Italy failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia & Herzegovina on Tuesday.

The 2006 champions fell on penalties following a tense 1-1 draw in their qualification play-off final. The Azzurri remain the highest-profile absence from this summer’s 48-team tournament in North America.

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Sweden, Turkiye and the Czech Republic also secured their places during a dramatic night of international action. DR Congo beat Jamaica 1-0 in extra time, while Iraq defeated Bolivia 2-1 to complete the field.

World Cup Play-offs: heartbreak for Italy as final spots confirmed

Italy’s campaign sabotaged in Sarajevo

Italy appeared to have the advantage after Moise Kean scored a brilliant early opener. However, Alessandro Bastoni received a red card for a reckless challenge before half-time, forcing the Azzurri to defend deep for the remainder of the match. Bosnia capitalised when Haris Tabakovic scrambled home a deserved equaliser in the 79th minute.

Democratic Republic of the Congo have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years after a 1-0 win over Jamaica in an intercontinental play-off final in Mexico.

The match was decided in extra time, with Axel Tuanzebe scoring the winning goal in the 100th minute.

Before the match, Tuanzebe described the game as the biggest of his career. The defender, who was born in Bunia, has now made history for his country.

The game was tight and tense, with both teams struggling to score during normal time. Cédric Bakambu had two goals ruled out for offside.

Tuanzebe’s goal came from a corner taken by Brian Cipenga. The ball touched a Jamaican defender before hitting Tuanzebe and going into the net. There was a short delay as officials checked for handball, but the goal was allowed after a VAR review.

Jamaica, who were hoping to reach the World Cup for the second time after their 1998 appearance, could not find an equaliser.

DR Congo will now play in Group K at the expanded tournament. They will face Portugal in their first match, before games against Colombia and Uzbekistan.

The Congolese team had a long journey to qualification, playing 13 matches since November 2023. They finished second in their group behind Senegal and went on to beat Cameroon and Nigeria in the African play-offs.

This historic victory marks a major moment for DR Congo football and ends a long wait to return to the world stage.

Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, son of Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, shared some intriguing insights into his personal life in a recent interview. The all-rounder, who struggled for consistent opportunities at the Mumbai Indians (MI), was traded to LSG ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Now preparing to make his debut for the franchise, Arjun revealed some surprising details about his life off the field. One of the biggest revelations was that he hardly has any cricketer friends.

During a chat with Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast, Arjun was asked how he manages to stay calm. His secret, he explained, lies in spending time with his five dogs at his home in Goa.

Conversation excerpt:

Shubhankar: How do you keep yourself so calm and cool?

Arjun: “I have five dogs in Goa, and I spend time playing with them.”

Shubhankar: Do you have friends who are cricketers?

Arjun: “I don’t really have cricketer friends; most of my friends don’t play cricket.”

Shubhankar: Do you talk to them about cricket?

Arjun: No, they don’t know much about cricket.

Shubhankar: Are you scared of criticism?

Arjun: “No, I’m not.”

Shubhankar: How do you keep yourself so calm and cool?

Arjun: I have 5 dogs in Goa & I spend time playing with them.

Shubhankar: Do you have friends who are cricketers?

Arjun: I don’t really have cricketer friends, most of my friends don’t play cricket.pic.twitter.com/gZJMrcO7Df

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— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) March 31, 2026

What stood out from the interview was the fact that Arjun-himself a professional cricketer and the son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar-doesn’t have cricketer friends.

Over the years, Arjun has faced considerable trolling on social media, largely due to the expectations fans placed on him because of his father’s illustrious career. Still considered a ‘work in progress,’ Arjun was asked during the podcast if he fears criticism. His confident reply dismissed that notion.

At the Mumbai Indians, the presence of world-class pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult limited Arjun’s opportunities. At Lucknow Super Giants, however, the competition will be different, with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Anrich Nortje forming the pace attack.

Yet, it is Arjun’s ability with the bat that could carve out a role for him in the lower-middle order of the franchise.

When asked about a player he idolised growing up, apart from his father Sachin, Arjun named Yuvraj Singh. Asked if he admired Yuvraj’s bowling, Arjun replied with a smile: “He was a spinner; I am a pacer.”

