Browsing: seals

December 11, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Para sensation Bly Twomey was among the young athletes to seal invitations to the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships via the Cambridge Charity Junior 4*.

The competition, in aid of WheelPower, was held at the University of Cambridge Sports Centre at the weekend.

Matches in the Junior and Cadet categories contribute to the leaderboards which provide a qualifying route into their respective age group Nationals next year. Winners are automatically invited (if eligible) and points are awarded according to how far players go in the competitions.

Photos by Michael Loveder – see more on PhotoShelter.

Leaderboards

Cadet Girls | Cadet Boys
Junior Girls | Junior Boys

Paralympic medallist and European champion Twomey won the Junior (U19) Girls†event to seal her invitation to the Nationals.

Twomey had a walkover in the final against Stuti Kashyap, having overcame Soraya Rahmani-Walentynska 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-4) in the semi-finals. At the same stage, Kashyap beat Rachael Iles 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9).

The quarter-final stage saw a couple of matches go to the fifth – Twomey beat Rachael Li 3-2 from 2-0 down (9-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4) and Iles also came from two behind to defeat Hannah Saunders 3-2 (9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 16-14, 11-5).

Isaac Kingham

Isaac Kingham saw off Max Radiven to win the Junior Boys†final, twice coming from behind as he took the title 3-2 (13-15, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5).

Radiven had not dropped a game up to that point, and it was Aarav Parihar whom he beat in the semi-finals (4, 8, 4).

Kingham came through the bottom half of the draw, where he found Rohan Dani a tough nut to crack in the semi-finals, eventually winning 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 14-12, 11-6).

Dani also went to five in the last 16, where he defeated Harrison Hill 3-2 (6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4). There was a remarkable scoreline at the same stage as Rishaan Sawant took on Andreas Kongsdel of Denmark, Sawant winning 3-2 (19-17, 0-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9).

Kai Lun Chow won the Cadet (U15) Boys†final, defeating Sinan Surensoy 3-1 (11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7) in the final.

In the semis, Chow overcame Ryan Holland 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-8), while Surensoy beat Zihan in 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6).

Chowâ€s toughest match was in the last 16, where he had to work hard to shake off Charlton Ngitngit 3-2 (11-7, 11-2, 13-15, 10-12, 11-3).

Surensoy also had an epic encounter at the same stage, defeating Sawant 3-2 (12-14,11-4, 13-15, 11-7, 11-5). It was also 3-2 in the quarter-final clash between Lin and Pablo Ramirez Rioja, won by the former 3-2 (15-13, 9-11, 15-17, 11-6, 11-6).

Alyssa Nguyen

In the Cadet Girls†competition, victory belonged to Alyssa Nguyen, who met Hannah Saunders in the final and prevailed 3-1 (14-12, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6).

Saunders defeated Assil Sarri 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7) in the semi-finals, while Nguyen needed all five to get past Soraya Rahmani-Walentynska (11-3, 6-11, 9-11, 11-1, 11-9).

In the quarters, Saunders defeated club-mate Amber Lemmon 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8) and Sarri defeated Charlotte Lok Ching Wong 3-2 (11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9), while back in the last 16, Rahmani-Walentynska needed five against Alexia Ciobanica (11-9, 11-5, 12-14, 5-11, 11-5).

Hannah Saunders

There were some close matches in the Under-17 Boys, though winner Radiven was largely untroubled as he only dropped one game in the knockouts.

That was in the semi-final, when he defeated Prayrit Ahluwalia 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9). Radiven went on to beat Kai Lun Chow 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-8) in the final.

Chow beat Oscar Nikolli 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-9) in his semi-final, but his quarter-final was tougher as he came from 2-1 down to edge past Adam Alibhai 3-2 (13-11, 9-11, 7-11, 11-6, 13-11).

There were three great matches involving Noah Byrne-Smith in the earlier rounds. First, he defeated Leo Nguyen 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11) and then overcame Harry Tomlinson 3-2 (11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 10-12, 11-7). His run was ended by Ahluwalia in the quarter-finals, again in five (13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7).

Max Radiven

The Under-17 Girls†final went to Stuti Kashyap, the American girl being awarded a walkover against Soraya Rahmani-Walentynska.

