Sports
Buurman thunderbolt keeps Chelsea’s season alive as Spurs beaten in FA Cup
With only one trophy realistically left to play for, this season has not reached Chelsea’s lofty standards and following last week’s UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) exit to local rivals Arsenal with another cup defeat would have been unforgiveable.
With six minutes left of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Tottenham Hotspur, it looked like Sonia Bompastor’s week was about to get even tougher. Enter Veerle Buurman. The young Netherlands defender’s rocket of a shot secured a late 2-1 victory and ensured the Blues still have something positive to build on, even in a campaign that has fallen well short of expectations.
Since the winter break, Buurman has been exceptional. After seeing her goal controversially ruled out in the UWCL first leg vs. Arsenal, where Chelsea were ultimately beaten 3-2 on aggregate, the young Netherlands defender has responded in the best possible way. Spurs goalkeeper Lize Kop was left grasping at air as Buurman, who only came on as a 59th-minute sub, danced around defenders on the edge of the box to send a thunderous left-footed shot into the roof of the net to put Chelsea into the semifinals.
Before then, it looked like Spurs might frustrate the hosts and force extra time at least. Sam Kerr had put the Blues ahead late in the first half, but Martin Ho’s side managed to get back on level terms in the second after Eveliina Summanen‘s free kick bamboozled goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who completely misjudged the clearance and failed to keep the ball out. And they had more chances to cause an upset.
Chelsea’s celebrations were emphatic after Buurman’s late intervention. It was a sense of relief, but it is also somewhat unfamiliar territory for the club to be putting so much stock in an FA Cup quarterfinal as it has been a disappointing year by their own benchmark.
The Blues have dominated domestically, winning six consecutive Women’s Super League (WSL) titles — the last of which was an unbeaten season in Bompastor’s debut campaign — but will surrender their crown to Manchester City, who are nine points clear with just three games remaining. Meanwhile in Europe they had reached the semifinals in each of the past three seasons, but went out in the quarterfinals this time around.
There are, of course, mitigating factors. The club are in the midst of a transition under Bompastor, adjusting their squad, tactical approach and overall identity. Such changes inevitably bring teething problems. Off the pitch, the departure of head of women’s football Paul Green after 12 years removed a key figure who oversaw recruitment, logistics and day-to-day operations.
Injuries have also played a significant role. Striker Mayra Ramírez has been absent for the entire season, depriving Chelsea of a crucial attacking presence, especially with Sam Kerr on reduced minutes after her long-term injury. Midfielder Lauren James was unavailable for the first half of the season. And defensive disruptions have been frequent, with Naomi Girma, Millie Bright and Nathalie Björn all missing stretches of time to prevent any real cohesion at the back.
None of these factors can excuse the club’s underwhelming performances, but they do provide context and point to what Chelsea must address this summer if they are to restore the dominance and standards that have defined them in recent years.
Adding an FA Cup trophy and top-three WSL finish to their League Cup success would salvage some positivity to complete the season, though it would do little to mask the disappointment of missing out on the two prizes that matter most.
Spurs also know a little something about rebuilding. After reaching the 2024 FA Cup final — where they were beaten 4-0 by Manchester United — they have been trying to rediscover the form that carried them to Wembley. Under Ho, they began the season strongly and climbed the WSL table to suggest they could mount a charge for Europe, but momentum has faded in recent weeks and they have now lost four games in a row. Had this fixture come earlier in the campaign, the outcome might have been very different.
Still, the appointment of Ho has nevertheless injected fresh energy into the side, complemented by several impressive signings like young midfielder Signe Gaupset. By extending the manager’s contract less than a year into his tenure, Spurs have made clear their commitment to his long-term vision. Another summer transfer window should further support their upward trajectory where consistency remains the key challenge as they continue to develop.
Making the FA Cup quarterfinals and securing a top-five finish in the WSL represents solid progress and, based on this game, the gap to the likes of Chelsea is closing. Before Buurman’s wonder strike, nobody would have been surprised to see Spurs’ name in the hat for the semifinal draw. It’s just that big moments like that win games, and Chelsea have the kinds of players to do it.
Sports
WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella opens up about what she wants fans to remember her for when she retires
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One of the best things to debate amongst friends is where professional athletes of a particular sport rank all time. Some make top 10 lists, others go by the Mount Rushmore rule.
Pro wrestling fans are no different. Championships, legacy and impact on the sport matter to those who take the time to watch wrestling 3-6 times per week for decades. How pro wrestlers are remembered by their fans is important to them.
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Nikki Bella confronts Becky Lynch during Monday Night RAW at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Aug. 4, 2025. (Michael Marques/WWE)
For WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, she suggested in an interview with Fox News Digital that her championship accolades should be put aside. Using her voice to have an effect on someone watching her in an arena or at home is more important.
“I would love definitely to be remembered as fearless, as someone who wasn’t scared to use her voice, someone who wasn’t scared to pave the ways, someone who wasn’t scared to stand up to all the hate, who can still be her even when people try to tear you down,” Bella said, who became the Chief Margarita Officer for Madam Paleta Tequila earlier in the week. “What I’ve realized, and this is in any industry and this is throughout time, it’s never easy to be first or be the loudest about something. And there’s so many people who helped pave the way before us but when you’re at the forefront or when you’re at the face of that, you take on everything that comes with it – hate, love, support, everything.
