Matthijs de Ligt hailed Bayern Munich for their "unbelievable" performance against Bochum but admitted he wants to be playing more for the team.

The Netherlands international started for the first time in Bayern's dominant 7-0 win on the road, opening his account for the club with Bayern's second goal.

Signed from Juventus, De Ligt came off the bench in the German Super Cup victory against RB Leipzig and in the opening Bundesliga game of the season, with early opportunities limited as he entered the weekend with just eight minutes of league football.

De Ligt got his chance on Sunday and capped off his display with a goal in Bayern's rout, before later making it clear he wants to be starting more games – though he acknowledged the fierce competition he faces.

"It's unbelievable, we scored five goals in the first half. It was important that we kept our focus throughout the game," he said. "I'm very happy to have scored my first goal. We need to carry on this way.

"Of course every player always wants to play. But I understood the situation. I came here as a new player from Juventus and [Dayot] Upamecano and [Theo] Hernandez played well. But of course I want to play."

Julian Nagelsmann was pleased by the performance of his new defensive acquisition and praised the display of the back-line, who have conceded just once in the opening three fixtures.

"[De Ligt] got the news early that he was going to play. With the injury on his hand, it was difficult for him but he played well," Nagelsmann said.

"In the first half, two or three times he left his position a bit too early, so there was a chance for Bochum – he pulled away a bit too easy sometimes.

"Overall, he played well. It's always great for a defence, who were criticised last year, to finish a game without any goals against, a clean sheet.

"I think our defensive midfield was very strong today as well. Sometimes last year, we played a little bit too much, were a little bit too complicated. We're happy that we had a clean sheet."

Maximilian Kieffer was left lost for words after claiming his first DP World Tour victory at the Czech Masters.

The tournament was reduced to 54 holes because of heavy rain on Saturday in Prague.

But nothing could dampen Kieffer's delight after he overhauled overnight leader Gavin Green.

Kieffer carded seven birdies and just one bogey for his final-round 66.

He finished 16 under par, one stroke ahead of Green, who ultimately paid the price for a double bogey six at the par-four 14th.

"It's tough right now to say what it means. It's great, I am lost for words a little bit," said Kieffer.

"I wanted to be ready in case he [Green] made birdie. When the guy from the TV said 'you've won it' the feeling was ridiculous.

"I don't know how I feel, I think it will need a few days. I just love golf, I just love to play golf. Even if I had not won I still have a great life, I still enjoy playing golf. So now to win it's even better."

"Hard work, always keep going and keep grinding," the 32-year-old Kieffer said when asked what he attributed his win to.  

"You have good days, you have bad days, you have to enjoy the good days and on the bad days you just have to dig deep and keep going."

Ligue 1 referees have given out 11 red cards this weekend, the most in a single matchday in 30 years.

There were four dismissals in the game between Montpellier and Auxerre, while Nice also had two players given early baths as they fell to defeat at Clermont.

In total, six matches this weekend have had at least one red card awarded, with one game left to play between Lille and PSG on Sunday.

In comparison, there has only been one red card in both the Premier League and Bundesliga so far this weekend.

Anthony Joshua admitted emotions got the better of him after he launched an impassioned rant in the aftermath of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year, and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.

While Joshua's improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.

Joshua responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian's belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk's abilities.

Joshua, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: "When you're angry you do stupid things."

On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.

"I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on Twitter.

"Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.

"I'll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain't great.

"I love this sport so so much and I'll be better from this point on. Respect."

Usyk declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua, saying: "I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."

Sam Bennett made it back-to-back stage wins to cement his place as a dark horse outsider on Sunday at the Vuelta a Espana.

The 31-year-old Irishman claimed victory on Saturday amid a mass sprint in Utrecht, and backed up his points classification credentials with a second Grand Tour stage in as many days in Breda.

As the Vuelta packs up to make the transfer to Spain following its start in the Netherlands, it means Bennett – left out of the Tour de France for a second successive year – leads the points standings.

With such a strong performance to date, the BORA-hansgrohe rider is not ruling out a sustained push for the green jersey, but Bennett acknowledges the riders have barely scratched the surface of this year's race.

"There is a long way to go [and] anything can happen," Bennett said, quoted by Cycling News. "But we want the sprint jersey and we will start to commit more to look at points.

