sport

From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ first few innings Tuesday night were riddled with strikeouts and missed opportunities. But the work they did racking up Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale‘s pitch count culminated in Kiké Hernández’s big fourth-inning moment in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

“I felt hitting at the bottom of the lineup, my responsibility was to not chase him around, not give in to what he was trying to get me to do, which was roll over and hit into a double play,” Hernández said after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Braves. “So my mentality was to grind out the at-bat, try to get a good pitch to hit. If not, just be patient so I could turn the lineup over to Mookie [Betts] at the top.”

Hernández let Sale’s first pitch, a changeup in and off the plate, go for a ball. Then, he recognized the pitch again, heading toward the inner third of the plate. And Hernández demolished it, taking three slow steps out of the batter’s box before dropping the bat.

Hernández has too many big postseason moments — a three-homer game against the Cubs in Game 5 of the 2017 NL Championship Series, for example — for a single homer in a non-elimination game to rank at the top. It was his 17th career postseason home run, which accounts for 11% of his home runs over 13 years in the majors, putting him in a category of his own.

It was, however, the biggest offensive moment of the Dodgers’ postseason so far. As the series teetered, in a matchup of rotation aces, all tied up and in Atlanta for the first time, he got his first at-bats of the 2026 postseason and immediately delivered.

“We played tonight like an elimination game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Collectively it was probably one of our better performances, certainly with the [opposing] starter, as far as 1 through 9.”

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Dodgers-Braves box score

MLB scores

Dodgers in control against Braves

Kiké Hernández celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: Scared straight.

Faced with a reality check, the Dodgers got real. Confronted with the end, the Dodgers are just getting started.

Stepping warily into Atlanta’s Truist Park with their five-game division series tied at one game apiece and Braves’ ace Chris Sale waiting for them on the mound Tuesday, the Dodgers marched out three hours later on the verge of another champagne shower.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, showing everyone that they were focusing on the wrong ace.

The Dodger bats were reborn, showing everyone that they still know how to hit in October.

And, yes, the Dodgers finally have a closer, Edwin Díaz entering the ninth and allowing a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies before retiring the next three hitters for the biggest save of his brief Dodgers career.

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Shaikin: Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s playoff dominance impresses everyone, especially Tarik Skubal

Swanson: The Braves let Freddie Freeman go. Now he’s making them pay in the NLDS

Remembering Fred Claire

General manager Fred Claire, left, celebrates the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series win over the Oakland Athletics with manager Tommy Lasorda.

(Bill Beattie / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: The Dodgers were spiraling.

Their general manager had been fired for racist comments. Their famous manager had loudly lost his touch.

They had not won a full-season championship in more than two decades. They were just a blip on a Los Angeles sports landscape dominated by Showtime.

The Dodgers were plunging into a purgatory of irrelevance from which seemingly nobody could save them.

A sportswriter saved them.

Fred Claire saved them.

The most forgotten hero in Dodger history stepped out of the shadows in 1987 as their instant general manager and created the miraculous monster that came to be in 1988.

Kirk Gibson’s home run? He contrived it. Tommy Lasorda’s Hall of Fame career? He enabled it. The infamous championship Stunt Men? He formed it.

The resuscitation of a Dodger brand during what was quite possibly its darkest moment? It all started with Fred Claire, the longtime Dodger executive who died Monday in his Pasadena home on his 91st birthday.

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Fred Claire, former Dodgers GM whose team won the ’88 World Series, dies

Bob Chesney urges UCLA to ignore hype

UCLA coach Bob Chesney reacts during a win over San Diego State at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 12.

(Griffin C. Hooper / Getty Images)

From Connor Dullinger: No. 21.

Look at it once.

And do not talk or worry about it again.

That is what UCLAcoach Bob Chesney told his team when he showed them their Associated Press Top 25 ranking during Sunday’s team meeting, reminding the Bruins what their priorities are as they come off their bye week and prepare for a showdown in Eugene, Ore., against the No. 13 Ducks.

“If you pay attention to this number it will go away,” Chesney said. “If you pay attention to what you did to get that number, and only focus on that and improve that, maybe the number even gets better. Who knows as time goes on, but that can’t be anything we talk about or worry about, and that’s why I wanted to bring it up one time and that was the end of it.”

The commitment to the process remains Chesney’s top priority as his team stares down its biggest test of the season to date.

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Kings fall in home opener

Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper makes a glove save during the first period against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

From Kevin Baxter: Before the first home game of their upcoming 60th anniversary year Tuesday, the Kings honored their past by unveiling a modest Hall of Fame on the concourse of Crypto.com Arena.

An hour later, this season’s Kings took the ice and made some history of their own, though not the kind they had hoped for, falling to the Florida Panthers 2-1 to open a season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 2020.

For Peter Laviolette, the history was even more unwanted since the team’s 0-2-1 start makes him the first Kings coach to go winless in his first three games since Robbie Ftorek in 1987.

Laviolette was a 23-year-old defenseman with the U.S. national team then. He would go on to win 934 NHL games as a coach, the most ever for an American, but he has yet to add to that total with the Kings. It didn’t help that two of the first three games with his new franchise came against Colorado and Florida, popular picks to finish the season in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Kings-Panthers summary

NHL scores

NHL standings

Adou Thiero stands out for Lakers

Lakers forward Adou Thiero looks to pass around Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg during the Lakers’ 124-98 preseason loss Tuesday.

(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: This was never going to be a game for the Lakers to remember. But with nearly half of the roster sidelined because of injuries or resting, Adou Thiero at least tried to inject some life into a sleepy preseason back-to-back.

Thiero’s towering one-handed dunk over two Golden State defenders provided a highlight in the Lakers’ otherwise forgettable 124-98 preseason loss to the Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday. The Lakers leaned on their depth to get through their second short-handed preseason game in as many nights.

Guard Quentin Grimes, the only player starting a second consecutive game for the Lakers, had 12 points and three assists. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili started at center and had 15 points and a trio of three-pointers. Thiero, getting a rare starting moment, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds while Bronny James had four points and five assists in a starting role.

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Lakers-Warriors box score

NBA scores

MLB postseason schedule

DIVISION SERIES

National League

No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Atlanta
at Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 (box score)
Atlanta 3, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Dodgers 3, at Atlanta 1 (box score)
Wednesday at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 San Diego
at Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 (box score)
at Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 (box score)
at San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 (box score)
Wednesday at San Diego, 7 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Milwaukee, 1:30 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

American League

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 4 New York
at Tampa Bay 1, New York Yankees 0 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 5, New York Yankees 2 (box score)
Wednesday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Thursday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox 3, at Cleveland 0 (box score)
Chicago White Sox 4, at Cleveland 3 (box score)
Wednesday at Chicago, 1 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Thursday at Chicago, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday, Oct. 10 at Cleveland, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

NLCS starts Sunday, Oct. 11
ALCS starts Monday, Oct. 12
World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

This Day in Sports History

1904 — Jack Chesbro registers his 41st victory of the season as New York defeats Boston 3-2.

