Antoine Dupont marked his return to international XVs with a dominant victory over Eddie Jones' Japan to open France's Autumn Nations Series.

Dupont, who won Olympic gold with the France sevens team in July, was playing his first game in international XVs since his side's devastating home World Cup quarter-final defeat by South Africa last October.

Having spent 2024 focusing on sevens, the former World Player of the Year played 66 minutes and looked sharp throughout, having a second-half try ruled out.

In a dominant first half, wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossed for two tries, with fellow 21-year-old Emilien Gailleton also scoring.

After flanker Alexandre Roumat grabbed the third try, returning star Dupont combined with Peato Mauvaka to send the hooker over.

Prop Jean-Baptiste Gros powered over for a score, while La Rochelle's Paul Boudehent crossed twice in a clinical performance.

Jones' Japan, who recently were hammered by New Zealand in Yokohama, showed massive improvement in the second period and scored tries through fly-half Harumichi Tatekawa and replacement Tevita Tatafu.

Fabien Galthie's side will now face New Zealand in a rematch of the opening game of last autumn's World Cup next Saturday.

Elsewhere, Argentina provided a timely reminder to Friday's opponents Ireland that they cannot be taken lightly after a 50-18 victory over Italy in Udine.

Fly-half Tomas Albornoz, who plays his club rugby in Italy at Benetton, scored 20 points to guide the Pumas to their biggest victory over their Six Nations opponents.

Matt Freese had three saves in a nine-round shootout and Mitja Ilenic scored the winner as New York City FC beatFC Cincinnati 6-5 on Saturday after the two clubs dueled to a scoreless draw in regulation of the rubber match in the best-of-three first-round series.

No. 6 seed NYCFC eliminates third-seeded Cincinnati and will host the rival and seventh-seeded New York Red Bulls in an Eastern Conference semifinal Hudson River derby.

Freese had four saves in regulation in his third postseason start for NYCFC. He saved shots in the shootout from Pavel Bucha, Gerardo Valenzuela and Teenage Hadebe.

His opposite number, Cincinnati's Roman Celentano, who had one save in regulation, saved shots by NYCFC captain Thiago Martins and Kevin O'Toole with the match on the line, but he couldn't stop Ilenic. It was Celentano's ninth career postseason start -- all with Cincinnati.

Freese made one other start in the playoffs -- in 2021 when he filled in for the Philadelphia Union's Andre Blake who was out with COVID-19.

Cincinnati beat NYCFC 1-0 in the opener at home before losing 3-1 on the road in the second match.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tim Weah's first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international's third goal in four Serie A matches.

Weah, who also scored recently against Inter Milan and Parma, was in the right spot to redirect in a rebound of a shot from Andrea Cambiaso.

Weah's father, former Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, was watching from the stands. Tim Weah had another potential goal waved off for a handball.

Kenan Yildiz sealed it for Juventus with a crouching header late in the second half.

"I am happy with Kenan's goal. We must insist with him on attacking the box, closing the far post," Juventus head coach Thiago Motta said. "Timothy is doing very well; in the defensive phase they had an excellent game together with Dusan [Vlahovic] and Teun [Koopmeiners].

"It was not easy ... They can still improve a lot," Motta added.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Juventus moved up to third, level on points with second-placed Inter Milan, which hosts league leader Napoli on Sunday.

Arne Slot admitted his concern at Trent Alexander-Arnold limping out of Liverpool's 2-0 win against Aston Villa with a suspected hamstring injury after just 25 minutes, saying that it is "always serious if a player goes off in the first-half."

Goals from Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah sealed the win, which moved Liverpool five points clear at the top of the Premier League heading into the international break, but Alexander-Arnold's injury cast a shadow over the victory.

The England defender sat on the turf and signalled to the bench that he was in discomfort and, despite undergoing treatment for three minutes, left the pitch clutching his right hamstring before being replaced by substitute Conor Bradley.

And while Liverpool boss Slot stopped short of ruling Alexander-Arnold out of England's Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next week, he said that the 26-year-old's reaction to the injury was "not a good sign."

"It's difficult to say how serious it is, but it's always serious if a player goes off in the first-half," Slot told reporters. "He asked for it -- it wasn't because he was tired, but he felt something.

