Jaylen Brown had 30 points and eight assists and Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points to lead the Boston Celtics to their eighth straight win, 116-102 over the New York Knicks on Saturday.

Jayson Tatum scored 19 points and Derrick White contributed 13 for the league-leading Celtics, winners of 10 of 11.

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points and Josh Hart was next with 16 for the Knicks, who were swept in the four-game season series by Boston.

Porzingis ignited a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer and Brown closed it with a layup to give the Celtics an 88-71 lead with 3:53 left in the third quarter.

New York got the deficit down to 99-90 with 9:17 to play, but the Celtics took advantage of three turnovers and six missed shots to go on a 10-0 run for a 19-point cushion.

 

Banchero’s last-second 3-point play lifts Magic

Paolo Benchero converted a 3-point play with 0.8 seconds remaining to snap a tie and give the Orlando Magic a 112-109 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Banchero made an 18-foot jumper and the ensuing free throw for the winning points before Cade Cunningham hit the rim on a 70-plus-foot shot at the buzzer.

Banchero finished with 15 points as each Orlando starter scored in double digits in the Magic’s third straight win.

Cunnigham led NBA-worst Detroit with 26 points.

 

Timberwolves pull away from reeling Nets

Anthony Edwards scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves assumed sole possession of first place in the Western Conference with a 101-86 victory over the reeling Brooklyn Nets.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota bounced back from Friday’s loss to Milwaukee with its fifth win in six games.

Cam Thomas scored 18 points for Brooklyn, which fell to 0-2 under interim coach Kevin Ollie and dropped to 1-7 in its past eight games.

Rookie Jake Knapp made 11 birdies to take the third-round lead in the Mexico Open as Matt Wallace’s challenge faded away.

Knapp had seven birdies as he carded a 63 to move to 19-under-par at Vidanta, four clear of fellow PGA Tour newcomer Sami Valimaki of Finland.

The American opened with a pair of birdies and added five more in six holes to reach the turn in 28.

Wallace had started the day alongside Knapp in a four-way tie for the lead, but the Englishman could only manage a level par 71 to finish the day eight strokes off the pace.

He was joined at 11-under par by Scotland’s Robert MacIntrye, who shot a 65 with four birdies topped off by an eagle at the 18th.

Canada’s Ben Silverman, Sweden’s Henrik Norlander and Chan Kim were on 12-under-par, completing a top five without a win on the PGA Tour.

Cameron Norrie’s defence of his Rio Open title is over after he was beaten by qualifier Mariano Navone in a gruelling semi-final.

Norrie struggled physically in the Brazilian heat as Navone, playing in his first ATP semi-final, pulled away to win 6-4 6-2.

The pair traded breaks in the opening two games, and then Navone, showing little fear in his first appearance on such a stage, got the break again to go 4-3 up.

Norrie saved break point three times in the next service game, but it was only a temporarily reprieve before Navone took the first set.

The pair traded further breaks at the start of the second set before another slog of a battle in the third game, which saw Norrie save four points on his serve before eventually succumbing.

That proved a turning point as Navone reeled off the next two games to take a commanding lead over a fading Norrie, whose resistance had been broken.

After falling 5-2 down, Norrie received treatment from the physio but got back on his feet to see the game out even though his fate was already sealed.

Mikel Arteta insists there is no secret to Arsenal’s recent success as he praised his side following victory over Newcastle.

The Gunners eased to a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday night to move two points off the top of the Premier League summit.

A Sven Botman own goal set them on their way before goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior rounded off another fine display from Arteta’s men, although the returning Joe Willock’s late header ruined another clean sheet.

Arsenal may have laboured to a narrow 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie in Porto on Wednesday – but their domestic form has been imperious.

Asked what has clicked in a run that included 6-0 and 5-0 away wins at West Ham and Burnley, respectively, before beating Newcastle, Arteta said: “We’re in a good moment. Players are performing individually, it is not any secret.

