playoff

Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 to boost their bid to reach a men’s World Cup for the first time since 2014, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkiye, Kosovo, the Czech Republic and Denmark also won their European playoff semifinals.

Four-time champions Italy, who lost out in the playoffs for the 2018 and 2022 editions, travel to Bosnia on Tuesday for the final, knowing a win will send them to June and July’s tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Sandro Tonali blasted in superbly from the edge of the box in the second half of a nervous one-off semifinal in Bergamo on Thursday before Moise Kean made the game safe.

“We made life a bit difficult for ourselves, but in the second half we found our rhythm,” Italy coach and 2006 champion Gennaro Gattuso said. “Now we’re going to play this final. We know it’s difficult. The tension we feel will be felt by our opponents, too.”

Bosnia overcame Wales on penalties in Cardiff following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Daniel James used his pace to score early in the second period for the hosts, and Karl Darlow then made a wonder save from an Ermedin Demirovic header. Edin Dzeko, 40, levelled late on in normal time.

Darlow saved again from Demirovic in the shootout, but Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams both missed.

Kosovo have never reached a World Cup, but are through to Tuesday’s playoff final at home to Turkiye after winning a wild game in Slovakia 4-3.

The Kosovans twice wiped out a deficit, and Kreshnik Hajrizi’s goal on 72 minutes proved the difference.

Ferdi Kadioglu’s second-half goal put Turkiye through after a tight 1-0 home win over Romania.

Kadioglu calmly netted on 53 minutes after Arda Guler’s magical assist at Besiktas’s stadium in Istanbul.

Romania’s 80-year-old coach Mircea Lucescu, who counts Turkiye among his former jobs, was left to rue Nicolae Stanciu hitting the post as the Tricolours missed the World Cup for the seventh straight edition.

Turkiye, third in 2002, have not reached a men’s World Cup since.

Viktor Gykeres bagged a hat-trick in Sweden’s 3-1 win over Ukraine in Valencia. Ukraine have not played at home since the Russian full-scale invasion more than four years ago, and miss out on another World Cup.

Graham Potter’s Swedes next take on Poland, who came from behind to defeat Albania 2-1 in Warsaw.

Arbr Hoxha pounced 42 minutes after Jan Bednarek’s mistake as Albania dreamed of moving closer to a first World Cup appearance. But record Poland scorer Robert Lewandowski equalised, and Piotr Zielinski won it in style with a goal from distance.

Gustav Isaksen scored twice in two minutes to help Denmark thump North Macedonia 4-0 and set up a meeting away to the Czech Republic, who needed penalties to get past Ireland in Prague.

Troy Parrott, the hero as the Irish made the playoffs at the end of November’s group stage, netted the opener from the spot, and an own goal summed up the poor Czech defence.

But the hosts pulled one back through Patrik Schick’s penalty and Ladislav Krejci’s late header to make it 2-2, prompted by a cagey extra time, with the Czechs prevailing in a shootout.

This year’s tournament, in North America in June and July, will feature an expanded 48 teams, meaning more nations have a chance to qualify.

Twelve European countries have already gotten through by winning their groups. The playoffs are made up of second-placed teams and sides who did well in the previous Nations League.

Bolivia beat Suriname, Jamaica edge New Caledonia to reach playoff finals

In FIFA’s intercontinental playoff games on Thursday, Bolivia rallied to beat Suriname 2-1 to qualify for the final qualifying playoff against Iraq.

Liam Van Gelderen put Suriname ahead in the 48th minute, but Moises Paniagua tied the score at the 72nd, and Miguel Terceros had the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 79th minute for the Bolivians, who are aiming for their second World Cup appearance.

The Bolivians have only previously played in the 1994 World Cup in the US. Suriname were looking to qualify for the first time.

Bolivia will play Iraq next Tuesday in Monterrey, with the winner qualifying for Group I with France, Norway and Senegal.

Elsewhere on Thursday, a first-half goal by Wrexham striker Bailey Cadamarteri gave Jamaica a 1-0 victory over New Caledonia and a place in the international playoff final against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Reggae Boyz have only one World Cup appearance, at France in 1998. New Caledonia, from Oceania, saw their chance to advance to a first World Cup end.

Jamaica will face DRC next Tuesday at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara. DRC qualified for the playoff by defeating Nigeria in an African playoff.

