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SOCHI, Russia — Lewis Hamilton will be seeking to exploit every advantage he can find this weekend as he bids for an unprecedented and thus far elusive 100th Formula One win to regain the lead in the world championship at the Russian Grand Prix.

Since grabbing victory in controversial circumstances at the British Grand Prix in July, the seven-time champion has been unable to add to his total of 99 victories and has struggled to reach his century.

But after surviving another spectacular crash with title rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull at Monza, to follow their high-speed first lap tangle at Silverstone, Hamilton has an inviting opportunity to make history for Mercedes at the Sochi Autodrom, on the shores of the Black Sea on Sunday.

Not only is he seeking a record fifth triumph in the former Olympic Park but Mercedes are unbeaten in all seven races held there.

Verstappen, meanwhile, goes into the event with a three-place grid penalty for his part in their collision in Italy where his car ended up on top of Hamilton, who escaped injury or worse thanks to the 'halo' cockpit safety device. 

That all suggests that the 36-year-old Briton has a sumptuous chance to overhaul the Dutchman's five-point advantage in the championship.

Verstappen, at best, can only start fourth if he is fastest in qualifying, but insists he was not to blame for their latest crash.

The 23-year-old is also bullish about his bid to take Hamilton's crown.

"Of course, the penalty is not ideal, but nothing is lost — that's how I look at it," he said. 

"In the championship, there are a lot of races ahead and the margin is tiny. We will make the most of it and do our best.

"You can reflect all you want, but it's more important to look forward and keep pushing. I still believe it was a racing incident."

Verstappen finished second behind Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas last year and believes he can be highly competitive in what is likely to be a wet racing weekend.

"It's completely different to Monza and I'm looking forward to it to see if we can improve on last year."

Hamilton 'laser-focused'

Hamilton is expected to have fully recovered from the headaches and neck pain he suffered in Italy and, according to Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff, is in determined mood.

"Lewis is in the tenth championship battle of his F1 career and he is laser-focused on what he needs to deliver in the next eight races," he said, adding that Bottas, who leaves to join Alfa Romeo next year, is driving "better than ever".

"There's a calm determination about the team right now and the business end of a season, fighting for championships, is exactly what we enjoy the most." 

Mercedes lead Red Bull by 18 points in the constructors' title race with Sochi offering them a chance to extend that advantage while McLaren, who won in Italy thanks to a rousing drive from Daniel Ricciardo, may offer a threat. 

"I want to build on my Monza performance and will push to score important points," said the Australian. "But Sochi can be a tricky circuit to make a move."

To further complicate matters, it is possible that Verstappen may take a new Honda power unit — and with it another penalty that would drop him to the back of the grid, from where he could mount a charge to finish in the top five.

Hamilton also faces the same prospect, but may delay it until a later race.

With heavy rain forecast, it will be a weekend filled with jeopardy for teams and drivers as the tension builds again. 

Another collision remains likely, though Hamilton will this time hope to be beyond reach of the young Dutchman's boldest moves.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Salt was eliminated by Kuwait FC on Tuesday in the semifinals of the West Asia Zone Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

Salt lost 2-0 to their hosts and three-time former champs, while Bahrain’s Muharraq beat titleholders Lebanon’s Al Ahed 3-0 to reach the zonal final of the second-tier Asian club competition.

The top team in each of the zone’s three groups alongside the best second placed team moved on to the zonal semifinals.

Salt, who played their inaugural AFC Cup, had advanced after taking second spot in Group B matches which saw 2008 champions Bahrain’s Muharraq and Salt tie in overall points.

Group C hosts Jordan’s Faisali were knocked out of the event in the first round, while reigning AFC Cup titleholders, Lebanon’s Al Ahed, qualified from Group A ahead of Syria’s Wahda and Bahrain’s Al Hidd. 

In the 2020 AFC Cup, Faisali played alongside Jazira before the tournament was stopped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas. 

Kuwait Club and the Iraqi Air Force Club are AFC Cup record winners having been crowned champs three times each. Faisali won the AFC Cup title in back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and Shabab Urdun in 2007. Other Jordanian teams participating in previous editions include Wihdat, Ramtha, Hussein, That Ras and Ahli. 

