Expert Sports News & Commentary

Jess Park delivered another moment of brilliance for Manchester United, curling a sensational strike into the net during a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid that secured the club’s passage to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League. The goal, described by onlookers as a stunner, capped a commanding performance from the English side and ensured their progression on the European stage. With the win, United move one step closer to continental silverware, and Park’s match-sealing effort underlined her growing reputation as a decisive force in high-stakes encounters.

Los Angeles, CA – Major League Soccer’s continental representatives wasted no time announcing their intentions in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, while Colombia’s Liga Betplay clubs echoed the sentiment in the Copa Libertadores as both regions opened their knockout campaigns in convincing fashion. LAFC, still a week away from kicking off its MLS regular season, produced the round’s most resounding result, dismantling Honduran side CD Olimpia 6-1 inside a packed Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa. Denis Bouanga, one of the league’s leading MVP candidates, needed only 11 minutes to open the scoring and completed a hat-trick before the hour mark. A Son penalty, plus finishes from David Martínez Morales and Timothy Tillman, padded the advantage before a late consolation for the hosts. The victory gives the black-and-gold a near-insurmountable cushion ahead of next week’s return leg and, if they finish the job, sets up a date with Costa Rican giants Alajuelense in the round of 16. Elsewhere in the bracket, Nashville SC left it late but ultimately subdued Canadian Premier League outfit Atlético Ottawa 2-0. Woobens Pacius and Sam Surridge struck in second-half stoppage time to reward the Tennessee club’s dominance—Nashville out-shot Ottawa 18-5—and position itself as heavy favorites ahead of the home leg. The winner will earn a glamour tie against Inter Miami. Philadelphia Union were equally emphatic, routing Defence Force of Trinidad & Tobago 5-0 at Subaru Park. The Caribbean representative managed just four shots on target, underscoring the still-wide gulf in depth between MLS and most Caribbean clubs. Jim Curtin’s side now await a meeting with a struggling Club América in the next phase. FC Cincinnati also impressed, thumping Dominican side O&M FC with Ayoub Jabarri scoring twice. The Orange and Blue will next face a Tigres UANL side searching for form. Not every MLS entrant left the midweek slate brimming with confidence. Vancouver Whitecaps battled to a 0-0 draw away to Costa Rica’s Cartaginés, creating the contest’s only clear chances but still facing a decisive second leg at BC Place. LA Galaxy, meanwhile, return home level at 1-1 with Panamanian club Sporting San Miguelito after Joseph Paintsil canceled out an early concession. The Galaxy, desperate to regain momentum after a disappointing 2023 campaign, dominated possession and attacking sequences but could not find a winner on the plastic pitch of Estadio Rommel Fernández. Copa Libertadores: Colombian clubs strike first Across the equator in South America’s premier competition, Colombia’s representatives mirrored MLS’s early success. Independiente Medellín snatched a 2-1 home victory over Uruguay’s Liverpool thanks to Hayen Palacios’ stoppage-time winner, while Deportes Tolima ground out a 1-0 success at Deportivo Táchira despite generating roughly double the scoring opportunities. Venezuelan side Carabobo also protected home soil with a 1-0 win, and Paraguay’s 2 de Mayo and Peru’s Sporting Cristal played to a 2-2 stalemate featuring a pair of own goals. Brazilian sides, by contrast, face uphill climbs after their first-leg road assignments. Bahia fell 1-0 to Chile’s O’Higgins, who scored early and entrenched themselves behind the ball, while Botafogo succumbed by the same scoreline to Nacional Potosí in Bolivia’s high altitude. Potosí’s midfield dictated proceedings and fired 25 shots, though the return leg in Rio de Janeiro should present a very different challenge. Argentinos Juniors edged Ecuador’s Barcelona SC 1-0 despite finishing a man down, and Juventud and Guaraní played to a scoreless draw in the remaining second-round fixtures. With both CONCACAF and CONMEBOL competitions promising expanded slots in FIFA’s proposed 48-team 2029 Club World Cup, strong early performances carry added incentive. Clubs that navigate their current knockout rounds will not only move one step closer to regional silverware but also enhance their chances of securing a lucrative berth on the global stage. Second-leg action kicks off next week, when LAFC and company look to formalize passage into the round of 16 and Colombian sides attempt to protect slim advantages on hostile turf. SEO keywords:

Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, February 21, looking to keep pace with the Premier League’s top four when they host relegation-threatened Burnley in a 3 p.m. GMT kick-off. The Blues enter the weekend one point outside the Champions League places after surrendering a two-goal advantage to Leeds in their most recent league outing, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be eager to avoid another slip-up against a Clarets outfit still searching for consistency. Burnley arrive in west London buoyed by a dramatic 3-2 victory at Crystal Palace last time out in the league, yet that positivity was punctured by a stunning FA Cup defeat to League Two side Mansfield Town at the weekend. Vincent Kompany’s men remain inside the bottom three and know that points on the road could prove priceless in their fight for survival. For viewers in the United States, the match will not be available on traditional television. Instead, the only way to watch every minute live is via Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming platform. Peacock’s sports portfolio includes exclusive Premier League fixtures, NFL Sunday Night Football, NBA action, Olympic coverage, Big Ten football and basketball, Notre Dame football, Big East and Big 12 basketball, golf, and more. Subscription plans start at $10.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. Saturday’s fixture marks the final Premier League contest before the March international break, adding extra incentive for both clubs to claim what could be a pivotal three points in their respective campaigns.

Barcelona return to Camp Nou on Sunday desperate to halt a two-match slide that has dented their La Liga ambitions, and Hansi Flick is expected to deploy his strongest available XI against relegation-threatened Levante. After a full week of rest and with another clear week looming after the final whistle, the German coach can afford to ignore rotation and target a statement victory. The back line, unsettled during the recent defeats, could receive a timely boost from Gerard Martín. The 21-year-old, who impressed in a string of January outings before slipping out of favor, is tipped to partner teenage standout Pau Cubarsí in central defense. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will occupy their customary full-back berths, giving Barça a back four of Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín and Balde. Martín’s inclusion would also free Flick to revive the double pivot that steadied the midfield earlier in the year: Eric Garcia alongside Frenkie de Jong. Pedri, declared fit after injury, is not yet ready to start, so the creative mantle falls to Fermín López operating behind the striker. Dani Olmo will provide attacking options from the bench. Up front, Marcus Rashford has been cleared to make his return, but the England international is likely to be introduced late as Ferran Torres leads the line, flanked by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha—the trio Flick has favored when everyone is available. Predicted Barcelona XI (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; Eric Garcia, Frenkie de Jong; Yamal, Fermín López, Raphinha; Ferran Torres. Barcelona know anything less than three points could further complicate their title pursuit, while Levante arrive at Camp Nou searching for a lifeline at the bottom of the table. Flick’s selections will aim to strike the balance between defensive solidity and attacking firepower, setting the stage for a pivotal 90 minutes in the Catalan capital.

