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ATLANTA — Belgium blew out the United States 5-2 on Saturday in a World Cup warmup that exposed the Americans’ defensive difficulties, rallying from a late first-half deficit on two goals by Dodi Lukébakio and one each from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana and Charles De Ketelaere.

Weston McKennie put the U.S. ahead in the 39th minute with his 12th international goal, his first in three years, but Debast and Onana began Belgium’s rally with their first international goals on a frustrating afternoon for Matt Turner, the former No. 1 American goalkeeper who made his first appearance since last June.

Debast scored in the 45th, Onana put the Red Devils ahead in the 53rd and De Ketelaere converted a penalty kick in the 59th after a hand ball by U.S. captain Tim Ream.

Lukébakio entered in the 62nd minute and beat Turner from long range in the 68th and 82nd minutes to build a 5-1 lead before a disappointed largely pro-American crowd of 66,867 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, site of a World Cup semifinal in July.

Patrick Agyemang scored for the U.S. in the 87th after Ricardo Pepi took advantage of defensive misplay.

The U.S. lost a home game by three goals in which it scored the opening goal for the first time since an 8-1 defeat to England in 1959, according to Opta.

Belgium extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games and has won six straight against the U.S. since losing to the Americans at the initial World Cup in 1930.

The U.S. had entered with a five-game unbeaten streak that created optimism but was missing several injured regulars.

McKennie put the Americans ahead when he took advantage of Johnny Cardoso’s pick to cut in front of Nicolas Raskin and volley Antonee Robinson’s corner kick past Senne Lammens.

American players debuted jerseys with red and white stripes that resemble a waving flag.

With the roof closed in an air-conditioned stadium, fans booed the water breaks in the middle of each half — which will take place at each World Cup match.

Belgium was missing striker Romelu Lukaku, midfielders Leandro Trossard and Hans Vanaken and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois because of injuries and fitness issues. The Red Devils play Mexico in Chicago on Tuesday.

This week began with Orange Lutheran having played in only four baseball games while others had played in 10 or more. The Lancers were saving their best to come and it certainly showed when they won four consecutive games to capture the National High School Invitational on Saturday in Cary, N.C.

After needing consecutive walk-off hits to win in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Orange Lutheran (7-1) had more nerve-racking moments before knocking off defending champion Venice (Fla.) 7-6. In the bottom of the seventh, Venice put two runners on with two outs before Anthony Tomminelli got a strikeout to secure the win.

Orange Lutheran started fast with a two-run triple by CJ Weinstein in the first inning. Eric Zdunek finished with two hits and two RBIs while Brady Murrietta added two hits. The Lancers have about 24 hours to celebrate because next week they face St. John Bosco in a critical three-game series in the Trinity League.

Harvard-Westlake 10, Arizona Casteel 8: Jake Kim flexed his muscles for the second consecutive game, hitting a home run and double to finish with three RBIs. Ethan Price had a two-run double. Freshman Nate Englander had two hits and three RBIs.

Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian 5, St. John Bosco 0: The Braves return home from North Carolina with a 9-2 record and set to face Orange Lutheran this week in a three-game Trinity League series. Jack Champlin had two hits in the loss.

Aquinas 4, Gloucester 0: Eli Martinez threw the shutout with seven strikeouts.

Around 16,000 fans packed into the Manchester arena bought into the Itauma buzz, greeting him with a warm roar as he was walked to the ring by British rapper Meekz.

Itauma – the prodigy who was sparring seasoned professionals while still at school – was in wonderful form from the first bell, using his speed and variation to send Franklin backtracking.

In truth, the knockout felt inevitable even when 32-year-old Franklin managed to recover from a third-round right hand that sent him crashing to the floor.

Working behind a jab and picking his shots wisely, Itauma avoided anything reckless. “It’s a breakdown job,” trainer Ben Davison aptly told him between rounds.

This was another night that thrilled and told us a little more about the rising heavyweight.

Itauma’s devastating power is undeniable, once again on display as he dispatched a seasoned opponent inside the first half of the fight.

But the bigger questions remain.

His chin has yet to be properly tested. Franklin landed a right in the fourth, and Itauma just smiled, but he will face bigger punches in the future.

And while the knockouts keep coming, he is still unproven beyond six rounds, with his engine and endurance untested at the highest level.

Promoter Warren expects Itauma to fight for a world title this year.

Within boxing circles, that talk may be slightly premature but Itauma is keeping pace with two-time world champion Anthony Joshua.

At the same stage of his career, Joshua beat Gary Cornish to register a 14th stoppage and was selling out the O2 Arena. Itauma is on a similar trajectory, almost filling the Co-op Live Arena – and arguably facing higher-level opponents along the way.

The key step-up for Joshua came in his 15th fight: a win over Dillian Whyte for the British title, which developed his resolve and enhanced his profile.

By his 17th, he was world champion after defeating Charles Martin.

The NBA gave Luka Doncic one mulligan. The league wouldn’t grant the Lakers superstar a second.

