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Crystal Palace 3-0 Fiorentina: Mateta leads dominant quarterfinal display  Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a commanding 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Conference League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday.Making his first start since a proposed January move to AC Milan fell through, Mateta opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was fouled by Dodo.Mateta was again involved in Palace’s second seven minutes later, his close-range effort forcing a save from David de Gea before Tyrick Mitchell converted the rebound.“I keep working hard, and I’m always here to push for the victory,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “Today we did it, but it’s not finished. We have one more game in Italy.”Fiorentina responded after the break, with Giovanni Fabbian striking the woodwork and Dean Henderson producing two sharp saves to preserve Palace’s lead.Ismaila Sarr sealed the result in stoppage time, heading in to give Palace a healthy advantage heading into the return leg in Tuscany.Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-0, with late goals from Pedrinho and a brace from Alisson Santana.Rayo Vallecano moved closer to a historic semifinal with a 3-0 win over AEK Athens, while Mainz beat Strasbourg 2-0 to maintain its perfect home record in the competition.Published on Apr 10, 2026  #Crystal #Palace #Fiorentina #Mateta #leads #dominant #quarterfinal #display

Crystal Palace 3-0 Fiorentina: Mateta leads dominant quarterfinal display

Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a commanding 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Conference League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday.

Making his first start since a proposed January move to AC Milan fell through, Mateta opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was fouled by Dodo.

Mateta was again involved in Palace’s second seven minutes later, his close-range effort forcing a save from David de Gea before Tyrick Mitchell converted the rebound.

“I keep working hard, and I’m always here to push for the victory,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “Today we did it, but it’s not finished. We have one more game in Italy.”

Fiorentina responded after the break, with Giovanni Fabbian striking the woodwork and Dean Henderson producing two sharp saves to preserve Palace’s lead.

Ismaila Sarr sealed the result in stoppage time, heading in to give Palace a healthy advantage heading into the return leg in Tuscany.

Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-0, with late goals from Pedrinho and a brace from Alisson Santana.

Rayo Vallecano moved closer to a historic semifinal with a 3-0 win over AEK Athens, while Mainz beat Strasbourg 2-0 to maintain its perfect home record in the competition.

Published on Apr 10, 2026

#Crystal #Palace #Fiorentina #Mateta #leads #dominant #quarterfinal #display

Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a commanding 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Conference League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday.

Making his first start since a proposed January move to AC Milan fell through, Mateta opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was fouled by Dodo.

Mateta was again involved in Palace’s second seven minutes later, his close-range effort forcing a save from David de Gea before Tyrick Mitchell converted the rebound.

“I keep working hard, and I’m always here to push for the victory,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “Today we did it, but it’s not finished. We have one more game in Italy.”

Fiorentina responded after the break, with Giovanni Fabbian striking the woodwork and Dean Henderson producing two sharp saves to preserve Palace’s lead.

Ismaila Sarr sealed the result in stoppage time, heading in to give Palace a healthy advantage heading into the return leg in Tuscany.

Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-0, with late goals from Pedrinho and a brace from Alisson Santana.

Rayo Vallecano moved closer to a historic semifinal with a 3-0 win over AEK Athens, while Mainz beat Strasbourg 2-0 to maintain its perfect home record in the competition.

Published on Apr 10, 2026

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#Crystal #Palace #Fiorentina #Mateta #leads #dominant #quarterfinal #display

