Nantes captain Ludovic Blas said he "was taken for a madman" after insisting the club had a good team last year, but had the last laugh after lifting the Coupe de France on Saturday.
La Maison Jaune beat Nice 1-0 in the final at the Stade de France thanks to Blas' penalty early in the second half.
The 24-year-old midfielder emphatically drilled home his spot-kick after Hicham Boudaoui handled and that was enough for Nantes to win their first major trophy for 21 years, marking the fourth time the club has lifted the Coupe de France.
It has been quite the comeback story for Nantes, who only avoided slipping down to Ligue 2 last season after beating Toulouse on away goals in the relegation playoff.
“Last year, I persisted in saying that we had a good team. I persisted," Blas said after lifting the cup. "I was just saying that, and we had talented players. I was taken for a madman.
"Now, I would like people to remember that, and not take me for a fool. Frankly, it's the most beautiful thing that could happen. Being this close to going down to Ligue 2, and winning the Coupe de France shows that I really wasn't wrong about this team."
Nantes boss Antoine Kombouare was just as impressed by what he had witnessed, also referencing the journey from nearly being relegated to sealing a place in European football next season.
"We had to stay strong, despite the pressure of what was at stake, we had come from nowhere," he told reporters after the game. "A year ago, we could die and end up in Ligue 2, and here we won the Coupe de France and we will play the Europa League.
"I was reminded that we [are] going to play the Trophee des Champions. Can you imagine the difference? It's hard to believe. It is something exceptional, unique, almost miraculous."
Kombouare also revealed a conversation he had when he gave Blas the captaincy, with the player appearing to predict the future.
"I'm going to tell you a secret," he said. "During the first match at Sochaux, I gave him the armband in the locker room just before going to warm up, and he immediately said to me: 'Coach, I'm very proud, I will take us to the Stade de France and I will lift the Coupe de France'. I was a prisoner of these words."
Former India cricketer turned analyst, Aakash Chopra, does not believe India Premier League (IPL) club Mumbai Indians will play West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard again for the rest of the season.
The 34-year-old big-hitter has had a difficult campaign to date for the many-time IPL champions, who have themselves struggled to make an impact. With only two wins and eight losses in 10 games, the five-time title winners are rooted at the bottom of the IPL table.
In ten matches so far in IPL 2022, Pollard has struggled to score just 129 runs at an abysmal average of 14.33 and a strike rate of just 109.32. Pollard has been a loyal servant to the Mumbai franchise and despite it being the only IPL club that he has ever represented, since making his debut in 2010, Chopra believes the club is likely to take a chance with young South African Dewald Brevis. Brevis has scored 124 runs in six games but has an incredible strike rate of 155.
“I feel Kieron Pollard will not play any further this year, that's it, they won't play him anymore because Dewald Brevis is sitting outside and Tim David is doing well," Chopra said via his YouTube channel.
"Don't know why they didn't play a punt on Tim David earlier. They had kept this six-hitting machine sitting outside for a long time. Now they have remembered that they should play him and he has not disappointed them even once since they have played him.”
Daniel Sturridge has issued a rallying cry to his former club Liverpool after they dropped points in the Premier League title race.
The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday, giving rivals Manchester City a boost ahead of their clash with Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Should City win, they will go three points ahead of Liverpool with three games remaining.
Sturridge – who played for both teams either side of a spell at Chelsea – took to Twitter on Sunday to share his belief that "all isn't lost" for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Despite the setback in their title push, Liverpool still have Champions League and FA Cup finals to look forward to, having already secured the EFL Cup in February.
"To all the red men out there. All isn't lost," Sturridge wrote. "Big games ahead, a lot to play for. An unbelievable squad, backroom staff and ownership intact.
"The club has improved immensely in the last 10 years. My optimism for what @LFC are and will become hasn't wavered. #redordead"
The former England international played 160 games for Liverpool between 2013 and 2019, scoring 67 goals and registering 20 assists.
He left Anfield to sign for Trabzonspor before moving to Australia with Perth Glory.
