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AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Japan beats Australia 1-0 to lift title for third time

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Japan beats Australia 1-0 to lift title for third time

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Japan capped off a perfect AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign, remaining unbeaten and defeating Australia 1-0 in the final to be crowned champion on Saturday.

Sam Kerr, the only remaining member of Australia’s 2010 Asian Cup-winning side, had returned from an ACL injury for the tournament but could not find the net in the decider and missed the chance to add another Asian Cup title to her collection.

Riko Ueki finished as Japan’s top scorer in the tournament. Japan had also already qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semifinals.

Published on Mar 21, 2026

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Deadspin | Blazers face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs to open playoffs Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images The Portland Trail Blazers will get their first look of the season at erstwhile league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama when they travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday in their opening game of the first round playoff series. The Trail Blazers (42-40) clinched the seventh seed and a meeting with the second-seeded Spurs with a 114-110 road win over Phoenix on Tuesday in the West’s 7 vs. 8 matchup in the play-in tournament. That victory allowed Portland to earn its first trip to the playoffs since 2021. San Antonio has won two of the three games with the Trail Blazers this year — most recently a 112-101 decision at home on April 8 — but Wembanyama missed all three contests with injuries. That doesn’t bode well for Portland’s chances to upset the Spurs, who lost just four times in their 34 games since March 1. “He will play in the fourth game,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said about Wembanyama. “That feels good.” Wembanyama’s numbers this season — 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers –are a combination never before produced in the NBA. Portland acting head coach Tiago Splitter said his team will employ a combined effort to try to slow the Spurs’ star center. “Of course Wembanyama is a big emphasis for us both offensively and defensively,” Splitter explained. “He’s a 7-foot-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter and brings something different that other teams don’t have. “Every game is a team effort,” Splitter added. “Stay connected on offense. Share the ball, play together. It’s a big team effort on both ends of the court.” Deni Avdija led the way for Portland in Tuesday’s win, scoring 41 points that included his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining that capped the Blazers’ comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. San Antonio had the second-best record in the NBA this season at 62-20, trailing only defending champion Oklahoma City. The Spurs are on the hunt for their sixth NBA title in franchise history and are one of the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. But this is lofty company for San Antonio, which hasn’t earned a spot in the playoffs since 2019. The Spurs are just the fourth team in league history to win 60 games in a season a year after they won less than 35. “I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said about the team’s quest for a championship. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts.” San Antonio is far from a one-man team. The Spurs had seven players average in double-figure scoring, with Wembanyama leading the way at 25 points per game in 65 contests. De’Aaron Fox was second at 18.6 points, and Stephon Castle (who had five triple doubles) racking up 16.7 points. “We know where we are,” Johnson said this week. “We will be ourselves. We’ll be excited to play. If that means we come out in the first three minutes and there’s some nerves, I think that’s excitement. But I think we’ll get back to being ourselves. That’s what I expect. “As soon as we can get back to making it the basketball game we’ve been playing all year, we’ll be in a good spot.” Game 2 will be Tuesday night in the Alamo City before switching to Portland for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and April 26, respectively. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Blazers #face #Victor #Wembanyama #Spurs #open #playoffsApr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers will get their first look of the season at erstwhile league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama when they travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday in their opening game of the first round playoff series.

The Trail Blazers (42-40) clinched the seventh seed and a meeting with the second-seeded Spurs with a 114-110 road win over Phoenix on Tuesday in the West’s 7 vs. 8 matchup in the play-in tournament. That victory allowed Portland to earn its first trip to the playoffs since 2021.

San Antonio has won two of the three games with the Trail Blazers this year — most recently a 112-101 decision at home on April 8 — but Wembanyama missed all three contests with injuries. That doesn’t bode well for Portland’s chances to upset the Spurs, who lost just four times in their 34 games since March 1.

“He will play in the fourth game,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said about Wembanyama. “That feels good.”

Wembanyama’s numbers this season — 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers –are a combination never before produced in the NBA. Portland acting head coach Tiago Splitter said his team will employ a combined effort to try to slow the Spurs’ star center.

“Of course Wembanyama is a big emphasis for us both offensively and defensively,” Splitter explained. “He’s a 7-foot-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter and brings something different that other teams don’t have.

“Every game is a team effort,” Splitter added. “Stay connected on offense. Share the ball, play together. It’s a big team effort on both ends of the court.”


Deni Avdija led the way for Portland in Tuesday’s win, scoring 41 points that included his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining that capped the Blazers’ comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.

San Antonio had the second-best record in the NBA this season at 62-20, trailing only defending champion Oklahoma City. The Spurs are on the hunt for their sixth NBA title in franchise history and are one of the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

But this is lofty company for San Antonio, which hasn’t earned a spot in the playoffs since 2019. The Spurs are just the fourth team in league history to win 60 games in a season a year after they won less than 35.

