beat

Wales had only come close on a handful of occasions with one-point defeats in 1978, when New Zealand lock Andy Haden infamously dived out of a lineout to gain a match-winning penalty, and then in 2004.

Wales even turned to four New Zealand coaches in Sir Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, Warren Gatland and Wayne Pivac to help break the hoodoo, but none of the quartet could inspire a Test victory over the land of their birth.

So there will be added satisfaction that it was a Welshman who masterminded the long-awaited win.

The Wales team of Steve Tandy may not have the household names of teams gone by, nor the winning pedigree, but they had courage when it mattered.

Three times they held up black shirts over the try line during a second-half defensive efforts that at times beggared belief.

Initial statistics had second-row Dafydd Jenkins equalling Thierry Dusautoir’s world record of 38 tackles in a single match, also against New Zealand, in 2007.

Jac Morgan and man of the match James Botham also topped 30 tackles with centre Eddie James and captain Dewi Lake not far behind.

It earned high praise from former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick.

A winner in all six meetings with Wales, the ex-hooker has ties to that day seven decades ago when his father Brian made his New Zealand debut.

Observers say he was unlucky not to be awarded a try after he was adjudged to have been tackled just short of the line. How different history might have been.

“New Zealand played well in patches and terrible in others but this is all about Wales,” said Fitzpatrick, now a board member of Welsh region Scarlets.

“They way they started the game and took their tries showed the amazing belief they had. But the defensive effort was out of this world.”

Wales: Murray; Rees-Zammit, E James, Llewellyn, Hamer-Webb; Costelow, Tomos Williams; N Smith, Lake (capt), Griffin, D Jenkins, Beard, Botham, Morgan Basham.

Replacements: Elias, G Thomas, D Lewis, Carter, Plumtree, Morgan-Williams, Edwards, Hennessey.

New Zealand: B Barrett (capt); Fineanganofo, Tupaea, Lienert-Brown, Moorby; Mo’unga, Ratima; Bower, Aumua, Newell, S Barrett, Lord, Segner, Lakai, Sititi.

Replacements: Bell, Numia, Tosi, Hannah, E Blackadder, Fainga’anuku, Preston, R Ioane.

Nations Championship

France (21) 21

Tries: Grandidier-Nkanang, Attissogbe, Bielle-Biarrey Cons: Lucu (3)

South Africa (7) 19

Tries: Wessels, Reinach, Marx Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2)

France held on to end their five-match losing run against South Africa at Stade de France with an enthralling 21-19 victory in Paris.

The victory dents the world champions’ hopes of reaching the Nations Championship final and puts Les Bleus in a strong position to top the northern hemisphere standings.

The hosts, inspired by their captain Antoine Dupont, showed their class and skill to score three tries in a frantic first half.

France’s back three of Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey all crossed in a thrilling opening 40 minutes, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels scoring off the back of a maul for the visitors.

The Springboks thought they had a second try on the stroke of half-time but Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try was chalked off after he strayed marginally offside.

Number eight Jasper Wiese was shown a 20-minute red card early in the second half – the third of five cards shown in an incident-packed game – for a dangerous shoulder charge, but it had the opposite effect to derailing the world champions.

With South Africa’s set-piece power proving too much, replacement scrum-half Cobus Reinach and hooker Malcolm Marx scored to set up a thrilling finale.

However, Manie Libbok missed the vital conversion to Marx’s try that would have levelled the game.

With South Africa pushing for a winning score, Bielle-Biarrey produced a huge defensive tackle to force the ball loose, before Dupont, who was named player of the match, gathered possession to help seal the victory.

The result will come as a blow to both England and Ireland, who are in direct competition with France for a place in the Nations Championship final at the end of the month.

Les Bleus, who are six points clear at the top of the northern hemisphere standings, now face Argentina next Saturday, putting them in a strong position to reach the inaugural final at Allianz Stadium on Sunday, 29 November.

Coco Gauff showed all of her battling qualities as she fought through a back injury to beat Marta Kostyuk and keep her WTA Finals last-four hopes alive.

American Gauff was visibly in pain as she received treatment on her lower back midway through a match she needed to win to stay in the tournament.

She found herself 5-1 down in the second set – only to win six games in a row to complete a 6-4 7-5 win at Indian Wells.

“Physically, I wasn’t at my best, which I’m not really used to,” Gauff told Sky Sports.

“It was like a mental challenge, learning how to play through that.”

