Erling Haaland described his stoppage-time penalty against Fulham as "one of the most nervous moments of my life" as he fired home to send Manchester City top of the Premier League.
The Norwegian's successful spot-kick gave City a 2-1 home victory on Saturday after they played over 64 minutes with 10 men due to Joao Cancelo's red card.
Haaland, who began on the bench after missing two games with a foot injury, replaced Julian Alvarez in the 64th minute and had a goal disallowed for a tight offside before holding his nerve from 12 yards at the death.
Alvarez had given City the lead with a thumping finish, but when Cancelo knocked Harry Wilson to the floor in the 26th minute to give Fulham a penalty and earn himself a red card, the game changed.
Andreas Pereira levelled from the spot, and City were not as freewheeling in their attacking after that.
However, having Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne gave them hope, and although a Haaland header from De Bruyne's cross was chalked off, it was that combination that brought about the winner.
De Bruyne was tripped, and Haaland stepped up, just about beating Bernd Leno as his powerful strike to the bottom-left corner was almost kept out by the Fulham goalkeeper.
Haaland's reaction spoke volumes, as he said: "Fantastic. I was nervous. It was one of the most nervous moments of my life, but fantastic.
"A penalty in the last minute, of course I would be nervous. But it was an amazing feeling. I don't care how it went in, it is about it going in. I love it. I have been injured for a week, and it is really important to win."
The former Borussia Dortmund marksman, quoted on City's official website, said Pep Guardiola's team showed their true colours by battling to the end to snatch the points.
Heading into Sunday's games, it meant City held a one-point cushion over Arsenal, who faced a tricky trip to Chelsea.
Haaland said: "When you go 10 v 11 for 70 minutes, it is difficult; I don't think any team would do it as good as we did it today."
He has scored 16 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances, matching the most goals by any player in a 10-game period in the competition, previously achieved in 2013 by Liverpool's Luis Suarez.
The 22-year-old Haaland added: "I am so tired, but so happy. You have no idea."
Francesco Bagnaia quipped that he "won't pay anyone" to help him dethrone Fabio Quartararo and claim a first MotoGP title at the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday.
The odds are stacked against reigning champion Quartararo, who needs to win at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and hope Bagnaia finishes 15th or lower in the final race of the season in order to retain his crown.
Monster Energy Yamaha rider Quartararo will start in fourth place, with Bagnaia only able to take eighth spot on the grid.
Jorge Martin sealed a third successive pole position, with Marc Marquez second and Bagnaia's Ducati team-mate Jack Miller set to start the decisive race in third.
Italian Bagnaia is not expecting any favours as he stands within touching distance of the biggest moment of his career.
"I won't pay anyone! Anyone can be my team-mate for this race," said the 25-year-old.
"It is difficult to do a strategy because it is impossible to predict what will happen. Maybe in the first two or three laps I have to take risks so I can then manage.
"I just say [to the team] that if Fabio is close to me, or behind me, then [the team should let him know] and then I will decide what to do."
He added: "My thing tomorrow is not to win - just be calm, understand. I will take risks at the start to get a gap. But then just be smart."
Alphonso Davies is suspected to have suffered a hamstring strain and now faces an anxious wait to learn whether he will be fit to feature for Canada at the World Cup.
Davies was forced off in the 64th minute of Bayern Munich's thrilling 3-2 win at Hertha Berlin on Saturday, a result which – at least temporarily – moved them ahead of Union Berlin at the Bundesliga summit.
The left-back, who plays in attack for Canada, was seen clutching his right hamstring as he walked gingerly from the field, causing concern for his country ahead of their World Cup opener against Belgium on November 23.
Speaking after Bayern's fourth league win in a row, concerned coach Julian Nagelsmann said: "In terms of that injury, we have to wait until tomorrow. The doctor says there is at least one fibre tear.
"Wait and see what comes out tomorrow."
After Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's brace allowed Bayern to build on Jamal Musiala's opener, Hertha fought their way back into the match at the end of a remarkable first half, and Nagelsmann was under no illusions as to the importance of the win.
"It wasn't an easy game. We had a couple of good moments in the first half; it was a wild game," he said.
"We led 3-0, but we didn't have any clear actions. The lead was generally a bit too much. Then we got into a phase in which we didn't manage much.
"It got exciting again. In the end, we threw everything in; it was a game that you have to win."
Carlos Alcaraz will miss the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals after his season was cut short by an abdominal injury.
The world number one suffered an internal oblique muscle tear during a Paris Masters quarter-final against Holger Rune on Friday.
Alcaraz retired early in a second-set tie-break after losing the opening set 6-3 in the French capital.
The US Open champion on Saturday revealed it will take him six weeks to recover from the injury, so Taylor Fritz will take his place in the ATP Finals in Turin next week.
