Bayern Munich confirmed Joao Palhinha will be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an adductor injury while on international duty.

The midfielder sustained the issue while training with Portugal, and withdrew from the squad, missing both of their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia. 

Palhinha, who joined Bayern on a four-year contract in July from Fulham, has made 13 appearances in all competitions and boasts a 100% tackle completion rate in the Bundesliga (7/7).

"FC Bayern's medical department has confirmed that Joao Palhinha suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right adductor while training with the Portugal national team," the club said. "The midfielder will therefore be sidelined for the coming weeks."

Bayern have been boosted by Aleksandar Pavlovic's return to first-team training over the international break, though he has still not returned to full fitness.

The Bavarians, top of the Bundesliga with a five-point advantage over RB Leipzig, have a busy schedule ahead of them with four matches in 11 days.

Bayern take on Augsburg in the league on Friday before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Tuesday. They then travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and face holders Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal on December 3.

Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal "made the whole tennis world proud" with his "epic career" as he paid tribute ahead of his retirement at the end of the Davis Cup Finals.

The 38-year-old, a 22-time grand slam champion, is hoping to help Spain win the tournament taking place in Malaga this week, after confirming his retirement back in October.

Nadal has not played a competitive match since losing to Novak Djokovic at the Olympics in August, and it is not yet clear how big of a role he will play when Spain take on the Netherlands in the opening match of the Finals against the Netherlands.

Federer, who retired in 2022 having won 20 grand slams, was one of Nadal's great rivals, winning 16 matches and losing 24 of the pair's meetings.

"Let's start with the obvious: you beat me - a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no-one else could," an "emotional" Federer wrote on Instagram.

"On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game - even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.

"You made me enjoy the game even more.

"Maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was - until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly.

"All that buzz I'd been hearing about you about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday - it wasn't just hype.

"We were both at the start of our journey, and it's one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you've had. Including 14 French Opens - historic!

"You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud."

Federer, who won his final meeting with Nadal before his retirement at Wimbledon in 2019, paired up with the Spaniard for the last match of his career in the doubles for Europe at the Laver Cup.

"It means everything to me that you were there by my side - not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career," he added.

"Rafa, I know you're focused on the last stretch of your epic career.

"We will talk when it's done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success.

"And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next."

Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers was impressed by Damian Lillard's "courage" as he secured a late win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA.

Lillard returned to the Bucks' line-up after missing the last three games while in concussion protocol and made a go-ahead layup with 3.9 seconds left to clinch a 101-100 win.

He finished with 18 points and 10 assists to make it three wins from four for Milwaukee, who started the season 2-8.

However, Lillard also missed all six of his 3-point attempts, but Rivers maintained his confidence in the eight-time All-Star, comparing him to one of the NBA's greatest shooters.

"Dame just has great courage, you know?" Rivers said. "Reminds me a lot of Ray Allen in that way.

"Ray didn't have a lot of bad shooting nights, but when he had one, if you had one shot to make, you still wanted to go to him. And that's how you feel about Dame.

"Like, whether he's on fire or not, he just has this thing in him that he believes that he should take the last shot and make the last shot. And he does it over and over."

Brook Lopez scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Rockets looked set to extend their winning streak to six games though, as they edged to a 100-99 lead with 1:17 remaining until Lillard's late involvement flipped the script.

"I could feel it was one of those games where I needed to keep going, keep my foot on the gas down the stretch," Lillard said.

"It just came down to those last two plays. I got one to go, and we were able to get a stop on the other end."

Lauren Hemp has been ruled out of England's upcoming friendlies after Manchester City confirmed the forward had surgery on a knee injury.

Hemp has missed City's last two matches, including their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Saturday.

Sarina Wiegman confirmed the surgery was not related to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and the club have also not confirmed how long she will be out.

The 24-year-old recently became the youngest player in WSL history to reach 50 goals and also leads the way for assists (five) and chances created (26) in the competition this season.

Overall this term, she has scored two goals and registered seven assists in all competitions, including setting up three goals in City's 4-0 win over Tottenham, her last appearance.