The long tennis season has taken a toll on a number of players, with Ukraine’s Kostyuk also receiving treatment on a wrist injury that has been hampering her since August.

It is the second time that Gauff has overturned a 5-1 deficit at this tournament, having done the same to beat Jessica Pegula on Sunday.

However, the 22-year-old admitted she was not expecting it to happen again, and was already preparing herself for a third set.

“I asked my physio at 5-2 down, what can I do on the bathroom break [between sets] to try and loosen up,” Gauff said.

“And then there was no bathroom break!”

Gauff will need Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to beat Pegula in the final group match if she is to reach the semi-finals.

Gauff struggled with her serve throughout, producing nine double faults to one ace, but said afterwards she struggled to get through her motion without feeling pain.

Kostyuk – a late call-up to the season-ending finals after Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal – also struggled to generate pace and spin because of her wrist problem.

World number four Gauff came back from an early break down to take the first set, but immediately ran into problems in the second.

She called for the trainer after going 3-0 down but soon trailed by a double break, with Kostyuk saving three break points inbetween.

However, with her movement hampered and the crowd behind her, Gauff was able to swing hard and ultimately outlast Kostyuk.

Michael Olise gives France the lead, but double from Pio Esposito and one from Davide Frattesi secures win for Italy.

Francesco Pio Esposito struck twice to inflict a first defeat on Zinedine Zidane as France’s head coach, while Italy stormed back to win 3-1 at San Siro and top their Nations League group.

Michael Olise profited from a Gianluigi Donnarumma error to put the visitors in front after 10 minutes on Thursday, but Italy hit back through Esposito and Davide Frattesi either side of half-time.

Inter Milan striker Esposito’s second came from the penalty spot after his brother Sebastiano had earlier fired a spot kick wide, while France were twice denied by the woodwork in an entertaining encounter.

The result sent Italy top of Group A1 on 10 points, level with France but above them on head-to-head record, while Belgium are third on nine points after inflicting a fifth straight defeat on rock-bottom Turkiye.

France were without star attackers Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele through injury, but it did not show as they made an electric start in pouring rain in Milan.

Desire Doue hit the side netting and first-time captain Adrien Rabiot tested Donnarumma before Lucas Da Cunha’s rasping half-volley flew narrowly wide.

But the opener was gifted to France when Donnarumma passed the ball straight to Olise, who skipped past a defender before firing home his fifth goal in five Nations League games – a record only bettered by England captain Harry Kane’s seven.

The hosts struck back in the 26th minute with their first chance of the game when Nicolo Cambiaghi drove to the byline and cut back a cross, which Esposito converted with a deft touch.

The goal brought San Siro to life as the older Esposito sibling, Sebastiano, threatened a quickfire comeback two minutes later, forcing a sharp save from Mike Maignan.

Bradley Barcola came closest to a third goal before the break with a curling shot from the edge of the box that struck the foot of the far post.

The end-to-end nature of the game continued in the second half as Rayan Cherki’s rasping strike was tipped onto the post by Donnarumma before Italy charged up the other end and forced Maignan into a point-blank save from Cambiaghi.

Italy had a glorious chance to go in front when Cambiaghi was tripped by Malo Gusto to earn a penalty, but Sebastiano Esposito failed to join his brother on the scoresheet as he hammered his spot kick wide on the hour mark.

The Azzurri did not dwell on the disappointment for long, taking the lead just three minutes later when Frattesi drilled in a shot from a Federico Dimarco cross moments after the Inter Milan wing-back was brought off the bench.

Fellow substitute Antonio Vergara earned the home side another penalty when he was tripped by Dayot Upamecano, and this time Francesco Pio Esposito stepped up to drill a shot into the bottom corner.

The result continued a strong start to Roberto Mancini’s second spell as Italy coach as his side stretched their unbeaten run to four matches and notched their first home win over France since 1962.

Belgium host Italy and Turkiye travel to France in the final round of group games on Sunday.

Elsewhere, captain Harry Kane celebrated his record 126th cap for England with a match-winner from the penalty spot as England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday to qualify for the Nations League last eight.

The 33-year-old followed a script that seemed destined to happen when he stepped up in the 64th minute to put England ahead in front of an 80,400-strong crowd after the hosts had conceded a sloppy equaliser five minutes earlier.

It was the Bayern Munich forward’s 92nd England goal, and there was never any doubt from the moment he placed the ball and sent it straight down the middle as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dived to his left.

