Nemanja Matic grabbed the winner as Jose Mourinho made a triumphant return to Sporting Lisbon courtesy of a narrow 1-0 victory that sees Chelsea take control of Champions League Group G.
The Blues boss first cut his coaching teeth with the Lions just over 20 years ago and enjoyed a successful homecoming, but it could have been so much more comfortable if his side had found the goal touch that has seen them light up the Premier League this season.
Indeed, Matic’s goal was all they had to show for some stylish approach play with the Serbia international rising at the far post to nod Cesc Fabregas’ left-wing free kick over Rui Patricio before revelling in the boos of the home support who recognised his one-time allegiance to local rivals Benfica.
In the end it turned into a hard-fought victory for the visitors who squandered a raft of openings with Diego Costa,Oscar and Andre Schurrle in particular fluffing their lines when presented with gilt-edged chances, although Patricio deserves great credit for a sensational display in the home goal.
Sporting improved in the second period with on-loan Manchester United winger, Nani going close to rescuing a point with a shot into the side-netting, but it wasn’t to be as Chelsea’s narrow win coupled with Schalke’s draw with Maribor saw the Blues move clear at the top of the standings.
Francesco Totti became the oldest scorer in the Champions League to help Roma earn a merited point in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City in Group E.
Totti cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opener from the penalty spot on four minutes when he lifted the ball calmly over Joe Hart after bounding onto a delightful pass from Radja Nainggolan on 22 minutes.
Having turned 38 on Saturday, the Roma icon overtakes Giggs, who scored for Manchester United In Europe’s elite competition aged 37 years and 289 days.
Roma benefited from a slice of good fortune when Maicon avoided being sent off after hauling back Aguero for the concession of the penalty.
He was clearly the last man, and should have been red carded by the letter of the law.
Roma made the most of retaining 11 men as they carried the game to City throughout the evening, and could easily have departed England with three points in their locker.
It is a huge draw for Roma, who have four points from their two matches leaving City up against it to qualify for the last 16 with only one point from their opening two games in a section that also contains Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow.
David Luiz produced a man-of-the-match performance as Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 3-2 at the Parc des Princes to go top of Group F.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique had picked Jeremy Mathieu to partner Javier Mascherano at the heart of a defence that had not conceded a goal in their previous seven matches this season.
But without the height and reassuring presence of Gerard Pique, they conceded their first goal in 11 hours and 21 minutes of football as Luiz turned Mascherano in the box to score following a Lucas free-kick.
Barcelona hit back within two minutes, a brilliant one-touch team goal finished off by Lionel Messi as the Argentine netted his 68th goal in the Champions League.
The French champions went 3-1 up through goals from Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi, and Neymar’s 56th minute strike set up a great final third of the match.
But Barcelona could not break down a PSG defence superbly marshalled by Luiz, as the French champions extended their unbeaten home record in European football to 30 matches.
Peter Crouch’s early header secured Stoke a first home Premier League win of the season and increased the pressure on Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.
Crouch rose to meet a Victor Moses cross from the left after 14 minutes.
Newcastle were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Moses was bundled over in the area by Yoan Gouffran.
Marko Arnautovic was denied by a post before Newcastle’s Jack Colback thumped against the bar late on to leave the visitors second bottom of the table.
While Stoke move up to 11th, defeat leaves Newcastle, who have only five league wins since the turn of the year, on three points from their six matches this season and supporters once again took their frustration out on manager Pardew.
Papiss Cisse, who scored twice as Newcastle came from behind to draw 2-2 with Hull in their last Premier League match, was only fit enough for the bench and the visitors were reduced to long-range efforts in the first half.
Cisse was brought on at the interval but, other than Colback’s late opportunity, there was little response from Newcastle as Pardew’s side slipped to a third league defeat of the season.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley’s lawyers have said he was joking when he claimed that Pardew would be sacked if his team were defeated at the Britannia Stadium.
But the manner of this defeat, with Stoke always looking more incisive and Newcastle managing just one shot on target, will do little to reduce the negativity he will face ahead of Saturday’s trip to Swansea.
