win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Calvin Harris had a goal and two assists and Dejan Joveljić scored against his former team, leading Sporting Kansas City to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Galaxy on Wednesday night.

Sporting KC (2-8-2) snapped an eight-match winless streak under first-year manager Raphaël Wicky and an eight-match winless skid at home dating to last year. The club’s only other victory came against the Galaxy (4-5-4) — a 2-1 road win on March 14 in which Joveljić also scored.

Sporting KC grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute on Capita Capemba’s first career goal in his sixth appearance. Harris and Lasse Berg Johnsen had assists.

Joveljić made it 2-0 at halftime when he scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time with assists from Harris and defender Zorhan Bassong. It was his sixth goal this season and his 24th in 44 appearances with his new club. Joveljić scored 34 goals for the Galaxy from 2021-24. He scored the winner in the final against the New York Red Bulls in 2024 for L.A.’s sixth MLS Cup before being traded in the offseason.

Harris found the net in the 70th minute for a 3-0 lead with helpers from Manu García and Jacob Bartlett, who entered in the 61st. It was Harris’ first goal this season and his 12th in 113 career matches.

Stefan Cleveland totaled six saves for Sporting KC in his third start this season and the 15th of his career.

J.T. Marcinkowski saved six shots for Los Angeles.

The Galaxy extended their current scoring streak to a league-best 22 straight matches when Gabriel Pec scored in the 89th minute for his 10th goal of the season. Justin Haak and former Sporting KC member Erik Thommy had assists.

Pec scored two late goals in a 2-1 road win over Atlanta United last time out. It was his 10th goal of the campaign.

Sporting KC ties the all-time series at 29-29-18 while improving to 20-10-9 at home against the Galaxy.

Joveljić has scored in three straight matches against his former teammates.

Up next

Galaxy: Visit the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

Kansas City: Visits Austin FC on Saturday.

Who: Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, United Kingdom
When: Wednesday, May 13, at 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Second-placed Manchester City kept themselves alive in the Premier League title race with their solid home win over Brentford on Saturday, but league-leading Arsenal’s controversial win at West Ham United the following day again pegged City behind in the two-team fight for the trophy.

Al Jazeera Sport previews City’s delayed Matchday 31 contest against Crystal Palace on Wednesday and breaks down the Sky Blues’ championship hopes as the season draws to a close.

Where does the Premier League title race stand?

• Frontrunners Arsenal are in a favourable title position on the Premier League ladder; they enjoy a five-point lead over Man City, with the Gunners having two matches remaining in the 38-round season.
• City have three games to go, including their home tie with Palace.

What happens if City win against Palace?

If City beat Palace on Wednesday, they will reduce the gap on league leaders Arsenal to two points. Both teams will then have two games remaining.

A victory against Palace would keep City alive in the title hunt, but they would need to beat Bournemouth in their penultimate match to continue the title fight to the final round of matches on May 24.

What happens if City draw or lose to Palace?

If City draw, they will end up four points behind Arsenal, and in the event of a defeat, the gap would remain at five points. Dropping any points against Palace would mean City all but bowing out of the title race, even if they still have a mathematical chance to contend heading into the penultimate round.

In such a scenario, Arsenal can be crowned Premier League champions as early as Monday, May 18. A win over already-relegated Burnley in Matchday 37 would mean Arsenal would be at least seven points clear, with City only having a maximum of six points available in their last two fixtures.

If the Gunners are crowned champions of England, it would mark the end of the North London club’s 22-year wait for the honour.

How does City’s and Arsenal’s run-in look?

After hosting Palace on Wednesday, City face sixth-placed Bournemouth on May 19 before facing fifth-placed Aston Villa in their final game of the season on May 24. Both fixtures will be challenging as City’s opponents will be fighting to secure European football qualification next season.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have a much easier run-in to the end of the season. They host already-relegated Burnley on May 18 and play away to Palace on the final day of the season. Palace will likely name a weaker side for that fixture, with their eyes certainly on their first European final: The Conference League final vs Rayo Vallecano on May 27.

Is the Premier League trophy Arsenal’s to lose?

Yes.

Arsenal’s dramatic win on Sunday against their London rivals, West Ham, means they already have one hand on the trophy. Should they win their final two matches of the campaign, they will be crowned champions, regardless of Man City’s results.

But any slip-up would allow their title rivals back in.

Opta’s supercomputer has given the Gunners an 87.2% chance of winning the title from hereon.

Can City and Arsenal end the season on equal points?

Yes, it is possible.

If City win all three remaining matches, and Arsenal draw one of their two games, both teams will end the season level on points.

What happens in this case? Rule C.17 of the Premier League Handbook says the final table placings would be determined by the following criteria, in this order:

• goal difference
• goals scored
• points won in head-to-head matches
• away goals scored in head-to-head matches
• a playoff match.

Currently, the goal difference between Arsenal and City is very close. Arsenal have a +42 goal difference, and City’s is +40. It could come down to goals scored across the season: City’s current tally is 72, Arsenal’s is 68.

If the clubs finish level on points, goal difference, and goals scored, City would claim the title on the next criterion – points won in head-to-head matches – because they have won four points against Arsenal this season, thanks to a win and a draw.

The odds of such a scenario are very low, given City are lagging in the title race, but if this were to happen, it would go down as the closest title race ever. The previous closest race was in 2011-12 when City edged their rivals, Manchester United, on goal difference following Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day.

City still in the hunt for domestic double

While City’s odds of winning the league title are very slim, they remain on course to complete a domestic double. City, who won the League Cup in March, face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday. They are bidding for their eighth FA Cup, having last lifted the trophy in 2023.

Manager Pep Guardiola has backed striker Omar Marmoush, who scored off the bench in the last game, to have a key role in the closing stages of the English season.

“We’ve talked many times,” said Guardiola. “I know it’s not easy for them [fringe players], but I’m pretty sure in the next games they’re going to play.

“I want to rotate the team because otherwise we cannot arrive in the final or Bournemouth a little bit (fresh).

“Especially Omar. It’s not easy because normally you just want one striker. He’s a proper striker but Erling (Haaland) is there.

“Erling is so important for us, but the contribution of Omar – the amount of goals for the minutes played – is so high.”

‘I love it’ – Pep Guardiola relishes title run-in

Guardiola said he is “loving” the Premier League run-in, despite his ⁠side no longer controlling ⁠their own fate in the title race.

“It’s ⁠not in our hands now,” Guardiola said. “They have to drop points. The only thing we can do is win again and see what happens.”

Guardiola said win or lose, the thrilling race to the finish has been thoroughly enjoyable.