Minneapolis — With the Target Center crowd on edge and an 11-point cushion evaporating early in the fourth quarter Friday night, veteran guard Mike Conley turned to Anthony Edwards on the bench and delivered a simple directive: it was time for the 24-year-old star to re-enter the game. “I was like, ‘Nah, he’s going to put me in,’” Edwards said, trusting that coach Chris Finch would make the call. That summons arrived with seven minutes left after Tyus Jones’ bucket knotted the score at 103-103. Edwards answered instantly, burying a step-back three on his first touch and igniting a personal 14-point barrage that carried Minnesota to a 122-111 victory over Dallas. He finished the stretch 6-for-8 from the floor, mixing drives, mid-range pull-ups and baseline turnarounds to stave off the Mavericks’ rally. “Ant was awesome,” Finch said. “He finished the game like he can. I thought his shot selection was really good for the most part. He took the right shots. In clutch time, he got to his spots pretty simply.” Finch has long urged Edwards to abandon elaborate dribble sequences in favor of quick, decisive moves to his preferred locations. The approach has turned Edwards into one of the league’s most reliable closers: he is shooting 60 percent in clutch situations this season, the best rate among 65 players with at least 25 such attempts, according to NBA tracking data. The evolution stems from expanding his shot profile. Edwards has weaponized the top-of-the-arc three since last season and has since layered in elbow jumpers and a turnaround from the baseline, counters he can unleash against any coverage. “I think Finchy is a big part of my success,” Edwards said. “He has been preaching that to me for the last two years.” The star guard credits improved floor reading for his late-game poise. “I think teams really don’t want me to shoot the step back going left, so they be pressed up,” he said. “They kind of let me go by them, honestly. It’s starting to feel like they just let me go to the rim. So, just trying to pick my spots — when to shoot the 3, when to get to the pull up, when to get to the rim. (It’s) just reading the game.” Rudy Gobert sees the maturation every night. “Year after year, I think his decision-making is the key,” the center said. “For him to pick his spots and not settling every time and be able to attack and make the right play when they put two on him — find his teammates, trust his teammates. I think he has been getting better and better, and this year is the best I’ve seen him.” With the ball in Edwards’ hands down the stretch, Minnesota believes it has one of the world’s premier closers — a belief the guard keeps validating one clutch bucket at a time.

MIAMI — The Miami Heat welcomed back guard Tyler Herro just in time to face a Memphis Grizzlies team desperate to build on its first taste of success in more than two weeks. Herro, sidelined for 15 games with three fractured ribs, returned Friday night and immediately reminded the Heat what they had been missing, pouring in a game-high 24 points in only 23 minutes off the bench during a 128-97 road rout of the Atlanta Hawks. Wearing a protective flak jacket that he joked made him “look like a football player,” Herro shot 9-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep, providing the offensive jolt Miami hopes to carry into Saturday’s matchup with Memphis. “There’s nothing I can magically do to fix my ribs,” Herro said earlier in the week, reflecting on the pain that had limited even routine daily activities. “Ultimately, I just want to feel safe.” After the Hawks win, he reported simply, “I felt good,” music to the ears of coach Erik Spoelstra. “We know how competitive he is and we know how much he wants to be out there,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve never forgotten about the talent that he brings. He changes our dynamic quite a bit. When we have everyone available, we look different.” Herro’s return augments a balanced attack that featured 69 combined points from him, Norman Powell, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins against Atlanta. At 16-11 inside Kaseya Center, the Heat will look to keep that momentum against a Grizzlies outfit clinging to positivity. Memphis snapped a four-game slide with Friday’s 123-114 home victory over the Utah Jazz, only its third win in the past 13 contests. With leading scorers Ty Jerome (right calf) and Ja Morant (left elbow) unavailable, third-year forwards Olivier-Maxence Prosper and GG Jackson seized the moment, combining for 43 points on 17-of-29 shooting—27 of those coming in the second half as the Grizzlies erased a 12-point deficit. All nine available Memphis players scored at least nine points. “It just shows our depth,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can go out there and score the ball. Not only score, we can play defense, get rebounds, if we need to dish it out. Whatever you need, we’ve got it.” Coach Tuomas Iisalo praised his short-handed roster’s resilience during a stretch that has featured only one home game in three weeks. “Our team’s togetherness and the vibes have been great overall,” he said. Now the Grizzlies must carry that spirit into Miami, where a re-energized Heat squad and a sold-out crowd await the chance to keep their roll alive.

England white-ball captain Harry Brook has labelled it “a shame” if Pakistan cricketers are frozen out of this year’s men’s Hundred, after the BBC reported that the four Indian-owned franchises will not pursue them at March’s auction. Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds—each with ties to IPL ownership groups—are set to bypass the 67 Pakistani entrants, a stance rooted in the long-standing political tensions that have kept Pakistan players out of the IPL since 2008. Speaking ahead of England’s T20 World Cup Super 8s meeting with Sri Lanka, Brook, who will turn out for Sunrisers Leeds this summer, said: “Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years. I think there’s about 50 or 60 players in the auction and it would be a shame to not see some of them in there. There’s some amazing cricketers and they bring some great crowds as well. It would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make this tournament and competition even better.” The BBC has seen an internal message indicating that only Welsh Fire, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets—franchises without IPL affiliations—are likely to entertain bids for Pakistani talent. An ECB spokesperson countered: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.” Former England captain Michael Vaughan pressed the governing body to intervene, writing on social media: “The ECB need to act fast on this...they own the league and this should not be allowed to happen...the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen.” The auction list features high-profile Pakistan names including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Usman Tariq. The men’s event takes place on 12 March, a day after the women’s, for which four Pakistani players have also registered. To date, no Pakistan women’s player has appeared in the competition’s first five seasons.

Newcastle United have formally applied to register the rallying cry “Howay the lads” as a UK trademark, a move that could grant the club exclusive commercial rights to one of football’s most recognisable regional phrases. Filed with the UK Intellectual Property Office on 14 March 2025—just 48 hours before the Magpies ended their 56-year wait for silverware by beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final—the application seeks control of the Geordie expression across an unusually broad range of goods. Beyond the expected football shirts, the filing covers beers, spirits, soft drinks, lampshades, microwaves, hairdryers and air fresheners. In Geordie dialect, “Howay the lads” translates simply to “come on, boys” and has long served as an audible heartbeat inside St James’ Park, belted out by supporters as both encouragement and identity. The words already greet players each match-day, painted above the tunnel exit, and will adorn the nape of the men’s 2025-26 home kit. Their prominence on television broadcasts has helped export the phrase to global audiences. Success would give Newcastle a decade-long monopoly, renewable indefinitely, and the legal muscle to pursue counterfeiters. Yet the bid has drawn opposition. An unnamed party has lodged a formal challenge, arguing that the slogan belongs not only to the club but to Tyneside itself. Should the IPO side with Newcastle, local traders currently producing unofficial memorabilia could be forced to drop the phrase from their wares. The application is not the club’s first foray into linguistic ownership. On the same March date, Newcastle also applied to trademark “Howay the lasses” for the women’s side. That registration sailed through unopposed on 15 August 2025 and already appears on the female squad’s new home shirt. Trademarking iconic words is standard practice across sport—Liverpool FC’s 2019 attempt to secure the word “Liverpool” was rejected—but Newcastle’s timing, coming on the eve of a historic Wembley triumph, underlines the commercial momentum generated by Eddie Howe’s upwardly mobile team. The IPO’s ruling, still pending, will determine whether one of English football’s most cherished terrace anthems becomes a protected brand.