Doncic will serve a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation, the NBA announced Saturday, sidelining him for Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards after he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the Lakers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Doncic said he was trying to get away from Brooklyn’s Ziaire Williams when he pushed the Nets forward aside with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter. Doncic had just been called for an offensive foul while the Lakers were attempting to inbound the ball. Williams was shouting in Doncic’s direction. Doncic attempted to move past Williams and the 24-year-old from Lancaster then waved his arm behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat. Both were given technical fouls.

Doncic said referees told him his push was “exaggerated.”

“Which was obviously [not the case],” said Doncic, who scored 41 points with eight rebounds and three assists in the win.

This is the second time in a week that Doncic has faced the mandatory suspension after getting his 16th technical foul, but he avoided the fate after the NBA rescinded a technical he picked up against Orlando on March 21. The reversal kept Doncic available for the Lakers’ matchup with Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on March 23 in which Doncic scored 32 points, but missed the potential game-tying three at the buzzer of a tense 113-110 Lakers loss that ended a nine-game winning streak.

Monday’s game will likely not have the same drama.

The Wizards (17-56) have lost 17 of their last 18 games. The only win came against the Utah Jazz, another team that’s attempting to position itself for the lottery more than the playoffs. Washington will be without Trae Young (quad) and Anthony Davis (finger), the team’s two major midseason acquisitions.

With another bottom-feeding team coming to Crypto.com Arena, Doncic and the Lakers might actually benefit from resting the superstar. He played through left hamstring soreness Friday, and the Lakers (48-26) host the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The days between Friday’s win and Monday’s game will be the Lakers’ first two-day break since the All-Star Game.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, has charged into the most valuable player conversation by helping lift the Lakers into third place in the Western Conference. He has scored 30 or more points in 12 consecutive games, the longest such streak for his career.

The Lakers have won 15 of their last 20 games with Doncic averaging 35.5 points per game during the span. With 102 steals on the season, including three against the Nets, Doncic also became the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2012-13 averaging 30 or more points per game with 100 or more total steals.

The Lakers could also be without guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the last three games because of a right ankle contusion. He also suffered a hip injury in a separate fall against Orlando, but he is showing improvement and remains day-to-day, Lakers coach JJ Redick said Friday.

The truth about this contest is if it wasn’t a World Cup year the entire thing would be largely irrelevant, but it’s deeply irrelevant because Scotland are on the clock now.

Time is ticking. Ivory Coast on Tuesday, Curacao on 30 May, a flight to America the next day, a final friendly in New Jersey in early June – and then the big show.

Scotland need momentum, they need to crash rather than limp into the World Cup, they need to hit the ground running. They had, and did, none of these things at the Euros in Germany. The power they had in qualification dissipated during the warm-up games. They arrived at the Euros searching for confidence and failed to find it.

That would have been one of the big takeaways from that tournament – the need to hold on to the energy and feelgood that got them there in the first place.

Scotland still have time to regain it before America. A rousing performance against Ivory Coast – ranked 35 in the world to Scotland’s 20 – in Liverpool and they’ll be where they want to be. After that, Curacao at home. A win against the world number 82 to send them on their way, surely?

Clarke’s team are becoming a bit of an enigma, a curiosity that’s hard to read. The performances rise and fall. It’s hard to get an angle on where they’re at.

Take their games in qualification. Tremendously resilient in Copenhagen in getting a goalless draw in round one, ultra professional in beating Belarus in round two.

Then, a bizarre 3-1 win at home to Greece on a night when the visitors were by far the better side, followed by a 2-1 win against Belarus that led to so many players, and Clarke, expressing disappointment in the most brutal and graphic terms. John McGinn described the pair of victories as “jobby” performances.

Next, to Greece. Losing 3-0 – it could have been been five had it not been for Craig Gordon’s heroics – Scotland rallied and eventually lost 3-2. They were heading for the play-off until Belarus did them the most enormous favour in Copenhagen.

So, a mix of bottle and luck got them to the big showdown against Denmark where sheer class and never-say-die took them the rest of the way. This Scotland team has many faces.

Saturday was a return to their reserved selves when, really, you wanted to see the warriors of November, or at least a version of them. All eyes on Tuesday night, then, and Scotland’s search for the intensity and vitality we know they have.

Clarke has promised six or seven changes. The new blood need to infuse Scotland with some verve. Now is not the time to go into their shell. Against Ivory Coast, they need to come out fighting.

For the second time in less than a week, Luka Doncic faces a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation.

Only a week after Doncic’s 16th technical foul was rescinded by the NBA, the Lakers superstar picked up another one in a 116-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and is in line to miss the Lakers’ next game against the Washington Wizards on Monday.

In the third quarter with the Lakers trailing by one against the lowly Nets (17-57), Doncic was called for an offensive foul against Nic Claxton as the Lakers (48-26) were trying to inbound the ball after a dunk by Ziaire Williams. After the Lakers turnover, Williams and Doncic appeared to exchange words with Doncic pushing Williams aside with one hand. Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.

“He was yelling in my face three times,” said Doncic, who finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win. “I just wanted to get out of there. … I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. And they said I pushed. My push was exaggerated, which was obviously not [the case].”

Both were assessed technical fouls with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter, and Williams’ hit was reviewed for a possible flagrant, although it was not upgraded.