"We have two stages now, so we can make bigger decisions on when to take points and when to leave them. Hopefully we can compete for the green – that would be really nice."

Mads Pedersen nabbed second for the second day in a row, while Briton Dan McLay improved his day-by-day performance from sixth to third.

The race will resume on Tuesday, starting from Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country, with Edoardo Affini leading a top-six lockout for Jumbo-Visma in the general classification standings.

Affini is tied on the clock with three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic, plus Sam Oomen, Sepp Kuss, Mike Teunissen and Robert Gesink.

STAGE RESULT

1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 4:05:53
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Dan McLay (Arkea-Samsic) same time
4. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) same time
5. Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) 8:20:07
2. Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time

Points Classification

1. Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe) 117
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 80
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 34

King of the Mountains

1. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 3
2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) 2
3. Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-Samsic) 1

Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland scored as Manchester City came from two goals down to salvage a 3-3 draw in Sunday's Premier League thriller with Newcastle United.

The reigning champions had started their latest title defence with back-to-back wins without conceding and took a fifth-minute lead at St James' Park through Ilkay Gundogan.

However, Miguel Almiron levelled up with a goal awarded after a VAR check and Callum Wilson had Newcastle – themselves still unbeaten – in front prior to half-time.

Kieran Trippier's stunning free-kick put Newcastle further ahead, but Haaland pulled one back and Silva equalised soon after to ensure the points were shared.

Newcastle had kept back-to-back clean sheets but were caught cold early on, with Gundogan left in plenty of space to control Silva's clipped pass and fire home.

Kevin De Bruyne was twice denied by Nick Pope, though Newcastle levelled up when Almiron met Saint-Maximin's cross with his thigh and bundled past Ederson.

After Almiron's celebrations were cut short by an offside flag, a VAR check determined Joao Cancelo had kept the Newcastle attacker onside and the goal was allowed to stand.

The hosts led by the interval through Wilson's well-taken strike past Ederson following more good work from Saint-Maximin.

Pope produced a fine fingertip stop to help Haaland's shot onto the post early in the second half, shortly before Trippier's sublime 30-yard free-kick found the top-left corner.

City gave themselves hope thanks to Haaland's volley after anticipating Rodri's knock-down inside the box.

After Haaland uncharacteristically missed a one-on-one chance, City were back on level terms when De Bruyne cut open Newcastle's defence and Silva calmly slotted past Pope.

That set up a tense final 25 minutes, in which Trippier was shown a red card for a cynical challenge on De Bruyne before the decision was downgraded to yellow, though there was to be no winning goal.

Bayern Munich maintained their 100 per cent start to the Bundesliga season after sweeping aside 7-0 Bochum on Sunday, scoring at least six goals for the second away match in a row.

The defending champions were ruthless in the first half with Leroy Sane, Matthijs de Ligt, Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane striking to put the visitors in control.

Mane struck again from the spot in the second half, with substitute Serge Gnabry also getting in on the act after Christian Gamboa had put the ball into his own net.

Bayern wasted no time in breaking the deadlock, Sane and Coman combining in a fine passing move before the former curled past Manuel Riemann with just four minutes on the clock.

Some shaky defending provided encouragement for Bochum but the lead was doubled by De Ligt, heading home Joshua Kimmich's corner after Riemann misjudged the delivery.

Further mistakes from the hosts compounded their misery, Gamboa's header back at goal pounced upon by Thomas Muller and Coman tucking home the rebound after Riemann's save.

Mane saw an effort chalked off for handball but it mattered little as the former Liverpool star made sure immediately after, latching onto Coman's pass and cutting back before striking home.

Bayern added further gloss to the score after the break, Mane smashing home from the spot after Coman won a penalty – taking his tally for the season to three goals in three games.

Things soon got worse, Gnabry's pass poked beyond his own keeper by Gamboa before the Germany international smashed home off the post to take the tally to seven.

Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Edouard Mendy's "huge" error cost Chelsea dearly after the 10-man Blues slipped to a demoralising 3-0 loss at Leeds United.

Mendy inexplicably allowed Brenden Aaronson to steal possession on the edge of the six-yard box and poke Leeds into a 33rd-minute lead.

Further goals from Rodrigo and Jack Harrison helped the hosts claim their first win over Chelsea since December 2002.