“Things are flowing. We’re scoring goals in different ways and especially we want more. When we score one, we want two, or three, or four. I love that mentality from the team.

“We train every day the best possible way and look after ourselves. First of all though, belief. Belief in yourself that you can improve and always get better. Also getting players back.

“The more players we have back, the more competition there will be in the team, the more alternatives to impact the game. Especially we have to make sure we believe we can do it.”

Jorginho returned to the Arsenal side for the game against the Magpies and put in a man-of-the-match display.

The Italy midfielder has impressed in most outings this season, but was only on the bench in Portugal.

“He’s a top player,” added Arteta. “Especially when opponents have certain behaviours and set-ups, the way I imagine the game, he was going to have a big impact.

“After, you have to do it at this level. When he’s not playing consistently, credit to him because he was magnificent again.”

Newcastle were not at the races and have now shipped 23 goals in their past eight league games.

“It is a concern,” manager Eddie Howe conceded when asked about the recent defensive record.

“Of course, we are working on things behind the scenes, but that probably was not evident in today’s performance.

“It is a combination of things, we didn’t do well from corners, knew how good they are in those situations and the third goal as well.

“We were the dominant team and we’d have been right back in the game if we’d got that goal, so difficult moments defensively.

“I don’t think we truly got going in the first half, they put us under pressure, I thought that would be just the start of the game, but at no stage did we really come out of that moment.

“We did not compete well enough which is not like us. It is something to learn from.”

Wigan head coach Matt Peet promised more nights to match their nerve-shredding World Club Challenge win over triple NRL champions Penrith at a sold-out DW Stadium.

The hosts clung on for a record-equalling fifth triumph – to emulate Super League rivals St Helens – with a 16-12 victory in a thrilling game in which the lead swung five times and Penrith came within inches of levelling on the hooter.

Peet told the BBC: “Nights like this are the ones we crave and we’re going to have plenty more.

“It was a fantastic game between two outstanding teams and you could see all the way through what a fantastic team Penrith are.

“You play Penrith on another night and they beat any team, they never give in, but tonight we wanted it a bit more.

“It was going to take a special effort to get over against us tonight, we just wanted it so much.”

Tries from Abbas Miski, Kruise Leeming and Jake Wardle ensured the hosts matched their illustrious opponents who pressed valiantly with Taylan May denied a match-levelling try on the final hooter following a video replay.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the players, I love them to bits and everyone in the organisation deserves tonight,” added Peet.

“I thought the players were very brave with the ball in the second half, they kept playing and playing and obviously with our defence, it was a game we won by never giving in.”

Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary conceded the gap between the NRL and Super League was beginning to narrow after a second-consecutive northern hemisphere triumph for the first time in 16 years.

“Absolutely,” accepted Cleary on Sky Sports. “I think that’s the thing about this particular competition, we get to see the best teams together and Wigan were too good tonight.

“I guess we didn’t execute as well as they did. They had three opportunities and scored three tries and that was the difference. They executed better than us and maybe that was enough.”

Mauricio Pochettino insisted there is nothing personal between him and Jurgen Klopp ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final meeting with Liverpool on Sunday. (The final of the Carabao Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool will be aired live at 10:00/11:00 EST)

The pair faced off in the 2019 Champions League final when the Argentinian was in charge of Tottenham, losing 2-0 in Madrid to hand his opposite number a first trophy at Anfield.

The game is remembered for controversy after Spurs’ Moussa Sissoko was penalised for a contentious handball inside the opening minute, resulting in Mohamed Salah giving Liverpool the lead from the spot.

More recently the Reds were 4-1 winners against Chelsea in the Premier League at the end of January, when Pochettino’s side were outclassed by their hosts and fell well short of expectations set by the more than £1billion it cost to assemble their squad.

Since then there has been a notable upturn in performances, with three impressive away results including a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium a week ago.

As he seeks his first silverware in England, the 51-year-old said neither he nor his players are motivated by revenge against their Wembley opponents.

