Antoine Griezmann has praised Atlético Madrid’s strong team spirit after Ademola Lookman made an instant impact on his debut in a 5–0 Copa del Rey quarter-final victory over Real Betis.
The France forward said the unity within Diego Simeone’s squad has helped new signings settle quickly, following an impressive performance in Seville that sent Atletico into the semi-finals of the competition.
Speaking after the match, Griezmann highlighted how the club’s atmosphere allows new players to express themselves with confidence.
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“Regarding Lookman, the idea is to enjoy the new players and let them give us nights of joy like this one,” Griezmann said.
“We are a team, a dressing room, a club and a fanbase that makes things easy. From the first second, every new player is welcomed with open arms.”
Lookman, who joined Atletico from Atalanta on deadline day, wasted no time in making his mark. The Nigeria international scored Atletico’s third goal just before half-time, bringing up his 100th goal in senior football, and later provided an assist for Griezmann.
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Atlético had earlier taken control of the game when Dávid Hancko headed in from a Koke corner, before Giuliano Simeone doubled the lead. Lookman then capped a swift counter-attack to score his first goal in Atletico colours eight minutes before the break.
Just after the hour mark, Griezmann finished calmly after being set up by Lookman to make it 4–0, with substitute Thiago Almada adding a fifth late on to complete the rout.
The emphatic win stretched Atlético Madrid’s unbeaten away run to eight matches across all competitions and underlined the positive impact of their new signings.
The appeal hearing involving Senegalese supporters detained in Morocco has been delayed once more, with the court fixing April 13 as the new date for proceedings.
The case was expected to continue as scheduled, but the presiding judge ordered an adjournment, causing another setback in the trial.
The supporters have been held in custody since January following incidents of disorder during the final match between Morocco and Senegal.
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Efforts by the Government of Senegal, which put together a legal team to defend the fans, have yet to yield progress, as the case continues to face repeated delays, raising concerns about how long the supporters have remained in detention.
Dmitry Bivol has finally had his long-awaited return to the ring confirmed.
The 35-year-old was last in action over 12 months ago when he went up against countryman Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed light heavyweight showdown back in February 2025.
It was a rematch of their clash the past October which Beterbiev had won by majority decision, but Bivol was able to gain revenge in the second meeting to dethrone his rival by the exact same outcome and become undisputed champion.
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Since then, Bivol had to relinquish his WBC title which is now held by David Benavidez, but the Russian still remains in possession of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, and is now set to compete against his mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.
Bivol had to undergo back surgery which delayed his return, and after several extensions for purse bid negotiations were granted for the bout against Eifert, a date and location has been revealed.
It was initially expected that the fight would be part of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven card in Egypt on May 23, but that won’t be the case, after it was announced that Bivol will face Eifert in Yekaterinburg, Russia on May 30.
Eifert has won 13 of his 14 professional contests, with his most notable win coming against Jean Pascal in March 2023. He has fought only once since then, a victory over Carlos Jiminez in August 2024, meaning the German has been more inactive than Bivol.
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Unified champion Bivol will be a big favourite in the bout, and if successful against Eifert, he has recently stated his desire to face Beterbiev in a trilogy contest next, before a potential fight against former rival Canelo Alvarez, or even a move up to cruiserweight.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs in five straight seasons. They looked like contending for a wild card spot last year, but eventually fell two points shy of clinching it. They were hoping to equal that points tally from last season and solidify their playoff chances this year against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
But the Blue Jackets surrendered in what looked like a routine win. Having gone up 3-0 in the first period, the Bruins mounted a spirited comeback in the third before winning the game 4-3 in a shootout. They leapfrogged the Blue Jackets into the top Eastern Conference wild card spot and left Columbus at 87 points.
Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness didn’t mince any words following his team’s fourth loss in five games (1-3-1). He called out to his players to develop a playoff mindset, as many on the roster have yet to taste playoff success in their NHL careers.
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“We got away from being aggressive, and I thought we got very selfish with the puck,” Bowness said. “Some of these guys, they’ve got a lot to learn about how to play in this league at this time of year.
“It gets harder and harder and harder, and we’re going to keep reminding them and reminding them every day how hard it is to win at this time of the year, and you just can’t get away. I hate it when we play on our heels, and we were back a little bit. Give them credit. They started coming, but there’s a lot to be learned from some of these guys, and they better damn well start listening.”
Bowness’ frustrations stem from the fact that the Blue Jackets dropped their game on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks in a similar fashion. They held a 2-1 lead after the second intermission, but let the Sharks come back into the game and eventually take a 3-2 win with a winner at 18:35 in the third.