The NBA requires players to sit out for one game without pay after their 16th technical foul of the season. But Doncic avoided that fate after the NBA rescinded the foul that would have forced him to the bench for a critical road game last week against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Lakers coach JJ Redick said the Lakers will try to appeal Doncic’s latest foul but he did not see what happened on the play.

Doncic is slated to miss Monday’s game against the Wizards, who have lost 17 of their last 18 games and have the third-worst record in the league (17-56).

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts to a referee’s call during the second half Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Doncic picked up his first 16th technical foul last week against the Magic after getting into an argument with Orlando forward Goga Bitadze. Doncic claimed Bitadze directed a vulgar comment about Doncic’s family in Serbian toward the Lakers star guard. Bitadze refuted the story, saying it was actually Doncic who said the curse word out loud first and that he was only repeating what he heard.

The NBA rescinded both fouls upon review the following day.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, has scored 30 points or more in 12 consecutive games, the longest such streak in his career. He has 43 30-point games this season, tying Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for sixth-most in a season by a Lakers player. He has scored 40 points or more in league-leading 15 games this season, seventh-most by a Laker in a season.

Against the Nets, Austin Reaves finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists and LeBron James had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Before the game, Redick said the Nets game would be like playing on the road since the Lakers had spent almost two weeks away from Crypto.com Arena and had returned home in the wee hours of Thursday morning from Indianapolis.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after shooting a three-pointer against the Nets in the second half Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The challenge was to find the energy to play, which wasn’t a problem for Doncic, who had 24 points in the first half. Doncic shot nine for 15 from the field in the first half and four for six from three-point range in 20 minutes. He finished shooting 15 for 25 from the field as the Lakers shot 54%. They shot 44% (11 for 25) from three-point range.

That the Lakers were facing a Nets team with the second-worst record in the NBA didn’t matter.

That the Lakers were facing a Nets team had lost nine of its last 10 games didn’t matter.

That the Lakers were facing a Nets team that’s last in the league in scoring (106.3 points per game) didn’t matter.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton, left, blocks a shot by Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore in the first half Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

What mattered to the Lakers was finding a way to win as the regular season winds down.

“I felt like we were a step slow,” Redick said. “And I told the guys at halftime, ‘This is our seventh game of the road trip. Anytime you come back, there’s a day in between, that’s just you’re in another city until you can get adjusted to the time zone and you get a couple days break.’ So the next two [off] days will be good for us.”

Notes: Lakers broadcast analyst Stu Lantz missed Friday night’s game against the Nets because of health issues. Derek Fisher, who won five NBA titles with the Lakers, took over Lantz’s role for the game. Public address announcer Lawrence Tanter also missed the game because of a health matter. Jason Barquero filled in for Lantz. “The entire Lakers organization is wishing Lawrence all the best in his recovery, and we look forward to welcoming him back soon,” the team said in a statement.

You used to root for Bronny James to come into games ironically. Or because you just wanted to see history.

But now I bet you want to see Bronny come into the game to hoop.

That’s a pretty cool plot twist.

Especially because LeBron James’ son has had to develop his game with the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, the only expectation being that he would fail to amount to anything resembling an NBA player.

But over the past couple seasons, Bronny has developed into an NBA reserve who is worth rostering, whether or not his dad is part of the program.

Shocker, right?

Lakers guard Bronny James blocks a shot by Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 10.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

For the second consecutive game Friday, Lakers coach JJ Redick called the second-year guard’s number for important minutes.

Not to complete garbage time chores. Not as a gimmick to please the King. But because he needed a ball-handler he could trust after the regular rotation got wonky in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 116-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.

For the second consecutive game, Bronny helped buoy the Lakers. In four minutes, he had a deflection and drained a three-pointer that not only keyed a much-needed 9-0 Lakers run but also was the first father-to-son assisted basket in NBA history, coming on a pass from LeBron.

Trailblazers, like at Sierra Canyon High. That’s where Bronny and the Nets’ Ziaire Williams were teammates before Bronny and his dad, “Big Bron,” were Williams’ opponents Friday.

His former teammate sees in Bronny what his current teammates do: A hard worker who needs only to nurture his confidence to be able to contribute in the NBA.

“He’ll be great,” Williams said. “Especially starting off on the defensive end. He can guard one through four, pick up full [court,] have good ball pressure. On the offensive end, he’s a gamer. He can make shots, he can drive the ball. He can get his teammates open. The biggest thing with him is just keeping that confidence.

“When he’s confident and he’s in flow state, in rhythm, he’s a great, great player. … He’s just gotta keep working.”

Bronny’s been working in the G League the last two seasons, bouncing between the big leagues and the developmental circuit, where last season his averages were solid — including 21.9 points, per game — but nowhere near as efficient as they’ve been this season. In 13 games, he’s averaging 14.8 points on 54.7% shooting, including 41.7% from three-point range.

Lakers forward LeBron James greets his son, guard Bronny James, on the court during a game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 25.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s just getting back to where it was before the incident,” LeBron said Friday, referencing Bronny’s cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect on July 24, 2023.

“He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball. So I just think there’s the confidence in the rhythm and just getting the strength back and his wind and everything. Everything is just coming back.”

