Reigning champions Lyon kicked off their new season with a quick-fire goal from new signing Jean Makoun, who threw himself at a free-kick to power home a header after 12 minutes. Karim Benzema got off the mark peeling away at the back-post, chesting the ball down, and firing in the second. Benzema got his second of the night mopping up a Juninho corner which had been headed onto the bar.

Nicole Cooke survived an uphill sprint finish in the pouring rain to win the gold medal in the women’s Olympic 126-km road race. Cooke then launched a fierce sprint for the last hundred metres and narrowly edged out Sweden’s Emma Johansson, who took the silver, and Tatiana Guderzo of Italy, who finished third.

Nella prova su strada femminile Tatiana Guderzo è terza nello sprint finale. Oro alla britannica Cooke, argento alla svedese Johansson.

Italian Matteo Tagliariol said his gold medal win in the Olympic men’s individual fencing epee was inspired by a life-time dream to be one of the Three Musketeers.

E’ della scherma il primo oro italiano della XXIX Olimpiade. A Pechino è Matteo Tagliariol a rompere il ghiaccio vincendo 15-9 la finale della spada contro il francese Fabrice Jeannet. Nella Fencing Hall di Pechino il 25enne trevigiano raggiunge un risultato che all’Italia mancava da 48 anni.

Italy, breaking free from their traditionally defensive game, joined them after chalking up their second successive 3-0 win, this time over South Korea. Goals from Rossi, Rocchi and Montolivo.

L’Olimpica batte 3-0 gli asiatici. Protagonista l’attaccante del Villarreal Giuseppe Rossi che porta in vantaggio gli azzurri e regala una splendida prestazione. Di Rocchi la rete del raddoppio. Nella ripresa il gol di Montolivo.

Brazil took a 4th minute lead over New Zealand, Pato teed up Anderson who needed three bites at the cherry before scoring. Wunderkid Pato then doubled the lead before the break, steering a lovely header into the far corner from a left wing cross. Ronaldinho almost inspired a third before the break, but his final ball was a little late, catching the Brazilians offside. It wasn’t long before Ronaldinho netted his goal, his low free-kick evading everyone in the 53rd minute. Ronaldinho made it 4-0 from the spot after having been felled running through on goal, and in injury-time Rafeal Sobis hit the fifth.

Argentina dominated Australia for almost the entirety of the match without being able to find the crucial goal despite chances for Messi, Riquelme and Lavezzi. But just before the game entered the final ten minutes, the South Americans finally made the breakthrough when a lovely move was finished off by Napoli’s Lavezzi from Di Maria’s perfect cross, which was nothing more than they deserved.

The millionaire stars of the U.S. basketball team swept past hosts China in the showcase match-up of the Olympics, watched by tens of millions on Chinese television and cheered on by U.S. President George W. Bush. Talismanic giant Yao Ming, flag carrier for China at the opening ceremony, could not protect his colleagues from the speed and power of the NBA professionals. Ming, who plays with the Houston Rockets, scored 13 points in the 101-70 loss to the U.S. in what was billed as the most watched basketball game in history.

Gli americani faticano all’inizio, sorpresi dalla precisione dalla distanza dei padroni di casa. Nella ripresa la squadra dei sogni comincia a marciare ad un ritmo infernale e chiude 101-70 inchiodando gli avversari con una montagna di schiacciate.

Gary Neville lifted Manchester United’s 13th Community Shield after the Premier League champions beat Portsmouth 3-1 in a penalty shootout at Wembley. Spot kicks were needed after 90 minutes of normal time had failed to separate the two sides in the traditional curtain raiser to the new season. Man-of-the-match Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick were on target for United as Lassana Diarra, Arnold Mvuemba and Glen Johnson all missed for Portsmouth. Jermain Defoe was the only Pompey player to find the back of the net.

Il Machester United supera 3-1 dal dischetto il Portsmouth nel Community Shield, dopo lo 0-0 al 90′. I Red Devils hanno meritato il successo sfiorando a più riprese il vantaggio, fermati solo da un ottimo James.

After rivals said they thought he was slipping following two straight lackluster races, Kyle Busch went out and made history Sunday. He led 52 laps from the pole and won the Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road course races in one season. After a 43-minute red-flag stoppage due to a multicar pileup with eight laps to go, Busch held off Stewart, who was bidding for his fifth win here in eight starts. It was the second straight runner-up finish for Stewart. Marcos Ambrose of Tasmania, who started last in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, finished third a day after winning the Nationwide race. He was followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Harvick was sixth, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Edwards and Kurt Busch. Matt Kenseth finished 12th to move into 12th place in the standings, 22 points ahead of Clint Bowyer in the race for the final slot to make the postseason.

Spurs enjoyed the perfect start after just three minutes when Bentley whipped in a free-kick which missed everyone and crept in at the far post. The lead was doubled two minutes later when Bent latched on to a poor pass from Mexes to finish clinically, and more sloppy defending allowed Bentley to smash home a low 25-yard drive on the stroke of half-time. Sub-Lennon made an immediate impact by scoring the fourth following excellent work from Giovani Dos Santos. Bent added the fifth from a Bentley corner.

I giallorossi, rimaneggiati, poco brillanti e nervosi, incassano un pesante 5-0 a Londra e subiscono sempre il gioco degli inglesi, più avanti di condizione. Nel finale espulso Aquilani.