Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb says the change in approach on added time is here to stay, despite early criticism from top-flight players and managers.
Referees in competitions worldwide have been instructed by the game’s lawmakers to measure time lost to stoppages more accurately, an approach first adopted at the World Cup in Qatar last year where an additional 11 minutes and six seconds were played on average in the group stage.
Webb said the change was necessary as football gets to grips with the “dark arts” of time-wasting, with a a more robust approach set to be taken to dealing with players who delay restarts in play.
Sunday’s Community Shield lasted over 105 minutes, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola saying the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the game’s laws, had not consulted with managers and players over the change in approach.
Manchester United defender Raphael Varane echoed those criticisms on Monday, saying the change, allied to a congested calendar, was “damaging” to the game.
Whereas ‘rule of thumb’ approaches had been used in the Premier League for certain stoppages last season – 30 seconds per goal celebration and substitution for example – referees and their wider team will now be asked to be more exact.
The Premier League anticipates the change in approach will increase the length of the average match in the coming season by three minutes and 23 seconds compared to last season – going up to 101 minutes and 49 seconds.
Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), said: “As far as I’m aware and concerned (the change in approach on added time) is here to stay.
“I appreciate we’re hearing two sides of a coin here, but there was also a lot of noise around the need to do something around increasing effective playing time and getting more game for people who are paying good money to go and watch football.
“IFAB have acted undoubtedly with good intentions to try to deal with this. Last season a quarter of the games in the Premier League went above 100 minutes. I am expecting it to settle down.
“For sure there’s more dark arts in the game than previously. Everybody tells me that, and I see that myself as well. One of the things that will hurt us here is if we’re not consistent with this in the way that we play it. We have to be. It can’t be a flash in the pan. It can’t be a short-term campaign.”
In response to Guardiola’s assertion around a lack of consultation, Webb said: “Certain things change each year in terms of the laws of the game. IFAB is the organisation that ratifies changes.
“There is a consultation process that goes into that. There is a way people can feed into the process.
“Obviously, when something is ratified at (IFAB’s) AGM, it comes our way to deliver. By the end of this week I will have done at least 17 pre-season briefings, so people are aware what is coming. I am really keen to keep engaging, consulting and getting feedback and embracing the feedback and comparing it against other feedback we get.
“We have to find where the benefit is with any changes we want to apply. Is it frustrating? No. I know consultation does exist from our side, that is what we can control and we will keep engaging.”
The other major initiative from a refereeing perspective is a clampdown on poor behaviour from players and managers as part of a wider move to improve conduct, including among fans.
Webb said: “For too long our officials have not necessarily been able to make that differentiation (between passion and unacceptable behaviour) or have chosen for whatever reason to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to certain things.
“But the power of example is so strong and we are seeing a lot of examples (of bad behaviour) and all the numbers are tracking in the wrong direction around what’s happening in the game in this area.
“We’re seeing grassroots officials have a bad experience too often and this has got to change in our sport and we’re determined collectively within the game to do this.”
Webb also confirmed audio from VAR decisions – including some clips where errors were made – would be aired on a monthly basis.
It follows on from Webb appearing on Monday Night Football towards the end of last season to talk through some incidents from earlier in the season in a bid to provide greater transparency around VAR.
Justin Kluivert has "great memories" from his time at Roma, but believes he made the right decision by leaving the Italian giants in search of first-team football.
Kluivert joined Bournemouth earlier this transfer window for a reported £9.6million, ending a five-year stint as a Roma player.
However, the winger had spent the last three seasons out on loan, at RB Leipzig, Nice and Valencia respectively. Kluivert had been close to joining Fulham prior to his switch to Spain.
The 24-year-old joined Roma from Ajax in 2018, but never quite managed to live up to his potential in Serie A.
Asked if he was disappointed at how his move to Roma played out, Kluivert told Stats Perform: "I came from Ajax as a young kid, very young.
"I came to a new environment that was very different, I came from Amsterdam where I lived with my mother, my brothers and to move to a big city like Rome, [to play] in a big team that now plays Champions League – that is very difficult.
"Also, the coach and [technical staff] that brought me there, they left in six months. So there was a new coach, a new director, who have their own plan, and that was also something I had never been through in my football career.
