HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, Belgium – Thomas Ferrando claimed his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ELITE 1 victory Saturday at Circuit Zolder by leading all 18 laps.

The Frenchman edged Marc Goossens and Stienes Longin. Title contender Nicolo Rocca was involved in a multi-car crash at the start and had to retire, while points leader Loris Hezemans ended up fifth and put his hands on the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ELITE 1 title.

The first corner of the ELITE 1 race at Circuit Zolder turned out to be a crucial moment in the season. A incident involving several cars sent Iannetta, Gabillon and Longin spinning, while other cars were collected in the crash. Ander Vilarino had no chance to dodge Rocca and crashed into his back bumper. The Italian had to retire without completing a lap and saw his title hopes crushed in a matter of seconds.

After the restart with 12 laps to go, Ferrando and Goossens battled for the lead ahead of Longin. While Ferrando grabbed his first ever ELITE 1 division win by .128 seconds, returning to victory lane for the first time since clinching the ELITE 2 title back in 2017, Longin didn’t manage to overtake Goossens for second place. The Frenchman also topped the Junior Trophy classification.

“This was an amazing job done by the CAAL Racing guys, because the car had a problem the ELITE 2 Division qualifying and they fixed in a very short time,” said 22-year-old Ferrando. “It was a great race and I hoped to have Fred [Gabillon] with me on the podium. Maybe we will see this tomorrow. I’m really happy and I thank everyone in my team and my sponsor Knauf. It’s so awesome to win my first ever ELITE 1 division race.”

Ferrando is the second former ELITE 2 champion to win a race in the top NASCAR Whelen Euro Series division after Giamarco Ercoli’s win at Brands Hatch in 2018. The Italian ended up fourth overall and second in the Junior Trophy classification.

Hezemans took no risks and managed to stay out of trouble all race long. The Dutchman finished fifth overall and third in the Junior Trophy classification, coming one fundamental step closer to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series title.

“Tomorrow it’s all about finishing the race,” said Hezemans after the race. “I have a pretty good gap right now, but it’s important to see that checkered flag. My goal is to finish somewhere where I start. Even if I lose some positions it doesn’t matter. It’s all about winning the title tomorrow, but it seems that the conditions will not be easy as there is a lot of rain in the forecast!”

Dario Caso grabbed the Challenger Trophy win ahead of points leader Henri Tuomaala, who suffered heavy damage in the first lap crash.

With the fastest lap in Saturday’s race, Jacques Villeneuve earned himself the pole position for Sunday’s last race of the season. The Canadian will start alongside Alon Day on the first row of the grid.

Tottenham Hotspur's misery on the road continued as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against an excellent Brighton & Hove Albion side, while the serious looking injury to Hugo Lloris after three minutes made a bad day even worse.

Positives

A half-time switch to a three-man defence alleviated some of the pressure from a haggard Tottenham defence, but it was too little, too late.

Negatives

Lloris' early error to gift Brighton their first goal was compounded by what looks like a nasty arm injury that will keep him out for a while. Meanwhile, there was an alarming lack of intensity from a Spurs side that just don't look happy at the moment, and the central defensive partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld is looking a real weak spot.

Manager rating out of 10

5 -- It was a poor decision from Mauricio Pochettino to leave Harry Winks on the bench against a side that likes to dominate the ball, and his absence led to a lack of cohesion in the Spurs midfield which encouraged Brighton to pour forward. Tough decisions need to be made if the Argentine is to clean up a messy defence.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK: Hugo Lloris, NR -- Committed an absolute howler as he dropped an awkward cross at the feet of Neal Maupay to nod home an early opener, but was only on the pitch for three minutes after landing badly on his arm so it's unfair to give him a rating. After he was stretchered off, he was replaced by Paulo Gazzaniga.

DF: Ben Davies, 5 -- The Welshman will be disappointed he was beaten to the ball by Aaron Connolly on two occasions for Brighton's second, and failed to get forward enough to support an attack that looked isolated.

