I Dig Sports
Madrid derby features penalty drama, impressive Mbappe
MADRID -- Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in Saturday's derby means there's no change at the top of the table, with just one point still separating the two teams. Julián Álvarez's first-half penalty had Atletico hoping they might secure their first win at the Santiago Bernabéu since 2016, but Kylian Mbappé's equalizer early in the second half meant the visitors had to settle for a point.
Real had the better of the second half as both goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak, making important late saves. Here are three talking points, after a result that leaves LaLiga's title race wide open.
1. Penalty call means more ammunition for ref debate
After all the noise this week -- the refereeing complaints, the open letters, the social media posts -- it was time for the football. Or was it?
The build-up to this derby was dominated by Real's demands for "structural reform" of refereeing, and Atletico's critique of their rivals for putting officials under pressure. So of course, when the game began, it was no different.
Naturally, the spotlight was on referee Cesar Soto Grado and his VAR colleague Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea. There were deafening whistles for both officials' names when they were read out over the stadium tannoy, pre-match. The only question was: when would the first big decision come? And would they get it right?
For the first half hour of the game, very little happened: it was exactly the game Atletico and Simeone wanted, with not much football and precious few chances. Then, that moment of polémica (Spanish for "controversy") arrived.
Aurélien Tchouaméni, once again playing out of position at centre-back, reached for the ball inside the box and seems to catch Samuel Lino's foot with his studs. A long, drawn-out VAR check followed. Tchouameni had trodden on Lino's foot, but by the time the contact came, the ball had gone.
Referee Soto Grado came across to check the pitchside monitor, and as the stadium held its breath -- or rather, whistled vociferously -- he awarded a penalty that Julian Alvarez coolly converted, chipping the ball down the middle of the goal. It was the first penalty awarded against Real Madrid all season in LaLiga, but that won't stop the incident being endlessly debated and cited.
At halftime, there were more whistles as Soto Grado walked off the pitch, but that was as much a reflection of fan frustration at Real's performance as anything. In the first half, they had created very little, with an xG (expected goals) of just 0.23.
2. Mbappé leads the fightback to underline his improving form
After the break, Real Madrid looked a different side. It took just five minutes in the second half for Mbappé to equalize, pouncing on the ball inside the box, after Jude Bellingham's shot had been blocked by defender José María Giménez. Mbappé's instinctive, confident finish, struck hard into the ground to bounce up and past goalkeeper Jan Oblak, was one of a player whose form continues to curve upwards.
The France star now has 23 goals in all competitions this season, with nine of those coming already in 2025. Further proof of his form could be seen in the pre-game as he briefly celebrated with LaLiga's Player of the Month award.
Mbappé is becoming one of this team's leaders, and his reaction to the goal -- racing back to the centre circle, hungry for more -- showed that.
The goal was also a precursor to Madrid's best spell in the match. Moments later, Bellingham headed against the crossbar, reaching the ball just a fraction of a second ahead of Mbappé. Madrid were well on top, but Oblak kept Atletico in the game, weathering the storm. Later, Mbappé could have provided the perfect finale, but he was denied by Oblak in the 89th minute; at the other end, Courtois saved too in added time.
There have been doubts about whether Mbappé really is "back" considering that his goals since Christmas have mostly come against so-called lesser teams like Las Palmas, Salzburg and Real Valladolid. That wasn't the case here, and with Manchester City coming up in the Champions League, there will be two opportunities this month to put that theory to the test.
3. A draw means either team -- or Barça -- could still win LaLiga
A win for Real Madrid on Saturday night would have sent them four points clear at the top of the table. It wouldn't have been an insurmountable lead with 15 games still to play, but it would have been a significant one. But they couldn't complete the job in the second half, and the draw means Atletico -- who led the table before dropping points against Leganés and Villarreal in January -- remain very much in the picture.
Atletico's first-half performance at the Bernabéu was vintage Simeone, the team looking near-impossible to break down. They moved in unison to deny any space, sometimes with a backline of six players, with wingers Giuliano Simeone and Lino dropping back to help the defence. In that first half it meant Real Madrid, despite their much vaunted "fantastic four" attack of Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, looked toothless.
The second half was less convincing and in the end, Atletico had Oblak to thank for earning them a point.
Hansi Flick's Barcelona will have been looking on with interest, having seemingly bounced back from their December slump. A win for Barça at a struggling Sevilla on Sunday would put them a point behind Atletico and two behind Real, with Barça due to visit Atletico next month. The prospect of a proper, three-horse title race that goes the distance is now a very real one.