Manchester United's Ella Toone is also unavailable to Wiegman this international break due to a calf injury.

Her absence in their victory over Leicester City on Sunday ended a run of 96 consecutive league starts.

Niamh Charles, Lauren James and Lucy Parker are also out through injury, with the Chelsea pair having failed to recover from problems that kept them out of the previous international break.

It means there are first international call-ups for Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace, while Gabby George is named for the first time since November 2022.

England take on the United States at Wembley on November 30 in the first of their two friendlies, before facing Switzerland three days later.

England squad in full:

Mary Earps (Paris Saint-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

Luis de la Fuente has praised Spain's youngsters after they starred in the dramatic late win over Switzerland in the Nations League on Monday.

Bryan Zaragoza sealed the 3-2 victory with a stoppage-time penalty after the visitors had twice come from behind to level after Yeremy Pino and Bryan Gil's goals in Tenerife.

Spain dominated throughout the match, having 21 shots, 10 of which were on target, as they created 3.21 expected goals (xG) and rounded off an unbeaten group stage.

Excluding friendlies, the European champions are unbeaten in their 13 matches in 2024 in all competitions (W12 D1), setting the record for their most competitive matches without defeat in a single year, as well as their most wins.

La Roja will be one of the seeded teams in the Nations League quarter-finals in March after topping Group A4, and De la Fuente was particularly proud of how the next generation of players have performed in 2024.

"We are very happy. It is football like that, and we know the high level and equality that exists. We must value so many victories and, above all, the victory over a great team like Switzerland," De la Fuente said.

"Before, it was also a great team. The difference is that now we win, and we win everything. We are used to competing for the best and having great results. Without thinking about the past.

"I don't worry about it. I have always said that we have a magnificent present and a wonderful future, thanks to the great footballers that there are in Spain. They are the best in the world.

"They are very good. They are the best players. We know what they give, and we have to make them feel comfortable to show their football. The message gets through quickly, and we are privileged to have these players."

San Marino head coach Roberto Cevoli says the team "deserve what they've managed to achieve" after they made history with their Nations League promotion.

San Marino, the world's bottom-ranked team, won their first away match in history as they beat Liechtenstein 3-1 in their final Nations League match on Monday.

It was just the third win in their history, with all of those victories coming against Liechtenstein, with their previous triumphs – a friendly in 2004 and a Nations League game in September – both 1-0 at home.

Aron Sele had given Liechtenstein the lead five minutes before half-time, but second-half goals from Lorenzo Lazzari, Nicola Nanni and Alessandro Golinucci secured the famous victory for the visitors.

"Finishing that first half 1-0 down was an insult to football, but the boys were brilliant and deserved what they've managed to achieve," said Cevoli.

Marco Tura, the president of San Marino's Football Federation, added: "These boys made history tonight.

"As people, as athletes, as men, they have shown what they are worth. I cried with the boys."

It is the first time San Marino scored more than once in a competitive game, while they had never scored three goals in any match before in their history.

The victory means they have gained promotion to Nations League C, after topping Group D1 with seven points.

Jasmine Paolini says she "gave everything" to help Italy reach a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup final, after beating Iga Swiatek's Poland in doubles.

Swiatek had pulled the semi-final level after coming from behind to beat Paolini in their singles match earlier on Monday before the world number two stepped in to play the doubles decider.

However, it was Olympic gold-winning pair Paolini and Sara Errani, who would triumph 7-5 7-5 in straight sets.

Poland had three chances to take the first set but were valiantly denied by Italy, who impressively turned things around to win.

They fought from the brink in the second too, coming back from 5-1 down to go on a six-match winning streak and book their place in Wednesday's final.

"It was tough... the intensity was insane, I was a little bit tired, but I said to myself, you still have to play the doubles, you have to give everything for Italy, for my team," said Paolini.

"When I lost the [singles] match, I was a little bit sad, but then tried to go in the locker room and think positive about the doubles."

Italy will make their seventh appearance in the showpiece match, and will play either Great Britain or Slovakia.

