Francis Tiafoe enjoyed an important Laver Cup victory over Daniil Medvedev on Saturday, with the American thriving on confidence after feeling "like Roger Federer".

American Tiafoe rallied past Team Europe's Medvedev 3-6 6-4 10-5 to send Team World into a 4-2 lead, at least temporarily.

Carlos Alcaraz soon levelled the team series in Berlin with an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory over Tiafoe's fellow American Ben Shelton.

Swiss great Federer was in the crowd to watch Tiafoe's performance, much to the delight of the 26-year-old.

"Honestly I just started having fun. Laughing with my team, laughing with my team over there and here. Just having a bit of fun and started really finding my rhythm," Tiafoe said.

"The courts are obviously much slower than I'm used to playing on, so it's tough playing Daniil on this court. But after the second set, midway into the second and in the tie-break, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly."

Tiafoe had lost all five previous ATP Tour meetings with Medvedev but continued his fine form after reaching the US Open semi-finals for the first time, along with making the final in Cincinnati.

"I just have a lot more confidence in myself. I'm having a lot of fun playing the game at the moment," Tiafoe added. 

"I'm just trying to play the right way and compete as hard as I can, let the chips fall where they may. I respect everyone, but I'm just not fearing anyone at the moment.

"I'm just going out there, taking it to guys and seeing what happens."

Alcaraz fell on his Laver Cup debut in the doubles alongside Alexander Zverev but responded with a near-perfect singles performance against Shelton.

"I'm really happy to be part of Team Europe in the Laver Cup for the first time," Alcaraz said after his first win in the competition.

"I'm trying to be as [good] a partner as I can, as [good] a player as I can to help my team. I played against Ben, a really powerful player, a really tough one.

"I'm pretty happy because I played a really solid match from the beginning until the end of the match."

Taylor Fritz subsequently restored Team World's lead with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Germany's Zverev, before doubles success followed for Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo.

The Team World pair dispatched Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1 6-2, securing a 8-4 lead for their side heading into the third day of action.

Daniel Dubois claimed an eye-catching victory over Anthony Joshua with a fifth-round knockout in an all-British clash for the IBF heavyweight title.

Joshua was tipped as the pre-fight favourite, aiming to become a three-time heavyweight champion in front of a record-breaking 96,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Yet Dubois came out on the top, dominating from the off before catching Joshua with a brutal right-hand blow.

His reward will likely prove to be a clash with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, who face off in their December rematch in Riyadh.

With Fury and Usyk watching on, Dubois came flying out the blocks, landing back-to-back jabs before downing Joshua in the first round with a bruising overhand right.

Challenger Joshua survived the count and was saved by the bell, before a further onslaught followed by Dubois resulted in a similar conclusion in the third just as the round ended.

Dubois floored Joshua once more just seconds into the fourth, with brief confusion as the referee waved for a knockdown rather than knockout as the one-sided bout continued.

Joshua appeared to have recovered, landing a few shots in the fifth before overcommitting as Dubois delivered the decisive blow to settle any talk over his IBF title, which was initially handed over by Usyk.

Ousmane Dembele climbed off the bench to earn Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw at Reims on Saturday.

The Ligue 1 champions ensured they maintained their unbeaten start to the season, though they had to settle for a point.

Reims took an early lead when Junya Ito's clever cross into the box found his Japanese compatriot Keito Nakamura, who superbly struck home after the ball bounced off PSG captain Marquinhos.

Luis Enrique's side were desperate to equalise and midfielder Lee Kang-in had the clearest chance after Randal Kolo Muani's incisive cross, but he could not get his effort past goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf.

Yet Dembele proved decisive off the bench.

Having replaced Desire Doue in the 65th, Dembele latched on to Joao Neves's fierce cross to slot home from a tight angle and rescue a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: PSG remain unbeatable on the road

It is now 27 Ligue 1 away games unbeaten for PSG, which is the longest such run in the competition's history.

They were not at their best this time out, though Luis Enrique will no doubt feel his team were at least worthy of a point, having seen them have 11 shots to Reims' eight, while mustering a higher xG (1.63 to 0.34).

