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The Chiefs have achieved dynasty status with their third Super Bowl title in five years

The Chiefs have achieved dynasty status with their third Super Bowl title in five years
Super Bowl 58 MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, center, greets fans on Main Street, US, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Monday. (AP)
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Updated 13 February 2024

The Chiefs have achieved dynasty status with their third Super Bowl title in five years

The Chiefs have achieved dynasty status with their third Super Bowl title in five years
  • With their come-from-behind overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, the Chiefs raised their third Lombardi Trophy in four trips over a five-year span
  • The Chiefs will celebrate their latest Super Bowl triumph with a parade through downtown Kansas City

LAS VEGAS: This was supposed to be the year when the Kansas City Chiefs were vulnerable. Their wide receivers were dropping passes, their offense was committing penalties, Travis Kelce was supposedly getting old and there was no way that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes could possibly overcome all of that.

Yet they did, and wiped away any doubt that the Chiefs are the new NFL dynasty.

With their come-from-behind overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, the Chiefs raised their third Lombardi Trophy in four trips over a five-year span. And they became the first team since the New England Patriots with Tom Brady two decades ago — the last great football dynasty — to successfully defend their title.

Even Mahomes, when asked whether the Chiefs had become a dynasty, replied: “It’s the start of one.”

“It’s a little bit surreal,” Reid said. “I don’t know what a dynasty is. You guys have the thesaurus, so you can figure it out. It’s a great win because I know how hard it is to do and how hard the season was, the ups and downs of the season, and how proud I am of the guys for just hanging with each other and staying positive with each other.”

Never before has an underdog in back-to-back Super Bowls won both, and that may best illustrate two important facts: The Chiefs were eminently beatable this season, and nobody was able to beat them when it mattered.

Start with the roster, which had to be creatively put together by general manager Brett Veach around $37 million in salary cap space taken up by Mahomes, the biggest cap hit in the NFL this season. Yet the architect of each of their last three title runs was able to find bargains such as Jerick McKinnon and Drue Tranquill who contributed far beyond their monetary value.

Look at their wide receivers, youngsters and journeymen who dropped more passes than any team in the league this season. Yet they galvanized around a quiet rookie, Rashee Rice, who not only became their No. 1 option but a bona fide star.

It goes beyond personnel, though. Consider the road Kansas City had to navigate this season.

At one point, the Chiefs played six consecutive games in which the other team had extra days of rest, the only time that has happened in NFL history. They had to play in Germany, beating the Dolphins in Frankfurt in a preview of a future wild-card game, and at one point lost five of eight midway through the season to drop to the No. 3 seed for the playoffs.

After beating the Dolphins in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, the Chiefs hit the road in the postseason for the first time in six years with Mahomes as the starter. But as underdogs in Buffalo and Baltimore, the Chiefs embraced their newfound status as hunters rather than the hunted, and they responded by playing their best football of the season.

In terms of strength of opposition, the Chiefs successfully navigated the toughest path to the Super Bowl in history.

Then came a fitting finale in Las Vegas.

The Chiefs started off by making the same silly mistakes that dragged them down too often during the regular season, and they fell behind San Francisco by double digits, just as they did in each of their four Super Bowls with Mahomes under center. But just as they did in beating the 49ers four years ago, and the Eagles last year, the best team of its era rallied around what is fast becoming the best quarterback of any era to mount a comeback to remember.

Mahomes drove the Chiefs for a field goal to tie the game 16-all with about 5 1/2 minutes to go. He drove them for another field goal with 3 seconds left to force overtime. And he answered a field goal by San Francisco to start the extra session with a gutsy drive that Mahomes capped with his winning touchdown throw to the much-maligned Mecole Hardman.

“Same as always,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Mahomes afterward. “He’s unbelievable.”

Same as always for the Chiefs: unbelievable.