Rahmani-Walentynska came from 2-0 down to beat Charlotte Lok Ching Wong 3-2 (8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8) in the semi-finals, where Kashyap defeated Eva Eccles.

The first round saw a couple of great comebacks as lower-ranked players defeated higher-ranked opponents – Assil Sarri beat second seed Alyssa Nguyen 3-2 (8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8) and Millie Noble beat Hannah Saunders 3-2 (4-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7, 12-10).

Malek Shamakh won the Under-13 Boys†event beating Li Hao Chan in the final. In the semis, Shamakh beat Saisuriya Prasanna Kumar 3-1 (11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7), while Chen defeated Christopher Darby.

Shamakhâ€s quarter-final saw him hold off a comeback by Lev Sahmurov to win 3-2 (11-6, 11-3, 10-12, 9-11, 11-5).

Amber Lemmon won the Under-13 Girls as she defeated Bethany Yang 3-1 (11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6) in the final.

Lemmonâ€s semi-final was done in three (11-5, 12-10, 11-7) against Alexia Ciobanica, while Yang went the distance with Serene Rahmani-Walentynska, coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4).

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  Tim BontempsDec 4, 2025, 11:57 PM ET

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  Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.

PHILADELPHIA — 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey’s scoring prowess turned him into an All-Star — and this season potentially an All-NBA selection — during his five-plus NBA seasons.

But on Thursday night, it was a spectacular defensive play that allowed Maxey and the 76ers to escape with a heart-stopping 99-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Xfinity Mobile Arena, as he raced from one end of the court to the other in seemingly the blink of an eye to swat a potential game-winning layup by Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton and stave off what would’ve been a horrific 76ers collapse.

“I just wanted to make a play,” Maxey said, “and try to help us win that game.”

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And he did, allowing the 76ers to earn a win four days after they played the Atlanta Hawks here in a similarly wild contest, one Philadelphia lost in double overtime.

This one, though, had an even more unforgettable ending.

After the Warriors — playing without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III, who were ruled out before the game, and Draymond Green, who left in the second quarter after reaggravating a foot injury — had erased a 24-point lead late in the fourth quarter, 76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe managed to convert an offensive rebound off a Maxey missed jumper with 0.9 to go.

“We know he can score, we know he can pass, but he does things that don’t show up in the box score all the time,” Maxey said of Edgecombe’s knack for chasing the ball on plays such as that.

“He made a hell of a play. For him to be able to go out there and track the ball, and tip it in like that? That was a great play.”

At that point, the 76ers had taken a 99-98 lead, and with no timeouts for the Warriors it appeared to practically everyone inside the arena that the game was over. But Warriors guard Buddy Hield stepped out of bounds, grabbed the ball and fired a perfect pass the length of the court to Melton, who latched onto it like it was Jalen Hurts throwing to A.J. Brown across the parking lot here in South Philadelphia and, seemingly, had a chance to make what would’ve been a truly unbelievable game-winning layup.

But then Maxey appeared.

One of the fastest players in the league, Maxey used every ounce of his speed and athleticism — aided by some adrenaline and, as he said with a smile later, not wanting his friend and former teammate to be able to get one over on him — to race back and block Melton’s shot at the buzzer. Maxey was swarmed by his teammates, and the 76ers breathed an immense sigh of relief.

“The block was amazing,” said Joel Embiid, who knows a thing or two about blocking shots. “I almost forgot where we actually made the game-winning layup. I had to ask after. I was like, ‘Wait, who made a game-winning layup?’ That’s how good the block was. But obviously, you don’t get the block unless someone makes a play.”

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, center, blocks a shot by Golden State’s De’Anthony Melton during the final moments of the 76ers’ 99-98 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday night. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Philadelphia will try to make it three in a row when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday on the second night of a back-to-back. The Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo after the two-time MVP suffered a calf injury Wednesday in a win over the Detroit Pistons that will keep him out for two to four weeks.

Embiid will also miss that game after he returned to the court for the second time in three games after missing the prior three weeks with right knee soreness. Embiid played 25 minutes, finishing with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. He went 5-for-13 from the field on a night when his jumper wasn’t falling (he missed all five of his 3-point attempts).

