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Arsenal defender Ben White has been called up to the England squad for the first time in more than three years.

The 27-year-old has not been involved since leaving the camp during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for personal reasons.

White then made himself unavailable for selection for the rest of Gareth Southgate’s reign.

England play friendlies against Uruguay on 27 March and Japan on 31 March at Wembley.

BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray

There’s no way of sugar coating it – losing Dan Ballard is a massive blow to Northern Ireland’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 40 years.

The Sunderland defender has been integral to the progress of Michael O’Neill’s young side and he has an impact in both boxes.

While he has always been a physical presence, his composure on the ball has also improved from playing Premier League football this season.

Excluding Kieran Morrison, who has only played in the cup competitions for Liverpool, losing two of his four Premier League players is awful luck for O’Neill, after Conor Bradley was sidelined with a knee injury in January.

Thankfully for NI, Ruairi McConville, who was also an injury doubt when the squad was announced, has played two sets of 90 minutes for Norwich City in the past week.

He will be an option for stepping in for Ballard and has impressed in his short international career to date, as will Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown and Bolton’s Eoin Toal.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — When you look at the USC Trojans, one might think they’re setting the table for next year.

Buying time until JuJu Watkins returns. Keeping the ship afloat until the talented recruiting class that includes Saniyah Hall makes its way to campus.

But the Trojans showed Saturday that’s not the case. They’re making a plate and eating now.

The No. 9 seed Trojans gutted out a 71-67 overtime win over No. 8 seed Clemson in what USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb described as “a culture win.”

That game featured many tests for a young team in March and the Trojans responded well to the challenges. They are advancing on the back of freshman Jazzy Davidson’s 31 points and senior Kara Dunn’s 22.

Davidson, who appeared to be on the verge of tears as the referees reviewed the final play of regulation to determine whether she had committed a foul that would have set Clemson up for game-winning free throws, said on Sunday there’s a standard that this year’s Trojans feel they are responsible for meeting.

“I think our expectations, you know nobody wanted to lose JuJu, we all love her, but we have to keep going as you said and just holding that same expectation that they had last season. Just the program standard,” Davidson said. “And just resiliency and making sure that we’re doing our best every game.”

Dunn said the deck has been stacked against the Trojans all season and it’s forced them to grow stronger as a unit.

USC guard Kara Dunn drives to the basket in front of Clemson guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews during the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

(Nell Redmond / Associated Press)

“I think this year has just been about focusing on going against all odds,” Dunn said. “A lot of people didn’t expect much from this team and they might have turned away at certain times when we had lower moments this season and I think that it built our own culture for this season specifically. I feel like we had to come together, we had to support each other when it didn’t feel like we had much support and I think that that’s been really important.”

She added that moving through the season with just the support of each other and their die-hard fans works in their favor as they prepare to take on powerhouse South Carolina on the Gamecocks’ formidable home floor.

“We have everything to gain, nothing to lose going into this game, so I feel like this has really helped us,” Dunn said.

The NCAA tournament game against the No. 1 seed on the Trojans’ side of the bracket will be a rematch of the unofficial “Battle of the Real USC” in November. The Gamecocks claimed a 69-52 win during that meeting.

USC guard Jazzy Davidson drives under pressure from Clemson guard Rachael Rose Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

(Nell Redmond / Associated Press)

Gottlieb said Sunday she scheduled that game to prepare her team for moments like Monday’s tough matchup.

“Maybe if we hadn’t played Notre Dame, UConn and South Carolina, maybe our record would be a little better coming in, but it doesn’t make you a better program,” she said. “Our goals remain the same; which is to win a national championship. So if you’re skipping those people in nonconference hoping to manipulate it, it doesn’t work that way. You have to see the best. You have to elevate your program to be the best, then ultimately, you have to beat the best to get to where you want to be.”

South Carolina is trying to avenge last season’s championship loss to UConn and secure its fourth national championship in program history and the third in five years. USC, meanwhile, is trying to match the Cheryl Miller era when she led the Trojans to back-to-back national titles in 1983 and 1984.

Trojan culture will be tested more than ever, but Dunn feels good about where the team is heading.

