Although All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr. will miss his fourth consecutive game because of a hamstring injury, the winless Chargers are coming off their bye week with some much-needed reinforcements.
“It’s a good thing,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It’s good to have them back out there. Good work put in. Feel good about the preparation and feel like we’re in a good place, ready to go.”
Harris and McConkey have been the Chargers’ top two receivers when available this season. Harris leads the team in receptions (15), receiving yards (225) and targets (26), while McConkey is right behind him with 13 receptions for 200 yards on 18 targets.
And Alt’s return instantly improves the Chargers’ banged-up offensive line, which has allowed Justin Herbert — who carries a league-worst 29.4 quarterback rating — to be sacked nine times in the two games the offensive tackle has missed.
“Regrouping. Retooling. Thought it was a really good week of preparation,” Harbaugh said.
Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and his unit desperately need all hands on deck.
The Chargers are averaging a league-worst 15 points per game and are tied for the second-fewest yards per play (4.6).
“I spend all of my time focusing on the best plan for the players that we have available this week, to attack the defense we have,” McDaniel said. “And then you have to illustrate, in a good manner, what the vision is for how we’re going to play and improve the results.”
McConkey, Harris and Alt returning will help McDaniel’s cause, especially as wideout Brenen Thompson (quad/hamstring) remains out alongside key offensive linemen Rashawn Slater (ankle) and Kayode Awosika (fibula).
Meanwhile, the Chargers’ defense, which allows the eighth-fewest passing yards per game (206.2), must hold the fort again without James, who suffered a rehab setback.
“You can’t replace Derwin,” defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary said. “It’s not possible. He’s one of the best in the league, if not the best in the league.”
That task will be even harder if cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Rodney Shelley, who are both questionable with hamstring injuries, can’t play.
“For us, our message from the offseason to now is: team defense,” O’Leary said. “Play together. We’re not going to put too much on one guy’s plate. … And that’s really just spiked, now that Derwin’s out.
“It’s just a group effort, and I think the guys have done a great job.”
O’Leary’s defense has bent but rarely broken all season.
McDaniel’s offense, however, could use a breakout performance. And with more of Herbert’s primary targets fully healthy, there’s no better time than Sunday.
New Zealand delivered a statement victory as they thrashed Fiji 78-0 to book their place in the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals.
The Kiwis established a 24-0 lead with four converted tries in the opening 13 minutes as Fiji – who pushed reigning world champions Australia close just under a week ago – had no response on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Fiji conceded eight tries in the first half and five in a fiery second period, during which half-back Brandon Wakeham was sent off along with New Zealand winger Ronaldo Mulitalo.
Centre Casey McLean claimed four tries, Keano Kini scored two and Jahrome Hughes, Dane Gagai, James Fisher-Harris, Mulitalo, Xavier Willison, Briton Nikora and Erin Clark also crossed for Stacey Jones’ team.
“Pretty special and pleased about how we went about our business,” said New Zealand captain Fisher-Harris.
“Fiji are a good team but I thought we played really well. It was a battle of the forwards.”
Fiji’s woes were not confined to the scoreline, with captain Apisai Koroisau suffering a suspected broken jaw and he clashed heads with Joseph Tapine in the eighth minute
Semi Valemei, who impressed with a hat-trick of tries against the Kangaroos, also left the field with a head injury during the first half.
Meanwhile, New Zealand will now face an anxious wait to discover if Mulitalo faces a tournament-ending ban for a high shot on Ronald Philitoga, which prompted a fracas involving Wakeham.
However, in his post-match news conference Kiwis head coach Jones confirmed that star full-back Kalyn Ponga, who broke his arm in the tournament opener against Australia on 15 October, has trained this week and could be involved in their last-four match against either Samoa, Tonga or England.
Samoa and Tonga meet on Sunday and both look set to advance from Pool B & C.
England’s slim hopes rest on the unlikely scenario of Tonga defeating Samoa by more than 46 points.
The losers of the contest between the Pacific Island rivals will take on Australia next.
Kevin Walters’ side maintained their 100% record in their final group match with a comfortable 66-6 success over the Cook Islands in Townsville.
Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic both scored three tries each in a game the Cook Islands briefly led 6-4 when Rua Ngatikaura went over and Valentine Holmes added the extras.
A tearful Harriet Dart said it “means the world” to qualify for her maiden WTA Tour singles final after battling past Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in three sets at the Guangzhou Open.
The 30-year-old qualifier recovered from failing to serve out the first set to save multiple match points in the second before closing out a 5-7 7-6 (6-1) 6-0 victory in a little under two and a half hours.
Dart, who made her WTA Tour debut in Eastbourne in 2015, was playing in just her second tour-level singles semi-final, having previously reached the last four at the 2024 Transylvania Open.
The British number five will face fourth seed Lilli Tagger or Kaitlin Quevedo in Sunday’s final, knowing victory will secure her return to the top 100 in the WTA rankings. She has already climbed 14 places to 101st in the live standings.
“It’s been a really long journey. I’ve wanted it so much, so badly – sometimes too much. To finally be here means the world,” said Dart.