“It’s nothing against Jurgen Klopp or Liverpool,” he said. “We love to compete with the best teams and Liverpool as a club, and Klopp with his coaching staff and the players, I think they are amazing. You love to compete with this type of organisation.

“It’s not personal against Klopp or against Liverpool to have revenge. It’s a challenge for us to say ‘we have the possibility to write history, winning a trophy’. That is our biggest motivation. That is my motivation.”

Chelsea followed the loss on Merseyside with a dismal 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves that saw sections of the home support boo the team off.

Since then, the atmosphere around the club has improved significantly, with the draw at City preceded by consecutive 3-1 wins at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace that have injected renewed hope into the team’s season.

“We didn’t compete (at Anfield),” said Pochettino. “If you see the first two minutes, we didn’t match them in the capacity to compete. We created some chances and there (should have been) a penalty after five minutes with (Conor) Gallagher that may change the situation.

“But the most important thing now in this process is to challenge ourselves to be better. If you want to challenge another person, but you are not ready… You need to put your body and your mind in the best condition. If we are in the best condition, we are going to challenge.”

Pochettino rejected the suggestion that victory on Sunday would prompt critics to move on from the huge transfer outlay expended by co-owner Todd Boehly since he took control in May 2022.

“It’s not easy in football,” he said. “It’s not an ordinary business. People know that it’s not only about spending money. It helps, but it’s not only.

“You need time if you want to build something. That is the process that we are involved in now.

“You cannot buy victories. You cannot buy trophies. Money helps, but it doesn’t give trophies.”

Barcelona moved up to second in LaLiga as they cruised past Getafe with a convincing 4-0 win at the Nou Camp.

Raphinha opened the scoring before Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez got in on the act in the second half.

Mallorca held Alaves to a 1-1 draw after Matija Nastasic’s close-range strike in the 88th minute drew the visitors level.

Almeria frustrated Atletico Madrid with a 2-2 draw.

Luka Romero’s brace put the hosts in front following Angel Correa’s opener. Rodrigo De Paul snatched an equaliser but Diego Simeone’s side could not find a winner late on.

Harry Kane scored a brace to help Bayern Munich back to winning ways as they beat RB Leipzig 2-1 in the Bundesliga.

Kane opened the scoring in the 56th minute and after Benjamin Sesko equalised, the England captain fired home a half-volley in the first minute of stoppage time to snatch a dramatic victory.

The double takes Kane’s league tally to 27 for the season.

Borussia Monchengladbach eased past Bochum 5-2 at Borussia-Park.

Gerardo Seoane’s side did not look back after Nathan Ngoumou’s opener, with five different scorers making up their impressive tally.

Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw by Koln after Eric Martel’s 62nd-minute leveller, while Union Berlin drew 2-2 with Heidenheim and Werder Bremen held Darmstadt 1-1.

In Serie A, Daniel Maldini and Matteo Pessina earned Monza a 2-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Salernitana.

Simone Bastoni netted a dramatic stoppage-time winner to give Empoli a 3-2 victory over Sassuolo.

The left-back scored a header from a set-piece in the closing stages to boost his side’s survival bid.

Genoa scored two first-half goals to secure a 2-0 win over 10-man Udinese.

Thomas Thiesson Kristensen was shown a red card for the visitors.

In Ligue 1, Mahdi Camara’s hat-trick helped Brest end a winless run of three games with a 3-0 win over Strasbourg at Stade de la Meinau.

Camara struck twice in the first half before rounding off a terrific display from the penalty spot after an hour.

Jean-Charles Castelletto scored the only goal as Nantes were 1-0 winners at Lorient.

Wigan clinched the World Club Challenge for a record-equalling fifth time after surviving last-gasp video drama to confirm a 16-12 victory over triple defending NRL champions Penrith Panthers at a sold-out DW Stadium.

