Liverpool: 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Winners

Liverpool are champions of Europe for the sixth time after a 2-0 defeat of Premier League rivals Tottenham in Madrid.

The Reds' victory, courtesy of a Mohamed Salah penalty awarded in the first minute and converted in the second, plus a late Divock Origi effort, not only exorcises the demons of last season's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in Kyiv but also ends Jürgen Klopp's run of six successive club final defeats.


It gets sweeter still for Salah. His delight – or was it relief? – at converting from the spot after Moussa Sissoko was penalised for handball after just 24 seconds was no doubt magnified by the fact he was forced off injured in the Ukrainian capital last year.

Salah's strike was not the start of a customary deluge from Liverpool, though, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson going closest to doubling their lead with shots from distance later in the half. Heung-Min Son twice ran in behind for Spurs, but the north London club failed to engineer any clear openings of their own.

Then, much like buses in the city they call home, three came along all at once; Dele Alli headed over, before Son and then Lucas Moura were denied by Alisson Becker. Substitute James Milner had gone close to adding to Liverpool's lead by that point, but it was left to fellow replacement Origi to finish the job with a precise low effort three minutes from time.

Man of the match: Virgil van Dijk
As commanding as he has been ever since moving to Anfield in January 2018; another colossal performance from the Dutchman. Thomas Schaaf, leader of the UEFA Technical Observers in Madrid, said: "Van Dijk showed outstanding leadership and was Liverpool's best defender. He made crucial interventions when needed and played with a cool head throughout."

View from the stadium
Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
This was far from vintage Liverpool, who struggled to keep possession for large periods of a nervous contest. Spurs, despite their best efforts, failed to capitalise on some promising situations in the final third as the Reds held their nerve to get over their 2018 heartbreak. A sixth European Cup is the least the club deserves after a quite remarkable campaign at home and on the continent.

Spurs will depart their first UEFA Champions League final perhaps harbouring a few regrets. Mauricio Pochettino's side were not quite as precise as usual against a Liverpool side that did its level best to disrupt the midfield. There were chances, but ultimately Spurs did not play with the freedom that has characterised what has nevertheless been a memorable run.

Reaction
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager
I don't want to explain why we won it; I only want to enjoy that we won it. We'll celebrate together, we'll have a sensational night. I feel mostly relief, relief for my family. The last six times we flew on holiday with only a silver medal it didn't feel too cool.

Jürgen Klopp on Liverpool's Madrid glory
We were all crying on the pitch because it means so much to us. It wasn't important for me to touch the cup; I loved seeing the boys having it and seeing some faces in the crowd. Going to Liverpool tomorrow with something to celebrate is big and I'm really looking forward to that.

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham manager
Now it's impossible to talk – we're all very disappointed, but I feel so proud of my players. Finals are about winning, not about playing well; it's not tactics. I want to congratulate Liverpool, Klopp, the players, the club and the fans because they've had an amazing season. They were fantastic. It's so painful, but we need to keep going.

Key stats
2: Salah's goal was the second fastest in a final after Paolo Maldini's effort 51 seconds into the 2005 decider.

5: A substitute has scored in five of the last six finals: Marcelo (2014), Yannick Carrasco (2016), Marco Asensio (2017), Gareth Bale (2018) and now Origi.

6: Liverpool's sixth European Cup means they go third on their own on the all-time honours board, behind only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (7).

6: Klopp's run of six successive final defeats, including three with Liverpool, stretched back to Borussia Dortmund's 2013 UEFA Champions League final loss to Bayern.

13: England now has 13 European Cups, clear in second place behind Spain (18) and ahead of Italy (12).

17: Klopp is the 17th coach to win the UEFA Champions League.

20: Of the 26 UEFA Champions League finals that have yielded a goal, 20 have been won by the team scoring first. Only 2003 ended goalless.

Ohio State: 2019 Rose Bowl Champions

PASADENA, Calif. -- Urban Meyer says he decided to end his remarkable coaching career at Ohio State partly because of the stress inherent in this high-intensity job.

After his Buckeyes blew most of a 25-point lead in the fourth quarter and had to recover a last-minute onside kick to win the Rose Bowl, anybody could understand why this 54-year-old coach can't wait to retire.

But the stress is over. Meyer is going out at the top of his profession. And for the first time, he is a Rose Bowl champion.

