Sport

Verstappen’s wire-to-wire victory in Austin narrows the drivers’ championship gap to 40 points behind Oscar Piastri, with six races remaining.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated the US Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, leading every lap to take another significant chunk out of Oscar Piastri’s Formula One championship lead on a perfect weekend in Texas.

McLaren’s Piastri finished fifth with his teammate and closest rival, Lando Norris, seconds after passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, last year’s winner, five laps from the chequered flag.

Piastri now leads Britain’s Norris by 14 points, with five rounds and two sprints remaining, while Verstappen has slashed his gap to the Australian to 40 after being 104 behind at the end of August.

Verstappen also won the Saturday sprint from pole position at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, while the McLarens collided and retired, on a weekend of maximum points for the four-time world champion.

McLaren has already sealed the constructors’ title.

Verstappen says the title chance is there

“For sure, the chance is there,” Verstappen said of the title battle. “We just need to try and deliver these weekends until the end.

“We will try whatever we can. It’s exciting,” he added after his third win in the last four races and 68th of his career.

Piastri said he still had full confidence in his ability to become Australia’s first champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

“I’d still rather be where I am than the other two,” added the 24-year-old.

Norris lost out to Leclerc at the start and then took 21 laps to find a way back past as the Monegasque, on the faster but less durable soft tyres, held a defensive masterclass.

Leclerc then battled with Lewis Hamilton, who started on mediums, before pitting on lap 23 and coming back out in ninth place, with his teammate moving up to third and Piastri to fourth.

Verstappen, by then, was 10 seconds down the road from his closest rival.

Once the rest of the frontrunners had made their pitstops, Leclerc was again second on the road – but more than six seconds behind Verstappen – with Norris third and having to overtake all over again with a track limits warning hanging over him.

Job done, Norris pulled away and finished 7.9 seconds behind Verstappen and 7.4 ahead of the Ferrari.

“It was tough. We did everything we could,” he said of a battle that gave the fans some excitement as Verstappen completed lap after lap largely absent from the global television feed.

“I expected a slightly easier second attempt to get through, but it wasn’t the case. Charles drove a very good race. It was good fun, good battles. So we have to take second. Not a lot more we could’ve done today.”

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said, however, that Norris could have fought for the win had he not been held up by the Ferrari.

Hamilton was fourth, with Piastri just 1.1 seconds behind, and George Russell – the winner last time out in Singapore – taking the chequered flag in sixth for Mercedes.

Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda finished seventh, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Haas’s Oliver Bearman. Fernando Alonso took the final point for Aston Martin.

The virtual safety car was deployed on lap seven when Mercedes’ Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli and Williams’ Carlos Sainz collided, with the Spaniard retiring after trying to overtake on the inside for seventh place.

Stewards handed Sainz a five-place grid penalty at next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, plus two penalty points, for causing the collision.

Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon had also been caught up in a first corner collision with Sauber’s Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

The weekend was declared a heat hazard, although the air temperature during the race was lower than feared at about 28.6 degrees Celsius (83.5 Fahrenheit).

CHICAGO — Ryan Donato scored from the edge of the crease at 2:58 of overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Ducks 2-1 on Sunday night in Ducks coach Joel Quenneville’s first game at United Center since being banned in a sexual-assault scandal.

The ban stemmed from the scandal involving his 2010 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks squad that surfaced in October 2021. Quenneville was forced to resign as Florida’s coach, then banned from the NHL for nearly three years before taking over the Ducks in May. He won three titles in 10 years with the Blackhawks.

Donato had his third goal in three games. Connor Bedard set up it from behind the net to cap a 3-on-1 rush. Frank Nazar also scored to help Chicago improve to 3-0-1 in its last four.

Spencer Knight made 38 saves and was beaten only on Mason McTavish’s power-play goal from a sharp angle with 35.8 seconds left in the third period.

McTavish scored on a rising shot from low in the right circle for his first goal of the season on Anaheim’s 36th shot and fifth manpower advantage. Wyatt Kaiser had been sent off for delay of game with 1:47 left after lifting the puck over the glass.

Knight outdueled Lukas Dostal, who stopped 28 shots in the Ducks’ second straight loss.

The statistics of the last four races over the past month and a half are quite remarkable.

After the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen was 104 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the championship, and 70 adrift of Lando Norris. Now, he is 40 points behind the Australian, whose lead over his team-mate has been cut to just 14 points.

Verstappen expressed his own incredulity at what he had achieved. If someone had told him after Zandvoort this would happen, he said, “I would have told him he was an idiot.

“But we found a good way with the car. It’s simple as that. Of course, we put some upgrades on the car, but we just understood our car a bit better, where we wanted it to perform better.”

A 64-point gain in four races tells its own story, but how it has come about is just as remarkable.

McLaren trounced Red Bull through the summer races in Europe – until the Italian Grand Prix in early September, when an upgraded floor and front wing finally gave Verstappen the balance he had been craving all year.

Since then, the Red Bull has been the fastest car. Until this weekend in Austin, that could have been explained away through circuit characteristics – Monza, Baku and Singapore are all short, slow corners, and require good braking and traction.

The McLaren’s strengths are not in this area – they are in long-duration, medium-speed corners, where they crush everyone else.

But Austin is a “normal” circuit, a road course not a street circuit, not a high-speed outlier like Monza, with a good range of corners. And Verstappen won again.

There are five races left, two of them sprint events. If he keeps closing on the McLaren drivers at the rate he has been, he will win a fifth consecutive title, it’s as stark and simple as that.

