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Joyce-Butchers defends TikTok dance after heavy defeat

Published in Rugby
Monday, 31 March 2025 08:06

Former Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap was involved in the dance and said she did not have a problem with it as it was more about celebrating the occasion.

"We've got to let people be themselves and be the personalities they are," she told the Scrum V podcast.

"I feel for Jaz, I think some of the abuse that she's getting is not very nice and not really called for.

"She doesn't need to sit in a dark room. We're seeing a personality, she's obviously friends with Sarah Bern, they play in Bristol together.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What we've always got to remember is women are different to men first and foremost and everyone processes their emotions differently and reacts in different ways."

Rachel Taylor, another former Wales captain, said the dance was a "difficult one" to assess.

"It's just a bit of a strange response after a loss, but I just think their group mentality was to enjoy the day at the Principality and that's the sort of mood that they were in, but it's probably a strange one for some rugby fans," Taylor told BBC Radio Wales.

"The women's fans of the game are quite unique and quite different at times because of that relationship they have with the players, so it's probably a little bit more unusual from how the men's and women's rugby engage their fans.

"In the women's game the players have a unique opportunity to engage with the fans a lot closer and they really do share everything, they are so open on social media in terms of their personal lives and how they work."

Winning Weekend For Rick Ware Racing

Published in Racing
Monday, 31 March 2025 07:30

POMONA, Calif. Rick Ware Racing earned its third victory in less than 24 hours when NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican drove the RWR-prepared Mighty Fire Breaker/Parts Plus dragster to a final round victory in the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Sunday at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

Millican defeated Tony Stewart with an impressive .038 of-a-second reaction time to take his eighth career Top Fuel win in the NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series.

Five of those victories have come since joining RWR in late 2022, with Millicans prior win earned in the sports biggest event, last years Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

My crew chief (Jim Oberhofer) told me he had it loaded up and a couple things were going to happen. He said were going to win, were going to blow up and if we lose, were going to be a footnote in history, said Millican, who went 4.273 seconds at 189.71 mph against Stewart before enduring a wild engine explosion at the finish line. Thank goodness were not a footnote in history. Tony Stewart is going to win one of these soon, but all I know is we won the Winternationals.

But boy, that final round was forever. When you blow it up and and we blew it up good and you got a HANS (head-and-neck restraint) device on, youre stretching that HANS to its limits, trying to look over like, Is he coming or not? I couldnt get there quick enough. I promise I never let off the throttle, even though it wasnt running no more. But I had that thing buried. I was stomping on the loud pedal harder than normal. What a day.

Winning (the Winternationals) is one of the majors. It definitely is. Weve won Indy and now weve won here, and thats pretty dang cool. But to come out and win the way we did today, it was a total team effort.

On Saturday night at the Senoia Short Track in Georgia, RWRs Progressive American Flat Track riders Briar Bauman and Chase Saathoff won their respective classes.

Bauman won the Mission AFT SuperTwins race to score his 27th career victory in the class and his fifth with RWR, as the two-time Grand National Champion came to RWR in 2023.

In a prelude to Baumans win, Saathoff triumphed in AFT Singles presented by KICKER. The victory was Saathoffs first with RWR and the fourth of his career. He joined RWR this year after spending 2022-2024 as an independent AFT Singles rider.

Were in the business of trying to win races, and this was a very good weekend for RWR, said team owner Rick Ware. Credit goes to our people who put in so much time, energy and effort to make all of this happen. Moments like this are really appreciated because winning in any of these series is just really, really hard. Everyone is good, so when you do have success like this, it makes it even sweeter, because you know how hard you worked to achieve it.

Its been a really good weekend, and that makes us want to do it all over again the next weekend and the weekend after that. NHRA is in Vegas in two weeks, AFT is in Ventura in less than a month, and weve got NASCAR at Darlington next weekend. Theres no let up, but its what we love. Its how were wired.

