title

Absolutely, this is the best team in UCLA women’s basketball history.

Not the best team in the country this year, but truly a testament to teamwork and hard work and talent retention.

Whether UCLA wins it all this season or not, the Bruins are the envy of teams everywhere, including Oklahoma State, whose season they ended with an 87-68 second-round victory Monday. Afterward, UCLA’s six seniors joined their teammates in one last victory lap around the court, waving to fans, soaking in the adoration, on their way to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season.

“Seeing a team who gets to host, a team who has stayed together, for the most part, they get to experience all the things that all of us want, and that is so incredibly rare and hard and special,” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt said.

But how much further those things will take these Bruins in the NCAA tournament after they fought off Oklahoma State?

Maybe all the way, but maybe not.

The road ahead is treacherous. And the Bruins aren’t barreling toward it with the same momentum as the teams they’re likely to face. This deep UCLA team will need to dig even deeper.

They will have Lauren Betts, though, and no one else will. UCLA’s great 6-foot-7 center and cheat code saved the day Monday, scoring 21 of her career-high 35 points in the second half, when the Bruins got tight and the Cowgirls got closer.

Not close, but closer. Much closer than UCLA’s fellow top seeds’ opponents did.

UConn beat ninth-seeded Syracuse 98-45 in a second-round game that featured a killer 31-0 run by the defending champion Huskies.

South Carolina dismissed ninth-seeded USC, 101-61.

Texas blew out eighth-seeded Oregon like a candle, 100-58, on Sunday.

Even the second-seeded Louisiana State Tigers — likely UCLA’s Elite Eight date if both teams win their way to a third consecutive NCAA tournament meeting — got in on the demolition derby Sunday. They routed seventh-seeded Texas Tech 101-47 while setting an NCAA record by scoring 100 points in their 16th game this season.

But this is not a tournament that takes into account point differential. So no harm and no foul when it comes to the scores of the Bruins’ first two wins — and the first round against California Baptist turned into a rout, 96-43, after the Bruins woke up and outscored their guests 52-9 in the second half.

What might matter is that while UConn and South Carolina, Texas and LSU delivered their best spirit- and soul- and confidence-crushing blowouts, the Lancers and the Cowgirls left Pauley Pavilion feeling good about themselves.

The 16th-seeded Lancers can tout that they trailed a top seed by just 10 at halftime. The eighth-seeded Cowgirls (24-10) can crow about outscoring the Bruins 42-41 in the second half.

“UCLA has lost one game all season, right? The majority of those wins were blowouts, like, real blowouts, and it would have been really easy for us to fold after that first quarter,” said Hoyt, referencing the fact that UCLA beat teams by an average of 28.9 points per game this season, fourth-best in the nation.

“But we never did. They were tough and had a resilience and a grit to them that I was really proud to coach.”

That the Bruins (33-1) couldn’t put more significant distance between themselves and a physical Cowgirls team posed some questions about why adjustments didn’t come quick enough, UCLA coach Cori Close said, taking accountability for her part of that. She also saw her players start to let calls and miscommunications frustrate them: “I didn’t think our next-play speed was as good as it has been, and it affects you,” she said.

UCLA coach Cori Close waves to the crowd after Monday’s win over Oklahoma State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

That doesn’t inspire additional confidence in the Bruins’ path forward. It’s a thorny gauntlet created by seeding rules that bar conference opponents from playing in the Elite Eight — and that could require UCLA, as the No. 2 overall seed, to beat three of the top-five seeded teams if it’s going to win a national championship for the first time since the Bruins won the AIAW title in 1978.

Close hasn’t quibbled with her team’s seeding despite its impressive 31-1 regular-season record against a loaded schedule. But she said Monday she doesn’t like the route that’s been drawn up for her team.

In Sacramento on Friday, the Bruins will play Minnesota, a familiar foe from the Big Ten — one of a dozen conference teams that earned NCAA tournament bids — whom they defeated 76-58 on Jan. 14.

But after that, to reach the championship game the No. 2 team in the nation could meet LSU (the fifth overall seed in the tournament), followed possibly by Texas (No. 3 overall). And then, of course, they’d likely meet No. 1, undefeated UConn in the final, where the Huskies would be trying to win a second consecutive title.

