Fulham beat Newcastle 3-1 to hand Magpies first defeat of season

Fulham beat Newcastle 3-1 to hand Magpies first defeat of season
Newcastle United’s Joelinton in action with Fulham’s Sander Berge during Saturday’s Premier League match. (Reuters)
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Updated 21 September 2024
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Fulham beat Newcastle 3-1 to hand Magpies first defeat of season

Fulham beat Newcastle 3-1 to hand Magpies first defeat of season
  • Newcastle’s solid start to the campaign comes to a screeching halt

LONDON: Fulham’s Raul Jimenez, Emile Smith Rowe, and Reiss Nelson all scored in a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on Saturday, giving Eddie Howe’s team their first defeat of the Premier League season.

Newcastle, whose solid start to the campaign came to a screeching halt, are sixth in the table with 10 points after five games, while Marco Silva’s Fulham are eighth with eight points after their second victory this season.

“Sticking together and staying patient at times, we know Newcastle are a really strong team, so we had to sit and be patient, get the ball, and score,” Smith Rowe said.

“Happy we took our chances, first few games we struggled to take our chances, so we’re happy with our three goals. It starts off the pitch, it’s like a family in there and we know we want to do everything for each other and want to work and want to win.”

Newcastle briefly celebrated what they thought was an early lead in the fifth minute through Joelinton, but his goal was ruled offside. Fulham capitalized on the visitors’ error just 44 seconds later when Adama Traore found Jimenez inside the box and the Mexican fired home.

Smith Rowe extended Fulham’s lead in the 22nd minute when Alex Iwobi threaded a pass to the former Arsenal midfielder, whose shot hit the hand of keeper Nick Pope before trickling over the line.

Smith Rowe has been in fine form at Fulham after several injury-plagued seasons.

“I’m confident at the moment and comfortable with everything. I’ve got to keep going and keep working hard,” he said. 

“Everyone knows it has been a tough couple of seasons for me. I have to stay fit, and I feel good at the moment.”

The Magpies kicked off the second half with far more urgency, and shortly after the restart, Harvey Barnes latched on to a through ball from Jacob Murphy and finished with a low shot to the far corner.

Howe’s men squandered a bagful of chances at equalizers, with Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy, and Fabian Schar all going close. 

Schar missed an absolute sitter when he intercepted a short pass from Fulham keeper Bernd Leno to an unsuspecting Smith Rowe but fired his short-range shot wide of the net.

“It wasn’t clicking for us,” Barnes said on Newcastle’s poor first half. 

“On the ball, we weren’t good enough, and off the ball, you can see from their goals that we weren’t at our level.”

“We needed a reaction (after the break). We got one — to a degree, anyway, because we didn’t get the result — but there were more promising signs in the second half.”

Nelson, a late-game substitute, put the match to bed in injury time with his first league goal, pouncing on Newcastle’s defensive blunder to fire home from close range.


Niemann wins three-way play-off to claim $1m PIF Saudi International

Niemann wins three-way play-off to claim $1m PIF Saudi International
Updated 5 sec ago
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Niemann wins three-way play-off to claim $1m PIF Saudi International

Niemann wins three-way play-off to claim $1m PIF Saudi International
  • American 20-year-old Caleb Surratt and Cameron Smith of Australia push Niemann all the way in thrilling finale at Riyadh Golf Club

RIYADH: Chile’s Joaquin Niemann produced a masterclass of golf under the highest pressure to scoop the $1 million winner’s prize in the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers tournament on Saturday for his second win in the Kingdom this year.

Niemann needed two holes of a play-off to secure the title when he birdied the 396-yard par four 18th for the second time in a row while Caleb Surratt, from 10 feet, and Cameron Smith, from seven, both narrowly missed their putts for a three. The trio had all birdied the first play-off hole, also the 18th, minutes earlier.

The play-off win, which follows his triumph in the LIV Series Jeddah event in March, also secured the The International Series Rankings first prize for the 26-year-old Niemann from Santiago, whose magical chip from light rough to three feet finally secured this important victory.