“I found it tough out there. It was a rollercoaster. Playing in this part of the competition, more nerves and more feelings come out. I was really battling with myself.
“I’m proud of the second set and was able to turn it quickly.”
Trailing 3-0 in the first set after hitting a double fault on break point in her opening service game, Dart fought back to lead 5-4, dictating points from the baseline during a run of four consecutive service games.
She was visibly frustrated after hitting another two double faults as she served for the set.
Reigning US Open junior champion Sun, 16, made no such mistake, holding to 15 before breaking Dart for a third time to clinch the opener.
Dart twice had her nose in front in the second set, breaking Sun in the first and fifth games, but was immediately broken back on both occasions.
However, she held her nerve as she was twice required to serve to stay in the match before storming through the tie-break 7-1, silencing the crowd she had repeatedly complained to the chair umpire about in the process.
With her opponent struggling emotionally and physically, including receiving a medical timeout for treatment on her left leg, Dart cruised through the decider without dropping a game, winning 28 of the 41 points.
Scoring 44 points in a league championship decider is usually enough to secure victory — but not against Mission Viejo.
The Diablos beat San Juan Hills 54-44 in an epic Orange County shootout to secure its third consecutive Alpha League crown, buoyed by a bevy of explosive plays.
It started in the first quarter as senior running back Carson Vandermade, who returned after missing the last two games, scored two touchdowns. He finished the game with 121 yards, including a big 52-yard run down the sideline, and three touchdowns but did not return for the fourth quarter.
His counterpart, senior Jack Junker, gained 132 yards, including a 28-yarder, and two touchdowns as the Diablos’ rushing attack dominated. Every time Vandermade and Junker took handoffs, there was a gift waiting. The offensive line — which has four players either committed to or with offers to Division I colleges — opened up huge running lanes.
Junior center Max Davidson attributed the group’s success to a deep camaraderie and hard work.
“It comes down to all the time that we put in together,” he said. “It comes down to the chemistry that we have between the five of us up front. We work together really well and that shows in all our games.”
Mission Viejo High center Max Davidson is all smiles after the Diablos won the Alpha League title with a 54-44 victory over San Juan Hills on Friday night.
(Caleb Otte / For The Times)
Sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor also got in on the rushing action, with 30 yards and two touchdowns. He had a solid night through the air, connecting on nine of his 12 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Burnor had four passes that went for more than 30 yards and connected most often with senior wide receiver Luke Karby, a Duke commit who had 122 yards on five receptions and made multiple contested catches. Karby also threw a two-point conversion to Burnor, in a quick role reversal, in the second quarter.
Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said before kickoff that the game would be decided by explosive plays, and he wanted to limit the opponent’s electric moments.
“Every game, San Juan Hills has six to 10 explosive plays on offense that are 40- to 60-yard chunk plays,” he said.
The Diablos allowed San Juan Hills to stay within fighting distance via those big gains that Johnson warned against. While the home team never trailed, San Juan Hills cut the score to 47-44 midway through the fourth quarter after an improbable onside kick recovery. Senior kicker Trevor Koko continued an impressive season with a looping ball that Mission Viejo wasn’t able to field, breathing life into a potential comeback. A quick touchdown drive ensued that made the final minutes extra nervy for the Diablos.
Ultimately, the rushing attack killed the clock and clinched the win by grabbing one more touchdown on an 11-yarder by Junker with 40 seconds to play.
San Juan Hills backup quarterback Parker Armstrong was given the reins to let the ball loose by coach Robert Frith. He completed 27 of 37 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. His longest of the night came on a quick dump down to senior wide receiver commit Luke Frith, a Texas State commit who took it 80 yards for a touchdown. Another long score came on a slant route to senior wide receiver Cooper Chila who broke multiple tackles to take it 57-yards to the house.
Those plays summed up much of the game for the Stallions. Athletic players making big plays, and never giving up on the game. San Juan Hills lost, but it never gave up.
Frith’s constant messaging to the players clearly got through.
The Stallions’ coach said he always tells the team: “When that ball snaps, it is seven seconds of everything you’ve got.”
The game was a high octane battle, but there will be a lot to parse through in the film room, especially for Mission Viejo. In the midst of the barnstorming action, the victors had three bad snaps on extra points and 18 penalties, including six personal foul calls.
Johnson lamented what he called poor officiating after the game but also told his team that the errors needed to be cleaned up by next week’s playoff opener. Mission Viejo likely qualified for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with this the win, and will learn of its opponent on Sunday. San Juan Hills will finish the regular season with two losses and wait to see if it makes the Division 2 playoffs.
Captain Meg Jones says England are aiming to expand their attack to stay at the head of rugby’s world order.
The Red Roses’ four-year, 41-match unbeaten run was ended by a pair of defeats by Canada earlier this month, while New Zealand threatened victory at Allianz Stadium last month, only to be undone by Zoe Harrison’s final-play try.
For so long the runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings, England could even have dropped to third with a combination of a 15-point defeat against the United States on Friday and a New Zealand win over France on Saturday.
