Sport

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota backup Jesper Wallstedt made 28 saves for his second straight shutout and the Wild beat the Ducks 2-0 on Saturday night.

Wallstedt extended his shutout streak to 141 minutes 9 seconds after beating Calgary 2-0 last Sunday night.

The 23-year-old Swede’s biggest save Saturday came when he robbed Frank Vatrano alone in front of the goal late in the second period. Wallstedt the backup to Filip Gustavsson, the fellow Swede who signed a five-year, $34-million extension Oct. 4.

Marcus Johansson scored in the second period and Matt Boldy added an empty-netter.

Minnesota improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games, giving up only 12 goals in that stretch. The Wild are 19-1-0 against the Ducks dating to the 2020-21 season, including six consecutive wins since March 14, 2024.

Petr Mrazek made 29 saves for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. They have scored only four goals in losing three in a row after winning nine of 10. Anaheim entered the day averaging 3.88 goals per game, second-best in the NHL.

Johansson opened the scoring 55 seconds into the second. Down the slot a stride behind Ryan Strome, Johansson got a pass from Boldy, went from forehand to backhand to deke Mrazek and lifted the puck past the down goalie. Johansson has seven goals this season after scoring just 11 goals each of the last two seasons.

The Wild have scored first in a franchise-record eight consecutive games.

Minnesota was 0 for 7 on the power play, the Ducks 0 for 2.

Ducks center Mikael Granlund, who returned Thursday after missing eight games because of a lower-body injury, missed the game because of the same issue. Wild right wing Vladimir Tarasenko missed his first game of the season because of a lower-body injury.

Up next

The Ducks open a six-game homestand against Utah on Monday night. The Wild host Vegas on Sunday night.

Conor Benn scored a unanimous points victory over Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Conor Benn dominated Chris Eubank Jr for 12 rounds in their middleweight clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday to claim a unanimous decision victory, exacting revenge for his defeat in the pair’s first meeting in April.

Benn lost that fight after all three judges scored it 116-112 in favour of his opponent, but there was no doubting who won Saturday’s clash as the 29-year-old put on the most complete performance of his professional career over 36 minutes.

Similar to the first fight, Benn came out strongly in the opening rounds, coming in under his opponent’s jab to land some heavy blows, but this time, there was to be no fall-off in production as Eubank Jr struggled from the opening bell.

Eubank Jr looked to make his height and reach advantage tell midway through the third round, punishing Benn when he allowed his head to go over his front foot, but Benn’s fast footwork allowed him to get in and out without suffering too much damage.

With Benn controlling the tempo, Eubank Jr found himself forced to lock his opponent up in the clinch to avoid damage when his guard was breached.

Sensing his adversary beginning to tire, Benn stepped on the gas in the seventh round, launching savage shots to the body to slow him down even further. Eubank Jr tried to respond, but there was little malice in his usually potent jab until he finally landed some offence late in the eighth round.

That was to be as good as it got for Eubank Jr, and Benn went for broke in the final frame, knocking his opponent to the canvas twice, with the bell coming to Eubank Jr’s rescue at the end of another epic clash between the two British boxers.

Benn-Eubank feud closed

With the two boxers’ fathers engaging in a heated rivalry in the 1990s that echoed in their sons’ two 2025 clashes, Benn recorded his family’s first victory over the Eubanks and quickly drew a line under it, saying there would be no rematch.

“I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga. Done. Finished. It’s over … this ends here,” he said, before taking a swipe at his detractors and praising Eubank Jr.

“Everyone’s saying, I can’t box? Put that in your pipe and smoke it … credit to Chris man, that’s all I say. Thank you for sharing the ring with me.”

For his part, Eubank Jr was gracious in defeat, giving no excuses for his flat performance and hailing his opponent as the better man.

“I’ve been through hell and back to get to this night, and it is what it is. I tried my best, and listen, the kid fought hard. He fought tough. He’s got power,” he said.

“Who knows, maybe we will see something new between me and him, and maybe we won’t, but for right now, it’s all about this man. It’s his night.”

Chris Eubank Jr’s rematch defeat to Conor Benn may be the time to retire, according to former boxers Carl Frampton and Barry Jones.

Eubank, 36, was beaten unanimously by Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, seven months on from Eubank’s victory in the first meeting between the two.

All three judges scored the fight convincingly in favour of Benn with Eubank struggling to even challenge his rival, months after beating him.

“It was a great performance from Conor, but this might be the time to call it a day for Chris,” retired world champion Frampton told DAZN.

“I’m not trying to be harsh, I’m just being honest.”

Former WBO super-featherweight champion Jones echoed Frampton’s sentiment, pointing to Eubank’s struggles throughout fight.

“I do think it should be the end for Chris,” said Jones on DAZN.

