Football Australia (FA) chief James Johnson was "horrified" at the scenes from Saturday's Melbourne derby pitch invasion and is ready to hand out the "harshest of punishments" for those involved.

Saturday's game at AAMI Park between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the first 22 minutes, before trouble escalated when a flare appeared to hit a pitch-side cameraman before exploding.

City goalkeeper Tom Glover threw another flare back into the crowd, inflaming the situation, before fans behind the goal stormed the pitch, with Glover being hit in the face with a metal bin that had been used for other flares. Referee Alex King was also caught up in the incident, before taking the two teams off the pitch, with the game later abandoned amid unruly scenes.

Glover was left bloodied with a cut to the right side of his face, with City stating he had been concussed from the incident.

"I'll start with saying that I'm horrified, I'm irritated, I'm angry at the scenes witnessed at AAMI Park last night," Johnson told reporters on Sunday. "A full investigation will take place and those responsible will face the harshest of punishments."

The ground invasion comes amid rising tensions between administrators and fans in Australian football following the Australian Premier Leagues' decision to sell the men's and women's A-Leagues grand finals the rights to their grand finals to the New South Wales government, having previously been hosted by the highest-ranked team.

Johnson said the fans who ran onto the AAMI Park pitch were an unwanted "element" in the game, insisting the code was "safe" in Australia.

The FA boss strongly condemned their behaviour and made clear that heavy sanctions would be forthcoming.

"We will be moving swiftly and we will be taking the strongest sanctions that are available," Johnson said. "This is an element that goes beyond football, it’s an element that infiltrates our game, and that really tried to ruin it for the two million people who love our sport. It's those people that we will be targeting in this investigation and who we will weed out of the sport.

"There is no justification for the behaviour we saw last night. I don't care about people that think the decision for the GF is wrong or right. Anyone who thinks that justifies behaviour is completely out of touch.

"People that behave like this, I don't call them fans and I won't call them fans. What is important is our response – that is simple, there is no place in our sport for that behaviour and people that act like that will be weeded out and weeded out quickly."

Several other fan groups held "peaceful protests" about the grand final decision at the 20th-minute mark at A-League games across the competition over the weekend.

Johnson added: "Football is very safe. Two million people play it week in, week out. We saw in all the other A-League games that were played over the weekend, peaceful protests, and that’s OK – fans have are OK to express their views in a peaceful way.

"The way that some individuals conducted themselves at the Melbourne Victory game is not acceptable, and I think that is specific to that match.

"I don’t think that it is a reflection on the broader game. We're the biggest sport country in terms of participants. This does not happen in local football. It doesn’t happen at national team level. It doesn’t happen at the NPL level, and it hasn’t happened in the other A-League games.

"I don't think though that a group of individuals that participated in unacceptable behaviour in one match is a reflection of how the broader sport is.

"The small group of people, the 100-150 odd people that invaded the pitch, they need to be the target, not the broader sport. We will be targeting those individuals and ensuring that they no longer participate in our sport."

Johnson said the FA would work with the Australian Premier Leagues (APL), who run the A-Leagues, on appropriate sanctions for Victory, whose fans flooded the pitch.

Victory managing director Caroline Carnegie also strongly condemned the fan behaviour when speaking to reporters on Sunday, insisting it "has no place at our club".

The Chicago Cubs took the last star shortstop off the free-agent market on Saturday, agreeing to a 7-year, $177 million contract with Dansby Swanson, sources told ESPN.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a full no-trade clause, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

Swanson was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, but he was traded to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal that December.

He spent each of his seven MLB seasons with the Braves, helping them to a World Series championship in 2021 after batting .248 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs.

He followed that by hitting .277 last season with 25 homers and a career-best 96 RBIs in 162 games. Swanson made the NL All-Star team for the first time and won his first Gold Glove.

