The only top-tier WSL side not to have an affiliated professional men’s team, London City were promoted as winners of last season’s Championship.
For now they sit sixth with 12 points – nine points behind leaders Manchester City and eight behind reigning champions Chelsea after eight rounds of games.
Manchester United are third with 17 points, while rival capital outfits Arsenal and Tottenham are only three points better off that London City at this stage.
Victory against Tottenham was their third straight win on home soil, with all four of their wins coming against sides that finished in the bottom half of the table last season.
All four of their defeats have come against last season’s top four of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.
They could hardly be trending any more mid-table if they tried, but London City have higher aspirations.
Promoted sides have dropped straight back to the second tier in the past two seasons, with Bristol City and Crystal Palace finishing bottom in 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively.
Not only are London City on course to avoid following suit, their 12-point haul at this stage of the season has only been bettered by one other promoted side in WSL history.
That was Sunderland, who, with a young Beth Mead scoring goals for fun, collected 15 points after eight games during the eight-team 2015 season. They finished fourth – only collecting five more points in their remaining six games.
Only three other promoted sides have collected 12 points at this stage: Manchester United and Tottenham in 2019-20 and Manchester City – who were given a top-flight place after a reshuffle of the leagues – in 2014.
Godfrey said of the ambitious Lionesses: “We’ve showed that we’re not another team that’s going to get promoted and relegated the next year.
“The direction this club is looking to go is up. We want to show this club is going to be a mainstay in English football for the foreseeable future.”
Both the Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off victories, with the Chargers winning in Tennessee, and the Steelers forcing six turnovers to hand the Indianapolis Colts just their second loss.
The Chargers lost left tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury and once again have to reshuffle an offensive line that has been in a constant state of flux.
Rodgers has rediscovered his spark in Pittsburgh and consistently puts the football in the right places.
How the Chargers can win: Protect Herbert with quick-developing pass routes that allow him to get the ball out of his hands. Pittsburgh’s edge rush of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig can create havoc if Herbert holds the ball too long. Attack the corners. Joey Porter Jr. has been penalty-prone, and Darius Slay isn’t as fast as he once was. The Steelers often struggle covering tight ends, so Oronde Gadsden II could be in line for a big game.
How the Steelers can win: Generate pressure and turnovers. When the Steelers force mistakes, they win. Let Watt and Highsmith collapse the pocket and make Herbert uncomfortable behind a patchwork Chargers line. Keep Rodgers clean and balanced with an efficient mix of Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren runs to control tempo. Defensively, stay disciplined in coverage with Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger as the new safety tandem.
China’s Wu Yize powered past John Higgins 10-6 in the International Championship final to win his first ranking title.
The 22-year-old home favourite hit four centuries in Nanjing, including a 137 break, in a superb display which lifts him into the world’s top 16 for the first time.
Four-time world champion Higgins, 50, hit a 101 break in the third frame but the Scot could not keep up as he looked to become the first player to win a ranking title in five different decades from their teens to 50s.
Wu impressed to seal the win with another century break of 108 and become the 80th player to win a professional ranking event title.
“Honestly, it feels unbelievable,” said Wu.
“Deep down I always believed I had the ability to win a title. Every day I kept thinking about it. I had a strong will to lift a trophy. That belief carried me through this week.”
Higgins said: “I was nowhere near good enough all day. He was striking the ball beautifully. He was by far the better player. It reminded me so much of playing Paul Hunter – the way he gets through the ball and gets so much action on it. He is a brilliant player.
“There’s no point in getting too down. It could open the floodgates – it goes to show the good hands snooker is in. I’m glad that I’ll probably be retiring in a couple of years with guys like that potting them off the lampshades. He is a total star.”
Laguna Beach’s football season came to an end on Friday night after the Breakers lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 44-28 in a Division 3 playoff opener. But if you saw the performances of three freshmen starters, you’d know how promising the future looks for Laguna Beach.
