Germany have two potential Ballon d'Or winners on their hands in Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, so says Julian Nagelsmann.

Musiala scored once and laid on three assists as Germany hammered Hungary 5-0 in the Nations League on Saturday.

One of Musiala's assists teed up Wirtz to make it 3-0, after the Bayer Leverkusen star had teed up Germany's number 10 for the hosts' second goal in Dusseldorf. 

Musiala created seven chances throughout, while Wirtz played two key passes as Germany mustered 3.7 xG to Hungary's 1.1.

“When both are in the mood and really put their foot down, it's difficult for the opposition, they're exceptionally good," Nagelsmann told ZDF.

"These are two footballers – when they link up with each other, it's very, very good to watch.

"Jamal has already undergone a great transformation in the past year in terms of his presence in the box. During [Euro 2024] it was very good, today it was phenomenal."

Speaking to Sky Sport, Nagelsmann said: "Both [Musiala and Wirtz] have the potential to win the Ballon d'Or."

At the age of 21 years and 194 days, Musiala became the youngest player to record four direct goal involvements in a single Nations League match.

Niclas Fullkrug opened the scoring just before the half-hour, and the West Ham forward said: "It is fun to watch that today. 

"Jamal was in really good form. It is great to have him in the squad.

"We made a lot of deep runs and made it really hard for the opponents. Even when we did not have possession we controlled the game."

Aryna Sabalenka's US Open triumph is proof you should "never give up on your dream".

Sabalenka, who lost to Coco Gauff in last year's US Open final, got the monkey off her back when she defeated Jessica Pegula at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

The Belarusian prevailed 7-5 7-5 from a thrilling encounter on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Pegula having reeled off five straight games to take a 5-3 lead in the second set before Sabalenka turned the tables back in her favour.

After becoming just the fifth woman to win both hard-court grand slam titles in the same season, Sabalenka said: "Everything I'm thinking, I remember all those tough losses in the past here and it's going to sound easy but never give up on your dream and just keep trying, keep working hard.

"If you're really working hard sacrificing everything for your dream, you're going to get it one day.

"I'm just super proud of myself. I never say that but I'm super proud of myself, I'm super proud of my team that no matter what, which situation we were facing this season and in the past, we were able to go through it and get all those beautiful trophies.

"It's also very special place here, the US Open. That's why it's very special, because no matter what, every time I was coming back stronger, and I was learning, I never gave up on this dream, and it means a lot."

Sabalenka is the sixth defending runner-up to win the US Open title in the Open Era, after Chris Evert (1980), Martina Navratilova (1986), Steffi Graf (1988 and 1995), Justine Henin (2007) and Serena Williams (2002 and 2012).

And though Pegula was the home favourite, there was still plenty of support from the crowd for Sabalenka.

She added: "That's everything, let's be honest without them it wouldn't be me and I wouldn't exist and as I always say without me you guys wouldn't exist too so you're welcome!

"No, no, I love you guys. Your support is everything and you're my family and I cannot imagine my tennis life and my personal life without you. I love you guys, I don't say it often but I will say it loud, thank you for being you."

Australia suffered their biggest-ever Test defeat on Saturday, as Argentina came from behind to win 67-27 in the Rugby Championship.

And Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said his team simply "fell off a cliff" after taking a 17-point lead.

Having snapped an eight-game winless run in the Rugby Championship with their last-gasp victory over Argentina last week, Australia were looking to keep the momentum going.

And they looked well set to do just that as tries from Carlo Tizzano and Andrew Kellaway propelled them into a 20-3 lead.

But Mateo Carreras and Julian Montoya, who was playing for Argentina for the 100th time, dragged Argentina back into it and paved the way for Australia's capitulation after the break.

Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo, Juan Cruz Mallia and Lucio Cinti all crossed for the Pumas in the second half, with Santiago Carreras' conversion condemning Australia to their record defeat.

"To lead a Test match 20-3 and get run down in the manner which we did is really disappointing," said Schmidt.

"We cannot let a game get away from us like it did and fall off a cliff.

