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Harry Kane and Bayern Head to Lazio Needing to Bounce Back After Leverkusen Loss 

Bayern's Leroy Sane covers his face besides Harry Kane after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP)
Bayern's Leroy Sane covers his face besides Harry Kane after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP)
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Harry Kane and Bayern Head to Lazio Needing to Bounce Back After Leverkusen Loss 

Bayern's Leroy Sane covers his face besides Harry Kane after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP)
Bayern's Leroy Sane covers his face besides Harry Kane after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP)

This was meant to be the year that Harry Kane finally won a trophy. The Champions League might be his best chance now.

Bayern Munich heads to Lazio in the round of 16 on Wednesday needing to bounce back after a 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen left it five points off the Bundesliga lead. Kane is on track to be a member of the first Bayern team since the 2011-12 season not to win the league.

Injuries are weighing Bayern down, coach Thomas Tuchel's tactics are in question and forward Thomas Müller questioned his teammates' mentality in the “nightmare” Leverkusen loss.

Kane has 24 Bundesliga goals already but never came close to a 25th on Saturday. He was shut out of the game as Bayern fell further behind the league leader. Bayern's attack was neutralized by Leverkusen and the entire team had just one shot on goal.

There are 13 games left and much can still happen, but Bayern's title hopes now rest on Leverkusen slipping up. Not so easy when Leverkusen is unbeaten in 31 games.

That makes Wednesday's game at Lazio all the more important.

The Italian team, eighth in Serie A, may not be the hardest opponent Bayern could have faced in the round of 16, but the pressure is on the players and coach to improve.

Left back Alphonso Davies, midfielder Konrad Laimer and forwards Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman all remain injured, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and right back Noussair Mazraoui were rested Monday before returning to training Tuesday ahead of traveling to Italy.

Tuchel defended his tactics after the decision to switch from a back four to a back three for the first time this season backfired. Leverkusen exploited space on Bayern's left flank, where Tuchel had deployed Sacha Boey, usually a right back.

Bayern's transfer strategy is also in question after Josip Stanišić, a Bayern right back on loan at Leverkusen, scored the first goal. The way Leverkusen overwhelmed the central midfield pairing of Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka was a reminder that Bayern's season might look different had the club's plans to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham in September not collapsed at the last minute.

Kane reeled off a list of Bayern's attacking faults after the Leverkusen loss.

“In the final third we weren’t good in one-on-one battles, we weren’t good in duels. The final delivery wasn’t there today. So a really disappointing day with the ball,” Kane said.

Against Lazio, Kane and his teammates are under pressure to do better.

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Ancelotti Shrugs off Neymar Chants After Brazil Lose to France

Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil, looks on prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images/AFP)
Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil, looks on prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Ancelotti Shrugs off Neymar Chants After Brazil Lose to France

Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil, looks on prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images/AFP)
Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil, looks on prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images/AFP)

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti ‌played down fans' chants for Neymar, who was not selected for the squad, after their 2-1 defeat to France in a warm-up game in Boston on Thursday, saying the focus should remain on the players involved.

Neymar was left out after the 34-year-old missed a recent Santos FC match with muscle fatigue - a game Ancelotti had planned to watch in person as part of his assessment ahead of naming the ‌squad.

"Right now we ‌have to talk about those who ‌are ⁠here, who played, ⁠who gave everything, who showed character, who worked very hard. And I am satisfied," Ancelotti told reporters.

"I think Raphinha played very well. He had some muscle discomfort at the end of the first half and we had to substitute him, but he had ⁠many opportunities and very good movement ‌off the ball.

"And Vini (Vinicius Jr.) ‌always tries; he always makes the difference. A striker ‌cannot always score, but the work done by ‌both of them was good."

Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 and ‌has struggled to maintain a consistent run of matches since returning to Santos ⁠last year.

Ancelotti ⁠has repeatedly said the forward will be considered if he is fully fit. Despite the defeat and Neymar's absence, the Italian said the performance reinforced his belief in the squad's potential.

"I think today's game makes it very clear to me that we can compete with the best teams in the world. I have no doubt about that," Ancelotti said.

Brazil will next face Croatia on March 31 in Orlando ahead of the June 11 to July 19 World Cup in North America.

