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Français (Afrique)U.S. Men Lose 2-0 to Portugal in World Cup Warm‑up
Portugal opened the scoring in the 37th minute through Francisco Trincao, with Joao Felix adding a second in the 59th after a Bruno Fernandes assist. The Americans had chances but failed to convert.
The U.S. will not play again until the roster announcement on May 26, then face Senegal in Charlotte, followed by a final tune‑up against Germany in Chicago on June 6 before Group D action starts June 12 against Paraguay.
Iraq beat Bolivia 2-1 to claim final World Cup place
Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to seal their first appearance at the finals in 40 years.
Iraq, whose preparations for Tuesday's playoff had been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, will play in World Cup Group I against France, Senegal and Norway.
Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured a famous win for Iraq, whose last appearance at the World Cup came at the 1986 finals in Mexico.
The win marked a triumph for Iraq's Australian coach Graham Arnold, who had initially sought to have Tuesday's fixture postponed due to the disruption caused by the regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Most of the Iraqi squad only reached Mexico after a gruelling three‑day journey from Baghdad that began with an overland crossing into Jordan.
But there was little sign of weariness during a confident start by Iraq, who took the lead after nine minutes through Luton Town striker Al-Hamadi -– the 24-year-old who moved to Liverpool as a toddler following the outbreak of the 2003 Iraq war.
Iraq midfielder Amir Al-Ammari won a corner after a superb free-kick that was saved at full stretch from Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.
From the subsequent set piece Al-Ammari curled a pinpoint corner on to the head of Al-Hamadi who nodded home for 1-0.
Iraq were well worth the early goal and looked in control until Bolivia, who had gradually grown into the game, equalized after 38 minutes.
Ramiro Vaca's shot from the edge of the area was controlled with one touch by Moises Paniagua and the Morocco-based central midfielder swept into the roof of the net.
The goal stunned Iraq and Bolivia looked likely to grab a second after dominating the remainder of the half.
Iraq regained the lead eight minutes into the second half, when a long ball forward was nodded into the path of substitute Marko Lawk-Farji.
Lawk-Farji's cross found captain Hussein and the veteran striker clipped a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Bolivia pressed frantically for a goal to force extra-time, but Iraq's well-marshalled defence held firm during a nerve-shredding nine minutes of stoppage time.
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Shohei Ohtani showcases altered pitch mix, a few flashes of wildness in 6 scoreless innings in first outing of 2026
Before Shohei Ohtani’s first bullpen session at the start of spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was not subtle as he set the stage for the two-way phenom’s first full season as a pitcher in Dodger blue.
“I think there's certainly a lot more in there,” the skipper said. “And regardless of my expectations for him, his are going to exceed those. And I think it's fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation.”
The road to the game’s highest honor for pitchers is an arduous one, a six-month marathon of mound performance requiring both quality and quantity of innings. That’s true for those who are strictly pitching and also for Ohtani, the only Cy Young hopeful in history who doubles as one of the best hitters on the planet. As was the case with Ohtani’s many other past pursuits of greatness, this goal is unprecedented, bordering on unfathomable.
But he had to start somewhere, and his first outing of 2026 was a step in the right direction.
Facing the Cleveland Guardians on an unusually chilly and drizzly Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani delivered six scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory, allowing just one hit across an impressive outing that included a few flashes of wildness but mostly featured Ohtani on the attack to great effect. The lone hit didn’t come until Rhys Hoskins scooped a low-and-away sweeper down the left-field line for a double with two outs in the fourth inning.
Otherwise, Cleveland’s only offensive successes came courtesy of Ohtani’s occasional lapses in command, which led to three walks and a hit-by-pitch. On the whole, the Guardians’ bats did little to combat Ohtani’s deep repertoire, which helped him rack up six strikeouts, all of the swinging variety.
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Ohtani’s pitch mix Tuesday looked largely familiar to what we’ve seen in the past, with a few interesting alterations to keep an eye on. The velocity on all of his pitches was down a tick or two from his season averages last year, but Ohtani ran his heater up to 99.2 mph in the first inning, so it’s not like he was soft-tossing. In terms of usage, the most notable aspect of Ohtani’s plan of attack in his season debut was an increased reliance on his mid-70s curveball and terrific, high-80s splitter, two offerings that have generally lagged behind the sweeper, his go-to secondary pitch, in recent years.
The sweeper still played a key role against Cleveland — Ohtani punctuated his outing by getting Hoskins to flail at one for strike three to end the sixth — but it’s rare for that pitch to register as Ohtani’s fourth-most used offering. Whether that reflects just Tuesday’s game plan or a larger shift toward a new diet of offspeed and breaking pitches remains to be seen, but pitchers with Ohtani’s depth of arsenal are always worth monitoring for such evolutions.
The intrigue surrounding Ohtani’s pitching form was ramped up entering Tuesday, considering how little we saw of him on the mound in preseason. Ohtani did not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and he made just two official spring training starts, with the rest of his prep work taking place in bullpens and simulated settings on the backfields. A week before his regular-season debut, he struck out 11 Angels in his final spring training tune-up, a promising preview of what was to come. But that outing required 86 pitches to complete just four innings. On Tuesday, Ohtani needed 87 tosses to finish six frames, an encouraging uptick in efficiency, even factoring in the intermittent command woes.