"At Ajax everything was good there, everything was nice. I played, I felt good and then, woah, you sit on the bench four or five games, how do you recover from that?
"That was something I had to learn, but I have a lot of great memories from Roma, and [I had] some great games.
"Especially in the second season, I ended it with seven goals. That was not bad, but just the end of the season - it was not how I hoped [it would be], and I think [for Roma] also.
"It was also in the coronavirus time. And that was not a good time for me, because I was doing well and I was selected for the national team [for Euro 2020], but that got cancelled because of coronavirus, and after that it was not so good.
"I just want to play. I love the sport, so if I don't play four games in a row, or I come in for 50 minutes, I'm not happy with that and I'm still young, so I want to play I want to show my qualities and that's why I chose to go on loan."
One of those loan spells saw Kluivert play alongside Edinson Cavani at Valencia.
"Of course, you learn a lot from somebody like that because the career he has had is unbelievable," Kluivert said of the former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United striker.
"The goals he scored - it's unbelievable how many - and I learned a lot. It's just the small details, or how he works in the gym.
"It's the small things that make you think 'This is what a top player does', and it's good to learn from these people that have achieved things that you want to achieve.
"So I'm very happy that I've played with him and I learned some great stuff from him."
Blue Rose Cen will head to the Prix Vermeille in a bid for further Group One success after her Nassau Stakes outing ultimately ended in disappointment.
The Churchill filly has been the star of Christopher Head’s stable this season, winning three of her four runs and backing up a successful juvenile campaign in which she was a Group One winner in the Prix Marcel Boussac.
Her three-year-old season started in the Prix de la Grotte, a Group Three she won comfortably before landing the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, over the same ParisLongchamp mile the following month.
A further start at Group One level ended in a four-length victory in the Prix de Diane, a performance that paved the way to Goodwood’s flagship summer meeting.
She started as the 10-11 favourite under Aurelien Lemaitre, but the race did not go as planned when the partnership found themselves boxed in two furlongs from home and could not throw down a challenge until it was too late.
Blue Rose Cen had to settle for fourth behind Al Husn, Above The Curve and Nashwa, but was only beaten a length and a quarter in a tight finish.
The Prix Vermeille, over a mile and a half on Arc trials day back at ParisLongchamp, is next on the agenda as she steps up in trip again.
“She is very well, she had a good journey back from France and everything is all right,” Head said.
“Everything has gone smoothly with her since Goodwood and she worked well (on Wednesday morning).
“We’re still hoping to go through with the schedule we had in mind for her and the Vermeille is the plan – everything is good.”
Head has a another top-quality filly in the two-year-old Ramatuelle, a chestnut daughter of Justify who is partly owned by the NBA hall of famer Tony Parker.
Ramatuelle has won three of her four starts so far, with the last two successes coming at Group level as she landed the Prix du Bois by five lengths and the Prix Robert Papin by four.
The Prix Morny, a six-furlong Group One run at Deauville, is now the target.
“She’s doing fine, she’s really good,” Head said.
“She’s just full of speed and I have entered her in the Morny, that is going to be the plan for her.
“I’m very happy with her. She runs over that distance and at that pace really fluently, we are delighted to see her win her races and we just can’t wait to see her run again.”
The eight remaining teams in the World Cup put their title ambitions on the line in the quarter-finals starting on Friday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key statistics that could determine the games.
Spain v Netherlands
Friday, 2am (all times BST)
Seven of the eight group winners made the quarter-finals, with Spain the lone runners-up having beaten Group A table toppers Switzerland in the last 16.
Their 103 shots are the most in the tournament and they have allowed the fewest of the quarter-finalists with 21 – though they have conceded the most goals of any remaining team with five, including Laia Codina’s long-range own goal against the Swiss.
Expect to see both teams use width – Spain’s Teresa Abelleira has completed twice as many crosses as anyone else (20), with team-mate Ona Batlle the only other player in double figures (10), while the Dutch are top for attempted switches of play (41), comfortably ahead of France in second (24).
The game could be decided early, with the Netherlands ranking first for percentage of goals scored in the first half (73 per cent) and Spain second at 69 per cent.
Japan v Sweden
Friday, 8.30am
By contrast, there appears a chance of late drama with Sweden and Japan each scoring a tournament-high three goals after the 80th minute.