DF: Jan Vertonghen, 5 -- Picked up a shiner following a nasty clash of heads with Brighton goal scorer Maupay, and had a tough time dealing with the quick movement of the Seagulls' frontline.

DF: Toby Alderweireld, 4 -- Along with Vertonghen, the Belgian struggled aerially against the much smaller Brighton forwards, and had his fair share of awkward moments in possession. Beaten way too easily by Connolly as the Irishman cut inside before stroking the ball home for 3-0.

DF: Moussa Sissoko, 5 -- Lack of pressure on the Brighton cross resulted in their second goal, and the stand-in right-back looked much more comfortable when venturing into the opposition half rather than when he was trying to defend his own box.

MF: Eric Dier, 4 -- Completely overwhelmed by the intense Brighton press, and couldn't get a foothold in the game. Fortunate to only be booked for an elbow on Brighton's Connolly at the start of the second half.

MF: Tanguy Ndombele, 5 -- One of the few Spurs players who showed some fight but did little to help his side when out of possession, and was taken off for Harry Winks at half-time.

MF: Christian Eriksen, 5 -- Registered his side's first shot on goal after 25 minutes when he fired straight at Mat Ryan in the Brighton goal, but the Dane is playing like a man who reckons his future is elsewhere.

MF: Erik Lamela, 5 -- A disappointing showing as the Spurs' frontline failed to lay a hand on their excellent opponents. Needs to be more incisive if he wants to keep Dele Alli and Lucas Moura (who were benched) out of the team.

MF: Son Heung-Min, 5 -- Feeding off scraps as Spurs looked to counter, and failed to make the most of a couple of promising positions when he had options either side of him. Should have hit the target but kicked at fresh air rather then the ball from six yards out, and was replaced by Lucas Moura for the final 18 minutes.

FW: Harry Kane, 5 -- Struggled to get himself in the game against a high-energy Brighton side. An impossible job for the Spurs No. 10 when service is this poor, but should have done better when he skewed high and wide from 10 yards out in the final 20 minutes.

Substitutes

Paulo Gazzaniga, 5 -- Pressed into action off the bench after three minutes, he made a good save from point blank range to deny Connolly but could do nothing about the follow up to make it 2-0 just after the half-hour.

Harry Winks, 5 -- Brought on to give Spurs some composure in the heart of the midfield but he too was guilty of loose passing.

Lucas Moura, N/A -- The game was long gone by the time the Brazilian arrived, but he was more threatening in his short time on the pitch than the rest of his team combined.

Toss: Pakistan opt to bowl v Sri Lanka

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl in the first of three T20Is against Sri Lanka.

Nineteen-year-old fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain was set for his second T20I, beating left-armers Usman Shinwari and Wahab Riaz to a place in the starting XI. Allrounder Faheem Ashraf, opener Ahmed Shehzad, and batsman Umar Akmal were also picked, while Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail missed out.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have two T20 debutants. Wicketkeeper-batsman Minod Bhanuka, who had made his ODI debut on Wednesday, is in a T20I XI for the first time, while batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa will play his first international of any variety.

Kasun Rajitha and Nuwan Pradeep made up the frontline seam-bowling options, while in Lakshan Sandakan and Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka had wristspinners who could spin the ball in either direction.

Pakistan: 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Sri Lanka: 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 5 Shehan Jayasuriya, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Whatever happens on the final day of the Vizag Test, there is one thing South Africa will not be complaining about. The pitch.

After the raging turners of 2015, which saw only one of the three non-rain affected Tests go into a fourth day, the visitors have been pleasantly surprised with the surface so far and as a result, are hopeful they can add to their history of hard-fought draws.

"The last time we came here, the wickets were a lot worse," Vernon Philander said at the press conference. "But you can still bat on there. Their batters showed it today. Guys have to get in. Hopefully two guys can get in and can get big hundreds for us."

While there is ample evidence of uneven bounce and further deterioration, which will bring India's spinners into play, Philander's optimism is not entirely deluded (or it may be PR nonsense). South Africa, and in particular their captain Faf du Plessis, thrive in this kind of scrap. They batted out 148 overs to draw the 2012 Test in Adelaide, 136 overs to share spoils with India at the Wanderers in 2013 and 111 to deny Sri Lanka victory in Colombo in 2014. At Vizag, they 'only' need to last 98 overs.