1916 — Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, beats Cumberland 222-0 in the most lopsided college football game in history.

1933 — Baseball World Series: NY Giants beat Washington Senators, 4-3 at Griffith Stadium to clinch 4 games to 1 series victory.

1935 — Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Navin Field for 4 games to 2 series win; Tigers win first championship in 5 WS appearances.

1945 — The Green Bay Packers score 41 points in the first quarter in a 57-21 win against the Detroit Lions.

1950 — Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium to sweep series, 4-0 for 13th WS title in team history; MVP: NY 2B Jerry Coleman.

1952 — Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2 at Ebbets Field in Game 7 to tie own record 4th straight WS; MVP: NY 1B Johnny Mize.

1962 — Judy Kimball wins the LPGA championship with a four-stroke victory over Shirley Spork.

1967 — Tulsa wide receivers Ricky Eber and Harry Wood have the best day by a receiving duo in college football history. Eber has 20 receptions for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while Wood grabs 13 passes for 318 yards and three scores in Tulsa’s 58-0 win over Idaho State.

1970 — Willie Shoemaker wins his 6,033rd race to pass Johnny Longden as the winningest jockey. His first race was won on April 20, 1949.

1984 — Walter Payton breaks Jim Brown’s career rushing mark of 12,312 yards and Brown’s career mark of 58 100-yard rushing games in a 20-7 victory over New Orleans. Payton breaks the record on Chicago’s second play from scrimmage in the second half.

1985 — Lynette Woodard, captain of the women’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, is chosen to be the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

1995 — Coach Eddie Robinson gets his 400th victory as Grambling beats Mississippi Valley State 42-6.

2000 — Zamir Amin of Menlo College sets an NCAA all-divisions record, passing for 731 yards in the Division III school’s 37-32 loss to Cal Lutheran. Amin, 39-of-66 with four TDs and three interceptions, breaks the mark of 716 set by David Klingler of Division I-A Houston against Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1990.

2001 — San Diego’s Rickey Henderson becomes the 25th player with 3,000 hits with a bloop double in a 14-5 loss to Colorado.

2001 — Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season with his 73rd homer and shatters the slugging percentage record that Babe Ruth had owned for 81 years. He finishes with a slugging percentage of .863, easily surpassing the mark of .847 that Ruth set in 1920.

2006 — Denis Hopovac’s fifth field goal of the game, in an NCAA record-tying seventh overtime, gives North Texas a 25-22 victory over Florida International. The other two seven-overtime games involved Arkansas — against Mississippi in 2001 and Kentucky in 2003.

2011 — Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 73-67 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series.

2012 — Drew Brees finishes 29 for 45 for 370 yards with four TD passes and an interception in New Orleans’ 31-24 win over San Diego. Brees breaks the NFL record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game. His 40-yard pass to Devery Henderson eclipses the mark of 47 consecutive games set by Johnny Unitas from 1956-60.

2017 — Jarvion Franklin runs in from the 12 to give Western Michigan a 71-68 victory over Buffalo in a record-tying seven overtimes with a record-breaking 139 total points.

2017 — Backup Khalil Tate rushes for 327 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and accounts for five touchdowns to help Arizona hold off Colorado 45-42.

2017 — Alex Ovechkin scores four goals to become the first player in 100 years with back-to-back hat tricks to open a season, and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

News of Arteta’s new deal at Arsenal won’t come as a shock.

The fact his previous deal expired at the end of the season did put a slightly greater emphasis on the speed of discussions than normal.

But Arteta has been transparent about his desire to stay at the club beyond the end of this campaign.

Dynasty building is what has driven Arteta’s decision. Winning Arsenal‘s first Premier League title in 20 years last season is viewed as just the start.

Coming within a penalty kick of winning their first Champions League trophy came as a gut-wrenching blow – but also a huge motivation.

“We share a special bond with Mikel. We are so proud of everything we have achieved since he returned to the club in 2019,” co-chairmen Stan and Josh Kroenke said.

“He has a deep understanding of Arsenal‘s values and carries them in his heart. He knows what this club means to everyone connected to it and is committed to building on everything we have achieved together.”

With that in mind, there was never a sense Arteta was preparing to walk away from the team he has built to become one of the best in European football.

So with a deal for their manager to stay now agreed, the foundation of Arsenal‘s recent revitalisation into a footballing force remains in place.

Does more history beckon? Arteta is committed to finding out.

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing set to begin after Senegal stripped of Africa Cup of Nations title by CAF.

The long-running saga over the winner of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title will move closer to resolution on Thursday when Senegal’s appeal, ⁠after being stripped of the title, is heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

Senegal are contesting the Confederation of African Football’s decision to declare Morocco champions, despite Senegal beating the hosts 1-0 after extra time ⁠in January’s final in Rabat.

Senegal walked off the pitch for 14 minutes after a penalty was awarded against them late in regulation time, with several players returning to the dressing room in protest before they resumed play.

Morocco failed to convert the spot kick, sending the match into extra time, where Senegal scored the winner to secure victory.

However, they were stripped ‌of the title two months later after CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco.

Senegal quickly followed with an appeal to CAS, which was lodged on March 25 but is only being heard on Thursday. Senegal want to be reinstated as winners, and a panel will listen to arguments from Senegal, Morocco and CAF.

“After the hearing, the panel will start its deliberations. At this stage, CAS cannot state when a final decision will ⁠be rendered but it will not be on the date of the hearing,” CAS ⁠said in a statement.

Three-man CAS panel to hear Senegal and CAF arguments

The panel will be presided over by French civil rights expert Gerald Simon, with assistance from Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and Hamburg-based lawyer and professor of law at the University of Zurich, Ulrich Haas.

They are ⁠likely to hear arguments from Senegal that the Laws of the Game determine the referee’s decisions on incidents of play are final and cannot be challenged after the ⁠fact.

Also important is an interpretation of the articles of the tournament regulations on ⁠which CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, which state that “if, for any reason whatsoever, a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered the loser and shall be eliminated for ‌good from the current competition.”

Senegal’s lawyers are expected to argue that the articles must be interpreted strictly and that a temporary departure from the field cannot be equated with abandoning the match, while Morocco are expected to ‌argue ‌for an opposing interpretation, according to which a team that leaves the field without the referee’s authorisation must be considered the loser and definitively eliminated from the competition, even if its departure was not permanent.

The hearing takes place behind closed doors.

Qualification for AFCON 2027 has already begun, with Senegal drawing the opening game of Patrick Vieira’s tenure as coach with Mozambique on September 25, before winning 1-0 in Ethiopia on September 29.

Morocco have won both of their opening games, beating Gabon and Lesotho.

ATLANTA — Who would you rather have starting an October game for the Dodgers than Yoshinobu Yamamoto?

No one, right? And you wouldn’t be the only one thinking that.

Tarik Skubal thought so too.

When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Skubal he would start the team’s playoff opener, Skubal responded with a question.

