On a bright and beautiful Sunday afternoon, November 4, 2023, the No. 1 Softball Diamond at Up Park Camp headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) witnessed a delightful exhibition baseball game that would be remembered for years to come. The home field of the Jamaica National Softball team served as the backdrop for this unique event, where the Pioneer Select U16 baseball team faced off against Jamaica's formidable softball team.
The Pioneer Select U16 team, comprising talented individuals such as Damion Robinson, Joel Scott, Javier Grant, Francisco Williams, Odeen Afflick, Kira Cooper, Jayshaun Campbell, Noel-Lee McKen, as well as Jasmine Benjamin and Caleb Dixon, took the field with enthusiasm, setting the stage for an exciting showdown. From the very first inning, it was evident that these young athletes meant business.
Robinson, leading off the batting order, showcased his skills by scoring the first of three runs for his team. Team Captain Grant and U12 substitute player Dixon followed suit, crossing home plate and narrowing the score to 3-8 in favour of the seasoned National Softball team.
The exhibition match posed a unique challenge for the U16 team as they had to adapt swiftly to the different rules, ball, and bat sizes of softball. Despite the unfamiliar territory, the young athletes embraced the experience with determination and resilience.
Grant, holding down first base, displayed his defensive prowess with swift tags on National Team runners, keeping the pressure on the opposition and thrilling the spectators in attendance.
On the pitcher's mound, McKen, exhibited remarkable composure, leading her team's offensive efforts. Despite her softball debut, she adapted quickly to the underhand throw, demonstrating her potential to excel in the world of softball.
Behind the plate, female catcher Cooper showcased exceptional skills in handling the larger-sized softball. Her swift and accurate tags on unsuccessful runners attempting to score added an extra layer of defense for the Pioneer Select team.
In the outfield, Campbell, making his U16 debut after advancing from U12, admirably held his own. His presence in the outfield testified to his dedication and commitment to his athletic development.
National Team Technical Director Troy McCaw, who attended the exhibition match, was visibly impressed by the talent displayed by the U16 team. He identified four standout players from the Pioneer Select U16 team, acknowledging their potential for success in the sport.
This remarkable opportunity for the Pioneer Select U16 team reflects their dedication and hard work, with many of their members training in St. Thomas, Jamaica, under the guidance of Coach Kerry Ann Cooper.
Under her guidance, the team actively seeks opportunities to scrimmage and attend clinics with other teams, such as the upcoming clinic in August Town on Sunday, November 12, 2023, all in preparation for the 2024 tournaments.
Leandro Trossard insists he will not “back down” from the challenge of playing in a number of different roles in Arsenal’s forward line.
The Belgium international started as Mikel Arteta’s central striker against Sevilla on Wednesday night and opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory that all-but assures the Gunners a place in the Champions League last 16.
Trossard, who now has five Arsenal goals across all competitions this season, finished a sweeping move which saw Bukayo Saka square for him to tuck home before the England forward made sure of the win in the second half – although Saka then limped off late on to give Arteta another fitness worry.
While he has mainly been deployed off the flanks since signing from Brighton in January, Trossard stepped up to play through the middle with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ruled out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
“I always need to be switched on to be honest,” he replied when asked how demanding it can be to play in different positions.
“I always need to know my role. But I like it, I will never back down from anything. If you put me as a striker, or a winger or a number 10, I will always play my game I think.
“He (Arteta) knows I like to swap positions as well during the game. We have those type of players as well and it creates a bit of chaos for the opposition team. I like it. I am really happy.
“It is always a nice feeling when you score, but when you do it in a Champions League game it’s always a nicer feeling. It gave us a lead and I think we played brilliantly.”
Arsenal went into the game having lost two matches in a row, suffering a Carabao Cup fourth-round exit at West Ham before their first Premier League defeat of the season came at Newcastle on Saturday.
Trossard, though, insists the players were never concerned about the prospect of it becoming a hat-trick of losses as they took control of Group B.
“We are never worried because we know our quality and we knew we had to bounce back,” he added.
“I think that made us start the game so well with a lot of aggressiveness and when the goal came it was a relief for us. Then from that moment we controlled the game.
“We are always confident. We want to win every game and that’s how we approach them. We will try and win the next two games as well.