Luke Bogdan, 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, and Winston Darrow, 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, are 14 years old. Both start on the offensive line. Bogdan also played on the defensive line. Then there’s Charlie Christian, a running back and linebacker who is 15 and never wants to go down without a fight.
To have players so young holding their own on an offensive line in Division 3 was remarkable. Quarterback Jack Hurst was sacked once. Then there’s Christian, who caught five passes for 85 yards while also taking on Notre Dame’s huge offensive line on defense at his linebacker position.
When college recruiters see these freshmen on film and imagine how big and strong they might become in the coming years, they’ll be impressed.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
World number 30 Rai led by one shot overnight, but a rollercoaster final day began with Fleetwood moving out in front after opening with a birdie and hitting an eagle at the par-five second.
Four successive birdies on the front nine moved Rai ahead again, only for a bogey at the eighth to hand the initiative back to Fleetwood.
A host of players began to bunch up behind the leaders, including McIlroy.The Northern Irishman eagled the par-five second but it was a run of five successive birdies at the turn that lifted him back into contention, with a birdie at the last moving him to 24 under and the clubhouse lead.
Meanwhile, birdies at the 16th and 17th drew Rai back level with Fleetwood, who saved par with another clutch putt at the second-last to ensure it stayed that way heading to the 18th.
Rai spurned his first chance on the 18th green, but made no mistake on the same hole in the play-off to secure his third DP World Tour Title.
The Abu Dhabi Championship is the first of two DP World Tour end-of-season play-off events, with the top 70 players competing this week and the leading 50 advancing to next week’s finale in Dubai.
Rai began the tournament 55th in the standings, but this victory means he will go into next week’s event ranked ninth.
McIlroy, who is two behind Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight years as the tour’s number one, leads the Race to Dubai standings by 767 points from Marco Penge, the Englishman who has won three times on tour this year.
Penge carded a final-round nine-under 63 to finish tied for ninth on 20 under alongside Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Angel Ayora of Spain.
If you think Trinity League football is the best in the country, then the Mission League might be its equivalent in boys’ basketball this season.
“It’s off the charts,” Harvard-Wesltake coach David Rebibo said in describing the talent of the eight Mission League teams.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Chaminade coach Bryan Cantwell said. “We could have all eight teams potentially in the top 30 in Southern California.”
Transfers, promising freshmen and the development of young players has set the stage for a league schedule in January that will allow fans to see players who might be soon appearing on weekend TV for college basketball teams or on NBA rosters.
Harvard-Westlake has won seven consecutive league titles and remains in the title mix. The coaching is so good in the league and the talent so plentiful that it would be no surprise if multiple teams win Southern Section titles depending on what divisions in which they are placed.
It’s not as if the league didn’t have talent before this season, but Cantwell pointed out, “There’s just more on all of the teams.”
Every team except Harvard-Westlake added transfer students this season. The biggest were St. John Bosco senior Brandon McCoy going to Sierra Canyon, 7-foot-3 Cherif Millogo arriving at St. Francis from Boston and 6-9 Sam Mbingazo returning to Bishop Alemany after playing at Iowa Prep last season.
One big loss, though, has been suffered at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, where 6-7 Tyran Stokes, ranked No. 1 by many in the class of 2026, won’t be playing for the Knights. He withdrew from school last week. There are others ready to help replace him.
Zachary White has committed to San Diego State and NaVorro Bowman has gotten so good that he’s become one of the best prospects from the class of 2027.
Sierra Canyon could start a lineup solely of transfers, with Maximo Adams in his second season with the Trailblazers and one of the best players in the class of 2026. Brannon Martinsen, a 6-6 senior, arrived from JSerra.
Sierra Canyon’s Maximo Adams hugs coach Andre Chevalier.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Harvard-Westlake isn’t going anywhere, with the return of standout senior guard Joe Sterling, a Texas commit, senior center Dominique Bentho and guards Pierce Thompson, Amir Jones and Cole Holden. Crespi returns the Barnes twins, Isaiah and Carter.
