Swiss outsider Allinckx marches into last four
By POKU SALO – Squash Mad Correspondent

Home hopes are still alive in the Finnish Women’s Open thanks to No.4 seed Emilia Soini.

The 24-year-old from Espoo reached the semi-finals by beating No.8 seed Alice Green from England in an exciting five game battle, squeezing home 11-9 in the fifth.

Switzerland’s Ambre Allinckx continued to upset the seeds by beating third seed Enora Villard from France. It was the longest match of the night, lasting just short of an hour as Allinckx triumphed 7-11, 11-9, 1-11, 11-8, 11-4.

Top seeds Milou van der Heijden (Ned) and Lucy Turmel (Eng) reached the semi-finals in four games, beating Tessa ter Sluis and Catalina Pelaez.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

PSA $12,000 Women’s Savcor Finnish Open 2020, Sport Forum, Mikkeli, Finland.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt [5] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5 (31m)
[9/16] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt [3] Enora Villard (FRA) 7-11, 11-9, 1-11, 11-8, 11-4 (57m)
[4] Emilia Soini (FIN) bt [8] Alice Green (ENG) 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 (43m)
[2] Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt [6] Catalina Pelaez (COL) 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2 (39m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v [9/16] Ambre Allinckx (SUI)
[2] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [4] Emilia Soini (FIN)

Pictures courtesy of  Finnish Squash

Wales winger Josh Adams goes over in the corner to score the first try of the 2020 Six Nations and extend the home side's early advantage against Italy at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

WATCH LIVE: Wales v Italy - BBC One and alternative commentary options

Available to UK users only.

Wales winger Josh Adams scores his second try of the game after a "beautiful" through-the-legs pass by fly-half Dan Biggar in the opening game of the 2020 Six Nations against Italy in Cardiff.

WATCH LIVE: Wales v Italy - BBC One and alternative commentary options

WATCH MORE: Wales' Adams scores first try of 2020 Six Nations

Available to UK users only.

Six years ago, Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson were Ryder Cup partners, teaming up for two foursomes victories in Europe's five-point win at Gleneagles.

On Sunday, the two players will face off in the final group at the Saudi International.

McDowell leads Dubuisson by a shot following a third-round, 4-under 66 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Dubuisson, who sits at 11 under, posted a bogey-free 65.

"We haven't played together since the Ryder Cup," said Dubuisson, who will tee off Sunday at 4:50 a.m. ET alongside McDowell. "I'm very happy to play with him tomorrow."

McDowell, beginning the day in the penultimate pairing, came alive with four birdies on the back nine, including Nos. 12 and 13, where he made back-to-back birdie putts from off the green.

"I always tell my kids we live in a nice house because daddy can putt," McDowell said, "that's about the heart of it, really. The putter's been a little ice cold the last sort of two rounds, but I got it heated back up on the back nine today and I'm going to have to putt well to have a chance tomorrow."

Dubuisson made a pair of lengthy birdies, at Nos. 12 and 14, to pull even with McDowell, but the Northern Irishman got up and down for birdie at the par-5 finishing hole to create a one-shot cushion entering Sunday. Gavin Green is solo third at 9 under, three shots behind, while Dustin Johnson is part of a three-way tie for fourth at 7 under. Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson are among those at 6 under.

At No. 104 in the world, the 40-year-old McDowell is poised to yet again climb back inside the top 100 in the world after this week. A victory, though, would catapult him into the thick of the European Ryder Cup conversation (he is currently 38th on the world points list).

McDowell hasn't played a Ryder Cup since that 2014 edition.

The same can be said of Dubuisson, though while McDowell won as recently as last year, the 29-year-old Frenchman has practically disappeared in recent seasons. After rising to No. 15 in the world in 2014, Dubuisson missed 32 weeks in 2018 after undergoing surgery for a perforated left eardrum, and he has just one top-10 finish since while dropping to No. 478 in the world.

After a missed cut last week in Dubai, Dubuisson decided to switch back to the TaylorMade set he used before his injury two years ago.

"I had a long chat with my coach after Abu Dhabi because it was the first time he came to the whole tournament, so he saw me play the whole four days and he said, 'It's not possible, your swing is good. Last year your swing was very good, it's not possible that you hit the ball like this,'" Dubuisson said. "So I decided to take my old set of clubs ... and I found my game into the wind again, so I'm quite happy now."

McDowell is expecting a final-round battle as if it were 2014.