Olivia Moultrie scored both goals in the Portland Thorns’ 2-0 victory over Angel City in Los Angeles.

With the win, the Thorns (10-8-7) clinched a league-record ninth consecutive playoff appearance.

Angel City (7-12-6) was already eliminated from playoff contention prior to kickoff at BMO Stadium. ACFC’s last postseason appearance came in 2023.

Moultrie got the Thorns off to the perfect start in the 23rd minute. The 20-year-old switched the ball between her feet to buy a yard of space and then unleashed a shot into the top corner from 21 yards out to make it 1-0.

After Sara Doorsoun fouled Reilyn Turner in the box, Moultrie stepped up from the penalty spot and coolly converted to make it 2-0 in the 60th. It was her eighth goal of the season.

Christen Press came off the bench for Angel City in the 60th, with Ali Riley entering in the 82nd. Both veteran players received a standing ovation from the home fans on their final appearance at home in Los Angeles. The veteran duo are set to retire at the end of season.

Manchester United condemned Liverpool to a fourth successive defeat as Harry Maguire’s late goal sealed a 2-1 win over the spluttering Premier League champions.

After losses against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea, Arne Slot’s side endured their most painful setback of the season at the hands of their bitter rivals on Sunday.

Bryan Mbeumo put United in front after two minutes and although Cody Gakpo equalised in the 78th minute, Maguire grabbed his club’s first win at Anfield since 2016 with an 84th-minute header.

Maguire’s goal also secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in Ruben Amorim’s tenure as United boss.

The defeat leaves Liverpool four points adrift of Arsenal at the top of the table and Arne Slot still searching for answers on how to get the right balance after splashing out nearly 450 million pounds ($604m) on new players in the transfer market.

United close to within two points of their historic football rivals and up to ninth in the table to ease the pressure on Amorim after his biggest win in nearly a year in charge.

After three consecutive defeats for the first time in Slot’s reign, Liverpool could barely have imagined a worse start on Sunday.

Mbeumo sped past Virgil van Dijk with ease before firing past Giorgi Mamardashvili from Amad Diallo’s pass after barely a minute.

The home side and support were furious that play was not stopped in the build-up after Alexis MacAllister went down with a head injury, inflicted by his own captain, van Dijk.

Slot left big-money signing Florian Wirtz on the bench for the second consecutive game as he looked in vain to find the right balance between defence and attack.

Gakpo should have levelled for the defending champions when he hit the post from Mohamed Salah’s through ball in Liverpool’s one flowing move of the first half.

Bruno Fernandes then spurned a glorious chance to double the Red Devils’ lead when he hit the outside of the post when unmarked from the edge of the area.

At the other end, Senne Lammens was rarely troubled in the first 45 minutes, but produced a big save when called upon to deny Alexander Isak his first Premier League goal since joining Liverpool for a British transfer record 125 million pounds ($168m).

A Gakpo deflected cross then came back off the post and the Dutchman rattled the woodwork for a third time early in the second half.

Slot turned to his near 200 million pounds ($268m) in forward options off the bench as Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were introduced on the hour mark to join Salah, Gakpo and Isak in a five-man attack.

Salah has scored more goals than any other player in this fixture, but his lack of form showed in a wild finish to slice wide with just Lammens to beat at the back post.

Liverpool’s wealth of attacking talent finally broke the door down when Federico Chiesa, who had replaced Isak moments earlier, drilled in a low cross that Gakpo converted from point-blank range.

Yet, their defensive frailties meant parity only lasted six minutes as Maguire was left unmarked to head in Fernandes’s looping cross.

Gakpo should still have rescued a point when he headed wide with the goal gaping from Jeremie Frimpong’s inviting delivery.

But Liverpool fell to their first league defeat at Anfield in over a year in another blow to their hopes of usurping United with a record 21st English top-flight title.

Maguire told Sky Sports that it “meant everything” to get the win.

“It has been a long time coming to come to this ground and pick up three points,” he said.

“The old cliche is that it is only three points, but it definitely isn’t – it means a lot more than that for the club, the boys and the fans.”

Van Dijk told Sky Sports that Liverpool need to stick together to get through such a difficult period.

“It is an interesting time because we have to stick together, not just us as players but as a club and the fans who want us to win,” Liverpool’s captain said.

“We need to stay humble, stay working and keep our confidence as high as possible. When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season,” he said.

In Sunday’s earlier Premier League game, Emi Buendia’s curling shot sealed a 2-1 comeback win for Aston Villa against Tottenham.

The victory continued Villa’s resurgence after a desperate start to the season and denied Spurs the chance to provisionally move up to second in the standings.

Buendia shimmied his way across the edge of the box in the 77th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before sweeping a perfect shot low into the bottom corner.

It was Villa’s fifth-straight win in all competitions after failing to pick up a victory in their first six games of the campaign.

It ended Spurs’ seven-game unbeaten run that looked set to continue when Rodrigo Bentancur fired the home team ahead after just five minutes.

Morgan Rogers levelled the game in the 37th before Villa went on to take all three points and consign Tottenham coach Thomas Frank to his second league loss since taking over in the summer.

Match of the Day pundit Shay Given says that referee Michael Oliver made the right decision to allow Bryan Mbeumo’s goal to stand in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League.

WATCH MORE: Maguire heads Man Utd to victory against Liverpool

Available to UK users only.

The Chargers had the look. All-gold uniforms. Retro logos. Powder-blue end zones with script from the nostalgic days of Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.

