THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Alyssa Naeher ended her national team career with one last win. The stalwart goalkeeper made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday. “I definitely wasn’t thinking about it during the game, just wanted to win the game and do what I could to come away with the ‘W’ for us to close out the year,” Naeher said. Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute for the U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer and wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European exhibitions would be her final matches. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts. Naeher is the only U.S. keeper with shutouts in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. She was in goal when the United States defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the 2019 Women's World Cup final . “I feel like in my heart I would love to keep going. In my head, in my body and mind, I feel like it’s the right time. And I think it’s the right time with this team as well as it builds towards the future and towards 2027,” Naeher said. “This environment, this team, is an incredible team to be a part of, but it’s also really hard and really challenging in a lot of ways as well. “I feel like I’ve given everything I have to give for this team and that’s why I feel at peace with that.” The Netherlands took the lead on center back Veerle Buurman's header off a corner kick in the 15th minute. Naeher prevented a second goal when she punched away Dominique Janssen's shot in the 38th. The United States drew even at the end of the first half on an own goal that deflected off Buurman and past Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar. Naeher slid to stop Danielle van de Donk's shot in the 69th minute before Williams, a second-half substitute, scored her fourth goal of the year and 21st of her career. “I wouldn’t say that this was our prettiest game of soccer ever. And sometimes that’s how games go. You can talk about tactics, you can talk about formations, you talk about everything, but the biggest thing was matching their intensity. Getting to the second ball, getting to the first ball. That was the shift that needed to happen,” Williams said about the team's second-half mindset. Naeher finished with six saves. She is not quite finished with soccer yet: She will continue playing next season for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League. “She’s been consistent again and again. Even when she’s been questioned at times in her career, she’s always found the answer,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “Not only has she been a great player in this program, but let me tell you, she’s so loved by everyone, players and staff alike. She is the best teammate you could ask for and that just speaks volumes to the person that she is.” Lily Yohannes came in as a substitute in the second half. Yohannes, who has dual citizenship, opted to play for the United States over the Netherlands last month. She plays professionally for the Dutch club Ajax. The U.S. finished the year without the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, who were left off the roster for the final two matches to rest and heal nagging injuries. The U.S. is unbeaten in 15 matches under Hayes, who took over in May. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerNoneAndrew RT Davies' decision to quit as Welsh Conservative leader in the Senedd in the face of a split among Tory politicians triggers a potential leadership contest, with no clear frontrunner to take over. It has been assumed in Welsh political circles for a while that a number of Tory MSs are interested in the leadership. As of late on Tuesday only one candidate had come forward - Darren Millar. In theory the group could coalesce around one candidate, and no contest will happen. Whoever wins will lead their party into crucial Senedd elections in 2026, where polling has recently suggested the party is in fourth place, behind Plaid, Labour and Reform. Davies quit on Tuesday after he narrowly won a vote of no confidence , with nine votes for and seven against. He has ruled himself out of the contest. Conservative chief whip Darren Millar was first out of the blocks on Tuesday afternoon. Promising to unify the Welsh Conservatives, the MS was first elected in 2007. Millar is a strong media performer who has been thought of as a leadership contender in the past, but has never run before. Millar made his name making punchy contributions on the Welsh health service when he was the party's NHS spokesman, particularly on North Wales' Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. He is a trustee of a Christian charity, the Evan Roberts Institute, which has attracted controversy for its association with a pastor called Yang Tuck Yoong, who was criticised for homophobic views . Millar has said he does not endorse those views. Millar is the only individual in this list who supported Andrew RT Davies in the vote of confidence - the rest of those below opposed him on Tuesday. There is a big element of speculation with the other names in this list - including Tory Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar. Based in Newport, Natasha Asghar entered politics after the death of her father , the late MS for South Wales East Mohammad Asghar in 2020, winning election to the Senedd the next year. She was the first woman of colour to be elected to the Welsh Parliament, and made a BBC list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world in 2021. Asghar, who serves the same region, has shown ambition before when she made a bid to stand to be Conservative candidate for London mayor . The former TV presenter hit the headlines before she was elected after a YouTube video emerged showing her pretending to interview leading sportsmen - she said she was practising her editing . One Conservative MS thought to be interested in becoming leader is Tom Giffard. The MS for South Wales West was elected in 2021 after a selection process where he beat the incumbent Suzy Davies for a favourable place on a regional list . Giffard grew up between Swansea and Carmarthenshire, and learned Welsh as a second language. He led the Bridgend Conservative group for four years before joining the Senedd. He is thought to be respected in the wider Westminster Conservative party. Giffard speaks for the party on culture, tourism and sport. In 2023 he gave a speech about darts in the Welsh Parliament generated by the ChatGPT AI system - he said he made the speech to show how advanced the technology had become. At a time some Tory activists want to see the Senedd abolished, Sam Kurtz is solidly from the pro-devolution wing of the Conservative party. Back in 2022 he went against Tory policy and called for a larger Senedd, saying the current set up with 60 members "doesn't feel like it works properly" . Like the outgoing leader Andrew RT Davies his roots are in farming - born and raised on a farm outside Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire. He