"We shared a car up to the course this morning and I was chatting with him and I always look out for him, great experiences with him in 2014 at Gleneagles," McDowell said. "He's such a great guy, he hasn't had the best form the last few years and I'm really, really happy to see him at the top of the leaderboard and looking forward to being with him tomorrow.

"It's going to be tough to try and play tough against him, but we're both competitors and we'll go out there and try and do our job."

Barcelona's players have finally reached an agreement for Matchday -- a docuseries which goes behind the scenes with the Spanish champions -- to film a second season, sources have told ESPN.

The first series, which aired last November, was not well received by the squad. In addition to not being paid what they had been promised, some of the players were not happy with certain elements of the documentary, including the scenes inside the dressing room following their Champions League elimination to Liverpool at Anfield.

- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- When does the transfer window close?

None of the players attended the red carpet premiere for the eight-part series at the end of last year and the second series had been placed in serious doubt.

However, a series of meetings this week have helped resolve the situation. The players have imposed a number of conditions, though, which have been accepted by the club's hierarchy. There will be no access to the dressing room this time around, while the players have also drawn up other limitations which will prohibit filming in certain areas.

While the players have now given the green light to start filming the second season, the pay dispute has not yet been resolved. Matchday is produced by Barcelona's in-house production team with the involvement of Rakuten, Kosmos Studios and Producciones del Barrio.

The Japanese company Rakuten, who also sponsor Barca's shirts, funded the project, which streamed on Rakuten TV, but they have not yet paid the players for their involvement.

The first season revealed life behind the dressing room door as Barca won La Liga. It also showed the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Marc ter Stegen and Gerard Pique, among others, in their day-to-day lives.

It culminated with Barca's Champions League exit to Liverpool and a Copa del Rey final defeat against Valencia.

The Catalans will hope the second season will have a happier ending, although coach Quique Setien, who replaced Ernesto Valverde last month, has said they have been weakened during the transfer window.

Carles Alena, Jean-Clair Todibo, Carles Perez and Moussa Wague all left the club in January, leaving Setien with a 20-man squad, including the injured Suarez and Ansu Fati, who is still registered to the B team.

"On the face of it, we could think that we have weakened the squad in January," Setien said in a news conference on Saturday. "We have fewer players now. But I will repeat: we also have the B team. These kids are ready."

Barca are in La Liga action on Sunday at home to Levante. The game will come too soon for Ousmane Dembele, who is back in training but won't be rushed back into action.

MADRID, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Karim Benzema fired Real Madrid to a 1-0 win in the city derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday which underlined Real's La Liga title credentials.

The French forward side-footed home a cross from compatriot Ferland Mendy to break the deadlock in a tight game in the 56th minute after coach Zinedine Zidane had sprung a double substitution to give his team more width.

Benzema's strike gave Real their first home victory over Atletico in the league since 2012 and increased their lead over Barcelona at the top of the table to six points. Barca can reduce the margin to three if they beat Levante on Sunday.

Atletico are fifth and trail their local rivals by 13 points, while their injury problems deepened when striker Alvaro Morata limped off early in the second half with a suspected muscle problem. (Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Premier League leaders Liverpool opened up a 22-point gap at the top of the table with second-half goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson and a Mohamed Salah brace giving them a 4-0 home win over Southampton.

It was Liverpool's 20th successive home win dating back to last season, matching Manchester City's record set between March 2011 and March 2012. It left them miles clear of second-placed champions City, who visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Missing the injured Sadio Mane, Liverpool looked disjointed in the first half with goalkeeper Allisson Becker twice denying Danny Ings after Southampton's Alex McCarthy made an excellent double save at the other end.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who also came close in the first half with a deflected shot, fired the home side ahead in the 47th minute when he cut inside and left McCarthy wrong-footed with a fine low drive from 18 metres.

Henderson doubled the lead on the hour when he drove the ball into the roof of the net from 10 metres out thanks to some good work by Roberto Firmino, who broke down the left flank and squared the ball back to his skipper.

Salah put the icing on the cake with two late goals -- a dinked 72nd-minute finish as Henderson turned provider, followed by a scrambled stoppage-time effort after he was released by Firmino.