Recently retired Hashim Amla, who is now an analyst for the broadcaster SuperSport, said he had "strong belief" that South Africa could hold out, provided they approach it in the right way. Amla's broad-brush advice was to have the common goal of surviving 98 overs but to leave it up to individual batsmen to decide how they would go about it.

ALSO READ: Dean Elgar to Keshav Maharaj, 10 seriously underrated cricketers

When asked what he would do personally, Amla said, "I would try and block every ball dead." He did just that five years ago at the SSC, absorbing 171 balls for 25 runs to ensure a 1-0 series victory. Amla said strike rotation did not even come into consideration because all he sought to do was "minimise the risk of getting out". He added that even someone like AB de Villiers, who has "every shot in the book," went into a super-defensive bubble when trying to play for the draw but also acknowledged that not all players would be able to maintain such stoicism.

Though Dean Elgar has been dismissed, Amla used the opener as an example for how South Africa's batsmen should approach the final day's play tomorrow. "He might hit one or two over the top, to get a man sent back and then there are not so many fielders in his space," Amla said, indicating how the score could still tick over even when accumulating runs was not the primary objective.

"I would try and block every ball dead" Amla's gameplan to draw the Vizag Test

Quinton de Kock is a player who may look to be more aggressive than Amla may like but that could work to his, and South Africa's advantage. So too, could the team composition. South Africa bat competently all the way to No.11, where Kagiso Rabada has proven he is no bunny. That, however, may be the only benefit of leaving wicket-takers like Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje on the bench and South Africa will still have to address whether they went into this Test with their best XI, considering how Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy have struggled to make an impact.

Philander defended his team-mates, saying South Africa were simply outplayed by quality batsmen. "The seamers have only taken four wickets for both teams. You can say it this way or that way but I think three spinners was the right call to have made. They have played our spinners really well and credit to them."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Buffalo Bills announced Saturday morning that quarterback Josh Allen has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Allen suffered a concussion on a hit to the helmet during the Bills' Week 4 loss to the New England Patriots. He participated in non-contract drills throughout the week before turning in a full practice Friday.

Buffalo released offensive lineman Conor McDermott on Thursday, prompting speculation that the team would add a quarterback to its 53-man roster before Sunday's game. Allen's clearance from concussion protocol likely means that final roster spot will be used on another position.

The Bills announced that safety Dean Marlowe and fullback Pat DiMarco also cleared protocol and will be available Sunday.

South Africa 431 (Elgar 160, de Kock 111, Ashwin 7-145) and 11 for 1 trail India 502 for 7d and 323 for 4d (Rohit 127, Pujara 81, Maharaj 2-129) by 384 runs

In his second innings as opener, Rohit Sharma scored a century even better than in the first to set up a declaration for India with a day and 13 possible overs to go. In the nine overs before bad light brought a premature end to play on the fourth day, Ravindra Jadeja removed the first-innings centurion Dean Elgar.

Rohit's was another six-filled innings but on a worn-out surface with the ball beginning to rag. A strike rate of 85.23 on day four was truly exceptional, and just what India needed after South Africa had kept them in the field for far longer than they would have liked to.

It is hard to believe, but for a session and a third, it all seemed to be going to plan for South Africa. Starting the day 117 behind, they had a sticky last-wicket stand of 35 and also kept India's scoring in check. It took India two hours and 27 minutes of play to get back to a lead of 117. Philander had bowled a spell of 4-3-2-0, Maharaj has taken a wicket, and Rabada kept asking questions. While Rohit had managed to hit three sixes, rotating the strike had been difficult and the scoring rate hovered around two.

It was an interesting time in India's innings. It might seem ridiculous after the later onslaught, but there was a brief period when India needed to make sure they didn't collapse and allowed South Africa hopes of winning the Test. Pujara was cautious to begin with; when he began to look for runs, he found that the pitch was not easy right now to manipulate gaps. He kept skipping down the pitch, but he kept finding fielders on the leg side. An outside edge off Piedt went down, but so big was the deflection that to call it a chance would be cruel on Quinton de Kock.

