Expert Sports News & Commentary

Manchester United’s search for a permanent manager has hit a second major roadblock after Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti moved to the verge of signing a new four-year contract with the Seleção, The Athletic reports. If completed, the deal would keep the 65-year-old in charge of the national team through the 2030 World Cup, effectively ending any prospect of an immediate move to Old Trafford. Ancelotti had emerged as the most decorated alternative to Thomas Tuchel, who last week ruled himself out of the running by pledging his future to the England national side. United hierarchy, aware that interim boss Michael Carrick’s remit extends only to the end of the current campaign, had identified the Italian as an ideal fit for the club’s demand for a “Premier League-proven manager with trophy-winning experience.” The former AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid strategist boasts five Champions League titles, a record for any coach, and recently guided Brazil to qualification for the 2026 tournament. Sources close to negotiations told The Athletic that paperwork on the extension is not yet signed but is now considered “a formality,” a development that risks leaving United with a rapidly shrinking shortlist. Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique has also distanced himself from the vacancy, leaving Crystal Palace’s outgoing manager Oliver Glasner, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and ex-Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi among the few names still publicly linked. None of the trio have major silverware on their résumés, heightening the dilemma facing United owners who had hoped to secure a headline appointment this summer. Carrick, appointed after Ruben Amorim’s 14-month tenure ended in January, has eased anxieties inside the club by collecting four wins and a draw from his opening five matches. Should the former midfielder guide United into the Champions League places, pressure will mount on the board to remove the interim tag rather than gamble on a less decorated successor. With Ancelotti poised to commit to Brazil until 2030, United must now decide whether to pursue a youthful project manager or entrust Carrick with the rebuild of one of world football’s most scrutinised sides.

Brentford winger Keane Lewis-Potter believes the Bees fully merited their 1-1 draw against Arsenal after capping an energetic display with the equalising goal at the Gtech Community Stadium. The forward, a constant thorn in the visitors’ back line, pounced on a second-half chance to cancel out Arsenal’s opener and preserve Brentford’s impressive home record. Arsenal arrived in west London knowing only a win would keep pace with Manchester City in the tightening title race, yet they were met by a Brentford side renowned for its resilience on home soil. After the Gunners edged ahead during a dominant opening spell, Thomas Frank’s men rallied, wresting control through high-tempo pressing and direct attacking moves. Lewis-Potter embodied that spirit. Having spurned an earlier opportunity, he made no mistake when the ball fell to him again, rifling home to level matters and ignite the home crowd. Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, the 22-year-old said: “A big point in the end. They go down one end, then we go down the other end… At the end of the day we deserved a point. I should have scored the first one! I was lucky the second one dropped to me and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time.” His assessment echoed the mood in the home dressing room, where the consensus was that Brentford’s endeavour and tactical discipline warranted a share of the spoils. While Arsenal will rue the concession of two points in their pursuit of the championship, Brentford will celebrate another demonstration of their ability to trouble the league’s elite. The result extends Brentford’s unbeaten run in front of their own fans and underlines the growing influence of Lewis-Potter, whose pace and persistence proved pivotal on the night.

Liverpool’s right-back crisis has deepened to the point of absurdity, yet even with bodies falling around him Calvin Ramsay remains the man Arne Slot refuses to trust. The 22-year-old Scot has watched every Premier League match from the bench since early December, a spectator at his own crossroads, and Wednesday night’s 1-0 win over Sunderland confirmed that exile is no accident. Slot’s hand has been forced all season. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s £10 million departure to Real Madrid last summer began the spiral; Jeremie Frimpong’s £29 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen was meant to steady it, but the Dutchman is already on his third significant injury lay-off and looks increasingly like an auxiliary winger. Conor Bradley, fresh from signing a new deal, lasted until early January before a complex knee complaint ended his campaign. Joe Gomez has shouldered the load yet even he spent last month in the treatment room after a knock against Bournemouth. Dominik Szoboszlai was dragooned into the role, stripping Liverpool’s midfield of its dynamo, only to sit out the mid-week fixture through suspension after a red card versus Manchester City. Wataru Endo, a 33-year-old destroyer, volunteered to fill the void, started his first league game of the season out of position, and was stretchered off with a second-half injury that left Anfield wincing. That succession of calamities left the door ajar for Ramsay, the only fit, natural right-back on the books. Instead, Slot slammed it shut. Speaking on the eve of the Sunderland tie, the head coach said bluntly: “I’ve chosen other players until now and that’s also what I’m going to do tomorrow.” He was true to his word: Ramsay stayed rooted to the bench, Szoboszlai will return for Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Brighton, and Gomez—only recently back from injury—is expected to start ahead of the Scot once again. The pecking order is damning. Ahead of Ramsay stand the injured Frimpong and Bradley, the midfielders Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, the recuperating Gomez and, when fit, Endo. A player signed from Aberdeen in 2022 has become an after-thought, reduced to a single appearance in the EFL Cup defeat at Crystal Palace back in October. With every improvised selection Slot reiterates the same brutal message: Ramsay is not fifth-choice, not even sixth-choice; he is no choice at all.

Madrid – The refereeing performance of Juan Martínez Munuera in Thursday night’s King’s Cup quarter-final between Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona has ignited a firestorm of debate across Spain, with the Catalan giants weighing an official protest to the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Atlético coasted to a 4-0 victory at the Metropolitano, yet the final score has been overshadowed by a series of contentious decisions that left Barça officials fuming. Coach Hansi Flick, speaking moments after the final whistle, zeroed in on an early incident in which Giuliano Simeone escaped a caution for a heavy challenge on left-back Alejandro Balde. “It set the tone,” Flick said, arguing that a booking would have curbed Atlético’s physical approach. The flash-point arrived in the second half when Pau Cubarsí appeared to have pulled a goal back for Barça, only for the strike to be chalked off following a protracted VAR intervention that lasted nearly seven minutes. The Technical Committee of Referees later attributed the delay to a digital “skeleton” detection malfunction, forcing the VAR team to trace offside lines manually. Critics have dismissed the explanation as ad-hoc and insufficient for a fixture of such magnitude. With emotions still raw, club officials convened late into the night. According to Mundo Deportivo, Barça are now preparing a formal complaint to the RFEF, seeking accountability for what they deem a series of game-altering oversights. The fallout ensures that the spotlight will remain fixed not on Atlético’s clinical display, but on the standards and technology underpinning Spanish refereeing.

Barcelona captain Frenkie de Jong has launched a scathing attack on match officials after Pau Cubarsi’s second-half strike against Atlético was disallowed, labelling the verdict “a scandal.” The 17-year-old defender thought he had doubled the hosts’ advantage to 4-1 when he fired home early after the restart, only for the goal to be chalked off following an eight-minute VAR review. De Jong, incensed by the outcome, insists the replays vindicate his team-mate. “I saw the image afterward and you can clearly see that there was no offside,” the Dutch midfielder told reporters. “In the image shown on television regarding the offside, you can’t see the contact with the ball, and then you see the image where Fermín shoots and the defender is a meter behind Robert. I think it’s very strange.” De Jong directed his frustration at the video officials rather than on-field referee Martínez Munuera, arguing that the technology failed to provide the match official with conclusive evidence. “He can’t do much, because he’s also waiting. He doesn’t have the image or the video. But VAR does. The image I saw, if it’s not AI, which you don’t realize anymore... If this is the photo, it’s a scandal because it’s very clear.” Barcelona’s ire was compounded by what they perceived as leniency toward Atlético substitute Giuliano Simeone, who escaped a red card despite two heavy fouls on Alejandro Balde. The Argentine’s conduct on the touchline further fuelled the hosts’ sense of injustice as the Camp Nou faithful left debating the impact of another contentious VAR intervention.

