too.

When Arsenal face Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, there will be much more riding on the game than just a knockout match in Lisbon.

For many, this is where the Gunners need to show back-to-back defeats, against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and the damaging loss to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final, will not leak into their European and Premier League campaigns.

Arsenal have been tagged as the ‘nearly men’ under Mikel Arteta with three successive second-placed finishes in the Premier League in the last three seasons.

But the Gunners have played a ruthless style of football this season, which has seen them establish a nine-point lead in the Premier League, reach the final of one cup competition and, depending what happens in two legs against Sporting, at least the quarter-final stage of the two other cup campaigns they began.

Their style of play has been questioned at times but now it is the team’s mentality that is coming under the spotlight.

The Gunners have been so impressive this season that their defeats by City and Saints are the first time they have lost successive matches this campaign, while the loss on the south coast was just the fifth of the season.

But, with the Champions League and Premier League the top prizes for the Gunners, this is where Arteta needs to show the pain of coming so close in precious campaigns is not going to overwhelm his side as they look to win their first major trophy since 2020.

“Have some perspective about how difficult it is what we have done until now,” said Arteta, when asked how he and the team prevent a longer run of defeats.

“Feel the pain, feel the emotion and use it to be better and improve.”

Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Gabriel have trained before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final with Sporting.

Midfielder Rice, 27, left the England squad following a medical assessment during March’s international break and missed Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton.

Brazil defender Gabriel, meanwhile, was forced off with a knee issue after taking a knock during the defeat on the south coast.

Both players were involved in first-team training at the club’s London Colney base on Monday before Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Lisbon for the first leg.

Belgian winger Leandro Trossard also returned to training but Bukayo Saka was not involved after he also left the England camp early.