TALLADEGA, Ala. – In the kind of photo finish that Talladega Superspeedway has been renowned for over its 50-year history, Ryan Blaney edged out Ryan Newman to win Monday’s rain-postponed 1000Bulbs.com 500.

Blaney, who led the field back to green following the final yellow for a two-lap dash, got shuffled off the point when Denny Hamlin shoved Ryan Newman to the lead coming down the backstretch after the white flag.

But staying the course, Blaney held serve down low and used a push from Aric Almirola exiting turn four to side-draft Hamlin off of Newman’s bumper, then squeezed underneath Newman coming to the finish line.

The two banged doors in the last hundred yards, and Blaney ultimately came out the victor by .007 seconds, the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR history and third-smallest margin ever at Talladega.

Of note, Monday’s victory was a rally of sorts for Blaney, who spun coming to pit road in the first stage and nearly fell a lap down before methodically working his way back into contention and avoiding the chaos that took place in the second half of the event.

Following a smoky burnout, Blaney heaved a sigh of relief and cracked a smile that he got another chance after Newman and Hamlin “blew the doors off us” with a half-lap to go.

“There was no blocking the 6 (Newman) and the 11 (Hamlin),” Blaney noted after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “They were coming so fast, and I figured that if I gave up the bottom, they were just going to leave me in the middle. So I stayed with Aric (Almirola), because he was a great pusher all day, and I finally was able to go up and pull the 11 off the 6 to get Newman pretty far out in front.

“We got together a little bit coming through the tri-oval, and he kind of pushed me below the yellow line, but I wasn’t going below there after what happened in the Truck (Series) race,” Blaney added. “In the end, it just worked out in our favor. We survived the last couple days and it was an exciting finish.”

Monday’s victory automatically advances Blaney into the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, one week after a suspension failure at Dover (Del.) Int’l Speedway left him with a 35th-place finish and buried in the playoff standings.

That’s big, considering the driver of the No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang was likely in a must-win situation if he didn’t end up with a strong day at Talladega.

“Now we don’t have to worry next week,” Blaney smiled. “We can go and fight for another win and not have to worry if something does go wrong. We’ll have a shot to race into the final four and that’s all you can ask for.”

After rain pushed the conclusion of the race from Sunday to Monday, three massive accidents marred the proceedings once on-track action resumed on lap 58 of 188.

The first came with four laps to go in the second stage, when then-leader Alex Bowman attempted to block a massive run from the tandem of Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer.

Logano, going eight miles per hour faster than Bowman, got into the back of the Arizona native and sent him spinning out of control, with Bowman’s car washing into the pack in turn three and collecting 10 cars in all.

Bowman later took the blame for the crash after being released from the infield care center.

Monday’s second major crash was with 26 laps left, when Kurt Busch tipped William Byron around on the backstretch and sent Byron up into the side of Logano toward the front of the field. In all, eight cars were involved in some capacity in that exchange.

The final accident – which set up the green-white-checkered sprint that ended the race – occurred with six to go after contact between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch while racing for the lead sent Busch up into the left-rear quarter panel of Brendan Gaughan, turning Gaughan down in front of the field.

That led to an 11-car melee that eliminated most of the remaining frontrunners, including Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Stenhouse, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Gaughan and Matt DiBenedetto, in its aftermath.

When all was said and done, Denny Hamlin crossed the line third behind Blaney and Newman after coming back from losing a hood flap early on and being involved in the first of the three Big Ones.

Aric Almirola was fourth and Michael McDowell, the best of the lower-budget drivers in the running, completed the top five. Austin Dillon was sixth after lining up in the top five on the final restart.

Corey LaJoie, polesitter Chase Elliott, Stenhouse and Ty Dillon were the balance of the top 10.

From start to finish, the race featured 46 lead changes among 19 drivers, had nine cautions for 43 laps and took more than 26 hours to complete, including the delay caused by Sunday’s rain postponement.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres rookie forward Victor Olofsson has set an NHL record in becoming the first player to score each of his first seven career goals on the power play.

Olofsson made it seven straight on a one-timer off Rasmus Dahlin's pass from the right circle to open the scoring 6:27 into the second period against Dallas on Monday.

Nicknamed "Goal-ofsson" by Sabres fans, the 24-year-old Swedish player has scored five goals in Buffalo's first six games. His streak dates to the end of last season, when he scored twice in six games.

