Serie A | Udinese 3-0 Fiorentina: Viola stumble in Udine — and more

Udinese ended their negative streak with a badly-needed 3-0 victory sealed by Christian Kabasele, Keinan Davis and Adam Buksa, as Daniele Rugani had a disastrous Fiorentina debut.

The Viola had been transformed in recent weeks with three consecutive victories in all competition, but threw away a 3-0 first leg advantage in the Conference League play-off with Jagiellonia on Thursday, only scraping through in extra time. Dodo was suspended here, but Rolando Mandragora returned from his ban. Manor Solomon, Luca Lezzerini and Robin Gosens sustained injuries against Jagiellonia, so Daniele Rugani made his debut. Udinese were collapsing after three straight defeats, missing Arthur Atta, Oumar Solet and Alessandro Zanoli, but Keinan Davis returned after a month out.

There was a musical performance before kick-off, as this week is eight years since the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, in a hotel in Udine in March 2018. Free cardiac checks are also organised in the stadium this month.

See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.

UDINE, ITALY – MARCH 02: Fiorentina manager Paolo Vanoli looks on from the bench during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Friuli on March 02, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

It took just 10 minutes to open the scoring, as Nicolò Zaniolo whipped a corner into the six-yard box and Christian Kabasele was allowed a free header, because Rugani had slipped.

Mandragora smashed a free kick over the bar, then blasted over from just inside the area, while Albert Gudmundsson hit a fresh-air volley on the dinked Niccolò Fagioli pass over the top.

Davis combined with Zaniolo and cut inside to shoot hard and low from 13 yards, forcing David De Gea to parry with his legs.

UDINE, ITALY – MARCH 02: Christian Kabasele of Udinese scores his team’s first goal with a header during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Friuli on March 02, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

After the restart, Jack Harrison’s cross only grazed the head of Moise Kean at the back stick, and De Gea again denied Davis after a run from the centre-circle.

Another strong Davis run from his own half concluded with the Zaniolo effort deflected wide off Fabiano Parisi, and the striker was wrestled to the ground by Rugani as he tried to get on the end of an inspired Jordan Zemura pass. It was an inevitable penalty, which Davis converted himself.

UDINE, ITALY – MARCH 02: David De Gea of Fiorentina is beaten by Keinan Davis’s penalty strike for Udinese during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Friuli on March 02, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

Bertola ran back for a brave block on Kean, spraining his ankle in the process, and Cher Ndour’s header whistled wide on the resulting corner.

Rugani completed his truly disastrous debut by allowing Adam Buksa to shrug off his attempt at a challenge when running onto the Lennon Miller knockdown, curling a left-foot finish into the far corner.

Udinese 3-0 Fiorentina

Kabasele 10 (U), Davis pen 64 (U), Buksa 94 (U)

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Italiano: 'Bologna have certainly not forgotten about Odgaard'

PISA, Italy (AP) — Fiorentina went down to Udinese 3-0 and Pisa lost to Bologna 1-0 on an unhappy night for the relegation-threatened sides in Serie A on Monday.

In Udine, the home side went ahead after 10 minutes when Christian Kabasele nodded in a Nicolo Zaniolo corner.

Udinese's leading goal-scorer Kelman Davis made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the second half.

And Adam Buksa added a third in stoppage time to decisively halt Fiorentina’s recent revival and torpedo its hopes of winning three games in a row for the first time this season.

It remained fifth from bottom of the league, but equal on points with Cremonese and Lecce, the club occupying the third relegation spot.

One of the two teams below it, Pisa, lost at home to Bologna and remained joint last with Verona.

Pisa had three shots on target while Bologna had only one, but it was that 90th-minute strike from Jens Odgaard that decided the match.

The Danish forward hit the net from around 25 meters out to break the home fans' hearts and ensure Pisa was still looking for a second win in the league.

The result leaves it on the same points as bottom club Verona. Both are nine points from safety with 11 league matches remaining.