That’s carried over to the big club; Bronny is shooting 41.9% from three-point range in those instances when Redick has called on him — as he also did in a 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

In that victory, Bronny had four points, two steals and a block in 13 minutes. Redick credited the 21-year-old with settling the team with a pull-up jumper with 3:55 to go in the game, which was the second this season LeBron and Bronny played together.

The first time it happened, in the season opener in 2024, the prevailing thought was that it wouldn’t happen again for a long time — and if it did, something had probably gone very wrong for the Lakers that game.

But that’s not the case. No, because Bronny has made a convincing case as an NBA player.

“I’ve been wanting to play basketball my whole life,” Bronny said. “It’s a dream come true. I’m so privileged to be able to play basketball for a job and I love every single second of it. My teammates embrace it. I’m best friends with all my teammates and my coaches. I’m just happy to be here.”

He’s become an effective plug-and-play piece — and not on a tanking Nets team that regularly runs out G League-caliber players, but on a playoff-bound Lakers team that has won 14 of its last 16 games.

The No. 55 draft pick in 2024, Bronny has surpassed Dalton Knecht, the 17th pick in that same draft, in the Lakers’ pecking order.

He’s become a player who can be counted on, and he’s especially valuable to a team that happens to badly need youth and athleticism, as the Lakers do.

You want to talk twists? How about whatever happens with LeBron — when, or if, he retires — the Lakers should seriously consider keeping Bronny in the fold. Seriously.

Bristol: Rees-Zammit; Ravouvou, Moroni, Williams, Boshoff; Jordan, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Kloska; Dun, Owen, Luatua, Harding (c), S. Grondona.

Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Chawatama, Taylor, B. Grondona, Marmion, Janse van Rensburg, Ibitoye.

Harlequins: Benson; Isgro, Murley, Bradley, David; Evans, Townsend; Kerrod, Walker, Jones; Treadwell, Williams, Petti Pagadizabal, Kenningham, Dombrant (c).

Replacements: Riley, Hobson, Delgado, Green, Carr, Driscoll, Grant, Kerr.

Referee: Adam Leal

PRAGUE — Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.

Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.

Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.

He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”

Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.

Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.

Ilia Malinin performs a backflip during his free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday in Prague.

(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.

In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.

Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.

That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.

Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.

Leicester’s early four-try burst laid the foundations for a fourth successive Prem victory as they overcame Gloucester at Villa Park to retain the Slater Cup.

Wing duo Will Wand and Gabriel Hamer-Webb both scored tries before a quickfire double from Jamie Blamire put the rampant Tigers 22-0 up inside the opening quarter.

Matias Alemanno responded for the Cherry and Whites, but Orlando Bailey grabbed a fifth Leicester try to cement their grip just before half-time.

Gloucester improved after the interval and Will Joseph and Dian Bleuler went over to give them hope, but it was not enough and Harry Wells’ late score sealed the Tigers’ win.

They tore Gloucester to shreds during the early exchanges, with Wand taking only two minutes to open the scoring as his swerving run on the left took him clear of two defenders to race over.

Hamer-Webb soon followed suit on the opposite flank, latching onto a perfectly-timed pass from Billy Searle and streaking clear, before Blamire’s double secured his side’s bonus point with only 16 minutes on the clock.

With Ollie Chessum dominating at the lineout, Leicester’s pack swung around for Blamire to crash over the line, and the hooker grabbed his second following a deft one-two with Hamish Watson.

Alemanno finally got Gloucester on the scoresheet from close range after a spell of pressure on the Tigers’ line, but many of their attacks floundered because of untidy passing, and they fell further behind on the stroke of half-time.

The impressive Wand began the move with another darting run and played a key role in its climax, offloading while on the ground for Bailey to dance through a gap in the Gloucester defence and extend the Tigers’ lead to 24 points.

The Cherry and Whites began strongly after the turnaround, building phases and reducing the deficit when Caolan Englefield set up Joseph to force his way over in the corner.

Leicester appeared to ease up and Seb Atkinson made ground to create renewed pressure that resulted in Bleuler, a half-time replacement for Val Rapava-Ruskin, dotting down with eight minutes still to play.

But it made little difference to the outcome and Wells’ converted score late on, which was allowed to stand after initial suspicions of offside, finally ended Gloucester’s hopes.

It means the Slater Cup – contested twice each season in honour of Ed Slater, who captained both clubs and is now living with motor neurone disease – remains in the Tigers’ possession.

Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling told BBC Radio Leicester:

“It was a great start. Somebody told me it was our fastest-ever bonus point, and we were completely on top and playing well.

“We had nearly 70% territory in the first 15 minutes. We were forcing errors and playing off the back of that.

“There was frustration in the second half. At times we probably lost a bit of control around the set-piece and turning the ball over. We couldn’t really get a foothold in the game, when I think one more try would have put them to the sword and they’d have been overplaying.

“But obviously to come away on a big occasion with the five points was the result we wanted. It’s difficult, but the very best teams keep up that intensity for 80 minutes and that’s our challenge now.”

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

“The first 20 minutes was as bad as we could have had. We missed some easy tackles out wide, gave them too easy tries and got pinged off the park in the scrum, which has been an area of strength for us recently.