CSA Invitational XI 193 for 6 (Snyman 67, Sekhukhune 54, Parkinson 3-9) beat England 346 for 7 (Bairstow 100, Root 91, Denly 85, Tait 4-56) by four wickets

England took plenty from their final warm-up game before the ODI series despite being beaten after setting up a contrived run chase in Paarl. Having scored 346 for 7 in their 50 overs, led by an 83-ball hundred from Jonny Bairstow, they then opted to reset the encounter after 20 overs of the second innings - asking the CSA Invitational XI to score 85 from 10.

Legspinner Matt Parkinson claimed three wickets in an over, leaving CSA XI effectively 15 for 3, but the returning Jacques Snyman, who had earlier been dismissed for 29 after opening the batting, took Saqib Mahmood for three fours and three sixes over the course of two overs from the Lancashire quick to turn the chase.

The change to a "high pressure" training scenario came after England's top order had produced a more convincing performance, following their efforts in Friday's tour game against the same opposition. Bairstow, Joe Root and Joe Denly all contributed significant scores, to set a stiff target. CSA XI then reached 103 for 3 - Denly taking two wickets with his legspin - before England were given the chance to simulate defending at the death.

England were captained by Root, with Eoin Morgan taking a watching brief, and they made good use of the bowling options in their squad - only Adil Rashid not being called upon.

Having been propped up by Jason Roy's 104 in the first warm-up, England batted first once again and this time made a more familiar racket. Dawid Malan fell second ball after coming into the side for Roy, but Bairstow cracked 11 fours and fours sixes on his way to three figures. He put on 157 with Root, before retiring to given other batsmen time in the middle.

Root fulfilled a less obtrusive role, ticking along at just over a run a ball until he became the second of four wickets for left-armer Stephan Tait. The most discomfort he experienced came via a blow to his wrist after Denly hit the ball at him while standing at the non-striker's; Root was on 58 at the time, but recovered quickly enough to his his next ball for six.

Tom Banton made 23 in a 50-run stand with Denly, who then thrashed 29 off his last nine balls. England lost 4 for 14 in 3.3 overs as the lower order hit out, which ultimately left them just shy of the 350 mark.

CSA XI's reply began with a half-century stand between the openers before Tom Curran bowled Snyman, before Denly, who was introduced to the attack ahead of Parkinson, claimed two wickets in as many overs.

At the 20-over mark, CSA XI set about trying to chase down 85, with opener Kabelo Sekhukhune well set alongside the veteran Qaasim Adams. Parkinson's second over Adams bowled from the first ball, before Sekhukhune and Garnett Tarr were caught on the leg-side boundary.

CSA XI had made only 27 from five overs when Mahmood came back into the attack, only to see Snyman immediately strike him for six and four. Tom Curran's next over also went for 14, and Mahmood was then hit for a sequence of 6-6-4-4-2 by Snyman to bring the target down to eight from 12 balls. Although Snyman was dismissed by Chris Jordan to take the game into the 'final' over, Andile Mokgakane sealed the win with two deliveries to spare.

Chris Berman took his Swami Sez NFL picks segment, seen on SportsCenter, to Chalk every week a few seasons ago. He's back for Super Bowl LIV to give his pick for the big game.

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5, 54.5)

This Super Bowl is like opening the window in April -- it's a breath of fresh air.

It is the return of NFL royalty, with the 49ers and Chiefs in the Big Game. San Francisco was there less than a decade ago, but every time the 49ers are in it, they're an intriguing team. This time is no different. And the Chiefs hadn't made it in 50 years. It's great to have them both back.

I find this game intriguing on many fronts. The Chiefs and the way they play offense is the headliner, but not far behind is San Francisco's defensive front and Richard Sherman. The 49ers' front four can get home by themselves and Sherman is still one of the best in the league, but Kansas City has speed on offense that we've rarely seen.

You also have the fact that the 49ers have shown they can win in a variety of ways. Who can forget the 48-46 win over the Saints in the Superdome or the 9-0 slogfest in Week 7 against the Redskins.

Andy Reid is a terrific coach, and he and Kyle Shanahan are two of the great playcallers in the game today. What menu is each chef going to serve? And what's the second course? It will be fascinating to see their in-game adjustments as the game progresses. As a football fan, this will be fun to watch.

You have two of the best tight ends in the game in Travis Kelce and George Kittle, who are game-breakers. You have two quarterbacks only scratching the surface of their potential -- although Mahomes might be beyond just a scratch. And you have a San Francisco D-line that can boast four No. 1 picks on the field at the same time.

