Wales beaten by De Bruyne-inspired Belgium
Kevin de Bruyne was at his masterful best as Belgium withstood a spirited fightback from Wales to leave them teetering on the brink of relegation in the Nations League, BBC reported.
De Bruyne casually stroked in the opening goal from the edge of the penalty area and hit the post with another shot from a similar distance before crossing for Michy Batshuayi to tap in the home side's second.
Belgium's 2-0 half-time lead was no reflection of their avalanche of chances, and that advantage was cut in half when Kieffer Moore headed in from Brennan Johnson's beautifully flighted cross.
After Belgium had a penalty overturned by the video assistant referee as replays showed Joe Morrell had cleanly dispossessed De Bruyne, Wales pushed for an unlikely late equaliser but were thwarted by a home side who could not have envisaged such a nervy conclusion to a game they seemed destined to win at a canter.
With Poland losing at home to the Netherlands, Wales must now beat Poland in Cardiff on Sunday to keep their place in the top flight of the Nations League.
Robert Lewandowski and company will pose Robert Page's men with another stern challenge and, while Poland may not be of the same standard of this stellar Belgian side, Wales will still be without numerous first-team players due to injury, according to BBC.
The absence of the likes of Ben Davies, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Harry Wilson was keenly felt in Brussels, but a brave second-half display offered enough encouragement to suggest Wales belong at this level.
England in Pakistan: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steer Pakistan to incredible 10-wicket win
Babar Azam hit 110 not out and Mohammad Rizwan an unbeaten 88 as Pakistan pulled off a remarkable 10-wicket victory over England to level the sides' Twenty20 series at 1-1, BBC reported.
Chasing 200, Pakistan's opening pair produced a batting masterclass in Karachi to seal the win with three balls to spare.
Babar reached a sublime century from 62 balls, delighting the raucous home crowd, while Rizwan hit four sixes in a whirlwind 51-ball knock.
It meant Pakistan set a new record for the highest chase in all men's T20s without losing a wicket.
England, who had never previously lost a T20 by 10 wickets, were put to the sword - Alex Hales' drop of Rizwan on 23 proving crucial.
The tourists had looked heavy favourites at the halfway stage when racking up 199-5 as Moeen Ali smashed 55 not out from 23 balls and Ben Duckett an enterprising 43, according to BBC.
The sides play again in less than 24 hours with the third match of the seven-match series taking place on Friday, again in Karachi.
Alex Hales & Luke Wood star as England win first game in Pakistan in 17 years
The returning Alex Hales hit 53 and debutant Luke Wood took 3-24 as England claimed a six-wicket Twenty20 win over Pakistan in their first game in the country for 17 years, BBC reported.
Chasing 159 to win, Hales hit seven fours in a controlled and mature knock in his first England appearance since 2019, when he was dropped from the World Cup squad for off-field issues.
His fifty gave England a platform for victory, with Harry Brook making 42 not out off 25 balls in just his fifth T20 to guide the tourists home with four balls to spare in Karachi.
Earlier Pakistan made 158-7, with Mohammad Rizwan striking 68 from 46 balls, while opening partner and captain Babar Azam added 31 off 24.
Wood was supported by Adil Rashid, who took 2-27, including the key wicket of Babar with a brilliant googly to end an 85-run opening stand.
The match was England's first in the country for 6,118 days, since a Test and one-day international tour in December 2005.
No countries toured Pakistan for six years after an attack by gunmen on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009, with sides returning sporadically since 2015.
England were due to tour last winter, but withdrew after New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a security threat.
The second game in the seven-match series, which is a build-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November, is on Thursday at 15:30 BST.
Hales has admitted he thought his chances of playing for England again may have gone during his three-year exile, but a loss of form for Jason Roy and a serious leg injury to Jonny Bairstowhas presented the 33-year-old with another opportunity, according to BBC.
His knock combined power, touch and excellent placement as the right-hander latched onto any width, dropping deep in his crease to cut to the off-side boundary on numerous occasions.
He was dropped on 28 by Shan Masood after miscuing a slog-sweep, but made the most of his reprieve, and was frustrated when he chipped to cover the ball after reaching his fifty, with England just needing 17 to win.
"It's a very special feeling to get back out on the park for England - three years felt like forever but to get a fifty on my return in a winning team is the stuff dreams are made of," said Hales.
"There are always nerves and pressure after having not played for England for three years, it felt like a debut again, so a very special night.
"I've spent a lot of time in Pakistan over the last few years and it means a lot to me so to be part of the first England tour here in such a long time is an incredibly special feeling."
Hales shared 34-run partnerships with Trent Rockets team-mate Dawid Malan and Ben Duckett, playing his first T20 since 2019, but the telling partnership was the 55 he put on with Brook.
Yorkshire's Brook, 23, had shown glimpses of his talent in his first four games without a particularly telling contribution and started patiently here before targeting Shahnawaz Dahani in the 15th over, BBC reported.
The tourists needed 52 from 36 balls but Brook ramped the first ball for four, before two more boundaries followed, as the game swung firmly in England's favour.
The next over went for 13, including a gorgeous straight drive over mid-off by Brook, and despite the wicket of Hales, Brook and stand-in captain Moeen Ali saw England over the line.
Nepal lose to Bangladesh 3-1 in SAFF Women’s Championship final
Nepal lost an opportunity to make an history in the SAFF Championship. In the final match of SAFF Women’s Championship played at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Monday, Nepal faced a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. Bangladesh had taken a two-goal lead in the first half. Nepal tried to come back in the game with the goal of Sangita Basnet in the 70th minute. But, after a few minutes, Bangladesh scored third goal. This is the first time that Nepal lost to Bangladesh. Earlier, out of eight matches, Nepal won six matched and played two draw in two occasions. With this, Bangladesh bagged the title of the Women’s SAFF Championship.