"We lost connection in our defensive line. We were forever chasing them.

"We didn't put enough pressure on at the breakdown, so they were operating off a lightning-quick ball, and it's just too difficult to keep chasing a team on a hot day when they’ve got the ball and going forward."

Australia's previous record Test defeat had come against South Africa in 1997.

Matters do not get any easier for the Wallabies, who now face two matches against Schmidt's native New Zealand as they aim to avoid finishing bottom of the pile.

Second-place Argentina, meanwhile, will tussle it out with Rugby Championship leaders South Africa.

Jessica Pegula looked back on an "incredible month" after losing 7-5 7-5 to Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final.

Pegula, the oldest American woman to reach her maiden grand slam final, fought back bravely in the second set on Saturday.

Ultimately, though, Sabalenka had too much, reeling off three straight games to win her third major title.

Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open after winning the Canadian Open, could nevertheless look back on her achievements with pride.

She said: "It has been an incredible month for me.

"I had a tough start to the year but managed to turn it around. I didn't expect to be standing here and I'm grateful for the last few months of tennis and some incredible matches."

Pegula is the fifth player in the past decade to defeat three former women's major finalists en route to the US Open final. Each of the previous four went on to win the event – Flavia Pennetta (2015), Angelique Kerber (2016), Sloane Stephens (2017) and Coco Gauff (2023), however.

But Sabalenka proved just too strong, as the Belarusian became the fifth player during the Open Era to win both hard-court grand slams, after Monica Seles (1991,92), Steffi Graf (1988,89), Kerber (2016) and Martina Hingis (1997).

"I wish she would have at least let me get one set," quipped Pegula, who won five straight games to go from 3-0 down in the second set to 5-3 up.

"We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she's one of the best in the world.

"She's super powerful and isn't going to give you anything, she can take the racquet out of your hand.

"I'm just glad I was able to stay in there and keep taking opportunities."

Declan Rice "was never going to celebrate" after scoring against the Republic of Ireland in England's 2-0 Nations League victory.

The midfielder was met by a hostile crowd in Dublin having previously represented Ireland before changing allegiance to England.

But Rice had the last laugh, lashing home in the 11th minute before teeing up Jack Grealish, who previously represented Ireland at youth level, to seal a comfortable win for Lee Carsley's side.

It marked his fourth goal for the Three Lions but Rice did not feel the need for celebrations.

"Obviously, it was an amazing feeling to score, but I was never going to celebrate. I have Irish family, my nan and grandad, who are not here anymore and I think it would have been disrespectful to them if I celebrated," he told beIN Sports.

"It happened six, seven years ago so it’s such a long time ago now. I get on really well with a lot of the Irish boys so there’s nothing hard done by, by me. Obviously, the fans feel a certain way, and that’s absolutely fine.

"I just wanted to focus and get my head back in the game to score more goals."

The last time Rice had played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin was six years and 97 days prior to Saturday's match. On that occasion, he represented Ireland against the USA in June 2018.

Now in the white shirt of England, Rice helped interim manager Carsley to a debut win in Dublin after the resignation of Gareth Southgate following Euro 2024.

"It's been refreshing this week to play with [Carsley] and play with his staff. We're playing in a different way to what we were before," reflected Rice.

"It's going to take a bit of time for us to be amazing at what we do, but a lot of the players that play at [Manchester] City, Liverpool, Arsenal, we play a similar way, so it's easy to adapt.

"It was really good, it was really refreshing. I'm feeling much fitter in myself which is a real positive. It was a really good result in the end."

While Rice now represents a relative stalwart of the England squad with 59 caps, former England Under-21s manager Carsley, himself an ex-Ireland international, handed debuts to Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes, while he also played Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill from the start.

"We've obviously been really close now in back-to-back Euros, at a World Cup, so the next thing for England is to win," said Rice.

"We need to strive and keep building towards that. It’s a different group this time, more younger players, but I'm sure we’ll be better for it. Going forward, it's going to be really positive, and it's going to be a fresh start."

