Netherlands’ players celebrate the wicket of Pakistan’s Shadab Khan during the T20 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (AP/PTI)
New Delhi: During the 2016 T20 World Cup, the then Netherlands captain Peter Borren, in one of the press conferences, was almost in tears and made an emotional plea to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to spend more on the Associates. “There is a sort of malaise towards Associate cricket. To grow further in the game, we always hear it is not commercially viable,” he had said.“Look at Indian television, highlights of us beating England are everywhere. Clearly, fans enjoy watching new teams succeed. So give us the opportunity. Let us compete, and let us be seen,” he had said, referring to the highlights of the Netherlands beating England in the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.
T20 World Cup | Muhammad Waseem press conference after loss vs New Zealand
Cut to the present, the noise is again getting louder, with Associates pushing Full Members to the edge, and it all started with the Netherlands again.Pakistan had slipped from 98/2 to 114/7 while chasing 148 against the Netherlands. Max O’Dowd dropped a catch in the penultimate over, and Faheem Ashraf became the hero with three sixes and two fours.India had a disastrous start against the USA and were reeling at 63/4 by the 10th over. Shubham Ranjane got down low but could not hold on to a Suryakumar Yadav catch. Surya went on to score a match-defining 84 off 49 balls.Having earlier reduced England to 57/3, Nepal eventually restricted them to 184/7. During the chase, they were 175/5, needing 10 runs off seven balls. Lokesh Bam was well set on 35 off 15 balls. Over the next four deliveries, Bam scored just three runs and England scraped through after a tight final over from Sam Curran.Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh, had England on the ropes as Tom Banton and Will Jacks occupied the crease in their chase of 153. Things had slowed to near run-a-ball over the previous three overs, and England now needed eight off the final six balls. Jacks then struck a six and a four to take them past the finish line.
United States’ Shubham Ranjane (L) reacts after dropping a catch of India captain Suryakumar Yadav (R) during the T20 World Cup in Mumbai. (AP)
A couple of days later, England were 105/5 in the 13th over against Italy before eventually posting a strong 202. During the chase, Italy surged to 173/7 following 34 runs in two overs. Grant Stewart was set on 44 off 20 balls. The first-timers needed 30 off the last 12 deliveries. Sam Curran then removed Stewart, crushing their hopes.Not as dramatic perhaps, but Afghanistan got past the UAE in the final over, while the Netherlands pushed India despite looking down and out at one stage.Before the India vs Netherlands game, a broadcaster arrogantly parroted the pre-tournament claim that a 300-run total would be breached. Instead, the Men in Blue posted 193/6, restrained by Logan van Beek’s three-wicket haul.The eight Associate teams have made themselves count at this T20 World Cup and have not been the pushovers many expected them to be. The gap, as is repeated every two years, is reducing between the Associates and the Full Member nations.The reason for results going unfavourably for the Associates can be attributed quite simply to the lack of top-level opportunities and the inability to absorb pressure at key moments.
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Until you play matches, you won’t be in those situations. No matter how much net practice you do, how do you come out of tight situations
UAE coach Lalchand Rajput
“Until you play matches, you won’t be in those situations. No matter how much net practice you do, how do you come out of tight situations like 80/5? Or how do you win a match if you need 30 runs in the last two overs? You won’t feel it until you experience it on the ground,” said UAE coach Lalchand Rajput.“The more matches you play against good teams, the more situations you face. You might win only one out of five games, but it builds confidence that the next time you are in the same situation, you will be able to win,” he added.Namibia coach Craig Williams, too, didn’t mince his words and has asked for more matches for the associates, if the ICC wants to make the sport global.“I think it’s not rocket science. If you play more cricket, you’re going to get better. And especially if you play more competitive cricket. So I think all the associate nations are calling out for the same thing. It’s been a number of years since I was playing as well,” he had said ahead of their last match against Pakistan in Colombo.Players, coaches and even administrators have urged the ICC to introduce more fixtures in the next Future Tours Programme.