The draw with Spurs was only the third time Liverpool have dropped points in a Premier League game since the turn of the year, and was the first time they have failed to win at home in the league since a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in October.
The winning owner of Rich Strike asked "What planet is this?" after the 80/1 shot produced one of the biggest Kentucky Derby shocks at Churchill Downs.
Rich Strike was only added to the 20-horse field on the eve of one of the most prestigious races in the world after Ethereal Road withdrew and went off as the biggest long shot.
Bought for only $30,000 last October and with only one win in seven outings, the rank outsider was expected to be an also-ran.
Yet the Eric Reed-trained Rich Strike bolted up on the inside with a blistering burst under Sonny Leon to become the second-biggest priced winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby.
Rick Dawson, owner of Rich Strike, could not believe what he had seen as a massive crowd of 147,294 caught their breath following a stunning upset.
"What planet is this? I feel like I have been propelled somewhere. I'm not sure," Dawson told Bloodhorse.
"This is unbelievable. I asked my trainer up on the stage, I said, ''Are you sure this is not a dream? Because it can't be true.' He assured me this is real."
Trainer Reed was also in dreamland after such an unlikely success on the big stage.
"I don't know how [to put the win into words]," Reed said. "I fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire. I about passed out. I'm so happy.
"This is something, you know, is the reason everybody does this, because we're not supposed to be here, but I knew this horse loved the track, and we've been training so good all year."
Jockey Leon was not entirely surprised as he worked his way through the field to cross the line first.
"I didn't know if he could win but I had a good feeling with him," Leon told Bloodhorse. "I had to wait until the stretch, and that's what I did. I waited, and then the rail opened up.
"I wasn't nervous. I was excited. Nobody knows my horse like I know my horse."
Floyd Mayweather was celebrating another Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez defeat in Las Vegas on Saturday after Dmitry Bivol's victory earned him $42,500.
Russian Bivol retained his WBA light heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena, claiming the scalp of the Mexican superstar with a unanimous decision victory.
Super-middleweight king Canelo suffered only the second loss of his illustrious career stepping up in weight, with all three judges scoring the bout at 115-113 in favour of Bivol.
Mayweather consigned Canelo, rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, to the only other defeat of his professional career at the T-Mobile Arena nine years ago.
The retired American legend cashed in on the 31-year-old's second defeat, placing a $10,000 bet on Bivol to come out on top for a return of $52,500.
Mayweather posted a picture of his winning betting slip on Instagram and wrote: "Easy pick up."
Alvarez confirmed he would exercise his rematch clause.
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez accepted the result of his unanimous decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol, hailing his opponent as a "great champion" after just the second loss of his career.
The Mexican came up short of claiming the WBA light heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday against the Russian, who won 115-113 on all three scorecards after a 12-round bout.
His only other defeat in 61 fights coming against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2013, Alvarez was left in an unfamiliar position.
But speaking afterwards, the 31-year-old was congratulatory of Bivol, while vowing to bounce back even stronger down the line.
"You have to accept it, it's boxing," Alvarez said. "He's a great champion. Sometimes in boxing you win and lose and I'm not giving excuses. I lost and he won."
On the possibility of whether he desired a rematch, he added: "Yeah, of course I do. "This doesn't end like this."
"This doesn't end in this way, I'm a very competitive person, I've got many years ahead of me, and I'm gonna come back stronger.
“We want the rematch, and we want to do much better in the rematch. I'm very proud and competitive. I've gone up and fought at 175lbs.
"I've gone out of my comfort zone to fight at a weight that's not mine, there's no shame in that. I'm looking for challenges that others would be scared to take on because they might lose.”
Alvarez's loss means he now moves to 57-2-2, while Bivol extends his unbeaten record to 20-0.
Red Bull are hopeful DRS and a strategic edge could help them overhaul Ferrari in Sunday's inaugural Miami Grand Prix, with drivers expecting racing to be difficult on a surface that has been branded "a joke".
