Manchester United, Como make winning starts as Lens stage dramatic co…

Manchester [UK], September 11 (ANI): Manchester United marked their return to the UEFA Champions League with an emphatic 4-0 victory over competition debutants Sabah FK, while newcomers Como 1907 announced their arrival on Europe’s biggest stage with a convincing 4-1 win over RB Leipzig on an action-packed Matchday 1.

Michael Carrick’s Manchester United side took control against Sabah with a dominant display, with Matheus Cunha opening the scoring midway through the first half, according to the UEFA Champions League website.

The visitors had a chance to respond when Joy-Lance Mickels came close to finding an equaliser, but United quickly stamped their authority on the contest with two goals in the space of three minutes before half-time. xsportfeed.life

Bruno Fernandes doubled the advantage before Benjamin Sesko struck soon afterwards to put the hosts firmly in command at the break.

Lisandro Martinez completed the scoring in the second half as United began their Champions League campaign in style. Patrick Dorgu was named Player of the Match for his contribution to the convincing victory.

In Istanbul, Fenerbahce and Roma played out an entertaining 1-1 draw, with Archie Brown earning the hosts a point after Roma had taken the lead.

Roma, returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2019, threatened early through Paulo Dybala before Bryan Cristante put the visitors ahead with a long-range strike before the interval.

Fenerbahce responded soon after the restart when Brown clipped the ball into the net to bring the Turkish side level.

The hosts pushed for a winner late on and came close when Nathan Ake headed against the crossbar, but neither side could find the decisive goal. Brown was named Player of the Match after his equaliser earned Fenerbahce a share of the spoils.

PSV and Shakhtar Donetsk also shared the points in a 1-1 draw in a closely fought encounter.

Shakhtar took the lead shortly before half-time when Gleiker Mendoza produced a superb finish from a tight angle. PSV responded quickly after the restart, with Sergino Dest firing home after Armando Obispo’s cutback.

Dest then made an important defensive contribution late in the match, blocking an effort from Lassina Traore to preserve the draw and earning the Player of the Match award.

Como produced one of the most impressive results of the opening Matchday, defeating Leipzig 4-1 in a statement performance from the Italian newcomers.

Martin Baturina opened Como’s Champions League account after just 15 minutes, finishing a well-worked move following a neat exchange with Tasos Douvikas.

The roles were reversed later in the half, with Douvikas finding the net to give Cesc Fabregas’ side a two-goal advantage.

Como continued to threaten on the counter after the interval, and Assane Diao added a third to put the result beyond Leipzig’s reach.

Andrija Maksimovic gave the German side a brief glimmer of hope by pulling one back, but substitute Maximo Perrone restored Como’s three-goal cushion in the 90th minute.

Baturina was named Player of the Match after playing a key role in Como’s memorable European debut.

Lens produced the most dramatic comeback of the night, recovering from 2-1 down after 90 minutes to beat Slavia Praha 3-2 despite the Czech side playing with 10 men for much of the second half.

Slavia took the lead through Danijel Sturm before Abdallah Sima restored parity for Lens.

The hosts regained the advantage through Sturm’s second, but their task became significantly harder when Mikulas Konecny was sent off four minutes after half-time.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Slavia remained within touching distance of victory until Lens completed a remarkable turnaround.

Florian Thauvin levelled the contest before Ruben Aguilar delivered the decisive blow in the third minute of added time, completing the comeback and securing three points for the French side. Thauvin was named Player of the Match.

Bayern Munich also began their Champions League campaign with a commanding victory, beating Bodo/Glimt 5-0.

Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane scored early in the second half before Alphonso Davies and a late double from Michael Olise completed a comfortable win for the German side, who also benefited from Bodo being reduced to 10 men following Odin Bjortuft’s late red card. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar shared some of his fondest memories on social media. Recalling his special connection with his cricket bat, which played a key role in his victories, he revealed how the bat was far more than just a piece of equipment to him.

"To me, a bat is not just a tool. I know exactly what it feels like when I hold it in my hands. That is why I pay special attention to even the smallest details," Sachin said. He recalled that whenever necessary, he would pull out his carpentry kit and make adjustments to the bat himself. He explained that he would work on it until he achieved the exact shape and grip he wanted.

Sachin added that he remembers those quiet moments fondly. "In fact, those memories are not just about the bat, but about making that bat my own through that process," he concluded.

Sachin Tendulkar recently posted about the US Open

Earlier this week, Sachin Tendulkar hailed Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz after the tennis stars delivered one of the greatest matches in US Open history.

In a topsy-turvy match, Shelton knocked out the defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) win, with the match ending at half past three at night.

Tendulkar, who is a tennis fan himself, took to social media and praised the two players for their effort throughout the match.

'That was some tennis! Every time it looked like one of them had the match, the other fought his way back. And then it came down to the final few points. Well played, Ben Shelton! Tough luck, Carlos. Coming back after an injury makes this one even tougher' Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.

Ben Shelton prevailed against Alcaraz in one of the greatest matches in US Open history. Shelton will face Frances Tiafoe in an all-American semi-final at the US Open. Karen Khachanov will take on top seed Alexander Zverev in the other semi-final

In the women's division, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka are set to battle it out for the US Open title on Saturday.

Aman is the youngest wrestler in India’s Greco-Roman team for the Asian Games. His road to the tournament has been a difficult one.

After just playing at the U-17 World Championship in August 2023, he tore his right knee badly and was in for ACL surgery within a week. He then spent the next few years dealing with setbacks and working hard to regain his fitness and return to competition.

Aman opens up on three surgeries and tough road to Asian Games

“Training is going well right now. This is my first Asian Games, so I am feeling very excited about it. This is a big moment for me. But the last few years have not been easy for me. I have had three surgeries. It was a very hard phase, both mentally and physically. But now my body is feeling good, I am training well, and I just want to give my best at the Games,” Aman said.

After his first surgery, Aman admitted that both his doctor and he pushed him to recover faster. However, his knee developed an infection. Due to this, he needs to go for a second surgery in October 2023.

“I was young, and I had that jawani ka josh (youthful exuberance), I thought I would get back on the mat quickly and return straight to my peak. That was a mistake, mine and the doctor’s both. Because of that, I got a knee infection, and I needed another surgery to fix it,” he said.

How Aman’s father, coach and roommate plays a crucial role in his life

After the injury setback, he continued his rehabilitation into 2024 and returned to training in April of the same year. Sadly, he suffered another ACL injury in the same knee, within a week, which followed him to the third surgery. These injury setbacks made him stay away from the mat for a year. His parents also asked him to focus on his studies after facing injury struggles. But, during that period, Aman realized that he was close to walking away from the sport altogether. At that time period, his coach and roommate played a crucial role for him as they kept pushing him to get back on the mat.

“There was a time when I felt like quitting, because of back to back injuries. Even my parents told me, ab padhai pe dhyan do (focus on your studies now), because they were worried about seeing me get hurt so many times. But my coach and my roommate did not let me think like that. They kept telling me, you will come back, just give it time. They pushed me every single day to get back on the mat. And when I did come back, I won a gold medal in the senior category. That medal meant a lot to me, it showed me that all the hard work was worth it.”

In Aman’s life, wrestling played a crucial role as his father was also a wrestler. But never got the support to take the sport further. His father played an important role in his life as he was the one to put his son in the match before sending him off to train at an academy.

“My father was also a wrestler, but he could not go far in the sport because he did not get the support at that time, there was no one to guide him properly. He always had this dream in his heart, and I think he saw that same dream for me. He is the one who got me into wrestling, he is the reason I am here today. In the beginning, he used to train me himself, on the ground near our village. Then when he saw I was serious about it, he sent me to an academy so that I could train more professionally.”

New York [US], September 11 (ANI): Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance over Jessica Pegula at the US Open, defeating the American in straight sets to reach her fourth consecutive final in New York and keep her bid for a third successive title alive.

According to the WTA website, the top seed prevailed 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 20 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday (local time), extending her head-to-head advantage over Pegula to 10-4 on the WTA Tour.

It was also Sabalenka’s third consecutive victory over Pegula at the US Open, as the Belarusian delivered one of her most commanding performances of the season to book a title clash against Elena Rybakina.

“I was super desperate. I lost a tough match on grass against Jess, and I wasn’t really performing well in the middle part of the season," Sabalenka said in her post-match press conference, as per the WTA website.

She added, “It kind of feels like for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push for the season. I wanted badly to go to the final, and of course I want to go all the way. The mentality was just, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever it’s going to take to get the win.'"

The opening set was closely contested, with both players holding serve through the first 10 games and creating just one break-point opportunity each. The momentum shifted at 5-5 when Sabalenka held serve to move ahead before producing a powerful backhand to break Pegula and take the set 7-5.

Sabalenka took greater control in the second set. She converted her fourth break point with a forehand return winner off Pegula’s second serve to open up a 3-1 lead.

Pegula struggled behind her second serve, winning just five of 19 points, while Sabalenka remained largely untroubled on her own delivery, facing only one break point throughout the match. The top seed secured another break before closing out the contest 6-2.

“I think this season — especially at the beginning — I played a lot of incredible matches at a really high level," Sabalenka said.

“But today I really performed well. I felt like whatever decision I would make, it was the right decision. So I would definitely say that against Jess today, compared to the last matches we played, it was definitely a better level from me," she added.

Pegula, meanwhile, credited Sabalenka for producing an exceptional performance despite her straight-sets defeat.

“That’s definitely — you can ask her — the best match she’s played this year. I thought her level was insanely high," Pegula said, as per the WTA website.

“Maybe she felt a little bit off at the beginning, but I feel like we were both playing well, serving well. I don’t know who pissed her off today… hopefully it wasn’t me totally, but it might’ve been. I don’t know. She played insane. She played at a super high level. Honestly, I don’t really know if there was much I could do today," Pegula added.

The victory also saw Sabalenka create history. She became the first player in the Open Era to reach eight consecutive Grand Slam hard-court finals, surpassing the previous mark of seven shared by Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Novak Djokovic.

Sabalenka is also only the sixth woman in the Open Era to reach at least four consecutive US Open singles finals, joining Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Graf and Serena Williams.

The final will be Sabalenka’s ninth Grand Slam title match overall, where she will face newly crowned World No. 1 Rybakina. The pair have previously met twice in Major finals, with Sabalenka winning the 2023 Australian Open final before losing to the Kazakh in a three-set Melbourne final earlier this year.

Rybakina reached her maiden US Open final after fighting back from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff in their semifinal. Sabalenka and Rybakina will now battle for the 2026 US Open women’s singles title at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)