“Why?”

Skubal was honored with the assignment, but he also was worried.

“I was like, ‘Is Yoshi OK?’” Skubal said Tuesday.

He is, as the Atlanta Braves found out the hard way. Yamamoto pitched the Dodgers to within one game of the National League Championship Series, setting a postseason high with 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory.

In seven innings, Yamamoto gave up one run on four hits, all of them singles. In only one of those innings did Atlanta advance a runner beyond first base.

“I just have a lot of respect for him and for what he means here in L.A. and what he has accomplished here,” Skubal said. “I know we have a lot of good starting pitching, and I know there is a lot of thought that goes into it, but I just assumed he would be the Game 1 guy.”

You could say Yamamoto rises to the October occasion, but Mookie Betts would not say that, if only because Yamamoto rises to the occasion on just about every occasion.

“I don’t see it any different,” Betts said. “I think he does it all year, too.

“He just has so many weapons. He throws a lot of strikes with a lot of pitches. He’s hard to hit.”

Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner, is brilliant in October.

In seven postseason appearances, he has a 1.97 earned-run average. He gave up five runs in one inning, and he has given up five runs in the other 44⅔ innings. The Dodgers’ grand prize from the trade deadline was hardly a reckless choice to start Game 1 of the division series.

Yamamoto has a 2.14 ERA in 11 playoff appearances, the fourth-lowest of any pitcher since 1903 to make at least 10 postseason starts. He drains the life out of an opposing crowd as well as anyone in major league history, with a 1.42 ERA in six road playoff outings.

“I’m a fan of this game as much as I am a player,” Skubal said. “So, when I watch guys do really impressive things and do great things, I understand what it takes because I also play the game.

“When he goes out and performs like he does, it’s almost like I expect it. And now, being a teammate of his, it’s not surprising at all why he goes and performs like he does, because the way he prepares is as good as anybody in this game. It’s just a ton of fun to be on the same side of it.”

Yamamoto admitted to feeling nervous, even if you would never sense it from watching him. That’s part of the way he prepares, too.

“During the preparation and before the game, then I do get nervous,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter, “but at that time, I personally think that’s very important.”

And then the game starts, the nerves dissipate, and the opponent is methodically slayed.

“He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat,” Roberts said.

Highlights from the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS.

The Dodgers have played seven postseason series with Yamamoto, and they have won them all.

We’ll always cherish last October. In 76 regular-season starts with the Dodgers, he has one complete game. In back-to-back starts last October, he threw a complete game both times.

Of the Dodgers’ four victories in the World Series, Yamamoto earned three — including Game 6 as a starter and Game 7 as a reliever, with no day of rest in between.

“I got goosebumps watching that,” Skubal said. “I didn’t know how he was doing it. That’s what I was thinking: How is this going to work?

“His stuff looked even better than it did in Game 6, which is insane to say. But it did. When I was watching on TV, I was like, ‘Holy … he looks better today than he did yesterday, and he did pretty well the day before.’ It’s incredible.

“Hopefully, we’re not having to do that again to him.”

That is one big reason why the Dodgers acquired Skubal. If Tyler Glasnow wins Wednesday — and the Dodgers won in all six of Glasnow’s postseason appearances last October — they are off to the NLCS.

The Game 1 starter could be Skubal, followed in Game 2 by Yamamoto. That’s a tall order for opposing batters and, so far, a winning order for the Dodgers.

Flag football is now played by 20 million people in more than 100 countries and the rapid growth of the women’s game was key to it becoming one of five optional sports for LA28.

The sport has been backed heavily by the NFL, which aims to help it earn selection for Brisbane 2032 too.

The decision is due before the end of 2026 so flag football could head into its Olympic debut knowing it will feature in back-to-back Games.

Participation has boomed in Australia and scores of athletes are switching from Australian rules football, netball and rugby, while the American team has recruited basketball players.

GB’s Brittany Botterill (football/softball), Phoebe Schecter (equestrian), Marta Mathews (football), Jochebed Frimpong (athletics), Jess Allen (badminton) and Angelica Tait (athletics/snowboarding) all competed in other sports before playing flag football.

US-born Emily Kemp even became an ultimate frisbee world champion last year, in the same summer she helped GB win the flag Euros.

“We are an elite team already, we’re a potential medal threat at LA28, but we’re really aspirational so we’re looking to widen our talent pool,” said Chad Ehlertsen, chief executive of the British American Football Association (Bafa).

“If you look at the top flag players around the world, they’ve generally come from certain sports. They have good hand-eye coordination, agility, speed, decision-making under pressure. These are the qualities we’re looking for.

“In many ways we’re not looking for elite flag players, we’re looking for elite athletes that have the potential [to transfer] and then our coaches will help them understand the game.”

Tom Pidcock wanted to “stop racing” after saying that two of his team-mates were hit by a police vehicle travelling the wrong way down the course at the Tre Valli Varesine in Italy.

Pidcock finished second at the one-day race in Varese but was left “mad” after Pinarello-Q36.5 team-mates Marcel Camprubi and Thomas Gloag were knocked off their bikes with six laps of the finishing circuit to go.

Spain’s Camprubi was able to continue in the race but Pidcock’s fellow Briton Gloag stopped and required stitches on his knee.

“First of all, I wanted to stop the race, stop racing myself,” Pidcock told Eurosport after the race, which was won by Belgium’s Jarno Widar in a sprint finish.

“I was mad. I had guys all riding in front of me, for me, and then two of them are on the floor.

“This shouldn’t happen. But we continued and got back into the race and I’m happy that I could be on the podium.”

BBC Sport has contacted race organisers and local police for comment.

In August, two-time Olympic mountain bike champion Pidcock won his second cross-country world title at the Mountain Bike World Championships.

He dedicated that win to British cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, who died on 14 August during the Volta a Portugal following a high-speed collision with a van that had strayed on to the closed road.

Camprubi posted a picture of a broken bike on Instagram Stories, with a caption that read: “Sad that you have to risk your life to race, one month after a tragic accident.”