Blue Jackets players express their disappointment after surrendering 3-0 lead
Captain Boone Jenner stated during the postgame interviews that is imperative that the Blue Jackets leave the loss behind them and look to consolidate their footing in the final eight games left in the regular season.
“It’s a tough loss, obviously, and we know what’s at stake,” Jenner said. “We are where we are right now. We can’t change the games where we didn’t get points, right? We have eight huge games here the rest of the way. We have to learn from tonight and we need to get better in order to get some more wins down the stretch.”
Jenner was guilty of taking a tripping penalty with 42 seconds left in the game, which led to Pavel Zacha’s second and game-tying goal. Leading up to the goal, the Blue Jackets tried to dump out the puck, with the nervousness showing in front of the home crowd. With eight games left, that is one emotion that needs to take a back seat.
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“There was a reason we were up 3-0,” Coyle said, “and it’s because we were doing the right things and playing the right way. We’ve got to stick to it. And we had the talk in between period, like, ‘Let’s stay on it.’
“They’re a good team. They’re going to push and play well and press a little bit, but it’s up to us, no matter what happens, to just stay on it. We can’t be turning pucks over like that and giving them easy transition.”
Columbus has played eight times in the last 13 days. They will get a rest day on Monday before they are off to face the division leaders, Carolina Hurricanes.
Jocelyn Peterman will be joining forces with 2026 women’s world championship runner-up Kerri Einarson, they announced on Monday.
Peterman will throw lead stones, Karlee Burgess will play second and Shannon Birchard will throw third stones. Peterman will also be the vice so that Burgess and Birchard, two of the best sweepers on the women’s side, can sweep Einarson’s skip stones.
The move to bring Peterman onto the team comes just four days after both Einarson’s and Peterman’s squads announced breakups. Einarson let go of longtime third Val Sweeting, alternate Krysten Karwacki and coach Reid Carruthers.
Peterman was on Kaitlyn Lawes’ team, but was left to find a new squad after Lawes and lead Kristin Gordon decided to take a year off from competitive curling.
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Peterman, 32, has a lot of experience playing with some of the biggest names in Canada already.
She won the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts playing second for Chelsea Carey before switching to Jennifer Jones’ team in 2018 to replace Jill Officer, who was set to retire.
Playing with Jones, Peterman’s biggest accomplishment was winning the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, sending her to the Olympics for the first time in 2022. Peterman also represented Canada at the Olympics in 2026, playing mixed doubles with her husband Brett Gallant.
NC State is hiring Tennessee assistant and former Wolfpack guard Justin Gainey as its next coach, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. Gainey, 49, has spent the last five seasons on Rick Barnes’ staff with the Vols and has held the title of associate head coach since 2022.
Gainey, a Greensboro, North Carolina, native, led the Wolfpack to NCAA postseason appearances all four seasons of his playing career at NC State and ranks inside the program’s top 10 all-time in several statistical categories, including starts, steals and assists.
“He has just incredible pride in his university. A terrific basketball coach. I mean, if you come to our walk-throughs, like today or the other day, he scouted the last game. I don’t say a whole lot because those guys have it.”
NC State’s power brass made a quick move to interview Gainey and others in the aftermath of Wade’s departure. He wanted the job in Raleigh the last time it was open, and this time around, he was one of the early frontrunners, per 247Sports.
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“Justin has an incredible feel for the game, really understands players,” Barnes said. “He works at it. Terrific recruiter. Understands the NIL era today. If NC State knew what I knew, they would be begging him to be their next head coach. Because he’s ready not just for NC State, he’s ready to be the head coach of the University of Tennessee or any school in the country. He’s that good.”
Schertz, who propelled Saint Louis to a 29-6 record this season as a NCAA Tournament qualifier, withdrew his name from consideration on Sunday, citing in a social media post that he “turned down significantly more money this spring” to remain with the program.
“Interest from other programs in our players and staff is a byproduct of team success, so as uncomfortable as it may be, let’s hope that never changes,” Schertz wrote.
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Gainey’s first mission at NC State will be assembling his staff, along with determining roster moves with college basketball’s transfer portal opening in April. Gainey began his coaching career as an administrative coordinator and director of operations with NC State under Sidney Lowe, later landing assistant positions at Elon, Appalachian State and Santa Clara prior to earning his major stripes at Arizona.
He was an associate head coach for the first time during his next stop at Marquette, where he spent one season before joining Barnes’ staff with the Vols. Gainey was the brains behind Tennessee’s defensive improvements in recent years and will bring an on-ball pressure scheme to the Wolfpack.
