Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist, Samuel Helenius scored his first goal of the season, and the Kings beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night.
Adrian Kempe and Corey Perry also scored, Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves, and the Kings were able to respond after wilting late in similar circumstances in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Matt Boldy scored late to salvage a point for the Wild. Jake Middleton, Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber each had a goal, and Minnesota is 3-0-3 in its past six games. Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves.
Kempe and Brandt Clarke scored in the four-round shootout, and Kuemper saved attempts by Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko.
The Kings took the lead four times, only for the Wild to tie it up each time, with Boldy making it 4-4 with 2:57 remaining by getting to the right post where Faber’s shot went in off his upper body.
The Kings went back in front 3-2 early in the third period when Byfield sent the puck caroming off the boards back into the crease, Wallstedt lost it in his skates off his line, and it was eventually knocked in by an errant Minnesota stick.
Faber tied it 3-3 at 7:33 with an easy tap in from Danila Yurov off the rush.
Helenius scored on a wrist shot from the left circle at 12:09 of the third to put the Kings back up 4-3, with the fourth-line center coming free after entering the zone late off a line chance and putting in Kevin Fiala’s pass.
Up next for the Kings: vs. the Wild again on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Crawley began the Ashes series with a pair in the first Test in Perth, facing only 11 deliveries in the match.
Since then he has made scores of 76 and 44 in the second Test in Brisbane, and a battling 85 in the second innings of the third Test in Adelaide.
The Kent man’s 37 at the beginning of England’s run-chase in the fourth Test in Melbourne was vital to the tourists recording their first victory in Australia for 15 years and cutting the series deficit to 3-1.
“Zak Crawley frustrates the life out of me,” said Vaughan, who captained England to their famous Ashes triumph of 2005.
“His concentration levels are not the strongest. If you go to the start of the series where he played the big booming drives, those drives have gone away now. He’s not chasing the ball outside off stump.
“But today I was watching him and that should not get you out as a quality opening batter.”
In Sydney, Crawley returned to the ground where he made an impressive 77 in the fourth Test of England’s previous Ashes tour in 2021-22 – an innings that kickstarted his career.
He has now opened the batting in 103 Test innings and returned an average of 30.82 – the lowest of any batter in Test history to have as many opportunities at the top of the order.
But Vaughan, who made three centuries as an opener in England’s Ashes tour of 2002-03, believes England should persevere with Crawley in the aftermath of this latest series defeat in Australia.
“I hear fans around the world saying Crawley averages 30, but there’s a bigger average in him than he’s giving at the moment,” said Vaughan. “It’s just concentration.
“I know there is a lot more in the tank and I do think England have to stay with him.
“The movement he had today was fantastic but he needs to understand the concentration levels required at this kind of level to go on and average 40 to 45 over the course of the next two or three years.
“I think he could do if he can find that concentration.”
Joe Root and Harry Brook are denied the chance to improve on their 154-run partnership as bad light and rain cut day one of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney short, leaving England on 211-3.
Jaylen Brown matched his career high with 50 points and the Boston Celtics completed a successful West Coast swing with a 146-115 victory over the Clippers on Saturday night.
Brown had 19 points in the third quarter. Derrick White added 29 points and Anfernee Simons had 15 as the Celtics went 4-1 on the trip and 3-1 against Western Conference teams. Boston is 7-1 since Dec. 19.
Brown was 18 of 26 from the floor, while White went 10 of 20. Boston (22-12) shot 55.2% overall and 47.1% from three-point range. Brown and White combined to go 11 of 22 from long range.
Kawhi Leonard and John Collins each scored 22 points as the Clippers (12-22) saw their season-best, six-game winning streak end. Collins made his first eight shots and went nine of 10 from the floor.
Derrick Jones scored 19 points for the Clippers before leaving in the fourth quarter with an apparent right knee injury. James Harden had 18 points and 12 assists, and Ivica Zubac had four points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes after missing the previous five games with a sprained left ankle.
Brown put the game away with nine consecutive Celtics points for a 128-107 lead with 6:15 remaining. He scored inside in traffic with 3:56 remaining to reach 50 points.
When it’s Harvey Kitani versus David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaching matchup, you know it’s going to be a defensive grind. They demand defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake went at it for 32 minutes on Saturday night at St. Francis.
It took four consecutive free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds for Harvard-Westlake (17-2) to hold on for a 50-46 victory. About the only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was choosing to foul Sterling, well known as a clutch free-throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after a three by Aaron Heinze got them to within 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.
Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson had 14 points and Dominique Bentho added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a big game for Rolling Hills Prep with 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.
Santa Margarita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kyman scored 21 points, Kaiden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson had 15.
St. Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished with 27 points in the victory. Jaden Bailes had 30 points for JSerra.
Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary’s 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) tuned up for the start of Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.
Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye had 17 points for the 18-1 Eagles.
Thousand Oaks 53, Oak Park 46: The Lancers won their 16th consecutive game to stay unbeaten. Gabriel Chin had 14 points.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Layton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.
Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey had 24 points and Tarron Williams scored 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Phillip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.
Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.
St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in a win in Arizona.
Jason Crowe Jr gets free on the right side of the top of the key from NBA range and drills the game winner. Crowe finishes with 43 points in an instant classic. pic.twitter.com/4YzbfY56Zf
Four of five starters scored in double digits as the UCLA women’s basketball team dominated crosstown rival USC 80-46 Saturday at Pauley Pavilion in the first of two meetings between the crosstown rivals.
Center Lauren Betts paced the fourth-ranked Bruins (14-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Gianna Kneepkens had 15 points and Kiki Rice added 14 points and eight assists.
The Bruins totaled 24 assists and out-rebounded the Trojans 46-26.
Kara Dunn scored 11 points for No. 17 USC (10-4, 2-1).
“Thank you to the crowd for showing up on a rainy day — we appreciate the support,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “We did a great job on the boards. We didn’t play our best basketball. There’s still room to grow, but we held them to 27% shooting. Our defense was better than our offense today. We have a high ceiling. I’d like to see more consistency and for us to keep getting closer to our standard.”
USC guard Londynn Jones, right, tries to drive past UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez during the first half Saturday.
“Obviously, this is not where we want to be in a game like this,” she said. “Everything from disappointment to embarrassment, but we own it. They were the better team today. They were better by a lot.”
Mia Villalpando made one of the most important decisions of her young career when she stuck with Tigres UANL Femenil and continued on her path as a professional soccer player, setting aside the option to play at UCLA despite having accepted a full scholarship.
Villalpando, 17, grew up in Bonita, Calif., and initially signed an Under-19 contract with Tigres that allowed her to retain her college eligibility. She trained in Mexico but committed to attend UCLA last fall. However, several factors tipped the scales against a move to Westwood, including the departure of Margueritte Aozasa, the Bruins coach who recruited her.
“The coach left for another job, and that had a big influence,” Villalpando said. “I talked to my agent and my family, and although it wasn’t an easy decision, I felt that after playing the minutes I played at Tigres and competing with professionals, going to college soccer would be a step backward in my development.”
She said she had a conversation with Gof Boyoko, who took over as coach of UCLA, and explained that Aozasa’s departure “changed a lot for me.”
His reaction gave her peace of mind.
“The entire staff was very understanding and happy for me. They were sad that I wasn’t joining them but they supported me completely and that helped me a lot to feel at peace with the decision,” Villalpando said.
Although education always has been a priority in her family and she was grateful for the opportunity at UCLA, the season of club soccer she played before joining Tigres made it clear to her that she needed a tougher environment.
“In my last year with San Diego Surf, it wasn’t as competitive anymore. Many players who were already committed to universities didn’t attend practices, and I felt that in order to continue growing and preparing myself, I needed a better working environment,” Villalpando said.
Her impact on the Tigres roster was immediate and exceeded all expectations. She was part of the club’s recent title run in the Liga MX Apertura tournament, the team defeating América in the final series in November.
“I just hoped to go, train against professional players and improve. I didn’t expect the minutes I got or the affection I received. Being there changed many things for me,” Villalpando said.
While making her college decision, she sought the opinions of others who faced similar decisions, including a famous Tigres teammate.
“I talked to several players and most of them told me to go to college, even if it was just for a year,” Villalpando said. “But when I talked to María Sánchez, she told me that the opportunities young players have today didn’t exist when she was in college, and that if she had had the option to go straight into professional soccer, she would have done so.”
That message reinforced her conviction.
“Hearing that helped me a lot and gave me peace of mind to make this decision,” Villalpando said.
Her parents always expected their daughters to get college educations but understood Mia could take a different path to success.
“Mia is different,” her father, Daniel Villalpando, said. “She has something special and we believe she will be successful because she believes deeply in what she does.”
Despite not having had a formal education, Daniel said he and his wife, Melody, built a solid life on hard work and effort, which allowed them to be open-minded about Mia’s decision.
Mia Villalpando’s family has supported her all along.
