Inter Milan were forced to settle for second place in Champions League Group D after a 0-0 draw with leaders Real Sociedad at San Siro.
Last year’s runners-up needed a win to clinch a place among the top seeds heading into the knockout stage but could not break down their impressive Spanish opponents.
A second draw between the sides in the group stage left them locked together with 12 points, but La Real – who conceded just twice in their six matches – topped the pool on goal difference.
The draw did mean both teams kept up their impressive recent runs, with Inter having now gone 14 games without defeat.
Real Sociedad are now unbeaten in eight and have still only lost to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in all competitions this season.
And it was the visitors who dominated possession early on but, other than a couple of promising runs from Take Kubo, they failed to seriously test the visiting defence.
Inter were happy to hit on the break and they came closest to scoring in a first half of few chances.
The lively Marcus Thuram caused problems, and his surging run created an opening for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but his goalbound effort was brilliantly cleared by Sociedad defender Hamari Traore.
Federico Dimarco then forced a save out of visiting goalkeeper Alex Remiro just before the interval.
Davide Frattesi fired over 10 minutes into the second half after La Real did not deal with a long throw, before Juan Cuadrado drove narrowly wide.
Simone Inzaghi brought on top-scorer Lautaro Martinez, midfielder Nicolo Barella and Marko Arnautovic with 25 minutes to go as Inter chased a winner which would have clinched top spot.
But they were forced into some defending five minutes later, with former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian blocking an effort from Arsen Zakharyan before Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer smothered Mikel Oyarzabal’s shot.
Real Sociedad thought they had a penalty with 15 minutes left when Kubo went down in the area but a VAR review led to referee Sandro Scharer overturning his decision.
Sommer had to save from Oyarzabal again to keep Inter’s hopes alive.
Inter poured forward as they looked for a late winner and they created a stoppage-time chance for Martinez. But the Argentina World Cup winner opted to go for goal himself from a tight angle instead of looking for a team-mate and and he could only lash his shot high over the crossbar.
Honduras defeats French Guiana 3-2 in Nations League thriller
Honduras secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over French Guiana in a thrilling encounter at the Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama in Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana, as they climbed to second place in Group B of the CONCACAF Nations League.
The match got off to a lively start with Honduras nearly taking an early lead in the 8th minute. Edwin Rodríguez found himself with a great chance inside the box, but his volley was met by an impressive save from French Guiana goalkeeper Donovan Leon. The hosts responded seven minutes later when Ansley Panelle unleashed a powerful long-range strike, but Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar was equal to the task, keeping the scoreline level.
As the first half wore on, Honduras began to impose themselves on the game. Their persistence paid off just before halftime when Anthony Lozano gave Los Catrachos the lead in the 45th+1 minute. Lozano calmly finished from the center of the box after a well-placed assist from Rigoberto Rivas, giving the visitors a crucial advantage heading into the break.
French Guiana, however, came out strong in the second half and found an equalizer in the 56th minute. Raphaël Galas latched onto a loose ball inside the box and fired home to restore parity for the home side, sending the local fans into a frenzy.
But Honduras was quick to respond, regaining the lead in the 67th minute through Deybi Flores, who rose high to head in a corner delivery, putting the visitors back in control. Just seven minutes later, they extended their lead when Jorge Benguché finished across goal after a perfect through ball from Jorge Álvarez, giving Honduras a comfortable 3-1 cushion.
Despite the deficit, French Guiana refused to give up. In stoppage time, Jules Haabo scored a late consolation goal in the 90th+4 minute, but it wasn't enough to prevent Honduras from claiming all three points with a 3-2 final scoreline.
The win propels Honduras into second place in Group B of the CONCACAF Nations League, as they continue their pursuit of qualification to the next stage.
Reggae Boyz battle to 2-0 victory over Nicaragua to maintain leadership of Group B
Jamaica defeated Nicaragua 2-nil at Estadio Nacional in Managua, Nicaragua.
The visitors took the lead in minute 32 through and own goal from Nicaragua’s Josué Quijano.
Juan Barrera came close to tying the match for Nicaragua in minute 27 with a potent left-footed shot from long distance, but his attempt was denied by Jamaica’s goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Jamaica extended its lead in the 69th minute through a finish from Romario Williams from close range following a corner kick.
In the 88th minute, two saves in quick succession from Blake prevented Nicaragua from equalizing. Blake subsequently closed out the match with six saves to secure a second clean sheet this Nations League campaign.
With the win, the Reggae Boyz maintain the lead in first place in Group B.
Group B will resume Monday, with Jamaica facing Honduras in a battle for the top spot. Trinidad and Tobago will host Cuba, while Nicaragua will receive French Guiana.
Palmer and Maresca scoop Premier League awards for September
Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Enzo Maresca have been named the Premier League's Player and Manager of the Month for September.
The Blues won three of their four league games last month, propelling them to fourth place and four points behind leaders Liverpool, who they face next Sunday.
One of those victories included a 4-2 win over Brighton, a game that saw Palmer become the first player in Premier League history to score four goals before half-time.
He also became only the second Blues player after Frank Lampard in 2008 (against Derby) and 2010 (against Aston Villa) to net four times in two different games in the top flight.
The England international also leads the division for goal involvements this term (11 - six goals, five assists), with his 23 chances created, a total only bettered by Bukayo Saka (27).
Palmer has now won two of the last three Premier League Player of the Month awards, with only Lampard (four) winning more for the Blues than the 22-year-old (two).
Maresca made September’s shortlist along with Mikel Arteta, Arne Slot, Unai Emery and Marco Silva, and came out on top after votes from both the public and a panel of experts.
In doing so, the Italian has become the first Chelsea head coach since Thomas Tuchel in October 2021 to win the Manager of the Month award.
"We had a very good month," Maresca said. "We all need people around us to make things better.
"I'm very grateful to have all of them [his staff].
"We are always looking at new things and how we can improve from different football and different countries."
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