I know that Jimmy Garoppolo hasn't needed to pass much in the playoffs so far, but I wouldn't be concerned if he has to carry the load if they need to score in the 30s. Lamar Jackson is this season's MVP, but if you want someone to win a game right now, I'm not sure how you pick against Patrick Mahomes. I thought the Mahomes of last year would resurface by the end of this season, and so far in this year's playoffs, I've been right.

On Labor Day, I had the Chiefs beating the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. I've been on them all year, and I'm not going to change now. With what the Chiefs are capable of doing on offense, I think it's safe to say this won't be a 3-3 game entering the fourth quarter like last year's Super Bowl. I think Kansas City wins 35-32. And if I'm right, won't this be a fun one?

Pick: Chiefs 35, 49ers 32

It's finally time. Super Bowl LIV is here, and the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for all the marbles.

Doing some last-minute prep before Sunday's 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff (Fox) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida? Our NFL team has you covered with everything you'd ever want to know, including team previews, bold predictions and game picks. We also provide betting advice from our ESPN Chalk experts, game-plan breakdowns from our analysts and in-depth statistics from our ESPN Stats & Information team.

Let's dive into 49ers-Chiefs with our one-stop-shop cheat sheet.

Jump to:
Picks | Stats to know | Bold predictions
Matchup | Betting advice | MVP watch
Injuries | Quarterbacks | Coaches
Officiating report | Tale of two seasons

Previewing 49ers vs. Chiefs

The 49ers and Chiefs have plenty in common. They're both built in the image of brilliant offensive minds in Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid. Their offensive philosophies, at their core, are identical: speed kills. They force defenses to guard every blade of grass on the field and punish them in seconds when they try to get away with taking a play off. At their best, it seems absurd that anybody could stop them. For most of this postseason, nobody has.

Of course, these teams serve up the same problems in two totally different ways. The Chiefs have to set an alarm on their phone to remind themselves to run the ball; this is the offense that called 31 pass plays against just six runs while scoring seven consecutive touchdowns in a furious onslaught of a comeback against the Texans in the divisional round. The 49ers, meanwhile, have dialed up runs on 71 of their past 88 plays.

You can make a credible case for each side using the weapon the other doesn't have to win in Miami. The 49ers have a dominant front four and the league's second-best defense. The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, and that seems to grant them access to a previously unimaginable realm of football at his best. -- Bill Barnwell, senior NFL writer

• Read Barnwell's complete preview of Super Bowl LIV
• Whom should you root for?
• The fastest Super Bowl teams ever?
• Ten players, coaches who took a step toward Super Bowl redemption

What ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) says

• FPI predicts a Chiefs victory in 64.8% of its simulations by an average of 5 points. It is the heaviest favorite that FPI has predicted in a Super Bowl since the metric's inception in 2009.

• Our matchup rating grades 49ers-Chiefs as 97.2 on a scale of 1 to 100. It is the sixth-highest Super Bowl matchup rating since 2009.

• The Chiefs were No. 1 in FPI this season, while the 49ers were No. 4.

• In the preseason, the Chiefs had a 27.1% chance to make the Super Bowl per FPI, but the 49ers were looking at a slim 2.8% chance.

Who wins the game?

• Of the 108 experts who weighed in, the Chiefs were favored by 68 of them (63%), while the 49ers claimed 40 votes (37%). See all of our experts' picks.

• 18 Pro Bowlers weighed in on the matchup. See what they said.

Key stats to know

• This will be the second Super Bowl between a team that led its conference in rushing yards (49ers) and one that led its conference in passing yards (Chiefs). The Chiefs have gained 73% of their yards this postseason through the air, and the 49ers have gained 71% of their yards on the ground.

• Mahomes has an NFL-best 91 QBR vs. zone coverage this season, but the 49ers play zone at the second-highest rate (64%) and limit opposing quarterbacks to an NFL-low 4.7 yards per dropback when using zone.

• This is the first Super Bowl matchup between two tight ends who each had 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season. San Francisco's George Kittle leads all tight ends in yards after the catch and has the most yards after contact by a tight end since Rob Gronkowski in 2015. The Chiefs' Travis Kelce has 21 catches on throws 15-plus yards downfield this season, the most in the NFL at his position. The last tight end with that many deep catches was Greg Olsen in 2015.

• The 49ers' offense improved by 8.6 points per game from the previous season, and the defense improved by 7.8. They are the seventh team since the 1970 merger to improve by a touchdown on both offense and defense from the previous season.

