Sports · Monday, 26 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

Mbappe scores twice as Mourinho's Real Madrid win 2-1 at Barcelona, ending Barcelona's perfect league start and cutting their lead to three points

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou with a late counter-attack, while Antonelli and Larson moved to within one race of their titles and Manchester United's board weighed sacking Michael Carrick.

3 points

Barcelona's lead over Real Madrid after ten games

a Barcelona win would have made it nine, and a gap of more than six has been overturned only twice in 20 seasons [4][13]

37.6%

of the ball for Real Madrid, who still won

Barcelona's chances were worth 1.19 goals, against an average of 3.5 a game [7]

100

goals for Real Madrid by Mbappe, in 116 games

only three players in the club's history got there faster [5][6]

games in a row against Barcelona without a defeat for Mourinho

only two other Real coaches, Miguel Munoz and Vicente del Bosque, have done it [4]

The lead story — what happened

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring both goals. [1][2]
Barcelona had won all nine of their games in La Liga, Spain's top league, and a win would have put them nine points clear of Real. [3][4]
Instead Barcelona lead on 27 points and Real are third on 24, after ten games each. [1][2]
Mbappe's first goal, in the 41st minute, came when a clearance by Barcelona's Gerard Martin hit him and went in. [1][3]
Raphinha drew Barcelona level in the 61st minute, his 13th league goal in ten games. [3]
With three minutes left, Barcelona substitute Gabriel Jesus lost the ball, and Real substitute Eduardo Camavinga ran clear and set up Mbappe to score into an empty net. [1][5]
Barcelona had more than 60% of the ball, and Real had 37.6%. [6][7][8]
Barcelona's midfielder Pedri said they lost the ball 'stupidly' and let in a second goal from a counter-attack they knew Real could hit. [9]
It was Mbappe's 100th goal for Real Madrid, in his 116th game for the club. [6][5]
Jose Mourinho, back as Real's coach 13 years after his first spell, has now gone six games against Barcelona without a defeat. [4][10]
Real were without their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had flu, and his stand-in Andriy Lunin made a fine save from a Barcelona header. [11][12]
Barcelona's coach Hansi Flick blamed tired legs, after a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday ended a run of 11 straight wins. [9]

Barcelona62.4%

Real Madrid37.6%

Share of the ball at Camp Nou. The side with less of it won 2-1.

Who is involved

Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid's French striker; scored both goals, his 99th and 100th for the club
Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid's coach, back at the club this summer after leaving in 2013; his plan let Barcelona keep the ball
Hansi Flick

Barcelona's German coach since 2024; blamed tiredness for a second defeat in five days
Eduardo Camavinga

Real Madrid midfielder who came off the bench and set up the winner
Pedri

Barcelona's midfielder; said the team lost the ball cheaply and knew Real could counter

How it unfolded

Tue Barcelona lose 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain, ending 11 straight wins [9]
Sun, 41 min Mbappe scores off a Barcelona clearance [1]
61 min Raphinha equalises for Barcelona [1]
87 min Camavinga breaks and Mbappe scores the winner [2]
Mon Mbappe goes to the Ballon d'Or awards as one of the contenders [5]

Where this points

Barcelona still lead, but with four defenders injured and two defeats in five days, the next test is whether their tired squad can keep pressing without leaving the gaps Real used. [9]

Signals on this beat

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing, and the arrow is where it is heading.

Perfect starts ending High↑

Real Madrid were the first side to beat Barcelona in Spain's league this season. [1] In American football, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers both lost for the first time. [14] Manchester United's women drew with Manchester City, ending City's run of league wins. [15]

Games won at the very end High→

Inter Milan, Italy's champions, scored twice in stoppage time to beat Fiorentina. [16] Bayern Munich sealed their win at Freiburg in the fifth minute of stoppage time. [17] Kyle Larson came from 11th to first on the last lap at Talladega. [18]