The winner in Guadalajara will play in Group K in the tournament along with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.

The Astros had been a mainstay atop the AL West for eight years — claiming seven division titles during that time — but now the division appears to be under new management.

Last season, the upstart Mariners finally broke through after years of promise, winning 90 games and claiming their first division crown since 2001. This season, the club hopes to take the next step forward and reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle locked up cleanup man Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5-million contract, solidifying their lineup. The M’s also traded for super utilityman Brendan Donovan, who, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, was named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season.

The Astros, in their third year under manager Joe Espada, are hoping to return to the top of the division. They’ll have their work cut out for them, with just seven players remaining from the Astros’ 2022 World Series team.

Even after a pair of mediocre seasons, the Rangers remained aggressive this winter, making a pair of blockbuster trades, acquiring frontline starter MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and outfielder Brandon Nimmo from the Mets. Ex-Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will take the reins from four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy, who did not return as the club’s skipper.

Entering their second season playing in Sacramento, the Athletics grabbed veteran Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets in a trade, while locking up promising youngsters Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson to long-term extensions. The Angels installed rookie manager Kurt Suzuki, replacing Ron Washington.

1 | Seattle Mariners

2025 | 90-72, 1st in West

Last year in playoffs | 2025

After bidding farewell to Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco, the Mariners are betting on young infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson. Newcomer Brendan Donovan should provide a nice spark to the M’s lineup. 26-year-old Bryan Woo emerged as the club’s ace last season while George Kirby missed the first two months with shoulder inflammation and was never quite right. A healthy Kirby could make a huge difference this season for an already formidable M’s rotation.

2 | Houston Astros

2025 | 87-75, 2nd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2024

Even after an offseason in which the Astros lost stars Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander, the team still led the West for most of the season in 2025. One player to watch will be second-year outfielder Cam Smith, who the Astros acquired as the centerpiece of the Tucker trade. It was a tale of two seasons for Smith, who dazzled with a .297/.357/.443 slash line through his first 75 big league games, but hit a snag over his next 59 games, slashing just .153/.248/.232.

3 | Athletics

2025 | 76-86, 4th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2020

Two years after losing 112 games, the A’s showed encouraging progress in their first season in Sacramento. First baseman Nick Kurtz ran away with AL rookie of the year honors, winning the award unanimously, with shortstop Jacob Wilson placing second. Between Kurtz (36), catcher Shea Langeliers (31), designated hitter Brent Rooker (30), left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (25) and right fielder Lawrence Butler (21), the A’s had five players hit for 20 or more homers last season.

4 | Texas Rangers

2025 | 81-81, 3rd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2023

The Rangers have posted just one winning season over the last 10 years, and it came in 2023, the same year that the club won its first-ever World Series. In order for new manager Skip Schumaker to return the Rangers to form, he’s going to need his position players to bounce back in a big way. Freshly-acquired MacKenzie Gore should add length to the Rangers’ rotation, while former Vanderbilt teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will have an opportunity to establish themselves as formidable major league starters.

5 | Angels

2025 | 72-90, 5th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2014

The Angels upped their win total by nine games from 2024 to 2025, and the club could continue to progress in its first season under rookie manager Kurt Suzuki. General manager Perry Minasian enters the final year of his contract, after the Angels failed to post a winning record in each of his first six seasons.

It’s the Dodgers, and everyone else, in the National League West this season.

The two-time defending World Series champions ponied up a combined $309 million to sign two free agents, world-class closer Edwin Díaz and four-time All-Star corner outfielder Kyle Tucker.

The second-place San Diego Padres continued to cut payroll, bidding farewell to free agents Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn. The San Francisco Giants’ offseason highlight: becoming the first MLB team to make a college coach with no professional baseball coaching experience their manager. The 47-year-old Tony Vitello comes on board after coaching the Tennessee Volunteers for the past eight seasons.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are attempting to bounce back after following up a 2023 World Series appearance with two underwhelming seasons. And the Colorado Rockies are starting fresh yet again, replacing general manager Bill Schmidt with Paul DePodesta, who, after working for the Dodgers and other MLB teams, most recently served as the Cleveland Browns’ chief strategy officer for the past 10 years.

BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray

There’s no way of sugar coating it – losing Dan Ballard is a massive blow to Northern Ireland’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 40 years.