Kalidou Koulibaly was then sent off after picking up a second booking as Chelsea's miserable outing drew to a close. It was the defender's sixth league dismissal since the start of the 2017-18 season – more than any other player in the top five European leagues.

But it was Mendy's dismal mistake which put Chelsea on the back foot, and Tuchel did not hide his frustration with the Senegal goalkeeper after the match.

Asked whether he would discuss the incident with Mendy, Tuchel said: "He knows himself. With these kinds of mistakes, I don't think we need to speak a lot.

"He knows himself that this was a mistake and honestly, this has nothing to do with protection or no protection.

"Everybody in the world sees the mistake, it's a huge mistake in a crucial time of the match. It does not help and he's the one that is the most disappointed because it cost us a lot today."

Speaking to Sky Sports, former Manchester City and Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given was equally critical of Mendy's decision-making, saying: "He just has a really poor first touch and his head's a bit scrambled at that point. Worst case, kick it out for a corner, just don't do what you do.

"The only thing I would say in Edouard Mendy's defence, not too many Chelsea defenders have run into a position to receive the ball from him.

"But it's still a terrible mistake from Mendy, he knows he has to clear his lines. It's a poor, poor goal to give away."

The defeat at Elland Road represents another blow for Chelsea, who conceded a last-gasp equaliser against London rivals Tottenham in their previous match.

Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana has been strongly linked with the Blues as Tuchel bids to strengthen his defence, but the Chelsea boss insists his existing squad should be performing better.

"We need to wait. The transfer period is still open. It gets later and later and we need to focus on what we have and what we can do," Tuchel said.

"We can obviously play at a high level, but we lost track when there was no need. We were not forced to lose track. Everything was going well.

"We can win with this team in Leeds, everything was going well and we had goalscoring opportunities. It went the other way and I think it was more our fault than anyone else's credit."

While a defensive addition remains an aim, Tuchel was dismissive when asked whether Chelsea could target a new midfielder, responding: "Another midfielder? We have Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, we have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic.

"They [Kovacic and Kane] are injured, yes, it's a problem. But they will come back. They've not disappeared."

Chelsea host Leicester City in their next Premier League game on Saturday, having claimed four points from their three outings this season.

Elite 1 Horizon are the champions of the inaugural P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League after defeating Elite 1 Storm 82-71 in the championship game at the National Arena in Kingston on Saturday.

In a rematch of the final preliminary round game which saw the Horizon win in a blowout on Wednesday, the Horizon once again used solid defensive effort to get the job done and end the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.

Guard Bobby Gray was named man-of-the-match for his 26 points, four assists and four steals.

“This means everything. It’s the first one out here, so, it’s very big and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Gray who was also named International MVP of the tournament.

“Happy that I was with a group of guys that bought in together and we won it,” he said.

The MVP award felt extra special, according to Gray.

“It means a lot man. I stopped playing basketball for a minute then I got back into it because I figured out I was coming out here. I know how much hard work I put in and now it’s all showing,” he said.

Gray’s teammate Nicholai Brown was named local MVP.

For the Storm, guard Joel Bailey led them in scoring with 23 points while also dishing out eight assists.

He put the loss down to an inability to take care of the basketball.

“Just turning over the ball the last couple minutes of the game. That cost us. We should’ve been more careful with the ball,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Elite 1 Rivers beat Elite 1 Waves 88-83 to secure third place.

Guard Patrick Robinson scored 20 points to help the Rivers exact revenge on the Waves who beat them in their final preliminary round outing on Wednesday.

Gemaal Davis led the Waves with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

 

 

 

Tom Brady's return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is imminent. 

Just days after saying he didn't have a definitive return date for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Sunday he will be back with the team early this week. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported he is expected to return on Monday. 

Brady left training camp on August 11 for an absence Bowles said was planned in advanced so he could "deal with some personal things" and he was scheduled to re-join the team after their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans this past Saturday.   

Two days before the Bucs' second preseason game, however, Bowles admitted he didn't know exactly when Brady would return.  

"We'll see. We'll talk about it next week," Bowles said on Thursday, via The Athletic. "I'm not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There's no definitive date for me. We'll keep in touch and find out." 

His noncommittal update seemed to contradict what he said the previous week about Brady's scheduled absence, and his uncertainty about when he would return created a bit of a stir. 

A few days off wasn't entirely shocking for a 45-year-old quarterback who has had plenty of practice reps over a pro career that began in 2000, but an extended absence without a definite return date was more unusual. 