The Cubs became the latest team to snag a high-priced shortstop following the San Francisco Giants (Carlos Correa, $350 million), Philadelphia Phillies (Trea Turner, $300 million) and San Diego Padres (Xander Bogaerts, $280 million).

With Swanson added, the Cubs likely will move Nico Hoerner from shortstop to second base.

Chicago finished third in the NL Central last season but did go 40-31 in its final 71 games. Besides Swanson, the Cubs signed 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger to a one-year contract and added right-hander Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal.

Swanson is a career .255 hitter with 102 homers and 411 RBIs in 827 career games.

He got married last weekend to Mallory Pugh, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars, the women’s professional soccer team.

Deshaun Watson led the Cleveland Browns to a 13-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in his first home start since his 11-game suspension as they kept alive their playoffs hopes on Saturday.

Watson threw the game's only touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the third quarter, with the Browns QB completing 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards with 22 rushing yards for the game at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The victory improved the Browns to 6-8 overall, going 2-1 since Watson returned, while the Ravens dropped to 9-5, with the Cincinnati Bengals moving ahead of them in top spot in the AFC North by half a game.

It was a game to forget for the Ravens, who had a run of possessions that included a missed field goal attempt, an interception and a fumble in the second and third quarters. Baltimore had three turnovers on downs too.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goals in one game for the first time since December 2018, including putting a 48-yard attempt wide, while he had a fourth-quarter 50-yard attempt blocked.

Baltimore QB Tyler Huntley, standing in for the injured Lamar Jackson, threw 17 of 30 attempts for 138 yards, with Denzel Ward intercepting his third quarter pass in the redzone intended by DeSean Jackson with the score 6-3 at the time.

The Browns scored the game's only TD from their next drive, with Watson linking up with Amari Cooper twice for decent gains, before the QB's three-yard pass for the open Peoples-Jones.

Browns running back Nick Chubb added 99 rushing yards on 21 carries, while J.K. Dobbins was the Ravens' best offensive outlet, running 125 yards from 13 carries.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has admitted he is unsure when Paul Pogba will return from injury.

Pogba is yet to make his first appearance for the club after returning to Turin on a free transfer prior to the start of the campaign, suffering a knee injury in pre-season that also saw him unavailable for France's World Cup exploits.

The former Manchester United midfielder was initially expected to return for the tie against Serie A leaders Napoli on January 13, but that comeback is now reported to have been delayed.

Allegri, speaking after the 2-0 victory over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, did not set a timeframe for Pogba's return and made it clear he is keen to avoid further questions on his recovery.

"Paul still hasn't been consistent in training, so I cannot say when he'll be back," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"This is the truth and it's important to say that, otherwise every day we'll get these questions on how Pogba's recovery is going. He hasn't yet started running in training."

Pogba is not the only injury concern for Juventus ahead of the resumption of the season, though Allegri expects the core of his squad to be ready for the clash against Cremonese on January 4.

"[Federico] Chiesa had a muscular issue, but that's normal when stepping up the intensity after such a long injury lay-off and we preferred not to risk him. He'll be ready for December 27," he added.

"[Leonardo] Bonucci won't be out for long, Juan Cuadrado will only be available after the Cremonese game and Mattia De Sciglio should be back from December 27 onwards.

"That is also when Danilo and Alex Sandro arrive, while [Adrien] Rabiot and the Argentineans will have a few more days to rest, as they are in the World Cup final tomorrow."

Kirk Cousins has told the Minnesota Vikings they need to play better when playoff football begins after his side's record comeback victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Vikings trailed 33-0 at the break but rallied in the second half, registering 29 unanswered points to send the game to overtime with the score tied at 36-a-piece.

A 40-yard field goal in the final moments secured the win and the biggest comeback win in NFL history, beating the previous record set by the Buffalo Bills against the Houston Oilers in January 1993.

The win also secured the Vikings the NFC North title for the first time since 2017 and books a return to the playoffs following a two-year absence, but Cousins made it clear there is work to be done.

