Sports
PSG set up Mbappe reunion in Club World Cup semi with Real
Down to nine men, Paris Saint-Germain clinched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday in Atlanta, setting up a Club World Cup semifinal showdown with former star Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid.
Los Blancos squeezed out Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in New Jersey in the day’s other quarterfinal clash, with Mbappe on the scoresheet for the first time at the tournament.
Luis Enrique’s PSG needed to dig deep in front of 67,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.
The French side won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history in May, despite their key player Mbappe departing for Real last year.
Young forward Desire Doue, who shone on PSG’s road to European glory, and Ballon d’Or candidate Ousmane Dembele got the goals in the second half of an enthralling clash against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern, who had two strikes ruled out for offside.
The German giants also lost playmaker Jamal Musiala to a horror ankle injury just before halftime, which Kompany said made his “blood boil” because of how unfortunate it is for the 22-year-old.
“After the first red card, it became complicated, then with two players less it was a bit of a lottery,” said a relieved Luis Enrique.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer both made several excellent saves in a pulsating battle at the air-conditioned, covered venue, which allowed both sides’ high-pressing, attacking approaches to shine.
Players and spectators at both matches observed a minute of silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash Thursday.
PSG’s clash with Bayern was FIFA’s expanded tournament’s biggest heavyweight clash thus far and the game delivered, even if fans had to wait until the 78th minute for the opener.
After Harry Kane gave the ball away, PSG surged forward and 20-year-old Doue fashioned some space on the edge of the box before flashing a low strike home at the near post.
Bayern were given hope as they hunted for an equaliser when PSG defender Pacho was sent off for a high tackle on Leon Goretzka after 83 minutes.
Kane had a goal disallowed for offside, like Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano in the first half, and after Hernandez was dismissed for an elbow, Dembele tucked home the second in stoppage time, paying tribute to Jota by copying his video-gaming celebration.
“In the first half, we showed them who we are and they had problems with us,” said Bayern substitute Thomas Mueller, who played his last game for the club.
Mbappe strikes
Real Madrid cruised for the most part against Dortmund before a flurry of goals at the end left them in danger of losing their lead.
Xabi Alonso, unbeaten at the helm, shifted back to a four-man defence against Niko Kovac’s side, shorn of suspended Jobe Bellingham, who would have loved to face his older brother, Madrid’s Jude.
The coach decided to leave Mbappe, who missed the three group games after a stomach bug, on the bench and persist with Gonzalo Garcia up front.
The 21-year-old striker paid back Alonso for his confidence by grabbing his fourth goal of the tournament after 10 minutes with a close-range finish from Arda Güler’s cross.
“He’s doing great work for the team … he’s in the right position in the box, he’s a proper number nine,” said Alonso.
In the 20th minute, Fran Garcia doubled Los Blancos’ lead, rushing into the box to polish off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s dangerous ball across the face of goal.
Madrid were cruising to victory until Max Beier drilled home in stoppage time.
Real responded, with substitute Mbappe netting his 44th goal of the season with an acrobatic finish from another Guler cross.
He paid tribute to the late Jota by making the number 20 with his hands, the Portuguese striker’s shirt number at Liverpool.
Madrid were not home and dry. Dean Huijsen was sent off for tugging back Serhou Guirassy as he ran through and the Guinea international netted from the spot, but Dortmund had no time to equalize.
“Everything was under control with the result, not conceding much, but the last 10 minutes were kind of crazy,” said Alonso.
“We lost our shape and our intensity, and luckily nothing went wrong.”
Organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games revealed the official visual identity Monday, showcasing a floral-themed design system that celebrates the city’s neighborhoods, landscapes and cultural spirit.
The branding will appear across competition venues, fan zones, citywide installations, signage, digital platforms and broadcast presentations during the Games, LA28 said.
At the heart of the design is the “Superbloom,” inspired by Southern California’s wildflower surges that follow seasonal rains. LA28 described it as a metaphor for the Games, where years of preparation culminate in a brief, high-profile global spectacle.