Tries from Abbas Miski, Kruise Leeming and Jake Wardle, plus four points from the boot of Harry Smith, ensured Matt Peet’s men emulated Super League rivals St Helens, who edged the same team in Sydney one year ago.

Yet in an absorbing clash in which the lead swung in a different direction five times, Wigan were forced into an agonising wait for confirmation of their victory after Taylan May crashed over on the final hooter – only for replays to determine he had been bundled into touch.

As Wigan celebrated the big-screen verdict, the agony was evident on the face of Penrith’s resident superstar Nathan Cleary, who could not prevent his side, all-but three of whom also started in the golden point loss to Saints, failing in their quest to land the trophy for the first time.

It was a night for Wigan to add to their list of previous title wins – the most recent of which came in 2017 – and all of which were recalled in a pre-match presentation which saw representatives of all four of those illustrious sides parading their silverware.

Yet Wigan’s glory night began in ignominious fashion when Willie Isa spilled the ball on the edge of his own 10 in the opening set, but with inexperienced Penrith half-back Jack Cole still finding his feet, the hosts survived the early onslaught.

In their first foray forward after 10 minutes, Jai Field took advantage of a repeat set to jink inside the visitors’ danger zone and the ball was dispatched out to the right when Bevan French sent Miski over in the corner.

With Cole’s confidence growing in only his second top-level start, the triple NRL champions responded with more pressure, Brian To’o held up inches from the line on the last, and Moses Leota fumbling another fine opportunity.

Penrith’s leveller arrived just before the half-hour mark through Cleary, whose initial kick was flapped at by Miski, allowing Cole to feed the experienced scrum-half to dart over and subsequently convert to give the Australian side a 6-4 lead.

Just as Penrith’s speed and pressure seemed to be making a difference, Wigan dredged up another response, again down the right flank where Adam Keighran found Miski and he sent the ball in-field through Isa for Leeming to touch down.

Smith’s conversion from under the posts gave Wigan a four-point lead but their opponents responded on the stroke of half-time when lively full-back Dylan Edwards flopped over in a repeat set, Cleary having the last say of the first half to boot his side into a two-point interval lead.

Cleary continued to orchestrate Penrith’s assault at the start of the second half, his cleverness almost sending Sunia Turuva in the corner, but again Wigan withstood a tough spell and came back firing as Wardle twisted over to restore Wigan’s slender lead after 55 minutes.

Smith’s second-successful conversion put Wigan back four points in the clear and there were signs of frustration creeping into the Penrith ranks as Cleary, of all people, fumbled an opportunity after Isaah Yeo broke the Wigan line.

The hosts clung on as the clock ticked down, Field racing over for a stunning last-ditch tackle that dumped May into touch after the Penrith centre burst clear and looked a near certainty to level the scores.

French thought he had all-but won it when he raced onto a Smith kick with eight minutes left on the clock, only for Wigan’s celebrations to be cut short by an offside call.

The home side were forced to live on their nerves in the final moments as Cole barged close then May crashed over in the corner as the hooter sounded, forcing Wigan into an agonising wait until their famous victory was secured.

Arsenal doled out another devastating Premier League defeat as they cruised past Newcastle to move two points off the top of the table.

Having thrashed West Ham and Burnley away from home, the Gunners returned to the Emirates Stadium where they easily dispatched of Eddie Howe’s side, winning 4-1 in Saturday’s late kick-off.

A Sven Botman own goal set them on their way before goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior rounded off another fine display from Mikel Arteta’s men, although the returning Joe Willock’s late header ruined another clean sheet.

The win, coming on the back of a galling late loss in their Champions League last-16 clash with Porto on Wednesday, moves them to within two points of leaders Liverpool and just a point shy of Manchester City in second place.

Their recent run of free-scoring performances, winning their last three games at an aggregate of 15-1, also means Arsenal boast the best goal difference in the division.

After a light show and pre-match tifo, Arsenal set the pace from the off with Declan Rice, playing in a higher role in midfield with Jorginho restored to the side, stinging the palms of Loris Karius.