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Carson 19, Narbonne 12

El Camino Real 12, Cleveland 0

Los Angeles Roosevelt 19, Huntington Park 0

South Gate 26, Bell 22

Southern Section

Alemany 34, Flintridge Sacred Heart 7

Anaheim 38, Rancho Alamitos 7

Aquinas 33, Arrowhead Christian 0

Bellflower 14, Mayfair 12

Bell Gardens 20, Keppel 8

Bishop Montgomery 32, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 6

Bolsa Grande 36, Century 0

California Military Institute 42, San Jacinto Valley Academy 0

Canyon Springs 18, Riverside North 12

Carter 24, Colton 0

Cathedral City 19, Banning 6

Cerritos 30, La Mirada 0

Chaparral 19, Great Oak 0

Compton 25, Long Beach Cabrillo 8

Corona Santiago 21, Norco 14

Covina 33, Rowland 6

Cypress 13, Canyon Country Canyon 12

Eastvale Roosevelt 12, Corona Centennial 6

Eastvale Roosevelt 30, Riverside King 25

Edison 25, Corona del Mar 19

Eisenhower 26, Bloomington 18

El Rancho 7, Schurr 6

El Toro 22, Beckman 12

Etiwanda 68, Los Osos 0

Fullerton 22, Garden Grove 7

Gahr 34, California 18

Garden Grove 28, Savanna 6

Glenn 34, Whitney 0

Godinez 15, Buena Park 14

Hacienda Heights 18, Charter Oak 0

Hemet 13, Hillcrest 6

Heritage 44, Citrus Hill 0

Indio 33, Xavier Prep 6

Irvine 19, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 12

La Canada 38, Temple City 12

Lakewood 20, Long Beach Jordan 0

Lakewood St. Joseph 40, Quartz Hill 0

La Palma Kennedy 33, Laguna Hills 26

La Quinta 32, Rancho Mirage 0

Linfield Christian 34, Ontario Christian 14

Loara 8, Orange 7

Long Beach Poly 31, Millikan 6

Los Alamitos 40, Marina 0

Los Altos 13, Colony 12

Los Amigos 13, Westminster 6

Montebello 19, Alhambra 7

Moreno Valley 15, Arlington 13

Mountain View 39, El Monte Arroyo 0

Murrieta Mesa 24, Murrieta Valley 2

Newport Harbor 34, Fountain Valley 0

Nogales 6, Garey 0

Norco 33, Corona 24

Norwalk 26, Pioneer 6

Ocean View 7, Katella 0

Orange Vista 19, Liberty 13

Palm Desert 19, Desert Hot Springs 6

Paloma Valley 19, Rancho Verde 15

Paramount 6, Artesia 0

Patriot 50, Norte Vista 0

Placentia Valencia 20, Estancia 0

Pomona 14, Edgewood 0

Ramona 19, La Sierra 7

Ramona Convent 12, St. Bernard 6

Rancho Cucamonga 14, St. Lucy’s 7

Rosemead 6, El Monte 0

San Marino 27, Gabrielino 7

Santa Ana Foothill 26, Garden Grove Pacifica 20

Santa Ana Valley 20, Western 7

Segerstrom 20, Westminster 12

Shadow Hills 18, Palm Springs 6

Sonora 7, Villa Park 0

South El Monte 27, San Gabriel 0

South Hills 45, San Dimas 8

St. Margaret’s 40, Laguna Beach 19

St. Paul 54, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0

Summit 19, Jurupa Hills 6

Sunny Hills 19, El Dorado 13

Upland 7, Chino Hills 0

Temescal Canyon 32, Jurupa Valley 6

Temecula Prep 32, Nuview Bridge 6

Tesoro 33, Dana Hills 0

Tustin 20, Costa Mesa 0

Valley View 19, Lakeside 0

Vasquez 26, Palmdale 6

Victor Valley 36, Fontana 0

Vista Murrieta 18, Temecula Valley 6

Warren 36, La Serna 34

West Covina 21, Northview 0

Whittier 33, Oxford Academy 12

Woodbridge 35, Sage Hill 7

Woodcrest Christian 7, Riverside Notre Dame 0

Workman 30, Bassett 0

Yorba Linda 32, Crean Lutheran 14

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section

Adelanto 15, Victor Valley 0

Agoura 14, Oaks Christian 7

Alhambra 39, El Monte 0

Alta Loma 13, Colony 0

Antelope Valley 6, Lancaster 0

Antelope Valley 12, Lancaster 7

Arroyo Valley 6, Indian Springs 0

Banning 19, Entrepreneur 14

Bishop Amat 28, South El Monte 0

Bonita 14, Ayala 12

Brentwood 7, SEED LA 0

Brentwood 33, Shalhevet 6

Cajon 13, Redlands East Valley 12

California Military 32, Riverside Notre Dame 12

Camarillo 38, Moorpark 7

Canyon Country Canyon 20, Golden Valley 12

Capistrano Valley 32, Irvine 26

Castaic 32, Saugus 0

Cerritos Valley Christian 61, Vista Meridian 0

Chaminade 26, Louisville 0

Channel Islands 25, Santa Barbara 9

Chino Hills 38, Los Osos 8

Dos Pueblos 14, San Marcos 6

Eastside 22, Knight 6

Etiwanda 45, St. Lucy’s 0

Glendora 32, Claremont 19

Grand Terrace 26, Carter 13

Hart 14, West Ranch 0

Harvard-Westlake 32, Alemany 14

Hemet 19, Riverside North 7

Heritage 29, Rancho Christian 14

Highland 19, Palmdale 13

Hueneme 39, Santa Paula 27

JSerra 40, Mater Dei 12

Kaiser 13, Summit 0

Loma Linda Academy 53, Calvary Baptist 0

Miller 7, Norte Vista 0

Mission Viejo 7, Trabuco Hills 6

Montclair 20, Chaffey 6

Moreno Valley 40, Lakeside 13

Newbury Park 25, Calabasas 0

North Torrance 19, Long Beach Jordan 0

Ontario 6, Don Lugo 2

Orange Lutheran 18, Santa Margarita 6

Oxnard 54, Rio Mesa 6

Oxnard Pacifica 39, Del Sol 0

Pacific 19, Jurupa Valley 12

Paloma Valley 56, Orange Vista 14

Pasadena Poly 31, Westridge 14

Patriot 24, Ramona 0

Quartz Hill 2, Littlerock 0

Rancho Cucamonga 32, Upland 24

Rancho Verde 35, Citrus Hill 6

Redlands 20, Citrus Valley 13

Rialto 12, San Gorgonio 6

Riverside Poly 31, Hillcrest 12

San Bernardino 46, Rubidoux 0

San Clemente 34, San Juan Hills 14

San Dimas 32, Los Altos 12

Sierra Canyon 41, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 14

Simi Valley 25, Royal 7

Sr. Bonaventure 40, Oak Park 0

Sunny Hills 38, Loara 6

Tahquitz 25, Elsinore 12

Temescal Canyon 7, West Valley 6

Torrance 19, West Torrance 0

Valley View 27, Vista del Lago 26

Ventura 35, Buena 0

Western Christian 38, Fairmont Prep 0

Westlake 46, Thousand Oaks 0

Windward 54, YULA 0

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SAN FRANCISCO — This was never going to be a game for the Lakers to remember. But with nearly half of the roster sidelined because of injuries or resting, Adou Thiero at least tried to inject some life into a sleepy preseason back-to-back.

Thiero’s towering one-handed dunk over two Golden State defenders provided a highlight in the Lakers’ otherwise forgettable 124-98 preseason loss to the Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday. The Lakers leaned on their depth to get through their second short-handed preseason game in as many nights.

Guard Quentin Grimes, the only player who started in the second consecutive game for the Lakers, had 12 points and three assists. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili started at center and had 15 points and a trio of three-pointers. Thiero, getting a rare starting moment, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds while Bronny James had four points and five assists in a starting role.

