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World Cup qualifier..Tajikistan 0-3 Australia

Socceroos stand-in captain Tim Cahill scored two late goals to seal a 3-0 win for the Socceroos in their World Cup qualifier against Tajikistan in Dushanbe on Tuesday.

The reigning Asian champions maintained their perfect start to the qualifying campaign to remain at the top of Group B with their third win in as many matches.

But they had to work much harder than expected against a stubborn Tajikistan team - ranked 158th in the world - that kept their visitors from scoring in the first half.

Australia's head coach Ange Postecoglou made three changes from the side that smashed Bangladesh 5-0 last week, including bringing in Cahill, who took over as skipper for the injured Mile Jedinak, but the Socceroos struggled to settle into a rhythm.

Aaron Mooy hit the crossbar five minutes into the second half and it was not until the 57th minute that the Australians finally scored, with Mark Milligan combining with Mooy to break the deadlock.

Cahill, already Australia's all-time leading scorer, made the result safe with his 40th international goal in the 73rd minute before completing a brace with a header into the top corner in stoppage time.

Australia lead Group B with nine points from three matches, followed by Jordan (seven), Kyrgyzstan (four), then Tajikistan and Bangladesh with one apiece.

US Open: Andy Murray crashes out to unknown Kevin Anderson

Andy Murray will have to wait until next year for another crack at a Grand Slam.

Suffering an ignominious defeat to South African Kevin Anderson in four sets, Murray looked frustrated and often powerless against a non-household name playing out of his skin.

Anderson took the game 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.

Murray, the World No. 3, complained to himself and the umpire repeatedly -- often in expletive-laden tirades caught on camera -- about everything from perceived game delays by Anderson to line calls.

The truth is, it just wasn't his day.

Going into the match, the 29-year-old Anderson was an unlikely candidate to dominate a former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion.

In his ninth year on the pro circuit, Anderson has had only three tour victories to his name and never advanced beyond the fourth round at a Grand Slam.

But the 6'8" Johannesburg native was a force throughout the match, battling nerves only occasionally. He was broken early in the third set before losing it on a tiebreak, before coming back with an assured performance in the fourth set.

Anderson played aggressively and took chances, pouring 25 aces past a sometimes helpless Murray, who was denied a 20th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal run.

He hit 81 winners during the match against Murray's 49, and rushed the net 58 times versus 24 approaches for Murray. In fact, Anderson has been the most prolific net player in the entire U.S. Open, often displaying a graceful touch belying his giant frame.

"I'm a little lost for words right now. I was just trying to keep my composure against Andy, and I honestly played one of the best matches of my life," said Anderson, who clinched the fourth set tiebreak to win.

"He's such a fighter, and such an amazing player, I knew I had to try my best and just stick with it," he said.

Federer raises game to down Isner

World No. 2 Roger Federer faced No. 13 seed John Isner in the late match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, ultimately handling the big American's serve in three tight sets, winning the match 7-6, 7-6, 7-5. The Swiss player made his way to the quarterfinals for the 11th time with a vintage Federer performance, keeping alive his hopes of raising the trophy at Flushing Meadows for a sixth time.

Federer kept his nerve throughout, not losing his serve to Isner once. For his part, Isner fought back gamely, only losing his serve once at the very end, and taking nine break points away from the winner. However, he was not able to match his 2011 U.S. Open-best quarterfinal result.

Obviously John has one of the best serves in the game," Federer said after the win. "You just gotta hang around and make sure you don't drop your serve."

The 34-year-old, 17-time Grand Slam men's singles champion has been on form throughout the summer, climbing back up the rankings to breathe down world number one Novak Djokovic. He's next set to play 12 seed Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals.

Missing shoes

Temperatures soared once again on the hard courts of Flushing Meadow in a competitive, and sometimes quirky, eighth day of action at the U.S. Open.

French Open champion Stan Wawrinka took four sets to cruise past American upstart Donald Young, in a match that saw a bizarre build-up.

Young -- who had battled back from two sets down in his previous two matches at the Open -- had his locker mistakenly cleared out the day before the match, leaving him scrambling to find equipment until shortly before the match.

"Unfortunately, I came to the locker room yesterday and I opened it up and it was clean," said Young, a former junior World No 1. "Like a couple shirts missing, all my shoes were gone, and apparently someone said I was out of the tournament, so the guys thought I went home. They were taking some souvenirs."

Young showed some signs of life, taking the second set from Warwinka 6-1, before dropping the third and fourth sets.

Warwinka will face Anderson in an intriguing quarterfinal matchup.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who opened play in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, took just under one hour to knock out her fourth round opponent American Varvara Lepchenko, in straight sets.

Severe heat

Twentieth seed Azarenka will face Simona Halep, the No. 2 seed from Romania, in the quarterfinal. Halep defeated power-serving German Sabine Lisicki in a tense three-setter which saw a 10-minute heat break between the second and third sets.