“There are anywhere between three and five Division 1 players on every team with D1 potential between the sophomores and juniors,” Rebibo said. “The senior class in this league is unreal. It makes the league as competitive as it’s been in a very long time.”
As if talent weren’t enough of a draw, there’s the coaching. Former Lakers star Derek Fisher, who used to coach the New York Knicks, is in his third season at Crespi and no one is intimidated coaching against him. Chaminade’s Bryan Cantwell, St. Francis’ Todd Wolfson and Sierra Canyon’s Andre Chevalier are veteran coaches who’ve all won section championships. Loyola has a first-year coach, Cam Joyce, from Ohio, and Mike DuLaney guided Bishop Alemany to a Division III state title in 2024.
“It’s going to be really competitive and really fun,” Cantwell said.
Throughout Southern California, there are plenty of elite prospects. There’s Missouri-bound Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood; Kansas-bound Luke Barnett of Mater Dei; high-scoring junior guard Gene Roebuck of La Mirada; Georgia Tech commit Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita; top sophomore transfers Evan Willis and Shalen Sheppard of Crossroads; heavily recruited Christian Collins of St. John Bosco; dynamic senior guard Josiah Johnson of Mayfair; standout senior guard Isaiah Rogers of Corona Centennial; 6-11 Josh Irving of Pasadena, who has committed to Texas A&M; 6-6 rising junior Kevin Keshishyan of Los Altos.
Two of the best guards in the Trinity League. Georgia Tech commit Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita and Kansas commit Luke Barnett of Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/sjjy8EWC1p
As far as teams, Sierra Canyon, Santa Margarita, St. John Bosco, Redondo Union, Rolling Hills Prep, Harvard-Westlake, Corona Centennial and Damien all appear headed to top teams status.
Unfortunately, the City Section has seen most of its top players transfer or graduate. Palisades is the preseason favorite with the arrival of the 6-6 Popoola twins, Elijah and Olujimi, juniors from Las Vegas.
World champions Australia were not involved in the men’s Pacific Championships because of their commitment to touring England.
And Samoa – beaten by the Kangaroos in the World Cup final at Old Trafford three years ago – were hopeful of a first international trophy when they led New Zealand 12-0 thanks to tries from Brian To’o and Simi Sasagi.
But the Kiwis responded through Naufahu Whyte to trail 14-6 at the break, and then produced five unanswered tries in the second half.
Interchange forwards Whyte and Erin Clark were key to the comeback, along with Foran and man of the match Dylan Brown.
Foran and stand-off Brown combined to send over Isaiah Papali’i for the first of his two tries shortly after half-time.
After a Jamayne Isaako penalty levelled the scores, New Zealand stepped up the pace and Clark, Casey McLean, Papali’i and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ran in tries against the tiring Samoans, to the delight of the retiring Foran.
“I wanted it so badly for New Zealand,” Foran said. “It has meant so much to me playing for my country.”
The half-back, who announced in July that he would finish his NRL career at the end of this season after three years with Gold Coast Titans, will now rejoin his first club Manly Sea Eagles as an assistant coach.
Trevor Penning couldn’t help but smile and chuckle after arriving in the brisk El Segundo weather from New Orleans early Wednesday morning.
It was fewer than 24 hours after he’d been told of the trade of which he wasn’t expecting, standing in front of his new end-of-the-hallway locker in the Chargers’ clubhouse. A placard listing Penning’s high school-recruiting rating, and the schools he attended, had yet to be placed atop his stall next to long snapper Josh Harris.
“It’s pretty crazy — overnight,” said the fourth-year offensive lineman, a former 2022 first-round draft pick of the Saints. “You get five more wins on [the record]. … I’m excited to be here.”
Penning, acquired by the Chargers (6-3) just before the NFL trade deadline Tuesday — New Orleans received a 2027 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for the 6-foot-7, 325-pound tackle — joins a team fighting with the Broncos atop the AFC West.
When the Northern Iowa alumnus checked into the Saints’ facility Monday, he was on a team with the worst record (1-8) in the NFC.
