Newcastle manager Alan Pardew conceded his side faced a tough ask to qualify for the last four of the Europa League after a 3-1 defeat in their quarter-final first leg in Benfica.

Benfica 3 Newcastle 1

Barcelona 0 Benfica 0

Benfica 2 Celtic 1

Benfica 2 Celtic 1

Rihanna rocked the lingerie look at Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York, providing the highlight of the live-music soundtrack and holding her own on the catwalk with some of the world’s top models.

Juventus were made to come from behind to salvage a draw for the third Champions League match running as FC Nordsjaelland’s first ever goal in the competition left them scrambling in Denmark.

Andorra 0 Republic of Ireland 2

IRELAND’S Group B opponents Armenia retained their slim hopes of qualifying for Euro 2012 when they picked up their third win in Euro 2012 qualifying after beating bottom side Andorra 3-0.

Andorra 0 Armenia 3

Porto 1 Braga 0

BENFICA will take a slight advantage into the second leg of their all-Portuguese Europa League semi-final following a deserved victory over Braga at the Estadio da Luz.

Braga capped a historic night for Portuguese teams in the Europa League as all three Primeira Liga representatives booked their places in the semi-finals of the competition tonight.

Liverpool’s record signing Andy Carroll has been named on the bench and is set to make his Europa League debut for the Reds in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Braga.

ARSENE WENGER accused Braga of using “every trick in the book” as Arsenal went down 2-0 in Portugal — and now captain Cesc Fabregas is set to be out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring problem.

Braga 2 Arsenal 0

Braga v Arsenal

REAL MADRID took a giant step towards the knock-out stages of the Champions League last night after defeating AC Milan 2-0 thanks to two quickfire goals at the start of the match.

Republic of Ireland v Andorra

ANDORRA may have only lost 2-0 at home to Russia on Friday, but their coach Koldo Alvarez believes they face a tougher task tonight at the Aviva Stadium.

THE silence lasted 90 seconds.

CELTIC gave themselves a mountain to climb bigger than the rockface overlooking AXA Stadium after crashing to Braga in last night’s Champions League third qualifying round first leg.

TWO-GOAL hero Robbie Keane almost didn’t start this match.

FT Falkirk 0 Celtic 2

TIME for some sympathy for the devil, me thinks.

Sweden’s Christian Nilsson held a seven-shot lead at the midway point of the final round as he closed in on the Saint-Omer Open title.

Sweden’s Christian Nilsson held a four-shot lead after the third round of the Saint-Omer Open in northern France following a six-under-par 65 today.

Forty-one people were killed today when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan’s capital.

Twenty-eight people were killed when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Indian embassy in Afghanistan’s capital today in the deadliest attack of the year.

Brian Lima’s record-breaking World Cup career is officially over.

United States coach Peter Thorburn has challenged his side to improve their cutting edge and perform for the full 80 minutes when they take on Samoa in St Etienne tomorrow.

SAMOA captain Brian Lima’s landmark fifth World Cup was brought to a premature end yesterday when he was banned for three weeks for a high tackle on England’s Jonny Wilkinson in Saturday’s 44-22 defeat.

Brian Lima has been selected for his World Cup swansong on Wednesday - despite a disciplinary cloud hanging over the Samoan centre.

MARTIN CORRY has predicted “direct and physical” early exchanges when England and Samoa fight for their World Cup lives in Nantes this afternoon (3pm, Setanta Sports, ITV).

SPRINGBOK coach Jake White has dismissed any prospect of complacency creeping into the South African camp as they prepare for a World Cup showdown with England.

IRELAND’S U-19 side were unlucky losers to an impressive Portugal in a friendly at Belfield last night.

Swede Niclas Fasth tonight praised Bernhard Langer for having “the stuff of champions” – after stopping the 49-year-old German from achieving perhaps the most remarkable victory of his amazing career.

Bernhard Langer narrowly failed today in his bid to become the oldest winner in European Tour history.

Former Ryder Cup star Thomas Levet, who feared for his career at the start of the season, could tomorrow celebrate his first victory for three years.

Marc Farry was back making golfing headlines on Thursday and, unlike last time, he was perfectly happy about it.

FROM the depths of adversity, Steve McClaren has been handed three lessons that could rescue his career as England manager.

RANGERS manager Paul Le Guen was left fearing for the fitness of Kris Boyd after he limped away from a stunning defeat at the Falkirk Stadium on crutches.

Colin Montgomerie admitted “I blew it” after squandering a stunning start to his second round of the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

US Open champion Michael Campbell today made an early exit from the Celtic Manor Wales Open, while the first 59 in European Tour history again proved elusive.