When a player sometimes plays and sometimes doesn't, there's a lack of confidence in key moments because you don't feel the pitch, you've just come on, or you haven't played in the last two or three games. Sometimes there's a moment of hesitation.
Megan Keller was a 21-year-old next-big-thing-on-defense when she won her first Olympic gold medal, in Pyeongchang, the winter before her senior year of college. She was also very nearly the reason her team lost it. The refs whistled her for an illegal hit on Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin late in overtime, and her teammates spent 95 chilling seconds on the penalty kill atoning for her sins.
And it was 3-1 in the 31st minute, with Federico Valverde sending a trademark strike from distance into the top-right corner, following a simple lay-off from Alvaro Carreras. Garcia passed up a massive chance to make it 4-1 just before half-time, but Madrid did have further breathing room when Vinicius won and converted another penalty in the first 67 seconds of the second half - with Aramburu again the guilty party for La Real.
Morocco clinched their place in the Africa Cup of Nations final for the first time since 2004 as they edged Nigeria 4-2 on penalties after a tense goalless draw in the semi-final. The Atlas Lions have not won the AFCON since doing so in 1976, and the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists have played under weight of huge expectations on home soil as they look to end their wait for a second title.
The experienced Davide Massa has been chosen by the AIA for AC Milan's game against Fiorentina, but the Rossoneri have a very mixed record with the referee. It's been a season filled with refereeing controversy, perhaps it's under the microscope now more than ever, and Milan have been on the receiving end of some strange calls. Just a few days ago, in the 1-1 draw against Genoa, a seemingly non-existent penalty was given against the Rossoneri.
Caps-Cats games are rarely dull, and tonight's game was no exception...although perhaps this one had a bit too much action, and not of the good kind, in a penalty-filled affair that ultimately went the wrong way for the good guys. Plus: Two goals for Tom Wilson tonight, you absolutely love to see it.
The Los Angeles Kings' 2025-26 season is shaping up to be run-of-the-mill. The team has amassed 39 points in 34 games played. While the number doesn't seem too shabby three months in, the Kings could use plenty of improvement in certain areas. Their messy style of play consists of mistakes that cost the team games they should be winning. Additionally, they could use more chemistry and grittiness in their forward group. Let's take a deeper look at where they have struggled this season.
When the Dolphins have won the toss during the past six games, McDaniel has taken the ball, a change in strategy, instead of deferring his option to receive until the third quarter. Consequently, the Dolphins have scored first in every game of this six-game stretch although not always on their first possession. They've scored first-quarter touchdowns in four of the six games.
We assumed we knew this story. There were brilliant moments, stellar individual performances, and stretches where it looked like Atlanta would cruise to an unlikely win. Then it seemed that they were undone by the same errors that have cropped up all season, fresh waves of penalties, and failures by players the Falcons have been forced to count on when the team needed them most.
Douglas stalked Wilson around Tampa Bay's defensive zone, grabbed Wilson's stick so he couldn't skate away, and dropped his gloves before Wilson knew a fight was on. After Wilson got his gloves off, he rained down stiff lefts, a big overhand right, and the MMA-style takedown in a decisive win. He then tossed his helmet to the ice and stared down the entire Lightning bench as he made his way down the tunnel to the Capitals' locker room.
It was an order that came. I supported my team-mate so he could score the goal. Unfortunately, he missed, but he held his head high. [We must improve] because in a World Cup we have to take advantage of these opportunities.
Over the first eight games of the season, the Patriots have dealt with more than their fair share of questionable calls by NFL officials, as they have had the most flag-happy crews on hand for more than one of their games. It has made life difficult in more ways than one, like stripping away an impressive touchdown by DeMario Douglas against the Saints, which hasn't helped their early struggles with avoidable penalties.
There were four penalties in the first period, so that really sums up that period for me. In the second period, I thought we got caught extending our shifts and kind of lost our... I mean, they transitioned from defense to offense quickly and caught us on some odd-man rushes. In the third period, they had the momentum. We grinded it out, though. The goalie was good.
