Arsenal are preparing for their most important run of fixtures in over 20 years – but Mikel Arteta is facing a growing injury list as a host of his star players have withdrawn from international duty over the last week.
The Gunners may have lost the Carabao Cup final to title rivals Manchester City but they remain alive in their three most important trophies this season, with a nine-point lead over City in the Premier League and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup.
But Arteta is potentially facing a selection crisis ahead of the start of a pivotal week, kicking off with the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton and the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Sporting Lisbon, while a potential title decider against Pep Guardiola’s side looms large as well.
What was said: The midfielder missed the Carabao Cup final due to a calf injury and is reportedly facing several weeks out. England only said that Eze had been ruled from the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan “through injury”. Arteta said before the final that Arsenal had “tried everything” to get the midfielder ready.
William Saliba – France
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
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What was said: France confirmed Saliba had withdrawn from their squad to play Brazil and Colombia due to a “left ankle injury”. The centre-back had played 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Gabriel Magalhaes – Brazil
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
What was said: Saliba’s centre-back partner also played 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley. “After the game… [Gabriel] complained of pain in his right knee,” a statement from Brazil said ahead of the games against France and Croatia in the United States. “Imaging tests have confirmed he is not fit to play.”
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Jurrien Timber – Netherlands
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
What was said: With the right back forced off during the first half of the win against Everton and missing both the Bayer Leverkusen second leg and the Carabao Cup final, the Netherlands confirmed Timber “has not yet sufficiently recovered from an injury” ahead of the friendlies against Norway and Ecuador.
Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are among the Arsenal players to have withdrawn from international duty (Getty Images)
Leandro Trossard – Belgium
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
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What was said: Trossard played 82 minutes of Arsenal’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final but Belgium said the winger was not fit enough for the friendlies against the United States and Mexico. “This decision will allow [Trossard] to continue [his] rehabilitation under optimal conditions,” Belgium said.
Declan Rice – England
Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: Rice was given a rest from England’s friendly against Uruguay and only joined up with Thomas Tuchel’s squad on Friday. However, a statement from England a day later confirmed he had returned to Arsenal for “medical assessment”.
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Bukayo Saka – England
Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: The winger, like Rice, had been offered a break during the first week of the international break. But he also withdrew from England’s squad a day after reporting to the camp. England said he had also returned for “medical assessment”.
Noni Madueke – England
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Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: Madueke was forced off during the first half of England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, and was later seen walking out of Wembley with his left knee in a brace. “I’m worried, of course, because I think he was a difference-maker today,” Tuchel said. “[I’m] very sad and upset and hopefully it’s not a big injury.”
Piero Hincapie – Ecuador
Withdraw date – Sunday 29 March
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What was said: The defender played 72 minutes of Ecuador’s friendly against Morocco in Madrid, before pulling out of the squad to face the Netherlands on Tuesday. A statement from Ecuador reported that Hincapie “underwent medical and imaging tests” and “based on the evaluation” was sent back to Arsenal to “begin the recovery process”.
Martin Zubimendi – Spain
Withdraw date – Sunday 29 March
What was said: The midfielder came off the bench to replace Manchester City’s Rodri for the final 13 minutes of Spain’s 3-0 win over Serbia on Friday, but it was announced by Spain that he had withdrawn “due to discomfort in his right knee”. The statement added: “To avoid any risk and to protect the player’s health, he has been removed from the squad.”
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Did anyone still play this week?
Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres, Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori and Denmark’s Christian Norgaard all featured in decisive World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, with the latter two left heartbroken in penalty shootout defeats to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czech Republic respectively – but Graham Potter’s Sweden saw off Poland.
Ben White, ironically, is left as the only Arsenal player in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, after the right back ended his four-year absence from the national team. He scored, gave away a penalty, and was booed in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay, and played for 59 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Japan, while teenager Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly were involved for England’s Under-19s and Under-21s, respectively.
Defender Cristhian Mosquera made his Spain debut last week, and he and goalkeeper David Raya started against Egypt, while Kai Havertz played in Germany’s friendly against Ghana on Monday night. Gabriel Martinelli was the last one back as he scored a late third in Brazil’s 3-1 friendly win over Croatia on Wednesday.
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Arsenal were already without Norway’s Martin Odegaard, who has been sidelined since the win over Tottenham on February 22, and Spain’s Mikel Merino, with knee and foot problems respectively.
Arsenal’s upcoming games
Arsenal will return from the international break for their FA Cup quarter-final away to Championship side Southampton on Saturday 4 April, kick-off 8pm. It will be followed by the away trip to Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday 7 April.
