Joao Felix came off the bench to rescue a point for Atletico Madrid against 10-man Espanyol as they drew 1-1 at the Metropolitano on Sunday.
The game had started with some jeers from the crowd after Atletico finished bottom of their Champions League group in midweek, and the mood did not improve as the Rojiblancos struggled to break down their visitors.
It looked to be set up nicely for the hosts when Leandro Cabrera was sent off in the first half, but despite having an extra man, Atletico contrived to fall behind after Sergi Darder's volley just after the hour mark.
Joao Felix arrived to bring the scores level with just over 10 minutes remaining, but a draw will still be a disappointing result for home coach Diego Simeone in the circumstances.
Espanyol lost a man in the 28th minute when Cabrera saw red after being judged to have brought down Alvaro Morata when trying to prevent the Spain striker from racing through on goal.
Marcos Llorente went close shortly after when he got on the end of a cross from the left by Reinildo but sent his first-time effort over the crossbar.
It was Espanyol who took the lead against the run of play in the 62nd minute, with Oscar Gil's cross from the right headed back across goal by Joselu for the unmarked Darder to volley past Jan Oblak.
In the 78th minute, Felix chested down a ball out to the left by fellow substitute Thomas Lemar before dashing towards goal and rifling a left-footed shot inside Benjamin Lecomte's near post, though Atleti were unable to find a winner.
Francesco Bagnaia dethroned Fabio Quartararo as MotoGP champion by holding his nerve at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix, where Alex Rins won on Sunday.
Bagnaia needed only two points – a 14th-placed finish – to become the first Ducati champion in 15 years; even had he fallen short of that modest target, Quartararo would have needed to win the race.
The 2021 victor vowed to be "aggressive but intelligent" after qualifying in fourth, and was good to his word.
But Bagnaia, starting from eighth, did enough early on to ensure a race win was out of Quartararo's reach, then settling in for a careful ride that sought to ensure there would be no late crash to alter the outcome.
Rins dashed away to victory ahead of Brad Binder as Suzuki bowed out of the series in style, but the focus was further back in the field at the end of the longest ever MotoGP season.
Bagnaia passed Quartararo into Turn 1, only for the Frenchman to quickly recover and then attack Jack Miller, moving back into fourth.
Despite five retirements in 2022, the season leader was not going away quietly, and he battled back before contact between the two title rivals robbed him of his right wing.
Quartararo came out on top in that tussle, but the distraction allowed the race leaders to build a significant gap back to the contenders – one that became increasingly difficult to bridge as Bagnaia did not relent.
Finally, with those in front out of sight, Bagnaia backed off, riding home in ninth as Quartararo's fourth-placed finish left him 17 points short of back-to-back championships.
Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear at the top of Ligue 1 as Danilo Pereira's late header gave the champions a 2-1 win over Lorient.
Neymar continued his stellar campaign with the opening goal inside nine minutes, but PSG were unable to extend their lead at the Stade du Moustoir.
Lorient's equalised eight minutes into the second half, with Terem Moffi firing home his ninth goal of the league campaign and then promptly hitting the bar.
It seemed that would be the closest either side came to a decisive second until Danilo rose highest from an 81st-minute Neymar corner to nod the winner.
Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a derby win at Chelsea
Gabriel capitalised on some terrible Blues defending from a Bukayo Saka corner in the second half to move Mikel Arteta's side two points clear of Manchester City.
The Gunners were good value for their third consecutive away win over their London rivals in the top flight, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang endured a miserable first game against his former club.
Chelsea have now suffered back-to-back top-flight defeats and this was their first loss at Stamford Bridge since going down 4-2 to Arsenal in April.
Arsenal dominated possession in a bright start and Ben White spurned a chance to put them in front when he dragged a shot wide from the edge of the penalty area.
Aubameyang was booed by the Gunners fans and the striker's only notable contribution in the first half was when he was booked for a late challenge on White.
Gabriel Jesus wasted a glorious chance to open the scoring just before the half-hour mark, ending a brilliant sweeping move by somehow heading Gabriel Martinelli's cross wide from close range.
Arsenal failed to have an attempt on target in the first half and they were wasteful again 10 minutes after the break, when Thomas Partey nodded wide with Martinelli behind him poised to head home Martin Odegaard's delivery.
There was more frustration from Jesus when he was denied from a tight angle, but Mikel Arteta's side were deservedly in front after 63 minutes as Chelsea were caught napping.
Gabriel could not believe his luck when Saka's corner evaded everyone and gave him a tap-in to break the deadlock.
Odegaard sliced a poor finish off target after great work Jesus, but Gabriel’s goal secured three precious points.
Erik ten Hag handed Cristiano Ronaldo the captain's armband for Manchester United's clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Ronaldo's future at United remains far from certain, with the 37-year-old not a guaranteed starter under Ten Hag.
