Robert Lewandowski's return to Bayern Munich was not a fruitful endeavour as a wasteful Barcelona were swept aside in a 2-0 Champions League defeat.

Second-half goals from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane condemned Xavi's side to yet another loss in Bavaria, a historically poor hunting ground for the Catalan giants.

Barcelona were unable to capitalise on a dominant first half, with Lewandowski spurning some fine opportunities, while Pedri struck the post after the visitors had fallen two behind.

A fightback never appeared likely, with Bayern producing a stellar display in the second period after a frustrating first 45 minutes.

After an end-to-end start, Barcelona looked the more threatening, with Pedri forcing Manuel Neuer to make a smart save and Lewandowski passing up a chance on the volley.

Lewandowski, ever the threat, then saw a header from close range saved well, while Raphinha dragged a low shot wide from outside the box.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was belatedly called into action early in the second half as Leon Goretzka tested his compatriot from distance, and the resulting corner provided the breakthrough.

Joshua Kimmich's delivery to the near post was met by the head of Hernandez, escaping Marcos Alonso's attention and applying contact ahead of Ter Stegen.

And the lead was doubled four minutes later when Jamal Musiala fed Sane, who raced away and poked a deft finish into the net.

Pedri clipped the upright after a one-two with Lewandowski created space in the area, yet that was as close as Barca would come on another difficult night.

Antonio Conte did not believe Tottenham deserved to lose to Sporting CP but suggested their late collapse was a reminder of the limited room for error in the Champions League.

Tottenham were below par in their Group D encounter but looked set to settle for a share of the spoils at Estadio Jose Alvalade. 

However, Paulinho's 90th-minute header from a near-post corner and a fine individual goal from Arthur Gomes gave Sporting a win that puts them in control of the group on six points.

Spurs now have plenty of work to do in a pair of games with Eintracht Frankfurt after falling to a result Conte did not view as reflective of their performance.

"I think the game in the first half was in balance between the two teams," Conte told a media conference. 

"Honestly, in the second half, we felt the opportunity to get the three points and win the game. We had the chances to score, but in the end we are talking about a loss.

"For sure, we can do much better in those last few minutes. We conceded a counter-attack with a one-versus-one. It was the player who shot and Hugo [Lloris] made a really good save, maybe the most difficult save of the game.

"After this, the corner we conceded a goal. I always say to my players that the details move the final result. I think that maybe we didn't deserve to win, but at the same time we didn't deserve to lose this game tonight.

"We try to analyse the game very well with the players to understand what were the positive things that we did and what are the negative situations that we can improve for the future.

"For sure, this level is a high level, the Champions League. Against Marseille was another tough game. Tonight was another tough game. We need to know that if we want to have the ambition to go to the next round, we have to fight, we have to fight a lot, especially in this group, because in this group I see a lot of balance between the teams.

"The Champions League level is high. You know that you have to reduce the mistakes because in the end you can pay. Tonight we paid a lot.

"Now we are talking about a loss, a loss against a team that showed they are used to playing this competition. It's a pity, and we have to analyse the game well, and all the players they know very well that this level is an important level.

"It's right to continue to improve this process. Don't forget that last season we lost against Mura in the Conference League, and I think we made an important step forward."

A small minority of Liverpool fans interrupted a pre-match silence to honour Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the Champions League game against Ajax.

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish had urged all supporters to respect the silence after the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance made a similar plea.

Some in Liverpool hold strong anti-monarchy views, but the club had hoped those represented among their fanbase would manage to respect a short silence before Tuesday's fixture.

Sporadic shouting at Anfield began with a "Liverpool, Liverpool" chant that was hushed by many other supporters, and the silence was halted after 25 seconds by referee Artur Manuel Soares Dias.

It had not been specified as a minute's silence, with Liverpool describing it on their website ahead of the game as "a period of silence".

The Premier League club laid a wreath at the stadium to mark the death of the long-reigning monarch, while captain Jordan Henderson signed an official book of condolence in the city.