“I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said about the team’s quest for a championship. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts.”

San Antonio is far from a one-man team. The Spurs had seven players average in double-figure scoring, with Wembanyama leading the way at 25 points per game in 65 contests. De’Aaron Fox was second at 18.6 points, and Stephon Castle (who had five triple doubles) racking up 16.7 points.

“We know where we are,” Johnson said this week. “We will be ourselves. We’ll be excited to play. If that means we come out in the first three minutes and there’s some nerves, I think that’s excitement. But I think we’ll get back to being ourselves. That’s what I expect.

“As soon as we can get back to making it the basketball game we’ve been playing all year, we’ll be in a good spot.”

Game 2 will be Tuesday night in the Alamo City before switching to Portland for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and April 26, respectively.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Blazers #face #Victor #Wembanyama #Spurs #open #playoffs">Deadspin | Blazers face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs to open playoffs Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images The Portland Trail Blazers will get their first look of the season at erstwhile league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama when they travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday in their opening game of the first round playoff series. The Trail Blazers (42-40) clinched the seventh seed and a meeting with the second-seeded Spurs with a 114-110 road win over Phoenix on Tuesday in the West’s 7 vs. 8 matchup in the play-in tournament. That victory allowed Portland to earn its first trip to the playoffs since 2021. San Antonio has won two of the three games with the Trail Blazers this year — most recently a 112-101 decision at home on April 8 — but Wembanyama missed all three contests with injuries. That doesn’t bode well for Portland’s chances to upset the Spurs, who lost just four times in their 34 games since March 1. “He will play in the fourth game,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said about Wembanyama. “That feels good.” Wembanyama’s numbers this season — 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers –are a combination never before produced in the NBA. Portland acting head coach Tiago Splitter said his team will employ a combined effort to try to slow the Spurs’ star center. “Of course Wembanyama is a big emphasis for us both offensively and defensively,” Splitter explained. “He’s a 7-foot-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter and brings something different that other teams don’t have. “Every game is a team effort,” Splitter added. “Stay connected on offense. Share the ball, play together. It’s a big team effort on both ends of the court.” Deni Avdija led the way for Portland in Tuesday’s win, scoring 41 points that included his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining that capped the Blazers’ comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. San Antonio had the second-best record in the NBA this season at 62-20, trailing only defending champion Oklahoma City. The Spurs are on the hunt for their sixth NBA title in franchise history and are one of the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. But this is lofty company for San Antonio, which hasn’t earned a spot in the playoffs since 2019. The Spurs are just the fourth team in league history to win 60 games in a season a year after they won less than 35. “I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said about the team’s quest for a championship. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts.” San Antonio is far from a one-man team. The Spurs had seven players average in double-figure scoring, with Wembanyama leading the way at 25 points per game in 65 contests. De’Aaron Fox was second at 18.6 points, and Stephon Castle (who had five triple doubles) racking up 16.7 points. “We know where we are,” Johnson said this week. “We will be ourselves. We’ll be excited to play. If that means we come out in the first three minutes and there’s some nerves, I think that’s excitement. But I think we’ll get back to being ourselves. That’s what I expect. “As soon as we can get back to making it the basketball game we’ve been playing all year, we’ll be in a good spot.” Game 2 will be Tuesday night in the Alamo City before switching to Portland for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and April 26, respectively. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Blazers #face #Victor #Wembanyama #Spurs #open #playoffs

Napoli’s slim hopes of defending its Serie A league ​title all but ended with a 0-2 home defeat to ⁠Lazio on Saturday that left it 12 points adrift of leader Inter Milan with five games left.

Inter, which beat Cagliari 3-0 on Friday, is on ‌78 points, with Napoli on 66. AC Milan is three points behind ahead of its game at Hellas Verona on ‌Sunday and Lazio is ninth in the standings on 47 points.

The ‌visiting side ⁠took a sixth-minute lead through Matteo Cancellieri, and Lazio ⁠could afford to spurn a penalty chance, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saving Mattia Zaccagni’s spot-kick, before Toma Basic doubled their advantage 12 minutes after the break.

Lazio, managed by former Napoli ​coach Maurizio Sarri, never looked ‌like allowing a sluggish home side back into the game and came away victorious from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the fourth successive season.

Napoli was up against it early on when Cancellieri steered ‌home a shot from the edge of the six-yard area ​after Kenneth Taylor’s cutback from the byline.

The home side piled forward but without creating any clear-cut chances, and Stanislav ⁠Lobotka’s foul on Tijjani Noslin gave Lazio a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot.

