The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, one day after the team’s losing streak reached seven games with a 23-22 defeat to the lowly Carolina Panthers.

New Orleans got off to an unexpected strong start to the 2024 season by outscoring its first two opponents 91-29 in a pair of victories.

The Saints lost their next two games by just a combined five points, but then it really started to unravel for the team.

New Orleans’ next four defeats all came by 13 points or more, and on Sunday, the Panthers pulled out a 23-22 win over the Saints after Carolina entered the meeting with a 1-7 record.

Allen was promoted from New Orleans' defensive coordinator to head coach after the 2021 season, and the Saints posted an 18-25 record under him with no play-off appearances.

The Saints (2-7) are expected to name special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as interim head coach ahead of their Week 10 visit from the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3).

Lewis Hamilton says he "could happily go and take a holiday" instead of finishing the season after a dismal showing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

He made early exits in both qualifying sessions and started the race at Interlagos from 15th on the grid.

However, unlike Max Verstappen, who impressively won the race having started in 17th, the Brit struggled to mount much of a fight, coming away from the weekend with just one point after finishing in 10th.

His performance was made to look worse as team-mate George Russell had been battling for the lead but narrowly missed out on a podium place as he finished fourth.

Hamilton only has three races left with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari next season, bringing an end to their 12-year partnership.

But he was left frustrated in Brazil, expressing his disappointment with the car.

"We were just slow," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "The car was really, really tough. I do really want to say still a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.

"The team could have won also, so at least one car was behaving a lot better.

"The car is like a plank of wood. It's like no suspension.

"It's bouncing on the tyres everywhere, and you can't get on the power anywhere. It's just the worst ride, I think the worst ride that we've definitely ever had, particularly through corners. It's just so stiff.

"But hopefully we won't have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren't so bumpy. But yeah, I could happily go and take a holiday."

Injury-ravaged Borussia Dortmund are running out of time to recover players ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Sturm Graz, coach Nuri Sahin has said.

Dortmund, who lost last season's Champions League final to Real Madrid, are currently without forwards Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, midfielder Gio Reyna and defensive trio Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto.

Despite their lengthy injury list, BVB fought back to beat second-placed RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, ending a three-game losing run in all competitions.

Ahead of Sturm Graz's visit, Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 12 home matches in the Champions League, winning eight and drawing four.

They have only lost one of their last 19 at Signal Iduna Park in the competition's group or league phase, versus Erik ten Hag's Ajax back in November 2021.

However, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, defender Waldemar Anton and winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also doubtful for Tuesday's match, Sahin is concerned. 

"The known absentees remain. I don't think anyone will come back, apart from Almugera Kabar," Sahin told reporters on Monday.

"We will have to see about Waldi. It will be a race against time. We did not get the green light on Greg yet. [Backup goalkeeper Alexander] Meyer has an extraordinary character. 

"He is very popular in the squad and his qualities were on display at the weekend. To have a number two like that at this level is amazing."

Sturm Graz have lost all three of their Champions League games this campaign. Dortmund, meanwhile, suffered a 5-2 loss at Madrid in their last match but won their previous two against Club Brugge and Celtic.

Austria international Marcel Sabitzer, who recently returned to fitness, is particularly excited about the fixture, saying: "I come from Graz, I grew up there. I have many memories. 

"Our mission is to win tomorrow, that's clear. I'm already feeling better. I'm confident that it will work out tomorrow." 

Football in Spain should have been completely suspended after the worst flash floods in decades swept parts of Valencia last week, so says Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid's trip to Valencia on Saturday was one of several LaLiga games postponed last weekend.

However, other matches went ahead, with Diego Simeone and Hansi Flick among the coaches to question that decision.

Ancelotti said it was nonsense that in other places of the country the competitions continued as expected and argued that there was no enthusiasm in Spain to play football right now.

"Football is a party and you can only celebrate and party when you, your family and everybody is well. When people are not well, you don't party," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Madrid's Champions League clash with his former club Milan.

"Football has to stop... For me it does.

"Because it is the most important of the least important things in life. But we are not the decision-makers. We have to follow the instructions of those who are in charge.

"There are many ways to help. Football had to stop and then help. Everyone has been clear about it, nobody wanted to play. It seemed like the right decision.

"I have no desire to talk about football today."

Ancelotti said that the 4-0 loss to rivals Barcelona and the disappointment of forward Vinicius Junior not winning the Ballon d'Or award were a distant memory due to the sorrow caused by the tragedy and that he is trying his best to keep the players' mindset in the right place for Tuesday's clash.

Ancelotti, who won eight trophies with Milan including two Champions League titles, said it was bittersweet to face his old club in such circumstances.