(Villalpando family)
“My wife started at the bottom at Costco and today she is one step away from running her own store. I built my company from scratch. We have shown that there are different ways to get ahead, and Mia has that mindset,” Daniel said.
They are convinced soccer is not just a phase for Mia.
“Mia wants to live and breathe soccer. She will always be connected to the sport, whether as a player, coach or manager. That’s something she’s very clear about,” Melody said.
This was an extraordinary year for Mia. With Tigres she won a title in front of more than 45,000 fans.
“When I stepped onto the field and saw all those people, I thought, ‘This is real, I’m playing in a final with a professional team.’ It’s a feeling that can’t be compared to anything else,” Villalpando recalled.
She also played a leading role in helping the Mexican Under-17 team place third at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
“Even before we got to the tournament, we knew we were going to go far. We were convinced that we would come back with something, and coming back with third place showed that we made Mexico proud,” Mia said.
Melody says her daughter is much more than the soccer player you see on the field.
“She’s … strong-willed and a natural leader. She’s not a follower. She’s fun, cheerful and gets along with everyone. She’s always been a leader, even as a child,” Melody said.
Daniel agreed and added that her leadership is reflected more in her actions than her words.
Mia Villalpando’s family has supported her all along.
(Villalpando family)
“There are leaders who talk and leaders who act. Mia is one of those who acts. She is extremely competitive and can’t stand losing. She has a big heart but she is very firm with her values,” he said.
On social media you can find video of sessions of intense work by Villalpando. In one post one of her coaches explains how they ask her to rest, to “slow down a little.”
Daniel acknowledged even he is surprised by how hard his daughter trains.
“I don’t know where she gets so much passion from. She never complains, she never makes excuses. Everyone gets tired, but she keeps going. We have to tell her to rest,” Daniel explained.
That mindset, he says, reflects the work ethic she saw at home.
Daniel and Melody faced adversity as they were starting their family, with Melody only 16 when she delivered their first daughter. Daniel had to drop out of school in 10th grade to start working and support his family, while Melody finished high school with his support. They knew they had to push to support their family.
“My wife and I have always worked hard and made no excuses,” Daniel said. “I think Mia learned that without us even telling her.”
IOWA CITY, Iowa — From an existential crisis to a gritty comeback, UCLA ran a gamut of emotions over the course of a few hours here.
The final sentiment was one of disappointment.
After whittling what had been a 24-point deficit to four with a little more than three minutes left Saturday, the Bruins could not find the miracle finish they were seeking.
Iowa won 74-61 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 25 Hawkeyes holding off the Bruins by making the plays they needed over the final foul-filled minutes.
Iowa made all eight free throws down the stretch, the Bruins failing to get the stops they needed even with point guard Donovan Dent (25 points) putting on a dazzling offensive display.
After Iowa’s Tavion Banks went in for a dunk in transition to extend the lead back to double digits in the final minute, the Bruins’ comeback hopes were over. Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz added a 30-foot three-pointer in the final seconds for good measure.
Even with a much better effort in the second half, UCLA (10-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) wasn’t nearly good enough on either end. The Bruins will need to decide if they want to continue to go with a small lineup after using one to spark their huge comeback.
After one of the worst first halves of the Mick Cronin era following a 10-day layoff, UCLA played as if it took a glance at the rally towels inside the arena featuring the slogan “Impose Your Will.”
The Bruins went on a 18-2 run early in the second half after going small, breaking out a full-court press in pockets and making seven of eight shots. Dent was in the middle of it all, snagging a steal that led to a Brandon Williams dunk, driving for a couple of layups and rising for a mid-range jumper.
UCLA guard Donovan Dent chases after the ball in front of Iowa’s Cam Manyawu, left, and Kael Combs during the first half Saturday.
(Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)
When UCLA’s Trent Perry poked the ball away for a steal and went in for a layup in transition, the Bruins were within 47-42 with 10:44 left and Iowa’s only move was to call a timeout. But a big issue loomed for UCLA as guard Skyy Clark had gone to the bench with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game.
Stirtz finished with 27 points for the Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1), who shot 46.8% to UCLA’s 44.6%.
The first half couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bruins.
It all started with an inability to finish at the rim. There were two Tyler Bilodeau misses at point-blank range — including a dunk — a Xavier Booker layup that was blocked and a Dent lob that was deflected and stolen. And that was just in the first five minutes.
Equally atrocious was the Bruins’ defense, players leaving the perimeter open on drive-and-dishes that led to a flurry of three-pointers.