The 2021 AFC Cup is the 18th edition of the tournament. The winners will automatically qualify to the 2022 AFC Champions League, and will enter the qualifying play-offs if they have not qualified through their domestic performance. 

Earlier this year, Wihdat played the continent’s leading tournament — the AFC Champions League but were eliminated in the group stages after an impressive performance alongside Saudi Arabia’s Nassr, Iran’s Foolad and Qatar’s Al Sadd to finish 3rd in Group D. Group leaders and top three second place finishers moved on to the knockout stage.

Wihdat became the first of the Kingdom’s clubs to play in the round robin group stages of the AFC Champions League. None of the Kingdom’s clubs have ever made it past the AFC Champions League preliminary round where Faisali played in 2020 and 2018; Wihdat in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019; while Shabab Urdun played in 2014.

Salt will now return to focus on the local agenda where they are among the top three in the Jordan Professional Football League and have advanced to the quarters of the Jordan Cup.

LONDON — British world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua praised Oleksandr Usyk for being bold in challenging him for his belts after just two bouts at the weight.

Joshua is set to face World Boxing Organisation mandatory challenger Usyk in London on Saturday, with a crowd of some 60,000 expected at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home of the Premier League club. 

Joshua, whose World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation titles are also on the line, compared Usyk’s lack of experience to boxing legend Evander Holyfield’s before tackling a heavyweight championship fight.

Usyk — who moved up to heavyweight in 2018 after being undisputed cruiserweight world champion — beat Chazz Witherspoon in 2019 before easing to a points win last November over veteran Derek Chisora.

“When [Evander] Holyfield came up to heavyweight I think he had six fights at heavyweight before he fought for the championship belt,” said Joshua.

“Usyk’s fought two heavyweights. He’s jumping in at the deep end early on.

“But good luck to him — he must believe in himself. He wants to be at the top end early. It’s better to swim deep — get in there and get on with it — rather than tread water.

“You could still end up drowning anyway. You could still get caught in a current and drown. You might as well jump in the deep end and try to survive.”

Joshua, at 31 three years younger than his fellow 2012 Olympic champion, is likely to weigh in on Friday a stone heavier than Usyk.

“I’ve been doing a lot of sparring to be honest, which is also physical: pushing, shoving, defending,” said Joshua.

“I’ve been doing heavy bag work so maybe I’m just shedding a lot of the weight.”

Joshua needs to beat Usyk to keep alive the bout that most boxing fans want to see above all else — the all-British clash with fellow world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

That is also dependent on World Boxing Council champion Fury successfully coming through a third bout with American Deontay Wilder in October.

However, although Joshua will be favoured to see off Usyk he says the bout will not be won on who is physically more impressive but who wins the battle of the minds. 

“Advantages physically is one thing but it doesn’t make the world’s tallest man the heavyweight champion of the world,” said Joshua.

“You have to have the mental capacity to do what you do. He’s coming to the ring confident, and so am I.

“In boxing, you have to be aggressive and beat that confidence out of your opponent.

“It’s easy to watch on YouTube and watch from the outside but until you’re in front of someone it’s then a completely different ballgame.

“This is heavyweight boxing and I’m the heavyweight champion of the world. I don’t play games. I’m here to win.”

Joshua will go into Saturday’s clash buoyed by signing a “career-long” promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.

It is thought this was the last bout of Joshua’s previous arrangement with Matchroom, but the two parties have come to an agreement that will cover the remainder of his career.

“The foundations we have created are phenomenal and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Joshua said.

“In my humble opinion, what better place to be than Matchroom Boxing? I have heard that my signature was hot property. I’m happy where I am.”

MILAN — Napoli moved top of Serie A on Monday thanks to a 4-0 stroll at Udinese which made sure they maintained their 100 per cent start to the season.

Goals from Victor Osimhen, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hirving Lozano earned Luciano Spalletti’s side an impressive win at the Dacia Arena which gives them a perfect 12 points from four games, two points ahead of Inter Milan and AC Milan, who sit second and third respectively.

