Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Champions League Drama
Atlético Madrid rout Tottenham 3-1 espn.com in Tuesday's Champions League round of 16 first leg, putting one foot firmly in the quarterfinals while Spurs slumped to sixth straight loss espn.com for the first time in their 144-year history. Manager Igor Tudor acknowledged "everything is going wrong" espn.com after his beleaguered side imploded at the Metropolitano, with critical errors proving costly. Meanwhile, Barcelona snatched a late equalizer espn.com against Newcastle as Lamine Yamal converted a penalty with the last kick of the game to salvage a 1-1 draw at St James' Park, while Galatasaray gained upper hand espn.com with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Istanbul, capitalizing on a sloppy display from Arne Slot's side in his 100th match as boss. In other Champions League news, Gianluigi Donnarumma saw advantage espn.com for Manchester City with Real Madrid missing Kylian Mbappé for their upcoming tie.
International Football Updates
Kyle Walker retired from England duty espn.com with 96 caps, ending his international career after a decorated spell with the national team. Meanwhile, the United States selected Irvine espn.com as its official training base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Great Park in California set to host the squad during the tournament. Mexico granted visas espn.com to some players from Iraq's national team ahead of their World Cup playoff match scheduled March 31 in Monterrey, while the Spanish Football Federation expects decision espn.com within 48 hours regarding whether the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain will be played in Qatar. In concerning news, one of the Iranian soccer squad members changed her mind espn.com about seeking asylum in Australia, prompting the remaining six to be moved to another location.
Club Crisis & Rebuilding
Tottenham's catastrophic form threatens Tudor's tenure bbc.com after only four games in charge, with the manager potentially already on the line following the Champions League defeat against Atlético Madrid. The crisis at Spurs stands in stark contrast to Real Madrid's confidence, with Álvaro Arbeloa insisted espn.com that his team "shouldn't feel inferior" to Manchester City despite the absence of injured superstar Kylian Mbappé. In other transfer news, Atlético Madrid welcomed confirmation espn.com that Antoine Griezmann will stay at the club until the end of the season, while Julian Álvarez remains uncertain about his future. Arsenal lined up bbc.com a free transfer move for Julian Brandt as Mikel Arteta urged espn.com his team to prove their Champions League credentials against Bayer Leverkusen, with Kai Havertz returning skysports.com to face his former club with renewed hunger after experiencing "the worst pain of his career."
Championship Race & Promotion Hopes
Hull City denied Wrexham espn.com a move up to fifth place in the Championship with a 2-1 win in north Wales that put them six points clear of the Red Dragons. Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson admitted espn.com his side were "feeling sorry for themselves" after the costly defeat, with striker