“It was evidence from round one that he was flat. It could be weight or it could be wear and tear, I think it’s the latter.

“We should give all the credit to Conor Benn, but there were opportunities for Chris to pull the trigger.

“He didn’t throw his punches from round one. He was quite lethargic.”

Lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, who has won belts in multiple weights, said Eubank was clearly “weight drained”.

Eubank has fought most of his recent career at middleweight but was restricted by a rehydration clause on fight day that prevented him from putting more than 10lbs.

Boxing legend turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya also defended Eubank’s performance.

“Let me give you a little tutorial on boxing,” he said on X.

“Eubank never had a chance due weight drain.”

Coach and former boxer Paul Smith said before the fight he felt it was a step too far for Eubank but praised the Briton for a “great career”.

“People who always seemed to dislike or hate him ended up growing to love him in the end. Like his dad,” he added.

They were battered, they were bruised, they were soaking wet and covered in stereotypes.

They’re not tough enough. They’re not resilient enough. They’re not Big Ten-enough.

Late in the second quarter Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum, a USC football team fighting for a playoff berth was crumbling beneath the weight of its worst national perception.

It was wilting under the weather and the weight of a team from Iowa.

Then, with big swings from a deep strength that few thought a Lincoln Riley team possessed, everything changed.

It’s raining wins, hallelujah.

Trailing 21-7, the Trojans got muddy and chilly and just plain mean, winning the line of scrimmage, winning the battle of skill, and eventually winning the game 26-21.

Yeah, afterward, that was Riley dancing in a downpour.

And, yes, USC is still in the national championship hunt, needing wins in its final two games at Oregon and against UCLA to qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Few will believe they can beat sixth-ranked and one-loss Oregon in Eugene. But then again, few believed they would survive Iowa after the Hawkeyes took that big second-quarter lead.

During the last 10 years, Iowa had an 83-5 record when leading by eight points or more. Translated, this is a program that knows how to protect a lead, and the Trojans were seemingly cooked.

But Makai Lemon made 153 yards worth of spectacular catches, King Miller ran for 83 bruising clock-killing yards, Jahkeem Stewart made a game-changing interception, Jayden Maiava held it together with a touchdown pass and no turnovers, and the game essentially appropriately ended with USC just being stronger.

On a fourth-down pass in the final minute, Kennedy Urlacher shoved Kaden Wetjen out of bounds as he was making a grab deep in Trojan territory.

No catch, game over, and in the end, the Trojans were as hearty as that section of fans that witnessed the game shirtless.

The afternoon started with groundskeepers drying the field with leaf blowers, the first rainy game at the Coliseum in nine years.

USC coach Lincoln Riley celebrates with wide receiver Prince Strachan during the second half of a 26-21 comeback win over Iowa at the Coliseum on Saturday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

But for USC under Riley, it felt the same, a late-season game requiring the sort of grimy toughness that his Trojans had yet to show.

Blew five fourth-quarter leads last season. Blew four of their last five games two seasons ago. Blew the Pac-12 championship game and a shot at the playoffs three seasons ago.

It looked like they were going to blow it again.

Iowa took the opening kickoff and drove 69 yards in seven plays in a bruising drive punctuated by a fourth-down, two-yard touchdown pass from Mark Gronowski to Dayton Howard in the back of the end zone.

Yes, the FBS’s 133rd ranked passing offense — out of 136 teams — had just scored on a pass play.

And Iowa was just getting started.

After stopping the Trojans’ Miller on a fourth-down run around just inside Iowa territory — a terrible Riley call against the nation’s best fourth-down defense — the Hawkeyes drove 45 yards in nine plays to score on a Gronowski one-yard push to take a 14-0 lead.

The Trojans came back while finally finding their groove, driving 74 yards on 11 plays featuring a leaping catch by Ja’Kobi Lane and ending with a one-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation by Bryan Jackson.

So USC had the momentum? Not so fast.

USC defensive tackle Jide Abasiri holds up the ball while celebrating with cornerback Decarlos Nicholson during the second half of the Trojans’ win Saturday over Iowa.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Iowa took the possession and pounded and pounded and nine plays and 75 yards later scored on a five-yard, trick-play pass from receiver Reece Vander Zee to Gronowski.

That gave Iowa a 21-7 lead that was shortened only by a Ryon Sayeri 40-yard field goal after a dropped pass and penalty stopped the Trojans.

USC took the ball at the start of the third quarter and seemed to be destined for a touchdown after a leaping sideline catch by Lemon. But a holding call against Lane ruined a long run by Miller, two failed pass plays stalled the drive, and the Trojans had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Sayeri to close the gap to 21-13.