Dwayne Haskins passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns, and Meyer headed into retirement with a 28-23 victory after the fifth-ranked Buckeyes held off No. 9 Washington's thrilling comeback in the 105th Rose Bowl on Tuesday.

After the confetti flew in the north end zone, the Buckeyes gathered around Meyer for one last celebration of their coach. He is walking away after going 83-9 at Ohio State with one national championship, three Big Ten titles and this Rose Bowl victory, the Buckeyes' eighth overall in the Granddaddy of Them All.

"I'm a very blessed man," Meyer said. "I'm blessed because of my family, (but) this team, this year, I love this group as much as any I've ever had."

Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Rashod Berry caught TD passes in the first half for the Buckeyes (13-1), who took a 28-3 lead into the fourth and seemed to be cruising to a blowout.

But star running back Myles Gaskin threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two more scores for the Huskies (10-4), scoring from 2 yards out with 42 seconds left.

The Huskies got no closer, however. Defensive player of the game Brendon White intercepted Jake Browning's pass on the 2-point conversion attempt, and Dixon recovered Washington's onside kick.

"We're going down as one of three teams in Ohio State history to win 13 games," Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young said. "Legendary team. Legendary coach. We're all legendary right now."

Meyer cited his health last month in his decision to step down. A cyst in Meyer's brain causes severe headaches that are even worse for a man who says he gets not just nervous, but "deathly ill" before big games.

Meyer largely refused to reflect publicly on his career during the month since he announced his plans. After he shook Washington coach Chris Petersen's hand, raised the trophy and walked off the Rose Bowl turf, Meyer finally thought about the journey that brought him back to his home state for a stellar seven-year tenure capped by this late-breaking thriller.

"Every week, every yard, every down, when we recruited these players, I just wanted to make sure that we made the great state of Ohio proud," Meyer said. "And once again, we weren't perfect, but we did a lot of good things."

After Southern California's epic win over Penn State and Georgia's double-overtime thriller with Oklahoma over the past two years in Pasadena, the Rose Bowl got another matchup packed with late-game fireworks.

Browning passed for 313 yards and Gaskin rushed for 121 in the final game of the four-year starters' landmark careers at Washington, which has lost three straight New Year's Six bowl games.

But after three poor offensive quarters, the Pac-12 champions made it awfully interesting late. The Huskies racked up 170 yards of offense while making three strong drives in the fourth, but they had fallen too far behind in their first Rose Bowl game appearance in 18 years.

"It was too little, too late, but we're always going to keep swinging," Browning said. "That's how we are as a team. We're never out of it."

Petersen dropped to 1-4 in bowls during his otherwise remarkable tenure at Washington, including consecutive defeats in the Peach, Fiesta and Rose.

"Very frustrating when you start the first half like we started," Petersen said. "I have no idea why. It's on me. It's not these kids. ... We'll go back to the drawing board on how to prepare these guys better to come out of the gate a little bit faster. But I am proud of how hard these guys play, and I never doubt that."

While Petersen likely will get more chances for his first Rose Bowl win, Meyer insists his three-decade collegiate coaching career is over. After starting out as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, he has been a head coach since 2001, achieving huge success at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida before his stellar run in Columbus.

These Buckeyes are Meyer's eighth team to finish with one loss or fewer in his 17 seasons as a head coach.

"He's a really tough guy," said Ohio State running back Mike Weber, who rushed for 96 yards. "Sometimes you never really know what he's thinking. He really doesn't show a lot of emotion, but I felt him today. You could tell he was giving his all. It felt a little different."

Although Meyer's final season began with an embarrassing three-game suspension over his mismanagement of domestic abuse accusations against former assistant Zach Smith, he propelled the Buckeyes to another dominant regular season despite missing out on the College Football Playoff.

This game could be Haskins' farewell to Ohio State as well, if the sophomore goes pro. The offensive player of the game and Heisman Trophy finalist became the sixth FBS quarterback to throw 50 touchdown passes in a season while picking away at the vaunted Washington secondary minus injured Taylor Rapp, the second-team All-American safety.

Gaskin became the fourth running back in NCAA history with four 1,200-yard seasons during the third quarter, but Ohio State increased its lead with J.K. Dobbins' TD run.

