LOS ANGELES -- Roki Sasaki donned a No. 11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey atop a makeshift stage Wednesday afternoon and called it the culmination of "an incredibly difficult decision."

When Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the middle of December -- a development evaluators have spent years anticipating -- 20 major league teams formally expressed interest. Eight of those clubs were granted initial meetings at the L.A. offices of Sasaki's agency, Wasserman. Three were then named finalists in the middle of January, prompting official visits to their ballparks. And in the end, to practically nobody's surprise, it was the Dodgers who won out.

The Dodgers had long been deemed favorites for Sasaki, so much so that many viewed the pairing as an inevitability. In the wake of that actually materializing, scouts and executives throughout the industry have privately complained about being dragged through what they perceived as a process that already had a predetermined outcome. Some have also expressed concern that the homework assignment Sasaki gave to each of the eight teams he initially met with, asking them to present their ideas for how to recapture the life of his fastball, saw them provide proprietary information without ultimately having a reasonable chance to get him.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, admitted he has heard some of those complaints over the past handful of days.

"I've tried to be an open book and as transparent as possible with all the teams in the league," said Wolfe, who has vehemently denied claims of a predetermined deal from the onset. "I answer every phone call, I answer every question. This goes back to before the process even started. Every team I think would tell you that I told each one of them where they stood throughout the entire process, why they got a meeting, why they didn't get a meeting, why other teams got a meeting. I tried to do my best to do that. He was only going to be able to pick one."

Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the world's most promising pitching prospects, with a triple-digit fastball and an otherworldly splitter. Through four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 505 strikeouts against just 88 walks in 394 innings. But he has openly acknowledged to teams that he is not yet fully formed, and many of those who followed him in Japan believed his priority would be to go to the team that had the best chance of making him better.

Few would argue that the Dodgers don't fit that description. Their vast resources, recent run of success and sizeable footprint in Japan made them an obvious fit for Sasaki, but it was their track record of pitching development that landed them one of the sport's most intriguing prospects.

"His goal is to be the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young, and he definitely possesses the ability to do that," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We're excited to partner with him."

Sasaki will join a star-studded rotation headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, decorated Japanese countrymen who signed free agent deals totaling more than $1 billion in December 2023. The Dodgers went on to win the ensuing World Series, then doubled down on one of the sport's richest, most talented rosters.

Over the past three months, they've signed starting pitcher Blake Snell for $182 million, extended utility man Tommy Edman for $74 million, given reliever Tanner Scott $72 million, brought back corner outfielder Teoscar Hernandez for $66 million, added another corner outfielder in Michael Conforto ($17 million) and struck a surprising deal with Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million). At some point, they'll finalize a contract with another back-end reliever in Kirby Yates and will bring back longtime ace Clayton Kershaw.

But Sasaki, who has drawn the attention of Dodgers scouts since he was throwing 100-mph fastballs in high school, was the ultimate prize.

"As I transition to the major leagues, I am deeply honored so many teams reached out to me, especially considering I haven't achieved much in Japan," Sasaki, speaking through an interpreter, said in front of hundreds of media members. "It makes me feel more focused than ever. I am truly grateful to all the team officials who took the time to meet with me during this process.

"I spent the past month both embracing and reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most," Sasaki continued. "Every organization helped me in its own way, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one. I am fully aware that there are many different opinions out there. But now that I have decided to come here, I want to move forward with the belief that the decision I made is the best one, trust in those who believed in my potential and (have) conviction in the goals that I set for myself."

Major League Baseball heard complaints from rival teams about a prearranged deal between Sasaki's side and the Dodgers before he was posted, prompting an investigation "to ensure the protocol agreement had been followed," a league official said in a statement. MLB found no evidence, prompting Sasaki to be included as part of the 2025 international signing class.

Because he is under 25 years old and spent less than six seasons in NPB, Sasaki was made available as an international amateur, his earnings restricted to teams' signing-bonus pools. The Dodgers gave him $6.5 million, which constitutes the vast majority of their allotment, and will control Sasaki's rights until he attains the six years of service time required for free agency. Sasaki said his immediate goal is to "beat the competition and make sure I do get a major league contract."