Teenager Alcaraz will also be unavailable for Spain's bid to win the Davis Cup on home soil, with the prestigious event getting under way on November 22 in Malaga.
He posted on Instagram: "After my withdrawal yesterday and having been evaluated by my medical team, Dr Juanjo Lopez and Juanjo Moreno, unfortunately this is the result of my injury: an internal oblique muscle tear in the left abdominal wall with an estimated recovery time of six weeks.
"Unfortunately I won't make the ATP Finals or the Davis Cup Finals. It is tough and painful for me to miss these two events, which are so important to me, but all I can do is be positive and focus on my recovery. Thank you for the support!"
The 19-year-old became the youngest player to top the ATP rankings after winning his maiden major title at Flushing Meadows in September and ends a magnificent season with a record of 57 wins and 13 defeats.
He has won five ATP Tour titles in 2022, with Masters 1000 triumphs in Miami and Madrid along with his finest hour in New York.
New Zealand eased to a 33rd consecutive Test win over Wales as Codie Taylor, Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith grabbed two tries apiece in a 55-23 success in Cardiff.
The All Blacks have not lost to Wales in 69 years, a remarkable spell of dominance that was maintained as they scored at least 33 points in a 10th straight edition of this fixture.
This latest eight-try victory was ultimately every bit as straightforward as it appeared set to be when Taylor crossed twice in the opening 20 minutes, although there was a spell when Wales threatened to run their opponents close.
But every time the hosts came back into the match – as they did for the first time through Rio Dyer's dazzling debut try – New Zealand quickly moved through the gears to keep them at arm's length.
Barrett got on the scoresheet for the first time ahead of the interval, before a solo score from Smith stretched the All Blacks' advantage.
A lengthy review from the TMO awarded a Justin Tipuric try that looked to have restored Welsh hope, but it was one-way traffic in the final half an hour as Ardie Savea pulled the strings. He got the seventh try between further efforts from Smith and Barrett, with Samisoni Taukei'aho adding the final flourish.
Erling Haaland saved the day for Manchester City and spared Joao Cancelo's blushes as the striker's last-gasp penalty secured a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League.
Cancelo had left City short-handed after an embarrassing red card, which came shortly after Julian Alvarez gave the Etihad Stadium hosts a deserved early lead.
City were seeking a 13th consecutive win against Fulham across all competitions, yet their hopes nosedived soon after the opener when Cancelo was ordered off for a poor challenge on Harry Wilson, handing Fulham a spot-kick that Andreas Pereira tucked away.
Fulham were moments away from a point, but then Kevin De Bruyne was tripped by Antonee Robinson and a second penalty of the game was awarded. Substitute Haaland's kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time was almost saved by Bernd Leno, but the ball squirmed under the goalkeeper, sending City above Arsenal at the top of the table.
Alvarez headed wide from a decent chance in the third minute after a delicious cross from De Bruyne. De Bruyne then had a typically scorching 20-yard drive tipped over the bar by Bernd Leno before Fulham gained any sort of foothold.
A mauling looked on the cards, and Alvarez thrashed in the opener off the underside of the bar in the 17th minute after Ilkay Gundogan's pass set him clear.
John Stones had a tap-in disallowed for offside, but the game changed in the 25th minute when Cancelo was red-carded for an absurdly lazy barge in the penalty area on Wilson, with Pereira slotting the spot-kick past Ederson.
Ten-man City remained dominant, yet half-chances came and went before Pep Guardiola summoned Haaland and Phil Foden from the bench in the 64th minute.
Haaland shot wide from a difficult opportunity, but then his moment looked to have come in the 74th minute, with De Bruyne's delivery from the left a thing of beauty and the striker's close-range header just deadly.
Yet the substitute was marginally offside, the VAR verdict saving Fulham. Just as they looked set to cling on for a valued point, the foul on De Bruyne and Haaland's cool head tilted the game back City's way.
Fabio Quartararo will be "aggressive but intelligent" when he attempts to snatch the MotoGP title from Francesco Bagnaia at the Valencia Grand Prix.
Defending champion Quartararo will start the decisive final race of the season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in fourth place, with Bagnaia eighth on the grid.
Monster Energy Yamaha rider Quartararo must win and hope Bagnaia finishes 15th or lower to retain his crown, as he trails the Italian by 23 points.
Jorge Martin took a third consecutive pole position on Saturday courtesy of a lap of one minute, 29.621 seconds, with Marc Marquez second and Jack Miller third.
Quartararo will not be giving up his title without a fight in Spain.
Asked if he needs a miracle, the Frenchman replied: "I am not thinking about that. I am thinking about the race - if I win, maybe something will happen.