Former European champion Adam Gemili has retired from athletics at the age of 32.
Gemili was a youth footballer at Chelsea and on the books at then League Two Dagenham & Redbridge before committing to sprinting, and made the Team GB squad for the Olympics in his home city at London 2012.
He reached the semi-finals of the 100m in London and went on to win relay medals at three World Championships.
He was the 2014 European Champion over 200m and took silver in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that summer.
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Posting on his Instagram page, he said:, external “It’s hard to put into words what an incredible journey it’s been.
“Thank you for all the support, love, and belief you’ve shown me throughout my career.
“From a baby-faced Adam at London 2012 to a slightly more grey-haired version in 2025. I hope I’ve made you proud.”
Gemili narrowly missed out on more medals, finishing fourth in the 200m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, just 0.003 seconds shy of bronze, before another fourth place at the Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships.
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Alongside Zharnel Hughes and Linford Christie, he is one of just three British male sprinters to have run under 10 seconds in the 100m and 20 seconds in the 200m, with personal bests of 9.97 seconds and 19.97 seconds respectively.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch did his best to shut down the buzz around the theory that an electrical substation near Levi’s Stadium could be the catalyst for the spate of injuries the team has suffered over the last few years.
The theory popped up on social media during the 2025 season, though the 49ers have played at Levi’s Stadium since 2014 and used the practice facility that is also near the substation since 1989.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2026.(Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Niners star George Kittle said in February he didn’t believe the rumors were true, but also wanted a definitive answer.
Lynch provided one Sunday as NFL owners began to meet in Phoenix, Arizona. He said the organization had a scientist come to the facility to see if there was anything awry.
“It basically was a big nothing burger,” Lynch told reporters, via ESPN. “We’re in a safe place of work…. It’s a normal place of work. It’s a normal gym. We are safe, we’re healthy, and we feel really good about that.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is carted off the field after an injury during the NFC wild-card game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 11, 2026.(Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“That was important to us, not just to turn a blind eye, but to look into it because it’s our players’ wellness. It’s not only our players’ wellness, it’s coaches, it’s staff, all that. And it’s encouraging.”
According to the 49ers, the scientist learned that players and staff were being exposed to an electromagnetic environment similar to that of a gym or average workplace.
Still, the injury bug is something the 49ers have to figure out as the seasons go on.
John Lynch watches players work out during NFL Pro Day, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Athens, Georgia.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The 2026 Charleston Open is set to get underway today as the main draw action begins at the LTP-Daniel Island Tennis Center. While notable names like Emma Navarro, Amanda Anisimova, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Maya Joint have withdrawn, the tournament still features a strong lineup.
Day 1 will be headlined by players such as Donna Vekic, Eva Lys, Sloane Stephens, McCartney Kessler and Jennifer Brady. They will be joined by the likes of Alycia Parks, Ajla Tomljanovic, Katie Volynets, Yulia Putintseva and Dayana Yastremska, among others.
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With that in mind, here’s a look at the predictions for some of the key matches scheduled on Day 1 of the 2026 Charleston Open.
Charleston Open 2026 Day 1 singles predictions
Donna Vekic vs Ajla Tomljanovic
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Vekic pictured at the 2026 Miami Open | Image Source: Getty
Donna Vekic booked her spot in the main draw of the Charleston Open with commanding wins over Sachia Vickery (6-2, 6-2) and Ekaterine Gorgodze (6-2, 6-3) in the qualifying rounds. Meanwhile, Ajla Tomljanovic received direct entry into the main draw and arrived following a second-round exit at the Miami Open.
Vekic and Tomljanovic have faced each other twice before, with the Croatian winning both encounters in Wuhan (2014) and Istanbul (2018), giving her a 2-0 head-to-head advantage.
Predicted winner: Vekic in three sets.
Alycia Parks vs Mary Stoiana
Parks pictured at the 2026 Miami Open | Image Source: Getty
Alycia Parks enters the matchup on the back of a third-round loss to Coco Gauff in Miami. Her opponent, Mary Stoiana, had to come through qualifying, beating Kristina Mladenovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and Darja Vidmanova 6-2, 7-6(2) to set up a first-ever clash with Parks.
Parks brings power and a big serve, looking to take control quickly, while Stoiana relies more on consistency and rally tolerance. If Parks finds her range, she can dominate, but Stoiana could benefit if the match becomes more extended.
Predicted winner: Alycia Parks in straight sets.
