Steve Smith will play in the Pakistan Super League© AFP

Minimum fuss in the end, as Arsenal still go for the maximum. It could genuinely be a unique season, as they also may end up the only English club left in the Champions League.

For now, an already good week got even better, as this 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen didn’t just put them into the Champions League quarter-final; it puts them in a good place ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, which may yet be the first of four trophies this season.

Winning the actual quadruple is of course still a fantasy – the sheer number of games tend to catch up with you – but every match right now is making the vision that bit more real.

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Perhaps the most important thing about this last-16 second leg, though, was that it was also Arsenal’s best attacking performance in some time – maybe weeks, maybe since the second half of the 4-1 over Aston Villa.

It also featured what could be the club’s goal of the season: a perfect strike from Eberechi Eze. He may be finally coming into his own, which could be crucial to Arsenal doing the same.

They were far from fully free-flowing, and there were extended spells when an encouraging Leverkusen team put it up to them, but they were back to penning an opposition side in; to moving the ball around at an increasingly disorienting pace.

That was most true of the period before Eze’s goal, which went some way to deciding the tie.

That itself may well have been shaped by Saturday against Everton.

Max Dowman didn’t get to follow that up by coming on here, but his influence was arguably all over this game.

That substitution may yet come to be seen as a before and after in the season. The mood tonight was that different from the majority of Saturday night.

Before it, or really the Dowman cross that brought that 87th-minute Viktor Gyokeres goal, this very stadium had been surrounded by the worst angst yet.

It had looked like the same old story, and certainly the same old frustrated draw at home to of course extinguish any excitement that it might actually happen this season. Worse was what the team were doing, devoid of ideas.

Unwilling to go long due to Everton’s muscularity, David Raya was playing the ball around his backline when they badly needed a goal.

Then, Dowman happened.

A youthful vigour flowed around the stadium again.

You could see it here, even with the 16-year-old on the bench.

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There certainly wasn’t the same trepidation that we’ve seen in so many games, despite this awkward fixture representing a real chance of an upset. Leverkusen had given Arsenal a tough game in that 1-1 first leg. There was even a certain momentum to the round, given the number of English reverses.

Arsenal at least stopped that rot, by starting to properly play against Leverkusen.

The heroics of opposition goalkeeper Janis Blavich may even have helped, forcing them to lift it more.

Eze certainly did that.

It long felt like it was going to take something special to beat Blavich. He’d got a feel for it – literally – when brilliantly palming away an early Leandro Trossard effort, before then bettering that with a close-range stop from the same player.

That really should have been 1-0 as the Belgian turned in the box to finish, only for Blavich to clip the ball away. It was a supreme save.

Arsenal’s domination had been more concerted here, though. Gabriel twice headed narrowly over from set-pieces.

You could feel that momentum growing, but also a certain frustration. It wasn’t like against Everton or in the Premier League but it was something else. The longer Leverkusen went without conceding, the more the game felt like it could see a sting.

Just as that began to creep in, though, Eze let it all out.

On the 35th minute, a nice Trossard touch teed the playmaker up at the edge of the box. Eze flicked it up so fluidly, then drove the fiercest and finest strike right into the top corner.

Is it actually a volley given it bounced up first? Does it matter?

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It was a pleasure to watch.

After that, the contest wasn’t the same, as it felt like a procession until Arsenal’s eventual victory. Leverkusen did have a good spell but just couldn’t get beyond that back line. David Raya, who should be a shout for player of the season, did offer one brilliant save from Christian Michel Kofane.

Declan Rice had already scored the clinching goal, however, powering through to drive the ball into the bottom corner.

Arsenal keep going, unlike most of the Premier League. It may end up the story of the whole season.

First Published: Mar 17 2026 | 6:04 PM IST

England back row Ollie Chessum says the fear of being chased down by Louis Bielle-Biarrey, France’s free-scoring, high-speed wing, spooked him as he went in for a 60m intercept try in England’s 48-46 Six Nations defeat on Saturday.

Chessum, who scored two tries, set up a third and was England’s star performer in Paris, admitted he had “copped a lot of stick” for not scoring closer to the posts as he ran in unopposed in the 51st minute.

Fly-half Fin Smith missed the subsequent conversion from out near the left-hand 10m line and England ultimately came up just short in a 94-point epic.

“I was adamant that there was a red scrum out lurking in the background that was going to bring me down,” said Chessum.

“So I just pinned my ears back and hoped that no-one managed to grab on to my coattails and bring me to the floor.

“I’ve copped a lot of stick, I think, for not heading toward the posts. My brother’s sent me a few things, but it was unfamiliar territory for me to be in a line-break situation like that.

“I’m sure Fin would have thanked me for it being a bit closer, but I can’t turn back the clock now.”

Bielle-Biarrey, who scored four tries in France’s win, was in close attendance as Chessum picked off Matthieu Jalibert’s pass on his own 10m line, but neither he, Jalibert or full-back Thomas Ramos could tun and catch the Leicester man before the line.

