Game 7 of the 2025 World Series simply had it all.

There was Bo Bichette’s no-doubt homer to get things started, Blue Jays manager John Schneider vocalizing complaints about a little-known rule, and a hit-by-pitch that cleared both benches. And then, of course, there was the ninth inning—one that will be remembered for Miguel Rojas’s game-tying solo shot and Andy Pages’s game-saving catch in center field.

After 11 innings of baseball, it was the Dodgers celebrating on the field at Rogers Centre on Saturday night, closing out the best-of-seven World Series with a dramatic 5–4 comeback win over Toronto.

The Dodgers are MLB’s first back-to-back champions since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.

Before the Los Angeles area heads into a champagne-stained celebration that hopefully lasts for days, here are three takeaways from an unforgettable Game 7:

The Dodgers are inevitable

If we learned anything Saturday night, it’s to never count out a $350 million payroll.

When they needed a big play late in Game 7, though, it wasn’t Shohei Ohtani or Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman authoring a signature moment. It was 36-year-old veteran infielder Miguel Rojas crushing a 3–2 pitch from closer Jeff Hoffman to tie Game 7 with two outs in the ninth inning.

In the 11th inning, one of the Dodgers’ prized franchise players did step up. Los Angeles catcher Will Smith hammered a solo home run to left field for a 5–4 lead, enough for the Dodgers to hang onto at the end.

The Blue Jays were no Cinderella story—they boast the fifth-highest payroll in baseball. But the depth of star pitching the Dodgers threw in Game 7 alone—Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto—made it clear Los Angeles is truly in a class of its own.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, World Series hero

Yamamoto threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ 3–1 win in Game 6. Entering Game 7, Los Angeles manager David Roberts told the media that Yamamoto would be available for Game 7 if needed.

And, boy, did they need him.

Yamamoto entered a 4–4 game in the ninth inning with a runners on first and second. He hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch, but then got out of the jam with a groundout and fly out. Yamamoto sat down the Blue Jays in order in the 10th and was on the mound in the 11th when Betts tagged second base and threw a strike to Freeman for the game-winning play.

In three World Series outings—two starts and a relief appearance—Yamamoto allowed just two runs in 17 2/3 innings.

Game 7 Ohtani wasn’t quite cinematic

Late Friday night, Ohtani learned he was going to start Game 7 on the mound. It set the stage for a potential unbelievable Game 7 with baseball’s brightest star shining both on the mound and in the batter’s box while fighting for a championship.

Although Ohtani had a nice night at the plate, he didn’t quite meet the moment on the mound.

Ohtani cruised through the first inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second. But he was pulled in the third inning when Bichette crushed a three-run homer to center field for a 3–0 Blue Jays lead.

Ohtani wrapped up his second career postseason batting .265/.405/.691 while logging a 4.43 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in four starts.

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O Botafogo dominou o Corinthians em Itaquera e quebrou um tabu histórico. Na noite de sábado (1º), o Glorioso derrotou o rival por 1 a 0, com gol marcado por Júnior Santos na segunda etapa, e conquistou sua primeira vitória na Neo Química Arena.

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As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

Com o resultado, a equipe comandada por Artur Jorge chegou aos 13 pontos conquistados na competição e assumiu a liderança provisória do Campeonato Brasileiro.

O Botafogo não vencia o Corinthians em São Paulo desde 2012. À época, derrotou a equipe do Parque São Jorge por 3 a 1, em duelo disputado no Pacaembu. Na Neo Química Arena, eram nove partidas até o confronto deste sábado, com seis vitórias do Timão e três empates.

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Em alta na temporada, o Glorioso assume a liderança do Brasileirão na mesma semana em que garantiu vaga às oitavas de final da Copa Libertadores. Agora, o Botafogo terá nove dias de descanso antes da partida contra o Fluminense.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Botafogo

O clássico, que estava marcado para o dia 12 de junho, foi adiado para o dia 11, na terça-feira, às 20h (de Brasília). A mudança ocorreu em razão do amistoso da Seleção Brasileira diante dos Estados Unidos, também no dia 12, em Orlando.