Test cricket will "die" without regular meetings between Australia, India and England, former Aussie bowler Stuart Clark warned.

Australia face India in five Tests between 22 November and 7 January, with the first match set to begin in Perth later this week.

India will be looking to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after triumphing 2-1 on home soil in the teams' last series in 2022-23.

But Clark, who represented Australia between 2006 and 2009, believes the upcoming series has even greater significance due to the growing popularity of short-form and franchise cricket.

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, the former bowler warned the traditional format needs competitive meetings between Australia, India and England to maintain fan interest. 

"If you compare to what we've just seen with this one-day series, people are still pretty interested in Australia – or at least in England and India – about Test cricket," he said.

"But there's a bigger story around Test cricket in that the international summer is only important to those three countries, whereas a lot of these other countries around the world, they're actually funded by their T20 tournaments, that's where they make their money.

"Whereas Australia, England, India it's in reverse. I think for the the greater good of the game, Australia, India and England need to really try and promote Test cricket and that's the biggest story to all of this. 

"You know the Ashes will always exist because there's such a big rivalry and they want to beat Australia. 

"But the bigger problem is what happens if India or Australia become weak and don't want to play one another? Or England become weak and don't want to play India?" 

With Australia set to host the next Ashes series in 2025-26, Clark is aware of the need for Pat Cummins' team to test themselves against top-calibre opposition. 

"If Test cricket doesn't remain the priority for those countries, then test cricket really dies. That's what no one wants to see, and the players are pretty adamant about that as well," he continued. 

"Look at South Africa, look at West Indies. This series out here against India is a really big series, as it should be. 

"Hopefully it's competitive and hopefully Australia win, but what we want it to be is competitive to try and grow that game. 

"It's such an important series. These next two summers really set the tone for the following two summers, which are usually pretty dour." 

Franz Wagner tallied 32 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic kept rolling with Monday's 109-99 victory over the injury-plagued Phoenix Suns.

Orlando also received 20 points and nine assists off the bench from Anthony Black to extend its winning streak to six games by taking this matchup of teams currently going in opposite directions. Goga Bitadze added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting along with 10 rebounds for the Magic, who are now 6-4 since All-Star Paolo Banchero went to the sidelines with an oblique injury.

Phoenix was dealt a fourth consecutive loss while playing without three starters in Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic. The Suns are 1-5 since Durant went down with a calf injury after starting the season 8-1.

Devin Booker, coming off a season-high 44-point effort in the Suns' loss at Minnesota on Sunday, managed just 17 in this one while missing six of seven shots from 3-point range.

Tyus Jones paced Phoenix with 18 points and eight assists, while Grayson Allen scored 17 points off the bench.

Orlando remained in control after scoring the final four points of the first quarter to take a 26-22 lead after one period. The Magic then dominated the second, shooting 60 percent for the quarter while outscoring the Suns by a 38-26 margin to head into the break owning a 64-48 advantage.

The Magic's lead got as high as 19 points in the second half, and they maintained a double-digit cushion until a Booker 3-pointer with 3:36 remaining got Phoenix within 98-91.

Lillard returns, hits winning shot as Bucks end Rockets' winning streak

Damian Lillard capped his return to the Milwaukee Bucks' lineup by making a go-ahead layup with 3.9 seconds left that lifted his team to a 111-110 win over the Houston Rockets.

Having missed Milwaukee's previous three games while in concussion protocol, Lillard went just 6 of 18 from the field while compiling 18 points and 10 assists in 36 minutes. The eight-time All-Star hit the biggest shot of the night, however, by driving past a Houston defender and eluding another to convert the layup that put the Bucks ahead.

The Rockets then failed to get a shot off before time expired as their five-game winning streak came to an end.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has now won three of four following a surprising 2-8 start to the season. The Bucks received 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting along with 10 rebounds from Brook Lopez in this victory, while Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Rockets got 26 points from Fred VanVleet and 21 from Jalen Green but struggled from the perimeter, shooting just 28.1 per cent from 3-point range.

