Maro Itoje inspired a second-half fightback as Saracens secured a place in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16 by beating Lyon 39-24.
The England lock scored two tries in 11 minutes to help the three-time European champions progress from Pool One.
Scrum-half Ivan van Zyl, flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez and wing Lucio Cinti also claimed touchdowns at the StoneX Stadium, with Owen Farrell kicking four conversions and two penalties.
Lyon, without an away win in all competitions for almost a year, led by 12 points at half-time.
Centre Josiah Maraku collected a try double and wing Davit Niniashvili also scored, while Lyon skipper Leo Berdeu booted a penalty and three conversions, but Saracens ultimately avoided making a first pool-stage exit since 2011.
Saracens were immediately into their stride, putting together impressive phase-play, and they went ahead after just four minutes.
England forwards Itoje and Ben Earl set up a strong attacking position, and Van Zyl took a quick penalty to cross unopposed.
Victories for Lyon over Bristol and the Bulls meant they arrived in north London having already qualified, but they stunned Saracens through an opportunist 15th-minute score.
Saracens were on the attack, but Van Zyl’s pass was intercepted by Lyon’s Georgia international wing Niniashvili, who sprinted 80 metres to claim a try that Berdeu converted.
Berdeu extended Lyon’s lead with a 26th-minute penalty, and Saracens’ initial promise had evaporated as the visitors began to assert control.
Lyon displayed composure and accuracy in attack, and it was no surprise when they extended their lead just before half-time.
Saracens found themselves in a prolonged defensive mode, with Lyon patiently creating an opportunity to strike, with Maraku touching down and Berdeu converting for a 17-5 interval lead.
Lyon were good value for their advantage, but it was cut by seven points early in the second period when Itoje pounced for a try that Farrell converted.
Just when Saracens looked like they might have some much-needed momentum, they were undone when Farrell twice had kicks charged down in rapid succession.
Lyon prop Jerome Rey blocked the first attempted clearance, then lock Joel Kpoku replicated it and Maraku gathered the bounce for his second try. Berdeu’s conversion made it 24-12 before Farrell kicked a short-range penalty.
And when Saracens decided to go route-one, it was rewarded as Itoje collected his second try, this time from a lineout drive, and Farrell’s conversion left his team just two points behind.
The fly-half then kicked another penalty as Saracens edged in front, before Gonzalez’s score finally ended an impressive Lyon challenge and Cinti added try number five.
England are enlisting retired stars such as Chris Ashton and Jonny May to help young players deal with the type of scrutiny that has compelled Owen Farrell to take a break from international rugby.
Farrell is missing the Guinness Six Nations to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being following the World Cup and it’s build-up, during which he was heavily criticised online for being sent off for a dangerous tackle against Wales.
The Saracens fly-half may have already played his final game for England as he considers a move to Racing 92, which would make him ineligible for Test selection.
Aware of the demands on his players, especially emerging talent such as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Oscar Beard and Fin Smith, head coach Steve Borthwick is keen to ensure they are properly supported.
“The environment we create around the players is vital. It’s vital in any team but especially the England team,” Borthwick.
“The England team, as we all respect, has more scrutiny upon it than any other national team in world rugby.
“That’s the nature of it so creating an environment where the players are supported and cared for is really important.
“We have looked at it and are exploring how we improve that from where we were to where we are now to try and get ahead of the societal element.
“The way we work and intensity with which we work is going to be a level up so off the field I think it needs to be incredibly enjoyable.
“They need to be able to have fun and spend time with each other, relaxing with each other so that this is an environment where you get better and you improve, and it’s fun and it’s enjoyable to be around.
“We will have that and there will be the mentors that we have within the squad – the senior guys, the guys that have had many caps.
“And there are the people from outside the squad that always offer their support to help in any way, shape or form that they can.
“Chris Ashton has offered support to help in any way he can with any of the young wingers. And Jonny May has offered his support to help the young ones. That’s really important to us.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan laid on a “mind-boggling” masterclass as he booked his place in Sunday’s World Grand Prix final with a 6-1 win against China’s Ding Junhui.
Even by O’Sullivan’s standards, one week after sealing a record-extending Masters title, he produced a special display at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, which included four quickfire century breaks.
When he sank the final black to set up a meeting with three-time winner Judd Trump, the match was a little over 70 minutes long.
O’Sullivan made a superb start, making two centuries in the opening three frames to lead 2-1, with his potting close to perfection.