Halep was quick to point out that it was her opponent who called for a break, although she certainly didn't mind the breather. The temperature in New York -- which consistently topped 32?C (90?F) last week -- touched 33?C (92?F) on Monday.

"I was fighting till the end. I did everything I could to win the match," said Halep, who, though visibly elated, added that she had a mixed doubles match scheduled for later in the day. "I'm tired, I can say."

The first round of this year's U.S. Open witnessed a record 12 withdrawals, reigniting speculation that hard courts are more punishing on tennis players than clay and grass surfaces.

A leading sports physicist claimed before Wimbledon that grass was significantly cooler than hard courts on a hot day, which -- along with less grip on the surface -- explained the relatively low number of Wimbledon withdrawals versus those in the U.S. Open and the Australian Open over the years.

"On a hot day like 40?C (104?F), the temperature on the court itself can be 60?C (140?F). If you took your shoes off you'd actually burn the skin off your feet," said Professor Rod Cross from Sydney University. "That's physically exhausting and I think it's crazy to have courts that are so hot."

Last week, American Jack Sock fainted on the court, leading to a forfeiture of his second round match.

New Yorkers are expected to face more warm weather on Tuesday before temperatures cool off over the rest of the week.

Serena slam

Meanwhile, another Grand Slam chapter of the somewhat lacklustre head-to head series of Williams sisters battles is set to take place in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday.

Serena Williams will face her sister, No. 23 seed Venus Williams, in a rematch of their fourth round match at Wimbledon. Serena won that match 6-4 6-3, on her way to winning her sixth Wimbledon title.

Serena is vying for her first career calendar Grand Slam, having won all three of the previous majors in 2015. No female player has achieved the feat since Steffi Graf in 1988.

Germany.Portugal on verge of Euro 2016

World champions Germany kept hold of top spot in Group D and moved to the verge of Euro 2016 qualification with a 3-2 defeat of a spirited Scotland side at Hampden on Monday.

Thomas Muller, who grabbed a double in the corresponding fixture in Dortmund last year, opened the scoring in the 18th minute.

In full flow the Germans appeared unplayable as Scotland struggled for possession, yet Gordon Strachan's side grabbed a 27th minute equaliser as the usually reliable Manuel Neuer's attempted clearance of Shaun Maloney's free-kick bounced in off defender Mats Hummels.

Muller headed Germany back in front seven minutes later before James McArthur restored parity for a second time with a sensational strike in the 43rd minute.

Bayern Munich star Muller then turned provider for Ilkay Gundogan to put Germany ahead for the third time in the 54th minute.

Scotland now face a mammoth task to even claim a play-off place as they trail third-placed Ireland, who defeated Georgia 1-0, by four points with two games remaining. Poland's 8-1 demolition of Gibraltar kept the Poles two points behind Germany in second.

Meanwhile Kyle Lafferty's priceless late equaliser kept Northern Ireland within touching distance of an historic berth at the finals as the 10-man hosts rescued a 1-1 draw against Hungary on Monday.

While a victory at Windsor Park could have guaranteed them their first finals spot after 13 attempts, the late goal ensured they avoid a potentially fatal defeat.

Their berth in next year's finals in France looked in jeopardy after Michael McGovern's failure to hold a routine free-kick allowed Hungary's Richard Guzmics to put Hungary ahead with 16 minutes remaining.

To make matters worse for the Irish, Chris Baird was sent off in the closing stages.

But, displaying the tenacious spirit that has fuelled their unexpected Group F challenge, Ireland equalised deep into stoppage-time through Norwich striker Lafferty's seventh goal of the qualifying campaign.

The late strike means Ireland will qualify for a first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup if they beat lowly Greece at home in their next match on October 8.

Portugal also went a step closer to booking their tickets to France next year after midfielder Miguel Veloso scored in injury time to snatch a 1-0 away win against Albania.

Both teams had hit the woodwork before Veloso headed in Ricardo Quaresma's pass for the late winner.

Elsewhere, Denmark was stymied at Armenia for a second 0-0 draw in four days.

Portugal increased its lead of Group I to 15 points. Denmark has 12 while Albania has 11, but both Portugal and Albania have a game in hand.

The top two teams earn berths to the 2016 tournament in France.

In Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaide Matuidi continued his scoring form with two goals as European Championship host France beat Serbia 2-1 in a friendly match on Monday.

With Karim Benzema on the bench, Arsenal's Olivier Giroud got a rare start in attack flanked by Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and Lyon's Mathieu Valbuena, who scored the winner from a free kick in Friday's 1-0 win at Portugal.

Although Griezmann kept the French attack ticking all game with his tricky feet and smart runs, Matuidi stole the show with a well-taken downward header from Bacary Sagna's ninth-minute cross and then a blistering volley midway through the first half.

Matuidi has netted twice in four league games for league leader PSG this season.

Germany reach top of Euro 2016 qualifying group with win over Poland

Striker Mario Goetze scored twice to seal Germany's 3-1 win over Poland as the world champions avenged last year's away defeat to move top of Euro 2016's Group D qualifying group.