That never looked likely as the Red Roses ran in nine tries in victory over the USA in New Jersey, but Jones says competition is becoming more fierce at the top of the game.
“Teams are getting better, that’s the nature of it,” Jones said.
“It happened in the men’s game, it’s happened in the women’s game, and we’ve just got to start being probably more unpredictable.
“We’ve learned loads on this tour, and gained so much feedback from where we want to keep growing, getting better and keep pushing.”
European champions PSG registered their sixth league victory, and sit two points clear at top of the Ligue 1 standings.
Published On 31 Oct 202631 Oct 2026
Flying fullback Achraf Hakimi grabbed a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain went on a rampage to thrash bottom-placed Le Havre 5-1 and extend their Ligue 1 lead on Friday.
The European champions, who have several regulars out injured, could afford to leave more of their key players on the bench and still come away with an impressive victory as they moved to 20 points from their opening nine league fixtures.
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They are two points ahead of Lille and four above third-placed Rennes, who have 16 points.
Lille moved above Rennes into second, thanks to a late goal from veteran Olivier Giroud, who came off the bench to score an 86th-minute winner for a 1-0 derby victory at home over RC Lens.
Rennes were handed a 5-2 drubbing at Nice, who continued their improving form with a fourth win in five outings.
Elye Wahi netted a hat-trick for Nice, who moved up to seventh after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.
An all-round display from Hakimi
On top of his three goals at Stade Oceane, Hakimi had two assists for the goals scored by Mika Godts and Senny Mayulu after Josh Maja had given the hosts the lead.
It was PSG’s ninth consecutive victory in all competitions.
Le Havre suffered a fifth consecutive defeat and sit bottom with two points, but they briefly dared to believe as Maja handed them an early lead.
Hakimi set up Godts for the equaliser before putting his side ahead in the 28th minute with a shot in at the near post.
The Morocco international then netted from a free kick into the bottom corner in the 55th minute before being at the centre of a counterattack that saw Mayulu make it 4-1 in the 62nd minute.
Hakimi completed his hat-trick with a deflected effort in the 69th minute.
“I am happy because some players had very little playing time. If we want to win trophies, we need everyone,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique.
The picture has its own legacy, but it also captured the end of AC Milan and Inter Milan’s 2005 Champions League quarter-final that was abandoned after flares and other objects rained down on the San Siro turf from a section of Inter fans, one striking and injuring Milan goalkeeper Dida.
With 73 minutes played of the second leg, the referee abandoned the match and the tie was later awarded to Milan, who were leading 3-0 on aggregate.
“The atmosphere that night was like every time you have an AC Milan and Inter derby at the San Siro,” says Rellandini, who was working for Reuters at the time.
“It is always strong. They don’t fight a lot, but the choreography of the supporters is huge and great, so you can really feel it, even if you’re not a player.
“When you put your feet on to the pitch, you can feel that it’s not just a soccer match. It is something more.
“You are really close to the players. It was a nice atmosphere; there was adrenaline.
“It just blew up when they disallowed the goal from Esteban Cambiasso. That completely changed the situation.
“The Inter Milan supporters were freaking out. They started throwing down objects, flares, and did not stop for about 15 or 20 minutes. It was something like a war.”
The tension had been brewing. Milan had knocked Inter out of the competition two years earlier on away goals, despite both semi-final legs ending in a draw at the San Siro. Milan went on to beat Juventus on penalties in the final at Old Trafford.
Milan also headed into the 2004-05 campaign as Italian champions – a sixth Scudetto since Inter last got their hands on the Serie A title in 1988-89.
Owner Silvio Berlusconi was building his second truly great Milan side and the entrepreneur-turned-politician had trusted Carlo Ancelotti, a member of the team that won successive European Cups in 1989 and 1990, to deliver another period of success as manager.
For the quarter-final second leg a formidable back four of Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini sat behind Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini and Kaka, with Hernan Crespo – formerly of Inter – and Andriy Shevchenko up front. Rui Costa was on the bench.
Inter, meanwhile, had spent lavishly to try and compete with Milan and Juventus. Chairman Massimo Moratti broke the transfer world record twice in three years, first to sign Ronaldo from Barcelona in 1997 and then to get Christian Vieri from Lazio in 1999.
Crespo and Seedorf had arrived at Inter on big deals, but failed to land any significant silverware, before uniting across the divide at Milan.
Fabio Cannavaro had also come and gone – a misfiring two-year spell ending with a move to Juventus.
By 2005 the Inter midfield was built around the Argentina pair of Cambiasso and Juan Sebastian Veron, while ahead of them precocious Brazil forward Adriano was enjoying his most prolific season in a black and blue shirt.
The team was improving. The results weren’t.
Inter carried the unwanted tag of ‘August champions’ among rival fans, who mocked the expectations that had been built up in the summer transfer market and invariably fizzled out by the time silverware was at stake in May.
Among Inter supporters, there was an underlying feeling that they were running an unfair race – between them, Milan and Juventus had won 11 of the previous 13 titles.