Dembele, meanwhile, has already scored more goals in five Ligue 1 matches (four) this season than in 26 last season (three). He has been involved in six goals in the top flight this term (four goals, two assists), more than any other player.

Vinicius Junior came off the bench to score one and assist another as Real Madrid battled from behind for a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol in LaLiga.

Madrid dominated proceedings on Saturday but fell behind in the 54th minute after a rare blunder by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who inadvertently deflected a low cross from Jofre into his own net.

Carlo Ancelotti's side found an equaliser just four minutes later, however, with a close-range strike by Dani Carvajal on the follow-up from Jude Bellingham's cross.

Vinicius worked his magic soon after, lifting a brilliant cross to Rodrygo – who netted with a 75th-minute first-time effort – before scoring himself with a tidy finish from a counter-attack only three minutes later.

Kylian Mbappe finished off the win from the penalty spot after substitute Endrick was fouled inside the box in the 90th minute.

Madrid remain second on 14 points, one behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and visit fourth-placed Villarreal on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Penalty perfection for Madrid and Mbappe

Mbappe has scored three of his four goals from 12 yards in Spain's top division, making him just the second Los Blancos player to score from the penalty spot in three consecutive LaLiga matches this decade.

Former international team-mate Karim Benzema was the other Madrid player to manage to do so, between March and April 2022 (also three), and Mbappe will be hoping to follow in his countrymen's footsteps.

Vinicius' influence should not be ignored, however, with the Brazil winger scoring and assisting in the same game as a substitute for the first time in his Madrid career across all competitions (272 appearances).

That pair ensured a dominant outing for comeback kings Madrid, who accumulated a massive 4.49 expected goals (xG) to Espanyol's minimal 0.24.

Antonio Conte left Juventus "moderately satisfied" with Napoli's goalless draw on Saturday but stressed the need to make the most of attacking opportunities.

Napoli arrived in Turin on the back of a three-match winning streak in Serie A but fell short of capitalising on several good chances.

Conte's side came closest to snatching a winner, with Scott McTominay's long-range shot pushed away by Michele Di Gregorio in the first half before Romelu Lukaku failed to pounce on the rebound.

The former Inter, Chelsea and Tottenham head coach acknowledged a hard-fought point, though still saw room for improvement at Allianz Stadium.

"I realise the difficulty of getting a draw away to Juventus, a team that was 18 points away from Napoli last season," Conte told DAZN.

"We worked on this system, I am moderately satisfied with the defence, but we could’ve done far better in attack and I think we had the clearest scoring opportunities."

Striker Lukaku struggled against Juve, failing to have a single shot and managing just 18 touches before being substituted in the closing stages.

"I think we did it well with the midfielders. Romelu still needs to get into the kind of shape that I require," Conte said.

"I had asked for consistency and it was a good performance in terms of focus, but we can and must do better when we have the ball, as there were some favourable situations."

Reflecting on his past tenure at Juve from 2011 to 2014, Conte acknowledged the challenge of playing at Allianz Stadium.

"I know it is not easy to play here, which is why I made this stadium a fortress during my time," he concluded.

Napoli host Monza in next round of games after they face Palermo in the second round of Coppa Italia on Thursday.

Juventus head coach Thiago Motta was impressed by Napoli's courageous showing as the pair shared a goalless Serie A draw on Saturday.

Motta's team started their campaign with two convincing 3-0 wins against Como and Verona but have failed to score in the league since, recording three 0-0 draws so far in September.

The Napoli result marked just the fifth time Juventus have been held to three straight draws in Serie A history, with the last such instance coming in May 1992 under boss Giovanni Trapattoni.

It also proved just the second occasion this decade of Juventus failing to find the net for three games in a row in Serie A, along with a run between February and March 2011 with Luigi Delneri in charge.

Motta apportioned some credit to Antonio Conte's visitors, though was frustrated with parts of the hosts' showing.

"I expected this attitude, although they played at our home and I didn't expect them to be as courageous as they normally are," Motta said at the post-match press conference.

"[Whether it was] their strategy or our merit, we found ourselves with the team with a low defensive block in the penalty area and therefore difficult to attack.

"It's not a question of filling [the box] but of attacking it at the right time.