Sasaki combined to throw barely more than 200 innings over the past two years and is expected to be handled carefully in the United States. The Dodgers won't set a strict innings limit for him in 2025 but will deploy a traditional six-man rotation, which also makes sense with Ohtani returning as a two-way player. The Dodgers' initial meeting with Sasaki saw them tout the way their training staff, pitching coaches and performance-science group work in harmony. In their second, they brought out Ohtani, Edman, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Sasaki's catcher, Will Smith, in hopes of wooing him. And in the end, it was Ohtani who broke the news to the Dodgers' front-office members, letting them know they landed Sasaki in a text before his agent could get around to calling.

Friedman described it as "pure excitement." Many others, however, rolled their eyes at what they felt was inevitable. Wolfe denied that, saying, "I don't believe [the Dodgers] was always the destination." But then he went on to describe how prevalent the Dodgers are in Japan. Their games are on every morning and rebroadcast later at night. Dodgers-specific shops outfit stadiums throughout the country.

"They're everywhere," Wolfe said. "And I think that all the players and fans see the Dodgers every day, so it's always in their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto. But when (Sasaki) came over here, he came with a very open mind."

This year's Six Nations will use 20-minute red cards for the first time.

The trial was in place for the Autumn Nations Cup in November and has been extended to this year's men's, women's and Under-20s Championships.

Lawmakers say the 20-minute red card is designed to "punish the player and not the team", with sides able to replace a dismissed player after 20 minutes.

The men's Six Nations starts on Friday, 31 January with France hosting Wales in Paris.

While referees are still able to award a full and permanent red card for "deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play", the 20-minute red card constitutes a major change to rugby union's disciplinary process.

A crackdown on head contact has been in place since January 2017, with a number of the sport's biggest recent matches affected by red cards.

The losing side in the past two Rugby World Cup finals - England's women against New Zealand in 2022 and the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2023 men's showpiece - played the majority of the match with 14 players, as did Bath when beaten by Northampton in last year's Premiership final.

"Across the game, everyone is working together to ensure we are exploring new and innovative ways to make the game as safe as possible, alongside ambitions to enhance the spectacle for fans, and the experience for players," said Six Nations chief of rugby Julie Paterson.

There are two global law trials which will also come in during the 2025 Championship, with scrum-halves being given more protection at the base of rucks, mauls and scrums, while throws that aren't straight when the line-out is uncontested will not be penalised.

Reduction in the time allowed for conversions as well as quicker formation of scrums and line-outs - introduced in the autumn - will also continue into all three championships, as will referees broadcasting key decisions over the public address system for the benefit of fans in the stadium.

The mathematics were still causing a few heads to be scratched after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, but Declan Rice gave the new Champions League format a thumbs up.

"It's been really, really good. It's the first time trying it out and I think everyone was a little bit confused how it would work when it first got announced, but playing in this format has been really interesting," the midfielder said.

"Playing big teams, coming up against different opposition, I've really liked it."

Rice scored the opener as Arsenal made it a virtual mathematical certainty that they will finish in the top eight of the 36-team group stage which this season replaced the established format of eight groups of four.

They are in third place with 16 points and in reality can already start planning for the knockout phase, even if manager Mikel Arteta could not bring himself to say it.

"We haven't been told. I know we're in a really strong position," the Spaniard said after Arsenal extended their unbeaten home run in Europe to 15 games.

Kai Havertz took his season's tally to 14 with Arsenal's second goal and Martin Ødegaard poached his first goal since November in stoppage time to wrap up a comfortable win.

"Overall, we got the job done and well done. We didn't concede a shot on target which is really positive again. It shows that the team is really well-rounded," Arteta said. "Overall, scoring three goals, winning in the Champions League at home, another clean sheet at home -- four in a row -- and having made some changes as well.

"We rotated players that didn't play that many minutes and they responded really well."

Avoiding a Champions League playoff will also guarantee the Arsenal squad some winter sunshine as Arteta said a break is now likely to recharge batteries seeing as they are already out of the FA Cup, which continues on Feb. 7-11.

"It was very helpful [last season] and with the schedule that we've had for the last three months, you can have a break, reset a little bit and work on things and rest some people, while some people are back, that would be great," he said.

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have one "last chance" to salvage their Champions League campaign after a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain left the 2023 European champions facing a humiliating early exit from the competition.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half with goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, City surrendered their advantage and ended up losing convincingly at the Parc des Princes.