Italy’s Grant Stewart hits a six during the T20 World Cup cricket match against England in Kolkata. (AP)
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“There should be more matches, and definitely the ICC is working on it. That’s why this T20 World Cup has 20 teams. Hopefully, it will keep growing and more Associates will follow. If we qualify for the World Cup, we should get bigger chances to showcase ourselves,” Rajput said.Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar agreed. “If there is one thing I would like to change, it would be Associate countries getting more opportunities to compete against the best nations because that is the learning ground. That is where you learn,” he said after their loss to Afghanistan.Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede used the World Cup stage to remind everyone that his team has no cricket scheduled until June, with their next assignment being a World Cup qualifier.“We’ve shown the level Associate cricket is at right now. We can only ask for more opportunities against big teams because that is ultimately how we are going to improve as a collective,” said De Leede.The challenge of finding space in the calendar and the financial hurdles involved are not lost on those advocating for more matches.“The calendar doesn’t allow more matches with Full Members because Associate countries mostly play among themselves. It is also about TV rights, media and sponsorship, as everyone focuses on the top 10 teams. They have challenges as well. But this World Cup has shown that Associate countries are good enough to receive more funding and play more matches,” Rajput said.De Leede also offered a solution.“I understand the financial reasoning, but maybe a tri-nation series involving two Full Members could be an option. I recently saw a post about a European T20 series involving England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy,” he said.“We saw how close Italy pushed England. There are a lot of options. Normally during the World Cup, it gets attention and then it fades away,” he added.History, though, does not look promising.After reaching the Super Eight stage and becoming one of the stories of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the USA did not play a single Full Member until this edition came around.The Netherlands, who reached the Super 12 of the 2022 T20 World Cup and shocked South Africa, did not play a single T20I between that day in Adelaide and a match against Nepal 479 days later in February 2024. Their only game against a Full Member in that period came against Ireland in the build-up to the 2024 edition.T20 leagues bridging the gap
USA’s Andries Gous, of Desert Vipers, celebrates after scoring a hundred during Qualifier 1 of the ILT20 match against MI Emirates. (Creimas)
A major reason for improved performances, despite the lack of opportunities at the highest level, can be attributed to the growth of T20 leagues. More leagues mean more demand for players and more platforms for Associate cricketers to showcase their skills. USA wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous underlined this with an unbeaten 120 for Desert Vipers against MI Emirates in the recently concluded ILT20.Curran, who helped keep two Associates at bay, acknowledged that more matches play a role. “The Associate nations are playing more often and getting much better. They are being exposed to better cricket and better grounds,” he said.UAE captain Muhammad Waseem, who plays for MI Emirates in the ILT20, shared dressing rooms with the likes of Rashid Khan, Chris Woakes, Kieron Pollard, Shakib Al Hasan, Jonny Bairstow and Nicholas Pooran ahead of the T20 World Cup.“We’ve learned to improve by playing alongside the best players in leagues. In the same way, if we play Test-playing nations, we will continue to get better. Then, in big tournaments, you will get even more competitive matches,” he told TimesofIndia.com.The presence of experienced heads in the dugout has helped as well.Stuart Law is the head coach of Nepal. Ian Harvey is the bowling consultant. Gary Kirsten is Namibia’s consultant. Rajput brings his wealth of experience from the Indian dressing room to the UAE. Duleep Mendis heads Oman, while Pubudu Dassanayake coaches the USA.Having done all they can on the field, the Associates can only hope they receive more opportunities before the next edition rolls around. Otherwise, the same conversations and pleas will be repeated in Australia and New Zealand.
The reunion between jockey Jye McNeil and Buckaroo, who placed in the Cox Plate, occurs for the gelding’s autumn campaign opener at Caulfield.
On Saturday, Buckaroo resumes in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield under McNeil’s guidance.
Out of Buckaroo’s 31 starts to date, McNeil’s sole previous ride came in last spring’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes, run over Saturday’s track and distance.
In that Memsie Stakes, Buckaroo grabbed third spot behind Treasurethe Moment and Mr Brightside, then notched placings in the Underwood Stakes, the Might And Power along with Cox Plate – all Group 1 contests – ending with a tail-end finish in the Melbourne Cup.
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Following the Memsie Stakes, Buckaroo had Blake Shinn, James McDonald, Mark Zahra and Craig Williams as his jockeys in those next four appearances.
Buckaroo prepared with two Sydney trials and appeared at Caulfield on Tuesday morning partnered by McNeil.
“Last campaign I rode him first-up in the Memsie over the same distance and he surprised a few people by running really well,” McNeil said.
