Sports
Belgium, Egypt into World Cup last 32 as Iran face anxious wait after stoppage-time drama
Iran were deprived of a certain place in the World Cup knockout phase when a goal in stoppage time that would have given them a 2-1 win against Egypt was disallowed. The draw means the Pharaohs advance to the last 32 along with Belgium, who demolished New Zealand 5-1 to clinch top spot in Group G.
The winger is finalizing a six-year, $18-million deal to remain in Buffalo, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Sunday.
Malenstyn has spent the past two seasons with the Sabres. In 2025-26, he had seven goals and seven assists in 81 games played.
The 28-year-old also appeared in 13 playoff games and had three points (one goal, two assists).
Malenstyn was drafted by the Washington Capitals 145th overall in 2016. The Capitals traded him to Buffalo in the 2024 off-season for the second-round pick that ended up being Cole Hutson, brother of Montreal Canadiens star Lane Hutson.
In 262 career NHL games, Malenstyn has 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points.
After 72 matches played across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, leaving just 32 teams in the race for football’s biggest prize.
The tournament has already produced unforgettable moments, surprise results and outstanding individual performances. As the competition moves into the knockout rounds, here are my personal picks for the best team, player, match and moment of the group stage.
Best Team: France
For me, France have been the best team of the tournament so far. They won all three of their group matches and showed why they remain one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy.
Their attack has been outstanding, with pace, creativity and goals coming from different players. They have also shown strength in depth, allowing them to rotate players without losing quality.
While they are not yet at their absolute best, France have looked more complete than any other team in the competition. Their experience, squad depth and attacking quality make them a very difficult team to stop.
Best Player: Lionel Messi
At 39 years old, Lionel Messi continues to prove why he is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The Argentine captain has been exceptional during the group stage, scoring goals, creating chances and leading by example. His intelligence, movement and ability to influence matches remain unmatched.
Every time Messi steps onto the pitch, he creates moments that football fans will remember forever. His performances at this World Cup have once again shown that age is just a number for a player of his quality.
Best Match: Uruguay vs Cape Verde
The best match of the group stage for me was the thrilling 2-2 draw between Uruguay and Cape Verde.
The game had everything that makes football special, goals, drama, emotion and excitement. Cape Verde took the lead, fell behind and then fought back to earn a deserved draw against one of the traditional giants of world football.
Both teams created chances to win the game in the closing stages, making it one of the most entertaining and unforgettable matches of the tournament so far.
Best Moment: Cape Verde Reach the Last 32
The most memorable moment of the World Cup group stage was Cape Verde qualifying for the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
After completing their own match, the players from the small African nation gathered together on the pitch to watch updates from the Spain versus Uruguay game. They knew their World Cup dream depended on Spain avoiding defeat.
When confirmation finally arrived that Spain had beaten Uruguay, the emotions exploded. Players, coaches and staff celebrated wildly as Cape Verde secured a historic place in the last 32.
It was a beautiful reminder of what makes the World Cup so special. For a small nation to achieve such a remarkable feat and celebrate together in such an emotional way was a moment that captured the true spirit of football.
June 14, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; Japan’s Takefusa Kubo reacts. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Japan won’t have star winger Takefusa Kubo for their World Cup round of 32 match vs. Brazil on Monday in Houston.
Kubo suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee during Japan’s tournament opener against the Netherlands on June 14. He was held out of the Samurai Blue’s remaining group-stage matches against Tunisia and Sweden as he rehabbed his knee.
Kubo — nicknamed “the Japanese Messi” — trained separately from his teammates on Sunday in the portion of practice open to media. But coach Hajime Moriyasu removed any question about Kubo’s status later in the day.
“He’s still only doing individual running (and) training, so he’s not going to play in the match against Brazil,” Moriyasu said. “We really wish for him to recover swiftly, and he wishes it, too.” Japan were still able to finish second in Group F without Kubo’s services to secure advancement. They have reached the knockouts in three straight World Cups and four of the past five, but Brazil represent a major challenge.
