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Thorgan Hazard Leaves Fans Puzzled with Goal Celebration Dedicated to Family Parakeet 

Belgium's Thorgan Hazard runs with the ball during the group G match between England and Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad, Russia, on June 28, 2018. (AP) 
Belgium's Thorgan Hazard runs with the ball during the group G match between England and Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad, Russia, on June 28, 2018. (AP) 
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Thorgan Hazard Leaves Fans Puzzled with Goal Celebration Dedicated to Family Parakeet 

Belgium's Thorgan Hazard runs with the ball during the group G match between England and Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad, Russia, on June 28, 2018. (AP) 
Belgium's Thorgan Hazard runs with the ball during the group G match between England and Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad, Russia, on June 28, 2018. (AP) 

After scoring for Anderlecht in the Belgian league Sunday, Thorgan Hazard left fans puzzled about his goal celebration.

The midfielder celebrated by mimicking a bird flapping his wings after his header put Anderlecht level at 1-1 with Sint-Truidense in the 49th minute, in a game his team went on to win 4-1 to guarantee a spot in the season's playoffs.

The 30-year-old Hazard, who joined Anderlecht in September from Borussia Dortmund, said the celebration was a request from his children after one of the family's parakeets passed away.

“We had three birds at home, but one passed away this week,” said Hazard, the younger brother of former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Eden Hazard. “Toto was a parakeet we rescued when I was in Dortmund. My children asked me to dedicate a goal for it. They are the ones who choose my celebrations.”

Anderlecht is Belgium's most successful club but has seen its supremacy challenged in recent years. The club won the most recent of its record 34 Belgian league titles in 2017. Anderlecht is currently in second place in the Belgian league, nine points behind Brussels rival Union Saint-Gilloise.

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Wolves, Sunderland Condemn Racist Abuse Directed at Players

22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
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Wolves, Sunderland Condemn Racist Abuse Directed at Players

22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa

Wolverhampton Wanderers ‌and Sunderland said they were appalled by the racial abuse directed at their players on social media on Sunday following defeats in the Premier League.

Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle both received online abuse, ‌with the ‌incidents coming less than ‌24 ⁠hours after Wesley ⁠Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri were racially abused following Chelsea's draw with Burnley.

Wolves said they were disgusted by the multiple instances of abuse ⁠received by Arokodare following ‌their 1-0 ‌defeat by Crystal Palace.

"We stand ‌firmly alongside him, and alongside ‌all footballers who are forced to endure this abuse from anonymous accounts acting with apparent impunity," Reuters quoted ‌the club as saying in a statement.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Sunderland v Fulham - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - February 22, 2026 Sunderland's Romaine Mundle reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

Sunderland, who lost 3-1 ⁠to ⁠Fulham, said they were working with the authorities to identify those responsible for the messages targeting Mundle.

"The abhorrent behavior displayed by multiple individuals is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Club under any circumstances," Sunderland wrote on their website.

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Former Coach Macci Says Serena Williams Certain to Make Comeback

FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
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Former Coach Macci Says Serena Williams Certain to Make Comeback

FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci ‌believes the 23-times Grand Slam champion is certain to return to competitive tennis and said the 44-year-old is "going all out" in training to get herself ready for a return to the sport.

Williams, who won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017 and has not competed since the 2022 US Open, can officially enter tournaments after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year.

The American has denied that she is preparing to return to the sport she dominated for two decades, ‌but raised eyebrows ‌last month by deflecting questions about a ‌comeback ⁠during an appearance ⁠on NBC's Today Show.

Macci, who previously coached Williams and her sister Venus in the early 1990s, told French publication L'Equipe that he believed she is preparing for a comeback.

"She's training with lots of sparring partners - guys," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"She's also played with Alycia Parks, a good friend of hers in South Florida. ⁠So I have no doubt about it (her comeback). ‌I always thought she would ‌come back from time to time to make appearances with Venus in ‌doubles.

"But we're not just talking about doubles here ... she's ‌going all out. If she didn't think she could compete with the best and win matches, she wouldn't do it. It's 100% certain she'll dive back into competition."

Macci, 71, had no doubts about Williams' ‌ability to handle the rigors of the tour.

"The question is whether that competitive spirit is ⁠still there," ⁠he added. "She's answering that question herself: she's coming back because she is a competitor at heart."

Williams said in August 2022 that she was "evolving away from tennis" and her team has not responded to Reuters requests for comment on her potential comeback.

Macci suggested that Williams could use Indian Wells or the Miami Open to launch her comeback next month.

"It'll be interesting to see how fit she is," he added.

"Making an appearance, playing an exhibition match or a match is one thing. Doing it again the next day and the day after that, and performing well day after day is another."

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Report: AC Milan's Loftus-Cheek to Undergo Surgery after Jaw Fracture

AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
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Report: AC Milan's Loftus-Cheek to Undergo Surgery after Jaw Fracture

AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI

England ‌international Ruben Loftus-Cheek suffered a fractured jaw and will undergo surgery after the AC Milan midfielder collided with Parma keeper Edoardo Corvi in their Serie A match on Sunday, ‌Italian media ‌reported.

Loftus-Cheek was taken ‌from ⁠the pitch on ⁠a stretcher after being injured while attempting to meet a cross around the 10-minute mark at the ⁠San Siro. Milan ‌lost ‌the match 1-0.

"In addition to ‌broken upper teeth and ‌two cuts, the Englishman suffered a fractured alveolar bone," Sky Sports Italia ‌reported. "This is a very serious injury; he ⁠will ⁠undergo surgery on Monday ... and is expected to be out for several months."

AC Milan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside normal business hours in Italy.