For a team failing on all fronts, Tottenham Hotspur succeeded in one thing. They put the mad into Madrid. In the meltdown in the Metropolitano, Spurs appeared to knock themselves out of the Champions League in 22 strange, shocking minutes. An hour later, Dominic Solanke’s goal provided a glimmer of hope amid the humiliation. There may be a sliver of a chance the craziest part is still to come.

Because, as Tottenham lost six consecutive games for the first time in their history, they could be grateful they leave Spain only beaten 5-2. They seemed to turn up in the wrong boots, with the wrong goalkeeper and the wrong manager.

They gifted Atletico Madrid an assortment of ridiculous goals, the first three each sillier than the last, the fifth with a hole where their defence was supposed to be. A side with a capacity for slip-ups took it literally, losing their balance, the ball, their dignity and, probably, their place in the Champions League. Their latest manager may lose his job.

This was a harrowing night for the hapless Antonin Kinsky, a horrible one for the hopeless Igor Tudor. The biggest selection decision of his brief reign will surely be destined to be remembered as the worst. By the time Atletico went 4-0 up in the 22nd minute, Kinsky had already gone, his unexpected appearance so painful he met with sympathetic applause from the home fans.

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Ludicrously, Tudor said: “We started good.” He was referring to the first two or three minutes, but this was Spurs’ most shambolic start to a game since they went 5-0 down to Newcastle in 21 minutes three years ago. That was Cristian Stellini’s last match in charge. Another interim could face a similar fate. This particular Tudor, like two of the wives of a historical namesake, may be bound for the chop.

The Premier League should dictate his fate but the Europa League winners, the side who finished fourth in the Champions League group stage, began by embarrassing themselves on the continental stage. A side with five clean sheets in their previous six Champions League games were four down a quarter of the way into this.

Sadly for the reserve goalkeeper, his display is destined for infamy; like Loris Karius after the 2018 Champions League final, he may take a long time to recover. Kinsky only touched the ball five times. Two led directly to goals.

Kinsky’s calamitous cameo was over within 17 minutes. Injuries apart, has a goalkeeper has ever been substituted sooner? Yet the essential fault lay with Tudor. He dropped Guglielmo Vicario for his deputy, who had not played since October, and soon had to swap them back.

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Kinsky felt like collateral damage for managerial ineptitude. Opting to remove him may have been necessary, but it was heartless. Opting to pick him was clueless.

“It was, for me, the right decision,” Tudor nevertheless claimed. It was scarcely a comment to add to his credibility.

“Unfortunately it happened in this big game, these mistakes,” continued the Croatian. Removing Kinsky “was necessary to preserve the guy, to preserve the team”. Vicario, who made a fine save from Ademola Lookman, coped admirably in the circumstances.

But Tudor looked brutal, ignoring Kinsky as he walked past him. The compassion came instead from Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro, who commiserated with the goalkeeper on his way off the pitch, and substitutes Dominic Solanke, Conor Gallagher and Joao Palhinha, who followed him into the dressing room to console him. There, Tudor reported, he apologised to the team.

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Kinsky’s 13th Tottenham appearance was unlucky for him and them. He fell over while attempting to pass the ball out, skewing it instead to Lookman. He fed Julian Alvarez who found Marcos Llorente to sidefoot in the sixth-minute opener.

Then it was Micky van de Ven’s turn. Fresh from his red card against Crystal Palace, the Dutchman made another awful error. Rather than meeting Pape Matar Sarr’s pass, Van de Ven tumbled to the turf, allowing Antoine Griezmann to stroll through and score.

The third was still more nonsensical. Van de Ven was the next to pass back, ill-advisedly, as Kinsky scuffed his touch straight to Alvarez. Kinsky had his head on the ground in disappointment even before the striker had walked the ball over the line.

After he departed, Vicario conceded after five minutes, albeit following a brilliant save to spare Sarr an own goal, only for Robin Le Normand to force in the rebound. Spurs’ fifth was a second for Alvarez, justifying Diego Simeone’s decision to pick him ahead of Alexander Sorloth.

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Seconds after Jan Oblak made a brilliant save from Richarlison’s header, the magnificent Griezmann released Alvarez with a majestic touch. With Porro in distant pursuit, the Argentinian ran from inside his own half to angle a shot beyond Vicario.

Perhaps Spurs’ night was summed up in injury time when Romero and Palhinha headed each other, leading to fears each is concussed. “It looks like everything is against us,” lamented Tudor. “Incredible things.”