“Obviously that was the beginning of the season, now it’s towards the end and we’re two very different teams,” she said of the previous loss to South Carolina. “We’ve grown in a lot of ways, but we’re using that scout just to see what we did well and what we could’ve done better. We just want to make sure that we control those things first and then adjust.”

Davidson will have the chance to play in another legacy defining game during her second NCAA tournament appearance.

“I feel like I have nerves a little bit before every game, [Monday] especially because it’s a big game,” she said. “My teammates are always just making sure I’m calm and in the moment. The confidence that they instill in me every day really helps.”

Zheng beat American 15th seed Madison Keys to claim her first win over a top-20 player since having elbow surgery in July.

Sabelenka has won seven of her eight meetings with Olympic champion Zheng.

Third seed Elena Rybakina cruised into the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina will play Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, who knocked out another seeded player courtesy of a 6-2 6-2 win over 18th seed Iva Jovic.

Gibson, who reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals, beat former world number one Naomi Osaka in the second round in Miami.

Fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula, runner-up to Sabalenka last year, needed only an hour and six minutes to beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2.

Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, runner-up in Miami in 2018, fought back to claim a 5-7 6-2 7-5 win over seventh seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.

Ostapenko will next play American world number 45 Hailey Baptiste, who beat Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-5.

Troy Terry scored on a breakaway 1:29 into overtime for his second goal of the game after Mikael Granlund tied it late in regulation and the Ducks rallied to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-5 on Sunday night.

Anaheim ended Buffalo’s seven-game road winning streak when Tage Thompson couldn’t keep in the puck in the Ducks’ zone and Terry held on a 2-on-0 break to score on a backhander.

Granlund tied the score at 5 with 1:44 remaining in the third period on a power play with Ville Husso pulled for an extra attacker.

Chris Kreider and Jackson LaCombe had power-play goals in the first period, Beckett Sennecke also scored, Husso made 24 saves and the Ducks have won consecutive games as part of a four-game points streak.

Alex Lyon had his 10-game road winning streak — tied for the third-longest by a goaltender in NHL history — snapped after giving up six goals on 33 shots. That included giving up goals to Sennecke and Terry on two of the Ducks’ four shots in the second period.

Alex Tuch, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Owen Power and Zach Benson scored for the Sabres, who extended their franchise-record road points streak to 14 games. It was their second loss in the last 14 games overall.

Lyon hadn’t lost a road start since Dec. 8, when Buffalo was last in the Eastern Conference with a 2-9-2 record outside of upstate New York. The Sabres had since won 20 of 24 road games as part of an astonishing turnaround that has them set to end the longest playoff drought in the NHL and on track to claim a first division title since 2009-10.

A victory for Lyon would have tied San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov in 2009-10 and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk in 2014-15 for the longest undefeated road run in league history.

The Argentinian star forward records his 901st career goal as Inter Miami beat New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

Micael dos Santos Silva’s go-ahead goal in ‌the 74th minute lifted Inter Miami to a 3-2 comeback victory over ⁠hosts New York ⁠City FC on Sunday.

Dos Santos headed home a beautiful ball from fellow defender Noah Allen, which found its way past NYCFC keeper Matt ⁠Freese and gave Inter Miami (3-1-1, 10 points) their first Major League Soccer (MLS) win since March 7.

Lionel Messi scored his 901st career goal, and Gonzalo Lujan scored his first career MLS ⁠goal for Inter Miami, which bounced back after being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday following a pair of draws against Nashville, with that side advancing on the away goals tiebreaker.

NYCFC (3-1-1, 10 points) suffered their first defeat of the season and snapped ‌a three-game winning streak despite goals from Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Agustin Ojeda.

Maxi Moralez delivered a stellar assist to Ojeda in the 59th minute to put NYCFC briefly ahead 2-1.

Moralez sent a great ball through traffic down the middle of the field to Ojeda, who was uncontested, and flipped the ball past Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St Clair.

But two minutes later, Inter Miami earned a free kick⁠, and Messi delivered. His shot deflected off NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf ⁠and redirected past Freese (five saves) to tie the game at 2.

