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When Paris Saint-Germain take on Stade Briochin, a fourth-tier club that has almost escaped extinction in the Coupe de France, in a match against them in a bizarre setting, on Wednesday, they will face a new team.

In each of the previous three rounds, Stade Briochin has defeated higher-level foes, with Ligue 1 Nice taking the dramatic victory in the last-16. Le Havre, a former champion in December, was the same fate as Le Havre.

Hugo Boudin, a centre-back for Stade Briochin against Nice, scored an equalizer in the eighth minute before scoring the winner in stoppage time.

The final whistle prompted a pitch invasion at the 11, 000-capacity Stade Fred-Aubert in Brittany. It is a memory that will never fade for Stade Briochin coach Guillaume Allanou, whose 30-year association with the organization began in 1932.

“My first thought at this moment when all the fans were on the pitch was to search for my players,” Allanou tells BBC Sport. “I wanted to be with my staff and my players just together to celebrate this great moment.

” It was unbelievable. We were like we didn’t belong to us. It was crazy, emotional. It’s difficult to explain in words. “

Stade Briochin became a member of the great Coupe de France upsets following the result of Nice.

They are in good company, joining US Quevily, third-tier conquerors of Marseille in the 2012 quarter-finals, and Les Herbiers, another third division club who beat RC Lens on their way to the 2018 final. At the last hurdle, PSG came close to a fairytale run.

Fourth-tier Calais famously made it to the final in 2000, beating reigning Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux in the semis, before losing to Nantes while US Jeanne d’Arc Carquefou, from the fifth level of French football, beat top-tier sides Nancy and Marseille to make the quarter-finals in 2008.

PSG, again, were the side to put an end to their run.

Allanou thinks that Stade Briochin would surpass all other giant-killings if it can surpass Les Herbiers and defeat Parisiens.

“These clubs have produced a great story in the Coupe de France, but if we can beat Paris St-Germain, it will be the biggest upset in French football history,” Allanou states.

” Nobody can beat PSG in France, or even in Europe. Imagine if Stade Briochin had done this, then. I can’t dream of that – if it happens, it will be amazing. “

Allanou’s history in football has been closely intertwined with that of Stade Briochin. As a teenage defender in the mid-1990s he played during the club’s short-lived spell in Ligue 2 – the highest level they have reached.

Due to the fact that Stade Briochin was forced to leave after being liquidated, the experience was bittersweet.

” It’s like a story of love with this club, “he explains”. My life is heavily influenced by the club. All the good and bad things I’ve experienced in this club and here, have made me who I am today.

When I first started playing in Ligue 2, I was young, and it was a great, but brief, experience. When I arrived for training one day, I was told, “No, there is no club any more, you can’t train.” I just wanted to play football”.

Thankfully, Stade Briochin were resurrected and Allanou had three separate spells at the club as a player, eventually ending his career there at the end of the 2013-14 season.

The association continued post-retirement and Allanou is now Stade Briochin’s coach and their president. He joined some other former players to help the club when it once more experienced difficult times and was forced to fold entirely.

In the Brittany town of Saint-Brieuc, cup fever has certainly descended. On Saturday, Allanou and his players met fans in the town centre, where the shops have been decked out in the team’s yellow and blue colours.

In a blow to the French football romantics, however, the match against PSG will take place at Roazhon Park, the home of Ligue 1 side Rennes. Although Saint-Brieuc is only an hour away, the 30-seat stadium’s cost makes filling it a reasonable choice.

We wanted to stage a big game because we wanted this to be a big party, Allanou says. “It’s a great atmosphere in the town.

It will be the match of their lives for all of my players. As a coach, the challenge is to make sure they aren’t afraid to play against these powerful players.

“I just want them to play as I can,” he said.

PSG has scored 94 goals in all competitions this season under the direction of fearsome France forwards Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Following a 10-0 aggregate defeat of Brest in the Champions League, Luis Enrique’s side will now travel to Stade Briochin for the Stade Briochin game, while their 3-2 victory over Lyon placed them 13 points clear of the leaders of the table.