But their defense?

As dead as disco when it counted most.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, trampled the Chargers on Sunday with touchdowns of 23, eight and 19 yards in a 38-24 victory at SoFi Stadium.

It was just another Sunday for Taylor, who came into Week 7 leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, and averaged 5.9 yards per carry against a Chargers defense that had been respectable to this point. That defense allowed an average of 20.8 points in the six previous games.

That helped open the passing lanes for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw a pair of touchdowns and again made an early-season case for Comeback Player of the Year after his career had seemingly flamed out with the New York Giants.

It was the second trip to Los Angeles in four weeks for the Colts, who lost to the Rams here in Week 4. They got better on both sides of the ball but couldn’t fully atone for their ineffectiveness in the first half.

The Chargers, whose distinctive look was a nod to the 1970s, were sleepwalking in the first half before coming to life in the second.

Justin Herbert kept the home team somewhat in the game with three touchdown passes after halftime but found himself trying to dig out of a deep hole all day.

The Chargers actually outgained the Colts, 445 yards to 401, and held the ball for nine minutes longer, but Indianapolis was more efficient with its possessions, better in the red zone, and took advantage of its opportunities.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides while scrambling during the second half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Herbert saw two of his passes intercepted in the first half. The first was batted high in the air at the line of scrimmage and plucked by 314-pound defensive tackle Grover Stewart. The second pick came in the red zone, when safety Nick Cross slipped in front of Quentin Johnston in the end zone to intercept an eight-yard pass.

The Chargers, who trailed at halftime, 23-3, clawed their way back into the game with touchdown passes to Johnston, Keenan Allen and Oronde Gadsden II.

Such a rollercoaster of a season for the Chargers, who ran the table against the AFC West in the first three weeks, then lost back-to-back games to the Giants and Washington Commanders, before rebounding with a come-from-behind win at Miami.

There’s not much bounce-back time after Sunday’s loss as the Chargers play host to Minnesota on Thursday night.

The Chargers can take solace in that no one is running away with the division. Kansas City stomped Las Vegas on Sunday, 31-0, but the Chiefs aren’t as dominant as in recent years. And Denver lost to the Chargers on the road and still looks to be finding its way.

Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin breaks up a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the end zone during the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Against the Colts, the troubles began early for the Chargers. After the home team’s first snap, Chargers left tackle Austin Deculus lay face down on the turf. He was the team’s fourth player to line up as Herbert’s blindside protector.

It was an ankle injury that felled Deculus — he wound up returning in the second quarter with a bulky brace — and the Chargers turned to the lightly experienced Foster Sarell, who suddenly held one of the most important positions on the field.

Just more offensive line insanity for the Chargers, who have cycled through six tackles so far. Their line was once considered an area of strength.

Hapoel Tel Aviv criticised the derby cancellation, accusing Israeli police of “preparing for a war, not a sporting event”, including during discussions in the lead-up to the highly-anticipated match.

“The shocking events outside the stadium and following the reckless and scandalous decision not to hold the match only demonstrate that the Israel Police has taken control of the sport,” Hapoel Tel Aviv said in a statement on X, external.

Maccabi Tel Aviv has not yet commented, except to confirm the match was cancelled.

The decision by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Aston Villa match on 6 November has sparked widespread criticism.

The UK government has since said it is working to overturn the ban and exploring what additional resources might be required to ensure the fixture can be hosted safely.

Villa told their matchday stewards that they did not have to work at the game, saying they understood that some “may have concerns”.

On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it supported the ban and classified the fixture as “high risk” based on intelligence and previous incidents.

That included “violent clashes and hate-crime offences” between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024, when more than 60 people were arrested.

There have been protests at various sporting events over the war in Gaza, including when Israel played Norway and Italy in recent football World Cup qualifiers.

A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week ranking

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (8-0) def. Santa Margarita, 27-14; vs. Servite, Friday; 1