Ronald Koeman was pleased with the Netherlands' "flashy" display against Bosnia-Herzegovina, as he also jumped to the aid of defender Matthijs de Ligt.

A dominant Dutch display eventually reflected the scoreline it deserved upon Donatas Rumsas' final whistle, as they bounced back to winning ways with a 5-2 victory following their Euro 2024 semi-final disappointment.

Joshua Zirkzee's opener was cancelled out by Ermedin Demirovic, before strikes from Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands a comfortable advantage. 

Edin Dzeko's 73rd-minute goal threatened to set a nervy conclusion to proceedings, only for Wout Weghorst and Xavi Simons to confirm an emphatic victory.

"We played really well in possession. Very fresh, fast, often finding the people between the lines," Koeman said.

"Especially after the break, we had a good phase, but then the game has to be over."

Despite registering 28 shots, with nine of those on target, along with an expected goals (xG) total of 4.09, two lapses in concentration from De Ligt were punished by Bosnia.

Demirovic capitalised on some poor positioning from the Manchester United defender, who was then caught ball-watching as veteran Dzeko capitalised.

But Koeman came to the defence of De Ligt, saying: "You concede two goals, you take that with you. When we went to 3-2, you also saw some doubt in the team, while that was not necessary if you looked at the proportions.

"[For the first goal] Simons should have done better. He was marking their left midfielder and suddenly walked away from him.

"Of course, the centre-backs are positioning themselves wrong too.

"He [De Ligt] also realises that he is in the wrong position. This shouldn't happen, but mistakes are part of football. I think it's unfair to make a big deal out of it."

US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka credited Jessica Pegula after prevailing 7-5 7-5 in a thrilling Flushing Meadows final.

A topsy-turvy encounter saw Sabalenka cruise into a 3-0 lead in the second set, only for Pegula to reel off five straight games.

Yet Sabalenka regained her composure to propel herself back into the lead, with a long Pegula return from a ferocious volley sealing the Belarusian's maiden success in New York.

"Oh my God, I'm speechless right now," Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, said in the on-court presentation.

"So many times I thought I was so close to winning the US Open title, it's always been a dream of mine and finally I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot, it was a really difficult couple of weeks."

Sabalenka then turned to Pegula, who became the oldest American player to compete in her first grand slam final.

"Jessica, I know how tough it was in the finals but you are showing some amazing tennis and I'm more than sure that you are going to get one [title], I mean not one, maybe more but let's start with one grand slam," said the Belarusian, who has now won three major titles.

"Congratulations on a great summer and you're an amazing player and in that second set honestly I was really praying for getting this win and not giving you one set.

"It means a lot, I'm literally speechless right now."

Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open last month, is the first player aged 30+ to reach their first grand slam singles final since Flavia Pennetta (33y 197d) and Roberta Vinci (32y 204d), at the 2015 US Open.

Jose Quintana pitched into the seventh inning for his 100th career victory and J.D. Martinez capped a four-run seventh with a two-run double as the New York Mets won their ninth straight game, 4-0 over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Quintana allowed five hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. He became the 19th active pitcher with 100 wins.

Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz completed the six-hitter for New York's seventh shutout this season - all since July 11.

A slumping Harrison Bader homered to spark the big sixth for the Mets, who have won nine straight games for the first time since April 2018. New York hasn’t trailed in its last 72 innings since Aug. 30 - the longest streak in the majors this season.

Bader was mired in skids of 0 for 15 and 2 for 43 before connecting off Sam Moll in the sixth. It was Bader's 11th home run of the year, and first to the opposite field.

Pete Alonso hit a one-out RBI single before Martinez’s double capped the outburst.

Francisco Lindor’s career-high 16-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 3, but his sixth-inning walk pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, the longest active run in the majors and the longest single-season streak in Mets history.

Royals rally past Twins

Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted a four-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking single, and the Kansas City Royals defeated Minnesota 4-2 to open a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second AL wild card.