“They’re all tough. I’m not going to say one’s tougher than the other,” Mahomes said of the championship run. “It takes your best, and I think for me, personally, it was just battling through adversity throughout the season, whenever the offense wasn’t playing like I wanted it to play, and just to believe and fight. But all these games are tough. It takes your best football.”

Reid and Kelce assuaged some concerns among Chiefs fans that they would retire after the Super Bowl, saying late Sunday both planned to be back next season. Mahomes and most of their key players also will be back, though some difficult decisions loom when it comes to pending free agents.

All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed will demand massive contracts, and the Chiefs need to be mindful of next year, too, when they have several more important players reaching free agency.

The Chiefs will celebrate their latest Super Bowl triumph with a parade through downtown Kansas City on Wednesday, and after a brief exhale, Veach will join Reid and the rest of their brain trust in getting back to work. The cycle will begin anew.

Because sustained success — the kind the Chiefs have achieved, year after year — is what turns great teams into a dynasty.

“I mean, I’m going to celebrate tonight. I’m going to celebrate at the parade,” Mahomes said after earning his third Super Bowl MVP award, “and then I’m going to do whatever I can to be back in this game next year, and try for that three-peat.

“I think Tom said it best: Once you win that championship, and you have those parades and you get those rings, you’re not the champion anymore,” Mahomes added. “You have to come back with that same mentality, and learn from guys like that that have been the greatest of all time, at the top level, and so that is my mindset. I’m going to celebrate with my guys because of how we’ve done this, but then we’re going to work our way back to this game next year.”


US Open runner-up Fritz back in another big final and faces Sinner again for ATP Finals crown

US Open runner-up Fritz back in another big final and faces Sinner again for ATP Finals crown
Updated 17 November 2024

US Open runner-up Fritz back in another big final and faces Sinner again for ATP Finals crown

US Open runner-up Fritz back in another big final and faces Sinner again for ATP Finals crown
  • In Sunday’s final, Fritz will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the US Open final

TURIN, Italy: Taylor Fritz is starting to make reaching big finals a habit. He feels like he belongs among the very best players in tennis, too.
The American followed his runner-up finish at the US Open by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Saturday to play for the trophy at the ATP Finals.
“I have believed that I belong, that I’m one of the best players,” Fritz said. “It’s not results-based. It’s more I can feel how I’m playing. This week is huge.”
In Sunday’s final, Fritz will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the US Open final. Sinner also beat Fritz in straight sets in the group stage this week.
Sinner advanced with a rapid 6-1, 6-2 win over Casper Ruud.
Fritz became the first American finalist since James Blake lost the 2006 final to Roger Federer. The last American to win the elite eight-man event was Pete Sampras, who beat Andre Agassi in 1999.
“I trust my game and I trust my level and I don’t feel nearly as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been playing the top guys at big events a lot lately,” Fritz said. “I’m getting more comfortable in the moment. I’m really, really confident in my game.”
Fritz upbeat after loss to Sinner
Fritz came away encouraged from his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Sinner on Tuesday.
“I felt much more comfortable from the baseline. ... I had chances to break him in both sets,” Fritz said. “He had an equal amount of chances, and he took his. He played the big points better than I did. It didn’t feel anywhere near as one-sided as the Open.”
Sinner noted that Fritz “played a great match.”
“The difference was just a few points. Tomorrow will be very similar. ... But finals are always different than group matches.”
Fritz trying to match Gauff
If Fritz wins the trophy, it will mark an American sweep of the season-ending events after Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals last week.
Fritz’s run in New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final in 15 years. He’s playing at the ATP Finals for the second time. On debut two years ago, he beat Rafael Nadal in his opener and made it to the semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic.
“It’s awesome to come back and already go a step further,” Fritz said. “I’m all about always trying to do better than the year before.”
At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press his “career has always been a very steady progression and just improving a little bit each year.”
Fritz has Zverev’s number
It was Fritz’s fourth consecutive victory over Zverev, who replaced Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 in the rankings this week.
“He’s an uncomfortable player for me.” Zverev said. “It’s no secret.”
Fritz also beat Zverev at Wimbledon and the US Open, plus the Laver Cup.
Fritz will finish year at career high
Fritz was already assured of finishing the year in the top five for the first time and he’ll rise to a career-high No. 4 on Monday.
Zverev has seen Fritz’s improvement up close — especially on one key stroke: “His forehand used to break down quite a lot. ... I feel like the ratio is a lot more toward winners now.”
It was a matchup of big servers between the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Fritz and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev, and when Fritz broke Zverev for 4-2 in the first set, it marked the first time that Zverev lost a service game in four matches in Turin.
Eventually, though, the match turned into a physical duel from the baseline. Fritz rallied from 0-40 and held his serve for 3-2 in the third after a nine-minute game full of long rallies – winning one such exchange that lasted 30 strokes.
Fritz was then under pressure one service game after another but somehow managed to keep holding.
Fritz got ahead early in the tiebreaker and finished Zverev off with an audacious inside-out forehand winner on his first match point.
Fritz finished with 15 aces to Zverev’s 10 in a match that last 2 hours, 20 minutes.
“I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That’s where I kind of blew it,” Zverev said. “This one will hurt more than the other few.”
Doping case hangs over Sinner
Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.
A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September and a final ruling in the case is expected next year.
Last year, Sinner lost the final to Djokovic, who withdrew injured this year.