2. SIERRA CANYON (8-0) def. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 45-10; at Bishop Amat, Friday; 2

3. CORONA CENTENNIAL (6-1) def. Murrieta Valley, 48-20; at Norco, Thursday; 3

4. MISSION VIEJO (7-1) def. San Clemente, 34-16; vs. Edison at Huntington Beach, Friday; 4

5. SANTA MARGARITA (5-3) lost to St. John Bosco, 27-14; vs. Orange Lutheran at Trabuco Hills, Friday; 5

6. MATER DEI (5-2) def. Servite, 29-19; vs. JSerra at Santa Ana Stadium, Friday; 6

7. LOS ALAMITOS (8-0) def. Edison, 41-22; at San Clemente, Friday; 7

8. SERVITE (5-3) lost to Mater Dei, 29-19; at St. John Bosco, next Friday; 8

9. ORANGE LUTHERAN (4-4) def. JSerra, 63-24; vs. Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills, Friday; 9

10. CORONA DEL MAR (8-0) def. Villa Park, 21-3; at Tesoro, Friday; 10

11. MURRIETA VALLEY (6-2) lost to Corona Centennial, 48-20; at Vista Murrieta, Friday; 11

12. OXNARD PACIFICA (8-0) def. Camarillo, 42-6; vs. Simi Valley, Friday; 12

13. DAMIEN (7-1) def. Upland, 35-14; at Chino Hills, Friday; 13

14. LEUZINGER (6-1) def. Culver City, 47-7; vs. Mira Costa, Friday; 14

15. SAN JUAN HILLS (7-2) def. Newport Harbor, 47-10; vs. Villa Park, Friday; 15

16. BEAUMONT (5-2) def. Yucaipa, 57-10; at Citrus Valley, Friday; 16

17. VISTA MURRIETA (6-2) def. Eastvale Roosevelt, 42-0; vs. Murrieta Valley, Friday; 17

18. DOWNEY (7-1) def. Paramount, 48-9; vs. Warren, Friday; 19

19. CREAN LUTHERAN (8-0) def. La Habra, 56-21; vs. Huntington Beach, Friday; 21

20. RANCHO CUCAMONGA (4-4) def. Ayala, 41-0; vs. Etiwanda, next Friday; 22

21. EDISON (5-3) lost to Los Alamitos, 41-22; vs. Mission Viejo, Friday; 20

22. JSERRA (3-5) lost to Orange Lutheran, 63-23; vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Friday; 18

23. VALENCIA (7-1) def. Golden Valley, 35-7; vs. Hart, Friday; 23

24. AQUINAS (7-1) def. Heritage Christian, 49-7; vs. Capistrano Valley Christian, Friday; 24

25. CHAPARRAL (4-4) def. Norco, 56-28; vs. Eastvale Roosevelt, Thursday; NR

Norris started alongside Verstappen on the front row, hoping McLaren’s usually strong race performance would allow him to challenge the Red Bull driver, who had won two of the past three races and beaten the McLarens in all of them.

But Norris’ hopes of the win evaporated quickly as Leclerc used the extra grip of the soft tyres – he was the only driver in the top 10 to pick them for the start, with everyone else on mediums – to catapult into second place at the first corner.

As Verstappen built his lead, through an early virtual safety car period caused by a collision between Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Norris tried in vain to pass Leclerc, with Hamilton in close attendance.

Several times Norris challenged Leclerc on the outside at Turn 12, at the end of the long back straight, but he was never close enough to really try for a pass.

As Verstappen built his lead, Leclerc held on until just before he stopped for fresh tyres on lap 22, fitting the medium compound.

Verstappen stopped a couple of laps later, never losing the lead and enjoying an untroubled win, his third in four races and fifth of the season, matching Norris’ tally.

Norris stayed out for a further 10 laps, dropping behind the Ferrari again when he stopped to fit the soft tyres.

The Briton emerged 2.4 seconds behind Leclerc and within four laps was on the Ferrari’s tail.

But again he could not pass and soon he was on the radio saying his tyres we’re gone.

Norris was advised by his race engineer Will Joseph to back off for a few laps to cool his tyres and try again.

Norris did so, and closed in with five laps to go. He challenged into Turn One, briefly getting past, only for Leclerc to cut back and reclaim the place.

But half a lap later, Norris went for the position again into Turn 12, dummying Leclerc and this time making the move stick.

By this stage, Hamilton had dropped back and took a lonely fourth place.

In the opening moments of a new film called “Diamond Diplomacy,” Shohei Ohtani holds the ball and Mike Trout holds a bat. These are the dramatic final moments of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The film puts those moments on pause to share the long and complex relationship between the United States and Japan through the prism of baseball, and through the stories of four Japanese players — Ohtani included — and their journeys to the major leagues.

Baseball has been a national pastime in both nations for more than a century. A Japanese publishing magnate sponsored a 1934 barnstorming tour led by Babe Ruth. Under former owners Walter and Peter O’Malley, the Dodgers were at the forefront of tours to Japan and elsewhere.

In 1946, however, amid the aftermath of World War II, the United States government funded a tour by the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. Director Yuriko Gamo Romer features archival footage from that tour prominently in her film.

“I thought it was remarkable,” she said, “that the U.S. government decided, ‘Oh, we should send a baseball team to Japan to help repair relations and for goodwill.’ ”

On the home front, Romer shows how Ruth barnstormed Central California in 1927, a decade and a half before the U.S. government forced citizens of Japanese ancestry into internment camps there. Teams and leagues sprouted within the camps, an arrangement described by one player as “baseball behind barbed wire.”

The film also relates how, even after World War II ended, Japanese Americans were often unwelcome in their old neighborhoods, and Japanese baseball leagues sprung up like the Negro Leagues.

In 1964, the San Francisco Giants made pitcher Masanori Murakami the first Japanese player in Major League Baseball, but he yielded to pressure to return to his homeland two years later.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Masanori Murakami, shown on the a pro baseball field in 1964, was the first Japanese athlete to play in Major League Baseball.

(Associated Press)

In 1995, when pitcher Hideo Nomo signed with the Dodgers, he had to retire from Japanese baseball to do so. (The film contains footage of legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda teaching Nomo to say, “I bleed Dodger blue.”)

Now, star Japanese players regularly join the majors. In that 2023 WBC, as the film shows at its end, Ohtani left his first big imprint on the international game by striking out Trout to deliver victory to Japan over the United States.

On Friday, Ohtani powered the Dodgers into the World Series with perhaps the greatest game by any player in major league history.

In previous generations, author Robert Whiting says in the film, hardly any American could name a prominent Japanese figure, in baseball or otherwise. Today, Ohtani’s jersey is baseball’s best seller, and he is a cultural icon on and off the field, here and in Japan.

Fans cheer as Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani hits his third home run during Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

“Suddenly, a Japanese face is the face of Major League Baseball in the United States,” Romer said. “People here can buy bottles of cold Japanese tea that have Shohei’s face on it.

“I know people who don’t care about baseball one iota and they’re like, ‘oh, yeah, I know who that is.’”