“The manager just wanted us to attack when we had the ball, to get the ball to the wingers. Bukayo and Gabi (Martinelli) are so good one-v-one – then you see you can create a lot of chances. We did it so well.”
Scotland scrum-half Ali Price has joined Edinburgh on a season-long loan from Glasgow in a move described as being “in the national interest”.
The 30-year-old has had a frustrating time over the past year, slipping down the pecking order at Warriors amid heightened competition from George Horne and Jamie Dobie.
As a result, Price – who has been at Scotstoun since 2014 – lost his long-time status as Scotland’s first-choice number nine to Ben White for this year’s Six Nations and then the first two games of the recent World Cup.
After forcing his way back in to start the national team’s two closing pool matches at the showpiece against Romania and Ireland – and scoring tries in both – a transfer has been agreed, with the involvement of Scotland management, aimed at getting the 2021 British and Irish Lion squad member playing more rugby at club level.
“Glasgow Warriors have released Ali Price on loan to Edinburgh Rugby with immediate effect, for the remainder of the season after an approach was made by the Scotland National Team and Edinburgh Rugby,” Glasgow said on Thursday.
“Price felt this was an opportunity that would be beneficial for his own personal development.
“The club has agreed, considering this factor, the move being in the national interest, and the timing of the proposal meaning Price can move straight into Edinburgh following his post-Rugby World Cup break and the subsequent return to play protocols he has been managing for a groin injury.”
Price – who has 66 Scotland caps to his name – will join the Edinburgh squad on Monday and is in line to make his debut in the URC match at home to Vodacom Bulls next Friday.
“I’m looking forward to finding my feet amongst a new group of players and seeing how I can work alongside the Scotland boys I’ve been in camp with before,” Price told Edinburgh’s official website.
“This is a new challenge that I look forward to seeing where it can lead.”
With Edinburgh scrum-half Scott Steele currently injured, Price will compete with club captain Ben Vellacott for game time as he stakes a claim to keep the Scotland number jersey going into the Six Nations, which kicks off in early February.
“Ali is a Test Lion and brings to the club a wealth of experience at the very top level of international rugby,” said Edinburgh senior coach Sean Everitt.
“We’re blessed to have a really strong group of nines at the club, who all have unique strengths and abilities.
“Scott unfortunately continues to work his way back from a hip injury that has kept him sidelined since October, which was also a factor in this move.
“Ali is a player with great vision and understanding of the game, and those qualities will only rub off on our scrum-halves. His arrival also breeds competition for places.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming him to the club where he’ll get the opportunity to compete for a place from the get-go.”
Manchester United’s wild defeat to FC Copenhagen put their Champions League progress in doubt and increased the scrutiny on manager Erik ten Hag.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the records of United’s managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
David Moyes
Played 51: Won 27, Drew 9, Lost 15. Win rate: 53 per cent
Trophies: Community Shield 2013
The Scot took just one game to win a trophy, the Community Shield against Wigan, as Ferguson’s hand-picked successor. There was little else to celebrate, though, as he failed to even see out the first of the six seasons on his contract. He was sacked after 10 months, with Ryan Giggs finishing the campaign as caretaker manager. Moyes struggled subsequently at Real Sociedad and Sunderland but has rebuilt his reputation with West Ham, winning last season’s Europa Conference League.
Louis Van Gaal
P103: W54, D25, L24. Win rate: 52 per cent
Trophies: FA Cup 2016
United’s previous Dutch boss never truly convinced the Old Trafford faithful after a dreadful winless start against Swansea, Sunderland, third-tier MK Dons and Burnley. His side did improve and Van Gaal signed off with an FA Cup win, beating Crystal Palace in extra-time, but his win percentage was the lowest of the post-Ferguson era until Ralf Rangnick’s spell in interim charge.
Jose Mourinho
P144: W84, D32, L28. Win rate: 58 per cent
Trophies: Europa League 2017, League Cup 2017, Community Shield 2016
Mourinho is probably United’s most successful manager since Ferguson – winning 58 per cent of his games, with a runner-up finish in the Premier League and adding a League Cup and Europa League double in 2016-17. His, though, was an erratic and ill-tempered spell, with a defensive style of play and fallings-out with players, leaving the fans cold.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
P167: W91, D37, L39. Win rate: 54 per cent
Trophies: None
The much-loved former United striker proved almost the inverse of his predecessor, with a fluid and attacking style but inconsistent results. A stunning spell as caretaker – winning 14 games out of 19 – deservedly earned him the job on a permanent basis but he came nowhere near emulating that 74 per cent win rate from then on. He left in November 2021 after United won just three of his last 10 games and conceded 15 goals in the last six, the first United manager since Frank O’Farrell in the early 1970s not to add to the club’s trophy cabinet.