The Gunners will then return to Premier League duty and will kick off the title race run-in with a home test against Bournemouth on Saturday 11 April, kick-off 12:30, followed by the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting on Wednesday 15 April.
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Then, it’s the blockbuster trip to Manchester City on Sunday 19 April, kick-off 4:30pm.
2 min read Last Updated : May 22 2026 | 12:33 PM IST
A large statue of soccer great Pele was unveiled Thursday in the Mexican city of Guadalajara to commemorate his achievements with the Brazilian national team.
Pele, who died at age 82 in 2022, won one of his three World Cup titles in Mexico at the 1970 edition of the tournament.
“This monumental figure of this great player, who played here and scored a great goal, is a great gift to the people of Jalisco and to all visitors,” Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said. “Pele loved Guadalajara, and the Brazilian national team fell in love with it because the Mexican public gave them everything in 1970.”
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The 9.5-meter-tall (31-foot) statue is located in a public square called Plaza Brazil outside the Jalisco Stadium, which hosted matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups. For its 1970 title run, Brazil played its first-round, quarterfinal, and semifinal matches at the stadium before beating Italy in the final at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
“People who come to the Jalisco Stadium now will stop to take pictures. This statue will be a landmark, especially since it depicts a football star like Pele,” Lemus said. “It’s a great gift for the World Cup.”
In the 2026 World Cup, Guadalajara will host four first-round matches: South Korea vs. Czech Republic on June 12; Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18, Colombia vs. Congo on June 23, and Uruguay vs. Spain on June 26.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Sunday, Lottie Woad enjoyed what is becoming a regular tradition in her pro career.
With a final-round 69 at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati, Woad, who is 22, won her second LPGA event (and third event in total) since turning pro in the middle of last year. Woad’s victory was the latest highlight in her rapid climb up the food chain in the women’s game. It was also a moment of affirmation for one of her more … eclectic competitive rituals: a bag of gummy bears that has served as her good-luck charm.
As the story goes, the tradition started with Woad’s caddie, David Taylor, a veteran LPGA looper who evidently shares her sweet tooth.
“So, back in the UK, we’ve got kind of little supermarket called Marks & Spencer, and they do this sweet called Percy Pigs, and it just so happened that Singapore had one of these little small supermarkets, and I came across it one night when we were out for dinner,” Taylor said. “So, I took them and I put them in the bag, and I said, ‘These are some birdie sweets.’”
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Caddies are famously adept at discovering motivational tools for their players, and in Taylor’s case, the key to Woad’s heart was simple.
“Now, every player is driven by different things, some are financially driven, Lotte is in fact driven by sweets,” he said. “So, I put them in the bag, and I said, ‘Every birdie you make, we get one each.’ So it’s not she’s going to hit some mad sugar rush or anything.”
Woad is careful to point out that she’s not exactly housing gummy bears during the course of competition. The candies are a boost that helps to break up the monotony of life on the road.
“I don’t know, we’ve done it the last few events that we remembered,” Woad said with a grin. “Yeah, I think people think that we’re like stuffing our faces with sweets during the round, but like realistically we’re eating like four gummy bears.”
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But Woad’s moment in the sun at the Kroger Queen City Championship was dually rewarding, and not just for the sugar high of a pro victory. As Taylor explained in an interview with SiriusXM, he’d made his pro an unusual promise: The next time she won an event, she could choose the design for the next tattoo on her caddie’s body.
Woad’s victory in Cincy meant that she had earned that right, and as you might expect, there was only one option that made sense.
“Actually, about one hour ago, I got a text message from her, and she’s finally chosen what to get,” Taylor said with a laugh. “She’s chosen the piece, and it is, in fact, going to be a little gummy bear with a crown on it.”
A gummy bear with a crown — fitting for the first crowning of a new LPGA heavyweight player-caddie pairing … and one that just so happened to come in the Queen City.
Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned Ruturaj Gaikwad for attributing the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) early exit from IPL 2026 to a young and inexperienced team. He highlighted that the blame shouldn’t be put on kids and that the seniors need to own up.
CSK were eliminated from IPL 2026 after an 89-run loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 21. The visitors were bowled out for 140 in pursuit of a 230-run target.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India batter opined that Gaikwad should have spoken about the underperforming seniors instead of the youngsters while reflecting on CSK‘s exit in the post-match interview.