The core graphic is composed of 13 individual blooms, each symbolizing a different facet of Los Angeles, from its entertainment culture to its neighborhoods, people and native environment.
The color palette draws on the bird of paradise, the official flower of Los Angeles, and is grouped into four families, poppy, scarlet flax, bluebell and sagebrush, to evoke the region’s terrain and vegetation.
Organizers said the typographic style was inspired by Los Angeles street signage, including strip mall and hand-painted storefront lettering, in an effort to give the identity a distinctly local feel.
LA28 said the design was developed to work across a wide range of settings, from nearly century-old venues to new facilities, while also accounting for broadcast requirements, digital formats and lighting conditions.
The organizing committee partnered with design studio Koto on the project.
The identity was unveiled more than two years before the Olympic opening ceremony in what organizers described as an unusually early rollout, giving partners and stakeholders more time to incorporate the branding into their materials.
Los Angeles will host the Olympics for a third time in 2028, after staging the Games in 1932 and 1984. It will also host the Paralympics for the first time.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance, values or position of Daily Sabah. The newspaper provides space for diverse perspectives as part of its commitment to open and informed public discussion.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami Open campaign came to a halt in the third round Sunday, as Sebastian Korda outlasted the world No. 1 in a gripping three-set battle.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, fresh off completing a career Grand Slam with his Australian Open triumph in January, slipped to 17-2 on the season.
The defeat follows his semifinal exit to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells last week, marking a rare dip in form for the tour’s top-ranked player.
Korda looked poised to finish the job in straight sets when he served for the match at 5-4 in the second, only for Alcaraz to surge back with five straight games and force a decider.
The 25-year-old American, however, steadied himself in the third, sealing a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory in two hours, 19 minutes.
“It was a tough match,” Alcaraz said. “He was incredible today, played at a really high level. There were key moments I didn’t take, and he handled those situations better.”
Ranked No. 36, Korda became the lowest-ranked player to defeat Alcaraz since David Goffin, then No. 55, pulled off a similar upset at the same tournament last year, according to the ATP Tour.
“A lot of tense moments, for sure,” Korda said. “But I think today the ultimate thing was belief, going back to just believing, committing to every shot, and luckily I got it done at the end.”
Next up for Korda is qualifier Martin Landaluce, who advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) win against 14th-seeded Karen Khachanov.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul joined Korda in the fourth round. The sixth-seeded Fritz beat Reilly Opelka 6-3, 6-4, and No. 22 seed Paul eliminated Raphael Collignon with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) victory.
No. 21 Jiri Lehecka, No. 24 Valentin Vacherot and No. 29 Tomas Martin Etcheverry also were among the winners.
On the women’s side, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 win against Catherine McNally. No. 3 Elena Rybakina beat No. 27 Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4, and No. 5 Jessica Pegula posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 26 Leylah Fernandez.
No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, No. 9 Elina Svitolina, No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 15 Madison Keys and No. 18 Iva Jovic were eliminated. Paolini lost to No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in three sets, and Svitolina was knocked out by Hailey Baptiste in straight sets.
Türkiye’s Toprak Razgatlıoğlu continued his baptism of fire in the MotoGP World Championship, finishing 17th at the Brazilian Grand Prix as the rookie navigates the sharp transition to the sport’s elite level.
Round two of the season at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania on Sunday offered little respite.
Extreme heat and tire degradation forced race officials to shorten the contest to 23 laps, turning it into a survival test as much as a speed contest.
For Razgatlıoğlu, racing with Prima Pramac Yamaha on the new YZR-M1 V4 prototype, the challenge was relentless.
The 29-year-old crossed the line 17th, over 30 seconds behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi, repeating his result from his debut outing in Thailand earlier this month.
Yet the raw result only tells part of the story.
Across the weekend, Razgatlıoğlu showed flashes of the aggressive talent that made him a three-time World Superbike champion.
He pushed into Q2 during qualifying and briefly ran among the front-runners in tricky, changing conditions, signaling his growing confidence on unfamiliar machinery.
Race day, however, exposed the gap that still separates him from MotoGP’s established names.