Ralf Rangnick
P29: W11, D10, L8. Win rate: 38 per cent
Trophies: None
After Michael Carrick’s three games as caretaker, in November 2021, Rangnick was tasked with seeing out the season as interim boss before moving into a consultancy role with the club – which was ultimately cancelled as he took charge of the Austria national team. He began with five games unbeaten but drew far too many – losing on penalties to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup – as he became the first United boss since Dave Sexton’s 1981 departure to win fewer than half of his games in charge.
Erik ten Hag
P79: W49, D9, L21. Win rate: 62 per cent
Trophies: League Cup 2023
Ten Hag’s win percentage exceeds even Ferguson’s 60 per cent, though a run in the second-tier Europa League arguably helped to inflate that figure. There have been embarrassing losses from his second game in charge – 4-0 against Brentford – via conceding six to Manchester City and seven to Liverpool, to the 4-3 shock against Copenhagen, with his side conceding more goals per game than under any post-Ferguson manager other than Rangnick.
With Luton and Everton next up before a key European clash with Galatasaray, Ten Hag will know the tide must turn.
Aintree will hold an inspection at 9am on Friday on the Grand National course to see if Saturday’s BoyleSports Grand Sefton Handicap Chase can take place.
While the races on the Mildmay and hurdle course are unaffected, parts of the Grand National course are currently waterlogged.
The £100,000 race is the first time this season the iconic course is scheduled to be in use.
Ground staff are to continue their remedial work throughout Thursday but another band of heavy rain is due on Thursday evening.
Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said: “We are soft, heavy in places, on the Mildmay, chase and hurdle courses.
“We’re currently heavy, soft in places, on the Grand National course, with a couple of areas of concern that we are working on through today.
“We hope the remedial work will be done by the end of the day and that the course should be fit for racing, but the fly in the ointment for us is that we potentially have heavy rain tonight.
“Depending on which forecast you look at, it’s anything from 5mm to 10mm or more, so we’re just going to have to see what state we’re in in the morning as to whether we can go ahead with the Grand Sefton, but the rest of the races are not affected.”
The fixture at Fontwell on Friday has already been abandoned.
Harlem Eubank will try to channel the emotion of the latest tragedy to affect his family when he walks out at Brighton Centre on Friday night for his maiden fight at the venue.
Eubank, the nephew of former two-division world champion Chris Eubank Sr, will box in his city for the first time since his professional debut in 2017 when he faces German super-lightweight Timo Schwarzkopf for the WBO global belt.
Friday is arguably Brighton’s biggest night of boxing since the elder Eubank defended his WBO middleweight title against Dan Sherry at the same venue in 1991, but grief has gripped the family in recent years.
It started with Chris’s son Sebastian dying in 2021 after a heart attack and at the beginning of Harlem’s fight camp in September, his father Simon died after five years with dementia.
“Dad wasn’t able to express himself,” Harlem Eubank told the PA news agency.
“When you know someone, how active that someone is, how they want to be outside cycling or running, it feels like their spirit is almost trapped in a body that is kind of unusable.
“It was difficult to see him degrade and deteriorate over the years, especially in the last few years when it became more rapid.
“I feel he is at peace now and I believe the spirit lives on. I do have strong faith in God and that helps because I know he is free now. He had strong faith as well and he is not trapped any more.
“He is in a different realm and my focus is now doing my best to do him proud because I am sure he is looking down on me.
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“I am carrying a lot on my shoulders and that inspires me to work hard every day. To go in there and give the best account of myself. It gives me inner strength and inner drive.
“It is something that is hard to explain until it happens, but it has given me an inner power that drives me on knowing that they are watching and then having my cousin’s son Raheem, my godson, it gives me a different drive and energy going forward.
“I am just trying to carry that. Do my family proud and to lead by example.”