Stars getting hurt Building↑

Jalen Williams, an All-Star for the Oklahoma City Thunder, left on a stretcher with a bad leg injury. [19] Orlando's Jalen Suggs hurt his knee two days after his teammate Paolo Banchero hurt his ankle. [20] Texas lost Trevor Goosby, a top college player, for the season. [21]

Coaches under pressure Building↑

Manchester United's bosses held crisis talks about sacking Michael Carrick. [22] Crystal Palace fans booed their new coach Pierre Sage after a fifth defeat in eight league games. [23] Mourinho said coaches get the blame for defeats, which is why some are sacked every week. [4]

The rest of the day

41 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

02
Antonelli wins in Texas, title waits

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes won the United States Grand Prix in Austin, his ninth win of the season. [24][25][26] He started first, stopped only once for new tyres, and beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 13 seconds. [24][27] Antonelli, 20, now leads his teammate George Russell by 123 points and Lewis Hamilton by 124. [28] He becomes champion at next weekend's race in Mexico City unless Russell or Hamilton wins it. [29] He needs to be 100 points clear after that race. [24]

Lead over Russell123 pts
Lead needed after Mexico100 pts
Antonelli needs to stay 100 points clear after the Mexico City race.

Why it matters — He would be the youngest champion in Formula One's history and the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1953. [25] Even if Russell wins in Mexico, ninth place would be enough for Antonelli, or tenth if Hamilton wins. [28]
03
Larson wins at Talladega, nears the title

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR stock-car race at Talladega, Alabama, coming from 11th place to first on the last lap. [18] He beat his teammate William Byron by 0.041 seconds. [30] Larson now leads the Chase, NASCAR's end-of-season playoff, by 73 points with two races left. [31] The most a driver can gain on another in one race is 75 points. [31]

Why it matters — Larson can win the title at Martinsville next weekend. [31] His closest rival, Christopher Bell, lost 69 points in one day after crashing on pit road and taking a penalty. [31]
04
Logano's car flips at Talladega

Joey Logano's car flew into the air and landed on its roof with five laps left at Talladega, and the race was stopped. [32] Logano lost control after another car pushed him from behind, and 15 cars crashed. [32] Safety crews took several minutes to turn his car back over, and he climbed out to cheers. [32] Riley Herbst hit the inside wall at almost full speed and left with a soft cast on his hand. [32]

Why it matters — Logano is one of the 16 drivers who started the Chase, and he said he got a push in the wrong spot. [33][32] Herbst had already missed a race in August with a concussion from an earlier crash. [32]
05
Manchester United weigh sacking Carrick

Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, their sixth defeat in 12 games. [22] United have won one of eight games in the Premier League, England's top football league, and sit 16th. [34] The club's bosses held crisis talks, and the Guardian reports they expect to sack Michael Carrick. [22] Eddie Howe, who is out of work, is the first choice of United's director of football. [22] He would be cheaper to hire than Aston Villa's coach Unai Emery, for whom Villa would want about 20m pounds. [22]

Why it matters — United are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and must tell it first, so no sacking can be announced until the market opens on Monday. [22] Fans also sang against the owners, the Glazer family, whose 2005 takeover was paid for with loans that have left the club more than 1.15bn pounds in debt. [35]
06
Carrick drops his captain, and it fails

Carrick left his captain, Bruno Fernandes, on the bench against Bournemouth. [36] Fernandes had blamed Carrick's tactics after a 4-1 defeat at Como, an Italian club, in the Champions League on Wednesday. [36] Carrick called it a football decision. [36] It was only the sixth time Fernandes had been left out of a Premier League game, and United had won one of their last ten league games without him. [36]

Why it matters — Fans booed Fernandes as he walked off after the game, while they cheered Carrick. [22] The Guardian's Will Unwin wrote that Carrick will probably pay the price for a gamble that did not work, but should not be the only one blamed. [37]
07
Seattle end the Chiefs' unbeaten start

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3, the Chiefs' first defeat of the season in the NFL, the top US league for American football. [38][39][40] Kenneth Walker, named best player of last season's Super Bowl while with Seattle, joined the Chiefs this summer. [39] He had been averaging 133 yards a game. [41] Against his old team he gained 36 yards from 14 runs. [41] Three points equals the Chiefs' lowest score in any game Patrick Mahomes has started. [38]

