Barnes buries Benfica to keep Newcastle purring and pile pain on Mourinho

When José Mourinho arrived on Tyneside and immediately showered Eddie Howe and his players with lavish praise, Newcastle fans feared the worst. Yet in lauding the terrifying pace of Howe’s wingers, not to mention his team’s aggression and organisation, Benfica’s manager was perhaps not being disingenuous after all. By the end his insistence that Newcastle’s modest Premier League position is false certainly rang true.

At the final whistle no one doubted Mourinho’s sincerity as he strode up to Anthony Gordon and informed the England left-winger that he had been “absolutely brilliant”.

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Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid: Champions League – as it happened

Arsenal scored four times in 14 minutes to turn a previously tight game into a rout

2 min: Arsenal start the evening as they presumably intend to go on, stroking the ball around patiently. Koke gets fed up and clips Zubimendi on the shin, and probably should go into the book, but it’s early and you know how referees roll. A couple of statements of intent there, perhaps.

Arsenal get the ball rolling. Noise bounces around the Emirates.

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Louis Rees-Zammit recalled to Wales squad after NFL misadventure

  • Tandy names winger in squad after 21-month absence

  • Rhys Carré also included after he requalifies for selection

Louis Rees-Zammit is in line for an international rugby comeback for Wales next month 21 months after abandoning the sport to try his luck in American football. Rees-Zammit, now 24, is among 39 players named in the first squad to be picked by the new national head coach, Steve Tandy.

The British and Irish Lions winger, who won the most recent of his 32 caps at the 2023 World Cup, made the switch to American football in January 2024 but ended up not featuring in a competitive NFL game. He returned to union in August when he joined the English Prem side Bristol.

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Jack Nicklaus wins $50m verdict in defamation case over LIV Golf allegations

  • Jury rules Nicklaus defamed by former company

  • False claims tied him to $750m LIV Golf offer

  • 85-year-old legend awarded $50m in damages

Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, has won a $50m verdict in a defamation case against his former company, bringing an end to one of golf’s most bitter business feuds.

A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, found that Nicklaus Companies – the firm he founded and later sold – defamed him by spreading false claims that he had considered a $750m offer to become a public face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his business affairs. The six-person jury ruled that the company’s actions damaged the 85-year-old’s reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt”.

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Martin Offiah and Adam Hills: ‘England should not treat Australia as if they are gods’

The England legend and Australian TV presenter agree that hosts should be bold and harness home advantage at Wembley on Saturday in the Ashes opener

By No Helmets Required

At first glance Martin Offiah and Adam Hills make for an odd couple. The east Londoner who has scored more tries in professional rugby than any other Englishman, dressed in all black smart casuals, and the comedian turned TV presenter from Sydney, wearing an old Australia jersey and rather scanty playing shorts, have been riding around the capital on an Ashes-branded red London bus. They were recreating Offiah’s 1994 Ashes promotion, Hills playing the part of Cliff Richard.

But Hills and Offiah have things in common. Both in their 50s, they live in London, watch as much rugby league as they can, are famous in Australia and the UK, and are both world champions. Yes, you read that right. Hills became world para tennis champion earlier this year and Offiah lifted the World Club title with Widnes and Wigan. His 501 senior tries is bettered only by Billy Boston and Brian Bevan, but he didn’t win the World Cup or the Ashes, something that leaves him with that nagging headache.

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