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White Deserves Another Chance with England, Says Tuchel

England's German head coach Thomas Tuchel attends a press conference at Wembley Stadium, west London, on March 26, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football matches against Uruguay and Japan. (AFP)
England's German head coach Thomas Tuchel attends a press conference at Wembley Stadium, west London, on March 26, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football matches against Uruguay and Japan. (AFP)
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White Deserves Another Chance with England, Says Tuchel

England's German head coach Thomas Tuchel attends a press conference at Wembley Stadium, west London, on March 26, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football matches against Uruguay and Japan. (AFP)
England's German head coach Thomas Tuchel attends a press conference at Wembley Stadium, west London, on March 26, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football matches against Uruguay and Japan. (AFP)

England manager Thomas Tuchel ‌said Ben White deserves another chance with the national team after the Arsenal defender returned to the squad for the first time in more than three years for World Cup warm-ups against Uruguay and Japan.

White left the 2022 World Cup camp in Qatar early for personal reasons and later made himself unavailable for the remainder of Gareth Southgate’s tenure, which ended after Euro 2024.

"First of ‌all, I ‌think everyone deserves a second chance," ‌Tuchel ⁠told reporters on ⁠Thursday ahead of the Uruguay match.

"Second, I don't know exactly what happened. I was also not 100% interested because I wanted to open a new page and a new book and a new opportunity.

"Once I asked Ben if he would be ⁠ready to play for me and ‌for England, he straightaway, ‌without hesitation, said he would love to come back ‌and was desperate to come back."

Tuchel said he ‌expects White to be supported by the crowd but noted the defender may still need to smooth things over inside the dressing room.

"I think it's necessary he ‌clears the air with his teammates and I think he will with ⁠players who ⁠come back who were in the World Cup together with him," the German said.

"Then we go from there. Let's see how it goes and let's see how he feels, if he feels as comfortable and as confident as he thought he would."

England host Uruguay at Wembley later on Friday before facing Japan at the same venue four days later as part of their preparations for the June 11 to July 19 World Cup in North America.

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Jordan Dream of Morocco-Style Run as World Cup Debut Nears

Football - International Friendly - Jordan Training - Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Türkiye - March 26, 2026 Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami speaks to the media during training. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - Jordan Training - Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Türkiye - March 26, 2026 Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami speaks to the media during training. (Reuters)
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Jordan Dream of Morocco-Style Run as World Cup Debut Nears

Football - International Friendly - Jordan Training - Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Türkiye - March 26, 2026 Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami speaks to the media during training. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - Jordan Training - Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Türkiye - March 26, 2026 Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami speaks to the media during training. (Reuters)

Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami has called on his players to emulate Morocco's shock run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago as they prepare for their first appearance at the global football showpiece in North America.

Jordan will face Austria, Algeria and Argentina in Group J at the June 11 to July 19 World Cup and are holding their final training camp in Antalya this week.

Media access to training sessions has been tightly restricted as the team fine-tuned tactics.

Some players say they can barely sleep in anticipation of the tournament, but Sellami wants them ‌to draw confidence ‌from Morocco's achievement at the last World Cup, where ‌they ⁠lost 2-0 to ⁠France in the last four.

"In big competitions, many teams can surprise. My country Morocco reached the semi-finals in the last World Cup," he said. "That gives us belief."

Jordan will play Costa Rica later on Friday and Nigeria on Tuesday as part of a four-team regional tournament that also includes Iran and was relocated from Jordan to Türkiye due to the war in the Middle ⁠East.

"Of course we feel sad about what is happening. ‌I hope there will be peace," midfielder ‌Noor Al-Rawabdeh said at the camp.

"But this is football — we moved here and ‌we need to adapt. In the World Cup you face the unknown, ‌so we must be ready for everything."

Despite their underdog status, the players say they are not going to the World Cup just to make up the numbers. "For us, we are not going just for participation," Al-Rawabdeh added. "We are aiming to go ‌as far as we can in the tournament.

"To be honest, sometimes we don't sleep when we think about ⁠it," he ⁠added. "It’s a dream come true for us."

Jordan secured an automatic berth at the World Cup after finishing second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group. Defender Mohammad Abu Alnadi said the squad were relishing the opportunity to compete on football's biggest stage.

"It's truly amazing. All of us are excited. It's one of the highest levels any player can play," he said.

"We want to go as far as possible — like any other team — and make history again."

Sellami said the Antalya camp was a key stage in building experience ahead of facing elite opposition.

"We are preparing step by step. We've played against different football cultures," he said.

"We are collecting experience and, Inshallah (God Willing), we will surprise many people."