“He said that’s a very young team, that they cannot show that much faith in youngsters, and that they don’t have enough experience. I am wondering why those who have experience aren’t being spoken about. The talk should have been about Sanju Samson, Rutu, Shivam Dube, and Dewald Brevis. The talk shouldn’t be about Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, or Urvil Patel. What they did was excellent,” Chopra said.
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“The talk should actually be about the elders. Rutu, how was your season? Kids bring bravado and an attacking approach. They don’t bring consistency, and how will they bring consistency? They are kids. So whose responsibility was it? You said you would open and don’t want to let Mhatre open. You needed to score runs. I agree that anyone can have a bad season, but you need to own up. You can’t put it on kids that they didn’t do well,” he added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad aggregated 337 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 123.44 in 14 innings in IPL 2026. Shivam Dube (270 runs at a strike rate of 158.82 in 12 innings) and Dewald Brevis (151 runs at a strike rate of 127.96 in eight innings) also weren’t at their best this season.
“The mistake was in the auction as well” – Aakash Chopra on CSK’s IPL 2026 exit
Dewald Brevis was one of the two overseas batters in CSK’s IPL 2026 squad (Image via X/@IPL)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra reckoned it wasn’t the youngsters’ mistake, highlighting that CSK had also erred in the IPL 2026 auction.
“In that interview, it seemed like it was the kids’ mistake. It wasn’t the kids’ mistake. The mistake was in the auction as well. You had two overseas batters, and they weren’t even like-for-like. You played with three overseas many times,” he said.
While acknowledging that Gaikwad might not have had enough time to reflect on the loss before the post-match interview, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that his comment was odd.
“Plenty of problems that can be talked about later, but I found that one comment odd. Putting your responsibility on someone else is not the nicest way of doing things. You might not have got enough time to think about it post-match, you reacted suddenly, and you don’t mean it perfectly, but it still felt slightly odd as the kids have done decently. It wasn’t about them at all,” Chopra observed.
However, Aakash Chopra concurred with Ruturaj Gaikwad that the Chennai Super Kings were hit hard by injuries in IPL 2026. While terming CSK the ‘Chotil Super Kings’ because of the number of injuries they have endured, he pointed out that even Sanju Samson got injured while keeping in their last league game.
The New York Knicks blasted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, 109-93, to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. This is no great surprise. The Knicks are a better team than the Cavs in every area. The Cavaliers let Game 1 slip through their fingers by squandering a 22-point lead with seven minutes to play. The odds of them picking themselves off the mat after that kind of emotional gut punch and rallying back to win Game 2 were very low.
So the Knicks won the game, and they are probably going to win the series to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1999 in search of their first championship since 1973. It’s good stuff. This is a very good team when clicking, and to say the Knicks have been clicking would be an understatement.
Thursday’s win was their ninth straight in these playoffs. That does not happen often. After going down 2-1 to the Hawks in a first-round series that appeared to have all the markings of what would have been a disastrous upset, the Knicks closed out Atlanta with three straight wins, swept the Sixers, and have now gone up 2-0 on the Cavs.
Over that stretch, they have outscored their opponents by 212 points. That is the most lopsided point differential over any nine-game stretch for any team in NBA history. Not just for the playoffs. For any nine-game stretch. That is legitimately crazy.
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To the nines
Best point differential for a team over any nine-game stretch (regular season or playoffs) in NBA history
Look at those numbers. These are blowouts. Against playoff competition. It’s arguably the best nine-game stretch in NBA history.
And yet, the question has to be asked: How much of this do we attribute to the relative weakness of the Eastern Conference?
I understand I’m not going to be a popular man among the New York faithful for even asking this question, and I want to be clear I do not know the answer. I’m just wondering. That’s all. We all know the East has been weaker than the West, by an appreciable margin, for decades. I’m not going to go down the rabbit hole, it just is what it is. LeBron James does not go to eight straight Finals in the West. That’s all there is to it.
That said, having a couple viable championship contenders, or even just one of them, can create the illusion of conference balance. And maybe the Knicks are that team. They certainly have the look of a team that could win the whole thing. They’ve had a lot of talent for years. But now that talent feels, I don’t know, somehow sturdier. Built to withstand the postseason rigors. A team that erases huge leads rather than coughing them up.
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Jalen Brunson is a total beast. Karl-Anthony Towns is doing everything. Mikal Bridges has gone from a guy who was hardly playable early in the Atlanta series to averaging 18.7 points on 68/50/100 shooting splits. Josh Hart defines a winning player; the Cavs dared him to beat them on Thursday, and he obliged with 26 points and five 3s. OG Anunoby is healthy and basically a perfect playoff player.