Declan Rice has told his Arsenal team-mates that dropped points “aren’t going to last” if they repeat the lapses that turned a 2-0 advantage at Wolves into a bruising 2-2 draw, cutting the Gunners’ lead at the Premier League summit to five points with Manchester City still holding a game in hand. Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham, the England midfielder warned that the squad must “pick that up quickly” or risk surrendering control of a title race that has already slipped away from Arsenal in each of the past two seasons. “We’re first and [there’s] outside noise,” Rice said. “We’re on our own journey, we fully believe in each other, but if we carry on doing what we’re doing in terms of the results, it isn’t going to last. It’s on us as players to be switched on.” The 25-year-old revealed that the Molineux dressing room was far from subdued after the final whistle, with senior players demanding immediate accountability for the collapse. “Trust me, if you were in there the other night, you would see how much it means to us,” he added. “You need to be able to demand stuff of each other and say truths in the moment. Things get said, even if it’s heated, but five to 10 minutes after that you shake hands and it’s over. That’s what it’s about.” Rice, who will make his 100th Premier League appearance for Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, admitted the manner of Wednesday’s draw was “sickening”. “We just stopped doing the basics,” he said. “At 2-0 you think you’re going to walk away with it, but we ended up getting into a game they wanted to play.” With Spurs languishing in mid-table after a season punctuated by injuries and a managerial change, Rice expects a derby fuelled by desperation as much as local pride. “Sunday isn’t just going to be about football, it’s going to be about how much you want it,” he stressed. “You’ve got to fight for it, and trust me, I want it.” Despite the setback in the Black Country, Rice urged perspective, listing the club’s ongoing challenges on four fronts: top of the league, Carabao Cup final visitors, FA Cup last-16 hosts and Champions League last-16 hopefuls. Yet he conceded that the squad’s mentality has sharpened under Mikel Arteta, with post-match debriefs now commonplace. “If things aren’t right, things will get brought up,” he said. “That’s where the manager comes in; he’s really calm and puts perspective on things.” Reflecting on his personal milestone, Rice credited Steven Gerrard as the template for his box-to-box evolution. “I’ve tried to emulate how he took games by the scruff of the neck,” he explained. “One hundred games for Arsenal in the Premier League is special, but there is much more to come from me.” Arsenal’s next assignment is live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4 pm on Sunday, kick-off 4.30 pm. Anything short of victory and the outside noise Rice hears now will only grow louder.

Pamplona—Real Madrid interim coach Álvaro Arbeloa used his pre-match press conference at El Sadar to deliver an unequivocal show of support for Vinicius Jr., declaring that the winger’s decision to continue playing after suffering racist abuse in mid-week “makes me prouder than any title.” Madrid face an Osasuna side that has not lost at home in two months and is unbeaten in its last five league outings, yet the build-up has been dominated by the fallout from Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Benfica, when Vinicius was targeted by discriminatory chants. “Vini Jr. has been upset, as have we all,” Arbeloa told reporters. “Above all, he has been very outraged by what happened. It’s a racist act that has no place in sports or our society. We have a tremendous opportunity not to let it pass and to continue fighting against this scourge that is racism.” Arbeloa confirmed that the entire squad would have followed the Brazilian off the field had he chosen to abandon the match, and praised the 24-year-old for shouldering the responsibility of carrying on. “It takes a lot of courage and bravery to return to play as he did. We will be by his side, defending him and standing with him without hesitation.” The former Spain full-back refused to accept any justification for the abuse, rejecting suggestions that Vinicius’s goal celebration had provoked opposition fans. “Nothing Vini does on a football pitch justifies a racist act. We can’t portray the victim as the provocateur.” UEFA, Arbeloa insisted, must now seize the moment. “They have a perfect opportunity to show that this fight is not just words, to punish an act like the one we saw and to ensure it never happens again.” On footballing matters, Arbeloa offered a positive update on Kylian Mbappé’s knee complaint—“he’s feeling better every day”—but admitted Jude Bellingham’s continued absence is a major blow. “If I could give an arm for him to be healthy tomorrow, I would do it without thinking. His absence is very significant, yet the fact we can still compete speaks well of our squad.” With five fit central defenders at his disposal and Éder Militão closing in on a return, Arbeloa stressed that rotation will be essential during a congested schedule, but emphasised that tomorrow’s objective is singular: “We’re all in for the three points.” Kick-off against an in-form Osasuna is set for Saturday evening, with Madrid aiming to open a provisional five-point gap over Barcelona before their rivals face Levante on Sunday. SEO keywords:

Paris Saint-Germain have sounded out Manchester City about the availability of Erling Haaland as uncertainty grows over the future of Ousmane Dembele, TEAMTALK understands. The French champions are braced for a major squad shake-up after a stuttering campaign that has left them second in Ligue 1 and forced them into a Champions League playoff against Monaco, where they recovered from two goals down to win 3-2. Dembele, last season’s Ballon d’Or winner, has managed only one Champions League goal and is yet to reach double figures domestically. After last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Rennes he publicly rebuked his team-mates, saying “you cannot win by playing individually,” prompting manager Luis Enrique to brand the comments “worthless” and warn that “I will not allow any player to think they are more important than the club.” With the 27-year-old winger’s form in sharp decline, PSG sporting staff have begun canvassing the market for marquee replacements. Sources say the Parisians have made “discreet enquiries” about Haaland’s contractual situation at the Etihad. Although the Norway striker’s deal is registered until 2034, it is believed to contain a release clause that would shatter the current world-record transfer fee. Real Madrid and Barcelona are already positioning themselves for a future move, yet PSG’s financial muscle—demonstrated in previous blockbuster deals—means they are prepared to outmuscle the Spanish giants should a bidding war erupt. Haaland, 25, has plundered 330 career goals for club and country and remains the fastest player in Premier League history to reach the 100-goal mark. PSG view the prolific front-man as the centrepiece of a long-term project designed to deliver the Champions League crown that has eluded the Qatari-owned club since its 2011 takeover.