“Brazil are always a leading team,” Moriyasu said. “They have a very good chance of winning. Some people will say Japan are underdogs. We will play with that in mind.
“We will respect the opponents but like last year (in the friendly win) we weren’t given a chance to win. This possibility to win — we can change history.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
England are losing the wrong man – Brendon McCullum and Rob Key can’t survive while Ben Stokes quits
It was a strangely unsatisfying, unedifying way to end one of the great Test careers.
Ben Stokes’s retirement was announced over loudspeakers at Trent Bridge in the midst of an almighty 11-over spell of bowling, and the attention shifted away from New Zealand’s deserved series victory to England’s captain. Stokes received guards of honour and later opened the batting, flailing for sixes, swinging at the sun. It was like the game had descended into a one-man ego trip, as if Stokes might perform the “Siuuu” at any moment.
If Stokes’s 30 off 20 balls set the tone for England’s fourth-innings chase, then that tone was self-sabotage. England abandoned all sense. It was 6pm in Nottingham and Stokes had ushered in the last days of Rome, headless bloodlust, Test cricket depravity, Harry Brook debauching the ball to fine leg – leading Michael Vaughan to describe his effort as “an absolutely pathetic Test match innings”. In doing so, Brook made a compelling case for not being Stokes’ successor.
That bizarre finale – has a cricketer ever retired between overs before? – will not diminish what Stokes achieved for England. The numbers might not sound stratospheric: a bowling average of 31; a batting average of 34, in line with Ollie Pope. Then again, only one other player, Jacques Kallis, has surpassed both 7,000 Test runs and 250 wickets.
But Stokes didn’t play cricket by numbers. His famous Headingley innings alongside the obdurate Jack Leach in 2019 was a moment of eternal sport and national meaning not because he scored 135 runs but because of how it felt to watch every agonising ball, how it defied all logic. His gift was to make every England fan place their faith in the improbable, the unfathomable, the previously untouchable. Then he went out and proved they were right to believe.
There was the breathtaking 2019 World Cup final, the rapid 258 against South Africa, the outrageous catches. Evidence of cricket beyond reason mounted up, so when Stokes took over the captaincy and said England could chase down 300 runs in the fourth innings of Test matches, and actively chose to field first, possibility rippled through the stands and in the dressing room too. He may not be the perfect captain, but no other player could have carried England on that ride.
He retires as a rare kind of English Test cricket superstar, perhaps the last of his kind, given the format’s shrinking platform. In that summer of 2019, the summer before the world’s walls closed in, Stokes broke new bounds. He was the best cricketer on the planet, perhaps the best athlete on the planet.
His legacy has since been coloured by the odd denouement to Bazball, which shone so brightly at first. McCullum was the name on the jar but Stokes was the secret sauce. It is a period that has taken a mental toll. There is an irony in Stokes falling out of love with his England role when the onus of the past four years has been on unfettered joy and entertainment.
McCullum and ECB director Rob Key have plenty to answer for. Perhaps the only reason to keep them after the Ashes was their close relationship with Stokes, but those relationships had become strained and now it is hard to see what either party brings without their talisman on the field. Is there even an argument that McCullum leaving the scene would make a dramatic Stokes return down the line more likely? Would an SOS call ahead of next summer’s Ashes, for example, be completely out of the question…?
When McCullum first took charge, he injected the new energy that England needed. Stuart Broad talked of feeling free and inspired, Joe Root spoke of seeing cricket in a whole new light. McCullum gave drifting careers fresh purpose. But that was a 12-month job, and he hasn’t shown he can lead England to a higher level. He turns up to interviews in sliders and a backwards cap looking cool and calm when they’re winning, but can seem detached when they’re losing.
Key does not seem to have the answers either. Failing to prepare the team for the actual Ashes was a red flag against the entire hierarchy and the fact that heads didn’t roll following that winter debacle on and off the field remains baffling. Key is passionate about the job but his ability to say words while saying nothing much at all is impressive and troubling in equal measure.