Japan are the top scorers with 14 goals, including five from Golden Boot pace-setter Hinata Miyazawa, and have conceded only one. The two teams have the best conversion rates of the quarter-finalists: Japan’s goals coming from 74 shots (19 per cent) and Sweden scoring nine from only 49 attempts (18 per cent).
Despite their all-action game, with a tournament-high 1,001 defensive pressures applied, Japan are the only team yet to receive a booking.
They will face the only remaining side with more World Cup finals experience than their 37 games, with Sweden having played 44 and perennial challengers the United States, Germany and Norway already eliminated.
Australia v France
Saturday, 8am
One team will defy their poor quarter-final record, with Australia losing on their three previous outings at this stage from 2007 to 2015 while France have won only one out of three, in 2011.
Indeed, Australia’s most recent goal in a quarter-final, against Sweden in 2011, was scored by current cricket international Ellyse Perry.
They will have to improve on their shooting accuracy of 32 per cent, with only 19 attempts on target out of 60 – though France have conceded four goals, most of them in a madcap 6-3 win over Panama.
Nine Australia players have started every game so far and six have played every minute, while France have only three constant starters and goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin is their only ever-present.
England v Colombia
Saturday, 11.30am
The two lowest-scoring quarter-finalists – despite England’s 6-1 win over China – meet in Saturday’s last game. The Lionesses have just eight goals overall and Colombia five.
England, semi-finalists at the last two World Cups, will face a team playing in the last eight for the first time.
England have completed over twice as many passes as their opponents, 2,248 to 1,073, with Alex Greenwood’s 389 leading all players in the tournament.
Lauren James’ red card against Nigeria is the only one for any quarter-finalist this summer.
Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a “significant knee ligament injury”.
The 26-year-old Argentina international sustained the injury during training on Wednesday.
He has undergone a scan and is set for further consultation with a knee specialist.
“Aston Villa can confirm Emi Buendia has suffered a significant knee ligament injury,” read a club statement.
Buendia has scored nine goals in 73 Premier League appearances for Villa since joining from Norwich in 2021 for a reported £33million.
His injury is major blow to manager Unai Emery, whose side begin the new season at Newcastle on Saturday and will play in the Europa Conference League this term.
Gregor Townsend is confident Ben White will be fit for the Rugby World Cup even though the Scotland scrum-half has not travelled to France for this Saturday’s warm-up match in Saint-Etienne.
The 25-year-old, who started each of the Six Nations matches earlier this year, was forced off in clear discomfort with an ankle injury in the first half of last weekend’s victory over Les Bleus at Murrayfield.
White stayed in Scotland while the rest of the squad flew out on Sunday to their World Cup training base near Nice. His number nine jersey has been taken by Ali Price for Saturday night’s Test at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
“Ben is doing alright,” reported Townsend as he faced the media on Thursday following his team announcement. “He is not part of our group just now, he has stayed at home to continue with rehab.
“Given the fact we’ve got two flights, one out here to our training camp, then one up to Saint-Etienne, and obviously some full-on training sessions, we decided it would be better for Ben to stay back home, get physio and rest up.
“We’re confident Ben will return to training next week or the following week. We do have an appointment booked for him on Monday with a specialist to see how it’s progressing.
“That gives us clarity ahead of announcing our World Cup squad (on Wednesday) but from chatting to the medics last night, he seems to be progressing positively, like we thought he would.”
Another player who misses out this weekend is Zander Fagerson, but Townsend is relieved that he will be able to call on the Glasgow prop for the World Cup opener against South Africa after he was effectively banned for just two matches following his red card for a high challenge on France hooker Pierre Bourgarit last weekend.
“I was part of the group that presented Zander’s case alongside Zander and our team manager (David Edge) and I thought the way the panel approached it, they understood Zander’s actions were mistimed rather than any intent to hurt his opponent,” said Townsend, reflecting on Tuesday’s hearing.
“He was in control of his actions, so with Zander pleading guilty to the charge, we got a sanction that obviously could have been worse but what we believe was befitting of an unlucky incident rather than intentional foul play.
“It’s a huge boost for Zander that he can now focus on being available for the first game against South Africa. Any longer ban would have taken him out of that game or potentially taken him out of the World Cup so he’s now got four weeks before we play South Africa to make sure he’s in great physical condition.”