Roma are a further point back alongside Fiorentina as Napoli remain the only team to win all of their matches so far this term in Italy’s top flight.

Udinese lost for the first time this season sit seventh, level on seven points with Lazio, Atalanta and Bologna as Napoli gave off early signs of being title contenders.

“It doesn’t mean anything. We know we played very well at a difficult ground. We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground and keep working. It’s not easy coming all the way to Udine and winning 4-0,” said Insigne to DAZN.

“If we look at the numbers now we’ll get slack and we won’t continue the way we’re going.”

Osimhen followed up on his dramatic brace in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League draw at Leicester City by opening the scoring in the 24th minute with his first Serie A goal of the campaign, poking home from near the goalline after Lorenzo Insigne had deftly lobbed Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri.

Fabian Ruiz then struck the post six minutes later and was key to the goal which put Napoli two ahead.

Receiving the ball from Insigne at a free-kick, Ruiz floated a delicate pass over the top of the Udinese defence for Koulibaly, who pushed the ball across goal for Rrahmani to nod home.

Koulibaly scored the late winner against Juventus last time out and put Napoli three up six minutes after the break with a missile of a shot from the excellent Ruiz’s lay-off.

From then on it was all Napoli and Lozano put the cherry on the cake in the 84th minute with a lovely finish following an exchange of passes with Mario Rui.

Napoli are back in action on Thursday at Sampdoria as a midweek round of fixtures rolls around.

Under highly-rated Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina have discovered an identity which has been sorely lacking for the last few years as one of the country’s best-supported clubs has failed to even trouble the European places in the last three campaigns.

Last season they finished 13th despite sought-after striker Dusan Vlahovic scoring 21 times as the club bounced between Giuseppe Iachini and former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli in the dugout.

Fiorentina only hired the 43-year-old Italiano after bringing in Gennaro Gattuso in May only for the former AC Milan and Napoli coach to resign in June.

They managed to hold on to Vlahovic despite serious interest from Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur and some astute signings like Nicolas Gonzalez combined with Italiano’s influence seem to have reversed their fortunes.

“In two weeks he made us understand his ideas, created a happy atmosphere and as a tactician he’s one of the best,” said Giacomo Bonaventura, scorer of the second in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Genoa.

After Sunday’s 1-1 draw with AC Milan Massimiliano Allegri was withering about his Juventus team and his own decisions, saying that “it was a good thing the referee blew the whistle at the end of the match” as they risked falling to a second defeat.

Without a win from their first four matches for the first time since 1961 and in the relegation zone, Juve will try again to get their league season going at Spezia while Milan should be on safe ground with the visit of Venezia.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma will try to bounce back from their first defeat of the season at Verona when they host Udinese on Thursday, three days before the weekend derby against Lazio.

PARIS — Lionel Messi had a lively home debut for Paris Saint-Germain but it was his compatriot Mauro Icardi who scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as the Ligue 1 leaders edged Lyon 2-1 on Sunday.

Messi outshone his teammates in PSG’s all-star attack for much of the game at the Parc des Princes but he had been — slightly controversially — taken off by the time substitute Icardi headed in a cross from the left to secure the win.

The excellent Lucas Paqueta gave Lyon the lead in the 54th minute, before Neymar won and then converted from the spot midway through the second half of an absorbing contest at the Parc des Princes.

“We deserved our victory, even if it was in the last second,” insisted PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino.

However, the fact this was a contest might surprise many who expect PSG to run away with the Ligue 1 title this season and perhaps even go all the way in the Champions League.

Nevertheless, they were disappointing in drawing 1-1 with Club Brugge in Belgium in midweek in Messi’s first start for the club and they were given a run for their money by Peter Bosz’s Lyon.

Yet, Icardi — in many ways the forgotten man of the PSG attack — allowed his side to make it six wins from six in Ligue 1 this season and they are now five points clear at the top from Marseille.

That gap will surely widen as the weeks go by. Lyon, for all their good intentions here, are already 10 points behind the leaders in ninth place.

“It was a cruel defeat,” said coach Peter Bosz. “We made a real match of it and showed we were not afraid of losing.”