The Turkish rider struggled with tire management and overall bike feel in the punishing Brazilian heat, key factors that define performance in the premier class.
The technical demands of the prototype Yamaha, particularly compared to the production-based Superbikes he once dominated, remain a work in progress.
His team also endured a difficult outing, with teammate Jack Miller retiring early, underlining the broader challenges facing the Pramac Yamaha setup.
Still, Razgatlıoğlu’s presence marks a milestone.
As MotoGP’s first Turkish rider, he carries both expectation and history, attempting to translate his Superbike success into competitiveness on the sport’s biggest stage. For now, progress is measured less in points and more in adaptation.
At the front, Bezzecchi’s victory secured back-to-back wins to open the season and extended his winning streak to four races, strengthening his early championship lead. But for Razgatlıoğlu, the focus remains inward, on closing the gap step by step.
The next opportunity comes quickly. The championship moves to Austin for the United States Grand Prix on March 29, where Razgatlıoğlu will aim to build on two demanding weekends and edge closer to the points.
Galatasaray’s Champions League hopes ended in heartbreak at Anfield, where Liverpool routed the Turkish champions 4-0 on March 18, 2026, completing a 4-1 aggregate to reach the quarterfinals.
The loss was compounded by the injury of Galatasaray’s star striker Victor Osimhen, who fractured his right forearm in an aerial collision with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté early in the first half.
The 27-year-old Nigerian displayed grit by continuing briefly with a bandaged arm but was substituted at halftime as pain worsened.
Galatasaray confirmed the fracture after hospital evaluation and announced surgery would follow further assessment.
Osimhen traveled to Nigeria during Galatasaray’s brief break, appearing on a Twitch livestream with influencer Carter Efe.
He confirmed the need for surgery and outlined a 4-6 week recovery window.
“Six weeks at most. Most of the time, it’s four weeks, then two weeks to train alone, regain fitness, and rejoin the team,” he said, adding that two Liverpool players had apologized for the incident. His relaxed demeanor and occasional brace-free movements in Nigeria sparked mixed reactions online.
Back in Istanbul on March 22, Osimhen underwent further scans to finalize the surgery plan. Galatasaray and local outlets report that the operation could take place within 48-72 hours, depending on swelling and fracture assessment. While an initial conservative approach was considered, surgery is now deemed necessary.
Prominent Turkish commentator Levent Tüzemen noted in his Monday column that the specific surgical method could allow Osimhen an earlier-than-expected return.
He emphasized the striker’s importance: “Galatasaray has adapted to Osimhen’s style. Both scorer and goalkeeper matter. Uğurcan makes saves; Osimhen scores or sets up goals. Losing him will be felt for more than a month.”
Tüzemen expects Galatasaray to adjust with Lang on the left, a Yunus-Sane-Sallai option on the right, and Barış leading the attack.
Osimhen’s absence will impact upcoming Süper Lig clashes, including the Istanbul derby against Fenerbahçe on April 26.
African football is grappling with a crisis that has shifted the narrative of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations from a dramatic final to a defining battle over governance, legitimacy, and the limits of authority, with Sadio Mane at the center after being ordered to return his Player of the Tournament award.
What unfolded in Rabat on Jan. 18, 2026 was initially remembered as a tense, hard-fought decider. Senegal edged Morocco 1-0 after extra time, sealing what appeared to be their second continental crown.
But that on-field result has since been erased, replaced by a ruling that has shaken the foundations of the tournament.
At the heart of the controversy is Confederation of African Football, whose appeals board determined nearly two months later that Senegal forfeited the match.
The decision stemmed from a flashpoint deep in stoppage time, when referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after a VAR review involving Brahim Diaz.
Senegal’s bench, led by coach Pape Thiaw, reacted by pulling players off the pitch in protest.
The match was suspended for over 15 minutes as tensions spilled into the stands.
Security forces intervened, and it took the intervention of Mane to restore order and bring his teammates back.
When play resumed, the moment that triggered the chaos appeared to dissolve.
Diaz missed the penalty, denied by Edouard Mendy, and Senegal regrouped to win the match in extra time through Pape Gueye.
