Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes is set to be called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad to replace the injured Eberechi Eze for upcoming friendlies.
The Arsenal playmaker missed Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City after sustaining a lower leg issue.
His absence opens the door for the in-form Newcastle forward, who has already netted 14 goals across all competitions this season.
The 28-year-old previously earned a single senior cap during a friendly victory over Wales in October 2020.
Scotland approach rejected
Recent weeks saw the Scottish national team attempt to convince the prolific attacker to switch his international allegiances ahead of the summer World Cup.
However, he firmly rejected those advances from Steve Clarke’s side to remain eligible for the Three Lions.
He will now join Tuchel’s camp as the manager looks to evaluate fringe players before finalising his tournament selection.
Quansah joins injury list
England are scheduled to host Uruguay on 27 March before facing Japan four days later, with both fixtures taking place at Wembley Stadium.
In a further setback for the national team, Bayer Leverkusen confirmed that Jarell Quansah will also miss the upcoming international break.
The young centre-back has been officially ruled out of contention after suffering a thigh injury.
Taiwo Awoniyi scored an 87th-minute strike to seal a comprehensive 3-0 victory for Nottingham Forest and compound Tottenham Hotspur’s recent misery.
The Nigerian international capitalised on a disjointed defensive display to grab his team’s third goal in the dying moments of the match.
This late intervention completely extinguished any faint hopes of a dramatic comeback from the struggling North London club.
Defensive frailties exposed
The former Union Berlin striker found himself in acres of space before clinically dispatching the ball into the back of the net.
Ange Postecoglou’s side looked bereft of confidence throughout the afternoon, consistently making unforced errors that invited sustained pressure.
Conceding three unanswered goals will raise serious questions about the tactical setup and the current mentality within the squad.
Forest build vital momentum
Securing a dominant victory provides a massive boost to the visiting team’s Premier League aspirations for the remainder of the campaign.
The away supporters were sent into delirium when their towering centre-forward provided the final flourish to a memorable away performance.
Forest will now look to carry this newfound attacking ruthlessness into their upcoming fixture schedule.
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has filed lawsuits against the LPGA and USGA after a recent rule change banned her from competing in elite women’s events.
The 33-year-old was previously eligible to play on the professional tour after undergoing gender-affirming surgery in 2021.
However, updated regulations now require all competitors to have been born female or to have fully transitioned before undergoing male puberty.
This strict policy shift officially prevented the athlete from entering qualifiers for the Women’s US Open.
The prestigious major championship was ultimately captured by Swedish star Maja Stark.
Legal challenge launched
Davidson, who previously competed in men’s tournaments until 2015, won the Women’s Classic at Mission Inn Resort and Club earlier this year.
The tournament winner is now seeking unspecified damages while demanding a complete reversal of the current entry criteria.
She argues the updated framework effectively eradicates transgender participation, noting that many regions legally restrict medical interventions for minors.
In a statement addressing the ongoing litigation, the LPGA strongly defended their revised framework.
“The LPGA’s gender policy was developed through a thoughtful, expert-informed process and is grounded in protecting the competitive integrity of elite women’s golf.”
Mental health concerns
Following the initial confirmation of her suspension, the 33-year-old heavily criticised both governing bodies on social media.
She highlighted the severe mental health consequences that exclusionary policies can inflict upon the wider transgender community.
“This happened because of all your silence. And somehow people are surprised the suicide rate for transgender people is around 50%. Situations just like this are part of the reason.”
Tour officials have maintained that the regulatory adjustments were implemented following comprehensive scientific studies and sustained pressure from fellow female competitors.
Despite being the primary individual impacted by the updated guidelines, the former Mission Inn Resort champion claims she was completely excluded from that research process.
“For the record, I was not involved nor asked to be involved in any of the ‘studies’ that any golf organization has just used to ban me, the only active golfer who is actually affected by these policy changes.”
Dundee United severely dented Celtic’s Scottish Premiership title defence with a shock 2-0 victory at Tannadice Park on Sunday.
The defeat leaves the reigning champions trailing league leaders Hearts by five points and rivals Rangers by two.
Manager Martin O’Neill suffered only his second domestic loss since returning to the Glasgow giants.
Second-half goals from Will Ferry and January signing Emmanuel Agyei secured a famous win for Jim Goodwin’s ruthless side.
Title challengers struggle to find rhythm
The visitors welcomed influential captain Callum McGregor and striker Kelechi Iheanacho back to their starting lineup.
However, both returning stars were substituted after just 56 minutes following an ineffective display on a difficult, sandy surface.
Despite dominating possession, the Hoops lacked their usual intensity and struggled to create meaningful opportunities in the final third.
Kieran Tierney sliced a rare effort over the crossbar, while Ashley Maynard-Brewer produced a smart save to deny Iheanacho in the first half.
Terrors keep top-six ambitions alive
The hosts opened the scoring six minutes after the interval following a sweeping counter-attack.
Luca Stephenson picked out fellow wing-back Ferry, who arrived at the back post to convert his first goal in almost two years.
Agyei then doubled the advantage 15 minutes later by pouncing on a poor clearance and drilling a first-time strike into the bottom corner.