They would hit the front through another set-piece, but this time in fortuitous circumstances as Karius made a great save from Gabriel Magalhaes’ powerful header, only for Tino Livramento to turn the ball home off the prone Botman in his attempts to clear off the line.

The lead was doubled soon afterwards, this time from a free-flowing move as Jorginho – in a man-of-the-match display – picked out an inch-perfect pass to Gabriel Martinelli, who crossed for Havertz to turn home unmarked from six yards out.

Arsenal should have struck again moments later as Martin Odegaard pressed and won the ball off Fabian Schar inside the Newcastle box, only for his pass into Havertz to be cleared behind for a corner.

Still Arsenal pressed and Newcastle strained, Saka coming close only for Karius to make another smart stop as the hosts went in comfortably ahead at the break.

Havertz should have grabbed his second of the night having been slipped in by Martinelli early in the second half, but he rolled his finish wide of the post.

Newcastle had failed to have a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time in nearly a decade.

Anthony Gordon finally tested David Raya in the 49th minute before Alekander Isak fired just over the bar on another rare foray forward for the visitors.

Any hopes of a rousing comeback were soon shattered, however, as Arsenal’s third goal duly came just after the hour.

Saka was played in on the right and hit a curling shot that somehow evaded two attempts at clearances from the Newcastle defence to nestle into the corner of the net.

Things got even better for Arsenal as Kiwior’s header from a Rice corner deflected in off the unfortunate Lewis Miley.

Both sides made a host of changes but it was Newcastle who got on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining, former Arsenal youngster Willock brilliantly heading home a Dan Burn cross.

Emile Smith Rowe almost added a fifth for Arsenal late on, but Burn was in the right place to clear off the line with Karius beaten.

It was of little consequence, however, as the home side eased through the remainder of stoppage time to seal an impressive victory.

Frustrated Steve Borthwick felt his work-in-progress England team were taught “a real painful lesson” by a Duhan Van Der Merwe-inspired Scotland after the Red Rose crashed to a fourth consecutive Calcutta Cup defeat at Murrayfield.

The visitors arrived in Edinburgh hoping to make it three Guinness Six Nations victories in a row, but after a bright start in which a George Furbank try helped them carve a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter of an hour.

However, they lost their way and were put to the sword by their clinical hosts who ran out 30-21 winners.

Van Der Merwe – who scored a double in the Scots’ win at Twickenham last year – was again England’s tormentor-in-chief as he became the first man in a dark blue jersey to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick.

“After a defeat and performance when you don’t think you’ve maximised your potential, it’s always disappointment,” said head coach Borthwick.

“I don’t think the team maximised their potential today.

“When you make that number of handling errors at this level, it’s very difficult to win, especially against a team of Scotland’s quality.

“Ultimately we made it too easy for Scotland to score, but they were very clinical.

“It’s a huge lesson for our team as we develop. The number of turnovers made it very difficult to win.”

England arrived in Edinburgh on the back of one defeat in nine matches, but they received something of a reality check at the hands of a Scotland side who are more established as a team under Gregor Townsend.

“We’d all love progression to be a nice linear path but ultimately it’s not, especially when you are trying to do it at this level,” said Borthwick.

“What you saw is a team that is trying to develop, a team that is trying to add layers to their game.

“We made errors today and got punished – sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you don’t. Against a team like Scotland, you don’t.

“It’s a big learning experience, it’s a real painful lesson against a Scotland team that’s been together a long time. They had a lot of experience.

“I think that’s the first time our 10, 12 and 13 had started together and it looked like that, didn’t it? There was a lack of cohesion and too many fundamental errors.”

Van Der Merwe’s match-winning treble – including a stunning burst from his own half to edge the Scots ahead – took him to 26 tries for Scotland, within one of the national team’s all-time record try-scorer Stuart Hogg.

Co-captain Rory Darge admitted it was a huge advantage to his side to have a powerful, jet-heeled outlet like the Edinburgh wing to get them up the pitch in such barnstorming fashion.