Surratt, 20, who was chasing his first professional victory and shot a final-round 66, ensured it was no easy cruise for Niemann, who converted six birdies in his final round 67 for a four-round 21-below par total of 263.

However, both Surratt and Niemann surprisingly bogeyed their 72nd hole, the 18th, to allow Smith into a play-off following the Australian’s best-of-the-day 62 earlier on Saturday.

Smith, the 2022 Open Champion, had earlier written off his chances of being in the final mix when he spoke to media, but had not reckoned on uncharacheristic errors on the final hole by the leading duo, which saw Surratt’s tee shot finding water and Niemann’s drive landing in thick rough.

After the drama, champion Niemann praised Golf Saudi, the organizers of the event and responsible for the growth in popularity of the sport in the Kingdom, which produced a record five local players in this year’s event.

Niemann said: “I’m seeing golf developing here in Saudi Arabia thanks to Golf Saudi and it’s great to see them taking the game to the next level here. I’m delighted to be part of that and seeing kids here, too, watching us play is a good sign for a bright future.”

Meanwhile, Peter Uihlein had started the day in pole position to finish The International Series Rankings in top spot but the sure touch that had earned him victory in the previous event in Qatar and had taken him into contention after three rounds here completely deserted him when it mattered most on Saturday.

The American dropped three strokes after the turn, suffering a disastrous double bogey six at the 11th having bogeyed the previous hole, and tumbled to joint 29th overall after a three-over 74, 13 under par overall.

It left him second behind Niemann in The International Series Rankings with New Zealander Ben Campbell in third place following his fourth position in Riyadh thanks to a closing 64 for 20 under par overall.

John Catlin, another American, was also in the winner’s circle at the conclusion of the event for finishing top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, which he had secured prior to this tournament where he finished joint 34th at 12 under par following a closing round of 65.

The leading Arab finisher was amateur Adam Bresnu of Morocco, who strung together highly creditable rounds of 66, 68, 67 and 66 to finish at 17 under overall for a share of sixth place.


Flick sent off for protesting penalty in Barcelona draw at Betis

Flick sent off for protesting penalty in Barcelona draw at Betis
Updated 9 min 41 sec ago
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Flick sent off for protesting penalty in Barcelona draw at Betis

Flick sent off for protesting penalty in Barcelona draw at Betis
  • Flick disagreed with the referee’s decision to grant a penalty

BARCELONA: Coach Hansi Flick was sent off for protesting a penalty decision and Barcelona was held at Real Betis to 2-2 in La Liga on Saturday.
Flick disagreed with the referee’s decision to grant a penalty following a video review when Betis forward Vitor Roque fell in the area following a brush with Frenkie de Jong.
Giovani Lo Celso converted the 66th-minute penalty to level the score after Robert Lewandowski put the visitors ahead in the 38th.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored from a pass by Lamine Yamal to put Barcelona back in front in the 82nd, but Assane Diao struck in injury time to secure the draw for Betis.
Barcelona have dropped points in four of the last five rounds. The league leader are five points ahead of Real Madrid, which has two games in hand.


Man City drop more points after draw with Crystal Palace

Man City drop more points after draw with Crystal Palace
Updated 16 min 28 sec ago
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Man City drop more points after draw with Crystal Palace

Man City drop more points after draw with Crystal Palace
  • It could have been worse for City after Palace led twice

LONDON: Manchester City’s Premier League title defense took another blow after a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Four-time defending champion City ended a seven-game winless run on Wednesday by beating Nottingham Forest, but dropped more points with the draw at Selhurst Park.
It could have been worse for City after Palace led twice.
Pep Guardiola’s team are fourth in the standings and eight points behind leader Liverpool, which have a game in hand after their derby with Everton was postponed due to a storm.
Aston Villa were fifth after winning against last-placed Southampton 1-0, and Brentford beat Newcastle 4-2.