England have stalled. They are fourth in the Test rankings, about to lose a home series to the team ranked fifth, a first home defeat in a series of at least three Tests since 2012. Their free-wheeling approach has lost its way, and Stokes’ departure will leave a void of leadership, of character, of talent, even of intrigue.
Stokes, McCullum and Key came as a trio, and for all Stokes’ flaws, it is hard to escape the feeling England are losing the wrong one.
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Golf humbles many, including those who are the best in the world.
Just ask J.T. Poston at the Travelers Championship on Sunday.
What started out as a chance to put a low score on the card at the 13th hole after getting greenside in two shots, Poston, the world No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking, posted a 12 in an absolute meltdown that derailed his entire day.
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J.T. Poston plays a shot from the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 25, 2026. (Jordan Bank/Getty Images)
While Poston may not have been in contention, he wasn’t picturing himself at the bottom of the leaderboard by the end of the tournament, but the 12 was the main reason behind finishing 6-over and 1-over on the tournament for 69th place out of 72.
So, what exactly happened to Poston?
MICROPHONE ENDURES GOLFER SHANE LOWRY’S WRATH DURING MELTDOWN AT US OPEN
Well, the 13th hole began with a perfect tee shot that found the middle of the fairway. Then, his second shot found a greenside bunker, but professionals sometimes don’t mind finding those bunkers because of how great their short game is. A good bunker shot and Poston has a chance at birdie on the par-5.
But things went awry from there, as the bunker shot came out quite short, leaving him with a chipping situation. Again, professionals understand that’s not the end of the world, with a chance at par after a solid chip.
The nightmare was just beginning for Poston, though, as his fourth shot went clear across the green and ended up in the water on the other side.
From there, Poston had to drop not once, but three separate times because he couldn’t get his ball back on the green. On his 10th stroke, he finally got the ball into a putting position.
J.T. Poston stands on the first tee box during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 26, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)
Poston still had to keep going, putting his 11th stroke and missing it before a tap-in 12 and ending the meltdown in front of the fans.
Poston spoke about the multiple drop balls near the water that continued to roll back into the drink.
“It’s not really rough, where you can kind of blast it out,” Poston said, per Golfweek. “It’s into the grain, but it looks like you can get enough golf ball on it, which is why I kept trying to hit a good chip.”
Poston was asked if he even thought about putting it out of the greenside rough with his chips clearly not working out.
“I feel like it’s just going to hop and that takes all the speed out of it,” he responded. “And you’ve got this big false front you got to get it over. So my worry with trying to putt it was it would not have enough speed to really get there.”
J.T. Poston plays a tee shot on the first hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 26, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)
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Poston didn’t bounce back on the 14th hole either, as he posted a double bogey on the par-4 to put himself down even more. In the end, Poston posted a 76 on the day to finish off his tournament.
Meanwhile, the Travelers Championship will come down to a playoff that must be played on Monday after Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler found themselves deadlocked at 21-under after the latter sank a putt to force it. Hovland’s putt to win it all just missed and Scheffler took advantage of the open opportunity.
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Jun 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich (22) prepares on deck in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Getting runners on base and into scoring position hasn’t been an issue for the Milwaukee Brewers. Capitalizing on those runners, however, has been a different story of late.
They’ll aim to change that when they host the Cincinnati Reds for the first of a four-game series beginning Monday.
The Brewers were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in a 4-3 loss in 10 innings against the visiting Chicago Cubs on Sunday — their second straight defeat after a five-game winning streak. They are 6-for-51 over their past two series, including 1-for-23 in their three-game sweep at Cincinnati last week.
“Trying harder and wanting it more isn’t going to make it happen,” Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich said. “Everybody wants to get the job done. … It’s just, oftentimes you have to slow that down and try to focus. The other team knows what they have to do to execute in that situation, too, right? We’re just going through a rough stretch of it.”
Stellar pitching helped Milwaukee overcome its struggles at the plate to go 4-2 over the past six games. Brewers starters have allowed just 13 hits while striking out 48 batters and combining for a miniscule 0.82 ERA during that stretch.
