I Dig Sports
Source: Giroud's L.A. home robbed in $500K heist
LAFC striker Olivier Giroud lost approximately $500,000 worth of jewelry when his Los Angeles home was burglarized earlier this month, a source told ESPN.
The LAFC forward and his family were not at the property when burglars broke in by smashing a window and stole jewelry and other items -- including 10 luxury watches -- belonging to the 2018 World Cup winner.
The source added that Giroud's wife, Jennifer, reported the incident to police on Feb. 5, after returning home and finding the items missing.
The 38-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal star is in the final stages of preparation with LAFC for the upcoming MLS season, with his team kicking off against Minnesota United at home Saturday.
Giroud has not scored in 14 games for LAFC since his move from AC Milan to MLS.
He is the latest high-profile athlete to be the victim of such an incident after the likes of NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow had their homes burglarized in recent months.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.
Elsewhere in Dubai, Gauff suffered a third successive defeat as she fell to world number 53 Kessler.
Third seed Gauff, 20, started the year on red-hot form, winning nine matches in a row.
However, since losing to Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Gauff has lost in the second round at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships after receiving a bye in the first round at both tournaments.
Kessler saved five of the six break points she faced against her fellow American before wrapping up a 6-4 7-5 victory in one hour and 29 minutes.
It is the first top 10 victory of her career, while the 25-year-old is also into the third round of a WTA 1,000 event for the first time.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory over qualifier Veronika Kudermetova, while second seed Iga Swiatek stormed past two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka in a 6-0 6-2 win.
Jasmine Paolini continued her title defence with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Germany's Eva Lys, while Ons Jabeur fell to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat by American Peyton Stearns.
Sixth seed Elena Rybakina beat Moyuka Uchijima 6-3 6-2 to set up a last-16 meeting with world number 10 Badosa, who won 6-2 6-1 against Elise Mertens.
TRENTON, N.J. Briggs Danner heads to the East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals this weekend at the CURE Insurance Arena on an Indoor Auto Racing Series hot streak.
The young star of sprint car racing ended the concrete series with three podium finishes in four races and a third place in the final points. A victory in the series only race on dirt in Trenton, would cap off his indoor racing this season on a high point.
After a fast time at the indoor series TQ Midget opener on Jan. 3 in Allentown, Pa., Danner came up two spots short of a big payday. The 23-year-old ended the two-day stint in his hometown with a disappointing mechanical issue that forced him out of Saturdays feature.
The event airs LIVE on SPEED SPORT Affiliate DirtTrackDigest.tv.
Rebounding in Atlantic City on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 with impressive back-to-back third-place finishes, Danner heads to Trenton seeking a first win in the sixth running of the Dirt Nationals. His record on the high-banked clay oval dictates that hell be one of the favorites.
Last year he finished on the podium both nights in Fridays preliminary main and Saturdays Dirt Nationals A-Main event.
After five third-place finishes in the last six Indoor Series races, Danner is ready to take the next step up in Trenton, driving the potent Dave Bodine No. 99. To say hes in race shape would be putting it mildly.
After the Allentown indoor races, Danner raced at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. After Atlantic City, he competed in five USAC National Sprint Car series events in Florida from Feb. 11-15.
With no repeat winners in the previous five Trenton dirt races held, Danner, who will race full-time this year on the USAC National Tour for the first time after winning three events in 2024, hopes he keeps that streak alive.
It wont be easy. Defending race winner Anthony Perrego, a rookie at the event last year, plans to be the first repeat winner, as does 2023 victor Tim Buckwalter and 2020 winner Jon Keller.
Perrego, a star in dirt Modified competition, advanced from the B-Main to win last year with a pass of Danner with eight laps to go. Keller pulled off the unspeakable when he transferred from the E-Main to start last in the A-Main and then pulled off the stunning upset.
Racing at Trenton has proven to be incredible, with the outside lane brought to life with banking and a cushion. In three out of the five running of the Trenton Dirt race, the winner started outside the top 10 and needed to transfer from at least one qualifier on Saturday to make the A-Main.
No one has been more consistent at the Trenton dirt race than Billy Pauch Jr., who has qualified for all five features. A Friday night preliminary night winner last year, Pauch wants badly to win Saturdays A-Main after finishing twice in 2018 and 2023, along with a third in 2020. Issues in the A-Main last year pushed him back to a disappointing 11th-place finish.
Like Danner, Pauch and Buckwalter have already shaken off the rust running the Indoor TQ Midget Series races on the concrete floor. Others who have also run the TQ Midget indoor events include Scott Kruetter, a guaranteed 11th starter at Trenton following a 600 win in Atlantic City, Kyle Lick and Stephen Kemery.