He also wasn’t on the court toward the end of the contest after hitting his 25-minute limit earlier — something he said he talked to Nurse about in terms of the best way to optimize his minutes and, he hopes, continue to ramp up his conditioning.

“I just think after last game I sat too long, and I think that’s happened in the past, earlier in the season, sitting too long and coming back in the fourth,” Embiid said. “Until I’m able to bump that up or they’ll allow me to play more, I think I just got to not sit too long, just play basketball and that’s also the best way to get in a rhythm because obviously, being in and out and obviously not playing back-to-backs and playing, basically playing every two days, that’s how you get in rhythm.”

Paul George, meanwhile, sat out Thursday’s game, but is trending toward playing Friday. Forward Kelly Oubre, out for the past few weeks with an LCL sprain, will be reevaluated next week.

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December 1, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

The University of Nottingham (UoN) once again dominated the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Table Tennis Championships, winning four of the five titles – including a clean sweep by Jiaqi Meng.

The competition saw around 480 athletes competing at David Ross Sports Village, UoNâ€s home venue.

Meng won all three titles available to her, matching her feat from last year, including defending the Womenâ€s Singles title.

Jonathan Mooney won the Menâ€s Singles, Meng & Sophie Earley won the Womenâ€s Doubles and Meng teamed up with Hanming Lin for the Mixed.

The only title not won by Nottingham was the Menâ€s Doubles, which went to Adam Dennison & Krish Chotai of Nottingham Trent University.

As well as the medallists, male and female Player of the Tournament, voted for by the umpires, were awarded to Toby Ellis (Sheffield Hallam) and Jasmin Wong (UoN).

Meng did not drop a game throughout the Womenâ€s Singles, coming through the top quadrant of the competition as top seed with three group victories and three in the early knockout rounds.

She continued her blemish-free record by defeating Xinyu Li of Manchester 3-0 (11-8, 11-2, 11-1) in the semi-finals and went on to beat Nottingham colleague Sophie Earley in the final by a scoreline of 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.

Earley had defeated Nottingham Trentâ€s Mollie Patterson, the fourth seed, in three straight in the other semi-finals.

Three of the quarter-finals were close matches and the victors all came from behind to win. Li overcame Mari Baldwin (Nottingham) 3-2 (10-12, 12-14, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8), Patterson got past Jasmin Wong (Nottingham) 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6) and Earley defeated Yat Sum Ma (Plymouth) 3-2 (11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8).

Mooney was perhaps a surprise Menâ€s Singles champion as 10th seed, but he came through his group easily enough and only dropped a couple of games in the early rounds as he made his way to the quarter-finals.

There, he unseated defending champion Xinliang Sun, also of UoN, before a fine comeback saw him edge past Toby Ellis (Sheffield Hallam) 3-2 (4-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9).

His final opponent was Joseph Hee (Cambridge), and it was another 3-2 win as Mooney took it 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7).

The other bronze medallist alongside Ellis was Adam Dennison (Nottingham Trent), who led 2-0 against Hee before the latter came back to take it 3-2 (10-12, 5-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-7).

In the Womenâ€s Doubles, the gold and silver medallists from the singles combined to take the title as Meng & Earley beat team-mates Baldwin & Wong in four (11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4).

Baldwin & Wong had come from 2-0 down to beat another UoN pair, Mabel Shute & Ayla Chitty 3-2 (9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5) in the semi-finals. In fact, it was all UoN on the podium as Anna Green & Rachael Iles were the other beaten semi-finalists, going down 7, 3, 4 to Meng & Earley.

Adam Dennison & Krish Chotai won the Menâ€s Doubles for Nottingham Trent, and they ended the reign of last yearâ€s winners Ben Piggott & Felix Thomis of Sheffield Hallam, 3-1 (11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7) in the final.

In the semis, Dennison & Chotai beat Hanming Lin & Xinliang Sun of UoN 3-1 (11-6, 11-7, 13-15, 11-9), and Piggott & Thomis defeated Danny Bajwa & James Johnson of Strathclyde.

