Fischtown Pinguins bezwingen Meister Berlin 3:1 — and more

Mit dem 3:1-Sieg gegen die Eisbären Berlin hat das Eishockey-Team aus Bremerhaven seinen sechsten Tabellenplatz im Kampf um die direkten Play-offs gefestigt.[mehr]

It was the desperate goalmouth scramble that could perhaps sum up a season. As Reo Hatate shot low to his left and after Jack Butland made the penalty save, the Old Firm was hanging in the balance as an afternoon of fire and chaos flipped on its head. But, at the third attempt, Hatate forced a crucial equaliser over the line to salvage a point for Celtic and deny Rangers all three, while leaving one clear winner. With nine games to go, it is advantage Hearts once again.

A furious second-half comeback from two goals kept Celtic’s challenge alive, but only just, on a day at Ibrox that neither club could afford to lose. It was a desperately tough blow for Rangers but, by the end, Danny Rohl’s side could have no complaints. Celtic had highlighted their shortcomings just as Rangers had fully illustrated theirs after Youssef Chermiti’s astonishing double had the hosts in full control by the break.

So it is Hearts who are now six points ahead of Rangers, with Celtic a further two behind but with a game in hand. This was a good result, too, for Motherwell, whose form is currently much better than both Old Firm clubs. They are two points behind Celtic, also with a game in hand, but with plenty of points to play for against those above them as the Premiership title race approaches the season-defining split.

For now, this was a further example of why Hearts are poised to become the first club outside of the Old Firm to lift the title since 1985 - when Sir Alex Ferguson, who was watching on at Ibrox having been at Hearts on Saturday, won it with Aberdeen.

Rangers were sensational in the first half, offering a performance that suggested they were up for the fight. By full-time, they looked lost, devoid of any confidence and letting the control of the game slip from their grasp. “It was outstanding - but it is about 95 minutes, not 45 or 50 minutes,” said Rohl, unable to hide his disappointment.

After half time, Celtic did to Rangers what Rangers had done to them from the start. Martin O’Neill replaced the ghost of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and the equally ineffective Junior Adamu for Hatate and Sebastian Tounekti, pushing Daizen Maeda up front. From having their first shot on target in the 50th minute, O’Neill’s side were transformed, aggressive, playing on front foot, bursting forward after winning the second balls. They swarmed around Rangers and forced desperate clearances. The tide had turned by the time Kieran Tierney arrived to head in at Benjamin Nygren’s header in the 56th minute and it was one-way traffic from there.

“We were so dominant ,” O’Neill said. “You wonder where [the first half] came from, or why we couldn't have strung a couple of passes together. We couldn't have started any worse.” Celtic’s Luke McCowan had irritated Rangers in midweek by stating that “no one in that league touches us” when on top form, but Celtic could not get near their rivals to begin in.

That Rangers found a magnificent intensity from kick-off will come as no consolation for Rohl now. Nor for Chermiti, who produced two more big-game goals with a ridiculous overhead kick and a stylish finish in the box to put Rangers in charge and towards an 11th consecutive victory at Ibrox. They suffocated Celtic from the off: with Mikey Moore and Nico Raskin providing the drive and energy in midfield to overwhelm and outnumber Celtic. “Everyone saw how Rangers played,” said Rohl. “I think this is our benchmark for the future, not just 50 minutes.”

Chermiti, however, also encapsulated their fragility. His overhead kick from Andreas Skov Olsen’s cross was sublime, as fine an Old Firm goal as there has been scored, and had shades of Scott McTominay’s against Denmark. The striker's second was instinctive and cleverly taken as the sound of “Chermiti scores again” rang around a bouncing Ibrox; it was his third and fourth goals against Celtic this season, to add to his hat-trick against Hearts two weeks ago. But the 21-year-old’s head dropped after losing the ball carelessly with his back to goal. Rohl remonstrated at his striker for his flick, as he sensed the momentum turning.

O’Neill sensed it, too. “The players showed some character to come back and I thought we dominated the whole second half, so much so that the crowd were perhaps turning on their own players.”

The Rangers supporters had seen this script before. Rangers would be above Hearts by now had they not dropped points in away games at Livingston and Hibernian in recent weeks, and thrown away another two-goal lead here. Their inconsistency has again cost them. Just as Celtic’s inability to take the initiative from the start has plagued their difficult campaign. It feels as if they are always chasing.

Despite their position at half-time, O’Neill saw enough of Celtic’s second-half display and chances, with Butland denying another Maeda header and an opportunity for McCowan after a flowing move, to believe they could yet haul Hearts in. When Maeda’s header hit Dujon Sterling’s hand from close range and Hatate stood over the spot before equalising at the third attempt, there were still a few minutes left and Celtic found belief.

“We're not out of it,” O’Neill insisted. “If the game had ended at halftime and our performance in the first half, you'd have thought we're a million miles off it. Now by the end of the game, in the manner in which we played, particularly here at Ibrox, there's still plenty of heart and desire to try and win the title.” It was Hearts, though, who were left celebrating the late drama.

Rangers 2-2 Celtic: Reo Hatate’s late equaliser in stoppage time, after Jack Butland’s penalty save, left Hearts six points clear with nine games to go

This is not what the Dolphins would want to do with Tagovailoa.

The Dallas Cowboys are doing what they can to keep a Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver George Pickens around. They've placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. The two sides are working on a new contract to keep Pickens in the star-studded uniform despite Dallas placing a $28 million (approximate) franchise tag on Pickens.

Pickens broke out in 2025. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was a good receiver, always showing flashes of being a superstar but never quite getting there. Ever since he was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, he's averaged around 58 receptions, 977 yards and four touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Steelers.

However, due to some effort issues and his rookie contract expiring, the Steelers cut bait, shipping Pickens off to the Dallas Cowboys, along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, for a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick. With the Cowboys, he finally became the elite receiver everyone thought he could be.

Pickens totaled 1,492 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 93 receptions. He was third in the NFL in receiving yards and sixth in yards/reception (15.4). With his pending free agency, he's the top UFA in the league. The Cowboys are going to need to make a major decision to keep him.

Before his NFL career, he should similar flashes of an elite receiver with the Georgia Bulldogs. He had 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three-year Georgia career, but he had 727 yards and eight touchdowns in his freshman season. He did help Georgia win a national championship against Alabama in 2021, corralling a huge 52-yard reception that helped Georgia kick a field goal to make it 3-3.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia Bulldogs star receiver earns Cowboys' franchise tag