However, in 2006 both would be implicated in the Calciopoli scandal. Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their part and stripped of two titles. Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were docked points.
In 2005 rumours were already swirling in the stands. Criminal investigations had begun in Naples and Turin over alleged bribery and corruption in football.
As the match turned against Inter, their fans’ frustrations – at the scoreline and their inability to close the gap on Milan and Juventus teams who always seemed one step ahead – spilled over from the stands and on to the pitch.
Stam and Shevchenko had given Milan a two-goal advantage in the first leg.
LeBron James scored 20 points, including a late tip-in, to help seal the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 victory over the NBA champions New York Knicks on Friday.
The 76ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night.
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The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973.
Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played December 4-5 and semifinals December 8-9 before the final on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks.
They led by 14 in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge.
Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up 90-89 with 1:32 remaining.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to 96-91 with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left.
LeBron’s ‘best game’
James, 41, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what 76ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in July.
“I thought he was really good all the way through,” Nurse said. “When we got some downhill stuff, he used his size and knocked them around a little bit for some layups … kind of pushed and organised it.
“He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.”
Brunson led New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 2-4.
The Dallas Mavericks, fuelled by 35 points from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, 116-111.
The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 51-44 lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.
Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch.
“It felt good,” Irving said. “We came in at halftime, we weren’t proud of our effort. We looked each other in the eye, and we were just like, we’ve got to do better.
“We didn’t bring it in the first half, but the second half we definitely brought it.”
Jalen Brunson top-scored for the Knicks with 24 points [Jesse D Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP]
Curry climbs scoring list
Golden State star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a rollercoaster contest in San Francisco.
The Lakers outscored the Warriors 38-15 in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the 23-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles 38-15 in the second to knot it 53-53 at halftime.
Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Lakers. The night’s abiding image was of him crashing to the floor as he was wrong-footed by Curry – who fired over him for a three-pointer.
Curry took his career points tally to 26,674, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list.
In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to propel the Heat to a 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
In Boston, the Celtics romped to a 125-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 26 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 32 points.
Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 26 and Wendell Carter chipped in 20 as the Magic fended off a late challenge to beat the Raptors 121-114 in Toronto.
The Magic drained 18 three-pointers and withstood a career-high 41-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.
Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench in a 110-94 Pistons victory.
Manchester United target Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez, with Lisandro Martinez attracting interest from the La Liga side, while Arsenal are eyeing Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi.
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is set to leave the club at the end of the season, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid keen on the 28-year-old Argentina international. (AS – in Spanish), external
Arsenal have no concerns about paying a big fee for Club Brugge’s £42m-rated German striker Nicolo Tresoldi, with the 22-year-old’s value set to increase next summer. (Football Insider), external
A number of Premier League sides are monitoring 26-year-old Minnesota United forward Kelvin Yeboah, with Everton leading the race for the Ghanaian. (Talksport), external
Barcelona could move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni in January after missing out on the 27-year-old Italy international this summer. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
Crystal Palace will face strong competition from Italian clubs for the signature of Lecce’s 21-year-old Portuguese defender Tiago Gabriel. (Teamtalk), external
Nottingham Forest‘s 23-year-old English winger Omari Hutchinson, who is on loan at AC Milan, will return to the City Ground next summer with the Serie A club set to target Real Madrid’s 20-year-old Brazil forward Endrick instead. (Gazzetta – in Italian), external
While Mitchell will undoubtedly take positives – Holly Aitchison’s play-making and Maud Muir’s all-action performance among them – he has plenty on his to-do list.
Top will be to tune up his team’s set-piece solidity and attacking fluency.
England suffered at the line-out early on, unable to fire up their rolling maul from two promising attacking positions before being shoved back over their own line, only for Kathryn Treder’s try to be ruled out for a obstruction call.
The scrum was also, initially at least, more closely contested than expected.
Muir was pinged as the experienced Hope Rogers grappled for set-piece supremacy.
And, all the while, the hosts were making headway at the gainline, buying territory with brute physicality – an aspect of the game which is usually England’s trademark.
The United States got their reward as Rogers burrowed beneath Maddie Feaunati for a short-range score that sparked lasting celebrations.
Jones went over after full-back Emma Sing hit a good line to restore a 10-point lead by the break, but the stats below the scoreboard favoured the United States with the hosts enjoying more territory and possession and making more metres with the ball in hand at the interval.
Moloney-MacDonald’s third and fourth scores soon after the restart put England 20 points clear and the outcome out of doubt.
The United States, who came into the match on the back of five-match winning run that includes successes over Ireland and South Africa, hung tough however.
While England’s endurance and depth told, with Hannah Botterman impressing off the bench, Ellie Kildunne weaving up from backfield on her introduction, the tide turning in the scrum and four tries scored in the final quarter, the hosts’ energy was impressive.
Even with replacement prop Mona Lisa Tupou being sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement, their resistance and physicality stayed high and was rewarded with Zackary’s late score.