Now, Penning will try to bolster the Chargers’ protection of quarterback Justin Herbert, who has been sacked 28 times — third most among all NFL quarterbacks this season. The Chargers were in desperate need of a lineman after losing offensive tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury.
“[Penning’s] just getting the basics down of just getting our cadences and getting adjusted to our play calls and things like that,” Herbert said. “Obviously, I’ve known of him, and obviously, [I’m] a big fan. A lot of respect for his game. It’s a cool opportunity — I’m sure he’ll pick up the offense very quickly.”
Penning said that he, like many football players and fans, had been familiar with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh‘s attitude and approach while growing up. The formerly unranked high school prospect from Clear Lake, Iowa — turned Missouri Valley Football Conference star — said he believed his traits on and off the field match the Chargers’ culture.
“It’s good to hear,” Harbaugh said when asked about Penning’s comments. “I like guys who like football. Guys who like football seem to like me back. … [Penning] strikes me as a guy who’s all about his business, and came in [and] has done everything right. Really happy that we have him on our team.”
The Chargers have worked Penning at both tackle spots during practice this week. He played left tackle in 2022 and 2023, right tackle in 2024, and some left guard in 2025.
Where and how Penning fits is still a question waiting to be answered, and Sunday’s game against the Steelers could provide answers.
Penning is ready for the fresh start awaiting him.
“I’m excited to play anywhere they need me,” Penning said. “I think I have the versatility.”
Sabalenka started this year bidding to become the first woman since 1999 to win three successive Australian Open titles, but lost to a brilliant Madison Keys. She then let her emotions run riot on and off court in her Roland Garros loss to Gauff.
“You lose the final of the biggest tournament and you don’t think cleanly,” she said.
“I had to sit back and reflect on everything, and make sure that people understand my point – that I was completely wrong.
“It was a tough lesson but it helped me in so many different ways.”
Sabalenka battled her emotions at Wimbledon, most impressively against home favourite Emma Raducanu in the third round. “Maybe earlier in my career, I would just go crazy and lose that set,” she said afterwards.
“I was like, ‘do not waste your energy – keep everything you have left inside’.”
After a semi-final loss where Sabalenka felt she was not as “brave” as opponent Amanda Anisimova, she opted for a holiday. There, Sabalenka thought about why she let her emotions “take control over me in those two finals”.
She made a decision – during her US Open title defence, she, not her emotions, would decide her fate.
Sabalenka made her way through the draw and found herself facing Anisimova in the final, with the American aiming to overcome a brutal Wimbledon final loss. Given the pressure Sabalenka already felt to ensure she didn’t finish the year without a Slam, it was a huge test of her mental strength.
It was, arguably, Sabalenka’s most mature performance of the season. Even a missed overhead as she served for the title was greeted with a wry smile. Sabalenka was broken in that game but put together a dominant tie-break to triumph.
“I knew that [because of] the hard work we put in, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season,” Sabalenka added.
“Getting this trophy means I learned a lesson. I became a better player, I have better control over my emotions, and I am super happy.”
There is still work to do, as missing out on the WTA Finals title shows. But Sabalenka was able to shrug the loss off quickly – a positive sign for her after a tricky year.
“After a little time, I feel actually great. The bad thing this season [is] I lost most of the biggest finals I made,” she added.
“So I guess I’ll just sit back in the Maldives having my tequila and think that actually, it’s been pretty good so far.
“I just need to get little bit better with myself and hopefully next season I’ll improve.”
Why is Israel playing in European football? Samantha Johnson unpacks why the Israeli national team and clubs ended up under UEFA, why they’re not the only non-European country playing for Europe and how sport can defy geography
Evans held a 13-point lead over both Ogier and Rovanpera going into the Toyota City-based event.
However, the Finn’s hopes took an early blow, dropping more than five minutes on Friday after damaging his rear suspension in a collision with a barrier.
Evans began slowly, placing sixth on the opening stage, but put together back-to-back stage wins on Friday and a strong Saturday morning sequence to rise up to second just 1.4secs behind leader Ogier.