“If we had a game next week, there are definitely a few lads who wouldn’t be starting for Gloucester after the way they came out of the blocks.

“If I’m honest, I think it was centred around a couple of individual performances in that first 20. A lot of the lads were putting it in and by the end of that first half we’d opened Leicester up a lot.

“Our passing wasn’t accurate enough to take advantage of it. Throughout the whole game there were a lot of dropped balls, a lot of little forward passes, and that was frustrating.”

Kirsty Muir has become the first British woman to win World Cup titles in both freeski slopestyle and overall park and pipe.

The 21-year-old Scot finished second on Saturday, behind home skier Sarah Hofflin, in the final slopestyle event of the 2025-26 season in Silvaplana, Switzerland.

Muir’s score of 75.54, behind 35-year-old Olympic bronze medallist Hofflin (80.07), was enough for her to claim a third consecutive podium, following wins in Aspen and Tignes.

It pushed her season score to 280 points to clinch the first slopestyle Crystal Globe of her career, by 69 points from Canada’s Elena Gaskell.

Muir also finished third in the big air season standings, on 219 points, giving her a combined total of 470 in the overall competition – which includes slopestyle, big air and halfpipe – to beat nearest challenger, Canada’s Naomi Urness, by 78 points.

The Aberdonian’s landmark wins followed disappointment at last month’s Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, where she finished fourth in both slopestyle and big air.

After coming so close to a medal, the X Games champion told BBC Sport after the Olympics that it just motivated her to go on and achieve more in the sport.

“I am really excited to go and try and learn some new tricks. I am excited to see where I can push myself and where I can push the sport,” she said.

“For the next two years I will go and do everything that I would like to do and forget about the Olympics, and then when it comes round to qualification again I will get stuck in.”

Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell was beaten in the 1500m in Melbourne in her first race since she was crowned women’s world indoor champion.

The 32-year-old arrived at the Maurie Plant Meet in Australia less than a week after she stormed to her first global indoor title in Poland.

But she was unable to summon her trademark finishing burst as Australian Claudia Hollingsworth, 20, made her move 200m from the finish line and clocked a winning time of four minutes 1.30 seconds, 0.22secs ahead of Hunter Bell.

“It was amazing being in a race with this level of girls and beating Georgia,” said Hollingsworth, who set a record time for the meet.

Saturday’s outdoor event marked the first of 11 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meetings, which is the level below the Diamond League.

Elsewhere, rising Australian sprinter Gout Gout, 18, finished second in the men’s 200m, 0.05secs behind international team-mate Lachlan Kennedy, 25, who won in a time of 20.38.

Congratulations to all the young athletes and their teams on The Times All-Area high school basketball teams. I do wonder about the choices the seniors are making in their commitments to colleges and I look to The Times to explain why UCLA is seemingly not on the radar for these young players.

It used to be known that the Bruins’ academic requirements were a significant barrier to many high school players. Is that still true? Are the local graduates not the cream of the crop that Southern California was known for in past years? Are NIL deals affecting the choices of these future freshmen? Is UCLA not making a strong outreach effort for the top local talent? Is L.A. so awful for these kids that it isn’t even on their radar to stay close to home?

I am sure I am not alone in seeking clarity around the issue of the exodus of local talent to Missouri, Oregon State, Texas, North Carolina, Nevada, and even more confounding, USC.

David Gerne Echt
Torrance

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Email: sports@latimes.com

British rider Tom Pidcock is out of the Volta a Catalunya after crashing during Friday’s fifth stage.

The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider had what he described as a “horror” fall in a ravine after he went off the road, misjudging a corner during the penultimate descent of the day.

The 26-year-old eventually finished more than 29 minutes behind stage winner Jonas Vingegaard.

But following medical checks, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the race.

“Due to his crash he suffered injuries, most likely bone and ligament damage in particular to his right knee and also right wrist,” said team doctor Lorenz Emmert.

“Unfortunately we had to make the decision to take him out of the race. Further clinical evaluation and imaging will follow in the next days.”

Pidcock won the Milano-Torino race earlier this month and was just edged out in the Milan-San Remo by world champion Tadej Pogacar.

“We did everything to try to make it to the start [of Saturday’s stage six] but it’s not possible,” said the two-time Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion.

“I fought to finish the stage yesterday to make sure I had the option to continue. Now the focus is on recovery, and I’ll be back.”

Corona High baseball coaches have been joking about seeking an NIL deal for sophomore pitcher Chris Woodson regarding his hair that moves in many directions while blowing in the wind as he tries to keep his hat on.

Think former NFL star Troy Polamalu, who has been featured in Head & Shoulders shampoo commercials showing off his hair.

When Woodson and Corona Santiago’s Striker Pence were facing each other on Wednesday, it was the battle for hair supremacy. Pence still has blond hair sticking out from the back of his hat after he recently got his hair cut.

“Me and his dad are both bald and both had hair when we were young,” Corona coach Andy Wise said of Woodson. “We’re both not letting him cut it. It’s flowing. He has a 4.0 GPA and is an awesome kid that everyone loves.”

During his days coaching at Granada Hills, starting in the 1970s, Darryl Stroh used to require players to cut their hair to a certain length. Think Army.