Harlem Eubank is not alone in dealing with the loss of his father, with Chris Sr going through the same process – which has resulted in the pair joining forces ahead of the Wasserman boxer’s fight with Schwarzkopf on Channel Five.
However, had Harlem’s teenage years panned out differently, he could have kicked a ball under the Brighton lights instead.
Part of Albion’s academy between the ages of 12 and 16, the undefeated fighter occasionally trained with Lewis Dunk until he was released, which led to a spell at Lewes alongside Solly March before he lost his love for football.
This opened the door to follow in the footsteps of his father, his uncle and his cousin Chris Eubank Jr, but Roberto De Zerbi’s high-flying Europa League outfit serve as a source of inspiration.
He reflected: “I have seen Brighton go from the Withdean to the Amex (Stadium) and through the leagues into a position now where they are a force in the (Premier League).
“It is inspiring and I want to replicate that success in the world of boxing and achieve world honours. I believe I am capable of doing that and this is the next step on Friday.
“It is a special one, the homecoming. I haven’t fought in my city for a long time.
“People are excited about it and I feel these type of boxing nights are needed in Brighton to put boxing back on the map in the city.
“Albion, the football club, are leading the way but I feel like we have a space to shine a light on boxing in Brighton now too.”
To help Harlem Eubank negotiate the next chapter of his 18-fight career will be uncle Chris, who has been gushing in his praise for the 30-year-old and tipped him to beat Conor Benn – who was set to fight Chris Eubank Jr in 2022.
“He has been to the top of the mountain and it is refreshing that he speaks so highly of me,” Harlem Eubank added.
“It is beautiful to have him by my side now going into this next chapter of my career.
“It feels like this is a big, pivotal moment in my career. A moment that pushes me into a position to big fights domestically and globally.”
Bruno Fernandes knows Manchester United have a “mountain to climb” if they are to keep their Champions League campaign alive following Wednesday’s chaotic late defeat at Copenhagen.
A night that began with talented Rasmus Hojlund’s brace against his former club ended in a crushing 4-3 loss sparked by Marcus Rashford’s contentious red card late in the first half.
United boss Erik ten Hag was unhappy with that decision and disputed the Copenhagen goals that quickly followed from Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves.
Fernandes put Ten Hag’s 10 men back ahead from the penalty spot in the second half, only for Lukas Lerager and substitute Roony Bardghji to inflict United’s third defeat in four Group A games.
It leaves the Red Devils bottom and facing an early Champions League exit, with defeat at Galatasaray sealing that before hosting already-qualified leaders Bayern Munich in their final match.
“We have a mountain to climb, so we must climb,” captain Fernandes told UEFA after the defeat at Parken.
“We have two games and we have to win those two games.
“Before tonight, our aim already was to win our remaining three games. We couldn’t win today. We have to win the next two.”
Fernandes continued that theme when speaking to MUTV, saying: “You have to win them if you want to keep in the Champions League and stay in the best competition.
“We have to win against the best, so we have a really tough game away against Galatasaray and after, we play against the top of the group.
“We want to win both but now we have to focus on Luton (in the Premier League on Saturday) because it’s going to be a tough game again.
“We need three points in the league, we need to get back to the winning track after this defeat and keeping on the winning track in the Premier League.”
United’s clash with promoted Luton will be key to the mood around Old Trafford heading into the international break.
Defeat in Saturday’s Premier League match would send the club into a tailspin on the back of some poor performances and a galling loss in Denmark.
“I think for everything we did in the game, we could – and we should – have got something from the game,” disappointed skipper Fernandes said.
“It’s difficult at the moment. Obviously the mood is not the best because I think we’ve fought so hard with 10 men.
“Even from then, it was playing against a team that plays really good on the ball and apart from that, many decisions that were against us.
“Today was a tough day but I think the team effort was good, we tried.
“We could have done some things better, but it was difficult for us from the 30 minutes on, playing with one player less.”
Rashford’s red card is sure to be pored over in the aftermath but United dealt well with being a man down after half-time.
“Yeah, of course, we understood that we could get something from the game, we could win the game there,” Fernandes added.
“But obviously, as we said, it’s difficult to play so long with 10 men.
“In some moments they will get spaces because you’re running behind the ball, you’re trying to get into everywhere with every player.
“It’s difficult to cover so much space and they got their two goals to win the game.”