Mengâ€s hat-trick also included the Mixed, in which there was another UoN sweep of the medals. Meng, alongside Hanming Lin, won the final 3-0 (11-2, 11-6, 11-9) against James & Hamblett & Anna Green.

In the semi-finals, the champions defeated Harri Docherty & Wong 3-1 (11-4, 11-13, 11-6, 12-10) and Hamblett & Green overcame Howard Onweng & Baldwin 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-9).

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Nov 28, 2025, 03:09 AM ET

Cameron Smith has endured another hometown horror show, the three-time Australian PGA champion fading badly to card a four-over 75 and miss a seventh straight cut.

The local hope began his Friday round on the projected cut line at two under and had early looks at birdies, but twice left his ball on the lip of the cup.

After dipping below the line with a bogey on the 11th hole, a scrambling Smith watched par putts slide by on the 13th and 14th in miserable scenes at Royal Queensland Golf Club.

He made an eight-footer for birdie at the 17th party hole to offer a glimmer of hope, but then missed the 18th green and three-putted for a double-bogey to seal his fate.

He finished two over and a distant cry from a clogged leaderboard headed by early clubhouse leader Brett Rankin, Kazuma Kobori, Wenyi Ding and Anthony Quayle, who all had at least one hole to play, at nine under.

Rankin, seven under through 18 holes, earned the clubhouse lead at nine under despite a double-bogey on his penultimate hole.

He was later joined by 2023 champion Min Woo Lee, who made six birdies before a bogey on the last put him one shot back.

Cameron Davis, Daniel Hillier, Marc Leishman and Marco Penge (seven under) are all within striking distance on a crowded leaderboard, while Ryan Fox dropped three late shots to sit at five under.

Adam Scott (six under) is lurking thanks to a long birdie putt on the 17th, defending champion Elvis Smylie (two under) rallied to make the cut, but European drawcards Joaquín Niemann (even par) and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (five over) both struggled.

Smith endured one of his worst days as a pro to miss the cut at Royal Queensland in 2023, in tears after shooting a seven-over-par 78 on the Friday.

But he returned last year to finish runner-up, then lost a play-off at the Saudi International soon after.

That form deserted him, the former world No.2 and 2022 Open Championship winner the only player to miss the cut at all four majors this year.

He then fell short at his next two tournaments and will arrive in Melbourne for next week’s Australian Open on a winless streak that’s approaching two-and-a-half years.

Playing partner Lee, who broke through for his maiden US PGA Tour win this year, was immune to the carnage as he regularly picked up shots, and Davis showed no signs of rust in his first tournament since an early PGA Tour exit in August.

Leishman roused earlier in the day, chipping in for eagle from the seventh bunker then taking driver from the fairway to set up birdie in a thrilling three-hole sequence to finish his round.

The 42-year-old former Greg Normal Medal winner has never won a major Australian title, but pledged to stay bold in his quest for one.

“We’re golfers and entertainers and I really enjoy entertaining, whether it’s a driver off the deck or a cool, spinning bunker shot,” Leishman said.

“Playing the way you’d play at home – not careless shots, just fun shots and taking on pins in different ways.

“I’m battling the whole time and trying to take it on … to get to a lot of the pins that some people can’t.”