Balbirnie and Tucker fifties give Ireland the upper hand
Zimbabwe 267 and 38 for 3 (Bennett 15*, Humphreys 1-4, McCarthy 1-14) need another 254 runs to beat Ireland 260 and 298 (Balbirnie 66 Tucker 58, Ngarava 4-55, Gwandu 2-28, Madhevere 2-48)
Richard Ngarava, who took three of the last four wickets to fall, finished with a four-four; but it was the part-time spin of Wessly Madhevere that removed Balbirnie and Andy McBrine - Ireland's top scorers of the second and first innings respectively.
Balbinie started the day with Campher and the duo grew their partnership from 37 to 75 with relative ease. There were nicks - like in the first over of the day - that weren't carrying, the funky fields from Jonathan Campbell weren't forcing batters into shots, and Blessing Muzarababi's five-over opening spell was seen off without loss.
Campher picked up two boundaries off Trevor Gwandu - a stylish whip and a technically sound straight drive - before the bowler found his length to quieten the batter and then nick him off after drinks.
Ireland were 121 for 2 - a great entry point for Harry Tector, who got off a pair and got into his innings cautiously. Balbirnie, meanwhile, coasted along at his own pace to bring up a 106-ball fifty. He nearly dragged one on in the 34th over and weathered an examination by spin to take the lead up to 142 at lunch.
The spin of Campbell and Madhevere took hold after the break; first with the former ripping a legbreak to beat Tector's full-faced block and trap him lbw, then the latter ripping an offbreak to beat Balbirnie's flick to do the same.
Paul Stirling, who was more generous in peppering attack with defence, swept Madhevere over square leg for six and heaved Campbell wide of mid-on for four. He was out caught down leg, trying to pull Muzarabani fine, but was unhappy with the decision.
Tucker was off to a quick start too. He swept Campbell for two fours in the 59th over and consolidated after Stirling fell. He stitched handy 39-run and 23-run stands with McBrine and Mark Adair as Zimbabwe kept at it with spin before the second new ball became available.
McBrine was troubled by Madhevere, who beat his outside edge first (71st over) then snagged it for Nick Welch at slip to complete the catch (75th). Adair slogged a six off Madhevere and was comfortable against the old ball but edged two of the five he faced against the new ball, the second of which went to Takudzwanashe Kaitano's hands at slip. It left Ireland 261 for 7 at tea.
Ngarava toyed with Barry McCarthy before knocking him over with a well-executed slower ball. Gwandu got a shortish ball to skid past Craig Young's defences but that inconsistent bounce might be something that comes back to haunt Zimbabwe soon. Tucker and Matthew Humphreys, the last pair to bat, did run and walk along the danger area of the pitch a couple of times, but they were not pulled up by the umpires.
Tucker brought up fifty by pulling Ngarava and then flayed him over extra cover. But when he charged and tried to slap him over the off side two overs later, the top edge took the ball straight to cover. Ireland, who had conceded a seven-run lead, were all out for 298.
Zimbabwe came out to bat with an hour left in the day and McCarthy induced an edge from Ben Curran in the sixth over to have the opener caught behind for the second time in the game. A length ball that went away was set up by a few coming in to find the edge.
Adair ended Kaitano's promising start, which included three boundaries, with another set-up. This time with outswingers before slowing up a fullish ball to beat the inside edge and hit the stumps.
Humphreys trapped Welch, Zimbabwe's top scorer in the first innings, lbw with an arm ball that beat his flick. It brought Gwandu for nightwatch duty and he survived 12 balls to stumps. Brian Bennett, in at No. 4, had a close shave in the final over.
Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Whatever happens on what is likely to be the final day of the series, it is clear that Australia's spinners have been spectacular in Sri Lanka.
"He's bowling his best ball over and over, and challenging the guy's defence, and that's all we can ask. He's playing his role to his best ability, and I'm extremely proud of him. This is his fifth Test match, is it? For him to take 16 wickets thus far in this series, with a couple still out there, I think he's been our best bowler."
Lyon, one of Australia's greatest spinners, has taken 13 wickets and on Saturday became the third Australia bowler - after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath - to go past 550 wickets. But others have contributed too. Todd Murphy, Travis Head, and Beau Webster, have all taken a wicket apiece in Sri Lanka.
"Well, we pride ourselves on improving on our skills - each and every one of us," Lyon said. "For someone like Travis Head, too - we all know he's an X Factor player with the bat - to keep putting his finger in the ice and keep doing those breakthroughs is special.
"But everyone works hard on their game, and they want to play their role. They want to have an impact for the Australian cricket team, and that's something that they should be proud of."
It's been a resounding success in Sri Lanka for Australia's spinners, and Lyon suggested simplicity was at the heart of what they tried to do on these pitches.
"Honestly, we've just been talking about sticking to the process of bowling your best ball, and hopefully that will lead to a couple of chances here and there."