He pointed to his team’s consistency, as their unbeaten run in the ‌league stretches back to mid-January. With another major final still to come, City have had plenty to celebrate this season, regardless of how the Premier League finishes.

“I love it. I love to be here again, we’ll finish second again in this season, minimum,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were fighting to qualify for the Champions League, was so ⁠difficult.

“I love too Carabao (League Cup) in our pocket. We play an FA ⁠Cup final in Wembley, it is the most beautiful game of the season.”

What happened the last time City played Palace?

In their reverse fixture at Selhurst Park in December, City won 2-0, thanks to two goals from Haaland, including a penalty, and another by Phil Foden.

Head-to-head

Palace and City have faced each other in 75 games in all competitions since 1921.

City have won 40 of those encounters, while Palace won 18. A total of 17 matches ended in a draw.

Man City team news

Defenders Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov, along with defensive midfielder Rodri, are out injured.

Predicted Man City lineup

Gianluigi Donnarumma (goalkeeper); Matheus Nunes, Marc Guehi, Nathan Ake, Nico O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland

Palace team news

Edward Nketiah, Cheick Oumar Doucoure, Evann Guessand and Borna Sosa are sidelined with injuries.

Predicted Palace lineup

Dean Henderson (goalkeeper); Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jaydee Canvot; Daniel Munoz, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Brennan Johnson, Ismaila Sarr; Jorgen Strand Larsen

Joe Biden was declared the victor in Arizona on Tuesday, making him just the second Democratic presidential candidate in the last 72 years to win in a state that long embodied the bedrock conservatism of Republicans such as Barry Goldwater.

The former vice president’s triumph over President Trump, called by the Associated Press, reflected a political shift similar to that in other states in the Southwest, as growing numbers of Latinos and college-educated suburban voters are making Democrats ascendant.

The last Democrat to win Arizona was Bill Clinton, in his 1996 reelection race. He was the first since Harry S. Truman in 1948.

In 2016, Trump notched a narrow 91,000-vote advantage in Arizona over Hillary Clinton. But demographics and his broad unpopularity caught up with the party that sent Goldwater and then John McCain to the Senate and helped make both men Republican presidential nominees, in 1964 and 2008, respectively.

“We forever were this bastion of Goldwater conservatism, and that still lives on in the vast rural stretches of the state,” said Michael O’Neil, a veteran Arizona pollster. “But 83% of the people here now live in urban and suburban areas. And they are trending Democratic. Arizona looks like the next Virginia: once a consistently red state that goes purple for a very short time and then ends up solidly blue.”

Like voters elsewhere, Arizonans turned out in big numbers, logging almost as many votes as the 2.5 million cast in 2016 even before polling places opened Tuesday.

Analysts said Biden’s centrist approach — promising a return to normalcy after four years of disruption under Trump, and a national effort to control the COVID-19 pandemic — appealed in particular to suburban women. That moderate stance also described Democrats’ Senate candidate, Mark Kelly, the former astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Kelly beat Republican Sen. Martha McSally, a Trump loyalist appointed to the seat in 2019.

Democrats maintained a solid lead in the mail-in ballots returned ahead of election day. Republicans normally would have been able to make up that deficit with election day voting in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and accounts for more than 60% of the state vote. But the county has steadily gained more Democratic-leaning voters.

Statewide, “Republicans were turning out significantly below Democrats with new voters, and it really made a significant difference this time,” said Chuck Coughlin, who helps run a Republican-leaning political consulting firm. Many Arizonans seemed to be looking for non-ideological, pragmatic candidates, he said, “and people want to believe that about Biden, along with Kelly.”

Kelly’s victory gives Democrats both of Arizona’s Senate seats for the first time since 1953.

The Eurovision Song Contest is back once again and viewers around the world will be looking forward to their annual fix of the international music competition when it all kicks off this week

The Eurovision Song Contest is back once again – with several acts from around the world ready to wow viewers in the hopes of winning the international competition.

Last year, JJ won for Austria with Wasted Love, meaning that this year, all the action takes place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, with Cosmó taking the reins for the country’s capital city with Tanzschein.

In total, 35 countries will take part in the semi-finals whilst 25 will make it to the grand final of the whole thing, which will take place on Saturday 16 May. For the United Kingdom, YouTube star LookMumNoComputer will be on hand with Eins, Zwei, Drei, following on from entrants of recent years like Sam Ryder, Mae Muller, Olly Alexander and Remember Monday.

READ MORE: ‘We represented the UK at Eurovision – we still recall bitter exchange with Graham Norton’READ MORE: Rylan Clark hints he’d quit TV for very different career as ‘fame ain’t everything’

With current bookies’ odds of 5/4, Finland look set to become victorious this time round. The song is titled Liekinheitin, and it will be performed by violinist Linda Lampenius and singer-songwriter Pete Parkkonen.

Speaking about the track, the pair told The Independent: “The story behind this song is actually quite deep and sad. It’s about when you get involved with someone and let them fall in love with you, but when they get too close, you turn ice cold.

“The protagonist in Liekinheitin can either be seen as the victim of someone’s behaviour, or as a person who becomes addicted to other people, even when they know that the relationship will never evolve. It symbolises the passion these two people are experiencing, but it’s also the desperation that could kill you.”

Hot on their heels is Greece, with bookies giving the country odds of 6/1 after it was announced that Akylas will be representing them with the track Ferto. Over the years, Finland, who have competed a total of 58 times since debuting in 1961, have finished in last place on 11 occasions and won in 2006 with Hard Rock Hallelujah, which was performed by Lordi.

Just one year before their victory, Greece won with Helena Paparizou, who performed the track My Number One four years after she initially finished in third place with Die For You when she was part of the Eurodance duo Antique alongside Nikos Panagiotidis.

For the UK, odds vary drastically from 33/1 all the way to 250/1 – implying that the current entry is set to fall rather low down in the pecking order.

The semi-finals will kick off on Tuesday 12 May at 9pm on BBC One and will be hosted by Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon, who will return to front the second heat at the same time on Thursday evening. Over on the radio, Sara Cox will be on hand with her commentary at the same time, and will also occupy a Wednesday slot from 4pm to 7pm.

Friday will see Murder on the Dancefloor singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor head up Eurovision Kitchen Disco for BBC Radio 2 from 9pm to 11pm, and will be back at 1pm on Saturday afternoon for Your Ultimate Eurovision Superstar! She will follow on from Dermot O’Leary, who will take to the airwaves from 8am until 10am and celebrate the song contest with his Radio 2 show.

Everything will come to a head at 8pm on Saturday 16 May when Graham Norton will be back to provide coverage as one country will be crowned the latest champion of the contest. International viewers may be able to stream the contest on its official YouTube channel but, in the UK, it remains exclusive to BBC One.