India’s Parveen Hooda (PTI Photo/Gurinder Osan) New Delhi: For Parveen Hooda, the road back to the ring was far lonelier than any bout she has ever fought. The young boxer had spent nearly two years on the outside — suspended after three whereabouts failures, grappling with the stigma, the self-doubt and the slow grind of proving she hadnâ€t given up on herself or her sport. On Thursday in Greater Noida, she finally stepped back into the light. With a gritty 3-2 split verdict over Japanâ€s Ayaka Taguchi, Parveen claimed the 60kg gold at the World Boxing Cup Finals, turning a period defined by silence and uncertainty into a statement of revival. “This gold means everything,†Parveen told TOI during an interaction. “For me, itâ€s not just about winning a tournament, itâ€s about proving to myself that I could come back after everything I went through. I wanted to show that I never stopped fighting, even when I wasnâ€t inside the ring.â€The 25-year-old from Rurki village in Rohtak, Haryana, who had once proudly clinched bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, found herself stripped of both her Asiad medal and the consequent 2024 Paris Olympics quota spot. Her world collapsed when the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced in May 2024 that she had committed three whereabouts failures between April 2022 and March 2023 — a violation under WADAâ€s (World Anti-Doping Agency) anti-doping rules. Her punishment: a 22-month suspension, later backdated to 14 months. Her loss: an Olympic dream she had fought to earn. “It broke me at first,†she said. “I wonâ€t lie about that. When the ban was announced, I kept thinking — how did I let something like this happen? It felt like everything I had worked for was slipping away. For months, I struggled with guilt and frustration.†“It was my responsibility, and I should have managed it better,†she said. “I was travelling a lot for training, shifting bases, dealing with injuries… and somewhere the paperwork slipped. But in sport, there are no excuses. It taught me a harsh lesson,†she added. Cut off from competition and team environments, she retreated into what she calls “a tunnel of introspectionâ€. The silence was deafening but eventually healing. “There were days I didnâ€t feel like training at all,†Parveen recalled. “But then I reminded myself — this is not how my story ends. I told myself that when I return, I have to return stronger, mentally and physically.†She turned the forced break into a period of rebuilding. Training became simpler, more disciplined. She worked on strength, mobility and endurance — things that didnâ€t need tournaments or camps. More importantly, she worked on her mindset. “I kept telling myself that I still belonged at the top,†she said. “Every session was like a message to myself that I wasnâ€t done.†Her comeback in Greater Noida, the first international event she entered since the 2023 Asian Games, was the culmination of that silent grind. Her route to the gold wasnâ€t easy either. In the semis, she beat Polandâ€s Aneta Rygielska, the 2025 World Championships silver-medallist, in what was arguably her sharpest performance of the week. “Just stepping back into an international arena felt emotional. I felt like I was home again,†Parveen said. “This medal is special because it represents everything I survived. The pressure, the doubt, the long months of not knowing when I would return.†And the return truly has been emphatic.

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TORONTO — Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s arms were so tired, he needed help lifting the World Series MVP trophy.

Hardly a surprise, considering how much he pitched in the final two games of this seven-game classic.

Yamamoto capped one of the best pitching performances in World Series history with 2â…” scoreless innings to end the clincher. That came one day after throwing 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ Game 6 win, and he also pitched a four-hitter in Game 2 to help Los Angeles repeat as champions in a fantastic Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto’s heavy workload. “I’m kind of crazy for sending him back out there. But I just felt he was the best option.”

Hard to argue. Yamamoto pitched out of a jam in the ninth inning, leaving the bases loaded and the score tied at 4. After cruising through the 10th, he worked around Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s leadoff double in the 11th to seal the 5-4 victory and lock up L.A.’s second consecutive championship.

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“Yamamoto is the GOAT!” Roberts shouted moments before the Dodgers hoisted the World Series trophy.

Still, even Yamamoto wasn’t sure he would get the job done in Game 7.

“Before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability,” he said through an interpreter. “But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.”

Yamamoto, 27, is the fourth pitcher to win Games 6 and 7 of the same World Series, matching Randy Johnson in 2001, Harry Brecheen in 1946 and Ray Kremer in 1925. Yamamoto and Johnson are the only pitchers since 1969 to win three games in one World Series.

Yamamoto’s Game 7 cap is being sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

“That was incredible,” said catcher Will Smith, who hit the Dodgers’ tiebreaking homer in the 11th. “You know, I talked to him yesterday. I was like, `Hey, if you can give us one we’re going to win.’ He gave us three. That was special. He’ll have a few months off. I know he’s going to need it, but I’m just happy for him. That was awesome.”

A day after throwing 96 pitches in a Game 6 win, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 2â…” scoreless innings in relief in the Dodgers’ World Series clincher Saturday night. He is the fourth pitcher to win Games 6 and 7 of the same World Series. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Signed from Japan to a 12-year, $325 million contract before last season, Yamamoto was 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA against the Toronto Blue Jays. He struck out 15 and walked two over 17â…” innings, allowing two runs and 10 hits.

“He’s one of the best arms in the game,” Toronto’s Addison Barger said. “He did a great job. Kind of freaky that he came in and pitched today after yesterday. I don’t know what they’re doing over there, how he did that without his arm falling off.”

