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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Saturday the Playing XI for the first T20I match against Zimbabwe scheduled to be played tomorrow at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The three-match series will be played from December 1 (Sunday) to December 5 (Thursday). Led by Salman Ali Agha, the playing XI features young and strong players including Saim Ayub, Omair Bin Yousuf, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Jahandad Khan. The bowling side features Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim. Earlier, skipper Agha said that the team’s first priority is to win the series. “We won the one-day series, now our target is to win the T20I series,” he stressed. “We have to give young players maximum opportunity in this series,” said the captain while speaking during a press conference in Bulawayo today. Agha said that there will be new faces in the T20I series, adding that the team will maintain its momentum in the shortest format of the game. “We will try to play aggressively.” The captain said that the T20I squad has good bowlers. He added that he wants the youngsters to play and enjoy the game, stressing that the young players have performed well in the domestic cricket and they should be given a chance. Talking about the opponents, Agha said Zimbabwe is a good team with match winners, but the team will try to control them. “The Zimbabwean team has proven to be tough on home ground,” he added. On Thursday, the Men in Green inflicted a 99 runs defeat on Zimbabwe in the third One Day International to win the series by 2-1. Kamran Ghulam’s maiden century, followed by a combined bowling effort, steered Pakistan to a resounding victory over Zimbabwe in the ODI series decider.RANGERS have humbled a few famous clubs from major football nations in continental competition in recent years despite their domestic travails. Few if any of the European results they have recorded in modern times, though, will have felt as sweet for their fans as this Battle of Britain draw with Spurs at Ibrox tonight. The Glasgow club ensured there was no triumphant return to Scotland for former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou in their Europa League league phase match. The morale-boosting point against the Premier League giants – secured thanks to a second-half Hamza Igamane goal - will raise their confidence levels no end ahead of their Premier Sports Cup final meeting with their city rivals at Hampden on Sunday. A first win by a Scottish club over top flight English opponents in 18 years may have cruelly eluded them – but Rangers increased their chances of qualifying automatically for the knockout rounds of the competition all the same. Here are five talking points from a memorable night. Disappointing Spurs Postecoglou described the catalogue of injuries and suspensions which he has had to deal with this season as the worst he has experienced in his 25 coaching career at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday – and his team selection highlighted the problems he has had. He made no fewer than five changes to the side which lost 4-3 to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday. Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan internationalist whose ban for using a racial slur only applies to domestic fixtures, came into the midfield and James Maddison and Timo Werner also got the nod as Pape Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke dropped to the bench, But it was at the back, where first choice centre halves Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were both missing, that Postecoglou’s plight was most obvious. Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin came in to the heart of his rearguard. Gray - the son of Andy, grandson of Frank and great-nephew of Eddie, a trio of former Scotland internationalists – might have cost Spurs a cool £40m during the summer. But the ex-Leeds United kid is still just 18 and is more of a central midfielder or a full-back. Spurs looked very much like a side which had won just one of their previous seven games. They by no means, despite having Son Heung-min, Werner and Maddison on the park, troubled their hosts. Quite the opposite in fact. It was clear to see why they have been toiling in the English top flight. They were lucky to avoid defeat. Rangers spirit Philippe Clement mixed things up for this match too. Danilo and Ianis Hagi, who have been two of his best performers in recent weeks, were unavailable as they were not included in the European squad. Leon Balogun and Connor Barron also dropped out as Ridvan Yilmaz, Robin Propper, Mohamed Diomande and Nadim Bajrami came in. Yilmaz, who had not started since the Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv at Hampden way back in August, somewhat unusually slotted in on the left wing as Jefte remained at left back. Bajrami, too, moved inside and performed the playmaker role. But the set-up worked well. The atmosphere inside the ground was electric as the two teams emerged from the tunnel – and when the visitors peeled away to the corner of the pitch and formed a Celtic-style huddle before kick-off the decibel levels got cranked up a notch or two. Fraser Forster, the former Celtic player who inflicted so much misery on Rangers during his various spells in Scotland, was booed by the home supporters every time he took a touch. But the 6ft 7in goalkeeper did not have a huge amount to do in the opening 45 minutes. He pushed a Bajrami attempt wide and dealt with two on target efforts from Vaclav Cerny. He would have been beaten if Bajrami or James Tavernier had been able to get on the end of a square ball which Jefte whipped across the six yard box. Fortunately for him, neither man could make contact. But he could do nothing to keep an Igamane shot out of his net