Engine Builder, Racer Mark Ray, 67

Published in Racing
Monday, 31 March 2025 08:01

DAVENPORT, Iowa The Badger Midget Auto Racing Assn community is mourning the death of noted engine builder Mark Ray, who died March 27 at the age of 67.

In addition to being a championship-winning engine builder, Mark Ray is the father of driver Robbie Ray, the uncle of driver Davey Ray and brother of Dave Ray.

mourns the passing of Mark Ray. Ray was a championship engine builder for the BMARA, but that only scratches the surface of his motorsports experience inside and outside of Badger. He was the father of Robbie Ray; uncle of Davey Ray and brother to Dave Ray, all Badger Midget Series standout drivers.

According to BMARA President Quinn McCabe, Mark was an important adviser on Badgers current engine package. His guidance was a great asset to the club.

Too young to drive, Mark began crewing on the family-owned car in the Badger Midget Auto Racing Assn in 1973 helping his brother, Dave, earn Rookie of the Year honors and eventually a 1977 BMARA championship with car owner John Heisdorf.

When able to drive midgets himself, Mark found his way to victory lane as a driver a handful of times including at his favorite track to drive, Kankakee Speedway, in Illinois. He gave up his career of driving unselfishly to support his familys aspirations to seek the USAC title in 1985 using his car as a part time entry and back up.

Mark helped guide the Ray Racing Enterprises team, and brother Dave, to a 1981 Midwest Auto Racing Assn Championship and two top-five USAC National Midget Championship finishes in 1985 and 1986. This while building the teams engines. He earned his sole USAC National Midget win as a car owner in 1987 in Binghamton, N.Y., with Kevin Olson driving.

His most cherished accomplishments came later in life with his son, Robbie, winning the 2000 Winged Three Quarter Midget Assn championship, the 2003 USAC Ford Focus Midget Series Championship and the 2017 Badger Midget Auto Racing Assn Championship.

The 2017 BMARA Championship stood out to Mark for the fact it came exactly 40 years after his brother, Dave, accomplished the same feat.

Mark found his way to the highest level of motorsports when Mike Teegarden tapped him to work under Mike Devin as an engine tech inspector at the Indianapolis 500 from 1986 to 1997, one of his most cherished accomplishments. For 11 years every single engine that qualified for the Indy 500 ran through his hands.

NARC Sprints Target Spring Fling

Published in Racing
Monday, 31 March 2025 08:30

WATSONVILLE, Calif. After a few weeks off, the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series returns to action when it opens the month of April with a Friday night showdown at Ocean Speedway.

Fridays Spring Fling is the first of a series-high five races scheduled at the quarter-mile Watsonville, Calif., clay oval, which has long been a staple on the NARC tour. This comes after just one NARC race was held in Watsonville last year, when eventual series champion Justin Sanders picked up the big Howard Kaeding Classic victory in July.

In 2025, race fans in the Monterey Bay area will be treated to much more winged 410 sprint car action, and it begins Friday night.

NARC was scheduled to also race this Saturday, April 5 at the Stockton Dirt Track, where the series opened its season on March 8, but a recent electrical fire at the San Joaquin Fairgrounds has left the facility unsafe to use for at least the next couple of weeks, forcing the cancellation of Saturdays event.

Hanford driver D.J. Netto, with his win at Stockton in March, is the NARC points leader going into Fridays event with a four-point advantage over Shane Golobic. Netto knows Ocean Speedway well as he is also a former feature winner there aboard the Netto Ag No. 88n. Golobic and the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w team should be competitive at Ocean Speedway as well, as they were Howard Kaeding Classic winners in Watsonville just two years ago.

Justin Sanders and the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x team is also looking to bounce back in a big way after his untimely spin out while running second in the season opening race at Stockton. Sanders was battling hard, trying to pass Netto for the lead in traffic, when he spun out as he tried to pass a lapped car. He eventually finished 15th and is looking for an immediate turnaround with his Mittry Motorsports team.