They’re deep. They defend. They shoot. They dominate fourth quarters. Over these past nine games they are shooting 53.6% as a team with a 61.7 effective field-goal percentage. That first number is the best over a nine-game stretch since the 1987 Lakers. The second number is the best ever. You have to seriously squint to find anything that even closely resembles a true weakness on this team.
And yet, they’re doing it in the East. The Hawks are not any sort of honest gauge for a contender. The Sixers were a play-in team. The Cavs needed seven games to get past the Raptors, and are only here because they played an offensively challenged Pistons team that counts Tobias Harris as its second-biggest weapon and should’ve lost in the first round to the Magic. Perhaps Boston would have given the Knicks a genuine fight in the second round, but they couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead against the play-in Sixers.
I know how it works, that you can only play who’s in front of you and all that, but I’m looking at a team like Minnesota that is going to be totally forgotten about because they had to play the Nuggets and Spurs in these playoffs. This simply isn’t equitable. I have long believed conferences should be a thing of the past as we move to a 1-16 postseason bracket. It would open up all kinds of fresh matchups. It would get rid of the imbalance.
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That’s not going to happen. I get it. And so we are left with trying to evaluate the legitimacy of these Eastern Conference teams through a relative lens. Take last year’s Pacers. They turned out to be an awesome team. They probably would’ve beaten the Thunder had Tyrese Haliburton not blown his Achilles. But that’s not really the point. Once you get to the Finals, anyone can win one series. It’s the path there that I’m wondering about.
Right now I’m watching the Spurs and Thunder beat the hell out of each other over in the West, and I don’t think there’s a reasonable NBA fan anywhere outside of New York right now that wouldn’t agree that whoever makes it out of that series is going to have a lot more wear and tear on their bodies than the Knicks will have after the way these last nine games have gone. The Knicks are on easy street right now.
Perhaps that’s a credit to how good they are. I’ll say again, they look awesome. I just don’t know how much to trust the competition. I assume they’ll make it to the Finals, and that’s when we’ll find out for real.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates with teammate Jordan Addison (3) after a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville. Jefferson sparked Minnesota’s offense with the scoring play as the Vikings built momentum on the road during an interconference matchup against the Titans. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
FOX Sports decided to rank all NFL teams’ “supporting casts” this week — and your Minnesota Vikings have the NFL’s 11th-worst. Most fans perceive the team’s playmakers as one of the team’s strengths, but not everyone agrees.
Minnesota has star power at wide receiver, but national perception still lags behind the roster’s actual upside.
Lists of playmaker rankings really don’t mean anything, but they do provide a thermometer of public opinion. The public says the Vikings are mid.
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National Skepticism Follows the Vikings’ Skill Players
Minnesota Vikings wide receivers Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson celebrate a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during second-quarter action on Nov. 24, 2024, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The pair formed one of the NFL’s most explosive receiving duos in 2024 as Minnesota continued leaning heavily on Kevin O’Connell’s aggressive passing attack. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
MIN’s Ranking from FOX Sports
Ranking just ahead of the New Orleans Saints’ supporting cast, Ralph Vacchiano explained Minnesota at No. 22: “They certainly have given whomever is their quarterback some good receivers to work with. Justin Jefferson is as good as any in football when everything is working right with the offense, and Jordan Addison is a strong No. 2. The Vikings also went out and added the underrated Jauan Jennings to give the QB another option. And TE T.J. Hockenson is a big weapon in the passing game, too — at least when he’s healthy.”
“Beyond that, though, they really have to lean into the mind of head coach Kevin O’Connell because there are some issues. The offensive line was not good nor healthy last season.”
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Because of Jefferson and Addison on the roster, most Vikings fans expected Minnesota to check in within this ranking’s Top 15. No cigar.
“And they lean way too much on 32-year-old, oft-injured RB Aaron Jones. That lack of a dependable running game is big. It’s why defenses could tee off on Vikings QBs, who were sacked 60 times last season — tied for second-most in the league,” Vacchiano concluded.
Lower Than the … Giants, Steelers, and Patriots?
Vacchiano strangely ranked the Vikings’ playmakers beneath the New York (Giants), Pittsburgh, and New England groups. The Giants have Malik Nabers (injured) and Cam Skattebo (injured). The Steelers showcase DK Metcalf and Jaylen Warren. The Patriots? Treveyon Henderson and Kayshon Boutte. What are we doing? What’s going on?
