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Italian World Cup Striker Schillaci Dies Aged 59

FILE PHOTO: Italian striker Salvatore Schillaci (L) of Iwata Jubilo and world selections in the J.League tries to intercept a back pass by Japanese defender Saito of Shimizu S-Pulse during the J.League dream match held at Tokyo's national stadium October 10. The world squad beat the Japanese selections 2-1. JAPAN/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Italian striker Salvatore Schillaci (L) of Iwata Jubilo and world selections in the J.League tries to intercept a back pass by Japanese defender Saito of Shimizu S-Pulse during the J.League dream match held at Tokyo's national stadium October 10. The world squad beat the Japanese selections 2-1. JAPAN/File Photo
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Italian World Cup Striker Schillaci Dies Aged 59

FILE PHOTO: Italian striker Salvatore Schillaci (L) of Iwata Jubilo and world selections in the J.League tries to intercept a back pass by Japanese defender Saito of Shimizu S-Pulse during the J.League dream match held at Tokyo's national stadium October 10. The world squad beat the Japanese selections 2-1. JAPAN/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Italian striker Salvatore Schillaci (L) of Iwata Jubilo and world selections in the J.League tries to intercept a back pass by Japanese defender Saito of Shimizu S-Pulse during the J.League dream match held at Tokyo's national stadium October 10. The world squad beat the Japanese selections 2-1. JAPAN/File Photo

Former Italy and Juventus striker Salvatore Schillaci, a star of the 1990 World Cup on his home soil, has died at the age of 59, his former clubs Inter Milan and Juventus said on Wednesday.

Schillaci led Italy to their third-place finish in 1990, winning the Golden Boot for his six goals during the tournament, including in the semi-final against Argentina and in their third-place victory over England, Reuters reported.

"A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world," Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X.

"Salvatore Schillaci, known by everyone as Toto, the striker from the magic nights of Italia '90 with our national team. Thanks for the emotions you gave us, for having made us dream, celebrate, embrace, and wave our national flag. Bon voyage, champion."

The Sicilian's wide eyes as he celebrated his goals became one of the enduring images of that World Cup.
Schillaci was awarded the Golden Ball as player of the tournament and was later named as the runner-up for the 1990 Ballon d'Or men's player of the year award, behind World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaus of West Germany.
He had started Italy's opening World Cup game as a substitute but came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Austria.
After the excitement of 1990, Schillaci scored only one more goal for Italy and did not appear for them at any other major tournaments.
A small, bustling striker, Schillaci, nicknamed "Toto", had been a late developer, spending the early years of his career playing in the lower leagues for Sicilian club Messina.
He was the top scorer in Serie B, the Italian second division, in 1988-89, earning him a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
"We immediately fell in love with Toto. With his desire, his story, his passion," Juventus said in a statement.
"We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before, in that incredible summer of 1990, the whole of Italy did."
Schillaci helped Juventus to claim the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup in 1989-90 before winning the latter trophy again four years later with Inter Milan.
Serie A President Lorenzo Casini paid tribute to Schillaci.
"He was a champion who lit up the "magic nights" of Italia 90," he said.
"His desire to reach the top levels in soccer has been and will remain a source of inspiration for so many youngsters pursuing their dream of playing in Serie A."
He then became the first Italian player to play in Japan's J.League and won the league title with his club Jubilo Iwata in 1997.
He retired from football in 1999.

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Real Madrid Rout Elche with Guler 70-Yard Strike

Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Elche - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - March 14, 2026 Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Cesar Palacios, Dean Huijsen, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Aguado. (Reuters)
Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Elche - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - March 14, 2026 Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Cesar Palacios, Dean Huijsen, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Aguado. (Reuters)
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Real Madrid Rout Elche with Guler 70-Yard Strike

Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Elche - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - March 14, 2026 Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Cesar Palacios, Dean Huijsen, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Aguado. (Reuters)
Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Elche - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - March 14, 2026 Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Cesar Palacios, Dean Huijsen, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Aguado. (Reuters)

Arda Guler scored from around 70 yards out and Fede Valverde capped an excellent week with another fine strike as Real Madrid thrashed Elche 4-1 on Saturday in La Liga.

Los Blancos, second, cut the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga to a point before the Catalans host Sevilla on Sunday.

Uruguayan midfielder Valverde, who scored a sensational hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, whipped the ball into the top corner before half-time after Antonio Rudiger blasted the hosts ahead.

Dean Huijsen headed home the third for Alvaro Arbeloa's side, who visit Man City on Tuesday aiming to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

The goal of the night, though, was scored by Turkish playmaker Guler late on, who spotted Elche goalkeeper Matias Dituro off his line and lobbed home from near the center circle.

"He hit the bar (from there in another game) and today he pulled it off, what a goal," Madrid forward Brahim Diaz told Real Madrid TV.

"Everyone had their hands on their head... it's worth buying a ticket to see that goal," added Arbeloa.

Arbeloa was able to rest several of the players that started after the break, including Vinicius Junior and Valverde, bringing on a host of youngsters to keep legs fresh.

Madrid are still without a host of injured stars including Jude Bellingham, while French striker Kylian Mbappe could return from a knee sprain next week.