The Sunderland defender has been integral to the progress of Michael O’Neill’s young side and he has an impact in both boxes.

While he has always been a physical presence, his composure on the ball has also improved from playing Premier League football this season.

Excluding Kieran Morrison, who has only played in the cup competitions for Liverpool, losing two of his four Premier League players is awful luck for O’Neill, after Conor Bradley was sidelined with a knee injury in January.

Thankfully for NI, Ruairi McConville, who was also an injury doubt when the squad was announced, has played two sets of 90 minutes for Norwich City in the past week.

He will be an option for stepping in for Ballard and has impressed in his short international career to date, as will Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown and Bolton’s Eoin Toal.

Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has suffered a collapsed lung and will miss at least two weeks with less than a month remaining in the NBA’s regular season, the team announced Thursday.

Cunningham was injured Tuesday night when he collided with Washington’s Tre Johnson while diving for a loose ball during the first quarter of the Pistons’ 130-117 victory over the Wizards. He took awhile to get up but remained in the game for just over a minute before leaving for good at the 6:40 mark.

The Pistons said at the time that Cunningham was suffering back spasms. In a statement Thursday morning, the team said that after further testing the 24-year-old guard “has been diagnosed with a left lung pneumothorax” and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

ESPN reports that the “collapse of Cunningham’s lung is considered mild” and “there is some optimism that Cunningham will be back in time for the start of the playoffs.”

The Pistons, who currently have a 3.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference standings, wrap up their season April 12 against the Indiana Pacers. The playoffs begin April 18.

Cunningham was drafted at No. 1 overall by Detroit in 2021 and has been an All-Star selection the past two seasons. He is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists in 61 games this season but needs to play in at least four more games to be eligible for such honors as All-NBA team and MVP consideration.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed another 40-point night as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 113-108 to become the first NBA team to secure a play-off berth.

The 27-year-old Canadian went 14 from 27 from the field as he extended his record of most 20-point games in a row to 129.

Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Western Conference leaders claimed a ninth straight win to improve to 54-15 for the season.

“We got off to a good start but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“But that’s what great teams do – they figure out a way to get the car back on the road, they figure out a way to go into a building and win a game when the chips are stacked against you, and we did that tonight.”

San Antonio Spurs remain second in the West after a comfortable 132-104 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons handed the Washington Wizards a 13th straight loss to strengthen their position at the top.

But the 130-117 triumph was marred by an injury to star point guard Cade Cunningham, who had to leave the game in the first quarter with a back issue.

The New York Knicks stay third in the East after a thumping 136-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, a 14th consecutive loss leaving last year’s NBA Finals runners-up 15-54 this term.

A look at The Times’ top 25 high school baseball rankings for the Southland after the fourth week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (4-0): Trinity League play begins vs. JSerra; 1

2. CORONA (4-0): Danny De La Torre is six for seven hitting; 2

3. ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-1): Faces Damien this week before trip to North Carolina; 3

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (7-0): Dru Wilson is nine for 19 hitting; 4

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (7-1): Freshman Louis Lappe gets his first home run in high school; 5

6. NORCO (5-1): No runs allowed in 18 2/3 innings for Landon Hovermale; 7

7. GAHR (3-3): The pitching has been outstanding; 6

8. HUNTINGTON BEACH (4-2-1): Oilers get three-game sweep of rival Edison; 9

9. SIERRA CANYON (6-3): Armando Solorio emerging as ace; 8

10. ROYAL (7-1): Dustin Dunwoody eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings vs. Moorpark; 10

11. AQUINAS (3-0): Showdown with Arrowhead Christian this week; 13

12. SANTA MARGARITA (7-1): Brody Schumaker has four hits, seven RBIs vs. Los Osos; 16

13. MATER DEI (4-2): Three-game series with Santa Margarita; 11

14. EL DORADO (6-3): Pitching continues to be strong; 12

15. OAKS CHRISTIAN (7-2): Sophomore Dane Disney leads team with 11 hits; 14

16. SOUTH HILLS (7-1): Carson Baker continues to hit, pitch with the best; 15

17. CYPRESS (6-3): Bats came alive in two-game sweep of JSerra; 18

18. LA MIRADA (5-2): Faces Etiwanda on Wednesday; 19

19. AYALA (6-1): Ivan Ruddell is 10 for 16 hitting; 21

20. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-3): Showdown with Norco this week; 20