Will Perrett knows he faces an uphill battle in his bid to make Great Britain’s Olympic squad next summer but the 27-year-old is well accustomed to fighting against the odds.
Perrett will be back at the Lee Valley Velodrome this weekend for the final two rounds of the UCI Track Champions League, 11 months after a stunning victory in the men’s scratch race here helped him force his way on to Britain’s podium programme.
At the time, Perrett had quit his job and was self-funding in a bid to prove himself to the national team coaches, and his Champions League display came after he had taken a points race fifth on his World Championships debut and won the British Madison title alongside Mark Stewart.
It worked and in January he was invited in to train full-time as part of the elite programme.
But nothing has come easily for Perrett and a fresh setback was just ahead. In March he was diagnosed with glandular fever as a result of the Epstein-Barr virus.
“Initially I was just incredibly ill,” Perrett told the PA news agency. “I had tonsillitis-esque symptoms and incredible fatigue. I’d go for a walk around the block, come back and sleep for an hour. It was horrible. You feel a bit helpless.”
Had it happened while Perrett was funding himself, the illness could have ended his elite racing career.
“I would have been absolutely screwed,” he said. “If I’d not been on the programme I wouldn’t have been able to race, I wouldn’t even have been able to work because I was so tired. It could have ended everything.
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“That’s a massive benefit of being on the programme. You get so much help from the doctors, the coaches. They’ve not been pushy. They’ve said, ‘Look, we need to rebuild your foundations and then build you back up.’ That’s what I’m hoping to do this winter.”
Perrett believes he is still missing around five per cent of his threshold – a massive number at the elite end.
Yet he was able to claim another fifth place in the points race at the World Championships in Glasgow and earn another invitation to the Champions League, the glitzy made-for-television series which is in its third season.
Perrett struggled for results in the opening three rounds in Mallorca, Berlin and Paris as he works his way back up to speed, but will come to London for the sold-out finale on Friday and Saturday buoyed by memories of last December.
“I’ve been a bit ropey after a bit of time off after the worlds but I’ve loved being back (in the Champions League),” he said. “It’s good fun, the racing and the atmosphere.”
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There will be plenty of British interest in London, with defending champion Katie Archibald top of the women’s endurance standings, Emma Finucane third in the women’s sprint, and Will Tidball and Stewart fourth and fifth respectively in the men’s endurance.
Perrett’s goal is to keep plugging away for form as he eyes selection for the Euros in January. He remains an outsider for Paris as only four male endurance riders will go, meaning those four must be competitive in the team pursuit, but a chance is all he asks for.
“At the moment I haven’t got the results or the experience at that level of team pursuiting,” he said. “Only four riders go to the Olympics. It’s a crazy stupid rule. The Madison is a 200-lap, 50 minute event but to get into that you have to be able to get into the one that lasts three minutes 45 seconds.
“It’s a stupid rule but it’s the one you have to aim towards…But I have an opportunity and as long as I get the opportunity, that’s what matters.”
The Los Angeles Angels have appointed veteran former Texas Rangers boss Ron Washington as their new manager, the Major League team have announced.
The 71-year-old succeeds Phil Nevin, whose contract was not renewed after the Angels failed to reach this season’s play-offs.
Washington, who had been on the coaching staff at Atlanta, led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 in his last frontline job.
Michael Vaughan has urged England’s World Cup squad to leave a farewell present for the next generation by securing a place at the Champions Trophy.
Major changes are expected at the end of the desperately-disappointing campaign for the reigning champions, with a host of big-name veterans likely to depart the ODI scene, but there is still one more job to do.
Victory over the Netherlands in Pune ended a five-game losing streak and put England back in the frame for the top-eight finish they need to book a spot at the format’s next global event in 2025.
Semi-final hopefuls Pakistan await in Kolkata on Saturday and former captain Vaughan believes England’s men in possession must do everything they can to pave the way for those who will take the team forward.
“This team needs to be reset. Younger players need to come into it and there’s many of old guys, the 2019 World Cup winners that will probably get moved on,” he told BBC Sport’s Test Match Special.
“It’s their duty as a set of players in this World Cup, they’ve got to give the next generation a Champions Trophy in 2025.
“That four-year cycle is so important. When you’re resetting and developing a team, you need that tournament mentality to test your skills, test players within it, test the different roles.