is currently chair of the Pembrokeshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, and worked as a reporter before becoming a parliamentary aide. He is seen as a potential leadership candidate but it is not clear if he is interested. Sam Rowlands was elected to the Senedd in 2021 to represent the North Wales region in Cardiff Bay. He has had experience as a frontline local politician in the past, having previously led Conwy council. Before that, he worked as a credit risk manager for HSBC bank. Rowlands was born in Bangor and grew up in Penygroes, near Carmarthen, until he moved to Abergele aged nine. He currently holds the high profile shadow health spokesman position and were he to win the leadership his more understated approach would be in marked contrast to Andrew RT Davies. Rowlands had proposed a law to give every state school pupil the chance to go to an outdoor education centre, which ultimately failed to get the Senedd's support. Any runners and riders will need nominations from three other Tories submitted by 17:00 GMT on 5 December. If there are more than two candidates, the group will need to hold secret ballots until it is just two. If there are two candidates, then a ballot of the party membership will take place. The winner will not technically be the leader of the Welsh Conservatives as a whole - unlike Scotland, the leader only leads the group of Tories in the Senedd. They will be the leader of the opposition in the Senedd, however, taking on Eluned Morgan at her weekly first minister's questions. Additional reporting by Adrian Browne
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Strap in for a mammoth day of Test cricket as the Boxing Day Test heads for a thrilling conclusion. India is facing a record run chase on Day 5 with Australia’s tail wagging dramatically to help the hosts to reach 9/228 at stumps on Day 4 — a lead of 333 runs. Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The rollercoaster series took several big twists on Sunday with Jasprit Bumrah again demolishing the fragile Aussie middle order with another collapse leaving Mitch Marsh’s head on the selection chopping block . India will be left kicking themselves after dropping four catches on Sunday before Nathan Lyon stepped up to pile more pain on the Tourists. Lyon finished the day’s play with 41 not out as he and No. 11 Scott Boland combined for a 50-run partnership. It means India will need to break the all-time MCG fourth innings record of 332 runs by England in 1928 in order to claim the Border Gavaskar Trophy before the series heads to Sydney. Follow all the live action from the MCG below. Originally published as Australia vs India Boxing Day Test Day 5 live updates More related stories Cricket ‘They’re worried’: Indian great’s pointed Gabba ghosts barb Australia has set India a target of 340 to win the MCG - but a reluctance to declare caught the eye of Indian great Ravi Shastri, who says the home side are scared. FOLLOW LIVE. Read more Sport Golden hauls, spats, tears: Top 100 sporting moments of 2024 From Australia’s record golden haul at the Paris Games to controversies that split the sporting world – we look back at 100 moments that shaped the sporting calendar. Read more
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Celta Vigo gave 10-man Barcelona a shock by scoring two late goals and snatching a 2-2 draw at home in the Spanish league on Saturday. Barcelona was minutes away from a win to pad its league lead after Raphinha and Lewandowski had put Barcelona ahead. But the game dramatically swung after Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casadó was sent off with a second booking in the 81st. Moments later Jules Koundé’s poor control of a ball in his area allowed Alfon González to pick his pocket and give the hosts hope in the 84th minute. Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Álvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, however, said that he saw it coming since his team had never been able to establish its passing game and was making mistakes even when up 2-0. “It was not only the 10 last minutes, it was the whole match. We played today a really bad game,” Flick said. “The passing game for us was bad. We made a lot of mistakes and at the end we had no confidence with the ball.” This was Barcelona's second straight stumble since Lamine Yamal was sidelined with a right-ankle injury. Barcelona lost 1-0 at Real Sociedad without Yamal before the international break. Barcelona is seven points ahead of third-place Real Madrid, which has played two fewer games. Koundé accepted the blame for what he called his “gross mistake” that helped give Celta hope. “We didn’t do what we needed to all game, and at the end they made us pay,” Koundé said. “It starts with me. I can’t lose my focus like that. It was a gross mistake that can’t happen. I accept that it was my fault.” The late rally by Celta came after Raphinha had led Barcelona as he filled in for Yamal on the right side of the front three. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 15th when he ran onto a long pass by Koundé that bounced over left back Óscar Mingueza, cut back to his left foot and fired home. Lewandowski doubled the lead in the 61st after Raphinha intercepted a pass by Minqueza and set up his strike partner. The Poland striker scrambled the ball past two defenders before slotting beyond Vicente Guaita. Lewandowski took his league-leading tally to 15 goals in 14 rounds, while Raphinha has added eight league goals. Raphinha came close to a second goal that would have made it 3-0 when he hit the post in the 77th, just moments before the wild final stretch when it all crumbled for the visitors. “We have to learn from this. This can’t happen just because we had a player sent off. But onto the next game,” said Gavi Páez, who started his first match since returning from a serious leg injury last season. Antoine Griezmann converted a late penalty to equalize and Alexander Sorloth struck an 86th-minute winner to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at home over Alaves. The comeback victory lifted Atletico into second place — five points behind Barcelona. Coach Diego Simeone showed his sensitive side after the match when he choked up when speaking about this love for the team he has coached for nearly 13 years. Valencia played its first home game since last month’s devastating floods that killed over 200 people in eastern Spain. The club honored the victims before kickoff when several fans were seen to cry during the ceremony. Hugo Duro led the 4-2 win over Real Betis by scoring a double. Girona routed Espanyol 4-1 in a Catalan regional derby with Bojan Miovski’s first two goals since joining the club. Mallorca forward Johan Mojica scored off a set piece from a free kick inside Las Palmas' area to complete a 3-2 win for the visitors in injury time. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
A Rare Chance to Buy This Winning Stock on SaleColumbia, a perennial football loser, wins Ivy League title for first time since 1961