Munich — Bayern Munich’s admiration for Nick Woltemade has not cooled, and the striker’s stalled progress at Newcastle United could yet pave the way for a summer move, according to the latest intelligence gathered by Bayern Insider Christian Falk. Woltemade, 20, swapped the Bundesliga for St James’ Park last summer, but sources close to the German champions say the forward’s limited minutes under Eddie Howe have not gone unnoticed in Munich. “Bayern retain their admiration,” Falk confirmed. “Both sides know that perhaps they’ll meet again in the future. This summer is too early — Bayern won’t pay the transfer fee — yet the door could open if the situation doesn’t change.” Newcastle’s willingness to lower their initial valuation may prove decisive. “I heard Newcastle, perhaps, would lower their price tag,” Falk added. “At the moment a deal isn’t guaranteed, but Woltemade, if things don’t change, could be open for a transfer.” The development comes as Bayern brace themselves for another bout of speculation around Harry Kane. Reports of a February release clause that would allow Saudi Pro League clubs to table an offer are unfounded. “I asked everyone again,” Falk stressed. “They said, ‘No, no way!’ The release clause extended only to January — there’s no existing clause at the moment.” Bayern’s hierarchy remain intent on extending the England captain’s stay beyond 2025, but officials acknowledge that a treble-winning campaign might prompt Kane to reassess his ambitions. “If Bayern win the treble this season, perhaps then he’ll think he’s achieved everything he wanted in European football,” Falk noted. “Perhaps then it’ll be time to take the really big payday.” For now, Kane’s focus is fixed on silverware. The 30-year-old is desperate to lead Bayern to a DFB-Pokal final in Berlin — a fixture he has yet to grace — and end the club’s four-year drought in the competition. “He’s so focused on this particular target,” Falk said after speaking with the striker following the quarter-final win over RB Leipzig. Whether Woltemade eventually emerges as Kane’s long-term understudy will depend on Newcastle’s next move and Bayern’s willingness to re-enter the market for a player they have tracked since his Stuttgart days. “It’s always a question of price,” Falk conceded. “I’m not sure if Bayern Munich will be at the table this time, but the admiration is still there.” With the summer window still months away, the situation remains fluid. Yet one thing is certain: should Woltemade become available at the right price, Bayern’s interest is unlikely to stay secret for long.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has offered the clearest indication yet that the club’s succession plan for Mohamed Salah could already be on the books at Kirkby, as 19-year-old academy winger Harvey Morrison emerges from the shadows of Melwood. Salah, 33, signed a short-term extension last April to quell exit talk, yet a fractious winter—culminating in a public disagreement before Christmas—has reopened speculation that the Egyptian’s Anfield odyssey is nearing its conclusion. Saudi interest remains active, and with the summer window looming, Slot has begun auditioning internal solutions rather than splurging on an external nine-figure replacement. Enter Morrison. The England youth international, fresh from five goals in his last four Premier League 2 outings, was nominated for the division’s January Player-of-the-Month award and promptly rewarded with a senior squad berth for Liverpool’s trip to Sunderland on Wednesday night. Although unused, the inclusion marked the second time in four first-team fixtures that the teenager has sat among Slot’s substitutes, signalling a rapid ascent since his Carabao Cup debut against Crystal Palace earlier in the campaign. Sources close to the club stress that no final decision on Salah’s future has been taken, yet the tactical breadcrumbs are unmistakable: Morrison has been offered a new professional contract, is training daily with the senior group, and, crucially, is viewed by Slot as tactically versatile enough to operate on either flank. The Dutch coach, renowned for trusting youth, appears willing to fast-track the winger into the spotlight should Salah depart, mirroring the pathway recently carved by Rio Ngumoha alongside Luis Diaz. With nine Premier League matches remaining, Morrison’s next objective is to earn competitive minutes in a full-strength side. Should he seize that chance, the heir to the Egyptian King’s throne may already be wearing the red shirt—no blockbuster transfer required.

MADRID — For 45 minutes at a raucous Metropolitano on Thursday night, Barcelona were not merely beaten; they were unrecognisable. Atletico Madrid stormed into a 4-0 lead before the interval of the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, exposing every fissure in Hansi Flick’s high-wire system and prompting an uncomfortable question across Catalonia: have we ever seen a Barça side this directionless under the German? Diego Simeone’s players answered with actions, not rhetoric. Marcos Llorente and Koke suffocated the visitors’ depleted midfield, forcing Flick to hook 20-year-old pivot Marc Casado after 36 minutes. Out wide, Giuliano Simeone and Ademola Lookman repeatedly pierced Barça’s aggressive offside line with timed diagonal runs, while Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez tormented the retreating centre-backs. By the half-time whistle, the scoreboard read 4-0 and could have been worse. The performance was the latest sobering example of a trend that has stalked Flick’s second season: a breathtaking attacking philosophy that titillates the Camp Nou faithful, yet leaves the back door ajar for any organised opponent willing to gamble. The numbers are stark. Barça have started sluggishly in five of their eight Champions League league-phase fixtures this term, falling behind against Club Brugge, Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and Copenhagen. They escaped with only one defeat from those wobbles, but the pattern resurfaced in the worst possible context—14 minutes in, they were already two goals down to Atleti. Injuries have shredded the squad’s spine. Raphinha, the designated leader of Flick’s press, has missed 13 matches with hamstring complaints and sat out again on Thursday. Pedri, the manager’s most trusted ball-retainer, has been sidelined since 21 January with his second hamstring setback of the campaign. At the back, Flick has been forced to cobble together six different centre-back partnerships, cycling through Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Gerard Martín, Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen and Jules Koundé. The surprise August departure of Iñigo Martínez to Al-Nassr on a free transfer robbed the club of experience, and a winter move for João Cancelo—technically a full-back—did little to stabilise the heart of defence. Even when fully stocked, Barça have flirted with catastrophe. Last season’s Champions League semi-final loss to Inter (7-6 on aggregate) and a second-leg collapse at Borussia Dortmund served notice that the romantic offside trap can become a liability against elite transition teams. The same flaw surfaced domestically: in the Copa quarter-finals, Barça advanced past Atleti only after a helter-skelter 4-4 draw at the Spotify Camp Nou in which they twice trailed by two goals. Flick, 60, refused to panic in the post-match flash zone, insisting the humiliation might arrive “at the right moment” to recalibrate his squad. “The distances were too long between the lines. We did not press how we wanted,” he admitted. “But I am proud of my team—maybe not today for the first 45 minutes, but yes for the whole season. We need to accept this lesson and make things better.” Acceptance will not be enough if the same flaws resurface in the Champions League last 16, where Paris Saint-Germain—who already defeated Barça 2-1 in Catalonia this season—could lie in wait should the French champions overcome Monaco in their upcoming play-off. La Liga offers little respite either; Barça travel to Girona on Monday hoping to protect their slender lead at the summit. Inside the club, there is no appetite for a philosophical U-turn. Senior figures believe the aggressive pressing model has restored identity and electrified supporters in a way not seen since the Pep Guardiola era. Yet the coaching staff privately acknowledge that knockout football demands pragmatism. The task is to graft a layer of game-management onto the manic energy without dulling the blade that has carried them to the top of the table and into Europe’s last 16. For now, Thursday’s 4-0 nightmare will be filed as an outlier, a perfect storm of injuries, early concessions and an inspired opponent. Yet the warning is clear: unless Flick finds a mechanism to transform magical madness into measured control, Barcelona’s boldest project since the MSN trident risks unraveling when the stakes spike highest. Barcelona have 90 minutes to salvage their Copa del Rey hopes in next week’s return leg, but the greater reckoning centres on whether this group can learn to defend with the same conviction they show in attack. If not, the echoes of the Metropolitano will follow them deep into spring—and the silverware they crave may slip away.