The Huskies finally scored their first offensive touchdown since the Apple Cup when Gaskin threw a TD pass to Drew Sample with 12:17 to play.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ohio State: The offense did enough to win despite punting on five straight late drives. Fans can only wonder whether this bunch of Buckeyes would have done better than overmatched Notre Dame or Oklahoma in the playoff semifinals.

Washington: The defeat wrapped up an unimpressive Pac-12 football season. The Huskies were the class of the conference, and they showed tremendous heart in the fourth -- but they'll be frustrated with a campaign bookended by losses to national powers Auburn and Ohio State.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Ryan Day is now the 25th head coach in program history. Haskins could be the first quarterback drafted if he leaves, and he's just one key contributor who must be replaced. But Meyer has built a fierce machine in Columbus, and he seems certain Day is the man to drive it forward.

Washington: Replacing the most prolific quarterback and running back in program history isn't easy, but many Huskies fans are excited to see who's next. Petersen has built a powerhouse in Seattle, and Washington should be in position to contend for a trip to Pasadena almost every year.

Northwestern: 2018 Holiday Bowl Champions

SAN DIEGO -- A cold, hard rain in normally warm, dry San Diego made the Northwestern Wildcats feel right at home, especially as they enjoyed a downpour of Utah turnovers in the Holiday Bowl.

In a dizzying nine-minute stretch of the third quarter, the Wildcats turned three turnovers into 21 points to stun the No. 20 Utes 31-20 Monday night.

The highlight was Jared McGee's 82-yard fumble return for a touchdown, the middle turnover in the nightmarish stretch for Utah.

"Did I think we were going to be able to create that amount of turnovers?" coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "I love San Diego but man I love it when it rains on game day. That was sweet because I think it played a really big factor. It was raining a little bit harder coming out of halftime than it was before the half and I think that played a role in the game."

The Wildcats (9-5) scored 28 points total in the third quarter to win their third straight bowl game under Fitzgerald. The Green Bay Packers reportedly want to interview Fitzgerald for their head coaching job.

Fitzgerald credited the seniors for winning 36 games in four seasons and gushed about the program's future.

"They have set the bar now at a whole new level for our program and we couldn't be more excited about our future," he said.

Asked about his own future, he said: "Hashtag GoCats, man. I'm not going anywhere. This is home forever. Listen, these are my guys. ... I'm a Wildcat for life. I'm so thankful for these guys. ... We're just getting started."

Senior Clayton Thorson became the all-time leading passer for Northwestern, going 21 of 30 for 241 yards for 10,731 career yards. He broke Brett Basanez's school record of 10,580. Thorson threw for two touchdowns and was intercepted once in making his 53rd straight start for the Wildcats, the most by a quarterback in Big Ten history. He is the program's all-time winningest quarterback at 36-17. He was replaced after taking a hard shot midway through the fourth quarter, but came back in.

Utah (9-5) cruised to a 20-3 halftime lead behind redshirt freshman quarterback Jason Shelley before it all fell apart in the third quarter. Shelley had two interceptions and a fumble. Utah had four turnovers in the third quarter and five in the second half.

On the opening drive of the second half, Shelley threw the ball right to Northwestern's Blake Gallagher. Thorson's 52-yard pass to Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman set up his 4-yard scoring toss to Riley Lees.

"We talked at halftime about, get a stop, get a score, seize momentum," Fitzgerald said. "The credit goes to our guys. They were resilient all year. Today was indicative of our team."

The Utes had the ball first-and-goal at the 6 when Shelley rolled right, was hit from behind by Joe Gaziano and fumbled. McGee picked it up on the third bounce and ran down the sideline untouched for an 82-yard return that pulled the Wildcats to 20-17.

"I definitely can't take credit for anything that happened on that play other than running with the ball," McGee said.

The Utes advanced to the 30 and looked like they had enough for a first down on a catch by Jaylen Dixon, but he was stripped by Trae Williams. JR Pace recovered and returned it 34 yards. Two plays later, Northwestern took a 24-20 lead when Thorson threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior offensive lineman Trey Klock, a key player in goal line and short-yardage situations.

Northwestern added another touchdown in the third quarter when Lees scored from 8 yards out for a 31-20 lead.

Pace had a second interception in the third quarter, on a deflected pass.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said the second half was a nightmare.