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On the Patriots’ weaponry, Vacchiano noted, “The Pats currently have a bunch of role players in the passing game. Romeo Doubs is a solid No. 2. Kayshon Boutte is a deep threat. And Mack Hollins is a big target, but needs a reduced role at age 32. New England’s strength is in the potent 1-2 RB punch of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson.”
“But the real key for this team will be the offensive line. It improved from 2024 yet still gave up a ridiculous 47 sacks in the regular season and a record 21 in four playoff games. There’s a good argument about whether those crazy numbers were more the fault of Drake Maye or his line. But it doesn’t matter. The young QB won’t survive another year like that, especially against a much tougher schedule.”
Doubs, Henderson, and Boutte should not take the cake over Jefferson, Addison, Jennings, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason. It doesn’t make sense.
How Much Worse without Jennings?
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The Vikings recently signed Jennings from free agency; in theory, had they not, the ranking on Vacchiano’s list might’ve been even more egregious, possibly three to five spots lower.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings enters the field before kickoff against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 14, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Jennings continued carving out a larger offensive role in San Francisco after becoming known leaguewide for his physical blocking style and dependable production in key situations. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Still, Jennings is poised to make a significant impact in Minnesota. He’ll seamlessly integrate into three-receiver sets alongside Jefferson and Addison, presenting a formidable challenge for defenses on passing downs. With multiple threats, a favorable matchup would often emerge, and Jennings would be well-positioned to exploit it.
He’ll also likely see a substantial increase in targets within O’Connell’s offense compared to his time in San Francisco. Jennings already embodies the gritty, ‘dirty-work’ mentality Minnesota values, particularly as an elite blocker — a crucial asset for this offense. His role would be genuine, not merely ornamental.
Furthermore, should Jefferson or Addison miss any time, Jennings would immediately elevate to WR1-WR2 status.
The RB Effect?
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The culprit behind the FOX Sports clunker regarding Minnesota must be the running backs. Jones is old, and Mason has never experienced an extended run as an RB1. For example, while the Vikings have Jones, Mason, and rookie Demond Claiborne, a team like the Denver Broncos has these options at RB:
JK Dobbins
RJ Harvey
Jonah Coleman
It’s also worth noting that Minnesota has not run the football particularly well under O’Connell.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones reacts after a game on Dec. 7, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jones remained a central piece of Minnesota’s offense during the 2025 campaign, providing veteran stability in the backfield while contributing as both a runner and pass-catching option for the Vikings. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
If you’re looking for an explanation for why the Vikings’ supporting cast must be so putrid compared to fans’ expectations, it must be the running backs. It’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s impossible to look at a WR room with Jefferson and Addison, and say, “Yeah, Romeo Doubs and Kayhson Boutte are better than that.”
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
In the beautiful Basque city of Bilbao, in the north of Spain and which is hosting European rugby finals for the second time, Ulster got their first taste of the San Mames Stadium in the captain’s run on Thursday.
It is a huge occasion, but the session was full of smiles and laughter, rather than any visible nerves.
Ulster may be missing key players, such as Henderson and the injured trio of Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and Rob Herring, and only 23 players will take to the pitch on Friday.
But there was unity as the wider group took part in the captain’s run, with players playing football as well as warming up with a rugby ball.
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There were no signs of lingering disappointment from Friday’s late defeat by Glasgow Warriors, which ultimately led to them missing out on the top eight in the URC.
“It’s a week that’s not difficult to get up for,” said hooker Tom Stewart.
“We’ve all said it, being in a cup final doesn’t come around too often. It has been a special time for the boys.
“It has been special to get behind Nick and watch how he has taken the team, and watch boys grow into the opportunity that is in front of them.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — What we learned about the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final is they’re a quick study.
It’s not like the Canadiens had all the time in the world to prepare for this series against the Carolina Hurricanes. They barely had 72 hours after winning Game 7 in Buffalo, and at least six of those were spent travelling, while another 21, give or take, were spent sleeping.
Captain Nick Suzuki said the Canadiens had a long meeting Wednesday, one more Thursday morning, and one last one before Thursday’s game to absorb all the intelligence their coaching staff had gathered.
To see him and his teammates apply everything they learned to near perfection in a 6-2 win to open this series was yet another example of how they’ve defied their age.
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“It shows the maturity of our team,” said elder statesman Phillip Danault, who’s played the second-most playoff games of anyone on the Canadiens.
He’s 33, but most of his teammates are between 20 and 26, with the last 14 games of these playoffs the most formative ones of their blossoming careers.