One driver that many fans will be keeping an eye on this weekend is Kaleb Montgomery. The young Templeton, California driver turned in a solid performance in the NARC season opener, driving from 15th to finish fourth in the main event at Stockton. Just a couple of weeks later, Montgomery turned a lot of eyes by making the dash and then turned in an impressive fifth place finish in the main event with the High Limit Racing series at Perris Auto Speedway. The strong runs have Montgomery feeling confident as he pursues his first NARC victory aboard his Montgomery Racing No. 3.

A change in philosophy by Montgomery may be a factor as well. Im just having fun with my family, Montgomery said last week. I traded my goals in a race night for standards, and as long as I meet my standards, (I believe) the wins will come.

Another driver and team due to hit it big is Tanner Holmes and the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 team, who are running a partial schedule together.

After difficulties in the NARC season opener at Stockton, the team found success during High Limits run through California in March, with Holmes earning fourth and fifth place finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway and Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway, respectively, and then running second place most of the way at Perris Auto Speedway before losing a right rear tire on a rubber down track.

The Tarlton Motorsports team has long been no stranger to success with NARC, winning the series titles in 2015 and 2016, and nearly won the NARC title last year with Cole Macedo (now on the World of Outlaws tour.)

A full field of sprint car teams are expected to fill the pit area. Other drivers expected to compete on Friday night include Sean Becker, Tim Kaeding, Dylan Bloomfield, Tanner Carrick Dominic Gorden, Mariah Ede, Bud Kaeding, Ashton Torgerson, Landon Brooks, Tyler Thompson Caeden Steele, Gauge Garcia and Billy Aton.

Sprint Rankings: 221 Drivers & 23 Fature Winners

Published in Racing
Monday, 31 March 2025 09:00

Two hundred and 21 drivers have participated in at least one of the 34 410 winged sprint car races run so far this season with five of the seven regions within the National Sprint Car Rankings having opened the season.

World of Outlaws point leader David Gravel has an average finish of 2.3 in 10 starts this season, while Anthony Macri and Danny Dietrich lead the nation with 14 starts this season.

The National Sprint Car Rankings will not open until drivers start reaching the 20-start plateau later this spring.

Twenty-three drivers have one features this season, with Gravel leading the way with five victories.

Despite being winless in 12 starts, Brock Zearfoss has moved to the top of the Eastern region standings.

Sam Hafertepe Jr. won his second feature of the season over the weekend, and he leads the Western region standings.

Gravel heads the Mid-America region and Cap Henry is on top in the Great Lakes stanza. A.J. Flick leads the board in the OH-PA region.

Eastern Region

  1. Brock Zearfoss 397
  2. Chase Dietz 332
  3. Danny Dietrich 330
  4. David Gravel 330
  5. Anthony Macri 328

High-Wind Forecast Nixes Vado High Limit Go

Published in Racing
Monday, 31 March 2025 09:23

VADO, N.M.  In the interest of safety for racers, teams, and fans making the trip, Tuesdays Kubota High Limit Racing debut at Vado Speedway Park has been canceled.

Unfavorable conditions including strong gale force winds north of 50 mph are expected Tuesday and Wednesday in New Mexico.

With no foreseeable return date to The Land of Enchantment, the event will unfortunately not be rescheduled in 2025.

High Limit resumes its season Friday night at Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.

USWNT-Canada friendly due July 2 at Audi Field

Published in Soccer
Monday, 31 March 2025 11:02

The United States women's national team will play Canada in a July 2 friendly at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., as part of a three-match window that also features matches against the Republic of Ireland on June 26 outside Denver and June 29 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The USWNT beat Canada in penalty shootouts in both of their 2024 matchups, once in the Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal and once in the SheBelieves Cup final.

"Canada is a top team and this match is worthy of the Allstate Continental Clásico," USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said in a news release.

"As this game will end a three-match window, we'll get a good chance to see our whole roster in training and hopefully game action before selecting a team to start in Washington, D.C.