Gabriel Bortoleto targets F2 championship crown in Abu Dhabi ahead of F1 graduation

Gabriel Bortoleto targets F2 championship crown in Abu Dhabi ahead of F1 graduation
Updated 21 min 40 sec ago
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Gabriel Bortoleto targets F2 championship crown in Abu Dhabi ahead of F1 graduation

Gabriel Bortoleto targets F2 championship crown in Abu Dhabi ahead of F1 graduation
  • The Brazilian driver will race for Kick Sauber in Formula 1 next year

ABU DHABI: The 2024 FIA Formula 2 season has been one of numerous twists and turns, with championship contenders coming and going. Heading into this final weekend at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, there is a clear two-horse race between one driver confirmed to graduate to Formula 1 in 2025, and another with sights on his own promotion.
Similar to his 2023 rookie title success in Formula 3, Gabriel Bortoleto’s consistency was key to his elevation up the drivers’ standings, despite a challenging start to the year. The Invicta Racing driver, who will race for Kick Sauber in F1 next year, suffered three consecutive retirements in the Jeddah feature race, and both Australia outings due to collision damage and mechanical failure, stunting his early momentum.
Bortoleto’s response was impressive, however. Feature race wins in Austria and Monza in Italy, the latter a stunning last-to-first comeback victory, propelled the Brazilian driver into title contention. He is the in-form driver on the grid, and will look to follow in the footsteps of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri in immediately following his FIA F3 crown with the F2 title before focusing on his F1 debut.
Bortoleto’s closest challenger for the F2 title is Frenchman Isack Hadjar. The Red Bull junior driver has experienced contrasting fortunes to his rival, with four feature race wins — more than any driver — and looked to be racing towards the title earlier in the year. But the Campos driver only accumulated points in three of the last 10 races before the long break, ahead of the final two weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Should he return to form this weekend and claim the crown, he will certainly have staked his claim for his own F1 graduation with Red Bull sister team RB.
The Italian PREMA Racing squad, typically contending at the top of the Teams’ Championship and producing numerous F1 drivers, has struggled to get the best of the new FIA F2 car introduced in 2024. Its two drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, both headed for F1 next year, have been unable to fully demonstrate their abilities.
Antonelli’s two feature race wins, and Bearman’s two sprint race wins, are the grand total of the team’s success in 2024. The team will hope to sign off its season on a positive note this weekend, however, much like last year when Frederik Vesti took Sprint Race victory at Yas Marina Circuit.


Musiala strikes twice to help Bayern end mini-skid without the injured Kane

Musiala strikes twice to help Bayern end mini-skid without the injured Kane
Updated 49 min 54 sec ago
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Musiala strikes twice to help Bayern end mini-skid without the injured Kane

Musiala strikes twice to help Bayern end mini-skid without the injured Kane
  • Dayot Upamecano put Bayern ahead in the 18th minute
  • Vincent Kompany sent on Musiala for Thomas Mueller moments after Heidenheim made it 1-1 against the flow of play

BERLIN: Jamal Musiala came off the bench to score twice and help a Bayern Munich side without the injured Harry Kane beat Heidenheim 4-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern were playing their second full game without their top-scoring Kane since he strained his right hamstring in Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund last weekend.
Bayern then lost in the German Cup to Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 without the England striker on Tuesday.
Dayot Upamecano put Bayern ahead in the 18th minute with a goal from a corner kick, but the Bayern center back also helped the visitors level in the 50th when Mathias Honsak pounced on his bad pass with only goalkeeper Daniel Peretz to beat.
Vincent Kompany sent on Musiala for Thomas Mueller moments after Heidenheim made it 1-1 against the flow of play.
The Germany international put Bayern back in front in the 56th when he rifled a shot from just inside the area under goalkeeper Kevin Mueller.
Bayern looked ready to close out the relatively easy win when Leon Goretzka made it 3-1 in the 83rd.
But Niklas Dorsch scored a second goal for Heidenheim in the 85th to keep the result in doubt until Musiala struck again in injury time.
Musiala’s eight goals make him the top scoring midfielder in the competition.