The Sabres selected Olofsson in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. He spent five years playing in the Swedish Elite League before signing with the Sabres in April 2018.

Three players shared the previous record for scoring their first six career goals on the power play: Winnipeg's Craig Norwich in 1979-80, Hartford's Sylvain Turgeon in 1983-84 and Islanders' Jeff Norton in 1987-88.

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- England's 6-0 Euro 2020 qualifying win against Bulgaria was temporarily halted during the first half of the Group A fixture in order to warn supporters that the match could be abandoned following racist chanting in the Vasil Levski Stadium.

Match referee Ivan Bebek instructed the stadium PA announcer to broadcast the message -- the first step in FIFA's three-step protocol when dealing with such incidents -- after England defender Tyrone Mings complained of being the subject of racist chanting in the 22nd minute.

Bulgaria supporters in the crowd were seen directing monkey chants at England players, doing Nazi salutes and holding up shirts with the UEFA logo and the text "No Respect" -- a reference to the European governing body's "Respect" campaign aimed at curbing racism in the sport.

England manager Gareth Southgate then alerted the fourth official, Mario Zebec, who passed the information on to the referee.

The message, delivered in both Bulgarian and English, called for a stop to "racist behaviour" with the warning that the game could be abandoned if there were further outbreaks.

The match then continued, but play was stopped again on 41 minutes, when Southgate was involved in another lengthy discussion with the referee.

Following the match, Southgate told the BBC: "It's been an incredible few days really. We had to prepare for this eventuality. The most important thing was the players and staff knew what we were going to do and were in agreement.

"Nobody should have to experience what our players did. We followed the protocol. We gave two messages -- one that our football did the talking and two, we stopped the game twice.

"I have to give credit because the referee communicated with us all the time. You heard the stadium announcement on the first instance. In the second instance, we could have walked off but the players were very keen to finish the first half and talk it through.

"Not one player wanted to stop, they were absolutely firm on that."

Bulgaria manager Krasimir Balakov insisted he didn't hear the abuse, but added: "If it's proven to be true, we have to be ashamed of it and apologise."

Bulgarian captain Ivelin Popov was seen talking to fans through the metal fence at the break and a number of people were seen leaving the stands.

The game was already being played in front of a reduced crowd after UEFA ordered a partial closure due to racist behaviour by their supporters in June's qualifiers against the Czechs and Kosovo.

England forward Marcus Rashford took to Twitter following the match to thank England supporters and to praise the actions of Popov, crediting him for the courage it took to stand up in the face of the abuse.

Also been told what the Bulgaria captain did at half-time. To stand alone and do the right thing takes courage and acts like that shouldn't go unnoticed. #NoToRacism

— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) October 14, 2019

Following the match, England FA chairman Greg Clarke told ITV: "I was up in the stands with some of the FA staff and we were watching the game and heard a sound which sounded like monkey chanting, we can't be sure.

"I came down and heard some more at the side of the pitch and saw some activity by a group of people dressed in black by a corner flag and it was appalling. I checked the team was OK and that Gareth was OK and the second half went ahead on that basis.

"We were told by officials that 50 people -- the people in the corner -- were thrown out at half-time. I asked why the other issues were not dealt with and they said they were isolated incidents not mass incidents and the protocol deals with mass incidents."

The FA also released the following statement after the match: "The FA can confirm that England players were subjected to abhorrent racist chanting while playing in the EURO 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria. This is unacceptable at any level of the game and our immediate focus is supporting the players and staff involved.

"As we are sadly aware, this is not the first time our players have been subjected to this level of abuse and there is no place for this kind of behaviour in society, let alone in football. We will be asking UEFA to investigate as a matter of urgency."

England player Tammy Abraham said last week that he and his teammates would walk off the pitch if racist chanting happened while playing for their country.

However, Raheem Sterling and Southgate subsequently insisted that the squad would "place faith in UEFA" by leaving the match officials to take the lead if any incident occurred.

Before the match Bulgaria's football chief Borislav Mihaylov said England players should face consequences if they breach UEFA protocols in the qualifying matches and expressed his "extreme disappointment" at the England players' comments ahead of the match and spoke of the "unjust branding" of local fans.

Anti-racism and discrimination group Kick It Out also issued a statement following the match to express their extreme disappointment with the behaviour on display during the match.

The statement read in part: "We are sickened by the disgusting racist abuse directed at England men's team tonight by Bulgaria supporters - including TV footage which appeared to show Nazi salutes and monkey noises.