“He was third behind Treasurethe Moment and Mr Brightside, and if he can put a run together like that, I think the team would be very happy.
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“He seems fantastic in the work he did. I didn’t work him going into last campaign, but he seems very well.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be partnering him but I’m looking forward to the opportunity on Saturday.”
Buckaroo is expected to handle any Saturday track upgrade from the anticipated Good 4, per McNeil.
“The track was on the firmer side on Tuesday morning, but we didn’t do too much, just held him together, and he felt fine,” McNeil said.
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View the best online bookmakers for betting markets on Buckaroo in the Futurity Stakes.
Feb 20, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) talks with referee Suyash Mehta (82) in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Anthony Edwards scored 40 points on 16-for-30 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 122-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Rudy Gobert notched a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row as it returned from the All-Star break. Naz Reid scored 21 points off the bench, and Julius Randle contributed 13 points.
Khris Middleton scored 18 points to lead Dallas, which lost its 10th consecutive game. Naji Marshall and Marvin Bagley III finished with 15 points apiece.
Edwards shined throughout the game, including the final minutes with the Timberwolves’ lead in the single digits. He scored seven points in the last 2:27 on a floating jump shot, a pull-up jumper from the elbow and a 3-pointer from the left corner.
The Timberwolves closed the game on an 11-4 run after Dallas cut the deficit to four.
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Earlier in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 12-2 run to tie the score at 103-all with 6:55 to go.
Minnesota led 69-57 at the half.
The Timberwolves jumped to a 40-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Donte DiVincenzo buried a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes to help Minnesota grab the early lead.
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Reid provided a highlight-reel dunk late in the first quarter. He dribbled behind his back before elevating for a thunderous right-handed slam over a leaping Daniel Gafford, who stands 6-foot-10 but was overpowered by the leaping Reid.
The Mavericks played without star rookie Cooper Flagg, who remained sidelined because of a sprained foot. The injury forced Flagg to miss the NBA All-Star activities last weekend.
Gobert picked up a flagrant foul after striking Bagley during a battle for a rebound in the second quarter. He surpassed the limit for flagrant fouls on the season and will be suspended for Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers unless the league reassesses the call and downgrades the flagrant foul violation before then.
‘The Mexican Monster’ was initially expected to return with another title defence for his next bout as he looked to affirm his status as one of the best 175lbs fighters in the world, but he surprised everybody when he announced his intentions to move to cruiserweight.
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He heads to the 200lb division to take on unified WBA and WBO champion Ramirez, and the bout has now been made official for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday 2 May.
Ramirez will be returning after a near one-year absence, with his last bout coming in June 2025 when he successfully retained his titles with a unanimous decision win over Yuniel Dorticos.
A victory over Benavidez would undoubtedly be the biggest win of Ramirez’s career so far, who has suffered just one loss in his 49 professional fights, coming when he campaigned at light heavyweight at the hands of Dmitry Bivol back in November 2022.
Benavidez would become a three-weight world champion if he is triumphant in May, having previously also reigned as WBC super-middleweight champion on two occasions.
Conor Benn has made a shock change to his career after it was announced he has signed with Zuffa Boxing and Dana White.
Benn had been promoted by Matchroom Boxing for his entire tenure after making his professional debut back in 2016, and has established himself as one of the biggest names in Britain.
Those bouts ended a difficult chapter for Benn, who in October 2022 was forced to pull out of his initially planned fight date with Eubank after a failed drugs test, leading to a several year battle in an attempt to clear his name.
Matchroom and Eddie Hearn stood by Benn throughout that saga, and had big plans for the future following the win over Eubank, but Benn will now make those plans alongside his new promotional outfit Zuffa Boxing.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Eddie and the entire team at Matchroom for everything they’ve done for me over the past decade. From guiding me when I first turned pro, to headlining stadium shows. They were not only with me for those highlight moments but stood shoulder to shoulder with me during the tough times.
“It’s been a journey beyond anything we could have imagined, and for their belief, support and guidance, I will always be truly grateful, but Zuffa Boxing presented me with an opportunity I simply couldn’t refuse. I’d love Eddie to continue to be part of my team and for our partnership to evolve in this new chapter.
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“I’m filled with excitement and hunger for what’s ahead with Zuffa Boxing. I want the legacy fights, the biggest nights, the biggest stages. I fear no man at any weight, and I’m ready to give the fans the fights they’ve been calling for. I’m in my prime, and together we have bold, ambitious plans.”