They held Cincinnati to six total runs a week ago.
Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA) will look to keep that going as he takes the mound in the opener. The left-hander has faced the Reds once in his career, in September 2025, taking the loss after giving up four runs (none earned) on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Gasser allowed just two runs on four hits and fanned seven in his most recent outing, earning the win in Milwaukee’s 9-4 road victory against the Atlanta Braves on June 21.
The Reds, meanwhile, arrive in Milwaukee faced with some potential question marks in their lineup.
Designated hitter Eugenio Suarez and shortstop Elly De La Cruz were each banged up in a 9-4 loss to the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
A fastball from Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller in the sixth inning caught Suarez on his left hand. He underwent X-rays but because of swelling, it came back inconclusive. He is scheduled to undergo a CT scan in Milwaukee on Monday.
On Saturday, Suarez delivered a game-winning three-run home run to lift the Reds to a 9-7 victory against the Pirates.
“Right now it feels a lot better than when I got hit,” Suarez said after the game. “It was painful, but now I feel lot better, so I pray to God nothing comes up on the CT scan.”
De La Cruz sprained his ankle on a swing in the fifth inning Sunday when he grounded into an inning-ending double play. He went to the ground and did not run to first on the play.
He stayed in the game after being looked at by Cincinnati manager Terry Francona and a trainer.
“It kind of stiffened up while we were in here,” Francona said. “We’ll re-evaluate him, too, and see how he’s doing.”
Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59) will get the nod after taking a comebacker off his left wrist in his last start, a 2-0 loss to the Brewers on June 23. The lefty is 1-1 with a 2.52 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
Our All-Scholastic teams for the spring sports season are coming out soon.
But before we get there, we need help from our readers.
Much like we did for the fall and winter sports seasons, our readers will have a say in who our Players of the Year are in all the spring sports. We’ve cut down the list of the best of the best into an even more elite group (no easy task). We limited each school to a maximum of one candidate.
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Vote for our Patriot Ledger/Enterprise High School Boys Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Reader votes will make up 20% of the tally, with our four staff reporters (Eric McHugh, Jason Snow, Ryan Vermette and Chris McDaniel) making up the rest of the vote.
Voting will conclude on Monday, July 6.
The poll
The candidates
Nicholas Askjaer, Cohasset
Junior made almost a clean sweep of the postseason in the shot put and discus. He finished first in the shot put at New Balance Nationals (64 feet 1 inch), New Englands (season-best 65-2), the MIAA Meet of Champions (61-7), the Div. 6 state championships (61-1.75) and the South Shore League championships (59-9.25). In the discus he was fifth at nationals (season-best 196-6), took second at New Englands (183-1) and won at the MOC (187-1), Div. 6 states (182-4) and the SSL championships (180-5).
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Aiden Calcano da Silva, Abington
Junior was the 400-meter hurdle champion at both the MIAA Meet of Champions (:51.61) and Div. 6 states (:53.79). He was third in the 400m hurdles at New Balance Nationals (:51.96). The South Shore League Tobin Division MVP was runner-up in the 300m hurdles at New Englands (:37.52) and also starred in the 110m hurdles, taking second at the MOC (:14.43). He was runner-up (to his brother Nathan) in the 400m at Div. 6 states (:49.20). He and Nathan teamed with Naz Paulding and Lucas de Oliveira to set a New England 4x400m record (3:15.01). They also won the MOC in a then-state-record 3:16.06.
Mitchell Callender, Oliver Ames
Junior was runner-up in the shot put at New Balance Nationals (season-best 62-8.5), the New England championships (62-5) and the MIAA Meet of Champions (61-5.25). At the Div. 3 state championships he won both the shot put (59-10) and discus (147-11). His career-best discus throw (a winning launch of 171-10) came on May 16 at the MSTCA Shore Invitational. He also set a career best in the javelin this spring, throwing 167-10 at the MSTCA Warrior Invitational on April 23.
