Bengaluru FC held league leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant to a goalless draw in an Indian Super League match here on Saturday.

Despite Mohun Bagan enjoying the majority of possession and creating numerous chances, Bengaluru FC produced a resolute defensive performance to become the first team this season to take points off the Mariners.

Mohun Bagan remain at the top of the table with 13 points, while Bengaluru FC move to sixth with eight points. Dimitri Petratos was adjudged the Player of the Match.

The contest began at a lively tempo with the Blues applying early pressure.

Ryan Williams tested Vishal Kaith in just the second minute, forcing the Mohun Bagan goalkeeper into a low save after being set up by right-back Roshan Singh.

Mohun Bagan responded soon after. Maclaren’s effort from the left side of the box was well saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the eighth minute, while midfielder Dimitri Petratos fired narrowly wide from distance a minute later.

The Mariners gradually settled into the game and began to dominate possession.

Petratos saw another effort blocked in the 14th minute, while the Blues’ right winger Ashique Kuruniyan tried his luck from long range for Bengaluru but failed to hit the target.

Despite both teams creating opportunities, neither side was able to find the finishing touch as the first half ended goalless.

Bengaluru resumed the second half with renewed intent.

Midfielder Sirojiddin Kuziev tested Kaith with a long-range effort in the 48th minute, while Bagan responded through centre-back Alberto Rodriguez whose close-range effort was saved by Gurpreet just after the hour mark. 

The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 63rd minute when Chhetri found space inside the box, but his attempt was blocked by Anirudh Thapa before captain Subhasish Bose made another crucial interception to deny the follow-up effort.

Bengaluru continued to threaten from distance, with Roshan and Kuziev both forcing the Mariners defence into action within minutes.

At the other end, Maclaren nearly found the breakthrough in the 71st minute but was denied by a timely block from Roshan.

Both coaches introduced changes in search of a late winner.

Substitute Monirul Molla tried his luck from distance in the 81st minute but sent his effort wide. Gurpreet then produced another outstanding save two minutes later to deny Rodriguez’s header from close range.

Despite a combined 23 shots in the match, neither side could find the decisive goal.

Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), winning seven straight points to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and claim the title without dropping a single set.

The No. 2-ranked Italian beat Medvedev for the ninth time in their last 10 matches to claim his first title at the California desert tournament. Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Sinner congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who won Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix earlier Sunday.

“It hasn’t anything to do with tennis, but it has been a special day for Italy,” Sinner said. “Because I’m a huge Formula One fan and having a very, very young Italian, Kimi, bringing Italy back home at the top, it’s amazing. So, thanks, Kimi, thanks Formula One, and see you next year.” 
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women’s final Sunday for her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and ’25, finished off the win with a big serve that Rybakina hit long.

It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s. The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.

“I think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I’m here, I’m fighting,” Sabalenka said in a post-match interview on the Tennis Channel. “You have to get a win with incredible tennis and that was the whole idea going into this one. I’m happy that it really worked.” 
It’s been quite a stretch for Sabalenka. First, a puppy and then an engagement ring from Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis. 

Now, a title in the desert.

“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” she said.

This marked the 16th time the two players have met, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 advantage. Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open two months ago. She also edged Sabalenka in the finals at Indian Wells in 2023.

“It was a very difficult match,” Rybakina said after the match as she congratulated Sabalenka.

There’s not much time to celebrate for Sabalenka, who was set to leave Sunday night for the Miami Open, where she’s the defending champion.

“Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that’s it,” Sabalenka said. “I’m defending champion there, so I have to bring my best tennis there. But with these vibes that I’m taking from here, I think I’ll be able to be there and to fight and to do my very best to defend that beautiful trophy.

Entry into a revered trainers’ group beckons for Danny O’Brien as Closer To Free tackles Saturday’s Golden Slipper.

Winning the $5 million Group 1 Rosehill feature would let the Melbourne mentor fulfil the Australian racing Grand Slam.

No other trainer in Australia matches Chris Waller’s haul of the Golden Slipper, Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.

David Hayes, now Hong Kong-based, is the lone other active completer.

Lee Freedman joins deceased legends Bart Cummings, Tommy Smith, Colin Hayes, Jack Denham and Maurice McCarten as the others.

The eight achievers all grace the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, fuelling O’Brien’s anticipation for his top tilt at the richest two-year-old race worldwide.

“You don’t get many opportunities in a Slipper, because you’ve got to have the right horse,” O’Brien said.

“We haven’t had that many of them, so it’d be fantastic if we could tick that last box.”

Post his 2019 Melbourne Cup with Vow And Declare that sealed Melbourne’s Slam segment, O’Brien skipped Golden Slipper fields.

Master O’Reilly delivered his 2007 Caulfield Cup, Shamus Award the 2013 Cox Plate.

O’Brien’s single prior Golden Slipper brush was Running Tall’s 11th at $41 behind Sepoy in 2011.