Coaches share preparation insight ahead of NEOM Beach Soccer Cup finals

Coaches share preparation insight ahead of NEOM Beach Soccer Cup finals
Updated 16 November 2024

Coaches share preparation insight ahead of NEOM Beach Soccer Cup finals

Coaches share preparation insight ahead of NEOM Beach Soccer Cup finals
  • Head of NEOM sport Jan Paterson opened press conference by welcoming officials, coaches, and players, expressing her satisfaction with event's success

NEOM: Coaches, alongside Beach Soccer Worldwide President Joan Cusco and Jan Paterson, managing director of NEOM Sport, addressed the media on Saturday ahead of the final day of the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup 2024.

Jan Paterson opened the conference by welcoming officials, coaches, and players, expressing her satisfaction with the event's success.

“This is the third edition of the NEOM Beach Soccer tournament, and each year we grow stronger. We are immensely proud to host such significant events here in NEOM, as they help attract international sports, inspire residents, and create platforms for athletes to compete at the highest levels,” she remarked.

Cusco also praised the tournament's development.

“It is an amazing event, without a doubt. Every year, we witness the growth in infrastructure, improvements in facilities, and the work of a highly professional team. NEOM’s top-tier amenities and stunning location enhance the experience for both participants and fans, making this event truly special,” he noted.

The men's final sees Brazil, aiming for their third consecutive title, facing the UAE.

Brazilian coach Marco Octavio Barbosa expressed confidence in his team’s readiness: “We are well prepared and understand that we are playing against a strong team ranked 7th in the world.”

Victor Vasques, head coach of the UAE, acknowledged the challenge ahead but emphasized his team’s determination. “There’s no doubt Brazil is the best, but we will fight until the end,” he said.

In the women’s final, Spain face Brazil, with both teams poised for a competitive clash.

Abderrahim Omar El-Gazzi, Spain’s head coach, spoke about his team’s ambitions, saying: “We are looking forward to a crucial match against Brazil and are motivated to win every tournament we enter.”

Brazil’s women’s coach, Fabrico Santos Da Silva, voiced his belief in his team’s capability.

“We have played excellent football so far and deserve to win the final against Spain. Spain is a strong side, but I have the best female football players in the world, and we can achieve this,” he said.