After the Trojans defense stiffened, the offense went back on a roll, using another leaping grab by Lemon — this one for 35 yards — to set up a 12-yard TD pass between three defenders to Lemon. Maiava overthrew Lemon on the two-point conversion attempt, but this time, the Trojans didn’t blow the momentum.

On Iowa’s next possession, with 1:52 left in the period, the powerful freshman Stewart grabbed a deflected pass for an interception to give the Trojans the ball on the Iowa 40-yard line.

From there, Maiava drove them 40 yards in six plays on a possession that was assisted by a pass interference penalty and gave them an eventual 26-21 lead after Jackson’s one-yard touchdown run.

It was a lead they never lost.

It is a season that still matters.

The family feud began almost exactly 35 years ago when Chris Eubank Sr beat Nigel Benn on 18 November 1990 before the pair fought to a draw three years later.

Despite their being no title on the line, the magnitude of the rivalry was enough to draw out some big names from the world of sport and entertainment.

Actors Jeremy Piven and Pierce Brosnan, musicians Emma Bunton and Rod Stewart, and ex-Arsenal footballer Thierry Henry were among the stars watching from ringside.

Trying to recapture the magic of the first bout was always going to be a predicament and it fell short of achieving a sell-out.

The Eubanks’ arrival – both were expected this time – also provided an interesting insight into public opinion as boos rang out around the stadium. It was all cheers, though, as Benn was shown stepping out of his car.

Benn made his entrance to resounding cheers and alongside father Nigel. They were accompanied to the ring by a percussion troop, who started off with Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’, before transitioning into a remix of ‘Ready or Not’ by the Fugees.

Eubank Jr walked second, wearing a white robe lined with fur, also had his father Eubank Sr by his side. They were initially greeted by boos until American rapper 50 Cent stepped out to perform a medley of songs as they weaved through the crowd.

On a flight to Houston to play in his first college football game, Kenny Easley was told that he would split time at free safety with a veteran UCLA teammate.

“That’s what happened,” Easley told The Times in 2017, recounting the story 40 years later. “Michael Coulter started the game and played the first two quarters, I played the second two and Michael never played again.”

Such was the dominance of a player who would be called The Enforcer for the way he inflicted his will on college and NFL opponents. Easley finished that first season with nine interceptions and 93 tackles, school records for a true freshman, and was just getting started on the way to becoming the first player in Pac-10 history to be selected for the conference’s first team all four seasons.

Easley, one of the most revered players in school history, died Friday from unspecified causes, the school announced. He was 66. Easley had long battled kidney issues that forced the five-time Pro Bowler to retire prematurely in 1987 after spending all seven of his NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Seahawks legend Kenny Easley,” the team said in a statement. “Kenny embodied what it meant to be a Seahawk through his leadership, toughness, intensity and fearlessness. His intimidating nature and athletic grace made him one of the best players of all-time.”

Much of that resolve was forged thanks to a childhood game that Easley called dynamite pigskin. A pack of kids would gather on the athletic fields in Easley’s hometown of Chesapeake, Va., and a football would be tossed into the air.

Safety Kenny Easley also returned punts for UCLA.

(Courtesy UCLA Athletics)

Whoever caught it would take off running and everybody else would try to catch him until the ball carrier found himself hopelessly surrounded, forcing him to throw the ball back into the air, where the game earned its dynamite nickname. The game would go on for hours until everyone was bruised and exhausted.

One of the nation’s top prospects out of high school, Easley appeared bound for Michigan, telling everyone he was going to play for the Wolverines. But on the day of his college announcement, Easley blurted out that he was going to play for UCLA, his other finalist, during a ceremony at his high school auditorium.

“So just like that, the proverbial genie is out of the bottle and it’s on videotape that I’m going to UCLA,” Easley would recall many years later. He suspected he changed his mind because the Bruins had said from the start they were recruiting him to play free safety while Michigan wanted him as a quarterback, his other high school position.

Easley tallied 19 interceptions during four college seasons, which remains a school record. Having made 13 interceptions during his first two seasons, Easley developed a ready explanation for why he couldn’t sustain that pace.

“They didn’t throw the ball down the middle,” he said of opposing quarterbacks. “If I was playing against Kenny Easley, I wouldn’t throw the ball down the middle either.”

Easley also returned punts and was a punishing hitter, logging 105 tackles during his senior season in 1980. He would finish ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy that year. His 374 career tackles remain the fifth most in UCLA history and he became the second player from the school to earn consensus All-American honors three times, joining linebacker Jerry Robinson.

“Kenny Easley was the most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life,” Robinson wrote in an email to The Times. “No matter what he was doing, whether it was sports or life, he was in it to win it! Whether it was football, basketball, pick-up softball games, playing cards, high diving into the swimming pool or golf, everything he did he wanted to be the best at it. And he was the best at it. He was the greatest all-around athlete that I have ever played with. RIP ‘Force 5’.”