“Diamond Diplomacy” will show on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Newport Beach Film Festival. For more information, visit newportbeachfilmfest.com.

LONDON — Goodbye London. Hello bye week.

The Rams’ ended an extended road trip and welcomed some time off with a 35-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

Matthew Stafford passed for five touchdowns — three to Davante Adams and one each to rookies Konata Mumpfield and Terrance Ferguson — and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young led a mostly suffocating defense as the Rams improved their record to 5-2 heading into an off week.

In a light rain, and without injured star receiver Puka Nacua, coach Sean McVay and Stafford poured into 10 different receivers during a victory that made the nine-day road trip worth it.

The Rams were coming off a 17-3 road victory over the Ravens. They remained in Baltimore last week and practiced at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before departing for London on Friday.

They arrived Saturday and played on Sunday.

And they showed no signs of jet lag.

Rams rookie Josaiah Stewart sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the second half Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

Verse sacked Trevor Lawrence on the first play, the Rams jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised as McVay remained unbeaten in London games.

Young, rookie outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart, linebacker Nate Landman, lineman Larrell Murchison and safety Quentin Lake contributed to seven sacks on Lawrence. Lake, who also forced a fumble, and lineman Kobie Turner batted down passes in the backfield.

In 2017, McVay’s first season, the Rams routed the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium. Two years later, they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium.

Though Sunday’s game was played thousands of miles from Southern California, it had something of a Rams family feel.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen was an assistant under McVay, and Jaguars first-year general manager James Gladstone worked for nine years under Rams general manager Les Snead.

The week off should benefit Nacua, who did not play because of an ankle injury sustained against the Ravens. The Rams thought it best to rest the third-year pro and let him heal during the off week before they play the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 2 at SoFi Stadium.

Rams wide receiver Davante Adams leaps above Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown to catch his third touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

That opened the door for Adams and others.

By the end of the first quarter, Stafford had completed passes to seven of eight different receivers targeted, including touchdowns to Mumpfield and two to Adams.

Stafford connected with Ferguson and Adams for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Adams and Stafford had said in Baltimore that they were still working to find their timing together.

They found it Sunday: Adams caught five passes for 35 yards, and all of his short touchdown receptions were on the kinds of red-zone plays the Rams envisioned when they signed the three-time All-Pro.

Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for only 182 yards, but he made them count.

So for the first time since 2021, the Rams will go into their off week with a winning record.

In 2023, the Rams were 3-6 at the bye and then won seven of eight games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

Last season, they were 1-4 at the bye and then won nine of 12 games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

But Sunday’s victory trends closer to 2017, when the Rams shut out the Cardinals, 33-0, at Twickenham Stadium to improve to 5-2 going into the bye. The Rams went on to win the NFC West and make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

After taking trips to Tennessee, Philadelphia, Baltimore and London, the Rams will leave the West Coast only twice for a Nov. 30 game at Carolina and a Dec. 29 game at Atlanta.

They had to feel good about that as they prepared for their long flight home.

A theme of Celtic’s season has been Rodgers bemoaning their transfer business and a perceived lack of quality brought into the club.

He has regularly been asked about and pointed out the goals that have been taken out of his squad with the sales of Kyogo Furuhashi last January and Nicolas Kuhn in the summer, in addition to Jota’s long-term injury absence.

Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha arrived to bolster Rodgers’ attacking options after they had already been dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Kazakh champions Kairat, while Kelechi Iheanacho arrived on a free after the window had closed.

And after they failed to fire in attack once again, Rodgers appeared to criticise the quality within his squad.

“I think the challenge from the summer, now leading into here, where we lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team,” he said.

“And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari’. It’s not going to happen.”

He insists it is up to him to find “solutions” to their goal-scoring issues, be it through changes to personnel or formation.

“Until something changes, I have to find the solutions,” he added.

“Because like I said, goals, speed, everything has come out of the team and we need to find a way to be better.

“We had the opportunities to do what we needed to do. It didn’t happen, so now it’s finding ways, whether it’s 4-3-3, whether it’s 3-4-3, whether it’s 3-5-2. We’re trying to look at all these different permutations within the team.”

WEEK 9

(All games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

East Valley League

Arleta at Fulton, 3:30 p.m.

Monroe at Grant

North Hollywood at Chavez

Verdugo Hills at Sun Valley Poly

Eastern League

Huntington Park at South Gate

South East at Legacy

Exposition League

Marquez at Manual Arts

SOUTHERN SECTION

605 League

Cerritos at Pioneer

Glenn at Artesia

Big West Upper League

Corona Centennial at Norco, 7:30 p.m.

Eastvale Roosevelt at Chaparral, 7:30 p.m.

Cottonwood League

Trinity Classical at Temecula Prep, 7:30 p.m.

Delta League

Capistrano Valley at El Modena

Western at Tustin

Desert Empire League

Shadow Hills at La Quinta

Desert Sky League

Granite Hills at Barstow, 7:30 p.m.

Silverado at Victor Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Epsilon League

Laguna Hills at La Habra

Foxtrot League

Northwood at Fountain Valley

Golden League

Lancaster at Highland

Hacienda League

Covina at Walnut

Inland Valley League

Moreno Valley at Lakeside, 7:30 p.m.

Iota League

El Toro at Santa Ana

Kappa League

St. Margaret’s at Garden Grove

Lambda League

Fullerton at Sunny Hills

Manzanita League

Nuview Bridge at San Jacinto Valley Academy

Miramonte League

Garey at Workman

Mojave River League

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Oak Hills

Serrano at Apple Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Montview League

Azusa at Sierra Vista

Hacienda Heights Wilson at Ontario

Pomona at Nogales

Mountain Pass League

Elsinore at Tahquitz, 7:30 p.m.