Manchester United’s majority owners, the Glazer family, have never been far from controversy, yet their appetite for high-return sports assets remains undimmed. Despite two decades of supporter unrest at Old Trafford and fresh protests against both the Glazers and minority partners Ineos at the start of this month, the Americans have extracted an estimated £1.4 billion from the club through dividends, management fees and partial stake sales, according to The Athletic. That financial windfall appears to be fuelling a new frontier: Indian cricket. After narrowly missing out on an Indian Premier League franchise in 2021, the family pivoted to acquire the Desert Vipers in the UAE-based ILT20. Now Avram Glazer is back at the IPL table, simultaneously bidding for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, two of the league’s most marketable sides. Industry insiders value the Royals at upwards of $1.2 billion and the Bengaluru outfit at around $1.8 billion. For an American dynasty rooted in the NFL—owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 1995—cricket may seem an unlikely play. Yet the numbers are persuasive. Gareth Balch, chief executive of global sports-marketing firm Two Circles, notes that cricket has been the fastest-growing sport among the world’s top 20 properties this century, powered almost entirely by the 20-over format. “The IPL is the biggest shooting star in global sport right now,” Balch says. “Franchise valuations have multiplied by 10 since 2008, underpinned by India’s demographics.” Those demographics are impossible to ignore. India’s 1.4 billion citizens, a surging economy and an insatiable appetite for televised cricket translate into guaranteed revenue streams. Mike Fordham, the former ECB executive who helped launch The Hundred, points to the IPL’s $1.2 billion annual media-rights deal, split equally among franchises, as a near-bond-like security for owners. “Because it’s the biggest entertainment property in India, that figure is likely to rise when the contract comes up for renewal in about a year,” Fordham adds. “It’s must-have TV content.” The Glazers are also betting on cricket’s latent potential in the United States, where a burgeoning South Asian diaspora could accelerate the sport’s traction and, by extension, the value of IPL brands they hope to control. Whether supporters in Manchester or Tampa like it, the family’s formula is consistent: identify leagues with explosive commercial upside, secure a seat at the table early, and allow escalating broadcast deals to do the heavy lifting. India, with its unrivalled combination of population, passion and profitability, is simply the next logical destination for an ownership group that has always followed the money.

Manchester United have edged ahead of three London rivals in the battle to land Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, with TeamTalk reporting that the Red Devils are now considered the “frontrunners” in a chase also involving Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The development comes at a pivotal moment for United’s forward line. The club are braced for a major clear-out that could see Marcus Rashford linked with a move to Barcelona, Rasmus Hojlund courted by Napoli and Jadon Sancho depart when his contract expires in June. Securing a proven Premier League goal threat has therefore become a priority, and Ndiaye’s explosive form at Goodison Park has placed him squarely on INEOS’ radar. United’s recruitment strategy under the new leadership has already pivoted toward domestic experience. Last summer’s arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, both signed from top-flight rivals, have vindicated the policy; the pair have become influential fixtures during their first season at Old Trafford. Ndiaye, 25, fits the same mould. Operating primarily from the left or through the middle, he has five goals and two assists in 20 Premier League outings this term, performances that prompted talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara to dub him “one of the best players” in the division. The attacker underlined his big-stage credentials in January by helping Senegal lift the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring twice and creating another goal en route to a 1-0 final triumph over hosts Morocco. Any deal, however, will be complicated by the player’s contract situation. Ndiaye’s terms at Everton run until 2029, giving the Merseysiders maximum leverage. If the Toffees are forced to cash in, they can name their price, particularly if the buying club sits among the so-called “big six”. For Ndiaye, the next step will hinge on guaranteed minutes. He has started all 20 of Everton’s league fixtures this season and completed the full 90 minutes in the majority, a sequence he will expect any suitor to match. With United’s forward ranks set for a summer shake-up, the prospect of adding the Senegal international has energised supporters. Whether the Red Devils can convert pole position into a signature remains to be seen, but the race for one of the Premier League’s most in-demand attackers is intensifying.

In the latest episode of Haway The Podcast, Simon O’Rourke sits down with the hosts to dissect the recent defeat to Liverpool and to cast an eye toward the upcoming cup clash at Oxford. With emotions still raw after the loss, O’Rourke offers a candid assessment of what went wrong and what lessons can be taken into the next round of the competition. Listeners can expect honest reflection, tactical insight, and a measured dose of optimism as the team prepares for the trip south.

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid may have to do without Kylian Mbappé when they host Real Sociedad on Sunday after the France star’s left-knee discomfort resurfaced, club sources have confirmed to Mundo Deportivo. The problem first emerged in December 2025 when Mbappé pushed his physical limits during a congested spell of fixtures. Two months later the joint has still not settled, prompting the club’s medical staff to recommend a short period of rest rather than risk a more serious setback. While the issue is not classified as a significant injury, the forward’s availability for the weekend’s La Liga encounter is now rated as doubtful. The club’s hierarchy are weighing up a cautious approach that would keep Mbappé out of the domestic match but leave him fully primed for the Champions League play-off first leg against Benfica on Wednesday, 18 February. Real Madrid’s failure to secure direct passage into the round of 16 has added two extra European ties to an already demanding schedule, increasing the importance of having their marquee attacker at peak fitness. Coaching staff and the player himself are expected to make a definitive call within the next 48 hours, yet the prevailing mood inside Valdebebas is to prioritise continental progress. The potential absence of their leading goal-scorer represents a calculated gamble. With the league table delicately poised, dropping points against La Real could have ramifications in an increasingly tight title race. Internally there is acknowledgement that preserving Mbappé’s long-term health is essential to sustaining a dual assault on silverware, but the decision is tinged with anxiety over the immediate domestic consequences. As the season enters a pivotal phase, Madrid find themselves balancing short-term sacrifice against the broader objective of securing at least one major trophy. The next few days will shape both their Champions League fate and the narrative of a campaign already defined by dramatic swings.

Manchester United Women authored a statement victory in their first-ever Champions League knockout match, sweeping aside Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano to take a commanding lead into next week’s second leg. Elisabeth Terland ignited the tie inside the opening exchanges, latching on to Melvine Malard’s interception before cutting inside two defenders and rifling an unstoppable left-footed strike into the far corner. The Norwegian nearly doubled her account five minutes later when she cracked a first-time volley into the roof of the net from Ellen Wangerheim’s knock-down, only for VAR to intervene and chalk off the effort. United’s high press continued to unsettle the Spanish champions, and the visitors struck again on the stroke of half-time. Hinata Miyazawa seized possession near halfway, surged at the retreating back line and slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Malard. The French forward shifted the ball onto her right foot and curled a sumptuous effort beyond the goalkeeper to double the advantage. Atletico emerged with greater intent after the restart. Vilde Bøe Risa, facing her former club, came closest to reducing the deficit when her dipping free-kick was clawed onto the woodwork by Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Moments later, Maya Le Tissier produced back-to-back blocks to deny what appeared a certain goal, preserving United’s two-goal cushion. The tie was put to bed ten minutes from time. Neat approach play outside the area ended with Lisa Naalsund feeding Malard, who in turn released substitute Julia Olme. The Swedish midfielder took a touch and lashed a low left-footed finish inside the near post to complete the scoring. Marc Skinner’s side will now return to Leigh Sports Village protecting a 3-0 aggregate lead, leaving the Red Devils on the brink of a maiden quarter-final appearance in Europe’s premier club competition.

Madrid – The opening 45 minutes of Wednesday’s Spanish Cup semi-final first leg will live in infamy for every Barcelona supporter. By the time referee Mateu Lahoz whistled for the interval, Atlético Madrid had turned a high-stakes cup tie into a historical humiliation, leading 4-0 and exposing wounds that statistics show Barça have not suffered in generations. The nightmare began in the fifth minute when goalkeeper Joan García mis-controlled a routine back-pass, allowing Atlético to pounce for the opener. Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julián Álvarez added further goals inside 33 minutes, forging a four-goal cushion that Barcelona had not faced at the halfway mark of any competitive fixture since a league meeting with Real Madrid in 1953. Conceding three times in the opening half-hour is equally rare: the last occasion was the 8-2 Champions League debacle against Bayern Munich in August 2020, another evening etched into Catalan football folklore. García, signed to inject fresh competition between the posts, has now committed four errors that led directly to goals across all competitions since the start of last season. Among Spanish-based keepers, only Paulo Gazzaniga (six) has been more generous, while David Soria has matched García’s unwanted tally. Barça emerged with renewed intent after the restart and thought they had pulled one back, only for a lengthy VAR review to disallow the strike for offside. The second period finished without further scoring, but the damage was done. Inside the Metropolitano, Atlético supporters celebrated as if the trophy itself had been secured, while the Catalans trudged off aware that their path to the final now borders on the miraculous. Compounding the challenge, center-back Eric received a straight red card in the 85th minute for a professional foul and will be suspended for the return leg on 3 March at Spotify Camp Nou. Barcelona must overturn a four-goal deficit without one of their first-choice defenders, yet the competition’s history offers slim hope: no team has recovered such a margin in the Spanish Cup since the format moved to two-legged ties. For Xavi Hernández and his squad, the assignment is clear—score early, score often, and keep belief that football’s cup romance still flickers. For the numbers, however, the first-half collapse already belongs to the record books, a stark reminder of how quickly elite sport can turn into a nightmare.