21. THOUSAND OAKS (10-0): Is Jack Wilson back playing for the Lancers?; NR

22. NEWPORT HARBOR (7-1): Rivalry games against Corona del Mar this week; 22

23. VILLA PARK (7-2-1): Jack McGuire off to good start on mound; 23

24. SOUTH TORRANCE (8-0): Eleven hits, 10 RBIs for Owen Rhodes; 24

25. ALISO NIGUEL (7-0-1): Eleven hits for Carson Etnire; NR

A look at The Times’ top 25 high school baseball rankings for the Southland after the third week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (2-0): Jack Champlin is back to being the best closer in California; 1

2. CORONA (4-0): Panthers begin league play this week vs. King; 3

3. ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-1): Lancers went 1-1 on trip to Las Vegas; 2

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (4-0): Knights start Mission League vs. St. Francis; 4

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (5-1): It’s showdown time this week vs. Sierra Canyon; 5

6. GAHR (3-2): 1-0 losses to Harvard-Westlake, St. John Bosco; 8

7. NORCO (4-1): Next up is Gahr on Wednesday; 9

8. SIERRA CANYON (5-1): Young pitchers to get tested by Harvard-Westlake; 10

9. HUNTINGTON BEACH (1-2-1): Rivalry game vs. Edison on Tuesday; 6

10. ROYAL (5-1): Face Moorpark on Friday; 7

11. MATER DEI (4-1): Ezekiel Lara is providing lots of offense; 11

12. EL DORADO (5-2): Xavi Cadena is smashing baseballs; 14

13. AQUINAS (2-0): Four shutout innings from junior Dorian Valencia; 15

14. OAKS CHRISTIAN (6-1): Aquinas ended six-game win streak 8-4; 12

15. SOUTH HILLS (6-0): Win No. 500 for coach Darren Murphy; 17

16. SANTA MARGARITA (5-1): Eagles on a four-game win streak; 20

17 . JSERRA (4-2): Lions get doubleheader sweep of Buchanan; 21

18. CYPRESS (4-3): Two-game series with JSerra this week; 13

19. LA MIRADA (4-2): 4-3 loss to South Hills; 16

20. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-2): Aiden Simpson is nine for 18 hitting; 18

21. AYALA (4-1): Caleb Trugman continues to impress on the mound 23

22. NEWPORT HARBOR (5-0): Austin Gillies is six for 11; NR

23. VILLA PARK (5-2-1): 13 hits in eight games for Justin Lopez; 24

24. SOUTH TORRANCE (6-0): Kuturo Kita came through with three hits vs. El Segundo; NR

25. CHAMINADE (6-1): Open Mission League play vs. Loyola this week; NR

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

Open Division

#1 Sierra Canyon, bye
#5 Santa Margarita 75, #4 Redondo Union 71
#3 Santa Maria St. Joseph 66, #6 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 60
#2 Harvard-Westlake, bye

GIRLS

Open Division

#1 Sierra Canyon, bye
#4 Sage Hill, bye
#3 Etiwanda, bye
#2 Ontario Christian, bye

Note: Quarterfinals in Division I-V are Thursday, March 5 at higher seeds; Semifinals in all divisions are Saturday, March 7 at higher seeds; Finals are Tuesday March 10 at higher seeds. State championships are March 13-14 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S FIRST ROUND RESULTS

BOYS
DIVISION I
#1 Mater Dei 2, #8 Santa Monica 0
#4 El Camino Real 1, #5 Placentia Valencia 0
#3 Del Norte 4, #6 JSerra 1
#2 Orange Lutheran 3, #7 St. Augustine 2

DIVISION II
#8 Sultana 3, #1 Torrey Pines 2
#4 San Pascual 4, #5 Anaheim Canyon 0
#3 Fontana 4, #6 Hilltop 1
#2 Mira Monte 0, #7 Birmingham 0 (Mira Monte wins 4-1 in shootout)

DIVISION III
#1 Bishop Amat 1, #8 Godinez 0
#4 Palisades 1, #5 Bakersfield Liberty 1 (Palisades wins 3-2 in shootout)
#6 Los Alamitos d. #3 Bonita Vista, forfeit
#7 Mt. Carmel 2, #2 Newport Harbor 1

