VAR Drama Saves Miami Blushes In St. Louis Draw

Lionel Messi was on target but Inter Miami were held 3-3 by St.Louis in MLS action on Saturday © Chris ARJOON / AFP
Lionel Messi was on target but Inter Miami were held 3-3 by St.Louis in MLS action on Saturday © Chris ARJOON / AFP
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VAR Drama Saves Miami Blushes In St. Louis Draw

Lionel Messi was on target but Inter Miami were held 3-3 by St.Louis in MLS action on Saturday © Chris ARJOON / AFP
Lionel Messi was on target but Inter Miami were held 3-3 by St.Louis in MLS action on Saturday © Chris ARJOON / AFP

A late VAR intervention saved Lionel Messi and Inter Miami from falling to a second straight home defeat on Saturday as the Eastern Conference leaders battled to a 3-3 draw with St.Louis.

Inter, upset at home by Atlanta on Wednesday, appeared to be heading for another costly loss after a 68th-minute Luis Suarez own goal left St.Louis 3-2 up heading into the final minutes, AFP reported.

But with time running out, Miami substitute Julian Gressel's long ball found Jordi Alba running into space and the Barcelona man tucked away the finish to the relief of Miami's packed Chase Stadium crowd.

The goal was initially chalked off however after being flagged for offside but an intervention from VAR official Daniel Radford sent referee Allen Chapman to the monitor.

Replays appeared to show Alba was just onside and the goal stood to ensure Miami secured a share of the points.

There was still time for Miami to come within a whisker of snatching a dramatic win but Marcelo Weigandt's thumping late strike was superbly parried away by St.Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki.

The result was hard on St.Louis, who took the lead on three occasions only for Miami to battle back for a fortuitous draw.

Midfielder Chris Durkin fired St.Louis into the lead after 15 minutes, swiveling on the edge of the area to unleash a ferocious shot into the top corner past Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.

Messi then worked his magic to get Miami back on level terms in the 25th minute, wrongfooting the St.Louis defence before passing to Alba on the flank. Alba's return cross was met by Messi who swept in a low finish to make it 1-1.

Former Miami player Indiana Vassilev put St. Louis 2-1 up in the 41st minute to round off a sweeping counter-attack, but Miami hit back before half-time.

Another fine Messi run released Alba, whose low cross flew across the face of goal to be tucked away by Suarez at a tight angle.

But Suarez was left hanging his head midway through the second half after Durkin's flick from a setpiece cannoned off the Uruguayan and into the Miami net to leave St.Louis 3-2 up.

That looked like being enough for victory but the late VAR drama rescued Miami, who remain top of the Eastern Conference standings with 35 points from 18 games.

Cincinnati are two points behind Miami but have played two games fewer.



Zverev Opens ATP Finals with Convincing Win over Jodar

15 November 2026, Italy, Turin: German tennis player Alexander Zverev in action against Spain's Rafael Jodar during their men's singles match of the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals, an international tennis match in Turin. Photo: Claudio Benedetto/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa
15 November 2026, Italy, Turin: German tennis player Alexander Zverev in action against Spain's Rafael Jodar during their men's singles match of the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals, an international tennis match in Turin. Photo: Claudio Benedetto/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa
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Zverev Opens ATP Finals with Convincing Win over Jodar

15 November 2026, Italy, Turin: German tennis player Alexander Zverev in action against Spain's Rafael Jodar during their men's singles match of the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals, an international tennis match in Turin. Photo: Claudio Benedetto/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa
15 November 2026, Italy, Turin: German tennis player Alexander Zverev in action against Spain's Rafael Jodar during their men's singles match of the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals, an international tennis match in Turin. Photo: Claudio Benedetto/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa

Aiming to punctuate the best year of his career with another big title, top-ranked Alexander Zverev got his ATP Finals campaign off to a strong start with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over debutant Rafael Jodar on Sunday.

Zverev claimed his first two Grand Slam titles this year and ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time. He’s aiming for his third trophy at Finals after taking the season-ending event in 2018 and 2021.

“It's been a very good year for me. A lot of things that I've wanted to achieve I have achieved this year," Zverev said, according to The Associated Press. “But playing here you can never take it for granted.”

The 20-year-old Jodar is the first man to qualify for the Finals in the same season that he made his tour-level debut in.

The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev dominated with his serve, cranking out 10 aces on the fast indoor surface, and consistently applied pressure on Jodar’s serve.

It was a convincing performance for Zverev after entering on a two-match losing streak that included a straight-set loss to Lorenzo Musetti in his first match as No. 1.

“To start the tournament with a 6-4, 6-4 win is always very, very nice,” Zverev said. “I still think I have a lot of things to improve. It was not a perfect match.”

The only time Zverev got in trouble was when he faced two break points while attempting to serve out the first set. He hit an ace on the first break point and a service winner on the second and then another ace before closing the set out.

“He served very good in those two points, so I didn’t have any chance,” Jodar said.


Ronaldinho Makes his Pro Football Return with Italy's Ravenna

Ravenna's Ronaldinho after the Serie C soccer match between Ravenna and Forli in Ravenna, Italy, Sunday Nov. 15, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Ravenna's Ronaldinho after the Serie C soccer match between Ravenna and Forli in Ravenna, Italy, Sunday Nov. 15, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
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Ronaldinho Makes his Pro Football Return with Italy's Ravenna

Ravenna's Ronaldinho after the Serie C soccer match between Ravenna and Forli in Ravenna, Italy, Sunday Nov. 15, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Ravenna's Ronaldinho after the Serie C soccer match between Ravenna and Forli in Ravenna, Italy, Sunday Nov. 15, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Ronaldinho made his return to professional football on Sunday for Ravenna, an ambitious club in Italy's third tier aiming to reach Serie A.

The 46-year-old Brazilian great put in a low-key performance in his first competitive match since playing for Fluminense in 2015, as Ravenna took on local rivals Forli bidding for promotion.

The 2005 Ballon d'Or winner only played in the first half but was involved in the move which ended with Giulio Donati smashing hosts Ravenna ahead in the 36th minute.

Ronaldinho entered the field to great fanfare, with the 5,000-capacity Stadio Bruno Benelli adding a temporary stand with 1,800 places -- dubbed "R10" -- for the occasion.

Flares and smoke bombs were let off in the stands while Andrea Bocelli's "Con Te Partiro" blasting out of the stadium's speakers.

Ravenna, who have not even played in Serie B since 2008, are second in their regional group in Serie C and came into the weekend's fixtures six points behind leaders Spezia.

One team for each of the three groups will be directly promoted to Serie B, with the final spot in the second tier decided by a play-off.


Saudi U15 Girls' National Team Begins Training Camp in Jeddah

The camp runs through November 19 as part of the team's preparations for upcoming competitions - SPA
The camp runs through November 19 as part of the team's preparations for upcoming competitions - SPA
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Saudi U15 Girls' National Team Begins Training Camp in Jeddah

The camp runs through November 19 as part of the team's preparations for upcoming competitions - SPA
The camp runs through November 19 as part of the team's preparations for upcoming competitions - SPA

The Saudi U15 girls' national football team begins its training camp today in Jeddah. The camp runs through November 19 as part of the team's preparations for upcoming competitions.

The camp aims to enhance the players' technical and physical readiness and strengthen team cohesion through a training program developed by the coaching staff, SPA reported.

The program is designed to improve performance and prepare the team for the next phase.

The camp is part of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's development plan for the U15 girls' national team.