With both the attendance and the playing surface appearing patchy at the 25,000-capacity Sports Illustrated Stadium, organisers will hope to have a more impressive platform in place by the time the Women’s Rugby World Cup is held stateside in 2033.
While Sherrock was celebrating, Ireland’s ‘Fierce’ Pearse Mackle, a 21-year-old university student from County Cavan, was left wondering what could have been.
Mackle, who competes on PDC’s Development Tour, was the eighth competitor and failed to hit a match-winning bullseye, instead finding the nine, and his life-changing moment came and went.
He was the only other player, apart from Sherrock, to cause Littler a fright.
For most of the night, Littler cruised through the competition as he went in search of the £501,000, which he had said he would donate to charity.
With former England footballer Gary Lineker hosting and with comedian Lee Mack and television presenter Richard Osman joining Turner as part of the punditry team, this was a night to bring darts to a new audience.
The first challenger was 16-year-old Kasey Smith from Manchester, but Littler showed he was in no mood to mess about, hitting treble 20s against her with his first two darts on his way to an easy win.
Some of Littler’s opponents had never played a competitive game of darts, although everyone was keen to make the most of the experience.
With John McDonald, who retired as the main PDC master of ceremonies after the 2026 World Championship final, announcing the players before their elaborate walk-ons, this was a fun event, although most players came nowhere near beating Littler.
But there were still entertaining moments. Fourteen-year-old Jayden Walker, a year 10 pupil from Dorset, threw off a school blazer and tie to reveal his darts outfit and, as the third-highest ranked player, threatened to cause a huge shock.
But Littler raised his game when he needed to, hitting a maximum 180 followed by a 158 checkout, the highest of the night, to defeat his fellow teenager in only 12 darts.
Taylon Forrester, 18, described himself as a “binman who works with his dad” and he jumped out of a dumpster on his way to the oche.
Other entrants included Zac Spain, a jockey from Melbourne, Australia, Frenchman Theodore Wallich, who dubbed himself the ‘Moustache Kid’, 57-year-old Mark Pooke, another 14-year-old in Makinley Cooper-Johnson and Will Kemp, back playing after a heart attack earlier this year.
But Sherrock, whose participation in the competition had been questioned because of her past achievements in the sport, was the real winner, even if she had been described by Lineker as a “hairdresser from Milton Keynes”.
With Littler on stage for more than two hours, he inevitably tired with his standard dropping and Sherrock was the one to take advantage, winning in a 15-dart leg in match number 15.
Hearn reappeared to present Sherrock with a huge cheque for her life-changing victory to end a surreal night of action.
Ahead of the Wisconsin game, USC got back two key offensive linemen from injury, left guard Hayden Treter and Paige.
However, the line still struggled against Wisconsin, allowing quarterback Jayden Maiava to get sacked five times and playing a factor in the Trojans’ limited run game.
Paige said the group needed to do “a little bit of everything” better in the run game. Raymond told reporters that factors like communication and physicality were among the causes of the line’s struggles.
“It wasn’t good enough,” Raymond said Wednesday.
Treter, who previously missed two games because of injury, was listed as out on Thursday’s availability report after exiting the loss to Wisconsin early.
Alston, freshman tight end Mark Bowman and defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart were among the notable USC players listed as questionable Thursday. Bowman, who racked up two touchdowns and more than 200 receiving yards in his first five collegiate games, hasn’t played since the Oregon loss in late September.
Stewart, who has been listed on the availability report and then played in each of the last four games, said he feels “great.”
“Just slowly getting better for the team,” Stewart said. “Can’t wait to go out there and perform.”
While the Trojans are dealing with some injuries, the highest-profile injury is on the other side as the Buckeyes will be without their star quarterback Julian Sayin, who was injured during Ohio State’s win over No. 4 Indiana on Oct. 17.
Sayin, who is expected to miss the rest of the season, had the second-most passing yards in the Big Ten (2,007), tied for the most passing touchdowns (19) and the highest passer rating (184.9).
Since Ohio State had a bye last week, coach Ryan Day hasn’t had to announce whether freshman Luke Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair will get the start in Sayin’s stead. Riley and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri both told reporters that the team is preparing for both and will be ready to adjust during the game.
“There’s an expectation that there will probably be some sort of adjustment in some way, and we’ll have to do a good job handling that,” Riley said of planning for two quarterbacks. “I think that’ll be one of the keys, I’m sure, to this matchup.”
The Trojans are set to kick off their high-stakes Halloween-homecoming matchup with the Buckeyes at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc headed McLaren’s Lando Norris in Friday practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who is poised to clinch his first world title on Sunday, was fourth fastest behind team-mate George Russell.
Only a victory by Russell or Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton can theoretically stop Antonelli becoming champion on Sunday. Even then, Antonelli only needs ninth place if Russell wins and 10th if Hamilton does.
Leclerc, who topped both sessions on Friday, was 0.103 seconds quicker than Norris, with Russell just 0.003secs further adrift.
Antonelli was 0.217secs off the pace, and ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Leclerc’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton was 11th overall after stopping on track with a technical problem before completing his qualifying simulation runs on the soft tyre.