The lessons they learned over those two weeks came at a breakneck pace. And while they were guaranteed to have value in the long run, you couldn’t help but wonder if they could be applied as quickly as the Canadiens would need them to be.
If they couldn’t pull from that new knowledge base immediately after playing two seven-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, they’d have had little chance of handing the Hurricanes their first loss of these playoffs.
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Not even Martin St. Louis was sure the Canadiens could do it immediately.
The coach said earlier on Thursday he “thought” they understood just how hard they needed to defend to win games at this time of year.
“I think we’ve learned that, yes, we’re gonna lose momentum, but we can’t get hurt so much, we can’t break,” St. Louis added. “We’re gonna bend, but we can’t break. I think we’ve done a good job of that. I think we’ve learned how important (it is) that we’ve gotta keep playing. Whether we’re up a goal, two goals, you’ve gotta keep playing, and it’s a hard thing to do when you’re playing against really good teams, in the sense that they bring their game, too. And sometimes the situation can overwhelm you, and you’ve just got to grab a hold of it and have poise and be confident that you can flip it again and go get that momentum…”
St. Louis must have known for sure after this game at the Lenovo Center.
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It started on the wrong foot, with Mike Matheson buckling under the Hurricanes’ pressure and firing a puck up the wall of his own zone that Andrei Svechnikov picked off and fed to Seth Jarvis for the goal that made it 1-0 for the home team 33 seconds in.
It was one of the last times the Canadiens used the wall of their own zone in a period that ended with them up 4-1.
Part of the scouting work the coaches had done on Carolina, which started 12 days ago — after the Hurricanes had swept the Philadelphia Flyers — had focused on that, and it was unquestionably one of the few points of emphasis St. Louis and his staff drove home to the Canadiens before they exited their zone in control of the puck 92.9 per cent of the time through that opening period.
“You’ve gotta be careful trying to give so much information to players at a time,” St. Louis said. “You’ve gotta pick a couple things and trying to address that, and that’s what we did.”
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When the Hurricanes pushed back in Period 2, the Canadiens bent without breaking, still managing to exit cleanly 56 per cent of the time while continuing to generate enough rush chances to extend their lead.
Cole Caufield, who scored 27 seconds after Jarvis to tie the game in the first, hit the post on one of those early second-period rushes before Eric Robinson countered to cut Montreal’s lead to 4-2.
But even if the Canadiens mismanaged the puck in the neutral zone through the rest of the second period, they managed the chaos the Hurricanes brought in their own zone.
“I thought we defended really well,” said St. Louis.
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“We weathered the storm,” said Danault.
The Canadiens then throttled down in the third period, with Juraj Slafkovsky bookending perfectly-calculated plays from his team through the final 13 minutes with goals that put the game out of reach. They held the shoot-from-everywhere Hurricanes to one shot on net.
“They made some nice plays, give them credit. They finished,” said coach Rod Brind’Amour. “But I didn’t think we were very sharp, to put it bluntly. Our top guys had a tough night, and that’s not going to work this time of year… I think we just toss this game, to be honest. I hate that at this time of year that’s what we’ve gotta do, but there wasn’t much to grab onto there. I think if you get behind early like that, it’s tough, but we clearly were not ready for that pace. I’m not going to give the (12-day) layoff as an excuse, but we weren’t ready to play playoff hockey and that caught us.”
It took the Canadiens having the right type of engagement off the hop, and they had it for more than one reason.
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Of course, one is that they were only three days removed from beating Buffalo and still in possession of that playoff edge.
But the other was from the lesson they learned in losing Game 1 to Buffalo. The one that wasn’t handed to them by St. Louis and the other Canadiens coaches, like the scouting report on Carolina was.
“It’s probably something I didn’t see,” he said. “The group felt after Game 1 in Buffalo that, emotionally, we weren’t where we needed to be if you compare it to the Tampa series. It’s not something that I personally felt because I’m not in the dressing room for that long. I come in, speak to the team, but I’m not in there. My guess is they handled that because that’s their own perception. They’re in the locker room, they know what they see and feel. My guess is they handled that on their own. As a coach, you don’t have to control everything. You have to lean on your group, your leaders and stuff, and they must have done that.”
Because that’s what a young team that’s come of age does.
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These Canadiens, who keep accelerating their own development, took yet another step Thursday. Led by their top line, which had been outscored 10-3 at five-on-five through the first two rounds before combining for two goals at even-strength and one at five-on-six, they studied hard and aced the first test of the third round.
In the process, the Canadiens saddled the Hurricanes with the first adversity they’ve faced in months.
“It was great by everyone,” said Suzuki.