WWE STAR LIV MORGAN OPENS UP ABOUT HER LEGACY, WHAT SHE WANTS TO BE REMEMBERED FOR
Nikki Bella returns to Monday Night RAW at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on June 9, 2025. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
“I think that’s where I truly live up to being ‘Fearless’ Nikki, I just don’t stop. Even when I’m not at my best or when I’m at my greatest. I hope at the end of the day, people can look back and respect that too – even the ones who can be so disrespectful. They see things in such a different way and they really just don’t know. I hope to be remembered as that over anything.”
Bella said she understood that fans will look at her titles and accolades overall when she eventually decides to step away from action for good.
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She was a two-time Divas champion, including holding the championship for a record 300 days, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with her sister, Brie Bella, in 2020.
She stressed, however, that the impact she made was held in high regard above everything else.
“I get some people get hooked on champion numbers, like 13 time, 10 time, five time, you know, for me, it’s always been about impact,” she told Fox News Digital. “And if the people tuning in, I was able to change some people’s lives. Maybe they were being raised in a not great home and I gave them the ability to be fearless and to use their voice to know they could be someone great one day, to me, that’s being a champion and that’s what I’d love to be more than anything. I look at my Bella Army and they are my true accomplishment.
Nikki Bella addresses the crowd during SmackDown at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 13, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)
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“That is better than any championship I could ever win, ever.”
SYDNEY: As Twenty20 cricket competitions explode around the world, Australia’s Big Bash League is struggling to chart a vision for the future, after plans to privatise its franchises stalled.
Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg is adamant that outside investment is necessary to shore up the game’s financial future and keep pace with a boom in other well-funded leagues played in a similar time slot.
They include the UAE’s ILT20, South Africa’s SA20, and New Zealand’s privately-backed NZ20 scheduled to start in December 2027, all bidding for the best local and overseas players.
“If those salary caps (of other leagues) are significantly higher than ours over the coming years, and players can earn more in those areas, then players will follow those. That’s a real risk to us,” Greenberg told local media.
“I want to make sure that for Australian cricket, our ambition is to have a league that runs at the key part of the year for us, which is the December-January window, and it’s the best T20 league in the world at that moment in time.
“To do that, we have to have a significant amount of money in our salary caps to attract not only the best players from overseas, but to retain and attract our own best players.”
He added: “The concept of bringing private capital to cricket is inevitable at some point.”
While not a direct competitor as it runs in a different window, the benchmark Indian Premier League has seen massive success thanks to wealthy benefactors, with England’s The Hundred also on a roll after an influx of private capital.
But it is a thorny issue in Australia with an initial proposal to sell stakes in each of BBL’s eight teams stalling last month amid concerns about a loss of control for the game’s local custodians.
While the Victorian, Western Australian and Tasmanian cricket associations voiced support and South Australia said it was open to the idea, New South Wales and Queensland rejected the move.
Queensland Cricket, which controls the Brisbane Heat, said it was worried about player payments skyrocketing to unsustainable levels, and that private owners may not be as invested in the grassroots game.
Cricket NSW, which operates the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, was similarly concerned that it could be detrimental to how the sport is governed and how local players are produced.
‘Sugar hit’
There are also fears about an Indian takeover, with the most likely buyers seen as the rich IPL team owners who have invested in other short-form competitions around the globe.
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell is in the “No” camp, arguing that the BBL belongs to the states and communities that have built it into a successful and well-attended product.
While acknowledging the commercial realities, he said selling it off was not the answer.
“The moment you introduce private ownership at scale, you introduce a set of priorities that may not always align with the long-term health of the game,” he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Private investors, however well-intentioned, answer to shareholders, not to Australian cricket.”
Andrew Jones, a former head of strategy at Cricket Australia who was instrumental in the launch of the BBL, is similarly unconvinced.
“A one-off sale is a sugar hit, not a solution,” he said in The Australian newspaper, arguing that revenues can be better grown through sponsorships, wagering, ticketing, and more focus on commercialising the women’s game.
Despite scepticism, Greenberg remains confident and is now eyeing a hybrid ownership model.
This would allow the BBL franchises keen to sell stakes to do so while allowing those against to maintain complete ownership.
“If we end up not going together at the same time, can we still extract the same level of revenue, and can we extract the same level of value?” he said.
“I think we can, but I’ve got to do the work to satisfy a recommendation that would ultimately go to the members and our board.”
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The New York Knicks took a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday as the franchise eyes its first NBA Finals berth since 1999.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points to lead New York to a 121-108 win over Cleveland, while Mikal Bridges added 22 as the Knicks never trailed in Game 3.
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The New York Knicks bench reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the Eastern Conference finals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 2026. (David Richard/Imagn Images)
New York is the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 10 straight during a postseason run. The last team to do it was the Boston Celtics, who also went on a 10-game run on their way to the 2024 title.
All but one of the Knicks’ wins have been by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 22.5 points.
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points in 38 minutes, while teammate James Harden added 21. Cleveland shot 12 of 41 from 3-point range and 12 of 19 from the foul line.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the first quarter in Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Cleveland rallied and tied it at 50-all on a jumper by Harden before the Knicks countered with a 10-1 run. They went into halftime with a 60-54 advantage.
Music superstar Taylor Swift was courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night alongside fiancé and Ohio native Travis Kelce.
Swift and Kelce, who recently signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, took their seats in Rocket Arena shortly before the opening tip.
Singer Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
With the Cavs trailing 91-82 at the end of the third quarter, Kelce and Swift were shown on the arena’s giant scoreboard. Fans cheered wildly as Kelce showed off his team cap and wine-and-gold shirt.
Game 4 is set for Monday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The series will return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday, if necessary.
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Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs will host the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 on Sunday night. Oklahoma City enters the matchup with a 2-1 series lead.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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