"I've been coaching a long time and I don't think I've ever been a part of third quarter like that," he said. "We had complete control of the game at halftime and we came out in second half and proceded to turn the ball over five times. ... You turn the ball over like that and you win almost never."

Shelley was making his fourth start in place of Tyler Huntley, who broke his collarbone against Arizona State on Nov. 3. Also out were leading rusher Zack Moss, leading receiver Britain Covey and leading tackler Chase Hansen, a senior.

Shelley threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Dixon and a 4-yarder to tight end Jake Jackson, both in the first quarter.

Utah lost for the just the second time in its last 16 bowls dating to 1999. Whittingham's bowl record dropped to 11-2. He was trying to become the first to win the Holiday Bowl as a player and coach. He played in the first four Holiday Bowls with BYU, going 2-2. He was inducted into the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame in 2009.

THE TAKEAWAY

Northwestern: The Wildcats had minus-6 yards rushing at halftime and didn't get into positive until late in the third quarter.

Utah: Shelley was impressive with his passing and his scrambling until running into trouble in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: The Wildcats will have to replace Thorson, who leaves with a legacy as the most productive quarterback in program history. The Wildcats will be back on the West Coast to open the 2019 season at Stanford on Aug. 31.

Utah: After winning their first Pac-12 South title, the Utes will look for more in 2019, if they can stay healthy. They'll get Moss and Covey back, and there could be a spirited QB competition between Huntley and Shelley. The Utes open the 2019 season with their rivalry game against BYU, at Provo on Aug. 29.

Clemson: 2016-17 NCAA Division I FBS National Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- So many thought it would be different.

Alabama's defense was so much better and more suited to face Deshaun Watson, and Jalen Hurts didn't have enough to win a footrace with Clemson.

And for most of the game, all of that was coming to fruition.

Until the fourth quarter.

That, folks, is where championships are won and lost. And Monday night, that's where Clemson upended mighty Alabama with a 2-yard pass to Tide slayer himself Hunter Renfrow in the Tigers' 35-31 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.

With how badly Clemson wanted this and with how much Alabama just had to win it because of how historically good it looked before Monday night, it had to end this way. And a wild fourth quarter was the only way to do it.

You had Clemson outscoring mighty Alabama -- the fourth-quarter king -- 21-7 in the final frame thanks to back-to-back go-ahead drives of 88 and 68 yards. Renfrow, who gutted Alabama's defense last year, was the hero with his 10 catches for 92 yards and two scores, but Deshaun Watson, who cemented his Clemson legacy, was the engineer.

Rocked time after time, he stood up each time and delivered when it mattered most. Watson's fourth quarter was one for the ages, as he only needed six plays for what we all thought was his game-winning drive to put the Tigers up 28-24 with 4:38 left.

Of course, a Tide offense that had failed to convert 11 straight third downs going into the ensuing drive, charged down the field for a 68-yard touchdown drive that should have won the game. It should have won the game because when the Tide needed a pass, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart hit tight end O.J. Howard for a 24-yard strike. And when Alabama needed another throw, Jalen Hurts broke through the pocket and slipped by Clemson defenders for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown run.

But when the game needed to be won, it was Deshaun Watson who promoted the orange-and-purple confetti celebration that left a couple of Clemson players somersaulting and back flipping their way onto the field.

This one needed nine excruciating and heart-pounding plays, like that 24-yard dart to Mike Williams early or the 17-yard beaut to tight end Jordan Leggett that put the ball at the Alabama 9-yard line with the time just rushing off the clock.


Then, like so many times before, it was Watson to Renfrow, who slipped past a pick to come free and wide open in the front corner of the end zone. He then calmly flipped his historic catch to the ref as teammates mauled him.

A fantastic end to a fantastic game has given the college football world a new true king. Mighty Alabama was dethroned by having its superb defense vanquished against the very team it sought to "dominate" as cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick proudly stated earlier this week.

But on Monday night -- really, early Sunday morning -- it was Clemson who did the late dominating. It was Clemson that came out on top.

It was Clemson that Clemsoned its way to its first national title since 1981, and sent Alabama's 2016 team in the depths of the what-could-have-beens.