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Edwards’ 36 points give Minnesota 114-109 win and tie the Western Conference semifinals 2-2 against San Antonio Spurs.

Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth ‌quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of Victor Wembanyama’s ejection to post a 114-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Timberwolves’ win on Sunday ⁠night in Minneapolis tied the Western Conference ⁠second-round series at two games apiece.

Naz Reid contributed 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Minnesota. He also took an elbow from Wembanyama into his chin on the play in which the Spurs’ star was ejected in the second quarter.

Jaden ⁠McDaniels scored 14 points, Julius Randle scored 12 and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Ayo Dosunmu added 10 points for Minnesota.

De’Aaron Fox and reserve Dylan Harper scored 24 points apiece and Stephon Castle added 20 for the Spurs. Devin Vassell tallied 14 points for San Antonio. Wembanyama ⁠had four points, four rebounds and no blocks in 12-plus minutes.

“We never expected them just to go away,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They won a game in the Portland series without Wembanyama, so they’re very good, very good team.”

The Spurs trailed by seven before Harper made two free throws with 29.1 seconds left and Julian Champagnie hit two with 20.6 seconds remaining to bring San Antonio within 112-109.

Dosunmu answered with two free throws with 9.8 ‌seconds left as Minnesota closed it out.

“Just small-time plays,” Edwards told reporters when asked how the Timberwolves won Game 4. “Small-time plays win big-time games. That’s what we needed. Diving on the floor, offensive rebounds and it was a great sub by Finchie for putting in Ayo for that last minute-and-a-half.”

Earlier, Wembanyama grabbed a rebound and was trying to protect the ball from two Timberwolves when he turned and unleashed a vicious right elbow into the chin of Reid and was called for a foul with 8:39 left in the first half.

The officiating crew studied views of the play before upgrading the foul to a flagrant 2, which is an automatic ejection. Crew chief Zach Zarba said, “There was windup, impact and follow-through above the neck ⁠of an opponent.”

“I’m glad he [Wembanyama] took matters into his own hands,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “Not in terms of ⁠hitting Naz Reid, I want to be very clear about that. I’m glad Naz Reid is OK and I didn’t want him to elbow him. But [Wemby’s] going to have to protect himself if no one else does for him. And I think it’s disgusting.”

Minnesota led 60-56 at the break. Edwards scored 18 in the half while Castle led San Antonio with 14 ⁠first-half points.

Despite the loss of Wembanyama, the Spurs scored 20 of the first 28 points in the third quarter and led 76-68 after a basket by Vassell with 4:33 left in the period.

“I thought offensively, we were really doing ⁠a lot of good things,” Finch said. “We lost our way a little bit, and gave them ⁠life.”

San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson drove for a hoop with 21.9 seconds remaining for an 84-80 advantage entering the final stanza.

Fox buried a 3-pointer to give San Antonio a 94-86 lead with 8:51 left in the contest before Edwards scored 12 points during the Timberwolves’ 14-5 run.

“We had a chance to win,” Johnson said. “We didn’t close it out the way we wanted to. … Minnesota made ‌some plays and finished the game.”

Edwards started the burst with a jumper and he soon scored five consecutive points on a short floater and a long straightaway 3-pointer to cut the Minnesota deficit to three with 7:10 remaining. He later canned two free throws with 5:51 left to bring the Timberwolves within ‌97-95 ‌before drilling a 3-pointer 39 seconds later to give Minnesota a one-point edge.

Gobert later delivered a thunderous dunk to give the Timberwolves a 107-101 lead with 1:56 to play.

Minnesota shot 44.7 percent from the field, including 10 of 27 from 3-point range, while the Spurs made 47.7 percent of their attempts and hit just 6 of 26 from behind the arc.

Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

TORONTO — Jo Adell hit a pair of solo homers, José Soriano struck out seven over 7⅔ innings to stop a three-start winless steak and the Angels avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Sunday.

Oswald Peraza added a two-run homer as the Angels ended an eight-game road losing streak dating to April 16, while also ending a nine-game slump in Toronto.

Soriano (6-2) gave up two hits and a walk in the first inning, including Kazuma Okamoto’s RBI double, but didn’t allow another runner until Myles Straw reached in the eighth with an infield hit, ending a streak of 20 consecutive outs.

Sam Bachman replaced Soriano after back-to-back singles loaded the bases and got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground into a forceout.

Peraza hit a two-run drive in a the fifth and Adell homered in the sixth and the ninth. All three homers came off Eric Lauer (1-5), who allowed six runs and five hits in five innings. He hasn’t won since March 29 against the Athletics.

Vaughn Grissom added a two-run double.

Blue Jays right fielder Addison Barger was scratched from the lineup because of a sore right shoulder. Barger returned Saturday after missing 29 games because of a sore left ankle and made a 101.2-mph throw to retire Jorge Soler at home plate.

Up next for the Angels: Cleveland LHP Joey Cantillo (2-1, 3.43 ERA) starts a series opener against the visiting Angels.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s hopes of a first individual win on the PGA Tour were dashed as Kristoffer Reitan claimed a maiden victory at the Truist Championship on Sunday.

England’s Fitzpatrick went into the final round with a one-shot lead over Reitan but his Norwegian rival secured a two-shot victory at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 28-year-old fired a two-under round of 69 to reach 15 under overall, with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard and American Rickie Fowler tied for second.

Fitzpatrick was a shot further back after a round of 73, which began with a bogey and double bogey inside his first three holes.

The 27-year-old recovered to level par with his fourth birdie on the 13th hole, giving him a share of the lead.

There was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard on the back nine but while others faltered, Reitan stayed steady to win on only his 15th PGA start.

Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic with his older brother Matt last month, which earned him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

He then finished in the top 10 at the Cadillac Championship and was one stroke behind Reitan before his second double bogey of the day on the par-three 17th.

Compatriot Tommy Fleetwood finished in a tie for fifth on 11 under after closing with a two-under 69.

Fitzpatrick, the world number 120, told Sky Sports: “It’s still very surreal [to be in contention]. It’s crazy to feel disappointed but I still am.

“I’m happy for Kris, he deserves it, and hopefully it’ll be mine another time.”

World number four Matt Fitzpatrick finished on one-over after a final round 72 while Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy bounced back from a 75 on Saturday to finish with a 67 on five under.

Hawaii brought a taste of the rainbow on Saturday to the Pauley Pavilion.

The Hawaii men’s volleyball team defeated Long Beach State in five sets to reach the NCAA men’s volleyball national championship for the first time since winning it all in 2022.

