Football/Soccer 8-Hour Briefing
×Champions League Drama
Atlético Madrid put one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals with a stunning rout of Tottenham, capitalizing on numerous critical errors from the Premier League side. The defeat piled immense pressure on Spurs manager Igor Tudor, who was unable to confirm whether he deserved to continue at Tottenham after becoming the club's first head coach to lose each of his first four games in charge. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal rescued a 1-1 draw for Barcelona with a last-minute penalty against Newcastle at St James' Park, while Galatasaray gained the upper hand in their Champions League last-16 tie by defeating Arne Slot's Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg, ending the Dutch manager's 100th match in charge with defeat. Bayern Munich suffered a setback as Alphonso Davies exited in tears with an injury during their Champions League match against Atalanta, raising concerns about availability for the German champions.
English Championship Race
Phil Parkinson lamented that his Wrexham side were "feeling sorry for themselves" after they went down 2-1 at home to Hull City, a result that strengthened the visitors' grip on a Championship play-off place. Hull now sit six points clear of Wrexham after taking advantage of what Parkinson called an "FA Cup hangover" for his team. The defeat adds to Wrexham's woes as striker Kieffer Moore is a "big doubt" for Wales' World Cup play-off campaign according to Parkinson. Meanwhile, Vitor Matos insisted his focus would remain on recovery rather than the Championship play-off race as Swansea City prepare for Friday's Welsh derby at Wrexham as reported by BBC Sport. Elsewhere in Europe, Motherwell's rise up the Scottish Premiership continued as manager Jens Berthel Askou was named Manager of the Month, guiding his team into a four-way title race.
Player Transfers & International Matters
Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone welcomed Antoine Griezmann's confirmation that he'll stay at the club until the end of the season, while expressing uncertainty about Julián Álvarez's future as reported by ESPN. In transfer news, Arsenal are lining up a free transfer move for Julian Brandt as reported by BBC Sport, while Manchester United, Tottenham and Crystal Palace have all expressed interest in Unai Emery's assistant Juan Carlos Carcedo Iraola according to Sky Sports. Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal belong at Europe's top table but has urged his team to prove their Champions League credentials against Bayer Leverkusen as he told ESPN. On the international front, Mexico has begun granting visas to Iraqi players ahead of their World Cup playoff match scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, while two more members of the Iranian women's soccer team were granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed, confirmed by the country's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
North American Football
Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano said his team are ready for a revenge-minded Nashville SC in their two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 series, acknowledging that Nashville will be playing with "blood in their eyes" as reported by ESPN. In other North American football news, the upcoming match between PSG and Chelsea has been previewed, with Rosenior leaving open the possibility of Jorgensen starting for the French side.