His Atleti counterpart had less to bemoan but could still have regrets. “It is true that all the things played in our favour in the first 20 minutes,” said Simeone. Thereafter, his side were insufficiently ruthless. As Spurs showed verve in attack, they were far less watertight at the back than the Simeone sides of old. “We could have dealt [better] with the two goals they scored,” said the Atletico manager.

Porro squeezed in a low shot to reduce the deficit. Romero headed against the outside of the post. And as the blunders became contagious, after Oblak’s poor pass, Solanke fired a shot into the roof of the net. A triumphant comeback next week went from impossible to merely improbable.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It’s not easy these days to get Brooks Koepka’s digits.

“I just changed my phone number,” Koepka said Tuesday at the Players Championship. “Basically [it’s] only my family and anybody golf related [who] has my number right now. It’s been kind of nice.”

Still, there’s little question at this week’s Players Championship about who — or, more accurately, what — does have Koepka’s number: the famed island-green 17th.

Despite a prolific career as perhaps the best big-game hunter of golf’s modern era, Koepka has endured an unusual stretch as perhaps the most tortured golfer in the recent history of the island green.

“The 17th hole,” he said, smiling, when asked about the biggest challenge at TPC Sawgrass. “I don’t know if there’s stats on it, but I guarantee there are. One year I made an 8 and a 7. Yeah, that wasn’t very good. But that 17th hole has gotten me over the years. I’ve played good rounds here; that’s just kind of the one bugaboo that always gets me.”

Bugaboo might be an undertstatment. According to the PGA Tour’s ShotLink accounting, Koepka has played the hole nearly a full stroke over par for his career, including nine water balls and a pair of 7s in just nine tries. (For better or worse, Koepka’s bad memories of the hole might be running together: He never recorded a 8.)

The 17th has a well-documented history as a nightmare factory, but the five-time major champ says he hasn’t reached that stage of the proceedings just yet.

“No, I don’t think about it,” Koepka said. “It doesn’t haunt me. I mean my friends, they give me a bunch of crap about it. Between 17 and 12 at Augusta, it seems to be the par-3s.”

As Koepka pointed out Tuesday, at least one of the higher scores could be chalked up to bad luck on a seriously windy day in 2022.

“I think the last time we played here, I think I hit 5-iron on the hole,” he said with a chuckle. “It was the year it was blowing like crazy. Somebody hit 6-iron, I think, and came up short, so I hit 5, then it went over. I mean, it’s kind of tough to argue when it’s blowing 35.”

That said, bad conditions haven’t stopped Koepka’s pals from extracting their pound of flesh.

“Yeah, my friends bust my chops about it pretty good,” he said. “But it’s in the past. Nothing I can do about it. But I hit the green yesterday, so I was pretty pumped about that.”

Mike Tyson has shared his verdict on who he ranks higher between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are regarded as two of the biggest boxing legends in recent history, with their success leading to a battle between the pair at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas back in May 2015.

It was Mayweather who came out on top on that occasion by unanimous decision, but now they will meet again for the second time over a decade later when they fight at The Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19.

With Mayweather now 49 and Pacquiao 47, both men are far past their best, and the debate has often raged on amongst boxing fans over which man was greater than the other during their prime years.

Mayweather retired with a perfect 50-0 record, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez, while Pacquiao is boxing’s only eight-division world champion in history, claiming wins over fighters such as Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto.

Heavyweight icon Tyson once weighed in with his own view on who was better between the two, as he revealed that he felt Pacquiao had achieved more.

“Pacquiao is better than Floyd. He overcame adversity. Knocked cold and came back and had some sensational fights with opponents that supersede any of the opponents that Floyd fought.”

Before Mayweather faces Pacquiao in their rematch, he is actually set to take on Tyson himself, with an exhibition between the pair scheduled to take place soon, though it appears it won’t be on the April 25 date that was originally reported.

WBA world welterweight champion Rolando Romero has delivered a prediction for Floyd Mayweather‘s rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

The two pound-for-pound legends will square off at the Sphere, Las Vegas, on September 19, with their second encounter headlining an event live on Netflix.

Their first meeting, which resulted in Mayweather winning by unanimous decision, took place in 2015 and became the most lucrative boxing event of all time.

Even back then, the former multi-division world champions were considered to be past their primes, with Pacquiao, in particular, no longer possessing the speed and ferocity he was always known for.

To his credit, though, the Filipino has amassed eight professional outings since their first encounter, with his latest assignment arriving against Mario Barrios last July.

And despite coming off a near four-year hiatus, following his defeat to Yordenis Ugas, Pacquiao was able to hold the then-WBC world welterweight champion to a contentious draw.