Bowles, though, seemed to quell any concern on Sunday by saying he will be back with the team shortly.  

Brady famously retired briefly this offseason before announcing in mid-March that he would return for a third season with Tampa Bay and 23rd in the NFL after leading the league with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 2021, while also ranking first in passing touchdowns with 43.   

He led the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular-season record and NFC South crown last year, but their season ended with a 27-20 loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.  

Tampa Bay begin this season at the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, and Bowles said last week Brady's absence would not affect the seven-time Super Bowl champion's availability for the opener.  

Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea were "clearly the better team" in their 3-0 loss to Leeds, as the Blues suffered a first Premier League defeat of the season.

A howler from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy gifted Brenden Aaronson the opener for the Whites, with Rodrigo and Jack Harrison both adding further goals for a remarkable victory at Elland Road.

Chelsea struggled to exert sustained pressure upon their hosts, and a late second yellow card for Kalidou Koulibaly ensured they finished the game with 10 men.

Despite that, Tuchel believed his team to be superior across the match, instead suggesting their defeat came down to individual errors rather than a failed game-plan.

"We lost the game in the first 20 minutes where we were clearly better and had huge chances," he told BBC Sport after the contest. "[We had] a lot of touches in the box but we missed the target and did not take what we deserved.

"We were clearly the better team. They do what they do. I don't see that set-piece and goal [from Mendy's mistake] are due to the style. They are mistakes.

"If we give goals away like this that are totally unnecessary and when we are totally in charge, we cannot win football matches.

"We tried [in the] second-half and I am disappointed we lost that half as well. They made the maximum of their half-chances and we did not."

Leeds midfielder Aaronson meanwhile said victory represented a personal ambition for him as well as a club achievement, suggesting the hosts were more driven to chase victory than their outgunned visitors.

"I've dreamed about this for a long time," the American told Sky Sports. "It's a dream come true and it shows how much progress we have made.

"It shows who wanted it more. The crowd got us pumped up and everyone was driven."

Fellow goalscorer Harrison added: "We conducted a really good tactical plan from Jesse and we knew how important it was to come out strong and that set the tone from there.

"Credit to the tactics and production from the team as well. We set the tone today and have to aim for this performance every week. I know it's difficult but if we have something to aim for that's the motivation for us."

Roger Federer looks bang on course to launch his comeback next month after the 20-time grand slam winner posted an encouraging video of a practice session on Sunday.

The Swiss turned 41 on August 8 and has not played a match since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year.

He has undergone knee surgery in the meantime, his third such operation inside two years, but is determined to resume his playing career and looked to be enjoying being back on court in a short clip posted to Instagram.

Federer is due to play in the Laver Cup, which will be staged in London from September 23 to 25, with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic set to join him in an illustrious Team Europe line-up.

It will be a reunion for the 'Big Four', who were once so dominant as a group, with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud also on the European team, which will be captained by Bjorn Borg.

Federer is then entered for the Swiss Indoors in his home city of Basel, where he has been champion 10 times previously and holds a remarkable 75-9 win-loss career record.

It remains to be seen whether that October 24-30 tournament is a farewell appearance, or another step towards playing regularly on the ATP tour once more.

At Wimbledon in July, Federer appeared at a parade of former champions and said he wished to play at the All England Club again, which points to him planning to play in the 2023 season.

"I hope I can come back here one more time," said Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon champion.

A howler from Edouard Mendy helped Leeds United stun Chelsea as the hosts seized a 3-0 victory in the Premier League at Elland Road.

The Blues goalkeeper put his side on the back foot when he allowed Brenden Aaronson to dispossess him inside his six-yard area midway through the first half for a simple tap in.

Further goals for Rodrigo – who nabbed his fourth of the season – and Jack Harrison cemented a famous win for Jesse Marsch's men, who claimed a first triumph over their London rivals for almost two decades.

Thomas Tuchel – in the dugout despite his red card in last week's London derby draw with Tottenham – will be left to wonder just how his side were so expertly unravelled under sunny skies in West Yorkshire.

Amid a high-energy start that saw the hosts hassle their visitors on and off the ball, Raheem Sterling thought he had curled an opener in just shy of the quarter-hour mark, only for the assistant referee's flag to rule him offside.

