Sports
Man United’s big night was disappointing, but not their spirit
MANCHESTER, England — Bayern Munich‘s wonderful forward Pernille Harder grew up in a Manchester United household. Her father supports the club, so naturally she followed in his footsteps. She remembers Ryan Giggs’ goal against Arsenal in 1999, and her dad frequently giving her updates on how fellow Dane Peter Schmeichel was doing in goal for the club.
But unfortunately for United, that passion for the club has morphed later in life into Harder’s uncanny ability to score against them. On a freezing night, she scored near-identical goals in each half at Old Trafford and though United fought back on both occasions, Momoko Tanikawa‘s 83rd-minute winner gave the German side a 3-2 win and a firm hold on the tie ahead of the return leg in Munich next week.
It wasn’t meant to be like this from a United perspective. Marc Skinner’s pre-match message to the Manchester United players ahead of one of the biggest nights in the women’s team’s history was to “maximize the moment.”
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He wanted his team to embrace everything that came with their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich: to walk tall in Old Trafford and write their own page in the rich history of this fixture between the two clubs. He said they had to fight from the first until the last minute.
And then United conceded after 98 seconds. Their defense was bisected by a single ball from Arianna Caruso, leaving Harder with what seemed like eons to pick her spot and give Bayern the lead.
Everyone has a plan until you’re punched in the face and all that. Perhaps by the time United’s players had compartmentalized all the pre-match messaging and done their best to mentally set themselves for such an occasion, the first jab floored them.
But credit to United, they pulled themselves together, got off the canvas, and a handball from Bayern captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir gave Maya Le Tissier a chance to draw things level. But from there, United never really took charge of the match, remaining reactive rather than ever being on the front foot.
This is all uncharted territory for this group of United players in what is their first foray in the Champions League. Every match is a raw experience. And on top of that, you feel they’re navigating a lot of this with one hand tied behind their back, such is the paper-thin nature of their squad.
Tonight they were without key players Ella Toone, Anna Sandberg, Dominique Janssen, Leah Galton and Ellen Wangerheim.
Their midfielder Hinata Miyazawa won the Asian Cup for Japan in Sydney on Saturday, arrived back on Monday, trained Tuesday and played tonight. She’s the heartbeat of the team. All of those absentees left Skinner with an easy decision over which team to pick, given he only had five outfield players on the bench.
So it was a familiar refrain when Tanikawa sent another through ball in and around the heart of United’s defense to give Harder time again to make it 2-1 in the 71st minute. United only needed five minutes to strike back with Hanna Lundkvist heading home a corner, but at this point, you felt United had expended all their energy.
It was a frantic match, and at times sloppy and scrappy, but Bayern still had a gear or two, and it was no surprise to see Tanikawa stroke home a beautiful winner with six minutes left. Advantage Bayern, but United aren’t completely out of it.
United’s budget is far lower than their Women’s Super League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, who played last night in their quarterfinal at the Emirates, so it is to their immense credit that they’ve progressed this far, especially given this journey started back on Aug. 27 with a qualifying match against PSV. Then came their group stage, where they beat Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, but fell to OL Lyonnes and Wolfsburg.
So with Bayern coming to town, a team unbeaten in 12 and sitting atop the Frauen-Bundesliga with an 11-point advantage, United were underdogs. But despite their awful start, they didn’t give an inch from thereon in, but it always felt like Bayern were the better team.
Harder is United’s bête noire. She has five goals and two assists in eight appearances against them across both her time at Chelsea (2020-23) and this match with Bayern.
You’d have thought they’d have learnt that if you give her an inch, she takes a goal. She was ruthless, while Georgia Stanway was industrious in midfield, and Franziska Kett was also outstanding. And all that without the brilliant Klara Bühl and Lena Oberdorf. At times, Bayern looked a little bit sluggish, as their passes weren’t quite on point and the odd lapse let United have more time in front of goal than they should have been afforded.
