Sports
Impressive win for Man City provides more doubts on Alonso’s future at Madrid
Manchester City piled the pressure on Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso with a 2-1 win on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.
Speculation about Alonso’s future dominated the build-up to the game, and there was no respite for the former Spain midfielder as City came back from a goal down to win at the Santiago Bernabéu. After Real Madrid saw an early penalty overturned by VAR, Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 28th minute when the Brazilian finished off a well-worked move which began deep in the home side’s half.
But City recovered from a slow start to score twice in eight minutes at the end of the first half.
First, Nico O’Reilly tapped in from close range after Thibaut Courtois slipped Josko Gvardiol‘s header from a corner. And then referee Clement Turpin was back at the screen to award City a penalty for a clumsy challenge from Antonio Rüdiger on Erling Haaland.
Haaland tucked away the penalty and although Real Madrid created plenty of pressure in the second half, they couldn’t find a way through as they slumped to a second home defeat in the space of four days. It’s now just two wins from eight games for Alonso’s team, with his position seemingly hanging by a thread. — Rob Dawson
– Man City have a history of overtaking Arsenal; can they hold their nerve?
– Kylian Mbappé closes on Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid goal record
– Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester City: Champions League clash as it happened
Madrid competed, but is it enough to save Alonso?
Pep Guardiola had one piece of advice for Alonso in his Tuesday news conference: do things your way.
A day later at the Bernabéu, in the biggest game of Real Madrid’s season so far, Alonso did exactly that. If Alonso is to lose his job as Real Madrid coach, he might as well do so by picking a team he believes in and playing the football he wants to play, without compromise. That meant Gonzalo García, Alonso’s FIFA Club World Cup favorite, coming in for the injured Kylian Mbappé. It meant Federico Valverde playing as a reluctant right back, whether he likes it or not.
It meant Dani Ceballos coming into the midfield, with Arda Güler benched. And on the wing, Alonso kept faith in Rodrygo, despite his 32-game goalless streak. For much of this defeat, the players at least appeared to be playing for their coach, although it probably helped that it was a Champions League night, against a big name in annual rivals City, and facing Madrid’s public enemy number one, Guardiola.
Right from the start, there was a noticeable, crowd-pleasing effort to work hard out of possession, pressing City, and looking to win the ball high up the pitch, an Alonso trademark which had been seemingly forgotten — whether by accident or design — in Madrid’s slump in form in recent weeks.
After just two minutes, Madrid won a free kick on the edge of the box — initially given as a penalty — which sprung from Jude Bellingham winning the ball in a dangerous position. Three minutes later, as City broke forward, Valverde raced back to cover. Four minutes after that, it was Bellingham working to dispossess Bernardo Silva.
Then came the first-half flurry of goals, as Madrid’s lead was cancelled out. The second half started with Madrid looking bright, although there were worrying opportunities for City, too.
The reaction from the Bernabéu crowd to Alonso’s substitutions suggested the fans have doubts about the coach. His first change, after an hour, withdrawing fan favorite Garcia for midfielder Güler, was met with a bemused, questioning silence, with the team chasing a goal.
The noise when Ceballos was withdrawn for Brahim Díaz was similarly subdued. Only when Endrick was thrown on for a defender, Raúl Asencio, with 10 minutes left, did the Bernabéu roar. Madrid pushed for an equaliser to the end. They competed with City. This was a defeat, but it wasn’t an embarrassing one. And that might just be enough to keep Alonso in his job, at least for the time being.— Alex Kirland
City prove Pep’s point
Guardiola said at his news conference in Madrid on Tuesday that City are “in a little bit of transition.” You can understand why.
So often for big games in the Bernabéu, he’s had Éderson, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne. Now, they’ve all moved on.
Only three players who started the Champions League final in 2023 — Haaland, Silva and Rúben Dias — also started against Real Madrid on Wednesday. This is a new-look team and ahead of the game, Guardiola said he wanted his players to “prove” they could perform on the big stage.
They answered with City’s first win here since 2020.
O’Reilly, only 20, was superb at left back up against Rodrygo, who had a good game. Jérémy Doku, 23, was a constant menace on the left wing and caused Valverde, stepping in at right back for Real Madrid, a lot of problems, particularly in the second half. Guardiola’s feeling is that the Bernabéu is a great test of a team, and City passed the examination. — Dawson
No Mbappé, but Rodrygo belatedly steps up
Mbappé was on the bench, but speaking prematch, Alonso made it clear there was little chance of him making an impact tonight. “Kylian isn’t fit to play,” Alonso told Spanish television. “There’s a risk.”