World championship leader Charles Leclerc took pole ahead of Carlos Sainz as qualifying ended in a Ferrari one-two.
Max Verstappen was third ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who did not mince his words when asked about the track following qualifying.
Echoing a sentiment shared by seemingly every driver in the paddock, Perez was emphatic in his criticism of a lack of grip off the racing line.
"I think most importantly the surface is a joke," Perez told Autosport when asked if there will be overtaking during the race.
"Tomorrow the racing is going to be difficult. And you're going to have the drivers making mistakes because we've been put into this situation."
With racing potentially set to be compromised, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner pointed to the deployment of DRS on straights where Red Bull have a pace advantage over Ferrari as an area where the race could be decided in their favour.
Praising the performance of Verstappen, whose qualifying session was impacted by a lack of track time in Friday practice because of gearbox and hydraulics issues, Horner said: "Max has been on the back foot, he's down on laps on the other guys and still learning about the track so it's a good recovery from him.
"We know both our cars have good straight-line speed and the DRS could be pretty powerful here tomorrow, and with all the support races the braking zones should open up a bit, so there are a couple of places where we should be able to overtake.
"Strategy and pit stops will be crucial, as no one has really been able to do any long runs, it should be a fascinating contest tomorrow."
Leclerc topped the timesheets with a lap of one minute and 28.796 seconds, reaping the benefit of upgrades that appear to have strengthened the hand of the team that have emerged as the favourites to win both championships.
"It's definitely better," Leclerc said of the performance of his F1-75. "Yes, I mean both cars are very competitive, so Carlos and I are very competitive.
"So, it's great for the team and yes, we'll push to try and finish in the same positions tomorrow.
"It is a very strong package that we have, it works in more or less every condition since the beginning of the season so that is a good sign for the future.
"As I've said many times, the upgrades this year will be very, very important. We've had a few here that went in the right direction and hopefully we'll have a few more throughout the season to stay on top."
Verstappen will be out to ensure Ferrari do not stay on top in Florida and joked he may need to call his father for advice, former F1 driver Jos having recently returned to motorsport as a rally driver.
He said: "It's quite slippery outside the racing line, it almost feels like gravel, maybe I need to call my Dad and ask for some rally advice."
New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant has defended his call to pull goaltender Igor Shesterkin after the first period as Pittsburgh Penguins ran out to a 7-4 victory in Game 3.
The visitors suffered a playoffs setback at PPG Paints Arena, as their Pennsylvanian hosts moved into a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Shesterkin was hooked after the first period after Pittsburgh raced into a 4-1 lead and was replaced by Alexandar Georgiev.
That helped spark a turnaround for the Rangers, who clawed back three goals in the second period to move back on level terms.
But after Danton Heinen put the Penguins back in front halfway through the third period, Pittsburgh did not relinquish their lead again, with Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter extending their advantage.
Gallant backed his decision to withdraw Shesterkin, a 2018 Olympic gold medallist, saying that it was to offer the goaltender much-needed rest after a busy schedule and thought it might provide a spark.
"It's 4-1 and you want to change momentum," he stated. "Igor has been outstanding.
"If you look at it right now, he's played 10 periods, more or less, in basically 4 and half, five days. I thought it was a good time to jump-start it.
"It was 4-1. It was totally tilted. Sometimes you spark your team with a goalie change. Igor was our MVP all season.
"I thought we'd give him a little rest tonight and hopefully spark our team. And it worked."
The Rangers will attempt to hit back in Game 4 on Monday.
Jordan Poole has refuted he "broke the code" with a play on Ja Morant that left the Memphis Grizzlies point guard an injury doubt in the Golden State Warriors 142-112 Game 3 win.
Morant posted 34 points, plus three rebounds and seven assists, but limped off with five to go in the last quarter after the Warriors man grabbed his knee in a trap near half-court.
The Warriors surged on to a blowout victory in the end, resulting in them taking a 2-1 lead in the series after they were edged out in Game 2.
That led to a fiery post-game response from the Grizzlies star, who tweeted and then deleted a video claiming that Poole "broke the code" in intentionally injuring him.