The team will face UC Irvine, which continued its hot streak with a win over No. 4 seeded Ball State Saturday. The unseeded Anteaters upset No. 1 UCLA earlier in tournament, denying the Bruins a chance to play for a title on their home floor.

Long Beach played a semifinal close to home, but the Rainbow Warriors were determined not to stumble after falling to UCLA in a national semifinal last season.

“We all learned a lot from the loss last season,” Hawaii sophomore Justin Todd said. “We learned that we have to stay healthy, going to the end of the year and getting better at practice overall.”

After the win, Hawaii veteran head coach Charlie Wade said the Rainbow Warriors, UC Irvine and Long Beach have all represented the Big West Conference well.

“Since the inception of the Big West Conference, it’s been the strongest conference for volleyball,” Wade said. “This is the third time two Big West teams will be playing each other in the championship.”

Hawaii rallied to take an early 11-7 lead in the first set against Long Beach Saturday night. The Rainbow Warriors continued to pile on points in the first set, leading14-9 lead before the Beach called its first timeout.

The Rainbow Warriors kept up pressure, winning the first set 25-15. Long Beach held off a Hawaii rally to win the second set 25-18. The teams traded leads in the third set before Hawaii pulled away for a 25-21 win.

After trailing nearly all of the fourth set, Hawaii earned back-to-back kills that gave it a 21-20 lead. The Rainbow Warriors held on for a 25-22 win to punch their ticket to the national title match.

In the other semifinal played Saturday, UC Irvine defeated Ball State 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19). The Anteaters got a big boost from middle block Trevor Clark, who tied his career high with 14 kills and led the team with six blocks (one solo). Redshirt freshman setter Cameron Kosty had 53 set assists and nine digs.

UC Irvine (21-8) and Hawaii (29-5) play Monday at 4 p.m. at Pauley Pavillion for the NCAA championship. The match will air on ESPN2.

Despite losing their previous eight Six Nations matches, Wales came into the game with confidence after they registered a record four tries against world champions England in their last outing.

They started stronger in Belfast, but Wafer gave Ireland the lead against the run of play when the back row’s persistence paid off and she forced her way over the line before Dannah O’Brien added a challenging extra two.

Wales looked to respond quickly with a huge tackle from Parsons denying Hannah Dallavalle after Carys Cox had taken advantage of a mix-up and fed the ball through.

The visitors kept pushing and registered their first try when Georgia Evans dived over from close range and Keira Bevan was able to convert to level the match.

A double movement denied Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald after she had powered her way over as the home side, buoyed by a vocal crowd, began to settle.

Wafer then turned provider, shrugging off multiple white shirts before a superb offload to Parsons, who raced down the right wing to restore Ireland’s lead.

They then struck a hammer blow just before the break as, opting to play on with clock in the red, Ireland were rewarded for their persistence as they added their third try when Hogan crossed after sustained pressure from a ruck.

After the restart, a television match official [TMO] check confirmed Moloney-MacDonald’s kick out at Evans warranted a yellow card.

Wales were unable to take advantage of having an extra player and it was soon 14-players apiece for a period as Jasmine Joyce was shown a yellow card for placing her hands on the ground when bringing Eve Higgins down.

As the hour mark approached, Aoife Dalton and Linda Djougang linked up and fed the ball to Wafer to cross to secure the bonus point.

Bemand then turned to his bench and made a flurry of changes which added energy to their play.

Replacement Jones thought she had added Ireland’s fifth shortly after her introduction, only for her effort to be ruled out after a TMO review.

Joyce added Wales’ second try in the final five minutes as she held off Parsons and stretched to ground the ball.

Ireland did land a fifth try in the final seconds as Hogan bundled over from close range, with O’Brien able to convert for a fourth time.

UCLA senior Megan Grant hit her 37th home run of the season, tying the NCAA single-season record during the Bruins’ 19-5 win over Wisconsin during the Big Ten tournament semifinal Friday in College Park, Md.

The record was set in 1995 by Arizona’s Lauren Espinoza, but Grant and Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells have hit homers at a blistering pace all season and are battling to close the season as the new title holder. Wells has 36 home runs, but her team was eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday and she’ll have to wait until the NCAA tournament begins to add to her tally.

Grant, meanwhile, will be in the lineup when UCLA plays regular-season Big Ten champion Nebraska for the league tournament title at 10 a.m. Saturday in College Park, Md. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. First pitch was shifted earlier with the hope of avoiding storms in Maryland.

Grant’s teammates celebrated blast No. 37 and cheered behind her while she was interviewed on the Big Ten Network.

“I was just focusing as much as I can, just competing within that at-bat,” Grant said when asked about her record-tying blast. “… A one-on-one battle is all I think about. It kind of had a good payout.”

During their semifinal win over Wisconsin, the Bruins hit four home runs and pushed their NCAA record single-season team home run total to 181.

Earlier Friday, UCLA senior Jordan Woolery was named Big Ten player of the year by the league’s 17 head coaches.

Woolery leads the nation in RBIs (107) and is the fifth player in NCAA Division I history to record more than 100 RBIs in a season.

Bri Alejandre, Aleena Garcia, Rylee Slimp and Grant joined Woolery on the All-Big Ten first team. Bruins Kaniya Bragg, Alexis Ramirez and Taylor Tinsley earned second-team honors.

On a rare off day in Los Angeles, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum settles into a quieter rhythm. She brings a book to a dog park near her home, finds a spot, and reads. But even here, the stillness is partial at best. Her mind keeps working, circling the same question that has followed her through every stage of her career. What does greatness actually require?

Right now, Plum is reading “The Talent Code,” a book that digs into the tension between nature and nurture. It’s not exactly light reading for a day off, but then again, she isn’t really wired for off days.

“Talent,” she says, “takes countless hours of practice. Sure, you have some natural ability, but you have to train it. You look at like a Russian tennis player, why are they good? Is it random? The similarity with greatness is practice.”

That idea, practice as the great equalizer, shapes how Plum sees her career now, in a moment that demands more from her than ever before.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum moved to L.A. because she wanted to play a bigger role than she did on the Las Vegas Aces title-winning teams.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

In the week before the WNBA season, she’s no longer in the calm of the park but inside the controlled chaos of media day at El Camino College’s gym. Between photo shoots, she sits on a green room couch in a makeshift makeup area, the morning already filled with obligations: a news conference, cameras, questions about what comes next. Beside her earlier was Ariel Atkins, one of the veterans she helped bring to Los Angeles, a signal that this next chapter is meant to be different.