Chessum’s score came as no surprise to Tigers’ coach Geoff Parling, who revealed that the 25-year-old’s top sprint speed has been clocked at 9.3 metres per second.

“As soon as he got the intercept I knew he was going to score because I know how fast he is,” said Parling.

“He moves very well for a big man.

“I thought he was exceptional against France – he kept trying to drive the team forward and that is what he does for us too.”

Chessum said England’s final-round display was an improvement but could not mask a miserable Six Nations campaign that returned only one victory from five matches and led to a fifth-place finish.

“It was a frustrating few weeks, there’s no hiding the disappointment and frustration,” he said.

“For the middle of those three weeks [defeats against Scotland, Ireland and Italy], we were nowhere near where we wanted to be and that shows in the table.

“I don’t know about it being a standard-setter, but I think [the France performance] just felt more like us and the way we wanted to play.

“It felt like the way we have played for the majority of last year.

“I suppose, from our perspective, we’d want to try and bottle that feeling as much as possible.”

Chessum landed back at London Heathrow from Paris on Sunday lunchtime and he and Leicester team-mate Jack van Poortvliet took a taxi straight to Mattioli Woods Welford Road to catch the end of Tigers’ 66-14 victory over Leicester in the Prem Rugby Cup final.

Two players from the Iranian women’s football team have joined a practice session with a professional club in Brisbane in their first publicly-shared appearance since it emerged they had been granted asylum in Australia.

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were pictured smiling and wearing the club’s colors as they posed alongside a women’s elite squad in photos posted to Instagram by the Brisbane Roar on Monday.

The update came as the rest of Iran’s soccer delegation left Malaysia bound for Oman, apparently capping a tumultuous episode that saw Australia’s government offering most of the squad humanitarian visas after the team was knocked out of the Women’s Asian Cup. Seven women initially accepted the asylum offer before five changed their minds and said they would return to Iran.

Brisbane Roar, which plays in Australia’s elite A-League Women’s domestic competition, posted a welcome to “Fatemeh and Atefeh” on Instagram, along with an emoji of a lioness, a nod to the name the Iranian players are known by.

“We remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” Brisbane Roar CEO Kaz Patafta wrote.

Both women left comments on the post. “Thank you for everything,” Ramezanisadeh wrote.

The club declined further comment and referred all questions to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs. The Roar last week offered the women “a place to train, play and belong” in a statement on social media. 

They have been moved to an undisclosed safe location and are receiving assistance from the government, officials have said. They have not given interviews but Pasandideh posted to Instagram Monday a photo of herself and FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis, overlaid with the words, “Everything will be fine.” 
Teammates head home 
Iran’s squad had arrived in Australia for the women’s continental championship shortly before the Iran war began on Feb. 28. They drew global attention after some players stayed silent during Iran’s national anthem before their first game.

The silence was cast as an act of resistance or protest by some commentators and a show of mourning by others. The players didn’t publicly disclose their views or explain their actions and sang the anthem before their next two matches.

When the team was knocked out of the tournament and faced the prospect of returning to a country under bombardment, calls grew for Australia’s government to offer the women asylum. Iranian groups in Australia and United States President Donald Trump were among those who expressed fears for the women’s safety, with some citing remarks by Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a hardline sports commentator in Iran, who on television referred to the women as “wartime traitors” because they didn’t sing the anthem.

An Iranian official last week dismissed suggestions that the women would be unsafe if they returned home.

“Iran welcomes its children with open arms and the government guarantees their security,” Iranian first Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said. “No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian nation and play the role of a nanny who is kinder than a mother.” 
It follows a chaotic asylum saga 
================== 
Australian officials publicly divulged details of their asylum offers to the women before the Iranian delegation left Australia, which included private airport meetings with each women without team minders present. A total of six players and one team staffer at first accepted humanitarian visas and guarantees of permanent residence in Australia, while their teammates departed Sydney for Kuala Lumpur on March 10.

Over the next few days, however, five of those who accepted asylum offers changed their minds and flew to join their teammates in Malaysia. No reasons have been given publicly for the reversals, though Australian news outlets reported that local Iranian groups as suggesting the women had faced pressure from Tehran.

The remaining squad flew from Kuala Lumpur to Oman on Monday night. The Asian Football Confederation’s General Secretary Windsor John told The Associated Press the team’s departure was arranged by the Iranian embassy.

Asked if the Confederation was satisfied that the women would be safe in Iran, Windsor said his organization and FIFA would check on them regularly through the Iranian football federation “as they are our girls as well.

A rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney is fast becoming one of the biggest fights in the sport of boxing, with the fact that both men now hold welterweight world titles only adding to the allure of the second instalment of their fierce rivalry. In anticipation, Tim Bradley has reversed his prediction for the proposed contest.

Haney and Garcia first collided in April 2024, and Garcia looked to have secured a career-best win while simultaneously handing Haney the first defeat of his career.

However, the result of the bout – a majority decision in Garcia’s favour – was later overturned when he tested positive for a performance enhancing drug during, with the official outcome of the clash becoming a no-contest.