‘The Destroyer’ had targeted fights with a number of big names, including the winner of Saturday’s WBC title fight between Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia, along with newly-crowned WBO champion Shakur Stevenson, with Zuffa now the ones tasked with making those bouts.
Hockey fans on social media reacted as Team USA booked its spot in the gold medal game at the Olympics.
On Friday, the United States delivered a dominant performance, defeating Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal. Team USA will now battle for gold against rival Team Canada, which edged Finland 3-2 in a thrilling comeback victory.
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This will be the second straight high-stakes final between the USA and Canada after the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Here’s how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted.
One tweeted:
“Let’s go team USA! We need this win, so we can make Canada cry for a second time in a matter of a few days.”
“USA vs Canada for a gold medal is a travesty for the sport of hockey.”
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
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“Women’s hockey just ain’t for me. All due respect to these lovely ladies but this USA vs Canada gold medal match has been BRUTAL. Are they skating with cement filled boots or something?” a third fan wrote.
“Watching the Canadians cry after losing is satisfying now. I never would have felt that way before Trudeau & Carney,” one X user wrote.
“And against Canada….Wouldn’t want it any other way. Go get the gold, boys!!” another chimed in.
“All that for Midtthews to lose another winner take all game,” added another.
Team USA advanced to the gold medal game after defeating Slovakia 6-2 in semifinal at Olympics
Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the United States after putting them ahead 1-0 at 4:19 of the first period. With less than a minute remaining in the period, Tage Thompson scored on the power play to make it 2-0 before heading into the second period.
Jack Hughes scored at 12:14 of the second period to increase the lead to 3-0. Jack Eichel made it 4-0 at 12:33, before Hughes scored his second of the night to make it 5-0 for Team USA before the final period.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored for Team Slovakia, cutting the deficit to 5-1 at 4:55 of the third period. Brady Tkachuk scored at 10:52 to make it 6-1 for the United States. Pavel Regenda scored for Slovakia at 13:17 for the final scoreline of 6-2.
Team USA will be up against Team Canada for the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday.
Terry Dunfield only took to the field once for Manchester City in the Premier League, but off the pitch the club saved his career.
His story is one of travel, trauma and turnarounds. Leaving Canada as a 14-year-old to break through at City, suffering a horrible injury while playing for Bury that left his career in the balance before rebuilding, rehabilitating and returning to forge a successful career in England and his homeland that culminated in international recognition.
But it’s behind the scenes at City, in the depths of his injury nightmare, that proved the pivotal period in Dunfield’s footballing journey, and it was club physio Robin Sadler who saved the day.
“Without him we are probably not talking now,” says Dunfield, speaking to the MEN from the other side of the Atlantic. “He was there when I was in the academy and he took me under his wing. Following a second surgery, I remember being in parks by his house training and at Carrington using the facilities when the lads left for the day. I owe Robin for my life.”
The broken kneecap was sustained in a game for Bury, where Dunfield had joined after choosing to leave City as a 20-year-old, and having impressed with the Shakers in the fourth tier a move higher up the pyramid looked likely.
“The part that was really hard for me was that I had started to get my s**t together when I was at Bury and got injured three days before the transfer window,” he explains. “I believe that January I would have moved on. I was probably tracking to be playing higher than where Bury was, with all due respect. Everything was going well and it was taken away so it was double amplified.
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“Your support network becomes your teammates, that never disappeared. But it was always whether I would get another chance because of my knee, when I did I didn’t take it for granted but man was I going to make the most of it.”
And make the most of it he did.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
A move to Macclesfield, where Dunfield was living and who had his former City reserve team boss Asa Hartfield on the staff, followed and impressive performances saw him join Shrewsbury Town and play at Wembley in the League Two play-off final before he returned home to play for fledgling MLS franchise Vancouver Whitecaps and latterly Toronto FC.
“The Whitecaps were coming into MLS and that was my hometown and they found a way back to bring me home,” recalls Dunfield. “The opening game for the Whitecaps, there was 30,000 there, the only problem was that I played a bit too well against Toronto and got traded there six months later.”