"The [Washington] Spirit fans have been fantastic supporting their team and we're looking forward to them coming out to create an electric atmosphere for this game as well."

The USWNT has played Canada more than any other opponent in team history and this will be the 67th meeting all-time between the neighboring countries. The USWNT is 53-4-9 all-time against Canada. The match will mark Hayes' first meeting with Canada since her compatriot Casey Stoney took over as head coach.

"We need to play teams that will push us and create an environment where our players have to solve problems and play under pressure," Hayes said of the three friendlies.

"We're still early in our process of building towards World Cup qualifying for '27 and we still have a lot of growth to go as a team and as individuals, so these summer matches at these great soccer venues will once again provide a platform for the players to show their abilities to excel at a high level."

The June 26 match will be played at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., where Hayes made her USWNT debut on the sidelines last year. TQL Stadium, the home of MLS' FC Cincinnati, is the venue for the second game.

The three matches in the summer international window will be the final time the USWNT assembles until late October.

UEFA, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC are all staging continental championships in July, which is followed by a long gap in international play.

Next up for the Americans is a pair of friendlies against Brazil in California on April 5 and 8, in a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game, which the USWNT won.

The USWNT will then play China twice, on May 31 and June 3 in St. Paul, Minn., and St. Louis, respectively.

Information from ESPN's Jeff Kassouf was used in this report.

Wrexham revenue up 155% amid promotion push

Published in Soccer
Monday, 31 March 2025 11:02

Wrexham reported record financial results for their first year back in the English Football League (EFL) in the latest chapter of the club's success story with Hollywood actor co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The club's annual report released on Monday for 2023-24 showed revenue of 26.7 million ($34.5m), growth of 155% on the previous year.

The report showed the level of global interest in the Welsh club, with the geographical split of turnover seeing 52.1% generated from outside the UK, primarily North America, up from 24.6% in 2023. This was partly due to the success of the "Welcome to Wrexham" TV documentary on Disney+.

Wrexham are now second in the League One table, on course for promotion to the Championship, a level they last reached in 1982. It would be the third consecutive season of promotion for the club who dropped out of the EFL in 2008.

Of the 26.7m turnover for 2023-24, commercial revenue increased to nearly 13.2m, a massive increase on 1.9m a year earlier. Matchday revenue was up to around 5m from 3.1m in 2023.

Wrexham's women's team reached the FAW Cup Final and made the Championship phase of the league as the players became semi-professional for the first time.

Sporting KC, Vermes part ways after 16 years

Published in Soccer
Monday, 31 March 2025 11:02

Sporting Kansas City has mutually agreed to part ways with manager Peter Vermes, the Major League Soccer club announced Monday, with Kerry Zavagnin being appointed as interim head coach effective immediately.

During his 16-year tenure with the club, Vermes led SKC to four major championships and 11 playoff appearances, eight of them consecutively between 2011 and 2018.

"It would be hard to list all of the people I want to thank after 20 seasons in managerial positions at Sporting Kansas City," Vermes said.

"I am thankful to everyone, especially ownership for giving me the opportunity of being a steward of this club for the past two decades. I wish the club nothing but the best in the future."

Vermes became Sporting's technical director in November 2006 and assumed head coaching duties in 2009.

Inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2013, Vermes coached 609 matches for Sporting in all competitions.

In the MLS alone, he ranks third on the all-time chart with 203 regular season wins and ends his spell at the club as the longest-serving head coach in the history of professional sports in Kansas City.

The international break has finished and this weekend brought us plenty to talk about as European club action returned with a bang! Manchester City advanced in the FA Cup despite a game to forget by Erling Haaland, and Napoli took a decisive step back into Serie A's title race while simultaneously wrecking Milan's aspirations of securing a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League.

Elsewhere, we had talking points galore around RB Leipzig (goodbye, Marco Rose), Barcelona (and the age-less scoring form of Robert Lewandowski), Paris Saint-Germain (who can clinch Ligue 1 in the next week) and Aston Villa, who are getting great returns from a pair of on-loan legends. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.