The most amusing moment of the night came after Ohtani’s fifth inning of work. Upon getting Steven Kwan to fly out to end the frame, Ohtani calmly strolled toward the dugout, only to suddenly remember that he was due to lead off the bottom of the inning at the plate. Before he made it to the steps, Ohtani scampered back toward the on-deck circle to prepare for his third plate appearance of the game.
Shohei forgot he was leading off the inning 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zTuRChpnVV
— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2026
This unique sequence, in which he goes directly from pitching to hitting in-game, is hardly new for Ohtani, so perhaps the rare moment of forgetfulness was a physical Freudian slip of sorts, a subtle admission that his current focus is indeed tilted toward the mound, with the slugging the side gig. A more likely interpretation is that Ohtani is human and simply lost track of the batting order, but how he balances his two-way responsibilities this season will be fascinating to watch, especially if the Cy Young Award is indeed in his sights.
So far this season, Ohtani hasn’t quite settled in at the plate, as he’s still searching for his first extra-base hit. Granted, he’s far from the only Dodgers hitter trying to find his stride, and he did reach base three times Tuesday, with two walks and a single. But when the standard has been set at the heights Ohtani has reached with the bat, even small samples without standout production become noteworthy.
Based on his track record, it won’t be long before Ohtani starts swinging it as well as anyone. And while we wait for that inevitable hot streak at the plate, there’s plenty to appreciate about the pitching side of Ohtani, with one start down and a 0.00 ERA intact.
Diamondbacks rookie Jose Fernandez creates MLB history, crushes two HRs in debut
Diamondbacks rookie Jose Fernandez creates MLB history, crushes two HRs in debut originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Approaching third base at Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Jose Fernandez paused his home-run trot to release an imaginary basketball jump shot.
Swish.
Both times.
Fernandez, the No. 23,636 player in MLB history, became the eighth player to debut with a pair of homers. His second, a three-run shot in the eighth inning off Detroit Tigers reliever Kenley Jansen, capped the Diamondbacks’ five-run comeback, earning a 7-5 victory.
The league’s active saves leader with 477, Jansen was the 19,788th player to dress in an MLB game.
Diamondbacks' Jose Fernandez strikes Tigers
The No. 27-ranked prospect in the Diamondbacks system, Fernandez received the call after injured first baseman Pavin Smith (elbow) landed on the 10-day injured reserve list.
Batting sixth, Fernandez went 3-for-4, including a first at-bat single and the two homers. He drove in four runs and slugged 2.250.
Fernandez connected on his first homer in the fourth inning off Tigers starter Casey Mize, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 5-1.
On what proved to be the game-winner, Fernandez watched a first-pitch cutter – and didn’t challenge the call. The second-pitch cutter came in low. He made history on Jansen’s third cutter, becoming the second rookie this season to experience a two-homer debut, joining Cleveland Guardians slugger Chase DeLauter.
Swish.
Boxing teen beat panic attacks to lift major title
A 19 year-old from Hastings has said she feels a "responsibility" to help other women get into boxing after overcoming mental health struggles to lift a major title.
Isabel Mitchell, who trains at the Brighton and Hove Boxing Gym, started at the age of 10 after something in her "just clicked" when she watched her brother box.
The teen boxer, who said she used to be "super shy and introverted", has struggled with panic attacks in the ring.
Mitchell said: "I'd have to lie down on the floor in the changing rooms for 20 minutes to try to calm down and stop crying."
She added: "Boxing gave me a lot of confidence to be a person and communicate with other people normally without being afraid."
Mitchell's talent saw her head to Boras, Sweden, last month, to compete alongside 500 other female amateur boxers in the Golden Girl Championships.
The teen boxer said she was "overwhelmed with joy" after emerging victorious.
She has also represented England and, in November 2025, won the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs Boxing Championships.
Mitchell is sharing her story as part of Brighton & Hove City Council's (BHCC) Sport Lifts Her Higher campaign, which aims to increase female participation and celebrate achievement.
"There are so many women out there now that are so visible compared to before, and that now helps someone like me have something to aspire to," she said.
The council said its 2023 Safe and Well at School Survey found only 15% of secondary-school-age girls had done an hour of physical activity every day in the past week, compared with 27% of boys.
The anonymous online survey quizzed a total of 7,802 young people aged 11 to 16 from 10 different secondary schools across the city (63% of pupils).
Councillor Bella Sankey, leader of BHCC, said: "Women and girls are not being as active as their male counterparts and it's so important to shift that.
"This is a really important strand of women's equality, ensuring that there is equal access to opportunity and that girls and women can find their thing."
As part of the campaign, all activity providers and local clubs in the city are being invited to share details of their sessions and success stories.
Mitchell said she had her sights set on competing in the next Olympics in 2028 and eventually turning professional.
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