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Deadspin | Spurs look to continue torrid stretch against feisty Mavericks <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28688679.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28688679.jpg" alt="NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">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<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>The San Antonio Spurs look to keep their momentum growing in preparation for the upcoming playoffs when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the penultimate game of the regular season for the Lone Star State rivals.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>The Spurs (61-19) have won 13 of their past 14 games and have gone 29-3 since Feb.1, but they still couldn’t run down Oklahoma City for the best record in either the Western Conference or the league. San Antonio has been forced to settle for second in both races and will host the seventh seed (either the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers) in the first round of the playoffs next week.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>“It’s an exciting time, and you can feel it,” Spurs forward Devin Vassell said of San Antonio’s first trip to playoffs since the 2018-19 campaign. “The fans are ready. The organization’s ready. We’re ready. I’m just excited for us to get it going.”</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>San Antonio heads into Friday’s game after a 112-101 home win over Portland on Wednesday that was produced with both Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) on the bench. Both players are listed as questionable to play against Dallas.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>The Spurs got 25 points from De’Aaron Fox in the Portland victory, while Keldon Johnson added 20 points and Carter Bryant posted career highs with 17 points and four assists. Vassell had 14 points, Dylan Harper scored 13 and Luke Kornet hit for 10. </p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>San Antonio’s bench players outscored Portland’s reserves 48-10. With little on the line in either Friday’s game or Sunday’s regular-season finale at home with Denver, expect the Spurs to continue to showcase their depth.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-7"> <p>After Bryant’s career night, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson says the rookie will be a key part of his playoff rotation.</p> </section> <section id="section-8"> <p>“Carter played within himself in terms of things that we’ve been talking about, and practicing and training on and the ball found him, and he shot (in) rhythm with confidence when he was open,” Johnson said. “He will play in the playoffs. Carter’s definitely grown just by the natural evolution of he had zero games under his belt before this year started.”</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>The Mavericks (25-55) travel south to the Alamo City after a 112-107 loss at Phoenix on Wednesday. John Poulakidas hit for a career-high 23 points and made five 3-pointers in the setback, while Marvin Bagley III had 20 points, Max Christie scored 18 and Cooper Flagg had 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Dallas, strengthening his case for Rookie of the Year.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Dallas, which has dropped 10 of its past 12 contests, hung tough in the loss to the Suns in the second game of a road back-to-back despite playing without Naji Marshall (left hip contusion), P.J. Washington (left elbow sprain) and Klay Thompson (rest). Marshall and Washington are listed as doubtful for Friday’s game.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>That situation gave Poulakidas, a rookie, a chance to show how he’s grown this season, and he made the most of that chance.</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>“I wanted to come into this game playing freely, playing aggressively, and I thought I did that,” said Poulakidas, a former March Madness hero for Yale. “When I was going through my pregame routines, I was filling a little bit of extra juice because I knew that I was going to get the opportunity. I just wanted to be ready when the ball came to me.”</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>The Spurs have captured all three games against Dallas this season.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-14"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Spurs #continue #torrid #stretch #feisty #Mavericks

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Steven Spielberg on why Robopocalypse didn’t happen: “It would have ended a whole studio”

Iga Swiatek is hoping ‌to benefit from new coach Francisco Roig’s experience ​and technical expertise when the world number four ⁠begins her claycourt season at the Stuttgart Open this week after a disappointing start to the year.

The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion ‌lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before a ‌shock second-round defeat by Magda Linette in the Miami ‌Open ⁠last month.

That prompted Swiatek to part ways with ⁠her coach, Wim Fissette, and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafael Nadal from 2005-22 and more recently with Briton Emma Raducanu.

“I’m really ​happy to start with Francis,” ‌Swiatek told a press conference in Stuttgart.

“I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a person who is experienced enough to help ‌me through some different kinds of situations. I feel ​Francisco has lived through everything on tour. It’s going really amazing… I was able to find a ⁠new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because when you do that in the middle of the season, ‌it’s nice to have some security in that.”

Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favoured clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam that begins on May 24 with a training block at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca under the watchful eyes of the Spaniard.

“I asked if ‌it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some ​kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him,” Swiatek said.

“It was a privilege to have ⁠him on court. I honestly didn’t have many expectations because I ⁠know he’s super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always ‌has different projects and everything. Now I’ll continue with Francisco. He’ll be the person that takes care of the whole ​process. That’s the plan for now.”

