News

The Houston Texans defeated the New England Patriots 28-16 to advance to the AFC Championship game, continuing their remarkable turnaround this year.

Drake Maye, a quarterback, led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and an unanticipated play-off appearance after only winning four games in his rookie season.

The 23-year-old overcame the Texans’ defense and the team’s reputation to win Sunday’s Divisional Round game in Massachusetts. He is a leading contender for the title.

Tom Brady and New England won their sixth Super Bowl victory, making that game the Patriots’ first AFC championship game since then.

Houston’s defense was hailed as the best in the NFL this season, and despite winning the game on the road last week, they are currently reeling from a third straight defeat.

In his first season as New England’s head coach, the Patriots won 10 more games than they did in 2024, which is the biggest turnaround in NFL history. Mike Vrabel was Brady’s team-mate for three of those victories.

In Brady’s final season in New England, the Patriots won the AFC’s second seed and their first AFC East division title. This was one of the season’s best all-around teams.

The Patriots have finally found Brady’s long-term replacement in Maye. In this game, the quarterback once more showed maturity beyond his years, winning the record seven-time Super Bowl when he claimed his first title in 2002.

Due to the windy conditions, both he and opposite number CJ Stroud had four fumbles, two of which turned into turnovers. Additionally, Houston’s fearsome pass rush sacked him five times and made one interception.

However, he also delivered three touchdown passes, two of them to Kayshon Boutte, who scored a superb one-handed catch to seal the victory at half-time to give him a 21-10 lead at half-time.

In addition, third-year quarterback Stroud, who started four interceptions in the first half, with one of them being returned for a touchdown by Marcus Jones, had only eight interceptions in 14 games during the regular season.

Ironically, Maye will now face Jarrett Stidham, who was initially cast as Brady’s replacement in the 2019 draft and who served as his backup in the legendary quarterback’s final New Year.

bracketed conference seed, all kick-off times GMT.

Divisional Round

18 January, Sunday,

Conference championships

Sunday, January 25th,

60 Super Bowl

It was a moment that will endure Brahim Diaz’s haunting for the rest of his life.

After winning a penalty in the eighth minute of the second-half added time with the goalless Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal, the winger had a chance to immortalize his name in Moroccan folklore.

His nation’s 50-year wait to win the Afcon trophy was a golden opportunity.

Diaz tried a “Panenka” chipped penalty, whose five goals had brought the hosts to the final. It had a backseat. Absolutely not. Senegal’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy held his ground and caught the ball in a humiliatingly simple manner.

The former Manchester City player and top scorer of the tournament appeared devastated as his actions began to become apparent. Later, after being substituted in extra time, television cameras caught him on the Morocco bench, causing him to shed tears.

After the majority of Senegal’s players, including Mendy, marched off the pitch in protest of the penalty’s award, the Real Madrid attacker was forced to wait around 17 minutes to take the kick.

Walid Regragui, Morocco manager, said: “He had a lot of time before he took the penalty, which must have disturbed him.”

“But what happened cannot be changed,” he continued. He made the decision to take the penalty in that manner. Now is the time to look forward.

Diaz’s penalty ended up being his final regular kick.

The winner came in four minutes of extra time, leaving Diaz and his Morocco team-mates devastated.

Former Morocco international Hassan Kachloul stated during the coverage of the match that “I think Brahim Diaz will have a lot of nightmares in the coming days.”

With five goals in this tournament, Ibrahim Diaz threw away all of his glorious moments, according to former Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi.

And former Nigeria midfielder Jon Obi Mikel remarked that the miss “spoils everything Brahim Diaz has done well in this tournament.”

He continued, “He is going to be devastated.” For weeks or months, he will be put to the test for this.

At the end of the second half, Diaz El Hadji Malick Diouf appeared to drag Diaz to the ground by his neck, which left him goalless.

The video assistant referee directed Jean-Jacques Ndala, a DR Congo referee, to the penalty spot in the 98th minute after a quick check.

Head coach Pape Thiaw tried to usher his team off the field, but several Senegal players left for the dressing room after the team’s decision to reject a Senegal goal in the 93rd minute.

Sadio Mane, a former Liverpool striker, continued on the field and attempted to motivate his Senegal teammates to return.

Diaz saw Mendy save his timid attempt when the penalty was finally awarded in the 114th minute.

The first Panenka penalty was attempted the year Morocco won the previous competition.

West Germany won the most famous penalty kick ever to defeat Czechoslovakia in the Euro 1976 final. Antonin Panenka, a midfielder, waited for the goalkeeper to dive before casually slamming the ball into the middle of the goal during the shootout.

The “Panenka” has been used on numerous occasions since the original, and it has been proven to be a legitimate, albeit high-risk tactic by some of the biggest names.

In the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane defeated Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon with an effort that hit the crossbar.

