Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×European Football
AC Milan espn.com cut Inter Milan's Serie A lead to seven points with a 1-0 derby victory at San Siro. Pep Guardiola espn.com confirmed he rested Erling Haaland against Newcastle to help the striker regain his "pace" for the Champions League trip to Real Madrid. The Manchester City manager will serve a two-match touchline ban skysports.com after picking up his sixth booking of the season.
Scottish Football Chaos
Disgraceful scenes marred the Old Firm cup tie as rival fans invaded bbc.com the pitch at Ibrox following Celtic's win over Rangers. Celtic bbc.com face injury concerns over Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor ahead of their Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren. St Mirren skysports.com booked their place in that last four with a 2-1 win over Partick Thistle, while Falkirk bbc.com will meet Dunfermline in another Hampden semi-final derby.
International & Political Concerns
FIFPRO espn.com has demanded FIFA and the AFC ensure the safety of Iran's women's national team after a critic called the men's team "wartime traitors." Australia bbc.com is under pressure to protect the Iranian side following their Asian Cup elimination. Meanwhile, Iraq's coach espn.com has asked FIFA to reschedule their World Cup playoff due to regional conflict threatening preparations.
Cup Runs & Upsets
Port Vale bbc.com, bottom of League One, reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for just the second time in their history. Leeds United skysports.com powered past Norwich 3-0 to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003. Southampton skysports.com caused a fifth-round upset with a 1-0 win at Fulham, though the match was overshadowed by a controversial referee performance.
North America & Beyond
CF Montreal espn.com thumped the New York Red Bulls 3-0 as Wiki Carmona scored twice against his former club. David Martínez espn.com scored and Hugo Lloris kept his third straight clean sheet as LAFC beat FC Dallas 1-0. Andy Robertson espn.com insisted he remains "committed" to Liverpool despite January interest from Tottenham.
Tragedy & Transfer Talk
A 15-year-old Oxford United bbc.com academy player tragically collapsed and died during a match against Fulham. Danny Wilson skysports.com agreed a one-year contract extension with West Ham United. Bernardo Silva espn.com is expected to leave Manchester City in the summer, with Real Madrid interested in Newcastle's Sandro Tonali.
Championship Battles
Middlesbrough skysports.com boosted their automatic promotion hopes with a rampant 4-0 win at QPR. AFC Wimbledon skysports.com deepened Northampton's relegation worries with a 1-0 victory, leaving the Cobblers six games without a win.