Messi nearly had a multi-goal match as he came close on several chances. He hit the post in the 31st minute and the crossbar in ⁠the 42nd minute. He also had a late opportunity to pad Miami’s lead but missed wide.

German Berterame appeared to extend ⁠Miami’s lead in the 79th minute, but what would have ⁠been his first goal with his new club was nullified after he was ruled offside.

After Lujan scored in the fourth minute, NYCFC levelled the match with a fantastic free kick goal by Fernandez Mercau, who ‌lifted a high shot that bounced just under the crossbar and in, freezing St Clair in place in the 17th minute.

NYCFC used Moralez as a decoy, having him ‌approach ‌as if he would take the shot, and then Fernandez Mercau ran up and booted it.

St Clair (three saves) made a huge save late in stoppage time to preserve Inter Miami’s win.

There was a spiritual pull for Bellamy returning to Wales.

Born in Cardiff, he spent most of his playing career outside of his homeland, representing the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle.

As a coach, Bellamy followed Vincent Kompany to Anderlecht and Burnley, describing his time with the now Bayern Munich boss as an “education”.

The former Manchester City team-mates remain good friends and speak frequently, but Bellamy felt it was time to become a head coach in his own right when his country came calling.

Despite only being an assistant to Kompany at Burnley, Bellamy took a substantial pay cut to take charge of Wales.

This, however, was a job like no other. As well as the obvious emotional ties, Bellamy had unfinished business.

He never got the chance to play at a major international tournament but, as head coach, he aims to put that right by qualifying for this summer’s World Cup.

“You always have that buzz of chasing something, like I want qualification, I want to be at major tournaments,” Bellamy says.

“But how do we do it? I’ve got loads of flaws, but the team needs to play with intensity, play with balls.

“As long as you have belief, that’s the motivation. That’s why you do so much work, why you look at opposition.

“As a footballer for Wales, I didn’t really feel belief, I just felt hope. Italy [when Wales won 2-1 in 2002 in a European Championship qualifier] was different because we took the game to them. We were brilliant but there weren’t many nights like that.”

Bellamy scored the winning goal when Wales last faced Italy in Cardiff, a momentous occasion at a sold-out Millennium Stadium.

The teams will meet again if they win their respective World Cup play-off semi-finals on Thursday, with the final to be played at Cardiff City Stadium the following Tuesday.

Much like Bellamy himself, Welsh football is unrecognisable from that memorable night 24 years ago.

Having been absent from major tournaments since the 1958 World Cup, Wales not only qualified for Euro 2016 but reached the semi-finals in France, three years after Bellamy retired.

They followed that by getting to the knockout stages at Euro 2020 and then qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

Bellamy wants to build on that success – and take his country to new heights.

“Euro 2016, that moment was like, ‘We are here’. That gave belief and I want to carry that on,” he says.

“We do punch well above our weight but that’s where we want to be. We need to do it continuously. I like expectations.

“This is what it takes to be a Wales player. To wear this shirt, these are the qualities you have to have. I believe we have a chance to consistently be at major tournaments.”

With that, Bellamy turns back to his laptop. The cursor hovers over files labelled ‘Italy’ and ‘Northern Ireland’ – Wales’ potential play-off final opponents – and then back to ‘Bosnia’.

Whether or not Wales get to the World Cup this summer, it will not be down to a lack of preparation.

SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Schmaltz scored his second goal of the game at 1:46 of overtime to give the Utah Mammoth a 4-3 victory over the Kings on Sunday night.

Schmaltz carried the puck in on a two-on-one rush with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on his left and fired a snap shot between goalie Darcy Kuemper‘s legs.

After the Kings controlled play in the three-on-three overtime and nearly ended it on Alex Laferriere’s shot that went off the right post, Kevin Stenlund won a faceoff against Quinton Byfield to set up Schmaltz’s seventh winning goal of the season.

Artemi Panarin tied it for the Kings with 3:30 left in regulation with his 25th goal of the season. His shot from deep on the far right side eluded goalie Karel Vejmelka.

Schmaltz pushed his career-high goals total to 26 and reached 63 points to match his career high set in 2024-25. Lawson Crouse scored twice in the first period and added an assist, and Vejmelka made 33 saves to help Utah end a four-game home losing streak. The Mammoth hold the first wild card in the Western Conference, five points ahead of Nashville.