The Frenchman responded with a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, which continued as he was also the quickest driver across the final day’s six stages – including adding a further additional five points with victory in the final bonus power stage.
“It’s obviously a perfect result,” said Ogier, who is looking to equal Sebastien Loeb’s record nine world titles.
“It’s been a challenging weekend because after the rain today nothing was certain, it was the start of a new rally this morning.
“Now, let’s go to the next one. This was a perfect weekend for us to come back so close [to Evans] and let’s hope the last one is not a lottery.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing have already secured their fifth consecutive WRC manufacturers’ title and are now guaranteed to take the top three places in the drivers’ championship.
Rovanpera, though, looks destined to finish third in his final rally season before switching to a career in circuit racing.
“Definitely not the weekend we wanted to have but sometimes it’s like this,” said the 25-year-old Finn.
“Just a bit too inconsistent with results this year.”
When the ball was thrown in her direction with the championship on the line, Avery Olson was ready. There was no time on the clock when the JSerra junior defender ran step for step with Orange Lutheran receiver Josie Anderson, who dove but could not reach it in the end zone — an exciting finish to the Southern Section Division 1 girls’ flag football final Saturday night at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange.
The top-seeded Lions capped off a perfect season by forcing two incompletions from the two-yard line in the last six seconds — a goal-line stand that summarized everything the team has been about since the start of the season: defense first — to prevail 25-20 over their Trinity League rivals, who captured the inaugural Division 1 championship last fall.
JSerra’s pass rush forced quarterback Makena Cook to hurry a throw to the corner of the end zone that fell incomplete on third down and the Lions began celebrating, thinking the game was over. However, the referee quickly held up two fingers to signal there were two seconds remaining.
Ava Irwin (2) celebrates with her teammates after catching two touchdown passes in JSerra’s 25-20 victory over Orange Lutheran for the Division 1 title on Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“That was the hardest part, realizing they were so close to the goal line and we had to go out there one last time with everything on the line,” Olson said. “We were anticipating a jump ball to Happy [Dubois] or someone who could can go up and get it but they came up with a whip route, something shorter and I wasn’t expecting that. I saw her hips turning and said to myself ‘I gotta get my hands on it.’ We knew it would be a dogfight. O Lu is a great team!”
While the Lions’ defense saved the game, the offense won it. When freshman quarterback Kate Meier could not find anyone open, she took off for the goal line and scooted just inside the pylon from six yards out to put JSerra in front with exactly one minute to go.
“I just took what they gave me,” said Meier, who is known as the team’s Brett Favre and scored the winning touchdown on a similar scramble in the teams’ first league meeting. “There was a huge opening. I saw a large gap opened up and I think I got in.”
JSerra quarterback Kate Meier leaps into the arms of teammate Kai Beary after running for the winning touchdown against Orange Lutheran with one minute left.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
However, Orange Lutheran marched from its own 14 to the Lions’ two to set up the frantic finish.
Cook used her legs to buy time in the pocket before finding Capri Cuneo in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown that tied it with 6:53 left, then threw to Ruby Fuamatu for the one-point conversion that pushed Orange Lutheran into the lead, 20-19.
JSerra intercepted four passes by Cook to win that Sept. 30 showdown 18-7 and held on for a 21-20 home win to clinch the league crown nine days later. They intercepted three more Cook passes Saturday, two of them by Kai Beary, including the most critical with 27 seconds left in the first half and the Lancers inside the JSerra 10.
“I was rushing with GG Szczuka, we got pressure and was able to pick it off,” said Beary, who also caught a touchdown pass from Meier. “It’s been such a fun season. It’s sad that it’s over.”
JSerra (28-0) entered the game ranked No. 1 in California and second in the country by MaxPreps. The Lions blanked 12 opponents and dealt the No. 2 team in the state, Orange Lutheran, its only three defeats. Asked if his team deserved to be No. 1 in the nation, JSerra coach Brian Ong did not seem to care.