After racing in the ARCA 200 at Daytona, Lavar Scott is returning to the event along with his brother Wayne. Sprint car ace Steve Buckwalter will be in the field racing his cousin Tim.
The 600 Sprint division will be well represented with big 2024 winner Steven Snyder Jr., who was fourth in last years Trenton race, joined by Lindas National Open 600 winner Christian Bruno and Brian Carber, all who had a shot at the victory last year.
Florida Speedweeks at Daytona Intl Speedway and the corresponding short tracks throughout the Sunshine state are now in the rearview mirror.
When the dust settled many of the usual suspects took home the top honors on the race track, but there were a few surprises along the way.
Heres a brief look back at who won what during Speedweeks:
Daytona Intl Speedway
When the rain stopped falling and the parks stopped flying William Byron stood in victory lane for the second consecutive year, having surged on a late-race restart to win the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona Intl Speedway.
Byron dodged several multi-car accidents and held off Tyler Reddick to give Hendrick Motorsports its second Daytona 500 triumph in as many years.
READ: Preece Following Flip: Something Needs To Be Done
Jesse Love took the checkered flag first in the annual Xfinity Series race at the 2.5-mile track, giving Richard Childress Racing its fourth consecutive win in the 300-mile event for NASCARs junior circuit.
Corey Heim inherited the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory when apparent winner Parker Kligerman was disqualified. Late model stock car standout Brendan Queen topped the crash-marred ARCA Menards Series race.
The month opened with the No. 7 Penske Porsche Motorsports entry of Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
DIRTcar Nationals
The 54th running of the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park was the longest in history with ASCS sprint cars joining the action this year. Justin Peck won all three races for the 360 winged sprint cars on the opening weekend of the nearly three-week event at the half-mile track.
Four nights of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series racing saw NASCAR veterans Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell take center stage. Larson won two features and Bell claimed one, while Carson Macedo also earned a victory. Larson captured the Big Gator championship that goes to top point earner in the four-race series.
Kyle Cummins and Logan Seavey each won a USAC Sprint car feature, with Cummins taking home the Big Gator.
In late model competition, Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran and Garrett Alberson claimed World of Outlaws Late Model Series triumphs, while Brandon Overton, Davenport and Ricky Thornton Jr. topped DIRTcar late model main events. Thornton took home the Big Gator trophy.
The DIRTcar modifieds anchored the first two weeks of racing with Curt Spalding and Cole Falloway winning the lions share of the features and Spalding earning the Big Gator.
Four Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified main events saw Erick Rudolph, Peter Britten, Alex Yankowski and Matt Sheppard win features, with Rudolph getting the Big Gator.
Ocala Speedway
Five nights of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition anchored three weekends of competition at the three-eighths-mile dirt track.
Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport each won a pair of features, while Ricky Thornton won a single main event. Moran topped the $25,000-to-win finale.
The USAC National Sprint Car Championship ran four nights at Ocala with Justin Grant, Brady Bacon, Kyle Cummins and Daison Pursley claiming victories.
Devin Dixon, Jason Garver and Kyle Strickler topped UMP modified features at Ocala.
All-Tech Raceway
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ran three nights at All-Tech Raceway with Ricky Thornton Jr. topping the first two nights of action and Devin Moran claiming the $15,000 top prize in the finale.
NASCAR Truck Series regular Stewart Friesen won three times in four nights of competition for the Short Track Super Series modifieds, while Matt Sheppard picked up a single victory.
United Sprint Car Series
Working in conjunction with the Top Gun Sprints, the United Sprint Car Series sanctioned the King of the 360s sprint car race at Hendry County Motorsports Park. Pennsylvania traveler Mark Smith took the $10,000 top prize. Tyler Clem won the preliminary main event.
Later in the month, Davie Franek and Dale Howard won USCS features at Southern Raceway.
World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing
The 59th running of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing ran over nine nights at New Smyrna Speedway.
Patrick Emerling started the week by winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener and went on to win four features and claim the World Series title in the Tour-type modified division. Matt Hirschman won the Richie Evans Memorial for the Tour modifieds.
Seventeen-year-old Gavan Boschele won the ASA STARS National Tour season opener at New Smyrna and added a second super late model feature win to secure the World Series title.
Hunter Wright claimed the pro late model championship for the second consecutive year.
Fourteen Drivers Awarded Support from PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. With this years racing season set to kick off later this week at Sebring (Fla.) Intl Raceway, Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) has named 14 drivers to its 2025 class for the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship.