Ciaron Maher admits peaking a three-year-old for dual 2400m Derbies over one season presents difficulties, but the renowned long-distance specialist trainer is aware of its feasibility.

Observer seeks to accomplish the Victoria Derby – Australian Derby double as the Ghaiyyath colt enters the 2400m Group 1 second instalment at Randwick on Saturday.

Maher managed the double with Hitotsu in 2021-22, and Chris Waller prepped Riff Rocket accordingly in 2023-24.

In line with Hitotsu, Observer captured the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) victory at Flemington, but while Hitotsu advanced directly to the Derby after the Guineas, Observer took an extra 2000m start, running third in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas on March 21.

Maher’s trust in Observer remains unshaken, as the colt has steadily polished his racing demeanour, and Saturday’s extension to 2400m fits ideally.

James McDonald, Australia’s top jockey, rides Observer on Saturday, taking the reins from Craig Williams of the Rosehill ride.

“Back up to the trip, that’s what he’s bred for,” Maher said.

“He came through his run really well, and he’s ticking over pretty well.

“Craig probably just went a touch slow the other day. If he had his time again, I would say he probably would have gone a bit quicker.

“But he rallied well, and he was good through the line, so I wouldn’t read too much into that last run.

“I suppose getting out to that trip twice is a bit of a feat (for a three-year-old), but we’ve done it before.”

Maher’s Australian Derby success with Explosive Jack preceded Hitotsu by a year, and that runner went on to win the South Australian Derby at Morphettville before placing third in the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.

Observer dons the number one cloth and starts from gate 12 in a field of 13 on Saturday.

Visit betting sites to find the latest racing betting markets for the Australian Derby.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has condemned anti-Muslim chants which were heard during the first half of Spain’s 0-0 draw with Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday.

At half-time, a message warning fans against xenophobic remarks and singing was displayed on the screen at the RCDE Stadium with the stadium announcer also reading out a similar request.

The message was then repeated early in the second half, leading to whistles from some sections of the crowd.

“The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” they posted on social media.

The behaviour was also condemned by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

“It’s intolerable,” he said. “Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves.

“They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible.”

Tuesday’s game was due to be played in Qatar but was moved to the home of La Liga side Espanyol due to the war in the Middle East.

De la Fuente made 10 changes from Friday’s 3-0 friendly win over Serbia with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal the only player to keep his place while Egypt were without injured Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

The result also saw Spain, one of the co-hosts of the next World Cup in 2030, lose their top place in the world rankings.

On January 30th, five days after the 2025 NFC Championship — where Sam Darnold punched the Seattle Seahawks’ ticket to the Super Bowl — the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, replacing him with interim GM Rob Brzezinski, who previously held the title of executive vice president of football operations. Two months later, Brzezinski is the frontrunner to keep the job full-time.

Minnesota’s next front-office move could stay internal, and Brzezinski has real momentum for the job.

Brzezinski embarks on the NFL draft in three weeks, and that might be his final test.

Brzezinski Has a Legit Path to the Top Job

Vikings’ general manager search may not be too external.

Ian Rapoport on Brzezinski

The NFL began its annual league meetings on Monday, and NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport was there with updates.

He said on Vikings Entertainment Network about Brzezinski, “He’s always had a strong voice in the organization… If a team was smart and they wanted to hire a GM who doesn’t just scout, doesn’t just grind tape, but really understands how an organization works, really operates it at a very high level, does great contracts, makes really good trades, someone who just runs the business of football.

“Like he’d be someone team should hire and for whatever reason, partially because he’s very loyal, has stayed in Minnesota. But to me, like this is someone who probably should have been a GM already, so I wasn’t surprised to see him get the interim title. I would expect him to be a pretty strong candidate for the full-time job as well, as he should be.”

It’s a pretty damn big deal for a man to be in charge of free agency, onboarding quarterback Kyler Murray, and running a draft. The clues suggest Brzezinski is a) trusted b) the frontrunner to keep his job.

Mark Wilf on Next GM Criteria

Vikings owner Mark Wilf also spoke at league meetings. He said about his GM criteria. “We’re gonna be deliberate about it, but we know we need to get moving for the next college season and all that and get ready.”