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JJ Faulk, Canton
Senior showcased his versatility at the MIAA Meet of Champions with top-16 finishes in three individual events — he was 15th in the long jump (21-5.75) and 100m (:11.08) and was 16th in the 200m (:22.29). At the Div. 3 state championships he was runner-up in the long jump (school-record 22-8.5), fourth in the 100m (:10.86) and eighth in the 200m (:22.30). The University of Rhode Island commit also holds school records in the 200m (:22.06), 4x100m relay (:43.85) and long jump relay (59-6).
Medals are displayed at the Patriot League track and field championships, which were staged at Marshfield High on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Jiai Gonzalez, Blue Hills
Senior was runner-up in the 400m at the MIAA Meet of Champions in a school-record :47.77. He finished fourth at the New England championships in :47.83 and was the Div. 5 state champ in :49.36. He also won titles in that event at the small-school state vocational championships (:48.44) and the Mayflower Athletic Conference championships (:49.83). He placed 37th at New Balance Nationals (:48.49). He’s the school record-holder in the 200m as well.
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Ian McNeil, Duxbury
Senior had a legendary day at the Div. 4 state championships, winning both the 100m (:10.79) and 200m (:21.98) while setting school records in each event. He also ran on the seventh-place 4x100m relay (:44.79) at Div. 4 states. At the MIAA Meet of Champions he finished 11th in the 200m in :22.24. At the Patriot League championship meet he also claimed both the 100m (:11.23) and 200m (:22.40); he was undefeated in both events during the dual-meet season.
Jarred Mighty, Brockton
Senior was the Big 3 Boys Track Athlete of the Year after starring in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay. His fastest 400m hurdles time of :53.25 (set at the MSTCA Shore Invitational on May 16) was a career best and ranked No. 2 in the state this spring. His best 110m time of :14.86 (set at the same MSTCA meet) ranked No. 14 in the state. He ran a career-best :11.61 in the 100m during the preliminary heat at the Ron Wayne Speed Jamboree at Brockton’s Rocky Marciano Stadium on April 21.
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Dylan Priest, Cardinal Spellman
Senior hurdler had a big day at the Div. 5 state championships, finishing second in the 110m hurdles (PR :15.11) and third in the 400m hurdles (:56.85). At the MIAA Meet of Champions he was 10th in the 400m hurdles (:55.84) and 27th in the 110m hurdles (:15.54). He ran on the eighth-place 4x400m relay team (3:33.84) at Div. 5 states. Also won the Catholic Central League crown in the 400m in :51.16.
Jonah Stephens Roye, Milton
Sophomore was the Div. 3 state champ in both the 110m hurdles (:14.81) and the 400m hurdles (:54.36 — the fastest time ever by a sophomore in the state). At the New England championships he was fourth in the 300m hurdles (:38.70) and eighth in the 110m hurdles (PR :14.68). At the MIAA Meet of Champions he was second in the 400m hurdles (:54.64) and 10th in the 110m hurdles (:14.79). He captured the Bay State Conference 110m hurdles title in :14.91.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Vote for South Shore High School Boys Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
June 24, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.; Brazil’s Rayan reacts. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images In a friendly in Tokyo last October, Brazil surrendered a two-goal halftime lead and watched Japan pull ahead for an eventual 3-2 victory.
Rayan, a 19-year-old forward, was not part of Brazil’s team that day, so perhaps he can be forgiven for admitting he doesn’t know much about the Japanese squad.
“I don’t know who their best player is,” Rayan said when a Japanese reporter asked him. “I’d have to watch the video to be able to tell you. We know that Japan is a very strong team and we have to work hard to give it our all and beat them.”
The Selecao will be on alert when they come face to face with the Samurai Blue in the round of 32 on Monday afternoon in Houston.
Options Rayan could have considered in his answer included Takefusa Kubo, a forward nicknamed “the Japanese Messi,” or perhaps Ayase Ueda, a Feyenoord striker with 18 goals for his national team. But Kubo hasn’t played since suffering a meniscus tear in Japan’s opener against the Netherlands, and Sunday he was ruled out for the Brazil clash.