Townsend has made six changes to the team that started against the French last weekend, with Kyle Steyn, Price, WP Nel, George Turner, Rory Darge and captain Jamie Ritchie taking over from Darcy Graham, White, Fagerson, Ewan Ashman, Hamish Watson and Matt Fagerson.
Ritchie missed the previous two warm-up matches with a minor calf issue.
“Jamie’s probably in the best shape I’ve seen him in the last few years,” said Townsend. “He’s had a couple of injuries that have curtailed his progress but he’s built on what he did in the Six Nations and I think he’s fitter, stronger.
“We’ve had a few lively sessions and we had a full hit-out on two occasions and Jamie stood out really well. He trained fully this week in hot conditions and looked good so we can’t wait to see him play.
Graham and Matt Fagerson have both been given the weekend off after being the only two players to start the previous two warm-up matches.
“They’re both fine physically and both wanted to play but there’s an increased risk when you start people in three Test matches in three weeks so that’s the reason they’ve missed out this weekend,” said Townsend.
Townsend trimmed four players from his provisional squad last weekend and must cull another quartet by Wednesday when he names his final 33-man squad for the World Cup.
“We’re closer because we’ve got a smaller squad out here so there’s less decisions to make,” he said. “In terms of what that final squad will be, this weekend will go a fair bit to making sure we make the best decision.
“The players that are getting an opportunity to play this weekend can leave a lasting impression but it’s what they’ve done throughout the World Cup camp and the games that’s in our minds just now.
“We know it’s going to be very tough getting from that 37-man squad down to 33 and obviously we’re hoping there are no injuries to factor into our selection debates on Sunday and Monday.”
France have restored most of their big hitters for this weekend’s match after fielding a largely second-string side at Murrayfield and Townsend expects a formidable test in the Saturday night heat, with the temperature forecast to hit 32 degrees during the day in Saint-Etienne .
“France are one of the best teams in the world, they have a first team that has played a lot of rugby together over the last few years, and equally importantly they are playing at home,” said Townsend.
“The French crowds have been very noisy this year, whether it’s at Stade de France, an under-20s game, a women’s international, or a top club game, so we’re sure we’re going into a very noisy, hostile environment in Saint-Etienne.
“And with that we’ll also have to deal with the weather conditions. It’s been very hot over here and it will probably be around 20 degrees when the game kicks off at 9pm.
“They don’t have many games left before they open the World Cup so I’m sure they will want to put out their best performance, just like we do.”
Veterans Derek Chisora and Robert Helenius have called for stronger bans for drug cheats ahead of their respective fights at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
Anthony Joshua will step into the ring with last-minute opponent Helenius after Dillian Whyte was pulled from the Matchroom show last weekend following a failed drugs test.
Whyte has vowed to prove his innocence but the “adverse analytical findings” detected in his test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) almost saw the bumper card cancelled before Helenius was drafted in.
Helenius is not the oldest fighter on the card with British heavyweight Chisora set to turn 40 in December.
Chisora, who lost a contentious split decision to Helenius in 2011, will take on Australian Demsey McKean this weekend but waded into the doping debate during Wednesday’s press conference.
“Boxing is already a hard, hard sport without people taking drugs,” Chisora stated.
“I think they should put a new rule in now. If you get caught, this is for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC), it’s going to have to be a 10-year ban straight away.”
Meanwhile, Helenius insisted a laidback approach is taken in certain countries to doping in the sport.
Whyte previously served a two-year doping ban in 2012 and several other high-profile boxers in Tyson Fury, Jarrell Miller, Alexander Povetkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz have served suspensions for failed tests.
British duo Amir Khan and Conor Benn have also been given doping bans during the past year, although Benn’s suspension was lifted last month, subject to an appeal from UK Anti-Doping.
Helenius added: “Of course it’s a problem because I don’t think everybody is on the same level. Some have privileges that others don’t have.
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“It’s a very difficult topic and I think anti-doping should be the same in every country. For example in your country, when Dillian gets caught, everybody just thinks ‘oh it’s boxing’ and nobody cares.
“In Finland, if I would be caught, I would be lynched for my whole life. Two-year minimum (ban), nothing. I would never get a licence again.