“Once the draft’s concluded, we’ll get going with interviews, and moving towards a relatively expeditious process to get it going. We certainly want someone who is a great leader. Someone who can lead. We feel we have a great scouting staff. Great coaching staff.”

Brzezinski has worked for the Vikings since 1999. He’s probably a keeper.

“Of course, never resting on any laurels. We want to be competitive every single year and have long-term success. So someone’s got to fit within that. It’s got to fit within what we have in our building right now, as well. So it’s a host of factors. Hopefully we’ll know it when we see it,” Wilf added.

Possibly a Rubber Stamp for Brzezinski?

Indeed, the Vikings will probably — and should — conduct a full interview cycle for a new general manager, but the writing is on the wall for Brzezinski as “the guy.” He joined the franchise one year after Randy Moss was drafted; he has that type of staying power. Players, coaches, and other coworkers seem to like him. His budget acumen is widely renowned.

So long as the upcoming draft doesn’t resemble a schematic train wreck, Brzezinski has the tools, intelligence, and experience to keep his current job with a full-time bump.

The only thing working against him? If the Vikings want a true scout of rookie talent, well, they may have to tap someone else on the shoulder.

But most fans believe that’s what O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores are for.

Letting Kevin O’Connell Sink or Swim

Another reason Brzezinski may remain in charge concerns O’Connell. It’s rare for an NFL franchise to only fire a general manager while retaining the head coach. Minnesota values O’Connell that much. So, in theory, O’Connell is the current Team CEO, the true mastermind calling the shots, with Brzezinski employed to run the budget and solve any decision-making tiebreakers.

Think of this way: Suppose the 2026 season goes off the rails, and the Vikings determine O’Connell isn’t the right fit. It will be more seamless to terminate O’Connell and tell Brzezinski “thanks but no thanks,” only to turn around and hire a fresh and official new leadership tandem.

By retaining O’Connell and firing Adofo-Mensah, Minnesota proved that it trusts O’Connell’s decision-making. It’s up to him to prove that Adofo-Mensah’s roster-building held the enterprise back.

Brzezinski, as the guy behind O’Connell, fits the current arrangement. He’s the silent guy with a title behind O’Connell, the guy who’s really in charge.

Spain fans online were left disappointed with Pedro Porro’s performance in their 0-0 draw against 10-man Egypt in an international friendly on March 31. This marks their final friendly ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.

After the first half, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente made multiple substitutions to shuffle the squad. However, La Roja failed to find the back of the net. Egypt was notably reduced to ten men in the final ten minutes of the game, as Hamdy Fathy was shown a second yellow, leading to a red (84′). Defender Pedro Porro was in the starting XI and made only one interception and one tackle in 90 minutes. He also fouled players twice and committed a last-man tackle.

Fans took to X to react to Pedro Porro’s performance, with many criticizing the player for his showing. One X user wrote:

“Porro is fucking dogshit, Thank God Llorente exists 🤣.”

Some other fans also shared similar thoughts:

Fans continued to share their thoughts on Porro’s gameplay:

Pedro Porro made his national team debut in 2021 and has 16 caps for Spain. The 26-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender hasn’t been the first choice for Luis de la Fuente to cover the left-back position, with Marcos Llorente being ahead of him in the pecking order. Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde is also expected to get a call-up for the 2026 World Cup if he recovers from injury on time.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente explains stance on starting Lamine Yamal once again in international friendly vs Egypt

In the pre-match press conference, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente was questioned about starting Lamine Yamal in the friendly against Egypt. Yamal was the only player to have started both the March friendlies for La Roja, with De La Fuente having shuffled the rest of the 10 players in the starting XI. He said (via Barca Blaugranes):

“He might be in contention to start because we want to win. We need to freshen up the team, but obviously to avoid tiring out the players, all of them. I understand that the Barça manager is interested, I understand that everyone has their own preferences, but I have to consider everyone’s feelings. I have to field a team that can win.”

Further, De La Fuente also called Spain contenders to win the World Cup this summer. La Roja remains one of the favorites to win the title, given their squad strength and their dominating performance in the 2024 Euros.