Not Messi’s night

Three games into his Paris career Messi is still looking for his first goal, but he was unfortunate not to find the net in the first half when everything PSG did went through the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria were all on the field too but — unfortunately for such a superstar attack — there is only one ball and it seemed to be drawn to Messi’s feet.

He was set up by Mbappe for a shot that was saved by Anthony Lopes in the 17th minute. Then he combined with Neymar for another effort that was turned behind, and soon after the Argentine cracked a free-kick from almost 30 metres off the junction of bar and post.

It was Lyon who went ahead in the 54th minute with a goal they had occasionally been threatening as Karl Toko-Ekambi delivered a low ball from the left and Paqueta swept a first-time shot low into the net at Gianluigi Donnarumma’s near post.

Neymar spot on

PSG were back level in the 66th minute as Neymar went down in the box under a challenge from Malo Gusto.

It could as easily have been a free-kick the other way but a penalty was given and the Brazilian sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Messi remains short of full fitness and as he faded from the game he was taken off and replaced by Achraf Hakimi 14 minutes from time.

He appeared to reject Pochettino’s hand as he walked past, but without him PSG got the winner as Mbappe’s superb cross from the left was headed in by Icardi.

“We are here to make decisions. Sometimes people will be happy with them, sometimes they won’t be,” Pochettino said of the substitution.

PSG are back in league action at Metz on Wednesday and host Montpellier next weekend before entertaining Manchester City in the Champions League on September 28.

Marseille continued their unbeaten start as Bamba Dieng and Amine Harit netted in a 2-0 win over Rennes at the Velodrome.

Dieng, the 21-year-old forward from Senegal, has now scored three goals in the last two games for Marseille, who are emerging as the most likely team to give PSG a run for their money this season.

Elsewhere, Wissam Ben Yedder’s spot-kick secured Monaco a 2-2 draw in the Cote d’Azur derby at Nice, who saw Amine Gouiri miss a late penalty.

LONDON — Sadio Mane reached 100 career goals for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace that sent the Reds top of the Premier League, while Arsenal eased the pressure on Mikel Arteta with a battling 1-0 victory at Burnley on Saturday.

Defending champions Manchester City dropped two points at home to Southampton after a 0-0 stalemate while struggling Wolves lost their fourth match in five against 10-man Brentford.

Mane continued his eye-catching mastery of Palace, netting in his ninth league match in a row against the Eagles.

Mohamed Salah’s glancing header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was kept out by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, but Mane pounced to lash home, giving him a century of goals for Liverpool in all competitions.

Salah doubled the Reds’ lead in the 78th minute before Naby Keita sealed the win with a sweetly struck volley.

Liverpool have made an impressive start to the season, scoring 12 goals in their opening five games and conceding just once.

“I told the boys that is one of the most hard-fought 3-0 wins I ever saw. We gave everything,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said.

“Sadio’s 100th goal for Liverpool, a massive mark! It was a really good game for Sadio. He worked incredibly hard again.”

Arsenal were rock bottom of the table before last week’s fixtures but wins against Norwich and now Burnley lifted them to the relative comfort of 12th spot before the late kick-off between Aston Villa and Everton.

Odegaard, who signed from Real Madrid last month after spending part of last season at the Emirates on loan, broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, curling home a free-kick to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at Turf Moor.

Arsenal breathed a sigh of relief when VAR overturned a penalty awarded to Burnley in the second half after Matej Vydra tumbled to the turf following a challenge by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

“It was a hard-fought victory at a really tough place,” Arteta said.

“We have players who are not at their strength playing in this type of game, but they did their best. I’m very proud of them defensively.”

City drop points

Manchester City will rue their inability to beat Southampton at the Etihad after consecutive 5-0 home wins.

It could have been worse for them after referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot when Kyle Walker bundled into the back of Adam Armstrong in the area, showing the England international a red card.

But the incident was reviewed by VAR and Moss eventually decided to overturn both decisions.

The build-up to City’s match was dominated by a row over attendance levels at the Etihad, with manager Pep Guardiola urging fans to fill empty seats in comments that irritated some supporters.

But fans were frustrated by battling Southampton, who kept City’s attackers at bay despite relentless pressure.