Houston shot just 26.9 per cent overall in the second quarter and was outscored by a 30-17 margin for the period as the Bucks built a 57-45 half-time lead.

Milwaukee's advantage was 14 points deep into the third quarter before the Rockets began closing the gap. Houston finished the period on a 9-2 run to pull within 83-80 entering the fourth following a three-point play from Alperen Sengun.

The Rockets' surge continued into the fourth quarter, as Sengun's tip-in with 1:58 left put the Bucks at a 100-94 deficit. Milwaukee scored the game's final seven points, however, with AJ Green's clutch 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining cutting the lead to 100-99 and setting up Lillard's game-winner.

Clippers hold on to halt Warriors' run

Norman Powell scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Clippers survived a late comeback attempt by the Golden State Warriors to hand the current Pacific Division leaders a 102-99 loss.

Powell went 5 of 6 from 3-point range on a night the Clippers shot 47.1 per cent from beyond the arc en route to their fifth straight win at the brand-new Intuit Dome. Los Angeles had lost its first four games at the state-of-the-art arena.

James Harden dished out 16 assists to go along with 12 points to help the Clippers end Golden State's three-game winning streak and deal the Warriors just their third defeat in 13 games this season. Ivica Zubac contributed 17 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Stephen Curry finished with 26 points for Golden State and Andrew Wiggins had 22, and the duo nearly led the Warriors back after Powell's 3-pointer with 2:30 left staked the Clippers to a 102-92 lead.

Wiggins answered with a three-pointer of his own with 1:44 to go, and Curry followed with a layup to cut the margin to five points entering the final minute. After Harden misfired on a 3-point try, Wiggins scored off a Draymond Green feed with 35 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors within 102-99.

Powell then was stripped of the ball on the following possession, but both Curry and Gary Payton II missed 3-point shots in the closing seconds as the Warriors' rally fell short.

Powell had 11 points and Harden scored 10 in the first half to lead the Clippers to a 56-45 advantage at half-time. Los Angeles was up 61-49 early in the third quarter before the Warriors reversed momentum, as they outscored the Clippers by a 23-11 count over the next eight minutes to tie the game at 72-72 late in the period.

Joe Mixon's 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns helped get the Houston Texans back on track with Monday's 34-10 win over the floundering Dallas Cowboys.

Houston (7-4) snapped a two-game losing streak behind Mixon's powerful running and a defence that sacked Cowboys' fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush five times and forced two turnovers, including a fumble Derek Barnett returned 28 yards for a touchdown that gave the Texans a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

Dallas (3-7) has now lost five straight, its longest skid since dropping seven in a row in 2015, and fell to 0-5 at home. The Cowboys have been outscored by 118 points (187-69) at AT&T Stadium, the third-largest negative differential through five home games in a season in NFL history.

Rush did throw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin in his second straight start subbing for an injured Dak Prescott, and finished with a career-high 354 passing yards with one interception while completing 32 of 55 attempts.

C.J. Stroud threw for 257 yards with an interception for Houston, which extended its lead over the second-place Indianapolis Colts to two games in the AFC South.

The Texans never trailed after Mixon ripped off a 45-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive, and the veteran running back added a 1-yard scoring plunge late in the first quarter to give Houston a 14-0 lead.

Turpin got Dallas on the board by taking a short pass from Rush and breaking free from the Houston defence nine seconds into the second quarter, but the Cowboys were shut out in the second half after pulling to within 17-10 on Brandon Aubrey's 53-yard field goal with just under six minutes left before half-time.

Burnett's strip sack of Rush and return of the resulting fumble helped put the game away with 12:31 left, and Mixon tacked on his final touchdown of the night with 3:16 remaining to cap a 35-yard drive that began after the Texans stopped the Cowboys on downs.

Jonathan David admits it is his dream to play for Barcelona as he prepares to enter the final six months of his Lille contract.

The Canada international is into his fifth season with the Ligue 1 side but is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

Lille have attempted to persuade David with a new deal, though he looks set to depart Stade Pierre-Mauroy in 2025 – potentially as early as January if a club is prepared to pay a transfer fee.