After 17 years, Dunfield’s career ended in Canada, but it started in Manchester. Spotted by City playing in a youth tournament in Staffordshire, he joined at 14 and progressed through the ranks to a first team debut on the final day of the 2000-01 season. City, under Joe Royle, had already been relegated and Dunfield came on for an injured Jeff Whitley in the first half.
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It was the culmination of seven years of hard work, of a teenager travelling halfway across the world to pursue his dream away from friends and family. Canada to the Premier League in the early 2000s was not a particularly well-trodden path.
“This is what you had to do if you wanted to follow your dreams,” said Dunfield. “My family would come back and forth. I went to school in Macclesfield, I moved into digs with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Brown in Bramhall.
“I think being in England normalised pretty quickly because I got to do what I loved to do every day, at 14 I never thought further ahead of when is the next training session.
“One thing that helped was that I quickly adapted to Manchester culture, I quickly lost my side parting, got a Manchester haircut and even picked up the accent!”
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Dunfield was not just settling off the pitch but on it as well. He impressed coaches and under Royle made the first-team breakthrough with that debut against Chelsea. The hope was it was another stepping stone in his City career rather than the final chapter.
“It went well,” said Dunfield. “A new contract followed and Kevin Keegan came in at the end of the season, I was part of the plans in pre-season.
“The opportunity came to go on loan to Bury and I just enjoyed playing and was ready to play. Probably the worst decision of my life was asking to leave to sign for Bury. Andy Morrison (on the staff at Bury and a former teammate of Dunfield’s at City) was hard to say no to! If I could do things differently I would probably have stayed a bit longer but it was an incredible ride.”
So what was the motivation for moving?
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“It was probably ‘I’ll go prove you wrong’. I had mates in City’s academy who had gone out on loan, probably a bit of impatience as well. Thinking back I had Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berkovic ahead of me.
“But I think going to Bury was a great way to grow up and I loved it but unfortunately I had a really bad injury. I was able to get over that but at that point it was finding a way to have a career rather than playing with a ton of freedom and pushing the limits of my potential.”
Not only did Dunfield, with more than a little help from City, find a way. He became a Canada international, winning 14 caps.
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He spent three seasons as a player with Toronto FC and, following his retirement in 2015, transitioned into coaching at the club, including a spell as caretaker manager and a year as an assistant coach. That progression led to opportunities with the national team at age-group levels, building up to an assistant coach role at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Dunfield is well placed to look ahead to this summer’s World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Canada.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “When we qualified for Qatar, players like Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies had began to kill the stigma that Canadian players should be playing ice hockey.
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“There has been growth since 2022 and we’re tracking in the right direction, the big question here is how do you capture everything that is coming here and ensure there is legacy and long-term development beyond 2026?
“There is a system now for players to follow their dreams, whereas when I was young, to be a pro and have a career each of us had to find a way. Each player’s story was very different.”
Dunfield’s story is certainly different, a career made and saved in Manchester.
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With UFC Houston just hours away, Sean Strickland has produced another polarizing moment ahead of his main event clash against the dangerous Anthony Hernandez.
During the ceremonial weigh-ins and subsequent face-off, Strickland was booed by the South Texan crowd, and sure enough, ‘Tarzan’ did not let the disrespect slide.
Hilariously, ‘Fluffy’ bore the brunt of the collateral damage as the former middleweight champion went scorched earth on the local MMA fans in a fiery rant. After picking up the microphone from Jon Anik, Strickland took aim at Hernandez’s Mexican heritage, while calling him out over his fighting style:
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“Listen here, you motherf**kers. I know you guys, you know. You might want your local Mexican to win. There is nothing wrong with that. But, let me tell you, to the Lone Star State. There is only one motherf**ker who stands and bangs, your f**king guy wrestles. I fight more like a Mexican than that motherf**ker. F**k you.”
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Check out Sean Strickland’s comments about Anthony Hernandez below:
Strickland is 3-2 in his last five and most recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in their middleweight title rematch. Meanwhile, Hernandez is currently on an eight-fight win streak, securing a fourth-round submission win over Roman Dolidze in his most recent bout.
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Many believe a win this weekend would position either man as a leading contender for a future crack at Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight throne, likely after the Chechen-born Emirati dukes it out with Nassourdine Imavov later this year.