The Potters took the lead with the first clear chance of the evening, when Moses made space on the left and crossed for Crouch, who climbed higher than Fabricio Coloccini to turn a header into the corner.
Shortly afterwards, Stoke should have been given a spot-kick when Moses went down under Gouffran’s tackle in the area.
Newcastle had seen Coloccini volley over, before Moussa Sissoko just missed the top corner with a powerful drive from a wide position.
A minute before the interval, Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was finally worked when he turned away a drive from Darryl Janmaat.
Soon after the break, the hosts almost doubled their lead when Muniesa’s dangerous cross was headed away by Newcastle defender Mike Williamson and Potters substitute Arnautovic thumped a shot against the inside of the post.
Stoke’s Charlie Adam also tested goalkeeper Tim Krul with a bending free-kick as the home side continued to enjoy the better of the match.
Krul pulled off a fine save to deny Moses after Janmaat hit his attempted clearance straight at Williamson.
Paul Dummett missed from 30 yards for the visitors, but Colback should have equalised when he collected a Gabriel Obertan cross and managed to hit the woodwork from four yards out.
The Miami Dolphins romped to a 38-14 victory over the woeful and winless Oakland Raiders as the National Football League returned to London’s Wembley Stadium
Oakland showed early promise, starting with a 74-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Derek Carr to tight end Brian Leonhardt.
But from then on it was one-way traffic and by the end of the third quarter the Dolphins had an unassailable 38-7 lead and Carr had left the game with an ankle/knee injury.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for more than 200 yards in the first half alone as the Raiders capitulated to take their record to 0-4. The Dolphins improved to 2-2.
Tannehill threw touchdowns to wide receiver Mike Wallace and tight end Dion Sims while running back Lamar Miller rushed for two more to put the game out of reach before the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, back-up Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Holmes to give the score a modicum of respectability.
“I think we haven’t performed up to our potential in the past three weeks, and to get out and get some momentum going felt great,” Dolphins quarterback Tannehill told reporters.
Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said his team would be evaluating everything it was doing during the long flight home and upcoming bye week.
“We did not play well. We turned the ball over and we did not stop them on defense and gave up too many explosive plays,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen told reporters.
For Raiders tackle Menelik Watson the game represented a return home. Watson was born in Manchester and has a young daughter who lives in England.
“I think the best part was when the English anthem came on. That was a little bit emotional because usually it is just the American anthem,” he said.
“I always blow a kiss when I’m in America because I always wish my daughter and mum could see me play and they were there.”
The Dolphins took part in the first regular season NFL game to be played at Wembley Stadium in 2007, losing 13-10 to the New York Giants.
This season marks the first time there will be three NFL games played in London as the Atlanta Falcons will face the Detroit Lions on Oct. 26 and the Jacksonville Jaguars will play the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 9.
After the miracles and the 17th green shootouts, and all the gut-wobbling drama that is usually the staple of a Ryder Cup crescendo, it all ended uncharacteristically easily.
This was the Gimme In The Glen: Keegan Bradley conceding Jamie Donaldson’s putt halfway down the 15th fairway to confirm the point that Europe needed, with almost half the matches still out on the course and almost half the course trying to get to that match.
The climax was not short of romance, though. To a list of unheralded names to have sealed the critical point in a Ryder Cup – Philip Walton, Jose Maria Canizares, Paul McGinley – we can now add Donaldson; 39 next month, on his competition debut, a player who had to wait until his 37th year for his first European Tour win.
Sometimes these showdown Sundays can feel like the best house party in the world. You’re having a great time wherever you are, but the noise and cheers from just down the corridor always make you slightly anxious you’re in the wrong room.
They can also make you feel short of breath and clenched of gut. What did those shouts indicate? Why the massed groans from beyond the trees?
Only early in the afternoon was that the case here, just before 1pm when the US were up in five of the seven matches in progress.