Fresh off a statement 5-0 victory over Czechia, Canada’s star-studded men’s hockey team turns its attention to Switzerland in the final preliminary-round contest of Group A at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Puck drop is set for 3:10 p.m. ET on Friday at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan. Thursday’s opener saw five different Canadians find the back of the net, including rising standout Macklin Celebrini and veteran center Nathan MacKinnon. The win, paced by airtight defensive play, signaled Canada’s intent to reclaim Olympic gold in the first Games featuring NHL talent since 2014. Czechia entered the tournament viewed as the Canadians’ principal Group A threat, so the emphatic result immediately alters the pool’s competitive balance. Switzerland, however, arrives with momentum of its own after blanking France 4-0 in its debut. Timo Meier starred with a pair of goals, while goaltender Leonardo Genoni turned away all 27 shots he faced to secure the shutout. The Swiss will aim to parlay that confidence into an upset that could shake up quarter-final seeding. Viewers in the United States will not find the contest on conventional television. Instead, every second of the action will stream live exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer platform. The service, which carries a broad slate of live sports including NFL Sunday Night Football, the Premier League, and Olympic coverage, offers monthly plans starting at $10.99 and allows subscribers to cancel at any time. With both nations winning their initial fixtures and enjoying identical rest intervals, Friday’s clash will determine which squad claims top billing heading into the knockout stage.

Madrid, Spain – Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delayed Real Madrid adventure may finally be gathering momentum. After three months sidelined by hamstring and thigh complaints, the England right-back re-emerged as a second-half substitute in last weekend’s victory over Valencia and now looms as a potential catalyst for Álvaro Arbeloa’s reshaped side when high-flying Real Sociedad visit the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night. Arbeloa, appointed in January, is still sculpting his lineup and philosophy. Integrating Alexander-Arnold’s elite distribution could accelerate that process. The 25-year-old has managed only 12 competitive appearances since his summer move from Liverpool, but his brief cameo against Valencia offered a reminder of the crossing and passing range that make him among the game’s most creative full-backs. “After a long time out, we will proceed with caution,” Arbeloa stressed, yet Spanish daily AS reports that Madrid’s medical staff are targeting the Champions League play-off first leg against Benfica on 17 February for Alexander-Arnold’s first start since 3 December. Whether he is unleashed from the outset against La Real or eased in via another cameo, more minutes appear inevitable. Saturday’s encounter carries added weight: a win would lift Madrid two points clear of Barcelona ahead of the Catalans’ tricky Monday trip to Girona. With Kylian Mbappé nursing knee discomfort and potentially unavailable, Alexander-Arnold’s ability to create from deep could compensate for any shortfall in attacking firepower. Standing in the way is a Sociedad side unbeaten in nine matches and buoyed by last month’s statement win over champions Barcelona plus a Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg triumph at Athletic Bilbao. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s visitors have morphed into one of Spain’s form teams, but they have not faced a Bernabéu crowd hungry for a statement performance after recent stutters and the mid-season dismissal of predecessor Xabi Alonso. Vinicius Junior returns from suspension to bolster Madrid’s left flank, while Thibaut Courtois – La Liga’s leading goalkeeper with 11 clean sheets – anchors a defence that could feature either veteran Dani Carvajal, academy graduate David Jiménez, or an increasingly sharp Alexander-Arnold. For the former Liverpool star, the stage is set to showcase the attacking tool-kit Madrid fans have only glimpsed, most notably during last summer’s Club World Cup. If he can stay fit, the next five months present a gilt-edged chance to entrench himself as a cornerstone of Arbeloa’s project and help deliver the silverware that Madrid crave. Kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 20:00 local time, the marquee fixture of a packed La Liga slate that also sees Atletico Madrid’s new signing Ademola Lookman aiming for a first Spanish-top-flight goal in the derby at Rayo Vallecano after being kept quiet by Real Betis last time out. Alexander-Arnold, fit and eager, could prove the difference in a title race poised on a knife-edge.