“I know (of) Povetkin, Fury, Canelo. If I would do that, I would never be able to box in Finland anymore.”
After Helenius stepped in to face Joshua at the last minute, he has been warned the former two-time world heavyweight champion is getting better and better.
That’s according to Joshua’s highly-respected trainer Derrick James, who saw his new boxer begin their partnership with a laboured display in a unanimous points decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in April.
James said: “He has bought into the process and is constantly getting better and better and better. Helenius is now here and it is time for us to implement everything we’ve been working.
“Finding it out (about Whyte), you realise you have to move forward.
“It was then all about Robert Helenius, who is a pretty good fighter but you’ll see everything that AJ has been working on throughout camp implemented into this fight.
“The only thing different was the fact we have to change the trajectory of the punching. From shorter and lower, so now it is a little higher because I think Helenius is 6ft 9in or 6ft 8in, but it is good.
“It will be good and will show his ability to transition from fighting one guy to a week later fighting another guy.”
Adrian Keatley already has Classic aspirations for Richmond Stakes runner-up Ballymount Boy, who is likely to step up to seven furlongs for the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes later this month.
The Irishman, who now trains in North Yorkshire, saddled Jet Setting to beat Minding in the 2016 Irish 1,000 Guineas and believes he has found another candidate to tackle the biggest races over a mile next term.
Although sent off 25-1 at Goodwood for his first taste of Group action, the son of Camacho confirmed Keatley’s high opinion of the colt to get within a length of toppling 11-8 favourite Vandeek.
And now he is keen to step up in trip with his talented two-year-old at York’s Ebor Festival, for a race won 12 months ago by subsequent 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean.
“It was what we were expecting, we wouldn’t have taken him down to Goodwood if we weren’t expecting a big run and that’s the level we hold him at,” said Keatley.
“I think he will improve again and he can step up another grade again.
“He will probably go for the Acomb next and then we will go from there. It’s seven furlongs and we’ll try to get him to win at Group Three level before stepping up again.
“He’s a very good horse who we hold in high regard and hopefully he will be my next Guineas horse. It’s been a while since I’ve had my last one, so I could do with another one.”
However, one of Keatley’s string who will not be seen on the Knavesmire is the prolific Kihavah, who will miss the rest of the season through injury.
The six-year-old has won four times on the level during the current campaign and was being pointed towards the £500,000 Sky Bet Ebor, but will now be on the sidelines until the new year when he could be sent on some international assignments.
“Kihavah has picked up an injury and won’t be running for the rest of the Flat season,” continued Keatley.
“We might look at campaigning him abroad in the new year with a view to going back for the Ebor or some of the big mile-and-a-half handicaps next season.”
Captain Jamie Ritchie is back in the Scotland starting XV for Saturday’s World Cup warm-up match against France in Saint-Etienne.
The inclusion of the skipper, who has missed the previous two Tests with a calf issue, represents one of six changes to the team that started last weekend’s 25-21 victory over Les Bleus.
There is no place in the squad, however, for Ben White, who was forced off in the first half last weekend with an ankle issue. The scrum-half is replaced in the number nine jersey by Ali Price.
On the wing, Kyle Steyn takes over from Darcy Graham, who has been given the weekend off after scoring tries in each of the previous two warm-up matches.
Veteran prop WP Nel, 37, will fill in for Zander Fagerson, who is suspended following his red card against the French last Saturday, while George Turner replaces fellow hooker Ewan Ashman.
There are two changes to the back three, with flankers Ritchie and Rory Darge coming in for Matt Fagerson and Hamish Watson.
Stuart McInally, Rory Sutherland, Javan Sebastian, Scott Cummings, Sam Skinner and Josh Bayliss are the six forwards named on the bench, while George Horne and Ollie Smith are the replacement backs.
Olympic triathlon champions Jonny Brownlee and Alex Yee are putting their faith in organisers of this month’s Games Test Event in Paris to ensure the Seine is safe for swimming.
The world’s best triathletes are set to take to the water in the French capital on August 17 and 18 for a preview of next year’s Olympics.
Parisian authorities have ploughed huge sums of money into cleaning up the Seine in time for the Games but last weekend’s Open Water Swimming World Cup was cancelled because of poor water quality following heavy rainfall.