He opened with a break of 135 and, after Ding responded with a score of 85 to level it up at 1-1, O’Sullivan followed up with a 128.
He made a break of 88 in the fourth frame to open up a 3-1 lead, with all four frames before the interval taking just under 45 minutes.
Ding, who beat compatriot Zhang Anda 5-1 to book his semi-final place, was under pressure, but after being given a chance at the start of the fifth frame, he faltered when on 28.
O’Sullivan ruthlessly punished him, compiling a score of 90 to motor 4-1 ahead with an average shot time, up to the end of the fifth frame, of 14 seconds.
Ding erred on a tricky safety shot early in the sixth frame and O’Sullivan stepped in to rattle off his third century – 128 – to lead 5-1 after one hour and four minutes.
He pounced on another Ding mistake in frame seven and faultlessly cleared the table for a final break of 124.
Match commentator and former world champion Ken Doherty told ITV4 that it was the best session of snooker he had ever seen.
Doherty said: “He’s such an artist, such a genius. It’s artistic, poetic, it’s balletic. It’s like snooker from the gods without a shadow of a doubt.”
Co-commentator and former Masters champion Alan McManus added: “I’ve seen it and I don’t believe it.
“It was mind-boggling. It was actually one of those ‘I was there’ nights because frankly it cannot get any better that that.
“From the very start to the very end it was perfection.”
Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days in the 3-2 Premier League home win over Nottingham Forest.
Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.
“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”
Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”
But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.
“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.
“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”
Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.
“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.
“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”
Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.
Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half of the Serie A match at Udinese on Saturday evening.
The 28-year-old France international left the action shortly after his team had taken the lead, apparently indicating to referee Fabio Maresca he had heard racist abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.
Maignan was followed by the other Milan players but they returned to the pitch soon after and play was able to resume around seven minutes after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal had broken the deadlock.
Maignan was beaten three minutes later by a Lazar Samardzic shot and the teams went in at half-time level at 1-1 after six minutes of stoppage time.
West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder secured a three-wicket haul which assisted Dubai Capitals to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Nicholas Pooran’s MI Emirates in their opening International League Twenty20 (ILT20) encounter at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Holder’s three wickets for 36 runs, included the scalp of fellow West Indians Dwayne Bravo (two) and Akeal Hosein (seven), as well as Will Smeed (five), as Pooran’s MI Emirates, were restricted to 159-9, before being put to the sword by Dubai Capitals, who easily got to 160-3 with four overs to spare.
Scores: MI Emirates 159-9 (20 overs); Dubai Capitals 160-3 (16 overs)
Zimbabwe’s spinner Sikandar Raza also bagged three wickets for 21 runs from his four overs for the Capitals and was later named Man-of-the-Match, as his combination with Holder offered the opponents very little room to play their shots.
In fact, apart from opener Muhammad Waseem’s 26-ball 51 which included four sixes and two fours, only Andre Fletcher (30), Pooran (21) and Australian Tim David (27), got into double figures for MI Emirates, who were sent to bat by Dubai Capitals captain David Warner.
Fletcher had two sixes and three fours in his 18-ball knock, while Pooran had a solitary six and four in his 23-ball innings.
The Capitals run chase started shakily, as they lost Warner (one) with 15 runs on the board.
However, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (81) and 21-year-old Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk (54), steadied the innings with a 114-run second-wicket stand that erased whatever hopes MI Emirates had of securing victory.
Gurbaz slammed four sixes and eight fours in his 39-ball knock, while Fraser-McGurk, who was brought in for Paul Van Meekeren, had four sixes and four fours in his innings which used a mere 25 balls.
After both fell, Englishman Sam Billings (13 not out), and West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell (seven not out), saw the Capitals to victory.
New Zealand’s left-arm seamer Trent Boult led the Emirates bowling with two for 23 from four overs.
Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.
Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.
“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”
Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”
But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.
“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.
“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”
Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.
“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.
“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”
Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.
Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has told his players to forget about their winning Africa Cup of Nations start when they face DR Congo on Sunday.
Tournament favourites Morocco, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, cruised to a 3-0 win against 10-man Tanzania in their opening Group F match.
The Atlas Lions can all but secure their place in the knockout stage with victory against DR Congo at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro.
Regragui told a press conference: “The first thing we need to do is forget about the first match we had.
“It is a very difficult tournament both physically and mentally, and each match has its own reality.
“We had a good start, but we need to do the same (on Sunday) against a team that is not easy.”
Regragui conceded his players had struggled with the hot and humid conditions in their opening game, adding: “(We are) fighting with both the opponent team and the climate.