Cronin was so disgusted with his team down by 23 points late in the half that he took off his suit jacket and lit into Perry during a timeout. UCLA went on to score the final five points of the half … and still trailed 40-22.
UCLA arrived here facing questions about its big men, its defense and its rebounding.
After opening the season as the starting power forward, Bilodeau had increasingly shifted back to center in recent games as part of a three-guard lineup. The move provided a clear advantage on the offensive end, where Bilodeau could outmaneuver slower counterparts, while not giving up anything on defense given the struggles of Booker and ongoing foul trouble of Steven Jamerson.
More troublesome for the Bruins was a defense that ranked among the worst of Cronin’s seven seasons in Westwood. Most of the problems have come around the rim, UCLA providing little resistance on the easiest of shots. The Bruins also entered the game ranked third-to-last in the Big Ten in rebounding.
None of those problems were solved Saturday, leaving the Bruins to contemplate further changes.
Mitchell Starc takes the wicket of Ben Duckett as the England batter is caught behind for 27 to leave the visitors on 35-1 on day one of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
The unanimous-decision win over Álvarez in September in Las Vegas marked the end of Crawford’s domination of the sport — he subsequently retired with a 42-0 record and 31 knockouts — and the Mexican star’s run as super-middleweight champion.
During the conversation, Crawford said he expected to be challenged and tested more by Álvarez. Crawford, who had won titles in four weight classes before moving up to face Álvarez, took all four 168-pound titles on the line in the bout, becoming the undisputed champion at a third level.
“I’m not going to lie, I thought it would be more difficult,” he said.
Crawford explained that as the early rounds progressed, he was able to clearly read his opponent’s approach and feel increasingly comfortable in the ring. Crawford said he didn’t notice any significant adjustments on Álvarez’s part, which allowed him to control the pace of the fight and choose his moments to attack more effectively.
“The first round went by, the second round went by … and then I thought, ‘I’ve got him,’” Crawford said.
Crawford also spoke about the prefight narrative and how, in his opinion, he was underestimated.
“A lot of people spent time talking about how big he is, his stamina, that he was going to knock me out or run all over me,” Crawford said. “There was no talk about whether or not I could hurt him.”
According to Crawford, that perception changed in the ring when his power forced Álvarez to be more cautious. Crawford said the Mexican ended up respecting his punching power and his ability to control the exchanges.
Rice has continued to flourish for Arsenal in a more attacking midfield role – having initially been a defensive midfielder for West Ham, and when first moving to the Emirates.
This season he has played more passes into the box than any other Premier League player – 146.
He ranks in the top 10 for touches, chances created and times he has won possession.
Rice has four Premier League goals this season – only Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard (both five) have more for the Gunners – while Belgian forward Trossard is his only team-mate to top his three assists.
Meanwhile, Rice is the top-ranking Arsenal player for line-breaking passes (142) and progressive carries (188).
Arteta said: “He is extremely consistent on everything that you ask him to do, and that is what makes the difference.
“Firstly, he has the abilities and the qualities to achieve that, but then you need the consistency to do it, and he is doing it every single day, and then you see that kind of performance.”
On being told it was the first time he has scored twice in a league game, Rice told Sky Sports: “That’s a crazy stat.
“I haven’t scored a lot this season, I’d only scored two, so to grab a brace today in an important victory was a really nice feeling. When you win and you’re able to help out the team like I did today always adds that extra bit of a special feeling.”
Rice has scored five goals in 12 Premier League games against Bournemouth, more than double the goals he has scored against any other team in the league.
Next up for them is a relegation six-pointer at home to Sean Dyche’s Forest, who sit directly above them on the table in a fixture that could shape Nuno’s future.
A win against the club that sacked him in September after 21 months in charge might buy him some more time, but a defeat would deepen the crisis and amplify the questions over his position.
“Nobody expected us to play so bad,” Nuno added on BBC Match of the Day.
“Now is the moment for us to reflect and think are we doing everything we can? Do we realise the situation we are in? And how to get out of this situation and improve. There are things that need to be addressed.
“Forest will be a tough game, but now is about reacting and transforming and improving.”
The last side to avoid relegation after having less than West Ham‘s 14 points at this stage of the season were Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who had just 12 after 20 games in 2021-22.
But they spent £85m in January to bolster their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett and finished 11th with 49 points after winning 12 of their remaining 18 games.
They have already signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente for a reported fee of 25m euros (£21.8m), and he was an unused substitute at Molineux, but have sent German forward Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan.
“It is a complex situation,” added Nuno, when asked about the club’s prospects in the transfer market.