Bayern Munich defender Bouna Sarr has confirmed he will miss Senegal's World Cup campaign after undergoing surgery on his left knee.

The 30-year-old has struggled with the problem for the past couple of years, restricting him to just 12 appearances for Bayern last season and none in the 2022-23 campaign.

Sarr started all seven of Senegal's games in their Africa Cup of Nations triumph earlier this year, but the versatile right-sided player will play no part for his country in Qatar.

"I don't know how to express my disappointment to be away from the pitch for the coming months and especially to miss a World Cup," Sarr, capped 13 times, posted on Instagram.

"It was not an easy decision to make, but after many months of thinking, I understood it would be the wisest, and above all the most reasonable, decision for the rest of my career."

Sarr joined Bayern from Marseille in October 2020 and has played 27 times for the German giants in all competitions, 10 of those being starts.

Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, has been suspended by the NBA for one year and fined $10million after an investigation found he engaged in racist and sexist conduct at the workplace. 

The report was published Tuesday and was initiated after the NBA commissioned a law firm to investigate Sarver's behaviour after ESPN reported last November allegations of racism and misogyny during his 18 years with the Suns.  

The investigators interviewed 320 people, and Sarver, team management and employees "cooperated fully with the investigative process", according to the NBA. 

The investigation found Sarver ''repeated or purported to repeat the N-word on at least five occasions spanning his tenure with the Suns,'' though added there is "no finding that Sarver used this racially insensitive language with the intent to demean or denigrate", concluding he said the word "when recounting the statements of others".

The study also determined that there were "instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees," including "sex-related comments" and inappropriate comments made toward a pregnant woman. 

He also made inappropriate jokes about sex and anatomy, as well as yelled and cursed at employees in a manner that would be considered bullying ''under workplace standards".

Based on the findings by the probe, the NBA punished Sarver by banning him from any NBA or WNBA team facility, including any office, arena, or practice facility; attending or participating in any NBA or WNBA event or activity, including games, practices or business partner activity; representing the Suns or Mercury in any public or private capacity; or having any involvement with the business or basketball operations of the Suns or Mercury. 

The league said it would donate his $10m fine ''to organisations that are committed to addressing race and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace".

''The statements and conduct described in the findings of the independent investigation are troubling and disappointing,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

"We believe the outcome is the right one, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period and our commitment to upholding proper standards in NBA workplaces.'' 

Sarver said he will ''accept the consequences of the league's decision'', though also stated he disagreed with some of the investigation. 

"While I disagree with some of the particulars of the NBA's report, I would like to apologize for my words and actions that offended our employees," Sarver said in a statement through the Suns.

"I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain, and these errors in judgment are not consistent with my personal philosophy or my values."

As part of his punishment by the NBA, Sarver will have to complete a training programme ''focused on respect and appropriate conduct in the workplace."' 

''On behalf of the entire NBA, I apologize to all of those impacted by the misconduct outlined in the investigators' report," Silver said. "We must do better."

T.J. Watt could return to action sooner than expected after the Pittsburgh Steelers refused to put a timescale on his absence beyond the Week 2 clash with the New England Patriots.

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner suffered a torn pectoral in the fourth quarter of a wild 23-20 overtime opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

According to NFL Network' Ian Rapoport, Watt tore a muscle but not the tendon, which could mean his absence is as short as six weeks. There had been concerns Watt's season could be over already.

The prospect of Watt avoiding surgery will be welcome in Pittsburgh, where Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also pointed to positive news regarding the pass rusher.

Tomlin has yet to add Watt to the injured reserve list and said: "We're not in hurry to gather information too quickly. We will see how his body responds, we'll get second and third opinions and then at the end of the week or at some point we will do what's appropriate."

He added: "I can definitively say that T.J. won't play this week, but I won't make any commitments beyond that."

The clash with the Patriots takes place on Sunday, by which time the picture regarding Watt's likely return should be clear.