An unenviable assignment, even for a team that seems to have it all.

“You know what does bother me?” Close said. “That the No. 1 and No. 2 overall seeds are not being rewarded because of a guideline that you can’t play a person in your conference in the regional finals. That is an antiquated, poor rule that advantages the wrong teams and the people who haven’t done the work.”

But on Monday, while saying a victorious goodbye to Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins were still mostly unbothered.

“I told ‘em in the locker room,” Close said, “we can talk about your wins and losses all day, but that will always pale in comparison to the way that you’ve affected this community, the way that you’ve touched people’s hearts, the way that you’ve grown as young women.”

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 all coming back to Celine Dion.

The French Canadian singer may be making her return to concert performances this fall, according to Variety. In 2022, Dion canceled her North American tour due to muscle spasms and later revealed that her diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome, an autoimmune neurological disorder, would prevent her from performing.

Montreal newspaper La Presse reported that fans were speculating Dion would return to the stage, after Parisians spotted posters referencing titles of Dion’s songs like “Power of Love” and “Pour Que tu M’aimes Encore” throughout the city. La Presse also reported that Dion will likely perform two concerts a week throughout September and October at the Paris La Défense Arena, a venue that seats 40,000 spectators.

Dion has not headlined her own show since her Courage World Tour in 2020, which was postponed and then canceled due to her health issues. She sang an emotional cover of Édith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. Last November, she performed her songs “I’m Alive” and “The Power of Love” during the 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The singer publicized her battle with SPS in her 2024 documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion.” In the film, Dion discussed how she’d been experiencing health issues for 17 years before her diagnosis. SPS affected Dion’s ability to sing by causing a strain on her vocal cords, making her voice sound more nasal.

“Sometimes I would point my microphone towards the audience and I would make them sing it. There’s moments where I cheated and I tapped on the microphone, like it was the microphone’s fault,” Dion explained in her documentary.

Even with her diagnosis, the singer made it clear in her documentary that she intended to continue pursuing her love of music.

“If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl, but I won’t stop.”

Dion’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. La Défense Arena declined to comment.

Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes has become the latest player from title-chasing Arsenal to withdraw from international duty with injury.

Six of the Arsenal first-team squad have now pulled out or been determined to be unavailable to represent their country in the international window that begins this week.

The Brazil Football Federation (CBF) said that Gabriel will miss the friendlies against France and Croatia, which will take place in the United States, because of “pain in his right knee”.

The CBF says that imaging tests confirmed the 28-year-old’s injury.

Gabriel played the full 90 minutes as Arsenal lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

His fellow Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has withdrawn from the France squad, with Les Bleus also travelling to the US for their friendly matches against Brazil and Colombia.

England midfielder Eberechi Eze was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan but withdrew with a calf problem.

He suffered that blow in Arsenal‘s 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 second leg and missed the Wembley defeat on Sunday.

Arsenal team-mate Ben White has since been called up by Tuchel to fortify the England squad.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club are waiting for Eze to undergo another scan to find out the severity of his injury.

Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard is out of the Belgium squad for their matches against the USA and Mexico because of an injury issue.

Club captain Martin Odegaard was already ruled out of Norway duty because of a knee injury, while Dutch defender Jurrien Timber is also out of action at the moment.

Arsenal are competing to win their first Premier League title for 22 years and lead second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, by nine points.

They are next in action when they take on Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4, before they play the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting on April 7.

The Gunners resume their league campaign on April 11 when they play Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back from an agonising near miss at the Players Championship to win the Valspar Championship,

Fitzpatrick had led last week’s Players by one shot on the 17th tee but a par-bogey finish cost him as American Cameron Young closed birdie-par to snatch victory.

But Fitzpatrick earned redemption on Sunday at Palm Harbor, Florida, sinking a 14ft-putt to birdie the 18th hole and beat American David Lipsky by one shot.

The 31-year-old carded a three-under-par 68 to finish on 11 under and had to wait for two groups to complete their rounds before his third PGA Tour win was confirmed.

“To come away with a win this week is really special, considering last week’s performance as well,” said Fitzpatrick, who last won on the tour in 2023.

“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t an ideal putt [on 18]. I wouldn’t say I was overly keen on it considering my putting performance but to get it done was special.”

Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship in November, says he will have a two-week break before preparing for next month’s Masters.

“I’m obviously very confident in my game right now but what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour,” added the 2022 US Open champion.

“Particularly the Masters, there’s extra pressure on the Masters, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events, as well as the majors.

“I’m coming away from this week delighted with where my game’s at but there’s stuff I want to improve.”

Fellow Englishman Jordan Smith, 33, was third on nine under – his best finish on the PGA Tour.

Smith’s compatriot Marco Penge, South Korea’s Sungjae Imm who had led for three rounds, and Ameircan Xander Schauffele were all tied for fourth on eight under.

Movsar Evloev rallies after a point deduction against the unbeaten Lerone Murphy to win the contest in London.

Russia’s Movsar Evloev ‌overcame a point deduction for a foul to edge a majority ⁠decision win over ⁠Lerone Murphy at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 270 at the O2 Arena, likely punching his ticket to a title fight against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski ⁠in his next bout.

With the two fighters putting their undefeated records on the line to decide who will face the 37-year-old Australian Volkanovski for the belt, ⁠the bout turned into an intriguing clash of styles.

Evloev, who is known for his wrestling, tried to showcase his striking, while Murphy displayed some superb defensive work on the ground.

Murphy evaded the fearsome grappling attack of his Russian opponent for the ‌first two rounds of the five-round bout, using a selection of stiff right hands to keep him at bay. Evloev took the chance to exhibit some of the dangerous spinning strikes he has added to his repertoire since his last fight in December 2024.

Evloev finally managed to take the fight to the mat early in the third round, but Murphy was quickly ⁠back to his feet, uncorking a spinning back kick of ⁠his own shortly afterwards.

However, it was his opponent who finished the frame strongest with a big overhand right, followed up by a flurry of strikes.

His momentum was derailed somewhat when he landed ⁠a second kick to Murphy’s groin early in the fourth round, and referee Marc Goddard deducted a point from ⁠Evloev for the foul.

Knowing that the deduction could be ⁠decisive if the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, Evloev turned up his energy-sapping grappling attack in the fifth and final frame as he chased a finish, but again Murphy was able to ‌get back to his feet with relative ease.

Despite not really threatening to submit his opponent on the ground, it proved to be enough for the 32-year-old Evloev, ‌with ‌two of the judges scoring the fight 48-46 in his favour and the third scoring it a draw 47-47 after the point deduction was taken into account.

Murphy came into the contest after missing out on a title fight against champion Alexander Volkanovski in January, with Diego Lopes being given the opportunity instead.

Murphy did not get the rousing reception from the home fans like Aspinall or Pimblett have in the past as he made a business-like walkout, but he was cheered as he stepped into the octagon.

Evloev was booed heavily but embraced his reception as he smiled and made a heart-shaped gesture with his fingers towards the crowd.

Encouraged by chants of “Oh Miracle Murphy”, some of the Mancunian’s best work was done with his back to the cage, as he landed a one-two uppercut combination and tried to keep Evloev at bay with leg kicks.

Evloev was predicted to grapple with Murphy but it was not until the third round, with the Briton gaining the upper hand in the striking, that he attempted his first takedown.

Murphy got to his feet quickly and drew roars from the crowd with a counter right hook, but Evloev would end the round on top as a flurry of strikes opened a cut above the Mancunian’s left eye.

The contest was delayed in the fourth round as Murphy took time to recover from an accidental groin strike in a move for which the Russian was docked a point.

But after telling his corner he had hurt his hip, Murphy struggled to defend takedowns like he had before and Evloev gained the upper hand in the closing stages.

Murphy was roared on by the crowd as he continued to get back to his feet, but Evloev’s nine takedowns by the end of the bout told a telling story.

“I told you I was a better striker than him – joking!” said Evloev.

“Me and my coach were preparing more fakes, takedowns and punches. I think my punches are hard, I can hurt the opponent. Look at his face, he is damaged. I don’t have to use my wrestling to get the win.”

Japan edges tournament hosts Australia 1-0 in ⁠the Women’s ⁠Asian Cup final to claim third title in four editions.