Ueda and Daichi Kamada are tied for the team lead with two goals apiece in the group stage — and Ueda had the go-ahead goal in that 3-2 upset back in October.
Japan are nevertheless the clear underdogs going into this match. They finished second to Netherlands in Group F with a win over overmatched Tunisia and two draws. They don’t have the history that Brazil can boast, but Japan have qualified for the knockouts at three straight World Cups and four of the past five, though never advancing past the round of 16.
“Brazil are always a leading team. They have a very good chance of winning,” coach Hajime Moriyasu said Sunday. “Some people will say Japan are underdogs. We will play with that in mind. We will respect the opponents, but like last year (in the friendly win) we weren’t given a chance to win. This possibility to win — we can change history.” After opening with a draw against Morocco, Brazil rang up 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland to win Group C. Vinicius Junior (four) and Matheus Cunha (three) have combined to score all of Brazil’s goals thus far, with Bruno Guimaraes earning assists on three.
They’ve made up for the absence of Neymar, who was not ready at the onset of the tournament as he rehabbed a calf injury suffered May 17 while playing for his club. Neymar made his first showing of the tournament Wednesday by subbing on for the last 15 minutes against Scotland.
For what it’s worth, Neymar scored his first goal for the Selecao against Japan in a FIFA Confederations Cup match in 2013, and in a friendly the following year the ex-wunderkind poured in four goals.
The Brazil faithful hope coach Carlo Ancelotti has the team on course for its record sixth World Cup win and first since 2002. “We’re not perfect. We can improve. For example, our pace on the ball. We can be quicker,” Ancelotti said after the Scotland match. “But I’m pleased because the team has improved a lot since the first match. Now it’s a knockout competition. We need to show real grit.”
–Field Level Media
Stefanos Tsitsipas has confirmed that his professional partnership with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, has come to an end, and this time, he does not expect them to work together again.
Speaking ahead of Wimbledon, the Greek star revealed that he has appointed Thomas Perrin, a coach from Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy, while Mouratoglou himself will oversee the collaboration whenever his schedule allows.
Tsitsipas explained that the decision was driven by his desire for a new direction in his career rather than a lack of love or respect for his father.
“The older I get, the more difficult it is for me to maintain a stable relationship with my father compared to when I was 18, 19 or 20 years old.”
The two have worked together for most of Tsitsipas’ professional career, helping him rise into the world’s elite and reach two Grand Slam finals. However, the 26-year-old believes the partnership has reached its natural end.
“I felt that having my father by my side brings me comfort, but it is not the solution for me to take the next steps and do something different in my career.”
Although Tsitsipas has stepped away from his father before, he suggested this separation is different.
“Talking about it now, I believe that we won’t be working together again in the future. Now I want to start making my own decisions and deciding for myself.”
Despite the difficult decision, Tsitsipas made it clear there is no personal rift between them.
“Of course, I love him very much and I want the best for him, but right now I am thinking about myself and what is best for me.”
Looking ahead, Tsitsipas believes his father’s experience can now benefit younger players, including his siblings, while he searches for a fresh perspective to help revive his own career.
His new coaching arrangement with Thomas Perrin will run through the end of the season, with Patrick Mouratoglou providing guidance whenever possible. The agreement also includes the option of continuing beyond 2026.
Sports
Monumental effort: The wildest stats and biggest plays from the Mystics’ quadruple-overtime win over the Fire
The Washington Mystics earned a 124-123 quadruple overtime victory over the Portland Fire on Sunday. This was only the second time in WNBA history in which four extra periods were needed, and every second of it was worth watching.
As the clock was winding down in the fourth overtime, Carla Leite came up short of hitting a buzzer-beater that would have given Portland the victory. Instead, the winning bucket came from Mystics guard Sonia Citron with 21 seconds remaining, when she completed a career-high 32 points.
Most impressively, Citron still had the legs to do it after spending 53 minutes on the court.
Here is how it all went down:
How did it happen?
Blame the excitement on Carla Leite. Despite the loss, she showed a lot of grit as she finished with a career-high 32 points and multiple impressive highlights — including the buzzer-beater 3-pointer that started the overtime madness.