In the immediate aftermath, Mane was named Player of the Tournament, recognized for both his performances and leadership in defusing a volatile situation.
That narrative has now been dismantled.
CAF ruled that Senegal’s temporary withdrawal constituted a violation of competition rules, specifically provisions governing refusal to continue play.
The result was annulled and replaced with a 3-0 default win for Morocco, handing the hosts their first AFCON title in nearly five decades.
What has elevated the dispute from controversy to crisis is what followed.
CAF did not stop at the team result. It moved to align every individual accolade with the revised outcome, triggering a rare and sweeping post-tournament recalibration.
In a directive that has stunned players and officials alike, Mane has been asked to return his MVP award, a decision that cuts to the core of how individual excellence is judged.
The award has now been reassigned to Diaz, whose tournament tally of five goals and consistent influence for Morocco positioned him as a leading contender even before the final.
With the revision, he is no longer just a standout performer but the official face of a tournament rewritten after its conclusion.
For Senegal, the response has been defiant. Federation officials have rejected the ruling outright, describing it as unjust and unprecedented.
Plans are underway to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a process that could take months and potentially redefine the outcome once again.
Reports indicate the disputed trophies, both team and individual, have been secured domestically, signaling a refusal to recognize CAF’s authority on the matter.
Beyond the immediate standoff, the broader implications are significant.
Critics argue that retroactively altering both results and awards undermines the integrity of competition, eroding the principle that matches are decided on the pitch.
The delay in CAF’s ruling has also drawn scrutiny, raising questions about consistency, transparency, and timing in disciplinary decisions.
Ronald Araujo rose highest to head Barcelona to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, stretching their La Liga lead over Real Madrid to seven points.
Real Madrid, coached by Alvaro Arbeloa, face city rivals Atletico Madrid later in a derby clash that could shape the title race.
Araujo powered in Joao Cancelo’s corner in the 24th minute at Camp Nou, a decisive moment in an otherwise tense contest in which goalkeeper Joan Garcia proved just as vital.
“We knew how important it was to win before the international break. We did, but we suffered more than we wanted,” Garcia told DAZN.
“They caused us problems, and we weren’t at our usual level on the ball. But we knew we had to win. What the other teams do is out of our hands.”
Hansi Flick’s side started sluggishly and were nearly punished early, but Garcia reacted sharply to deny Carlos Martin from close range, setting the tone for a resilient defensive display.
Recently called up by Luis de la Fuente to the Spain squad for upcoming friendlies, Garcia made several excellent saves to keep Rayo at bay, with the visitors dominant in the second half.
At the other end, Raphinha was guilty of wasteful finishing on several occasions. The winger scuffed wide after picking Pathe Ciss’s pocket and charging through on goal.
A few minutes later, Ciss appeared to bring down teenage star Lamine Yamal in the area, but the Barcelona player’s appeals were waved away by the referee.
Yamal’s superb outside-of-the-boot cross created another fine chance for Raphinha, but the Brazilian’s mis-hit effort was tipped over by Augusto Batalla.
Barcelona took the lead through Araujo’s header from Cancelo’s corner midway through the first half.
Araujo has not featured much since taking a mental health break late last year but came on as a substitute in Barcelona’s 7-2 Champions League rout of Newcastle in midweek.
With Eric Garcia rested because of a muscle issue, Flick started the Uruguay international at right back and was rewarded with what proved to be the winner.
Barcelona hold firm
The hosts came close to a second after the break, but Yamal dragged a low effort across the face of goal.
Rayo took control and began creating dangerous chances in search of an equalizer.
Joan Garcia denied Alvaro Garcia and then produced a spectacular save to push away Unai Lopez’s header.
Pacha Espino should have leveled for the visitors but, after beating Barcelona’s high line and staying onside, curled his effort over the bar.
Garcia pushed away a Jorge de Frutos drive before six minutes of stoppage time were added, but Barcelona held on.
“The second half was perfect, but we lacked the goal,” said Rayo coach Inigo Perez.
“(Joan Garcia) appeared at key moments when we might have been able to draw.”
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