“The club is working on that situation [of transfers]. We have problems in terms of squad and options but that is not a justification for what we did in the first half – the mistakes we made, the lack of effort… it was very bad.
“It was about mistakes we made over and over again that was really poor.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praises Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice’s mentality, and says Arsenal showed maturity after their 3-2 win against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium.
Burnley managed just three efforts on target at the Amex Stadium and their lack of threat in attack was compounded by errors at the back.
The absence of captain Josh Cullen, who is out for the season after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 0-0 draw against Everton on 27 December, was also sharply felt in a listless midfield display on a day when a despondent Parker could take few positives.
“What we need is what we had previous to today,” Parker added.
“While the results have not gone our way, we have been building on certain things and there has been a real commitment. We are going to lose matches but the way we lost today is not one which was nice and is not acceptable really. We need a reaction for sure.
“The saving grace is there is only x amount of points [six to safety] but that is irrelevant because if we perform like we did at times today, whatever the points are, we are not going to get enough [to stay up].”
Sweden international Hjalmar Ekdal echoed Parker’s sentiments when speaking to Sky Sports, adding: “I think today is worse than previous games.
“This game is not what we stand for or what we want to be defined by. As a team we were weak, not there, we have a lack of belief.
“I think we are all a bit embarrassed of ourselves. It is difficult to put it on one thing really, but just the mindset and the character of us all on the pitch. The duels and everything, how we fight and go through the game, we can all see that we are not really there and we are not really in the game.”
Rangers were far from great, but they were dogged and they hung in there and when their chances came they buried them. Youssef Chermiti, of all people, was the chief tormentor. In nine pulsating minutes he doubled his total for the season and wrote his name into a new kind of Rangers pantheon – from zero to hero.
Nancy spoke later and in trying to talk his way through the latest submission from his team he only reaffirmed his sense of distance from footballing reality.
He mentioned that Celtic “deserved more” than a 3-1 loss, when they didn’t. Not taking their chances when they had them was on Celtic, not anybody else. Deserve had nothing to do with it. It was the Celtic board who created a situation where their manager was left with scant options upfront. From meagre rations, he plumped for Johnny Kenny. It didn’t work out.
The Frenchman made some comments about the loss not being about players and tactics. “It’s about moments, it’s about details,” he said, as if moments and details exist in a parallel universe from players and managers.
“It’s not about myself,” he said. Well, it is, but to a point. It’s also about the players he has confused and bewildered with his ill-fitting shape and the ideology he refuses to alter no matter how befuddled things become.
On Friday, he made much of how difficult it’s been to introduce his system without a pre-season to bed-in his ideas. He didn’t have a pre-season to work with his players and he didn’t have a transfer window to bring in more players that could play his system. And yet he pressed on with the system regardless. Stubbornness? Arrogance? Naivety? All three at once?
Danny Rohl went into Rangers, surveyed what he had and got pragmatic. Like Nancy, he needs new players, too. Many of them. But he’s found a way to drag his team forward when his counterpart has only succeeded in taking his players backwards in the pursuit of something that only he can see.
The soft progress achieved under Martin O’Neill has been sacrificed on the altar of “process” and some self-regarding notion that Nancy is a visionary who’s building a footballing monument.
That was a sixth straight win, something the club had not achieved in the top flight in a single season since 1966-67, and they sat five points ahead of Newcastle in fifth.
Now, it is four straight defeats for the first time since November-December 2023 – a run which ended with Steve Cooper losing his job at the City Ground.
The former Everton and Burnley boss started well, but the drop-off in organisation, focus and form – especially of late – has been drastic.
At Villa they were undone by simple errors: a collective switch-off to allow Ollie Watkins to open the scoring was followed by John Victor’s ill-advised foray 40 yards from goal which allowed John McGinn to add a killer third goal.
“You can’t give basic errors away to teams like this in the Premier League,” Dyche told BBC Match of the Day.
“The mentality is there, but you can’t keep giving yourself a mountain to climb. Players were switching off to the basics. We have worked on it and shown them, but this is the job. I never expected it to be easy when I got here.”
Until Watkins struck in first-half stoppage time, Forest’s plan was working, even if it was pragmatic in the extreme. Villa had been restricted to one chance – a golden one – when goalkeeper John denied Watkins early.
But Forest fell apart. McGinn scored the first of his two goals in the 49th minute to give high-flying Villa a handy 2-0 cushion.
Although Morgan Gibbs-White’s goal made it 2-1 and briefly gave Forest hope, there was little to suggest they would mount an improbable comeback.