Watt shared an image on social media on Tuesday of Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "I'll be back" catchphrase, from the Terminator movie. That has been interpreted as the 27-year-old suggesting his season is not over.

Tomlin further explained Pittsburgh's stance, adding: "Let me say this, we're probably in a lot better place than we were after the game and usually that's the case.

"That's why I don't always say too much after the game, even though there might be speculation out there."

Tottenham crashed to defeat in their Champions League encounter with Sporting CP as a stunning late show condemned them to a 2-0 defeat in Lisbon.

Spurs had produced a largely uninspiring performance at Estadio Jose Alvalade and appeared happy to settle for a share of the spoils.

But there was a twist in the tale in the closing stages when Paulinho turned home a corner at the near post in the 90th minute.

Sporting then made sure of the points in the third and final minute of injury time as Arthur doubled their tally with a superb individual effort on his debut.

Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries guided Inter to a much-needed 2-0 win over 10-man Viktoria Plzen, kick-starting the Nerazzurri's Champions League campaign.

Defeat to Bayern Munich last Wednesday meant Inter needed to respond in the Czech Republic, and they never looked likely to drop points after Dzeko swept home in the first half.

Pavel Bucha's straight red card cemented Inter's superiority, with Dumfries making the points safe when Dzeko turned provider with 20 minutes remaining.

With Simone Inzaghi's men facing criticism after an inconsistent start to the season, the win provides a welcome boost ahead of the daunting prospect of back-to-back meetings with Group C rivals Barcelona.

Inter needed just 20 minutes to turn their dominance of possession into a deserved lead - Dzeko tucking a neat finish into the bottom-right corner.

Dzeko could have had a second when Marcelo Brozovic slipped him through on goal, but the forward's low effort was well saved by Jindrich Stanek.

Plzen were unable to test Andre Onana despite improving before the break, and were indebted to Stanek for saving Milan Skriniar's glancing header at full stretch three minutes into the second half. 

Dumfries missed a golden chance when he nodded over the crossbar from six yards out, but Plzen's chances of a comeback were left in tatters by Bucha's reckless challenge on Nicolo Barella, which saw him receive his marching orders following a VAR review.

The depleted hosts were put out of their misery in the 70th minute, Dumfries making amends as he latched onto Dzeko's pass and lifted a finish beyond Stanek.

What does it mean? Nerazzurri off the mark

Inter's meek defeat to Bayern led to an apology from chief executive Giuseppe Marotta, and the presence of two European heavyweights in Group C meant the Nerazzurri were under genuine pressure ahead of the trip to Plzen.

But Inzaghi's side produced the goods to boost their qualification hopes, ensuring Inter have still only started one Champions League campaign with back-to-back losses (under Roberto Mancini in 2006-07) in the process.

Dzeko steps up

With Romelu Lukaku injured and Lautaro Martinez starting on the bench, Inter's back-up strikers were handed an opportunity to shine on Tuesday.

Dzeko became the oldest player to play a Champions League game for Inter for over a decade last time out (since Javier Zanetti v Marseille in March 2012), but his cultured finish demonstrated the former Manchester City and Roma striker still has the quality to contribute.

Since Dzeko joined Inter in August 2021, only Martinez (28) has bettered his tally of 19 goals for the club in all competitions.

No joy for Plzen 

Few would have held out any hope for Viktoria Plzen after they were drawn into a group containing Inter, Barcelona and Bayern, and their back-to-back defeats have done little to reverse perceptions of them being Group C whipping boys.

Plzen have shipped 51 goals in just 20 Champions League matches, becoming just the second side to bring up an unwanted century in so few games; Malmo conceded their 50th Champions League goal in their 18th outing.

What's next?

Inter travel to Udinese for their next Serie A outing on Sunday, while Plzen host Slavia Prague in the Czech First League.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly hopes English football can learn from the model of American sports, suggesting a relegation tournament and an all-star game.

Since taking charge of the Blues after completing a takeover in May, ending Roman Abramovich's long association with the club, Boehly has not shied away from making a quick impact.