“It’s game-changing when he has a half-opportunity, takes it and scores,” said the back-rower. “That (second try while trailing 10-7) is a massive momentum-swinger.

“As a forward, it’s definitely nice when you’re working hard in the rucks and you see Duhan run the length. It’s such a good feeling.”

A fortnight after their agonising home defeat by France, Darge was delighted that Scotland got their championship back on track as they made it two wins from three, with trips to Italy and Ireland to come next month.

“It’s a very different feeling in the changing room compared to two weeks ago,” he said. “Even though there were bits we didn’t do well, to win with a nine-point margin, we’re delighted.

“It was scrappy to start with for sure, but we weathered that. We made a few mistakes and part of that was the pressure England put us under.

“But Finn (Russell) and Benny (White) controlled the game and put us in the right places, and the forwards went to work on the back of that.

“We had spoken about momentum through the week and when it was with us, we really leaned into it.”

Scotland have lost only one of their last seven meetings with England, although this was Darge’s first taste of the fixture.

The 23-year-old dismissed any notion that victories over the Auld Enemy can now be taken for granted by the Scots.

“We’re definitely delighted to get the win – it’s the Calcutta Cup,” he said. “It’s my first one so I’m delighted personally.

“I thought the atmosphere was outstanding and I’m going to enjoy it. You have to enjoy it then put it to bed so we can come back and really get after the Italy game.”

Pep Guardiola hailed his Manchester City “supermen” after they closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

The champions had to contend with local fireworks, a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from the hosts before they left the south coast with a 15th victory from their last 17 matches.

Phil Foden’s first-half tap-in proved enough for City, who took advantage of Liverpool being in Carabao Cup final action this weekend, but were again not at their fluent best after a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford in midweek.

“They are supermen,” Guardiola insisted.

“What can I say? The demands for the calendar, for everything, for the expectations, they are so high. What they have done many, many years with a lot of games, many things and always you believe they will fall down, not continue to do it and they surprise me every time.

“I tell them so that is not normal. For many, many years every three days and Bournemouth have seven days to prepare for one game.

“Seven days dreaming every second of their one week to beat the best team in the world and we have three days to prepare for that.

“It is a lot of competitions, but still we are there and I love it, I love it, I like it. Still we are there.

“I don’t know how much longer we arrive in all competitions but still, we are there. Knowing where we come from, it’s unbelievable.”

City started brightly at Vitality Stadium and Haaland fired wide in the ninth minute, the first of a succession of squandered opportunities from the division’s current leading marksmen.

Haaland’s next opportunity was saved by Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto after Mateo Kovacic’s lofted pass, but Foden was on hand to stroke home from close range for his 16th goal of the season.

The visitors failed to kick on afterwards and it was the Cherries who finished the half strongly with Ryan Christie’s stinging effort parried by Ederson.

Andoni Iraola’s men remained in the ascendancy and should have levelled with 55 minutes played when Antoine Semenyo’s cross picked out Marcus Tavernier, but he scuffed his effort into the ground and Ruben Dias headed the ball away for good measure.

Taverner screwed another shot off target minutes later before Ederson clawed away Dominic Solanke’s close-range header with 23 minutes left.

Bournemouth continued to push for a leveller and – after Dango Ouattara arrowed a shot wide – their final opportunity went to January recruit Enes Unal in stoppage-time, but he headed Semenyo’s cross past the post to extend their winless league run to seven matches.

Iraola praised his own players and also doffed his hat to champions City, who remain firmly in the hunt to clinch a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons.

“I am happy because we showed today we are able to compete with one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” Iraola admitted.

“Obviously you cannot ask much more of the players, effort wise.

“I think it is really difficult what they (City) do. It is really difficult. It is really demanding for the players to play every three games, very competitive games but they are used (to it) and have the experience.

“They can use different players and the level is more or less the same. They also, I think, have learned when to peak during the season.