Injured and wasteful, Erling Haaland has a nightmare game, but Manchester City have their game faces on in FA Cup win over Bournemouth

I don't buy the narrative that Guardiola's decision to reshuffle his back line at halftime by sending on an attacking midfielder like Nico O'Reilly at left back somehow turned the game. Yes, you feel a little better about things defensively if Josko Gvardiol is in the middle instead of Abdukodir Khusanov (I'm sure there's more to come) and, of course, O'Reilly delivered the two assists that allowed City to come back from a goal down to win 2-1 and book their spot in the FA Cup semifinals.

The fact is that Erling Haaland alone could (should?) have notched three goals in the first half. And it was City as a whole who raised their game after the break, limiting Bournemouth -- who lest we forget, are just four points behind them in the table and beat them comprehensively back in November -- to a grand total of zero shots of any kind in the second half.

In fact, there was something of the City of old (i.e., last year and the one before) for much of the game as Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gündogan dominated the ball, playing keep-away and creating space. Bournemouth paid the price for missing half their starting back four -- Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez were both suspended -- but make no mistake: It was City who made them look really bad.

All of which brings us to Haaland. He took a bad penalty, made a bad decision when one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga, and had a bad header. Oh, and he picked up an ankle injury to boot, though he has yet to be assessed.

Might it be a blessing to have Omar Marmoush, who scored the winner, up front for a while? I don't think so. You should worry more when Haaland doesn't get on the end of chances, not when he misses them.

Napoli not pretty, but still in the title hunt, while Milan's defeat may well mean no Champions League

The headline takeaway is that Napoli beat Milan 2-1 to stay three points behind Inter and keep their title hopes alive. And make no mistake about it: they are very much alive.

Other than next week's visit to Bologna, who are flying high in fourth place, the rest of their schedule sees them play sides in the bottom half of the table. Contrast this with Inter who, in addition to their European (home-and-away against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinal, possibly more to come) and Coppa Italia commitment (the derby against Milan and maybe a final) have to navigate games against three of the top eight.

Antonio Conte's team enjoyed the benefit of two early goals -- both in transition, both taking advantage of some poor defending -- to take a 2-0 lead at home. From there, they had two options: play it safe and try to hit again on the counter, or put Milan under pressure and try to add the lead.

No prizes for guessing what Conte chose.

Napoli managed just three shots on goal in the final 71 minutes plus injury time, which rather says it all. They keep the ball (they had the bulk of the possession), made Milan chase them and tried to see out the game.

As a strategy, it worked in the sense that it yielded the desired result -- Napoli are now just three points back from the top with eight games remaining -- though I'm not sure it was the right approach. Milan ended up putting tougher an xG of 2.19 in the second half alone and ended up missing a (generous, to say the least) penalty with Santi Gimenez. That tells you Napoli came very close to dropping points and when you're at home against this version of Milan, that ought to be a concern.

Conte cited the absence of Scott McTominay and the fact that David Neres was returning after nearly two months out. Sure, but it's reasonable to expect more. One mistake -- or better finishing from Gimenez -- would have left them five points back.

As for Milan, you hate to throw manager Sérgio Conceição under the bus again (not really...) but sometimes he leaves you little choice, because his empty machismo borders on the absurd. Pregame he was asked if he felt he had the club's support and said "I'm not a little boy, I don't need my daddy's approval." During the game, he got himself needlessly booked for ranting about Napoli's time-wasting: they're winning and the clock is ticking down. What do you expect them to do?

But those are minor points. More important is the fact that Champions League football is Milan's priority at this stage and yet it felt as if his starting XI, with Rafael Leão and Santi Gimenez on the bench, was put together with a view towards Wednesday's Coppa Italian derby with Inter. It's true that Gimenez played with Mexico in Los Angeles during the break, but he was back on Monday. How much recovery does he actually need?