A significant spending spree was financed in the transfer window, with big-name additions as well as recruits for the future, while manager Thomas Tuchel was swiftly axed following a disappointing start to the season.

Boehly's long-term vision is not just limited to Chelsea, however, as he hopes that English football as a whole can grow, learning from the American sports model.

Unlike the NBA, MLB and NFL, relegation is a huge part of football and, while Boehly is supportive, he believes the Premier League is missing a trick by not having a play-off tournament at the end of the season.

"It obviously prohibits tanking because, of course, the economics of going into the first league is materially different," he told the SALT Conference when asked about relegation.

"I think the Premier League distributes its media money, and every club gets north of £200m or so from the media contract.

"When you go into the next league down in the Championship, those numbers fall off a cliff, right?

"So, there's no one who's thinking about tanking and those relegation games are some of the highest broadcast games.

"Ultimately, I hope that the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports and really starts to figure out why wouldn't we do a tournament with the bottom four teams?

"Why isn't there an all-star game? The MLB did their all-star game in LA this year, we made 200 million dollars from Monday and Tuesday.

"You could do a North versus South, all-star game for Premier League and fund whatever the pyramid needed very easily."

Football infamously looked to take a leaf from the American model with the push for a European Super League, which included Chelsea as a founder club, before a fan backlash led to the concept being scrapped.

Boehly did not completely rule out the prospect of a similar idea in the future, though he remains committed to the Champions League structure.

"I think the Champions League has a big component of that [a European Super League] already," he added.

"You have the best clubs throughout Europe playing in the best competition.

"We believe very much that the Champions League has a lot of that and there's a reason that if you win the Champions League you make over 100 million euros."

Pressed that a Super League would see Chelsea play the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich more frequently, he replied: "I think you can do that in the summer and there are other ways to do that.

"I think that the passion that the fans have for the sport and for the sport as it is, is so strong, that it's hard to envision change.

"I never say hard nos. I like to keep options alive. But, obviously, it's not something that we're talking about at all."

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has explained the reasoning behind the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel, which stemmed from the lack of a "shared vision".

The Blues caused a stir last week with the dismissal of their Champions League winning coach, which followed defeats to Dinamo Zagreb, Southampton and Leeds United.

Tuchel's exit was particularly surprising given the plethora of transfer activity in the transfer window, which saw the likes of Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brought to Stamford Bridge.

Just a week after the close of the window, however, Tuchel was gone and swiftly replaced by Graham Potter, who has impressed in his time with Brighton and Hove Albion.

While the decision to sack Tuchel just a month into the season may be considered to have been rash, Boehly has made it clear it was a decision with the long-term picture in mind.

"When you take over any business, you just have to make sure that you’re aligned with the people who are operating the business," he told the SALT Conference.

"Tuchel is obviously extremely talented and someone who had great success at Chelsea.

"Our vision for the club was finding a manager who really wanted to collaborate with us, a coach who really wanted to collaborate.

"I think there are a lot of walls to break down at Chelsea. Before the first team, for example, in the academy they didn't really share data. They didn't share information about where the top players were coming from.

"So, our goal is to really bring the team together with the academy, with the first team, when we want to acquire and develop; all of that needs to be a well-oiled machine.

"The reality of our decision was that we just weren't sure that Thomas saw it the same way we saw it, and no one's right or wrong. We didn't have a shared vision for the future.

"It wasn't about Zagreb, it was really about a decision for what we wanted Chelsea Football Club to look like and it wasn't a decision as a result of a single win or loss.

"It was a decision made about what we thought was the right vision for the club."

Jude Bellingham has conceded he did not expect to become as influential for Borussia Dortmund as quickly as he has, crediting the club's coaches for helping his development.

The 19-year-old England international has become an integral part of Edin Terzic's side, starting 52 matches since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Moving to the Bundesliga two years ago from Championship outfit Birmingham City, Bellingham's rise has been meteoric – boasting 15 caps for England alongside his vast experience at club level.