Star guard Luka Doncic sat out after scoring 21 points in one half Monday against the Sacramento Kings. After setting the tone defensively against the Kings, forwards Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle watched from the sideline Tuesday. The Lakers were also without center Walker Kessler (finger), guards Austin Reaves (ankle) and Collin Sexton (lower body) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma (lower body), who all missed their second consecutive preseason game.

Thiero has been prepared for this type of opportunity. The second-year forward is trying to take advantage of his first true NBA preseason after knee injuries marred his rookie season. He played in his first summer league games, showing incremental progress during games in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Thiero started the summer moving too quickly through games, crashing into the lane and flying recklessly toward the rim. He even missed time from a minor wrist injury suffered during a fall. But as the summer progressed, he settled into the pace of the game. During a Las Vegas Summer League game, Thiero flashed his potential with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks with zero turnovers in 30 minutes.

“I feel like that just came with playing more, and just understanding what I was supposed to do, understanding my role,” Thiero said this week of his progress during the summer. “I feel like my role during summer league is very different compared to my role during the season. I was on-ball more. Even creating the offense in summer league. And I didn’t have much experience with that at the time, but as summer league kept going on, I got more comfortable with it and realizing when to speed up and everything.”

Thiero is fighting for minutes in a deep wing group led by Williams and Thybulle. The Lakers have stocked their team with versatile perimeter defenders to help complement their offensive-minded backcourt of Doncic and Reaves. Thiero, whom Reaves described as “a freak-of-nature” athlete, could add a unique quality to the rotation.

“Our ceiling rises if he’s able to [contribute defensively] and be an impactful offensive player with crashing, with cutting, with touching the paint, playing off two feet,” coach JJ Redick said before Monday’s preseason game. “I’ve seen a lot of growth there from him over the last six, seven weeks. That’s exciting.”

Scared straight.

Faced with a reality check, the Dodgers got real. Confronted with the end, the Dodgers are just getting started.

Stepping warily into Atlanta’s Truist Park with their five-game division series tied at one game apiece and Braves’ ace Chris Sale waiting for them on the mound Tuesday, the Dodgers marched out three hours later on the verge of another champagne shower.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, showing everyone that they were focusing on the wrong ace.

The Dodger bats were reborn, showing everyone that they still know how to hit in October.

And, yes, the Dodgers finally have a closer, Edwin Díaz entering the ninth and allowing a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies before retiring the next three hitters for the biggest save of his brief Dodgers career.

In all, the Dodgers drowned out that horrible tomahawk chop with some mighty hacks of their own, winning 3-1 while finally displaying some of the desperation that had been missing.

“We’ve gotta treat every game like an elimination game and go out there and play with urgency,” said Freddie Freeman about the lesson learned.

Seemingly moments after staring the Dodgers down with a thrilling Game 2 victory, the Braves have essentially been consigned to their rearview mirror.

Historically, the team that wins Game 3 in a best-of-five series wins that series 72% of the time, but the Dodgers don’t need some fancy stats to tell them what they know.

The Braves can’t beat the Dodgers in two straight games, and they can’t do it with one of those games at Dodger Stadium if necessary, and they can’t do it with Tyler Mahle pitching in one game and the bullpen handling the other game.

The Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow on their mound in Wednesday’s Game 4 and Tarik Skubal waiting for a possible Game 5 and this thing feels over.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers during a 3-1 win over the Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.

(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)

“I think I was most proud of we played tonight like an elimination game,” said manager Dave Roberts, later adding, “Tonight I think collectively it was probably one of our better performances.”

It started with the Dodgers’ offense against Sale, who shut them out in a 1-0 victory over Yamamoto just last month.

This time they were patient. This time they were smart. This time they worked him for 24 pitches in the first inning, 18 in the second, 20 in the third.

All of this set up the 37-year-old Sale for a fourth-inning beatdown with some familiar Dodger postseason magic.

With Andy Pages on first after a ground-ball single — he’s breaking out of his two-year postseason slump! — Kiké Hernández drove in a hanging changeup 406 feet over the left-field wall for a two-run homer, and where have you heard this before?

Highlights from the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS.

Hernández is arguably the most consistently unlikely postseason hero in Dodger history. During the regular season he struggles. During the postseason he shines.

This was his 17th postseason home run, fourth in Dodger history, and remember the three home runs he hit that night in the 2017 National League Championship Series in Chicago?

He’s been doing that sort of thing ever since, and his Dodger teammates can only stare in amazement.

“I wish there was a recipe for that so we can all take it from him, he’s incredible, he shows up when you need him,” said Freeman, later adding,“He’s a Swiss Army knife and he’s ready to go at all times.”

This time Hernández was followed two batters later by another familiar October bat. It’s safe to say that Freeman has broken out of his slump, as he homered for the second time in two nights after hitting one in the previous 66 games. It was the first time Sale had given up more than two runs in an inning in three years.

That made the score 3-1 and considering Yamamoto was 33-0 with at least three runs of support in his career, this game felt over. And it was indeed over.

In notching a postseason-high 10 strikeouts over eight innings, Yamamoto showed why he — and not Skubal — is the ace of this staff.

Making his first start in 13 days, he gave up just one run on four hits in seven innings in a continuation of his postseason mastery. He now has an 8-0 career postseason record with a 2.14 ERA and that doesn’t begin to illustrate his impact.

“Wow, what a performance,” said Roberts. “He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat.”

Yamamoto was held back for this game while Skubal started the opener, but he shouldn’t take a back seat to anyone anymore this postseason. He should pitch early, often, every day if possible, because he is darn near unhittable.

Unhittable in a different sense was struggling Shohei Ohtani, who was moved down from the top of the order to the fifth spot, and it didn’t do him any good.

He failed to get a hit in four plate appearances, reacting so badly to one of Sale’s changeups that he foolishly called for an ABS challenge that he lost.

Ohtani is still lost. But on a turning-point night in Atlanta, the Dodgers found themselves.

“I thought coming into this camp, Pocognoli would probably need a period of grace,” Halliday said on Sportsound. “I think that period of grace is now over.

“That was as poor a Scotland performance as I can remember for a while against an opposition you are expecting us to go and beat.”

Slovenia got in behind Scotland’s high defensive line repeatedly and former national team captain Willie Miller is unsure if Pocognoli will stick with his back three.

“This is Pocognoli’s preferred system and he’s had time to work with the system, it was just all over the place,” Miller said on Sportsound.

“Time and time again there were huge gaps appearing and Slovenia were taking advantage.

“Our situation is we’ve got a new manager in, he’s got a preferred system, what does he do? Does he just bin it? Are we back to a back four?

“His preferred system is a back three, but it was unbelievably poor.”

ATLANTA — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani took the news that he was hitting fifth in Game 3 of the National League Division Series so well that he responded with a joke.

As manager Dave Roberts tells it, when he laid out his thoughts on the lineup against Braves ace Chris Sale, Ohtani said, “In all honesty, I was going to come to you in September and say, why don’t you hit me seventh?”