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McCartney Kessler vs Elvina Kalieve
Their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Predicted winner: McCartney Kessler in straight sets.
Eva Lys vs Katie Volynets
Lys and Volynets have met once before, in the qualifying rounds of Lausanne in 2022, with the German coming out on top.
Predicted winner: Volynets in straight sets.
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Yulia Putintseva vs Lulu Sun
They have never met before.
Predicted winner: Yulia Putintseva in straight sets.
Dayana Yastremska vs Anastasia Zakharova
Yastremska holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Zakharova going into their first-round encounter at the Charleston Open.
Predicted winner: Dayana Yastremska in straight sets.
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Sloane Stephens vs Renata Zarazua
Zarazua has defeated Stephens in both of their previous meetings, in Acapulco in 2020 and Auckland earlier this year.
Predicted winner: Renata Zarazua in straight sets.
Jennifer Brady vs Viktoriya Tomova
Tomova holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Brady going into their first-round encounter at the Charleston Open.
Predicted winner: Jennifer Brady in three sets.
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Akasha Urhobo vs Solana Sierra
Their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Predicted winner: Akasha Urhobo in straight sets.
Anna Bondar vs Darja Vidmanova
Their head-to-head record stands at 0-0 in Bondar’s favor.
Jannik Sinner continued his remarkable run of form by defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open and complete the Sunshine Double.
The victory marks the first time in nine years that a male player has won both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season.
Even more impressive, Sinner achieved the feat without dropping a single set in Miami and has now won three consecutive Masters 1000 titles without losing a set.
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His current run includes 34 consecutive sets won in Masters 1000 events, extending a record, alongside 17 straight match victories at that level. The Miami title is his seventh Masters crown and the 26th ATP title of his career.
Speaking after the match, Sinner reflected on both the achievement and the timing of his success ahead of the clay-court season:
“I’m really really happy. I’m also happy to go back home now.”
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“It’s significant because before going on clay and going back home.. with not only one, but two trophies.. it means a lot to me. Making here the Sunshine Double for the first time, it’s incredible. It’s something I would’ve never thought. It’s so difficult to achieve. We made it somehow. I’m very happy.” ❤️
Sinner also acknowledged Lehecka’s performance and resilience after recent injury struggles:
“First of all Jiri, it’s amazing to see you back playing this kind of level. I know you’ve had some tough tough times with a lot of injuries. But seeing you here.. I know you as a person, you’re an amazing person. Keep it up you and your team and family. I’m extremely happy for you.” ❤️
He went on to credit his team for their role in his consistency and development:
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“Of course my team, thanks for pushing me. I know not all of my team is here. I guess they’re watching at home. Amazing work you’re doing with me. I try to give every day my best. We had some very great practice days before Indian wells. Seeing this kind of result makes me happy, even more happy the level we’re trying to produce and the player we are trying to achieve. Thank you so much.”
On handling setbacks, Sinner offered insight into the mindset behind his current form:
“When I lose I don’t want to put myself under the bus. It would be not fair to myself”
With the clay season approaching, Sinner’s consistency, composure, and level of play position him as one of the leading contenders on the ATP Tour.
Michael Carrick has five Manchester United injury concerns to contend with ahead of the Premier League clash against Leeds United
Manchester United have five players managing vastly different injury problems over the March international break. Michael Carrick has been rather fortunate regarding the fitness of his squad since his arrival as interim head coach, but that has somewhat changed over the last few weeks.
Neither are expected to miss the visit of Leeds United in a fortnight, with the two attackers competing for the striker spot in Carrick’s team. The duo will have spent the last week at Carrington alongside the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.
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The latter has missed a significant period of 2026 but returned off the bench against Bournemouth earlier this month. Noussair Mazraoui missed that trip to the Vitality Stadium through illness but was able to join up with Morocco and played the full 90 minutes of their friendly against Ecuador.
He said: “[Lisandro is] closer, a lot closer. He’s getting there, so after this one. I think he’ll be alright.” Given the time spent out of the team, the Argentine could be eased back into the fold.
Dorgu and De Ligt are also yet to return from extended absences, with the latter having not played since November because of a back injury.
It is a hamstring issue for Dorgu that Carrick has confirmed will keep him out for a bit longer, but he was able to deliver a positive update on the Netherlands international before the trip to Bournemouth.
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He said: “It’s [a] similar [situation] really, and frustrating for Matta. He’s obviously trying to work to get back, but it’s just the back issue, really, that’s proving difficult. We’ll keep working as hard to get him back as quickly as we can.”
England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code: ENGFREEDEL
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