Byfield had a goal and an assist, and Laferriere also scored for the Kings. Kuemper stopped 30 shots.

The Kings are two points behind Nashville for the final wild-card spot.

PHILADELPHIA — On the night reigning NCAA champion Florida was eliminated by Iowa, UCLA tried to follow the Hawkeyes’ lead against Connecticut, the team that had worn the crown the previous two years.

And for the second straight game they were hoping to win without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau, whose sprained knee still hadn’t healed enough for coach Mick Cronin to risk putting him on the floor.

Seventh-seeded UCLA battled, managing to take a brief lead in the second half. But in the end, No. 2 Connecticut’s size and power were too much for the Bruins to overcome in a 73-57 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament Sunday.

Four players scored in double figures for UCLA. Xavier Booker finished with 13 points, Eric Dailey Jr. had 12 points and Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark each finished with 11. But the Bruins couldn’t contain Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, who erupted for 27 points, as the Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16 to play No. 3 Michigan State in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

The Bruins got off to a good start, building an 18-12 lead before the Huskies caught fire, hitting seven straight shots at one point to seize a 38-33 halftime lead.

Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr., center, tries to work past (from left) UCLA’s Trent Perry, Donovan Dent and Eric Dailey Jr. during the first half Sunday.

(Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

UCLA (24-12) started the second half on a 6-0 run, regaining a 39-38 edge on a corner jumper by Clark.

Connecticut (31-5) didn’t wait long to retake control, going on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes, with Karaban scoring 10 points over that span.

UCLA answered with an 8-0 run, with Dailey’s three-point play cutting Connecticut’s lead to 56-52 and reigniting the Bruins’ hope of an upset. Connecticut, however, responded with a decisive 9-0 run, taking a 67-54 lead with 4:24 left.

UCLA struggled with its shooting most of the night, going 19 for 49 (39%) in comparison to Connecticut’s 23 for 49 (47%). Both teams had the same number of free-throw attempts (21), but the Bruins made just 67% of their shots and the Huskies made 90%.

NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children were killed in a weekend house fire in Minnesota, the league announced Sunday.

Pierce, 37, covered the Minnesota Wild as the correspondent for NHL.com for the last decade.

“The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children,” said Bill Price, vice president and editor in chief of NHL.com, in a statement. “Jessi’s love of her family and hockey was evident in the energy and passion she brought to her work for us. She was an absolute joy to talk to and work with. She will be deeply missed.”

Firefighters responded to a house fire Saturday morning in White Bear Lake, Minn. Neighbors called 911 and reported seeing flames coming through the roof. Fire crews located an adult, three children and a dog inside the house, all deceased, the White Bear Lake Fire Department said. The department did not release the names of the victims in its statement Saturday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“Out hearts ache for those involved in this tragedy. We ask for the opportunity to allow our community to come together and support one another during this difficult time,” Fire Chief Greg Peterson said in the statement.

The Minnesota Wild mourned her loss on social media Sunday. “Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her. She served as an ambassador for the game of hockey during her time covering the Wild and the NHL,” the post said.

Minnesota is known as the “State of Hockey,” and the Wild have had one of the biggest fan bases since their inception in 2000. The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas to become the Stars in the early 1990s.

Hill writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back from an agonising near miss at the Players Championship to win the Valspar Championship,

Fitzpatrick had led last week’s Players by one shot on the 17th tee but a par-bogey finish cost him as American Cameron Young closed birdie-par to snatch victory.

But Fitzpatrick earned redemption on Sunday at Palm Harbor, Florida, sinking a 14ft-putt to birdie the 18th hole and beat American David Lipsky by one shot.

The 31-year-old carded a three-under-par 68 to finish on 11 under and had to wait for two groups to complete their rounds before his third PGA Tour win was confirmed.

“To come away with a win this week is really special, considering last week’s performance as well,” said Fitzpatrick, who last won on the tour in 2023.

“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t an ideal putt [on 18]. I wouldn’t say I was overly keen on it considering my putting performance but to get it done was special.”

Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship in November, says he will have a two-week break before preparing for next month’s Masters.

“I’m obviously very confident in my game right now but what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour,” added the 2022 US Open champion.

“Particularly the Masters, there’s extra pressure on the Masters, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events, as well as the majors.

“I’m coming away from this week delighted with where my game’s at but there’s stuff I want to improve.”

Fellow Englishman Jordan Smith, 33, was third on nine under – his best finish on the PGA Tour.

Smith’s compatriot Marco Penge, South Korea’s Sungjae Imm who had led for three rounds, and Ameircan Xander Schauffele were all tied for fourth on eight under.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland’s Kristoffer Velde scored in the 13th minute and Timbers defender Kamal Miller picked up a red card seven minutes later, but James Pantemis surrendered only a João Klauss goal to help them hold on for a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy on Sunday.

Velde scored for the second time this season to give Portland (1-3-1) a 1-0 lead early. But things became difficult from the 20th minute on when Miller received his card for a foul on Klauss.

Antony Alves Santos notched his first assist this season on the score and Joao Ortiz picked up his second.

Klauss came up with the equalizer in the 30th minute with assists from Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec. It was the fifth goal for Klauss, who has certainly helped ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season because of injuries. Klauss spent his first three seasons with St. Louis City, where he scored 25 goals in 79 appearances.

Reus earned his first assist this season after posting a career-best nine last year. Pec’s helper was his third to begin the season.

Pantemis totaled six saves for the Timbers, including four in the first half.

JT Marcinkowski stopped two shots in his first start of the season for the Galaxy (1-2-2).

The Galaxy lead the series 14-12-11, but are 5-10-11 in Portland. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in Portland last season before the Timbers posted a 4-2 victory on the road.

Kelly Cates, Joe Hart and Danny Murphy discuss why Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is “the favourite” to be in the starting XI for England in this summer’s World Cup.

WATCH MORE: Forest win sinks Tottenham closer to relegation danger

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Jim Michaelian, the race car driver who helped launch the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, has died. He was 83.

The Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach confirmed his death on Saturday, just weeks before this year’s race, which is scheduled for April 17-19.

Michaelian joined the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach in 1975, a then-fledgling competitive race, and grew it into one of the most popular street racing events in the world. The annual three-day event draws thousands of race car enthusiasts and brings tens of millions of dollars into the city of Long Beach.

“Jim was a leader of a small, passionate group who believed in the concept of bringing elite open-wheel competition to Long Beach in the 1970s,” said Roger Penske, Penske Corporation chairman, in a statement. “His vision and energy surrounding this great event remained boundless for 50 years.”

Penske Entertainment acquired the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach in 2024.

Michaelian was a competitive sports car racer for more than 25 years, competing in endurance events at tracks including Le Mans, Daytona Beach, Nürburgring, Dubai and Sebring in Florida. He told The Times in 2019 that he was still racing sports cars at 76.

“As long as I can achieve some level of success, I’m going to continue doing it until they tell me I can’t anymore,” he said then.

A native of Monterey Park, Michaelian (pronounced meh-KAY-lee-un) graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in physics. But he turned his attention to business and went on to earn an MBA there. Driven by a love of motor racing, Michaelian eventually talked his way onto the staff of the Long Beach Grand Prix.

He served as the association’s controller and chief operating officer before being appointed president and chief executive in 2001. During his 51-year tenure, Michaelian transformed Long Beach into an iconic stop in the world of motor racing.

A variety of races are run during the three days on the city’s seaside streets, culminating with a big-league IndyCar Series race Sunday. The races feature different types of cars, and one is for trucks, to appeal to a broad audience.

But the Long Beach Grand Prix is more of a festival that’s been built up around the racing. There are concerts, a lifestyle expo, a kids’ zone with go-karts and other activities, along with an array of food and drink spots, all centered on the Long Beach Convention Center and Shoreline Drive.

Michaelian said he kept the pulse of the crowd by constantly walking the track to monitor how the grand prix’s fans were enjoying the activities. He would survey for problems that might need fixing or whether changes needed to be made for the following year.