"That's not a good sign, but it's always difficult so close after a game to say how it is. I would be surprised if he is OK for the national team at the end of this week, but hopefully he can be."

Liverpool have won 15 of 17 games under Slot since his appointment as successor to Jurgen Klopp this summer and they sit top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.

But with home games against Real Madrid and Manchester City within the space of five days to come after the international break, Slot warned that Liverpool must remain focused and expect their rivals to compete to catch them.

"Every game is a big week against strong teams in big competitions," he said. "But we hope we have many more of these weeks to come.

"If I look at the games that are ahead they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin but it is small. Many challenges to come for us.

"It's a long season and we have to continue to be at the top of our games as City, Arsenal and Chelsea can win as many as we have.

"It is never going to be easy but will push as much as we can."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida men's basketball coach Todd Golden acknowledged an ongoing school inquiry Saturday and said he was considering "defamation claims," presumably against his accusers.

"For the last month, I have actively participated in and respected the confidentiality of an ongoing school inquiry," Golden said in a statement posted on X. "I have recently engaged [attorney] Ken Turkel to advise me on my ability to bring defamation claims while this confidential investigation is ongoing.

"My family and I appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review promptly."

Golden's statement came one day after the Independent Florida Alligator reported the university was investigating Golden for allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking multiple women, including students.

pic.twitter.com/p0gJXNFtFf

Todd Golden (@CoachToddGolden) November 9, 2024

According to the student-run newspaper, the claims include unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors and sending photos and videos of his genitalia. The newspaper based its report on a Title IX complaint filed against Golden on Sept. 27.

Golden led Florida's on-campus practice Saturday in preparation for Monday night's home game against Grambling State. Golden was expected to coach the 21st-ranked Gators (2-0) in that one.

The Associated Press requested a copy of the complaint from the university. Under federal law, schools cannot comment on or even confirm any Title IX inquiries, complaints or investigations.

On more than one occasion, the paper said, Golden allegedly took photos of women walking or driving and sent those pictures to the subjects involved. Alleged stalking incidents also included Golden, a married father of two young boys, showing up to locations where he knew the women would be.

Golden, 39, signed a two-year contract extension in March that included a $1 million raise and brought his annual salary to $4 million. The deal puts Golden under contract through 2030.

Golden is 42-29 in two-plus seasons in Gainesville and has his deepest and most talented roster in his three years.

This is the third set of serious allegations against a head coach during athletic director Scott Stricklin's eight-year tenure.

Stricklin allowed women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer to resign in 2021 amid allegations he verbally, physically and mentally abused players and staff members. Newbauer received a $283,250 buyout that was paid in installments.

Less than a year later, Stricklin fired women's soccer coach Tony Amato amid an investigation into the coach's comments and behavior regarding the eating habits and body shapes of players. Amato was fired without cause one year into a six-year contract, leaving the Gators on the hook for roughly $1.125 million.

Stricklin also has been under fire for two NCAA investigations: the first one in 2020 landed the Gators on probation for the first time in 30 years and led to a show cause for then-football coach Dan Mullen; the second one involved former quarterback signee Jaden Rashada and a failed name, image and likeness worth nearly $14 million. Rashada is now suing Florida football coach Billy Napier and a prominent booster.

AUSTIN, Texas -- On Thursday, embattled Florida coach Billy Napier got a vote of confidence from athletic director Scott Stricklin, who announced that Napier "will continue as head football coach of the Florida Gators," citing the progress the team has made this season.

On Saturday, a banged-up Florida team got a reminder of just how far it needs to go, losing to No. 5 Texas 49-17 in a game the Gators trailed 42-0. Florida fell to 4-5 and 2-4 in the SEC.

"Overall, [it] got out of hand in the first half," Napier said. "You look up and the game is over. We have to evaluate the effort. We have to evaluate point-of-attack issues we had, and just flat-out have to play better."

He spoke for the first time since Stricklin's letter to fans, where he said he wanted to take a "disciplined, stable approach," asking fans to "continue standing behind Billy and his dedicated team while we work together to build a championship program."

Napier said after Saturday's loss he was appreciative of the chance to continue trying to straighten out the program's woes.

