Sports from Thursday, March 12th, 2026

Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev kept their Indian Wells title bids alive on Thursday, dispatching their respective opponents to book semi-final berths at the desert hardcourt tournament.

Italy are no longer content with being Six Nations underdogs and reflecting on their landmark win over England last weekend, wing Louis Lynagh believes they can soon win the championship.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the Iranian men's national football team was welcome to participate in the 2026 World Cup but that he believed it was not appropriate that they be there "for their own life and safety."

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has apologised for pushing a ball boy during Wednesday's 5-2 Champions League defeat to Paris St Germain, an incident that added to a chaotic end to the visitors' late collapse.

Defending champion Jack Draper has claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Djokovic in a deciding-set tie-break after two hours and 35 minutes at the Indian Wells.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz has continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.

The football world may have been surprised by another giant-killing performance by Arctic minnows Bodo/Glimt, but for coach Kjetil Knutsen, their 3-0 thrashing of Sporting on Wednesday was just another step in their amazing Champions League journey.