Perhaps that’s what happens when you have a huge lead at the top of the league and you’re swiping aside opponents week after week. Their 20 or so fans who travelled were vocal throughout, sometimes the only voice booming out from the sole stand with spectators, though their rendition of “Football’s Coming Home” in the closing stages was a little strange.
For United, Lea Schüller‘s form in front of goal remains a concern. She was signed from Bayern to be their new focal point up front, but she has a meager return of just one goal so far, which came against third-tier Burnley in the FA Cup.
Again, she rallied against Bayern and got through an awful lot of work, but just couldn’t get the breakthrough. Le Tissier got through an awful lot of work in defense, while Julia Zigiotti Olme was their best player in midfield. Jess Park showed some great flourishes off the wing, but United ultimately didn’t have the firepower to convert from open play.
Two set-piece goals was a decent return from the chances created, but they have to find more oomph up front if they are to win in Munich.
The nostalgia of this fixture was inescapable; it’s just a shame there weren’t more fans there to soak it in. The attendance of 7,513 left oceans of empty seats in Old Trafford, and judging from the TV screens in the press box, it would’ve made sense to fill the TV arc on the far side of the stadium to at least show this match wasn’t a throwback to the pandemic days of sparse stadiums.
However, to those who did turn up watched a United team that did heed Skinner’s wish of fighting to the bitter end. The only issue for United was that Bayern just had a touch more class, and a player in Harder who loves scoring against them.
CHICAGO — Alabama players sat teary-eyed at their lockers Friday night at the United Center, still processing a season with plenty of twists before reaching its endpoint against Michigan in the Sweet 16.
The No. 4 seed Crimson Tide started their 14th different lineup against No. 1 seed Michigan, one that had carried them to two dominant wins in the NCAA tournament but ultimately wouldn’t measure up in a 90-77 loss. Alabama’s starters could have included center Charles Bediako and guard Aden Holloway, who both contributed during the season but are no longer with the team, albeit for very different reasons.
“We would not have gotten outrebounded by 13 tonight had we been able to continue to play [Bediako],” coach Nate Oats said.
Michigan held a 46-32 edge in rebounds and finished with 34 points in the paint, while the Tide had 20. Alabama’s Aiden Sherrell, a forward who had to play some center without another sizable low-post presence, acknowledged the season contained “some complicated things.”
“But as a team, we did a great job fighting all the adversity and keeping it between us,” he said.
Oats praised the group as one of the most enjoyable he has had, noting that the team’s leadership was the best he has seen in seven seasons at Alabama. The coach noted all the lineups Alabama used, and added that he “couldn’t be more proud of the group.”
The Tide played their third straight game without Holloway, their second-leading scorer (16.8 points per game) and a third-team All-SEC selection, who was arrested on a felony drug charge earlier this month. An Alabama judge granted Holloway’s request to travel Friday, but he did not join the team and remained banned from all school-related activities. Police found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in Holloway’s apartment after they executed a search warrant in Tuscaloosa.
Bediako’s absence was felt more in the Michigan loss, even though he last played for Alabama on Feb. 7 against Auburn. The 7-footer left Alabama for the NBA draft in 2023, signed a two-way NBA contract and played the past three seasons in the G League. He returned to play five games for the Tide and averaged 10 points and 4.6 rebounds while navigating the courts, but ultimately had a motion for a preliminary injunction denied by a state judge in February, ending his college career.
After Saturday’s loss, Oats referenced the case of Baylor center James Nnaji, another former NBA draft pick who never played in the league. Nnaji was cleared to play on Christmas Eve.
“We saw the opportunity to bring some size on after all the adversity we went through, after Nnaji was declared eligible, and most people, including ourselves, thought if they’re going to make Nnaji eligible, that Bediako would be eligible,” Oats said. “We had one judge who thought so. He would’ve definitely helped the situation with the rebounding.”
Guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and others said players have often talked about everything that transpired during the season, which is why they will never forget the 2025-26 team.
“We stayed together, we played for each other, we built off of continuous growth, selfless love and maximum effort,” Sherrell said. “We just stuck through this to those core values, and we went this far.”