However, 17 days on from storming down the tunnel after being an unused substitute against Tottenham – an act that saw him left out against Chelsea on October 22 – Ronaldo was given the armband for the game at Villa Park.
Against no side has Ronaldo scored more Premier League goals than he has against Villa (eight).
United's club captain Harry Maguire was named on the bench, with Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez preferred to the England international in the centre of defence.
Ronaldo teed up Alejandro Garnacho's winner against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, and the youngster was rewarded with his first Premier League start.
Donny van de Beek was also named in United's starting XI for the first time in the league, while new Villa boss Unai Emery made two changes to the side that was thrashed 4-0 by Newcastle United last time out.
Rohit Sharma believes Suryakumar Yadav is getting better and better as the India captain hailed his team-mate's form as "remarkable".
Yadav scored an unbeaten 61 from just 25 deliveries on Sunday against Zimbabwe to help seal a 71-run victory, sealing India's progression to the T20 World Cup semi-finals as Group 2 winners.
India will now face England, who edged out Sri Lanka on Saturday to progress into the last four at the expense of hosts Australia, for a place in the final.
Yadav has been in fine form throughout the tournament. The 32-year-old has scored 225 runs across his five innings, while his knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday included 10 boundaries, with four of those beating the rope entirely.
"What Suryakumar is doing for the team is remarkable, just coming out there, playing that way, taking the pressure off the others," Rohit said.
"We know his ability, and it allows the guy at the other end to take his time.
"The dugout can really be at ease when he bats, and he's shown a lot of composure when he's batted. We expected this from him, and he's gone from strength to strength."
Despite being pleased with India's display against Zimbabwe, Rohit is looking for a step up in their level against England in Adelaide.
"[It was] a very good all-round performance, [which was] something we were looking for," Rohit said.
"We had qualified, but we wanted to come out and play the way we wanted to play, which we achieved.
"We have played a game there, but we need to adjust quickly. England are a good team, and it will be a great contest.
"We should take pride in qualifying, firstly, and if we play that semi-final well, we have another big game as well."
Marcus Smart described the Boston Celtics' performance against the New York Knicks as a "thing of beauty" after they broke a franchise record on Saturday.
The Celtics drained 27 three-point attempts in their 133-118 victory against the Knicks, the most they have ever managed in a single game.
As usual, it was Jaylen Brown (30 points) and Jayson Tatum (26) who led the way in scoring, while Smart added 13 of his own, including hitting three from five attempts from beyond the arc.
"It felt amazing," Smart said after the win that put the Celtics on 6-3 for the season. "[Head coach Joe Mazzulla] was just preaching to us, 'Don't get tired, we're playing the right way.' I think every coach preaches that, but to see it actually happen in action is a thing of beauty.
"It's good for us. It felt good for guys to hit shots, felt good for the team to see how we play when we play that way and the things we can do, so we have to keep preaching that, we have to keep working."
It was a productive night for Boston at Madison Square Garden, needing just 41 attempts for their record 27 three-pointers, and shooting 53 per cent from the field overall.
Sam Hauser played his part from the bench, scoring five threes in just 21 minutes, going some way to justifying his full contract signed with the Celtics in the offseason.
"Once you get the first couple to go it opens it up a little bit," Hauser said. "I definitely had a lot of confidence tonight and I think I'm getting my feet under me and getting more comfortable knowing these guys and where I'm supposed to be. So I'm just going to keep playing off them and doing my part."
Los Angeles FC's MLS Cup hero Gareth Bale admitted it has been "mentally difficult" to maintain focus ahead of the World Cup.
The tournament starts in Qatar on November 20, with Bale set to lead Wales out in only their second appearance at the tournament.
Bale left Real Madrid to join LAFC on a free transfer midway through the 2022 MLS season in July, though has managed just two starts for the team, accumulating only 370 minutes on the pitch.
The 33-year-old was LAFC's hero on Saturday, however, as he came on from the bench to score an extra-time equaliser to make it 3-3 in the MLS Cup against Philadelphia Union and, despite Steve Cherundolo's side having had goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau sent off, they went on to win on penalties.
Bale's full attention can now turn to being fit to feature for Wales in their first World Cup match – coincidentally against the United States – on November 21, with England and Iran also in their group, though the former Tottenham and Madrid star acknowledged it has been tough to shirk off fitness concerns prior to the tournament.
"I'm feeling better and better as time goes on. I've had a few setbacks, a slight knock a few weeks ago that kept me out for 10 days," Bale said in a press conference.
"It's been difficult mentally, leading into the World Cup – you see so many players dropping out, missing the World Cup.
"So it has been difficult mentally, I'm sure it has been for a lot of players, leading into this World Cup, so for sure it's been in the back of my mind trying to make sure I'm a 100 per cent fit.
"I felt good enough to come on and help the team, and happy to see us lift the trophy."