Published on Apr 14, 2026

#Swiatek #banks #Nadals #coach #toreignite #claycourt #season #ahead #Stuttgart #Open">Swiatek banks on Nadal’s former coach to reignite her claycourt season ahead of Stuttgart Open  Iga Swiatek is hoping ‌to benefit from new coach Francisco Roig’s experience ​and technical expertise when the world number four ⁠begins her claycourt season at the Stuttgart Open this week after a disappointing start to the year.The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion ‌lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before a ‌shock second-round defeat by Magda Linette in the Miami ‌Open ⁠last month.That prompted Swiatek to part ways with ⁠her coach, Wim Fissette, and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafael Nadal from 2005-22 and more recently with Briton Emma Raducanu.“I’m really ​happy to start with Francis,” ‌Swiatek told a press conference in Stuttgart.“I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a person who is experienced enough to help ‌me through some different kinds of situations. I feel ​Francisco has lived through everything on tour. It’s going really amazing… I was able to find a ⁠new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because when you do that in the middle of the season, ‌it’s nice to have some security in that.”Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favoured clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam that begins on May 24 with a training block at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca under the watchful eyes of the Spaniard.“I asked if ‌it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some ​kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him,” Swiatek said.“It was a privilege to have ⁠him on court. I honestly didn’t have many expectations because I ⁠know he’s super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always ‌has different projects and everything. Now I’ll continue with Francisco. He’ll be the person that takes care of the whole ​process. That’s the plan for now.”Published on Apr 14, 2026  #Swiatek #banks #Nadals #coach #toreignite #claycourt #season #ahead #Stuttgart #Open

Deadspin | Lightning hold off late charge from Red Wings for overtime win  Apr 13, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Carter Mazur (34) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) battle for the puck in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images   Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winner 27 seconds into overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning started a final two-game homestand with their 50th win, edging the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Monday night.  After goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (27 saves) stuffed Alex DeBrincat just after the puck dropped in overtime, Brayden Point went the other way and executed a give-and-go with Kucherov for his 44th marker as the Lightning won for the fourth time in seven games (4-3-0).  Trailing the Buffalo Sabres and idle Montreal Canadiens in points, the Lightning (50-25-6, 106 points) sat in third place by two points entering the contest but wasted a 3-1 third-period lead.  Conor Geekie, Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel also tallied as the club moved to 26-13-1 on home ice. Kucherov also had an assist.  DeBrincat netted his 41st goal for the Red Wings, and David Perron and Marco Kasper scored for the Red Wings (41-30-10, 92 points), who saw Patrick Kane register his 1,400th career point on an assist. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 18 shots as the team fell to 1-3-2 in its past six.  Defenseman Ben Chiarot started the first goal by flipping a distant shot that Vasilevskiy failed to glove and rebounded nearby to J.T. Compher, who quickly zipped a pass across the ice to Perron for his 13th marker at 5:31 of the first period.   At 15:30, Simon Edvinsson found the net for what appeared to be a 2-0 lead, but the Lightning challenged for goaltender interference. After review, the officials ruled that Detroit’s Andrew Copp banged skates with Vasilevskiy in the blue paint and overturned the goal call, negating point No. 1,400 for Kane.  In just his 14th game this season, Geekie grabbed a pass in the defensive end, raced three-quarters of the ice on a breakaway and put the puck past Talbot, who got a piece but could not keep it out at 17:05. It was Geekie’s first of the season.  After being outshot 14-8 in the first, Tampa Bay crafted a two-goal lead in the final five minutes of the middle frame when Cernak and Guentzel popped the twine within a 2:10 span to make it 3-1.  Kasper closed the gap to one with his ninth at 2:56 into the third, and DeBrincat tied it on a pass from Kane, giving him his milestone point and leading to overtime.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Lightning #hold #late #charge #Red #Wings #overtime #winApr 13, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Carter Mazur (34) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) battle for the puck in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winner 27 seconds into overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning started a final two-game homestand with their 50th win, edging the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Monday night.

After goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (27 saves) stuffed Alex DeBrincat just after the puck dropped in overtime, Brayden Point went the other way and executed a give-and-go with Kucherov for his 44th marker as the Lightning won for the fourth time in seven games (4-3-0).