“We beat all the teams we played and no one’s gone undefeated to win CIF — these girls are the first to accomplish that,” Ong said. “I don’t think there’s another team in the country that could beat Orange Lutheran three times in a row.”
Wales are hoping to turn the Principality Stadium back into a home fortress, having not won an international in Cardiff for 27 months.
Since beating England in a World Cup warm-up match in August 2023, Wales have suffered nine straight home Test defeats, a losing record which has stretched back 827 days.
The most recent Wales game in Cardiff was eight months ago – the horrific 68-14 home Six Nations defeat inflicted by England.
That was a record loss for the hosts in the Welsh capital, the most points they have conceded at the Principality Stadium, their heaviest Six Nations defeat, a record loss in the tournament and most points conceded against England.
So Wales have to make amends in a ground that is no longer a fortress. Tandy’s side face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in November, before home 2026 Six Nations matches against France, Scotland and Italy, in a tournament where Wales last won a home match in February 2022.
How many fans will turn up to watch Tandy’s side this month remains to be seen with the current discontent surrounding the Welsh game.
The Principality Stadium’s capacity is 74,500, meaning the four matches could attract a maximum of 298,000 supporters in November.
Wales’ clash against the All Blacks is currently the only game close to being a sellout.
There have been numerous anecdotal stories about some tickets now being available at a discounted rate and even being given away for free.
It is the WRU’s responsibility to try and attract back the fans who have drifted away disillusioned with what they have witnessed on the field and read about off it.
ATLANTA — With the Lakers down by 20 in the third quarter at Atlanta, the only sound coming from their bench was Nick Smith Jr.’s hollow claps of encouragement. The rest of the Lakers sat with slumped shoulders on the bench or loitered with blank faces in a semicircle waiting for their coaches to join.
There wasn’t much that could be said.
The Lakers’ five-game winning streak ended in a blowout as the Hawks dominated 122-102 on Saturday at State Farm Arena.
Playing a third consecutive game without Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic tried to keep the Lakers (7-3) in it with 22 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, but all his points came in the first half and he came out after only 27 minutes as the Hawks built a 25-point lead by the middle of the third quarter. Forward Jake LaRavia had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jarred Vanderbilt had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career high.
“This isn’t the identity of this team,” LaRavia said. “This game was an outlier of the first 10 games that we played. [We have to] just not let it break us and be ready to play the next game.”
The Lakers, who won their first four road games, started their five-game trip on a sour note and now need to bounce back when play Charlotte on Monday.
The Hawks (5-5) were playing the second game of a home back-to-back after losing to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. They had four of five starters sidelined, including Trae Young (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (rest) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back).
The Lakers should know the dangers of a desperate, shorthanded team. Only five days ago they ended Portland’s three-game winning streak without Reaves, Doncic or LeBron James. Coach JJ Redick said he would reiterate the lesson before Saturday’s game to avoid a letdown.
Then the Lakers fell behind by 13 in the first quarter. Their deficit ballooned to 26 after three quarters. Redick began sitting his starters by the middle of the third.
“Just not a lot to like tonight,” Redick said matter-of-factly.
Facing a cross-country trip, the Lakers arrived in Atlanta on Thursday and scheduled a practice Friday with a team-bonding activity that night. They held a shootaround in the arena Saturday morning.
Yet even with the extra time to prepare, Redick could tell within the first two minutes that the team didn’t have the necessary energy to win. What did the coach see during that fateful stretch?
“Nothing,” Redick said.
Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci shoots between Lakers center Deandre Ayton and forward Rui Hachimura in the first half Saturday.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
It was the final word of his news conference, which lasted 100 seconds.
Doncic helped lead a quick third-quarter surge, assisting on three consecutive baskets in a 7-0 run that cut the lead to nine, but the Hawks responded by scoring seven unanswered points and forcing two turnovers. Center Deandre Ayton subbed out for the last time with 8:49 to go in the third.