The coming 48 hours deliver a coast-to-coast buffet of live action for Bay Area viewers, from hardwood showdowns and PGA fairways to Olympic medal finals and the curtain-closing spectacle in Italy. College basketball tips things off early Friday when Cincinnati meets Kansas at 10 a.m. on KPIX, KOVR and KION, followed at 11 a.m. by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at Tennessee State on ESPNU. Kansas State travels to Texas Tech for an 11:30 a.m. tip on KTVU and KTXL, while San Jose State heads to Boise State for a 1 p.m. Mountain West contest on channel 860. Golf’s spotlight stays on Riviera Country Club as the Genesis Invitational airs at noon Friday and again at noon Saturday on KPIX, KOVR and KION. Motorsports fans can catch NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for Sunday’s Autotrader 400 beginning at 8 a.m. Friday on Prime Video. Olympic coverage dominates the weekend, starting with the men’s 50-kilometre cross-country mass start classic at 3:10 a.m. Friday on USA and rebroadcast at 8:30 a.m. on KNTV, KCRA and KSBW. Curling medals take centre stage: the women’s bronze-medal match streams at 5:05 a.m. Friday on Peacock, the men’s gold-medal game airs at 10:05 a.m. Friday on CNBC, and the women’s gold-medal match begins at 4 a.m. Saturday on KNTV, KCRA, KSBW and USA. Speed-skating mass-start finals for men and women hit the ice at 7 a.m. Friday on KNTV, KCRA and KSBW, while the two-woman bobsled competition offers its third run at 10 a.m. Friday and the decisive final run at 12:15 p.m. The four-man bobsled wraps with its final run at 4:15 a.m. Saturday. Figure skating fans can enjoy the exhibition gala at 11:55 a.m. Friday, and hockey closes out with the men’s bronze-medal game at 11:40 a.m. Friday and the gold-medal showdown at 5:10 a.m. Saturday, both on KNTV, KCRA and KSBW. The Closing Ceremony beams into the same stations at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with a highlight show, Best of Milan Cortina, at 2 p.m. Soccer features prominently as well. Friday at 4:30 a.m. CBSSN carries Stoke City versus Leicester City in English Championship action, while Saturday’s schedule includes Sheffield United against Sheffield Wednesday at 4 a.m., Crystal Palace facing Wolverhampton at 6 a.m. on NBCSN and Peacock, and Livingston versus Rangers at 7 a.m. on CBSSN. Domestically, MLS sees Atlanta visit Cincinnati at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on KTVU and KTXL, and the San Jose Earthquakes host Kansas City at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Apple TV channels 680 and 104.5. Hardwood action Saturday includes Ohio State at Michigan State at 10 a.m. on KPIX, KOVR and KION, and the Boston Celtics visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 3 p.m. on KNTV, KCRA and KSBW. The Santa Cruz Warriors continue their G League push with a 3 p.m. Saturday tip at Rip City, airing on NBA TV and NBC Sports Bay Area Plus. Tennis Channel carries semifinals from both the ATP events in Delray Beach and Rio de Janeiro at 10 a.m. Saturday, along with the final from Doha. With medal ceremonies, conference clashes and local teams in the mix, Bay Area screens will be busy from dawn to dusk.

Pamplona, Spain – Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has sounded the alarm ahead of Saturday’s LaLiga trip to Osasuna, warning that his side must be “at 100%” to survive a stadium where the hosts have not lost in two months. Los Blancos arrive at Estadio El Sadar buoyed by a midweek UEFA Champions League victory over Benfica, a result that kept their European ambitions on track. Yet domestic business offers no respite: with Barcelona breathing down their necks, Madrid know that three points in Navarre could open a five-point cushion at the summit. Arbeloa, who took the reins in January, did not mince words when sizing up the challenge. “They’ve gone two months unbeaten at home. They’re a team in tremendous form,” he told reporters on Friday. “We all know how difficult a trip to El Sadar is for Real Madrid. I only won one of my trips there as a player.” The 43-year-old emphasised that respect will translate into meticulous preparation. “We’re very aware of the tough battle ahead, of the opponent’s level, and of the excellent work of their coach. We’re going to prepare in the best possible way, knowing that the three points would be extremely important.” Since his appointment, Arbeloa has overseen a steady upward curve. “The team has grown a lot in recent weeks,” he noted, while cautioning against complacency. “The league season is very long but for me, it has barely even begun. We have a very difficult away match, as they all are, and our objective now isn’t to relax.” Injury news was largely positive. Kylian Mbappé, who recently returned from a knee complaint, played 78 minutes against Benfica and continues to progress. “His knee is much better. It’s not completely gone away, but he is feeling better every day,” Arbeloa confirmed. Saturday’s clash kicks off at 17:30 GMT, with Osasuna sitting tenth but unbeaten at home since early December. A Madrid win would not only consolidate their lead but also serve notice that the new coach’s project is gathering momentum at precisely the right time.

UEFA investigators have been told that Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni directed a homophobic slur at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during Tuesday night’s Champions League encounter at the Estadio da Luz, a revelation that has shifted the focus but not the severity of the case. The flash-point came in the second half, moments after Vinicius scored the match-winner for the visitors. The Brazilian reacted furiously to comments made by the 20-year-old Argentine, pulling at his own shirt and gesturing that he had been verbally abused. Referee intervention led to a ten-minute halt in play while officials attempted to establish what had been said. Vinicius initially told match officials that he had been racially abused, specifically claiming Prestianni used the Spanish word mono, meaning monkey. Sources close to the investigation now say Prestianni has admitted to UEFA that he used an anti-gay insult in Spanish, denying any racial element. According to ESPN, the Argentine’s explanation was passed on to Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the tunnel immediately after the final whistle. Real Madrid have since submitted what the club describes as a comprehensive dossier of evidence to European football’s governing body. France captain Kylian Mbappe, who started alongside Vinicius, told reporters he heard racist abuse directed at his teammate on five separate occasions and insisted that “some Benfica players were aware of what was being said.” Mbappe demanded strong disciplinary action, a stance echoed by Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who labelled the incident “a moment for UEFA to draw a line in the sand.” Article 14 of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations treats racist and homophobic behaviour identically, carrying a minimum ten-match suspension or equivalent sanction. The distinction between the two forms of abuse therefore has no bearing on the potential punishment Prestianni faces. UEFA’s investigation is ongoing, with no timetable set for a final decision.

The 2026 ICC T20 World Cup has narrowed from 20 hopefuls to eight contenders as the tournament shifts into its high-stakes Super 8 phase. Co-hosts India and Sri Lanka will each shepherd a four-team group, with every remaining contest staged on their soil and a semifinal berth on the line. Pakistan and New Zealand will open the second-round action on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Colombo’s R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan booked its place in the Super 8 by defeating Ireland on Feb. 18, a result that simultaneously ended the United States’ maiden World Cup campaign. Format mirrors the opening round: each side faces the others in its group once, two points for a win, one apiece if rain washes play out, none for a loss. Should 40 overs fail to separate teams, a super over will decide the outcome. The top two from each group advance to the semifinals. BetMGM pegs India as the +110 favorite to lift the trophy on home soil, while South Africa—who began the event at +550—has shortened to +400 after strong group-stage form. Sri Lanka, the other host, sits sixth in the market at +1200. Notably, Australia, once listed alongside England at +500, failed to survive the first round. With eight nations, two groups, and a single path to glory, the Super 8 promises a fortnight of unrelenting tension across India and Sri Lanka as cricket’s shortest format crowns its 2026 champion.