The win was Bologna’s third in a row and lifted it above Sassuolo into ninth place. It has not lost a league game at home to Pisa since February 1985.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves signed 12-year veteran forward Kyle Anderson on Monday, bringing back a popular role player after he was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Anderson played two seasons for the Timberwolves, contributing to their run to the Western Conference finals in 2024. He then signed with the Golden State Warriors in free agency and has been traded three times since, most recently to the Grizzlies by the Utah Jazz.

The 32-year-old Anderson has averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 20.4 minutes in 24 games this season between the Jazz and the Grizzlies.

Anderson started 56 games over two years with the Timberwolves, averaging 25.3 minutes for the highest mark of his tenure with any of the six teams he's been with in his NBA career. The 2014 first-round draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs had three triple-doubles with the Timberwolves and became a fan favorite for his toughness, leadership and deliberate style on offense that has drawn him the nickname, “Slo Mo.”

The Timberwolves host the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Coming off a Super Bowl berth, the New England Patriots have a clear plan in mind for the 2026 offseason: it’s about remodeling, not rebuilding, as head coach Mike Vrabel said after the season.

The NFL Draft naturally is a major part of this process. Until the event in late April, the Patriots — led by Vrabel and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf — will be conducting interviews, working out prospects, inviting them for a finite number of pre-draft visits, and in general try to get as complete a picture as possible. It remains to be seen what this process eventually leads to, but there will be plenty of news to report.

In order to find out who the Patriots have already spoken to or worked out thus far, please make sure to bookmark this regularly-updated pre-draft tracker. We will have all contact listed to the best of our knowledge.

(Note: Please scroll down for a meeting-by-meeting breakdown)