Maika Hamano scored the only goal as a formidable Japan battled past Australia to clinch a third Women’s Asian Cup title in front of a record-breaking 74,357 fans in Sydney.

The Tottenham star hit a stunning long-range strike in the 17th minute at Stadium Australia to break Australian hearts and add to their continental crowns from 2014 and 2018.

Those finals were also against Australia and ended 1-0.

The edge-of-the-seat decider culminated a landmark tournament with more than 350,000 fans through the turnstiles, reinforcing the growth in popularity of the women’s game.

This was about six times as many as the previous tournament record set in 2010 in China, with the final setting a new attendance record for a single game in tournament history.

The Asian Cup doubled as qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil next year, with Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, North Korea and the Philippines all punching their tickets.

The Japanese team, stacked with English-based players, was invincible in their run to the final, fluid across the park, and defending well, steamrolling everyone in front of them.

While Australia proved a much tougher test, nothing could stop them as they accumulated 29 goals and conceded just one through their six tournament games to reinforce their status as Asia’s number one team.

Japan named an unchanged lineup from their 4-1 semifinal thumping of South Korea.

Australia made one change to the team that beat defending champions China 2-1 in the last four with Wini Heatley preferred in central defence to Clare Hunt.

The hosts were composed at the start, looking to dictate the game, and Caitlin Foord should have scored on 11 minutes when Mary Fowler threaded a pass through inside the box.

But the unmarked Arsenal striker sent her shot straight into the arms of Japan keeper Ayaka Yamashita to miss a golden opportunity.

It proved costly with Japan breaking the deadlock six minutes later when Tottenham midfielder Hamano collected the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a 25-yard rocket that found the top corner.

Foord had another chance when she pounced on a sloppy clearance from Yamashita, but failed to find the target from a tight angle, then scuffed another wide just before the break.

Japan were always a threat, and West Ham’s Riko Ueki went close twice in as many minutes soon after the restart.

With the game on a knife-edge, Australia threw everything they had at Japan in a desperate attempt to find an equaliser as the crowd noise reached fever pitch.

Alanna Kennedy almost pulled off a late equaliser in the 88th minute, but despite intense pressure, Japan were rock solid and absorbed the threat to cling on for the win.

Fabian Edwards’ wait for a world title goes on after he loses against Costello van Steenis, who successfully defends his PFL middleweight title with a third-round knockout in Madrid.

READ MORE: Van Steenis ends Edwards’ title dream again

Available to UK users only.

The decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title is “abject” and “we have to denounce it” a senior figure at African football’s governing body has said.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January’s final but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) overturned the result on Tuesday because Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

Play resumed after a 17-minute delay, and Brahim Diaz’s penalty for Morocco was saved and the game went to extra time, where Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored the winner.

Following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF), Caf ruled that by walking off the pitch Senegal had forfeited the match, with the “result being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

Augustin Senghor, a Caf executive committee member and former head of the Senegalese Football Federation, told BBC World Service’s Newsday: “In a situation like this, we have to fight against injustice.

“Football is fair play, football is played is on the field, not in offices.

“What happened with Caf was unacceptable.

“When you see a committee taking such a decision in violation of our rules, in violation of the Fifa laws of the game, to take the trophy and give it to Morocco, I think it is something very abject.

“We have to denounce it.”

The FRMF said in a statement on Wednesday that the Caf verdict “upholds respect for rules that are necessary for the proper functioning of international competition”.

It added: “This decision helps to clarify the framework applicable to similar situations in the future and contributes to the consistency and credibility of international competitions, particularly African football.”

But Senghor believes that the decision was made after pressure from the FRMF.

“Senegal will fight because what happened is happening for the first time in the story of African football, in world football,” he added.

“I am sure that if we [appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport] then we will win and the trophy will never leave Senegal. It is clear in my mind.”

In its ruling to award Morocco the title, Caf also “partially upheld” an appeal against an incident involving ball boys in the final, and reduced the Moroccan FA’s fine for the incident.

In torrential rain, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy regularly dried his gloves, but the ball boys repeatedly tried to discard his towel.

At one point Senegal reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf was tackled to the ground by three ball boys and dragged around on the floor when he tried to intervene.

A fine for fans shining lasers at players on the pitch was also reduced by Caf.