"We applaud Gareth Southgate, his staff and players for the actions taken in reporting the abhorrent abuse, and offer our full support to the entire squad, their families and anyone affected by those appalling scenes."

Step one of the three-step protocol involves a message played over the PA system, with step two seeing the referee take the teams off the pitch for a period of time.

If the players return to action and another incident of racist behaviour occurs, the game is then abandoned as the third step of the protocol.

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this story.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached 700 career goals in official matches by scoring for Portugal in their 2-1 loss to Ukraine in a Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner converted a penalty in the 72nd minute after a Ukraine player was judged to have handled a long-range shot in the box.

- Latest Euro 2020 qualifying permutations
- Euro 2020 qualifying: All you need to know

Ronaldo is the sixth player to achieve the feat, following ex-Germany striker Gerd Muller, Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas, Brazil's Pele and Romario, and the Czech Republic's Josef Bican.

The only other active player close to breaching the 700-goal mark is Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi, who has 672.

Ronaldo, 34, made his international debut at the age of 18 in a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Aug. 20, 2003, and scored his first goal in the opening match of Euro 2004, which Portugal lost 2-1 to eventual winners Greece on June 12, 2004.

7️⃣0️⃣0️⃣‼️

Wherever @Cristiano goes, goals follow ? pic.twitter.com/ZJdoVC0wT4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 14, 2019

At club level, Ronaldo scored five goals for Sporting, 118 with Manchester United, a club-record 450 with Real Madrid and 32 for his current side Juventus.

At international level, Ronaldo's tally of 95 goals is second only to Ali Daei's 109 for Iran.

Some outlets reported Ronaldo reaching the 700-goal milestone on Friday after his goal in Portugal's 3-0 win over Luxembourg. The difference was a goal against Real Sociedad in 2011, which Real Madrid teammate Pepe said belonged to his fellow Portugal international to help out in a tight Pichichi race against Barcelona's Lionel Messi for the league's top scorer that year.

However, most statisticians -- including ESPN's Stats & Information -- do not credit Ronaldo with that goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached 700 career goals in official matches by scoring for Portugal in their 2-1 loss to Ukraine in a Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner converted a penalty in the 72nd minute after a Ukraine player was judged to have handled a long-range shot in the box.

- Latest Euro 2020 qualifying permutations
- Euro 2020 qualifying: All you need to know

Ronaldo is the sixth player to achieve the feat, following ex-Germany striker Gerd Muller, Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas, Brazil's Pele and Romario, and the Czech Republic's Josef Bican.

The only other active player close to breaching the 700-goal mark is Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi, who has 672.

Ronaldo, 34, made his international debut at the age of 18 in a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Aug. 20, 2003, and scored his first goal in the opening match of Euro 2004, which Portugal lost 2-1 to eventual winners Greece on June 12, 2004.

7️⃣0️⃣0️⃣‼️

Wherever @Cristiano goes, goals follow ? pic.twitter.com/ZJdoVC0wT4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 14, 2019

At club level, Ronaldo scored five goals for Sporting, 118 with Manchester United, a club-record 450 with Real Madrid and 32 for his current side Juventus.

At international level, Ronaldo's tally of 95 goals is second only to Ali Daei's 109 for Iran.

Some outlets reported Ronaldo reaching the 700-goal milestone on Friday after his goal in Portugal's 3-0 win over Luxembourg. The difference was a goal against Real Sociedad in 2011, which Real Madrid teammate Pepe said belonged to his fellow Portugal international to help out in a tight Pichichi race against Barcelona's Lionel Messi for the league's top scorer that year.

However, most statisticians -- including ESPN's Stats & Information -- do not credit Ronaldo with that goal.

The Los Angeles Rams are now planning to place Aqib Talib on injured reserve because of his rib injury, the cornerback confirmed to ESPN's Lindsey Thiry.

Talib missed Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers with the injury, which he sustained in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Talib could return later this season. He must miss at least eight weeks, and each team can activate only two players from IR.

The schedule for both the AL and NL Championship Series could be altered because of the forecast of heavy rain in New York on Wednesday, sources told ESPN.

With the possibility that ALCS Game 4 between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees is a washout for Wednesday night, Major League Baseball is considering moving a potential NLCS Game 5 between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals to that night, sources said. The NLCS game is currently scheduled to start at 4:08 p.m. ET, but on days there is only one game, MLB prefers to have the game in prime time.