“It is a big mountain for us”, Allanou says. “PSG is probably the best team in the world right now.” This team has done a very good job thanks to Luis Enrique. Because PSG has a real identity as a team, I have a lot of admiration for him.

To turn to, Allanou has a number of seasoned players. Former France U20 international Franck L’Hostis and defensive midfielder Guillaume Beghin both started their careers at Lens, while center-back Benjamin Angouna, who played for Guingamp and has 15 senior caps for the Ivory Coast, have both won senior caps for the Ivory Coast.

Captain James le Marer is next. Le Marer, 33, will retire at the end of this season and has displayed a level of loyalty that Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs would be proud of.

Whatever happens to PSG, the Stade Briochin skipper’s fairytale wansong has still been in charge of the Under-16 team. Le Marer appears to be on the verge of imitating Allanou’s enduring association with the Brittany outfit.

Allanou says, “James has a particular story with the club like I do.” He has been a part of this organization since he was 13 years old, and he will end his career this year.

“I’m happy that he can live this with me and all the other players because it’s his biggest match of his life,” he said.

Wales’ impressive 1-1 draw against Sweden in the Nations League marked the end of Rhian Wilkinson’s first year in charge.

The former Canadian international was officially named as Gemma Grainger’s successor one year ago, on 26 February, 2024.

Since Wilkinson took over as Wales’ head coach, who helped them win their first major tournament ever with a dramatic play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland, has had a remarkable year for the country.

But how is Wilkinson’s record different from Wilkinson’s and how has the squad changed since joining in 2025?

Since becoming Wales’ boss, Wilkinson has managed 12 games, with the majority of them competitive.

In comparison to the previous two draws and defeats, she has won in just half of those (six). A remarkable 50% win rate has been achieved as a result.

They are also unbeaten in six home matches, winning three and drawing three.

Although the current Nations League campaign offers Wilkinson a much better chance to give untried youngsters a chance to impress, as seen of late with Mayzee Davies and Mared Griffiths, the European Championship qualifying was undoubtedly not the best time to add fresh faces.

There were also competitive bows for Lois Joel and Safia Middleton-Patel in 2024, but the influence of experienced heads cannot be understated.

Only five of Wilkinson’s first 12 games featured in each of them, of which she used 24 players total.

Jess Fishlock, Angharad James, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans and Lily Woodham – who now have a combined total of 497 caps at an average of almost 100 caps each – have been ever-present under the Canadian coach. Wise heads will always prove invaluable.

Liverpool’s Evans and Everton’s Ladd hold the proud record of being the only players to play every single minute throughout Wilkinson’s tenure.

“Over the last year we’ve grown so much. It’s been a whole squad effort”, captain Angharad James said this week.

When he talked about the balance between youth and experience, the Seattle Reign midfielder said “players have grown and partnerships have come to life.”

Wilkinson fully comprehends the need for developing her squad while also being competitive in competition.

“At no point have I said that these]Nations League] games and results don’t matter, they do matter”, Wilkinson said before her side held Sweden, ranked five in the world, to a 1-1 draw.

“We’re out to win every game we play”, she added. Equally, I promise not to lead a team that sacrifices its development just because I’ll work hard to win.

However, it is obvious that Wilkinson is incredibly impressed with the current state of her entire squad.

“We have a roster of players who will do anything and everything for their country,” Wilkinson said.

As for goals, Wales have netted 25 times across their 12 games under Wilkinson.

Ffion Morgan and Elise Hughes each have two, while Kayleigh Barton and Rachel Rowe each have three and Kayleigh Barton each have three.

Under interim boss Jon Grey, Wilkinson watched from the stands as goals from Fishlock and Woodham gave Wales a surprise 2-0 friendly win over Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

It was Wales ‘ first victory in 10 months, with Grey – who was retained in Wilkinson’s coaching staff – helping to show the new boss she would&nbsp, be inheriting&nbsp, a squad with plenty of talent.