• Including the playoffs, Kansas City has held opposing QBs to a 62% completion rate on play-action passes, the third-lowest in the NFL. The 49ers used play-action on 32% of dropbacks this season.

Bold predictions

After throwing for a combined 208 yards in the previous two playoff games, Jimmy Garoppolo will have at least 209 passing yards and could finish closer to 300. The Chiefs have made it clear they want to take away the Niners' rushing attack and force Garoppolo to beat them. And considering his yards per attempt (8.6) and touchdowns against man coverage (23) both rank second in the NFL and Kansas City's knack for playing a lot of man (57%, fifth most in the league), it could be set up for Garoppolo to have a big game on the biggest stage. -- Nick Wagoner, 49ers reporter

Tyrann Mathieu will intercept two passes and edge Mahomes for Super Bowl MVP. The safety should be heavily involved in coverage on Kittle, so he may see some action that way, but he has made so many plays this season with his smarts and instincts that he figures to be around the ball no matter where it's going. -- Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter

George Kittle will put up 130 receiving yards and score a touchdown. That may sound crazy for a guy with 35 total yards during the playoffs, but the Chiefs have shut down opposing wide receivers while allowing plenty of production to tight ends and backs in the passing game this season. Garoppolo should be looking his way often. -- Mike Clay, NFL analyst

Breaking down the game plans

Matchup to watch: Mahomes vs. the 49ers' pass rush. Reid can script route concepts designed to target the 49ers' zone-heavy scheme. However, given the pass-rush ability of the San Francisco defensive line, Mahomes will have to showcase his ability to make second-reaction plays in critical game situations on Sunday. -- Matt Bowen, NFL analyst

• Read Bowen's complete breakdown of the Super Bowl game plans
• Peyton Manning breaks down Chiefs, 49ers in latest 'Detail'
• Ranking Chiefs and 49ers players from 1-53

How to bet Super Bowl LIV

Current line from Caesars Sportsbook: KC -1.5 (54.5)
PickCenter | Prop bet scorecard

Total passing yards for Garoppolo: Over/under 237.5
Total passing yards for Mahomes: Over/under 299.5
Total sacks by both teams: Over/under 4.5
Shortest touchdown yardage: Over/under 1.5

Over the past six seasons, favorites and underdogs have alternated winning and covering in the Super Bowl. Last season, New England won as a 2.5-point favorite. Underdogs have covered in 12 of the past 18 Super Bowls, going 11-6 against the spread under the current playoff format (since 2002). And each of the past 10 seasons, the winner has also covered the spread. The last time the winner did not cover the spread was in Super Bowl XLIII (2008 season), when Pittsburgh won 27-23, but Arizona covered as a 5.5-point underdog. -- Mackenzie Kraemer, ESPN Chalk researcher

• Read more betting nuggets from Kraemer
• Ultimate Super Bowl betting guide
• Chris Berman's Super Bowl pick
• Biggest Super Bowl bets

Who wins Super Bowl MVP?

Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Nick Bosa, 49ers DE. The 49ers' front four will dictate the pace, and when massive tackles Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner cause havoc up the middle, Bosa will be there for a sack or a forced fumble when Mahomes tries to escape.

Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs QB. Simply because he's Mahomes.

Mina Kimes, NFL writer: Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers QB. I've got the Niners winning a high-scoring game, and while I don't think Garoppolo will necessarily be the reason why they win, I think he'll do enough to make a case for MVP.

Jason Reid, The Undefeated writer: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs QB. If you have to ask why, you haven't been paying attention.

Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Nick Bosa, 49ers DE. He has three sacks in the playoffs, and even though the Chiefs have a strong offensive line, he is in position to dominate this game.

Field Yates, NFL analyst: Raheem Mostert, 49ers RB. Forecasting that the 49ers will win stems from a confidence they can run the football effectively once again. Mostert should handle the heavy load, as Tevin Coleman will not be at 100% (shoulder) if he even does suit up on Sunday.

Injury report

The 49ers are expected to have all 53 players available to be on the 46-man game-day roster heading into Super Bowl LIV. Running back Tevin Coleman has been dealing with a dislocated shoulder but practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday and was upgraded to a full participant on Friday. Safety Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) and linebacker Kwon Alexander (pectoral) also were upgraded from limited to full on Friday. Shanahan says he expects all three to be "good to go" against the Chiefs.