Sunkist League

Eisenhower at Grand Terrace, 7:30 p.m.

Tango League

Costa Mesa at Westminster La Quinta

Valle Vista League

San Dimas at Baldwin Park

West Covina at Diamond Ranch

Zeta League

Savanna at Godinez

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Heritage League

Santa Clarita Christian at Milken, 6 p.m.

Majestic League

Highland Entrepreneur at Cornerstone Christian, 5 p.m.

Nonleague

Lancaster Baptist at Noli Indian

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Central League

Bernstein at Roybal

Contreras at Mendez

Hollywood at Belmont, 4 p.m.

Coliseum League

King/Drew at Crenshaw

Washington at Dorsey

Eastern League

Garfield vs. LA Roosevelt at East LA College

Exposition League

Angelou at Santee

Marine League

Narbonne at Carson, 7:30 p.m.

San Pedro at Gardena, 4 p.m.

Metro League

Locke at Hawkins

Northern League

Eagle Rock at LA Wilson, 7:30 p.m.

Lincoln at LA Marshall, 7:30 p.m.

Southern League

West Adams at Rivera

Valley Mission League

Granada Hills Kennedy at San Fernando, 7:30 p.m.

Panorama at Van Nuys

Reseda at Sylmar

West Valley League

Birmingham at Granada Hills

Chatsworth at El Camino Real

Cleveland at Taft

Western League

LA University at Fairfax, 7:30 p.m.

Palisades at LA Hamilton

Venice at Westchester, 7:30 p.m.

Nonleague

Fremont at Maywood CES

Jordan at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Almont League

Alhambra at San Gabriel

Keppel at Bell Gardens

Schurr at Montebello

Alpha League

Los Alamitos at San Clemente

Mission Viejo at Edison

Angelus League

St. Francis at Paraclete

St. Paul at Alemany

St. Pius X-St. Matthias at Cathedral

Baseline League

Ayala at Upland

Damien at Chino Hills

Etiwanda at Rancho Cucamonga

Bay League

Inglewood at Palos Verdes, 3:30 p.m.