The Seahawks selected Easley with the fourth pick in the 1981 draft, and he went on to make 32 interceptions in seven seasons. But his time with the franchise ended acrimoniously after he accused the team of providing medicine that led to his kidney problems. The sides would later resolve their differences. Easley was named one of the 50 greatest players in franchise history.

Elected into the college and pro football halls of fame, Easley had his No. 5 jersey retired by UCLA in 1991 and was also enshrined in the school’s athletics hall of fame.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti says Gabriel will be assessed on Sunday after the Arsenal defender suffered a groin injury in a friendly win over Senegal in London.

The 27-year-old pulled up off the ball just before the hour mark and received treatment to his right thigh before being substituted.

Gabriel has formed a key part of the Arsenal defence as they top the Premier League table, having conceded just five goals in 11 league games.

The Gunners face North London rivals Tottenham on 23 November before welcoming Bayern Munich in the Champions League the following Wednesday.

“Bad? I don’t know. He had an injury in his adductor,” said Ancelotti. “The medical staff has to check tomorrow.

“We are really sorry for this, really disappointed. When a player has an injury, you hope they can recover well and soon.”

Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium through goals from Chelsea’s teenage winger Estevao and Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

Meanwhile, Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso says Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the international camp.

He did not play in Italy’s World Cup qualifying win over Moldova on Thursday, having been following an individual training programme for load management.

“We tried Calafiori, he had a few issues,” Gattuso told Sky Sports Italia, external before Italy’s match against Norway on Sunday.

“I thank him for his commitment. He stayed here for a week, he could have played perhaps, but it wouldn’t have been fair to him or Arsenal.”

A source told BBC Sport that Calafiori has not returned to Arsenal for any treatment.

Different team. Different time. But it’s back to the scene of the crime for the Chargers, who three years ago succumbed to a 27-point comeback in a playoff loss at Jacksonville.

This season’s Jaguars got off to a 4-1 start but have lost three of their last four to slip back into the pack. They don’t have star rookie Travis Hunter, who underwent surgery this week and will miss the remainder of the season.

The team plays hard for first-year coach Liam Coen, who said he wants quarterback Trevor Lawrence to “cut it loose and let it rip” when he sees opportunities down the field.

After opening the season 3-0, the Chargers lost three of four, but are now riding another three-game winning streak. Justin Herbert has been outstanding at times, despite being the most-hit quarterback in the NFL.

The Chargers defense is coming off a gem of a performance in a win over Pittsburgh. Aaron Rodgers looked every bit of 41 years old, and at one point the Steelers were 0 for 9 on third down.

How the Chargers can win: As usual, protect Herbert behind a patchwork offensive line. Jacksonville has struggled to pressure quarterbacks, especially with Travon Walker at less than full strength and a beat-up secondary. Get the ball to Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden II, with some Keenan Allen mixed in. Don’t allow the Jaguars to control the game with the run.

How the Jaguars can win: Jacksonville can look like a playoff team when it wins at the line of scrimmage but tends to collapse when it gets pushed around. The Jaguars need to establish the run early and grind out some long drives because they do not get a lot of explosive plays. Get to Herbert quickly before he has a chance to attack that weakened secondary. Contain Herbert, too, because he can burn you with his feet.

“It is just moments where we need to smarten up. Tomorrow is another day.

“We made it a bit easy for them at times. We had too many blips in the circuit.”

England took an early lead in front of a noisy crowd in their first match since February.

But New Zealand, who denied England a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, fought back and led 15-14 after the first quarter with a score on the buzzer.

New Zealand extended their lead to 33-30 by half-time. Goal shooter Grace Nweke proved near unstoppable and was supported by sisters Kate and Georgia Heffernan, while England made unforced errors.

Thirlby made changes at half-time and her side were reinvigorated for the third period as they stormed back to level at 47-47.

Goal keeper Jaz Brown was impressive on her England debut with crucial steals.

However, the tourists showed their quality in the fourth quarter despite England shooter Eleanor Cardwell coming off the bench for her first appearance since suffering a knee injury which threatened her career.

The second game takes place at the same venue on Sunday and the final match is at AO Arena in Manchester on Wednesday.

England play Jamaica in December.

A look at the top performers from high school football across the Southland during the first week of the playoffs.

RUSHING

• Zastice Jauregui, Garfield: Had touchdown runs of 76, 65 and 70 yards en route to 440 yards rushing and five touchdowns in 30 carries in win over Palisades.

• Chris Fields III, Carson: Rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in win over King/Drew.

• Malaki Davis, Corona Centennial: Rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Noah Penunuri, Rio Hondo Prep: Rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns in win over Troy.