Without him and his nine Champions League goals this season, Madrid’s prospects of finding the back of Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s net looked slim. Rodrygo hadn’t scored in nine months going into Wednesday’s game. Garcia hadn’t scored in five months. Even Vinícius Júnior hadn’t scored in two months.
But if Rodrygo — who has looked completely lost in recent weeks — was going to score against any team, it had to be City. He’s always found another level in the Champions League, scoring twice as frequently in the competition as he does in LaLiga, and he’s scored more goals against City than any other side, with two goals when the teams met in 2022, and another two in 2024.
Now add 2025 to the list. His goal was a vintage Rodrygo finish, struck low across goal from the right-hand side, a position he personally doesn’t enjoy. A 32-game drought over, you could see the relief in his celebration. There was a hug for Alonso too, a recognition that the coach had kept faith, when few others had.
But the goal didn’t disguise Madrid’s lack of attacking threat. Garcia’s all-around play was good, but he had no shots in his hour on the pitch. Rodrygo had two shots, and Vinícius had four. This was nothing like the volume of chances that Mbappé usually guarantees.
Madrid looked most dangerous in the last few minutes, with Endrick on the pitch — his header hitting the bar — but it wasn’t enough. Any team would miss Mbappé’s quality, and Madrid here were no exception. — Kirkland
Set pieces taking the pressure off Haaland
It was a slow start for City’s new set-piece coach, James French, who arrived from Liverpool in the summer. There was a point at the start of November when City were the only Premier League team not to have scored from a set-piece, but that’s all changed in the last few weeks.
When Josko Gvardiol headed in Phil Foden‘s corner against Sunderland on Saturday, Guardiola immediately turned and pointed to his coaches on the bench with a beaming smile.
The goal against Real Madrid wasn’t quite as clean, but they all count. It was Gvardiol again who won his header from Rayan Cherki‘s corner and O’Reilly was in the right place at the right time to finish it off after the ball had come back off Courtois.
Courtois should have done better, but Guardiola and French won’t care.
City have now scored four goals from set-pieces in their last four games. It’s a big bonus for Guardiola, who admitted earlier in the season that his team had to find ways to take some of the pressure to score goals off Haaland’s shoulders. — Dawson
Madrid pay for defensive injury list
You can’t criticize Madrid’s defending in this game — which was often found wanting, with Courtois getting them out of trouble, making six saves — without mentioning the absentees. And it’s a long, long list.
Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy would be an elite first-choice back four, and that’s without mentioning Trent Alexander-Arnold and David Alaba. Of Madrid’s starting backline, only Álvaro Carreras was expected to be a weekly starter at the beginning of the season.
That said, Rudiger is still a vastly experienced, international defender. Valverde can be an exceptional stand-in right back, and Asencio has mostly performed adequately when called upon. And here, they had to deal with Haaland, plus the pace and trickery of Doku and Cherki.
Of the four, Carreras excelled, delivering one of the most impressive performances of his Madrid career to date, offering composure on the ball and helping the team progress up the pitch when he wasn’t focused on defending. Valverde did his job, and Asencio just about coped. But Rudiger committed a characteristically needless foul on Haaland, for the penalty that ultimately cost Madrid the result.
City had 12 shots, creating two “big chances”, for an xG of 2.54. Given Madrid’s injuries, perhaps that isn’t really too bad a showing. And they’ve relied on Courtois to get them out of trouble in even bigger, more consequential games than this. — Kirkland
City still looking for defensive stability
There’s no question that this City team is capable of scoring goals. They’re the Premier League’s top scorers with 35 and have found the net 13 times in their last four games in all competitions.
The problem they’ve got is keeping them out at the other end.
Guardiola’s team have kept just two clean sheets in their last 11 games. They kept out Sunderland on Saturday — despite some shaky moments early in the second half — but Manchester United are the only team in the top six who have conceded more than City’s 16.
They were fortunate to get away with the penalty incident in the opening two minutes — overturned by VAR — after both Gvardiol and Silva were caught on the ball in the same passage of play.
Rodrygo’s goal was poor, too. It started when Silva lost out to Carreras in the corner before Real Madrid were able to work the ball from back to front without City making a challenge.
City deserve credit for withstanding Real Madrid pressure at the end, but Guardiola will want to cut out the sloppiness which was on show for the first 30 minutes. — Dawson
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Josh Weinfuss
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Jordan Reid
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Jordan Reid
NFL draft analyst
- Jordan Reid is an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, providing in-depth scouting on the nation’s top pro prospects. Jordan joined ESPN in 2021 and also contributes to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. He played quarterback at North Carolina Central University and then went on to coach there from 2014-18.
