Sports
Flacco savors Bengals’ victory after uncertainty
CINCINNATI — Ten days ago, Joe Flacco didn’t know whether he’d get to experience again what he felt Thursday night.
Last week, Flacco was a quarterback who had been benched in his 18th NFL season. On Thursday night, he celebrated another comeback win in the AFC North.
Nine days after his trade to the Cincinnati Bengals, he led his new club to a 33-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium. Needing points on the final drive to win, Flacco propelled the offense down the field, with kicker Evan McPherson‘s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left sealing the victory.
Flacco acknowledged the uncertainty he had felt about getting back to the position he was in Thursday night.
“It felt like I might not, to be honest with you,” Flacco said. “It’s pretty special.”
In the second game following his trade from the Cleveland Browns, the 40-year-old helped Cincinnati snap a four-game losing streak. He was 31-of-47 passing for 342 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first win for the Bengals (3-4) since starting quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2.
Burrow watched from the sideline with a walking boot on his left foot as Flacco made plays in the closing minutes to prevent Cincinnati from a devastating collapse. The Bengals trailed by a point after leading for the bulk of the contest when Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers with 2:21 left.
But in his 23rd regular-season game against the Steelers (4-2), Flacco delivered. With Cincinnati on the cusp of field goal range, he hit wide receiver Tee Higgins for a 28-yard completion down the left sideline that made McPherson’s kick a relatively easy one.
McPherson is among those who have enjoyed having the veteran quarterback on their team.
“I love his attitude and what he brings to the team,” said McPherson, who now has eight career tying or go-ahead kicks in the final two minutes of a regular-season contest. “He’s done a really good job connecting with guys on a really short notice.”
Flacco did most of his connecting with Higgins and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase against the Steelers. Chase set a franchise record with 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. It was his ninth game with more than 150 receiving yards, passing Jerry Rice for the second most in the first five seasons of an NFL career.
Chase again praised the franchise’s decision to acquire Flacco to be the starting quarterback.
“It’s honestly good having him here for us,” Chase said. “Organization made a big jump on him. We believed in him. We got him. He came in, doing his thing and showing off for us.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Flacco’s experience was crucial in a game that Cincinnati “needed to have.” And the veteran almost made it look effortless.
“It’s easy for him,” Taylor said. “And it’s not, because he’s putting in the work. He’s so experienced in this situation. You gain a lot of confidence from that because he goes out there [and] it’s not too big.”
Last week, Flacco was going down Interstate 75, talking to Taylor on the phone as the coach started explaining as much of the playbook as quickly as possible. Despite his experience, Flacco wanted to make sure he didn’t waste an opportunity.
On Thursday night, Flacco talked about the relief his family probably felt to see him complete another game. In his postgame news conference, Flacco said he was eager to hear how that relief morphed into excitement.
“I can’t wait to talk to my wife tonight and just hear it in her voice and all those things,” Flacco said. “Talking to [family] reminds you of how special this is.”
ISLAMABAD: Eight Pakistani officials have been appointed to key committees of the International Tennis Federation and the Asian Tennis Federation for the 2026–2027 term, marking a significant achievement for Pakistan’s tennis community.
The appointments are being viewed as a recognition of Pakistan’s growing role in the development and governance of tennis at both regional and international levels.
Representation in ITF Committees
Pakistan’s top tennis player and President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, has been selected as a member of the ITF Athlete Commission.
Other Pakistani officials appointed to ITF committees include:
Sara Mansoor – ITF Coaches Commission
Syed Muhammad Ali Murtaza – ITF Juniors Committee
Pakistani Officials in ATF Committees
Several Pakistani representatives have also been appointed to committees of the Asian Tennis Federation:
Salim Saifullah Khan – Finance Committee, Development Advisory Group, Legal, Constitution & Ethics Committee
Ziauddin Tufail – Junior and Coaches Development Committee
Rashid Malik – Marketing and Sponsorship Committee
Shehzad Akhtar Alvi – Tournament Officiating Committee
Sara Mansoor – ATF Advantage All Committee
Muhammad Khalid Rehmani – Senior, Wheelchair and Beach Tennis Committee
Recognition for Pakistan Tennis
Speaking on the occasion, Salim Saifullah Khan said the appointments demonstrate the trust of international tennis bodies in Pakistani officials to contribute to the global development of the sport.
PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi also described the development as a proud moment for Pakistan, saying it will strengthen the country’s role in international tennis and open new opportunities for the sport’s growth in the region.
PTF Secretary General Ziauddin Tufail congratulated the appointed officials and expressed confidence that they would represent Pakistan effectively at the international level.
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Aaron Judge wasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer.
Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a first-inning two-run home run, while Brice Turang had three hits and four RBI to lead Team USA to a whopping win over Brazil in its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.
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Cal Raleigh #29, Byron Buxton #25, and Roman Anthony #3 of the United States celebrate after scoring from an RBI double hit by Brice Turang #13 of the United States in the fifth inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston’s Daikin Park.
Lucas Ramirez homered twice for Brazil with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.
Aaron Judge #99 of the United States celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game.
Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1. Turang cleared the bases with his double to left field two pitches later to make it 7-1.
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Brice Turang #13 of Team USA hits a three-run double in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Brazil at Daikin Park on Friday, March 6, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Brazil is in the WBC for just the second time and first since 2013. The team fell to 0-4 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013.
Another highlight for Brazil came when 17-year-old high school senior Joseph Contreras got Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play to end the second inning. Contreras, the youngest player in the WBC this year, is the son of pitcher José Contreras, who played 11 MLB seasons.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Luis Díaz scored one goal and made another as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-1 on Friday to extend its lead at the top of the Bundesliga to 14 points over second-place Borussia Dortmund.
With Harry Kane injured, Nicolas Jackson started in the centre-forward position for Bayern, one of seven changes to the side that beat Dortmund in Der Klassiker last weekend.
But it was Colombian Díaz who started the rampage.
He opened the scoring after 33 minutes with a crashing volley and then turned provider 12 minutes later when his clever pass set up Konrad Laimer to make it 2-0.
Bayern’s task was made easier when Rocco Reitz was sent off for rugby tackling Jackson 10 minutes into the second half.
Stefan Matzke – sampics/Getty Images
Jamal Musiala dispatched the resulting penalty to score his first goal of the season and Jackson celebrated his return to the side by adding a fourth 11 minutes from time.
Wael Mohya, 17, grabbed a consolation goal for Gladbach in the dying moments, becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer.
The only disconcerting note for reigning champion Bayern was the withdrawal at halftime of Manuel Neuer. The Germany goalkeeper had returned after missing two games through injury. The extent of his complaint was not immediately apparent.
Gladbach remains in 12th place with 25 points, only three clear of the relegation zone.
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