Why it matters — Seattle's coach Mike Macdonald said his defence had to tackle Walker in waves of players. [41] Seattle's defenders had practised against Walker for the last two years, so they knew how he runs. [38]
08
49ers lose; only Minnesota stay perfect

The Atlanta Falcons beat the San Francisco 49ers 29-20, and scored 13 points after four San Francisco turnovers, which is when a team loses the ball. [39] The 49ers had won their first six games. [14] Their running back Christian McCaffrey, 30, said his leg 'just died' on him, but he came back after half-time. [42] The Minnesota Vikings beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 and are now the only unbeaten team, at 6-0. [39][14]

Why it matters — Minnesota's defence has let in about 10 points a game since the first week. [14] In the next four weeks they visit Detroit, Green Bay and San Francisco, which will test it. [14]
09
Giants win in overtime with a new quarterback

The New York Giants beat the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime. [39] JJ McCarthy started at quarterback after the coach, John Harbaugh, dropped Jameis Winston. [39] McCarthy, traded from Minnesota, completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards. [43][39] Cam Skattebo ran for 124 yards, a week after the coaches gave him no runs at all following a costly fumble. [43][39] His 42-yard run set up the winning touchdown. [43]

Why it matters — Skattebo was flagged for lowering his helmet into a tackler, and he is the only attacking player penalised for it all season. [44] He said he will keep running the same way. [44]
10
Steelers win the NFL's first game in France

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at the Stade de France, near Paris. [39] It was the first regular-season NFL game played in France. [39] A crowd of 78,488 watched, and the game went ahead without trouble after a week of talk about unrest in France. [45] It was the sixth of nine NFL games abroad this season. [45] The Saints ran for only 18 yards. [46]

Why it matters — The Steelers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the league and players once discussed a week of 16 games abroad. [47] He said the plan died when the owners pushed for a 17th game for the extra money. [47]
11
Bengals score 35 in a row against Baltimore

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 35-13 after trailing 13-0 at half-time. [39] Baltimore kept the ball for 22 minutes 40 seconds of the first half, and Cincinnati for 7:40. [48] Joe Burrow then threw four touchdown passes in the second half. [39] Baltimore have now lost a second-half lead of ten points or more for the tenth time since 2022. [39]

Why it matters — Baltimore played a third game without Lamar Jackson, who has an ankle injury and no new contract. [49] His five-year, 260m-dollar deal made him the NFL's highest-paid player in 2023, and it now ranks 12th by yearly pay. [49]
12
Lions win with the last kick

Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Detroit Lions a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. [39] Green Bay's rookie kicker Trey Smack missed from 26 and 35 yards. [50] He has missed seven kicks this season, more than anyone in the league. [50] His coach, Matt LaFleur, said Smack is still his kicker. [50]

Why it matters — Green Bay dropped to last in their four-team division. [39] Their safety Xavier McKinney criticised the referees in strong words after several big calls went against Green Bay. [51]
13
Bo Nix joins a short list

The Denver Broncos won 30-16 in Arizona. [39] Their quarterback Bo Nix ran 62 yards for a touchdown, the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in the team's history. [52] He also threw a 52-yard touchdown pass. [53] He is the fifth player ever with touchdowns of 50 yards or more by both running and passing in one game. [53] Denver had the ball for less time, 26:42 against 33:18. [53]

Why it matters — Nix had struggled this season, and his coach Sean Payton said the team never doubted him. [53] Arizona have now lost ten home games in a row. [39]
14
League and union start a Hurts review

The NFL and the NFL Players Association, the players' union, have begun talks on a joint review of the medical care given to Jalen Hurts. [54] The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is out for the season with blood clots in his lungs. [54] The players' contract with the league lets the union start such a review. [54] Neutral doctors are chosen within 60 days and must report within 60 days after that. [54]

