Raffaele Palladino was ‘satisfied’ with Atalanta’s 3-0 victory away to Lecce, which put them back in the race for the top four. ‘It was the first of eight finals, we’ll keep climbing that mountain.’

La Dea put themselves right back in the race for a top four finish and return to the Champions League, as they started the final sprint of eight rounds with a 3-0 victory away to Lecce.

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Giorgio Scalvini opened the scoring in the first half at the Stadio Via del Mare, followed by Nikola Krstovic and Giacomo Raspadori, while Marco Carnesecchi never really had a save to make.

Palladino believes in Atalanta comeback

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 06: Raffaele Palladino Atalanta BC head coach during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Atalanta BC at Stadio Via del Mare on April 06, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“This was a game with many hidden dangers, as the first after the break for international duty is always complicated to get everyone back together again,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.

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“It wasn’t easy to prepare for this, the two teams also struggled with the heat as the temperature is changing, so that made the passing too predictable.

“We adjusted as time went on and did well to attack the space. I’m satisfied with the performance, another clean sheet also gives confidence to the defence.

“It was the first of eight Finals, now we must continue our climb up that mountain.”

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 06: Giacomo Raspadori of Atalanta BC celebrates after scoring his side third goal during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Atalanta BC at Stadio Via del Mare on April 06, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

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If Champions League football and a top four finish seemed improbable when Palladino took over from Ivan Juric in November, the situation is very different now.

Atalanta are within five points of fourth place after Como were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese today.

“We expected Lecce to be aggressive, as this was a decisive match for them, so I liked the maturity shown by my team in dealing with that early strong approach,” continued Palladino.

“We let them have their runs down the flanks with Banda and Pierotti, but blocked off the channels with quality, technique and dynamism.”

Having been eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16 by Bayern Munich, Atalanta are still in the Coppa Italia semi-final, having drawn the first leg 2-2 with Lazio.

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“Now we have two head-to-head clashes coming up, plus the Coppa Italia semi-final, so I asked the team to raise the bar. Everyone is really involved in this fight,” continued the coach.

“Our DNA is to attack and defend together, the players know how much I care about everyone contributing to the two phases. We need altruism in the final third to find the player in the best position to score, I saw some of that today, and we could’ve won by a wider margin.”

It is not just Como’s draw that represented a boost for Atalanta, but Roma losing 5-2 to Inter also means La Dea are within a point of their former boss Gian Piero Gasperini in sixth.

“Obviously, those results were positive for us, I tried to keep the lads concentrated on our own path. I asked them to finish off this journey by giving their all, then we will see where we end up,” concluded Palladino.

An engaging tale lies behind Blue Door’s name, the talented debutant who conquered the Group 3 $250,000 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Blue Door, a filly by Stay Inside out of Notting Hill, owes her title to a revelation from owner John Singleton.

“My daughter, Jess, was living at Notting Hill in London and I went to visit here last year,” Singleton told Racing And Sports.

“I noticed all the doors in her street were painted blue and when Jess went out, I thought why not paint her door red.

“But when Jess came home, she wasn’t happy and suspected it was me. So, I had to have the door painted blue again.”

At $4.40, Blue Door, raced alongside Singleton’s daughter, prevailed in a battle by half a neck against the fast-closing but unfortunate The Next Episode ($2.80 favourite), followed a length adrift by Under Focus ($5.50) in third.

The preparation by trainer Bjorn Baker stood out, as he opted for only one 900m trial before thrusting the filly into Group 3 company for her career opener.

“We don’t often ask a two-year-old to go straight into a stakes race on debut but she’s very good,” Baker said of Blue Door.

“They don’t often trial like that, as the punters’ will know, and I like them to me there and have a raceday test, we make no secret of that, but the way she did it and the time she ran, she looked to have plenty left.

“She’s shown exceptional ability since we’ve had her. She was a great trial winner and great to win for Singo and the team.

“I’m not sure if he’ll shout the bar today, but I’m going to make the most of it.”

Blue Door earned high acclaim from jockey Rachel King, who sat outside the leader, dominated the straight, and withstood the challenge from The Next Episode, who recovered from last after missing the kick.

“I was a little wary off only one trial, I know she was very impressive in her trial, but we would always like them to have two,” King said.”But her gallop on Tuesday was super so I knew she’d taken plenty of benefit from that trial,

“She tired late the last 50m, but she’s got a great attitude, she’s a real race horse, she wants to win. She’s very professional, she’s got that will to win and wants to find the line.”

Visit premier betting sites to access racing odds for events like the Kindergarten Stakes.