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Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
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Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
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Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
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Mohamed Salah formally broke the news on Tuesday that many Liverpool fans had felt was coming for several months: that he will be cutting his contract short and leaving Anfield on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Salah signed a new two-year deal with the Reds last summer. However, since then a dip in form, a slip down the pecking order, an explosive public outburst and a subsequent nosedive in his relationship with head coach Arne Slot, has seen the Egypt international fail to get as much game time as he feels he deserves.
However, since arriving in 2017, Salah has firmly established himself as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players and will undoubtedly depart a hero regardless of the current circumstances.
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The 33-year-old has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for the club (putting him third on their all-time list) and been instrumental in two Premier League title triumphs, domestic cup successes and the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2018-19.
He has also collected a number of individual plaudits, including three PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards, two Premier League Player of the Season awards and four Premier League Golden Boots.
Salah was also bestowed with the illustrious Puskás Award as part of The Best FIFA Award gala night in 2018, which — unlike the majority of his vast array of prizes and trophies — raised more than a few quizzical eyebrows around the world.
The forward was handed world football’s Goal of the Year award via an online fan vote for his strike against Everton in December 2017, when he collected the ball on the edge of the box before darting between two defenders and curling an exquisite finish beyond the goalkeeper.
Of course, it was and remains a perfectly decent goal. Yet many at the time were baffled to see Salah’s effort deemed to be the most beautiful goal scored that year … when it wasn’t even his best goal of 2017-18, or anywhere close.
The sentiment was even echoed by teammate James Milner, who offered wry congratulations to his then-Liverpool teammate after the winner was announced, fending off competition from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and a clutch of scorching golazos from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“Congrats Mo Salah on your 7th best goal from last season winning goal of the year,” Milner wrote in a social-media post which also featured “#oneofmanyworldies” among several hashtags and emojis.
But was Milner right? By our count there were at least six Salah strikes from his imperious 2017-18 season that deserved a place on the Puskás short list ahead of his goal in the Merseyside derby. But, whether you agree with this subjective list or not, it serves as a reminder of just what a player Salah has been for Liverpool.
Salah scored twice in a 3-0 victory against Southampton including a lovely effort from outside the box. The precise, angled finish was fairly similar to his strike against Everton but from a little further out.
2. Nov. 29, 2017 vs. Stoke City
Another rampant 3-0 win saw Salah score the goal of the game when he connected with a dinked cross from Sadio Mané to thump a vicious volley past the goalkeeper. The powerful finish was actually voted Goal of the Month by Liverpool fans.
Liverpool inflicted a first Premier League defeat of 2017-18 on Manchester City with a frantic 4-3 victory over the leaders at Anfield that went down as the game of the season. The score went from 1-1 to 4-1 in the space of just nine hectic minutes with Salah scoring what proved to be the decisive goal with an audacious 35-yard lob.
Liverpool and Spurs contested another dramatic thriller that saw the two sides trade stoppage-time goals in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Anfield. Salah opened the scoring for the home side before Victor Wanyama pegged them back with an absolutely monstrous hit from distance. The Egypt international then looked to have snatched a 91st-minute win when he wriggled through a cluster of four defenders and belted it past Hugo Lloris. However, a 96-minute penalty from Harry Kane spoiled the party somewhat.
5. March 17, 2018 vs. Watford
Salah scored four goals (and assisted the other) in a 5-0 rout at Anfield on what proved to be one of many virtuoso displays for the nimble forward this season. His first was good, the second was slick and the third was nigh-on ingenious as the Reds star somehow fended off an entire pack of defenders before prodding an improvised finish past the goalkeeper.
6. April 24, 2018 vs. AS Roma
If you’ll forgive the obvious pun, Salah filed another five-star performance in Liverpool’s 5-2 thrashing of his former club in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal. He opened the scoring with his best goal of the night, curling an immaculate shot beyond the outstretched arm of future teammate Alisson Becker. He then dinked home a second before laying on assists for the Reds’ third and fourth goals of the evening.
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