As long as Woodson isn’t distracted, Wise is fine with it.

“Be yourself kid,” he tells him.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

John Murray, BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent

What that match will be remembered for is Ben White.

That’s the only match I have ever seen when an England player has scored his first international goal for England at Wembley and was booed by, I would say, a sizeable minority of the crowd.

When he left the squad in Qatar and went home for what was described as personal reasons – we’ve never really got to the bottom of what it was.

There were stories that there was a fall-out, something happened involving Steve Holland, Gareth Southgate’s assistant. But that was never confirmed by Gareth Southgate.

I thought last night might have been the perfect opportunity for Ben White to put his head above the parapet. He’s made his comeback, he’s just scored his first goal. But, as Thomas Tuchel was saying in advance of the match – and we kind of know this already – he described him as quite introverted, quite shy, and maybe he just doesn’t feel comfortable to do that.

But probably at some stage he will have to grasp the nettle and talk about it.

The Dodger Stadium crowd roared at the sound of contact, cheers growing louder as Kyle Tucker’s single made it through the right side of the field and Alex Freeland trotted home to finally break a persistent tie.

In the Dodgers’ 5-4 win on Friday night, Freeland scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, jump-started the Dodgers’ offense in the third inning, and showed off his arm strength in a pair of momentum-changing plays.

“I’m just happy that we’re starting off on a good note, and everybody feels like we’re one,” Freeland said. “It’s just exciting to play for this team and in front of all these fans. I’m just enjoying it.”

The Dodgers fell behind 1-0 in the second inning, but the damage could have been worse. With two runners on and two outs, the Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas lined a double off Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan, into the right-field corner.

One run was guaranteed Tucker chased down the ball. Then he turned and fired to second, starting a smooth relay through Freeland to throw out Pavin Smith at home to end the inning.

The next inning, after Sheehan surrendered a solo homer to Ketel Marte, Freeland showed off his bat.

Coming off a middling spring training from a surface-level results perspective, Freeland immediately fell into a two-strike count in his first at-bat of the season.

Then he displayed the plate discipline that helped him make the opening day roster.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting a three-run homer against Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning Friday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Freeland worked the count back even and then crushed an inside fastball over the right-field fence to end the Dodgers’ scoreless stretch.

“I just tried to have a long at-bat, get some more pitches for that inning,” Freeland said. “And it led to that.”

Two batters later, Mookie Betts followed with a three-run homer to put the Dodgers up 4-2.

In the fourth, the Diamondbacks tacked on two more runs, but again fell prey to a Tucker-to-Freeland relay.

The Diamondbacks again had two runners on for Thomas, and the Dodgers made a pitching change. It didn’t make a difference. Against left-hander Jack Dreyer, Thomas again hit a line drive into the right-field corner.

This time, two runs scored easily, tying the score. But Tucker and Freeland relayed the ball to third baseman Max Muncy to get Thomas as he tried to stretch his hit into a triple. Dreyer then got out of the inning with a strikeout.

With those fourth-inning runs charged to Sheehan, he wrapped up his season debut with four earned runs and five hits in 3⅓ innings. His average fastball velocity was down 1.6 mph compared to last season, according to Statcast.

“I felt pretty good early, and then I think [my stuff] ticked down a little towards the end,” Sheehan said. “But still working to try to get the delivery in the right place.”

In the eighth inning, Freeland lined a double into center field to give the top of the Dodgers’ batting order a runner in scoring position with the score still tied 4-4.

Shohei Ohtani grounded out to second base to move Freeland to third. Then Tucker sent him home to give the Dodgers the lead.

That set up closer Edwin Díaz to make his Dodgers debut. His infamous walk-in music, Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco,” was accompanied by a light show and a live trumpet performance. He recorded the save.

“I was surprised a little bit,” Díaz said after recording the save. “I heard a trumpet sounding before I was coming out. I said, ‘No way, they got a live trumpet.’ It was pretty fun. I enjoyed it, and I know fans enjoyed it, too.”

Vesia makes his season debut

Dodgers relief pitcher Alex Vesia reacts after striking out Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo to retire the side in the seventh inning Friday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Left-hander Alex Vesia received a loud ovation as he ran to the mound from the bullpen in the seventh inning. He pitched for the first time in the regular season since his newborn daughter died in October.

Dodgers relievers honored Vesia and his family during the World Series by writing his number on their caps.

On Friday, Vesia threw a scoreless inning. And as he walked off the field, he appeared to acknowledge the crowd and put his hand over his heart.

“The fans have been waiting a long time to show their love for him and [his wife] Kayla, and it meant a lot to him,” Roberts said. “He’s an emotional guy. I know fans get it.”

Stewart throws in batting practice

Right-hander Brock Stewart (shoulder surgery recovery) threw the first live batting practice session of his rehabilitation Friday. He estimated he threw 18 pitches.

“Command hasn’t been perfect with the bullpens, but it’s coming around,” Stewart said. “And today it was another step in the right direction with the command. Velocity was fine, and execution was pretty good. Really I just wanted to feel good, and I did feel good. So, main objective cleared.”