"The goal every year when the season starts is to win your division, get a playoff game, then sort it out from there," he said on the field to the NFL Network.

"That's the first goal, we were able to secure that, but we've got to play a lot better. You've got to play better football to win in the playoffs.

"Obviously, there's still a lot to play for with our seeding."

Despite the first-half blowout, and a deficit that looked unassailable, Cousins says there was still belief in the locker room.

"It was an ugly first half but we found a way back with complimentary football, a lot of plays, a lot we'd like to have back as well, but we'll take it," he added.

"There was belief at half-time. Patrick Peterson said all we needed was five touchdowns; I thought he was being sarcastic. Obviously, there is some yelling, there is some frustration.

"That [comeback] doesn't just happen. Basic people don't do what we just did."

The Vikings host the New York Giants on Christmas Eve for their final home game of the regular season, followed by back-to-back road trips against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

The Minnesota Vikings set the record for the biggest comeback in NFL history, recovering from a 33-0 half-time deficit against the Indianapolis Colts to clinch a 39-36 victory and the NFC North title.

A strong defensive performance in the first half looked to have put to put the Colts in cruise control, with a pick-6, a blocked punt for a touchdown and limiting the hosts to just a single first down at U.S. Bank Stadium.

But the second half saw a new Minneapolis Miracle written into legend, as Minnesota fought back from 36-7 to hit 29 unanswered points and send the game to overtime.

There, a 40-yard field goal from Greg Joseph delivered the NFC North crown to the Vikings for the first time since 2017, and shattered the record books in the process.

The 33-point comeback set the mark as the biggest-ever in NFL history, surpassing the 32-point deficit the Buffalo Bills overturned against the Houston Oilers in January 1993.

It was a bitter reverse for the Colts, who having seized the lead through a field goal, returned a blocked punt for a touchdown through JoJo Domann before Deon Jackson finished a seven-play drive to extend their advantage.

The Vikings' woes continued in the second quarter, seeing Julian Blackmon intercept Kirk Cousins for a pick-six and with a further three field goals conceded to leave them 33 points down on the scoreboard at half-time.

A two-yard K.J. Osborn touchdown in the third quarter got the Vikings off the mark before another Colts field goal took the game to 36-7 - but it was then that the hosts came alive in sensational fashion.

Bagging 21 unanswered points to bring the game towards a dramatic finish, Dalvin Cook then delivered a 64-yard touchdown followed by a two-point conversion to square matters up.

That took the game to overtime where, with the clock ticking down, Joseph sealed the deal - and with it, the Vikings' first playoff appearance since 2019.

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal's transfer plans for the new year have not changed despite their injury woes, after Reiss Nelson became the latest player to sustain a knock.

The winger was forced off in a 2-0 friendly loss to Juventus on Saturday with an apparent hamstring problem, as teams step up their return to action following the World Cup break.

With Gabriel Jesus set to be sidelined after undergoing surgery for an injury suffered on Brazil duty in Qatar, the number of options available for Arteta are narrowing.

But the Spaniard says his plans have not been altered ahead of the January transfer window, adding that he intends to wait on a further prognosis for Nelson.

"We don't know the extent of the injury," Arteta said. "The fact he had to leave the pitch straight away is not good news, especially someone who really powerful and fast like Reiss.

"Let's see what will happen. We know what we have to do and that doesn't change the plans."

Nelson's injury is a blow to a Gunners side already missing Jesus, limiting their pool of wide forwards as they prepare to restart their Premier League season.

Eddie Nketiah is likely to be offered his first sustained minutes in the Premier League since the end of last season, having been restricted to a role from the bench this campaign.

"Eddie is always ready," Arteta said. "He knows [the injuries to others] opens up a big opportunity for him right now and he needs to grab it.

"But the way he trains every day and the mentality he has, he gives us no reason to believe that he won't be super ready to perform."

Arsenal sit five points clear at the summit in their hunt for a first-top flight title since 2003-04 season, during the Invincibles era under Arsene Wenger.