Caf’s former head of disciplinary, Raymond Hack, questioned the decisions made by African football’s governing body and suggested there is a perception of “political interference” as “the president of the Moroccan Football Association [Fouzi Lekjaa] is the first vice-president of Caf”.

“The circus continues,” Hack told BBC World Service.

“A lot will depend on the referee’s written report, but the fact that the referee allowed the game to continue and they went into extra time gives the impression that he was satisfied that the game will continue.

“He is the only person who can call an end to the game. Not the authorities, not the governing bodies, only the referee.

“Otherwise you’re going to have situation worldwide where every time someone disagrees with a decision, they’re going to go on appeal or take it to court or something ridiculous like that.

“The game should be won on the field of play not in a boardroom.”

Hack, a lawyer and a member of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, said the Morocco players should have informed the referee they were playing under protest if they intended to challenge the result.

He also said it could take six months for Cas to rule on Senegal’s appeal.

Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounar told Newsday that Caf’s decision had been welcomed “with great excitement and joy across the country”.

“Morocco appealed the decision to the confederation of African football because they believed that Senegal had broken the rules during the match, and that’s why Moroccans went out to celebrate,” he said.

“If they give it to Senegal, it won’t be the end of the world. We will accept because we are satisfied that we reached the final.”

However, north African journalist Maher Mezahi said such a sentiment is not matched across the continent.

“It does seem like the rest of Africa feels outraged by this because it seems like, once again, the Confederation of African Football has almost disgraced the sport,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Mezahi cited Caf’s decision to ban Togo from two Africa Cup of Nations for quitting the 2010 competition following a gun attack on their team bus in Angola two days before the tournament.

Referring back to Caf’s decision on the 2025 final, he said: “They have, unfortunately, come up with a habit of releasing decisions like this – whether it’s the disciplinary committee or the appeals board – that eventually do get shot down at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but it makes the entire thing look very amateurish.”

Morocco were awarded the 2025 AFCON title following an appeal to CAF regarding Senegal’s walk-off protest in final.

Senegal ‌have condemned the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, labelling ⁠it “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable”, ⁠and saying it casts a shadow over African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces this unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision, which casts a shadow over African football,” it said ⁠in a statement on Wednesday.

“To defend its rights and the interests of ⁠Senegalese football, the federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne,” it said.

Morocco were declared African champions on Tuesday after the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF’s) Appeals Board upheld their protest and ⁠found Senegal’s walk-off protest during the final on January 18 were grounds for them to be disqualified and the match result declared 3-0 in favour of the hosts.

Senegal won the final 1-0 in Rabat ⁠with an extra-time goal, but not before staging a 14-minute walk-off after a penalty was awarded against them in stoppage time at the end of the regulation 90 minutes.

The protest was instigated by coach Papa Bouna Thiaw, subsequently handed a lengthy ban, and saw Senegal’s veteran striker Sadio Mane emerge as a hero ‌as he attempted to get his teammates back onto the field.

Once Senegal returned to the pitch, the referee allowed play to continue with Morocco squandering the last-gasp penalty, and the encounter then went to extra time, with midfielder Pape Gueye netting the 94th-minute winner.

However, the Appeals Board said that by walking off, Senegal contravened tournament regulations and forfeited the game.

The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had to intervene in 2019 when Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca walked off in the second leg of ⁠the African Champions League final, also protesting against VAR.

In that case, they refused to play on, and the referee declared opponents Esperance winners, ⁠but CAF’s executive committee then surprisingly ordered a replay. Esperance took ⁠the matter to CAS and were declared champions, with CAF embarrassingly rebuked for attempting to override the referee’s decision.

The decision by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to continue with the AFCON final in January, rather than stop it and declare Morocco ‌winners after Senegal’s walk-off, will likely feature strongly in any arguments for a reinstatement of Senegal as champions.

The Laws of the Game state the referee’s decision is final.

“No one could have imagined such ‌a ‌statement two months after the final,” said veteran coach Claude Le Roy, who managed Senegal between 1988 and 1992.

“For years, all the refereeing decisions have been flouted by the CAF,” he said on French television.

Governing body’s appeal board rules Senegal forfeited January final after players walked off pitch to protest referring decision.