The loss means that City must now beat Club Brugge at the Etihad next Wednesday to reach the playoff round. Anything other than a victory will see City eliminated.

But after seeing his team outplayed by PSG, Guardiola had no complaints about the result or City's fate.

"We have a last chance against Brugge and if we don't go through it's because we don't deserve it," Guardiola told reporters. "We have to recover against Chelsea in our next game and just move forward.

"Tonight, they [PSG] were better. Congratulate PSG and accept it. The law of football is like that -- how intense and aggressive they were in key positions. You have to recover players and do it better.

"Their players suffered and they were better. They were better in the duels and we found our moment with 0-2 for the goal, but the first half they had two clear chances."

City surrendered a winning position for the ninth time this season and the defeat was their third successive away loss in the Champions League having previously gone 12 games on the road without a loss in the competition.

And Guardiola said he felt City's defeat was due to being unable to dominate the game in midfield against PSG's energetic unit.

"When they had the ball, they dropped, but we created problems," Guardiola said. "After 2-0 and especially 1-2 we could not play. You have to play with the ball and they were better.

"They had an extra man in the middle with the false nine and it was difficult. They were better. They had one more player in the middle and we expected with the buildup and to have more aggression. but they jumped back and squeezed really well and we could not make the process. The connection with Bernardo [Silva] and Kova [Mateo Kovacic] was not possible or not good and we could not make the process."

Guardiola said Manchester City could not "cope with" PSG in the transition game.

"We had to defend with the ball and it's impossible to play well," he said. "PSG played better in their games and couldn't win. Today they were able to. In the big stages, the big teams, we struggle. We have to accept it. Recover and go to Chelsea. We have to recover our game."

It's been a journey into the unknown, but the new-look 36-team Champions League is finally reaching the climax of the league phase.

While we're starting to get some kind of idea of who's going to go through, a lot can happen in the final round. We only know two of the eight clubs that will go straight through to the round of 16, and 18 of the 24 teams who will be in the knockout rounds.

That said, nine teams have already been eliminated with only three more to come -- so jeopardy is limited.

Unlike in previous seasons, no teams will drop into the Europa League from the Champions League.

Unexpectedly, Man City are in real danger of being eliminated, which might not have been the case under the old format.

Let's take a look at what's at stake and how the final matchday is shaping up.

How does it work?

The teams in position 1-8 go straight to the round of 16, and won't have to play games in February.

The clubs in places 9-24 will face the playoff round next month.

Those in 25th to 36th are eliminated.

Does it matter where you finish in the table?

Yes, because the league placings create the knockout bracket. Unlike in previous seasons, where there would be open draws, paths will be set after this phase has been completed.

The new "seeding" system means the highest-placed teams can't face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.

For instance, if we look at the table right now, Liverpool and Barcelona are in first and second and they would not be able to play each other until the final. The teams in third and fourth -- currently Arsenal and Inter Milan -- can't play Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.

However, the value of being placed high in the table has been complicated by poor European seasons for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who have unexpectedly become possible opponents earlier in the knockout rounds.

The teams in first and second will play 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th in the round of 16. A host of top clubs could yet finish in one of those positions, including Real Madrid (16th) and Juventus (17th).

Finishing seventh or eighth is to be avoided, and that creates a direct collision course with first and second in the quarterfinals.

What are the league phase tiebreakers?

1 - Goal difference
2 - Goals scored
3 - Away goals scored
4 - Wins
5 - Away wins
6 - Higher number of total points collected by league phase opponents*
7 - Higher goal difference attained of league phase opponents*
8 - Higher goals scored by league phase opponents*
9 - Disciplinary points
10 - UEFA club coefficient.

*You add up the record of the eight teams faced in the league phase, effectively creating a difficulty level of opponents.

Who is already through to the knockout rounds?

Round of 16:
Liverpool are through and are guaranteed to finish first or second, and thus take a top seeding position in the bracket.
Barcelona have also secured a top-eight finish with a dramatic winner in a 5-4 comeback victory at Benfica.

Guaranteed at least a place in the knockout playoff round:
Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Internazionale, AC Milan, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, Brest, AS Monaco, Lille, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic

How it looks: the battle to go through

Before the competition began it was thought that 16 points would secure a place in the top eight, but the low spread of points at the bottom of the table means it could take 17 points to be absolutely certain of going through. It now looks possible to finish outside the top eight on goal difference with 16 points.