Fulfilling the companys purpose of enabling racing dreams, the scholarship will provide assistance to drivers competing in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F-4 U.S.), Ligier JS F-4 Series (JS F-4) and Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA).
Were excited to help another group of drivers with the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship this season, said Tony Parella, Founder of PMH. With the addition of this years class, weve helped upwards of 30 drivers advance their motorsports careers. Weve watched several of those drivers not only use the scholarship support to win championships, but also go on to move up the ladder.
I say this every year, but I cant wait to see what this years class goes on to achieve in their racing careers.
In its fifth year, the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship looks to create a more diverse field while empowering drivers from a variety of backgrounds to participate in PMH-owned race series. In addition to providing recipients with benefits such as free entry fees or test days, the program aligns recipients with a team of executives and mentors to assist them in their career development with educational opportunities and training, as well as increasing their exposure through media and fan engagement events.
Included in this years class, five Trans Am Series drivers will benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship, assisting them as they continue their careers in North Americas longest-running professional road racing series. After winning last years SGT championship, Kaylee Bryson will move up to the faster, more competitive XGT Class with Sam Pierce Racing. Two-time TA Champion Amy Ruman will mentor several of the younger drivers, as she once again returns to the Trans Am Series TA class with her family-owned Ruman Racing team.
In Trans Ams CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Silver Hare Racings Rafa Matos will serve as an additional mentor for the younger members of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship class after winning last years TA2 championship. Nitro Motorsports teammates Julian DaCosta and Tyler Gonzalez will both utilize support from the scholarship to fight for more podiums and search for their first wins in the TA2 Series.
After becoming the second woman to podium in FR Americas history, Canadian Nicole Havrda returns to the grid in search of her first-career win. With four third-place finishes and a sixth-place finish in the championship point standings, Havrda will once again join Kiwi Motorsport to make a run at the title.
In F-4 U.S., Alex Popow will take advantage of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship in his bid for the championship. The Venezuelan American made his F-4 U.S. debut with MLT Motorsports during the 2024 season finale at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), winning two of the weekends three races. Moving up to F-4 U.S. after making his JS F-4 debut at COTA, Connor Grant will use support from the scholarship to contest for the title with his Scuderia Buell team.
In JS F-4, five drivers will benefit from the scholarship, including Ava Hanssen, who joins the JS F-4 grid after competing in Formula Race Promotions last season. After earning his first-career podiums last season, Harbir Dass returns to JS F-4 for Berg Racing to compete for the championship. Zach Fourie will also return to the series after making his debut at COTA. The South African-born driver joins JENSEN for his first full-time season. Scuderia Buells Augusto Paschetta and Champagne Racings Gaston Irazu will both benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship as they embark on their rookie campaigns.
Rounding out the list of scholarship recipients is Amandeep Pothani. Immigrating to the United States from India with his parents, the Arrive Drive Motorsports racer will compete in SVRAs Group 9 this season.
Bayern nip Celtic to advance on late Davies goal
Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies snatched a last-gasp equaliser against Celtic for a 1-1 draw on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League Round of 16 with a 3-2 aggregate win.
They will next face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid depending on Friday's draw.
Davies scored in stoppage time after former Bayern reserve player Nicolas Kuhn had given the Scots a shock lead in the 63rd minute in their bid to overturn a first leg deficit and win a first game in Germany in 16 attempts.
Having lost the first leg 2-1 in Glasgow, Celtic came agonisingly close to forcing extra time with a bold performance that had the hosts on the backfoot for much of the game.
"If you watched the first leg, I don't think it was surprising," said Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka. "Of course we could have made it easier for ourselves by not conceding a goal.
"We have played three games in six days now and it was all about getting results, which we did and we're happy about that."
With the Bavarians made to sweat from the start, Celtic's Kuehn saw a shot cleared on the line by Raphaël Guerreiro in the 16th minute before Daizen Maeda narrowly missed connecting with an Arne Engels cross in front of goal a little later.
Getty Images
Bayern, who drew 0-0 at reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, had to wait until the stroke of half-time for their own opportunity, striker Harry Kane hitting the woodwork with a shot.
The England captain, who made little other impact and was also nursing a knock to the head from the Leverkusen game, was taken off at the break. Bayern came close again seconds after the restart with Goretzka failing to beat keeper Kasper Schmeichel in a one-on-one.
It was Celtic, however, who broke the deadlock with a deserved goal when Kuhn slotted home following two defensive errors by the hosts to put Brendan Rodgers' team in the driving seat.