• Lenny Ibarra, Los Alamitos: Rushed for 116 yards and four touchdowns in win over San Juan Hills.

• Kamden Tillis, Los Alamitos: Rushed for 112 yards in defeat of San Juan Hills.

• Dallas Jones, Birmingham: Rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns in win over Kennedy.

• Jacob Jimenez, Chino Hills: Rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Ty Hall, Saugus: Scored four touchdowns in win over Calabasas.

PASSING

• Trace Johnson, Santa Margarita: Passed for two touchdowns in win over Sierra Canyon.

• Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills: Passed for 271 yards in loss to Los Alamitos.

• Diego Montes, Granada Hills Kennedy: Passed for 207 yards, ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns in loss to Birmingham.

• Domenik Fuentes, Cleveland: Passed for three touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns in win over North Hollywood.

RECEIVING

• Ryan Clark, Santa Margarita: Caught touchdown passes of 33 and 34 yards in win over Sierra Canyon.

• Luc Weaver, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Caught five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

DEFENSE

• Isaia Vandermade, Santa Margarita: Had two sacks and batted down a pass vs. Sierra Canyon.

• Weston Reis, Palos Verdes: Returned an interception for a touchdown vs. Dana HIlls.

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, in win over Servite, giving him 10 interceptions this season and his sixth defensive touchdown.

• Thomas Alexander, San Clemente: Returned interception 80 yards for a touchdown in win over Vista Murrieta.

• Shaun Scott, Mater Dei: Had two sacks in win over Mission Viejo.

• PeeWee Wilson, Oxnard Pacifica: Recorded 12 tackles in win over Bishop Amat.

• King Rich Johnson, Orange Lutheran: Returned interception 45 yards for a touchdown in defeat of St. John Bosco.

• Devin Sandville, Orange Vista: Returned two interceptions for touchdowns in loss to Agoura.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Dabe Nwude, Palos Verdes: Blocked an extra-point attempt in 14-13 win over Dana Hills.

• Bo Ausmus, Redondo Union: Returned kickoff 86 yards for touchdown in win over St. Paul.

• Kyron Rattler, Crenshaw: Returned a punt for a touchdown and returned an interception for a score in win over San Pedro.

• Paul Turner, Birmingham: Returned a kickoff for a touchdown and had three catches for 92 yards in win over Kennedy.

• Jimmy Renteria, Birmingham: Returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in defeat of Kennedy.

The sport betting scandal that took hold of the Turkish Football Federation this week has put a spotlight on an endemic issue.

Hundreds of players and referees have been accused of illegally placing bets.

Authorities are trying to understand the scale and impact of a situation they’re calling a “moral crisis”.

But it’s not just Turkiye, it’s not just football, and it’s not just the lower leagues.

Betting scandals are increasingly hitting major sports leagues around the world.

Fans are being bombarded with sports gambling advertisements, and betting regulations are easing.

So, is sport still about the love of the game, or just the rush of placing a bet?

What impact is gambling having on the pitch, and what can authorities do to keep the game honest?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests: 

Ali Emre Dedeoglu – Sports commentator

Tancredi Palmeri – International sports analyst

Jamie Allen – Football journalist and writer

England: Steward; Roebuck, Lawrence, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; Ford (vc), Mitchell; Baxter, George (vc), Heyes, Itoje, Coles, Pepper, Underhill, Earl

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge (vc), Stuart, Cunningham-South, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith

New Zealand: Jordan; Carter, Proctor, Tupaea, Fainga’anuku; B Barrett, Roigard, De Groot, Taylor (vc), Newell, S Barrett (c), Lord, Parker, Savea (vc), Lakai

Replacements: Taukei’aho, Williams, Tosi, Lord, Sititi, Ratima, Lienert-Brown, McKenzie

All those hits finally caught up with Nico Iamaleava.

After absorbing one punishing blow after another, the UCLA quarterback will miss Saturday’s game against top-ranked Ohio State at Ohio Stadium because of concussion symptoms related to hits he sustained last weekend against Nebraska, a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said.

Iamaleava was participating in the early portion of practice Tuesday, the last session observed by reporters this week.

His absence against the Buckeyes presumably means that top backup Luke Duncan, a redshirt sophomore who has never thrown a pass at the college level, will make his first career start.

Iamaleava’s ability to take hits and keep on playing had been a major topic of discussion early this week between reporters and UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper. The quarterback was easily his team’s leading rusher, his average of 52.7 yards per game nearly doubling the output of running back Jaivian Thomas (30.8), the team’s second-leading rusher.

Skipper had praised Iamaleava’s fearlessness, saying the 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore didn’t want to slide or run out of bounds.