After his spot kick was saved, an off-balance Zaccagni ‌blasted the rebound over with Cancellieri better placed to strike.

Milinkovic-Savic pulled off saves from Cancellieri and Nuno Tavares to keep the host side in the game as it trudged off to boos from the home fans at the break.

After a scrappy opening to the second half, Lazio grabbed a second goal. Tavares stormed down the left wing and after ‌Cancellieri missed a simple tap-in at the back post, the ball fell to the ​unmarked Basic who made no mistake.

Napoli substitute Alisson Santos clipped the outside of the post but the defending champion ⁠went down with a whimper in a game in which it failed to ⁠register a single shot on target.

At the turn of the year, Serie A was enjoying a mouth-watering title race, with four ‌points separating the top five sides.

As Inter forged full steam ahead, however, its rivals fell away and Antonio Conte’s Napoli appeared to ​have little fight left as the Scudetto slipped out of reach.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Lazio #severely #dents #titledefence #chances #Napoli #win #Diego #Maradona #Stadium">Lazio severely dents title-defence chances of Napoli with a 2-0 win at Diego Maradona Stadium Napoli’s slim hopes of defending its Serie A league ​title all but ended with a 0-2 home defeat to ⁠Lazio on Saturday that left it 12 points adrift of leader Inter Milan with five games left.Inter, which beat Cagliari 3-0 on Friday, is on ‌78 points, with Napoli on 66. AC Milan is three points behind ahead of its game at Hellas Verona on ‌Sunday and Lazio is ninth in the standings on 47 points.The ‌visiting side ⁠took a sixth-minute lead through Matteo Cancellieri, and Lazio ⁠could afford to spurn a penalty chance, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saving Mattia Zaccagni’s spot-kick, before Toma Basic doubled their advantage 12 minutes after the break.Lazio, managed by former Napoli ​coach Maurizio Sarri, never looked ‌like allowing a sluggish home side back into the game and came away victorious from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the fourth successive season.Napoli was up against it early on when Cancellieri steered ‌home a shot from the edge of the six-yard area ​after Kenneth Taylor’s cutback from the byline.The home side piled forward but without creating any clear-cut chances, and Stanislav ⁠Lobotka’s foul on Tijjani Noslin gave Lazio a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot.After his spot kick was saved, an off-balance Zaccagni ‌blasted the rebound over with Cancellieri better placed to strike.Milinkovic-Savic pulled off saves from Cancellieri and Nuno Tavares to keep the host side in the game as it trudged off to boos from the home fans at the break.After a scrappy opening to the second half, Lazio grabbed a second goal. Tavares stormed down the left wing and after ‌Cancellieri missed a simple tap-in at the back post, the ball fell to the ​unmarked Basic who made no mistake.Napoli substitute Alisson Santos clipped the outside of the post but the defending champion ⁠went down with a whimper in a game in which it failed to ⁠register a single shot on target.At the turn of the year, Serie A was enjoying a mouth-watering title race, with four ‌points separating the top five sides.As Inter forged full steam ahead, however, its rivals fell away and Antonio Conte’s Napoli appeared to ​have little fight left as the Scudetto slipped out of reach.Published on Apr 19, 2026 #Lazio #severely #dents #titledefence #chances #Napoli #win #Diego #Maradona #Stadium

Deadspin | CF Montreal wins first game under Philippe Eullaffroy, beat Red Bulls Apr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) celebrates with teammate midfielder Victor Loturi (22) after scoring a goal against the Red Bull New York during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Prince Owusu recorded a goal and three assists as CF Montreal bested the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1 in the home side’s first match under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. Owusu scored his fifth goal of the season, as Montreal (2-6-0, 6 points) claimed their 100th win all-time at Stade Saputo. Montreal strode past the visitors’ backline with relative ease in the early going. Red Bulls (3-3-2, 11 points) captain Emil Forsberg failed to control a hurried pass from his goalkeeper, allowing Owusu to play in Victor Loturi, who blasted it past Ethan Horvath in the fifth minute to make it 1-0. Owusu nearly extended their lead soon after when Ivan Jaime played him through on a one-on-one. The towering center forward opted to hold the ball up before sending it wide of goal. Owusu made no mistake on his 39th-minute penalty, catching out Horvath with a sly stutter step and slotting it into the left corner to make it 2-0. The penalty came as a result of Dylan Nealis’s handball. Montreal’s Matty Longstaff knocked balls into both nets at the start of the second half. Longstaff met Owusu’s perfectly threaded through ball to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. The English midfielder then overhit an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Thomas Gillier four minutes later and inadvertently brought the Red Bulls back within two. More than the flurry of goals, the single biggest change in Montreal’s approach was in their defensive setup. Eullaffroy’s zonal marking stood in stark contrast to Marco Donadel’s aggressive man-marking, the Red Bulls managing just one shot on goal all game long. Eullaffroy also started Samuel Piette in the midfield after the Montreal captain remained on the bench in their last two outings. Owusu chipped the ball over Matthew Dos Santos and into the path of Kwadwo Opoku, who guided it into the open net to restore Montreal’s three-goal lead. The victory marked Montreal’s first at home since August of last year. Both of Montreal’s wins this season have come against the Red Bulls. New York, meanwhile, has won just one of its last six league matches. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Montreal #wins #game #Philippe #Eullaffroy #beat #Red #BullsApr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) celebrates with teammate midfielder Victor Loturi (22) after scoring a goal against the Red Bull New York during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Prince Owusu recorded a goal and three assists as CF Montreal bested the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1 in the home side’s first match under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.