“Many young people don’t want to sit in the seats now,” he told The Times in 2019. “They’re out taking selfies, they’re chronicling their experience at Long Beach, and the only way to do that is for them to get around.

“So, if they’re moving around, I’m moving around” by creating more places where they can gather, listen to music and having food options nearby, he said then.

Last year, Michaelian was inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.

“Jim was a racer’s racer and a dear friend to IMSA and the motorsports community at large,” John Doonan, president of International Motor Sports Assn., said in a statement. “We will sorely miss his presence at Long Beach and racetracks everywhere.”

The Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach did not release his cause of death.

Michaelian is survived by his wife, Mary, and his sons, Bob and Mike.

Former Times staff writer James F. Peltz contributed to this report.

Real stay within four points of league leaders Barcelona with hard-fought win in Madrid derby.

Vinicius Jr scored ⁠twice ⁠as Real Madrid fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in ⁠a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa’s side ⁠within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Atletico’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute on Sunday, finishing a slick ‌counterattack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone.

Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Federico ⁠Valverde capitalised on a ⁠Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.

Nahuel Molina silenced Real’s ⁠Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in ⁠the 66th minute, but ⁠Vinicius restored Real’s lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.

Valverde then saw red ‌for an inexplicable challenge on Alex Baena, and Julian Alvarez struck the ‌post ‌as Atletico pressed, but Real held firm.

Arbeloa praised his side for showing “pure Real Madrid mentality” to emerge with a difficult win.

“We’re in a good moment, it wasn’t an easy match at all. The opponent made it very difficult for us,” he said.

“We had to show a very strong mentality, they equalised again fiercely and we had to press again. That’s what I liked the most – the mentality of this team.”

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said his side deserved to come away with more from the game.

“We could have defended their goals better and done more in attack,” he said.

“We’re facing teams that play well, and if you give them anything, they’ll hurt you. We deserved more.”

Earlier on Sunday, Barcelona edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 as Ronald Araujo headed in the winner in the 24th minute at Camp Nou, and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García’s impressive performance showed why he is most likely heading to the World Cup with Spain.

Araújo jumped over his marker and scored after Joao Cancelo’s corner to the far post.

Raphinha came close on three occasions to also scoring for the hosts in the first half. He shot wide on the break, forced goalkeeper Augusto Batalla to tip a shot over the bar, and hit the woodwork shortly after Araújo’s goal.

Garcia saved a shot by Carlos Martin in the game’s opening minute, blocked Unai Lopez’s header early in the second half and got just enough on a low strike from Jorge de Frutos in the final moments to push it wide.

Garcia was included in Spain’s squad for the first time on Friday ahead of two friendly matches which will serve as warmups for this summer’s World Cup.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Alaves achieved one of the club’s most memorable wins after it erased a three-goal deficit at Celta Vigo to secure a 4-3 victory. The stunning result lifted Alaves out of the relegation zone.

In Bilbao, Dani Vivian and Oihan Sancet scored to give Athletic a 2-1 win over Real Betis in the first match since Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said he would leave the Basque club at the end of the season.

DETROIT — He’s the hottest player in the NBA. Not even the NBA’s technical foul rule can slow Luka Doncic down.

The NBA rescinded Doncic’s 16th technical foul, the league announced Sunday, allowing Doncic to avoid a mandatory one-game suspension that would have kept him out of Monday’s game against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

Doncic and the Lakers appealed the call after he was given a technical for taunting against Orlando Magic forward Goga Bitadze in Saturday’s Lakers win. Bitadze’s technical foul was also rescinded after the European players were arguing while Doncic was shooting free throws. Doncic claimed Bitadze made a vulgar comment toward Doncic’s family in Serbian while Bitadze said he first heard inappropriate comments from Doncic and only repeated what he heard the Lakers guard say.

Often criticized for arguing with officials, Doncic remains at 15 technical fouls this season, second in the NBA behind Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks. In 2023, Doncic also had his 16th technical foul rescinded, avoiding a one-game suspension.