"We faced a team that knows how to defend the penalty area well. When a team closes up, it's not easy to score.

"In my opinion, we did better than in the match against Roma. Inside the box, it was difficult against a team that defends well. We had a good performance but not enough to win."

Juventus finished the game with only one shot on target and striker Dusan Vlahovic, goalless in his fourth consecutive game across all competitions, was substituted at half-time.

"It's difficult to win without scoring, we needed an extra contribution from us midfielders too," said Bianconeri midfielder Weston McKennie.

"[Vlahovic] won't be happy but the whole team must put him in a position to score."

Juventus travel to 11th-placed Genoa next Saturday before they visit RB Leipzig in the Champions League on October 2.

Erik ten Hag cut a frustrated figure after watching Manchester United dominate Crystal Palace without reward, saying his side "ate them alive".

United accumulated 1.64 expected goals (xG) to Palace's 1.07, with 1.4 of that xG coming in the first half for the visitors, though the spoils were shared in a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson provided an inspired performance against his former side on Saturday, making seven saves, while Ten Hag's team were denied by the woodwork on three occasions.

Alejandro Garnacho struck the woodwork after 27 minutes, with Bruno Fernandes sending the rebound over via the top of the crossbar, as United passed up numerous opportunities.

"When we don't win, I'm not content," United manager Ten Hag said after Saturday's Premier League draw. 

"We should have won. I think first half, we ate them alive. Then in the second half, it was more in the balance but first half, we should have scored one or two goals."

This was just the fourth goalless draw United have been held to under Ten Hag in the Premier League (81 games), and the first since drawing 0-0 with Liverpool in December 2023.

There was almost a different ending, however, as Andre Onana expertly denied Ismaila Sarr from point-blank range after pushing away Eddie Nketiah's rasping drive towards the bottom-right corner.

Eberechi Eze also steered a glorious opening wide from substitute Sarr's cutback, though Ten Hag will feel the least his side deserved was a point that leaves them 11th in the league.

"We played very good [in the first half], total control of the game, in and out of possession we played very good," the former Ajax boss added. 

"The only thing was in the box – and in the box is the game decider – we should be more clinical there.

"They closed the midfield more and had good counter-attacks. It was more difficult for us to get through and they got more space and had some good counters."

Ten Hag reserved special praise for Onana, who has kept four clean sheets in the last six Premier League games, one more than United managed in their previous 24 matches beforehand.

"A brilliant save from Andre – twice in one action," the Dutchman added.

Carlos Sainz acknowledged his crash in Q3 at the Singapore Grand Prix left Ferrari facing an uphill battle, with team-mate Charles Leclerc also seeing his time ruled out.

Sainz crashed at the final corner, losing control of his car before he started a flying lap, while Leclerc exceeded track limits at Turn 2 in a one-lap decider on Saturday.

Leclerc and Sainz will start in P9 and P10 respectively in Singapore on Sunday, with Ferrari currently third in the competitive constructors' championship standings.

Both drivers attributed their poor performance to tyre temperature.

"When we get out of the garage with front tyres that are too cold, then you arrive in the first corner and you lock up, so I don't know what's gone on," said Leclerc.

"I don't have the answer yet, the team don't have the answer yet, but we need to look into it because we paid the price today."

Sainz echoed a similar sentiment as he apologised to the Ferrari team for his crash.

"A very strange one. I clearly underestimated, or overestimated in this case, the grip that I would get from a very cold tyre. I had to do a lot of back off in the last sector to let some cars by," Sainz said.

"I had a big moment. At one point I thought I could save it but then it snapped on me and it was a very unfortunate, very bad accident. Apologies for the team and for everyone, because it's not the way you want to finish qualifying.

"At the same time, this weekend we've been struggling a lot with temperatures, with getting the tyres in the right window, and today was just one of those bad ones."

After thrashing Werder Bremen 5-0 to continue their perfect start to the Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich will celebrate with a trip to Oktoberfest, head coach Vincent Kompany has revealed.

Bayern ran out comfortable winners on Saturday to move up to 12 points from four matches and, with a week to go before their next game against champions Bayer Leverkusen, the league leaders have some time to unwind.