“Nico’s the first like tall, skinny dude that I know that will lower the pads on you and is not afraid, he’s going to always be going forward and getting yards and things like that,” Skipper said Monday. “He’s got little legs and skinny arms but has no fear at all.”

Skipper also acknowledged the need to preserve Iamaleava’s availability by preventing him from taking more hits than necessary.

“Obviously, he’s your starting quarterback,” Skipper said. “You don’t want him taking big hits and things like that, but if they’re going to give him running lanes, you might as well take them. I kid with him all the time, ‘Hey every now and then, you might want to slide a little bit.’ But you know, when you have a natural runner like he is, you kind of just let them go do their thing.”

Immediately after UCLA’s 28-21 loss to Nebraska, Iamaleava did not indicate that all the hits he had taken impacted his performance. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns without an interception while also running 15 times for 86 yards.

“Yeah man, shoot, I’ve played football a long time and I’ve gotten hit a lot of times in many games,” Iamaleava said. “So, I don’t think it affected me in that way. Overall, we just gotta play better as a whole and finish games.”

Cheltenham’s meeting on Saturday will go ahead after passing an inspection following heavy rain as Storm Claudia continues to hit the UK.

The seven-race card features the Paddy Power Gold Cup (14:20 GMT), with the going described as heavy, soft in places.

Racing took place on Friday, the opening day of the three-day meeting, but 35mm of rain fell throughout the day.

An inspection was held on Saturday morning but the course was passed fit to race.

Racing at Uttoxeter was also given the go-ahead although the meeting at Irish track Navan was called off, with races rescheduled for Monday.

The bend turning into the home straight at Cheltenham will be reconfigured to avoid unraceable areas and the penultimate fence on the chase course will be bypassed.

Ante-post favourite Jagwar has been declared a non-runner in Saturday’s showpiece race due to the ground conditions.

People discovered who were true mudders on a rainy Friday night in the City Section football playoffs.

Crenshaw routed No. 3-seeded San Pedro 30-0 to advance to the Open Division semifinals next week at Birmingham. The Cougars received a punt return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown from Kyron Rattler. Deance’ Lewis had a long touchdown on the opening possession and De’Andre Kirkpatrick contributed double digits in tackles.

Crenshaw is 9-1 under interim coach Terrence Whitehead. That means Robert Garrett, on administrative leave, has 299 career victories. Birmingham defeated Granada Hills Kennedy 49-20.

Garfield received 440 yards rushing from Zastice Jauregui to end Palisades’ unbeaten season, 42-21. Garfield will play at No. 1 Carson, which defeated King/Drew 27-2.

Venice was unstoppable on its grass field, beating Franklin 35-8 in the Division I playoffs.

The Dorsey at Eagle Rock game was postponed until Monday because of a power failure at Eagle Rock.

More consistent success raises expectations of Argentina, something they have not always handled well.

In the summer they lost a home series 2-0 to England, despite Steve Borthwick’s side missing 14 players who were touring with the British and Irish Lions.

In the Rugby Championship, they started with a defeat and a win at home against New Zealand and went to Australia with a big chance to cement their status as title contenders.

Despite leading by 14 points at half-time, they ended up losing 28-24 after conceding a last-gasp try.

They avenged that loss the next week and ran the Springboks close in their final game after a 67-30 defeat in Durban, but finished bottom of the table.

Argentina went to Cardiff as favourites last week and put up 52 points, but Scotland are unlikely to be as charitable as Wales and the Pumas do not usually tour well in the northern hemisphere either.

The last time they won more than one game in November Tests was 2014.

However, with Wales dispatched and Scotland and England to come, this team has the chance for a historic clean sweep.

The odds might be against them, but three wins on British soil is not farfetched for this Argentina side.

Argentina team to face Scotland: Cruz Mallia, Isgro, Moroni, Chocobares, M Carreras, Prisciantelli, Benitez Cruz; Vivas, Montoya (capt), Delgado, Petti, Rubiolo, S Grondona, Martin Gonzalez, Oviedo.

Replacements: Ruiz, Gallo, Coria Marchetti, Elias, Matera, Moyano, S Carreras, Piccardo.

Cremers will become the youngest coach to lead a Uefa national team in a competitive match since Terry Neill was in charge of Northern Ireland, taking over on a player-manager basis for a Euro 1972 qualifier against the USSR in October 1971 aged 29, five months and five days.

But while Cremers may be relatively young in coaching terms, he is not lacking in the top-level experiences he hopes will see him become a manager in his own right one day.

The Dutchman, who has also worked at Brentford, originally joined Manchester City as a match analyst for the under-23s before his promotion to Guardiola’s set-up as chief analyst in 2018, playing a role in four Premier League title wins

Upon leaving his role as head of analysis and insights at City in 2022, Cremers took up the position as assistant coach under Kompany at Turf Moor – where he was integral in the club’s 2023 promotion into the Premier League as champions with a points total of 101.