Gibbs-White told Sky Sports: “I feel like we stuck to the gameplan in the first half. There were lots of positives to take. I know we need points, but we showed a work ethic and desire.
“We always know Villa start with a high press. So the key was to absorb that pressure and silence the fans a bit. We were unfortunate to concede right before half-time.”
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy insists he is still “together with the board” and believes “we can turn things around” despite falling to a sixth loss in eight games following the derby defeat to Rangers.
The Frenchman hailed an “outstanding” first half from his team, during which they took the lead through Yang Hyun-Jun and passed up several other chances.
However, their city rivals roared back in the second period and exposed the home side’s defensive fragility with a double from Youssef Chermiti and a third from Mikey Moore.
The 3-1 defeat means Rangers move level on points with second-placed Celtic, who could be six adrift of Hearts if the leaders beat Livingston later on Saturday.
While fans of the Parkhead side staged a post-match protest directed at the club board, Nancy told BBC Scotland: “It was disappointing because we deserved more today, but again we needed more goals.
“In the second half, we conceded three goals from throw-ins. It’s difficult to accept, but it’s reality. This is not about the players or the tactics, this is about moments.
“This is not about myself, this is about disappointing the fans because I know the meaning of this game. I can understand the disappointment, but I also saw what we’re able to do.
“We are really close, there are many things that can turn around. If it was not the case, I would not talk like this. I really believe we can turn things around.
The 36-year-old was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway near Lagos on Monday.
Joshua’s close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele died in the crash. Their funerals will take place at a London mosque on Sunday.
Joshua was taken to hospital and was discharged on Wednesday.
Driver Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged at Sagamu Magistrates’ Court on Friday. Police sources told the BBC the charges included causing death by dangerous driving.
The defendant was granted bail of 5m naira (£2,578) and remanded pending his bail conditions being met. The case has been adjourned until 20 January.
Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun state, near the crash site.
The 2012 Olympic champion was on his way to visit relatives for New Year celebrations in the town at the time of the collision, a family member told the BBC.
The boxer had been spending time in Nigeria after his recent victory over American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December.
Garo Ohannessian is known as a “lifer” at AGBU, an Armenian K-12 school in Canoga Park. He’s been there from the start and now he’s making a name for himself in high school basketball with his three-point shooting skills.
He set a school record making 13 threes and finishing with a career-high 45 points in a Dec. 30 win over Brawley.
When the Chargers lost to Houston, it foreclosed on some options for them. The division race and bid for the No. 1 seed were out the window. Now, this finale is about getting out of Denver healthy and prepared for the playoffs.
Still on the table, though, is a chance for an unblemished record in AFC West play. The Chargers swept Las Vegas and Kansas City, and posted a 23-20 victory over the Broncos in Week 3.
This is a more polished and confident Denver team than earlier in the season, however, and the Broncos since have won 13 of 14.
The AFC’s No. 1 seed is Denver’s to lose, so if they beat the Chargers, the road to the Super Bowl will go through the Mile High City.
How the Chargers can win: With Justin Herbert sitting out, the Chargers’ path to winning shifts dramatically. The emphasis will be on ball control, field position and avoiding mistakes. Trey Lance’s mobility becomes a weapon if the Chargers lean into it, using the run game, designed quarterback movement and play-action to keep Denver’s pass rush zeroing in. The Broncos are vulnerable to explosive plays when teams stay patient and force them out of their comfort zone. If the Chargers can establish even a modest run game, it opens opportunities downfield off misdirection and play-action. Defensively, Los Angeles must do what it’s done best under Jim Harbaugh: limit big plays, force long drives and make Denver settle for field goals. If the Chargers protect the ball and avoid penalties, they are capable of keeping the game close into the fourth quarter, and in a low-possession game, that’s all they need.
How the Broncos can win: Denver’s formula is simple and familiar: play clean, disciplined football and force the Chargers into a low-scoring game, which is much easier with a backup at quarterback. The Broncos have thrived in tight games by limiting mistakes, relying on their pass rush and letting their defense control tempo. They lead the league in sacks and consistently generate pressure without blitzing, which will be especially important against a Chargers offense starting Lance. If Denver can stop the run early, force Lance into obvious passing situations and avoid costly penalties, it can dictate the game. Bo Nix doesn’t have to be spectacular. He just needs to protect the ball and take advantage of short fields. The Broncos are comfortable winning games 20-17 or 23-20, and they will be happy to be in one of those with the Chargers.