Blue Jays slugger George Springer said Yamamoto’s deep arsenal of pitches is a key part of what makes him so tough.

“He’s elite,” Springer said. “There’s no other way to describe it. He’s elite. He can control six or seven different types of spin, and obviously, that split is hard to hit.”

Yamamoto’s Game 2 gem was his second consecutive complete game of the postseason. He retired the final 20 batters in a 5-1 Dodgers victory.

That came after a three-hitter against Milwaukee in the National League Championship Series, the first postseason complete game in eight years.

No pitcher had gone the distance in the Fall Classic since Kansas City’s Johnny Cueto fired a two-hitter against the New York Mets in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series.

Yamamoto was not quite as sharp in Game 6, allowing one run and five hits in six innings as Los Angeles won 3-1 to force Game 7.

Including a victory in Game 2 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees, Yamamoto is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in four Fall Classic appearances.

Arizona ace Curt Schilling was the last pitcher to throw consecutive complete games in the postseason, tossing three in a row in the 2001 NL Division Series and NLCS.

Orel Hershiser had been the last Dodgers pitcher with a solo Series effort, in Games 2 and 5 against Oakland in 1988. Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax pitched two Series complete games each in 1963 and 1965.

Yamamoto pitched 12 complete games in his last three seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League before joining the Dodgers.

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Emi Buendía and John McGinn struck second-half goals as Aston Villa beat Feyenoord 2-0 in Rotterdam to make it back-to-back Europa League wins.

Villa, who beat Bologna 1-0 in their opening game last week, held their nerve at De Kuip after coming under heavy first-half pressure, with Buendía and then McGinn scoring for Unai Emeryâ€s side.

Back at the venue where they sealed the clubâ€s greatest triumph by beating Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup in 1982, Villa notched their third win in a week to put their dismal start to the season behind them.

Villa were forced into a late change before kick-off, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez withdrawn through a calf injury and replaced by the summer signing Marco Bizot.

Feyenoord, who beat both Bayern and Inter Milan in the Champions League at the intimidating De Kuip last season, created a string of first-half chances.

Bizot denied Anis Hadj-Moussa and Ayase Ueda, who also headed narrowly wide, before Leo Sauerâ€s shot from outside the box then tested the Villa keeper.

The visitors breathed a sigh of relief in the 35th minute – and the Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie was left furious – when Ueda headed the home side into the lead from a corner, but the goal was dubiously ruled out for an apparent foul on Matty Cash.

Emeryâ€s side weathered the storm and Buendía struck the opening goal in the 61st minute, curling home into the bottom corner after being teed up by Boubacar Kamara on the edge of the area.

Villa dictated the tempo thereafter and put the game to bed when McGinn steered home his third goal in as many matches, picking his spot when the ball broke to him in the area following substitute Donyell Malenâ€s storming run.

Bizot was on hand again with crucial saves to deny Ueda and Cyle Larin in the closing stages, preventing the Dutch from mounting a grandstand finish.

Rangers showed fighting spirit against Sturm Graz, but first-half defensive lapses resulted in a second Europa League defeat in eight days to keep under-fire manager Russell Martin on the back foot.

The Light Blues lost 1-0 to the Belgian side Genk in their opening league phase game at Ibrox last Thursday night and went down 2-1 at the Merkur Arena.

The Slovenia striker Tomi Horvat scored after just seven minutes and, after the Rangers forward Youssef Chermiti hit the woodwork, the Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili drove in a second in the 35th minute.

However, winger Djeidi Gassama made it 2-1 four minutes after the break with a terrific strike and offered hope for Rangers, but the comeback could not be completed and, after just five wins in 16 games, the pressure remains firmly on Martin.

Kelechi Iheanacho had a goal controversially disallowed in Celticâ€s defeat by Braga. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Kelechi Iheanacho was on the wrong end of a hugely controversial handball decision before Braga wrapped up a 2-0 Europa League win at Celtic.

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Iheanacho appeared to have brought the hosts level in the 51st minute after Kasper Schmeichel made a mess of dealing with Ricardo Hortaâ€s long-range strike in the first half. But the German referee, Tobias Stieler, disallowed the goal and the video assistant Christian Dingert stuck with the decision, despite no handball being evident on television replays.