African football’s governing body has stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title they won in a chaotic final two months ago and declared Morocco the champions.

In a stunning decision, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Tuesday that its appeals board ruled that Senegal is “declared to have forfeited” the match, a 1-0 victory. The result, it said, was now “being officially recorded as 3-0” ‌in favour of host nation Morocco.

At the January 18 final in Rabat, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch, led by coach Pape Thiaw, in protest against a penalty awarded late in regulation time to Morocco.

When play resumed after a delay of about 15 minutes, Morocco forward Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved. In extra time, Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal that saw Senegal become champions of Africa for the second time.

The heated final also saw supporters trying to storm the field, players scuffling on the sidelines, reporters from the two countries fighting in media areas, and a bizarre sequence in which Moroccan ball boys tried to seize a towel being used by Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy – in an apparent bid to distract him and help their team win the continental title.

At a disciplinary hearing in January, CAF imposed fines of more than $1m as well as bans for Senegal and Morocco players and officials, but it had left the result untouched.

The case could go to a further appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

England’s last-gasp defeat by France will have their fans discussing certain moments for years to come, but their indiscipline throughout the Six Nations came to the fore once again – particularly at the end of both halves in Paris.

Leading 27-17 with half-time looming, Ellis Genge was sin-binned after referee Nika Amashukeli ruled the prop had dragged down a maul, soon after two quick penalties had handed momentum back to France.

“After those three penalties in less than two minutes, England then conceded 21 points including that penalty try,” former Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton said on BBC Rugby Special.

“Then with 14 men they conceded another 14 points, so that is 21 points in that period. It was a really crucial two minutes that they got wrong.”

Then in the dying moments of normal time with England 46-45 ahead, the referee gave France the option of a penalty kick from either of two positions, following infringements by Trevor Davison and Maro Itoje.

Thomas Ramos made no mistake to secure the title for France. Speaking on Rugby Special, former Scotland captain John Barclay said that short spell will be one England will regret.

“In the final two minutes after Tommy Freeman scored, France had a player in the sin-bin. When England look at how they managed this period, they had the game in their hands and threw it away.

“It was a really disappointing end for England. It will be a really tough debriefing on how they manage those crucial moments in the final bit of the game.

“Across the championship they are the top for penalties conceded, with eight yellows and one red, and the damage it did to them – they conceded 63 points with a player off the pitch.”

Ryder Cup stars Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick both falter as American Cameron Young comes from behind to win the Players Championship 2026 at TPC Sawgrass.

WATCH MORE: Young wins Players Championship after Fitzpatrick bogey on final hole

Available to UK users only.

INDIAN WELLS — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the Indian Wells final Sunday for her first title at the tournament.

Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and ‘25, finished off the win at the BNP Paribas Open with a big serve that Rybakina hit long. It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s.

The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.

This marked the 16th time the two players have met, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 advantage. Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open two months ago. She also edged Sabalenka in the finals at Indian Wells in 2023.

“What a day,” Sabalenka said after the match.

In the men’s final later Sunday, Daniil Medvedev faces Jannik Sinner, who has won eight of his last nine matches against Medvedev.

“We changed to make the players more dynamic, with Rayan, Jeremy [Doku] and Phil [Foden],” Guardiola told his post-match news conference. “But we could not win the game.

“We could be more aggressive in the first half maybe, but with the creativity, the crosses and dribbles this season, we are struggling. The team, they did everything, but they need to be better in the final third, and it has happened in many games this season.”

Asked about picking Semenyo over Cherki as number 10, he said: “Absolutely, for that role there is no-one better than [Cherki]. That is bad selection, you can criticise me, I deserve it.

“Sometimes for the balance, we are learning. We played Cherki and Haaland – incredible, but we do not have the stability teams in the Premier League must have. I try to handle that, and the team is still growing.

“Rayan’s impact off the bench is unbelievable, but sometimes he does not have the pace so we play Semenyo. I am still finding the best way to have stability and to balance the team.”

Haaland’s form is thrown into sharp focus by the fact he struggled against West Ham, a team against who he has scored 11 Premier League goals – more than any other side.

“It’s not about the lack of goals,” Guardiola said of the Norway striker. “We need to create more. He will be back.”

City cannot win well, and they struggle to win ugly too.