Sunderland’s recent back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool have triggered a familiar wave of online invective, yet inside the club the mood is calmer, measured and rooted in a blunt reality: until Granit Xhaka returns, the Black Cats are trying to complete a puzzle with its most important piece missing. Head coach Régis Le Bris has guided the promoted side to a position where survival is all but mathematically secured, but the past fortnight has highlighted how thin the margin becomes when the Swiss midfielder is unavailable. Xhaka, signed from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, has not featured since the draw at Brentford on 1 February; in the four league fixtures since, Sunderland have collected a single point and been outscored 9-2. The drop-off is no coincidence. Internally, staff point to Xhaka’s twin influence: on the ball he leads the team in passes into the final third (7.8 per 90) and through-balls (2.1), while off it he operates as a de-facto on-field co-ordinator, cajoling team-mates and shuffling the defensive block. Without him, Le Bris has been forced to reconfigure both shape and personnel, most notably by deploying right-back Trai Hume as an auxiliary holding midfielder to compensate for lost ballast. “Granit’s leadership qualities alone are simply irreplaceable,” a senior club source told this newspaper. “He directs traffic, demands standards and strikes fear into opponents. Then there’s what he brings on the pitch—world-class passing, tempo control, creativity. You don’t replace that with a 21-year-old who’s still learning the game.” The numbers support the eye-test. In the nine league matches Xhaka has started, Sunderland average 1.9 points and 55 per cent possession; in the five he has missed, those figures fall to 0.6 and 43 per cent. More strikingly, the side’s pass-completion rate into opposition territory dips by 11 per cent when he is absent, a gap no other midfielder in the squad comes close to bridging. Le Bris explored internal solutions before the window closed. An approach for Stoke’s Josh Laurent was considered too expensive, while a loan enquiry for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips never advanced. Instead, the head coach has leaned on youth: 19-year-old Dan Neil has been asked to play higher up the pitch as a pseudo-No. 8, and 21-year-old Jobe Bellingham has alternated between mezzala and shuttler roles. Both have shown flashes—Neil’s clipped pass for Jack Clarke’s winner against Fulham stands out—but neither possesses Xhaka’s blend of metronomic passing and defensive IQ. The ripple effect is felt across the pitch. Without Xhaka’s ability to receive under pressure and switch play, centre-backs Luke O’Nien and Jenson Seelt are forced into longer, riskier distribution, contributing to a 25 per cent rise in turnovers inside Sunderland’s own half over the last four games. Full-backs are also pinned deeper, reducing the width that once allowed wide men Patrick Roberts and Luis Semedo to isolate defenders. Equally problematic is the loss of Xhaka’s dark-arts deterrent. Opponents have begun to press Sunderland’s midfield with impunity; Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones took 46 touches in the final third last Wednesday, the most by any visiting duo at the Stadium of Light this season. “Teams sense the vulnerability,” the source added. “When Granit’s there, they think twice. Without him, they step straight through.” Sports-science staff are reluctant to set a definitive return date, but the club is targeting the home fixture against Wolves on 30 March for his re-introduction. Xhaka has resumed partial training, though medics are managing the flare-up of a chronic knee irritation that was exacerbated on international duty. The interim plan is to split minutes between Neil and Hume, with Le Bris stressing pragmatism over philosophy. “We can’t ask a 19-year-old to be Granit Xhaka,” the Frenchman said after the Liverpool loss. “We can only ask him to be the best version of himself within a structure that protects him.” That structure now includes a subtle shift to a 4-1-4-1 out of possession, designed to funnel play into wide areas where Sunderland feel more comfortable doubling up. The tweak yielded a disciplined first-half display against Arsenal and, despite the eventual 3-0 scoreline, limited Liverpool to 0.9 expected goals before the 75th-minute counter-attack that sealed defeat. Longer term, recruitment chief Kristjaan Speakman is scouring the market for a younger prototype who can learn under Xhaka while eventually inheriting the role. RB Salzburg’s 20-year-old Mali international Diadie Samassékou has been watched repeatedly, though any deal would likely wait until summer. For now, the club accepts the current squad must survive the final ten fixtures without its talisman. Survival, however, remains the baseline. With 36 points already banked and the bottom three averaging 0.8 points per game, Sunderland need only three more to be mathematically safe—an achievement that would represent the second-quickest top-flight rescue in their modern history. Anything beyond that, Le Bris insists, is “a bonus earned by lads who took us from the Championship to dreaming again.” Whether those dreams include a late-season surge may depend less on tactics or mentality than on the simple calculus of one man’s fitness. As the Stadium of Light waits, the question lingers: how do you fill a Xhaka-shaped hole? The honest answer, inside the training ground at least, is you don’t—you endure until he walks back through the door. 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By the time Liverpool had dispatched Barnsley to reach the FA Cup fifth round, Arne Slot had already reached an uncomfortable conclusion: the meticulous video presentations that once felt like a competitive edge were now bordering on worthless. “We’ve played 30 games this season and I’d say 28 of my pre-match meetings, I could just throw in the bin,” the Dutchman admitted, a startling confession from a coach whose reputation was built on forensic preparation. Slot’s frustration is rooted in a season-long trend: Premier League opponents are systematically ripping up their usual tactical blueprints when they face Liverpool. Burnley arrived at Anfield in a deep 5-4-1 block they had never shown against Tottenham or Manchester United. Fulham ditched the flat back four they used versus City and Arsenal, opting for a five-man defence that helped secure a late 2-2 draw. Even Bayer Leverkusen, European specialists under Xabi Alonso, abandoned a centre-forward and pushed Victor Boniface wide in an attempt to flood midfield; Liverpool still cruised 4-0, but the experiment was another data point in Slot’s growing file of unexpected shapes. The numbers back up the eye test. Four of the Premier League’s top-10 matches for long passes this season involve Liverpool, a direct consequence of teams bypassing the press. Manchester United launched 75 long balls at Anfield in October on their way to a statement win; Crystal Palace and Sunderland repeated the trick to leave with points. Nottingham Forest’s former manager Sean Dyche admitted his side “went long because they were going to press the life out of us” – and left victorious. Slot is quick to clarify that he does not expect opponents to accommodate Liverpool. “I also would have adopted defensive tactics in their position,” he said of Barnsley’s low block. His gripe is practical, not philosophical: the volatility of systems makes preparation feel like guess-work. In Europe, by contrast, patterns hold. “The teams we face are mainly the same as in their other games,” he noted, whereas domestic foes “completely change their style”. The consequence is a side that once suffocated opponents now labouring to impose its own game. Liverpool have created chances in recent weeks but remain vulnerable to quick counters and late goals; set-piece lapses have cost valuable points. Slot’s response has been incremental: pushing centre-backs higher to compress space, demanding sharper one-v-one dominance, and trying to regain possession further up the pitch. The 1-0 mid-week win at Sunderland, where Liverpool avoided late drama and controlled second-ball situations, offered a template he hopes survives the final stretch. Inside the AXA Training Centre the analysis cycle continues. Slot still holds three pre-game meetings: an opponent overview, a set-piece session, and a final, upbeat briefing centred on Liverpool’s strengths rather than rival weaknesses. He studies upcoming foes either live or on loop at home, noting, for instance, that Newcastle used fewer long passes against Manchester City than they did in the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool. Yet even he concedes that only Arsenal, twice this season, have behaved predictably. Slot’s record in marquee fixtures remains persuasive: four points off Arsenal, back-to-back wins over Real Madrid, a historic victory at Inter’s San Siro, and the first league triumph at the Stadium of Light this season. Those successes, however, came against sides willing to engage on Liverpool’s terms. The conundrum now is cracking teams who arrive determined to do the opposite. Asked whether attack-minded opponents make life easier, Slot offered a sober assessment. “If you face low blocks, you have the ball a lot, so you assume you win the game… but because of multiple reasons this season, we were not able.” Until he solves that riddle, the pre-match projector may stay switched off – and the title race may stay just out of reach. SEO keywords:

Kyiv – In a city where winter temperatures plunge to -20 °C and missile alerts punctuate the school day, the thud of a tennis ball on a plastic bat has become an unlikely anthem of resilience. Kobus Olivier, a 50-something South African who once plotted a wine-import venture he could not taste, now spends his mornings coaxing 12-year-old girls into front-foot drives in a freezing gym. Beside him stands Olena Kravchenko, a former British pole-dancing champion whose glittering competition days in Newcastle ended the moment her family’s video calls showed tear-stained faces in a bomb-scarred village. Together they are building Ukraine’s first cricket academy, one borrowed mat and borrowed hour at a time. Olivier’s journey to Kyiv began with a weather app. Sweltering in Dubai, he searched for Europe’s coldest city, landed in -10 °C Kyiv, and “felt an energy I’ve never felt anywhere else”. Seven holidays later he quit a globe-trotting résumé that included directing cricket at the University of Cape Town, steering Kenya’s national set-up and running an academy with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin. Wine flopped—“I’d never tasted alcohol, so describing a merlot was tricky”—but an English-teaching gig handed him a plastic bat. A Jonty Rhodes highlight reel turned into 2,000 children across multiple schools, until Russia’s full-scale invasion sent him to Zagreb where he still ran refugee sessions three times a week. When he returned to Kyiv two years ago, a queue in a coffee shop rewrote the script. Kravchenko, 35, fresh from a World Championship bronze in Switzerland and desperate to help her homeland, translated Olivier’s tea order. The chat overran; friendship ignited. “She’s the only English-speaker I could find,” Olivier laughs. Kravchenko, who grew up sport-less in eastern Ukraine, saw cricket’s unfamiliar shapes through a dancer’s eyes: balance, core strength, repetition. Within months she was copying throw-downs, then completing the ICC Foundation Certificate—the first Ukrainian ever accredited by the world body. She now juggles a physical-education degree and an ESL teaching course while co-running sessions. Their ProCoach Cricket Academy, launched this month, operates out of public-school halls where classes halt for shelter drills. Heating is sporadic; nets are non-existent. Yet 200 girls and boys queue for overs, the gender split skewed sharply female. “Men get called to the front; universities are 15-to-1 girls,” Olivier notes. He rates the raw talent of Kyiv’s teenage girls above any boys he has seen in 30 years of club cricket across South Africa, Derbyshire, Sussex and Scotland. “Show them once and they replicate it. If we had facilities, Ukraine would produce world champions.” The pair’s wider mission is psychological triage. “When the sirens sound my dogs tremble; imagine the children,” Olivier says. Kravchenko is blunter: “We cannot stop living. We fight by letting them fight over whose turn it is to bat.” Last year they shepherded a pioneer squad to Rugby School in England, funded by Olivier’s bulging contacts book—auctions of signed shirts, bats and boots supplied by friends within the global game. More tours are planned for 2024, even if only two visas clear. “Every child we get out is a victory,” Kravchenko insists. Olivier, now naturalised in spirit—“I’m Ukrainian, settled with four dogs”—refuses exit strategies. “An old-fashioned Afrikaner keeps his word,” he shrugs. Kravchenko, whose championship poles sit in a Newcastle storage unit, counters: “I could have stayed comfortable, but family is here and cricket is my new stage.” Spring, they agree, is their next opponent. Until then, sessions will continue in whatever space a rolled mat, a tennis ball and irrepressible optimism can fit. In a capital where darkness and cold book-end each day, the South African and the pole-dancer have turned a colonial curiosity into a lifeline, proof that even in the depths of a brutal war, the simple act of playing forward defence can feel like an act of defiance.

