Pep Guardiola's side maintain perfect start by routing Cherries

Pep Guardiola kicked off his Manchester City reign with a friendly defeat.

Telephost - Manchester City 4 Bournemouth 0: Kevin De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan each scored to secure an eighth successive win for the Catalan's charge.

They kill quickly do Manchester City. This was their fifth straight win in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola and the longest any team has held out before conceding was Stoke’s 27 minutes at the Britannia Stadium.

Here, Bournemouth might have gone behind after nine seconds, they did so after a quarter of an hour and by the end they would have been grateful to have only lost by four. The only stain on the game was Manuel Nolito’s dismissal for needlessly grinding his forehead into Adam Smith’s face when the result was long since decided. The Bournemouth defender retaliated with a shove for which he was shown a yellow card. Nolito’s was red.

This is not by a long way Guardiola’s best start – last season he won his first 10 matches at Bayern Munich. However, for those who are looking to block what already seems a relentless advance, it is extremely ominous.

If Manchester City were to stumble, they appeared likely to do so early on before Guardiola’s squad became used to the intricacies of his tactics. In all competitions, they have won eight straight games and scored 25 times. As a fan of Manchester United, Usain Bolt would not appreciate the comparison, but even he could not have come out of the blocks any more swiftly.

In terms of ego, Kevin de Bruyne, is Bolt’s polar opposite. There is a modesty about him that seems to belong to another age but he and Raheem Sterling, men who returned to Manchester after the a European Championship that was by turns disappointing and disastrous, have responded fabulously to the new regime.

The last time Bournemouth came to the Etihad, they were four down before 45 minutes were up and Sterling had scored three. This time only the alertness and reflexes of Artur Boruc in goal kept it to one.

De Bruyne, facing a defence in full retreat a bare three minutes after the restart, appeared to have delayed his pass a fraction too long but it fell perfectly for Kalechi Iheanacho, who pulled the ball back for Sterling. The second goal had involved precisely these three men and it had finished with the young Nigerian finishing off Sterling’s pass. This time the favour was returned.

Not long afterwards, Sterling might have scored one of the great goals, wriggling past four defenders from one side of the 18-yard box to the other. Only the finish fell short of what had gone before.

De Bruyne was in his way even better. It was his shot that Boruc was forced to save before 10 seconds were up. After Jack Wilshere, making his first league start for Bournemouth, had conceded a foul on the edge of the area, De Bruyne drilled it through the wall to open the scoring. Fifteen minutes had elapsed and for the Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, the remaining 75 would have stretched out into the far distance, a desert to be crossed.

For the fourth, De Bruyne delivered another geometrically accurate pass to Ilkay Gundogan, who on his debut strolled towards the ball like a fun runner in the park. His finish was a long way from the standards of the average park.

For Wilshere, this was not an occasion to remember. He lasted longer than Jordon Ibe, who was removed during the interval, but not much longer. However, for those who argued he should have chosen Roma over Dorset, it is hard to imagine he would have endured a sterner test of his ability than this anywhere in Serie A.

Bournemouth continued to attack gamely long after the result was obvious with Callum Wilson striking the crossbar when they were four down. Much earlier, Junior Stanislas had dispossessed Nicolas Otamendi with Claudio Bravo out of position. The opportunity appeared to gape for Joshua King until Fernandinho, captaining the side, swept the ball from the striker’s feet. Everywhere, in defence, in attack, Manchester City were utterly unforgiving.

Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Bravo; Sagna, Otamendi (Stones 52), Kolarov, Clichy; Fernandinho; Sterling, De Bruyne (Garcia 75), Gundogan (Sane 72), Nolito; Iheanacho.

Substitutes not used: Caballero, Kompany, Zabaleta, Navas.

Bournemouth (4-5-1): Boruc; A.Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Ibe (Wilson ht), Wilshere (Gosling 68), Arter, Surman, Stanislas (Gradel 74); King.

Subsitutes not used: Federici (g), Ake, Afobe, Gradel, B.Smith.

Andy and Jamie Murray dig deep to keep defence alive with crucial doubles victory

The Murray brothers needed every bit of their stamina to prevail Getty

Telephost - Having battled it out for five hours and seven minutes in the opening match on Friday, Andy and Juan Martin del Potro found themselves on opposing sides again.

Andy Murray dug into his depleted energy reserves to partner brother Jamie to a crucial doubles victory in Great Britain's Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Having battled it out for five hours and seven minutes in the opening match on Friday, Andy and Juan Martin del Potro found themselves on opposing sides of the net once again at Glasgow's Emirates Arena.

This time it was the home hero who came out on top, thanks in no small part to the performance of Jamie, who won his third grand slam title at the US Open last weekend and was the stand-out player on the court.

The 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-4 victory kept Britain in the tie at 2-1 and means a second successive final is still achievable if they can win both singles matches on Sunday.

The pair were given a huge ovation as they prepared to do an on-court interview, and Jamie's voice cracked as he said: "It's not going to get better for me than to play with him in front of a Scottish crowd."

