Highlights

LONDON - Antonio Conte got a crash course in what he can expect as Tottenham Hotspur's new manager after the Italian's first game in charge ended in a 3-2 home victory over Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Conte, who replaced Nuno Espírito Santo this week after the Portuguese was sacked 10 Premier League games into his first season, watched his side tear into a 3-0 lead after 28 minutes with Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura on target plus an own goal.

Europe’s favorite Moldovan/Transnistrian soccer club received a brutal reality check in the Champions League on Wednesday in the form of a second straight 3-1 defeat to Inter Milan.

After starting the Champions League group stage with victories against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid, Sheriff has suffered two straight defeats at the hands of Inter Milan.

Inter was pulling out all the stops, including Nicoló Barella throwing himself on the grass to avoid blocking Marcelo Brozovic’s opening goal in the 54th minute. 

On Wednesday morning, the NCAA slammed Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball team with a postseason ban for an infraction that happened four years ago where the only player involved received a mere $300 (players are now allowed to be paid). For fans of college sports, this was yet another case of the NCAA crushing a smaller school for a minor infraction while letting the blue bloods of the sport off scot-free for major violations. 

LAFC looks like it might miss the postseason for the first time in its four-year history. They can’t blame the efforts of part-owner Will Ferrell, who tried to conjure Ted Lasso vibes during Tuesday night’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Vancouver. Not even the humor of two former SNL standouts and Coach Beard could rally Bob Bradley’s struggling squad.

It looked like the writing was on the wall for Ole Gunnar Solskjær on Tuesday in Bergamo. As we entered second half stoppage time, Atalanta held a 2-1 lead. Manchester United’s attack had been disjointed, so much so that Paul Pogba was hooked in the 69th minute and Donny van de Beek was allowed to escape from his cave. 

I’ve been watching a lot of Juventus matches lately. With Weston McKennie in fine goal-scoring form, it’s hard not to watch my fellow Texan do things no American has done before while converting soaring headers and powerful strikes. But one facet of his game has made him totally unique at Juventus: the long Weston McKennie throw-in.

Christian Pulisic is back. The American featured in about 20 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 Champions League victory against Malmö on Tuesday.

Pulisic was included in a Chelsea lineup for the first time since the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Aug. 14. While he might have spent the majority of the night on the bench, it’s the most action for him since his ankle injury against Honduras in September.