Kane had started a night of celebration as the centre of attention, handed a commemorative token by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the previous record holder since 1989, when he surpassed Bobby Moore’s 108 caps.

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 10 of the NFL season.

All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Last week, Farmer posted an 15-0 record. Through the first nine weeks of the season, he is 89-47 (.654).

Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 9 would have been 12-3 (.800). For the season, his record against the spread is 65-71 (.478).

All times are Pacific and TV reflects broadcasts in the Los Angeles area. The Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers and Eagles are off this week.

Elina Svitolina says she “got a bit angry at myself” to inspire a comeback victory over Karolina Muchova at the WTA Finals and keep her semi-final hopes alive.

Ukraine’s Svitolina lost 6-4 6-0 in her first group match against Mirra Andreeva on Monday and made an equally poor start against Muchova.

It looked as though things were getting worse for Svitolina when she took a medical timeout for a right hip injury after losing the first set, before finding herself an early break point down.

However, the sixth seed saved it and then gradually wore down Wimbledon runner-up Muchova to win 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Muchova hit 39 unforced errors throughout the match – the majority of which came from her forehand – as Svitolina ground her down.

The Czech could not recover from giving up an early break in the third set and handed over another with her eighth double fault of the match.

Svitolina made no mistake, with the 32-year-old tipping her head back and roaring in celebration after securing the win.

“I was really angry at myself after the first match and the first set,” Svitolina told Sky Sports.

“Sometimes it [channelling frustration] happens in a good way and sometimes in a bad way.

“I tried to direct my anger towards the ball and I found my game in the end.”

It is Svitolina’s ninth victory over a top-10 player this year, and her first at the WTA Finals since she won the title in 2019.

Svitolina can still qualify for the last four in California – but she will not know what she needs to do until after Aryna Sabalenka’s match against Andreeva.

At the Stockholm Open, Britain’s Cameron Norrie fell 7-5 6-3 to world number 10 Taylor Fritz.

Denmark’s Holger Rune reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, a year after he ruptured his Achilles at the same event.

Rune only made his return to the ATP Tour in October after a gruelling 12 months recovering from the injury, but beat Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6 6-1 6-4 to advance.

ATLANTA — Austin Reaves took the baton from Luka Doncic when Doncic sat out Sunday, and when the roles were reversed Monday, Doncic passed it to his teammates.

Doncic had 32 points and 10 assists in a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks as the Lakers relied on their depth to secure their sixth consecutive win and stay atop the Western Conference despite a short, tired bench.

One night after sitting out because of lower-back tightness, Doncic struggled with his shot but reached double-digit assists for the third time this season. He also had eight rebounds and five steals. Lakers center Walker Kessler had 21 points with 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double in seven games, and forward Sandro Mamukelashvili had what coach JJ Redick called “his best game as a Laker” with 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench to help overcome the absences of Reaves and Quentin Grimes.

Reaves, who scored 43 points in a thrilling win at Detroit on Sunday, didn’t play because of illness. Grimes suffered a sprained finger on his right hand against Detroit, although Redick doesn’t anticipate the injury keeping the guard sidelined for long. X-rays were negative, Redick said, and Grimes could return as soon as Wednesday in Milwaukee.

The Lakers (10-2) didn’t look like a team playing on consecutive nights. They blitzed the Hawks (7-5) with 13 unanswered points at the end of the first quarter and ran the lead to 20 midway in the second quarter. Kessler and guard Collin Sexton connected on back-to-back alley-oops during the quarter to inject life into a shorthanded second unit.

“It’s building resiliency,” Kessler said. “JJ talks about it, going through adversity and understanding that to be a championship team, you’ve got to respond to that kind of stuff.”

Reaves’ absence was compounded by Grimes’ injury, decimating the team’s ballhandling unit. Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka had worked to stock the roster with guards to ward off the possibility of leaving too much responsibility to Doncic. On Monday, it all fell to Doncic and Sexton.

Lakers star Luka Doncic drives between Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, right, and Luguentz Dort in the first quarter Monday.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Doncic, who came in averaging a league-high 40.1 points per game, leaned on teammates early with five assists in the first quarter. Sexton got going in the second quarter with eight points and three assists, all on lobs to Kessler, his former teammate with the Utah Jazz and fellow Atlanta native. Sexton finished with 18 points and six assists.