1. Liverpool (21 points, goal difference +13)
PSV Eindhoven (a)

The Reds are through and certain to finish in the top 2.

2. Barcelona (18, +15)
Atalanta (h)

A direct place in the round of 16 is booked and they can finish no lower than sixth, though goal difference realistically means they will be top four.

3. Arsenal (16, +12)
Girona (a)

4. Internazionale (16, +7)
AS Monaco (h)

Arsenal and Inter could both still miss out on goal difference if they lose, but Arsenal are in a very strong position on +12. The Gunners would need to suffer a big defeat to Girona, or three of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter, AS Monaco, Feyenoord, Brest or Lille would need huge wins to overtake them on 16 points.

Inter are slightly less safe with goal difference of +7, and if they were to lose by two goals at home to Monaco wins for Arsenal, Leverkusen and Villa could possibly put them into the playoffs. But they look good.

5. Atlético Madrid (15, +5)
RB Salzburg (a)

6. AC Milan (15, +4)
Dinamo Zagreb (a)

A win for Atlético and Milan would send both clubs through to the round of 16.

A draw could be enough, but it would place them right on the edge of qualification and into a goal difference battle on 16 points. Big wins for teams who are now on 13 points would put them in the playoffs.

A loss is very unlikely to keep them top eight.

7. Atalanta (14, +14)
Barcelona (a)

The Serie A side's 5-0 victory over Sturm Graz has put them right in contention for the top eight.

A draw could be enough ... but Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, AS Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille and Brest would need to fail to win.

Realistically, Atalanta must win at Camp Nou to go through directly.

8. Bayer Leverkusen (13, +6)
Sparta Prague (h)

9. Aston Villa (13, +5)
Celtic (h)

10. AS Monaco (13, +3)
Internazionale (a)

11. Feyenoord Rotterdam (13, +2)
Lille (a)

12. Lille (13, +2)
Feyenoord Rotterdam (h)

13. Brest (13, +2)
Real Madrid (h)

It's a real hit and hope for all six sides on 13 points.

What do their chances look like? Arsenal have far superior goal difference, while Inter, Atlético and AC Milan have favourable fixtures.

Does that mean there could be only one or two places open in the top eight if Atalanta stumble at Camp Nou? They must hope for shock results.

Leverkusen sit eighth, while Villa are best placed to squeeze into it with their goal difference and decent home fixtures.

Lille and Feyenoord play each other, but both only have goal difference of +2.

Brest would probably need a big win at home to Real Madrid to pull it off.

14. Borussia Dortmund (12, +8)
Shakhtar Donetsk (h)

15. Bayern Munich (12, +6)
Slovan Bratislava (h)

16. Real Madrid (12, +5)
Brest (a)

17. Juventus (12, +4)
Benfica (h)

18. Celtic (12,+1)
Aston Villa (a)

All five sides are assured of the knockout playoff round, and while mathematically they have a chance of making the top eight on goal difference, it would take a crazy set of results to do so.

Atlético Madrid and AC Milan must lose, and five of the seven teams from 7th to 13th fail to win.

19. PSV Eindhoven (11, +3)
Liverpool (h)

20. Club Brugge (11, -2)
Manchester City (a)

These are only two teams who are locked in the knockout playoff round.

21. Benfica (10, +2)
Juventus (a)

22. Paris Saint-Germain (10, +2)
VfB Stuttgart (a)

23. Sporting CP (10, +1)
Bologna (h)

24. VfB Stuttgart (10, -1)
Paris Saint-Germain (h)

All four teams know that victory secures a place in the knockout playoff round. Club Brugge would be overtaken by Man City if they lose at the Etihad, and the Belgian club would then have to hope they are not overtaken by the clubs on 10 points. That would require Stuttgart vs. PSG being a draw and wins for both Benfica and Sporting.

Paris Saint-Germain effectively only need a draw vs. Stuttgart as Zagreb's goal difference is so inferior.

25. Manchester City (8, +2)
Club Brugge (h)

26. Dinamo Zagreb (8, -8)
AC Milan (h)

Man City sit outside the top 24 but they are guaranteed to go through on goal difference with a win at home to Club Brugge. The only question is whether that would be at the expense of the Belgian club, or one of the teams on 10 points.