“You know they know when they have some level and then when they need the top level, they will be there. They will be at the top level because they have learned during the seasons, learned when winning.”

Though disappointed by their hefty defeat to Chile in their opening friendly contest, interim Head coach Xavier Gilbert maintain that his youthful senior Reggae Girlz outfit will learn from the setback, as he anticipates an improved performance in the second encounter on Tuesday.

In fact, Gilbert is confident that the more his new-look team plays, the better the performances will be, as they continue to introduce and expose players to the senior programme, mainly due to the current standoff between the World Cup players and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

The Chileans through goals from Michelle Olivares (12th), Maria Jose Urrutia (22nd), Yestin Jimenez (61st), Yenny Acuna (70th) and Paloma Duarte (88th), outclassed their Jamaican counterparts at the Juan Pinto Duran Stadium in Chile on Friday. Chinyelu Asher (77th) with her seventh international goal, pulled one back for the Jamaicans.

“I don’t think we were good enough to be honest, we started off really shaky and allowed them too much space to play despite what we said we wanted to achieve and how we wanted to approach the game. We were a little bit tentative on the back foot and they exploited those areas that we left opened,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.

“We were much better in the second half, so we will look to build on that because it is a learning process, and so we will see how best we can carry that momentum over into the next game,” he added.

Along with the lack of preparation heading into the games, Gilbert pointed out that niggling injuries also marred their performance, as a number of the college players are just getting back into season, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey is still gradually working her way back from a knee surgery.

“It was difficult because some players are recovering from injury and some college players are just heading back into season, but it is what we have to work with, and we just have to put a better showing in the next game. The more we play oppositions like these, the better we will get. As I said before, this is new for a lot of them on the international stage, so the more we play, the more competitive we will be,” Gilbert reasoned.

Still, with the next game scheduled for Tuesday, the veteran tactician is keen on using the remaining time in Chile to work on certain aspects of the team’s game, with hopes of conducting more intensive work when they next assemble for the April window.

“But for now we are just going to recover and assess the game, look at where we went wrong and improve some things that we could have done better. There are some areas that needs more work than what we will be able to fix here, but we are going to ensure we have good defensive organisation,” Gilbert declared.

“So, we are going to give a few other players some minutes to get back into fold and we are going to continue to work to make sure that defensively we are solid, and also tighten up on how we match up against opponents like these, so we should give a better account of ourselves in the next game,” he ended.

Stanley Bowles raised his arms into the air and took the acclaim of the Loftus Road crowd.

It was a familiar sight throughout the 1970s, but this was August 2015 and was to be the last time Bowles graced the pitch he once ruled.

Bowles, the former QPR, Brentford and England inside-forward, has died aged 75 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

He looked in good physical shape as he was presented to the crowd on ‘Stan Bowles Day’, QPR’s home fixture against Rotherham, but his condition had already taken its toll.

Nevertheless Don Shanks, Bowles’ best friend and former Rangers team-mate who accompanied him out on to the pitch, told the Guardian: “When Stan walked out at Loftus Road he knew exactly where he was, for some reason. A moment of knowing who he was.”

The epitome of the 1970’s football maverick, there was a time when pretty much everyone knew who Bowles was.

Born in Collyhurst, Manchester, on Christmas Eve 1948, Bowles began his career as an apprentice at Manchester City.

A brief stint at Bury followed before Bowles joined Fourth Division Crewe, whose manager Ernie Tagg came up with the immortal line: “If Stan could pass a betting shop like he can pass a football, he’d be a rich man.” Without the benefit of hindsight, it would go on to sum up an entire career.

Bowles moved up two divisions to join Carlise and then, in September 1972, signed for QPR for a fee of £110,000.

Over the next seven years, Bowles made 315 league appearances for Rangers and scored 97 goals.

Yet those figures barely scratch the surface of Bowles’ talent – think Lionel Messi playing with a cigarette in one hand, a lager top in the other and a copy of the Racing Post sticking out of his back pocket.