Rachin Ravindra goes off the field after taking blow to forehead
Fielding at deep square leg in the 37th over, Ravindra steadied himself to take a catch as Khushdil Shah slog-swept Michael Bracewell towards the on side. But Ravindra seemed to lose the ball in the floodlights, and took no evasive action as it struck him square on the forehead. He was seen staring at the ground, apparently in a daze, as blood streamed down his face while medical staff rushed onto the field.
A stunned silence took hold of the ground as a stretcher was brought on, though it was ultimately not required. The Pakistan team doctor, nearest to the incident, also rushed on to provide first-aid assistance. After lying down on the ground while receiving a few minutes of treatment, Ravindra got up with the assistance of medical staff, and walked off the field, holding a towel to his head, to warm applause from what had just recently been a packed Gaddafi Stadium.
"Ravindra was forced from the field after being struck in the forehead by the ball attempting a catch in the 38th over," a New Zealand Cricket statement said. "He sustained a laceration to the forehead which has been addressed and treated at the ground, but is otherwise well. He came through his first HIA (Head Injury Assessment) well and will continue to be monitored under HIA processes."
New Zealand were in a dominant position in the game, with Pakistan still needing 132 runs for victory in 75 balls with five wickets in hand. Two overs earlier, Ravindra had completed a short spell with the ball, sending down three overs. Earlier, he had opened the batting and scored a brisk 25 off 19 balls to get his side up and running. They eventually posted a total of 330 for 6.
These developments come just 11 days before the start of the Champions Trophy, which begins when these two sides meet in Karachi on February 19. New Zealand's next game is on Monday, when they take on South Africa in the second match of this tri-series, while Pakistan are scheduled to meet South Africa on Wednesday.
GMT 1815 The news report was updated following NZC's statement on Ravindra's injury.
MI Cape Town crush Sunrisers to claim maiden SA20 title
MI Cape Town 181 for 8 (Esterhuizen 39, Brevis 38, Gleeson 2-22) beat Sunrisers Eastern Cape 105 (Abell 30, Rabada 4-25, Boult 2-9, Linde 2-20) by 76 runs
MI have now ticked off title wins in every franchise T20 tournament they've been part of. IPL: check. CLT20 (now defunct): check. WPL: check. MLC: check. ILT20: check. SA20: check.
Rickelton fires opening salvo
However, when Craig Overton took pace off, Rickelton couldn't manufacture his own pace and ended up chipping a catch to mid-off.
Brevis then brought the roof down at the Wanderers when he launched a one-handed six off a slower variation from Overton in the 15th over. Linde, who had been promoted to No.5 to counter Dawson's left-arm fingerspin, also did his job, hitting him for two sixes. When he attempted another six, he failed to clear long-off.
After having been taken to the cleaners in the early exchanges, Jansen bounced back to cut Brevis' innings short.
Delano Potgieter and Rabada then ensured MICT breached 180.
MICT's bowling masterclass
That total looked a whole lot bigger when Boult, especially, made Sunrisers' batters look silly in the powerplay. After he softened David Bedingham with inswingers, Rabada made the incision by having the batter chipping a catch to short cover for 5. Boult got his first wicket of the evening when he drew a leading edge from Jordan Hermann for 1.
Boult had scarcely believable powerplay figures of 3-0-4-1 before he returned at the death to trick Tristan Subbs with a slower variation. Tom Abell briefly countered MICT's strikes before Linde had him stumped for 30 off 25 balls. Linde continued to keep it tight along with his captain Rashid, who pinned Tony de Zorzi lbw for 26 in a boundary-less spell. During their chase, Sunrisers went without a boundary for 45 balls.
Dawson ended the drought when he sent a thick outside-edge flying to the boundary off Rabada but the quick sunk the Sunrisers' lower order with his nifty variations.
From finishing bottom of the table in the first two seasons of the SA20, MICT clinched their first title on Saturday and celebrated under firework-filled skies.
May on open IU job: 'I love being at Michigan'
It didn't take long for public speculation over Mike Woodson's replacement at Indiana to commence.
Given that Dusty May's Bloomington homecoming was Saturday, it was inevitable. The Michigan head coach was a student manager at Indiana under Bob Knight from 1996 to 2000 and is expected to be one of the Hoosiers' top targets for the job, which officially opened Friday when the school announced that Woodson was stepping down at the end of the season.
May left an impression on the Indiana faithful at Assembly Hall on Saturday, guiding No. 24 Michigan to a 70-67 win over the Hoosiers.
Afterward, he was asked about the vacancy.
"I love being at Michigan. I love our team. We're fighting like crazy. That's it," May said. "This place is my foundation, but I'm very, very happy at the University of Michigan. Came here to win a game, and mission accomplished."
May was then asked if he had anything to say to minimize the concerns of Michigan fans.