“To win this competition, one must be the best during both strong and weak moments.”
DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre could not hide his frustration after his side were held 1-1 by Zambia in their opening match and they must avoid defeat to keep their hopes of progressing out of the group alive.
The Frenchman said: “It wasn’t a final. There are still two finals remaining and the ambition is to win the next two matches.
The Leopards missed a host of chances against Zambia and Desabre added: “Above all, I hope that my attackers will be more effective.”
Morocco’s Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui remains doubtful due to a thigh injury sustained while playing for his club side before the tournament.
DR Congo have no major new injury concerns, while Young Boys forward Meschak Elia and Braga’s Simon Banza are pushing for starting places after stepping off the bench against Zambia.
Tanzania are “ready” to face Zambia in their second Africa Cup of Nations game after the suspension of head coach Adel Amrouche, acting boss Hemed Suleiman has said.
Following Tanzania’s 3-0 loss to Morocco in their Group F opener in Ivory Coast, in which they had Novatus Miroshi sent off, Amrouche was given an eight-match ban by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
A statement from the organisation said the sanction had come with Amrouche having been charged “for bringing CAF into disrepute following comments and allegations he made about the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.”
The Tanzanian Football Federation suspended Amrouche and appointed assistant Suleiman as acting head coach, and he said in quotes on the tournament’s official website ahead of Sunday’s clash: “After the match against Morocco, we prepared our team mentally and physically.
“We have also resolved our problems and we are ready to play Zambia. It’s a great team with good players but we have objectives for this tournament too.
“It’s a big responsibility for me to be here. But that’s normal too. The head coach could have had a red card so I have always had to be prepared for such situations.”
Zambia, managed by former Chelsea and West Ham boss Avram Grant, drew 1-1 in their opening match against DR Congo.
Grant said: “The most important thing in football is the next match. We started well against DR Congo but the focus now is Tanzania.
“This meeting is important because we want to win to increase our chances of qualifying for the next round.
“We have our own style of play. We want to move forward, and score goals every time. The Tanzania team is very solid. We will have to expect a complicated match.”
Defending champions, India, are off to a winning start against Bangladesh, while England and Pakistan also secured strong wins on the second day of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.
India overcame an ordinary start in Bloemfontein to beat Bangladesh by 81 runs. After being rattled by Maruf Mridha at the start, Adarsh Singh and Uday Saharan fought back with fifties to help India to 251/7. Left-arm spinners Saumy Pandey and Musheer Khan then shared six wickets between them to help India to a win.
Spin dominated proceedings in Potchefstroom too, where three-wicket hauls from Farhan Ahmed and Luc Benkenstein helped England to a seven-wicket win over Scotland.
Meanwhile, a brilliant hundred from Shahzaib Khan helped Pakistan post a strong total in East London. Ubaid Shah and other pacers then ran through the Afghanistan batting to give the side a huge net run rate advantage.
India beat Bangladesh by 81 runs in Bloemfontein
India 251/7 (50 overs) v Bangladesh 167 (45.5 overs)
Bangladesh decided to bowl first in Bloemfontein, looking to make the most of any early help available.
Left-arm pacer Maruf Mridha bowled with pinpoint accuracy and troubled the India openers. He eventually accounted for Arshin Kulkarni (7) and Musheer Khan (3) in his first spell to leave India in trouble.
India’s innings was anchored by the left-right combination of Adarsh Singh and skipper Uday Saharan. The duo overcame the guile of Bangladesh bowlers and put together a crucial 116-run stand for the third wicket. Things got tense during the middle overs, when the players engaged in verbal battles amidst India’s rising stand.
Adarsh (74) eventually fell while trying to loft Chowdhury Md Rizwan over mid-off in the 32nd over.
Bangladesh pressed on after this breakthrough, and soon had Saharan (64), whose composed knock came to an end off Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby’s bowling.
Useful cameos from Aravelly Avanish (23 from 17) and Sachin Dhas (26 from 20) helped to add crucial runs to the Indian total, but Maruf returned to pick two more wickets and restrict India to 251/7. Maruf finished with an impressive five-wicket haul to announce himself in style. This was a step up for the pacer, as he’d picked a four-wicket haul in a semi-final win against the same opponents in the U19 Asia Cup last month.
Some erratic new ball bowling combined with a studious effort from the Bangladesh openers helped them get off to a confident start. Eventually, India got their first breakthrough when Murugan Abhishek took a brilliant catch at point as Jishan Alam tried to pierce a Raj Limbani delivery past him.