Dinamo Zagreb must win at home to AC Milan and hope at least one of Benfica, PSG/Stuttgart or Sporting lose. Make that two if Man City win.

27. Shakhtar Donetsk (7, -6)
Borussia Dortmund (a)

Shakhtar Donetsk have very slim hope. They would have to win first of all. Manchester City and Dinamo Zagreb must fail to win. And one of the teams on 10 points must lose with a big goal difference swing.

28. Bologna (5, -5)
Sporting CP (a)

29. Sparta Prague (4, -12)
Bayer Leverkusen (a)

30. RB Leipzig (3, -6)
SK Sturm Graz (a)

31. Girona (3, -7)
Arsenal (h)

32. Red Star Belgrade (3, -10)
Young Boys (a)

33. SK Sturm Graz (3, -10)
RB Leipzig (h)

34. RB Salzburg (3, -19)
Real Madrid (a), Atlético Madrid (h)

35. Slovan Bratislava (0, -18)
Bayern Munich (a)

36. Young Boys (0, -20)
Red Star Belgrade (h)

The bottom nine have been eliminated.

How does the final round of games work?

All 18 matches are played at the same time in a bumper round where every goal will change the table.

The games take place at 3 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. UK on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

When is the draw for the knockout rounds?

The draw for the knockout playoff round -- featuring the clubs that finish ninth to 24th -- will take place on Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. UK.

How does the knockout draw work?

In the knockout playoff round draw, teams are paired by their final position

Before the draw, teams will have two possible opponents.

For instance, 21st (Benfica) and 22nd (PSG) will be paired to play either 11th (Feyenoord) or 12th (Lille).

The two pairs of fixtures will then be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket.

The teams placed 9th to 16th are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.

First legs: Feb. 11-12, 2025
Second legs: Feb. 18-19, 2025

After the knockout playoff round draw, the teams who finish inside the top eight will still have four possible opponents.

For instance, fifth (Inter) and sixth (AC Milan) would still be able to play any of 11th, 12th, 21st and 22nd.

Once the knockout playoff round is complete, the teams in fifth and sixth would have two possible opponents remaining, the winners of those ties.

The round of 16 draw then takes place on Friday, Feb. 21, when fifth and sixth would be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket -- which would create a fixture against a winner of a knockout playoff round tie.

The teams placed 1st to 8th are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.

First legs: March 4-5, 2025
Second legs: March 11-12, 2025

The knockout bracket is now set. There is one more draw, straight after the round of 16 draw, to determine the home teams in the second leg for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain pulled off a stunning comeback to overturn a 2-0 deficit and seal a 4-2 win against Manchester City that revived their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes and left Pep Guardiola's team facing a humiliating exit.

Two goals in three minutes from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland at the start of the second half looked set to seal a comfortable win for City in Paris, but the home side roared back to equalise within seven minutes through Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola.

With City on the back foot and struggling to cope with PSG's spirit and desire, Luis Enrique's team then won the game with goals from João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos on a famous night at Parc des Princes. PSG will now qualify with at least a draw away to VfB Stuttgart next week while City must beat Club Brugge at the Etihad to have any hope of reaching the knockout phase playoffs. -- Mark Ogden

A magical night for the Parisians

It's another one of those European nights that PSG fans will never forget. Too often, the Parisians had been on the receiving end of comebacks in their recent Champions League history. It was them with their hearts broken after having taken the lead before wasting it, but not this time.

The game might not have been make-or-break -- as neither team could have been eliminated on Wednesday -- but it was nevertheless crucial, and PSG showed their character, talent, and personality. This team might not have the superstars and big world-class names anymore like Neymar and Lionel Messi, but showed great heart with their talent and their energy. They also have belief too, despite their young players.

At 2-0 down straight after the break, they could have collapsed, but they didn't. Their comeback could be a turning point in this European campaign, but they will have to finish the job next week in Stuttgart to qualify. -- Julien Laurens

City blow a lead and cave in yet again

For those who believed that Manchester City's recent mini-revival of four wins in five games had drawn a line under their slump of nine defeats in 12 games before Christmas, think again.

Guardiola's team reverted to their old ways in Paris by throwing away a lead through complacency and a lack of being able to match the opposition for effort and desire. This was the ninth time this season that City had surrendered a winning position and failed to win the game. That is the reason they are now in such a hole in the Champions League.