Behind Hadjar, Racing Bulls duo Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson sandwiched Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completed the top 10.
Verstappen and Lawson face a trip to the stewards after a collision in the stadium early in the session.
“I don’t think it’s called unlucky,” said Verstappen. “Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there.
“At the end of the day it is not going to change my weekend, but if I were him I would act a little smarter and when you’re fighting for your seat it’s not very smart behaviour.”
Lawson is one of three drivers competing for two seats at Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team, next year, alongside current team-mate Arvid Lindblad and Bulgarian Formula 2 front-runner Nikola Tsolov.
Verstappen added: “When he saw me coming, he suddenly started to accelerate. I don’t know what was going through his head, that he wanted to drive me off the track in the hairpin.
“That’s not very sensible behavior from someone in his position, to pick a fight with me.”
The first session was marked by 10 of the 11 teams running ‘rookie’ drivers in their cars.
One of them was Cadillac’s Colton Herta, who the team are considering promoting to a race seat in place of Valtteri Bottas next season.
Initially, the team felt his running in Mexico had given him enough points under the F1 system to earn a ‘superlicence’, which is required to race in F1.
But further investigation by governing body the FIA revealed the American nine-time Indycar race winner is still one point short and will have to complete one further practice session this year to secure his licence.
The team plan to do that before the end of the season.
A parade of short-priced winners opened the Breeders’ Cup on Friday, with the afternoon’s heaviest favorite capturing the headline race as Hughes won the $2 million Juvenile.
Hughes, named for New Jersey Devils forward and U.S. Olympic hockey hero Jack Hughes, held off American History and Salahudin in the 1 1/16-mile race at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., to remain undefeated in five starts and clinch the 2-year-old championship.
The son of Into Mischief, ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert, went off at odds of 4-5 and returned $3.64 after covering the distance in 1 minute 42.27 seconds.
The winner of the Juvenile normally is anointed the early favorite for next spring’s Kentucky Derby, but Hughes will have to vie for that label with U.S.S. Valor, who skipped the Juvenile after a very impressive win in the Champagne Stakes last month at Belmont Park.
Friday’s win was the third in a Grade 1 race for Hughes, following victories in the American Pharoah at Santa Anita and the Del Mar Futurity.
Baffert also had the favorite in the Juvenile Fillies, but Miss Monica was runner-up behind second choice Emphatic ($7.92). The other losing favorite was Folsom Blues, who was second in the Juvenile Turf behind third choice Haffner ($9.46).
The other races were won by favorites — Libertango ($5.74) in the Turf Sprint and Sun Goddess ($3.70) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Ryan Moore rode Sun Goddess and Haffner for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who broke a tie with Baffert for most Breeders’ Cup wins (23-22).
There are nine more races Saturday beginning at 10:10 a.m. PDT. The final race, the $7 million Classic, is scheduled for 3:16 p.m.
Great Britain’s Kadeena Cox set a new world record as she won C4 1km gold at the Para Cycling Track World Championships in the Netherlands.
The 35-year-old crossed the line in 1 minute 9.545 seconds to win her seventh world title.
Cox faced a nervous wait as Tara Neyland took to the track afterwards in pursuit of a medal, but her Australian rival could not eclipse the Briton’s time.
Cox, who is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist, was draped in a British flag by her team following victory as she joyously celebrated her first world title since 2024.
In the men’s tandem B 1km time-trial, Britain’s James Ball defended his title as he won gold alongside new partner Aaron Pope.
The pair dominated in the final, crossing the line in 59.563 seconds as Ball secured his eighth world title, with Pope winning his first.
In the women’s pursuit final, Britain’s Sophie Unwin alongside Jenny Holl won silver behind New Zealand’s gold medallists Emma Foy and Jessie Hodges.
Unwin and Holl had earlier set a new world record of 4:30.262 in qualifying, before it was broken by Foy and Hodges’ time of 4:29.672.
In the men’s C4 final, Britain’s Archie Atkinson won bronze, while compatriot Fin Graham also took bronze in the C3 1km time-trial.
Dwyane Wade is looking much more like himself these days.
That is, the statue of Wade outside of Kaseya Center in Miami now looks much more like the retired Heat legend than it did when it was unveiled two years ago. The sculpture’s new look, featuring a redesigned head by original sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar Léon, was unveiled Friday.
The statue was meant to capture the iconic moment in 2009 when Wade jumped on a scorers’ table and declared, “This is my house!” Much of the public reaction, however, centered around how the piece looked less like the three-time NBA champion and more like Laurence Fishburne, Kelsey Grammer, Ken Norton Jr. and others.
“I heard the jokes. I saw the memes. I read the reactions. Everybody had an opinion about whether it actually looked like me,” Wade wrote in an essay published Friday on Substack. “At first, it was hard not to feel protective of it because I had spent so much time involved in the process. … But eventually, I had to take a step back and understand that the statue doesn’t belong only to me. It also belongs to Miami.”