"Well first of all, I'm thankful for our players. ... We would not have made some of the progress that we've made over the last four, five, six weeks without a great group of players, the character there at the core of that group, their leadership. I do think that when you look at the roster as a whole, we have a ton of young talent, and I think they'll continue to develop and they're learning. They're going through this experience, and I think that'll prove beneficial in the future."

Stricklin's statement cited close losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia as reasons for optimism for the future of Napier's young team. But this was not a close loss. The Gators' halftime deficit was the largest in a Florida conference game over the past 20 years.

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who was carted off the field after a hamstring injury against Georgia last week, warmed up but was unable to play, after the Gators already lost starter Graham Mertz for the season with a knee injury. The Gators' starter, Aidan Warner, is a former walk-on, who transferred from Yale. He went 12 of 25 for 132 yards and two interceptions.

"Aidan fought his tail off out there today, did some good things for a guy who's making his first start against a really good defense, one of the better defenses in the country," Napier said. "It was good to see him move the team a little bit in the second half."

Napier said Lagway said he felt as good as he has all week during pregame, but the coach decided he wasn't quite ready to go.

"I think you risk putting him out there with the soft tissue injury. He's not quite ready to do it, but we're hopeful he's made some progress."

Meanwhile, the Texas offense scorched the Gators' defense for 562 yards, as Quinn Ewers completed 19 of 27 attempts for 333 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, with two other likely touchdown passes bouncing off the hands of receiver DeAndre Moore.

At halftime, the Longhorns had 353 yards on 35 plays, averaged 5.6 yards per carry and a Texas offense that had struggled to break off big plays of late had 297 yards passing as Ewers had one of his best games of the season.

"We didn't affect the quarterback," Napier said. "You look up and it's 10 yards a play in the first half."

Napier, in his third season at Florida, fell to 15-19 with the Gators, with home games remaining against LSU and Ole Miss and a road trip to Florida State.

"You go into the game, understand you're playing with your third quarterback and have to defend them, and we did not do that," Napier said. "So we lost a little bit of our stinger because of that."

Despite the result, in the postgame news conference, wide receiver Chimere Dike and linebacker Shemar James expressed what James called the "relief" of Stricklin's letter in support of Napier.

"I have full belief in him," Dike said. "I think that today was obviously tough for our team, but we're going in the right direction. We've got a lot of young guys who continue to improve and I'm excited to see him in the future of this program."

Memphis Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant is considered week-to-week after imaging revealed a posterior hip subluxation along with multiple associated Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains, the team announced Saturday.

Morant sustained the injuries when he attempted to catch a lob pass during the third quarter of Wednesday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Morant was destabilized midair by a Lakers player, causing him to fall into extreme right hip flexion," the Grizzlies news release stated.

Morant, who did not sustain a dislocation along with his subluxation, sat out Friday's win over the Washington Wizards, when his backup Scotty Pippen Jr. recorded the first triple-double of his career.

Morant is one of three starters for the 6-4 Grizzlies who are sidelined on a week-to-week basis. Guards Desmond Bane (oblique strain) and Marcus Smart (ankle sprain) have not played since being injured in an Oct. 30 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

A two-time All-Star, Morant was limited to only nine games last season as the injury-ravaged Grizzlies limped to a 27-55 season. He served a 25-game league suspension to begin the season and sustained a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in January. He is averaging 20.6 points and 9.1 assists this season.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant suffered a left calf strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

Durant suffered the injury in Friday's 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks, a game he finished with 26 points in 37 minutes.

The future Hall of Famer has had a strong start to the season, averaging 27.6 points on 55.3% shooting from the field and 42.9% from 3. His 38.8 minutes per game this year are the most he's averaged since 2010-11.

Durant has led the Suns to first place in the Western Conference with an 8-1 record. His league-leading 35 points in clutch time this season has helped the Suns go 7-0 in games within five points with five minutes remaining.

It is easy to imagine, somewhere in a Parisian hotel room, Eddie Jones chuckling at the television.

With his Japan side not playing France until the evening, he would have had just enough time to take in England's defeat by his native Australia.

And, if not a repeat, the 64-year-old might have picked up on some recycled storylines.

Five years ago, during his own time in charge at Twickenham, England astonishingly squandered a 31-0 lead against Scotland, ultimately squeaking a 38-38 draw.

A grim-faced Jones said afterwards that losing had become a habit. He thought the prospect of victory triggered jitters that put it back out of his team's reach.