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BotafogoCampeonato BrasileiroFutebol Nacional

تحدث آندريس إنيستا، نجم برشلونة السابق عن علاقة زميله ليونيل ميسي بإدارة النادي الكتالوني حاليًا برئاسة خوان لابورتا، واحتمالية عودته لملعب كامب نو مرة أخرى.

كما أشاد بـ بيدري، نجم خط وسط فريق برشلونة وأوضح حقيقة وجه التشابه بينهما على أرض الملعب.

وقال إنيستا في حوار أجراه مع صحيفة “ماركا”: “بيدري هو بيدري، ليس مزيجًا من أي شيء، لديه صفاته الخاصة ونقاط قوته، وإمكاناته التي تُمكنه من مواصلة النمو والتطور لأنه لاعب شاب، رغم كونه لاعبًا أساسيًا في برشلونة والمنتخب الوطني”.

وأكمل: “أجمل ما فيه هو أنك عندما تشاهده على التلفاز، يصيبك الذهول بما يفعله، وكيف يؤديه بكل سهولة وبساطة وعفوية، إنه لمن دواعي سرور الجماهير وجوده في برشلونة ولجميع الإسبان وجوده في المنتخب الوطني”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بيكيه يدعم لاعب برشلونة ويؤكد: يجب الاهتمام بالصحة النفسية

وعن علاقة ميسي مع لابورتا وعودته إلى برشلونة: “لا أعرف إذا كان هناك جرح أم لا، لا أستطيع أن أساهم أكثر مما يعنيه ليو لبرشلونة، هذا لن يتغير أبدًا مهما كان الوقت، لا أعرف إذا كان سيعود في وقت ما وبأي صفة لكن الأهم هو ما يعنيه ليو لبرشلونة”.

وتحدث عن الأزمة التي واجهت أراوخو بعدما حصل على بطاقة حمراء أمام تشيلسي: “المواقف والظروف في الحياة التي حدثت، حدثت وستستمر في الحدوث، يحدث ذلك يوميًا مرات عديدة، هذا الوعي بهذا النوع من المشاكل هو ما يجب أن يمر به الناس”.

وأردف: “قدر الإمكان، عليك أن تضع نفسك في أيدي محترفين يمكنهم مساعدتك في مثل هذه المواقف، ومن هناك يكون لديهم القوة للخروج”.

وأتم: “لحسن الحظ، الكثير من الناس يقضون فترات نقاهة لكن هناك وعي اجتماعي بكيفية قيامنا بتلك الأشياء وكيف نقولها وكيف نديرها، هناك العديد من العوامل التي تؤدي إلى تلك اللحظة”.

Yankees star Aaron Judge said he's unsure whether he'll require surgery on his right elbow this offseason while speaking to reporters following New York's season-ending loss to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night.

"We'll do some work on it [the elbow]," Judge said. "We'll do some work on it and get it right."

When asked whether he'll have surgery, Judge replied, "I'm not a doctor, I don't know."

When did Judge suffer the elbow injury?

During the seventh inning of a July 22 win over the Blue Jays, Judge grimaced in pain after throwing the ball into the infield following a running catch. He was in the Yankees lineup as the designated hitter the following day, then experienced discomfort while playing the outfield in a July 25 loss to the Phillies. He underwent tests on the elbow, which revealed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, but Judge on July 26 was placed on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

He returned to the lineup on Aug. 5 as the designated hitter, but didn't resume throwing to bases until Aug. 24. In the midst of Judge's six-week throwing rehab, Yankees manager Aaron Boone raised eyebrows when he said he doubted Judge would get back to "throwing like he normally does at any point this year." Judge himself pushed back against the comments and Boone later walked them back.

How did the injury affect Judge's arm strength?

But upon Judge's return to the outfield on Sept. 5, the Blue Jays tested his throwing arm, and the hulking slugger lacked the velocity on his throws from the outfield that he had prior to sustaining the elbow injury. Judge, who routinely hit 90-plus mph on the radar gun on throws from the outfield, had just two throws exceed 80 mph during his return to the outfield in the regular season, which saw him split time between right field and designated hitter. During the wild-card series, the Red Sox tested Judge's throwing arm in a key situation, leading to a slower throw from the Yankees outfielder, who downplayed the lower velocity number after the game.