Now class is back in session until Saturday night.
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“I think there’s a lot of learning and chatting with each other to figure out what the best plan of action is for Game 2,” said Jake Evans.
If they apply what they learned and discussed, they’ll give themselves a great chance to return to the Bell Centre with a lead in this series.
When Lionel Messi was a teenager he received a life-changing offer to join FC Barcelona’s youth team. Sketched out informally on a napkin, the contract included an unconventional clause: a commitment to pay the young footballer’s growth hormone treatment.
His local Argentine side, Newell’s Old Boys, had just taken a pass on the expense as too big a gamble on an unproven player. But for Barcelona, it might just be the best money ever spent: The therapy proved effective and Messi’s career later skyrocketed, catapulting him and the Spanish team to international glory. Off the pitch, he’s also just notched up another big milestone, becoming a rare sporting billionaire.
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Messi, 38, has earned more than $700 million in salary and bonuses since 2007, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Adjusting for taxes, market performance and income from investments and sponsorships, his net worth has surpassed the $1 billion-mark, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That puts him alongside long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese striker who became the sport’s first billionaire after joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr FC in 2023, as among the world’s wealthiest athletes.
While Ronaldo’s flamboyant persona has long proven a magnet for advertisers from oil products to sportswear, Messi’s marketing machine in the early years of his career at times struggled to match the heights of his on-field talent. But more recently — under the guiding hand of father Jorge — his business career has flourished. A massive pay check from current team Inter Miami, purported TV revenue-sharing deals, real estate holdings and even a stake in an Argentine restaurant chain have all helped land him in the 10-figure club.
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It could easily have happened sooner. Many Messi-watchers were surprised when the player, fresh from leading Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022, turned down a huge contract worth $400 million annually to play in the Saudi Pro League. Instead, he opted to join Inter Miami, while Ronaldo signed his own Saudi contract during 2023, worth more than $200 million a year.
“Money was never a problem for me, nor an obstacle in anything,” Messi told Mundo Deportivo in an interview that year. “If it had been about money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else.”
Historically, athletes who’ve made $1 billion or more have largely done so off the back of investments. Roger Federer earned more than $130 million in prize money during his playing career — but a deal to buy a 3% stake in Swiss running shoe brand On in 2019 became the largest source of his wealth after its shares soared.
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Michael Jordan, despite being one of the highest-paid NBA players of his time, earned less than $100 million in career wages, with a stake in the Charlotte Hornets and endorsement deals contributing the bulk of his wealth. However, a recent surge in top athletes’ salaries, especially in football, has enabled the sport’s biggest stars to make $1 billion or more in wages alone.
The Miami deal also came with innovative perks for Messi, including an unusual equity option that gives him the right to purchase a stake in the club, where retired England star David Beckham is already a shareholder.
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While it’s unclear what stake — if any — Messi has taken in his US team since joining, Inter Miami’s fortunes have been on the rise. The club’s value increased more than a fifth in the year to February to about $1.45 billion, according to Sportico. It’s now the US’s most valuable soccer team, ranking 16th globally and ahead of such teams as Newcastle United.
Apple Deal
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Messi’s US move also opened up other innovative ways of being paid. During initial contract talks, the US football league and Apple discussed a revenue-sharing agreement that would see Messi earn a share of sales from new subscriptions to Apple TV+’s MLS Season Pass streaming package, The Athletic reported.
Jorge Mas, Inter Miami’s owner, said take-up for the streaming service doubled in the months after the player joined. Mas, in an interview earlier this year, signaled Messi’s total annual pay from the club comes to between $70 million and $80 million, taking into account equity rights and player compensation.
Bloomberg was unable to independently verify the financial details of Messi’s agreement with Apple. Attempts to reach the Messi family via a press officer were unanswered.
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From a purely sporting point of view, the move to Inter was seen by some fans as a step down, following a well-trodden path by experienced stars to less-celebrated footballing nations ready to pay for brand-name talent. Before moving, Messi — considered by many the best player of all time — had spent two years at French powerhouse Paris Saint Germain, and prior to that led Barcelona to several Spanish and European titles. He’s also won more Ballon d’Or titles than any other player.
But even as he developed into star at the Catalan club in the 2000s, it took time before his pay really took off: when he signed a contract extension in 2009, Spanish media reported that he was earning about $12 million a year. As salaries have inflated, last season, ten players on the side were making more than that annually, according to data from analytics provider Capology.