The Grizzlies are yet to formally confirm the extent of Morant's injury - but speaking afterwards, Poole knocked back suggestions his play was intended to harm his opponent.
"It was a basketball play when we doubled him," Poole said. "And I hit the ball and I was going for the ball.
"I mean, obviously, you don't want to see anybody get hurt. I'm not even that type of player. I respect everybody.
"Hopefully he gets better and, you know, we can see him out there next game. I don't even play like that for real. That's not my type of game."
Poole's grab is the latest flashpoint in a fiery series, with Memphis forward Dillon Brooks sitting out Game 3 after hitting Gary Payton II in the head, resulting in a fractured elbow.
Memphis boss Taylor Jenkins skirted an official comment on whether Poole's move on his player was intentional, instead saying: "We just watched the replay.
"He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened.
"I'm actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that. I don't know what goes through you guys' head.
"No, I didn't say that it went on purpose. I said the play happened. There was a grab. I'm just curious what happened."
The two teams meet for Game 4 on Monday at Chase Center, San Francisco once more, with the Warriors looking to go 3-1 up.
Dmitry Bivol won in a unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez to retain his WBA light heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Using his height and longer reach to his advantage, the Kyrgyz-born Russian landed the cleaner and harder shots against Alvarez in a clinical display.
All three judges handed down scores of 115-113 in Bivol's favour despite what was largely a non-competitive fight.
Alvarez confirmed he would exercise his rematch clause and Bivol took no issue, believing the win solidifies his status in the division.
"No problem," Bivol said via translator post-fight. "I took this fight because I just wanted to get the opportunity and I appreciate this opportunity.
"I didn't fight for anything except getting the fight.
"I'm ready for the rematch, I just want to make sure that I can be treated like the champion now."
Bivol moved to 20-0 with his ninth consecutive title defence, while it marks the second official defeat of Alvarez's career in his return to light heavyweight following 2013's majority-decision loss to Floyd Mayweather.
Charles Oliveira denied Justin Gaethje from claiming his vacated UFC lightweight championship, winning via submission in the first round at UFC 274 on Saturday.
Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight belt he held after missing weight, meaning only Gaethje could win the title on Saturday.
After a furious opening exchange, the 32-year-old secured an 11th consecutive victory, reaffirming his status as the most dominant fighter in the division.
Extending the UFC record for the most submission wins (16) and most finishes (19), the Brazilian made his status in the division clear despite the vacated title.
"There's something missing here. The champ has a name and his name is Charles Oliveira," he said post-fight.
"This is a message to the entire division. I'm a problem for the entire division, look at my team.
"Dana White, I don't care who you put in front of me. I will take them all on."
Gaethje came out the blocks quickly and landed some big shots but critically allowed his opponent to stand back up after he was knocked down.
Given that breathing room, Oliveira recovered immediately, planting a right-hand to get Gaethje down on the ground and then showed composure, not seeking ground-and-pound but a submission.
Gaethje gave up his back after wriggling out of an initial attempt at a triangle, and Oliveira took advantage from there with a rear-naked choke.
Esparza wins as Chandler makes vicious KO
In the co-main event, Carla Esparza claimed victory over Rose Namajunas in a controversial 47-48 49-46 48-47 split decision, to claim the UFC women's strawweight championship.
In what was a very tepid bout, Namajunas effectively left her fate and belt in the hands of the judges, allowing Esparza to make sporadic forays and takedowns.
It was very different to the other lightweight bout of the night, where Michael Chandler scored a breathtaking knockout win over Tony Ferguson in the second round.
After an exciting first round, Chandler ended the fight early with an explosive front kick, catching Ferguson on the chin.
Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts starred for the Los Angeles Dodgers swept a double-header on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
Kershaw dominated the opener, giving up only five hits and striking out two over 81 pitches in seven innings, as the Dodgers won 7-0.
Betts shone in the night game, smashing a three-run double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the ninth to secure a 6-2 win.