“Have you ever driven a really expensive car, but didn’t have good insurance?” Plum asked. “When you have great coverage, you can relax a little bit. That’s what it feels like now, there’s so many people paddling in the boat with me.”

That sense of shared momentum didn’t come immediately. Not long ago, there was doubt.

Until a few weeks ago, Plum wasn’t entirely sure she had made the right decision to join the Sparks. After being traded from the Aces in 2025, she knew she wanted more responsibility, more ownership and the chance to be the face of a team. But belief in a vision is one thing; living through the roughest stretches of the transformation is another.

The Sparks went 21-23 last season, finishing two wins short of reaching the postseason. There were flashes, particularly late in the year when Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, returned from injury. Still, the result was familiar in L.A.: another year without a playoff berth.

For a player like Plum, that kind of outcome lingers.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum feared she might have made a mistakes during some difficult moments early in her tenure in L.A., but free agents’ decision to join her boosted her confidence.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

“I don’t think that last year I realized how big of a decision I made,” she said. “Obviously there’s a you don’t understand the gravity of it till you’re in it. I think when Nneka [Ogwumike] signed this year, I was like, ‘OK, I’m not crazy. They’re seeing the vision I am seeing.’”

That validation mattered. It reframed the risk as something shared.

The Sparks leaned into the direction Plum believed in during the offseason. Some of that came directly from her influence and some of it came from the example she set.

“KP came here because she wanted to test herself on how she impacts winning,” said Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley. “And there’s a lot of things that go into impacting winning. It’s on the [score]board, but it’s also, are you a leader? Can you influence other people to come along with you? And she’s been able to do that. She’s been a great, great person to partner with.”

Plum understands that distinction well. She’s been on championship teams before with back-to-back titles in Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023, but this is different. In Los Angeles, she’s helping define what the organization will become.

The franchise hasn’t reached the postseason since 2020, the longest active drought in the WNBA. For a team in a major market, the absence has been noticeable, even as individual pieces hinted at potential.

Plum, in her first season away from the franchise that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2017 after her record-setting run at Washington, produced immediately: 19.5 points and 5.7 assists per game. But numbers alone weren’t the point.

“I felt like I can be the connector,” she said. “When you’re part of a championship culture, you get to see what goes into it. And it’s way more than just basketball. It’s like the business, the operations of it all. They all work together. Obviously, what Mark Davis has done is tremendous in Las Vegas, and really investing in that team. So, yeah, coming here definitely, I learned a lot more than basketball, right? About what goes into building a championship team, a roster, what goes into investing in players and making it feel like a destination where players are like, ‘Ooh, I want to go play there.’”

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum accepted a lower salary so that the team could pursue key free agents capable of helping win a championship.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

That perspective shaped her decisions this offseason in tangible ways. Despite being eligible for a $1.4 million supermax contract after her core designation, Plum chose to sign at a lower number, giving the Sparks flexibility to build around her.

They used that space to add Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler, while still leaving $1,468,650 in cap space for a potential in-season move. They also traded for Atkins from Chicago, parting with 2024 first-round pick Rickea Jackson to ease the pressure in the backcourt.

“I want to really help transform an organization,” Plum said. “As a player, you don’t really know how good you are, or how much you can handle, capacity wise, until put in a situation that’s maybe a little over your head.”

Belief, in this case, became contagious. Plum helped recruit Wheeler. Ogwumike, already familiar with the franchise, pointed to broader changes as part of her decision to return.

With key pieces in play, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said the team must embrace high expectations. “We’re no longer the cute, young tadpole team,” she said. “We have to win.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

“The last couple years have strategically been very, very focused with our ownership and improving the player experience,” Pebley said. “We’ve got a practice facility that is being built. … Players are experiencing a much more consistent and high level, just player experience. And I think they can now look at their peers eye to eye and say, ‘This is where you need to be. you’re going to be treated really well here.’”

All of it builds toward a simple, unavoidable truth: this version of the Sparks can’t afford to linger in potential.

Plum’s legacy in Los Angeles will hinge on whether this reset becomes a turning point or just another chapter in a long rebuild. The expectations have shifted, internally and externally.

“Last year was tough,” Plum said. “We were right there at the end. But I think this year is different. Obviously, with all the free agency acquisitions, this is very exciting. We’re no longer the cute, young tadpole team. We have to win.”

Players’ union challenge French state’s failure to protect professional footballers from the health and safety risks.

Football players’ union ‌FIFPRO is hailing a “landmark” legal win after a European rights ⁠body agreed to ⁠investigate whether the French state failed to uphold labour standards for professional footballers.

The unanimous decision by the European Committee of Social Rights in March marks the first time a players’ union has successfully advanced a collective complaint under the European Social Charter. It paves the way for ⁠an investigation into whether France has failed to ensure proper working conditions for professional players, including minors.

FIFPRO described the heart of the dispute as the French state’s failure to protect professional footballers from the health and safety risks posed ‌by a congested and expanding international match calendar, which it argues is driven by FIFA’s unilateral decisions on competition formats.

The inaugural edition of a rebranded and expanded FIFA Club World Cup came in for particular criticism from across the game when it was staged last year.

The French government had sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that any alleged labour violations were the responsibility of private sports bodies, such as FIFA or the French Football Federation, rather than the state.

The Committee rejected that objection, ⁠affirming that national governments remain legally responsible for ensuring ⁠fundamental workers’ rights are upheld within their jurisdictions, regardless of whether a private entity manages the industry.

FIFPRO Europe, which is supporting the French National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) in the ⁠case, described the decision as a “signal case” for the industry.

It added that the complaint highlights how global governing ⁠bodies “frequently bypass national labour standards regarding rest periods ⁠and collective bargaining.”

FIFPRO Europe confirmed it would provide full support to the UNFP during the upcoming proceedings and called on other European states to hold football authorities accountable for “systemic failures” that ‌it said prioritise commercial interests over player safety.

“France is not alone: many other states are in a comparable situation, with minimum standards for working time, ‌rest ‌periods, occupational health and collective bargaining structurally undermined by decisions taken at global level,” its statement said.

LAS VEGAS — Perhaps you were a little surprised when the Ducks, who haven’t had a winning record in seven seasons, led the Pacific Division for most of the season, or when they made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, or when they eliminated the Edmonton Oilers — who played in the last two Stanley Cup Finals — in the first round of the playoffs this spring.

If you were surprised by any of that, wait until you hear what they’ve done now.

Because with a dominant 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in Game 2 of a best-of-seven playoff series, the Ducks evened the series at a win apiece and wrested home-ice advantage away from the division champions. Now they come home for Game 3 on Friday with a strong wind at their backs in a series they were supposed to lose.

“We kept the momentum and we’re headed home, which is fantastic,” center Ryan Poehling said.