He said he has another live batting practice scheduled for Tuesday in Phoenix and then could begin a rehab assignment, which he expects to be at least two to three weeks long.

Friday’s Results

BASEBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION

AAE 14, Silver Valley 0

Alhambra 4, Bell Gardens 1

Arcadia 5, Pasadena 0

Arlington 6, Heritage 2

Ayala 9, Glendora 2

Baldwin Park 6, Duarte 5

Banning 9, Desert Hot Springs 0

Bishop Amat 3, St. Bernard 0

Buena 9, Ventura 7

Buena Park 5, Segerstrom 4

Burbank Burroughs 6, Muir 2

Camarillo 4, Moorpark 2

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 10, Bosco Tech 0

Canyon Springs 17, Perris 0

Capistrano Valley 5, El Toro 4

Castaic 2, Golden Valley 1

Cerritos 5, Artesia 1

Citrus Hill 2, Lakeside 0

Compton 3, Long Beach Jordan 2

Cornerstone Christian 11, Packinghouse Christian 0

Corona 8, Corona Santiago 3

Costa Mesa 7, Laguna Hills 1

Crespi 3, Hart 1

Cypress 5, Santa Ana Foothill 3

Desert Christian Academy 8, San Jacinto Leadership 2

Diamond Bar 6, Garey 0

Downey 5, Claremont 1

Downey Calvary Chapel 15, Fairmont Prep 1

Edgewood 15, Bassett 0

El Segundo 21, South Torrance 2

Estancia 8, Westminster La Quinta 0

Firebaugh 8, Lynwood 3

Fountain Valley 1, Corona Del Mar 0

Fullerton 7, Ocean View 4

Garden Grove 11, Westminster 4

Garden Grove Santiago 15, Santa Ana Valley 12

Glenn 14, Whitney 0

Grace 12, Cate 3

Great Oak 7, Vista Murrieta 7

Hesperia 10, Serrano 3

Hillcrest 3, Orange Vista 2

La Habra 5, El Dorado 4

Lakewood 3, Long Beach Wilson 2

La Mirada 5, Gahr 3

La Salle 4, Gardena Serra 0

Los Alamitos 2, Marina 0

Los Amigos 2, Western 1

Lucerne Valley 14, Victor Valley Christian 3

Malibu 9, Nordhoff 0

Maranatha 12, Heritage Christian 0

Millikan 7, Long Beach Poly 0

Mira Costa 6, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2

Monrovia 4, La Canada 1

Montebello 10, Mark Keppel 0

Murrieta Mesa 15, Murrieta Valley 2

Newbury Park 7, Oaks Christian 6

Newport Harbor 2, Edison 1

Nogales 17, Azusa 5

Norco 10, Bonita 0

Oak Hills 16, Apple Valley 7

Orange 13, Saddleback 1

Oxnard 5, Santa Barbara 3

Palm Springs 20, Glendale 0

Paloma Valley 7, Liberty 2

Palos Verdes 6, West Torrance 1

Paraclete 12, St, Anthony 2

Paramount 14, Dominguez 0

Pasadena Marshall 14, Mountain View 4

Placentia Valencia 14, Godinez 0

Pomona 15, La Puente 5

Rancho Christian 11, Valley View 4

Rancho Verde 12, Hemet 2

Redlands East Valley 8, Kaiser 1

Redondo Union 3, Torrance 2

Ridgecrest Burroughs 13, Sultana 8

Rim of the World 5, Excelsior Charter 3

Rio Mesa 2, Oxnard Pacifica 0

Riverside Poly 9, Moreno Valley 2

Rosemead 27, El Monte 0

Rowland 7, Montclair 2

Royal 17, Oak Park 0

San Juan Hills 3, Mission Viejo 1

San Marcos 6, Dos Pueblos 3

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 8, Animo Leadership 0

Santa Paula 12, Channel Islands 1

Servite 5, Santa Margarita 4

Shalhevet 16, Valley Torah 3

South El Monte 3, Gabrielino 1

South Pasadena 4, West Covina 3

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 11, Verbum Dei 1

Sunny Hills 4, Troy 3

Temecula Valley 8, Chaparral 3

Tesoro 3, Aliso Niguel 3

Thousand Oaks 16, Calabasas 4

Trabuco Hills 11, San Clemente 4

Valencia 15, Saugus 3

Valley Christian 12, Village Christian 1

Westlake 2, Agoura 1

West Ranch 7, Canyon Country Canyon 5

Whittier 8, Pioneer 4

Yorba Linda 14, Esperanza 5

INTERSECTIONAL

Capistrano Valley Christian 14, Layton 9

Douglas 6, Citrus Valley 5

Garfield 4, La Serna 3

Grand Terrace 6, Douglas 4

Orange Lutheran 2, Casteel 1

Sierra Canyon 10, Granada Hills 2

St. John Bosco 11, Trinity Classical Academy 6

Viewpoint 10, Monroe 0

Wilsonville 2, Katella 1

SOFTBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION

Bolsa Grande 15, Westminster La Quinta 8

Cathedral City 25, Desert Mirage 7

Colony 1, Ontario 0

Dos Pueblos 8, San Marcos 0

Edgewood 16, Bassett 0

El Monte 10, Rosemead 0

Estancia 2, Saddleback 0

Garden Grove Santiago 10, Los Amigos 9

Mira Costa 10, Peninsula 6

Nogales 19, Baldwin Park 7

Orange Lutheran 11, Mater Dei 1

Paloma Valley 22, Moreno Valley 2

Rancho Alamitos 6, Orange 1

San Marino 19, Immaculate Heart 0

Santa Ana 8, Godinez 0

Santa Margarita 1, JSerra 0

Segerstrom 6, Placentia Valencia 0

South Torrance 15, Bishop Montgomery 1

Ventura 8, Buena 7

Villa Park 12, Don Lugo 2

Vista del Lago 25, Perris 6

Antonelli’s first lap in the final session was 0.298secs quicker than Russell’s. He was on course to improve on his final run but locked up into the hairpin and lost time.

The 19-year-old Italian said: “Super happy with the session. It was a good one, a clean one. And I felt very good in the car and every run I was just improving and improving.

“Shame about the last lap after a lock-up in Turn 11 but it was a good one before that.”

Antonelli became the youngest driver to take pole position in history in China and is emerging as a serious threat to Russell in the championship – they start the race separated by four points, less than the margin between first and second places in a grand prix.