The home side thought they had snatched victory in the dying minutes after goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved a Phil Foden header and Raheem Sterling tucked in the rebound but the flag was raised.

“We were not good in our build-up and lost the ball because we were not clever today and a bit sloppy,” Guardiola said.

“It is because we didn’t do our process with the back four and Fernandinho. Those five players have to bring the ball forward for the others.”

Aston Villas second half blitz ended Everton’s four-game unbeaten run with a 3-0 home win.

Matty Cash put Villa ahead with 25 minutes left and Lucas Digne’s own goal doubled their lead before Leon Bailey made it three goals in nine minutes.

Watford beat Norwich 3-1 to condemn the promoted Canaries to their fifth consecutive defeat.

Watford took the lead in the 17th minute through Emmanuel Dennis but Teemu Pukki equalised before half time.

Ismaila Sarr put the visitors back in front in the 63rd minute and scored again with 10 minutes to go.

Ivan Toney scored a goal and created another for Bryan Mbeumo as 10-man Brentford beat Wolves 2-0 to maintain their impressive start to their first Premier League campaign.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Manchester United’s shock Champions League defeat to Swiss champions Young Boys has already ratcheted up the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite an impressive start to the Premier League season.

A star-studded side including Cristiano Ronaldo plus £100 million-worth ($138 million) of new signings in Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho slipped to an embarrassing 2-1 loss in Bern.

United took the lead in Tuesday’s opening Group F encounter in Switzerland but plans went awry after the dismissal of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Jesse Lingard’s errant back-pass gifting the hosts a winner in time added on.

Despite individual errors from his men it was Solskjaer left in the firing line, with his in-game management once more coming under the microscope.

Ronaldo has hit the ground running since his return to the club from Juventus, scoring three goals in two games.

But the fanfare surrounding the five-time Ballon d’Or winner also brings greater scrutiny on Solskjaer in what was always likely to be a defining season for the Norwegian.

The 48-year-old manager was handed a new three-year contract in July, reward for the progress United have made in the three years since he replaced Jose Mourinho.

United finished second in the Premier League last season and qualified for the Champions League for a second consecutive season for just the second time since Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013.

But Solskjaer — who won multiple trophies during his time as a player at Old Trafford — is yet to win silverware as United manager despite several near-misses.

Given the talent now at his disposal even a League Cup or FA Cup win might not be enough to save his job if United do not mount a serious challenge for the Premier League or Champions League.

Former United striker Louis Saha said the club could “afford” the defeat in Switzerland because they have a chance to recover but he believes Solskjaer  will have less room for manoeuvre this season because of the strength of his squad.

“I do think that he will be questioned faster because the team doesn’t have any weaknesses,” he said. “For me, it is a very strong side.”

West Ham challenge

The Red Devils begin the weekend on top of the Premier League with 10 points from their opening four games, with a potentially tricky trip to West Ham on Sunday.

But some of the same flaws evident in midweek have also been on display in league games against Southampton, Wolves and Newcastle, only for United to be bailed out by their array of attacking talent.

Despite their three wins, the team have lacked cohesion and have struggled to gain control of games, relying on moments of isolated magic from players such as Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

Solskjaer has the unenviable task of striking a balance between defence and attack while keeping all his star names happy.

Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani are yet to feature this season due to injury, but will soon be competing for places with Ronaldo, Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek and Juan Mata.

Behind them, Fernandes and Pogba have started the season in fine form, but their compatibility in a midfield three against stronger opposition is still up for debate.

“We’ve got goals, I know that, it’s about striking a balance in the rest of the set-up,” said Solskjaer after Newcastle made Ronaldo’s homecoming last weekend far trickier than the 4-1 scoreline suggests.

His attempts to find that balance in Switzerland were made tougher by Wan-Bissaka’s dismissal but he drew criticism over his use of substitutes and tactics.

Solskjaer faced questions afterwards over why he took Ronaldo off at all and also over why he did not remove the 36-year-old earlier — showing how difficult it will be to keep everybody happy.

The only way to quieten the noise is by getting back to winning ways, starting at the London Stadium on Sunday.