“They played phenomenal,” said Ayton, who had 11 points on five-for-five shooting and five rebounds. “But us not even damn near competing in a sense, it looks bad on paper and it looks bad on film. This is one of them games where yeah, food’s going to taste bad tonight.”
Doncic and Marcus Smart, another veteran leader, were not made available to reporters after the game.
Atlanta’s Mouhamed Gueye torched the Lakers for 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting and made four three-pointers. The Lakers, who had credited their connection and chemistry for carrying them through long stints without their stars, suddenly fell silent when faced with a large deficit in front of a rowdy crowd.
With most of Atlanta’s fans streaming toward the exits in the final two minutes, the Hawks’ most dedicated fan group, the “404 Crew,” echoed through the mostly empty arena with a final chant: “Where is LeBron?”
The superstar has yet to play a single minute this season because of a bout with sciatica.
Star forward Lionel Messi and Inter Miami advanced to MLS Cup East semifinals with Game 3 playoff win over Nashville.
Published On 9 Nov 20259 Nov 2025
Share
Lionel Messi scored two goals and assisted two more, and Inter Miami advanced in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history with a 4-0 victory over visiting Nashville SC in Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Messi finished the best-of-three series with five goals and three assists, meaning he was involved in all eight tallies for third-seeded Miami. He has scored 15 times against sixth-seeded Nashville in all competitions, by far his most against any MLS opponent.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
By contrast, Messi has never scored against No 2 seed FC Cincinnati, which will host Inter Miami in a one-game Eastern Conference semifinal in two weeks.
Tadeo Allende scored twice after halftime and had an assist as Miami won despite playing without key forward Luis Suarez, who served a one-game suspension for his kickout at Nashville SC’s Andy Najar in Game 2.
Nashville was eliminated in the first round in a third consecutive postseason appearance, having returned to the playoffs in the first full season coached by BJ Callaghan after missing the 2024 tournament.
Messi put Miami in front in the 10th minute on the first clear chance for either side.
Ian Fray’s pressure forced Nashville’s Matthew Corcoran into an ill-advised backward pass, which Allende deflected to Messi’s feet, with time and space to surge forward.
Messi did the rest, dribbling at retreating centre back Jack Maher before firing a low finish from about 20 yards (18 metres) out between goalkeeper Joe Willis and the right post.
Then Walker Zimmerman’s defensive error helped set up Messi’s second in the 39th minute when he reached Jordi Alba’s long, speculative ball down the left flank but failed to clear it.
Instead, it fell to Mateo Silvetti, who alertly spotted Messi running into space and provided the square pass in stride for a much simpler second finish.
Nashville thought it had pulled a goal back only seconds into the second half, only for apparent goal-scorer Sam Surridge to be whistled for a foul on Maxi Falcon.
But eventually, Miami added insurance through Allende twice in the 73rd and 76th minutes.
On the first, Messi and Alba combined on the left side of the box to set up Allende’s low finish through traffic. On the second, it was Messi sending an early through ball, and Allende chipping past Willis on the run.
Messi, centre, scores his second goal against Nashville in the 39th minute [Chandan Khanna/AFP]
Match of the Day’s Alan Shearer breaks down the performance of Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko who failed to capitalise on two very good opportunities in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham in the Premier League.
Leonard missed his third straight game Saturday night when the Clippers hosted the Phoenix Suns.
Lue wasn’t precise about the nature of the 34-year-old Leonard’s injury or the length of his absence, but the coach said medical tests on Leonard’s ankle indicated the injury likely wouldn’t be a long-term problem.
The Clippers have home games Monday and Wednesday before they begin a stretch of seven straight road games over the following two weeks on Friday.
Leonard played in the first three games of the season for the Clippers, averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He scored 27 points while playing 37 minutes in the Clippers’ loss to Miami on Monday.
Injuries have repeatedly affected Leonard since the two-time NBA Finals MVP joined the Clippers in 2019. He missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a serious right knee injury, and he missed the first 34 games of last season because of problems with the same knee.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer explains how Alejandro Garnacho played his “best game” in a Chelsea shirt in their 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