India vice-captain Saumy Pandey made an impact as soon as he was introduced. His accuracy and persistence got the better of Bangladesh batters, who tried to charge at him to up the scoring rate. Rizwan and Ashiqur Rahman Shibli were cleaned up while trying to go after Pandey.
When Ahrar Amin fell lbw to Kulkarni, Bangladesh had lost four wickets with over 200 to get, and were in dire need of a consolidating act. This came from Ariful Islam and Mohammad Shihab James, who stabilised the innings with a patient stand. However, disciplined bowling from India ensured that the Bangladesh scoring rate didn’t go too high.
It was Musheer’s canny slow left-arm spin that accounted for Ariful, and Bangladesh’s fight wilted. Spin accounted for seven wickets, with Saumy finishing with 4/24.
India’s skipper Uday Saharan discussed his crucial third-wicket stand with Adarsh, which helped his team to a strong position in the first innings.
“We focussed on executing our plans. After the loss of two early wickets, we remained calm. Adarsh batted brilliantly. We knew if we stayed at the wicket, runs will keep coming.”
England beat Scotland by 7 wickets in Potchefstroom
Scotland 174 (49.2) v England 178/3 (26.2 overs)
England captain Ben McKinney elected to bowl first after winning the toss.
Scotland’s watchful start was disrupted by Farhan Ahmed’s double strike. Farhan, the younger brother of England international Rehan Ahmed, accounted for opener Adi Hegde (3) and Bahadar Esakhiel (0) in the 10th over. Scotland then tried to pick pace on the back of a settled partnership between Jamie Dunk and Owen Gould.
However, England vice-captain Luc Benkenstein weaved his magic in the middle-overs and put his side ahead. Luc, the son of former South Africa international Dale Benkenstein, scalped Dunk, Gould and Ibrahim Faisal to finish with 3/41. Farhan struck once more to end with 3/22. Though Scotland batted for almost 50 overs, they finished with a modest 174.
In response, Jaydn Denly and McKinney got off to a great start. They mixed caution with intent in the first Powerplay, taking on the loose deliveries, and accumulating 68 runs in the period. McKinney took charge between overs 11-14, hitting five boundaries including two sixes to push England closer to the target.
Denly fell while trying to pierce the cover region in the 16th over. However, by then England were merely 69 runs away from their ask. McKinney’s aggression kept his team on track, and they finished the game in the 27th over.
England skipper Ben McKinney was elated at the result after the game,
“Best start to the tournament. It’s probably the best situation we could’ve had. A few lads got in, and we bowled pretty well. So, I’m pretty happy.”
Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 181 runs in East London
Pakistan 284/9 (50 overs) v Afghanistan 103 (26.2 overs)
Pakistan skipper Saad Baig won the toss and elected to bat first.
A steady start from Shahzaib Khan and Shamyl Hussain saw Pakistan end the first Powerplay with all ten wickets in the bank. Right-arm pacer Khalil Ahmed helped Afghanistan make early breakthroughs, removing the set Shamyl (17) and Azan Awais (5) in successive overs.
Saad Baig took charge thereafter, hitting an aggressive 55 from 52. The knock included four sixes off Afghanistan tweakers, even as Pakistan gained a substantial foothold in the middle-overs. The third-wicket stand between Baig and Shahzaib added 92 runs from 90 balls, and saw the latter also free his arms after a sedate start.
Saad eventually fell to the impressive Allah Mohammad Ghanzafar, cleaned up when trying to take on the bowler. Another wicket followed soon after, and Afghanistan sensed a way back. However, a fighting stand between Shahzaib and Muhammad Riazullah brought the Boys in Green back into the game. Despite losing regular wickets in the last 10 overs, Pakistan added 84 runs to finish at a strong total. Shahzaib finished with the second century of the tournament, hitting 10 fours and three sixes in his 106. Khalil starred for Afghanistan with 4/51.
The young Pakistanis got going with the ball early in their innings. Amir Hassan and Ubaid Shah dominated the proceedings by picking three Afghanistan wickets. Ubaid’s scalp included Hassan Eisakhil (19), who had gotten off to a good start with four boundaries to his name. At the end of the 10-over mark, Afghanistan were struggling at 44/3.
In the second Powerplay, Pakistan pacers continued their attacking lines and complemented them with smart pace variations to run through the Afghanistan lineup.