The spotlight has intensified, meanwhile, after more than 50 people reported falling ill following last month’s World Triathlon Championship Series event in Sunderland.
World Triathlon said in a statement after the cancellation of the swimming world cup that it would monitor water quality carefully ahead of its event but expected conditions to be safe.
Yee, who won individual silver and relay gold for Britain in Tokyo in 2021, told the PA news agency: “We have 100 per cent faith in the organisers of the event.
“If they put the health and safety of the athletes first, then we give them our 100 per cent trust. If they say it’s safe to swim, then we’ll swim. If they don’t say it’s safe, then we’ll deal with the consequences.
“I think also the fact that they’re even making the attempt to clean up the Seine and leave a legacy behind is an amazing thing and shows they have the right intentions. That’s all we can really ask for.”
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If the water is not deemed to be safe, the race will be shifted to a duathlon format, with the swim replaced by a second running leg.
Brownlee, one of the most experienced competitors in the sport, echoed Yee, saying: “I’ve swum in the Seine before. All we can do as athletes is prepare for a triathlon and then put our faith in the organisers to ensure that it is a safe environment.”
Sunderland was hosting a world series event for the first time, taking over the British round from Leeds, and the headlines generated were certainly not what local authorities or British Triathlon would have wanted.
The governing body said tests taken in the swim area ahead of the race were within acceptable guidelines but a nearby test showing high levels of E. coli bacteria was highlighted by Australian Jake Birtwhistle, who was among those that fell ill.
He argued the swim should have been cancelled, while another triathlete to suffer was Britain’s Olivia Mathias.
She shrugged it off, saying: “I’m fine now. It was just 24 hours. These things happen with racing. We put our bodies through quite a lot and we’re bound to get ill at some point. I’ll just move on from it.”
Both Brownlee and Yee said they had never experienced illness after swimming in British waters but levels of pollution in rivers and along the shoreline have prompted nationwide criticism and alarm.
Brownlee, who missed the Sunderland race to focus on Paris, said: “It’s a shame that’s what came out of it because the course and the event looked great.
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“On the whole we put on great events in the UK. One of the challenges of organising outside events is that sometimes it’s out of your control. There are risks and challenges of swimming in open water.
“We want to keep our planet as clean as we possibly can and having clean water is one of the fundamental things. I might be wrong but I genuinely believe the vast majority of the places we can swim are clean and safe.”
Brownlee is eyeing a fourth Olympic appearance having won individual bronze and silver in London and Rio before claiming his first gold medal as part of the mixed relay team in Tokyo.
The 33-year-old had intended for that to be his Olympic swansong but changed his mind and set his sights on Paris.
Whether he actually races in the French capital depends on how he performs during the rest of 2023 and into 2024, and he said: “I only want to go to Paris if I can be competitive in the individual and the mixed team relay.
“I’ve been to three Olympic Games so I don’t want to go and just get the kit, make up the numbers. We’ll see hopefully over the next couple of months but maybe into next year whether that’s genuinely going to be the case.”
Yee has built on his success in Tokyo with four world series victories and double Commonwealth gold over the past two years and would tick the selection box for next summer by finishing on the podium in Paris next week.
“It’s really exciting that there’s that opportunity there but, for me, the biggest goal of going to this race is to learn as much as I can about next year and about the course,” said the 25-year-old.
Michael Lorenzen made quite the first impression to the Philadelphia Phillies fans.
Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Phillies' franchise history on Wednesday in Philadelphia's 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals in his first start at Citizens Bank Park in a Phillies' uniform.
Acquired by Philadelphia from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, Lorenzen struck out five and walked four while throwing a career-high 124 pitches in just his second start for the Phillies (63-52).
He got Dominic Smith to fly out to shallow centre field to record the fourth no-hitter in MLB this season and the first by a Philadelphia pitcher since Cole Hamels in 2015.
Selected to his first All-Star Game this year, the 31-year-old Lorenzen improved to 5-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in six outings since the start of July, which includes his final four appearances for the Tigers.
While Lorenzen shut down Washington (50-65), a couple of Philadelphia batters hit milestone home runs.
Nick Castellanos hit a pair of homers to give him 200 in his career, while Weston Wilson homered in his long-awaited first major league plate appearance.