By Ian Irving, host of Talk of the Devils Manchester United’s goalkeeping narrative has pivoted from anxiety to anticipation inside a single season, and the transformation can be traced through two very different stories unfolding 150 miles apart. At Carrington, 21-year-old Senne Lammens has restored a sense of calm to the No 1 shirt, while in the West Country, 22-year-old Radek Vitek is forcing United’s hierarchy to contemplate a future in which he, not André Onana or Altay Bayindir, provides the primary competition to the Belgian. Eric Steele, the club’s goalkeeping coach during the Ferguson era, has watched both threads develop with more than passing interest. Speaking on Wednesday’s Talk of the Devils: Extra, Steele recalled the standards set by Edwin van der Sar – the Dutchman who once scooped up a stranded Cristiano Ronaldo after a 2009 car crash to ensure the Portuguese was not late for training – and believes Lammens is finally approaching the threshold demanded of a United keeper. “All Ronaldo was concerned about was not being late for training. He wasn’t bothered about the car,” Steele said. “When you need us, we are there for you. That’s the culture we had, and that’s what Lammens is starting to rebuild.” The Belgian’s early-season assurance briefly dipped during Ruben Amorim’s final weeks in charge, a period Steele attributes partly to a breakdown in coaching chemistry. Jorge Vital, Amorim’s long-time goalkeeping coach, rarely demonstrated techniques on the grass, a method Steele questions. “I went to games and couldn’t believe I saw a goalkeeping coach who didn’t kick a ball. I’m not sure you can get your message across if you’re not actually demonstrating the work.” Since Craig Mawson’s appointment as specialist coach, Steele has detected a sharper edge to Lammens’ game. The Belgian, who journals his emotions after every match and inks Kobe Bryant’s 8 and 24 on his gloves, has produced decisive saves in each of United’s last three fixtures. “The big thing about being a Man United goalkeeper is you have to make the big saves when it matters,” Steele stressed. “He’s done that in vital moments.” While Lammens’ immediate future appears secure, the path for Vitek is less certain but increasingly compelling. Recruited by Bristol City last August as short-term injury cover for ever-present Max O’Leary, the Czech has started 27 Championship matches and engineered O’Leary’s exit to West Brom in January. A sprawling stop at Ipswich last month was labelled save of the season by supporters; his command of crosses and vocal organisation have drawn admiring glances from Old Trafford. Vitek, whose only senior loans before this season came in the Austrian Bundesliga and League Two, has never been capped at senior or U-21 level. Yet with Onana’s loan in Turkey concluding, Bayindir’s future uncertain and Tom Heaton’s contract expiring in June, a first-team vacancy could open this summer. The player has publicly targeted a return to challenge Lammens, and Steele believes the club must decide whether 27 Championship starts constitute sufficient education. “Peter Schmeichel told me United keepers need to act like they own the penalty box,” Steele added. “Lammens is starting to do that. The question now is whether Vitek’s year in the Championship has given him the same authority.” United’s goalkeeping conundrum is no longer simply about arresting errors; it is about choosing which young contender best embodies the next chapter of a position once defined by Schmeichel and Van der Sar. Friday’s column may have begun with a story of a helpful Dutchman and a crashed Bentley, but its conclusion points forward – to a Belgian who writes like a psychologist and a Czech who dives like a missionary. The gloves, once again, feel up for grabs. SEO keywords:

After three exhilarating weeks of competition across the Italian Alps and Milan’s metropolitan arenas, the 2026 Winter Olympics will officially draw to a close on Sunday, Feb. 22, with a two-and-a-half-hour celebration beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. The pageantry will unfold inside Verona’s Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater dating to 30 AD, where athletes from the record 93 participating nations will take a final bow before a global television audience. NBC will carry the ceremony live with the network’s signature figure-skating commentary team—Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir—guiding viewers through the proceedings. Cord-cutters can stream every moment commercial-free on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s subscription platform that also houses live Premier League soccer, Big Ten football, NBA action and PGA Tour coverage. New users can sample the service starting at $10.99 per month and cancel anytime. DIRECTV Stream, which includes NBC in most markets, offers another viewing option and extends a free trial to first-time subscribers. Flag-bearing honors for the United States will rest in the hands of two five-time Olympians: hockey gold medalist Hilary Knight and ice dance champion Evan Bates. The pair were chosen in a vote of Team USA peers, marking the first occasion American athletes will share the responsibility at a Winter Games closing ceremony. The artistic program, built around the theme “Beauty in Action,” promises a marriage of Italian culture, sport and spectacle. Internationally acclaimed ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, electronic-music pioneer Gabry Ponte and genre-blending singer Achille Lauro are confirmed performers, each selected to highlight the connection between Italy’s mountainous landscapes and its historic cities. With the final medals already decided, the ceremony will pivot from competition to commemoration, celebrating the athletic triumphs witnessed in everything from alpine skiing and snowboarding to curling and figure skating. Viewers can expect the traditional parade of nations, the handover of the Olympic flag to the next host city, and a vibrant curtain-closing set designed to leave audiences with a lasting image of Italian creativity and unity.

Munich, Friday afternoon. The cameras rolled, notebooks opened, and for 11 minutes 57 seconds Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany did not cede the floor. The question that triggered the soliloquy was simple enough: what did he make of the racism storm that erupted after Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off at Benfica, the one that ended with Vinicius Junior alleging monkey chants and Jose Mourinho branding the Brazilian a habitual complainer? What followed was a master-class in controlled anger, a point-by-point dismantling of Mourinho’s post-match narrative delivered without a single personal insult. Kompany, multilingual but deliberately choosing English “to be precise”, began by underlining the obvious: he had watched the match, seen Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni pull his shirt over his mouth, seen the video of fans in the stands making monkey gestures, heard Kylian Mbappe’s on-field testimony. “You cannot fake that reaction,” he said of Vinicius’s immediate approach to the referee. “There is no benefit to him volunteering for this misery.” Then he turned to Mourinho. The Benfica coach had argued that racism was impossible in a stadium where Eusebio—Portugal’s Black icon of the 1960s—remains a deity, and that Vinicius provoked the crowd with his corner-flag dance. Kompany methodically unpicked both claims. “Was Mourinho on the bus with Eusebio in the 60s? My father, another Black man from that era, had only one option: be quiet, be ten times better, accept crumbs of praise. To use Eusebio’s name to silence a Black player who today dares to speak up is historically illiterate.” Without ever calling Mourinho a hypocrite, Kompany listed the Portuguese’s own inflammatory celebrations: the knee-slide at Old Trafford in 2004, the sprint in front of Barcelona fans in 2010, the clashes with referees in last season’s Europa League final. “If someone racially abused Jose in those moments, I would expect us to listen, not point to his celebration and say he brought it on himself.” The 38-year-old also revealed scars from his own career: monkey chants alongside the late Cheick Tiote at Real Betis in 2005, and being called a “brown monkey” by Club Brugge fans while manager of Anderlecht in 2021. “I complained; politics buried it. If that happens to me—with my profile—what chance does a player in Hungary or Serbia have?” Kompany’s solution was not punitive but restorative: an admission, an apology, a reduced sanction. “We are stripping away the middle ground, forcing people left or right, black or white. The one thing you cannot do is punish unfairly or dismiss the pain of the person who reports racism.” He finished with a plea for unity rather than division, praising Mourinho’s former players who still revere him and acknowledging the Benfica coach as “a good person” who “made a mistake”. Whether Mourinho, who declined to revisit the subject in yesterday’s four-minute club interview, will absorb the lecture is doubtful. Yet the monologue is now on record, 12 minutes that travelled well beyond the boundaries of a routine pre-match press conference and landed squarely in the conscience of European football.