"It is a recurring thing," he said.

"It's like we have some hand grenades in the back of a jeep and sometimes they go off when there's a lot of pressure."

It seems there are still some bouncing about in the boot.

And against Australia on Saturday, there was a whole fireworks display of frailties.

England contrived to win the match twice over and then, with the clock deep in the red, lost it again on a fatal, final play. They had led by 12 points in the first quarter, ahead with two minutes to play and a kick-off to come their way.

But, once again, the game squirmed free of their grasp as Len Ikitau got away from Ollie Sleightholme and Australia's replacement wing Max Jorgensen gleefully hared into the corner.

England have lost their last four matches by margins of five, two, seven and one point. Captain Jamie George has resisted Jones' old diagnosis, that their inability to see out matches is a psychological glitch.

But, until they grind through the pressure to victory, his team can't dispel the theory either.

NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current's lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

Chawinga also hit the ground and stayed there several times in the match, something that drew criticism from Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski after the victory.

"It wasn't just this game. If you look at the season, every game they're overly physical against her," Andonovski said. "It's not fair for Temwa. They're targeting her. They're going directly at her. And I just hope that as we go forward, she gets more protection from the referees."

Chawinga was on her back deep into second-half stoppage time after a tackle by Courage reserve Bianca St-Georges, who then stood over Chawinga with her hands in the air and appeared to yell something at the Current forward.

Kansas City defender Ellie Wheeler rushed over and shoved St-Georges in the back, resulting in yellow cards for Wheeler and St-Georges.

"I think [Chawinga] has a lot of attention on her," Current midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo said. "And just, I think when we see that happen over and over again, and her not get the calls that she should be getting, it gets frustrating, and you want to protect her and stand up for her.

"She does so much for us, offensively and defensively, and we really want to stick together and show up for our teammates, especially in moments like that."

The Courage were whistled for just one foul on Chawinga during the game, per the NWSL's official statistics.

Kansas City's win sets up a much anticipated semifinal meeting next week with the Orlando Pride, the NWSL Shield winners and No. 1 seed.

Chawinga opened the scoring in the eighth minute on Saturday, finishing a counterattack on the fourth shot of a chaotic sequence. Her initial shot was saved by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy before Kansas City forward Debinha put the rebound off the post. The ball bounced off the post and back to Chawinga, whose next shot was blocked by North Carolina defender Kaleigh Kurtz. But the ball came back to Chawinga again for an empty-net tap-in.

"That was their one really bright moment," Courage head coach Sean Nahas said. "We just gave the ball away cheaply in the first 10 minutes for whatever reason, but I felt once the game settled in, and we dictated it later in the first half, we just couldn't muster final chances. We had the one that was called back -- probably the right call -- but we were never able really to get behind and that's just been the story of our season."

Nahas said his team, especially Kurtz, "did a fantastic job with Chawinga today."

Chawinga entered the match listed as questionable due to a knee injury that caused her to miss last week's regular-season finale. She scored 20 goals in the regular season, breaking the single-season NWSL record (previously 18, held by Sam Kerr).

After conceding the goal, the Courage dominated on the ball, finishing the game with 65% possession. North Carolina forward Kerolin, last year's league MVP, started and played 75 minutes in the loss after missing last week's game with muscle tightness.

But Kerolin's return wasn't enough to solve the Courage's season-long scoring troubles. She came off the field in the 75th minute, 10 minutes after leading scorer Ashley Sanchez was removed from the match.

"We had to make a few changes just to throw numbers higher up the field, and obviously it didn't work out," Nahas said. "But you have to go for it, whether you lose 1-0 or 5-0, at that stage, it doesn't matter. But we weren't really providing anything dynamic in the final third."

The Current finished the regular season 16 points clear of North Carolina despite being separated by one place in the standings.

Kansas City now travels to face an Orlando team that started the season unbeaten through 23 games and trounced the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 in Friday's quarterfinal.

The Pride defeated the Current in Kansas City in June in a battle of unbeatens before the teams played to a scoreless draw in Orlando in September.

"Orlando showed in this season that they're the best team, no question," Andonovski said. "All we can do is congratulate them for a great season. But for us, we know that it's going to be a hard task. We're gonna enjoy today and tomorrow we're gonna start preparing for Orlando."