"It was supposed to be a special game for me, facing Milan... But there is no meaning in talking about football now," Ancelotti said.

"It has been a difficult week, not because of what happened with the Ballon d'Or or El Clasico... It happened and that's that, congratulations to the winners. Our sadness is not about that, it is for what is happening here in Spain." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Gian Piero Gasperini played down talk of Atalanta competing for the Scudetto despite their 3-0 humbling of Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday.

Atalanta triumphed 3-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Ademola Lookman scoring a first-half brace before Mateo Retegui made the points safe for La Dea.

They are now up to third in the table, just three points behind leaders Napoli and two adrift of reigning champions Inter in second.

Gasperini's team have been tipped to challenge for the title after inflicting Antonio Conte's first three-goal defeat in a home Serie A match since 2009, but he is simply taking things one game at a time.

"There are still 27 matches to go, and if you see Atalanta as winning the Scudetto I respect your opinion," he told reporters.

"However all the games are different, I don't know if we will always manage to have such a strong structure. 

"If we manage to widen the circle a bit with other players we will progress but we will see further on."

Gasperini added integrating Atalanta's new players will be key, given the rigours of combining a title push with a potential Champions League run.

"The core of the team is very strong because last year we faced the Europa League and secured a Champions League spot, playing every three days," he said.

"We lost Koop [Teun Koopmeiners] but we've brought in several players, with Retegui adapting the quickest. 

"How well we can integrate these new players will determine our competitiveness."

Vice-captain Marten de Roon echoed those sentiments, saying: "Our team achieved a great result, we showed that we are at a high level. 

"We are not thinking about the Scudetto yet, it is a word very far from our objective. We must remain humble; at the end of the championship we will see where we get to. 

"We have a very clear way of playing, always pressing high to keep the attackers high." 

Australia rallied to overcome Pakistan by two wickets in the first of three one-day internationals between the teams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

Roared on by vocal travelling support, Pakistan were in the ascendency when their pacemen dropped Australia from 113-2 to 115-7, with the hosts chasing 204 for victory.

Harif Rauf dismissed three while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain also got in on the act to decimate the hosts' middle order.

Naseem Shah had earlier scored 40 off 39 balls to salvage a score of 203 all out for the tourists, but a crucial cameo from captain Pat Cummins got Australia over the line.

Cummins calmly came up with an unbeaten 32 from 31 balls as the hosts sealed victory with 16.3 overs remaining, with even Sean Abbott's error in being run out for 13 failing to inspire a change in the momentum. 

Bowler Mitchell Starc told ABC Grandstand after the match: "We probably didn't like that Patty and I had pads on, but it's a positive start to the summer.

"A win is a win no matter how you get there."

Data Debrief: Cummins leads from the front

Cummins' unbeaten 32 may not go down as his most memorable knock in ODIs, but it did equal his best innings for Australia in the format.

That proved crucial after Matthew Short (1), Jake Fraser-McGurk (16), Marnus Labuschagne (16), Aaron Hardie (10) and Glenn Maxwell (0) disappointed with the bat.

Australia, who have won both of their ODI series versus West Indies and England since lifting the World Cup in 2023, can now seal a series triumph in Adelaide on Friday.

Luka Doncic hailed a "real fun" performance from the Dallas Mavericks after they bounced back from Thursday's loss to the Houston Rockets with a comfortable win over the Orlando Magic.

Coming off the back of their second defeat of the season, the Mavs downed a short-handed Magic side by a 108-85 scoreline to improve to 4-2 for 2024-25.

Doncic had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while team-mate Daniel Gafford added a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes on court.

But it was a suffocating defensive performance that kept out an Orlando team deprived of injured star Paolo Banchero and won Dallas plaudits, and Doncic enjoyed his role.

"Today was real fun," he said. "We were guarding everybody, defending, rebounding, playing with a lot of pace. So that's fun for me."

Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, who arrived from the Golden State Warriors during the offseason, had a quiet night with just nine points for Dallas.

However, head coach Jason Kidd was pleased with his all-round contribution, saying: "I thought he played a great game.

"I know we look at him for scoring and shooting threes, but I thought his playmaking, his energy was high. He was moving on both ends at a very high level."

Dallas are next in action against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, while the 3-4 Magic visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged his side need to be more ruthless in front of goal following their Serie A win over Venezia, with matches against Arsenal and Napoli coming up.

Lautaro Martinez's first home goal in league action since February handed the Nerazzurri a hard-fought 1-0 win at San Siro, though they missed several chances to make their victory more comfortable.

Inzaghi's team racked up 20 shots worth 2.41 expected goals (xG) to Venezia's seven attempts and 1.07 xG during Sunday's game.