While Liverpool and Nottingham Forest renewed acquaintances on the most recent Premier League weekend, Divock Origi was 3,500 miles away, sipping courtside coffee at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and posting the NBA’s Nets-Pacers game to his Instagram story. It was the latest public sighting of a player whose absence from the game has become as conspicuous as his goals once were. Origi, 30, has been club-less since AC Milan terminated his contract on 23 December. The January window came and went without an offer tempting enough to lure him back onto a training pitch. Instead, the Belgian striker closed the month in Paris, attending the Juun J menswear show during Fashion Week, the fashion capital’s catwalks replacing the technical areas he once haunted. The numbers explain the confusion. His last competitive appearance came 671 days ago, a late cameo for Nottingham Forest against Everton on 21 April 2024. That match ended a forgettable loan in the East Midlands: 22 games, one goal, a 2-0 FA Cup replay win over Bristol City. Yet rewind exactly two years and two days from that Goodison curtain call and Origi was immortalised in red, steering a 94th-minute header past Jordan Pickford to seal a 2-0 Merseyside derby win that kept Liverpool’s quadruple dream flickering. Jurgen Klopp’s post-match tribute was unequivocal: “He is a legend on and off the pitch…our best finisher, he always was.” Those words were no sentimental outburst. Origi’s Liverpool résumé spans 175 matches and 41 goals, many of them etched into Anfield folklore: the last-gasp winner against Everton in December 2018; the audacious quick-corner strike versus Barcelona that propelled the Reds to the 2019 Champions League final; the clincher against Tottenham in Madrid that delivered the club’s sixth European Cup. Small wonder Trent Alexander-Arnold predicted statues while Andrew Robertson joked about future museum tours. Inside the dressing room the striker’s aura was equally singular. James Milner nicknamed it “Planet Origi”: multilingual, effortlessly calm, habitually the last to arrive yet never late, prone to leaving passports on planes yet capable of ice-cool finishes under seismic pressure. That combination of nonchalance and ruthlessness turned Origi into the archetypal cult hero. Off the pitch he cemented legacy in a different currency, endowing the University of Liverpool with the Divock Origi Scholarship, supporting local students from 2021 until the programme’s final cohort graduates in 2029. “It’s made larger, more noticeable impacts…saving towards my first pair of dental loupes,” says current beneficiary Eloise, a 23-year-old dental student. Klopp’s parting wish in 2022 was that Origi find a coach who would “play him more than I do”. Instead, the forward landed at Milan on a four-year deal, among the club’s top earners, but injured before he kicked a ball in anger. When fit, opportunities were sparse: two goals in 36 appearances, the last of them 18 months ago. Sporting director Paolo Maldini, who over-ruled analytics misgivings to sign him, later conceded, “We expect so much…he hasn’t given us what we expected.” By summer 2023, Origi was deemed surplus by head coach Stefano Pioli, exiled to Forest, and upon return informed by club advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic that he and defender Fodé Ballo-Toure would train with the Primavera squad. Tax considerations and a private fitness plan kept him in Milan through 2024, but three managerial changes—Fonseca, Conceicao, Allegri—offered no reprieve. A mutual termination finally arrived three days before Christmas. Now the market must decide whether a 30-year-old with Champions League medals, a derby catalogue and a famously unflappable temperament still has chapters to write, or whether Origi’s remaining storylines will play out courtside, front-row, or elsewhere beyond the white lines. Divock Origi, legend, remains in limbo—waiting for the call that revives a career the game isn’t quite ready to forget.

Glendale, Ariz. — A day meant to celebrate the Arizona Cardinals’ future ended with a flash of irritation from the top of the organization. During Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the club’s new training facility—scheduled to open in 2028—owner Michael Bidwill bristled when pressed on why the franchise has not named a team president since he assumed control in 2019. Bidwill, who served as team president from 2007 until his father Bill Bidwill’s death, has never formally ceded those duties. When a local reporter asked why no successor had been hired, the owner cut the line of inquiry short. “I am the team president,” Bidwill said flatly. “I am the team president, so next question.” The terse exchange clarified the organizational structure: Bidwill retains the president’s authority while also serving as principal owner. Yet the delivery—abrupt and dismissive—overshadowed the clarity, reinforcing a perception that the Cardinals too often generate headlines for non-football reasons. While Bidwill is within his rights to consolidate roles, the moment highlighted ongoing questions about the franchise’s leadership optics. Critics argue that a dedicated president could streamline football operations and bolster credibility. Supporters counter that Bidwill’s hands-on approach is his prerogative as owner. Either way, the episode added another chapter to a growing list of off-field distractions that have surrounded the organization in recent seasons.

The second wave of Todd Boehly-era signings has produced a mixed bag of instant hits, slow-burn projects and outright head-scratchers. With 21 permanent deals on the books since the first instalment of this audit, Chelsea’s recruitment carousel shows no sign of slowing. Below, we dissect every one of those moves, weighing fee against function and promise against production. Pedro Neto arrived from Wolves in 2024 for just shy of £54 million and has already nailed down a regular starting berth on the flank. While Derby boss Liam Rosenior’s “world-class” tag may be generous, Neto’s direct running and end-product have made him a rare constant in an otherwise rotating forward line. Joao Felix’s return to Stamford Bridge, by contrast, never ignited. The Portuguese attacker, signed after an underwhelming 2023 loan, managed only 12 Premier League outings and a solitary goal before being moved on. Technical craft was never in doubt; adaptation to the Premier League’s intensity was. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s £30 million switch from Leicester looked a shrewd piece of business on paper, yet the midfielder spent the bulk of his Chelsea life with the B team. A 2025 exit to Everton ended a puzzling chapter that never fitted the plot. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, once touted among Europe’s brightest prospects, has seen only eight league appearances since his 2024 arrival. Cup duties have kept him involved, but the No. 1 jersey remains elusive. Teenage striker Omari Kellyman is yet to debut in blue, instead excelling on loan at Cardiff City, where five goals have propelled the Bluebirds’ promotion push in League One. Mike Penders and Aaron Anselmino embody Chelsea’s buy-and-harvest model: both signed in 2024, neither has appeared for the seniors. Penders is developing at Strasbourg, Anselmino has collected stamps at Borussia Dortmund, Strasbourg and Boca Juniors. Mathis Amougou made a solitary substitute cameo versus Southampton before permanently re-joining Strasbourg in 2025, while Portuguese defender Renato Veiga logged seven league games and then swapped London for Villarreal after one season. Full-back Wiley cost £8.5 million from Atalanta and has since been schooled on loan at Strasbourg and Watford, still awaiting his Chelsea bow. Marc Guiu, recalled from a brief Sunderland loan, has cup goals to his name but only scraps of Premier League time. Free-transfer Tosin Adarabioyo offers reliable depth without threatening the first-choice pairing, and Joao Pedro has emerged as the most convincing solution yet to the club’s centre-forward conundrum, capable also of dropping into the hole. Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho arrived with £50 million-plus pedigree and youthful promise. Flashes of brilliance have been interspersed with inconsistency: Gittens’ toolkit excites, Garnacho’s one league goal and three assists underline a work in progress. At the opposite end of the excitement spectrum sits Estevao. The 18-year-old winger has already become a fan favourite, tormenting full-backs with searing pace and fearless dribbles. Many already brand him Boehly’s best capture to date. Defender Jorrel Hato’s path is blocked by the Reece James–Malo Gusto duopoly, limiting him to cup minutes, while Ipswich hero Liam Delap has struggled to replicate his ruthless Championship form in royal blue. Dario Essugo has yet to kick a ball thanks to a persistent thigh complaint, and French teenager Mamadou Sarr has skipped the queue entirely, captaining Strasbourg after a Club World Cup cameo for Chelsea. Finally, Kendry Paez, 18, is continuing his education at River Plate following earlier developmental spells at Strasbourg, keeping alive the hope that the Ecuadorian prodigy can one day illuminate Stamford Bridge. Taken together, these 21 deals underscore Chelsea’s scatter-gun strategy: scatter enough seeds, some will surely bloom. Which ones ultimately flower will dictate whether Boehly’s second batch of recruits is remembered as visionary or merely voluminous.