after the Moroccan striker had been supplied by Tavernier early in the second half. Nobody could begrudge Rangers their lead. They had been the better side. Ange under pressure Postecoglou removed Werner and put on Kulusevski at the start of the second half. But if anything his men were worse after the change. They were fortunate to only concede once as their hosts laid siege to their goal. However, the substitute levelled with 15 minutes of regulation time remaining to ultimately salvage a draw for the visitors which their display scarcely merited. The Greek-Australian enjoyed more successes than failures against Rangers during his time in Scotland. But his expensively-assembled team were on the back foot for long periods this evening. The pressure is well and truly on him now. He had chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” aimed in his direction by the home supporters in the 48,064-strong crowd after Igamane struck. He will have to oversee a distinct upturn in form to avoid that fate in the weeks ahead. Souttar setback Rangers contained the Spurs front three pretty effectively in the opening half an hour and Jack Butland was never seriously tested in goal. But they suffered a serious blow when centre half John Souttar sank to the turf and then hobbled off injured after failing to respond to treatment. Balogun, the Nigerian internationalist who is no stranger to big European nights, came on and acquitted himself well. But if Souttar is out of the Premier Sports Cup final it will seriously reduce the defending champions’ chances of retaining their trophy. The Scotland internationalist has been immense for them this term. Euro progress With Manchester United away and Union St Gilloise to come in January, there is still a lot of football to be played before Rangers can clinch a place in the next stage of the competition. But if they perform as well as this in their next two outings then they will go through. Only a brilliant Forster save from a Cyriel Dessers shot with five minutes of regulation time denied them victory.LaMelo Ball Injury Status – Hornets vs. Bulls Injury Report December 30

Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts were up in arms over the treatment of Chris McCausland, slamming the programme for imposing what they believed to be a major 'disadvantage' upon him. The most recent BBC show tasked all the celebs and their professional partners with performing simultaneously on stage in the much-anticipated first dance-a-thon since 2018. Post their individual dances, contestants were required to impress with their Samba abilities while judges keenly observed, progressively knocking out couples from contention, reports Birmingham Live . The standings in the Samb-a-Thon played a critical role in determining the overall score for the evening. This left Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell near the bottom of the leaderboard, having been the first couple eliminated, thus earning a mere one point. The decision sparked fury among viewers, prompting a flurry of comments about the perceived injustice on social media platforms. One dismayed viewer posted: "Whose brilliant idea was it to have a sambathon this year of all years, which put Chris at such a disadvantage, he might just as well have gone and sat in the toilet." "Dislike the anti-Chris danceathon. Poor show #Strictly," another expressed their displeasure. A third added to the criticism stating: "I find it shocking they chose this year to bring back the sambathon when Chris cannot see any of the other couples/be spatially aware of other couples. Like of course he's gonna get voted off first? Not in good taste in my opinion #Strictly." Not missing the opportunity to chime in, another fan remarked: "We haven't done the Danceathon for years, so let's do it this year when we have a blind contestant". Comedian Chris reacted positively to his low score, exclaiming 'yes' repeatedly after it was revealed he had received just one point for his efforts.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Japan on Sunday in his last trip to the Indo-Pacific as the Pentagon chief, as he seeks to cement the Biden administration's policy legacy of deepening regional alliances and partnerships. Austin arrived at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, kicking off the Asia swing that has excluded an anticipated stop in South Korea, another key US ally, in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt last week. During the trip through Wednesday, the secretary is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, visit a US aircraft carrier and meet with American troops, and observe a military exercise involving Australian forces, according to a senior US defense official. "The secretary's trip is going to be highlighting how much the Department (of Defense) has achieved with Japan, a key treaty ally, over the last four years to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," the official told reporters. "We are continuing to build on these accomplishments, and the next three days will give us a chance to see some of them in person and in implementation." Austin plans to meet Ishiba and Nakatani separately on Tuesday to take stock of progress that the two countries have made in recent years and underscore the importance of the alliance, the official said. Other events include his visit to the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the Yokosuka Naval Base and his observation of a US-Japan military exercise where Australian forces are participating for the first time. The secretary's trip to Japan comes as Washington sees Tokyo as vital to its "new convergence" efforts to bring together US allies and partners in fit-for-purpose groupings to promote a shared vision for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific. "New convergence of allies and partners, who share