And while his throwing arm remained somewhat compromised, he did hit 90.2 mph on the radar gun on one throw during Game 1 of the ALDS.

Fortunately for the Yankees, Judge's bat was not compromised. On the heels of winning his first batting title and compiling his second straight season with 50-plus home runs, Judge authored his best playoff performance to date, slashing .500/.581/.692 with one home run, a pair of doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored in seven games played.

Judge is the odds-on favorite to win his second straight AL MVP award.

The 38-year-old India batter showed all the traits he is known for in scoring his 33rd ODI century against Australia in Sydney

Sidharth Monga25-Oct-20252:03

Chopra: Kohli and Rohit keep adding confidence

This was only the second time in the last five years that Rohit Sharma has batted 100 balls or more in an ODI innings. Most of this is his captaincy era, a period in which he took on a different role, that of a hyper-attacking batter around whom Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli could accumulate runs. The number of hundreds came down – this was only Rohit’s fourth in the last five years – but Travis Head is the only opener in this period to have both averaged higher and scored quicker than his 47.65 and 111.09.The two times that Rohit has batted 100 balls in this period are the 2023 World Cup match against England and this one. Lucknow was a difficult pitch, and this has come at the end of a difficult series in early-season conditions in Australia.If Lucknow was an impromptu adjustment to the conditions before he went back to blazing starts, this was an organic progression through the course of the series. In Perth, where the bowlers enjoyed both seam and bounce, Rohit still tried to impose himself on the game and failed. In Adelaide, where the bounce settled down but the ball still seamed appreciably, Rohit tried a bit of everything. He played two successive maidens from Josh Hazlewood, tried unsuccessfully to charge the seamers, and then fought through to top-score with 73 off 97.This 121 not out, in the face of a modest target (237) in the best but still not flat batting conditions of the series, was the return of the vintage Rohit, who mastered the template of big ODI innings from 2013 to 2019. Broadly, it involved a watchful start against two new balls, risk-free accumulation from overs 11 to 30 and then an almighty explosion that few had any counter for. In Sydney, he didn’t need that almighty acceleration phase because the target didn’t call for it, but Rohit had put himself in a position to aim for it.Rohit Sharma made his 33rd ODI century. Only Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have more•AFP/Getty ImagesIn a slightly emotional interview with Adam Gilchrist and Ravi Shastri later, Rohit, almost certain to not play any more international cricket in Australia, spoke of “a lot of good memories, bad memories” in the country. One of the bad ones has to be earlier this year at this same venue, when he, as the captain of the Test side, dropped himself for the series decider never to be selected again.Related

• Sydney soaks up that Rohit-Kohli feeling

• Stats – Kohli goes past Sangakkara, Rohit equals Tendulkar

• 'Wanted to start fresh' – Rohit and Kohli roll back the years in Sydney

• Vintage Ro-Ko masterclass guides India home after Harshit Rana's four

Having retired from T20Is already, Rohit now had only one format to stay active in, a format that is played the least these days. There were doubts about how he would stay in touch with the game, not just in the present moment but also for two years down the line when the ODI World Cup takes place in South Africa, when he will be 40 years old.On the evidence of this series, the game seems to be in good order, although the one real test for every limited-overs batter is when batting first on a flat track. In tough conditions, Rohit set the base for a competitive total in Adelaide. In a modest chase in Sydney, he showed how regulation he can make scoring an international century look.The ease with which he scored 121 at about a-run-a-ball is a reminder of what has made him the third-highest centurion in ODIs. A reminder that over the last five years he hadn’t lost that ability but just played a role that the team needed him to play at that time.If the selectors and team management were looking for signs to make their decisions on, they will have learnt very little. Rohit has shown what was never under doubt even though he might have carried some ring rust.His next assignment with India will be in a month’s time, a break much more manageable than the seven months he has had off since the Champions Trophy. A less sporadic schedule without being completely packed will be ideal for Rohit at this age. For now, he has shown he can’t be written off so easily. Let’s then strap in and get along on the ride.

Two of Manchester United’s biggest summer signings, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, are starting to get into full flow for the Red Devils.

Mbeumo, in particular, has started life at Old Trafford quickly, with eight goals and assists in 16 games across all competitions.