They have now scored in each of their 28 league games at San Siro after failing to net in three in a row between March and April 2023, but Inzaghi knows they must take their chances when they face Arsenal and Napoli this week.

"We should’ve been more clinical, but to be honest, I congratulated the team because the first half was excellent even if we wasted big opportunities," he told DAZN.

"Once we broke the deadlock, the big regret is that we didn’t kill off the game and when it is in the balance, anything can still happen."

Arsenal visit San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday, before Napoli – who are currently one point clear at the top of Serie A – make the trip on Sunday.

"In two days we are up against one of the best teams in Europe with huge quality, so clearly my focus right now is on Arsenal," Inzaghi said.

The 48-year-old expressed concern about the challenging schedule ahead but felt relieved after seeing key players return.

"This is our fifth game in two weeks, there are another two to come against Arsenal and Napoli, but we’ve got Hakan Calhanoglu back and Francesco Acerbi will be available on Wednesday too," he said.

"Carlos Augusto is the only one still out and as a coach I will need everyone." 

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen benefitted from a rule "no one agrees with" as he won a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to leave the McLaren's title hopes hanging by a thread.

Verstappen surged to a terrific victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil, with Norris faltering after starting on pole.

Norris and Mercedes' George Russell – who were vying for the lead – both pitted on lap 29, but that strategy backfired as the red flag was shown following a crash involving Franco Colapinto.

With the race suspended, Verstappen was also able to change tires for the restart, negating Norris' advantage from pitting as the world champion raced to a commanding victory.

Norris had cut Verstappen's drivers' championship lead to 44 points by winning Saturday's sprint race but now sits 62 points adrift with just three races of the season remaining. 

The Brit refused to hit out at McLaren's strategy after the race, though, putting his struggles down to bad luck. 

"I have faith in the team in what they are saying and they have trust in me," he told Sky Sports F1. 

"It was just unlucky. I don't care about the hindsight side of things, that's luck for them, nothing more.

"They got lucky on a rule that no one agrees with. Probably they agreed with it today but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.

"Today it benefitted them, it could have benefitted us if we just stayed out, but that's a stupid thing to think of. 

"Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing. Max drove well. He got a bit lucky but that's life."

Saquon Barkley has made several sensational plays in his career, but his amazing backward hurdle in the Philadelphia Eagles' 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday may go down as one of the most incredible plays by any player ever on an NFL field.

Early in the second quarter on a third-and-six, Jalen Hurts dumped off a short pass to Barkley. The first-year Philadelphia running back promptly lowered his shoulder to break one tackle and used a spin move to beat another Jacksonville defender before performing an amazing reverse hurdle over Jaguars cornerback Jarian Jones to cap off a 14-yard gain.

Barkley had a touchdown on the ground and one through the air, finishing with 159 rushing yards and another 40 receiving yards for 199 scrimmage yards - his most since amassing 279 in Week 16 of 2019.

DeVonta Smith also made a spectacular play for Philadelphia, hauling in a one-handed 25-yard touchdown grab. He finished with four receptions for 87 yards.

Hurts threw for 230 yards with a pair of touchdowns and scored on an 18-yard run for the Eagles (6-2), who won their fourth in a row.

Trevor Lawrence completed 16-of-31 passes for 169 yards with two interceptions for a 40.9 passer rating - his lowest since his rookie season - as the Jaguars fell to 2-7.

Lions win at Green Bay to improve to 7-1

The Detroit Lions did enough to stay firmly atop the NFC North, beating the Green Bay Packers 24-14 at rainy Lambeau Field.

The Lions converted two fourth downs into touchdowns and scored on a Kerby Joseph 27-yard interception return en route to a sixth straight win. Detroit improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1956.

Despite being out-gained 411-261 in total yards, the Lions' defence stood firm, holding the Packers (6-3) without a point on three drives that moved inside Detroit's 35-yard line.

Jared Goff only passed for 145 yards, but was efficient with his throws, with only four incompletions on 22 attempts for a 109.3 passer rating. He is the first player in NFL history to record six consecutive games with a completion rate of 72 per cent, a passer rating of at least 105 and a TD pass.

The Lions scored their first points on the first play of the second quarter on Goff's 3-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a fourth-and-goal. Detroit went up 24-3 on its first possession of the second half, when Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a 15-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1.

Jordan Love was 23 of 39 for 273 yards with the pick-six in a game he was uncertain to play after exiting Green Bay's win last week with a strained groin.

Daniels helps Commanders to best start in nearly 30 years

Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels helped deliver another win for the Washington Commanders, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin in a 27-22 triumph over the New York Giants.

Winner of just four games in 2023, the Commanders improved to 7-2 for the first time since 1996.

