Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano has been banned for one game for unsporting behaviour during a Champions League match against Nordsjaelland last week, Uefa said. The Brazilian scored a goal as his team tried to play the ball back to the Danish side's goalkeeper following an injury to a Nordsjaelland player. "Luiz Adriano had been charged with violation of the principles of conduct," said Uefa. Shakhtar said in a statement that they backed the decision and were deeply disappointed by the incident. "Shakhtar Donetsk strongly believes that fair play is a fundamental part of football," the club said. Reuters

Harry Redknapp declared himself pleased with a point as his first match as Queens Park Rangers manager saw the Premier League basement club draw 0-0 at fellow strugglers Sunderland. It was QPR's first point since they drew 1-1 with Reading on November 4, but the result meant the west London club, who last week sacked Mark Hughes as their manager, remained bottom of the table. "We worked hard and we deserved a point tonight," said Redknapp. "We defended well and denied them chances. I feel more optimistic tonight than on Saturday [when QPR lost 3-1 to Manchester United]. I saw enough tonight to think we can go on a small run and keep ourselves in the pack." Meanwhile under-pressure Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert - who for the second match in a row did not even have club record-signing Darren Bent on the bench, let alone in the starting line-up - was delighted with Christian Benteke's 80th minute header that secured a valuable 1-0 win over Reading. "Benteke's done fantastic for me. He was up against a big lad. It was a fantastic header." Lambert added: "Bent just has to play well and train well. He has a future, everybody has. Nothing against anybody in the club, but I've got 25 lads to look after. " The matches saw the Premier League welcome its 250 millionth fan through the turnstiles, over 20 years after it launched. AFP