Rodri beats Vinicius Junior to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
Manchester City’s Rodri has won the 2024 Ballon d’Or at a Paris ceremony, triumphing over Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. The midfielder enjoyed an impressive year, claiming the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup with City, and Euro 2024 with Spain. Despite being seen as Rodri’s main rival, Vinicius didn’t attend the event, nor did his teammate Jude Bellingham. Rodri is the first midfielder to win since Luka Modrić in 2018, ending a stretch dominated by Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema. Accepting the award, Rodri expressed gratitude for his family and country, adding that he’s focused on improving his game daily. Currently sidelined with an ACL injury, Rodri aims to recover fully while City, who have struggled defensively in his absence, face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup. His Ballon d’Or win celebrates a standout year despite this setback.
RODRI IS THE 2024 MEN'S BALLON D'OR! #ballondor @ManCity @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/heWvSQsOxn
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 28, 2024
Tyrese Maxey powers the 76ers to an overtime win over the Indiana Pacers.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George absent, the Philadelphia 76ers have leaned heavily on guard Tyrese Maxey. Before Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Maxey had taken on the primary scoring role in the first two games but struggled with efficiency. Against the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, he averaged just 30 percent from the field and only 19 percent on nearly 11 three-point attempts per game—a surprising dip for a career 39-percent three-point shooter. On Sunday, Maxey bounced back in a big way, scoring 45 points to lead the 76ers to a 118-114 overtime win over the Pacers, marking their first victory of the season. Caleb Martin added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Andre Drummond contributed nine points and 17 rebounds. The 76ers, now 1-2, will return home to face the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
Tyrese Maxey with 45 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST & 2 BLK as the 76ers get the 118-114 OT WIN against the Pacers 🔥💪 pic.twitter.com/ZF3QL3z4tk
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) October 27, 2024
West Ham secures 2-1 win over Man United, thanks to late penalty drama.
Pressure continued to mount on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as his team suffered a 2-1 loss to West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday. Both teams sought a win to enter the league’s top half after slow starts, with United initially showing promise. Alejandro Garnacho struck the post, and Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, and Diogo Dalot all had first-half opportunities. West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville broke the deadlock with 15 minutes left, but Casemiro equalized seven minutes later with a header assisted by Joshua Zirkzee. United seemed set to claim a point, but Matthijs de Ligt was penalized for a foul on Danny Ings in the box. The referee initially dismissed penalty claims, but VAR reversed the decision. Jarrod Bowen converted the late spot-kick, lifting West Ham to 13th in the table, just ahead of United on goals scored.
🔴 Manchester United are currently 13th in Premier League table with 11 points…
…key win for Lopetegui and West Ham. ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/sGC7dZrVZq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 27, 2024
Yıldız’s brace salvaged a point for Juventus against Inter Milan.
In a thrilling encounter at San Siro on Sunday, Juventus rallied from a two-goal deficit to secure a 4-4 draw against Inter Milan. The historic match saw five goals in the first half, marking a Serie A milestone for the rivalry. Inter took the lead through a Piotr Zieliński penalty after Marcus Thuram was fouled. Juventus responded swiftly, with Weston McKennie setting up Dušan Vlahović for the equalizer, and Timothy Weah added another to put Juve ahead. Inter’s Henrik Mkhitaryan leveled the score before Zieliński’s second penalty restored their lead by halftime. In the second half, Denzel Dumfries extended Inter’s advantage. However, Juventus’ 19-year-old Yıldız turned the game around with two late goals, including a well-controlled finish in the box, securing a hard-fought draw and maintaining both teams’ unbeaten records in Serie A this season.
FT: Inter 4-4 Juventus.
WHAT A GAME THAT WAS! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/MnDsK3Vekn
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) October 27, 2024
Salah’s late goal helps Liverpool snatch a draw against Arsenal.
Arsenal, missing key defenders William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori, drew 2-2 with Liverpool at the Emirates in a tense Premier League showdown on Sunday. Arsenal took an early lead as Bukayo Saka latched onto Ben White’s long pass, cut inside Andy Robertson, and fired past Kelleher at the near post. Liverpool responded quickly when Virgil van Dijk headed in from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s set-piece. Arsenal dominated the first half and regained the lead through Mikel Merino’s powerful header off a Declan Rice free-kick. However, Arsenal faced a setback as Gabriel Magalhães left injured early in the second half, allowing Liverpool to push forward. Alexander-Arnold found Darwin Núñez, who set up Mohamed Salah for the equalizer. The game ended in a hard-fought draw, with Liverpool moving to second place and Arsenal settling for third in the Premier League standings.
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool.
1. Manchester City (23)
2. Liverpool (22)
3. Arsenal (18) pic.twitter.com/zRmRU3xPbD— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) October 27, 2024