McIlroy tied for lead with Hojgaard and Rozner after 3rd round in Dubai as hot-headed Hatton fades

McIlroy tied for lead with Hojgaard and Rozner after 3rd round in Dubai as hot-headed Hatton fades
Updated 16 November 2024

McIlroy tied for lead with Hojgaard and Rozner after 3rd round in Dubai as hot-headed Hatton fades

McIlroy tied for lead with Hojgaard and Rozner after 3rd round in Dubai as hot-headed Hatton fades
  • McIlroy could have taken the lead outright but his birdie putt at the last horseshoed the cup
  • McIlroy looks sure of winning another Race to Dubai title for the most points gained throughout the year on the European tour

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead with Rasmus Hojgaard and Antoine Rozner heading into the final round of the season-ending World Tour Championship as the Northern Irishman closed in on a sixth Race to Dubai title on Saturday.
McIlroy could have taken the lead outright but his birdie putt at the last horseshoed the cup, leaving him to make par for a 4-under 68 and 12-under par for the tournament alongside Hojgaard (66).
Rozner, who started the third round with a one-stroke lead, made it a three-way tie at the top by rolling in an eagle putt from 8 feet at No. 18 for a 69.
They were two strokes ahead of Jesper Svensson (68) and Joaquin Niemann (69), with Tyrrell Hatton (71) a further shot back after an expletive-filled round that included him snapping a club.
McIlroy looks sure of winning another Race to Dubai title for the most points gained throughout the year on the European tour. It would be No. 6, tying him with the late Seve Ballesteros and leaving him two behind the record of Colin Montgomerie.
But the No. 3-ranked McIlroy’s aim has been to hold two trophies on the 18th green on Sunday as he goes for his fourth tournament victory of the season worldwide.
Hojgaard, who birdied six of his first eight holes and made pars the rest of his round, is looking to emulate his twin brother, Nicolai, who won the season-closing event in Dubai last year.
Both Hojgaard and the No. 154-ranked Rozner are seeking to claim one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer for next season from the European tour.


Kosovo FA say they warned UEFA about possible provocation by Romania fans

Kosovo FA say they warned UEFA about possible provocation by Romania fans
Updated 16 November 2024

Kosovo FA say they warned UEFA about possible provocation by Romania fans

Kosovo FA say they warned UEFA about possible provocation by Romania fans
  • The match was initially suspended before being abandoned when the Kosovo team refused to return to the pitch
  • UEFA had said it would communicate “further information in due course“

BUCHAREST: The Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) said it had repeatedly warned European soccer’s governing body UEFA about potential provocation from Romania fans ahead of Friday’s Nations League match, which was abandoned when Kosovo’s players walked off.
The game in Bucharest was abandoned in stoppage time after the visiting players left the field with the score at 0-0 when they heard pro-Serbia chanting from the home fans.
The match was initially suspended before being abandoned when the Kosovo team refused to return to the pitch. UEFA had said it would communicate “further information in due course.”
“Cries such as ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ and ‘Serbia, Serbia’, whistling during the singing of the national anthem of Kosovo, throwing hard objects ... and other offensive and provocative actions were present throughout the match, creating an unacceptable atmosphere not safe for our players,” the FFK said in a statement.
“FFK had warned the relevant UEFA bodies more than twice in writing about the possibility of such actions, once a few days before the match and then a few minutes before it started.
“Despite these warnings, the Romanian fans continued with irresponsible and discriminatory behavior, forcing the Kosovo national team to leave the field due to the lack of safety and dignity.”
The FFK also alleged that a Romania official “threatened and assaulted” a Kosovo player in the corridors of the stadium.
“For all these serious violations, FFK has immediately reported the incidents to the match delegate and has started preparing a full complaint with facts and evidence that will be submitted to UEFA’s disciplinary bodies,” it added.
Reuters has contacted UEFA for comment.
The Romanian Football Federation was fined by UEFA last year over pro-Serbia chanting and the display of a banner reading “Kosovo is Serbia” by supporters during a Euro 2024 qualifier between the countries at the National Arena.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not Romania.