Regardless of how poorly Ohtani has hit lately, the news came as a shock on Tuesday. And it reflected the aggressive read-and-react approach Roberts is going to take with the best-of-five series tied through two games.

Fifth is the lowest Ohtani has ever hit in the Dodgers’ starting lineup. He hasn’t hit fifth or lower in a starting lineup since 2020 with the Angels.

For most of the season, through ups, downs and injuries, Ohtani has led off. When he returned from the injured list with five games left in the season, Roberts started batting him second against left-handed pitchers, with right-handed hitting Mookie Betts batting ahead of him.

But in eight postseason at-bats so far, Ohtani has recorded just two hits, both singles.

“This is just a Sale thing, and also who I feel is going to come out of the bullpen tonight,” Roberts said, making clear that he doesn’t plan to bat Ohtani fifth against all left-handed pitchers in the postseason. “So [Wednesday] versus [right-hander Tyler] Mahle, it will look different.”

Against Mahle, however, Roberts said Ohtani won’t necessarily lead off, citing Mahle’s neutral-to-reverse platoon splits. But Ohtani won’t hit fifth, Roberts said. Sale is a special case.

The last time the Dodgers faced Sale, he shut them out for nine innings. All time, Ohtani has a .517 OPS against Sale in the regular season, and he went one for seven against him this year.

“It might give him a different look, let the game come to him a little bit later,” Roberts said. “I don’t think it’s a pressure thing. I do think it’s something where he wants to do more. But in that same breath, I do think that there’s going to be a couple big spots today where he’s going to be at bat.”

In the Dodgers’ first two postseason games, Ohtani’s plate discipline has wavered, making it difficult to pinpoint the root of his struggles. Does it all come down to approach? Could his nagging left knee and right biceps problems be contributing to his poor performance?

The Dodgers aren’t looking for him to be the hero every game, and trying to do so could even exacerbate his problems at the plate. For the lineup to click, however, he does need to be more productive.

“He’s a very good self-evaluator, a very extremely high competitor and expects a lot from himself,” Roberts said. “I still think he’s very confident. But Sale’s a different monster. He’s tough, certainly against lefties.

“But I still think [Ohtani’s] confident. So now with that, just getting him back in the zone — and that’s easier said than done, I understand that.”

On Tuesday, Roberts also inserted right-handed hitting Kiké Hernández into the lineup, batting ninth and playing third base. And he kept right-handed hitter Miguel Rojas in the lineup, moving him from third to second and starting utility player Tommy Edman on the bench. Left-handed hitting third baseman Max Muncy will also be available off the bench.

“Tommy, he’s been going through it in the last couple of months, and it’s been a grind for him on both sides of the plate,” Roberts said. “Hasn’t had a whole lot of success against Sale — the heater up, the ball down below, with a flat swing. … Getting Kiké involved right now, I think it’s added intensity, urgency. I just think he’s going to put forth some good at-bats, and you’re not giving up anything on the defensive side.”

A back three that has looked impressive was hassled to distraction, calm replaced with confusion. Scotland’s go-to leaders did not lead.

Robertson said his team was out-fought, which was a telling comment. Fight is the easiest part to get right, the thing that requires no talent.

On Saturday in Skopje, everything was easy for Scotland because North Macedonia were no good. They scored two and could have scored five and six.

Was there a sense of them believing in their own hype? Hard to imagine given that it was only North Macedonia they’d beaten, but there was a lack of edge about Scotland on Tuesday that begs that question.

Or can it all be laid at the door of the system? Slovenia did their work on that. Ripped it to pieces, in truth.

Pocognoli needs time, of course he does. He needs his most potent attacking midfielder, Scott McTominay, at the heart of things and needs more training sessions to drill his message into his players.

November is his next chance, away to Switzerland and home to North Macedonia. No real margin for error now. They had a big chance to make it a healthy seven points from four games and they blew it.

The head coach will need to nurse his wounds after this. He will have learned a lot about his players and has much thinking to do.

The honeymoon period is over. The reaction of the Hampden crowd at the end told you that the first marital row has now occurred.

There was a sense of inevitability that England captain Kane would be the star turn in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Czech Republic as he celebrated equalling Peter Shilton’s record of 125 England caps.

Kane, still irreplaceable at 33, added to his goals tally as England’s all-time record scorer, his total of 91 now 38 ahead of Wayne Rooney, who is in second place in the listings with 53 goals in 120 games.

And, with Kane still looking in his prime and fully fit, it now seems only a matter of time before he makes history as the first player to score 100 goals for England.

This alone will have delighted Tuchel, but even more satisfying for the German is that he now presides over an attacking quartet that can pose a threat to any side in world football.

Kane is the peerless spearhead, but Anthony Gordon – on target in the three Nations League games against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia before being rested here at Wembley – has moved his game on to another level since joining Barcelona from Newcastle.

Gordon is a creator with burning pace, while on the right flank Bukayo Saka has looked rejuvenated after a World Cup during which he was hampered by an Achilles injury, as he proved with two goals in Croatia.

And, just behind them all, with everything he does stamped with world class, is Jude Bellingham, England’s player of the year and the golden future of his country at only 23.

This may be bad news for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, whose withdrawal from England’s squad has allowed others to cement their place in front of him, with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White proving his commitment by cutting short a family holiday to join the squad after being excluded initially.

England’s front four looks a natural fit, augmented by Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers, while Liverpool’s 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha will be an international contender for years to come.

If Tuchel can keep his fab four fit and firing, England will be a danger to any opponents.

The Dodgers were spiraling.

Their general manager had been fired for racist comments. Their famous manager had loudly lost his touch.

They had not won a full-season championship in more than two decades. They were just a blip on a Los Angeles sports landscape dominated by Showtime.

The Dodgers were plunging into a purgatory of irrelevance from which seemingly nobody could save them.

A sportswriter saved them.

Fred Claire saved them.

The most forgotten hero in Dodger history stepped out of the shadows in 1987 as their instant general manager and created the miraculous monster that came to be in 1988.

Kirk Gibson’s home run? He contrived it. Tommy Lasorda’s Hall of Fame career? He enabled it. The infamous championship Stunt Men? He formed it.

The resuscitation of a Dodger brand during what was quite possibly its darkest moment? It all started with Fred Claire, the longtime Dodger executive who died Monday in his Pasadena home on his 91st birthday.

His quiet presence will forever be missed. His audacious impact should never be forgotten.

Claire was an endlessly kind, disarmingly honest and eternally humble sort whose love for the Dodgers was perhaps best illustrated by the story of his most prized souvenir.

After the Dodgers clinched the 1988 World Series championship in a stunning victory over the heavily favored Oakland A’s, catcher Rick Dempsey approached Claire in the champagne-soaked clubhouse. In Dempsey’s back pocket was the game ball used by Orel Hershiser to strike out Tony Phillips for the game’s final out.