DIVISION IV
#1 Irvine University 4, #8 Animo Leadership 2
#5 Chatsworth 4, #4 Bakersfield 1
#6 Santa Ana Valley 3, #3 La Jolla 1
#2 Granite Hills 2, #7 Esperanza 0

DIVISION V
#1 Ontario Christian 2, #8 LA Roosevelt 0
#5 Kern County Taft 2, #4 North Hollywood 1
#3 Garfield 1, #6 Orange County Pacifica Christian 1 (Garfield wins 5-4 in shootout)
#7 San Diego Lincoln 3, #2 Pasadena Poly 1

GIRLS

DIVISION I
#1 Santa Margarita 2, #8 Eastvale Roosevelt 2 (SM wins 3-2 in shootout)
#4 Cleveland 2, #5 Redondo Union 0
#6 Oaks Christian 1, #3 Mt. Carmel 0
#2 Mater Dei 5, #7 North County San Marcos 0

DIVISION II
#8 Westview 1, #1 Newport Harbor 0
#5 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 3, #4 Carlsbad 0
#3 Garces Memorial 1, #6 Granada Hills 0
#2 Westlake 1, #7 La Costa Canyon 0

DIVISION III
#1 Del Norte 4, #8 Palisades 3
#4 Quartz Hill 3, #5 El Diamante 0
#3 Ayala 7, #6 Crescenta Valley 2
#2 Millikan 7, #7 Tulare Western 0

DIVISION IV
#8 Segerstrom 1, #1 Birmingham 1 (Segerstrom wins 4-2 in shootout)
#5 Coachella Valley 3, #4 Ramona 2
#3 San Jacinto 1, #6 Mission Vista 0
#7 Del Sol 0, #2 Immaculate Heart 0 (Del Sol wins 4-3 in shootout)

DIVISION V
#8 Coastal Academy 1, #1 Ocean View 0
#5 Bravo 2, #4 Webb 1
#3 Delano Kennedy 2, #6 Marquez 2 (Kennedy wins in shootout)
#2 Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 4, #7 Sun Valley Poly 3

Note: Semifinals 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Thursday at higher seeds; Finals 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Saturday at host sites; State Championships March 13-14 at Matomas High in Sacramento (times TBA).

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PAIRINGS

FIRST ROUND

TUESDAY

(Games at 5 p.m. unless noted)

BOYS

DIVISION I

#8 Santa Monica at #1 Mater Dei

#5 Placentia Valencia at #4 El Camino Real

#6 JSerra at #3 Del Norte

#7 St. Augustine at #2 Orange Lutheran

DIVISION II

#8 Sultana at #1 Torrey Pines

#5 Anaheim Canyon at #4 Pascual

#6 Hilltop at #3 Fontana

#7 Birmingham at #2 Mira Monte

DIVISION III

#8 Godinez at #1 Bishop Amat

#5 Bakersfield Liberty vs. #4 Palisades, 4:30 p.m. at Birmingham

#6 Los Alamitos at #3 Bonita Vista

#7 Mt. Carmel at #2 Newport Harbor

DIVISION IV

#8 Animo Leadership at #1 Irvine University

#5 Chatsworth at #4 Bakersfield

#6 Santa Ana Valley at #3 La Jolla

#7 Esperanza vs. #2 Granite Hills at Newton Bass Stadium

DIVISION V

#8 LA Roosevelt at #1 Ontario Christian

#5 Kern County Taft at #4 North Hollywood

#6 Orange County Pacifica Christian at #3 Garfield

#7 San Diego Lincoln at #2 Pasadena Poly

GIRLS

DIVISION I

#8 Eastvale Roosevelt at #1 Santa Margarita, 4 p.m.

#5 Redondo Union vs. #4 Cleveland, 6 p.m. at Taft

#6 Oaks Christian at #3 Mt. Carmel

#7 North County San Marcos at #2 Mater Dei

DIVISION II

#8 Westview at #1 Newport Harbor

#5 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at #4 Carlsbad

#6 Granada Hills at #3 Garces Memorial

#7 La Costa Canyon vs. #2 Westlake at Cal Lutheran

DIVISION III

#8 Palisades at #1 Del Norte, 4:30 p.m.