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Ben Solak
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Ben Solak
ESPN
- Ben Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Nation and The Draft Network.
Multiple Authors
TEMPE, Ariz. — After being without a head coach for almost a month, the Arizona Cardinals finally have their choice.
Arizona announced the hiring of 38-year-old Mike LaFleur on Sunday, ending a search that looked similar to previous ones by the Cardinals. As they were in 2023 when they hired Jonathan Gannon, they were once again the last team to make a hire after nine other head coaching vacancies were filled. And for the sixth time in the past 19 years, they hired a first-time NFL coach.
They also kept their pattern of alternating between offensive- and defensive-minded head coaches. LaFleur spent the past five seasons as an offensive coordinator, two with the New York Jets and three with the Los Angeles Rams. Gannon was a defensive-minded coach. He was preceded by Kliff Kingsbury, an offensive coach, who was preceded by Steve Wilks, a defensive coach, who was preceded by Bruce Arians, an offensive coach.
Arizona signed LaFleur to a five-year contract as he sets out to bring Arizona back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss and NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid break down what the hire could mean for quarterback Kyler Murray and for the Cardinals’ upcoming draft. And NFL analyst Ben Solak provides a grade.
Why Mike LaFleur?
Weinfuss: LaFleur is highly regarded around the league for his offensive acumen. And he represents a branch of the Sean McVay tree, which carries a great deal of cache.
LaFleur is the fourth McVay OC to become a head coach, joining Mike’s brother Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers, Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings and Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The three others led their teams to the playoffs.
LaFleur runs a West Coast style of offense, which would be Murray’s third different offensive style in his eight NFL seasons — should he still be around come OTAs.
Did the Cards wait too long and miss out on the top choices?
Weinfuss: It’s hard to argue that they didn’t, but general manager Monti Ossenfort said during his postseason news conference that Arizona was going to take its time.
It might not have been a matter of waiting too long and missing out on their top choices for the Cardinals, as opposed to not being as attractive of a destination as other teams. That’s mainly because of uncertainty at quarterback, facilities that have consistently received low grades in the annual NFLPA report cards and an owner in Michael Bidwell who has been famously frugal.
Where waiting this long to hire a head coach can and, likely, will hurt the Cardinals will be in hiring a staff. With LaFleur being the last coach hired this cycle, his pool of assistants to hire has been shrinking by the day.
What does this mean for Murray’s future with the Cardinals?
Weinfuss: That’s still to be determined. Murray’s contract situation is well known: He’s under contract until 2028 and has already been guaranteed $39.8 million for 2026, so there are two possibilities for Murray: Let LaFleur pick his guy, which, as an offensive-minded head coach, may be the smartest move, or Bidwell will require Murray to stay on the roster because of all the money he’s paid him for this coming season.
LaFleur hasn’t always been dealt the easiest of hands with quarterbacks. In San Francisco, he had C.J. Beathard, Nick Mullens, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer, and in New York he had Zach Wilson. Murray is a step above them talent wise, but LaFleur, who had a front-row seat for Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles the last three seasons, also has worked with an elite QB.
How can LaFleur boost his roster at No. 3 overall in the draft — and will the pick come on offense?
Reid: This roster needs help in multiple spots, so the Cardinals could go in a few different directions — and focus on either side of the ball.
Right tackle is one clear hole on the roster, and either Spencer Fano (Utah) or Francis Mauigoa (Miami) would make a lot of sense. Fano has great movement traits, while Mauigoa is a physical mauler.
But the Cardinals might instead look to add an edge rusher opposite Josh Sweat. Keep an eye on the powerful Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) and explosive David Bailey (Texas Tech). They both know how to get after the QB; both players had 71 pressures in 2025, tied for second most in the FBS.
How would you grade this hire?
Solak: B-. The Cardinals — the last team to fill its head coaching vacancy — clearly did not get their preferred candidate, as they announced the hiring of LaFleur only minutes after it was reported that Klint Kubiak was taking the Raiders job.
LaFleur is a chip off the old Kyle Shanahan block, having spent time as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator under him before taking the offensive coordinator job with Robert Saleh and the Jets. LaFleur never got the plane off the ground with Zach Wilson in New York, and will now be in charge of another young quarterback’s developmental arc, assuming Arizona moves off Kyler Murray and onto a new signal-caller.