If the series goes a full seven games, the Ducks will play three of the last five game at home where — would it surprise you to learn? — they had the best home record in the division this season?

But it’s not just that the Ducks won, but how they won that’s important. The younger, speedier team has skated rings around the older — and frustrated — Golden Knights, who have made the playoffs eight times in nine years, winning a Stanley Cup in 2023. Two games into this series, however, the plodding Golden Knights have looked like they’re skating through quicksand at times and have really had no answer for Anaheim in this series.

“The way to beat them is just outpacing them,” Poehling said. “And it’s not just with speed. It’s how we play. Guys are supporting one another, and you saw that. Tonight was kind of a game plan of what we want to do to win, for sure.

Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke celebrates after scoring in the second period against the Golden Knights in Game 2 on Wednesday.

(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

“We didn’t like how Game 1 ended, but we liked our game. That’s hockey sometimes. You can play the right way, do all the right things, we end up losing.”

The Golden Knights won Game 1 when a blown icing call allowed them to score the go-ahead goal before adding an insurance goal into an empty net. So the Ducks made sure one play wouldn’t decide Game 2, taking their first lead of the series on a Beckett Sennecke goal midway through the second period.

“We had some great opportunities to score first,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Finding a way to score first was important.”

The Ducks also scored second and third, with Leo Carlsson doubling the lead 6:36 into the third period before Jansen Harkins scored into an empty net with 3:30 to play to ice things. That didn’t end the drama though because the Ducks were six seconds away from their first shutout of the season when Vegas’ Mark Stone scored a power-play goal into an empty net.

For the Ducks, that goal spoiled nothing.

“It doesn’t matter,” goalie Lukas Dostal said. “It doesn’t matter how you win, where the score is. Obviously it’s always the cherry on the top. But it doesn’t really matter. We got a W and that’s all we focus on.”

Maybe. But after a regular season in which the Ducks gave up more than 3.5 goals a game, most of any playoff qualifier, the defensive effort was…. well, surprising.

And important.

“That’s not our tradition of playing that type of game. Low-scoring affair, when we score first and we’re leading throughout,” Quenneville said.

Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal protects the net in front of Vegas forward Tomas Hertl during the second period.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

But if the Ducks hope to make a long playoff run, that’s the blueprint they’ll have to follow.

“The only way you’re going to be successful in the playoffs is you’ve got to win games like tonight,” said Quenneville, whose three Stanley Cup wins with Chicago are the most by an active NHL coach. “We showed that it’s going to take everybody to play these type of games. And everybody contributed.”

“We’re picking a good time,” added defenseman Jacob Trouba “to play our best hockey.”

Still, the Ducks’ best hockey can get better. Anaheim was for 0 for Las Vegas on the power play, failing to score on nine opportunities with the man advantage in the two games — including an eight-minute stretch in the first period when Vegas had one, and sometimes two, players in the penalty box.

“We had some great chances on the power play,” said Quenneville, whose team scored on half of their 16 power-play chances in the first-round series with Edmonton. Vegas, however, has killed 19 straight penalties and 24 of 25 in the postseason.

Ducks forward Leo Carlsson scores past Vegas goaltender Carter Hart during the first period Wednesday.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

Yet that wasn’t good enough for the sweep at home, so the once-favored Golden Knights must break serve in Anaheim.

“They split here. We’ve got to go in and try to get a game out of there,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “We’re going to keep our composure and get about our business. This team has always been really good in these type of situations, so I have full confidence we’re going to find our way.”

If the Golden Knights fail to do that, they just might be in for a surprise.

THE hot contender to win Eurovision has a steamy past, having posed topless for Playboy and appeared on Baywatch.

Glamorous violinist Linda Lampenius is the bookies’ favourite to win next week’s contest with singer Peter Parkkonen, representing Finland with their song Liekinheitin.

But she is no stranger to fame, as she has an illustrious career as one of the nation’s sexiest musicians.

Linda, now 56, posed on the cover of US magazine Playboy in 1998 and appeared topless while holding her instrument in photos inside the mag.

She was compared to Pamela Anderson because of her stunning figure and blonde hair, which led to an appearance on Baywatch.

Linda, who has also used the name Linda Brava, appeared in an episode playing a violinist named Ariana, but she later claimed to have refused to shoot certain scenes with David Hasselhoff, who played lifeguard Mitch Buchannon.

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She said the script included the pair giving each other massages before they “find themselves in a steam room sharing a hot kiss.”

But Linda recalled: “I said that I refused to do the scene and that Hasselhoff was also ‘too old’ for me.”

She also appeared on an episode of the British late-night show Eurotrash in the Nineties, where she was referred to as a “supermodel” and “the hottest thing to come out of Finland since the sauna.”

Reflecting on the TV show appearance and her previous work in 2018, Linda said it was a small part of her life which she still laughs about.

She wrote on Instagram: “These fashion shows and photo shoots were something I did for less than 20 days of my life!! (I’m just laughing about the fact that they called me ‘supermodel’).

“If you get stuck in a box and never dare to do anything funny and different, life will become boring. Eurotrash was a humorous TV show, like a comedy show.

“I come from a theatre family and all quirky stuff is normal. It doesn’t make me less of a classical violinist/artist.”

Linda and Pete will compete in the first Eurovision semi-final at 8pm on Tuesday on BBC One, with hopes of progressing to the 70th annual grand final on Saturday May 16.

The latest odds from William Hill give Finland odds of 5/4 to win the entire contest, just in front of Denmark and Greece which are both at 11/2.

If Linda does win, she will be the oldest person to ever do so.

Estonia’s Dave Benton currently holds the record after winning aged 50 for Estonia in 2001.

Meanwhile, the UK act Look Mum No Computer is 17th in the betting with odds of 80/1 to win with his song Eins, Zwei, Drei.

Travis d’Arnaud hit a three-run homer, Walbert Ureña threw six innings of two-hit ball, and the Angels defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-2 on Wednesday.

The Angels won a series for the first time since April 10-12 at Cincinnati. The Angels (15-23) are 2-7-2 in series this season.

D’Arnaud’s 396-foot shot off Noah Schultz (2-2), the backup catcher’s first homer of the season, kicked off a five-run second inning for the Halos. After Bryce Teodosio doubled on a ball that got past right fielder Jarred Kelenic, Zach Neto hit a stand-up RBI triple.

Mike Trout brought one more across with an infield popup that second baseman Chase Meidroth lost in the afternoon sun for a single.

Jorge Soler and Jo Adell were hit by back-to-back pitches from reliever Osvaldo Bido with the bases loaded to bring in two runs in the fourth.