The 28-year-old rookie had 2,836 plate appearances in the minor leagues before being called up Sunday.
The Phillies have won four of five, scoring seven, eight, eight and nine runs in those victories.
Raleigh's eighth-inning homer powers Mariners to seventh straight win
The Seattle Mariners continued their August surge, extending their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 6-1 win over the visiting San Diego Padres.
The score was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning before the Mariners (62-52) erupted for five runs, taking the lead on Cal Raleigh's tiebreaking two-run homer with one out.
Mariners top pitching prospect, Emerson Hancock had an impressive major league debut, allowing a run and two hits over five innings.
The 24-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three, and combined with five Seattle relievers to four-hit the Padres (55-60), who have lost four in a row.
Seattle, meanwhile, has lost just four games since July 20, going a major league-best 15-4 in that span to move a season-high 10 games over .500.
Ohtani earns 10th win as Angels top Giants
Shohei Ohtani picked up his 10th win of the season, yielding one unearned run over six innings of three-hit ball in the Los Angeles Angels' 4-1 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants.
The major league leader in home runs, Ohtani struck out five and walked three, becoming the first player in MLB history to have multiple seasons with 10 or more homers and 10 or more wins.
The two-way sensation, who won 15 games in 2022, has not allowed a run in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his season ERA to 3.17.
Ohtani has been stuck on 40 homers since August 3, and went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts at the plate against the Giants (62-53), though he did walk twice and scored on Mike Moustakas' tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Moustakas had two hits, and has driven in 10 runs in his last seven games for the Angels (58-58), who have won two in a row following a season-high seven-game losing streak.
Carlos Alcaraz edged past Ben Shelton 6-3 7-6 (3) in his first ATP Tour match since the world number one’s Wimbledon victory over Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard will face Hubert Hurkacz in the round of 16 of the National Bank Open in Toronto after defeating the fiery American in a competitive affair.
After an even start, a break of serve in the fourth game gave Alcaraz enough of a gap to wrap up the first set in 42 minutes.
The second set was even more competitive, with neither man able to break his opponent until the world number one sealed the victory in a tiebreak.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Marcos Giron upset fifth seed Holger Rune 6-2 4-6 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with compatriot Tommy Paul.
Earlier, veteran Gael Monfils stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-3, while home favourite Milos Raonic continued his resurgence by seeing off qualifier Taro Daniel 6-4 6-3.
American Mackenzie McDonald knocked out sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-3, and second seed Daniil Medvedev is safely through after a 6-2 7-5 win over Matteo Arnaldi.
Nicole Cooke won Great Britain’s first medal of the Beijing Olympics when she took gold in the women’s road race on this day in 2008.
The Welsh rider overcame the competition and heavy rain to cross the line first at the end of the 126km route from the city centre to a section of the Great Wall of China.
It was the first Olympic gold medal won by a British female cyclist, the country’s 200th Olympic gold across all sports and the first by a Welsh athlete since 1972.
Cooke, 25, had stated her intentions when she formed a breakaway with four other riders 6km from the finish.
She went on to beat Sweden’s Emma Johansson and Tatiana Guderza of Italy in a sprint for the finish. Her winning time was three hours 32 minutes 24 seconds.
“It’s just like a dream come true, and I hope everyone one can share in this dream,” said Cooke, who took up competitive cycling at the age of 11 and had finished fifth in Athens in 2004.
Cooke went on to win World Championship gold later in 2008, becoming the first racer to achieve the world and Olympic double in the same year.
She also won the Tour de France twice in her career and retired in 2013.
Andy Murray overcame a tough fightback from Australian qualifier Max Purcell to reach the round of 16 in Toronto.
The Scot won 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 47 minutes to set up a meeting with Italy’s Jannik Sinner for a spot in the quarter-finals.
There was little separating Murray and Purcell in the first set, each man breaking and breaking back en route to a tiebreak.
Murray was finally able to put some distance between himself and his opponent by wrapping up the first set, but Purcell refused to lie down.
The world number 78 rebounded strongly in the second to force a third and deciding set.
Purcell went up a break early in the third, but a crucial service hold down 4-2 was enough to spur Murray on to once again even things up.
Neither man was able to gain a decisive advantage as the set wound down, until Murray broke Purcell’s serve in the 12th game to win the match.
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