There’s a solid ceiling here, as LaFleur is from a prolific coaching tree. But it’s hard to get too excited about what feels like a very run-of-the-mill hire.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution” after the government denied permission to the national side for a match against India in T20 World Cup 2026.
In a statement, the cricket governing body noted the government’s statement, in which it said that Pakistan would play the tournament but skip their game against India.
“While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” the ICC said.
The cricket-governing body added that such “selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions” built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness.
The ICC said that it respected the roles of governments in matters of national policy, however, it added that the decision was not “in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan”.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” the ICC stated.
The cricket-governing body asserted that its priority remained the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, saying it should also be the responsibility of all its members including the PCB.
The statement follows Pakistan’s announcement that its team would participate in the tournament but would boycott the match against arch-rival India.
The decision came following a meeting between PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026,” the government said in a post on X.
“…however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.”
Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa loom as the projected top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft. They are the precocious cream of what projects to be one of the best NBA drafts — particularly in the top 10 — in the past generation.
Who will be No. 1? ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and executives to get an early vibe, and the results indicate that there will be a rigorous debate right up to June’s draft.
Peterson received 12 votes and Dybantsa eight for the top spot. With No. 13 BYU visiting No. 14 Kansas on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), it will mark the first collegiate matchup between the two stars.
“It’s Darryn Peterson for me,” a veteran scout told ESPN. “He makes things look so effortless, it’s unbelievable. His shotmaking is unmatched. He’s the closest thing to Kobe Bryant I’ve seen since Kobe in terms of shotmaking and ability to create his own shot. He’s not the same athlete as Kobe, but no one is. He’s really special.”
Few of the scouts and executives polled indicated the choice was easy.
“It’s so close,” a veteran NBA executive told ESPN. “I’m saying 51% to 49%, just barely. I just feel like there’s a little bit more potential with AJ Dybantsa as a player who makes others better. But if you call me on March 1, I could tell you that I changed my mind.”
The NBA is descending on Lawrence, Kansas, this weekend for some additional empirical evidence.
At least 32 NBA front office personnel from 17 teams are attending the game, with seven general managers/decision-makers expected to be among them. (Also slated to attend is Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler.)
Some teams are sending multiple scouts and executives, including a majority of the front office staffs of both the Hawks (five attendees) and Indiana Pacers (six attendees). Both the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards are sending three reps.
Multiple NBA sources told ESPN that they are eager to see how Peterson looks after missing a game against Kansas State last Saturday with an ankle sprain. Kansas coach Bill Self has said he anticipates Peterson to play, and the injury has not been considered long term.
Peterson missed nine games over two separate stretches earlier in the season with a hamstring issue. With the ankle injury costing him a game, it means that he has missed half of Kansas’ games this season. He has also been managing a cramping issue.
“I don’t like the drama of playing and not playing,” said one scout, who chose Peterson as his No. 1 pick. “But he’s a scoring menace. He’s just a killer offensively.”
Dybantsa is listed at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds. Peterson is 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. It’s uncertain if they will often match up directly with each other on the floor Saturday, but they will certainly be compared and debated in the upcoming months.
The core of the debate comes to Peterson’s rare offensive upside against Dybantsa having more athleticism and two-way upside. Multiple scouts and executives mentioned having both Duke‘s Cam Boozer and North Carolina‘s Caleb Wilson in the conversation about the top pick, but none picked those players as their preference for No. 1.
One scout summed up his Dybantsa pick this way: “He’s the only one who has a chance to be elite on both ends.”
Another said about Peterson: “I think he can be a championship-level shot creator in the NBA.”
Peterson is averaging 21.6 points per game in 27.2 minutes. He is also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shooting an impressive 42% from 3-point range.
Dybantsa is scoring 23.6 points per game, snags 6.7 rebounds and dishes 3.6 assists. He has played in all 20 of BYU’s games and is shooting 31.8% from 3-point range.
No one is debating the talent at the top of this draft, as college basketball is having a freshman renaissance this season. This draft is both elite at the top and deep, with freshman stars such as Houston‘s Kingston Flemings, Louisville‘s Mikel Brown Jr., Tennessee‘s Nate Ament, Arkansas‘ Darius Acuff Jr., Arizona‘s Koa Peat, UConn‘s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Illinois‘ Keaton Wagler giving the sport an adrenaline shot of young talent.
“It is extra deep with high-end talent,” said a veteran scout. “This draft will hold up historically as one of the better ones in the last 20 years.”
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