Tyler Anderson struck out seven and gave up four hits over 80 pitches in five innings as the Dodgers claimed a fifth straight win.
They moved to 18-7 for the season and lead a strong National League West division, with every team holding a record at .500 or over.
Flores leads Giants to win over Cards
Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam in the first inning and finished with a career-high six RBIs as the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-7.
Logan Webb struck out seven but gave up eight hits and four runs over 84 pitches in five innings, while Mauricio Dubon and Darin Ruf also hit home runs for the Giants.
Yadier Molina reached 1000 career RBIs and Dylan Carlson added a three-run homer, but it was not enough as the Cards had their three-game winning streak ended.
Polanco propels Twins to victory
Jorge Polanco led the Minnesota Twins as they sent the Oakland Athletics to their eighth consecutive defeat, claiming a 1-0 win.
Polanco had three of the Twins' five hits on the night from four at-bats, including a monster home run in the sixth inning, his third for the year.
Minnesota pitchers combined to strike out 15 while allowing three hits, as they maintained their lead atop the American League Central.
The Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a win in Game 3 against the Boston Celtics, claiming a 103-101 victory after a frantic final exchange on Saturday.
Boston trailed 103-100 when Marcus Smart was fouled by Jrue Holiday just before attempting a three-pointer to tie the game with 4.6 seconds remaining.
After making the first free-throw from a non-shooting foul, Smart intentionally missed the second attempt and got the rebound, but he missed his putback attempt.
Robert Williams flew in but the ball bounced off the glass, before Horford picked up the rebound, missed his putback attempt, got his own rebound and banked it in, but his final shot came just after the buzzer sounded, denying overtime.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a massive performance on the other end, coming up with 42 points on 16-of-30 shooting, 12 rebounds and eight assists, as well as two steals and blocks.
Dubs defend home court after slow start
The Golden State Warriors blew the Memphis Grizzlies out despite a slow start and poor shooting night from Stephen Curry beyond the arc, taking Game 3 out 142-112.
The Warriors coughed up seven turnovers as the Grizzlies created a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but once the home side took care of the ball, their shooting facilitated a comprehensive turnaround.
Despite two-of-eight from Stephen Curry beyond the perimeter, he and Jordan Poole were able to penetrate off the dribble and get the team great looks. The Dubs went 53-of-84 for the night with an extraordinary true shooting rate of 76.1 per cent.
Curry still finished with an even 50 per cent from the floor and hit all 14 free-throw attempts, getting 30 points and six assists. Poole contributed 27 points off the bench, while the team outside of Curry went 17-of-24 from the perimeter.
Ja Morant limped off late following a knee injury, finishing the night with 34 points and seven assists.
Keegan Bradley shot a three-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after 54 holes at the Wells Fargo Championship on Saturday.
The 35-year-old scored the low-round on a rain-interrupted day at TPC Potomac to finish on eight-under after 54 holes.
After splitting two birdies and bogeys on the front nine, Bradley regrouped on the back nine with two birdies on the opening three holes, before claiming another on the par-four 16th hole.
Max Homa is two strokes back on six-under after a one-over 71 for the day, with Anirban Lahiri and James Hahn a further two strokes back on four-under.
Heavy rain in Maryland during the week has wreaked havoc at Avenel Farm, but the windy conditions were just as impactful on Saturday's play, requiring particularly gritty shot selection.
Jason Day began the round with a three-stroke lead but shot a disappointing nine-over on moving day, with his tournament unravelling on the front nine.
Day found the water on consecutive holes after a bogey on the par-three third, posting a triple-bogey and bogey respectively, and then scored a double-bogey on the par-five 10th to eventually finish on 79.
While Bradley had the day's low round, only four players cracked par on Saturday, including Rory McIlroy who recovered from Friday's score of 73 and bogeys on the opening two holes to post two-under for the day.
Bradley will come into Sunday seeking his fifth PGA Tour tournament win, with his last coming at the 2018 BMW Championship, which he won in a playoff over Justin Rose.
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