Doncic’s historic scoring run has fueled the Lakers’ nine-game winning streak, their best since the 2019-20 season that ended with an NBA championship. Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, is averaging 40 points per game during the winning streak while shooting 40.3% from three-point range. His 60-point outburst against the Miami Heat last Thursday was the first 60-point game in Lakers history since Kobe Bryant’s last game in 2016. He was just the seventh Lakers player to record a 60-point game, joining legends Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal.

The winning streak has vaulted the Lakers from sixth in the West to third. They have navigated the most difficult stretch of their schedule with seven wins over playoff-bound teams.

The Pistons, poised to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2007, are without their own star player as guard Cade Cunningham is sidelined for at least two weeks with a collapsed lung. Detroit is 2-0 without him with wins over Washington and Golden State.

Note: Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness), Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) and Marcus Smart (right ankle soreness) are questionable for Monday’s game.

The first 45 minutes was the epitome of two teams cancelling each other out – but once the second half began the landscape was set for City’s win.

They were the more progressive, aggressive side. Their attacking intent started to overwhelm Arsenal, the pressure became impossible to resist. Smoother on the ball and more cohesive than an Arsenal side based on organisation, the traffic only flowed one way.

Arrizabalaga already had Arsenal’s nerves on edge with an injudicious dash from goal which resulted in a yellow card for a panicked foul on Jeremy Doku.

Much, much worse was to come for Arsenal and their goalkeeper.

It remains six years since Arteta won his one and only trophy as Arsenal manager, and the way in which his team went into their shell here will be a concern that he must hope is not repeated as the pressure mounts in the closing weeks of the season.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport: “Manchester City played to win. I think that’s what they’re bred to do over ten, 15 years. I think now they’re very much bred to win. I think they’ve been really disappointed with the FA Cup final at the end of last season [when they lost to Crystal Palace].

“A lot will be read into it putting a marker down or whatever, but I don’t think so. I think it was just about Manchester City winning trophies, which is what they’ve done so regularly recently – and this is another big one.

“It is also a huge day for Pep Guardiola, who’s won everything, but now stands alone in terms of managers winning the League Cup. He’s won it five times, going one clear of Sir Alex Ferguson. How much of a testament is that to his ability, his special touch and what he’s done over the years with Manchester City?”

Arteta is braced for the battle to recover from this setback and focus on three trophies, saying: “We had eight amazing months with this team. Today is a disappointment. We need to use that fire in the belly for the next two months to have an incredible season.”

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s painful, especially for our players and supporters, because we really wanted to lift that trophy. It was two very different halves, especially the first half when I think we were better than them and had the best two chances of the game.

“We didn’t capitalise on that. Credit to them for what they have done. A really sad day.”

He must hope it is the last sad day of what has been an outstanding season so far – for Guardiola, he will hope City’s win, and the manner in which it was achieved, will play on Arsenal’s nerves.

After executing a seismic record-breaking run to smash Jolanda Ceplak’s near 24-year women’s indoor 800m mark last month, Hodgkinson’s attention was fixed firmly on gold in Torun.

This was the final international podium missing from Hodgkinson’s extensive list of honours, after various injuries prevented her from competing at each of the past three editions.

The 24-year-old has also been denied in her three attempts to win world gold outdoors, achieving two silvers and one bronze.

The Briton said that she hoped it would be “fourth time lucky” indoors in 2026 – but she had to overcome misfortune even before beginning her gold medal bid, after the airline which she had travelled with lost her kit.

With her belongings delayed, Hodgkinson was forced to complete her preparations in somebody else’s spikes, which ended up giving her a blister.

But that did not affect Hodgkinson as she dominated Friday’s heat, before cruising to victory in Saturday’s semi-final in a time faster than all but one of her fellow finalist’s personal bests.

Switzerland’s Audrey Werro was the only contender with an indoor best time within three seconds of Hodgkinson’s world record mark, and the Briton’s superiority was evident as she comfortably strode clear inside the venue where she achieved her first international medal five years ago.