As for his Brazilian teammate, things haven’t been quite as smooth sailing. He’s struggled with a few minor injuries and hasn’t been at his best.

The United number ten only has one goal and one assist in 12 Premier League games, but has shown flashes of his best form.

United are not done there when it comes to strengthening in attack, and could dip back into the market this winter.

United’s latest attacking target

It is not just in attack that the Red Devils might be looking to strengthen their side, with midfield a focus area too.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

They are reportedly plotting to sign Elliot Anderson and are even linked with a sensational, if expensive, move for Jude Bellingham.

Looking further up the pitch, the Mancunian giants are linked with a move to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, United are able to meet the Ghanaian’s release clause and could make a move for him.

This, of course, will not be a cheap deal. Semenyo’s release clause is worth a reported £65m, a fee Ruben Amorim’s side ‘would be able to match’ this winter.

However, they would face tough competition for his signature, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all interested in signing him, too.

Why Semenyo would be a good signing

There is no doubt about 25-year-old Semenyo’s quality. The versatile forward, who can operate on either flank, has been described this season as a “world-class” operator by Cherries teammate Justin Kluivert.

Indeed, the numbers he has put up are reflective of someone deemed an elite winger. This season in the Premier League, Bournemouth’s number 24 has played 14 games, scoring six goals and assisting a further three.

There have been some real standout moments for the 25-year-old, too. He’s scored twice and assisted the other in a 3-1 win at home to Fulham, and scored a sublime solo goal against Liverpool at Anfield on the opening day of the season.

United would love for the winger to have the same sort of impact as Mbeumo if he were to join. The Cameroonian attacker has been one of their most consistent players this season, even winning November’s Premier League player of the month award.

His most recent goal came on Monday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mbeumo and his new teammate Cunha can have a “big impact” on the club if they are able to “find a way to click,” according to United great Gary Neville.

If the Red Devils were to acquire Semenyo in the winter window, they would love for him to add to that threat with their two summer recruits.

You could certainly make a case that the Ghanaian is a hybrid of both players. At least, according to FBref, he has similar underlying numbers to Mbeumo over the last year and to Cunha in the top flight this term – noted as statistically similar both men in those respective fields.

Well, to factor in both, let’s look at numbers from the last two Premier League seasons. A standout number is their combined goals and assists per 90 minutes, with Semenyo averaging 0.5, Cunha 0.6 and Mbeumo 0.65.

0.5 goals & assists

0.6 goals & assists

0.65 goals & assists

1.29 key passes

1.78 key passes

1.79 key passes

1.85 take-ons complete

2.09 take-ons complete

1.22 take-ons complete

3.85 progressive carries

3.63 progressive carries

3.26 progressive carries

4.6 ball recoveries

4.36 ball recoveries

3.98 ball recoveries

It is easy to see how the three players are similar, based on those numbers.

If Semenyo – who, like the United pair, is Premier League proven – can offer the goal and assist numbers of Mbeumo, and the threat carrying the ball which Cunha brings, he would be a dangerous addition to Amorim’s side.

£65m is not the most unreasonable fee for a player of his class, and United fans will be hoping he can have a quick impact at Old Trafford.

The new Ji-Sung Park: Man Utd star is fast becoming as important as Bruno

Manchester United have another star who is becoming as important as Bruno Fernandes.

ByEthan Lamb 3 days ago

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl should be delighted with the way that his team ran out 3-0 winners against Kilmarnock with relative ease on Saturday night.

Two goals from Bojan Miovski and a strike off the bench from Mikey Moore sealed all three points for the Gers, who had drawn their previous two games to Dundee United and Falkirk in a frustrating manner.

The German head coach should be particularly pleased with Miovski’s two-goal burst because it will provide the centre-forward with some much-needed confidence after a poor start to life at Ibrox

Why Bojan Miovski has been Rangers' most frustrating player

Out of all of the club’s summer signings, the Macedonia international has been their most frustrating player because he has not delivered at the level that everyone knows he is capable of.

Unlike most of the other signings, Miovski arrived as a proven Scottish Premiership performer who is in the prime years of his career, at 26, after a return of 32 league goals in two seasons with Aberdeen.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock, though, the left-footed forward had only scored one goal in nine league starts for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, and has lost 68% of his physical duels in the division.