Why it matters — The league's chief medical officer, Allen Sills, has already defended the Eagles. [54] The review could take up to 120 days, so its findings may not come until next year. [54]
15
Jalen Williams carried off on a stretcher

Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 NBA champions, left on a stretcher with a bad left-leg injury. [55][19][56] The NBA is North America's top basketball league. [19] He was knocked off balance going up for a dunk, and his leg was trapped under him as he landed. [19] The Thunder still beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 and are 3-0. [55] Williams missed 49 games last season with injuries. [55]

Why it matters — Williams scored 23.6 points a game in the 2025 finals. [19] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City's best player, was in tears and said Williams will be back. [55]
16
Champions Knicks lose their first three

The Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks, who are 0-3 as the defending NBA champions. [57] Orlando won without Paolo Banchero, who will miss at least a month with an ankle injury. [20] Late in the game Jalen Suggs hurt his right knee on a fast break, with nobody touching him. [58] Suggs has missed 62 games in the last two years. [20] Banchero, Suggs and Franz Wagner have played only 25 games together in two seasons. [20]

Why it matters — The Knicks' coach Mike Brown said his players must give more after the slow start. [57] Orlando built its team around those three players, and they are rarely all fit at once. [20]
17
Doncic scores 52 as Lakers come back

Luka Doncic scored 52 points as the Los Angeles Lakers came back from 18 points down to beat the Utah Jazz 132-123. [59][60] He reached 3,000 points for the Lakers in 95 games, the fastest in the club's history. [59] George Mikan had done it in 106. [59] The Lakers are 3-0, though the Jazz outrebounded them 51-30. [60]

Why it matters — Doncic also passed his former teammate LeBron James on the Lakers' list of 40-point games. [59] James now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, on a 3.9m-dollar salary this season. [61]
18
No arena yet for WNBA Finals Game 6

The WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries are tied 2-2, so a Game 6 will be played in Atlanta on Thursday. [62][63] But the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, run by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, has a Hawks game that night. [63] Unless the league moves something, the Dream will play in the 3,500-seat Gateway Center, the smallest venue in the league. [63][62]

State Farm Arena17,000 seats
Gateway Center3,500 seats
The two arenas Atlanta could use for Game 6.

Why it matters — Moving the date needs the league, its TV partner and the Valkyries to agree. [63] The Hawks also play at home on Wednesday, which rules out the day before. [62]
19
Liverpool end Brighton's run

Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0, their first home league win of the season. [64][65] Brighton had won four league games in a row. [64] Alexander Isak scored his sixth goal in six games. [64] Liverpool paid Newcastle a British record 125m pounds for him in August 2025, and he broke his leg in December. [65] Brighton had 64% of the ball and the better chances by one measure, but did not score. [65]

Why it matters — BBC Sport says Isak is finally living up to his fee, after four goals in 22 games last season. [65] It was coach Andoni Iraola's first league win at Anfield in four tries. [65]
20
Newcastle win at Palace as fans boo

Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in London, with goals from Will Osula and Harvey Barnes after half-time. [66] Palace have lost five of eight league games and are in the bottom four. [23] Their coach Pierre Sage arrived four months ago on a three-year contract. [23] He replaced Oliver Glasner, who won the FA Cup and a European trophy. [23] Palace lost 5-0 at Brighton a week earlier. [23]

Why it matters — The Telegraph reports that Sean Dyche, a former Burnley and Everton coach, would be the favourite if Sage is sacked. [67] Sage said there is no noise inside the club. [23]
21
Inter score twice in stoppage time

Inter Milan, Italy's champions, beat Fiorentina 2-1 with two goals in stoppage time, the minutes added at the end. [16] Marcus Thuram equalised in the first added minute. [16] Minutes later he was pulled down, and Piotr Zielinski scored the penalty. [16] Inter are level on points with Lazio at the top of Serie A, Italy's top league, and their better goal difference puts them first. [16]

Why it matters — Without the two late goals Inter would have lost their hold on first place. [16] Inter and Lazio now both have 22 points. [68]
22
Bayern back on top without Kompany