Lawndale at Culver City

Mira Costa at Leuzinger

Big West Lower League

Corona at Corona Santiago

Riverside King at Murrieta Mesa

Temecula Valley at Great Oak

Big West Upper League

Murrieta Valley at Vista Murrieta

Bravo League

Corona del Mar at Tesoro

Villa Park at San Juan Hills

Yorba Linda at Newport Harbor

Camino Real League

St. Bernard at St. Genevieve

Channel League

Moorpark at Royal

Oak Park at Ventura

Oxnard at Buena

Citrus Belt League

Beaumont at Citrus Valley

Redlands at Cajon

Redlands East Valley at Yucaipa

Citrus Coast League

Del Sol at Santa Clara

Grace at Channel Islands

Nordhoff at Carpinteria

Conejo Coast League

Calabasas at Rio Mesa

Newbury Park at Thousand Oaks

Westlake at Santa Barbara

Cottonwood League

Riverside Prep at Silver Valley

Del Rey League

La Salle at Cantwell-Sacred Heart

St. Anthony at Salesian

Del Rio League

La Serna at Whittier

Santa Fe at California

Delta League

Trabuco Hills at Cypress

Desert Empire League

Palm Springs at Palm Desert

Rancho Mirage at Xavier Prep

Desert Valley League

Coachella Valley at Twentynine Palms

Indio at Yucca Valley

Epsilon League

El Dorado at Foothill

Huntington Beach at Crean Lutheran

Foothill League

Castaic vs. Saugus at Canyon Country Canyon

Golden Valley vs. West Ranch at College of the Canyons

Hart at Valencia

Foxtrot League

Aliso Niguel at Orange

Laguna Beach at Dana Hills

Gano League

Don Lugo at Chaffey

Rowland at Montclair

Gateway League

La Mirada at Paramount

Mayfair at Dominguez

Warren at Downey

Gold Coast League

Desert Christian Academy at Viewpoint

Rio Hondo Prep at Brentwood

Golden League

Eastside at Palmdale

Knight at Littlerock

Quartz Hill at Antelope Valley

Hacienda League

Los Altos at Diamond Bar

South Hills at Chino

Inland Valley League

Citrus Hill at Heritage

Perris at Canyon Springs

Iota League

Anaheim Canyon at Sonora

Troy at Irvine

Ironwood League

Capistrano Valley Christian at Aquinas

Cerritos Valley Christian at Heritage Christian

Ontario Christian at Village Christian

Ivy League

Liberty at Rancho Verde

Orange Vista at Riverside North

Vista del Lago at Paloma Valley

Kappa League

Segerstrom at Brea Olinda

Westminster at Esperanza

Lambda League

Beckman at Placentia Valencia

La Palma Kennedy at Marina

Manzanita League

California Military Institute at Anza Hamilton

Desert Chapel at Vasquez

Marmonte League

Bishop Diego at. St. Bonaventure

Camarillo at Oaks Christian

Simi Valley at Oxnard Pacifica

Mesquite League

Arrowhead Christian at Western Christian

Linfield Christian at Whittier Christian

Maranatha at Big Bear

Mid-Cities League

Bellflower at Lynwood

Compton Early College at Gahr

Firebaugh at Norwalk

Miramonte League

Bassett at Ganesha

La Puente at Duarte

Mission League

Loyola at Chaminade

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Serra

Sierra Canyon at Bishop Amat

Mission Valley League

Pasadena Marshall at Gabrielino

Rosemead at Arroyo

South El Monte at El Monte

Mojave River League

Hesperia at Sultana

Moore League

Long Beach Jordan at Long Beach Wilson

Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Cabrillo

Millikan at Compton

Mountain Pass League

San Jacinto at West Valley

Mountain Valley League

Indian Springs at San Bernardino

Pacific at Miller

Ocean League

Beverly Hills at Hawthorne

Compton Centennial at West Torrance

Omicron League

Garden Grove Pacifica at Katella

Irvine University at Woodbridge

Portola at Buena Park

Pacific League

Arcadia at Pasadena

Burbank at Glendale

Crescenta Valley at Burbank Burroughs

Muir at Hoover, 5:30 p.m.

Pioneer League

Peninsula at Redondo Union

South Torrance at North Torrance

Torrance at Santa Monica

Rio Hondo League

San Marino at Monrovia

South Pasadena at Temple City

River Valley League

Jurupa Valley at Ramona

Rubidoux at Norte Vista

San Andreas League

Kaiser at San Gorgonio

Rim of the World at Colton

Sierra League

Bonita at Los Osos

Charter Oak at Colony

Glendora at Claremont

Sigma League

Estancia at Ocean View

Rancho Alamitos at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Santa Ana Valley at Los Amigos

Skyline League

Fontana at Arroyo Valley

Rialto at Carter

Riverside Notre Dame at Bloomington

Sun Valley League

Cathedral City at Banning

Desert Mirage at Desert Hot Springs

Sunbelt League

Arlington at Hemet

Rancho Christian at Hillcrest

Valley View at Riverside Poly

Tango League

Loara at Garden Grove Santiago

Tri-County League

Agoura at San Marcos

Dos Pueblos at Fillmore

Santa Paula at Hueneme

Trinity League

JSerra vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium

Orange Lutheran at Santa Margarita

Servite at St. John Bosco

Valle Vista League

Alta Loma at Northview

Zeta League

Century at Saddleback

Nonleague

Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian at Viewpoint

El Segundo at El Rancho

INTERSECTIONAL

Rancho Dominguez at Verbum Dei, 4 p.m.

St. Monica at Franklin

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

City League

New Designs at Animo Jackie Robinson

USC Hybrid at New Designs Watts

Valley League

South LA College Prep at East Valley

Valley Oaks CES at Teach Tech

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agape League

PAL Charter at Academy for Careers & Exploration

Coast Valley League

San Luis Obispo Classical Academy at Maricopa

Heritage League

Lancaster Desert Christian at Faith Baptist, 6:30 p.m.

Majestic League

Public Safety Academy at United Christian

Tri-Valley League

Cate at Sage Hill, 6 p.m.

Chadwick at Flintridge Prep, 6:30 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

Hesperia Christian at Fresno Christian, 6 p.m.

Hillcrest Christian at Vacaville Kairos

Lighthouse Christian at Sherman Oaks CES

Lucerne Valley at Warner Springs Warner, 3 p.m.

Model School for the Deaf (Washington D.C.) at CSDR

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SOUTHERN SECTION

Cottonwood League

Santa Rosa Academy at Webb, 1 p.m.

Del Rey League

Crespi vs. Harvard-Westlake at SoFi Stadium, 8 p.m.

River Valley League

Patriot at La Sierra

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agape League

Victor Valley Christian at Hesperia Christian, 6 p.m.

Coast Valley League

Valley Christian Academy at Cuyama Valley, 6 p.m.

Express League

Avalon at Downey Calvary Chapel, 12 p.m.

Southlands Christian at Vista Meridian, 6:30 p.m.

Frontier League

Villanova Prep at Laguna Blanca, 1 p.m.

Nonleague

Pasadena Poly at Lighthouse Christian

Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his past six finals, including in Halle earlier this year.

His defensive play style and frequent outbursts on court had led some to wonder if his ability to compete at the top level was over.

But the 29-year-old has made changes in recent weeks, making an effort to come to the net and play aggressively, backed up by an improved serve.

He came back from a break down in the first set against the tricky Moutet, winning four of the final five games to take the lead.

The pair exchanged breaks in the second set before Moutet, bidding for his first ATP Tour title, took control to force a decider.

Moutet saved four early break points in a tight third set before Medvedev broke to 15 to serve for the match.

Fittingly, Medvedev secured victory with a point at the net, with Moutet unable to control a volley after two hours and 38 minutes.

Mitchell Marsh powered Australia to ODI victory against India as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed in their return to international cricket.

Australia’s stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international (ODI) at Perth Stadium.

India limped to 136-9 from 26 overs, interrupted four times by rain, setting Australia a revised target of 131 which the hosts reached in 21.1 overs.

The sea of blue in the 42,423-strong crowd did not have to wait long to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after India were put into bat.

Having retired from the game’s other formats with an eye on the 2027 World Cup, the former captains made their return to national duty for the first time since winning the Champions Trophy in March.

Neither looked convincing against Australia’s pace bowlers, with Rohit edging Josh Hazlewood to second slip on eight and Kohli cutting Mitchell Starc to a diving Cooper Connolly at backward point for a duck.

“All of their batters are world-class and legends of the game,” said spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, who picked up 2-26. “In one-day cricket, especially, to get wickets up front makes a massive difference.”