Through the season’s opening stretch, O’Brien expected 2026 sidelines, until Closer To Free joined early February.

Bought for $60,000 at last Inglis Classic Sale, the Street Boss colt debuted for Wangaratta’s Adrian Corboy, transferring post Sean Buckley’s buy after January 29 Caulfield trial.

Late $150,000 fee on Monday earned his Golden Slipper spot despite missing early entries.

Other late entries: Magic Night Stakes winner Pembrey and Black Opal champ Music Time.

Qualification stemmed from Group 1 Blue Diamond runner-up finish after Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude debut success.

Since February 21 Blue Diamond, he’s Sydney-based from month’s start, excelling in March 10’s 1030m Rosehill trial.

Saturday’s rider Jamie Melham trialled him, impressing O’Brien with the colt’s unflappable Sydney transition.

“He travelled up well, he’s settled well, he trialled well and he’s a very straight-forward colt,” he said.

“Nothing seems to bother him. Everything he does, he just takes in his stride. He’s got a great attitude.

“Jamie Melham jumped on him for the first time the other morning and she was very impressed with him.

“We just need, hopefully, a nice enough barrier and we’ll see what the weather does, but there’s not too many boxes left to tick with him. He’s ready to go.”

Barrier draw Tuesday morning sets the Golden Slipper field, Closer To Free at $11 all-in.

Discover competitive racing betting markets ahead of the Golden Slipper showdown.

MIAMI — The Venezuela offense was held at bay for six innings, but then the big rally happened in the seventh and for the first time in the history of the event, Venezuela is going to the finals of the World Baseball Classic. It won on the strength of a three-run seventh inning by the final score of 4-2 over the Cinderella story that was Italy.

Here’s what to know about the Monday night semifinal as we also look ahead to Tuesday’s championship game pitting Venezuela against Team USA. 

Italy’s duo of starters worked for six innings

Italy decided to go with Aaron Nola as the starter in this one and then use its No. 2 starter, Michael Lorenzen, in relief. This meant that if Italy was able to win, it would be using a bullpen game in the finals against USA, a pretty dicey proposition. It almost worked. Through six innings, the only run for Venezuela came on a solo homer from Eugenio Suárez and, well, he does that. The philosophy for Italy manager Francisco Cervelli was clearly that you have to get to the finals first before figuring out how to pitch in the finals. Things worked out well for most of the game and just fell off the rails late …

That seventh inning rally

The leadoff walk to Gleyber Torres was innocent enough, especially given that Lorenzen struck out the next two batters. Then a hit-and-run worked perfectly as Jackson Chourio singled up the middle. That put runners at first and third for Ronald Acuña Jr. He hit a grounder in the hole to the right of shortstop Sam Antonacci, who couldn’t make the play. That gave Acuña an infield single along with the game-tying RBI. Maikel Garcia followed with a single to take the lead and then Luis Arraez singled home another run. Just like that, Venezuela had a 4-2 lead.

Venezuela’s bullpen was huge

The two runs Italy scored in the third inning were due mostly to three straight walks from Venezuela starting pitcher Keider Montero. Once Montero was removed from the game, the Venezuelan bullpen completely dominated the Italian offense — which had been among the most powerful offenses in the WBC prior to Monday. A tip of the cap to Ricardo Sánchez, Luinder Avila, Angel Zerpa, Eduard Bazardo, Andrés Machado and Daniel Palencia for their stellar work. They combined for 7 ⅔ innings of scoreless ball, only allowing three hits. 

USA sends Nolan McLean to mound

The Venezuela lineup isn’t quite as scary looking as the Dominican Republic lineup on paper, but it’s pretty stout. Acuña, Garcia and Arraez start things off before Suárez in the cleanup spot. The lineup is so loaded that William Contreras hits eighth, Chourio hits ninth and Willson Contreras is a bench player. Salvador Perez wasn’t in the lineup Monday either. 

McLean has only made eight career MLB starts, but he was dominant in those starts. It’s bound to be a very fun matchup of power vs. power. 

Venezuela to start Eduardo Rodríguez

The USA offense is loaded with power. Bobby Witt Jr. will hit leadoff before Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber. Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 homers last season, has batted either sixth or seventh when he’s in the lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was a 30-30 guy last year, hits ninth. The bench is loaded, too. 

Rodríguez is a capable MLB pitcher who once finished sixth in Cy Young voting. He has posted an ERA north of 5.00 each of the last two seasons, however. He was last a good starting pitcher in a full season in 2023. 

Then again, the USA lineup has been shut down by some pitchers in the WBC that one wouldn’t think would shut them down, such as Lorenzen in the Italy game in pool play. It’s just one game. Anything can happen and Rodríguez has talent and MLB pedigree. He also has World Series experience (2018 with the Red Sox), so the gigantic stage shouldn’t be an issue.