Asked if he was fully fit, Bale said: "I'm not 100 per cent at the moment, still coming back, have a few little issues like most players do, but we spoke about, that if I was needed for the last 20, 30 minutes, then I'm available.
"I was able to come on and give as much as I can, glad I came up with the goal. That's what I'm here to do, I guess."
Bale's goal against Philadelphia – a brilliant header in the eighth minute of stoppage time at the end of extra-time – was his third for LAFC, though his first since August.
"It's been a difficult transition, trying to catch up, it's been difficult, especially with relocating with my family," Bale added.
"I've tried to stay as fit as I can, to help the team on and off the pitch, it's all worth it when you have moments like today. The most important thing was the target to win the MLS Cup, we've done that."
Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten half-century saw India top Group 2 at the T20 World Cup as they set up a semi-final clash with England following a comfortable 71-run victory over Zimbabwe in Melbourne.
Heading into Sunday's game, Rohit Sharma's side knew their place in the last four was already secured after South Africa fell to a shock loss against the Netherlands earlier in the day.
But with top spot on the line after Pakistan comprehensively beat Bangladesh by five wickets, India knew they would need to post a similarly convincing win to overhaul their rivals.
They responded to the challenge with impressive power, guided by a freewheeling 61 not out off 25 balls for Yadav, ably supported by earlier knocks for KL Rahul (51) and Virat Kohli (26) to post a fearsome 186-5.
Sean Williams posted Zimbabwe's best bowling figures with 2-9, but could not help his side avoid leaking runs, and any prospect of a Zimbabwe chase appeared slim when Wesley Madhevere was caught first ball.
Sikandar Raza (34) and Ryan Burl (35) were valiant in pursuit, but India were out of sight thanks to a bowling attack led by Ravichandran Ashwin (3-22), to set up a showdown with England in Adelaide next week.
Yadav steadies fort after early wobbles
There was one nervy moment for India as they lost three wickets – Kohli, Rahul and Rishabh Pant – for 14 runs in a flash, slipping from 87-1 to 101-4.
But Yadav's emphatic turn ensured India put up a daunting total that proved well beyond Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe head home on a whimper
Having delivered one of the shocks of the tournament when they edged Pakistan by one run, a result that seemingly took the latter out of semi-final consideration at one point, this was a lacklustre final bow from Zimbabwe.
Though Craig Ervine's side were always likely to face an uphill battle to chase down India, their poor choices combined with a lethal opposition bowling attack left them with their lowest full-innings total at this year's T20 World Cup.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma says he will not make an "emotional" decision over his future as skipper after his side's shock exit from the T20 World Cup.
The Proteas fumbled their final game against an impressive Netherlands side, coming up short in a 13-run loss that allowed Pakistan to capitalise and leapfrog them into the top two.
That sends the latter and India through to join New Zealand and England in the knockout stages of this year's tournament, leaving South Africa out in the cold after just two wins.
Having missed out on qualification to the semi-finals a year ago following an inferior net run rate, it marks the second successive T20 World Cup in which they have underperformed, but Bavuma is in no rush to decide his next steps.
"It's been a tricky time," he stated. "To be considering that now, a lot of it will be emotional, in terms of my role as captain within the team. It's something I will think about. I will speak to the relevant people.
"We have to see who comes in as a coach. Generally when you have changes like that, they might come in with a different style.
"They might find a different leader to execute whatever vision or style of play that they have. It will be emotional now if I think about all of that."
Bavuma admitted the burden of captaincy amid frustrating tournaments for his side had been near the front of his thoughts, adding: "Mentally, it does eat at you as a player.
"You try to manage your mental space as much as you can. You try to control what gets to you but with social media, whatever is being said out there always gets to you.
"I always try to keep a level head, through all the good and the bad times. I try to be as close to myself as possible. Not just for myself but for this group. We are going to take a lot of flack as a group and rightly so."
Seasoned sports administrator Keith Joseph of the St Vincent and the Grenadines is the new president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC). Joseph won comfortably over his Jamaican challenger Christopher Samuda by a count of 17-9, successfully replacing former president Brian Lewis.
Joseph earned the majority of votes on the second and final day of the XX CANOC General Assembly, attended by 26 of the 30 member National Olympic Committees (NOC's) and Commonwealth Games Federations (CFG's) in Trinidad and Tobago from November 4-5.
Joseph campaigned on a record of achievement of the last CANOC executive, in which he served as the secretary general. The highlight of the last term was the successful staging of the 2022 Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe, which returned to the sports calendar after a 13-year hiatus.
Meanwhile, Lewis himself got the nod from the membership to serve as the secretary general by a vote of 14-12 over Antigua and Barbuda’s Cliff Williams. The Virgin Islands’ John Abramson conceded the post of first vice president to the Cayman Islands’ Carson Ebanks by a vote of 16-10 while Ytannia Wiggins of Barbados (18) and Guadeloupe’s Alain Soreze (19) retained positions as executive member.