To come from 10-6 down overnight, the US needed everything to go for them and then a little bit more. That appeared to be happening when 21-year-old rookie Jordan Spieth was three up on Europe’s lead-out man Graeme McDowell and Hunter Mahan led the home side’s most successful player, Justin Rose, by four.
On the seventh, Spieth had a makeable putt to go four up himself. He missed, and with it the charge began to slow.
They can also make you feel short of breath and clenched of gut. What did those shouts indicate? Why the massed groans from beyond the trees?
Only early in the afternoon was that the case here, just before 1pm when the US were up in five of the seven matches in progress.
To come from 10-6 down overnight, the US needed everything to go for them and then a little bit more. That appeared to be happening when 21-year-old rookie Jordan Spieth was three up on Europe’s lead-out man Graeme McDowell and Hunter Mahan led the home side’s most successful player, Justin Rose, by four.
On the seventh, Spieth had a makeable putt to go four up himself. He missed, and with it the charge began to slow.
MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save driver Jason Plato scored two impressive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship victories at Silverstone, ensuring there will be a title showdown at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.
The home of British motor sport never fails to produce incredible racing, and a crowd of over 30,000 fans descended on the Northamptonshire venue to see the best tin-top drivers in the country battle it out around the National circuit.
For both wins Plato had to get past current championship leader Colin Turkington, making late dives down the inside at Brooklands corner on both occasions to steal some valuable points back from the eBay Motors BMW driver.
Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson completed the podium in the opening race, having jumped fellow second row starter Sam Tordoff off the line. MG’s Tordoff had to fend off the Chrome Edition Restart Racing duo of Alain Menu and Aron Smith to claim fourth.
With Plato leading home Turkington again in race two, it was this time left for Menu to join them on the rostrum after the Swiss star attacked Jackson through Copse before completing the move at Becketts shortly after the mid-distance stage of the contest.
The second race also saw one of the biggest accidents of the season when Rob Collard’s BMW barrel rolled several times before coming to rest upside down. The incident was sparked after he’d made contact with Jack Clarke’s recovering Ford Focus, which was in the midst of a high-speed slide on the exit of Becketts. A shaken and winded Collard was taken to hospital for precautionary X-rays but was released later on Sunday evening.
One of the most incredible touring car battles in recent years then played out when no fewer than five former BTCC champions went doorhandle-to-doorhandle in a bid for a podium finish in the final race.The race win went to the impressive Jackson – his second victory of the season – as the Motorbase driver nipped by team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi in the early stages. Smith followed suit to claim a lonely second place while the epic scrap ensued behind.
Turkington eyed every opportunity to get past Giovanardi before finally making a concrete attempt at the end of lap 19, which launched a sensational sequence of events.
Giovanardi and Turkington touched while running side-by-side across the start/finish line, as the VW of Alain Menu also joined the fray. As the two squabbled over the same piece of asphalt Menu cleverly wedged his VW up the inside of both of them and into third place through Copse.
They were three abreast on the run down to Becketts before Plato made it four former champions in the fight. Plato’s MG then made contact with the rear of Turkington’s BMW at the tight turn, which speared the Ulsterman’s machine into Giovanardi’s Ford Focus. The Italian impressively saved the car from a wild slide but not before he had been bumped down the order.
It was three-wide again down the Wellington Straight with reigning champion Andrew Jordan now looking to join the party. As the cars roared into Brooklands it was Turkington who emerged in third place immediately followed by Plato, Menu and Jordan. The quartet were eventually covered by little more than a second as they finished the race.
The fallout from a fantastic weekend at Silverstone is that Turkington now holds a 50-point advantage in the Drivers’ standings over Plato and the two will now duel it out for the coveted BTCC title at Brands Hatch next month.
MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save is in the driving seat of the Manufacturers’ championship with Plato’s dynamic double extending its lead over Honda Yuasa Racing to 28 points.
Turkington and eBay Motors have now moved into unassailable leads in the Independents’ drivers and teams tables.
Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo won a rain-affected and crash-strewn Aragon Grand Prix for Yamaha on Sunday while Honda’s MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez fell for the second race in a row.
Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo won a rain-affected and crash-strewn Aragon Grand Prix for Yamaha on Sunday while Honda’s MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez fell for the second race in a row.
The two Spaniards swapped the lead until three laps from the end when the reigning world champion, chasing a record-equalling 12th win of the season, crashed after choosing not to change to a wet set-up as rain began to fall.
Lorenzo had already pitted and the victory was his first of the year, with compatriot Aleix Espargaro finishing second on a non-works Yamaha after holding off Ducati’s Cal Crutchlow by 0.017 seconds.
It was Yamaha’s second successive win in a season Honda had seemed set to dominate completely.
Marquez, who also crashed in San Marino and had started on pole, rejoined the race and finished 13th and ahead of Repsol Honda team mate and title rival Dani Pedrosa, who also fell on the slippery surface.
The 21-year-old champion now has 292 points to Pedrosa’s 217 with Rossi on 214 and four races remaining.
Italian Valentino Rossi, the winner of his home race at Misano, crashed out after four laps and was carried off on a stretcher for medical checks although he was able to stand and did not appear too seriously hurt.
Others fallers were Italians Andrea Dovizioso and early leader Andrea Iannone.
“It has been a long time without a win and to get it in these conditions is incredible,” said Lorenzo, who avoided an unwanted record of becoming the first rider to finish second in five successive races in the top category.
“I was concentrating on not crashing and was ready to finish third,” added the Spaniard, who has now won at all four Spanish circuits on the calendar.
Lorenzo and Rossi had struggled with the choice of tyres on their Yamahas during practice but while the Italian fell, the 2010 and 2012 world champion had an inspired ride.
“It was a crazy race. I wasn’t happy when it started to rain as the Hondas were starting to get away from me. I wasn’t comfortable at all,” Lorenzo explained.
“Then it started raining more and I decided to go for it, go into the pits and see what happens. Returning it was very difficult as it was slippery with the tyres not warm enough and I had to take risks.
“Bit by bit it got better, I dug in, tried my best. I saw on the board that I was 12th which meant I was going to finish well down but then after the next lap I’m first.”
Both Marquez and Pedrosa had opted for hard rear tyres compared to Lorenzo’s choice of a medium, and their decision not to change proved costly.
“It was all or nothing. I saw there were four laps to go and as I would have lost a lot of time I decided to stay out to see if I could finish the race,” Marquez told reporters.
“I am not experienced in these conditions, it has never happened to me before. The important thing though is that I was able to finish the race ahead of Dani, who also sadly fell.”
Murray beats Robredo to win first title in 15 months.
Andy Murray ended his 15-month wait for an ATP title as he beat Tommy Robredo 5-7 7-6(9) 6-1 in the final of the Shenzhen Open.
The Brit, who had failed to reach a final of an ATP event since his historic Wimbledon win over Novak Djokovic in 2013, was sluggish throughout the opening stanza and was guilty of far too many errors. Robredo, on the other hand, found his rhythm quickly and took advantage of Murray’s wayward game to claim the first set.
World number 11 Murray, who desperately required the ATP points in order to qualify for the season-ending ATP Tour World Finals in London, was much improved in the second set, but appeared on course for certain defeat when he trailed 6-2 in the tiebreak, only to reel off four straight points as Robredo tightened when on the brink of victory.
The pair both wasted chances to seal the set as they mixed glorious winners with nervy misses, with Robredo wasting his fifth match point at 7-6, before Murray eventually blasted an unstoppable forehand to take it 11-9 and force a decider.
Murray then broke Robredo three times in the third set with the Spaniard, also chasing a first win of the year, appearing hampered by injury as he failed to chase down balls.
“Today was obviously an incredibly tough match…and I got lucky at the end of the second set,” Murray said in a courtside interview.
“I fought hard and I tried my best and thankfully managed to turn it around.
“Tommy had a great tournament, he probably deserved to win the match today. He had the opportunities in the second set but sometimes that happens in sport. I just tried to fight to the end.”
The victory at the $590,230 outdoor hardcourt event boosted Murray’s hopes of making a sixth appearance at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London in November after he was forced to withdraw from the event last year through injury.