Crysencio Summerville’s blistering run of five goals in five games for West Ham United is no accident. According to multiple sources close to the 24-year-old winger, the driving force behind the purple patch is a singular ambition: forcing his way into Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad for this summer’s World Cup. Summerville, a £25 million summer signing from Leeds United, has become the first West Ham player to score in five consecutive matches since Jesse Lingard’s hot streak in 2021. Yet the road to Premier League prominence began with a necessary departure from his Rotterdam roots. “He needed to step away from Rotterdam,” says Dirk Kuyt, Summerville’s former Feyenoord U-19 coach and ex-Liverpool striker. “The area Cry is from, it’s so easy to go down the wrong path.” Kuyt recalls a teenager blessed with rare gifts but hampered by tardiness and wavering focus. “I often told him, ‘You can get away with it now, but later in your career it could become a big problem’,” Kuyt tells The Athletic. “I kept drumming into Cry that if you are late outside the pitch, you are also late on it.” The winger heeded the advice only after leaving the Netherlands. Spells on loan at FC Dordrecht and ADO Den Haag preceded a 2020 move to Leeds, where 25 goals in 89 appearances—19 in the 2023-24 Championship campaign—earned him PFA Championship Player of the Year honours. A serious hamstring injury last January sidelined him for seven months, but since returning in August he has supplied four assists and five goals in 22 West Ham outings. Erwin van de Looi, Summerville’s former Netherlands U-21 manager, believes the attacker’s direct style is exactly what the senior national team lacks. “We have a lack of attackers and Cry is the fresh, young, exciting talent we need,” van de Looi says. “He deserves to be in the World Cup squad.” Sources indicate Summerville has already been placed on Koeman’s radar ahead of March friendlies against Norway and Ecuador. With 37 youth caps but no senior debut, the winger views the tournament as the logical next step. “Considering what he went through with his hamstring injury, it’s great to see him playing well,” adds Kuyt, who still texts his former protégé after matches. “If I were in Ronald Koeman’s shoes, I wouldn’t hesitate to call up Cry.” For a player once at risk of wasting elite-level talent, the prospect of a World Cup berth has transformed punctuality into purpose—and West Ham supporters are reaping the rewards every time he peels away down the left flank.

By The Athletic’s Data and Tactics Unit London — Every January the FA Cup third-round draw triggers the same debate in pubs and on timelines: “We always get the short straw.” Conventional wisdom says the gods of the velvet bag conspire against certain clubs while sprinkling stardust on others, but is there any truth to the suspicion that some teams repeatedly dodge the heavyweights? An analysis of every tie involving the 20 current Premier League clubs since 2010-11 suggests the suspicion is only half-correct. Using league position at the time of each round as a proxy for strength, the numbers show that while no side is “fixed” with a permanent cakewalk, the distribution of hardship is anything but uniform. Arsenal, for example, have faced the toughest average third-round opposition over the 15-season sample, their opening foes sitting at a mean position of 24.9 across the pyramid. Three of their last six third-round ties were against fellow top-flight sides, all at the Emirates: victories over Newcastle (2020-21), defeats by Liverpool (2023-24) and a shoot-out loss to Manchester United last term. Manchester United are close behind with an average opponent rank of 26.1. At the opposite extreme sit Tottenham, long regarded by rival fans as the competition’s luckiest ticket-holders. Spurs’ third-round opponents have averaged a lowly 53.7 league position. Recent memories reinforce the narrative: last season Antonio Conte’s side needed extra-time to see off fifth-tier Tamworth, while two seasons earlier they won 5-0 at eighth-tier Marine. Their luck expired this month, however, when they were paired with Aston Villa and exited 2-1 at home. Yet a single tie can flatter or flatten perceptions. The broader journey matters more. Chelsea’s run to the 2020 final, where they lost to Arsenal, is statistically the hardest negotiated by any finalist in the period. After comfortable victories over second-tier Nottingham Forest and Hull, Frank Lampard’s side then faced four consecutive top-eight Premier League finishers, including eventual champions Liverpool. Arsenal’s own route to the 2017 final was among the smoothest: non-League pair Sutton and Lincoln in the fifth and sixth rounds dragged their average opponent rank down to 38.8, though the Gunners still had to topple Manchester City and then Chelsea at the business end. Manchester City’s 2018-19 triumph looks serene on paper—no top-half Premier League club until the 5-0 demolition of Watford at Wembley—but an alternative weighting system that punishes lower-ranked opposition lifts that campaign to the top of the “easiest path” index. City’s 2023-24 run, which ended in a surprise final loss to Crystal Palace, ranks third-easiest under the same model; they did not meet a single side that would finish in the top five. Away-day bias can also distort the picture. Leeds United were handed 13 consecutive away ties between January 2016 and January 2024, a sequence so improbable it vexed three different chairmen and two separate EFL inquiries. Their only respite in that span was a 2022-23 third-round replay at Elland Road against Cardiff. Portsmouth’s 2008 triumph remains the textbook case of a favourable draw translating into silverware. The then Premier League eighth-place side met just one top-flight opponent en route to beating Championship Cardiff in the final, a path that would be envied by any modern contender. Ultimately, the data confirms what managers privately concede: the draw can shape destiny. “You can only beat what’s in front of you” is the public mantra; in private, back-room staffs pore over league tables the moment the balls are pulled. The numbers show that while the FA Cup remains gloriously unpredictable, some clubs really do walk a gentler road—until the next velvet bag is opened.

Munich—Bayern Munich have identified Manchester City defender John Stones as a potential summer reinforcement as uncertainty swirls around the future of South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae, sources have told the Daily Briefing. With Kim open to a move—though conflicting reports suggest he may yet stay—the Bavarians are mapping out contingency plans at centre-half. Dayot Upamecano is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal shortly, leaving sporting directors to decide who will serve as the reliable third option alongside Upamecano and incoming Bayer Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah. Enter Stones. The 31-year-old England international is out of contract at the Etihad Stadium in June and, barring an unexpected U-turn, will not be offered an extension, ending an illustrious nine-year spell in Manchester. Clubs from across Europe have been alerted; Bayern have already held preliminary discussions designed to sell the project to the former Everton man. “Bayern have already started moves behind the scenes to persuade Stones,” a well-placed source revealed. “His old team-mate Vincent Kompany could be key, as could another England player in Harry Kane, but a final decision won’t happen now.” Kompany, now Bayern’s head coach, partnered Stones at the heart of City’s defence during the Belgian’s final playing season in England, and the pair remain in contact. Kane, meanwhile, has forged a strong on-pitch relationship with Stones during England camps and is understood to be an enthusiastic advocate for a Bundesliga switch. Financial hurdles remain. Stones currently earns a total package of €18.6 million per season, according to Capology, a figure that dwarfs Bayern’s standard wage structure for squad players. Any deal would therefore hinge on the defender accepting a pay cut, something club negotiators believe is feasible given the opportunity to secure a multi-year contract and remain at the pinnacle of European football. From a sporting perspective, the move makes sense for both parties. Bayern want a seasoned, ball-playing centre-back capable of slotting straight into Kompany’s possession-heavy system, while Stones is eager for guaranteed minutes ahead of the 2026 World Cup. If Kim departs, minutes would be plentiful; even if the Asian star stays, competition for places is viewed as healthy given the club’s return to the Champions League’s latter stages as a stated objective. Cassiano Kiala, the 20-year-old prospect currently on Bayern’s books, is not yet considered ready for a front-line role, accelerating the search for a low-cost, high-experience option. A free-transfer acquisition of Stones would preserve funds for other positions while adding leadership to a relatively young defensive corps. Stones is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs and has already fielded informal enquiries from Italy and Spain, yet sources indicate Bayern’s combination of familiar faces, title ambitions and Bundesliga exposure has placed them at the front of the queue—for now. No offer has been tabled, and the saga is expected to stretch deep into the spring, contingent first on Kim’s decision and secondly on whether Stones receives a late City reprieve. Yet the pathway is clear: if the South Korean exits and Upamecano commits, the path could open for another Englishman to join Kane in Bavaria.