Both men have since moved up to the welterweight division and earned a world title, with Haney holding the WBO strap and Garcia in possession of the WBC crown.

A rematch between the duo would not only settle one of the most intense rivalries of recent times, but also a unify belts in a standout division.

When discussing the bout back in November, two-division world champion Tim Bradley spoke with confidence, suggesting that the demons and the mental impact of their initial encounter would mean a Garcia win.

“Just as well as Devin did a great job, I still see a little residue, it’s still there. It could be a part of his strategy, defence first, I get it.

“At the back end of the fight, he was winning easily, he didn’t want to take too many chances, he didn’t want to open himself up, but I saw Norman marching forward, letting his hands go and there was less and less activity from Devin – I can’t ignore that.

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“It could be by design, maybe not. I’m just saying, Garcia has his number.”

Now, four months later, Bradley seems to have adopted a different mindset, releasing a video titled Haney will beat Garcia in the rematch. ‘Desert Storm’ now backs Haney to avoid the mistakes he made first time around.

“Looking at the fight, the first fight. Devin, in that fight, besides the rounds that he got knocked down in, he was winning those rounds, outboxing Ryan.

“He was taking the initiative at times, coming forward, forcing Ryan onto his back foot but keeping his distance at the same time and avoiding getting countered or hit with that big left-hook.”

“If Haney doesn’t touch the canvas, if he doesn’t get caught, if he doesn’t fall asleep, if he controls what is going on at all times and he is on his P’s and Q’s, he should be able to outbox Ryan Garcia with ease. He shouldn’t have a hard time outboxing a Garcia.”

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Before Haney-Garcia II talk can gather too much momentum, ‘The Dream’ looks poised for an alternate unification opportunity, with reports suggesting that he will face off with WBA titleholder Rolando Romero on Saturday, May 30.

Invincible season 4 is the next part of the amazing animated superhero series on Prime Video. It will show what has happened to Mark Grayson as he deals with the results of his previous choices. Season 4 comes at a time when season 3 ended with its hero having gotten darker, and so the story will be more intense and emotionally complicated.

The show has a loyal fan base since it first aired in 2021 because of its mixture of superhero elements and focus on the characters. In season 4, the series will most likely unfold more aspects of the universe, bringing in new enemies as well as making the existing disputes more complex.

The new season is still based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, and the show hasn’t lost its interest in major fights as well as in individual problems.

Invincible season 4 premieres on March 18, 2026, on Amazon Prime Video, continuing Mark Grayson’s story with returning voices like Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, and J.K. Simmons alongside new cast additions.

When and where is Invincible season 4 releasing?

Invincible season 4 is coming to Amazon Prime Video on March 18, 2026. It can be streamed in over 240 countries and territories as it rolls out globally via the platform. Like all the previous seasons, season 4 will be included in the Prime Video library and accessible only to Prime subscribers.

The release keeps the show on track since the first two seasons were released on Prime Video as well. Even though the time when each episode will be made public has not been disclosed yet in the draft, the series has used both weekly and split-release formats before.

So, fans might see season 4 mainly as one of the platform’s top animated titles. Subscribers can also watch all the previous seasons, so it is possible to catch up on the earlier stories before season 4 is out. The series is still one of the most popular animated shows on Prime Video, with a great audience and critical response.

Read More: Will there be a Virgin River season 8? Renewal status explained/explored

More details on Invincible season 4

Invincible season 4 will begin right after the events of the last season, when Mark Grayson’s story came to a rather bleak point. Naturally, the new season dives deep into the repercussions of his actions, especially as he fiercely resolves to shield those dearest to him.

Prime Video says,

“As the world slowly recovers from its recent ordeal, a changed Mark is battling to safeguard his home and his loved ones, a path that leads him to a confrontation with a threat that might change the destiny of humanity forever”.

New villains like Thragg, Dinosaurus, and Universa are among the introduced characters in Invincible season 4. They are likely to be instrumental in widening the conflict as Mark and his team confront more and more perilous situations. The story still revolves around Mark’s difficulties in juggling his superhero obligations and his personal life, which is, in fact, the show’s main focus so far.

The voice cast of season 4 reunites some of the familiar faces, with Steven Yeun reprising his role as Mark Grayson, Sandra Oh coming back as Debbie Grayson, and J.K. Simmons returning as Nolan Grayson. The show carries on with a huge ensemble cast that features famous actors like Gillian Jacobs, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, and Mark Hamill.

Besides the familiar voices, Invincible season 4 unveils a brand new set of actors to the cast, such as Lee Pace, Matthew Rhys, and Danai Gurira. These new faces are likely to stir up the series’ dynamics, especially as they unfold their roles as the main villains of the story.

Characters like Atom Eve and the Guardians of the Globe who are an integral part of the show’s main storyline will also continue to be a part of the season. As the storyline goes on, Invincible season 4 will be the characters developing their already intertwined relationships and, at the same time, widening the scope of their conflicts.

Read More: Shrinking season 3 episode 7 ending explained: What happened to Maya?

The show will premiere exclusively on March 18, 2026, on Prime Video.