However, while the 24-year-old is seemingly open to a move to Barcelona, he suggested he would prefer to wait until the end of the campaign before taking the next step in his career.

"Going to a club midseason is never easy," he told The Athletic. "It's not like the beginning of a season where you have a pre-season, you get to know your team-mates, you have time to gel. 

"In January, things are very hectic. It's about right now. It's tougher."

"[Barcelona] was always the team I grew up supporting. When you grow up supporting a team, it's your dream to play for them.

"Some people might say, 'Oh, he's staying at Lille, this is a downgrade, he's not getting better'. But for me, there's always opportunities to get better."

David has scored 13 goals in 19 games for Lille in all competitions this season, including goals against heavyweight sides Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League.

Including penalties, eight of those goals have been scored via his stronger right boot, four with his left and one with his head – an area the forward accepts he can still improve.

"Aerially, I can get better," he said. "Getting that header on target and scoring. 

"I can get in good positions and win headers but the finishing touch, I'm still missing. With my back to goal, I can also get better."

David is averaging a goal every 112 minutes across all competitions this season, which compares to one every 139 minutes last season and 131 in 2022-23.

However, he still has some way to go to match the 18 goals scored in 27 league games for former club Gent in 2019-20.

"Things are good right now because I'm scoring goals," David said. 

"But is this the best I've played in my life? Probably not. For me, it was my second year in Belgium. That was the season of my life."

Steve Clarke says Scotland "never lost belief" as they secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Poland to give themselves a lifeline in the Nations League.

Scotland needed a win to avoid automatic relegation and finished third in Group A1. They now face a relegation play-off to defend their place in the top tier of the competition.

Scotland made a lightning-quick start in Warsaw as John McGinn, who was rewarded with a place in the starting line-up after scoring the winner against Croatia, cushioned in his 20th goal for the national team after just three minutes.

Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay both hit the woodwork as they attempted to double their lead before the break, while Craig Gordon produced some fine saves to protect their advantage.

Kamil Piatowski's stunning strike pulled Poland level just before the hour-mark, but Andy Robertson, on his 80th appearance, proved the difference, rising high to send a towering header past Lukasz Skorupski in the 93rd minute.

Robertson is the first player to score a 90th-minute winner for Scotland since McTominay against Israel in a World Cup qualifier in October 2021.

It is the first time since March-September 2023 (a run of five) that Scotland have won back-to-back internationals, and Clarke was delighted to finish the Nations League group stage on a high.

"A good way to end this Nations League campaign. You always believe. It was a very open game, a lot of chances," Clarke said.

"We always felt one more chance would come, maybe not from the source it actually came from, but it was a fantastic cross from John Souttar, who was outstanding defensively, and a great header from the captain.

"We started with three defeats, three narrow defeats, with good performances. The players didn't lose belief. I didn't lose belief in the players, and they end up taking seven points from the last three games, which gets us into the play-off.

"The more you play at this level, the better you get. The players never lost belief.

"There's been a lot of good moments over my five-and-a-half years, and this is just another step on the journey."

The draw for the Nations League play-offs will take place on Friday, with the ties to be played in March.

Iga Swiatek kept Poland's hopes of reaching the Billie Jean King Cup Final alive, coming from behind to beat Jasmine Paolini in their singles match.

The world number two fought back to claim a thrilling 3-6 6-4 6-4 victory in two hours and 36 minutes to level the semi-final tie after Lucia Bronzetti beat Magda Linette in straight sets in the opening match of the round.

Swiatek and Paolini met earlier this year in the final of the French Open, where the Pole brushed the Italian aside in straight sets to clinch a third consecutive crown at Roland Garros, but she faced a much tougher test on Monday.

Both players were unbeaten in Malaga coming into this match, and it looked like Paolini could cause an upset after claiming her first-ever set against Swiatek.

However, Swiatek dug deep to get the win and force the tie to go to doubles, which she will once again play, with Magdalena Frech unable to participate.