Asked if his team would visit Munich's famed beer festival this week, Kompany told reporters: "We've got to respect every game, and it was important today that we won this game.

"The players are, of course, allowed to be happy and satisfied and then tomorrow is tradition. We have to respect tradition as well.

"We're going to go to Oktoberfest and we've got to have a bit of fun as well and then as of Monday, it'll all be about Leverkusen, the preparation for that game."

The one-sided win over Bremen took Bayern's tally for the past week up to 20 goals, with Kompany's side scoring six in a league win over newly promoted Holstein Kiel last Saturday before demolishing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in a midweek Champions League clash.

"I'm very happy. It was important to prepare well for this tricky game," Kompany said. "The boys did really well. 

"For us the pressure is always there to win and play well. When it works out like today, it's good for us. The atmosphere was great. It was simply a good game for us."

Michael Olise, signed from Premier League club Crystal Palace for a reported fee of €60million in July, scored two goals and set up two more in the win.

Kompany praised the French winger's performance, adding: "He's a special talent. It's a luxury at Bayern to have so many good players. Michael did very well.

"His start at Bayern couldn't be much better. He has to keep going this way. I haven't got the feeling that he's a player who feels much pressure. He just enjoys football."

Girona slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at struggling Valencia on Saturday as an own goal by Juanpe and a deflected strike from Dani Gomez gave the hosts their first win of the season in LaLiga. 

The victory moved Valencia from bottom to 18th on four points, one ahead of Getafe and two ahead of Las Palmas. 

Last year's surprise package Girona, meanwhile, are 13th on seven points from their first six games of the campaign, having also lost their Champions League opener at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

Valencia dominated proceedings from the early stages but needed 56 minutes to break the deadlock, with Gomez's long-range strike deflecting off Juanpe and wrong-footing Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

The hosts had daylight just two minutes later as Gomez slotted a finish inside the left-hand post from the edge of the box, and Michel's men were unable to respond as they suffered their third defeat of the season.

Data Debrief: Efficiency key for Valencia

Valencia only recorded one shot on target in a match low on high-quality chances, with both teams' total expected goals (xG) figures adding up to just 0.77 xG.

This is the first time since at least the 2003-04 season, when Opta records began, that they have won a match in LaLiga, and scored twice, when only managing one shot on target.

Paulo Fonseca has urged patience as he looks to build his Milan squad, with Sunday's derby clash against Inter next up.

The Portuguese coach is under mounting pressure following a disappointing start to the season.

A 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday has compounded the scrutiny, putting Fonseca's position in jeopardy.

In Serie A, Milan have garnered five points from four matches, scoring nine goals but conceding six, with defending champions Inter having eight points ahead of the Derby della Madonnina.

"There's frustration at the moment but there is also the conviction of wanting to get out of this situation. I have confidence in the team," Fonseca told reporters on Saturday.

"In the past few days, they've worked fantastically. Strong players arrived during the transfer window and we have leaders here but we're still not a strong side.

"We need time but I'm not looking for excuses."

Fonseca praised Liverpool's performance in Milan's last game, and suggested the Reds are a team his Milan side are aspiring to replicate.

"Liverpool is a good example of a team. They conceded after three minutes but they didn’t change,” he said.

"What I want is to see my players have the same confidence. Nothing must change if we make a mistake or we concede a goal.

"This is the self-confidence I want to see in my players. They can do the same and Liverpool are a great example of that."

Milan enter the derby with a poor record, having lost their last six matches against Inter.

"For us, it's an important and difficult match. We'll be up against a very good side but we need to think positively; a win would be worth a lot," Fonseca said.

"We've prepared for the match based on our opponents, who are strong, but we want to play according to our principles. We'll need to mark better and score more than them," he said.

Harry Brook has called for patience after his "inexperienced" England side suffered a 68-run defeat to Australia, who took a 2-0 lead in their ODI series.

The tourists were bowled out for 270, but England struggled to mount a real threat in the chase, with Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Brook, Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone all taken inside the first 10 overs.

Though England attempted to make up for their early collapse, Mitchell Starc soon took care of the rest, with the hosts only managing 202.

And, after losing the first ODI in the series by seven wickets, Brook admitted that his side's inexperience played a part in Saturday’s defeat.