Bayern Munich won 3-1 at Freiburg and went back to the top of the Bundesliga, Germany's top league, on goal difference ahead of Borussia Dortmund. [17] Serge Gnabry scored his 100th goal in the league. [68] Michael Olise sealed the win in the fifth minute of stoppage time. [17] It was Bayern's first game since their coach, Vincent Kompany, collapsed at training and went to hospital. [17]

Why it matters — Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl said Kompany will be away for weeks, not days. [17] His assistant Aaron Danks will run the team until he returns. [17]
23
Pakistan's last pair beat England

Pakistan beat England by one wicket in Lahore in a one-day international, a 50-overs-a-side match. [69] Pakistan were 154 for nine, chasing 242. [69] Shadab Khan scored 113 not out, the highest score in these matches by a batter at number eight. [69] He was given out at 97 but a video review found the ball had touched his bat. [70][69] He and Haris Rauf added 89, a record last-wicket stand to win such a match. [69]

Why it matters — Pakistan reached the final of the three-team series, and England are all but out. [71][69] Three days earlier England lost to Sri Lanka, who scored 430 to win. [69]
24
Fiji push Australia to the limit

Australia beat Fiji 36-22 at the Rugby League World Cup in front of 41,108 people in Brisbane. [72] Fiji had lost their last five games against Australia by a combined 246-16. [73] They led 16-12 in the second half. [73] Then a Fiji try was ruled out for blocking, and Australia scored at once at the other end. [73][74] Tom Trbojevic scored three tries for Australia and Semi Valemei three for Fiji. [72]

Why it matters — Australia are through to the semi-finals in top place. [72] Fiji must beat New Zealand on Saturday 31 October to join them. [73]
25
New Zealand take netball's Constellation Cup

New Zealand beat Australia 52-49 in Sydney to win the Constellation Cup, a yearly netball series between the two, with a game to spare. [75] Australia led by two goals going into the last quarter. [75] In that quarter Australia gave away 23 penalties to New Zealand's nine. [75] It is only the fourth time Australia have lost the series since it began in 2010. [75]

Why it matters — The last game is in Melbourne on Wednesday. [75] A 4-0 sweep could lift New Zealand above Australia as the world's top-ranked team. [75]
26
Montreal win outdoors days after a big trade

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in the NHL Heritage Classic, an ice hockey game played outdoors in a football stadium. [76] Jacob Fowler made 33 saves for Montreal. [76] Winnipeg became the second Canadian team to host two outdoor games. [76] It was Winnipeg's first game since they traded their star goalkeeper, Connor Hellebuyck, to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. [76]

Why it matters — Dawson Mercer, the main player Winnipeg got back for Hellebuyck, played 15 minutes. [76] Montreal's coach Martin St. Louis said he fell in love with hockey on outdoor rinks. [77]
27
United end City's perfect start

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Manchester City in the Women's Super League, England's top women's league. [15] Khadija Shaw scored her 91st league goal, in her 100th game, but Elisabeth Terland equalised late. [15] It ended City's run of league wins, and Chelsea's better goal difference now puts them above City. [15] United are fourth and unbeaten in eight games. [78]

Why it matters — United's new coach Eva Olid started with a style built on keeping the ball, then went back to the team's defending and pressing. [78] City had beaten United 3-0 twice last season. [15]
28
Smith inspires Quins' first win

Harlequins beat Saracens for their first win of the season in the Prem, England's top rugby union league. [79] Marcus Smith scored the first try in his 200th game for the club. [79] Saracens had two players sent off for ten minutes before half-time. [80] The same day England's coach Steve Borthwick named a 36-man squad, recalling Joe Marchant for the first time since 2023. [81]

Why it matters — Quins stay bottom but are one point behind Exeter and Newcastle. [79] The win eases pressure on their coach Jason Gilmore. [80]
29
Jarman wins a second world silver