Two overs before a drinks break, gloves came out for Pujara. Rohit berated him for lack of urgency in running. You could feel there was pressure building on Pujara. He still kept finding the fielders. You wondered if he would finally try to loft the ball. He skipped down to Piedt again, was beaten in the air - a rare occurrence - and then managed to get a thin inside edge to beat de Kock and get four runs. After that, as if magically, the ball began to find gaps.

Pujara was 8 off 62 before this, and India 64 for 1 in the 28th over. The flood gates opened so dramatically that he had hit four fours in seven balls. All along the ground. In the extended middle session, he went past Rohit's score and also his boundary count. The only time he hit in the air, though, was when spinners bowled long hops, and he put them both several rows back in the stands.

Rohit's six-hitting at the other end was something else. Except for one, his 10th of the match that landed in long-on's hands but Senuram Muthusamy's foot just flicked the rope before he did the release-and-step-out trick, all of Rohit's sixes were regal languid hits. It was contagious with Jadeja hitting three in 32 balls, and Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane landing one each of their own. India hit 27 sixes in the match, five more than any team has ever hit in a Test; the overall tally of 34 sin the match was one short of the record.

Pujara once again got a beauty from Philander to be dismissed lbw by a straight ball that seamed away, but by then he and Rohit had put India on the path to domination again. The torment, though, was to continue. India promoted Jadeja possibly to get a right-left combination going, but he didn't have to worry about picking up the scoring rare because Rohit gave already high rate a boost by hitting Piedt for three consecutive sixes.

By the time Rohit missed once, South Africa had been beaten into submission and they chased after him to congratulate on his superb effort: more runs and more centuries in a match than anyone opening for the first time.

After some more fun - it was arguable India enjoyed themselves for a bit too long keeping in mind there could be some rain on the final day - Kohli asked South Africa to enter the cauldron again. India were not allowed to use fast bowlers because of the light, but it wasn't a blow to them. Spinners would have done the bulk of the bowling anyway. Before stumps, Jadeja trapped Elgar in front, but before that he had to convince his captain to go for a review.

Having worked hard with the bat on day three, having batted out 131.2 overs, South Africa's batsmen will be filthy with their spinners for having put them in such a situation yet again.

HOUSTON -- First basemen across the American League couldn't believe what they were hearing this summer as the Houston Astros cruised toward the MLB playoffs. Jose Altuve, one of the great hitters of his generation -- of any generation -- would rap a single and cruise around the bag. As the ball made its way back to the pitcher, Altuve would strike up a conversation that left myriad first basemen incredulous.

"It's really good to be here," he told one.

"I'm getting old, papi," he told another.

Altuve, 29, wasn't sandbagging. This is how he thinks. Perpetually pessimistic, professionally defeatist, Altuve believed -- truly, honestly, earnestly believed -- that even in the midst of another brilliant year, he was ever teetering, on the cusp of losing his swing.

He wasn't. Altuve is an expert Weeble: prone to a wobble, never falling down. He reinforced this reality Friday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, hammering a two-run home run on a chest-high, 98 mph fastball from Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow and igniting the Astros' offense in a 6-2 victory in the best-of-five series.

Every player develops a process to cope with the vagaries of a game in which failure is omnipresent, circling like a vulture, though Altuve's verges on excessive. Years of excellence, of 200-hit seasons and batting titles and ownership of pitchers around the game, disappear as though the sum of his experience is a Thanos finger snap away from being replaced by doubt, worry, fear, a witch's brew of ruin.

"Especially this year," Altuve told ESPN following Game 1. "We all know how I started the season. Every time I got on base, I told the first baseman I'm really happy I'm here and that I got a hit."