Colombo — Zimbabwe produced one of the most memorable upsets in recent T20 World Cup history, toppling Australia by 23 runs and leaving the five-time champions on the brink of elimination. A career-best 4 for 17 from Blessing Muzarabani and a nerveless three-wicket haul from Brad Evans orchestrated the collapse, while Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 64 and captain Sikandar Raza’s late 25 off 13 balls propelled Zimbabwe to 169 for 5 after they were inserted by stand-in Australian skipper Travis Head. Australia’s reply never found momentum. Muzarabani removed Josh Inglis in the second over and Evans prised out Cameron Green and Tim David in quick succession to leave the chase at 34 for 4 inside the powerplay. Matt Renshaw’s maiden T20I half-century — 65 from 44 balls — briefly raised hopes, but when Glenn Maxwell chopped on for 31 the required rate ballooned beyond reach. Muzarabani returned to remove Renshaw and Adam Zampa in the 19th, sealing Zimbabwe’s first World Cup win over Australia since their famous 2007 triumph in Cape Town. Head refused to blame the toss, insisting the wicket played evenly, but conceded early wickets “put us under pressure”. Raza, still battling cramp, hailed the culture within the group: “I have the feeling of a brother whose younger brothers have achieved something together.” The result leaves Australia needing a sequence of favourable outcomes to advance, while Zimbabwe turn their attention to the next assignment with qualification very much in their own hands.

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Thursday granted full pardons to five former National Football League standouts—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon—each of whom had previously pleaded guilty to federal offenses ranging from perjury to drug trafficking and counterfeiting. The announcement came via Alice Marie Johnson, the White House’s designated “pardon czar,” who praised the president’s “continued commitment to second chances.” In a social-media post, Johnson invoked football’s larger ethos, writing, “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation.” Johnson noted that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “personally” relayed news of the pardon to Newton, a six-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman who won three Super Bowls with the franchise. Newton had pleaded guilty in 2002 after authorities found $10,000 in his pickup and 175 pounds of marijuana in a companion vehicle. Klecko, the bruising New York Jets defensive tackle inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, received his pardon for a 1993 perjury conviction tied to an insurance-fraud investigation. A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Associated Press All-Pro, Klecko’s on-field résumé had long been celebrated; the pardon effectively closes the book on his lone off-field blemish. Jamal Lewis, the fifth overall selection in the 2000 draft who earned 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year honors, pleaded guilty after using a cellphone to facilitate a drug transaction early in his career. Thursday’s action wipes the federal conviction from the former Ravens and Browns running back’s record. Travis Henry, a one-time Pro Bowl running back who financed a multi-state cocaine ring between Colorado and Montana, was pardoned for his 2009 conspiracy conviction. Henry played for three franchises during an injury-shortened career. Billy Cannon, who died in 2018, was granted a posthumous pardon for a mid-1980s counterfeiting scheme undertaken after a series of failed investments left him bankrupt. The 1959 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU had gone on to become a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler for the Houston Oilers, Raiders, and Chiefs. The White House did not respond to a request for comment Thursday night regarding the specific factors that prompted the president to issue the pardons. Trump, an avid sports fan, previously pardoned former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry in November for tax evasion and drug-related offenses.

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić has joined a high-powered investor group led by former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson that is on the verge of purchasing Vanoli Basket Cremona, an existing Serie A club in northern Italy, with the long-term goal of planting an NBA Europe franchise in Rome, multiple sources confirmed to The Athletic. Nelson, 63, has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Vanoli Basket, a current license holder in Italy’s top-flight Liga Basket Serie A, according to three sources familiar with the negotiations. The purchase is viewed as a strategic first step toward establishing a new Rome-based outfit in Commissioner Adam Silver’s proposed NBA Europe competition, targeted to tip off in September 2027. Dončić, 26, who was famously drafted by Nelson and the Mavericks after a draft-night swap with Atlanta in 2018, is part of the investor syndicate, sources on both sides of the Atlantic said. While Italian outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport floated Dirk Nowitzki as another participant, Nowitzki’s spokesman told The Athletic the report is inaccurate. Lithuanian legend Rimas Kaukenas, a longtime star in Italian basketball, is also involved, one source added. A spokeswoman for Dončić declined comment; Nelson and Vanoli Basket officials did not respond to requests for comment. Under Serie A regulations, a new ownership group must wait two seasons before rebranding or relocating a franchise. Nelson’s consortium intends to honor that timeline while laying groundwork for a Rome entry that would compete concurrently in Serie A and NBA Europe, sources said. Silver has identified Rome among 12 desired markets for the league, alongside Milan, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. The buy-in for a London franchise alone is expected to exceed $1 billion, underscoring the need for deep-pocketed partners beyond Dončić and Nelson. Rome currently lacks a top-tier professional basketball team, leaving the market open for a first-mover advantage. Last month in London, Silver convened prospective stakeholders including representatives from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, RedBird Capital, Lazard, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Arctos and BC Partners. JP Morgan Chase and the Raine Group are advising the NBA on investor relations. Dončić, a product of the European development pipeline that Silver hopes to harness, rose through Real Madrid’s academy before starring for the senior side and jumping to the NBA. His involvement signals a marquee name attached to the continent-wide venture. Other NBA figures are already positioning themselves in the new league. Kevin Durant purchased a minority stake in Paris Saint-Germain via Arctos in 2024; PSG is expected to field a basketball team in NBA Europe. Tony Parker owns ASVEL Basket near Lyon, widely anticipated to join, while Pau Gasol is weighing a leadership role within the league office. Ownership rules remain fluid. No limits on current players holding equity have been finalized, though any NBA Europe owner cannot control more than five percent of an existing NBA franchise, a high-ranking league official told The Athletic, citing conflict-of-interest concerns among the 30 North American governors who will share in the European league’s revenues. Beyond the 12 permanent licenses, four additional berths will be available annually. One will go to the FIBA Champions League winner; three more will emerge from a FIBA-organized qualifying tournament featuring top domestic-league performers. Those qualifiers are slated for June 2027, international sources said. For now, Nelson and Dončić’s group must shepherd Vanoli Basket through the current Serie A season while preparing for a 330-mile move south to the Italian capital and the global stage that awaits.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has expanded his portfolio beyond the hardwood, purchasing a minority stake in Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, industry insider Shams Charania of ESPN reported Thursday. The move makes the 24-year-old Arlington native both an NBA All-Star and part-owner of the hometown franchise he cheered for as a child. Cunningham’s investment places him among a rising wave of elite athletes acquiring equity in professional teams while still in the prime of their playing careers. The timing is deliberate: the 2021 No. 1 overall pick is enjoying the most productive season of his career, averaging 25.3 points, 9.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds while guiding the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons toward championship contention. He will showcase his talents Sunday as a member of the USA Stars. Financially, Cunningham is positioned for long-term growth. After signing a five-year maximum rookie extension in 2024 that could reach $269 million, he followed up with a six-year endorsement renewal with Nike that includes a signature shoe line. Those revenue streams provided the capital to diversify into baseball ownership. The Rangers have been controlled by Rangers Baseball Express since a 2010 bankruptcy-driven sale valued at $539 million. Principal owners Ray C. Davis and Bob R. Simpson have overseen the franchise since the transition, and they now welcome Cunningham into the ownership group. While the exact size of his minority stake has not been revealed, the symbolic weight is significant: a local superstar reinvesting in the community that helped shape him. Cunningham’s connection to the Rangers runs deep. Minutes from Globe Life Field, he starred at Bowie High School and spoke glowingly last July after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch, calling the experience “amazing” and praising the opportunity to support the teams he “grew up loving.” Across professional sports, athlete equity has evolved from novelty to norm. LeBron James holds interests via Fenway Sports Group in the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC. Giannis Antetokounmpo owns a piece of the Milwaukee Brewers, and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes has stakes in multiple Kansas City franchises. Cunningham’s entry into the ownership ranks mirrors that strategic blueprint, ensuring wealth generation that will extend well beyond his playing days. On the court, Cunningham has transformed individual accolades into team success. After earning All-Rookie First Team honors, he has improved his efficiency and playmaking each season, culminating in a second consecutive All-Star selection and Detroit’s surge to the top of the standings. The franchise has not reached the NBA Finals since 2005; Cunningham’s dual focus on winning titles and building business equity underscores a modern superstar’s blueprint for impact. By securing a share of the Rangers, Cunningham is not merely leading a resurgent Pistons squad—he now owns a piece of the sports landscape he once dreamed of playing under.