And it was at Burnley where Cremers forged a close relationship with Bellamy, who also worked under Kompany.

Indeed, one of Bellamy’s first key decisions following his appointment as Wales head coach in the summer of 2024 was to appoint Cremers to his staff.

When asked in November 2024 what Cremers added to his team, Bellamy replied: “Everything. The year we had at Burnley was down to him.

“We murdered the league, and it was that. It hadn’t been done before.

“Piet really pushed us towards this way. Vinny was always very intelligent about sounding out the best people.

“He brought Piet into our world then and it was just like ‘wow’, he moved so many different areas for us.”

A rare November storm dumped continuous gallons of rain on players and fans Friday night across Southern California, creating opportunities for underdogs in the quarterfinals of the high school football playoffs.

No one was better prepared for rain than Santa Margarita quarterback Trace Johnson, who played last season in Florida. “Every other game was rain,” he said.

Johnson fired touchdown passes of 33 and 34 yards to sophomore Ryan Clark to help No. 5-seeded Santa Margarita (8-3) hand No. 4-seeded Sierra Canyon (10-1) its first defeat, 21-9, to advance to the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.

The big stunner of the night was No. 8-seeded Orange Lutheran eliminating No. 1-seeded St. John Bosco 20-19 when the Braves missed an extra point in the final two minutes. Orange Lutheran (3-8) lost to St. John Bosco 48-0 in the regular season. The big play was sophomore King Rich Johnson returning an interception for a touchdown and a 20-13 lead. The Lancers will host Santa Margarita next week at Orange Coast College.

“To go from losing 48-0 to beating a team in the playoffs speaks to their character and continued growth,” Orange Lutheran coach Rod Sherman said. “Our goal is to play our best football at the end of the year. We don’t make excuses with our young team. We played our best football game of the year. I’m super proud of our guys. They got over the mental block that they can play with anyone in the country.”

The other semifinal will have Mater Dei at Corona Centennial. Centennial defeated Servite 41-6. Mater Dei defeated Mission Viejo 20-0.

Sierra Canyon had never trailed this season, led by a defense considered the best in the region. But Johnson stunned the Trailblazers with his touchdown pass to Clark at the end of the first half for a 7-3 halftime lead. Sierra Canyon scored on its opening possession of the second half to go on top 9-7, but after that, it was Santa Margarita’s defense displaying its dominating form.

Isaia Vandermade sacked Sierra Canyon quarterback Laird Fink twice in the second half. He also batted down a pass attempt. Fink was limited to 92 yards passing. The Eagles had three second-half sacks, with leading tackler Leki Holani making tackle after tackle.

Santa Margarita entered the Division 1 playoffs under first-year coach Carson Palmer having played six of the seven teams in one of the toughest regular-season schedules. Palmer singled out Clark, who’s also the Eagles’ punter.

“He was unbelievable,” Palmer said. “He made plays all night.”

Said Clark: “They were great throws. We practiced good all week.”

Sierra Canyon quarterback Laird Fink throws in the rain.

(Craig Weston)

Sierra Canyon’s Jaxsen Stokes rushed for 106 yards, but lost opportunities in the first half proved costly. The Trailblazers tried three field goals. Carter Sobel made a 34-yard field goal, but he had one blocked and missed from 42 yards. Fink had a pass intercepted in the end zone by Joshua Holani in another huge play for the Eagles.

With seven commits to USC playing on the drenched Sierra Canyon all-weather field and USC Heisman Trophy winner Palmer coaching Santa Margarita, it would have been a perfect time to hire Traveler to take a gallop around the field or borrow the Trojan band to play “Tusk.”

Palmer has certainly made an impact in his first s†int as a high school coach.

“It’s been real fun and it’s still going,” he said.

When the clock struck 90 minutes in Slovakia, the visitors were on course for a point that would have left them in pole position for second spot and qualifying from Group A’s own spot in the play-offs without the need to rely on their Nations League success.

Had they held on, or had referee Istvan Kovacs ruled out Tomas Bobcek’s stoppage-time winner for a push on Daniel Ballard, it would not have changed the reality that this was their worst performance of what has been an otherwise encouraging campaign.

Such an outcome always felt a distinct possibility given their notable absentees for the game.

In Kosice, Shea Charles was a massive loss but nobody who has watched Northern Ireland during O’Neill’s second tenure would have expected anything less.

Brad Lyons and George Saville performed determinedly in the middle of the park throughout but arguably, outside of Conor Bradley, there is no player more important to the cause than classy Southampton midfielder Charles.

Not to say that Northern Ireland have not tested the theory through the campaign.