Along with Ubaid, Mohammad Zeeshan ran through Afghanistan's middle and lower order. The 6’8” Zeeshan showed his discipline by bowling around a length that troubled the Afghanistan batters. With Khalil Ahmad run out in the 27th over, Afghanistan were bowled out for 103.
The Player of the Match award winner Shahzaib Khan stated that he planned his attack on the Afghanistan spinners in advance,
“Yes, we played according to a plan. I tried to muscle my shots in the wind’s direction, and to not play against the win. The attempt was also to hit all the shots in the gap.”
Ivan Toney marked his return from his eight-month exile with a goal to help Brentford to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.
Named captain for the day, Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to cancel out Danilo’s opener for Forest and thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
Ben Mee headed Brentford in front but Chris Wood equalised before Toney’s strike partner Neal Maupay found the net as Brentford celebrated their talisman’s comeback with a much-needed win after five successive Premier League defeats.
Not that this was ever likely to be a low-key return – there was even a digital billboard over the road from the Gtech Stadium flashing up a picture of Toney and the words ‘he’s back’.
Yet Forest threatened to ruin the party when they went ahead with less than three minutes gone.
Vitaly Janelt made a mess of a clearance, twice, and when Mee attempted to tidy up his header flew straight to Brazilian Danilo, who took a touch with his thigh before volleying past Bees keeper Mark Flekken.
But Toney, whose ban officially ended on Wednesday, hauled Brentford level in the 19th minute after Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick by pulling down Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
The delight around the ground was palpable as Toney raced over to the touchline to celebrate with boss Thomas Frank and his coaching staff.
The Bees could have gone in ahead at half-time but Keane Lewis-Potter’s shot hit the crossbar.
Brentford’s pressure told in the 58th minute when Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Maupay to turn and lash the ball past Turner.
Gelson Dala struck twice as Angola beat Mauritania 3-2 in a breathless Africa Cup of Nations clash to go top of Group D.
Dala’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Sidi Amar, but he scored his second soon after the interval and Gilberto put Angola 3-1 ahead three minutes later.
Aboubakary Koita fired a stunning second goal for Mauritania just before the hour-mark and his side searched for an equaliser in a pulsating match, but Angola held on.
Mabululu, who stepped off the bench to score in Angola’s opening 1-1 draw with Algeria, forced the first save of the match with an angled drive.
Both sides created plenty of first-half chances and Pape Ba went close for Mauritania when his shot from inside the penalty area was saved.
Angola took a deserved lead in the 30th minute when Dala provided a thumping close-range finish, only for Mauritania to equalise against the run of play before the break through Amar’s low finish from inside the area.
It was Mauritania’s first-ever African Cup of Nations goal from open play.
In first-half stoppage time, Mauritania’s Omare Gassama forced Angola goalkeeper Neblu into a brilliant low save and Dala was denied at the other end by Babacar Niasse.
The Palancas Negras appeared to take control early in the second half with two goals in the space of three minutes.
Dala burst through the middle into the penalty area and although forced wide, he fired a left-footed finish into the far corner to put Angola 2-1 up in the 50th minute.
Angola doubled their lead in the 53rd minute. Gilberto pounced on Mauritania substitute Khadim Diaw’s mistake in the box and his angled shot flew into the net via a deflection.
In a see-saw encounter Mauritania hit back five minutes later with an early contender for goal of the tournament.
Koita dropped his shoulder to make space 30 yards from goal and unleashed an unstoppable shot into Neblu’s top right-hand corner.
Neblu thwarted Amar with a flying save and as the chances continued to flow, Dala was denied his hat-trick by Mauritania goalkeeper Niasse.
Koita fired off target as Mauritania, who lost out to a stoppage-time penalty in their opening 1-0 defeat to Burkina Faso, pressed for an equaliser but they failed to carve out any further clear-cut chances.
Liam Manning was not in the least surprised by an impressive debut from on-loan midfielder Scott Twine as his first-half goal earned Bristol City a point from a 1-1 Championship draw with Watford.
But the head coach did admit astonishment at the manner of the 25th-minute equaliser. Twine climbed above a defender to head into an unguarded net after goalkeeper Ben Hamer had blocked Tommy Conway’s close-range drive into his path.
“I reckon it’s the first time Scott has ever scored with a header,” said Manning. “He probably closed his eyes and it went in off his nose.”
The goal cancelled out Tom Dele-Bashiru’s 13th-minute well-struck penalty for Watford – after Rob Dickie had handled the ball inside the box – and ensured a fair outcome to a competitive English second-tier clash.