The training operation of Ciaron Maher often yields imported runners excelling in winter with superior staying power.

Mukhtalif, bred in Ireland, wasted no time making his mark Down Under by claiming the Robert Taranto Handicap at 1800m on Caulfield’s track this past Saturday, pointing to a rosy outlook in his fresh environment.

With Ben Allen riding as the $4.60 top pick from the layers, Mukhtalif led the way upfront and held on for a two-length triumph over Figlio D’Argento ($5.50), as Merchant Flyer ($11) was a short half-head back in third.

The gelding had previously notched wins at Newmarket and York, before joining new interests comprising the My Racehorse Syndicate and Jack Turnbull, national assistant to Ciaron Maher. The team has no intention of accelerating the gelding’s program immediately, per Turnbull.

Turnbull outlined intentions to exploit the gelding’s light rating as they incrementally raise his competition standard.

“Whilst he’s fresh, I don’t think we’ll have to rush him up in trip,” Turnbull said.

“There’s an 1800-metre race at Flemington, at the end of the month, April 25, so that was our next possible option if we did win here.

“But we’ll see how he is. He’s not slow, he’s just one of those horses you have to be careful how you ride him.

“He was well bought and hopefully he’s our next progressive winter stayer.”

Despite the wide starting position, Allen pressed on to take up the trail of the second-place finisher before striking the front not long after the bend.

“We didn’t think he would be as forward in the run as he was,” Turnbull said.

“He did a fraction of work to get to where he did, but then he relaxed well for Ben thereafter and had a couple of cheap sectionals and then built.

“He’s the type that can build and once he didn’t get caught out on that tempo, he was able to build and was strong through the line.”

Allen observed that Mukhtalif was still keen to extend despite his dominant win.

“When the others caught up over the line he wanted to go again and it took me a while to pull him up,” Allen said.

Visit betting sites to find racing odds for events akin to the Robert Taranto Handicap.

The international break is coming just a few weeks into the 2026 NWSL regular season, but plenty of players across the league made statements with individual performances before departing for national team duty. 

That means it’s time for Attacking Third’s team of the week. It’s not easy to take a 16-team league, comprised of over 400 players, and narrow things down to eleven players, but that doesn’t stop us. 

After weekly fixtures across the 2026 NWSL season, Attacking Third analysts will select a team of the week, head coach, and honorary captain based on performances across the weekend.  Here you’ll find a mix of highlights of plays, analysis from our experts, and some official Opta stats for you to enjoy. 

If you’re keeping track of who made past lineups, check out our previous team of the week.

Now onto the team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Abby Smith (Denver Summit FC)

If Denver is Summit FC, goalkeeper Abby Smith is the whole damn mountain. The goalkeeper made a massive save to keep things scoreless against Seattle, and now leads the league in saves (23) and co-leads in clean sheets (three).

Defender: Janine Sonis (Denver Summit FC)

Eventually, Denver Summit will have to shift draws into wins, but for now, we’re enjoying their strong defensive shifts. Outside back Janine Sonis is back on our team of the week with her repeated efforts to engage in offensive plays and shut down attacks. She led the team in total touches (93), chances created (three), and recoveries (10). 

Defender:  Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC)

There are no longer questions about who is holding things down for San Diego’s backline, thanks to Kennedy Wesley. The centerback is proving she’s a key component of the Wave’s spine up the pitch, and she even took a bit of punishment over the weekend. She led the team in fouls suffered (five) and winning free kicks, helping the group control a close game against Boston.

Defender: Sarah Gorden (Angel City FC)

Angel City centerback Sarah Gorden was back in the starting lineup after missing a couple of games for player rotation and reminded everyone why she’s a lockdown defender. It’s not an easy task to limit Orlando Pride’s Barbra Banda, and yet somehow it looked that way. She led the team in total touches (91) and clearances (six), all while making shot-taking difficult for the opposition. 

Defender: Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit)

Despite a scary moment when two teammates collided, Tara Rudd briefly walked away bloodied and returned with a headbandage to help secure the Washington Spirit’s first win of the season. Rudd led the team in clearances (four) and was in the mix shutting down plays, going up for headers, and getting shots on target. A hard-fought victory and a place earned on the team of the week.

Midfielder: Hayley McCutcheon (Orlando Pride)

Sometimes when the goals aren’t coming, your reliable, veteran, deep-lying midfielder just has to put her boot through the ball, and everything will be ok. That’s Orlando Pride’s Hayley McCutcheon, who scored not one, but two goals, including the game winner. 

