Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Premier League & FA Cup
LAFC's espn.com perfect start continued as David Martínez scored and Hugo Lloris kept his fourth clean sheet in a 1-0 win over FC Dallas. Middlesbrough skysports.com thrashed QPR 4-0 to boost their automatic promotion hopes, while Leeds skysports.com reached their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003 with a 3-0 victory over Norwich at Elland Road.
Southampton skysports.com upset Fulham 1-0 in a controversial FA Cup tie overshadowed by referee Jarred Gillett's performance. AFC Wimbledon skysports.com deepened Northampton's relegation woes with a 1-0 win, while Chelsea espn.com needed extra time to edge past 10-man Wrexham 4-2 after two crucial VAR decisions went against the Championship side.
Port Vale bbc.com reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for only the second time in their history despite being bottom of League One. Dunfermline skysports.com stunned holders Aberdeen 3-0 in the Scottish Cup, while Newcastle bbc.com suffered a 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester City that Eddie Howe admitted was a "tough lesson" about the gap to the top.
International Football
India skysports.com added to their white-ball dynasty by defeating New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final. Australia's skysports.com Alyssa Healy bid farewell to international cricket with a crushing ten-wicket win over India in her final match as captain.
Colombia espn.com fell 1-0 to the United States in the She Believes Cup final, with Alyssa Thompson scoring the decisive goal in the 82nd minute. Germany's espn.com Julian Brandt will leave Borussia Dortmund at season's end, while Barcelona espn.com went four points clear in La Liga after Lamine Yamal's stunner secured a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.
MLS & Transfer News
Inter Miami espn.com won 2-1 over D.C. United with Lionel Messi scoring his 899th career goal in front of 72,026 fans at Chase Stadium. Messi espn.com earns between $70 million and $80 million annually, including ownership shares, according to co-owner Jorge Mas.
USMNT espn.com defender Sergiño Dest suffered a hamstring injury during PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar, while Real Madrid espn.com joined Arsenal in the race for Newcastle's Sandro Tonali. Manchester United bbc.com set their sights on Bournemouth's star player as transfer rumors swirl.
Boxing & Other Sports
Conor Benn skysports.com and Chris Eubank Jr's first fight won Contest of the Year at the British Boxing Board of Control awards. Jon Rahm skysports.com ended an 18-month winless drought with a three-shot victory at the LIV Golf League event in Hong Kong.
England's skysports.com Meghan Mac Laren and rookie Caley McGinty tied for second at the Australian Women's Classic, while Casey Jarvis skysports.com narrowly missed matching a DP World Tour record as Dan Bradbury won the Joburg Open by one shot.
Controversies & Tragedies
Ugly scenes bbc.com marred the Old Firm cup tie as Rangers and Celtic fans invaded the pitch at Ibrox. Liverpool skysports.com and Manchester United complained to social media platform X over Grok AI posts about Hillsborough, Munich, and Diogo Jota's death that the government called "sickening."
Oxford United bbc.com academy player tragically died after collapsing during a match against Fulham. Wayne Rooney espn.com disputed the red card shown to Wrexham's George Dobson, with referee Peter Bankes initially cautioning before upgrading to a sending off.
Managerial Moves & Analysis
Pep Guardiola skysports.com will serve a two-match touchline ban after his sixth booking this season during Manchester City's FA Cup win over Newcastle. Chelsea's bbc.com Liam Rosenior defended his heavy squad rotation after the Wrexham win, admitting they were "lucky" to advance.
Steve Borthwick skysports.com faces intensified scrutiny after England's Six Nations defeats, while Northern Ireland's bbc.com interim manager Kris Lindsay says his future is "up to the powers that be" at the Irish FA. Aberdeen's bbc.com interim manager expressed concerns about relegation trouble after their Scottish Cup exit.