The Red Wall’s appetite was certainly whetted by emphatic victories over Croatia and Kosovo in their opening two Euro 2025 qualifiers, which came together with a combined score of 10-0.

The team’s most successful qualifying opponents, Ukraine, were likely to be their strongest competitors in May and June, which served as a consolation for Wales because they emphasized that they could not simply breeze through their group without a struggle.

However, Wilkinson’s team won their group matches against Croatia and Kosovo, keeping clean sheets throughout, to take the top spot in their Nations League group and advance to the Euro 2025 play-off semi-finals.

As their double header with Slovakia demonstrated, it was far from straightforward sailing for Wales at the end of 2024.

Wilkinson also had a number of injury concerns to contend with throughout the year, including those of Ingle, Cain, Holland, Josie Green, Hughes, Esther Morgan and Wales ‘ most-capped player and top scorer, Fishlock. &nbsp,

Nonetheless, the closing stages of the year bubbled to a rip-roaring crescendo, certainly for the neutral and, thankfully, in time, for the Welsh supporters.

After extra-time in Cardiff, a much more convincing but once again nerve-wracking 2-0 triumph was achieved thanks to goals from Fishlock and Holland in the first leg of the semi-final against Slovakia, which saw Fishlock play through the pain barrier and score Ffion Morgan for a crucial goal in a 2-1 defeat.

It paved the way for a winner takes all double header with Republic of Ireland, a tie in which Wales emerged victorious&nbsp, 3-2 on aggregate.

Speaking prior to the highly creditable draw with Sweden, Wilkinson said: “Like everything there’s been a lot of ups and downs.

” Wales had staff in place before I arrived, and for me, a year into the job we’re still getting to know each other.

“It’s nice that these players join the national team for a short time because we’re getting into a rhythm, but part of my job is to never let them get too comfortable or to let myself get too comfortable,” said one player.

As they have already discovered in February, comfort is not something Wales will receive this year.

All nine matches Wales are scheduled to play in 2025, including two that have already been played, have their opponents all placed higher in the world rankings.

In fact, Italy, Sweden and Denmark (Wales ‘ three Nations League opponents) along with Netherlands, France and England (Wales ‘ three Euro 2025 group stage opponents) are all currently in the top 13 of Fifa’s world list.

For context, Wales are currently ranked 30th.

Wilkinson had no conceit about the magnitude of the task that her players would face in 2025.

Although there is a definite desire to achieve positive outcomes, the Nations League campaign at least gives Wilkinson the chance to prepare for the summer’s Euros in Switzerland, which will ultimately be the main focus of the year.

In order to bridge the gap between Wales and the world’s elite, Wilkinson made five changes to the side that lost to Italy in Wales’ Nations League opener, which is consistent with squad rotation, debuts, and tactical adjustments.

Scarlett Hill, a 17-year-old defender for Manchester United, earned her first call-up to a squad this month and has the opportunity to make a mark in the red of Wales. Ellen Jones, a non-capped player at Sunderland, once more searches for game time.

Under Gemma Grainger’s disastrous League A campaign, where failing to improve and learn from mistakes cost them dear.

Wales have already demonstrated their ability to compete more highly in the Nations League’s highest echelon this time around, despite it still being in its early stages. However, the key is still to make improvements and progress.

And so to the next year under Wilkinson.

“We know the Euros are there, that’s the weight that’s lifted”, concluded the head coach.

England v Australia: Women’s Test

Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Date: Saturday, 1 March (02: 00 GMT, Sunday, 2 March)

Georgie Dagger had so many big days last year that, in the end, she couldn’t fit them all in. If all goes well in Las Vegas, her 2025 diary might be just as busy.

Last June, she made her England debut. She won the Women’s Super League Grand Final for the second time in a row in October as York Valkyrie won the game. She was then given the title “Woman of Steel.”