UFC Houston: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez fight odds
UFC Houston, headlined by a middleweight clash between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez, will go down on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
According to BetOnline, Strickland is listed as a +210 underdog for the matchup, with Hernandez currently positioned as a -250 favorite. However, the odds might change as the bout draws closer.
This means a successful $100 wager on ‘Fluffy’ will return a payout of $140, while the same bet on the former champion will provide a total return of $310, if Strickland gets his hand raised.
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has shared an update during his time at Barcelona
Manchester United will have the benefit of watching their rivals in Premier League action this weekend. Michael Carrick’s squad are scheduled to face Everton on Monday evening.
The lack of a weekend fixture means that United will understand exactly what is required to remain in the top four when they meet David Moyes’ side at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Carrick has made a remarkable start as caretaker manager, securing four victories from his five matches at the helm, and will be keen to keep progressing as the club targets a return to the Champions League.
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The new United manager is making a strong case to be handed the role permanently beyond this season. While the club hierarchy consider their next managerial appointment, Carrick’s immediate priority will be securing three points against Everton.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Marcus Rashford update
Marcus Rashford has offered an update on his recovery from a knee injury after being ruled out for Barcelona in recent weeks. The England forward has netted 10 and contributed 13 assists in 34 matches but has missed his parent club’s previous two fixtures.
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A statement released by Barcelona on Thursday confirmed that Rashford had returned to training. The 28-year-old subsequently took to Instagram to share photographs of himself back with the squad, captioning the post: “Back on the grass after a few weeks out.”
The transfer deal struck between United and Barcelona includes a £26million buyout clause. Rashford has been open about his wish to remain at the Camp Nou, despite suggestions that the change in management at United could persuade him to stay at his boyhood club.
Barcelona have found results difficult during the United forward’s brief injury absence, suffering defeats to Atletico Madrid and Girona. Rashford will be hoping to regain full fitness in time to stake his claim for a starting spot in their home fixture against Levante on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Carrick said: “It’s not a stock answer – for me, it’s the ultimate role. I’m really enjoying it, I love what I’m doing. I’m fortunate. I feel privileged to be in the position I am, but it’s not the fact that I believe I can do it and I’m here to do it.
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“I said it when I came in – there’s the sentimental side of that, of understanding the role and coming through the club and being here and loving the club and being a supporter and all that side of it is one thing. But, actually, I’m here to do a job now and to make a good team and be successful.
“I don’t decide how long that’s going to be but I love being here and and while I’m here, I’ll give everything I can. And I always plan for the long-term future for the benefit of the football club. That’s how I believe it should be.”
The Olympic men’s hockey semifinals got underway on Friday morning, and the opening course was a heavyweight clash between Canada and Finland.
Both the Canadians and Finns made it this far thanks to OT thrillers in the semi-finals, but for Team Canada, the win came at a cost. Captain Sidney Crosby was injured on a hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas and left the game early.
Canada’s Shea Theodore (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s second goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026.(Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
Just a little before puck drop on Friday, it was announced that he would be out of the lineup against Finland.
This was the last news Canada needed against a very good Finnish team that plays way more physically than Finnish teams in Olymipcs past.
The Finns opened the scoring toward the end of a fast and physical opening frame with Mikko Rantanen lighting the lamp just seconds into a Finnish power play after Canada’s Sam Bennett got the gate for goaltender interference.
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros came up big multiple times as the Canadians got much more rubber on net than the Finns did.
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Special teams continued to be a big story in the second as we got our first taste of the Crosby-less Canadian power play after Sebastian Aho was called for interference, but things went off the rails in a hurry.
Finland stunned Canada by managing to clear the puck out of their zone and spring Nashville’s Erik Haula for a shorthanded breakaway, which he buried to go up 2-0.
Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026.(Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
About ten minutes later, Finland’s Anton Lundell took a high-sticking penalty, and — would you believe? — special teams were the story once again, only this time it was in Canada’s favor.
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Lundell’s Florida Panthers teammate Sam Reinhart deflected a Cale Makar shot from the point to get rid of that goose egg for the Canadians.
Canada continued to bring the pressure, and with just under ten minutes left in regulation, they were outshooting the Finns 29-14.
That pressure resulted in a Shea Theodore missile from the top of the circle finding the back of the net.
The Finns were unhappy about the contact that Brad Marchand made with Saros, but if you watch that again, the contact was clearly initiated by Finland’s Erik Haula in the crease.