Italy defeated England on penalties in the Euro 2012 quarter-final with the help of Andrea Pirlo Cooly. With the same tournament’s semi-final defeat to Portugal, Sergio Ramos followed suit.

It was pulled off by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Neymar, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

However, Diaz is just one of the players who have witnessed their attempt to fail on the biggest stage of sport. Before Panenka’s debut, Zidane and Pirlo both missed out on the stage. Peter Crouch, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Aguero have all tried and failed.

Caoimhin Kelleher, the goalkeeper for Brentford, made a quick Premier League debut against Sunderland at the end of January.

Picture the scene. In the dark and grey bowels of the York Barbican, an emotional Kyren Wilson cuts a disembodied and dejected figure.

He also had to deal with a difficult campaign because he was forced to alter the cue he used to win the world title in 2024 after it was damaged in a “freak accident” due to his family health issues.

The Englishman claims that during his most recent defeat at the UK Championship by Elliot Slessor, he was about to experience a “mental breakdown.”

The outlook appeared hopeless.

Then, just six weeks later, Wilson was seen leaving Alexandra Palace on Sunday to celebrate his maiden Masters victory with his family and win the Paul Hunter Trophy.

It’s incredible, I thought. Wilson, who sold his beloved old cue for charity for children’s cancer, said “Father Christmas was very kind to me.” The auction raised £5,250.

There are no negative feelings about what happened in my cue, but it’s crucial to have something you can trust out there.

Wilson, 34, who had previously lost in the final twice, made it third time lucky by becoming the 26th Masters winner.

Si Jiahui, Neil Robertson, Wu Yize, Neil Robertson, Neil Robertson, and four-time world champion John Higgins, who is widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest players, were his closest competitors in terms of glory and a second Triple Crown victory.

Wilson continued, “I honestly didn’t know if I was ever going to be back in the winners’ enclosure,” adding that, “I thought at the UK Championship I was gone.”

I promised my mother that she would have the [Masters trophy] on her dining room table because of how supportive my family is.

“People don’t see what happens behind closed doors, but I did experience some terrible suffering in the UK.”

According to a study by Deloitte, Arsenal generated the most money of any women’s football team in 2025.

With revenues of £21.5 million, an increase of 43% over those of 2024, the 2025 Champions League winners moved from second to first.

Chelsea, the reigning champions of the Treble, also capitalized on a successful year to move into third place, surpassing Barcelona and last year’s leaders Arsenal, with revenue of £21.3 million.

The top 15 clubs made a record sum of £33.2 million overall, up 35.5% over the previous year.

English clubs are the top 15 for the second consecutive year, with eight Women’s Super League clubs in the top 15.

One of the reasons 2025 was a profitable year for the club is the memorable Champions League victory over Barcelona as one of the highlights of the club’s year.

The Gunners have spent the most time understanding their fan base, topping 35, 000 on five separate occasions as the most popular team in the Women’s Super League.

They’ve also implemented tiered pricing to encourage repeat visitors, which means they can get the highest matchday revenue at each of the 15 clubs.

Chelsea, a WSL rival, increased revenue by 90% in 2024, but that’s not the biggest increase. That was primarily driven by generating more than any other side examined in terms of commercial revenue, or £16 million.

Barcelona did not lose that European final, but they did win the same domestic triple.

Jennifer Haskel, the head of Deloitte’s knowledge and insight division, claimed that both creativity and how clubs are meeting the needs of their aspiring fanbases are to blame for the increase in revenue in the women’s game.

With new and expanded brand partnerships, new ticketing strategies, and a commitment to truly understanding the changing fanbase, she said, “the women’s game is beginning to carve its own path.”

Haskel did observe less impressive growth for the clubs further down the list, despite Deloitte’s figures showing strong growth for the most prosperous clubs.

All eight WSL clubs from last season are still in the top 15, but Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal all saw slower growth in 2025.

In fact, the top three clubs’ revenues alone account for 46% of the total 15, with Everton actually earning less than they did in 2024.

There is a significant gap forming between the top-ranked clubs and the rest of the pack, Haskel said as average revenues reach new highs.

Similar to how 13 of the top 15 clubs from 2024 appear on this list, which demonstrates that the teams are still performing well in order to maintain their position?

Bayern Munich, a powerhouse in Europe, whose revenue increased from £3 million in 2024 to £6 million in 2025, is the list’s biggest earner.

Manchester City, Manchester United, and Paris St-Germain, who were all added to the list this year, were competing in the inaugural World Sevens Football competition last May, which contributed to their success.

Haskel argued that these innovations are essential in the push to expand the women’s game because commercial venture revenues account for nearly three-quarters of the overall growth rate (72%).

She said, “The transition requires consistent time, effort, and investment, from the beginning to the established phase of women’s football.”