Jake Jarman won silver on vault at the world gymnastics championships in Rotterdam. [82] A day earlier he won silver on the floor exercise. [82] He is the first British man to win two individual medals at one world championships. [82] Armenia's Artur Davtyan won gold with 14.850 to Jarman's 14.650. [82] Britain's Abigail Martin, 18, tied for bronze on floor but lost it on the score for how cleanly she performed. [82]

Why it matters — Jarman has five world medals in all. [82] Martin's tie was broken by execution marks, which measure how cleanly a routine is done, not how hard it is. [82]
30
Henderson sets a race-walk world record

Australia's Rebecca Henderson set a world record for the race-walk marathon, 3 hours 14 minutes 52 seconds, at a meeting in Takahata, Japan, in heavy rain. [83] The marathon distance became an official race-walk event in January, replacing the 20km and 35km races. [83] It is the first senior world record by an Australian non-disabled athlete in a championship event since 2006. [83]

Why it matters — Henderson recently won Commonwealth Games bronze over 10,000m in Glasgow. [83] She has competed at two Olympic Games. [83]
31
Ross Smith wins darts' European title

Ross Smith of England beat Germany's Martin Schindler 11-8 to win darts' European Championship in Dortmund. [84] It is his second win in the event, after 2022. [84] He led 8-2 before Schindler came back to 9-7. [84] The world champion Luke Littler lost 10-6 to Krzysztof Ratajski in the quarter-finals. [84]

Why it matters — Littler has still never won this event. [84] Smith also won the World Series of Darts Finals in September. [84]
32
Wilson wins the Northern Ireland Open

Kyren Wilson beat Jak Jones 9-2 in Belfast to win snooker's Northern Ireland Open for the second time in three years. [85] It repeated the 2024 world championship final, which Wilson also won. [85] He made three century breaks, scoring 100 or more in one visit to the table, in the afternoon session. [85]

Why it matters — It is Wilson's 11th ranking title, the kind that counts towards the world rankings, and his first since 2025. [85]
33
Katsuragawa wins in South Korea

Yuto Katsuragawa of Japan won the Genesis Championship in South Korea by two shots, for his second win on the DP World Tour, Europe's main golf tour. [86] He finished 13 under par. [86] A day earlier he equalled the course record with a round of 63. [86] France's Frederic Lacroix and Martin Couvra tied for second. [86]

Why it matters — South Africa's Casey Jarvis, second before the last day, fell to a tie for fourth. [86] He had hoped a third win this year would bring him close to the tour's top three. [86]
34
Wind stops a golf event in Bermuda

Gusts of over 40 miles an hour stopped the final round of the Bermuda Championship, a PGA Tour event, before anyone could tee off. [87] Organisers cut it to 54 holes. [87] Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power, tied for the lead, were due back on Monday for a play-off on the 16th hole. [87] It is the first PGA Tour event cut to 54 holes since early 2024. [87]

Why it matters — Power is just outside the top 100, and a win would keep his place on the tour until 2028. [87] Smotherman won his first title this month. [87]
35
Moscow gets a weightlifting world championships

The International Weightlifting Federation gave Moscow its 2030 world championships. [88] It is the first time an Olympic sport has picked Russia for a world event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. [88] The federation let Russian athletes back into its events four months ago. [88] The 2030 event will count towards qualifying for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. [88]

Why it matters — The IOC, which runs the Olympics, provisionally lifted its ban on Russia in July but has not said whether Russia's flag can return. [88] Ukraine has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the IOC's decision. [88]
36
Ronaldo's Asian game postponed

An Asian Champions League match between Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo's club in Saudi Arabia, and Al Wasl of Dubai was postponed. [89] It was due in Riyadh on Monday. [89] The Asian Football Confederation gave no reason and said a new date would come later. [89] Travel trouble from the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels is believed to be the cause. [89]

Why it matters — Other Riyadh events, including a tennis exhibition and a business conference, have also been put back. [89] Other Champions League games in Saudi Arabia are still going ahead. [89]
37
Two more players pass 1bn dollars

Forbes says Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant each passed 1bn dollars in career earnings last season. [61] That counts pay, prize money and sponsorship before tax and agents' fees. [61] Nine athletes have now reached the mark, after Tiger Woods became the first active one in 2009. [61] Cristiano Ronaldo became the first active athlete past 2bn dollars this year. [61]