That disallowed finish would come back to bite the Blues just beyond the half-hour when Mendy's decision to dally with a backpass saw him pay dearly as Aaronson darted in to rob the Senegal international and roll the ball into the net.

Just four minutes later, Leeds had Elland Road rocking further as they doubled their tally with Rodrigo's header, the Spaniard powering home from Jack Harrison's free-kick after Sterling had committed a foul just outside the box.

Chelsea resisted changes, and briefly it appeared as if Tuchel's men could force a comeback, but when Harrison finished off Rodrigo's knockdown with a quarter of the game to go, the result was sealed.

It was to get worse for the visitors, who ended the match a man down after Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a second yellow card for dragging down Joe Gelhardt, and Chelsea ultimately skulked from the field in the shadow of a famous Leeds win.

A howler from Edouard Mendy helped Leeds United stun Chelsea as the hosts seized a 3-0 victory in the Premier League at Elland Road.

The Blues goalkeeper put his side on the back foot when he allowed Brenden Aaronson to dispossess him inside his six-yard area midway through the first half for a simple tap in.

Further goals for Rodrigo – who nabbed his fourth of the season – and Jack Harrison cemented a famous win for Jesse Marsch's men, who claimed a first triumph over their London rivals for almost two decades.

Thomas Tuchel – in the dugout despite his red card in last week's London derby draw with Tottenham – will be left to wonder just how his side were so expertly unravelled under sunny skies in West Yorkshire.

Amid a high-energy start that saw the hosts hassle their visitors on and off the ball, Raheem Sterling thought he had curled an opener in just shy of the quarter-hour mark, only for the assistant referee's flag to rule him offside.

That disallowed finish would come back to bite the Blues just beyond the half-hour when Mendy's decision to dally with a backpass saw him pay dearly as Aaronson darted in to rob the Senegal international and roll the ball into the net.

Just four minutes later, Leeds had Elland Road rocking further as they doubled their tally with Rodrigo's header, the Spaniard powering home from Jack Harrison's free-kick after Sterling had committed a foul just outside the box.

Chelsea resisted changes, and briefly it appeared as if Tuchel's men could force a comeback, but when Harrison finished off Rodrigo's knockdown with a quarter of the game to go, the result was sealed.

It was to get worse for the visitors, who ended the match a man down after Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a second yellow card for dragging down Joe Gelhardt, and Chelsea ultimately skulked from the field in the shadow of a famous Leeds win.

What does it mean? Leeds earn first win over Blues in almost two decades

The last time the Whites defeated Chelsea it was through goals from Jonathan Woodgate and a 16-year-old James Milner, when they emerged as 2-0 victors in December 2002.

A long absence from the top-flight has restricted the number of encounters between the two, of course, but for Leeds, this result – and the manner in which they achieved it – might rank as their best result since they returned to the Premier League.

Rodrigo continues remarkable run

Since his arrival in what had been a club-record deal from Valencia, it has been a somewhat frustrating two seasons for Rodrigo at Elland Road, with just 13 goals in 62 games before this term.

But he has started this new campaign like a man possessed, with four goals in the first three games, making him only the fourth player to achieve the feat in the top-flight for the club.

Koulibaly discipline deepens Chelsea woes

The late dismissal of Tuchel's big defensive purchase of the transfer window is a blow for the Blues, but hardly a surprising one.

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Koulibaly has been sent off six times in Serie A and the Premier League combined, more than any other player in the top five European leagues.

Key Opta facts

- Tuchel took charge of his 60th Premier League match today; Chelsea conceded just 17 goals in their first 30 games under the German, but have shipped exactly twice as many in the last 30 (34).

- Chelsea found themselves behind at half time in a Premier League game for the first time since their final match of the 2020-21 season against Aston Villa (a 2-1 loss). They had gone 40 successive matches in the competition without trailing at the break before today.

- Aaronson's opener for Leeds was the first time an American player has scored under an American manager (Marsch) in Premier League history.

- Rodrigo became just the fourth Leeds player to score in their first three top-flight matches in a season, after Arthur Hydes in 1933-34, Mick Jones in 1968-69 and Patrick Bamford in 2020-21.

- Leeds pair Rodrigo and Harrison have combined for four Premier League goals this season, already more than any other duo for the club last term.

What comes next?

Leeds remain at home for an EFL Cup clash against Barnsley on Wednesday, while Chelsea host Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

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