She had a chance to make another international appearance in November, but the match ended up being played in opposition to her wedding.

So on the day England earned their biggest-ever win by defeating Wales 82-0 in Leeds, Dagger was the best part of 3, 000 miles away in Cyprus.

It was there that the full-back, formerly known as Georgie Hetherington, married her long-term partner Will Dagger, who plays in the men’s Championship for York Knights.

Now, she’s with England in Vegas.

She is back on international duty as a member of the 20-man squad for Saturday’s Test against world champions Australia after missing the Wales match due to head coach Stuart Barrow’s permission.

“I got married on the same weekend that the Wales game was happening”, the 27-year-old said. “We’d booked the wedding way in advance and at that point there weren’t any clashes. So we were like ‘ Yep, we’re all good to go’.

” And then the news of the game came out and I said to Stu: ‘ I’m really sorry, I won’t be available. I’m getting married. ‘ And he said: ‘ It’s a good enough excuse to miss the game. ‘

We kept up with what was happening because we followed social media updates throughout the day.

Saturday’s Test is part of a four-match showcase at Allegiant Stadium, which staged last year’s Super Bowl: Wigan play Warrington in the men’s Super League, while there are also two NRL games, with Canberra Raiders facing New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers up against Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

Since Craig Richards left at the conclusion of the previous World Cup, Barrow has faced the biggest challenge. He has since become England’s head coach for more than two years.

Barrow’s four matches so far have brought two wins each over France and Wales, with a total of 248 points scored and none conceded.

England must face stronger challenges as they prepare for the World Cup in 2020, and they must aim to surpass 2022, when they lost in the semi-finals to New Zealand, who were then defeated by Australia in the final.

The only way to assess your progress is to face off against world champions, Dagger said, and to give it a real good shot and see where you are going.

England is attempting to bridge the gap between themselves and the best of the rest by drawing on the experience of those who play their club rugby in Australia.

Hollie-Mae Dodd has two seasons with the Canberra Raiders, while Georgia Roche helped the Newcastle Knights win the NRLW Grand Final after moving there in 2023.

Second-rower Paige Travis, who left Challenge Cup winners St Helens to join the Parramatta Eels on a two-year deal, will join them in the NRLW this year.

” It was always something I really wanted to do, “Travis said”. However, I can get excited about moving there first because obviously my duties in England come first and then they follow.

England were beaten 38-0 the last time they met Australia, at the 2017 World Cup, with Travis and her team-mates seeking to prove they can be much more competitive.

” This is about this group, “Travis said”. It’s not about previous groups. It’s not about the future. We can only evaluate how well-prepared we are, and we feel very good and prepared.

“This will be one of the biggest events we will all be in,” he declares. I believe there will be a lot more people following us in the future.

After spotting herself on the big screen and giving a cheeky wink, Travis became famous as she helped St Helens win a fourth consecutive Women’s Challenge Cup with a victory over Leeds at Wembley in June.

Travis has downplayed the possibility of a repeat performance this weekend despite the fact that Allegiant Stadium has its own big screens.

Luka Doncic’s triple-double helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-99 win over former team the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.

The 25-year-old guard joined the Lakers as part of a three-way trade this month after six seasons at the Mavericks.

Playing against Dallas for the first time since that move, Doncic scored 19 points and made 15 rebounds and 12 assists at Crypto.com Arena.

“In the first quarter, second quarter, I didn’t know what was happening. It was just different. I can’t even explain how I felt”, he told TNT.

“I’m glad we won,” I simply said. I can’t wait to go to sleep”.

LeBron James scored 27 points for the Lakers, who are fourth in the Western Conference after a third straight win, while Kyrie Irving scored 35 for the ninth-placed Mavericks.

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 151-148 at home in overtime.

The Suns are 11th in the Western Conference and the Grizzlies are second.

With a 122-82 victory over the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 10th victory in a row, strengthened their hold on the top spot in the East.