Former Germany defender Per Mertesacker insists he has his hands full at Arsenal and is not considering the possibility of his country coming calling.

Mertesacker is the academy manager at Arsenal, but he has been tipped as a "perfect man for the job" as Germany seek a new national team director.

That was the view expressed this week by Real Madrid star Toni Kroos, a former international team-mate of Mertesacker.

Mertesacker, speaking to German broadcaster Sky Sport on Saturday at a charity ice hockey game benefitting his Per Mertesacker Foundation, spoke of his enjoyment of his role in England.

The national team role has become vacant after long-time incumbent Oliver Bierhoff moved on after Germany's second consecutive World Cup group-stage exit.

"I'm super happy in England and I'm in charge of the youth academy. There's a lot to do there," said Mertesacker, who won 104 caps for Germany. 

"We're very committed and try to introduce young talent, but also give them certain values. That's very, very important to me."

Regarding the DFB position, he added: "I haven't been spoken to yet, so I don't want to speculate. We're all interested in German football and in having a lot to offer in the future."

Mertesacker, 38, retired from playing at the end of the 2017-18 season after seven campaigns with Arsenal, and immediately took up his current role.

Germany's football association, the DFB, recently announced a new advisory group to help the national team bounce back from their latest dismal World Cup performance.

It includes ex-Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, BVB adviser Matthias Sammer, Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, current Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn and long-time Bayer Leverkusen managing director Rudi Voller.

The group will be led by DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and vice-chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor exited Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with a right ankle injury and was ruled out for the rest of the contest.

Taylor suffered the injury on the Colts’ first possession of the game on a 13-yard reception.

The leading rusher in the NFL last season, Taylor has battled ankle soreness all this year and has missed three games this season due to ankle issues.

Taylor entered Week 15 ranked 11th in the league with 861 rushing yards in 10 games. His 86.1 rushing yards per game this season ranks fourth in the NFL.

The injury left Zack Moss and Deon Jackson to handle duties in the backfield as the Colts looked to avoid a seventh loss in their last eight games.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic insisted his team's World Cup bronze medal did not mark the end of an era and declared there was "nothing to fear" about the future.

The head coach saw his team overcome Morocco 2-1 on Saturday to take third place at the Qatar 2022 finals, four years after they were runners-up when Russia hosted.

Croatia, a country with a population of around four million people, has produced remarkable football teams since gaining its independence from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Dejan Lovren have been kingpins of the side for many years, and Modric and Lovren have already ruled out carrying on until the 2026 World Cup, while it would be a major surprise if Perisic remained on the team.

He would be 37, and given his role is a high-energy one that involves getting up and down the pitch, Perisic can probably be counted out of that tournament.

Modric intends to play on for now, certainly to the Nations League next year and perhaps through to the Euro 2024 finals, and Dalic believes the newest and next generations of Croatia internationals can thrive just like the current breed.

"Yes, this is the last World Cup for some of my players today, due to their age and some other aspects," Dalic said. "But we have young players too, there's a hopeful Croatia: Orsic, Stanisic, Sutalo."

Of those, defenders Josip Sutalo and Josip Stanisic are both 22 years old, while midfielder Mislav Orsic is 29, and should be good for another World Cup cycle.

It was Orsic who hit the winning goal against Morocco, a classy strike from a difficult angle that left goalkeeper Yassine Bounou grasping at air.

Dalic said of the rising stars in his ranks: "We have many of those players on the bench, but they'd not be able to have good performance without the older ones.

"The older players instil confidence, they allow them to grow and mature. We have a great football school for the future. Croatia has nothing to fear for its national team.

"Is this the end of an era or a generation? I think not. We have the Nations League and qualification for the Euros in 2024, that is what awaits us, but we have great talents.

"There are four players from the Croatian league in the team today and I believe Croatia has a fascinating future."