"My main objective will be to fight for victory. It is the only thing I can do by myself. We will start in a good position, the pace is good, so I am confident.
"Tomorrow is a day to do whatever I want! I am 23 points behind so it’s the only positive I can find. My situation is to go all-in.
"I don't need to prove anything. But I want to win. I need to be aggressive but intelligent. Of course, I have to go aggressively from the beginning."
Quartararo says he will not be giving any thought to where Bagnaia is positioned during the race.
He added: "I don't care. On TV it looks like it's only him and me. But I need to focus on myself.
"It's not like we have a five-point difference and are fighting closely. There is a massive difference. What he does is not my problem. When the plan is so clear, I give no energy to anything else."
CLASSIFICATION
1. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) 1:29.621
2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.205
3. Jack Miller (Ducati) + 0.213
4. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) + 0.279
5. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.319
6. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.334
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.418
8. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.428
9. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.481
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.503
11. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) + 0.522
12. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) 0.620
England made light work of Papua New Guinea, cruising to a 46-6 quarter-final victory in the Rugby League World Cup on Saturday.
Australia became the first team to make the final four with a 48-4 defeat of Lebanon on Friday and the tournament hosts also had little trouble in casting aside their last-eight opponents in Wigan.
Tommy Makinson was the star man, going over five times, matching Josh Adda-Carr's haul for Australia against Lebanon, while also adding 10 points with the boot.
With the Princess of Wales watching from the stands, England scored four tries in the first 27 minutes – Tom Burgess, Dom Young, Kallum Watkins and George Williams also going over.
Jimmy Ngutlik grabbed a consolation for Papua New Guinea midway through the second half, but the day belong to Makinson, and he fittingly crossed for his record-setting try late on, becoming the first England player to score five times in a World Cup match.
Emirates Stadium will be the venue for England's semi-final, with Tonga or Samoa their opponents.
Youssoufa Moukoko chalked up a Bundesliga record as he became the youngest player in the competition's history to reach 10 career goals – and number 10 was something special.
At the age of 17 years and 350 days, Moukoko showed why he is so highly regarded as his dazzling double helped Borussia Dortmund win 3-0 against visitors Bochum on Saturday.
Moukoko hit the opener in the eighth minute, fending off a challenge outside the penalty area before crashing a 22-yard strike with his left foot that arrowed just beneath the crossbar.
That took him to double figures, and an 11th Bundesliga goal for Moukoko followed shortly before half-time when he caught goalkeeper Manuel Riemann well off his line and lobbed in from close to 35 yards.
Between those goals, Giovanni Reyna scored a penalty for Dortmund, who allowed Moukoko a rest late on, substituting the star of the show.
The double for the teenager made him the third-youngest player to hit two goals in a Bundesliga game, with Opta confirming only Kai Havertz (17y 343d) and Timo Werner (17y 249d) have done so at a younger age.
Bayern Munich moved to the top of the Bundesliga table as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting hit a brace in a thrilling 3-2 win at Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Choupo-Moting scored twice in as many first-half minutes after Jamal Musiala opened the scoring, but Hertha clawed their way back into contention in an incredible opening period.
Goals from Dodi Lukebakio and Davie Selke, the latter from the spot, reignited the contest before the break, but Hertha never came close to equalising in a quieter second half.
Julian Nagelsmann's men consequently claimed their fourth consecutive Bundesliga win, moving two points clear of Union Berlin ahead of their trip to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Manuel Neuer, returning to the side, saved from Lukebakio early on, but Bayern took the lead with their first attack as Musiala collected Sadio Mane's pass before firing into the bottom-left corner after 12 minutes.
Choupo-Moting looked to have taken the game away from Hertha with his quickfire double, responding to Leon Goretzka's blocked shot to finish below Oliver Christensen before prodding home following a goalmouth scramble one minute later.
But Hertha responded in excellent fashion as Lukebakio volleyed Marco Richter's cross beyond Neuer and they reduced the deficit further when Benjamin Pavard pushed Selke in the area, the forward then converting from the spot on the stroke of half-time.
Bayern were denied a fourth as Alphonso Davies was found to have been offside when Marc-Oliver Kempf put through his own net after the break, before the Bayern left-back limped from the field after appearing to sustain a hamstring injury.
The second half was played out at a far slower pace than the first, with Nagelsmann's side holding on to their slender advantage after producing a controlled performance.
Alphonso Davies could face an agonising wait to see if he will be able to feature at the World Cup after sustaining an apparent hamstring injury.
Bayern Munich full-back Davies, who along with Lille striker Jonathan David is one of Canada's leading lights heading to Qatar, was forced off in the 64th minute of Saturday's Bundesliga clash with Hertha Berlin.