Daniels finished 15 of 22 for 209 yards with TD passes of 1 and 18 yards in the first half.

He also rushed for 35 yards, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for 52 yards and Austin Ekeler gained 42 rushing yards with a touchdown.

Linebacker Dante Fowler set up Washington's first touchdown with a strip-sack of Daniel Jones, who finished with 174 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants lost their fourth straight game and fell to 2-7.

Bills beat Dolphins on Bass' late 61-yard field goal

Buffalo and Miami traded blows in a back-and-forth thriller, but it was the Bills who had the final score.

Tyler Bass kicked a 61-yard field goal with five seconds to play to send the Bills to a 30-27 win over their AFC East rivals.

Josh Allen drove Buffalo into field goal range after Miami took the lead on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle with 1:45 to play.

The teams traded leads four times and combined to score on seven consecutive possessions in the second half.

Allen threw three second-half touchdowns in leading the division-leading Bills (7-2) to a fourth straight victory.

Tagovailoa had two passing TDs for the Dolphins (2-6), who lost their third in a row.

Falcons deal Cowboys third straight loss; Prescott exits with injury

Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes to lead the Falcons to a 27-21 win over the struggling Dallas Cowboys.

Cousins, who completed 13 consecutive passes at one point, had a nine-yard touchdown to Drake London, a 36-yard TD to Darnell Mooney and an 11-yarder to Ray-Ray McCloud.

The Falcons (6-3) won for the fifth time in six games to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.

The Cowboys (3-5) not only lost their third straight game, but also lost their quarterback to injury with Dak Prescott exiting after three quarters due to a hamstring injury.

Cooper Rush stepped in and completed 13 of 25 passes for 115 yards with a touchdown but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.

The Cowboys have now equaled their loss total from each of the last three seasons.

Cardinals bottle up Bears to move atop NFC West

The Arizona Cardinals overwhelmed the Chicago Bears, rolling to a 29-9 victory for a third straight win.

The winning streak - the Cardinals' longest since 2021 - moved Arizona (5-4) into sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

The Cardinals won behind their running game and defence, as Kyler Murray threw for just 154 yards and didn't throw a TD pass for the first time in 16 games.

James Conner rushed for 107 yards and Emari Demercado ran for 59 yards - including a 53-yard TD run just before half-time to change the momentum of the game and give Arizona a 21-9 lead at the break.

The Cardinals held the Bears to just 241 yards and hounded Caleb Williams all game, sacking the No. 1 overall pick six times.

Williams finished 22 of 41 for 217 yards without a touchdown or interception as Chicago (4-4) lost its second game in a row.

The Dallas Mavericks used suffocating defence to easily defeat the Orlando Magic, rolling to a 108-85 victory on Sunday.

Luka Doncic had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Daniel Gafford added a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes.

The Mavericks (4-2) used a 30-9 run in the second quarter to take a 65-40 lead into half-time. Their lead grew to as many as 33 points at one point.

The Magic (3-4) were playing their second game since Paolo Banchero suffered a torn right oblique last Wednesday, and the offence struggled mightily.

Orlando finished with a season low in points, field-goal percentage (33.3) and three-point percentage (19.5).

Franz Wagner's 13 points were the most by any player for the Magic, who came in averaging 111.7 points.

Hawks beat short-handed Pelicans to snap skid

The Atlanta Hawks rode a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull out a 126-111 win over a New Orleans Pelicans team playing without Zion Williamson.

The Hawks (3-4) made more than half of their shots for the first time all season, shooting 56.8 per cent to snap a four-game losing streak.

Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 29 points, while Trae Young finished with 23 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range to go with 12 assists.

Already playing without starters Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones, the Pelicans (3-4) announced shortly before tip-off that Williamson was scratched due to right hamstring tightness.

Brandon Ingram had 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting, but the only other New Orleans starter to score in double figures was Jordan Hawkins, who scored 19.

Without Williamson, the Pelicans were also overpowered under the basket, as the Hawks held a 66-32 scoring advantage in the paint. 

Balanced Pistons get past Nets

Cade Cunningham was one of six players to score in double figures for the Detroit Pistons in their 106-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Cunningham paced the Pistons with 19 points, while Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley had 18 points apiece. Jaden Ivey scored 15, Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 14 and Jalen Duren added 13.

It was the second time this season Detroit had six players score 13 points or more in a game after having one such game all of last season.

The Pistons (2-5), who held the Nets to just 15 points in the fourth quarter, won for the second time in three games after starting the season 0-4.

Cam Thomas entered the game leading Brooklyn (3-4) with an average of 28.2 points, but finished with a season-low 17 on 6-of-17 shooting.

The only other Net to score in double figures was Cameron Johnson, who had a season-high 26.