"We've still got room to improve, the players' commitment is exceptional," a happy Arbeloa told reporters after the convincing win.

Elche, 17th, slumped to an 11th consecutive league game without a victory and could finish the weekend in the relegation zone.

Madrid were on a high after defeating City and although Elche showed some resistance at first, they were gradually unpicked.

After Dituro saved Valverde's free-kick, Elche could not clear the rebound effectively and German center-back Rudiger rifled home in the 39th minute.

Valverde added a second before the break, opening up an angle on the edge of the box and guiding the ball into the top corner for his fifth goal in his last three appearances.

Madrid were cruising and Arbeloa -- a former coach at youth level within the club -- brought on several young players, including Daniel Yanez.

The 18-year-old winger set up Madrid's third with a fine cross which Huijsen nodded home.

"Yanez and (Diego) Aguado are two of the first players I coached when they were 13, 14 years old, to be able to bring them on in the Bernabeu for me is a dream come true," said Arbeloa.

Another one of Madrid's substitutes, Manuel Angel, put through his own net as he tried to cut a ball out with five minutes to go.

However, Guler restored Madrid's advantage from inside his own territory with a shot that flew high over Dituro and sank into the net.

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Medvedev Downplays Indian Wells Win Over Alcaraz, Says Young Guns Still Ahead

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP)
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP)
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Medvedev Downplays Indian Wells Win Over Alcaraz, Says Young Guns Still Ahead

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP)
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP)

Daniil Medvedev said ‌his Indian Wells semi-final win over Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday would prove nothing more than a temporary setback for the Spaniard, and that he and Jannik Sinner were playing at a totally different level from the rest of the tour.

Medvedev beat the world number one 6-3 7-6(3) to end his 16-match winning start to the year and ruin the seven-times Grand Slam champion's bid for a third Indian Wells title.

After being overshadowed for so long by the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, ‌Rafa Nadal and ‌Novak Djokovic, the 30-year-old Medvedev and his ‌peers ⁠have found it ⁠just as tough against the dominant duo of Alcaraz and Sinner, who have won 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams.

Asked if Saturday's win showed the young guns were not completely out of reach, Medvedev said he was too old to be thinking about catching them.

"I don't care too much about ⁠these things, because I'm already, first of ‌all, a bit too old. I'm ‌not Next Gen anymore," Medvedev, who will play Sinner in the ‌final, told reporters.

"I had a tough year last year, so ‌even more perspective now that I need to do my best, that's it. Jannik and Carlos are far better than all of us. Only one match we can beat them ... they are so ‌good. They are so much better than us.

"Djokovic, Federer, Nadal were so much better than ⁠us. But ⁠Djokovic, Nadal, and Jannik and Carlos are probably also better than all the ones that were there before. They would struggle against them. It is what it is."

Medvedev said that while the 22-year-old Alcaraz would probably be the favorite every time they meet, he had to go into their matches thinking he can win.

"Maybe I play 10 matches against Carlos, probably I'm going to lose more than I'm going to win," he added.

"But whenever I go on court, I need to believe in myself, I need to do my best, and try to win as much as I can."

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Nine-man Bayern Come from Behind to Rescue 1-1 Draw at Leverkusen

14 March 2026, Leverkusen: Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa
14 March 2026, Leverkusen: Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa
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Nine-man Bayern Come from Behind to Rescue 1-1 Draw at Leverkusen

14 March 2026, Leverkusen: Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa
14 March 2026, Leverkusen: Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich at the BayArena. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa

Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich had two players sent off and two goals disallowed but came back from a goal down to snatch a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Bayern have 67 points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who closed the gap to nine after a 2-0 home victory over Augsburg, with eight games remaining, Reuters reported.

The Bavarians, fresh from Tuesday's 6-1 demolition of Atalanta in the Champions League last 16, had Nicolas Jackson sent off for a wild ⁠tackle before the ⁠break. Forward Luis Diaz, who scored a 69th-minute equalizer, joined him on the sidelines after a second booking for diving. The hosts made a perfect start when Garcia fired them into the lead as Bayern, with top scorer Harry Kane on the bench, failed to settle.

They put the ball in the net through Jonathan ⁠Tah but the effort was disallowed following a VAR review for hand ball. It got worse three minutes from halftime when Jackson was dismissed for his reckless tackle on Martin Terrier.

Malik Tillman should have added another for Leverkusen when he was sent through with a clever Patrik Schick backheel but the US international fired wide with only Bayern keeper Sven Ulreich to beat.

Bayern's third-choice keeper, making a rare appearance due to injuries to Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig, also denied Schick in a one-on-one.

Kane, back ⁠after missing two ⁠matches with a muscle injury, challenged keeper Janis Blaswich and tapped in from close range a minute after coming on, only for the goal to be disallowed for handball by the England captain.

Diaz did better, slotting in after a defensive blunder from Robert Andrich and Michael Olise's record-breaking 17th assist of the season, to level but he got his marching orders six minutes from time for a spectacular dive in the box. There was more late drama when the hosts thought they had won it in stoppage time through substitute Jonas Hofmann's close-range effort but a VAR review showed a narrow offside position.