Fred Claire talks with Dodgers coach Joe Amalfitano at a batting cage during spring training.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Dempsey handed the ball to Claire in gratitude for the belief shown by the general manager in signing Dempsey and several other journeymen who helped lead the team to the title.

Claire quietly accepted the ball, took it home, put it on a shelf, but several years later realized it was needed elsewhere. At the time, the National Baseball Hall of Fame only had two final-out balls. Once again believing that the Dodgers were more important than himself, he donated his jewel to Cooperstown. The shelf remained empty.

“I just played one role in all this,” Claire told me several years ago. “In getting through our difficult times, I always believed in ‘We.’”

Referring to the Dodgers’ 1987 season as a difficult time was an understatement.

In April, longtime general manager Al Campanis was fired for making racist remarks about Black Americans on the TV show, “Nightline.”

Peter O’Malley, the Dodgers’ president at the time, made the sudden and strange choice to replace Campanis with Claire, the team’s public relations boss who had spent the first 11 years of his career as a sportswriter.

There was much criticism. There was overwhelming disbelief. But instead of apologizing for the promotion, Claire ran with it. One day after taking the job he cut popular pitcher Jerry Reuss and signed unemployed Mickey Hatcher and set the stunt man tone.

”I wanted some fire, and Mickey was the guy who could give us that,” Claire told me. “I don’t know if there were people who doubted me, but I never doubted myself. I knew I had the job for today, and I was going to make the most out of that day.”

He slowly turned a stuffy and entitled team into a lean and scrappy one, and by the time he made the brilliant move of signing free agent Kirk Gibson in January of 1988, the stage had been set.

Nine months later, it was only fitting that Gibson’s famous walk-off homer against Dennis Eckersley of the A’s in the World Series opener scored Mike Davis, who was also signed by Claire.

And the most valuable position player in that series? None other than the guy Claire signed first.

“Fred Claire was amazing,” Hatcher told me. “For a guy who was suddenly put into the limelight, he asked all the right questions, listened to everyone, and believed in all of us.’’

It was this great belief in collaboration that burned Claire in 1993 when he traded seemingly frail pitcher Pedro Martínez for second baseman Delino DeShields on the advice of his medical staff.

Martínez, of course, became a Hall of Famer while Claire became saddled with the stain of one of the worst trades in Dodger history. The perception surely irked a man who was just following organizational advice, but Claire never backed down from his role in the deal.

“The facts have to be the facts, and those facts are, I traded Pedro,” Claire told me.

Another trade ended his Dodger career, as he was fired by the new Fox ownership in 1998 when he publicly announced he had nothing to do with the horrible trade of Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins.

That was Fred Claire personified, honest to the end, refusing to sacrifice his integrity, never surrendering his dignity.

Because he was too modest for acclaim and too quiet for headlines, Claire essentially disappeared from the Dodgers orbit for nearly two decades after his firing, instead focusing on teaching, consulting, and co-writing an autobiography entitled, “Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue.”

During this time he also became a touchstone for all Dodger alumni, as many former players contacted him daily for advice or help or just to remember the good old days. He never failed to answer a call, never turned down a request, seemingly every former Dodger knew his number and leaned on his goodness.

He was finally honored at Dodger Stadium in the summer of 2017 in an emotional ceremony that was long overdue. By then, he was heavily involved in the last great fight of his life, a battle against cancer that led him to become an important advocate and fund raiser for City of Hope.

In one of his final visits there last month, Claire didn’t focus on his illness, but rather his room number. He was quite proud that it was 4217, because Jackie Robinson was 42. Claire was with Robinson shortly before his death and constantly stressed the connection between the icon and his franchise.

In our final correspondence, on the day before he died, Claire texted me and several others with seven photos.

There were images of him with wife Sheryl, with Lasorda, with Dave Roberts, with several champagne-stained Dodgers in a celebratory clubhouse.

There was also a picture that did not contain him but spoke volumes about his character. It was a simple photo of a plaque bearing the number 42 and accompanied by a quote.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

Jackie Robinson said it.

Fred Claire lived it.

Mikel Merino turns game for Spain in Croatia to maintain their 100 percent group-stage record in UEFA Nations League.

Mikel Merino hit a brace to help World Cup winners Spain seal qualification in the Nations League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win against Croatia on Tuesday.

Ivan Perisic put hosts Croatia ahead but substitute Merino equalised for Spain early in the second half.

Perisic was sent off with 10 minutes remaining for a second yellow card and Merino helped Spain capitalise with a fine finish to reach the last eight with two matches to spare.

Spain now has 42nd consecutive games without suffering defeat and lead England by three points at the top of Group A3.

Slaven Bilic’s Croatia were crushed 7-0 by England on Saturday, in front of a crowd of children as home fans were banned for racism, and came out determined to make it up to their supporters in Split.

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was called into action early on, saving well from Josip Stanisic’s header, as Luka Modric’s team impressed in the first half.

A few minutes later the hosts took the lead in Split with Simon saving from Igor Matanovic’s shot but Perisic reacted quickest to head home the rebound.

Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Simon put Aymeric Laporte in a tough spot in his own box with a loose pass and Croatia intercepted and almost grabbed a second. However Simon saved from Freiburg striker Matanovic’s effort.

Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal raced through on goal early in the second half but he fell after nudging the ball past Barca team-mate and Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

Merino, on at the interval, pulled Spain level in the 61st minute with a low finish after Dani Olmo, who developed in Croatia as a youngster, fed him.

Croatia’s task of holding on in the final stages became harder when Perisic brought down Marc Cucurella and was dismissed.

Merino, so often making key impacts from the bench for Spain coach Luis De la Fuente, including in the World Cup this summer, finished the job with his second of the night.

The former Real Sociedad man, with two minutes remaining, produced a superb turn and finish to blast past Livakovic.

The NFL Referees Assn. says the suspensions handed out by the league to two game officials this week went too far and that it will attempt to get them reduced.

On Monday, the NFL issued a two-game suspension for line judge Jeff Seeman and a one-game suspension for referee Adrian Hill for separate instances of “unprofessional conduct toward a player” during games they were working the previous day.

The NFLRA said in a news release Tuesday that it “believes the suspensions imposed by the NFL on two officials following incidents this past weekend were excessive and inconsistent with past precedent.”

“Given these concerns, the NFLRA will challenge the severity of those suspensions and meet with the NFL Officiating Department to discuss the League’s disciplinary standards,” the NFLRA said. “The association also plans to meet with NFL Players Association leadership to address on-field conduct and the growing levels of confrontation between players and officials.”

Late in the Arizona Cardinals’ 36-24 loss to the New York Giants, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride argued a non-call with Seeman. A video of part of the interaction between McBride and Seeman, posted on X by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, appears to show the line judge shouting profane language at McBride.

“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” NFL Players Assn. executive director JC Tretter wrote with a repost of the footage. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”

Early in the Minnesota Vikings’ 15-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson appeared to be shoved into Hill, who was knocked to the ground. When Wilson attempted to help Hill to his feet, the official jumped up and appeared to yell at the player and point for him to move away.