Mayweather, meanwhile, has not fought professionally since his 10th-round stoppage victory over Conor McGregor in 2017, yet his dominant victory over ‘Pac Man’ over two years prior has led many to predict a similar outcome for their rematch.

One of whom is Romero, who told Last Stand Podcast that he cannot see Pacquiao, at 47 years old, making any drastic changes to his original performance.

“Floyd wins. And whatever happens, happens. It’s meant to be. Whoever God wants to win is going to win.

“But what would be the difference [to] the first fight? Was there really anything different that Pacquiao could have [done]?”

Mayweather, now 49, has been involved in a series of exhibition matches since his victory over McGregor, but is now gearing up to put his 50-0 record on the line.

Lakers superstar Luka Dončić revealed he is in a custody battle with fiancée Anamaria Goltes over his two daughters and that the couple has separated. 

“I love my daughters more than anything, and I’ve been doing everything I can for them to be with me in the U.S. during the season, but that hasn’t been possible, so I recently made the tough decision to end my engagement,” Doncic said in the statement released to ESPN.

“Everything I do is for my daughters’ happiness, and I will always fight to be with them and give them the best life I can.”

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić (77) looks to shoot against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second half at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Nov. 12, 2025. (Nate Billings/AP Photo)

Goltes filed a petition for child support and attorneys’ fees in California, TMZ reported Tuesday. 

Dončić then said in a statement he had recently ended his engagement to Goltes because he was unable to have his daughters with him in the U.S. during the season.

The 27-year-old Dončić and Goltes had been dating for a decade after meeting as teenagers in Slovenia. They became engaged in July 2023, and their daughters were born in November 2023 and December 2025, when Dončić left the Lakers to travel to Slovenia when younger daughter Olivia was born.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić watches game action during the first half at Intuit Dome. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

Dončić moved from Dallas to Los Angeles in a trade for Anthony Davis in February 2025. He agreed to a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers last summer, cementing his near future in Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić reacts while watching a tribute video before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center (Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

Dončić is the NBA’s leading scorer this season at 32.5 points per game, and he ranks third with 8.4 assists while grabbing 7.8 rebounds.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust called for “emergency action” with interim head coach Igor Tudor on the brink after a chaotic 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid.

More records tumbled for Spurs on an extraordinary night where back-up goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had to be withdrawn after 17 minutes due to two terrible errors.

Defeat made Tudor the first Tottenham boss to lose his first four games in charge.

A shambolic 5-2 loss in the first leg of this last-16 tie also meant Spurs have lost six games in a row for the first time in their history.

Tudor has only been in charge for 25 days, but refused to answer questions about his future and Tottenham have been urged to act.

“Tonight’s performance and result is a total disgrace. It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now,” a statement from THST read.

“From the January transfer window to the management appointments, the lack of leadership and the total absence of anyone with a Spurs pedigree informing these decisions. Where is the Daring to Do? Where are the Echoes of Glory?

“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline.

“At the very least those in Madrid should have their match tickets refunded. But all we really care about is that the club make us proud. We are here to support the team and be the 12th man. But we all deserve so much more.”

Tudor’s bold call to hand Kinsky a first start since October backfired with only six minutes played when he scuffed an attempted crossfield pass and Marcos Llorente subsequently slotted home.

A slip by Micky van de Ven allowed Antoine Griezmann to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute and 92 seconds later Kinsky’s coup de grace occurred.

Van de Ven sent the ball back to Kinsky and he miscued his pass in horror fashion, which allowed Julian Alvarez to walk the ball in.

Kinsky planted his face into the turf and was withdrawn after Tottenham captain Cristian Romero walked over to speak with Tudor.

Asked if Romero made the call to substitute Kinsky, Tudor responded: “My decision of course.”

Pushed on if he deserved to carry on, Tudor responded: “No comment.

“It is not a topic for me. It is not about my job, it is about how to help the team. It will be always be about that.

“I recognise what we are and which problems we have. I recognise that every game, something happens. Sometimes it is very difficult to explain.”

Spurs showed a semblance of fight after Robin Le Normand made it 4-0 in the 22nd minute, with Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke able to score either side of a second for Alvarez after 55 minutes.

At 5-2 down, Tottenham’s Champions League campaign is all but over but Atletico boss Diego Simeone warned against complacency.

“We never know for sure if we always go through,” Simeone insisted.

“I remember the game we lost 3-0 (to Real Madrid) at Bernabeu and then we were back winning and (Karim) Benzema scored a goal and we had a chance to beat them.

“This is the Champions League and it’s made for important players. Of course all these teams have important players.”