The first basemen rolled their eyes, shook their heads and thought to themselves: If Jose Altuve thinks he's awful, I'd hate to know what he thinks of me. Of course, they're used to it. The first-base bag is baseball's psychologist's couch, a place where one's deepest and darkest feelings of self-doubt reveal themselves. Manny Ramirez, one of the most talented right-handed hitters ever, constantly unburdened himself there. Once, a longtime first baseman said, Ramirez arrived at the bag and let out a deep breath.

"I thought I lost my hands," Ramirez said.

Later in the game, he made his way to first again.

"I think I found 'em," Ramirez said.

Another single later, he was certain.

"I found 'em," Ramirez said. "They were in Australia."

Wherever Altuve thought he left his swing, he has found it at the right time. It's not that the Astros need him to be classic Jose Altuve to win, of course; their lineup is as deep as it is dangerous. Still, Glasnow had twirled four delightful innings, vacillating between his frightening fastball and hammer curve to great effect.

Altuve feebly flied out to right in his first at-bat and popped out to shortstop in his second. In the bottom of the fifth, with Astros starter Justin Verlander matching Glasnow zero for zero, Altuve fouled off a first-pitch fastball and took a second for a ball. Glasnow went back to the fastball a third time and executed the exact pitch he wanted: top of the strike zone, 98 with cut, the sort of pitch through which lesser hitters swing.

"But it's Jose Altuve," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

It was, Altuve said, "the only good swing of the game I had." He picked the right time to unleash it and send the crowd of 43,360 at Minute Maid Park into a tizzy. The ball skied toward the Crawford Boxes in left field for his ninth career playoff home run and fifth in ALDS Game 1s, following three in 2017 and another last year. Whatever Altuve's doubts were midseason, he came into Game 1 feeling better about himself, telling shortstop Carlos Correa that he expected to homer Friday because he always does in the first game of the postseason.

This herculean version of Altuve isn't exactly shocking. Coming off right knee surgery in the offseason, Altuve struggled to find a rhythm through the season's first six weeks and hit the injured list because of a strained left hamstring. Lower-body weakness plagued him and sidelined Altuve for more than five weeks. Upon his return, he looked like classic Altuve, and after the All-Star break he morphed into something entirely different: a dangerous power hitter again, with 21 home runs in 68 games and a .622 slugging percentage.

"My confidence is back right now," he said. "I finished the second half strong. I played the way I play."

Which includes the requisite insecurity. In a lineup with MVP candidate Alex Bregman and arguably the best hitter in the AL this year, Yordan Alvarez, not to mention George Springer and Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel and Correa, it's easy to engage in a bit of comparative self-loathing.

"Every day," Astros outfielder Josh Reddick said. "He could be player of the week, 10 for his last 12, go 0-for-3 in a game, get an infield single in the eighth and look at me and go, 'Papi, I needed that.' No, you didn't. You didn't need that. I mean, we need every one of 'em, but you? You don't need that."

Both Altuve and the Astros needed it in Game 1. The home run chased Glasnow and gave Verlander, who threw seven one-hit innings, enough of a cushion until the rest of the lineup woke up. It served as a reminder, too, that for all of the depth in the Astros' lineup, Altuve -- who wound up hitting .298/.353/.550 with a career-best 31 home runs -- remains an integral cog in their offensive machine.

"It's hard for Jose Altuve to be underrated, given that he's got hardware," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "He's got an MVP. He's got batting titles. He's got a ring. He's got Silver Sluggers for every family member. He's got a Gold Glove. He's done almost everything you can in the game. But he had an underrated year."

He'll take that. What makes these Astros so great, Altuve said, is that amid their individual brilliance, the focus is on the team making its 2017 championship the beginning of something dynastic and not just a one-off. Altuve will forever be at the apex of that season's highlight reel, scooping up a ground ball and firing to first for the final out of the World Series. It was poetic, the guy who weathered three 100-plus-loss seasons putting the bow on a rebuild gone so right.

Altuve is still here, still one of the Astros' key players, still their heartbeat. Someday, he's going to slow down. The hits will come less frequently. The triumphs will be fewer and farther between. For now, though, any talk of that isn't just premature but laughable. Sorry, pitchers: Jose Altuve has found his hands. They weren't in Australia, either. They were there the whole time.