The 6-foot-1 guard signed during free agency when the Lakers wanted to stock the bench with play-making, shooting and defensive intensity. Sexton, playing on his fourth team in three seasons, has delivered on every one.

“He just checks a lot of boxes,” Redick said. “For us, it was easy. He expressed interest, and obviously we wanted him, and it’s worked out.”

Sexton went to high school 15 miles from State Farm Arena. He estimated he had 400 to 500 people in the stands rooting for him. He stayed on the court for more than an hour after the game taking photos with the hundreds who waited.

In front of his city, Sexton wanted to win, no matter what his role would be within the Lakers’ shorthanded rotation.

“Whenever those guys are in or out, I have to adjust,” Sexton said. “And I feel like adjusting is something I’ve been doing my entire career.”

The Lakers relied on their two youngest players for support. Second-year forward Adou Thiero, who made his season debut only two games ago after struggling with left knee swelling, had two points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Rookie Cameron Carr earned his first rotation minutes and even started the fourth quarter. Carr, whose father, Chris, played in the NBA and famously lost the 1997 dunk contest to Kobe Bryant, scored his first NBA points, appropriately, on a dunk. Doncic snatched a pass from the Hawks and hit Carr on an outlet pass. The 21-year-old rookie gathered for an emphatic, two-handed slam.

The first-round pick had two points and three rebounds. After the game, Doncic made sure to grab the game ball as a memento for the rookie.

A ‘magical’ Christmas advert could be taking the top spot this year, as fans have been left with ‘all the feels’.

The National Lottery might be set to take John Lewis’ Christmas advert crown.

With Halloween well and truly over, and the weather taking a colder turn, the countdown to the big day is on, with brands releasing their festive adverts. So far, James Norton and Amandaland’s Lucy Punch have starred in an M&S clip, while Roald Dahl’s BFG has reunited with Sainsbury’s.

And fans have now been left hailing The National Lottery’s clip as ‘magical’. Featuring a determined reindeer who believes he can fly after watching a robin take off, viewers have been left ‘emotional’. The star of the show focuses on The National Lottery’s simple idea that this festive season, ‘Amazing Things Happen When You Believe’.

Despite the obvious adversity, the four-hoofed creature works as hard as he can, making repeated attempts to get airborne. At first, with no success, fellow members of his herd are unimpressed with his efforts, before his belief gets him soaring across a wintry landscape, thanks to a touch of festive magic.

As well as his herd watching on, a hiker, gripping a warm drink nearby, is left gobsmacked as he catches sight of the airborne deer. He grasps his National Lottery ticket, now convinced that if a reindeer can fly, anything is possible.

“Magical,” one fan wrote, as the clip was revealed on social media this week. “It’s going to be a special Christmas,” someone else wrote. A third added: “Getting alllll the Christmas feels watching this.”

“Pure magic,” yet another added, as someone else echoed: “Love it.” Another person said: “Such a cutie – needs merch! We all need a magical reindeer – and to believe!!!” “Not me getting emotionally attached to a reindeer,” another person wrote.

Steve Parkinson, Marketing and Brand Director at Allwyn, the operator for The National Lottery, said: “With his determination and cheeky smile, the reindeer represents the belief we all have across the festive period. His drive to fly is the inspiration to remind players that amazing things can happen at Christmas.

“The National Lottery has always helped bring the magic at Christmas, and with the help of a flying reindeer, this year will be more magical than ever.

“Every National Lottery ticket played goes towards helping generate more than £33m for Good Causes each week, while also creating life-changing winners. This campaign celebrates those moments of possibility and reminds players that, this Christmas, it really could be you.”

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Ahead of Christmas, National Lottery players will also see inspiring Good Cause stories brought to life by ambassador Claudia Winkleman, as more than 20,000 projects each year make a difference to communities across the country.

Lotto is adding to the Christmas spirit with a Must Be Won jackpot on December 23rd, while EuroMillions will make ten guaranteed millionaires twice in December, with two special UK Millionaires Maker draws on the 25th and 29th.

Darius Garland had 24 points and 10 assists, Brook Lopez added 20 points and the Clippers ended a seven-game losing streak with a 139-123 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

Gradey Dick and rookie Keaton Wagler each scored 15 points and Rui Hachimura added 14 as the Clippers won for the first time since getting past the Sacramento Kings in the season opener.