Ureña (1-3) allowed one run, struck out five and walked three in his second quality start of the season. Brent Suter, Drew Pomeranz and Chase Silseth completed a four-hitter.

Meidroth had two hits for Chicago (17-20). Standout rookie Munetaka Murakami, who is tied for the major league lead with 14 home runs, struck out four times for the second time this season.

Schultz allowed seven hits and seven runs in 3⅔ innings. He had allowed a total of six earned runs in four previous starts this year.

Up next for the Angels: Open a three-game series at Toronto on Friday with LHP Reid Detmers (1-2, 4.28) facing Blue Jays RHP Dylan Cease (2-1, 3.05).

Over his two spells in charge this season, 74-year-old O’Neill has averaged more Premiership points per game than any of his peers.

He has been more successful than Celtic could have hoped for when they brought him out of retirement after Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious departure, and again following Wilfried Nancy’s ill-fated eight-game spell.

There is at least an arguable case that had he been in charge since Rodgers left, Celtic would be strong favourites to win the league by now.

On that basis, has O’Neill done enough to return as manager next season? Is his future contingent on winning the Premiership? Should Celtic look to the future? Does O’Neill want to keep managing in such a harsh environment at 74?

Right now these are unanswered questions, at least outside the walls of Celtic Park.

“I feel a sense of renaissance, coming back and working with young people, it’s really, really terrific,” O’Neill told talkSPORT on Tuesday when asked about the future.

“We’ll have to see see how we stand at the end of the season, and that’s nearly upon us now. “

While grateful to O’Neill, who was already a legendary figure, some Celtic supporters feel a fresh face in the dugout is needed.

Paul John Dykes, from A Celtic State of Mind podcast, believes O’Neill “should go and chill out and just enjoy retirement” at the end of the season.

“Martin O’Neill has been dreadfully let down by the Celtic board,” Dykes told the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast.

“There’s no way he came to Celtic in January, one week into a January transfer window, on the promise of four loanees and an out-of-contract player to win the double. No chance.

“So regardless of what happens, Martin O’Neill’s legacy is intact.”

It might seem odd to suggest an English club reaching a Champions League final have been in danger of going under the radar – but that has almost been the case for Arsenal this year.

Such has been the immense pressure piled upon Mikel Arteta’s side to end a 22-wait for a Premier League title, their remarkable unbeaten run to the European showpiece in Budapest has arguably not got the credit it deserves.

Bukayo Saka’s first-half tap-in gave the Gunners a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg, securing a 2-1 aggregate victory.

In truth, while their display at Emirates Stadium was not necessarily vintage, some of Arsenal‘s best performances of the season have come in Europe.

The Gunners remain the only unbeaten team left in the Champions League, defeating teams like Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Sporting along the way.

There has been a desperation to win the league – which, indeed, they could well go on to do as well given Manchester City‘s draw at Everton 24 hours before this semi-final.

But there has been a quiet ruthlessness in Arsenal‘s European games – rarely troubled, rarely in danger of going out.

“I don’t think you can underestimate what we have done in this competition up to this point,” midfielder Declan Rice told Amazon Prime.

“We have every right to celebrate that moment. The most prestigious competition in club football. We are just trying to soak it all in.

“We knew coming into the game what was at stake. If you can’t get up for that, then you can’t get up for any game of football.

“When we went 1-0 up, I knew we were going to win. I could feel something special building.”

The Arsenal supporters welcomed the team bus with flares and chants – the first time that has happened at the stadium – setting the tone and atmosphere for what Arteta described as “an incredible night”.

“We made history again together,” said Arteta. “I cannot be happier, prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club. The manner that we [were] received outside the stadium was special and unique.

“The atmosphere, our support has created the energy, the way they managed every ball with us… I never felt that in the stadium [before].

“We knew how much it meant to everybody… the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years and a second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”

Aaron Hardie’s brilliant all-round performance ensured Peshawar Zalmi clinched their second Pakistan Super League cricket title with a five-wicket win over newcomers Hyderabad Kingsmen, despite an early wobble in the run chase in the final.

Hardie grabbed 4-27 to bowl out Hyderabad for a below-par 129 all out in 18 overs and then hit a fluent 56 not out off 39 balls to anchor Peshawar to 130-5 in 15.2 overs, in front of a packed crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday.

It completed a redemption arc for Peshawar’s captain Babar Azam, who finished the franchise-based T20 tournament as its leading run-scorer after finding himself in and out of Pakistan’s T20 squad in recent years.

“It’s a very big achievement for me, for Peshawar Zalmi and all the fans,” Babar said after winning his first PSL title as skipper.

“Throughout the tournament, we’ve performed really well as a team … Every player executed the plans they were given in batting, bowling, and fielding. Our plan was to go match by match.”

The crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium in Babar’s hometown chanted his name and erupted in joy when Hardie scored the winning runs for the team in yellow and pink kits.

Peshawar, who won the toss and chose to chase, had slumped to 40-4 inside the first five overs after losing Babar for a golden duck, while Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis, and Michael Bracewell also fell for single-digit scores.

But Hardie, who smashed nine fours, then combined in a match-winning stand of 85 runs with Abdul Samad (48), who missed out on his half-century before holing out in the deep when Peshawar needed only five runs for victory.

“It was just a great game of cricket,” Hardie said. “Kingsmen came out of the blocks really hard. They’ve certainly had a lot of momentum from the last couple of games and they carried that in, but I’m really proud of the way the boys were able to fight back.”

Peshawar were favourites for the title after losing only one game in the tournament, with Babar, who scored two centuries, equalling Fakhar Zaman’s PSL record of 588 runs in one edition of the tournament.

Earlier, Saim Ayub (54) scored a fighting half-century to help Hyderabad post 129.

Hyderabad had a productive power play of 69-2, despite Hardie having captain Marnus Labuschagne (20) caught behind off a rising delivery, and Maaz Sadaqat’s early aggression was cut short to just 11 runs when he half-heartedly pulled pace bowler Mohammad Basit to deep backward square leg in the first over.

However, Hyderabad lost momentum and crashed to 73-6 in the space of nine balls after the power play for just two runs.

The slide began when Usman Khan, coming into the final with half-centuries in the last three successive games, was trapped leg before wicket by the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Sufyan Moqim (1-23).

Irfan Khan and Kusal Perera were run out due to some sharp fielding by Bracewell, and between those dismissals, Glenn Maxwell was undone by Nahid Rana’s (2-22) pace and got caught first ball while going for a pull against the Bangladesh fast bowler.