Tight end Travis Kelce (knee) and defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) were full practice participants all week and carried no injury designations on the Chiefs' final injury report, so they should have no limitations in Super Bowl LIV. Jones was a part-time player in the AFC Championship Game.

• 49ers and Chiefs healthy entering Super Bowl

Meet the quarterbacks: Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Patrick Mahomes

Garoppolo was the only quarterback to rank within the top five in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passing touchdowns this season. According to ESPN coverage metrics using NFL Next Gen Stats, Garoppolo had the second-most passing touchdowns vs. man coverage in the regular season but had more interceptions than touchdowns vs. zone.

2019 stats: 3,978 passing yards, 27 TD, 13 INT, 58.8 Total QBR

Mahomes won NFL MVP honors in 2018, and per the Elias Sports Bureau, he could join Emmitt Smith as the only players, regardless of position, ever to win an MVP and Super Bowl before turning 25 years old. Over the last two seasons (including the playoffs), Mahomes has 87 completions and six touchdown passes on plays where he traveled 20 or more yards before throwing the ball, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (both lead the NFL). And he most recently became the first player in postseason history with 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in back-to-back games.

2019 stats: 4,031 passing yards, 26 TD, 5 INT, 76.3 Total QBR

Meet the coaches: Kyle Shanahan vs. Andy Reid

Shanahan and his father, Mike, will be the first father-son duo to each serve as head coach in an NFL championship game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this has happened only once before across the four major sports leagues (Lester Patrick and his son Lynn each coached in the Stanley Cup Final). Shanahan is 40 years old, and if the 49ers win, he'd be the fourth head coach age 40 or younger to win the Super Bowl.

Reid is back at the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons, after previously leading the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 season (they lost to the Patriots). He is sixth on the all-time wins list for an NFL head coach but has never won a title. Every other coach ahead of him has won multiple titles.

• Stories from inside the offensive genius of Reid and Shanahan
• From 0-9 to Top Gun to a Super Bowl: How Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch found a way
• Why Chiefs coach Andy Reid's legacy is on the line
• For Shanahan, leading 49ers to Super Bowl is childhood 'dream come true'

Inside Super Bowl officiating

Super Bowl LIV referee Bill Vinovich has worked eight consecutive postseasons. His regular-season crews almost always rank at or near the bottom in average flags per game. That trend has been especially acute during the past two seasons, when his crews have thrown 402 flags in 30 games, an average of 13.4 per game. That's 18% lower than the league average over that period and 29% lower than the referee at the top of the list. Just remember postseason crews are mixed, though. -- Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer

• Read Seifert's complete breakdown of the Super Bowl officiating

How the 49ers, Chiefs got here

The 49ers went 13-3 this season, and all three losses came in the final minute of play. An eight-game win streak to begin the season gave them a jump in the NFC West before they had to endure a late-season run in which they faced five playoff teams over eight games. A big Week 17 win over the Seahawks gave the Niners the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The playoff berth came just one season after a 4-12 campaign. In the postseason, the 49ers held Dalvin Cook at bay in the divisional-round win against Minnesota before reaching the Super Bowl with a run-heavy win against Green Bay in the conference championship. Mostert found pay dirt four times on the ground, but Garoppolo was held to eight passes.

The Chiefs appeared to lose their grip on the AFC West at times during the regular season, but a six-game win streak led them to a 12-4 record, a division title and the No. 2 seed in the AFC (thanks in part to a Patriots loss in Week 17 to the Dolphins). In Week 7, Kansas City had a scare when Mahomes suffered a knee injury -- but the QB would miss just two games and return to throw for 446 yards in a Week 10 loss to Tennessee. In the playoffs, the Chiefs faced a 24-0 hole early in the divisional round against Houston, but Mahomes marched the Chiefs back with 51 points and a win. Then it was on to the Titans, where the Chiefs again faced an early deficit. But again, Mahomes & Co. pulled off the comeback to set up the Chiefs' first trip to the Super Bowl since 1970.

More preview must-reads

Still hungry for more Super Bowl content? Check out our best stuff from the past two weeks.

49ers

• One son killed, another in the Super Bowl: How a football family is coping with tragedy
• How the 49ers being back is good for the NFL
• How the 49ers' defensive line inspired a dramatic turnaround

Chiefs

• Super Bowl IV Chiefs have waited 50 years to see this
• With Mahomes, Chiefs always have a chance
• Five moves that propelled Chiefs from 2-14 to the Super Bowl