Jamie left the arena on Friday to attend his grandfather's funeral, with Andy forced to miss it to take on Del Potro.

The main question mark going into the second day was whether Andy would deem himself fit enough to play having been unsure how he would pull up.

The back-up option was third singles player Dan Evans, which, for a match Britain had to win, would have been a major gamble.

The big surprise was the presence in the Argentinian team of Del Potro alongside Leonardo Mayer.

With the luxury of a 2-0 lead, the visitors had been expected to rest their best player but his selection was a statement of intent.

The advantage still seemed to be with Britain given the experience of the Murray brothers and Jamie's status as one of the very best doubles exponents in the world.

The 30-year-old was clearly brimming with confidence after his US Open triumph alongside Brazil's Bruno Soares and effortlessly put away a succession of volleys as the brothers raced into a 3-0 lead, winning 10 points in a row.

They wrapped up the opening set after just 26 minutes but a poor game from Andy, including two double faults, gave Argentina the advantage at start of the second.

The brothers were playing together for the first time since a heartbreaking first-round defeat at the Olympics, and a loss on home soil was certainly not a double they wanted.

They pushed again at the start of the third set but failed to convert two chances each on the Del Potro and Mayer serves.

Andy was well below his best level and urged the crowd to provide some much-needed energy.

The world number two is renowned for his passion even in straightforward matches and ironically it was going a break down that proved the catalyst for the brothers to turn things around.

When Del Potro landed a return on the line to break Andy's serve for the second time in the match, alarm bells were ringing, but the 29-year-old roared as they broke straight back.

Momentum was with them and a set point on the Del Potro serve was duly taken with a return winner from Andy.

The fourth set was extremely tight, with Jamie needing some treatment on a neck problem that had bothered him since the US Open final.

But the British pair seized their chance with Mayer serving to stay in the match, taking the first of three match points.

Andy will take on Guido Pella in the first match on Sunday, where victory would send the tie into a decisive fifth rubber, probably between Evans and Del Potro.

Lewis Hamilton only third as Nico Rosberg on Singapore Grand Prix pole position

Lewis Hamilton

Rio de janeiro (Telephost) - Nico Rosberg took a stunning pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton was demoted to third by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

Hamilton was a massive 0.704 seconds slower than Rosberg after a difficult qualifying session, befitting what has been a troubled weekend throughout.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took fourth ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

The Finn's team-mate Sebastian Vettel will start last after a technical problem as Jenson Button starts 13th.

What happened to Hamilton?

Rosberg's was a remarkable performance - he has surely never been as superior to Hamilton when both have been gunning for pole.

For his part, Hamilton has looked out of sorts all weekend, missing half of the second practice session on Friday because of a technical problem and struggling to get a good lap in before that.

He failed again to do a qualifying simulation lap in Saturday's final practice session, locking his brakes heavily and going straight on at Turn Seven.

First qualifying went better for Hamilton - he was fourth quickest, 0.15secs quicker than Rosberg but the German was faster in the second session, again on the first runs in the top 10 shoot-out and then he made a mistake on the entry to Turn One on his final lap.

It was in some ways reminiscent of Hamilton's weekend at the European Grand Prix in Baku in June, when he crashed out of qualifying and lined up 10th.

However, it later emerged that his car may have had a problem - Mercedes' data was showing it was producing less aerodynamic downforce than Rosberg's, which would explain the lack of grip.

At least this time he starts close to the front, but unless Rosberg makes a poor start - a Mercedes weakness at times this season - Hamilton will find it difficult to beat his team-mate, whom he leads by two points in the championship.

"Definitely happy with that one," said Rosberg. "For sure one of my top three laps ever. At times it wasn't clear where we would stack up against Red Bull so I knew I had to pull one out of the bag."

Hamilton said: "It has not been my weekend so far. Not many good laps. Just not been able to string them together."

A threat from Red Bull

Ricciardo's superb performance - 0.531secs behind Rosberg and 0.213secs quicker than Verstappen - gives him a strong chance to fight for victory, after he pipped Hamilton with his last lap of the session.

Red Bull had better pace on the race simulation practice runs on Friday than Mercedes, and Ricciardo and Verstappen will start the race on the super-soft tyre rather than the ultra-soft Mercedes will use.

It remains to be seen which strategy is advantageous - Red Bull will be able to do a longer first stint, but Mercedes then have two sets of softs available for remainder of the race while Red Bull only have one.

Oh, Ferrari, not again

Hamilton at least did better than Vettel, who hit trouble almost as soon as he left the pits. He radioed the team to say he felt something wrong at the front of the car but was told to stay out and try to do a lap.

But he was not able to do a time quick enough to get him through into second qualifying and he said over the radio: "This is stupid, we are losing time."
The team said that the problem was a broken rear anti-roll bar. Vettel added: "There was no time to fix it. I wanted to come in but we decided to stay out."

Bad luck for Button

The top 10 was completed by the impressive Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat, with McLaren's Fernando Alonso in ninth, splitting the Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

However, race stewards penalised Perez a total of eight grid positions for offences committed while yellow caution flags were out during second qualifying.