They have only lost once in their past 18 league matches, but during that period they have given up 10 points from winning positions – enough to cost them first place in the current standings.

In games where they were winning, they have drawn with Chelsea, Brighton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and now West Ham.

Given the latter came a couple of hours after Arsenal, starring Max Dowman, spectacularly dug out victory over Everton, this one will sting.

Guardiola laughed it off afterwards, saying he had been having a beer pre-match rather than following the Arsenal match with his team, as he served a touchline ban.

He also joked he would look to get more yellow cards as he preferred the view from the stands – and light-heartedly batted away a question on whether Haaland was limping.

It felt like if Guardiola didn’t laugh, he would cry.

SACRAMENTO — With more than 100 fans supporting from the bleachers, Garfield High’s boys’ soccer put on a strong performance at the inaugural CIF state Division V championship game Saturday morning before losing to Ross Branson 2-0 at Natomas High.

Two communication errors on defense proved costly for the Bulldogs, who took a bus from East Los Angeles on Friday, stayed overnight and were set to return after the match.

Coach Pablo Serrano praised his team. “I felt we played outstanding,” he said.

Goalkeeper Javier Zarate turned in another impressive performance. “He can only do so much,” Serrano said.

Zarate, without prodding, went up to CIF executive director Ron Nocetti and thanked him for what will become an annual state soccer championship event.

On Friday, Irvine University won the Division IV boys’ title with a 3-2 win over Del Mar.

Cole Barkett, Jake Raboid and Brendan Leung scored goals.

Federico Valverde scores his fifth goal in three games as Real Madrid beat Elche to move one point behind Barcelona.

Federico Valverde hit the back of the net, and the headlines, once again for Real Madrid as they beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga, but it was Arda Guler’s last-gasp strike from inside his own half that captured imaginations.

Midfielder Valvrder netted his fifth goal in three games for Los Blancos, having scored a hat-trick in midweek against Manchester City, with a curling effort from the edge of the box just before half-time on Saturday.

It doubled his side’s lead after Antonio Rudiger volleyed home the opener in the 39th minute, following a scramble in the box from a Real corner.

Dean Huijsen was the unlikely player furthest forward to head home Real’s third in the 66th minute, but the defender was left unmarked in the box, where he remained after another corner that Elche had effectively failed to clear.

Even a late own goal by Manuel Angel could not dampen Los Blancos’ spirits, especially when Arda Guler went on to net what will surely be the goal of the season from inside his own half.

The 21-year-old Turkey midfielder spotted Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro off his line and didn’t hesitate to launch a long lob with his left foot that sailed over the hapless ’keeper and bounced once before settling into the net.

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium erupted in applause for the memorable goal that came with the victory beyond doubt in the 89th minute.

Güler joined Madrid from Fenerbache in 2023. He has scored four goals this season, when he has gained more playing time after the exit of veteran Luka Modric.

The win moves Real to within a point of leaders Barcelona, who can restore their four-point advantage when they play Sevilla on Sunday.

The game had been a nervy affair at Bernabeu Stadium until Rudiger’s opener settled the Madrid crowd.

The victory marks a third straight win for Real, who had lost two on the bounce in the league prior to the current run, and parted company with their coach Xabi Alonso in January.

Interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa, also a former Real player, could not have asked for a better week, with one of the best performances of the season produced in Wednesday’s win against City in the UEFA Champions League.

Arbeloa’s side take a 3-0 advantage to Manchester for the return leg on Tuesday, and with the La Liga race tightening, what was looking like a nightmare season could still end with the two most coveted titles for Madrid.

Elche, who were promoted to La Liga last season, remain mired in a relegation scrap, just a point above third-bottom Mallorca, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday.

Ireland: Osborne; Baloucoune, Ringrose, McCloskey, O’Brien; Crowley, Gibson-Park; O’Toole, Sheehan, Furlong, McCarthy, Beirne, Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Kelleher, Milne, Bealham, Murray, Timoney, Casey, Frawley, Aki.

Scotland: Kinghorn; Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu (capt), Steyn; Russell, White; Schoeman, Turner, Z Fagerson, Williamson, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Ashman, Sutherland, Rae, Craig, Bradbury, Horne, Rowe, Jordan.