#5 El Diamante at #4 Quartz Hill

#6 Crescenta Valley at #3 Ayala

#7 Tulare Western at #2 Millikan

DIVISION IV

#8 Segerstrom at #1 Birmingham, 7 p.m.

#5 Coachella Valley at #4 Ramona

#6 Mission Vista at #3 San Jacinto

#7 Del Sol vs. #2 Immaculate Heart at Rio Mesa

DIVISION V

#8 Coastal Academy at #1 Ocean View

#5 Bravo at #4 Webb

#6 Marquez at #3 Delano Kennedy

#7 Sun Valley Poly vs. #2 Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Lincoln Middle School

Note: Semifinals 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Thursday at higher seeds; Finals 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Saturday at host sites; State Championships March 13-14 at Matomas High in Sacramento (times TBA).

Cardiff: Winnett; Beetham, Millard, B Thomas, Grady; Sheedy, A Davies; Barratt, Belcher (capt), Sebastian, McNally, Nott, Lawrence, D Thomas, Basham.

Replacements: D Hughes, Southworth, Assiratti, Thornton, E Rees, Mulder, I Lloyd, Bowen.

Yellow card: Beetham 65

Leinster: O’Brien; Kenny, Ioane, Henshaw, Moloney, Byrne; Gunne, Cahir, McKee, Sparrow, Spicer, Deeny, Deegan (capt), Penny, Culhane.

Replacements: McCarthy, Usanov, Slimani, Snyman, Ericson, McGrath, Tector, Osborne.

Yellow card: Tector 12

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)

Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) & Carwyn Sion (Wales)

TMO: David Sutherland (Scotland)

In one of the strangest weeks in City Section soccer history, six-time champion Birmingham High, which was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two weeks ago, defeated Venice 6-0 on Thursday to earn a spot against rival El Camino Real in Saturday’s 6 p.m. Open Division boys’ final.

The Patriots got a second chance to avenge their earlier loss to Marquez via penalty kicks when semifinalists Marquez and South East were removed from the playoffs for using an ineligible player. The City Section decided to have first-round losers Birmingham and Venice play for the right to face El Camino Real.

Five City Section teams in the playoffs have had to forfeit games because players participated in outside leagues during their high school season in violation of CIF bylaw 600.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Birmingham goalie Alexis Villagran said. “We’re blessed for the opportunity.”

Birmingham coach Gus Villalobos was preparing to take back his players’ uniforms this week to end the season. Now they are one win away from a City title. Players look tired at times because they hadn’t practiced since their loss on Feb. 6. Villagran was allowed to play even though he took part in a club match after he thought the season ended. The state CIF approved the waiver.

Robert Mejia, who scored two goals on penalty kicks and has 26 goals this season, is in his first year playing for Birmingham after being a member of the L.A. Galaxy youth academy program. He said both his club coach and high school coach made it clear you can’t play club during the high school season.

“We all know the rules,” he said.

The continual violation of CIF bylaw 600 has left City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos scrambling to replace teams. The latest team to discover a violation was Gardena in Division III, allowing Sun Valley Magnet to advance to the final. Lagos also received information about City Division II finalist Garfield, but as of Thursday night, she said the Bulldogs have been cleared to play Santee in the final.

After a scoreless first half, Birmingham sophomore Hayden Quiambao started a six-goal surge with a header to open the second half.

Following his side’s 2-1 win against Portsmouth, Parkinson revealed that strikers Kieffer Moore and Sam Smith – who netted the opener against Pompey – were among those who had been struggling with illness.

But the Wrexham manager says he has no new concerns ahead of the contest with Nathan Jones’ Addicks.

“Yeah, one or two others as well (had been ill), but they’re all back in this morning. We were all off yesterday and back in today,” said Parkinson.

“It’s about getting the ones who didn’t play the right level of training, the ones who did play a second day of recovery and picking the team tomorrow to go and put a performance down at Charlton.”

January signing Zak Vyner was unavailable for the first three matches after joining Wrexham from Bristol City due to a toe injury.

The 28-year-old featured as a substitute in each of the league wins against Ipswich Town and Portsmouth in the past week and is now in a position to be used when called upon.

“Zak’s fine,” said Parkinson.

“It’s been good in a way that we’ve been doing well. It’s given the time to get his toe completely right. He’s training again today.”