Ayub stretched the total beyond the 100-run mark with a knock of 54 off 50 balls before he fell in Hardie’s last over as he top-edged a pull to mid-on, before the fast bowler wrapped up the innings by having No 11 batter Akif Javed caught behind.

The Australian batter, who was visibly moved to tears after leading Hyderabad into the final in a dramatic last-over win over Islamabad United in the second qualifier on Friday, admitted that his team did not post an imposing target.

“As a batting group, we probably left a few runs out there,” Labuschagne said. “We showed once again that belief in the side and what we can do, putting them four for 40, but just not enough runs on the board tonight.”

Hyderabad had a fairytale run in the tournament when they came back strongly after losing their first four league games, and also knocked out both former champions Multan Sultans and Islamabad United in the playoffs.

“Tonight hurts,” Labuschagne said. “But reflecting on what an amazing tournament we’ve put together, coming from four losses to winning four in a row, getting bowled out for 80 then winning by 100, and then winning two games to get into the final, we’ve made so many great memories and I’m just so proud of the team, it’s been an awesome effort.”

Inter Milan win their 21st Scudetto, edging Napoli, with three matches remaining in the Italian football league season.

Celebrations have erupted across Milan after Inter clinched the Serie A title with a 2-0 victory over Parma, sending thousands of supporters into the streets.

The Piazza del Duomo was filled with fans clad in blue and black on Sunday, moments after the final whistle at the nearby San Siro, as flares and fireworks lit up the night sky.

Marcus Thuram opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time before Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed the win 10 minutes from time. The winners moved up to 82 points and clinched their 21st Scudetto with three matches remaining in the campaign.

Inter entered the match knowing a point would be enough after second-placed Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw at Como on Saturday, and their own result the next day handed them an unbeatable 12-point lead at the top.

Despite the scarcity of clear-cut chances, Inter controlled much of the first half and established themselves deep in the Parma half.

The hosts came close in the 25th minute when a powerful close-range shot from Nicolo Barella struck the underside of the bar. The rebound then hit Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki on the back, but the Japan international reacted quickly to tip the ball away from near the line and out of danger.

Thuram sparked a frenzy among the home supporters in first-half stoppage time, slotting home after being found unmarked by a Piotr Zielinski through ball to put Inter ahead.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Inter remaining in control but failing to capitalise on their dominance as supporters inside the stadium grew increasingly focused on the clock ticking to 90 minutes.

Federico Dimarco delivered a near-perfect cross to Denzel Dumfries in the closing stages, but the defender failed to control his first touch, sending the close-range effort high over the bar and missing the chance to seal the match.

Mkhitaryan sealed the victory 10 minutes from time, tapping in a low cross from Lautaro Martinez to secure the points and spark title celebrations among Inter supporters.

For Inter, the triumph offered redemption after the heartbreak of last season when the club lost the Serie A title on the last match day before a 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

“We feel so happy now. It was not easy to start again after a season where we lost all the competitions we were in right at the end, but I am very happy today with this achievement,” Martinez said.

“It was a very important objective for us, perhaps many didn’t see us being favourites considering what happened last term, but we worked so hard on and off the field.”

The atmosphere in the Italian metropolis stood in stark contrast to a year ago when supporters faced the combined heartbreak of losing the league title to Napoli on the final day and suffering defeat in the Champions League final.

“I have no words. In spite of everyone who jinxed us from start to finish. Go Inter, always,” Inter fan Fabio said. “Wonderful. Amazing. And compared to how it ended last year, this year we deserve everything.”

Many supporters were seen in tears at the celebrations.

“It was more than deserved. It was a difficult league season at the start because it was always there, neck and neck,” fellow Inter fan Federico said.

The festivities are expected to continue ahead of the Coppa Italia final on May 13 when Lazio stand in the way of a domestic double for Inter.

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd won the clincher as UCLA swept top-seeded Stanford 3-0 on Sunday to win the Bruins’ third NCAA beach volleyball championship.

Perez and Boyd wrapped up the Bruins’ first championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2018-19, beating the Cardinal’s Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson 21-11, 21-19.

Kaley Mathews and Ensley Alden got third-seeded UCLA (33-6) off and running with a 21-16, 21-11 victory over Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra.

Ava Williamson and Jesse Dueck gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the closest match of the day, beating Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell 21-17, 25-23.

The UCLA tandems of Alexa Fernandez and Harper Cooper as well as Kenzie Brower and Mallory LaBreche were also winning their matches when they became unnecessary.

It was the first championship for UCLA coach Jenny Johnson Jordan, who took the reins in 2023. Stein Metzger led the Bruins to their first two titles. Johnson earned her 100th career win when the Bruins beat No. 2 Texas 3-2 in their semifinal on Saturday.

Stanford (39-4) was aiming for its first championship, advancing to the title match under coach Andrew Fulller with a 3-1 victory over No. 5 Florida State in the semifinals.

UCLA beat No. 2 Texas 3-2 in the other semifinal.

USC has won six of 10 championships since the event began in 2016.

TCU ended a four-year run by the Trojans last season when the Horned Frogs beat Loyola Marymount for the title. The tournament wasn’t played in 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Vientos hit two homers and drove in four runs and right-hander Clay Holmes allowed one run in 6⅔ innings as the New York Mets beat the Angels 5-1 on Sunday.

Holmes (4-2) allowed four hits with three walks and six strikeouts as the Mets took two of three games from the Angels and won a series for just the second time since April 7. New York also won two of three against Minnesota (April 21-23).

The Mets used Bo Bichette at shortstop Sunday, one day after Ronny Mauricio fractured his left thumb and was placed on the injured list. Shortstop Francisco Lindor also is on the injured list with a calf strain.

Jorge Soler had an RBI single for the Angels and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-1) gave up two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. Los Angeles had ended a season-high seven-game losing streak Saturday. The Angels are 2-12 since April 18.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Zach Neto and Mike Trout worked walks to open the game against Holmes and Soler hit a one-out run-scoring single to center.

As Holmes settled in, the Mets grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Vientos hit a towering two-run homer 427 feet, halfway up the rock pile beyond the center field fence.

The Angels were in the game until the eighth inning when Tayler Saucedo hit Brett Baty with his first pitch of the inning and was replaced by Nick Sandlin. Carson Benge had an RBI double to right for a 3-1 lead and Vientos followed with another two-run home run, this time to left.

The Mets’ outfield made a pair of spectacular plays, with left fielder MJ Melendez making a diving catch in the sixth inning and Benge making a diving catch in right for the second out of the ninth.

Up next for the Angels: RHP Jose Soriano (5-1, 0.84 ERA) will pitch in Monday’s series opener against White Sox RHP Davis Martin (4-1, 1.95 ERA).