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Messi has spent more than half his life in Spain and still maintains strong roots in Barcelona, but is rarely interviewed by media outside Argentina. Widely acclaimed within his home country, especially after the 2022 victory, he struggled in the early years, partly due to his shyness and also because many fans drew tough comparisons with Diego Maradona.
It’s something he’s grappling with even today. In an interview with an Argentine streaming service earlier this year he described himself using a local term for a socially-awkward person, adding that he gets unsettled when daily plans change and watching TV at home alone is among his favorite pastimes.
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Off-field Business
Messi has relied heavily on his father Jorge for much of his off-field dealings, turning to him as agent, business manager and adviser. Alfonso Nebot Armisen, a little-known Spanish banker, has run his private investment firm since 2009.
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At times, though, his business has attracted the attention of Spanish tax authorities, along with peers including Ronaldo. A decade ago, he was found guilty along with Jorge of defrauding the Spanish government of about 4 million euros between 2007 and 2009 over income earned from image rights that went into shell companies. He was handed a prison sentence and fines, though ultimately avoided jail.
Since then, he’s been diversifying. In Dec. 2024, he listed a REIT on a small Spanish exchange, valued at $232 million. The company, Edificio Rostower Socimi, owns several hotels and other commercial real estate.
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He’s also been expanding into consumer goods: in 2024, he released the Más+ by Messi sports drink in partnership with Mark Anthony International SRL, the beverage group behind Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He also joined Argentine restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa, which specialises in the type of breaded steak that’s a staple in the Latin American nation and one of Messi’s favorite dishes, as an investor — in part to help with its international expansion.
Like Ronaldo, and perhaps with an eye to his post-playing days, he’s also building a portfolio of football clubs, with the recent announcement that he was acquiring the fifth-division Spanish Cornella team, adding to his stake in Deportivo LSM, the Uruguayan side he co-owns with his friend and former teammate Luis Suárez. Messi’s family also founded and run a lower-division club called Los Leones in their native city of Rosario.
There may be more to come as Messi starts to think about retirement, according to comments he made at a business forum in Miami last year.
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“Football has an expiry date,” he said. “Business is something I like, and I am learning about.”
A former WWE star took a subtle dig at the company. She did so while reacting to a questionable picture.
Scarlett Bordeaux worked for the WWE for several years. However, she spent most of her time as the valet for her husband, Karrion Kross. Despite only competing in a few matches for the company, she was able to get over with the fans. After leaving the sports entertainment juggernaut, she and her husband have been working on the independent scene for various promotions.
Thanks for the submission!
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Recently, Shotzi took to social media to share a picture of herself spanking Gigi Dolin while other former WWE stars, Scarlett Bordeaux, Karrion Kross, Matt Riddle, and The Good Brothers celebrate as they look on. Scarlett reacted to the picture by taking a subtle dig at her former employer.
Corporate could be a WWE reference since the company doesn’t allow its talent to post such pictures on public platforms.
Scarlett Bordeaux opened up about her time in WWE
When Scarlett arrived in World Wrestling Entertainment, the company was looking to move away from the divas era into the women’s revolution. Therefore, women were being involved in serious storylines and matches. However, Scarlett’s gimmick was a throwback to the previous era.
“I think they were pushing the Women’s Revolution in the way they were. And my character was the exact opposite of that. It was a throwback. It was a parody, ‘Bring sexy back to wrestling.’ Because all the girls were trying to be serious like the guys. I’m like, ‘No, no. Like, let’s just be a hot chick. Like, bring back bra and panty matches.’ And no one was doing that at the time. No one had their a**es out, no one was doing it, and it pi**ed a lot of people off, including women in the business,” she said.
It remains to be seen what’s next for Scarlett and Karrion Kross.
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Zara Shaw has been named Liverpool F.C. Women’s Standard Chartered Player of the Month for April after her emotional return from injury.
The 18-year-old won the fan vote on Liverpool’s official website to claim the award for the first time.
Shaw made a huge impact after returning from a long injury layoff, scoring the winning goal against Charlton Athletic Women F.C. in extra-time of the Women’s FA Cup quarterfinal.
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It was her first senior appearance in more than 400 days after recovering from the second ACL injury of her young career.
The goal secured Liverpool’s place in the FA Cup semifinals and quickly became one of the club’s most emotional moments of the season.
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Speaking after receiving the award, Shaw admitted she did not expect it.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “I didn’t expect it, if I’m honest.”
“I’ve just enjoyed being back in with the girls and enjoying football again really.”
She also reflected on her dramatic return against Charlton.
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“It was really, really special. It’s a day I’ll definitely never forget.”
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