Iheanacho capitalised on a loose pass from a free-kick to charge down a scrambled clearance from the former Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke before slotting home. The ball appeared to hit the strikerâ€s face but Dingert stuck with the decision after more than two minutes of studying the footage.

Kieran Tierney and Sebastian Tounekti were denied by good goalkeeping as Celtic chased an equaliser in an open second half. Brendan Rodgersâ€s side were left with one point from their opening two matches after Gabri Martínez netted on the rebound five minutes from time.

There were clear signs Schmeichel was having an off night as the goalkeeper conceded possession several times before being beaten from 35 yards in the 20th minute.

Horta was not closed down quickly enough by Paulo Bernardo and his shot swerved and dipped. But it was not particularly powerful or in the corner and Schmeichel appeared to be caught off guard before clawing the ball into the roof of the net.

Celtic were soon back under pressure and Martínez netted from close range after Schmeichel and Scales had blocked efforts.

The Lille goalkeeper, Berke Özer, saved three penalties, included two retaken, in the win against Roma. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

The Lille keeper Berke Özer saved three consecutive penalties late on as they battled to a 1-0 victory at Roma in the Europa League thanks to Hákon Arnar Haraldssonâ€s early strike.

In the first competitive meeting between the sides, Arnar Haraldsson capitalised on an early Roma error to fire the visitors ahead after six minutes. Roma were handed a golden chance to equalise in the last few minutes after a handball from Aïssa Mandi, but Artem Dovbykâ€s penalty was saved by Özer.

Drama followed as the Lille keeper was adjudged to have moved off his line, only for Dovbykâ€s second attempt to be stopped as well, but with Özer again stepping forward too early. A third effort was then entrusted to Matías Soulé, yet incredibly, Özer denied him as well and this time the save stood, sealing Lilleâ€s win.

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A double-overtime interception sealed the deal for the No. 6 Oregon Ducks who silenced a white-out crowd at Beaver Stadium, knocking off No. 3 Penn State, 30-24, on Saturday to improve to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play.

Penn State senior quarterback Drew Allar threw for 137 yards on 14-of-25 passing with two touchdowns and the costly double overtime interception that sealed the Nittany Lions fate.

Running back Kaytron Allen ran in a touchdown and Allar connected with Devonte Ross for both of his passing touchdowns while Ross added 48 yards.

The Big Ten battle marked Oregon’s second straight conference win, following a victory over Northwestern last week. Penn State fell to 3-1 (0-1 Big Ten) with the loss.

Ducks sophomore quarterback Dante Moore completed 29-of-39 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Gary Bryant Jr. who finished with 55 yards and a touchdown. Dierre Hill Jr. and Jamari Johnnson also hauled in scores, while Jordon Davison added a rushing touchdown.

Fans reacted to Allar’s costly overtime interception, which ended Penn State’s near-miraculous comeback bid against Oregon.

Oregon and Penn State entered halftime tied at 3-3 after both defenses held firm and kept the offenses out of the end zone through the first 30 minutes.

The Nittany Lions opened the scoring with a 49-yard field goal from Ryan Barker, but Oregon’s Atticus Sappington answered with a 42-yarder before the break, redeeming himself after an earlier miss from 47 yards.

Following a near-fumble that was overturned in Oregon’s favor, the Ducks capitalized on their opening drive of the second half. Moore connected with Hill Jr. to give Oregon a 10-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

On their first possession of the final frame, Davison punched in an 8-yard rushing touchdown, extending the Ducks’ lead to two scores. But Penn State answered quickly, marching down the field in just four plays and capping the drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Ross. The Nittany Lions trailed 17-10 with 10:30 remaining in regulation.

Allar and the Nittany Lions marched down the field on a 15-play, near-seven-minute drive, capping it with a touchdown pass to Ross to tie the game at 17 with 30 seconds remaining to send it into overtime.

Allen and Penn State found the end zone in overtime, putting pressure on Oregon to respond with one of their own. The Ducks answered as Moore connected with Johnson on a 2-yard touchdown pass to force a second overtime.