He added: “I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: If people don’t feel that connection when they look at the face, why wouldn’t we try to make it better? So we listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved, and we all agreed to make adjustments to the head.”
When the statue was originally unveiled in October 2024, Wade had nothing but great things to say about it. He said it was his idea to immortalize that pose and that he had a lot of input on how the final product would look.
The original face on Dwyane Wade’s statue at Kaseya Center didn’t quite seem to capture the Miami Heat legend’s likeness.
(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)
“I was just like, ‘Dude, that’s beautiful,’” Wade told reporters after the original unveiling. “Personally biased, I think it’s one of the best statues that’s been created because of what it represents for us and for me.”
Amrany also defended the statue at the time.
“We emphasized a two-second moment of his life when he jumped on the table and was in screaming mode,” Amrany told The Times in October 2024. “And that’s what it is, that’s what happens to the face when people are doing this activity, this facial activity.
“We are very dedicated to a very high detailed quality to deliver exactly what the exact photo is giving us. For somebody to say that this does not look like Dwyane Wade in action, they don’t know Dwayne Wade in action. Or they don’t remember that. And it’s OK for them to say whatever they want.”
Both artists explained the decision to revisit the project in a statement released to media outlets this week.
“After seeing the work at full scale and in its permanent environment, we identified opportunities to strengthen the portrait,” Amrany and Léon said. “We decided that the importance of Dwyane warranted making those refinements rather than accepting something we believed could be improved.”
According to Wade, “this isn’t about erasing the work that was already done or disrespecting the artists who put their time and talent into creating it. It’s about being willing to listen. It’s about recognizing when something carries meaning for more people than just yourself and being open enough to revisit it.”
He added: “I hope when people see it now, they see a better likeness of me. But more than that, I hope they see themselves. Because it may be my likeness, but it will always be our house.”
Based on the comments on an X post by the Heat showing off the changes, Heat fans seem to approve. As one person wrote, it’s the “first statue to have a redemption arc.”
In the Middle East, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez will return to the ring after a 13-month hiatus in search of more titles.
In Riyadh, many time zones from his native Mexico and second home base in Las Vegas, Álvarez will try to take the World Boxing Council super-middleweight title from Christian Mbilli, an undefeated champion who has never faced an opponent of Álvarez’s caliber.
The Guadalajara-born boxer arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, where he was greeted by Faisal Bafarat, CEO of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The event has faced unusual complications, with one of the fights on the card canceled because of security concerns raised by one of the boxers and criticism from figures in the boxing world who question the athletes’ safety — especially after several sporting events, including Formula One, WTA and WWE events have been canceled or relocated because of the war in the Middle East.
The fight between Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) and Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) headlines the “Mexico vs. The World” event at The Venue as part of the seventh edition of Riyadh Season. The bout will be broadcast on pay-per-view via DAZN (10 a.m. Pacific Time, main event around 1:10 p.m.).
Terence Crawford throws a left punch at Canelo Álvarez at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, 2025.
(Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix)
After a period of inactivity that included elbow surgery, Álvarez — beyond his opponents — faces his greatest enemy in Father Time, as demonstrated by his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford, which cost him his four super-middleweight titles. Crawford retired after that victory — the best of his career — and Mbilli went from interim champion to full WBC champion.
After that painful defeat, Álvarez acknowledged that his mind wasn’t on the fight that night.
“When you lose, you always review your mistakes, and at this level there’s very little difference between winning and losing,” said Álvarez, whose training concluded in Spain, where he shared a gym with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. “I did a good job preparing for that fight, but during fight week, my mind wasn’t in it.”
For this bout, Álvarez chose to finish his preparation in Spain to avoid the adjustment issues he said he experienced during last year’s fight against William Scull, also in Riyadh.
Álvarez hasn’t knocked out an opponent since defeating Caleb Plant by technical knockout in 2021, and the last opponent he clearly knocked out was Sergey Kovalev in 2019. Although he has defeated several high-caliber opponents who were physically larger than him, he has been unable to secure a knockout, which has fueled speculation that his power and stamina have declined over the years. If he loses, it would mark the first consecutive losses of his career, and criticism regarding his decline would intensify. However, Álvarez has stated that he feels no obligation to win.
“I never think about the pressure. I feel like I work even better when I have it,” Álvarez said. “I don’t think about who says good or bad things.”
Álvarez did not fight in either May or September in Las Vegas, on the dates reserved for boxing’s biggest stars. In May, David Benavidez took the slot after knocking out Gilberto Ramírez, and then Ryan García took the September slot to defeat Conor Benn. For many, García is emerging as the man who will inherit Canelo’s slots in Las Vegas as the “new face of boxing.”
“I love boxing and I’m just focused on that. There’s a lot of young talent always coming out of Mexico, so we’ll see who’s next,” said Álvarez, who made his professional boxing debut 21 years ago.
“He’s the most successful Mexican boxer in the sport,” said Eddy Reynoso, the Jalisco native’s manager and trainer who asked for a round of applause for his fighter on Thursday at the news conference in Riyadh. Álvarez thanked him with a hug.