This crucial victory moves the Tangerines to within six points of sixth-placed Falkirk with two games remaining before the league split.
They must still overturn an eight-goal deficit to secure an unlikely top-half finish, but this resilient performance keeps their faint hopes burning.
Bryson DeChambeau defeated Jon Rahm on the first play-off hole to secure the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa title in Johannesburg after a challenging week off the course.
The American and the Spanish star both finished on 26 under par following 72 holes of regulation play.
However, the former major champion sealed his second consecutive victory on the breakaway tour with a decisive birdie on the first extra hole.
The triumph marks a fifth career LIV individual title for the tournament winner.
Emotional victory in Johannesburg
A visibly tearful DeChambeau later revealed he had been dealing with unspecified personal difficulties leading up to the event.
“A lot had happened in my life in the last week, I am so grateful for my team and everybody supporting me.”
The victorious captain added that the win had helped put his professional life into perspective.
“Golf is a fickle game, you work so hard at it your whole life and then you realise golf is just golf.”
Team success and future plans
Individual success was mirrored in the team competition as the Crushers secured a narrow one-shot victory.
A combined score of 76 under par saw the quartet of DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri edge out the Southern Guards.
More than 100,000 spectators were expected to attend the four-day event in the host city.
Following this successful debut, officials have already confirmed the tournament will return to the calendar between 22-25 April in 2027.
“South Africa was unbelievable, it has to be the best LIV Golf event we have ever had.”
The champion concluded by praising the phenomenal atmosphere during the tour’s first visit to the African continent.
Italy’s Sofia Goggia has secured her first super-G crystal globe with victory in Kvitfjell, Norway, as the overall World Cup title race intensified.
The 2018 downhill Olympic champion claimed her third super-G win of the season in her trademark aggressive style.
Her triumph in the final women’s speed race of the season brings her career total to five crystal globes, adding to her four downhill titles.
Shiffrin’s lead cut in overall standings
While Goggia celebrated, the battle for the overall World Cup crown tightened dramatically ahead of the final week.
Germany’s Emma Aicher finished fourth on Sunday to cut American great Mikaela Shiffrin’s overall lead to just 45 points.
Shiffrin, chasing a sixth overall title to cap a remarkable season, failed to score after finishing 22nd.
The most successful World Cup skier of all time now has 1,286 points compared to Aicher’s 1,241, with a giant slalom and slalom remaining.
Goggia completes speed set
Goggia finished in the top 10 of all eight super-G races this season, including five podium appearances.
Her closest rival, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, finished 16th on Sunday after narrowly avoiding a missed gate.
Robinson remained second in the final super-G standings, 163 points behind the formidable Italian.
Switzerland’s Corinne Suter was second in Sunday’s race, with Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann taking third.
“If you want to be a complete speed skier, you have to get both the globes in downhill and super-G,” Goggia said.
“Today I finally did it and I can say I’m a little bit more complete.”
Italian success in Norway
Goggia’s victory capped a triumphant weekend for Italy on the Norwegian slopes.
Laura Pirovano won Saturday’s downhill to secure the downhill crystal globe, finishing 83 points clear of Aicher.
The 28-year-old had never finished on a World Cup podium before March but won three consecutive downhills to claim the title.
The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed a new six-year contract with star pitcher Cristopher Sanchez, securing the left-hander until at least 2032 in a deal reportedly worth $107m.
The agreement officially begins in 2027 and includes a team option to extend the commitment into the 2033 season.
While the franchise has not disclosed the official financial terms, reports indicate the 29-year-old will earn $107m (£84.5m) over the next seven campaigns.
This comprehensive package incorporates his existing $3.5m salary for the upcoming 2026 season.
Rewarding a spectacular rise
The lucrative deal acts as a major reward for the National League Cy Young Award runner-up.
He has firmly established himself as one of baseball’s premier starting pitchers since cementing his place in the Philadelphia rotation.
Following a breakout All-Star campaign in 2024, the formidable ace elevated his performances to an even higher standard last year.
The standout talent recorded an impressive 13-5 win-loss record alongside a stellar 2.50 earned run average.
Solidifying the rotation
By locking down their prized asset, the organisation has solidified its starting rotation for the foreseeable future.
The franchise will now hope this significant investment provides the reliable foundation required for a deep post-season run.
Anthony Gordon has ruthlessly punished a severe defensive mistake to give Newcastle United an early lead over bitter rivals Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.
The former Everton winger pounced on a lapse in concentration from the home side’s backline.
Capitalising on the catastrophic error, the dynamic forward made no mistake to break the deadlock.
Derby day tension boils over
Encounters between these fiercely passionate North East clubs are historically tight, high-stakes affairs.
This latest clash proved no different, with nervous energy evidently contributing to the critical defensive blunder.
Such glaring mistakes are rarely forgiven in modern English football.
“Ruthless! Gordon capitalises on a horrible Sunderland defensive error.”
Gordon continues rich vein of form
The England international has been a revelation for Eddie Howe’s squad this season.
His clinical finish against the Black Cats further cements his status as a vital attacking outlet for the Magpies.
Newcastle supporters will now hope this crucial strike is enough to secure ultimate local bragging rights.