- Beating Man City eases pressure for Arsenal game: new Sporting coach
- Argentine court hears bid to end rape case against French rugby players
- Egypt says 17 missing after Red Sea tourist boat capsizes
- Dortmund boss calls for member vote on club's arms sponsorship deal
- Chanel family matriarch dies aged 99: company
- US boss Hayes says Chelsea stress made her 'unwell'
- China's Ding beats 'nervous' Gukesh in world chess opener
- Man City can still do 'very good things' despite slump, says Guardiola
- 'After Mazan': France unveils new measures to combat violence against women
- Scholz named party's top candidate for German elections
- Flick says Barca must eliminate mistakes after stumble
- British business group hits out at Labour's tax hikes
- German Social Democrats name Scholz as top candidate for snap polls
- Fresh strikes, clashes in Lebanon after ceasefire calls
- Russia and Ukraine trade aerial attacks amid escalation fears
- Georgia parliament convenes amid legitimacy crisis
- Plastic pollution talks must not fail: UN environment chief
- Beeches thrive in France's Verdun in flight from climate change
- UAE names Uzbek suspects in Israeli rabbi's murder
- Indian author Ghosh wins top Dutch prize
- Real Madrid star Vinicius out of Liverpool clash with hamstring injury
- For Ceyda: A Turkish mum's fight for justice for murdered daughter
- Bestselling 'Woman of Substance' author Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91
- Ukraine drones hit Russian oil energy facility: Kyiv source
- Maximum term demanded in French rape trial for husband who drugged wife
- Salah feels 'more out than in' with no new Liverpool deal on table
- Pro-Russia candidate leads Romanian polls, PM out of the race
- Taiwan fighter jets to escort winning baseball team home
- DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania, killing one
- Le Pen meets PM as French government wobbles
- From serious car crash to IPL record for 'remarkable' Pant
- Philippine VP Duterte 'mastermind' of assassination plot: justice department
- India two wickets away from winning first Australia Test
- 39 foreigners flee Myanmar scam centre: Thai police
- As baboons become bolder, Cape Town battles for solutions
- Uruguay's Orsi: from the classroom to the presidency
- UN chief slams landmine threat days after US decision to supply Ukraine
- Sporting hope for life after Amorim in Arsenal Champions League clash
- Head defiant as India sense victory in first Australia Test
- Scholz's party to name him as top candidate for snap polls
- Donkeys offer Gazans lifeline amid war shortages
- Court moves to sentencing in French mass rape trial
- 'Existential challenge': plastic pollution treaty talks begin
- Cavs get 17th win as Celtics edge T-Wolves and Heat burn in OT
- Asian markets begin week on front foot, bitcoin rally stutters
- IOC chief hopeful Sebastian Coe: 'We run risk of losing women's sport'
- K-pop fans take aim at CD, merchandise waste
- Notre Dame inspired Americans' love and help after fire
- Court hearing as parent-killing Menendez brothers bid for freedom
- Closing arguments coming in US-Google antitrust trial on ad tech
From Super-team to Super Bowl: Rams eye dynasty
The Los Angeles Rams basked in their Super Bowl victory on Monday after their expensively-assembled roster powered to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sunday's victory represented a spectacular jackpot for the Rams management, who recruited heavily over the past year with the goal of being able to bring an NFL title back to Los Angeles at their own SoFi Stadium.
The question now is whether Sunday's Hollywood ending turns out to be the beginning of a dynasty.
In an increasingly competitive era, no team has won back-to-back championships since the New England Patriots achieved the feat in 2004 and 2005.
The good news for the Rams is that several pillars of their championship-winning roster should be back next season.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who helped transform the Rams offense this season following his blockbuster trade from Detroit, has another year on his contract and is reportedly due to sign an extension.
Star receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are also under contract, along with defensive stalwarts Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
The dilemma will be determining whether free agents such as Odell Beckham Jr, who scored the opening touchdown on Sunday, and veteran linebacker Von Miller, will be brought back.
There are also questions about whether Donald may walk away from the sport.
One report on Sunday said Donald was contemplating retirement despite having a contract which runs through 2024.
Donald sidestepped questions about his future after Sunday's win, saying only that he was "just going to be in the moment and enjoy this today, or for a couple of days."
- 'Addictive feeling' -
Team-mate Miller was sceptical Donald would call it quits.
"I don't know man. He's done everything you can possibly do," Miller said "But this feeling here, there's nothing like it. It's addictive.
"Once you feel this — coming to the Super Bowl is one thing. But winning it is different."
There have also been murmurings that Rams coach Sean McVay could consider his future.
McVay became the youngest winning Super Bowl head coach in history on Sunday after taking the title at 36 years and 20 days.
McVay, who became the youngest head coach in the history of the NFL when he was appointed by the Rams in 2017, has already taken the team to two Super Bowl appearances during his reign.
A weary McVay paid tribute to his team's "selflessness" and mental resilience on Monday at the traditional post Super Bowl press conference.
"People wanted to win a championship, do something special, for the other people they cared about," McVay said.
"This was the most selfless group I've ever been a part of. They played for one another, they trusted one another and they picked each other up through good and bad. I felt that's what made us so special.
"When you get great players and great coaches that are all committed and pulling that rope in the same direction, great things can happen.
"The mental toughness, the resilience, the belief in each other. It was such a powerful thing."
McVay reserved special praise for wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was named the Super Bowl's MVP after a performance which included the winning touchdown.
Working in tandem with quarterback Stafford, Kupp put the Rams on his shoulders in the final game-winning drive, making catch after catch despite being relentlessly double-teamed.
"Cooper epitomises what's right about this team," McVay said. "The selflessness, the humility, the clutch production when we had to have it.
"I'm better as a coach and as a person for being around Cooper Kupp. He's made such an impact on me."
Kupp meanwhile, who was planning a trip to Disneyland on Monday alongside Stafford and Donald, said victory owed everything to the total commitment of the Rams locker room.
Kupp calculated he had spent around 500 hours of voluntary practice in addition to obligatory time throughout the season.
"So many guys that have just respected the game, have put in the work and the time," Kupp said.
"And that was a huge thing going into this. We said 'We've got guys who deserve a Super Bowl'.
"That's kind of what makes this team so special."
Easing of Covid-19 restrictions meanwhile means that the Rams will be the first Los Angeles franchise to enjoy a traditional victory parade since the pandemic.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers both won championships in 2020 but were unable to celebrate with a parade due to Covid-19. The Rams parade will be held on Wednesday.
F.Cardoso--PC