The bullpen issue for Venezuela

Thanks to tournament rules, Team USA, having played Sunday and getting the day off Monday, has a pitching advantage. Every USA pitcher is technically eligible to pitch. Venezuela, meanwhile, will be limited by back-to-back rules.

It doesn’t quite seem fair to have a setup like this, but those are the rules and that’s how everything shook out. Advantage USA on this one. 

Apologies in advance, a power outage has put a damper on the night at Pensburgh HQ but nothing could slow the Penguins on this night. Pittsburgh went into the NHL’s best team’s barn and took a monster 7-2 win.

There were a couple changes in the lineup; Evgeni Malkin returned from suspension, as expected. Less expected was Justin Brazeau’s quick return from injury, helping to spell for Blake Lizotte leaving the lineup for this game due to an injury of his own.

Manchester City have a couple of injury worries ahead of their Champions League round of 16 second leg vs Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola kept his Manchester City team firmly under wraps when he spoke to the media ahead of the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Real Madrid. The City boss confirmed he had already picked 10 of the 11 players who will start Tuesday night but did not mention any names.

Erling Haaland appeared to tweak his groin in the draw at West Ham on Saturday but he was able to finish the match so he should be fit. As for the visitors, they could welcome Kylian Mbappe to their starting line-up this evening.

The Frenchman returned to training in Madrid on Monday and has travelled to England. Jude Bellingham has also been included in the squad to take on the Blues.

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With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a closer look at the City injury news.

John Stones

Injury: Ankle

The England international has struggled with injuries. He felt his ankle in training so was left out of the West Ham game as a precaution. Stones started a week ago at Newcastle in the FA Cup and should be back in the squad for Tuesday.

Potential return date: March 17 vs Real Madrid

Rico Lewis

Injury: Ankle

Lewis was pictured training with the squad last week but did not make the trip to Madrid or the London Stadium. “Rico still has a little bit of swelling in the ankle,” said Guardiola ahead of the trip to West Ham.

Potential return date: March.

Savinho

Injury: Hamstring

The winger was taken off at half time in the defeat to Real Madrid and while that was a tactical change, the Brazilian felt his hamstring and was deemed not fit enough to travel to West Ham. He is expected to be fit for the second leg against Real on Tuesday.

Potential return date: March 17 vs Real Madrid

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Max Alleyne

Injury: Knock

Alleyne was in the travelling squad for the first leg but did not make the team for the game at West Ham. He has been struggling with a knock picked up against Salford City in the FA Cup fourth round.

Potential return date: March 17 vs Real Madrid

Josko Gvardiol

Injury: Leg

Gvardiol is a long-term absentee for City having fractured his leg in the January draw with Chelsea. The defender is in a race against the clock to be back before the end of the season and this summer’s World Cup.

Potential return date: May/June

Brentford squandered a two goal lead against Wolves as Tolu Arokodare’s late equaliser dented their quest for a European place next season.

Michael Kayode and Igor Thiago, fresh from his call-up to the Brazil squad, put the Bees 2-0 up against the bottom side.

Adam Armstrong pulled one back before half-time before Arokodare hauled Wolves level in a frantic second half.

Rob Edwards’ revitalised side almost snatched a third straight win – their first away from home – but Arokodare’s header hit the crossbar.

The draw offered little use to either the team battling for survival or the unlikely Champions League hopefuls.

A win for Brentford would have taken them to within a point of sixth-placed Chelsea and two behind Liverpool in fifth.

As if to prove that point, the club played a pre-match video montage of various pundits – Alan Shearer and Micah Richards among them – predicting they would be relegated this season.

open image in gallery

They went ahead in the 22nd minute as Kayode, usually the player tasked with launching the ball into the box with his long throw-ins, got on the end of Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross.

The 21-year-old former Fiorentina right-back slipped in between two Wolves defenders to bullet a header home for his first goal in English football.

Thiago only learned of his international call-up shortly before kick-off and he was able to toast it in style after being set up superbly by Dango Ouattara.

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher’s clearance was brilliantly brought down by Ouattara – he of the failed Panenka penalty in the FA Cup at West Ham a week ago – who then burst past Yerson Mosquera before squaring for his strike partner to tuck away his 19th Premier League goal of the season.

Thiago almost had another before half-time from a Kayode long throw, flicked on by Sepp van den Berg, but his header clipped the crossbar.

Instead Wolves grabbed a lifeline – in the match at least – when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde strode forward and found Armstrong, who cut inside Nathan Collins before tucking away his first Wolves goal.

Edwards’ side are certainly not going down quietly and Armstrong had already struck a post before Joao Gomes swung in a cross and Arokodare stooped to powerfully head home.

Moments later the Nigerian almost won it for Wanderers, but this time his header crashed back off the crossbar, while for Brentford Reiss Nelson’s header was off target in stoppage time.