Cameron Norrie is hoping Russian players will be allowed to return to Wimbledon in 2023, saying he wants "the best players in the world to be playing".

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Russian players were banned from participating at SW19.

This meant the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were not able to play and compete for the third grand slam of the year, which Novak Djokovic ended up winning for the seventh time.

The tournament was stripped of ranking points as a result of the ban on Russians, a decision that was met with much frustration from players.

Medvedev and Rublev finished a respective seventh and eighth in the year-end ATP rankings, and both took part in the ATP Finals in Turin.

Norrie hopes they are able to return to Wimbledon next year, telling reporters: "For me, I want the best players in the world to be playing.

"I felt last year was tough for those guys, especially for Daniil and for Andrey, who have a chance of winning Wimbledon.

"I know how much those guys sacrificed with their careers and their goals are obviously very high to be winning Slams.

"So I really did feel bad for those guys."

Quarterback Dylan Raiola decommitted from Ohio State on Saturday, with the top-ranked prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft available again.

Raiola chose the Buckeyes in May over USC, Alabama and other major programmes but is now set to be on the move, though a decision on his destination will not be rushed.

Speaking to 247Sports, Raiola's father Dominic, a former NFL center, said his son's services are not "close off to anybody".

"We have a lot of respect for Coach [Ryan] Day and the Ohio State programme," he said. "Everything is back on the table. His process is almost like it's restarting. It's not close off to anybody."

Nebraska could be the destination of choice for Raiola, with his uncle Donovan retained on the staff as offensive line coach following the appointment of Matt Rhule – though he already held the position when the commitment to Ohio State was made.

Raiola's departure comes ahead of Ohio State's College Football playoff against Georgia, where current starting quarterback C.J. Stroud may make his final appearance.

Morocco showed they can compete with international football's elite teams after finishing fourth at the World Cup, according to head coach Walid Regragui.

Goals from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic gave Croatia a 2-1 victory in Saturday's third-place play-off, as Morocco's historic World Cup came to a conclusion.

They became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of international football's top tournament, overcoming giants such as Spain and Portugal before finally succumbing to France in the final four.

Despite the losing end to Morocco's campaign, Regragui believes the Atlas Lions exhibited their right to be considered one of the top footballing nations in the world.

"Tomorrow morning we will take stock, and realise we all made a fantastic achievement here," Regragui told reporters at his post-match news conference.

"We played Croatia twice, one of the top three teams in the world. We played against Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Canada, that’s wonderful.

"We have an objective of winning the World Cup one day. Morocco showed we can go toe to toe with these teams. We are now one of the top four teams in the world."

Asked if he would change anything about Morocco's tournament, Regragui replied: "Honestly I would say nothing.

"We had 0.01 per cent chance of winning the tournament at the outset. We managed to get to the last four.

"We played some of the powerhouses of football. If you told me we'd get this far, number four in the world, I'd have accepted that straight away.

"We deserve respect. They fought until the end, showed hard graft. That’s football, some nations are stronger than us. France were, Croatia were tonight, but only slightly stronger.

"For 2026, if I'm still in charge, I'll have more experience and maybe things will change, and in 2026 we will realise the achievement we've made in 2022."

Morocco's final match in Qatar saw a number of controversial officiating decisions, with the final whistle met by intense protests from Regragui's players towards the referee.

Achraf Hakimi, Morocco's star right-back, was reportedly involved in a row with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the tunnel after the match.

It comes after the Royal Morocco Football Federation lodged a complaint to FIFA over referee Cesar Ramos' performance during their semi-final defeat to France.

However, Regragui was keen not to focus too much on the referee's display, while he defended his players' behaviour after the game.

"When you lose you always get disappointed, upset," Regragui stated. "My players are great competitors, I don’t think there was a lack of respect.

"We sometimes overreact at the end of games, it happens. We just weren’t at the level we've set.

"We focus on what we were lacking. We can't hide behind the refereeing, that’s not the Moroccan way. We let the association deal with any official issues."