“It’s so important this team wins on Saturday, gets to six points and gets into the Champions Trophy. It’s pivotal.”
The renewal of the side will begin in haste, with a white-ball tour of the West Indies in December and a fresh roster of faces set to get the call.
Vaughan picked out a handful of names he expects to be in that group and wants England to keep them together for an extended period with a view to the next World Cup in 2027.
“We’re not going to see a complete overhaul but many players are going to come in, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Phil Salt….they deserve the chance that the team had in 2015.
“There was a four-year cycle where they stuck with a load of aggressive players and they played together for pretty much 80-odd games. They arrived in 2019 with fully defined roles and that’s what the next set needs.”
Anze Kopitar scored his 400th career goal and the Los Angeles Kings sent the Vegas Golden Knights to their second straight loss, 4-1 on Wednesday.
Kopitar sealed the win with an empty-net goal to become the fourth player in franchise history to score 400 goals. The others are Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille and Dave Taylor.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Cam Talbot stopped 37 shots as the Kings won their fourth in a row overall and became the eighth team in history to win its first seven road games.
They are the first team to accomplish the feat since the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils did it in 2009.
William Karlsson scored the lone goal for Vegas as the Golden Knights dropped its second straight after opening the season 11-0-1.
Reinhart scores in OT as Panthers rally again
Sam Reinhart scored just 15 seconds into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied for the second straight game in a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals.
Evan Rodrigues tallied the tying goal early in the third period and Aleksander Barkov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had a goal and an assist to help Florida notch at least a point for the sixth time in seven games (5-1-1).
The Panthers scored in the final minute of regulation and Carter Verhaeghe netted the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory over Columbus on Monday.
Anthony Mantha scored twice for the Capitals before leaving in the third period after taking a puck to the left side of his face.
Senators score 3 in 3rd to defeat Maple Leafs
Claude Giroux scored two goals and set up another as the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 for just their second win in three weeks.
Domink Kubalik also scored twice and Tim Stutzle had a goal and three assists for the Senators, who had lost their last two and five of their past six in regulation.
William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs to extend his franchise-record point streak to open a season to 13 games.
Nikola Jokić had 35 points and 13 rebounds and Reggie Jackson scored 20 points in place of an injured Jamal Murray to lead the NBA-best Denver Nuggets to a 108-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Every Denver starter reached double figures, with Michael Porter Jr. scoring 17 points, Aaron Gordon adding 14 and 11 rebounds and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributing 10 points.
The Nuggets won their fourth straight overall and have won all six home games this season.
Stephen Curry scored 23 points with six 3-pointers for the Warriors but missed a runner in the lane with seven seconds left that would’ve tied it at 107-all.
Golden State stayed close behind its bench, which outscored Denver’s 42-12.
Murray missed his second straight game with a strained right hamstring, while the Warriors played without Draymond Green, who was out for personal reasons.
76ers down Celtics to stay hot
Joel Embiid had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Tyrese Maxy added 25 and nine assists as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-103 for their sixth straight victory.
Tobias Harris scored 17 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 as the 76ers remained perfect since a season-opening loss to Milwaukee.
Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 29 points and Derrick White, back after missing two games for the birth of his child, added 19 but the Celtics dropped their second in a row after a 5-0 start.
It was the first meeting between the Atlantic Division rivals since Philadelphia blew a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
Jaylen Brown hit a 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining to get the Celtics within 106-103 but Porzingis missed a potential tying 3 with six seconds left.
Wembanyama struggles in MSG debut
Victor Wembanyama managed just one basket in the first three quarters in his Madison Square Garden debut and the New York Knicks coasted to a 126-105 rout of the San Antonio Spurs.
The 7-foot-3 rookie missed his first seven shots and was in danger of failing to reach double figures for the first time before scoring eight points in the fourth to finish with 14 on 4-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds.
Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle added 23 with 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who bolted to a 13-0 lead and led 33-16 after one quarter.
Jeremy Sochan had 16 points and six rebounds for San Antonio, which dropped its third straight while allowing 123 points in each contest.
Warren Gatland was appointed Wales head coach on this day in 2007 as Welsh rugby looked to rebuild following their early World Cup exit.
