Man City Beat Salford, Newcastle Knock Out Villa, Mansfield Town Stun Burnley in FA Cup

Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
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Man City Beat Salford, Newcastle Knock Out Villa, Mansfield Town Stun Burnley in FA Cup

Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)

Manchester City beat League Two Salford City 2-0 in the FA Cup to move into the fifth round on Saturday as January signing Marc Guehi scored his first goal for the Premier League club while Burnley were stunned 2-1 by League One side Mansfield Town.

Sandro Tonali's double inspired Newcastle United to a 3-1 comeback win over 10-man Aston Villa, while Mohamed Salah scored as Liverpool beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0.

West Ham United needed extra time to beat Burton Albion 1-0 while Norwich City claimed a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Manchester City had thrashed Salford 8-0 in the third round last year and Pep Guardiola's second-string side did not take long to take the lead as Alfie Dorrington turned in Rayan Ait-Nouri's dangerous cross for an own goal in the sixth minute.

Omar Marmoush thought he had scored City's second, but his celebrations were cut short when the offside flag went up.

Replays showed the Egyptian was onside but Video Assistant Referees and Semi-Automated Offside Technology are not in use until the fifth round of the competition, with Guardiola ‌seen wagging his finger ‌at the linesman.

TRAFFORD TO CITY'S RESCUE

City dominated for most of the half but Salford nearly ‌equalized late ⁠on and the ⁠home side had James Trafford to thank as the keeper denied Ben Woodburn with a sharp save when his shot looked destined for the top corner.

"We had to work really hard. They did really well, defended really well and they had belief that grew through the game. We got there in the end and got the good win," Trafford told the BBC.

Salford continued to probe after the restart as Trafford once again came to the rescue and Guardiola had seen enough, bringing on the cavalry in the form of Antoine Semenyo, Guehi and Nico O'Reilly.

The home side doubled their lead in the 81st minute when Matty Young palmed away Rayan Cherki's cross into the box and the ball fell ⁠to Guehi, who tapped in from close range.

Guehi was with Crystal Palace last month when the ‌holders were knocked out by non-league Macclesfield in one of the FA Cup's greatest ‌upsets, but the new rules meant he was no longer cup-tied and able to play for City.

BURNLEY KNOCKED OUT, WEST HAM THROUGH

Burnley were beaten 2-1 ‌at home by Mansfield thanks to skipper Louis Reed's second-half free kick as the third-tier side eliminated a top-flight club for ‌the first time since 1969.

Josh Laurent had given Burnley the lead in the first half while Rhys Oates equalized early in the second before Reed's glorious free kick sailed into the top corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end.

"Soon as it left my boot, I felt it going in. I have been working on them throughout the week," Reed said.

"The lads said, 'This is your moment, go and take it'. Thankfully, I did!"

In Saturday's ‌early kickoff, West Ham, who are also battling relegation alongside Burnley, needed an extra-time goal from the in-form Crysencio Summerville to see off Burton as they claimed a 1-0 victory at ⁠the Pirelli Stadium.

Summerville made a solo ⁠run from the left wing, cutting in before curling his effort into the top corner for his sixth goal in seven games across all competitions.

But West Ham were made to sweat after Freddie Potts was sent off, with Burton coming close to an equalizer twice in the dying stages.

TONALI INSPIRES NEWCASTLE COMEBACK

Newcastle overcame Villa in an incident-packed encounter at Villa Park.

Tammy Abraham appeared to be offside when he bagged a controversial opener for Villa before home goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off for fouling Jacob Murphy before halftime.

The Magpies rallied after the break. Tonali scored twice, including a sublime long-range effort, to turn the tie and substitute Nick Woltemade added a third.

"The officials don't make any decision on purpose, it's just what they think at the time, but without VAR, I thought there were a lot of errors today," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.

SALAH PENALTY SEALS LIVERPOOL WIN

Liverpool delivered a commanding win over Brighton as Curtis Jones struck first with a composed finish before Dominik Szoboszlai hammered home a second, capping a slick team move.

Mohamed Salah sealed the result by converting a penalty after being fouled by Pascal Gross.

"It's very nice to have him on the scoresheet again (Salah), but he also helps the team a lot defensively, and that is something very positive," Liverpool coach Arne Slot told reporters.

The FA Cup fifth round draw is on Monday.



Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.


Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.