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Canada never took its foot off the gas after that, and that pressure certainly played a role in Finland’s Niko Mikkola taking a penalty for high-sticking Nathan MacKinnon with around two and a half minutes left in regulation.
Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026.(Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
And once again, special teams produced, with Nathan MacKinnon scoring the game-winner with just 35.2 seconds left in regulation.
The Finns challenged the goal, saying the Canadians had entered the zone offside — and boy, was it close; totally worth taking a swing at — but the call stood, and Team Canada was up 3-2.
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That was how things ended, with the Canadians going on a 3-0 rally to cement their spot in the gold medal game on Sunday, where they’ll face the winner of Friday afternoon’s other semifinal game between Team USA and Slovakia.
As for the Finns, they still have some business to tend to as they’ll face the loser of that game in the bronze medal game on Saturday.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — It was telling that Scottie Scheffler, 12 shots off the lead, finished Friday with a fist pump.
Scheffler’s seven-footer for par dove right. It caught the edge. It fell to the bottom. And the World No. 1, filled with belief and relief, moved on to the weekend, some two touchdowns behind leader Marco Penge but with two quarters yet to play.
The putt told a story about the day, about the course, about the man. But mostly it ended a strange afternoon that began with an even stranger question:
What the hell is Scottie Scheffler doing in last place?!
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Scheffler’s journey to last place was more complicated than bad golf. When a rain-delayed day finally halted play midway through the first round, Scheffler was only halfway through his first 18 at the Genesis. The horn sounded about a half-hour after Scheffler made double bogey at No. 8 and just minutes after bogey at No. 10. At the time, Scheffler was five over par, T71 in a field of 72, and stuck there from sundown Thursday to sunup Friday. Scheffler is familiar with the feeling of sleeping on the lead. This time he was sleeping on the anti-lead. Beating nobody. Strange.
I came out eager to watch Scheffler early Friday morning, curious to get a read on whether there was something gravely wrong with the best golfer in the world (unlikely) or if he was setting the stage for another exhilarating comeback (very likely). The 7 a.m. restart meant it was a sparse crowd, likely just as much due to the cold as the early hour (42 degrees by my count, likely colder in the damp dark of Riviera’s lowlands, an absolute no-go for a fairweather fan). Scheffler wore a white Nike winter hat over a white Nike baseball hat. He wore a sweater, plus a vest that he took on and off, as he tends to. It was a muted scene but pleasant; everyone in the coffee-clutching crowd seemed happy they’d decided to brave the elements. It’s special to watch the world’s best golfer play one of the world’s best courses alongside just a handful of bundled-up diehards. Even if he’s in last place. Maybe especially if he’s in last place.
Scheffler was undoubtedly on property in the wee hours, warming up his swing, his body, his mind. Comparatively, as someone who can barely function in the world, I misjudged traffic, struggled to find the correct parking lot and barely made it onto the course by the time play resumed.
When I saw Scheffler for the first time, he’d just hit the toughest tee shot on property, driver down the uncomfortable 12th, pummeling one 315 yards down the left side of the fairway. He hit an uncharacteristic approach, missing the green left with a wedge, but canned an eight-footer for par that turned out to be the start of something good. His next hole — smashed driver, wedge to eight feet, first birdie of the week — got him out of last place. I did not expect he would return.
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To prove my point, Scheffler poured in a 20-footer for birdie at No. 14, too, to improve to three over par. And then he made a six-footer for par at No. 15. He’d missed several short putts on Thursday. This looked to be a different guy.
That’s what’s interesting: for the last three weeks, Thursday Scheffler has been a different guy. A strong finish to this first round still only put a neat bow on what had been his third mediocre opening session in a row. Scheffler started the WM Phoenix Open with 73. He opened the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with 72. Both efforts put him in the bottom half of those respective leaderboards. And now he’d rallied just for 74 at a soft setup at Riviera?
It’s fun to watch Scheffler dominate, but this routine has arguably been more interesting. It’s shocking viewing to see Scheffler dig himself a hole on Thursdays — and it’s riveting to watch him climb his way out. If it wasn’t antithetical to his entire way of being you’d figure he was doing it on purpose, spotting the leaders a 10-stroke head start just to make things interesting down the stretch. He roared back at TPC Scottsdale, 65-67-64, to finish one shot outside a playoff. He roared back at Pebble, 66-67-63, to finish two shots outside a playoff. Overnight at Riviera, Scheffler was 11 shots off the lead and beating nobody. He was still listed among the betting favorites.