The 22-year-old was holding his right hamstring as he walked gingerly off the field to be replaced by Lucas Hernandez.
Canada, who will be co-hosts in 2026, have qualified for just their second World Cup, having last appeared at the tournament in 1986. They have been drawn in Group F alongside Belgium, Morocco and Croatia.
Romelu Lukaku will not play again for Inter before going to the World Cup with Belgium, Simone Inzaghi has confirmed.
Lukaku's return to San Siro on loan this season has been disrupted by injury.
The Chelsea striker has been limited to just 255 minutes of action across five appearances in all competitions, starting three matches and scoring once.
Lukaku made his comeback from a thigh problem against Viktoria Plzen late last month but was quickly ruled out again.
Coach Inzaghi was initially hopeful Inter would see Lukaku before the Serie A season breaks for the World Cup, but he has now accepted defeat.
The Nerazzurri play Juventus on Sunday, then both Bologna and Atalanta next week.
Lukaku will hope to feature when Belgium begin their Qatar 2022 campaign against Canada on November 23.
Speaking ahead of the Derby d'Italia, Inzaghi said: "We will be without him, without [Danilo] D'Ambrosio and with [Alessandro] Bastoni to evaluate because he had a fever.
"It is normal for a coach to want to have all his weapons, but we know that playing so much there are difficulties in organising with all the team.
"Lukaku will do another test next week; unlike last time, I can say that I don't think he will be there for the last game.
"I'm sorry, because he worked so hard to be there. We will wait for him after the break, because we know he can give us a great hand."
Inter are sixth in Serie A and Juve eighth heading into Sunday's game, but Inzaghi does not believe their title hopes are on the line.
"We know how much it matters, but we also know that there are 25 games to go," he said. "In a week, there will be a break for the World Cup, and then there will be more than one round.
"We know how important it is, but also how long there is until the end. Tomorrow is very important for both [teams], yes."
Wayne Parnell explained the motivation he takes from Cristiano Ronaldo as the bowler looked towards South Africa's T20 World Cup clash with the Netherlands.
Ronaldo has altered his goal celebration as of late, replacing his famous "Siu" with a "peace of mind" gesture, seemingly in response to his trouble at Manchester United this season.
It is a celebration that has been copied at the T20 World Cup by South Africa paceman Parnell, standing with his eyes closed, fingers crossed in front of his chest and his head rolled back.
Parnell has taken five wickets so far in Australia, helping South Africa to two victories in Group 2. Ahead of their final match of the pool stage against the Netherlands on Sunday, the Proteas sit in second place, and a victory over the Dutch would guarantee their place in the last four.
And in his pre-match press conference, Parnell explained how he takes inspiration from one of the world's finest footballers.
He said: "It's the Ronaldo celebration. He has always been one of my favourite footballers, and I've obviously followed his career quite closely.
"And I think I've kind of taken on some stuff that he has been going through, you know, as a professional athlete and someone that's very competitive and passionate about doing well.
"That's something that I've always wanted to do as well is contribute to the team's success."
It is not all about emulating an idol, though. For Parnell, it is also about enjoying playing in front of crowds again following the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's just about having fun as well," Parnell added, "I think, you know, we're very lucky to be playing this sport and to be able to do it on this world stage.
"Obviously, there's no COVID, so we have fans back, and it's just about entertaining everyone."
Looking ahead to South Africa's must-win game on Sunday, Parnell said: "I think now it's just really simple. If you actually look at it, tomorrow is basically a quarter-final. Then obviously if we win that, we go to a semi-final. If we win that, we go to the final.
"In a way it's actually worked out well where we are under a certain amount of pressure to obviously get through, but I always like to look at it from a positive point of view where it's basically a quarter-final. It's just about winning it really."
Ben Chilwell said his "dream" was in tatters after the Chelsea left-back was knocked out of contention for England's World Cup trip.
The former Leicester City defender suffered a hamstring injury in the closing seconds of Chelsea's Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
He underwent scans on Friday, and the results showed a "significant" problem, Chelsea announced.
It comes after Chilwell recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury to reclaim his place in the Blues team and show he could have been an asset for England.
While his club said only that 25-year-old Chilwell was "expected" to miss the tournament in Qatar, the player himself added the finality by conceding there was no chance he would make Gareth Southgate's squad.
He wrote on Twitter: "Following my ACL injury I worked so hard to make sure I was ready for the World Cup. It has always been a dream of mine.
"Unfortunately, this won't be possible following my scan results. I'll do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea ASAP. Thanks for the messages of support."
Chilwell's Chelsea and England team-mate Raheem Sterling sent a message of sympathy, posting: "Prayers up for my guy Chilly. Minor setback, major comeback."
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