Russell, who was complaining of a lack of rear grip throughout qualifying, was quicker than Antonelli in the difficult first sector of the lap but lost out over the rest.

“Really strange session,” the Briton said. “We were both very fast all weekend. We made some adjustments after final practice and in this qualifying we were nowhere so we have to try and understand.”

Piastri, meanwhile, was pleased with the obvious progress McLaren have made this weekend, during which they have for the first time been in the mix with Ferrari as the closest challengers to Mercedes.

“We have looked good all weekend,” said the Australian, who is yet to start a grand prix this season after a crash on the reconnaissance lap in Australia and a battery failure in China before the start.

“We don’t have the pace to match Mercedes still but we are getting closer.”

“I couldn’t believe it, my beloved Hull City were up against Georgie Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. That’s like having Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe in the same team,” Kelly recalled on the BBC’s Sporting Witness programme.

Former Hull City player Frankie Banks said: “It was a massive game, playing against Manchester United, who two years earlier had won the European Cup.

“The atmosphere was electrifying.

“The Man United players were our heroes. On paper we didn’t stand a chance. We wanted to win, we wanted to prove to everybody that although they were the best side probably in the world we could go out and give them a game.”

And that is exactly what they did, taking the lead on 11 minutes through Chris Chilton before Law pulled one back for United in the 78th minute to send the game into extra time. As the clocked ticked down on the additional half-hour, players realised they were about to be part of something historic.

“[Hull player-manager] Terry Neill obviously asked for volunteers and some of the lads were reluctant to step up and take the penalties and some were brave enough to step up and say ‘I’ll take one, I’ll take one and I’ll take one’,” said Banks, who was not on the team sheet that day but was at the game.

“Nobody wants to be the one that misses.”

And, in particular, no-one wants to be the first player ever to miss in a shootout.

However, Best was happy to go down as the first player to score, sending his right-footed shot low into the left corner.

For Hull City, Neill became the first player-manager to score in a shootout, helping keep the score level at 3-3.

“It was still anybody’s game and the noise was deafening,” said Banks.

But then, in a moment that countless big-name players to come would experience through the decades, Law saw his low shot saved by a diving Ian McKechnie.

“For ever and ever, Law will go down as the first man to miss in a penalty shootout and McKechnie will go down as the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in a penalty shootout,” said Banks.

Ken Wagstaff then missed for Hull and so when Willie Morgan scored for United, Hull knew they had to convert their final kick.

And that was when McKechnie became the first keeper to take a penalty in a shootout.

“Please, not him,” Kelly remembers thinking. “I couldn’t believe it, my mum couldn’t believe it, even Alex Stepney the Man United keeper couldn’t believe it and actually asked him what he was doing up there. I had my head in my hands!”

McKechnie stepped up and blasted a powerful strike… against the upper side of the crossbar. And with that, he became the first keeper to miss a penalty in a shootout.

“I still maintain that Ian McKechnie was the right choice – he had a sweet left foot – and he had the guts to do it. I’d have put money on him to score,” said Banks.

“Missing that penalty stayed with Ian for the rest of his life.”

On a night of bizarre incidents, two of them centred around the goals.

White bundled home England’s opener from a corner, but there was a check by the video assistant referee (VAR) with Adam Wharton appearing to block Gimenez in the build-up.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright said on ITV: “Come the World Cup, they’d probably look at that and give it as a foul.”

USA Women head coach Emma Hayes added: “VAR was on and off tonight. I think nine times out of 10 blocking someone off like that is a foul and I was surprised it wasn’t given.”

Then came Uruguay’s equaliser.

White and Federico Vinas came together inside the box – and the referee originally allowed play to continue. But he was asked to go to the monitor by VAR after which he awarded a penalty that Valverde scored.

“I think the referee was in a very good position when he gave the initial decision,” former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 live.

“That’s nothing more than clumsy from White. There is connection but he got the ball first. One of those decisions where if it’s not given on field you don’t interfere.”