Edith Cox was returned unopposed as treasurer.
The Joesph-led administration will appoint a second vice-president as the post was not filled via nominations.
Kevin Durant says it has been "camaraderie" within the Brooklyn Nets that helped put a difficult week behind them with a 98-94 comeback win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The small forward posted 27 points and helped his side erase a double-digit gap to earn back-to-back triumphs after victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Amid a seven-day stretch that saw Kyrie Irving suspended after initially refusing to apologise for promoting a movie and book with anti-Semitic overtones, and with head coach Steve Nash also dismissed, the going has been tough for the Nets.
Speaking after his side moved their record to 4-6 for the season, Durant reflected on what has been a strange period, but credited the team's resolve to keep the focus on their game as key to their revival.
"It was a unique experience for sure," he stated. "But a lot of guys been through different things in this league before, and a lot of guys have been through some adversity in this league off the court
"Having to lock back in and focus solely on the game, I think that we all get a little bit of solace in doing that.
"[It's] just playing the game of basketball, getting that camaraderie, that fellowship with your teammates, I think that was able to get us through.
"I just think we rallied around each other. It was a tough week for us. And it's always good to just get back to the game. Once the ball is tipped, [it all] goes out the window.
"I think everybody was just waiting to get back to playing. It's good for our character, it's good for the energy of the team and to fight through adversity."
Pakistan capitalised on South Africa's shock loss and completed a remarkable turnaround to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals after a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.
Heading into the final group-stage games, South Africa seemed certain to advance from Group 2 but slumped to a 13-run loss to the Netherlands, meaning the winner of the Pakistan-Bangladesh game at the Adelaide Oval would reach the final four.
Shaheen Shah Afridi starred with the ball with 4-22 for Pakistan, who lost their opening two World Cup games, as they restricted Bangladesh 127-8 before chasing down the target with 11 balls to spare.
Mohammad Rizwan (32 from 32), Mohammad Haris (31 from 18) and Shan Masood (24* from 14) contributed to the successful chase, which was far from seamless.
Bangladesh were left frustrated after a controversial decision by third umpire Langton Rusere who gave out captain Shakib Al Hasan LBW for a golden duck despite appearing to hit the ball.
Shakib's wicket was one of two to fall in Shadab Khan's over after Bangladesh had been 70-1 at the 10-over mark, appearing destined for a far-greater score. Opener Najmul Hossain Shanton top scored for the Tigers with 54 from 48 balls but Bangladesh lost their way after his dismissal at 91-4 in the 14th over.
Shakib reluctant to walk after dubious call
Shakib's dismissal was a key moment, and it was controversial, with the Bangladesh skipper reluctant to walk despite being given out by both the on-field umpire and the third umpire.
Bangladesh were set to launch for a total of 150-plus at the halfway mark, before losing Soumya Sarkar and Shakib in successive deliveries. After being given out LBW, Shakib quickly reviewed the decision. The replay showed a mark on Ultra Edge coinciding with the ball's path past the bat, yet Langton deemed that no bat was involved, believing Shakib instead had hit the ground with his bat.
Pakistan advance against all odds
Pakistan's World Cup seemed over after losing two final-over thrillers to rivals India and lowly Zimbabwe to open their tournament, yet they have responded to progress to the semi-finals. That hardly seemed possible after South Africa toppled India last Sunday but the 2009 champions remain in the hunt for a second title.
That's all the more staggering given gun batsman Babar Azam failed again, scoring 25 off 33 balls, having managed only 39 runs at 7.80 in five games.
Jeremy Pena offered an insight into his mentality going from Carlos Correa's replacement to becoming the second rookie ever to win the MVP of the ALCS and World Series.
Pena's remarkable postseason was crowned on Saturday as the Houston Astros lifted the World Series with a 4-1 Game 6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Minute Maid Park.
The 25-year-old shortstop was named World Series MVP after having 10 hits, five runs including one homer and three RBIs throughout the six games.
Pena went two-for-four with a run scored in Game 6, capping a miraculous rookie season after coming into the side to replace two-time All-Star Correa who left after last season on free agency for the Minnesota Twins.
"I'd say the hardest part was just blocking everything that's not part of the game," Pena told reporters.
"There's a saying that you can't sink a ship with water around. It sinks if water gets inside. So I just try to stay strong and keep the water outside my head.
"Just keep playing my game, show up every single day, and just trust in my preparation."
Pena's rise was also capped by becoming the first-ever rookie shortstop to win the Gold Glove.
"It has a lot to do with my family, my upbringing," Pena said about his confidence.
"Shoutout to my teammates as well. They took me in since day one. They gave me the confidence to just go out and play my game and, yeah, shoutout to them, man. This is special."
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