As he appeared to lock in on another comeback, I studied Scheffler for some sort of tell — something that seemed different on Friday, something that made him play his first 10 holes at five over par and his final eight holes at two under. I mostly came up blank. The difference I saw could be chalked up to weather and conditions, plus a few putts, and the vagaries of a complex sport. He was less visibly frustrated on Friday, but that’s hardly a revelation; he wasn’t missing five-footers. When Scheffler’s on edge, you’ll know. As he said in his Tuesday press conference, with a grin, to a reporter:
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“You’ve played golf before, right? Yeah, it’s frustrating.”
But Scheffler still leaves you with a strong in-person impression. His intensity stands out. That doesn’t mean white knuckles and a clenched jaw. It means a 30-second, full-focus huddle-up with caddie Ted Scott before picking the correct shot, even 10 shots off the lead. It means a complete reset before the next shot. One thing he has borrowed from Tiger Woods is a commitment to commitment. There is no pack-it-in option.
More Scheffler, from pre-tournament: “I may not be, like, the flashiest player, but I feel like my mind has always been my greatest tool, and I just try to use that to my advantage.”
That much is clear.
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After a short break, the threesome of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Si Woo Kim headed to the first tee to begin their second round. When the World No. 1 birdied No. 1, it felt like the comeback was officially on.
But then it wasn’t. Scheffler bogeyed No. 2, ran off four pars in a row, and then bogeyed No. 7. He was back to four over par, ahead of exactly one player (Garrick Higgo) and 11 shots behind playing partner Xander Schauffele.
That was the moment Scheffler looked the most despondent. His hat askew, he stormed his way to the eighth tee and collapsed into a chair in frustration. Then he fired his tee shot well left, repeating a left miss he battled all day. As the ball soared off line, Scheffler dropped his driver on follow-through, apoplectic. That’s a Scheffler hallmark: he’s so used to things going right that he can’t believe it when they don’t.
In that moment it felt like Scheffler’s tournament was all but over. But weirdly, the stumble seemed to highlight just how few stumbles there have been. Cut-making has gotten easier, with more no-cut events and smaller fields. Still, Scheffler hasn’t missed one since the summer of 2022. That’s nuts. What’s even nuttier is Scheffler’s streak of 19 consecutive finishes of T8 or better. We can take his relentlessness for granted, but we shouldn’t.
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The key to Scheffler’s relentlessness is that he never takes anything for granted. And so he found his way to par at No. 8 and then played essentially perfect golf for the next 40 minutes, sticking his approach to three feet at No. 9, chipping to two feet at the drivable par-4 10th, and hitting a brilliant second at the par-5 11th. Birdie, birdie, birdie. He still needed one more, but couldn’t find it until the par-5 17th, where he splashed a challenging mid-length, all-carry bunker shot to four feet and made the putt. And then came No. 18, where he just missed the green but shorted a chip shot before bailing himself out with a nervy par putt that bought him two more chances to climb the leaderboard.
The fist pump, plus the ferocious high five he shared with Scott, showed a man clearly not too cool to grind for a made cut. All that to crack the top 50 in a 72-player field. All that to keep the streak alive. All that to climb from the basement to the first floor.
Scheffler made no excuses post-round. He sounded relieved to have snuck away with par at the last after he’d “tried to make a mess of a pretty basic chip there.” He admitted that he hasn’t quite cracked Riviera’s code.
“I don’t know, this place and I have a weird relationship. I feel like I can play so well out here and I just haven’t yet,” he said.
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As for his Thursday woes? Scheffler cited some specific conditions: “I would not say anything in particular.” So there.
For obvious reasons, Scheffler has been increasingly compared to Woods. It’s fitting, then, that Riviera is giving him fits. It gave Woods fits, too. It’s the tournament he somehow never won.
Scheffler probably won’t win this edition, though you’d be foolish to write him off completely. As it turns out, Scottie Scheffler isn’t very good at being in last place.
And he’s even worse at staying there.
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Dylan Dethier will be chiming in from Riviera all weekend. You can reach him at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