The Clippers went on a 15-6 run to open the fourth quarter to take control with a 117-101 lead and finished off the victory after failing to hold on to double-digit fourth-quarter leads in their previous two games.

Trey Murphy III scored 26 points, while Zion Williamson and Jeremiah Fears each added 25 as the Pelicans lost their second consecutive game after a four-game winning streak. Saddiq Bey had 13 points for New Orleans, which was playing the opener of a two-game California trip.

The Pelicans shot 50.6% from the floor while getting held to 52 points in the paint after entering the with 61.6 per game in that department to lead the NBA.

The Clippers took a 124-107 lead with 4:56 remaining on three free throws from Garland and cruised to the victory from there with a season high in points. They shot a season-best 54.8% from the field.

The Clippers led 67-60 at halftime after shooting 52.3% from the field and getting 14 points from Garland, while Williamson had 17 points for the Pelicans. New Orleans opened the second half on an 18-10 run to take their first lead since the opening minute at 78-77.

The Clippers were without center Isaiah Jackson (groin), as well as former Pelicans star Brandon Ingram (heel), who is close to his debut for his new team.

Valverde and Guler’s first-half goals put Madrid in the driving seat, and Mbappe added a third in the second half.

Kylian Mbappe scored for the seventh match running as Real Madrid pulled provisionally level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after a 3-0 win at 10-man Valencia.

Reigning champions Barca visit Atletico Madrid, third, on Sunday, aiming to move back clear of the chasing pack.

Jose Mourinho’s Madrid largely dominated at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, securing an eighth win in a row across all competitions.

Federico Valverde and Arda Guler’s first-half goals put Madrid in the driving seat, and Mbappe added a third in the second half.

Los Blancos were without winger Vinicius Junior, who was serving the final game of a four-match ban.

Madrid have thrived in his absence, putting heavy pressure on Barca, whom they beat in the Camp Nou Clasico on October 25.

In the ninth minute, the match stopped for players and fans to pay tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who tragically died on Tuesday.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a smart save to deny Aaron Mayol, who had picked Aurelien Tchouameni’s pocket in a dangerous area.

Valencia’s Guido Rodriguez had a goal disallowed for offside before Mourinho’s side took control.

Valverde drilled Madrid ahead from outside the area after Mbappe’s free kick was blocked by the Valencia wall and fell to the Uruguayan.

Guler soon doubled the lead after Jude Bellingham’s cross was deflected kindly into his path.

Guler had a good chance for the third early in the second half, but Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski grabbed the ball as the midfielder tried to round him.

Minutes later, Dimitrievski saved well from Mbappe, as the French striker ran through and tried to dink the ball over him.

Bellingham powered through the defence and was also denied by the goalkeeper, as was Mbappe, who followed up with an overhead kick, as Madrid tried to find a third to kill off the game.

Eventually, Mbappe produced it, bursting onto a dangerous pass by Guler to dart past Dimitrievski and squeeze home his 13th league goal of the campaign.

It was the forward’s 17th goal in 16 games across all competitions. Mbappe has netted in his last seven appearances for Madrid.

Valencia’s Jose Gaya was dismissed with about 10 minutes remaining for a late sliding foul on Mbappe to further spoil Javier Aguirre’s team’s night.

Earlier, new Espanyol coach Eder Sarabia’s side were held to a goalless home draw by Deportivo A Coruna.

Osasuna snatched a late 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao, while Racing Santander came from behind to beat Malaga 2-1.

Financial stocks took center stage this week as investors digested a wave of third-quarter earnings from major sector leaders.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) continues to lag the broader market, posting a 4.57% year-to-date gain against a

CALGARY, Canada — Cutter Gauthier broke a tie with 1:34 left to extend his goal streak to five games and help the Ducks beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.

The Ducks are the first team since the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins to score at least five goals in seven consecutive games.

Gauthier one-timed a pass from Mikael Granlund. He has scored 10 of his 12 goals this season during the five-game streak.

Jeff Malott, Tristan Luneau, Leo Carlsson and Nikita Nesterenko, into an empty net, also scored for the Ducks (9-7-1). Granlund and Beckett Sennecke each had two assists.

William Stromgren, Joel Hanley and Joel Farabee scored for Calgary. Morgan Frost and Zayne Parekh each had a pair of assists as the Flames’ five-game home winning streak ended.