Picking João Félix -- 20 touches, one pass into the final third during 55 minutes on the pitch -- ahead of Leao also seemed absurd. Almost as absurd as his explanation, which stated that Leao had picked up a muscular niggle and "would not have started anyway." (Yeah, Sergio: that doesn't really help your case.)

Unless, of course, you're putting all your eggs in the Coppa Italia basket, because you know you're getting fired at the end of the season and if you beat Inter you can actually win it and then you can tell your next employer that you were only there for six months but won both the Super Cup and the Coppa Italia. Of course, thinking that would be cynical and mean.

It's not surprising that RB Leipzig fired Marco Rose, but it is surprising it took this long. Does Jurgen Klopp get involved?

RB Leipzig, and the Red Bull group in general, aren't going to win many popularity contests in Germany, so this season was met with a bunch of schadenfreude by many (including me). Some of it, perhaps, was envy because since getting involved in the game 15 years ago, they have gotten many more things right than wrong in terms of scouting. To this day, they're arguably the only people to have gotten multiclub ownership right, so credit where credit is due.

But that's what makes this campaign so astounding, much like the fact that they waited until after Sunday's 1-0 defeat away to Borussia Monchengladbach before sacking manager Marco Rose.

RB Leipzig somehow managed to finish 32nd out of 36 teams in the Champions League. They're sixth in the Bundesliga table and, somehow, they're closer to Heidenheim in the relegation spots than they are to Bayern (this hardly irresistible 2024-25 version of Bayern, mind you) at the top of the league.

Under Rose, they've somehow gone backwards over three seasons, despite adding talent every year. The "SOS" frontline -- Benjamin Sesko, Loïs Openda, Xavi Simons -- is supposed to be one of the most gifted young attacks in Europe (and that's before you get into the electric Antonio Nusa), yet they rank in the bottom half of the league in goals and a paltry 13th in expected goals. And that's the gifted part of the team. At the back, week in, week out, it's a horror show.

It's not clear any of these guys have improved year over year, and neither has the team. So the question now for me is whether Red Bull call upon their Global Head of Soccer, a guy named Jurgen Klopp, to help sort things out. Not to coach, obviously, but to find the right people.

Klopp's former assistant, Pep Lijnders, was a disaster at their other club, Salzburg, but that notwithstanding, Klopp surely has something to contribute beyond being a figurehead. On the other hand, some have suggested he's happy with a semi-ambassadorial role. (Or maybe he doesn't want to sort through this mess?) If that's the case, more power to him, but Leipzig need to find somebody who can get things right from the top down.


Quick hits

10. Paris Saint-Germain romp at Saint-Etienne, can clinch Ligue 1 title next week: Arithmetic will do its part next week (if not, the week after or the one after that) and Paris Saint-Germain will win Ligue 1 for the 11th time in the past 13 years. That part is not a surprise (Qatari investment definitively moved the needle). But what is remarkable is that this crown is unlike the others. The turn towards youth and intensity rather than marquee superstars and individual quality -- not that there isn't plenty of the latter on this team -- is very real, and a ton of credit has to go to manager Luis Enrique. They've won 14 of 15 games (the one they didn't win in that series was at home to Liverpool, when they deserved victory) and that's a testament to consistency, something you don't always associate with young teams. The 6-1 demolition of Saint Etienne (after going a goal down) only speaks to the hunger in this team.

9. Bayern Munich look better than the score line vs. St. Pauli: I know that some folks despair when Bayern don't steamroll their opponents and the 3-2 score suggests more nerviness. But with a long injury list, the screws turned by Bayer Leverkusen's win on Friday (which temporarily cut the lead to three points) and a visit from St. Pauli, the league's third-stingiest defense, this wasn't a gimme. Yet Bayern racked up 3.53 xG and the visitors' second goal only came in garbage time. Plus Leroy Sané bagged two goals, and an on-form Sane ahead of his expiring contract is a nice bonus. They could have defended better on both goals, but let's remember Eric Dier and Raphaël Guerreiro were thrown into the defensive mix. Most importantly, they don't look like a side that's weary or fatigued.