"There's nothing I can say that's going to make this one way or the other. I love being at Michigan," he said. "That hasn't crossed my mind other than just what friends and family have said, and to be honest, I've eliminated all that."
May became a national name in 2023, when he led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four as a 9-seed, winning 35 games. The Owls followed that up with another NCAA tournament appearance, before May left last spring to replace Juwan Howard at Michigan.
His buyout is $5 million, but he would also have to repay his signing bonus of around $1.5 million if he were to leave Michigan before April 1, 2025.
After a couple of days of speculation, Indiana announced Friday afternoon that Woodson was stepping down after the season. The Indiana alum had been in charge of the Hoosiers for four seasons, replacing Archie Miller in 2021. He led them to the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons, but they missed the postseason a year ago and Saturday's loss dropped them to 14-10 overall and 5-8 in the Big Ten. They've lost five games in a row and seven of their past eight.
Eagles' Graham off IR, set for Super Bowl return
NEW ORLEANS -- Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, the hero of Super Bowl LII, will have a chance to re-create the magic Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs in what could be his final game as a pro.
The Eagles activated Graham from injured reserve Saturday. Graham tore his triceps in late November against the Los Angeles Rams and announced in the locker room afterward that he would miss the remainder of the season.
He had been quietly rehabbing behind the scenes, however, and in recent weeks began telling teammates that a return was possible if Philadelphia made it to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles did just that with a decisive 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game, setting up a rematch of Super Bowl LVII with the Chiefs.
"I've been working, man. We're going to see," Graham said after the NFC title game. "Them boys scored 55 [the same as his jersey number]. That's what's up. That might be telling me something."
Graham, 36, is the author of the most consequential play in franchise history, a strip sack of Tom Brady in the closing moments of Super Bowl LII that helped deliver the first Lombardi Trophy to the city of Philadelphia.
Graham has played the most regular-season games (206) in team history and has the third-most sacks (76.5).
He indicated before the season that he would retire following the 2024 campaign. But he was having a major impact (3.5 sacks, 7 QB hits in 11 games) before he got hurt and has since left the door open for a return for a 16th NFL season.
Then again, a win Sunday would provide a perfect storybook ending.
Florida upends another No. 1 as Auburn stumbles
AUBURN, Ala. -- Walter Clayton Jr. scored 19 points and Alex Condon added 17 as No. 6 Florida rallied from an early deficit and beat No. 1 Auburn 90-81 Saturday, ending the Tigers' 14-game winning streak.
Florida (20-3, 7-3 Southeastern Conference), down by 10 points early, built a 10-point advantage by the end of the first half and held off Auburn in the second half for its second victory over a top-ranked team this season. Florida beat then-No. 1 Tennessee 73-43 on Jan. 7.
The Gators are the fifth team in AP poll history to have a home win and road win over AP No. 1 opponents in the same season, according to ESPN Research.
Florida shot 13-for-33 from 3-point range, while Auburn shot 32% from long distance, finishing 7-for-22.
The Gators trailed by six with 5:58 left in the first half before going on a 14-2 run and taking control of the game. They scored 23 of the final 30 points before halftime and went on to lead by as many as 21 points early in the second half.
Auburn entered with the second-longest active winning streak in Division I men's basketball behind only Duke, which has won 16 straight heading into Saturday's game at Clemson.
Tigers leading scorer Johni Broome, a fifth-year senior and preseason Associated Press All-American who is considered a contender for national player of the year, had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn (21-2, 9-1) had its nine-game conference winning streak halted.
Miles Kelly scored 22 points, Tahaad Pettiford added 14 and Chaney Johnson 13 for the Tigers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hawks request waivers on newly acquired Hyland
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks requested waivers on Bones Hyland on Saturday, two days after the guard was obtained from the LA Clippers.
The Clippers acquired guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks from the Hawks for guard Terance Mann and Hyland in a trade announced late Thursday.
On Friday, the Hawks completed their trade of forward De'Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, future second-round picks and pick swaps.
Hawks general manager Landry Fields didn't include Hyland in his discussion about the team's future during a Friday news conference, so Saturday's move was not a surprise.
Hyland appeared in 20 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 7.2 points, 1.4 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.1 minutes. The 6-foot-2 guard has played in 182 games across four NBA seasons with Denver and the Clippers.
Sources: Pacers to sign Len after clearing waivers
The Washington Wizards are expected to waive center Alex Len, who plans to sign with the Indiana Pacers upon clearing waivers, sources told ESPN.
In his 12th NBA season, Len provides frontcourt depth for Pacers.
The Wizards acquired Len from the Sacramento Kings in a three-way trade this week in a deal that centered on Marcus Smart going from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Wizards.
Len had played in 36 games for the Kings this year, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