Manning and Twine have worked effectively together before as the player scored 20 goals in a season for MK Dons with the same boss in charge during the 2021-22 season.
Signed last Monday from Burnley on loan until the end of the season, the 24-year-old caught the eye with his accurate delivery from free-kicks and corners.
Manning added: “Scott showed what he is all about and will only improve as he gets to know the other players.
“He had a chance to score before his goal and is great at getting forward into threatening positions.
“His dead-ball delivery is one of the reasons I wanted to sign him and it was clear to see, I felt we had the better chances in the game.
“Two or three outstanding ones went begging. We had 15 shots from inside their box, which is a very high number.
“They had more control in the first half, but we had a chat during the break and came out firing.
“We were much more on the front foot and played in the areas we wanted to play in.
Both sides had chances to claim all three points from a stirring battle with no quarter asked or given.
Dickie had a late header brilliantly saved by Hamer, while Robins goalkeeper Max O’Leary produced a brave first-half save at the feet of Yaser Asprilla.
Watford boss Valerian Ismael said: “It was another solid away performance from us. We were strong, pressed well and were tactically very sound.
“We just needed to be more mature in our decision-making at times. That is the next step if we are to win games consistently. We have to be more ruthless.
“It was a clear penalty and we had another good opportunity to be ahead at half-time.
“Our attacking intent was very good in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, we got into more promising situations only to fail with the right final pass or cross.
“We have to be better at controlling the ball in our opponents’ half. Sometimes we take too many touches and lose possession.
“We need to be more calm on the ball, but that is OK, it will come.
“We are working with a lot of young players and I am pleased with the progress they are making.
“We have the possibility of entering the transfer market before the deadline and I am hopeful of doing some business.”
Manning does not anticipate any more signings before the deadline and said there were no deals imminent that would see players leaving.
Coventry and their manager Mark Robins condemned alleged racist abuse aimed at midfielder Kasey Palmer in the closing stages of the Sky Blues’ 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday.
Owner Doug King said the club will support Palmer, a Jamaican international, following the incident, while Robins urged the perpetrators to “grow up”.
King said: “We completely condemn the abuse aimed at Kasey today and will support him following this incident.
“There is no place for this in football or society and we support Sheffield Wednesday and the authorities in taking the strongest possible action.”
Robins said after the game: “Obviously there has been a ridiculous few people that have decided to do whatever they’ve done.
“They’ve made some racist remarks or comments and that should be dealt with. Hopefully they will get it on camera and they will deal with them. There’s just no place for it. It’s ridiculous in this day and age. Just grow up!”
Sheffield Wednesday also released a statement saying the club were “shocked and saddened” by the alleged incident.
“We will work together with the relevant authorities and anyone proven to be culpable will face the strictest possible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law,” it read.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Coventry and the football world in stamping out this abhorrent and wholly unacceptable behaviour.”
Chairman Dejphon Chansiri said: “We absolutely condemn the abuse reported by Kasey Palmer today and stand together with Coventry in our clear stance that there is no place in football or society for such appalling behaviour.”
Speaking after the game, Owls boss Danny Rohl said of the allegations: “Maybe there were some words. It is important that the club speak now with the referee and then make a statement so that we can say exactly what happens.
“This is important and we will do this as a club.”
Meanwhile, Robins singled out Ben Sheaf’s performance after the Coventry skipper scored twice in the win, with Josh Windass notching for the Owls.
“You know it’s a tough game with the way they set out to play,” he said. “We’ve come out of it on the right end of a good scoreline and I think there have been some brilliant performances within it.
“I think Ben Sheaf was outstanding – not just the goals that he scored – it was an all-action performance from him. He broke play up and got us moving forwards. The goals were outstanding, particularly the first one.
“He’s arrived in the penalty area and there was a player that I played with that looked exactly like that and it was Bryan Robson. I thought he was absolutely outstanding today.
“We’ve had some good performances throughout.
“We could have had one or two more if we’d have picked the right pass. Essentially, we’ve kept a really spirited team at arm’s length.”
Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl expressed his disappointment at the result.
“I think the first half was a game between two boxers. We pressed and had some good moments but then sometimes we missed the smart pass into the final third,” he said.
“We played against a strong team who are on a good run at the moment. We conceded a second goal that was not necessary.
“I wanted to make a signal, which was why I made four substitutions immediately.
“We came back with a goal and had a good chance for Bailey (Cadamarteri) for an equaliser.
“It is a long, long way until the end of the season. We have to fight until the end.”
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