Midfielder: Croix Bethune (Kansas City Current)

Temwa Chawinga’s return to play came with plenty of celebration for Kansas City and neutrals alike. But it was this attacking sequence started by Croix Bethune that earned her a place on the team of the week. A massive lob to switch the build-up in play and helped snap a three-game losing streak. 

Midfielder: Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina Courage)

There’s nothing worse than a visiting team coming into your house and stealing all the momentum to start the game. Thankfully for the North Carolina Courage, Manaka Matsukubo was there to nail an equalizer and steal back the home-field advantage for a bit. 

Forward: Kiki Van Zanten (Houston Dash)

There’s no comeback player of the year or most improved player of the year award in NWSL (yet), but if there were, Kiki Van Zanten would be getting early praise for it. She scored two goals for Houston in their win over Louisville, but what was more impressive was how quickly she got two shots off in the same play. If it doesn’t go in with your right foot, there’s always the left foot. 

Forward: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current)

Kansas City may have missed Temwa Chawinga to start the season, but the home crowd really missed celebrating Michelle Cooper’s goals at CPKC Stadium, her first since June 2025. Cooper is the key to unlocking the Current’s attack at times, and other times, she can just create her own shot. 

Forward: Ludmila (San Diego Wave)

Brazilian international Ludmila was one of San Diego’s big offseason signings, and she finally has her first goal. She got on the end of a long ball and made her shot count from a difficult angle. As if this Wave team needed more attacking weapons, watch out.

Coach: Seb Hines (Orlando Pride)

Undefeated in four games and heading into the international break on a win, head coach Seb Hines has his team in a solid position and eager for more success. The break is coming at a good time for the Pride to allow some extra rest for Marta, and everyone is hopeful for a not-so-serious injury update on Jacqueline Ovalle. In the meantime, Hines and his crew can manage the next steps when the international break is over.

Honorary captain: Spirit medical staff

A scary head-to-head collision on the pitch between teammates Tara Rudd and Lucia Di Guglielmo led to a concussion substitution for Di Guglielmo and some head bandages for Rudd. Swift reaction bythe medical staff came to the aid, and we honor their efforts with a spot on our team of the week.

IPL 2026: File photo of Sunrisers Hyderabad© BCCI

Pro wrestling star Trevor Lee signed a deal with Major League Wrestling (MLW) and will continue performing with the company as the Southern Crown champion.

Lee, who wrestled in WWE as Cameron Grimes, returned to MLW for sporadic appearances after he was released. He faced off against Mistico at MLW Eric Bischoff’s One Shot, appeared at Battle Riot VIII in January and a handful of Fusion tapings.

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Trevor Lee gets the crowd riled up during a Major League Wrestling show. (Major League Wrestling)

He won the MLW Southern Crown Championship in a Bunkhouse Stampede match against Andrew Everett, Beastman, Diego Hill, Festus, Ikuro Kwon, Jesus Rodriguez, Josh Bishop, Matthew Justice and Paul Walter Hauser.

“I’m just excited to be able to really kind of do anything,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “You know, these past couple of years, I’ve been kind of waiting on a good opportunity and I feel like MLW is kind of presenting that opportunity. I really liked the ability to be able to work with CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre), to be able to work with New Japan.

“So, it’s really cool to see what’s going to come out of this.”

Lee is among former WWE wrestlers who have joined MLW over the last few years. Matt Riddle, Killer Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, Shotzi Blackheart, Donovan Dijak, Bishop Dyer, Austin Aries, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Priscilla Kelly and several others have all competed in WWE at one point or another.

PRO WRESTLING STARS KILLER KROSS, SCARLETT BORDEAUX TALK ‘VERY SIMPLE DECISION’ TO WORK IN MLW AGAIN

It also helps that MLW founder Court Bauer has a WWE background as well.

“I think what really entices me to want to work with MLW is that they do have a great production,” Lee explained. “When you watch the product, it looks good. The crowds are big, the crowds are loud. That’s really kind of all you’re asking for, especially when you kind of take a step down.

“MLW isn’t WWE, but they’re not an indie either. They’re right there. So, it’s nice to be able to be at a place that can represent you well, show you well, and also give you a good batch of talent to work with as well with so many different companies that can come through there.”

Lee, 32, said he wanted to keep showing the pro wrestling world that he can still perform at a high level.

Major League Wrestling’s Trevor Lee seen in action during a show. (Major League Wrestling)

“I just want to be able to show that I’m more than just like a comedy promo act. I can have these elite tier matches and that’s really what my goal is with MLW – to see how far we can go,” he said.

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He said he hoped to be able to square up with Aries, Riddle, Dijak as well as CMLL and New Japan competitors.

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