The 27-year-old Scot moved up to 10th by adding 250 points to his tally and is within 105 points of Czech Tomas Berdych in the eight and final qualifying spot.
The victory, the 29th of his career, came after a difficult week for the normally shy Briton, who received horrendous abuse on social media for supporting Scottish independence in a referendum earlier this month.
“I want to thank my friends and family back home, especially my girlfriend – she supported me a lot this week, it’s been a very tough week for me and they have supported me,” said an emotional Murray.
A despondent Robredo, who had bullied the Briton with a bruising forehand for the opening two sets, took little satisfaction from his second runners-up finish of the year.
“It’s tough to accept when you are so close,” Robredo said during the prize giving.
“Anyway Congratulations Andy, he did a great job he fought to the end and at the end his deserved it.”
Weymouth just about did enough to book their place in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup.
The 4-1 scoreline probably flattered the hosts somewhat, but Stewart Yetton and Chris McPhee will not mind as they grabbed a goal each, and George Rigg put in a classy performance to bag a brace.
Manager Jason Matthews was hampered in his defensive options with the duo of Ed Palmer and Jake Wannell, who both got sent off in the previous round at Mangotsfield, suspended, and Sam Poole named on the bench but never likely to feature with an ankle injury.
Central-defender Calvin Brooks, formerly of Dorchester Town, was brought in on loan from Yeovil as cover and Callum Laird, brother of defender Jamie and son of assistant-manager Craig, who appeared for the club in pre-season, was also called up.
The absence of Palmer resulted in a shuffle in the Terras’ ranks with striker Tim Sills coming back into the side to replace him, meaning McPhee would drop back and start the game as a makeshift centre-half.
The clash got underway in frenetic fashion, and the Robins were on top early on with Kevin Squire looping a header that went close at the back post and ex-Terra Ben Wood hit a shot that Matthews was forced to deal with.
Weymouth continued to try and settle, but before they knew it, they were caught and fell be- hind.
A routine long ball was flicked on and Squire tenaciously nipped in and picked the ball up on the edge of the area, and Matthews, who was in no-man’s-land at the time, could only look on as the striker lifted it over him to open the scoring.
The lead only lasted all of three minutes though, as the Terras sparked into life through another well-drilled corner routine, something that has become a potent weapon in their arsenal this term.
After working it short, Chris Shephard clipped the ball to the back post where Sills volleyed the ball right-footed and the effort flicked off the thigh of Yetton, who was more than happy to claim the leveller.
That seemed to focus the home side and they began to find their rhythm, but were still suspect to the occasional Robins’ long ball.
The visitors did have the ball in the net once more through Wood, which was flagged offside, but just past the half-hour mark a scintillating move from the home side opened up their opponents.
Sweeping from one flank to the other, Ashley Wells and Adam Kelly linked up nicely to find Shephard, who ghosted past his man inside the area and threaded the ball through to Rigg to apply a neat side-foot finish.
However, Shephard’s afternoon was to take an abrupt end as he trudged off just before half-time holding his neck, and it looked at one point as if he may have had to be stretchered off after a brutal collision with Ian Sampson.
Having soldered on for the remaining moments in the first half a man light, Weymouth shuffled their pack once more by handing a debut to Brooks after the interval, and re-instating McPhee in a much more com-fortable midfield role.
And while Wood went close again for the Robins and Sills had a header which could have dropped in, the deciding factor of the contest came on 71 minutes.
Bideford defender Nick Milton, who was cautioned for dissent by referee Gary Parsons in the first half, hacked down Sills right in front of the referee and was given his second booking.
As much as the performance was not as free flowing as Weymouth have been at home this term, with a man advantage they came to the party, mainly thanks to two superb deliveries from left-back Jordan Copp.
He swung in a precise ball for McPhee to glance into the bottom corner on 82 minutes, and produced an almost complete replica three minutes later for Rigg to seal the game and leave Terras’ fans eagerly anticipating their next cup clash, with the draw being made today.