India captain Gill out cheaply

New one-day skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed for 10 when he tickled seamer Nathan Ellis to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, leaving India reeling at 37-3 when light drizzle halted play for two hours.

The crowd applauded sarcastically when the covers were removed, then in earnest when Shreyas Iyer (11) slashed Hazlewood to the fence. The bowler got his revenge in his next over, however, as Philippe took another leg-side catch.

Kuhnemann and medium-pacer Mitch Owen kept up the pressure and halted any momentum Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul (38) generated, although Nitish Kumar Reddy brought some excitement with a rapid 19 off 11 balls.

Deputising for Pat Cummins, whose Ashes hopes remain uncertain due to a back injury, man-of-the-match Marsh kick-started Australia’s reply by bludgeoning three sixes, carrying over impressive form against South Africa and New Zealand.

Philippe, playing his first ODI since 2021 due to the absence of Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, supported his skipper with an aggressive 37 before holing out to Arshdeep Singh in the deep.

Matt Renshaw helped his team home with 21 not out, while Arshdeep, Axar and Washington Sundar claimed one wicket apiece.

“We knew we didn’t have that many runs, but we just wanted to express ourselves,” Arshdeep said.

The series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.

It was one of those performances that will be spoken about for years.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani delivered a night for the ages in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the clinching fourth game of the National League Championship Series on Friday night.

After slumping throughout the postseason, the Japanese sensation hit three home runs and pitched six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts at Chavez Ravine to advance the Dodgers to the World Series.

The effort immediately drew praise from baseball writers as the “greatest game ever,” “the performance of a lifetime,” and highlighted the “improbability of his greatness.”

Yes, the Dodgers are advancing to their second-straight World Series, where they’ll face either the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays, beginning Friday.

They will attempt to become the first Major League Baseball team to win consecutive crowns since the New York Yankees’ threepeat from 1998 to 2000.

However, the night became a celebration of Ohtani, as documented by my sports colleagues.

Let’s take a look at some of what made Friday such a magical evening.

Trying to understand what Ohtani accomplished

Columnist Bill Plaschke asked Dodgers fans if they realized what they were watching:

Los Angeles, can you understand the singular greatness that plays here? Fall Classic, are you ready for another dose of Sho-time?

Ohtani and the Dodgers are back on baseball’s grandest stage, arguably the best player in baseball history concocting arguably the best single-game performance in postseason history.

The final score was 5-1, but, really, it was over at 1-0, Ohtani’s thunderous leadoff homer after his thundering three strikeouts igniting a dancing Dodger Stadium crowd and squelching the Brewers before the first inning was even 10 minutes old.

How far did that first home-run actually travel? Back, back, back into forever, it was the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in baseball history, regular season or postseason, a feat unmatched by even the legendary Babe Ruth.

The unicorn Ohtani basically created the same wizardry again in the fourth inning and added a third longball in the seventh in carrying the Dodgers to their second consecutive World Series and fifth in nine years while further cementing their status as one of baseball’s historic dynasties.

Why was the effort surprising?

On that off-day between Games 2 and 3 of the National League Championship Series, Ohtani looked like a man on a mission, according to Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris in his game story:

Ohtani took one of the best rounds of batting practice anyone in attendance had seen, getting into the real work of trying to fix a swing that had abandoned him for much of this postseason.

In 32 swings, Ohtani hit 14 home runs. Many of them were moonshots. One even clanged off the roof of the right-field pavilion.

Over his previous seven games, going back to the start of the NL Division Series, he had two hits in 25 at-bats.

He had recorded 12 strikeouts and plenty more puzzling swing decisions. And he seemed, at least in the estimation of some around the team, unusually perturbed as public criticisms of his play started to mount.

Then, two days later, a tour de force performance that will be talked about forever.

“He woke up this morning with people questioning him,” said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, during an alcohol-soaked celebration in the clubhouse afterward. “And 12 hours later, he’s standing on the podium as the NLCS MVP.”

Up next for the Dodgers is the World Series and perhaps some more Ohtani magic.

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(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Jason Frank Rothenberg)

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Australia completed a comfortable seven-wicket win in a rain-shortened first ODI against India in Perth, with Virat Kohli dismissed for a duck on his international return.

Damp conditions saw the match reduced to 26 overs-a-side, with India eventually posting 136-9 after their innings was halted for rain six times.

The visitors were plagued by regular wickets, with Rohit Sharma and Kohli, both playing their first international match since March, departing inside the powerplay, the latter for an eight-ball duck.

The dismissals of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer saw India slip to 45-4 in the 14th over before KL Rahul, top-scoring with 38, rebuilt his side’s innings alongside Axar Patel (31) and Washington Sundar.

However, the latter’s exit in the 24th over sparked another flurry of wickets, with India losing 4-21.

Josh Hazlewood led the way with the ball, taking 2-20 from seven overs, with Mitchell Owen and Matthew Kuhnemann also taking two wickets.

Australia also lost two powerplay wickets – Travis Head and Matthew Short both dismissed for eight – but made light work of chasing their revised target of 131.

Mitchell Marsh anchored his side’s innings with an unbeaten 46 (52), sharing a 55-run third-wicket partnership with Josh Philippe (37 off 29) before seeing Australia over the line alongside ODI debutant Matt Renshaw (21* off 24) with 29 balls to spare.

The second ODI will take place in Adelaide on Thursday, 23 October.

Follow the build-up, analysis, and live text commentary of the game as Liverpool and Man United face-off at Anfield.