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Hutchison: Forest deserve their FA Cup semifinal spot

Don Hutchison says Nottingham Forest were deserved winners over Brighton in their FA Cup quarterfinal clash.

8. Nottingham Forest are the real deal, not just in the league: All season long, folks have been waiting for them to fall away. It's not just that the Forest brand hasn't been relevant to the top end of the table since long before Brian Clough left, but also the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo's football seemed somewhat anachronistic: big striker, fast wingers, tight defence, bottom of the league for possession ... this isn't what successful football looks like in 2024-25. Yet they're third in the league and barring some sort of cataclysm, will be playing Champions League football next season. On Saturday, without their top scorer, Chris Wood, they advanced to the FA Cup semifinals, knocking out Brighton on penalties. Brighton, perhaps mindful of the 7-0 defeat in early February and perhaps hoping to catch them off-guard, changed their entire approach, becoming distinctly risk-averse and Forest punished them, creating the better chances in the 90 minutes before outlasting them in extra time and penalties. That's a sign of respect: getting an opponent like that to change the way they play (at home) when they come up against you.

7. Igor Tudor delivers both a win and a 180-degree turn (as promised) on his debut: Tudor was brought in by Juventus to make radical changes on the fly and did just that on his debut for Juventus against Genoa (wearing nifty Boca Juniors inspired jerseys). Three at the back, Dusan Vlahovic back in the side, Kenan Yildiz (who was magnificent) on the pitch in a role where he can do the damage to the opposition. And, of course, more intensity and directness, two things that were largely lacking under Thiago Motta. I don't know if it will be enough to finish in the top four and there's still plenty of work to do -- I'm not sure the back three makes sense when you're short of viable central defenders, and Teun Koopmeiners is still a ghost in midfield -- but there's no question Juve got the new manager bounce they were looking for. It's amazing what you can do when you stick to being rational.

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How 'scary' Barcelona kept their LaLiga title charge on track

Alejandro Moreno reacts to Barcelona's 4-1 win against Girona in LaLiga.

6. Robert Lewandowski dials back the years as Barcelona trounce Girona: I get it, the game has changed and careers are lasting longer, but what Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 this summer, is doing is nothing short of phenomenal. He's likely to break the 50-appearance mark this season -- heck, if Barca go all the way in all competitions, he could play 58 games, seven more than his personal record, which he set nearly a decade ago. He has been a regular goalscorer during his time at Barca, but he has taken it to the next level over the past month or so not just technically (that was never in question), but athletically as well. He suggested that doing gymnastics and judo earlier in his career helped his flexibility. Whatever it is, he doesn't look his age and it's critical to Barca, because there is no natural Plan B up front. That said, in many games -- like Sunday's 4-1 thrashing of Girona -- Barca don't need one. Despite some heavy rotation following the break and Thursday's Osasuna game (Fermín López, Gavi, Ronald Araújo and Eric García all started) this match was never really in question. Barca have won six on the spin and haven't lost in 2025. For all the stadium delays, Joan Laporta nonsense and red ink, Hansi Flick and his boys are doing their part.

5. Defensive blunders nearly cost Real Madrid, but Kylian Mbappé comes to the rescue: Soccer is a low-scoring sport and the exceptional -- whether a craven unforced error or a moment of genius -- has an outsized impact. Real Madrid fell behind to two bits of abysmal defending against Leganes and ultimately won the game 3-2 thanks to a stunning Kylian Mbappe free kick. Carlo Ancelotti's crew deserved the win for the chances they created, though again, they got the rub of the refereeing green: Mbappe's "Panenka" penalty was the result of a dubious decision, and his winning free kick came off another dubious foul call. If you're Ancelotti, you can probably write off the defensive blunders as so grotesque they're unlikely to happen again. Among your positives, you can count Brahim Díaz's performance (he made way for Vinícius, initially rested -- like Rodrygo -- after the international break) as well as Mbappe's form: he's making the centerforward role his own. That said, it would be nice if they could both win and not to have to fret until the final minutes, something they haven't done in more than a month.