Spencer Johnson takes five as Australia beat Pakistan to clinch T20 series

Spencer Johnson takes five as Australia beat Pakistan to clinch T20 series
Updated 16 November 2024

Spencer Johnson takes five as Australia beat Pakistan to clinch T20 series

Spencer Johnson takes five as Australia beat Pakistan to clinch T20 series
  • Pakistan fell short by 13 runs despite Haris Rauf’s impressive 4-22, which restricted the hosts to 147-9
  • Australia, having won the rain-hit opener in Brisbane, will host the final game in Hobart on Monday

SYDNEY: Speedster Spencer Johnson took 5-26 to propel Australia to a tense 13-run victory over Pakistan in Sydney on Saturday and seal their three-match T20 series with a game to go.
Set just 148 to win after Haris Rauf claimed 4-22 to keep the hosts in check, Pakistan were all out for 134 in the final over despite a lively 52 from Usman Khan.

Pakistan’s Usman Khan bats during the second T20 international cricket match against Australia in Sydney, Australia, on November 16, 2024. (AP)

Australia won a rain-hit first match in Brisbane by 29 runs with the final game at Hobart on Monday.
“We thought we were there or thereabouts and I thought the way the bowlers went about it was brilliant,” said Australian captain Josh Inglis.
“There’s so many options in this team I can go to. Every time I turned to Johnson tonight, he got a wicket. The way they played tonight was really good.”

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis shakes hands with Pakistan’s Haris Rauf after Australia won the T20 international cricket match against Pakistan in Sydney, on November 16, 2024. (AP)

Australia secured a vital breakthrough by removing Babar Azam (3) off Xavier Bartlett in the second over and Pakistan’s woes deepened when Johnson accounted for Sahibzada Farhan (5).
Runs were hard to come by and after facing 26 balls for 16, skipper Mohammad Rizwan knew he had to up the tempo.
But it cost him with Tim David taking a fine diving catch in the deep off Johnson, who then bagged Salman Agha next ball, caught behind by Inglis to leave Pakistan on 44-4 after 10 overs.
Khan played himself in and brought up his first T20 half-century.

Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan leaves the field after losing his wicket during the T20 international cricket match against Australia in Sydney, on November 16, 2024. (AP)

But Johnson struck again with Abbas Afridi (4) following soon after to earn the 28-year-old a maiden five-wicket haul in his seventh T20.
Two wickets in an over by spin king Adam Zampa piled the pressure on Pakistan who were unable to rise to the challenge.
Earlier, Australia was restricted to 147-9 after a rip-roaring start, but a slew of dropped catches cost Pakistan.
“If you take the positives, the boys bowled very well. We know Australia is not an easy team,” said Rizwan.
“But if you drop crucial catches, it will cost you the game.
“We all know the pitch wasn’t easy to bat,” he added.
Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short stitched together a highly entertaining 52-run opening stand off just 22 balls before Rauf struck twice in three deliveries.

Pakistan’s Sufiyan Muqeem (left) is congratulated by teammate Salman Ali Agha after taking the wicket of Australia’s Marcus Stoinis during the T20 international cricket match between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney, on November 16, 2024. (AP)

After tempting Fraser-McGurk (20) into another slog that was taken in the deep by Agha, he enticed a leading edge from Inglis (0).
Pakistan had their tails up and Short quickly followed for 32, bowled by Afridi, with three wickets falling for four runs.
Marcus Stoinis survived two dropped catches but finally fell on 14, reverse-sweeping to Sufiyan Muqeem, who was brought into side for Haseebullah Khan.

Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk bats during the T20 international cricket match between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney, on November 16, 2024. (AP)

Muqeem’s wrist-spin then took care of dangerman Glenn Maxwell (21) as the runs dried up.
David was removed by Rauf for 18 and he collected his fourth by bowling Bartlett (5).
Aaron Hardie made a handy 28 before Afridi removed him and Johnson in successive balls in the final over.