A snake-hipped bag of bones, often wearing a kit that seemed to look two sizes too big, Bowles jinked, feinted, dribbled and darted past the poor, unsuspecting full-backs of the day.

A trademark goal would see Bowles drop his shoulder, cut inside on to his right foot and effortlessly accelerate, leaving a right-back floundering in a blur of quick feet and long hair, before driving the ball in at the near post.

The trouble was – as Tagg alluded to – that Bowles knew his way around the watering holes and betting shops around Loftus Road almost as well as he knew his way around the pitch.

So naturally talented was Bowles that he felt he did not have to try, an attitude which ultimately limited him to only five England caps, his one international goal coming against Wales at Ninian Park in 1974.

In 1979, a move to Nottingham Forest and a relationship made in hell with Brian Clough was predictably unsuccessful and a year later Bowles joined Second Division Leyton Orient.

He wound down his playing career back in west London with Brentford, enjoying an Indian summer which saw him named the club’s player of the year in 1982. Bowles is fondly remembered for his time at Griffin Park and in a recent poll was voted the best player in their history by fans of both QPR and Brentford.

Less auspicious was an appearance on TV’s Superstars, where athletes competed against each other at different sports. A hungover Bowles scored seven points, the lowest in the show’s history.

A chaotic lifestyle was characterised by Bowles agreeing sponsorship deals with two different boot companies for the same match and wearing one of each.

Upon his retirement, in 1984, Bowles moved into after-dinner speaking, worked as a pundit for Sky Sports and had his own betting column. His 1996 autobiography revealed the extent of his drinking, womanising and gambling during his playing days.

In his later years, Bowles could be spotted flitting between the pubs and the bookies of Shepherd’s Bush, now without the inconvenience of having to fit a football match in between.

Upon being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Bowles moved back to Manchester to be cared for by his eldest daughter, Andria. He is survived by Andria, his second daughter, Tracy, and son Carl.

Harry Kane struck a stoppage-time winner as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 2-1 to lift the gloom around the Allianz Arena.

It looked as though Benjamin Sesko’s deflected 70th-minute strike, cancelling out Kane’s first goal of the evening, would be enough to earn the visitors a point but the England captain popped up in the first minute of time added on to earn a much-needed victory.

The gap to Bayer Leverkusen remains a daunting eight points but, in the first match since Thomas Tuchel announced he would step down at the end of the season and coming off three straight defeats, Bayern needed this one, as was apparent by the relief shown in their celebrations.

Bayern could and perhaps should have been ahead in only the fifth minute. Raphael Guerrero dinked a cross in for Kane, but Janis Blaswich was down smartly, pushing his header against a post before gathering at the second attempt.

Bayern would come to rue that missed opportunity as creating others against a well-organised Leipzig side, defending in numbers and relying solely on counters to provide their own threat, proved difficult.

Just before the break, Thomas Muller headed down a free-kick for Kane, but his ambitious overhead kick lacked the power to worry Blaswich.

The contest improved in the second half as both sides stepped up their attacking intent.

Leipzig were the first to seriously threaten in the 53rd minute when Xavi Simons’ corner found Mohamed Simakan in space near the edge of the box, but his shot across goal went just the wrong side of the post.

Three minutes later, Bayern were ahead. Jamal Musiala slipped the ball through for Kane just inside the area and his first-time shot had the power to beat Blaswich.

Sesko soon had a chance to level as he broke into the box, but Manuel Neuer was quickly off his line to deny him.

However, there was nothing the Bayern goalkeeper could do soon after as the young Slovenia striker got the equaliser.

Neuer may well have had his shot from the edge of the box covered, but Leon Goretzka lunged in to try to block the ball, and a nick off the end of his boot sent it beyond the goalkeeper.

But there was a final twist to come in stoppage time as Eric Choupo-Moting lifted the ball into the box and Kane fired in his 27th goal of the season to earn the win.

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