Bayern upped the tempo and came close with Goretzka and Leroy Sané before Schmeichel pulled off another superb save to deny Joshua Kimmich.
The keeper did everything right to stop Goretzka's effort in front of goal in stoppage time but could do nothing when Davies tackled the ball over the line on the rebound for the equaliser that sent the Germans through to the knockout stage.
"It was just such a cruel way to not even lose the game but to go out of the competition," said Rodgers. "A real heroic performance, just unfortunate at the end.
"I think our European credibility has been restored this season, I think we built that up from last year, that's my takeaway from this season."
AC Milan looked to be in control of their Champions League destiny at home to Feyenoord on Tuesday before the sending off of Theo Hernández turned the playoff on its head although coach Sérgio Conceição refused to blame the defender for their exit.
Having lost the first leg 1-0, Milan were level on aggregate in the opening minute but after Hernandez picked up a second booking for simulation, Feyenoord equalised in the second half to draw 1-1 and reach the round 16 with a 2-1 aggregate win.
Milan could have avoided a playoff altogether with a win at Dinamo Zagreb in their final league phase game, but on that occasion they had Yunus Musah sent off and lost 2-1.
"It's definitely a failure, we wanted to get to the last 16. This match showed that we are stronger than the opponent and that it was the episodes that decided, like in Zagreb, sending off there, sending off here," Conceição told reporters.
"You could say that the referee [Szymon Marciniak] was too harsh, but we had to be stronger mentally. I'm the one responsible, not Theo. Then inside the locker room we'll see.
"Theo has given so much to Milan, I have made many mistakes in my career. Until Theo's red card, Feyenoord didn't know how to get to the goal. We are disappointed and angry."
Santiago Gimenez, Milan's recent signing from Feyenoord, had put the hosts ahead but Conceição took the Mexican forward off in the second half and the manager explained his decision.
"We had one less player. Then there was Santiago to manage, he had an adductor problem and he needs to be managed," Conceição said.
"I put João Félix up front who was fine to try and counter, but we were controlling the game anyway."
Goalscorer Gimenez backed his coach -- and teammate Hernández -- after the heartbreaking loss for a resurgent Milan.
"Today it happened to Theo, but it can happen to anyone," the Mexico international said. "As a team, we give him our full support. He always gives everything and is one of the best full-backs in the world."
Conceição replaced Paulo Fonseca as manager at the end of December, winning the Italian Super Cup in his opening games in charge, and feels he is not always judged fairly.
"I arrived a month and a half ago, but they make comparisons with coaches who had been here for years," he said.
"We won the only trophy we could win, we are in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and in the league, since I arrived, we have earned 14 points and (leaders) Napoli 15.
"It's not perfect. The atmosphere here at Milan is not the best and the sending off proves it. We have to work on this. Believe me, it's not easy, it's not easy."
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
Pep on Bellingham red row: 'Leave refs in peace'
Pep Guardiola has hinted he has little sympathy for Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid after the midfielder's LaLiga sending off for swearing, claiming that referees should be "left in peace."
Bellingham scored the winning goal in Madrid's 3-2 win against Manchester City in last week's Champions League playoff tie at the Etihad Stadium and is set to face Guardiola's side in Wednesday's second leg following days of controversy over his dismissal against Osasuna on Saturday.
Bellingham and Madrid have said that the England midfielder said "f--- off" towards referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero rather than "f--- you," which is reportedly the reason for Bellingham's red card.
Madrid have criticised the decision, though the Spanish football federation have condemned the "attacks and abuse" the referee has received in the aftermath.
Speaking in Madrid on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League clash, former Barcelona coach Guardiola said he didn't feel the translation was an issue in the incident.
"My English is good, but I don't understand the difference between f--- off and f--- you," Guardiola said. "But what's important is the intention, not the insult. The best thing is not to do it and leave the referees in peace.
"There have always been decisions. You should ask Jude what his intention was. That's what matters.
"Maybe you can insult someone with a great smile on your face and that wouldn't be that bad, right?"
Guardiola said that despite Bellingham's red card for swearing, he has not felt it necessary to tell his players to be careful with their language towards the officials.
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs will take charge the game in the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
"I would not say never, ever but rarely do I talk about the referees with my players," Guardiola said.
"Maybe in the circumstances where the days before it is impossible to forget because it's in the vibe of the locker room and the media, but most of the time I don't even know who the referee will be.
"Yesterday [Monday] and this morning, we didn't talk with the team and it's not going to happen tonight or tomorrow."