While Bellingham has long been touted to become a star, he himself has admitted that things have moved far quicker than he ever anticipated.

"All of it has been a bit of a surprise - I didn't think I'd come here and have the impact that I've had as quickly," he said ahead of Wednesday's away Champions League clash against Manchester City.

"I thought I'd maybe have to wait a bit longer to get in the team and play a lot of minutes.

"But I've got to give credit to the staff, the coaches that I've had, Lucien Favre and Marco Rose, because they've thrown me into the deep end, given me the exposure, given me the chance to learn.

"I've got qualities that maybe I didn't know I had before I came, it's all down to them, giving me the trust and managing to get it out of me."

Bellingham and his Dortmund team-mates face a tough task against a familiar face in Erling Haaland, who left the club in the transfer window to join City.

Since moving to England, Haaland has been in blistering form with 12 goals in eight appearances across all competitions and Bellingham is not sure how the striker can be stopped.

"I'm not really sure to be honest, we'll have to find out [in the game]," Bellingham added. "He's a player with a lot of quality and a lot of physical attributes that make him so dangerous.

"It's not a thing that's an individual task, it's something the team has to deal with collectively. We stick together, try to do the right things without the ball, then it can be possible."

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has detailed his plan to install a "multi-club" model with Chelsea, highlighting the success that Red Bull and Manchester City have had with the formula.

The Blues boss financed a significant spending spree in the transfer window after taking over from Roman Abramovich, then making a big call last week to axe Thomas Tuchel and bring in Graham Potter from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Boehly's rebuild is not done yet, though, with reports indicating the club are looking to bring in Luis Campos as their sporting director, which would see the highly-rated transfer guru snatched from his advisor role with French champions Paris Saint-Germain. 

In the long-term, more clubs could join the Chelsea family as Boehly has made it clear he wants to establish a network of clubs and will seek to follow the model of Red Bull and Premier League rivals City.

"We know people, we know human capital. I think we understand game plans and strategies. We're not expecting to be the football experts, to find the best talent, we're going to put those people in place," he told the SALT Conference in New York.

"It's not different from running any human capital business, it's all about getting the right resources, making them collaborate, getting them organised, thinking about how you have a global business at a local level.

"We're going to be continually adding resources. We've talked about having a multi-club model. I would love to continue to build out the footprint. There are different countries where there are advantages to having a club.

"Red Bull does a really good job. They've got Leipzig and they've got Salzburg, both of which are playing in the Champions League, so they've figured out how to make that work. You have Man City, which has a very big network of clubs."

Boehly is keen to use such a network to develop the young players in the squad, having shown a commitment to the future amongst the club's vast spending spree to bring in Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Cesare Casadei.

"The challenge that Chelsea have now, one of them, is when you have 18, 19-year-old superstars, you can loan them out to other clubs but you put their development into someone else's hands," he explained.

"Our goal is to make sure we can show pathways for our young superstars to get onto the Chelsea pitch, while getting them real game time. For me, the way to do that is with another club in a really competitive league in Europe."

Marc Marquez will make his competitive return at next weekend's Aragon Grand Prix after nearly four months out of action.

The six-time world champion has not raced competitively since the Italian GP on May 29 due to undergoing surgery on his right arm.

That was the fourth time Marquez had gone under the knife since breaking his arm in a crash at the Spanish GP in July 2020.

After completing a two-day test in Misano and intensive training at home, Repsol Honda confirmed on Tuesday the Spaniard will take part in the 15th race of the season.

Commenting on the news in a video message posted on social media, Marquez said: "As you can see, I'm smiling, which means I'll be at the Aragon GP. Racing, of course. 

"After talking to the doctors and the team, we have decided that the best for my recovery is to continue on the bike, adding up kilometres for next year.

"Doing it in the Aragon GP in front of all the fans is priceless. I'm sure your support will help me go through the whole weekend. Looking forward to Friday and being on the bike."

Marquez has won the Aragon GP a record five times in MotoGP, but he finished second to Francesco Bagnaia in last year's thrilling battle.