There were so many issues against PSG. City lacked any kind of leadership once defender Rúben Dias was substituted at half-time due to being on a yellow card and close to a second one that would have reduced the side to 10 players, but they were also unable to match PSG for energy in midfield.

Out wide, Savinho was anonymous before being replaced by Grealish at half-time, and although the England winger scored one and made one within eight minutes of coming on, he did little else. Rico Lewis was poor at left-back and Matheus Nunes was out of his depth at right-back. However, despite all of the problems, with a 2-0 lead, City should have seen the game out.

This means that the crisis is back and City showed once again that their squad is nowhere near as good as it was two years ago. -- Ogden

A tactical first half followed by an attacking second half

Guardiola and Luis Enrique have been close friends for 30 years. They are the same age, they played together at Barcelona, they coached together and they ended up being two of the best managers in the world at the same time by sharing similar values, methods, and principles.

Of course, they have differences in their personalities and their football, but when they faced each other tonight, we got what we expected: a very tactical first half, narrow lines, compact blocks, good pressing and counterpressing.

But between two attacking sides and full of talent going forward, there was no way this match was staying 0-0 after the break. And it didn't.

Mistakes were made and exploited, on both sides. When Manchester City were gifted two goals really by two ricochets off the Paris defence, the hosts scored their goals. They put the City defense under pressure, and in the second half, you got six goals, 23 shots (18 for PSG, five for City), nine on target, and more than three xG (expected goals) combined.

After one of the best tactical halves of the season, the game flipped to one of the most spectacular halves of the season. -- Laurens

Haaland needs to be more than a tap-in guy

Haaland probably thought he had won the game for Manchester City when he scored a tap-in at the far post to make it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

When a striker scores the decisive goal in a game, he is entitled to feel like it is a job well done and bask in the plaudits, but when the game slips away from his team and they end up losing, he needs to ask whether he did enough to make a difference.

And the reality in Paris was that Haaland didn't. Aside from scoring, Haaland did nothing. He was well marshalled by Marquinhos and looked nothing like a player who has just signed the longest contract in football by penning a new deal for 10 years. Haaland is unquestionably a ruthless goal scorer, but when he doesn't score, he contributes nothing.

Other great strikers do far more for the team and bring others into play, but for now, Haaland is just a goalscorer. That surely cannot be enough for City to be successful in the years ahead? -- Ogden

Barcola shows why he is PSG's star player this season

Bradley Barcola had only scored one goal in 16 Champions League appearances in his career before Wednesday, and if there was one game where he needed to step up to improve this stat, it was against Manchester City.

The adage that big games belong to the big players made sense for him. In a must-win game for Paris, they needed Barcola to be special. He has the talent for it, but so far, the top European competition was showing his limits. But his goal and his assist in a breathtaking second half, is the game that can change everything. The former Lyon winger and PSG's top goalscorer this season in all competitions, showed all his talent and potential.

"His season is exceptional so far," said Luis Enrique about his player at the weekend. It became even better on Wednesday night. -- Laurens

It's now win or bust for City

Manchester City are now fighting for Champions League survival and must beat Club Brugge next week to progress to the knockout phase playoffs.

Their 4-2 defeat in Paris saw the 2023 Champions League winners drop below the trapdoor of the top 24 teams and leave them facing an early exit from the competition if they fail to beat the Belgian side at the Etihad. Such a game would have been a formality not too long ago, but even though City will be favourites to clinch the win they need, Brugge need just a point to be certain of qualification.

Coach Nicky Hayen has overachieved with his team this season, guiding them to wins against Aston Villa and Sporting CP as well as earning a draw against Juventus on Tuesday.

All three of those teams have beaten City this season, so City should be warned. -- Ogden

NEW YORK -- Kevin Durant is proud of what he believed the Nets were building in Brooklyn before "dysfunction" brought it quickly crashing down.

Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden played just 16 games together and their tenure became better known for the chaos off the court than the brilliant basketball they delivered on it.

But it seemed the bad times were forgotten Wednesday night, when a large number of fans rushed to get Durant's autograph before the Nets' game against the Phoenix Suns in his second trip back to Barclays Center since being traded.

"Even though we went through a lot of dysfunction, I guess you could call it, for lack of a better term," Durant said, "but regardless of that, a lot of people in those stands still supported, still came out and cheered loud as hell for the game of basketball and for the Nets, so that's what stood out the most."