Why it matters — More money is flowing into sport than ever, Forbes says, which is why the list grows faster now. [61] Forbes estimates only the top four are billionaires once tax and fees are taken off. [61]
38
Khawaja reveals his secret illness

Usman Khawaja, the former Australia batter, said he had rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that attacks the joints, for his whole Test career. [90] He was diagnosed at 22, when knee pain stopped him walking ten metres. [90] Regular injections kept him playing, and he still takes them. [90] He kept it secret, he said, so nobody could use it against him. [90]

Why it matters — He said he already faced stereotypes in Australian cricket and did not want an excuse. [90] His autobiography, Sabr, comes out on 10 November. [90]
39
Texas lose a top draft prospect

Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby will miss the rest of the college season with a knee injury, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. [91] Goosby, a 6ft 7in senior, was carted off in the first quarter of Saturday's 34-27 win over Ole Miss. [91][21] He is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft. [21] Wide receiver Cam Coleman also looked badly hurt. [21]

Why it matters — Texas, ranked 11th, have five regular-season games left without one of the country's best linemen. [91][21]
40
Hardy returns after being shot

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy will return to practice this week, the university said on Sunday. [92] Hardy was shot in the upper leg at a concert in Mississippi in May and needed emergency surgery. [92] He has not played this season. [92] Last season he ran for 1,649 yards, more than any player in the four biggest college conferences. [92]

Why it matters — It is not known whether he will play against Arkansas on Saturday. [92] His coach Eli Drinkwitz had promised to announce his return himself, and did. [92]
41
Illinois beat Oregon with a freshman

Illinois beat Oregon 21-10 in college football on Saturday, with a first-year quarterback, Michael Clayton, making his first start. [93] Oregon led 10-0 before Aidan Laughery ran 75 yards for a touchdown late in the first half. [93] Illinois then scored 21 points in a row. [93] Clayton threw for only 84 yards but passed for two touchdowns. [93]

Why it matters — Illinois are now 4-3, and Sports Illustrated called it one of the biggest wins of coach Bret Bielema's time there. [93]
42
Pachuca spoil Ochoa's big night

Club America named the pitch at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca after Guillermo Ochoa, its former goalkeeper. [94] The tribute came before Sunday's game with Pachuca. [94] Pachuca then won 2-1, with a long-range goal from Idrissi in the 76th minute. [95] America still top Mexico's league with 27 points. [95]

Why it matters — Pachuca moved from third-bottom to 13th and are four points from the play-off places with three games left. [95]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why the side with more of the ball can still lose the match

A side with the ball pushes its players forward, so when it loses the ball, the other side can run into the space they left behind.

The twist

A side that keeps the ball is most at risk at the moment it loses it, because most of its own players are then in front of the ball.

The picture

Barcelona's usual chances, per game3.5 goals

Barcelona's chances against Real1.19 goals

Expected goals is an estimate of what a side's chances are worth. With most of the ball, Barcelona made about a third of their usual chances.

How it works

A side with the ball sends players forward to attack
That leaves fewer of its players behind the ball
If it loses the ball there, the other side runs into the empty space
A chance with few defenders in the way is far easier to score
So a side with less of the ball can still make the better chances

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Liverpool against Brighton

Brighton had 64% of the ball, but Liverpool scored twice and then kept many players near their own goal, so the possession never became goals.
Atlanta against San Francisco

San Francisco lost the ball four times, and Atlanta turned those four turnovers into 13 points.
Denver in Arizona

Denver had the ball for less time, but two long touchdown plays of 62 and 52 yards beat Arizona's longer spells with it.

Where you've seen this

Chess

a player who sends many pieces into an attack leaves the king guarded by few, and one counter-move can win the game

Basketball

a missed shot with five players near the far basket gives the other side an easy run the other way

A growing business

a firm that spends all its cash on opening new shops has nothing in reserve when sales suddenly drop

The catch

It works only when the waiting side has fast players and passes accurately on the break; without them, it just gets pinned back for 90 minutes.