Having lost the corresponding fixture 2-0 in Warsaw last October - Germany's first defeat to their neighbours in 19 matches - the world champions gained sweet revenge by knocking Adam Nawalka's Poland off the summit.

It was Poland's first defeat in seven Euro 2016 qualifiers and this was an impressive display from the Germans after several below-par performances last season.

All four goals came from Bayern Munich players as Thomas Mueller gave Germany an early lead, then Goetze made it 2-0 before Poland captain Robert Lewandowski pulled one back with a diving header as it finished 2-1 at the break.

Mueller and Goetze then combined for Germany's third on 82 minutes to kill off hopes of a late Poland equaliser.

Georgia's 1-0 home win over Scotland, who Germany play in Glasgow on Monday, and Ireland's 4-0 thumping of minnows Gibraltar means Germany are top with 16 points with Poland now second on 14 while Ireland go third with 12, one ahead of the Scots.

Poland host Gibraltar in Warsaw on Monday having routed the part-timers 7-0 away last year.

Germany coach Joachim Loew sprang a surprise before kick-off by naming Liverpool midfielder Emre Can at right-back to give the 21-year-old his debut.

The game started at a high-paced tempo in Frankfurt and Germany scored off their first clear chance.

A superb exchange of passes with Karim Bellarabi put Cologne left-back Jonas Hector in behind the defence and he squared for Mueller to fire home on 12 minutes.

The hosts doubled their lead six minutes later when World Cup final winner Goetze cut in from the left and unleashed a fierce drive, which gave Poland's Swansea City goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski little chance just inside the near post.

Poland were rewarded for a sustained period of pressure when left winger Kamil Grosicki powered down the left wing, with Can out of position, curled in a superb cross and Lewandowski powered the ball home with a superb diving header on 36 minutes.

It was his eighth goal in Poland's qualifying campaign.

The manner in which Lewandowski hastily gathered the ball from the net, punching the air with delighted, sent a clear message that Germany had a fight on their hands.

Early in the first half, Loew brought on Ilkay Gundogan for Bellarabi, who provided a superb pass to Goetze and the Bayern man hit the post on 57 minutes.

At the other end, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had his hands full keeping Lewandowski and his forward partner Arkadiusz Milik quiet.

The pair have scored 12 of their side's 21 goals in their qualifying campaign.

Germany settled the matter when Mueller's fierce drive bounced off Fabianski's legs and Goetze tucked away the rebound.

Greece still bottom after Finland defeat

Finland punished Greece with their only serious effort of the game to maintain the hosts' miserable home form in Group F which leaves them adrift at the foot of the section.

With both teams under new coaches for the first time it was little surprise that free-flowing football was in short supply. The hosts displayed more industry only to be stymied by wayward finishing and were made to pay with 15 minutes left as Joel Pohjanpalo crashed a winner into the top corner with Finland's only real sight of goal.

Greece had failed to score in any of their three of their previous home games in Group F – all ending in defeat – and though they displayed plenty of intent in the first 45 minutes, it was clear why their goal tally stood at zero. Kyriakos Papadopoulos twice headed set pieces wide, No10 Kostas Fortounis sent a pair of efforts off target while Kostas Mitroglou was unable to test Lukas Hradecky from outside the area. The Finnish No1 was eventually called into action but Nikos Karelis' stinging drive was straight at him.

The story barely changed in the second period as Finland rarely ventured out of their own half. Their goal was rarely threatened, however, as the Greek finishing continued to be wayward. Karelis spectacularly blazed a dropping ball high into the stands, setting the example for José Holebas and Andreas Samaris to flash equally wild drives off target from outside the area.

It was almost inevitable that the home side would be made to pay, and so it prevailed in the 75th minute. On a very rare charge upfield Berat Sadik's shot was blocked and the ball rolled into the path of fellow substitute Pohjanpalo who smashed into the top corner to leave Greece bottom of the section, four points adrift.

South Melbourne Hellas to play Pagyprios Bentleigh Greens in Grand Final

South Melbourne Hellas will play Pagyprios  Bentleigh Greens in the National Premier League  Victoria Grand Final at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday, September 13, 2015.

Hellas won its semi-final against Pascoe Vale 3-2 after extra time on Friday night, while Pagyprios won the other semi-final 2-0 against Hume City.

Semi-Final Results

- South Melbourne Hellas 3 (Adams 39' Kecojevic 105+2' Eagar 119') Pascoe Vale 2 (Van 't Schip 73' 99')
Pagyprios  Bentleigh Greens 2 (Wallace 57' Lucas 83') Hume City 0

PS4 NPL Victoria Grand Final details

Sunday September 13, 2015South Melbourne Hellas  v Pagyprios  Bentleigh Greens3:00pm, Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne
Broadcast: Live stream on FFV Team App - CLICK HERE for details
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria #SMvBG #PS4NPLVIC

If level at full time, the match will go to two 15-minute halves of extra time. If level after extra time, matches will be decided by penalty shoot-out.