Quarterback

N/A

Running back

Kejon Owens (Florida International): Senior Bowl

Jordon Vaughn (Abilene Christian): College Gridiron Showcase

Wide receiver

Lewis Bond (Boston College): Senior Bowl

Camden Brown (Georgia Southern): Hula Bowl

Emmanuel Henderson (Kansas): East-West Shrine Bowl

Tight end

Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M): Combine

John Michael Gyllenborg (Wyoming): Senior Bowl

D.J. Rogers (TCU): Senior Bowl

Dan Villari (Syracuse): Hula Bowl + Senior Bowl

Offensive tackle

Travis Burke (Memphis): Pro Day

Kamar Missouri (UTSA): College Gridiron Showcase

Interior offensive line

Kage Casey (Boise State): Senior Bowl

Desmond Daniels (Alabama State): FCS Showcase

Nick Dawkins (Penn State): American Bowl

Jalen Farmer (Kentucky): Combine

Ashton Grable (Florida A&M): HBCU Legacy Bowl

Delby Lemieux (Dartmouth): Senior Bowl

Peter Nygra (Louisville): East-West Shrine Bowl

Brian Parker II (Duke): East-West Shrine Bowl

Connor Tollison (Missouri): American Bowl

Interior defensive line

Nick Barrett (South Carolina): Combine

Rayshaun Benny (Michigan): Senior Bowl

Kody Huisman (Virginia Tech): American Bowl

Noah Miles (Howard): HBCU Legacy Bowl

Tyler Onyedim (Texas A&M): Combine

Kaleb Proctor (Southeastern Louisiana): Combine

Landon Robinson (Navy): East-West Shrine Bowl

Defensive edge

Keyron Crawford (Auburn): Combine

Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State): Senior Bowl

Dayon Hayes (Texas A&M): American Bowl

Michael Heldman (Central Michigan): Hula Bowl

Cashius Howell (Texas A&M): Combine

Michael Lunz II (South Carolina State): HBCU Legacy Bowl

Akheem Mesidor (Miami): Combine

T.J. Parker (Clemson): Senior Bowl

Zion Young (Missouri): Combine

Linebacker

Shad Banks Jr. (UTSA): Hula Bowl

Javin Wright (Nebraska): American Bowl

Cornerback

Caleb Anderson (Michigan): College Gridiron Showcase

Rashad Battle (Pittsburgh): American Bowl

Elijah Culp (James Madison): American Bowl

Michael Dansby (Arizona): American Bowl

Andre Fuller (Toledo): East-West Shrine Bowl

Al’Zillion Hamilton (Fresno State): American Bowl

Jaden Rios (Texas State): Hula Bowl

Avery Smith (Toledo): Combine

Safety

Dathan Hickey (Youngstown State): College Gridiron Showcase

Cam Smith (Marshall): Hula Bowl

Gavin Gibson (North Carolina): Hula Bowl

Kamari Ramsey (USC): Combine

Jalen Stroman (Notre Dame): Senior Bowl

Specialists

Garrison Grimes (LS | BYU): East-West Shrine Bowl

Laith Merjan (K | Kansas): Hula Bowl

Whereas the list above gives an overview over the prospects the Patriots have been in contact with before the draft, the following overview is a breakdown by meeting opportunity plus the source of each report.

FCS Showcase

OL Desmond Daniels (Alabama State) | Source

Hula Bowl

WR Camden Brown (Georgia Southern) | Source

TE Dan Villari (Syracuse) | Source

ED Michael Heldman (Central Michigan) | Source

LB Shad Banks Jr. (UTSA) | Source

CB Jaden Rios (Texas State) | Source

S Cam Smith (Marshall) | Source

S Gavin Gibson (North Carolina) | Source

K Laith Merjan (Kansas) | Source

College Gridiron Showcase

RB Jordon Vaughn (Abilene Christian) | Source

OT Kamar Missouri (UTSA) | Source

CB Caleb Anderson (Michigan) | Source

S Dathan Hickey (Youngstown State) | Source

American Bowl

OL Nick Dawkins (Penn State) | Source

OL Connor Tollison (Missouri) | Source

DT Kody Huisman (Virginia Tech) | Source

ED Dayon Hayes (Texas A&M) | Source

LB Javin Wright (Nebraska) | Source

CB Rashad Battle (Pittsburgh) | Source

CB Elijah Culp (James Madison) | Source

CB Michael Dansby (Arizona) | Source

CB Al’Zillion Hamilton (Fresno State) | Source

East-West Shrine Bowl

WR Emmanuel Henderson (Kansas) | Source

OL Brian Parker II (Duke) | Source

OL Peter Nygra (Louisville) | Source

DT Landon Robinson (Navy) | Source

CB Andre Fuller (Toledo) | Source

LS Garrison Grimes (BYU) | Source

Senior Bowl

RB Kejon Owens (Florida International) | Source

WR Lewis Bond (Boston College) | Source

TE John Michael Gyllenborg (Wyoming) | Source

TE D.J. Rogers (TCU) | Source

TE Dan Villari (Syracuse) | Source

OL Kage Casey (Boise State) | Source

OL Delby Lemieux (Dartmouth) | Source

DT Rayshaun Benny (Michigan) | Source

ED Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State) | Source

ED T.J. Parker (Clemson) | Source

S Jalen Stroman (Notre Dame) | Source

HBCU Legacy Bowl

OL Ashton Grable (Florida A&M) | Source

DT Noah Miles (Howard) | Source

ED Michael Lunz II (South Carolina State) | Source

NFL Scouting Combine

TE Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M) | Source

OL Jalen Farmer (Kentucky) | Source

DT Nick Barrett (South Carolina) | Source

DT Kaleb Proctor (Southeastern Louisiana) | Source

DT Tyler Onyedim (Texas A&M) | Source

ED Keyron Crawford (Auburn) | Source

ED Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) | Source

ED Akheem Mesidor (Miami) | Source

ED Zion Young (Missouri) | Source

CB Avery Smith (Toledo) | Source

S Kamari Ramsey (USC) | Source

Pro Days

OT Travis Burke (Memphis) | Source

Local Pro Day

TBD

30 visits

TBD