Champions League as it happened: Bayern qualify with Davies' last-minute goal
Tuesday marks the first day of the knockout phase playoff second legs for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season. Europe's premier club competition is now whittling down teams as the round of 16 awaits the winners.
Enjoy the play-by-play from all of Tuesday's games: Bayern Munich against Celtic, Atalanta against Club Brugge and Benfica against AS Monaco.
A series of terrible decisions sends Milan packing from UCL
MILAN, Italy -- Who knows exactly what thoughts lurked inside the head of Theo Hernández, just beneath his shocking pink tufts of hair, when he made the most boneheaded of decisions five minutes into the second half of AC Milan's Champions League playoff second-leg clash against Feyenoord?
Games don't often turn on individual players and moments of startlingly bad decisions. This one largely did, and it cost Milan a place in the Champions League round of 16.
A goal down from the first leg, Milan needed to win by two to advance. They got halfway there within 60 seconds of the opening kickoff: a Christian Pulisic cross, a Malick Thiaw nod back across goal and new signing Santi Gimenez on hand to tuck it in.
One-nil up and 89 minutes (plus injury time) at home, in front of their fans, to notch the second. It seemed easy-peasy when you consider their opponents, Feyenoord -- who haven't been good since Arne Slot left for Liverpool nine months ago and whom already fired his successor, Brian Priske -- were missing no fewer than 10 players and were starting three teenagers as a result.
Milan were squarely in control of the first half and missed several chances to double the lead. They started brightly in the second half going close to scoring again ... but then came Theo's lapse.
Rafael Leão fed his full-back on an overlap as Theo sliced into the penalty area, duly ran at defender Givairo Read and ... very obviously tumbled over his leg, with no contact at all. Referee Szymon Marciniak had no choice but to show him the yellow card ... and then a red one too.
Why? Theo had already been cautioned at the end of the first half, a booking as needless as this one. The first was for a pointless foul on Jakub Moder in the center circle, which erupted in a melee that left Theo's adversary on that flank, Anis Hadj Moussa, needing to be physically restrained.
Some might be inclined (in a Machiavellian, Dark Arts sort of way) to justify trying to con the referee to win a penalty, but there's a time and a place for it. This wasn't it. It was classic risk-reward type stuff made worse by the fact that the way Milan were playing at the time, the second goal was bound to come.
After the match, Milan officials went out of their way to avoid scapegoating Theo, but it's not hard to read between the lines.
"The face of Milan's defeat ought to be my face, not Theo's. ... I'm the one responsible," Milan boss Sérgio Conceição said after the game. Club icon (and now senior adviser) Zlatan Ibrahimovic echoed the sentiment: "The referee was tough: in a game like this you usually just give a warning. ... We're not angry at Theo, we're angry at ourselves, we committed suicide out there."
Feyenoord's fans -- cooped up high in the third tier of the San Siro -- celebrated him marching off the pitch as if they had just scored themselves. They understood the situation -- certainly better than Theo.
The tie was 1-1 on aggregate at that point, but Milan couldn't just sit back and play for penalties. They were the home side, they were the pedigreed team, they were the ones lining up with four forwards (from left to right: Leao, João Félix, Gimenez and Pulisic) and they were built to attack. Perhaps they also knew that playing a man down for nearly an entire second half (plus injury time) was going to be a big ask.
Suddenly, the tide was flowing Feyenoord's way: Julián Carranza's header with 17 minutes to go tied the score on the night and put Feyenoord ahead on aggregate.
Milan were never coming back at that point and to make matters worse, frustration began to show. Conceição probably didn't help matters with his changes, though he defended them with his usual posturing at the final whistle: "I'm paid to make decisions: If I don't win, they'll pack my bags for me and send me away."
What did he do? First, he withdrew Pulisic and then Gimenez, leaving Félix and Leão on the pitch. In a situation like this at 10 vs. 11, you would have thought the former duo's work-rate would be more desirable than the flighty skills of the latter pair. And indeed, Leão looked like a boy racer happily speeding into cul-de-sacs, before getting shown a red card of his own in a pointless postmatch melee.
Meanwhile, Félix was reminding everyone that while he has plenty of talent, the other t-word (temperament) is sometimes missing: choosing to dribble inside his own half, he beat one opponent, lost the ball when his improbable spin move didn't work out, and then chased down and felled his opponent for yet another yellow card.
Ibrahimovic -- hugely influential to the point that he took the prematch news conference despite not having an official title beyond the one he gave himself ("I'm the boss") -- had said he expected his players to treat this game "like a final."
Until Theo's sending off, they largely did. And then, with one cravenly poor decision, Milan's European campaign unraveled.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