And the whole of it

Nobody on the pitch saw the whole of Sunday's winner. Gabriel Jesus saw his loose touch, Camavinga saw the space and Mbappe saw an empty net. Each of them held one piece of the move, and so did every fan in the ground, watching from one seat.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

Barcelona lost their perfect start because a tired squad, missing four defenders, kept pushing for a winner and was caught by Real Madrid on the break. [9] Across the day, Manchester United's board, not its coach, is deciding the club's next step, and it cannot announce a sacking until the New York stock market opens on Monday. [22]

Why it works on us — A share of the ball as high as 62% looks like control, so a defeat reads as bad luck rather than as a plan the other side carried out.

Who gains

Real Madrid — Beating Barcelona away cut a gap that could have been nine points to three, with most of the season still to play. [4]
Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes — His ninth win means he cannot be caught on a tie, so he needs only to be 100 points clear after Mexico City. [24]
Kyle Larson — His rivals Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick lost points in crashes and pit-road errors, so his lead grew to 73. [31]
Eddie Howe — Being out of work makes him cheaper for United to hire than Unai Emery, for whom Aston Villa would want about 20m pounds. [22]
Pakistan's one-day team — A record last-wicket stand of 89 put them into the final of the three-team series. [69]

Who pays

Barcelona — Their first league defeat came five days after a 4-2 loss in Paris, with four defenders injured. [9]
Michael Carrick — Eight games without a win, the worst run since 2015-16, leave him likely to be the club's third coach dismissed in three seasons. [35]
Atlanta Dream fans — A Finals game may be played in a 3,500-seat arena because the Hawks' game has the bigger one booked. [63]
The Oklahoma City Thunder — They lose a player who scored 23.6 points a game in the 2025 finals, and who missed 49 games last season. [19][55]
England's one-day side — Two collapses in four days have left them all but out of the series, less than a year before the World Cup. [69]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

Whether Manchester United sack Michael Carrick, and who replaces him.

The Guardian says the club expects to sack him and favours Eddie Howe, but nothing can be announced until the club tells the New York Stock Exchange. [22][67]
02

How long Barcelona will be without their injured defenders.

Flick named Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart as injured but gave no return dates. [9]
03

How serious Jalen Williams's leg injury is.

The Thunder had no update after the game and said they would learn more on Monday. [55][19]
04

Where Game 6 of the WNBA Finals will be played.

The league has not decided between moving a game at the 17,000-seat arena and playing in the 3,500-seat one. [63][62]
05

How far Atletico Madrid trail Barcelona.

Reuters puts Atletico one point behind Barcelona, while ESPN's table shows two, and we could not check which is right. [1][2]
06

Whether Antonelli and Larson settle their titles next weekend.

Antonelli is champion unless Russell or Hamilton wins in Mexico City, and Larson leads by 73 with 75 the most a rival can gain in one race. [28][31]
07

What the review of Jalen Hurts's medical care will find.

The league and the players' union have only begun talks on how to run it, and it can take up to 120 days. [54]
08

How badly Jalen Suggs is hurt.

Orlando's coach had no update after the game. [20]

04 Hope carry this

Ahmad Hardy, a Missouri running back who was shot in the leg at a concert in May, will return to practice this week. Last season he ran for 1,649 yards, more than any player in the four biggest college conferences.

Also true today

Rebecca Henderson walked a marathon in 3 hours 14 minutes 52 seconds in heavy rain in Japan, a new world record. It is the first senior world record by an Australian non-disabled athlete in a championship event since 2006.
Joey Logano's car flipped onto its roof at Talladega with five laps left. Safety crews turned it back over within minutes, and he climbed out to cheers.
Jake Jarman won silver on vault a day after winning silver on floor. No British man had won two individual medals at one world gymnastics championships before.
Fiji had lost their last five games against Australia by a combined 246-16. On Sunday they led Australia 16-12 in the second half, in front of 41,108 people in Brisbane.