RIO RANCHO — Ryan Means Jr. stepped onto the State Wrestling Championships mat Friday as a first-time qualifier, yet the Santa Fe High sophomore’s debut carried the weight of lessons learned the hard way. A year ago, Means watched the tournament from the stands after academic ineligibility erased his postseason. On Friday, he turned that memory into momentum. Seeded sixth at 175 pounds in Class 5A, Means opened with a statement, building a 15-0 lead before pinning Carlsbad’s Eddie Lopez at 1:10. The quarterfinals brought a setback—Albuquerque Eldorado’s Martin Lovato countered for a pin with a 10-1 advantage—but Means responded in consolations, flattening La Cueva’s Louis Pennington late in the first period. A Saturday-morning win over Organ Mountain’s Carlos Maldonado will lock him onto the medal podium. “Not being able to go to regionals and state last year gave me a goal to make it here and stay on top of my grades,” Means said. Demons head coach Joe Jiron traces the turnaround to a player who embraced the classroom with the same intensity he shows on the mat. “His grades are awesome now,” Jiron said. “He’s just going all out and doing good.” Means credits family, faith, and wrestling for steering him through personal turbulence that began in middle school after relocating from Chardon, Neb., to Santa Fe. The death of his grandmother and family upheaval sapped his focus; grades slipped once he reached high school. Missing the 2023 state meet became the wake-up call. Stepmother-led church attendance, tutoring, and daily sessions in the wrestling room restored eligibility and confidence. A five-year-old when he first wrestled in Nebraska, Means arrived at Santa Fe High with polished technique. Jiron’s task was adding strength and mat awareness. The coach praises the sophomore’s coachability—”He listens on top of putting in the work”—and a fluid style that keeps him from stalling in any position. Means also sings in the school choir and plans to add baseball this spring, keeping a crowded schedule that, Jiron believes, will keep improving the grades that once derailed him. Santa Fe’s tournament outlook brightened further with sophomore Marina Martinez racing to the girls 235-pound semifinals, pinning both opponents in a combined 83 seconds. She will face Roswell Goddard’s Vanessa Martinez Saturday morning. Pojoaque Valley’s Natalie Romero (140) likewise advanced with two pins and will rematch Kirtland Central’s Hailey Robinson, who defeated her in the Region 1 final. For Means, the path from ineligible spectator to potential medalist is almost complete. One more victory guarantees hardware—and validates a year spent proving that setbacks can become setups.

Barcelona presidential hopeful Xavi Vilajoana has shifted the transfer spotlight from Harry Kane to Marcus Rashford, revealing reservations about committing to the England forward beyond his current loan. Rashford’s temporary stay at Camp Nou runs until June, and the club holds an option to make the move permanent for a reported €30 million. Yet Vilajoana, speaking to ESPN, suggested the club should first scan its own network before triggering that clause, citing Mallorca winger Jan Virgili as a preferable alternative. “I am someone who believes you should always look in-house first, as I’ve always said, and then look outside depending on the characteristics of the players you have,” Vilajoana explained. “For example, I want to give the example of Jan Virgili, who is currently playing for Mallorca. He’s a great winger. I would maybe look at [exercising the clause to re-sign him] as an option, for example, rather than paying the Rashford clause.” The 25-year-old Virgili has caught the eye with consistent performances for Real Mallorca this season and is expected to be on the move this summer. Vilajoana, keen to promote Catalan talent, believes re-acquiring the winger could provide both sporting value and financial prudence. Still, the presidential candidate stressed that no unilateral decision would be taken. “The president arrives, puts things on the table, alternatives are considered, it’s discussed and a decision is made,” he said. “What I am clear on is that if [signing Rashford] is considered to be the best decision from a sporting point of view, the money will be there to make it happen.” Barcelona’s hierarchy reportedly remains open to retaining Rashford but is exploring ways to negotiate down the €30 million fee. With elections approaching, Vilajoana’s stance signals a potential pivot toward home-grown solutions should he secure the presidency.

New Orleans—Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo for a full month, the Milwaukee Bucks nonetheless authored their most emphatic statement of the season, dismantling the New Orleans Pelicans 139-118 on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center. The victory—Milwaukee’s third straight and sixth in seven games—lifted the Bucks to 24-30 and kept postseason math simple heading into the season’s final stretch. Ryan Rollins supplied the early fireworks, canning seven three-pointers on his way to a career-high 27 points. The guard added six assists, four steals, and two blocks, setting the defensive tone while orchestrating an offense that shot 59.8 percent from the floor. Rollins’ seven triples matched a personal best and equaled the Pelicans’ entire output from beyond the arc. Cam Thomas, returning to his home state, needed only 21 minutes off the bench to torch his former neighbors for 27 points. Kevin Porter Jr. complemented the onslaught with 25 points, and Bobby Portis contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds as Milwaukee’s reserves outscored New Orleans’ bench 64-38. The Bucks broke the game open in the fourth quarter, turning a six-point edge into a 21-point laugher. After Zion Williamson’s layup trimmed the deficit to 108-102 with 10:28 remaining, Milwaukee ripped off a 14-4 surge capped by Pete Nance’s second triple of the stretch, silencing the home crowd for good. Williamson finished with a game-high 32 points, but New Orleans shot just 4-of-25 from deep and was outscored 36-22 in the final period. Missing leading scorer Trey Murphy III (sore right shoulder), the Pelicans dropped their fourth straight and fell to 15-42, cementing their place at the bottom of the Western Conference. Milwaukee, meanwhile, improved to 3-4 since Antetokounmpo was sidelined January 23 with a strained right calf. The two-time MVP indicated this week he is “healthy today” and must only “check the boxes” before rejoining the lineup. Until then, the Bucks will lean on the depth that has carried them within striking distance of the playoff bracket. Milwaukee returns home Sunday to face Toronto, seeking a fourth consecutive win. New Orleans hosts Philadelphia on the second night of a back-to-back, hoping to halt a slide that has left little to salvage from an already-lost campaign.

Madrid—Real Madrid Castilla head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has drawn a definitive line in the sand over racism in football, declaring that his side will abandon any fixture in which winger Vinícius Júnior is racially abused. The pledge follows the Brazil international’s allegation that Benfica forward Gianluca Prestianni directed racist language toward him during this week’s Champions League encounter. Although Vinícius opted to complete the match, the episode has ignited fresh demands for sterner deterrents across the sport. Addressing reporters ahead of Saturday’s La Liga trip to Osasuna, Arbeloa said the decision to continue playing had rested solely with Vinícius, but stressed that any repeat would trigger an immediate walk-off. “If Vinicius had chosen to stop, the entire team would have left the pitch with him,” the coach stated. “If it happens again, we will not play on—full stop.” Arbeloa praised his squad’s composure amid the controversy, insisting that “no trophy or victory could make me prouder than the unity they showed in Lisbon.” Real Madrid’s stance places the club at the forefront of the anti-racism movement within European football, raising the stakes for governing bodies to translate rhetoric into robust enforcement. Keywords:

Etihad Stadium, Saturday 21 February 2026, 20:00 GMT – the stage is set for a pivotal Premier League duel that could shape the complexion of the title run-in. Manchester City welcome Newcastle United with only 12 fixtures remaining and, in Pep Guardiola’s words, “an eternity” of football still to unfold. City’s objective is simple: claim all three points to keep momentum surging through the second half of the campaign. A 4-0 rout of Newcastle in the corresponding home fixture last season—Omar Marmoush’s hat-trick and James McAtee’s strike still fresh in the memory—offers encouragement, yet the reverse meeting this term ended 2-1 to the Magpies on Tyneside, a reminder of the threat Eddie Howe’s side pose even when depleted. Depleted they are. Newcastle will travel without Sven Botman, Yoane Wissa, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schär, Tino Livramento, Bruno Guimarães and Lewis Miley through injury or suspension. City, too, have key absences: Joško Gvardiol, Mateo Kovačić, Jérémy Doku and Shea Charles Alleyne are all unavailable. The tactical focus narrows on Guardiola’s defensive selection. With Gvardiol sidelined, the identity of the left-sided centre-back remains uncertain, while the engine room must compensate for Kovačić’s creativity. Up front, Erling Haaland—fresh off a productive spell—carries the goal threat, supported by the in-form Antoine Semenyo, whose recent performances have added directness to City’s attacking repertoire. Guardiola insists the table has not been discussed inside the dressing room. “Yesterday and the day before it’s just Newcastle, Newcastle and Newcastle,” he said. “I didn’t talk about the table, I didn’t talk about the position or something like that. I couldn’t care less. It’s 12 games left, it is an eternity, so many things is going to happen. That is the only truth I have.” Viewers worldwide can follow the action live: TNT Sports in the United Kingdom, Peacock/USA Network/Universo in the United States, DAZN in Canada, Hotstar VIP in India, Paramount+ in Mexico and SuperSport in Nigeria. U.S. audiences can stream every Manchester City match in high definition via FuboTV’s USA Network/NBC integration. A tricky assignment awaits, but with Haaland hunting goals and Semenyo in confident form, City will fancy their chances of turning a tough home matchup into a statement victory.

Brazil’s all-time leading scorer Neymar has revealed he could walk away from football when 2026 closes, even as he clings to the dream of one last World Cup appearance this summer. Speaking to Brazilian online channel Caze, the 34-year-old striker admitted that the grind of persistent injuries has forced him into a day-by-day mindset. “It may be that when December comes, I’ll want to retire,” Neymar said. “I’m living year to year now.” The forward returned to boyhood club Santos in January 2025 after a spell with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, signing a deal that runs through the end of 2026. Yet a knee operation in late December shelved him until last week, tightening an already narrow window to regain peak condition. Neymar conceded that forcing his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad will be “a significant obstacle”; he has not pulled on the national-team shirt since October 2023. “This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it’s a World Cup year, and for me too,” he stressed. Neymar’s 79 international goals remain a Seleção record, eclipsing Pelé’s long-standing mark by two, and his 2017 transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a reported $200 million still stands as the highest fee ever paid for a footballer. With injuries limiting his recent playing time, questions swirl over whether the former Barcelona and PSG star can rediscover the explosiveness that once defined him. Santos will watch his fitness closely, while Brazil’s coaching staff must weigh experience against availability as they finalise plans for the upcoming tournament. For Neymar, the next twelve months represent both a last shot at global glory and a potential farewell to the sport he has graced for more than a decade.

Arsenal are poised for another shake-up in their football operations, with technical director James Ellis preparing to depart after barely half a year in the post. Ellis, who was promoted from head of recruitment last summer to help stabilise the club’s hierarchy, will leave the Emirates Stadium just as the Gunners continue to overhaul their front-office structure. The 37-year-old’s exit comes amid a period of flux that began when former sporting director Edu stepped away in November 2024, followed quickly by the departure of his assistant, Jason Ayto. Ellis’s elevation was intended to provide continuity while newly appointed sporting director Andrea Berta focused on first-team transfer strategy. With Ellis now heading for the exit, that plan appears to have been abandoned. During his short tenure, Ellis concentrated on academy recruitment, overseeing the acquisitions of the Quintero twins and Irish youth international Victor Ozhianvuna. He also persuaded highly rated teenager Max Dowman to sign long-term terms, a move viewed internally as a coup for the club’s future pipeline. Ellis had additionally been tasked with identifying a successor to academy manager Per Mertesacker, who announced he will leave at season’s end; that search now falls to remaining staff. Club sources indicate that the technical-director role was revived specifically to retain Ellis when Berta arrived from Atlético Madrid. Its impending removal suggests Arsenal’s leadership believes the function is redundant within the revised organisational chart. The decision underscores a broader effort to consolidate recruitment and development under Berta’s sole direction as the club seeks clarity after months of personnel turnover. Arsenal have yet to confirm the departure officially, but the development marks the latest chapter in a sweeping restructuring designed to streamline decision-making and sharpen the club’s competitive edge both domestically and in Europe.

Cleveland Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana is still puzzled by the origins of his passion for baseball. Hailing from Australia—a nation far more synonymous with cricket and rugby—Bazzana cannot pinpoint the moment the sport took hold of him. Yet that early, inexplicable attraction has carried the 21-year-old second baseman to the cusp of a major-league breakthrough and into conversations about representing his country on the global stage. Selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Bazzana has rocketed through Cleveland’s farm system and now finds himself on the doorstep of a big-league debut. While the Guardians have not set a firm timeline, the organization’s decision-makers have hinted that his advanced bat-to-ball skills and above-average speed could force their hand sooner rather than later. The Aussie infielder is equally focused on another stage: the World Baseball Classic. Although national-roster spots are fiercely contested, Bazzana’s rapid ascent and positional versatility make him a compelling candidate for Team Australia in the tournament’s next edition. He views the event as both a patriotic opportunity and a chance to test his abilities against elite international competition. Bazzana’s journey from the baseball outposts of Sydney to the doorstep of the American major leagues underscores the sport’s expanding global footprint. Whether he debuts in a Guardians uniform or dons the green and gold of Australia first, the 21-year-old’s next steps will be closely watched on two continents.

Santos, Brazil – Neymar’s storied career may be approaching its final chapter far sooner than anyone expected. Speaking to Brazilian online channel Caze on Friday, the 34-year-old forward admitted he could walk away from professional football as early as December 2026, declaring: “I’m living year to year now.” The Brazil striker, who re-signed with boyhood club Santos last month after returning in January 2025, has become the club’s talisman during a relegation dogfight, scoring five goals in their last five matches to secure survival in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Yet the exhilaration of that escape has been tempered by a sobering reality: persistent injuries have left him uncertain about both his immediate future and his place at the upcoming World Cup. “I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year,” Neymar said. “It may be that when December comes, I’ll want to retire.” The forward, who recently underwent successful knee surgery, has not appeared for the national team since October 2023. With the 2026 World Cup set to kick off on 11 June across Canada, Mexico and the United States, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has repeatedly stressed that only fully fit players will make the final squad. That edict leaves Neymar’s participation in jeopardy. Despite the clouds of uncertainty, Neymar underscored the magnitude of the months ahead. “This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it’s a World Cup year, and for me too.” Neymar’s 79 international goals remain a national record, but the focus now shifts from milestones to moments. Each match, each training session, could be his last. For a player once heralded as the standard-bearer of Brazilian flair, the prospect of retirement at 35—or even sooner—feels both abrupt and inevitable. As Santos prepares for a new season and Brazil fine-tunes its World Cup blueprint, Neymar’s introspection casts a long shadow. Year to year has become game to game, goal to goal. The countdown, it seems, has already begun.