"We are a very young side. We are an inexperienced side playing against one of the best teams in the world and a new era and ilk of how we are trying to play the game," Brook said.

"It is about patience, and we are only two games in, we try and have a bit of fun as well.

"There are so many positives we can take for these two games. We have done everything we have said we were going to do.

"I think we bowled really nicely. To restrict them to 270 on that pitch, I thought we did a good job there, but we lost early wickets in the Powerplay that killed us really.

"It just hasn't gone our way."

The third match of the ODI series will take place at the Riverside Ground on Tuesday. 

Manchester United were held to a frustrating goalless draw away at Crystal Palace as Erik ten Hag's visitors failed to make their dominance count in Saturday's Premier League clash.

Ten Hag's side were hammered 4-0 in this exact top-flight fixture last season and, though improving for this clash, the United manager will have left Selhurst Park disappointed at the result once more.

Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes were both denied by the woodwork in the first half, the latter on the rebound from the Argentina winger's initial attempt, as United squandered numerous opportunities.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson frustrated his former side throughout, parrying away twice more from Garnacho and thwarting centre-back pairing Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez from set-piece openings.

However, Oliver Glasner's hosts could have snatched victory as Andre Onana produced a superb follow-up stop to deny Ismaila Sarr from point-blank range before Eberechi Eze steered wide in the closing stages.

Palace remain winless in the league and sit 16th, two points clear of the relegation zone, while United are 11th after a stop-start opening to the 2024-25 term.

Data Debrief: Goal-shy United miss chance

United will leave Selhurst Park knowing they should have triumphed here, accumulating 1.64 expected goals (xG) to Palace's 1.07, though the hosts' tally was boosted by a flurry of late chances.

It was in the opening period where Ten Hag's men dominated, registering 1.4 xG in the first half of this game, a stark contrast to their 0.24 xG after the interval.

Those attacking struggles may be apportioned to the brilliance of Henderson, whose seven saves were the most in a Premier League game for Palace without conceding since Vicente Guaita against Newcastle United in January 2023.

Visiting captain Fernandes will also have a sense of frustration with this outcome, attempting more shots without scoring (17) than any other player across Europe's big five leagues this season.

Russell Martin was left “angry and frustrated” after Southampton conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 with Ipswich Town.

Martin's team took an early lead through Tyler Dibling after five minutes and held on until the 95th minute, when Ipswich’s Sam Morsy fired home to level the scores.

Southampton had accrued an expected goals (xG) total of 2.49 while fending off the majority of their opponent’s 13 shots, six of which were on target.

However, they were left to reflect on a frustrating result at home to a fellow newly promoted outfit.

"There are so many things to be positive about. It was our best performance, but it wasn't enough to get the win, so I'm allowed to be angry and annoyed," the Southampton boss told Match of the Day.

"We allowed them a header just before the corner where they scored from the second phase. We didn't stick to our principles in the details, and that's about having enough experience to get through, and we didn't do it.

"There was so much good stuff but the overriding feeling is being disappointed. We made a few fundamental errors that we haven't done in training so it has to be down to the anxiety.

"There were so many positives but I'm frustrated and angry because of the lateness of their goal and the feeling that we deserved to win, but that's football and these things happen.”

Martin’s adversary in the dugout, Kieran McKenna, believed Ipswich deserved the point despite conceding several good chances, and they have now accrued the highest expected goals against figure in the Premier League this season (11.49 xGA).

Despite registering 1.68 xG themselves, they became only the fifth side in Premier League history to have each of their first three goals in a single campaign come from outside the box.

"It was a fantastic way to finish the game. For the captain to step up and strike it well and for the goal to come in front of the away supporters to get a point is a great thing for the group to go through,” said McKenna.

"I thought we deserved a point. We started much better but were undone with a real piece of quality from Adam Lallana. Against a team away from home, pushing for their first win was not easy, but we kept doing the right things.

"It's a massive thing to go through and builds on what we have done over the last few years. Scoring late goals and never giving up has been a massive part of our success, so for a new group, it's good for them to go through that today.

"We're edging in the right direction, but we have to keep improving. It's about keep developing as a team, keep improving and the points will take care of themselves."

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