Lukas Dostal started for the Ducks, but was chased after giving up three goals on 11 shots in the first period. Ville Husso, who gave up seven goals in his last appearance, came on in relief and stopped all 10 shots he faced. He improved to 2-3-0.

Dustin Wolf, making his third straight start, had 24 stops for Calgary (7-9-1).

The Flames took a 3-2 lead to the third period, but when Matt Coronato was sent off for delay of game 17 seconds in, the Ducks’ red-hot power play took advantage with Carlsson tying it at 55 seconds.

The Ducks’ Jackson LaCombe had an assist to extend his points streak to nine games, the longest in franchise history for a defenseman. He passed Scott Niedermayer (2006-07) and Oleg Tverdovsky (1999-00) on the team list.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Pittsburgh at Honda Center on Sunday.

EDMONTON, Canada — Cutter Gauthier became the first Ducks player with nine goals over a four-game span, scoring and adding an assist in a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Gauthier — coming off consecutive hat tricks — has seven power-play goals in the four-game span. Dating to 1933-34, the only other NHL players to accomplish the feat are Dave Andreychuk (eight, Nov. 7-14, 1992) and Teemu Selanne (seven, Oct. 25-31, 2008).

Pavel Mintyukov and Beckett Sennecke each had two goals and an assist for the Ducks, and Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves. They have three in a row to improve to 8-7-1.

Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl scored for Edmonton. The Oilers (11-3-3) have lost two in a row.

Fourth-string goalie Matt Tomkins made 16 saves with Tristan Jarry out because of illness and both Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen injured. The Oilers became the first team in the NHL to dress a full-time emergency backup goalie, with Brett Epp sitting on the bench.

McDavid had three assists to extend his season-opening points and assists streaks to 17 games and give him an NHL-best 44 points. He’s tied for the fourth-longest points streak to start a season in league history.

Up next for the Ducks: at Calgary on Friday night.

Arguably the greatest comeback of all, this one is so iconic that it has its very own title in France and Spain – La Remontada (The Comeback).

PSG were clinical at home, winning 4-0, but the Nou Camp sensed something special when Luis Suarez scored after just three minutes in the second leg.

Barcelona were two goals to the good at the break courtesy of a Layvin Kurzawa own goal, but still trailed by two goals on aggregate.

Lionel Messi scored a penalty soon after the restart but Edinson Cavani hit back to silence the home faithful, although it wasn’t the pendulum-swinging moment PSG hoped for.

Barcelona, now trailing 5-3, needed three goals in fewer than 30 minutes to achieve a miracle. Neymar scored a free-kick in the 88th minute to offer further hope, before the Brazilian stroked home a 91st-minute penalty to level the tie at 5-5 on aggregate.

But PSG were still heading through on away goals.

Then, with 20 seconds of added time remaining, La Remontada came to fruition when Sergi Roberto turned home Neymar’s chipped pass, with Barcelona becoming the only team in history to overturn a four-goal Champions League deficit.

Last week, player Rob Hawkins said England “were not playing to our standards” in their opening 98-18 win over Wales and rated the team five out of 10.

Asked how he would rate England’s showing against the USA, Billington told Premier Sports: “At least a seven. All week, we have been banging on about playing the way we want to play, and the boys really stuck to their principles.

“I’m over the moon for the guys to put on such senior performances.”

Finlay O’Neill was named player of the match as he recorded 38 points, with two tries and 15 conversions.

“It was a good team effort, not just myself,” O’Neill said. “We talked about how we could improve, and I think we did that.

“We need to take the positives – [there are a] few areas to work on but I think we can be very happy with that performance.”

The four semi-finalists have now been set, with the final group games to decide who faces who in the knockouts.

In Pool A, Ireland ensured they will qualify alongside England with a 68-28 victory over Wales.

Ireland, who are ranked third in the world, will face the English in their final group game on Friday in Wollongong (06:00 GMT).

In Pool A, two-time champions France and hosts Australia both booked their passages through while scoring triple figures.

France, who were losing finalists against England in 2022, thrashed New Zealand 120-10.

Australia beat Scotland 104-24, and will play the French on Friday to determine the pool winners.

Scotland, New Zealand, Wales and USA all go into a ranking competition to determine fifth through to eighth place.

Wales will face USA in Pool A on Friday, while Scotland play New Zealand.

For much of Sunday’s game between the Rams and the Chargers, it was impossible to distinguish:

Which team had arrived at SoFi Stadium winless?

The Chargers, who had not won a game since last season, looked the part.