Oregon struck quickly in the second overtime, as Moore connected with Bryant Jr. for a touchdown on the first play. On Penn State’s ensuing possession, Dillon Thieneman intercepted Allar to seal the win for the Ducks.

Oregon will enter a bye week before hosting No. 11 Indiana on Oct. 11.

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Derbyshire head of cricket Mickey Arthur:

“The mindset shift for us has been astronomical in terms of wanting to win, playing a lot more of a brand of more positive cricket which as a captain and coach we’ve driven, and the boys have responded unbelievably well to that.

“When you have a look at the way the guys go about their business out on the ground and the fielding and the intensity and the energy, it tells you where we’re at as a team and I couldn’t be more proud of that because it shows that guys have really bought into it.

“You chase every ball down, you attempt every catch and I think we showed that in this game in heaps.”

“It’s been a phenomenal season for Luis and he’s mostly done that on one leg as well. He goes in for an operation in the next couple of days to clear out his ankle. It just shows again the determination, the drive of him and everybody within our squad to get better. “

Kent head coach Adam Hollioake:

“We didn’t bowl well enough. We didn’t build any pressure throughout and then with the bat, on what’s a very good wicket, we just haven’t capitalised and put on big partnerships, which is kind of what we’ve done all year really.

“We did get off to a good start, (but) no doubt injuries haven’t helped. Keith Dudgeon went down after one game and I think the injuries really compounded after three games.

“We’d won two and drawn one, but during that period Nathan Gilchrist got a concussion, Jas Singh did his ankle. That then put a strain on our fast bowling attack and we were sort of constantly overloading our bowlers.

“I know that’s unlucky, but we’re a professional cricket team and we’ve got to deal with that. We haven’t done that very well and we’re just going to have to be better, me included as a coach, I’m not just pointing the finger at the players.”

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Charlie Allison kept his head during an otherwise nervy hour and a quarter as Essex claimed a seven-wicket victory over Somerset to round off the County Championship season.

Allison, one of Essex’s stand-out performers during a largely disappointing season, finished the game with a second six off Jake Ball over long-on.

He was 32 not out from 34 balls as Essex reached their target of 95 from just 18.4 overs.

Lewis Gregory had given Somerset some hope by removing Dean Elgar and Tom Westley inside the first six overs before taking the catch in the deep to end Paul Walter’s tone-setting innings.

Walter, a first-innings centurion, had amassed 30 from 31 balls when he departed with 39 still required.

The Somerset captain was fired up in the face of desperate odds against and caused jitters in the Essex ranks as he repeatedly beat the outside edge of the bat.

He bowled through unchanged and was rewarded with figures of 2-43 from his nine overs.

For two-and-a-half days it looked like the game would peter out into a tame draw but that was before Jamie Porter initiated a Somerset collapse of monumental proportions amid the gloom of a day-three afternoon and early evening.

Essex had subsided themselves earlier in the day from an overnight 295-2 to 438 all out and a nominal lead of five runs.

But in 34 overs, they rolled Somerset over for 99 with Porter taking 4-18, falling just one wicket short of another 50-wicket haul for the season.

However, with all of day four available to knock off the runs, a modicum of tension was introduced in only the second over.

Having put on 277 for the first wicket in the first innings, the opening partnership lasted just seven balls as Elgar departed for a golden duck, rapped conclusively on his front pad by Gregory.

Tom Westley withstood the rest of a torrid over and got off the mark with a characteristic drive through midwicket for four off Craig Overton. He followed that with an emphatic pull through midwicket off Gregory for a second boundary before he, too, fell to the same bowler.

After putting on a 28 with Walter, Westley nibbled at one outside off-stump and wicketkeeper James Rew dived in front of first slip to claim the catch.

Walter had been busy turning twos into threes to the extent that Essex reached 50 from just nine overs when 20-year-old Allison walked down the pitch and smashed Overton through extra over for four.

Overton had been relatively expensive, his five overs costing 25, but his replacement Jake Ball struck with his first ball when Walter went for a big heave and paid the price.

Allison, though, made sure the target came down quickly and deposited Ball for six to take Essex within two runs of the target and then repeated the act to complete the victory.

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