First overtime
One was not enough for her, so Leite hit another game-tying shot from beyond the arc with 18 seconds remaining in the first overtime period. Citron tried to win it for Washington with under four seconds remaining but her 3-point jumper bounced off the rim. And just like that, we got more free basketball.
Second overtime
Perhaps it was the tired legs, but the second overtime period only saw a combined eight points from both teams. Sarah Ashlee Barker scored the Fire’s two field goals within 25 seconds with under two minutes remaining. Meanwhile, Citron scored both field goals for the Mystics, including the last one of the period with just under 15 seconds left on the clock.
Third overtime
There was more scoring in the third overtime as both teams registered 13 points each. This time, it was Bridget Carleton’s turnaround jumper over Citron that gave us five more minutes of action. She scored with just 3.1 seconds remaining, but that didn’t stop Citron from attempting an unsuccessful last-second 3-pointer in the hopes of ending things right then and there.
Fourth overtime
Neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes of the fourth extra period, but once the teams started exchanging buckets, it was inevitable this would once again come down to the final seconds. Although Citron put her team ahead 124-122 with 21.4 seconds remaining, Leite had a chance to tie it with two free throws with 13.1 seconds left. She only made one of those shots, before almost redeeming herself with a last-second floater.
Besides Citron, another impressive contributor for Washington was Michaela Onyenwere, who had 30 points while tying a career-high of six 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Kiki Iriafen got her seventh double-double of the season with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
The Fire certainly put on a show despite the loss. Leite stole the spotlight, but Barker and Megan Gustafson also contributed to the valiant effort with a combined 45 points.
Was this the longest game in WNBA history?
Yes and no. The real time elapsed from start to finish on Sunday was three hours and 36 minutes — the longest ever for a WNBA game.
If we are only counting playing time, this was the second quadruple overtime game in league history. The first time was in 2001, which coincidentally also involved the Mystics. That was a surprisingly low-scoring affair with Washington winning 72-69 over the Seattle Storm. Four extra periods is extremely rare — the NBA has only experienced it four times since 2000.
What are the wildest stats?
An extra long game means there are going to be some extra fun stats, and this game certainly delivered on that front. Here are a few worth noting:
- The Fire and Mystics combined for a total of 247 points, which fell just four points short of the most combined points ever in a WNBA game. The highest scoring game was a 127-124 Mercury win over the Lynx in 2010, which featured two overtime periods.
- Sunday was a competitive affair with 21 ties, which is second most in WNBA history. The most was 22 ties between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever in 2009.
- Tough competition sometimes also leads to a high amount of fouls. On Sunday, Barker & Leite were the only Portland starters not to foul out. As a team, the Fire had 39 personal fouls, tied for second most by any team in a single WNBA game.
- The Fire attempted 101 field goals, the second-most ever in a WNBA game, becoming just the fourth team in WNBA history to attempt 100+ field goals in a game. The Mystics attempted 98.
- This was the first game in WNBA history with both teams scoring 60+ points in the paint.
- It was the firs time in the history of the Mystics that two players (Citron and Onyenwere) had 30+ points in the same game.
What’s next for each team?
Neither of these teams entered Sunday with a winning record, but the way they fought certainly proved they should not be overlooked.
The win helped Washington go back to .500 with a 9-9 overall record. The Mystics can rest until Thursday, July 2 when they host Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream (12-7 overall). This will hopefully give time for both Georgia Amoore and Citron to heal. Amoore left the game in the first half with right knee soreness and Citron was seen limping late in the game.
Portland now holds an 8-12 overall record but Sunday showed coach Alex Sarama a lot of promise. Up next, the Fire will take on the Storm (5-15 overall) in Seattle on July 4.
“Incredibly proud of the group to persevere and show such grit,” Sarama said postgame. “Very, very proud of them. Obviously tied for the longest game in W history. I think so many times tonight we could have just given up, but every single time, we fought back. Execution. I mean, so many great learning opportunities for us as a young group.”
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