“We’re going to prove that Canelo is still up for the big challenges,” said Reynoso.
Canelo Álvarez waits in the corner during his fight against Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, 2025.
(David Becker / Associated Press)
But for many, time has Canelo on the ropes. Both he and his team have acknowledged that his body has taken a toll from fighting since he was 13.
“Now I’m the challenger, but in my mind I’ve always been the champion since I was a kid,” Álvarez said.
Mbilli, 31, a French-Cameroonian with an aggressive style and a high volume of punches, won the interim title by knocking out Maciej Sulecki in the first round in June 2025. In his next fight—on the same card as Canelo vs. Crawford and in front of a packed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — he fought to a hard-fought split-decision draw against Guatemalan Lester Martínez. This will be his first title defense as the undisputed champion.
“I think I have the right style to beat Canelo. I have a lot of power, a lot of speed, and a lot of skills to win this fight,” said Mbilli, who claimed to have spotted some mistakes by the Mexican during his fight against Crawford.
“I don’t think age will be a factor; it will be the perfect time for me,” said Mbilli, who is five years younger than Álvarez.
Álvarez is the favorite with the bookmakers thanks to Mbilli’s limited experience against elite opponents. Mbilli has a victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2024, a win over Sulecki and, in his title defense against Martínez last year, he had a lackluster performance in which he landed punches but also took a lot of hits.
Boxing amid international conflict
This image from CCTV video released by Saudi Arabia’s Media Ministry shows passengers taking cover as flames and smoke fill part of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 10.
(Saudi Media Ministry via Associated Press)
Álvarez’s fight card is proceeding as planned despite the wave of missile and drone attacks attributed to Houthi rebels. The attacks have left at least 20 dead and 370 wounded, and have forced the closure of King Khalid International Airport for two weeks. Last week, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential government personnel and their families from the country because of the instability.
Accompanying Álvarez were Mexicans Carlos Emiliano, Manuel Salcedo, Rafael Espinoza and Jaime Munguía, as well as Saudi fighter Sultan Al-Muhammad — all of whom were on the fight card. Mbilli had arrived days earlier.
But one person who did not arrive was Lindolfo Delgado, a Mexican boxer who was left off the Oct. 31 card, where he was scheduled to fight Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant International Boxing Federation super-lightweight title. According to his trainer, Robert García, his fighter did not make the trip due to logistical issues, as he lacked information about flights and there were daily alerts about possible missile attacks. It has not yet been announced whether Biyarslanov will fight a replacement boxer on the card.
“Why would we risk going there without any security guarantees? Flying to another country [Bahrain] and driving five to six hours to get to another location? That’s asking for trouble,” García said in an interview with Boxing Scene.
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, promoter Oscar De La Hoya joined the criticism of the decision to hold the bout in Saudi Arabia. He argued that promoter Turki Alalshikh and Álvarez should have been more responsible and moved the fight to another venue.
Because of the conflict in the Middle East, numerous top-tier events have been moved to other cities or were postponed. The list ranges from the Dakar Rally and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to the WTA Finals, the FIFA eSports Finals, and WWE’s Crown Jewel.
“It’s not very responsible when you have a U.S. consul saying it’s dangerous, that it’s a Category 3,” De La Hoya said to independent reporter Albert Pérez. “How can you put the boxers’ lives at risk?… It’s interesting — in the times we live in, when ambition feeds you and feeds your ego, that’s what happens.”
The event is sanctioned by the WBC, and Mauricio Sulaimán, the organization’s president, is in Riyadh.
“I’m coming to fight, to win a world championship,” Álvarez said on Thursday. “Whatever I have to do, wherever I have to go… I’ll do whatever it takes to win it.”
Christian Mbilli and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez made weight for their world title bout in Riyadh just 24 hours after two ballistic missiles were intercepted over the Saudi Arabian capital.
Mbilli, 31, was elevated to WBC super-middleweight champion in January and makes his first defence against Mexico’s Alvarez, 36, on Saturday.
Both fighters tipped the scales at 12st (76kg) before engaging in a tense but respectful face-off.
Alvarez, who will step into the ring for the 69th time on Saturday, made his professional debut almost exactly 21 years ago on 29 October 2005.
“This is very important for me, I’ve been doing this for 21 years and won my first world title 16 years ago. It’s important for me to win a title again,” Alvarez said.
“My experience is different, he hasn’t faced anyone like me and I’ll teach him tomorrow.”
Doubts have been raised in recent weeks about whether the event can take place safely due to the growing conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) currently advises against all but essential travel to the whole of Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, Saudi Press Agency reported the Civil Defence had intercepted two ballistic missiles over Riyadh. A civilian sustained a minor injury and there was damage to a house and vehicle due to falling shrapnel.
Travel arrangements for those attending Saturday’s bout have been complicated by restricted access to the airport.
While other sporting events in Saudi Arabia – including The Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition, the final round of the 2026 World Rally Championship and the 2026 Urban Cycling World Championships – have been cancelled the combat sports world has not followed suit.