Miovski was much improved against Kilmarnock, with two goals, which makes his poor form up to that point all the more frustrating, because that is the kind of performance that he can deliver.

It’s a display that Rohl recognised too. In quotes taken from PA Media, the manager said: “We had a conversation with each other and then he made step-by-step a huge step forwards against Dundee United. He had some good chances. He’s more adaptable at the moment, not just staying on the last line, it helps in building up as well.

“I’m happy when a striker scores two goals, it’s fantastic. In general, we spoke about what I demand from him. He told also what he is thinking at the moment. And then I think, especially after the Falkirk game, we spoke about spaces, what I want to see from the centre-forward and big spaces.”

The 26-year-old marksman is not the most improved player under Rohl, though, as that title has to go to Nasser Djiga, who has stepped up in recent weeks.

Why Djiga is the most improved Rangers player under Rohl

After Rohl’s fourth match in charge, against Celtic in the League Cup, Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described the Wolves loanee as a “rotten” signing.

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Football FanCast even suggested playing James Tavernier at centre-back at the start of November because of Djiga’s poor form for the club up to that point.

That criticism was fair after several high-profile errors, including a red card against Dundee, an inexplicable defensive mix-up against Club Brugge, and Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that he “genuinely looks lost” during the loss to Celtic in the semi-final defeat that led to Edgar dubbing him “rotten”.

It did not seem like there was any way back for the Premier League loanee, who was as ‘rotten’ as Miovski was, but his run of form since John Souttar and Derek Cornelius picked up injuries has been an impressive response to that criticism.

Because there was an argument, due to his high-profile mistakes, that Djiga was the worst performer in the club, it is only logical that his recent showings make him the most improved player in the squad.

Whilst Miovski scored two goals against Kilmarnock, the striker had not scored in his previous 11 games and is yet to show his quality consistently, and the Wolves defender has now strung several performances together.

Since John Souttar’s injury

Premiership

Nasser Djiga

Appearances

4

Sofascore rating

7.3

Clean sheets

2

Tackles won

6/8

Clearances

18

Ground duels won

14/18

Aerial duels won

7/14

Error led to shot or goal

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Djiga has really stepped up in the right-sided centre-back role since Souttar picked up an injury on international duty with Scotland, winning an eye-catching 14 of his 18 ground duels in four league outings.

The Burkina Faso international has shown that he can be reliable at the back for a stretch of games, with no direct errors leading to shots or goals, whilst being dominant in his defensive duels.

Rangers have kept two clean sheets in the last four league games with Djiga at the heart of the defence alongside Emmanuel Fernandez, and Rohl will be hoping that his new defensive partnership continues to shine over the festive period.

The 23-year-old loanee, in particular, needs to prove that his current form is not a flash in the pan and that he has put the mistakes that he made earlier in the season behind him to be a reliable option for the German manager moving forward.

Related Rangers prioritising move to sign "strong" 6ft 4 box-crasher after scouting mission

He could be Rohl’s first signing.

Posts ByTom Cunningham 6 days ago

On current evidence, Djiga is the most improved player under Rohl, going from “rotten” to reliable, but now he needs to do it over a prolonged period of time.

An independent inquiry committee was set up after several allegations of corruption surfaced in the last BPL

Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2025

The BCB has dropped several cricketers from the BPL auction, set to take place in Dhaka on November 30, based on the findings of a corruption report into last season’s BPL. An independent inquiry committee was formed following last season’s BPL when several allegations of corruption surfaced.The board, however, didn’t announce the players’ names. These players were removed from the BPL auction based on the report, which is just an observation and hence no charges were made. Neither the BCB nor the inquiry committee announced any formal allegations against the players.After receiving the report from the three-member committee, the BCB formed an integrity unit, of which Alex Marshall was appointed independent chair.”In preparing for BPL season 12, the governing council received advice from the independent chair of the integrity unit on steps necessary to further safeguard the league. Based on that advice, a number of individuals, including some players, have not been invited to participate in this year’s tournament,” a BCB statement said on November 29.The BCB said the restriction on these cricketers only applies to the BPL. “This is a BPL-specific measure taken to ensure fairness of the investigation process and to protect the integrity of the league. It does not apply to other domestic cricket events conducted under the jurisdiction of the BCB.”

Jose Mourinho has revealed the hilarious reason he took Scott McTominay's shirt after the Champions League tie between Benfica and Napoli. After Benfica’s impressive 2-0 win, a result crafted through goals from Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro, the Portuguese coach amused reporters by revealing an unexpected keepsake hidden inside a small bag he carried into the press conference.

A nod to an old protege

The Scottish midfielder, now thriving in Serie A, owes much of his early career to the coach who thrust him into the Manchester United first team nearly a decade ago. Mourinho handed the midfielder his senior debut in May 2017, introducing him off the bench against Arsenal before starting him days later against Crystal Palace. The then-20-year-old quickly became a dependable fixture in Mourinho’s midfield rotation during the 2017–18 season, even being preferred at times to record signing Paul Pogba, £89 million ($119m). Although Mourinho departed Old Trafford in late 2018, McTominay went on to make more than 250 appearances for the club, proving the value of the faith placed in him.

AdvertisementGettyMourinho steals the show with press room antics

Mourinho has never been one to leave a press room without creating a moment, and on Wednesday night, he delivered another classic. While Benfica’s players celebrated a crucial victory that keeps their European hopes alive, the 62-year-old manager walked in with a cryptic accessory that immediately sparked curiosity among the assembled journalists. When one asked whether he was handing out gifts, Mourinho responded with the kind of dry humour that has become his trademark.

While Benfica’s players celebrated a crucial victory that keeps their European hopes alive, the 62-year-old manager walked in with a cryptic accessory that immediately sparked curiosity among the assembled journalists. When one asked whether he was handing out gifts, Mourinho responded with the kind of dry humour that has become his trademark.

"The bag is mine," Mourinho said. "It's Scott McTominay's shirt. I put him in; I benched Paul Pogba for him at Manchester United. The least he could do was give me his shirt."

After years of fluctuating form in Manchester, McTominay reignited his career with a move to Napoli in 2024. It turned out to be transformative. The central midfielder helped drive the club to the Scudetto, delivering dominant performances in the heart of the pitch and posting a career-best 13 goals across all competitions. His influence earned him a remarkable 18th-place finish in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings and culminated in him becoming the 2025 Serie A Player of the Year, the first Scot ever to claim the honour.

Benfica deliver a statement performance

The humour stemmed from Mourinho’s satisfaction at Benfica’s victory. The two-goal win over Napoli was one of their best European displays of the season, and the manager made sure to highlight the significance of the result.

He said: "We deserved it, we played an extraordinary match. Some will say that Napoli weren't the team we know, but I disagree. Benfica did an extraordinary job, controlling the game at all times. For us, beating Napoli like this and still being alive in this competition is a great thing."

He went on to say: "We have six points. Benfica lost at home to Qarabag early on, otherwise we'd have nine and be one step away from qualifying. The schedule is incredibly tough, but losing that match put us on the edge right away. It was important to win today, otherwise the story would have ended."

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AFPDomestic pressure mounts despite European lift

While Benfica’s Champions League prospects received a much-needed boost, their domestic situation remains delicate. The Lisbon side sit third in the Portuguese league, eight points behind leaders Porto. With increasing pressure from supporters and a demanding December schedule, more slip-ups could derail their title aspirations. Their immediate task is to maintain momentum when they return to domestic action against Moreirense on Sunday. After stumbling in recent league fixtures, Benfica cannot afford another misstep if they are to stay within reach of Porto and Sporting in the title race.

Mitchell Starc declined to call himself the GOAT of left-arm pace, saying Wasim Akram was “still a far better bowler than I am” after surpassing the Pakistan great as the leading Test wicket-taker among left-arm fast bowlers on day one of the Brisbane Test against England.Starc claimed 6 for 71 at the Gabba, his fourth haul of six wickets or more in four innings, to once again shoulder the burden of leading an Australia attack shorn of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood at the start of the 2025-26 Ashes. That took him to 418 Test wickets, four more than Wasim, who tweeted his congratulations to Starc during the day’s play.