a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and (of) the stronger and more resilient and more capable, networked partnerships is strengthening deterrence in the region, and Japan is emerging as a common denominator of that network," the official said. The cancellation of Austin's visit to Seoul has added to concerns that the aftermath of the short-lived martial law imposition could affect security coordination between Seoul and Washington on North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. After the martial law episode, Seoul and Washington also postponed a session of the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' key nuclear deterrence platform, and a related exercise originally slated to take place in Washington last week. US officials have expressed "grave concern" over the martial law declaration though they reiterated that America's commitment to the alliance with South Korea remains "ironclad." (Yonhap)

Dejan Kulusevski equaliser and a stunning stop from Fraser Forster saved Tottenham’s blushes as Ange Postecoglou’s side drew 1-1 with Rangers in their Europa League clash in Glasgow. Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!! The result takes Spurs to 11 points from six games, and they sit ninth, only on goal difference out of the top eight, who automatically progress to the knockout rounds, with two league phases matches to come in the new year. A draw means Tottenham remain winless in their last three Europa League contests, and they have only won once in their last eight matches in all competitions, but for much of the night, things looked like they would play out much worse. “It’s fair to say we’re in a bit of a struggle,” Postecoglou said post-match. The Australian manager has been under intense scrutiny this week after back-to-back Premier League losses, and the former Celtic boss’ heart must have been in his mouth when Rangers were through on goal in the 86th minute. Cyriel Dessers barged his way past several defenders to get a shot away, but Forster stayed big and pulled off a brilliant piece of goal keeping, not for the first time in the match, to tip the ball wide and deny the home side. Only a minute later, the Ibrox descended into raptures as Dessers found the back of the net this time, but the celebrations were short-lived as the linesperson’s flag was up, and replays showed he was well offside. Those chances for Rangers were brewing all night, whereas Kulusevski’s equaliser seemingly came from nowhere. Spurs were patiently playing the ball around at the back for more than a minute before attacking down the right and Kulusevski took matters into his own hands to score in the 75th minute. The Swede cut back, found fellow substitute Dominic Solanke in the box, continued his run, received the ball back from Solanke and slotted it home with a left foot, first-time shot from near the edge of the penalty area. Things were looking dire for Tottenham before Kulusevski’s brilliant run as they went unpunished for their sloppiness in the first half, but it took less than two minutes after the break for Rangers to finally capitalise on yet another Spurs error. They coughed up the ball in midfield, and right back James Tavernier broke down the right-hand side, whipped a beautiful, curling ball in the box to pick out front man Hamza Igamane in the box, and the Moroccan slammed the half-volley into the bottom corner. The third-placed side in the Scottish Premiership looked more threatening for most of the evening, and the home supporters relished watching their team take it up to an English side. It was the first time Spurs has travelled north to face Rangers in a competitive fixture since the 1960s, and the last time the blue half of Glasgow hosted a Premier League outfit, they were humiliated 7-1 by Liverpool. That was in a Champions League contest in 2022 when Mohamed Salah came off the bench to score a stunning six minute hat trick, and it was arguably the most disastrous night of decades of heartbreak against English opposition in European competition, having not beaten a team from south of the border since getting the better of Leeds United in 1992. For most of the freezing cold evening, it appeared as if that streak might be broken but Rangers ultimately did not make the most of the 15 shots they took, six of which were on target. Both sides looked like they would be made to pay for their sloppiness with the ball throughout the first half as they each had threatening opportunities on the counter attack, but lacked the poise to finish. It was a back-and-forth, end-to-end contest with Tottenham having more of the ball but their makeshift defence looked incredibly vulnerable at times. Teenager Archie Gray, who typically plays right back, started alongside Ragu Dragusin as a central defender due to Spurs’ injury woes but it was goal keeper Forster who repelled Rangers’ attacks best with two excellent first half saves. The former Celtic shot stopper was booed and jeered extensively by the home fans, but kept his cool to tip a bullet from Nedim Bajrami over the bar in the 10th minute before ensuring they headed to the sheds deadlocked with an excellent save with his feet from a Vaclav Cerny shot in the final minute of the half. Rangers came out hard and finished the opening stanza the better of the two sides, while Tottenham controlled the middle period of the opening half. The home side lost centre back John Souttar, who is the brother of Socceroo Harry, in the 34th minute to a groin injury and it appeared as if a change at the back might open things up for Spurs. They had their chances but only one of their six first half shots was on target, and that was a tame shot from Son Heung-min, who started up front with Timo Werner, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson sitting behind him, in a change of formation from Postecoglou. The much-maligned Werner was