Trailing the Buffalo Sabres and idle Montreal Canadiens in points, the Lightning (50-25-6, 106 points) sat in third place by two points entering the contest but wasted a 3-1 third-period lead.

Conor Geekie, Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel also tallied as the club moved to 26-13-1 on home ice. Kucherov also had an assist.

DeBrincat netted his 41st goal for the Red Wings, and David Perron and Marco Kasper scored for the Red Wings (41-30-10, 92 points), who saw Patrick Kane register his 1,400th career point on an assist. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 18 shots as the team fell to 1-3-2 in its past six.


Defenseman Ben Chiarot started the first goal by flipping a distant shot that Vasilevskiy failed to glove and rebounded nearby to J.T. Compher, who quickly zipped a pass across the ice to Perron for his 13th marker at 5:31 of the first period.

At 15:30, Simon Edvinsson found the net for what appeared to be a 2-0 lead, but the Lightning challenged for goaltender interference. After review, the officials ruled that Detroit’s Andrew Copp banged skates with Vasilevskiy in the blue paint and overturned the goal call, negating point No. 1,400 for Kane.

In just his 14th game this season, Geekie grabbed a pass in the defensive end, raced three-quarters of the ice on a breakaway and put the puck past Talbot, who got a piece but could not keep it out at 17:05. It was Geekie’s first of the season.

After being outshot 14-8 in the first, Tampa Bay crafted a two-goal lead in the final five minutes of the middle frame when Cernak and Guentzel popped the twine within a 2:10 span to make it 3-1.

Kasper closed the gap to one with his ninth at 2:56 into the third, and DeBrincat tied it on a pass from Kane, giving him his milestone point and leading to overtime.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Lightning #hold #late #charge #Red #Wings #overtime #win">Deadspin | Lightning hold off late charge from Red Wings for overtime win  Apr 13, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Carter Mazur (34) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) battle for the puck in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images   Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winner 27 seconds into overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning started a final two-game homestand with their 50th win, edging the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Monday night.  After goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (27 saves) stuffed Alex DeBrincat just after the puck dropped in overtime, Brayden Point went the other way and executed a give-and-go with Kucherov for his 44th marker as the Lightning won for the fourth time in seven games (4-3-0).  Trailing the Buffalo Sabres and idle Montreal Canadiens in points, the Lightning (50-25-6, 106 points) sat in third place by two points entering the contest but wasted a 3-1 third-period lead.  Conor Geekie, Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel also tallied as the club moved to 26-13-1 on home ice. Kucherov also had an assist.  DeBrincat netted his 41st goal for the Red Wings, and David Perron and Marco Kasper scored for the Red Wings (41-30-10, 92 points), who saw Patrick Kane register his 1,400th career point on an assist. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 18 shots as the team fell to 1-3-2 in its past six.  Defenseman Ben Chiarot started the first goal by flipping a distant shot that Vasilevskiy failed to glove and rebounded nearby to J.T. Compher, who quickly zipped a pass across the ice to Perron for his 13th marker at 5:31 of the first period.   At 15:30, Simon Edvinsson found the net for what appeared to be a 2-0 lead, but the Lightning challenged for goaltender interference. After review, the officials ruled that Detroit’s Andrew Copp banged skates with Vasilevskiy in the blue paint and overturned the goal call, negating point No. 1,400 for Kane.  In just his 14th game this season, Geekie grabbed a pass in the defensive end, raced three-quarters of the ice on a breakaway and put the puck past Talbot, who got a piece but could not keep it out at 17:05. It was Geekie’s first of the season.  After being outshot 14-8 in the first, Tampa Bay crafted a two-goal lead in the final five minutes of the middle frame when Cernak and Guentzel popped the twine within a 2:10 span to make it 3-1.  Kasper closed the gap to one with his ninth at 2:56 into the third, and DeBrincat tied it on a pass from Kane, giving him his milestone point and leading to overtime.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Lightning #hold #late #charge #Red #Wings #overtime #win

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