But so did the supposedly we’re-ready-to-make-a-run Rams.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in a 24-9 win over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

The Rams showed life at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, and that ultimately proved enough for a 24-9 victory in front of 73,621.

Matthew Stafford passed for a touchdown and Blake Corum and Kyren Williams rushed for touchdowns as the Rams improved their record to 4-4.

Safety Quentin Lake and cornerback Trent McDuffie intercepted passes to foil a Justin Herbert-led offense that went into the game as the NFL’s lowest-scoring outfit and did little to foster reason for optimism.

For a mostly underperforming Rams team that began the season as an overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, it has turned into a season of firsts.

Consider: For the first time this season, the Rams have won two games in a row.

They did it, for the first time, with two kickers — Joshua Karty and Brandon McManus — active for a game, though the kicking-game problems are far from resolved.

And yet the Rams found a way to win the kind of game they had previously lost. Who can forget their 18-15 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium, a loss in which the Cardinals — like the Chargers — did not score a touchdown?

“Our team is becoming battle tested and finding ways to win those games that maybe we didn’t earlier on in the year,” said Stafford, who completed 17 of 25 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, with an interception.

McVay had bristled this week when asked if he feared a letdown by his team against a winless opponent.

“I couldn’t care less about what their record is,” McVay said. “I would hope that we’re mature and professional enough to know that we have to be able to have the right focus, concentration, level of urgency.”

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1. Rams safety Quentin Lake intercepts a pass in the first half. 2. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh walks on the sideline in the fourth quarter. 3. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides for a short gain against the Rams in the first half Sunday at SoFi Stadium. 4. Rams offensive linemen run onto the field before the start of the game. 5. Rams coach Sean McVay celebrates with Jordan Whittington and Matthew Stafford after a touchdown in the second half.

Message apparently not received.

The Rams, the NFL’s top offense in yards per game, generated only 24 yards in 15 plays during their first five possessions and were zero for five on third down.

“Couldn’t have started any worse offensively,” McVay said.

For a time, they looked in danger of repeating 2020, when they lost to the 0-13 New York Jets at SoFi Stadium.

“To even establish any sort of momentum or rhythm was nonexistent for us,” McVay said.

But the Rams’ defense stepped up.

“Our job is, ‘OK, if the offense can’t create momentum, how can we create that for them,’” Lake said. “We were able to do that.”

The hapless Chargers also lent a hand.

They fell to 0-7 for the first time 2000, when they finished 1-15.

It was the Chargers’ 10th straight loss dating to last season, and no doubt keeps offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on the hot seat.

Herbert continued to struggle, increasing his league-leading interception total to 10. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 257 yards.

The Rams led 10-9 at halftime after Williams rushed for a short touchdown in the final minute to cap a five-play, 66-yard drive.

The Chargers’ frustration could be summed up in one play: Receiver Ladd McConkey hauled in Herbert’s desperation 54-yard pass on the final snap of the second quarter … at the one-yard line.

The Rams came out strong to start the second half, Corum breaking off a 23-yard touchdown run for a 17-9 lead. Late in the third quarter, McDuffie picked off a pass, setting up Puka Nacua’s 18-yard catch and run for a touchdown.

As they did in last week’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Corum and Williams proved a valuable combination. Corum rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown in 11 carries and Williams had 56 rushing yards and a touchdown in 16 carries.

The Rams play at Washington next Sunday and at Arizona the following week. They will have a short bye week before playing the Green Bay Packers the night before Thanksgiving.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua slips a tackle by Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart on his way to scoring a touchdown in the third quarter Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

So there is ample opportunity for the Rams to put together a win streak worthy of a star-studded team that was built to play in the Super Bowl in February.

McVay has indicated that the Rams would not be very active as next week’s NFL trade deadline approaches, saying that the team would count on the return of injured players.

But the injured list might continue to grow.

Cornerbacks McDuffie and Jaylen Watson both left against the Chargers because of back and shoulder injuries, respectively.

That did not keep the Rams from breathing a sigh of relief. They had avoided a loss to their winless neighbors.

“It’s not something that we can exhale from,” said Nacua, who caught 11 passes for 80 yards. “There’s still a lot of improvement.”

But for a day at least, they could cling to a hint of momentum.

Rams running back Blake Corum breaks a tackle from Chargers safety Elijah Molden on his way to scoring a touchdown Sunday.