Madrid, 7 February — Atlético Madrid produced a first-half blitz for the ages, shredding FC Barcelona 4-0 in the opening leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at a raucous Estadio Metropolitano and all but booking a trip to the final before March’s return leg. Diego Simeone’s side needed only 45 minutes to turn the tie on its head, the damage started by an Eric García own goal and finished by a thunderbolt from Julián Álvarez, with Antoine Griezmann and deadline-day revelation Ademola Lookman also on target. The quartet of goals arrived inside a whirlwind opening period in which Atleti struck the woodwork twice and forced Iñaki Peña into a string of desperate saves. Barcelona, who arrived as the competition’s form team, never recovered from the early barrage. Their lone moment of respite — Pau Cubarsí’s scrappy finish seven minutes after the restart — was erased by an offside flag following an exhaustive VAR review. García’s miserable night was complete when he collected a second yellow in the 84th minute, ruling him out of the Camp Nou date and compounding the visitors’ misery. The rout continued a striking pattern under Simeone: Atlético simply do not do slow starts in knockout ties. Last season they stunned Barça by scoring twice inside six minutes in the corresponding fixture; in 2018 Diego Costa netted within 50 seconds of the UEFA Super Cup; Saúl Ñíguez needed four minutes to open the scoring against Liverpool in 2020. Thursday’s exhibition suggested the Argentine coach’s planteamiento — an aggressive, front-foot approach — remains perfectly calibrated to exploit Barça’s high defensive line. While the forwards stole the headlines, Juan Musso quietly delivered the game’s most complete performance between the sticks. The Argentine backup, preferred in cup competitions, rushed off his line to deny Ferrán Torres at 2-0 and later clawed away a Raphinha drive that looked destined for the top corner. His quick release ignited the second goal, a laser-like punt that sent Lookman haring away to double the advantage. Fotmob’s algorithm graded him 8.7 — the highest mark on the pitch — while local ratings panel Into the Calderón handed him a rare 8. For Julián Álvarez, the strike carried added catharsis. The World Cup winner had gone 13 matches and 65 days without scoring, spurning a gilt-edged chance at 2-0 before lashing a 25-metre rocket into the top-left corner to make it four. The relief was visible as he sprinted toward the Atlético ultras, spider-monkey celebration in tow. Possession told a misleading story: Barça hogged 66 percent of it yet rarely looked capable of breaching Musso’s goal. Atlético’s clinical edge — four goals from 12 attempts — finally delivered the contundencia Simeone has demanded all winter. Alexander Sørloth, guilty of profligate finishing in recent weeks, watched from the bench as his teammates converted chances at will. On the defensive side, Matteo Ruggeri largely neutralised 16-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal until an audacious second-half back-heel almost gifted Barça a consolation, only for Cubarsí’s effort to be chalked off. Eric García’s dismissal ended any faint hopes of a comeback; the defender will now sit out the second leg while his teammates attempt to preserve a four-goal cushion. The result matched Barcelona’s worst Copa del Rey first-half deficit since an 8-0 humiliation at the hands of Real Madrid in 1943. On this evidence, the Catalans will need something approaching a miracle in three weeks’ time; Atlético, meanwhile, can already dream of a return to the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on 26 April. SEO keywords:

Former England manager Sam Allardyce has dismissed suggestions that Mohamed Salah’s dip in form is down to physical decline, insisting the Liverpool forward’s struggles are rooted in mindset rather than fitness. Salah, 33, has come under scrutiny this season after a noticeable drop in goal contributions, prompting questions about whether the Egyptian’s explosive pace and sharpness have begun to wane. Yet Allardyce, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, argued the data still shows Salah covering ground and finding the net, albeit at a reduced rate. “Players of Mo’s calibre can hit a spell where the confidence just dips,” Allardyce said. “The legs are still willing, the numbers are still respectable, but that ruthless edge—timing the run, picking the corner, backing yourself—takes a knock. One goal changes everything; suddenly the net ripples, shoulders lift and the swagger returns.” Allardyce believes external factors have played a part. Egypt’s fourth-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Salah had hoped to deliver a first continental crown for his country, left a lingering disappointment that can weigh heavily on an elite athlete. “When you fall short of a major trophy with your nation, it can sit in the back of your mind,” he added. “You try to park it, but subconsciously it can erode that extra bit of conviction.” Despite the scrutiny, Allardyce was quick to underline Salah’s enduring value to Liverpool. Over multiple seasons the winger has produced consistent goal returns and remains central to the club’s attacking blueprint. “He’s been a guarantee for so long,” Allardyce noted. “A short blip doesn’t erase the years of elite production. The quality is still there; it just needs unlocking with a single moment.” Liverpool will hope that moment arrives soon, resetting Salah’s confidence and reigniting the attacking spark that has become synonymous with his name.

The NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia is now penciled in for either Wednesday, September 9, or Thursday, September 10, 2026, according to reporting from John Ourand of Puck, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will meet at Melbourne Cricket Ground in what will be the league’s earliest kickoff to a season in recent memory. Initial plans had the matchup pegged for a Sunday afternoon U.S. window during Week 1, but the combination of a 15-hour flight and a seven-day turnaround before Week 2 prompted the league to reconsider. The midweek option gives both NFC West clubs a full weekend after the preseason finale to travel, acclimate, and then return home with nearly a week before their next contest. Florio noted that the league is also juggling a Thursday night opener for the Seattle Seahawks, meaning the Australia game could anchor a Wednesday-Thursday doubleheader to launch the season. The exact order—49ers-Rams on Wednesday and Seahawks on Thursday, or vice versa—remains fluid. The NFL is expected to unveil the complete 2026 schedule in May, yet international fixtures customarily leak early to aid travel partners and host venues. If the dates hold, the 49ers will also notch another passport stamp later that year: they are reportedly scheduled to host a December game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, making them the first franchise to play two international regular-season games in non-consecutive weeks within the same season.

Madrid’s Teatro Real continues its tradition of mounting concert-format operas with a rare foray into Verdi’s early catalogue, presenting I masnadieri (1847) during the 2025-26 season. The staging follows the house’s recent pattern of alternating familiar titles—such as Orfeo ed Euridice, Idomeneo, and Die Fledermaus—with lesser-known gems, giving audiences a chance to reassess the composer’s formative dramatic voice. Credit for the production’s visual documentation goes to Javier del Real, whose imagery captures the austere elegance of the Teatro Real’s celebrated stage. Verdi’s I masnadieri, based on Schiller’s play The Robbers, has remained on the periphery of the standard repertory, making the Teatro Real’s decision to program it in concert form a noteworthy curatorial choice. By eschewing full scenic trappings, the company places the spotlight squarely on the musical forces assembled for the occasion, aligning with the theatre’s broader mission to re-examine overlooked works through the clarity of a concert presentation. The performance adds another chapter to the Teatro Real’s ambitious multi-season exploration of operas in concert, a format that has proven both economical and artistically revealing in recent seasons. While details of the cast and conductor remain unannounced in the initial coverage, the mere inclusion of I masnadieri on the 2025-26 roster signals the institution’s ongoing commitment to breadth and balance in its programming. SEO keywords: