Chelsea deny Wrexham their Hollywood story as Garnacho and João Pedro seal Cup cracker

The video assistant referee was never likely to be the hero of the piece, having already intervened to dismiss George Dobson late in normal time. When Lewis Brunt nudged in a 114th-minute header, the Cae Ras was delirious, considering a penalty shootout and the potential for another classic upset in north Wales. The red line of destiny was drawn and the glory evaporated. In many ways it was a fittingly dramatic moment on a night of pure entertainment as Chelsea played the FA Cup villain against the plucky underdog.

It was everything a cup tie should be. Goals from Sam Smith and Callum Doyle twice gave Wrexham the lead, and hope of replicating the giantkilling of Arsenal in 1992, only for an Arthur Okonkwo own goal and Josh Acheampong strike to take the game into extra time. Alejandro Garnacho, who had earlier been the victim of the red-card challenge from Dobson, volleyed home the third and, after Brunt’s goal was disallowed, João Pedro netted a jeopardy-ending fourth, after Wrexham’s heart had already been broken.

Published: March 7, 2026, 8:42 pm

Australian Grand Prix: F1 race – live

• Updates from the Formula 1 GP season-opener in Melbourne

• Oscar Piastri crashes out during warm-up

• Lights out in Albert Park at 3pm AEDT/4am GMT

• Any thoughts? Email Joey

Drama in the warm-up lap! Piastri might be out of the Grand Prix! He’s gone into the wall during the warm-up lap. Boy oh boy, wowee.

Having delivered a somewhat more sturdy tyre this season, Pirelli are of the view that a one-stop strategy is the way to go for today’s race: starting out on mediums before pitting for hards between laps 20 to 26 or, alternatively, starting the race on softs before swapping them for hards between lap 15 to 21.

Published: March 8, 2026, 3:54 am

US win first medals of Winter Paralympics as Oksana Masters leads American one-two

• Masters wins 10th Paralympic gold in biathlon sprint

• Gretsch silver completes US one-two in sitting race

• Victory marks Masters’ 20th Paralympic medal

Oksana Masters led a United States one-two finish in the women’s 7.5km sitting sprint on Saturday, winning gold to deliver the United States’ first medals of the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics. Masters crossed the line in 21:21.3 at Val di Fiemme, coming in 16 seconds ahead of teammate Kendall Gretsch, who took silver.

Both Americans shot a perfect 10-for-10 on the range, leaving the race to be decided on the snow. Masters proved fastest over the course, pulling away from Gretsch on the final lap to secure the 10th Paralympic gold medal of her career. Germany’s Anja Wicker claimed bronze.

Published: March 7, 2026, 2:58 pm

Olympic champion Alysa Liu withdraws from world figure skating championships

• Olympic champion Liu withdraws from worlds

• US star rests after historic Milan gold medal

• Sarah Everhardt replaces Liu on US team roster

Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the world championships later this month, an unsurprising move for the defending champ after she won the first Winter Games gold medal by an American woman in more than two decades.

Liu would have performed alongside Olympic teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito when worlds begin 24 Match at O2 Arena in Prague. Bradie Tennell was the first alternate but declined, so Sarah Everhardt will take Liu’s place on the US team.

Published: March 7, 2026, 6:10 pm

Aaron Judge sets tone as USA trounce Brazil to launch World Baseball Classic campaign

• Judge homers as US rout Brazil in WBC opener

• Turang drives in four runs as US draw 17 walks

• Manny Ramirez’s son hits two homers for Brazil

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Brice Turang had three hits and four RBIs to lead the United States to a 15-5 win over Brazil in their World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.

There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston’s Daikin Park.

Published: March 7, 2026, 12:05 pm

Sonay Kartal shocks Navarro at Indian Wells while Draper starts title defence in style

• Kartal beats No 20 seed Emma Navarro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6

• British men’s No 1 defeats Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Jack Draper came from behind to beat Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to start his title defence in Indian Wells, and his success was followed by a superb performance in the women’s event from Sonay Kartal, as the British No 2 twice broke back to stay in the match and beat the No 20 seed, Emma Navarro, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (2).

Kartal, the world No 54, raced through the first set but needed a medical time out and Navarro levelled the match in the second. The Briton was serving first in the final set but failed to put her opponent under much pressure and was broken in the ninth game by the American. The defiant Kartal broke back but could not hold her serve next up, meaning the world No 25 would serve for the match again at 6-5. Kartal refused to go down without a fight, saved a match point, broke back and then dropped just two points in the tie-break.

Published: March 8, 2026, 12:12 am

Pogacar makes it three in a row at Strade Bianche while Chabbey sprints to glory

• Teenage French sensation Paul Seixas finishes second

• Swiss wins women’s race in a thrilling finish

Tadej Pogacar won a record fourth Strade Bianche title as he made a triumphant start to his 2026 season, with the teenage French sensation Paul Seixas second. The world champion made a typically devastating long-range break around 80km from the finish, after which it was a procession to the line in Siena for his third win in a row.

In doing so, the four-time Tour de France winner proved once again that his appetite to triumph – and dominantly – has not diminished despite his myriad successes. One of the 27-year-old Slovenian’s main targets for this season comes in two weeks’ time at the Milan-San Remo one-day classic, one of only two of the five Monument races he is yet to win.

Published: March 7, 2026, 4:26 pm

The World Cup is no stranger to strife – but this summer’s finals already feel damaged | Jonathan Wilson

A hundred days from their first game, Iran’s prospects of playing in the US are fast fading as turbulent times once more affect the tournament

Saturday marks 100 days from what should be the start of Iran’s World Cup, a Group G fixture against New Zealand in Inglewood, near Los Angeles. As the United States bombs Iran – and Iran bombs a range of countries, including three that have also qualified – it seems all but impossible that they can take part in the tournament.

Were Iran to pull out or be expelled, they would become the first qualified nation since India and France in 1950 not to take up their place. Neither withdrawal in 1950 was political (in truth, saying there were two withdrawals is a technicality; those were chaotic years for qualification). India pulled out not, as has often been claimed, because they were banned from playing barefoot, but because they couldn’t afford the trip.

Published: March 7, 2026, 8:00 pm

Baltimore Ravens land Maxx Crosby in blockbuster trade with Las Vegas Raiders

• Baltimore send two first-round picks to Vegas

• Pass-rush help arrives for Lamar Jackson’s side

Five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby is heading to the Baltimore Ravens, two people with knowledge of the trade told the Associated Press on Friday night.

Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until the NFL’s new year starts next week.

Published: March 7, 2026, 3:42 am

Marmoush double seals comeback FA Cup win for Manchester City at Newcastle

Pep Guardiola had Omar Marmoush in the tightest of bear hugs and seemed strangely unwilling to release the smiling Egyptian.

It was the 73rd minute and two goals from the newly withdrawn Marmoush, the second a real show stopper, and another from Savinho had enabled Manchester City to come from behind and potentially shatter Newcastle’s entire season.

Published: March 7, 2026, 10:10 pm

Eberechi Eze staggers Mansfield as Arsenal survive FA Cup scare

The main stand at the oldest professional football ground in the world shook. It was the moment to ignite Mansfield Town dreams, a goal from the substitute Will Evans early in the second half to hint at something extraordinary.

It ought to have been a mismatch. Quadruple-chasing Arsenal, the top team in England and Europe so far this season, against the one that sits 16th in League One. It was anything but and now Evans had cancelled out Noni Madueke’s first-half opener.

Published: March 7, 2026, 2:30 pm

Bronze and Stanway fire England past Iceland in Women’s World Cup qualifier

• England 2-0 Iceland

• Wiegman happy to keep clean sheet in routine win

Goals from Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway made it two wins from two in England’s bid to qualify for the 2027 World Cup, with attention now turning to a hugely important game against Spain at Wembley in April.

England’s aim of avoiding the playoffs by securing top spot in their World Cup qualifying group was never going to be derailed by Ukraine and Iceland. Ukraine was a straightforward affair, once they had found their rhythm in the second half to earn a 6-1 win, and at the City Ground in Nottingham, while Iceland are higher ranked than Ukraine, the Lionesses were still overwhelmingly comfortable.

Published: March 7, 2026, 2:38 pm

European football: Lamine Yamal restores Barcelona lead at top with winner at Athletic Bilbao

• Teenager’s goal edges champions to 1-0 victory

• Borussia Dortmund overcome Cologne 2-1

Lamine Yamal’s superbly taken goal earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead on second-placed Real Madrid, who had temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo on Friday.

Yamal curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mamés stadium in a hard-fought clash.

Published: March 7, 2026, 10:40 pm

Championship roundup: Coventry win again as Millwall close gap on top two

• Sakamoto and Wright give leaders victory at Bristol City

• Lions close to within a point of Boro with 3-1 away win

First-half goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Haji Wright strengthened Coventry’s position at the top of the Championship as they won 2-0 at Bristol City in a match that ended with both teams reduced to 10 men.

The visitors took a 37th minute lead when the former Robins player Jay Dasilva crossed from the left and Sakamoto outjumped his marker to net with a downward header. Coventry’s task was made more difficult when Joel Latibeaudiere was sent off in the 43rd minute for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, pulling back Emil Riis. But in first-half added time the Sky Blues doubled their advantage when Wright eluded a weak challenge before beating Radek Vitek with a low right-footed drive.

Published: March 7, 2026, 5:38 pm

Andre Gray’s pedigree preps Port Vale for Sunderland test on unlikely FA Cup run

Veteran striker who played in 2019 final brings experience to League One club in fifth round for first time in 30 years

There is no shortage of FA Cup pedigree at Port Vale. Emblazoned on plaques and walls around Vale Park are memories of their 1996 victory against Everton under the legendary manager John Rudge. That 2-1 victory, in a fourth-round replay having held the Cup holders at Goodison Park, was the last time Vale had reached the fifth round until Tuesday’s extra-time win over Bristol City. Now Sunderland await at Vale Park on Sunday – another chance to make history.

“It’s been 30 years since we’ve been to this stage – but it’s now about putting in a performance that can be memorable,” said their head coach, Jon Brady. “You want to put in performances they can go home talking about, and that they can be proud of. You want to see smiles on faces and people feeling really upbeat about the team. You want to create special memories that will live long, and the other night will live long in the players’ and fans’ memories.”

Published: March 7, 2026, 12:00 pm

Liverpool Women’s total wage bill less than club directors, accounts reveal

• WSL side’s turnover rose by 25% in year of record investment

• Total wage bill was £3.1m while nine directors paid £4.2m

Liverpool directors earned more in pay than the combined salaries of all their Women’s Super League side’s 49 players and staff, latest accounts reveal.

Liverpool Women’s total operating budget climbed by 36% for the year ending 31 May 2025, when they finished seventh in the WSL and reached the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals.

Published: March 7, 2026, 9:35 am

Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics 2026: day one – in pictures

We take a look at the best images from the opening day of the Games, including curling, downhill skiing and ice hockey

Published: March 7, 2026, 11:17 pm

Newcastle 1-3 Manchester City: FA Cup fifth round – as it happened

City came from behind to swat aside Newcastle and keep their quadruple hopes alive

1 min: The kick-off’s sent long, and Newcastle win a throw deep in City territory on the left. Hall launches long. The ball nearly drops first to Woltemade, then Elanga, but neither can get an effort on target and turn themselves into the Jackie Milburn de nos jours. The 45-second mark ticks over without the scoreboard being troubled.

Newcastle United get the ball rolling. City are kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half.

Published: March 7, 2026, 10:30 pm

Steve Borthwick under increasing scrutiny after England lose to Italy for first time

• Head coach’s future called into question by Monye

• Borthwick says he is right man to lead England at World Cup

Steve Borthwick’s role is coming under increasing scrutiny after he became the first England head coach to lose to Italy. England will have suffered four championship defeats in the same season for the first time in 50 years if they lose to France in Paris next week and the Borthwick project is coming under the microscope.

Among those concerned about the direction of the team, beaten 23-18 by opponents who had lost all 32 of the previous meetings between the countries, is the former British & Irish Lions winger Ugo Monye, a Guardian columnist, who said the result raised significant questions.

Published: March 7, 2026, 9:41 pm

Wrexham 2-4 Chelsea: FA Cup fifth round – as it happened

Chelsea survived a major scare at Cae Ras, twice coming from behind before beating 10-man Wrexham in extra-time

7 min Chelsea look happy to move the ball around and take the sting out of the atmosphere. Wrexham aren’t seeing much of the ball but haven’t been troubled defensively.

4 min A pretty quiet start to the game, at least on the field. The Wrexham fans are still making a very decent noise.

Published: March 7, 2026, 8:50 pm

Gregor Townsend keeps his cool after Scotland topple France to stay in title hunt

• Townsend: ‘This is very significant but it’s round four’

• Kyle Steyn expected to be fit for final match in Dublin

Gregor Townsend remained ice cool after Scotland’s exhilarating seven-try victory against France, which keeps them in the hunt for the title with one round to play, a position Scotland have never known in the Six Nations. The win was no big deal, he seemed to be saying.

“There have been other games where it’s probably meant a lot to the group,” he said, “whether it was a response or to break a record – away from home in Paris or Wales, or beating England for the first time in a number of years. So they maybe are the ones that have more significance. This [win] is very significant, but just now it’s round four. And it gives us a chance to win in round five.”

Published: March 7, 2026, 7:04 pm

Italy v England: Six Nations 2026 – as it happened

Italy beat England for the first time with a late try as Steve Borthwick’s men reach a new low in Rome.

Does regular contributor Guy Hornsby speak for all England fans?

“I am not full of confidence today, Daniel. We are coming to this in semi-disarray, falling apart off the back of our 12 match run, now a distant memory. Against a team on the up full of excellent players, there are so many big battles, no more so than their centre partnership. You feel Brex and Menoncello v Atkinson and Freeman could decide it. Atkinson is a huge talent but what a way to come back into the team. Freeman is arguably one of our best players, but a work in progress at 13. If their defence falters, we could get torn open. You feel the battle up front will go a long way to deciding it, but make no mistake: on form, Italy winning will be no shock. England have a mountain to climb. A gritty win today will be just fine with many England fans.”

Published: March 7, 2026, 6:55 pm

Italy claim historic first victory over England as Borthwick’s men are rattled in Rome

• Italy 23-18 England

• Azzurri stun visitors for first win in 33 meetings

Even by the Six Nations’ usual standards this has been a remarkable tournament. And to the list of stunning outcomes can now be added the biggest result in the history of Italian rugby. For the first time in 33 attempts they have beaten England at rugby union and no one could possibly claim the boys in blue did not deserve their long-awaited special day.

Entering the final half hour it had seemed as though England might just leave Rome with their dignity intact. Instead, not for the first time in this championship, they were the architects of their own downfall with the momentum of the game swinging decisively after two visiting forwards, including captain Maro Itoje, were sent to the sin-bin within eight minutes of each other.

Published: March 7, 2026, 6:49 pm

Rory McIlroy to defend Players title despite withdrawal from Invitational

• Northern Irishman pulls out before third round

• ‘I felt a twinge in my back, it became muscle spasms’

Rory McIlroy is confident of defending his Players Championship title from Thursday despite withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational 35 minutes before his third round. McIlroy suffered back spasms and was unwilling to potentially put appearances at the Players and next month’s Masters at risk by taking to the course at Bay Hill. McIlroy will also be defending the crown at Augusta National.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back,” McIlroy said. “As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”

Published: March 7, 2026, 7:04 pm