Held to one hit over seven innings by Bailey Ober, the Royals rallied against Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax, winning their third straight following a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

Kansas City is second behind Cleveland in the AL Central and Minnesota is third after losing four of five.

Duran entered with a 2-0 lead and gave up a one-out single to Freddy Fermin, then hit Robbie Grossman with a pitch. Kyle Isbel hit an RBI single and Jax relieved, trying for a five-out save.

Tommy Pham hit a slow four-hopper to Brooks Lee and reached on an infield hit as the shortstop barehanded the ball and bounced his throw past first. Pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who had been on second, scored on the error.

Witt looped a single into short center as Isbel scored for a 3-2 lead. MJ Melendez drove in Pham with a two-out single off Jax, who blew a save for the fifth time in 13 chances.

Yankees shut out Cubs again

Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26 and Cortes closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.

Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees lead the Orioles by a half-game.

New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.

Chicago has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.

Jose Quintana pitched into the seventh inning for his 100th career victory and J.D. Martinez capped a four-run seventh with a two-run double as the New York Mets won their ninth straight game, 4-0 over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Quintana allowed five hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. He became the 19th active pitcher with 100 wins.

Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz completed the six-hitter for New York's seventh shutout this season - all since July 11.

A slumping Harrison Bader homered to spark the big sixth for the Mets, who have won nine straight games for the first time since April 2018. New York hasn’t trailed in its last 72 innings since Aug. 30 - the longest streak in the majors this season.

Bader was mired in skids of 0 for 15 and 2 for 43 before connecting off Sam Moll in the sixth. It was Bader's 11th home run of the year, and first to the opposite field.

Pete Alonso hit a one-out RBI single before Martinez’s double capped the outburst.

Francisco Lindor’s career-high 16-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 3, but his sixth-inning walk pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, the longest active run in the majors and the longest single-season streak in Mets history.

Royals rally past Twins

Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted a four-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking single, and the Kansas City Royals defeated Minnesota 4-2 to open a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second AL wild card.

Held to one hit over seven innings by Bailey Ober, the Royals rallied against Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax, winning their third straight following a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

Kansas City is second behind Cleveland in the AL Central and Minnesota is third after losing four of five.

Duran entered with a 2-0 lead and gave up a one-out single to Freddy Fermin, then hit Robbie Grossman with a pitch. Kyle Isbel hit an RBI single and Jax relieved, trying for a five-out save.

Tommy Pham hit a slow four-hopper to Brooks Lee and reached on an infield hit as the shortstop barehanded the ball and bounced his throw past first. Pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who had been on second, scored on the error.

Witt looped a single into short center as Isbel scored for a 3-2 lead. MJ Melendez drove in Pham with a two-out single off Jax, who blew a save for the fifth time in 13 chances.

Yankees shut out Cubs again

Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26 and Cortes closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.

Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees lead the Orioles by a half-game.

New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.

Chicago has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese will miss the rest of the WNBA season with a wrist injury.

Reese was listed as questionable on the Sky’s latest injury report heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Wings.

“What a year. I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol,” Reese wrote. “Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed. All I have ever wanted was to come into the W and make an impact. I can confidently say I have done that and will strive to keep doing so.”

Reese, the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft after a stellar career at LSU, finishes the season averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds - the highest rebound average in league history. Reese also set the rookie record with 26 double-doubles - her last coming in a win over Los Angeles on Friday night.

Earlier in the season, Reese had 15 straight games with a double-double to break the league's record. She also set the mark for total rebounds in a season, passing Sylvia Fowles' mark.

Aryna Sabalenka clinched the US Open title with a thrilling straight sets victory over Jessica Pegula.

A remarkable encounter swung one way and then the other at Flushing Meadows, before Sabalenka - who lost to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final - finally prevailed 7-7 7-5 in just under two hours on Saturday.

The Australian Open champion won her third major title at the culmination of an extraordinary comeback in the second set, after Pegula had won five consecutive matches to claw back from the brink herself.