benched at half time for goal scorer Dejan Kulusevski, while Johnson last an hour before making for Dominic Solanke, and Postecoglou took the unusual step of publicly expressing his frustrations with Werner post-match. “He wasn’t playing anywhere near the levels he can. It’s not acceptable to me. I told him that. He’s a senior international, a German international,” he said. “In the moment we’re in now, I need everyone to be at least going out there and giving the best they can. What he produced wasn’t acceptable. I expect more from the senior players like him.” Spurs seem to be in a funk in attack, and with a trip to Southampton, a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United and a visit from Premier League leaders Liverpool before Christmas, they will need to break it fast to get back to winning ways. SUPER SUBSTITUTE INSPIRES MAN UTD COMEBACK Second-half substitute Rasmus Hojlund scored twice as Manchester United fought back to earn a 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday. The hosts took the lead shortly after half-time, but Hojlund levelled on 62 minutes, six minutes after replacing Marcus Rashford, when the Danish striker tapped in Amad Diallo’s deflected shot. Two minutes from time, he beat Plzen goalkeeper Martin Jedlicka again with a clinical finish, turning around his marker after United captain Bruno Fernandes had found him inside the box with a clever free-kick. Matej Vydra, a former Watford, West Brom, Reading, Derby and Burnley forward, opened the scoring for the hosts with a close-range finish three minutes after half-time. Pavel Sulc found Vydra facing an empty net after he had intercepted United goalkeeper Andre Onana’s pass inside the box. The goal was a wake-up call for United manager Ruben Amorim, who made three replacements in its wake, including Hojlund. “It was not a great game,” said Amorim, before praising the substitutes. “They changed the game. They are there to do that so I’m pleased with that.” He added he was happy with the outcome: “It was important not to give up so that is a great message.” The former Sporting Lisbon boss replaced the sacked Eric ten Hag in November, but the chilly evening in Plzen showed United still have some way to go. Both teams came into the match with nine points from five Europa League games, and they took time to find their pace. Fernandes had the first shot on target half an hour into the game, but Jedlicka parried his low right-footed effort from the edge of the box.Onana watched Cheick Souare’s shot curl just past the top corner of his goal two minutes before the break. United substitutes Mason Mount and Antony were denied by Jedlicka in the second half, with Mount failing to beat the ‘keeper twice from close range. But Hojlund turned the match on its head to put United in a strong position for direct qualification to the last 16. “We didn’t have so much time to work on this type of game. We were controlling the game but didn’t have the pace (in the first half),” said Amorim. “We want to improve and we want to improve really fast,” he added. United next face Rangers at Old Trafford on January 23.Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. (OTCMKTS:SHTDY) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

NYC mayor meets with Trump ‘border czar' to discuss going after ‘violent' criminalsBethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he'll “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole. Trump said that he will direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated.” Trump was vague on what specific actions he may take. 21 dead as Mozambique erupts in violence after election court ruling MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Violence that engulfed Mozambique after the country’s highest court confirmed ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections has killed at least 21 people, including two police officers. Mozambique Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that a wave of violence and looting was sparked by the court’s announcement a day earlier. He said it was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%. Prosecutors find workers in 'slavery like' conditions at Chinese car company site in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A task force led by Brazilian prosecutors says it has rescued 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like” conditions at a construction site in northeastern Brazil, where Chinese electric vehicle company BYD is building a factory. The Labor Prosecutor’s Office released videos of the dorms where the construction workers were staying, which showed beds with no mattresses and rooms without any place for the workers to store their personal belongings. In a statement issued Monday, the prosecutor’s office said the workers had been hired in China by Jinjian Group, one of the contractors on the site, which is located in Camaçari, a city in the Salvador metropolitan region. NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it's their duty to spread their love of Jesus ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions. Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus. A month later, Bates told The Associated Press it is a duty to share his faith. The NFL is filled with players and coaches who feel the same way, such as Houston's C.J. Stroud, Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, and Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano HONOLULU (AP) — Lava is erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano for the second straight day. The eruption has stayed within Kilauea’s summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and no homes are threatened. Molten rock began spewing out of the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and shot lava high into the air. It then oozed across the caldera floor. Scientists expect activity to fluctuate in coming days. The lava paused Monday afternoon but fountains reemerged Tuesday morning. The eruption has occurred in an area that’s been closed to the public since 2007 due to hazards including crater wall instability and rockfalls. Haiti gangs fire on journalists covering a planned hospital reopening, leaving casualties PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Suspected gang members have opened fire on journalists in Haiti’s capital as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country’s largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. The country's interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded. Radio Télé Métronome said earlier on Tuesday that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded in the shooting. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Hurricane-force winds bear down on California, latest in stretch of extreme weather LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past several weeks. Atmospheric rivers, which are long stretches of wet air that can produce heavy rains, brought a record-setting rainfall before Thanksgiving. A series of atmospheric rivers are producing strong waves and storms near Santa Cruz this week. Thousands were left under evacuation warnings and orders because of a fire around Malibu. Climate change means that strong storms will be responsible for a greater share of the state's yearly precipitation and the periods between those events will be drier. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled.BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona lost at home for the first time this season when the Liga leader was stunned by Las Palmas 2-1 on Saturday. Sandro Ramirez and Fábio Silva scored for the Canary Islands club on either side of Raphinha’s equalizer to give Las Palmas its first win at Barcelona in more than 50 years. Barcelona played superbly in the first three months under new coach Hansi Flick and was flying high after convincing victories over Real Madrid in the domestic competition and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It had won all eight of its home games. But it has gone three rounds of La Liga without a win. Before Las Palmas, it fell at Real Sociedad 1-0 and drew at Celta Vigo 2-2 after squandering a two-goal lead in the final minutes. The dropped points mean Madrid, despite its own troubles , especially in the Champions League, can move ahead of Barcelona in La Liga. It trails Barcelona by four points with two games in hand. “I don’t care about scoring, I care about winning,” Raphinha said after his standout performance was unable to end Barcelona's slump. “We have to take a hard look at what we are doing wrong. We have slipped in our form and are letting games get away form us. We have our next game on Tuesday (at Mallorca), and we need to turn this around so we can win the league.” Atletico Madrid was only two points behind Barcelona in second place — and with the same number of games played — after Antoine Griezmann scored a gem of a goal in a 5-0 demolition of last-placed Valladolid. Las Palmas savored its first victory at Barcelona since the 1971-72 season and just its third victory at the Catalan club overall. The other visits by the modest side that wears all yellow uniforms to Barcelona have ended in 34 defeats and three draws. “We are thrilled because we have made history,” Sandro said. “When you start the season you think that these games are usually going to end in wins for the bigger side, but if there is one thing we believe in is our capacity to work hard all week to get results like this.” Barcelona's Lamine Yamal returned from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks. Yamal appeared as a halftime substitute and Jasper Cillessen saved his best shot. The Las Palmas goalkeeper also palmed a Raphinha free kick over his bar in the final minutes. Sandro, a former Barcelona youth player, capped a fine five-pass buildup by Las Palmas from its own box as it masterfully undid Barcelona’s high pressure in the 49th minute. Raphinha had already hit the crossbar in the first half before he equalized in the 61st. The Brazil forward took a short pass from Pedri just outside the area, skirted across the edge and drilled a shot between two defenders. But Barcelona was caught pushing forward for a second goal when Silva controlled a ball from Javi Muñoz and sent in a shot bouncing past Iñaki Peña in the 67th. The unexpected loss dampened Barcelona’s celebration of its 125th anniversary, which included the debut of its new mascot “Cat,” a large, yellow feline wearing its team kit. Barcelona lost left back Alejandro Balde early in the game when he couldn’t continue after he crashed into Sandro at full speed. Balde appeared to hurt his upper chest or neck area when he ran into Sandro’s shoulder. He was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Gerard Martín. Griezmann scored one of the goals of the season when the forward exchanged a quick one-two with Julián Alvarez and used a sleek touch of the inside of his boot to roll the ball with him as he spun before dinking it over the Valladolid goalkeeper. That was the visitor's fourth goal. Shortly after, Valladolid fans stood up and applauded when Griezmann was substituted. “That is what every players wants, to make people enjoy what we do. So I appreciate their warmth,” Griezmann said. Atletico also got goals from Alvarez, Clement Lenglet, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexander Sorloth. Espanyol beat Celta 3-1 to end a streak of four losses in the league and relieve pressure on coach Manolo González. Alaves also drew with Leganes 1-1 at home. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

California residents on edge as high surf and flooding threats persist on Christmas EveArsenal thump West Ham in chaotic, great showcase for Premier LeagueBrains before bridges