4. Marcus Rashford revival? Sure, but it's more about Aston Villa not turning their nose up at loan deals: Things are turning out pretty good for Marcus Rashford. He's getting minutes at Aston Villa since coming over on loan from Manchester United, he started both England games during the break and on Saturday he scored his first goals for his new club. Villa's other attacking loanee, Marco Asensio, is doing even better, with seven goals since arriving from PSG. Villa are in the semifinals of the FA Cup (where they'll face Crystal Palace) and the quarterfinals of the Champions League (PSG up next) and they're still in the hunt for a Champions League spot next season. Not a bad spot to be, and Unai Emery's loan signings (chuck in Axel Disasi from Chelsea, too) are a big part of it. Big clubs, especially in England, traditionally avoid mid-season loans. Maybe they can learn something from sporting director Monchi and Emery, because Villas are turning into a win-win, for player and club.

play
1:18
Why loan signings Rashford and Asensio has worked out for Villa

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the success of Aston Villa's loan signings Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio this season.

3. Maximilian Beier shines in Borussia Dortmund win. Where has he been all year? Beier arrived in the summer as the club's "other" big signing in the forward line, playing second fiddle to Serhou Guirassy. Sure, he didn't score 28 goals like Guirassy, but he did notch 16, all of them from open play, turning out for a worse team (Hoffenheim). Yet of the 27 occasions he's been in the match day squad in the Bundesliga this season, nearly half the time he has started on the bench ... which is kinda odd given they spent 28.5m ($30m) in transfer fees for his services. Maybe he played the price for his versatility -- Beier can play wide or as a centerforward -- but whatever the case, he has really only started contributing in recent weeks under Nico Kovac. He bagged two goals in the 3-1 win over high-flying Mainz, and he did it playing in a front two with Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt in the hole. Guirassy was unavailable, and it's unclear what the plan will be when he returns, but a talent like Beier should be playing a big part in Dortmund's push for the Champions League. Which appears improbable at this stage -- they're 10th -- but certainly not impossible.

2. Inter Milan gut out a win vs. Udinese, but this ought to be a warning sign: Live by the deep squad and heavy rotation, die by the deep squad and heavy rotation. Inter raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half-hour, and everything seemed rosy against Udinese. Simone Inzaghi -- already without Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martínez and Alessandro Bastoni -- left Nicolo' Barella and Yann Bisseck on the bench and his team were solidly in control of the game ... until they weren't. The second half saw them fail to create much of anything, Udinese pulled one back and the last few minutes were nervy to the point that Inzaghi himself got booked. You can't really blame him for load management given the onslaught of games coming up, but what's evident is that this is going to be a slog and maybe his squad isn't quite as deep as he hoped.

1. Copa del Rey now Atletico's best (only?) shot after more dropped points: There's a definite contradiction with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. The narrative is that this is a deep squad, that his substitutions change games and that there's a gritty, never-say-die, "Cholista" attitude that helps them gut out matches when it matters. A lot of the time, that's the case, but on Saturday, we saw the opposite. They took the lead with a rare César Azpilicueta wonder goal versus relegation-threatened Espanyol and then, suddenly, went limp. An expected goals count of 0.10 in the second half tells its own story. A silly shirt-pull from Clément Lenglet, again one of Simeone's experienced "warriors," according to cliché, gifted Espanyol the penalty and cost Atleti two points. Sure, their South American players were tired after all that travel for World Cup qualifying, but Rodrigo De Paul and Julián Álvarez -- both of whom came on after the break -- had zero impact. The draw leaves them nine points back from the top, and the inescapable feeling is that now it's all about the Copa del Rey and the return leg of their semifinal against Barcelona on Wednesday. Which, frankly, is a bit disappointing given how things were panning out this year. Maybe the "narrative" surrounding this club isn't quite what they make it out to be.

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