Backed on by a partisan crowd, Pegula wasted little time in unsettling Sabalenka, taking the first two points on the Belarusian's serve and, despite the world number two fighting back, it was the American who clinched the first break in game three.

Yet Sabalenka responded with force, breaking twice in succession to storm into a 4-2 lead.

Pegula scrapped back with another break, and after saving four set points, clawed herself within one shot of taking the lead.

A stunning Sabalenka volley forced deuce, though, and a double-fault from Pegula suggested the pressure was starting to show.

Sabalenka firmly reset as she cruised into a 3-0 lead in set two, but a strong hold of serve saw Pegula get on the board.

Unforced errors handed Pegula a reprieve, which she duly took, and the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium were on their feet when the sixth seed held her nerve to restore parity in the next game.

The jubilation only continued as Sabalenka slipped up again for Pegula to complete the turnaround, before thwarting a fightback from her opponent to win a fifth game on the spin.

But against the odds, Sabalenka hit back ferociously, reeling off two games to turn the tables yet again.  A first championship point went begging when the second set clipped the net, but when Pegula returned long from a venomous volley, Sabalenka's triumph was confirmed.

Second time lucky

It was heartbreak for Sabalenka at Flushing Meadows last season, but after skipping the Olympics to prepare for the hard-court swing, she has proven a worthy champion in New York this time around.

This final featured the two players who have dominated this season's North American swing, but Sabalenka ultimately had too much for world number six Pegula.

Sabalenka is the sixth defending runner-up to win the US Open women's singles title in the Open Era, after Evert (1980), Navratilova (1986), Graf (1988 and 1995), Henin (2007) and Serena Williams (2002 and 2012).

She is the fifth female, meanwhile, in the Open Era to win two major titles on hard court in the same season after Graf (1988 and 1989), Seles (1991 and 1992), Hingis (1997) and Kerber (2016).

However, she is the first player to finish the season with the most grand slam match wins (18, level with Jasmine Paolini this year) for successive years since Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.

Iga Swiatek is understandably the leading light of women's tennis, but Sabalenka is truly worth her place alongside the Pole as a modern great.

Pegula no pushover

Midway through set two, Pegula looked down and out 3-0 down, yet the powers of recovery she displayed suggests that a maiden major title is within touching distance for the 30-year-old, who was competing in her first grand slam final. She is only the third player to do so after turning 30.

She is the fourth player in the Open Era to reach singles finals at the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open and the US Open in the same year.

Pegula is one of just five players in the past decade to defeat three former grand slam finalists en route to the US Open final. Each of the previous four went on to win the event – Flavia Pennetta (2015), Angelique Kerber (2016), Sloane Stephens (2017) and Gauff (2023).

While that was not to be the case for Pegula this time around, there is nothing to say she cannot come back stronger next year, just like Sabalenka.

Canada continued their impressive run under Jesse Marsch after their Copa America exploits, beating the United States 2-1 in a friendly at Children's Mercy Park. 

Goals in either half from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David handed Canada the advantage, with Luca de la Torre's goal proving a mere consolation in another dominant display from the visitors.

A frenetic start to proceedings was rewarded in the 17th minute as Johnny Cardoso's loose touch allowed David to tee up Shaffelburg to finish beyond Patrick Schulte. 

Canada restricted their opponents to just one shot in the first-half but were unable to build their lead despite registering 11 shots, five of which were on target. 

But they got the goal their performance merited after the break, again pouncing on a mistake by Michael Varas's side, with David finishing into the roof of the net.

De la Torre responded with a composed finish after neat play from substitute Aidan Morris, but Canada were able to see out the result with relative ease on enemy turf.

Data Debrief: David dazzles in Kansas

Having already scored three goals in seven appearances for Lille this season, David transferred that goal-scoring touch to the international stage. 

The 24-year-old impressed against the USA, recording more shots (four) and shots on target (three), while also registering an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Canada's 1.95 total.

Canada's triumph was their first win against the USMNT on American soil since 1957, ending the US' 23-game unbeaten home run against them, the longest against any opponent in team history.