If the rainout occurs, the Yankees and Astros -- who play Game 3 Tuesday in New York with the series tied at 1-1 -- would be rescheduled to play Games 4 and 5 on Thursday and Friday in New York, before returning to Houston for a potential Game 6 on Saturday.

Sources said MLB would likely announce any change in an NLCS Game 5 prior to Wednesday, giving the teams and fans time to adjust. The Nationals lead the series, 2-0, heading into Monday night's Game 3, so that series could be over as soon as Tuesday night.

If the Yankees and Astros are delayed a day, it could affect pitching plans for both teams. The Astros could bring back Zack Greinke for Game 4 on regular rest, and the Yankees -- who are planning a bullpen day for Game 4-- could instead go back to Masahiro Tanaka on regular rest.

You can't have failed to notice a weekend of sporting brilliance - from a stunning sub two-hour marathon to hosts Japan lighting up the Rugby World Cup.

But there were three phenomenal sportswomen right at the heart of the action as well.

With a combined age of just 62, Simone Biles, Brigid Kosgei and Coco Gauff added their names to the history books.

Barack Obama said athlete Kosgei had shown a "remarkable example of humanity's ability to endure and keep raising the bar".

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Alexandra Raisman said she was "in awe" of gymnast Biles, while tennis legend Billie Jean King congratulated both tennis player Gauff and Biles on Twitter.

BBC Sport takes a look at a trio of stars taking their sports to new heights.

Simone Biles - America's Golden Girl

On Sunday, Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history, adding two more gold medals to her glittering haul.

The 22-year-old American moved clear of Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo with victories in the balance beam and floor in Stuttgart - taking her overall tally to 25 medals, 19 of them gold.

"This is really the best worlds performance I have ever put out," she said after finishing her fifth World Championships with five titles across six events.

The Rio Olympics quadruple gold medallist plans to celebrate when she returns home to Texas, adding "my mom usually likes to throw a worlds party, whether I want one or not".

Brigid Kosgei - Running into the history books

In 2003, Britain's Paula Radcliffe set the longest-standing marathon world record for either men or women in the post-war era, running the London Marathon in two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.

Fast forward to 2019, and Kenya's Brigid Kosgei eclipsed Radcliffe's 16-year-old record with a time of 2:14:04 as she retained her title at the Chicago Marathon.

Only 22 runners in the men's race finished faster than the 25-year-old, whose time would have been a men's world record in 1964.

Kosgei, who won last year in 2:18:35, admitted: "I am feeling good and happy because I was not expecting to run like this."

Coco Gauff - From lucky loser to singles champion

Biles wasn't the only American to make waves this weekend.

Compatriot Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win a WTA title in 15 years with victory over Jelena Ostapenko in the Linz Open final.

The 15-year-old - who only qualified for the main draw as a lucky loser after defeat in the final round of qualifying - won 6-3 1-6 6-2 and is set to move inside the world's top 75, having started the season ranked well outside the top 600.

"It has been an amazing week, I hope to come back here again. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life," said Atlanta-born Gauff.

Roger Federer has confirmed he intends to play in next summer's Olympics in Tokyo as he chases an elusive gold medal in the men's singles.

The Swiss great, who turns 39 during the Games, is one of the sport's most decorated players but he has never won the Olympic singles title.

Federer won silver at London 2012 after losing to Britain's Andy Murray.

"At the end of the day my heart decided I would love to play the Olympic Games again," Federer said.

Federer, who missed Rio 2016 through injury, did win a gold medal at Beijing 2008 in the men's doubles alongside Stan Wawrinka.

In the singles, 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer finished fourth at Sydney 2000, lost in the second round at Athens 2004 and reached the quarter-finals in Beijing.

"I've been debating with my team for a few weeks now, months actually, what I should do in the summer after Wimbledon and before the US Open," added Federer, ranked third in the world.

"I carried the flag twice for Switzerland in Athens and Beijing, I've got a gold and a silver, and I would love to play again, so I'm very excited."

Dan Evans celebrated becoming the British number one with a hard-fought win over Australian Bernard Tomic at the Stockholm Open.

Evans, 29, replaced Kyle Edmund as the nation's leading men's player earlier on Monday, 18 months after being unranked following a drugs ban.

He marked becoming the 13th man to achieve the feat with a 6-4 1-6 6-3 win over former world number 17 Tomic.

Eighth seed Evans faces Norway's Casper Ruud or Serb Filip Krajinovic next.