“I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “He was cool about it. He understood what was happening. He just said he was trying to get me — he didn’t want us fighting apparently, me and the Dolphins guy. So he was just trying to break us up.”

NFLRA executive director Scott Green acknowledged that both officials “fell short” in conducting themselves professionally on the field, but he also suggested that players often do the same.

“Officials are routinely subjected to highly charged interactions and, at times, verbal abuse from players and coaches,” Green said in the association’s news release. “While that never excuses misconduct by an official, it shouldn’t be dismissed as simply part of the game. The League expects the highest level of professionalism from its officials, and it should demand the same from everyone on the field.

“We will defend the principle that discipline must be fair, consistent and proportionate,” Green continued. “Holding officials accountable while ignoring or minimizing the conduct directed at them is neither fair nor an effective way to address this issue. We look forward to working with the League and NFLPA toward that shared goal.”

Cristiano Ronaldo says he is not retiring from international football but deserves to be punished for walking out on Portugal for a “breach of the coach’s trust”.

The 41-year-old captain left his country’s Nations League camp after being an unused substitute against Norway and then finding out he would not start against Denmark.

Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo has scored 146 goals in 234 Portugal appearances – both world records – helping them win Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice.

In a lengthy statement, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player said he should be held accountable for his actions.

“The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced,” Ronaldo said.

“I have already apologised, but I know that actions have consequences.”

Portugal manager Jorge Jesus said on Sunday that the door was still open for Ronaldo to play for the country’s national team.

Ronaldo said that, provided he was “physically fit, playing with my team, and hopefully scoring goals”, he would like to continue to play international football.

“After my suspension period ends, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team,” he added.

More to follow.

In 2018, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas – two of the three youngest players on Furyk’s team – starred as they won three out of four points as a foursomes and fourballs pairing.

With 21-year-old Jackson Koivun having impressed during an unbeaten Presidents Cup debut in last month’s comeback victory over the Internationals in Chicago, Furyk says he is excited to inject more youth into the US side.

“I really love the guys who have played for us in the past few years,” the 56-year-old, who played in nine consecutive Ryder Cups between 1997 and 2014, told the BBC.

“We have tough, gritty veterans who have been around the block, and I’m excited, we have a lot of great, young talent who have yet to play in this cup and I’d bet two or three of them will be at Adare.”

During the news conference, Furyk said he will ask his team to “do more than any American team has in the past” to seal an elusive away win and vowed to address his side’s dismal recent record in foursomes.

The US won just three points from a possible 16 in the alternate-shot format over the past two Ryder Cups.

“I know those numbers very well. I’ve lived them the last four,” said Furyk.

“It’s not an anomaly. There’s some issues. We understand that. Not something I’m very happy with. I plan on making some changes.

“As captains we need to do a better job – not only putting the folks into good pairings in good positions, but I don’t think we are preparing for those matches in a proper way.”

The 2027 Ryder Cup – the second to be staged in Ireland after the K Club in 2006 – will take place on 17-19 September.

India batter Harmanpreet Kaur has left her role as national team captain across all three formats of international cricket.

Harmanpreet led India in five Tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 T20 internationals and took her country to their first global title, winning the 50-over World Cup last year.

The 37-year old last captained her country on 22 September, when she helped secure a second successive Asian Games title against Sri Lanka.

She will be replaced by opener Smriti Mandhana, who has already skippered the side in limited-overs games.

In a post on Instagram, external, Harmanpreet said she was leaving the India side in a “good place” and that she’s now “ready to play for the love of the game again”.

“This is not an easy decision,” Harmanpreet wrote. “It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women’s cricket – my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions.

“There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first.

“As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions. Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came at a personal cost. But every decision I made was with one intention – to make this TEAM better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in themselves and become the best versions of themselves.”

Harmanpreet, who first captained India in 2012, led her side to victory in the one-off Test against England at Lord’s in July.

However India exited the T20 World Cup in the group stage earlier in the month, failing to reach the semi-finals for the second successive edition of the tournament.

Mandhana, 30, has previously captained India in 18 T20s and four ODIs.

She has also captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles.

She said: “To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour, and the opportunity to lead the team is something I will value deeply.”

India are set to welcome Zimbabwe for three T20s and three ODIs from 16 October.

Novac Djokovic won 102nd match of his career, while ATP 500 tournament victory was Carlos Alcaraz’s third of the year.

Novak Djokovic won the China Open after his opponent Alex de Minaur retired from the final with injury, while Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz retained his Japan Open crown to continue his resurgence after a lengthy wrist injury layoff.

The 39-year-old Serbian won the first set in the tie-break 7-6 (7-3) and was down a game in the second set when the Australian ended the match with retirement on Tuesday.

Djokovic extended an astonishing unbeaten streak in Beijing and winning the 102nd title of his career.

De Minaur left the court for a medical timeout after losing the first-set tie break but played on with his left thigh heavily bandaged. However, he had to stop after winning the first game of the second set, leaving him trailing 7-6(3) 0-1.

“I don’t feel great … I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans,” de Minaur said at the trophy presentation.

“I didn’t want to finish like this … hopefully see you next year,” added the 27-year-old fifth seed.

Alcaraz retains Japan Open crown

Alcaraz made another slow start before cruising past unseeded Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4) 6-4 in the Japan Open final on Tuesday.

The ATP 500 tournament victory is Alcaraz’s third of the year after the Australian Open and Qatar Open, before the 23-year-old was sidelined by an injury for nearly five months and returned at the US Open in late August.

“I’m really happy to be able to lift a trophy again,” Alcaraz said. “It’s been a while and obviously it’s extra special after my injury and my comeback, in the second tournament that I’m playing.

“It was a really tough week and I didn’t play my best tennis and my best level but I did find good solutions and that’s what matters in the end.”

Alcaraz became the first man to go back-to-back in Tokyo since American Pete Sampras won the men’s title in both 1993 and 1994.

The world number three started shakily, dropping serve in the first game, but soon recovered and dialled up the intensity to break world number 19 Lehecka’s serve with a scorching backhand to level at 3-3.

More uncharacteristic errors from Alcaraz gave Lehecka hope in the tiebreak, but the Spaniard unleashed a sublime drop-shot en route to clinching the opening set to lay the platform for his 27th title overall.

Alcaraz says he ‘trusted’ himself

The seven-time Grand Slam champion took control midway through the second set, breaking to claim a 4-3 lead before sealing victory by forcing an error on match point and then celebrating wildly with his team courtside.

Alcaraz said his triumph helped erase the doubts that he faced during his injury break.

“A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind,” Alcaraz added: “If you’re going to come back healthy, if you’re going to come back the same as you were before, if I will be able to hit the ball normally without pain. I trusted myself and it worked out.”

Alcaraz will return to action at the Shanghai Masters where he will take on Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo or a qualifier first. The main draw of the ATP 1000 event begins on Wednesday.