They have been without Bradley and Ethan Galbraith for a game apiece because of suspensions while, when all is said and done, Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard will have played in only three of the six fixtures.

Throw in Ali McCann’s absence for this window, and the fact that first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles has missed the entire campaign, and you get a sense of how O’Neill’s depth has been tested.

It is surely no coincidence that their strongest performance – the 2-0 home win over Slovakia last month – was produced by their strongest team on paper.

“The one thing we’ve learnt during this campaign is that you can lose a player at a moment’s notice,” said O’Neill.

“You’re never in control of that, but hopefully come March, the challenges we’ve had through this group with players missing, we’ll not have and we’ll be as strong as we can be.”

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION

#1 Carson 27, #8 King/Drew 2

#5 Garfield 42, #4 Palisades 21

#6 Crenshaw 30, #3 San Pedro 0

#2 Birmingham 49, #7 Granada Hills Kennedy 20

DIVISION I

#1 Venice 35, #8 Franklin 8

#5 Marquez 47, #13 Van Nuys 7

#11 Dorsey at #3 Eagle Rock, postponed until Monday

#2 South Gate 32, #7 Gardena 24 (OT)

DIVISION II

#1 Cleveland 42, #9 North Hollywood 0

#4 Fairfax 27, #5 L.A. University 18

#6 L.A. Marshall 17, #14 Chatsworth 12

#2 San Fernando 18, #10 Arleta 14

DIVISION III

#5 Contreras 20, #4 Jefferson 14

#3 LA Wilson 33, #11 Chavez 20

#2 Hawkins 18, #7 Roybal 15

8-MAN

Semifinals

#4 East Valley at #1 Sherman Oaks CES, postponed

#2 Anino Robinson 16, #3 TEACH Tech 6

SOUTHERN SECTION

Quarterfinals

DIVISION I

Orange Lutheran 20, St. John Bosco 19

Santa Margarita 21, Sierra Canyon 9

Mater Dei 20, Mission Viejo 0

Corona Centennial 41, Servite 6

DIVISION 2

Murrieta Valley 26, Rancho Cucamonga 6

Los Alamitos 35, San Juan Hills 10

San Clemente 32, Vista Murrieta 7

Leuzinger 19, Chaparral 16

DIVISION 3

Oxnard Pacifica 28, Bishop Amat 7

Chino Hills 54, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 26

Palos Verdes 14, Dana Hills 13

Edison 9, Inglewood 7

DIVISION 4

Charter Oak 21, San Jacinto 14

Villa Park 30, Great Oak 6

Oaks Christian 28, Paraclete 14

La Habra 13, Cathedral 7

DIVISION 5

Redondo Union 14, St. Paul 13

Loyola 21, Bonita 14

La Serna 10, Aliso Niguel 7

Rio Hondo Prep 28, Troy 0

DIVISION 6

Eastvale Roosevelt 14, Burbank 13

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 31, Upland 28

Agoura 27, Orange Vista 26

Ventura 35, Moorpark 28

DIVISION 7

Palm Springs 22, Hart 21

Barstow 34, La Canada 6

Apple Valley 28, Victor Valley 20

Saugus 28, Calabasas 27

DIVISION 8

Palm Desert 46, Patriot 33

Beckman 30, Fullerton 13

Irvine 14, Quartz Hill 0

Brea Olinda 41, St. Monica 28

DIVISION 9

Ramona 48, Cerritos 22

Hesperia 21, Norte Vista 7

Cerritos Valley Christian 10, Warren 7

San Dimas 28, Riverside Poly 8

DIVISION 10

Tahquitz 38, Oak Park 33

Santa Monica 14, Brentwood 13

Garden Grove Pacifica 13, Liberty 7

Hillcrest 27, St. Margaret’s 13

DIVISION 11

Western Christian 21, El Monte 14

Baldwin Park 48, Shadow Hills 10

Valley View 28, Gahr 21

South Pasadena 41, Palmdale 7

DIVISION 12

Grace 41, Yucca Valley 28

Coachella Valley 49, Perris 14

Bellflower 13, Colton 12

Santa Paula 21, Arroyo Valley 14

DIVISION 13

Saddleback 28, Santa Rosa Academy 11

Woodbridge 23, Buena Park 16

La Puente 50, Viewpoint 28

Montebello 27, Linfield Christian 25

DIVISION 14

South El Monte 14, Indian Springs 7

Miller 25, Ontario 20

Anaheim 13, Alhambra 6

Pioneer 14, Trinity Classical Academy 6

8-MAN

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 1

Sage Hill 58, Chadwick 49

Faith Baptist 50, California School for the Deaf Riverside 6

DIVISION 2

Hesperia Christian 40, Lancaster Desert Christian 0