A look at The Times’ top 25 high school baseball rankings for the Southland after the fifth week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (7-0): Five shutouts in seven games; 1

2. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (10-0): Big week for Malayke Matsumoto; 4

3. CORONA (7-0): Anthony Murphy hits for cycle, then comes close again; 2

4. ORANGE LUTHERAN (3-1): Headed to North Carolina for National Invitational; 3

5. NORCO (7-1): Three-game series with King this week; 5

6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (8-3): Bishop Alemany exposes pitching issues; 6

7. HUNTINGTON BEACH (7-2-1): 6-0 start in Sunset League; 8

8. GAHR (5-4-1): Three-game series with La Mirada; 7

9. SIERRA CANYON (9-3): Brayden Goldstein has become a top hitter; 9

10. ROYAL (9-1): Sixteen-strikeout performance from Dustin Dunwoody vs. Simi Valley; 10

11. AQUINAS (6-0): Three-game sweep of Arrowhead Christian; 11

12. SANTA MARGARITA (9-2): Freshman Cooper Holland provides lift after losing Brody Schumaker to injury; 12

13. BISHOP ALEMANY (8-3): Warriors about to get stronger by adding Mikey Martinez on Friday; NR

14. OAKS CHRISTIAN (8-2): Opens Marmonte League vs. Newbury Park; 15

15. SOUTH HILLS (10-1): Big series vs. San Dimas this week; 16

16. CYPRESS (8-3): League showdown this week with Foothill; 17

17. LA MIRADA (8-2): Kaden Corns is 3-0 with 2.17 ERA; 18

18. AYALA (8-1): Three-game series with Glendora; 19

19. EL DORADO (8-5): Xavi Cadena has four home runs; 14

20. THOUSAND OAKS (10-0): Three-game series vs. Calabasas; 21

21. NEWPORT HARBOR (9-2): Took two of three from Corona del Mar; 22

22. SOUTH TORRANCE (10-0): Two-game series with El Segundo this week; 24

23. FOOTHILL (9-3): Pitching has been outstanding; NR

24. SERVITE (7-3): Three-game series with Santa Margarita this week; NR

25. CORONA SANTIAGO (9-2): Striker Pence is contributing with his arm and bat; NR

ANAHEIM — Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland punctuated his case to make the opening day roster with a home run in the team’s last Cactus League game Saturday.

Then on Sunday, before the first game of the Freeway Series with the Angels, the Dodgers announced the results of the spring training position battle between Freeland and Hyeseong Kim: the team optioned Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

“It’s one of those things that you could argue both sides of either decision, as far as Alex or Hyeseong,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday. “And so I just don’t think it’s clear cut. We still haven’t seen Hyeseong a bunch. Alex, I think he’s taken great at-bats, the numbers, the surface line certainly isn’t there, but it’s still spring training. There’s just deeper conversations that are going to be had.”

Kim started off the spring swinging a hot bat. But he went 1-for-12 in the World Baseball Classic. Freeland finished Cactus League play with a .116 batting average.

Utility player Tommy Edman’s offseason ankle surgery left open the roster spot. He’s progressing but set to start the season on the injured list.

The Dodgers also reassigned utility man Nick Senzel, outfielder Jack Suwinski and catcher Seby Zavala to minor-league camp.

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the Madrid derby as Real host Atletico at the Bernabeu.

Coaching high school basketball since the 1979-80 season and being the second-winningest coach in state history with 1,127 victories, Mike LeDuc is one of those old-school coaches who likes to push his players forward and fade into the background when team success comes.

This season at Damien, LeDuc can take a bow for guiding the Spartans to the state Division I championship with little size but a group of players who loved to shoot threes, never stopped hustling on defense and executed close to perfection on the biggest stage at Golden 1 Center and during his team’s playoff run.

For turning a group of players he fondly called “overachievers” into champions, LeDuc is The Times’ boys’ basketball coach of the year.

Through his many years of coaching at Damien and previously at Glendora, he’s mentored such outstanding players as Tracy Murray, Casey Jacobsen and Cameron Murray. Now Cameron’s sophomore son, CJ, plays for Damien. It’s a full circle moment for LeDuc, who was holding his granddaughter at the awards ceremony in Sacramento.

As the years go by and the game keeps changing, LeDuc continues to adapt, adjust and power on.

LeDuc‘s answer is, “Basketball is a real simple game. It’s a game of repetition and if you do it over and over, you expect it to be done perfectly.”