Owusu scored his fifth goal of the season, as Montreal (2-6-0, 6 points) claimed their 100th win all-time at Stade Saputo.

Montreal strode past the visitors’ backline with relative ease in the early going. Red Bulls (3-3-2, 11 points) captain Emil Forsberg failed to control a hurried pass from his goalkeeper, allowing Owusu to play in Victor Loturi, who blasted it past Ethan Horvath in the fifth minute to make it 1-0.

Owusu nearly extended their lead soon after when Ivan Jaime played him through on a one-on-one. The towering center forward opted to hold the ball up before sending it wide of goal.


Owusu made no mistake on his 39th-minute penalty, catching out Horvath with a sly stutter step and slotting it into the left corner to make it 2-0. The penalty came as a result of Dylan Nealis’s handball.

Montreal’s Matty Longstaff knocked balls into both nets at the start of the second half. Longstaff met Owusu’s perfectly threaded through ball to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. The English midfielder then overhit an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Thomas Gillier four minutes later and inadvertently brought the Red Bulls back within two.

More than the flurry of goals, the single biggest change in Montreal’s approach was in their defensive setup. Eullaffroy’s zonal marking stood in stark contrast to Marco Donadel’s aggressive man-marking, the Red Bulls managing just one shot on goal all game long. Eullaffroy also started Samuel Piette in the midfield after the Montreal captain remained on the bench in their last two outings.

Owusu chipped the ball over Matthew Dos Santos and into the path of Kwadwo Opoku, who guided it into the open net to restore Montreal’s three-goal lead.

The victory marked Montreal’s first at home since August of last year. Both of Montreal’s wins this season have come against the Red Bulls. New York, meanwhile, has won just one of its last six league matches.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Montreal #wins #game #Philippe #Eullaffroy #beat #Red #Bulls">Deadspin | CF Montreal wins first game under Philippe Eullaffroy, beat Red Bulls Apr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) celebrates with teammate midfielder Victor Loturi (22) after scoring a goal against the Red Bull New York during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Prince Owusu recorded a goal and three assists as CF Montreal bested the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1 in the home side’s first match under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. Owusu scored his fifth goal of the season, as Montreal (2-6-0, 6 points) claimed their 100th win all-time at Stade Saputo. Montreal strode past the visitors’ backline with relative ease in the early going. Red Bulls (3-3-2, 11 points) captain Emil Forsberg failed to control a hurried pass from his goalkeeper, allowing Owusu to play in Victor Loturi, who blasted it past Ethan Horvath in the fifth minute to make it 1-0. Owusu nearly extended their lead soon after when Ivan Jaime played him through on a one-on-one. The towering center forward opted to hold the ball up before sending it wide of goal. Owusu made no mistake on his 39th-minute penalty, catching out Horvath with a sly stutter step and slotting it into the left corner to make it 2-0. The penalty came as a result of Dylan Nealis’s handball. Montreal’s Matty Longstaff knocked balls into both nets at the start of the second half. Longstaff met Owusu’s perfectly threaded through ball to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. The English midfielder then overhit an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Thomas Gillier four minutes later and inadvertently brought the Red Bulls back within two. More than the flurry of goals, the single biggest change in Montreal’s approach was in their defensive setup. Eullaffroy’s zonal marking stood in stark contrast to Marco Donadel’s aggressive man-marking, the Red Bulls managing just one shot on goal all game long. Eullaffroy also started Samuel Piette in the midfield after the Montreal captain remained on the bench in their last two outings. Owusu chipped the ball over Matthew Dos Santos and into the path of Kwadwo Opoku, who guided it into the open net to restore Montreal’s three-goal lead. The victory marked Montreal’s first at home since August of last year. Both of Montreal’s wins this season have come against the Red Bulls. New York, meanwhile, has won just one of its last six league matches. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Montreal #wins #game #Philippe #Eullaffroy #beat #Red #Bulls

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