A 38-34 defeat to Fiji 41 days earlier saw Wales knocked out at the group stage in France, with Gareth Jenkins sacked the following morning.
The Welsh Rugby Union launched a global search for his replacement and the process led them 12,000 miles away to a former hooker who had played 17 non-international matches for New Zealand but never won a Test cap.
Gatland had impressed during a three-year spell in charge of Ireland between 1998 and 2001, just missing out on the Six Nations title in his final year as England held a superior points difference.
He also led Wasps to three Premiership titles and the Heineken Cup between 2002 and 2005 before returning to his homeland to coach Waikato.
After signing an initial four-year contract with Wales, Gatland said: “I feel tremendous pride in coaching Wales and gratitude at the chance to work at the highest level.
“Wales is the sleeping giant of world rugby, I want to achieve potential.”
Gatland made an immediate impact as he led Wales to Grand Slam success in 2008, an achievement he would repeat in 2012 and 2019.
In doing so, Gatland became the first coach to win three Grand Slams in the Five or Six Nations era.
Gatland’s initial 12-year reign also saw Wales reach the semi-finals of the 2011 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
He was reappointed to the role in December 2022 and Wales reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup the following year, where they lost 29-17 to Argentina.
Erik ten Hag was angered by “three tough decisions” that went against Manchester United in a chaotic late loss at Copenhagen that damages their chances of reaching the Champions League knockout phase.
Wednesday’s helter-skelter Group A encounter started with a Rasmus Hojlund brace against his former club but ended in a crushing 4-3 defeat sparked by Marcus Rashford’s red card.
The United forward was sent off after a VAR review late in the first half for catching Elias Jelert, with Mohamed Elyounoussi quickly scoring before Diogo Goncalves levelled from the spot.
Bruno Fernandes’ penalty put the visitors back ahead in the second half, only for Lukas Lerager and substitute Roony Bardghji to score in a blockbuster conclusion to a bonkers match.
“It’s clear we’re very disappointed and because you play very good,” Ten Hag said. “I think we started the game so well. The best minutes of this season.
“We are winning the game and I think the red card changes everything.
“Then we concede two goals before half-time, which should never have counted.
“First is offside, second a penalty and that is – in four games – four penalties against. I say three are very debatable.
“(Rashford’s red) is also harsh. I think he went for the ball and the referee needs such a long time to make it a red card.”
Ten Hag says an offside player was in Andre Onana’s vision when Elyounoussi scored and was aggrieved by the decision to award handball against Harry Maguire for Goncalves’ penalty.
The United boss was also annoyed by the slow motion and freeze frame shown to referee Donatas Rumsas by the VAR as he decided on Rashford’s red.
“I think when you freeze it, it always looks worse,” Ten Hag said. “As I say, it takes them so long and they make a red card of it.
“I’m very disappointed about such decisions. I think the game is never meant to be like this.
“It has nothing to do with football. Decisions have to be made and I accept that also wrong decisions are made by some at this level.
“Three such tough decisions, you control the game and I think the game is never meant to be for that.”
The defeat leaves United bottom of Group A and knowing they will be unable to reach Champions League knockout phase if they lose their penultimate match at Galatasaray at the end of November.
“This squad is resilient,” Ten Hag said. “The whole season, so many decisions are against us, so many setbacks for injuries.
“Every time there is a spirit, there is a fight and we will keep going because I am sure and I said to the lads it will turn – on one moment in the season it will turn in our favour.”
Copenhagen counterpart Jacob Neestrup admitted Rashford’s red card changed the dynamics of a win he felt his side deserved after their promising start to the group.
“I have never said in the first three rounds we have been unlucky,” the head coach said. “I’ve said it’s been a lack of quality.
“If there was something that was called luck in football, then we’ve got it today. But we also hunted.
“The early goal made us very, very shaky. We are the second best team on the pitch in the whole first half until the red card.
“That of course changed momentum for the next 15 minutes in the first half where we scored two goals.
“Of course the red card changed the opportunities in the game and for me as Copenhagen coach it was by far the weakest performance we have had in this group stage so far.
“If you take the picture today, then we maybe didn’t deserve three or maybe even one point.
“But if you take it over four rounds, then it’s very, very well deserved that Copenhagen is in second place because I believe truly that we have been the second best team over four games. Not today, but over four games.”
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