He and Irving came together in the summer of 2019. Harden was acquired in a trade in January 2021. But all three battled injuries and Irving was largely off the court in the 2021-22 season after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19,

"I think that was the main thing, that we just didn't get on the court together," Durant said. "A lot of injuries. Injuries to me, James and Kyrie kind of played a factor, along with COVID. That whole thing just confused a lot of [stuff]. But I think basketball-wise, chemistry-wise, camaraderie-wise, teamwork-wise, I thought it was the perfect, ideal situation."

The Nets looked like a title favorite when the three were healthy in the 2020-21 season. But both Harden and Irving were injured in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals and Milwaukee overcame a 2-0 deficit and Durant's brilliance in Game 7 to win the series.

Irving's absences and Durant's injury sent the Nets tumbling the next season and Harden asked to be traded. Irving and Durant were dealt away days apart at the 2023 trade deadline. Durant maintains it was bad luck more than bad attitudes that created such an empty era.

"There was a lot of narratives going around about each individual player -- me, James and Kyrie -- about our mentality as men. But once we got on the court and once we actually played together, once you seen the culture that we were building, it was something that the fans could get behind I think," Durant said.

"That first year when James got here halfway through the season, that was some of the most incredible basketball that I've seen, I've played in. But more so than anything, the locker room, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotels, that was the culture we were building and a lot of people didn't get to see it but I wish they could have. It was special."

This season isn't, with the Nets rebuilding. Maybe they can eventually get to where Durant believed they were once headed.

"It didn't culminate into a championship, but people who had season tickets, who get into their car in the cold, come down and watch us play, still remember some moments, some regular-season games, a couple playoff games," Durant said. "Some moments that people can hold onto and you can feel that love when I come through here."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has apologized for punching former teammate Jordan Poole and says it is time to move on from the incident that fractured the Warriors locker room over two years ago.

Green's latest apology came after Poole said Saturday he loves "most of those guys over there" when asked about the warm reception he received in his return to Chase Center as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Green posted a tweet in response to Poole's comments that read, "I really am sorry."

"I responded because it's been three years," Green said Wednesday on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis." "Like let's move on. We've moved on. I really am sorry. That statement [by Poole] was kind of like it was looking for some sympathy ... kind of keep on make me out to be the bad guy. Move on, bro. It is what it is.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have punched him. But it happened. Let's move on."

A video was leaked from a preseason practice in October 2022 in which Green and Poole exchanged words. Green walked over to Poole, who shoved Green. Green punched Poole. He later publicly apologized to Poole and his family. He was fined by the team and voluntarily left the team for a stretch but did not miss any games or face any discipline from the league.

The punch took place in the team's camp after the Warriors had won the championship the season before. They lost in the Western Conference semifinals that postseason, and Poole was traded to Washington in a deal for Chris Paul in June 2023.

"I kind of go back and forth with this," Green said on the podcast. "I know I was wrong but you can't call a man a b-word and push him and not get hit either. So I kind of sit in both of those spaces sometimes. Like the reality is, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle, right? I shouldn't have knocked him out like that. If anything I should have hemmed him up. It kind of was just a natural reaction.

"I think for him you are kind of bringing that back up on yourself. Like when you do that, you just bring up that moment back on yourself. You just got to move on and keep it pushing, man. Got to let it go."

Last season, Green was suspended for five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and then was suspended indefinitely for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face, ultimately missing 12 games.

During that latter suspension, Green underwent counseling and mandatory check-in Zoom calls with executives from the NBA, the Warriors, the players union and his agent in order to return to play. Green told ESPN that helped him become a "different" player and person this season. He said he had two therapists and a sports psychologist but that the check-in calls truly helped him.

This season, Green has eight technical fouls but one ejection compared to four last season.

"I want people to say, 'Man, right here was a little bleak. But then look where it went from there. And that's due to because he took accountability,'" Green told ESPN. "Regardless of how I felt about the Rudy situation, the Nurkic situation ... the Jordan Poole [incident], any situation, I took it on the chin. I took accountability for it, and I moved forward.

"They're my fault. I needed to be better, and I failed. We all fail. But I'm not a failure."

Green injured his left calf at the start of the win over Washington. He missed Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings and will be re-evaluated next week.