All articles tagged with #football
Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates after Eli Junior Kroupi's 17th-minute opener, Viktor Gyokeres equalised from the spot following a handball by Ryan Christie, and Alex Scott struck the late winner in the 74th minute; the result trims Arsenal's lead to nine points, with Manchester City having two games in hand and the chance to close the gap by beating Chelsea as City host Arsenal next weekend.
The Indianapolis Colts and veteran cornerback Kenny Moore mutually agreed to seek a trade. Moore, 30, is in the final year of his contract with a 2026 base salary of $9.49 million; a trade would save the Colts about $7.06 million against the cap. Moore joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has appeared in 132 games with 111 starts, 21 interceptions and 68 passes defensed in his career, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Giants DT Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade to push for a contract extension, but New York isn’t forced to move him and views him as a potential foundation piece. If an offer is too rich, a deal could happen; several teams with cap space and a need at defensive tackle have been linked as plausible suitors (Chargers, Jaguars, Bears, Raiders, Panthers, Patriots). Expected compensation is generally seen as late first- to early second-round picks, possibly wrapped into a larger package with players or salary relief. Any transfer would likely hinge on Lawrence agreeing to a new deal and the Giants evaluating how to balance short-term competitiveness with long-term cap flexibility.
Barça must orchestrate a historic comeback in Madrid after a 0-2 home loss to Atlético, exacerbated by Cubarsí’s red card. They outshot their rivals 18–5 and had a higher expected goals (1.21 vs 0.45), but overturning the deficit away from home remains a steep challenge—only Manchester United in 2019 has done so in similar circumstances. The team stays hopeful and will need to replicate and convert their chances in the second leg at the Metropolitano to keep their Champions League dreams alive.
A roundup of mock drafts shows the San Francisco 49ers entertaining first-round picks that depart from their expected needs (WR and EDGE), with candidates such as Clemson DT Peter Woods, Utah OT Caleb Lomu, Clemson OT Blake Miller, Texas A&M edge Howell, and Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq highlighted across outlets, illustrating how board dynamics could push San Francisco to address non-need positions in the opening round.
Liverpool lined up with five at the back in Paris to chase a nil-nil, but a deflected Désiré Doué goal and a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia strike put them 2-0 down. VAR gave them a lifeline by overturning a penalty and did not intervene on a late Konaté shove, keeping the tie alive for a potential comeback at Anfield. Yet the Reds offered little going forward and now face a tough second leg alongside looming domestic fixtures.
Paris Saint-Germain took a 2-0 lead over Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, with Desire Doué opening the scoring and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia adding a second; Liverpool created little in reply as PSG looked dangerous on the counter, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the return leg.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick warned four players (Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Marc Casadó, Gerard Martín) to avoid cautions in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atlético Madrid to prevent a suspension in the second leg; both sides have cautions to manage and yellow cards reset after the tie.
Tottenham have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager on a five-year contract to steer the club through a relegation battle with seven Premier League games left; Sporting Director Johan Lange said he was Tottenham's top target, but the move has drawn mixed reactions, including opposition from some Tottenham fans' groups over De Zerbi's stance on Mason Greenwood.
The NFL approved a rule change to remove the incentive to kick out of bounds on kickoffs from the 50-yard line; if the ball lands in the end zone or goes out of bounds, the receiving team will take possession at its own 20, not at the 25, ending the previous vulnerability created by the 2024 kickoff alignment.
Italy aim to end a 12-year World Cup absence by beating Bosnia & Herzegovina in Zenica in a playoff final. Kickoff is 7:45 p.m. BST (2:45 p.m. ET). TV and streaming rights vary by country: UK via Amazon Prime Video; US via Fox Sports 1 and fuboTV; Canada via DAZN, TLN and fuboTV; Mexico via Sky Sports. The winner joins Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B for the 2026 tournament.
The World Cup 2026 play-offs reach the final stage across UEFA Paths A–D and two intercontinental paths, with finals Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Italy, Sweden vs Poland, Kosovo vs Türkiye, Czechia vs Denmark, DR Congo vs Jamaica, and Iraq vs Bolivia. Opta’s simulations flag Italy (Path A) and DR Congo (Intercontinental Pathway One) as strong bets, while Sweden–Poland and Denmark–Czechia look competitive; Türkiye hold an edge over Kosovo in Path C, and Iraq vs Bolivia is tightly contested. The six winners will join Canada, Mexico and the United States in North America for the tournament.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose contract runs through the 2026 World Cup, says he’s focused on the World Cup and USMNT friendlies, while leaving a slim open possibility of a future return to European soccer; he praised Tottenham amid relegation anxiety and managerial turnover and is not pursuing the Spurs job now.
With Aaron Rodgers’ decision still in play, the Steelers signaled they’re open to adding at least one quarterback before the 2026 NFL Draft, with GM Omar Khan saying ‘all options are on the table’ and coach Mike McCarthy praising the 2026 QB class. They’ve already shown interest in Miami (FL)’s Carson Beck and North Dakota State’s Cole Payton, and could consider others such as LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Arkansas’ Taylen Green, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. If they draft a QB and Rodgers returns, Pittsburgh could carry four quarterbacks on the roster, likely resting Mason Rudolph as the odd man out; Will Howard’s injury last year underscores the unpredictability of depth-chart decisions.
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly close to appointing Roberto De Zerbi to take charge immediately on a long-term deal, with a breakthrough described by outlets like Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic despite earlier hesitation, as the club faces a relegation battle and fan scrutiny.