He was dropped three places for passing Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez and a further five for not slowing sufficiently for the flags, dropping him to 18th on the grid.

Perez was also given three penalty points on his licence.

The yellow flags were out after a crash by McLaren driver Jenson Button.

The 2009 world champion had looked stronger in qualifying after struggling throughout practice but qualified 13th after hitting the wall in Turn 14 and breaking a wheel on his final lap.

"I tapped the wall with the left rear," said Button, who may be taking part in Singapore for the last time after deciding not to drive in 2017, with no certainty about his future beyond that.

"I didn't think I hit it that hard but it broke the wheel and I got a puncture.

"It has been a tough weekend for me. I hadn't found the pace in the car and Fernando had. Then I got to qualifying and I found it but there you go."

Jolyon Palmer will line up 19th in his Renault, two places and 0.135secs behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

Rio Paralympics 2016: Iranian Para-cyclist dies following crash

Bahman Golbarnezhad - here competing on the track in 2012 - crashed during the C4-5 road race on Saturday

Rio de Janeiro (Telephost) - An Iranian Para-cyclist has died after a crash during the men's C4-5 road race at the Rio Paralympics.

The International Paralympic Committee said Bahman Golbarnezhad, 48, suffered cardiac arrest after the incident on a "mountainous stretch" of circuit.

"The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival," a statement added.

Golbarnezhad also competed at the London Paralympics in 2012.

An investigation into the circumstances of the accident has been launched.

"We're looking to gather as much information as we can and as quickly as possible - it should take a matter of days," said Piers Jones, sports director of cycling's governing body UCI.

The Iranian flag has been lowered to half-mast in the Paralympic Village and a period of silence will be observed during Sunday's closing ceremony.

Masoud Ashrafi, the secretary general of Iran's National Paralympic Committee, said they have requested the body of Golbarnezhad is flown back to Iran on Sunday. The Committee also asked for a full report of the incident from the IPC.

He added: "He had been cycling for 12 years and he was our best cyclist. He was married and has a wife and one son.

"He was the kind of man who was a family man. He loved his family."

Golbarnezhad's death is the first in-competition fatality at a summer/winter Olympics or Paralympics since Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen in the 100km team time trial at the 1960 Rome Games.

What details are known about the accident?

Saturday's race began at Pontal and included the Grumari circuit used in the Rio Olympics road races.

The Vista Chinesa circuit - which included a treacherous descent where Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands crashed and sustained concussion during the Olympics - was not part of the Paralympic course.

According to the IPC, Golbarnezhad was involved in a crash at around 10:35 local time on the first section of the Grumari loop, a mountainous stretch of the course, on a curved descent.

He received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to the athlete hospital when he suffered cardiac arrest.

IPC president Sir Philip Carven said: "This is truly heartbreaking news and the thoughts and condolences of the whole Paralympic movement are with Bahman's family, friends, and team-mates as well as the whole of the National Paralympic Committee of Iran.

"The Paralympic family is united in grief at this horrendous tragedy, which casts a shadow over what have been great Paralympic Games here in Rio."

This was Golbarnezhad's second race at the Rio Paralympics, after finishing 14th in the C4 time-trial race on Wednesday.

Golbarnezhad, from the city of Shiraz in southern Iran, also participated in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, having taken up the sport in 2002.

He competed in events for athletes with lower limb impairments or amputations.

Tributes paid to 'exemplary sportsman'

Iranian Paralympic Committee: "He was an exemplary Paralympic sportsman who, with love and energy, tried his best to promote the name of Iran and to make all of us proud and at the end he gave his life for this.

"All members of the Iranian cultural and sports camp here express condolences to his family and the Iranian nation. The name of Bahman Golbarnezhad will be inscribed in the proud history of Iranian Paralympics."

Carlos Nuzman, president of Rio 2016: "This is very sad news for sport and for the Paralympic movement. Our hearts and prayers are with Bahman's family, his team-mates and all the people of Iran."

Brian Cookson, UCI (cycling's governing body) president: "I am devastated to hear about the death of Iranian rider Bahman Golbarnezhad. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and the NPC of Iran to whom we offer our most sincere condolences."

ParalympicsGB (via Twitter): "We are devastated by the news of Bahman Golbarnezhad's passing. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues from NPC Iran."

United States Olympic Team (via Twitter): "Our thoughts are with the friends, family and team-mates of Team Iran's inspirational cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad."

'I was sat opposite him in the pits this morning'

Dame Sarah Storey, Britain's most decorated female Paralympian, also paid tribute to Golbarnezhad in an interview with BBC Sport.

"I'm absolutely devastated to hear of a colleague who hasn't made it home from the Games," said Storey, who had earlier won Britain's 60th gold medal at the Rio Paralympics.

"Everyone expects to come home from a Games and it's no real condolence that he died doing something he loved.

"It's just an horrendous thing. It couldn't be any worse. There are no words that can make it feel better.

"When you lose someone you don't even know but they are in the same world… I was sat opposite him in the pits this morning. I know who he is but I've never spoken to him. It still hits you really, really hard."