Clemson: 2016 Fiesta Bowl Champions

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Deshaun Watson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and No. 3 Clemson crushed No. 2 Ohio State 31-0 Saturday night in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl to set up a rematch with Alabama for the College Football Playoff national championship.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney had sold his team on making this a redemptive trip to the desert by winning at the site where they lost to Alabama in the national title game last season. With that taken care of, Clemson (13-1) now gets another crack at the top-ranked Crimson Tide in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 9. The teams that started the season ranked Nos. 1 and 2 will most certainly end it that way, too.

In what figures to be Watson's final college game, he will try to lead Clemson to its first national title since 1981. The junior and Heisman Trophy runner-up passed for 259 yards and ran for 57 against the Buckeyes (11-2), who could not keep Clemson's big and quick defensive line out of their backfield.

Freshman Clelin Ferrell had a sack among his three tackles for loss and Clemson allowed only 215 yards and nine first downs. The Buckeyes were shut out for the first time since 1993 against Michigan, and Urban Meyer had one of his teams held scoreless for the first time in 194 games as a head coach.

Watson made it 24-0 with 2:06 left in the third quarter when he faked a pitch, cut through a hole and into the end zone from 7 yards out. He hopped through the back of the end zone and did a little dance in front of the Ohio State section.

The rest was a formality.

Much the way Alabama's defense suffocated Washington in the day's first semifinal, Clemson gave Ohio State no options. The Buckeyes came in averaging 258 yards rushing per game and finished with 88. J.T. Barrett threw for 127 yards and was intercepted twice.

The sellout crowd at University of Phoenix Stadium of 71,279 had far more Ohio State scarlet than Clemson orange at kickoff, but by the halfway point in the fourth quarter Tigers fans mostly had the place to themselves.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ohio State: In a rebuilding year with only six returning starters, the Buckeyes reached the playoff. Hard to call that a disappointment, but Ohio State's issues on the offensive line and limitations in the passing game were badly exposed by a Clemson defensive line that features a bunch of future NFL players. Expect some Penn State fans to again start asking why their team was picked for the playoff instead of the Big Ten champion Nittany Lions, who beat the Buckeyes in October.

Clemson: The Tigers seemed to spend much of the season trying to explain why they were not running roughshod over opponents. Expectations were so high after last season ended with a stinging 45-40 loss in a classic national championship game against Alabama.


There were close calls for Clemson early in the season against Auburn and Troy, and the Tigers needed some luck to beat North Carolina State in overtime. Watson was throwing more picks and an offense that welcomed back star receiver Mike Williams was not quite the unstoppable juggernaut so many expected.

But the best Clemson was the Clemson that showed up in the desert. And that Clemson has always been the team best equipped to beat Alabama.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: The immediate concern for the Buckeyes is figuring out which underclassmen will jump to the NFL. The most notable players who have decisions to make in the next two weeks include Barrett, who will be a fifth-year senior next season; H-back Curtis Samuel; linebacker Raekwon McMillan and defensive backs Malik Hooker and Gareon Conley.

Clemson: Watson put on an all-time performance with 478 total yards against Alabama last season. This Tide defense is even better, but Clemson brings something new to the fight in Williams, who missed most of last season because of an injury. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior had six catches for 96 yards against Ohio State.

Gary Ablett, Jr.: 2013 AFL Brownlow Medal Winner

GARY Ablett has won his second Brownlow Medal in a thrilling finish.

Ablett overtook former teammate Joel Selwood with three votes for a best on ground performance against GWS in Round 23.

It is his second medal after winning as a Cat in 2009.

Ablett jumped to an early lead, reaching 20 votes by Round 12 before watching as Selwood and Magpie Dane Swan made their run in the second half of the season.

Selwood overtook Ablett and led by two votes going into the final round but failed to poll in the Cats' win against Geelong.

Swan, who was one vote behind Selwood, also failed to poll in Collingwood's loss to North Melbourne.

Oh, those Gold Goast Suns...

North Melbourne have once again squandered a first-quarter lead as Gold Coast claimed a 15-point AFL win on Saturday night.

The Suns scored a 9.12 (66) to 8.3 (51) victory despite the Kangaroos booting four goals to none in the opening quarter to lead by 25 points at the first change.

Sparked by another stirring performance from captain Gary Ablett, who brilliantly set up a second-quarter effort for Luke Russell, the Suns kicked seven unanswered majors either side of halftime to gain the edge at a wet Metricon Stadium.

Ablett, Russell and Tom Lynch all booted two goals each for the home team, while Trent McKenzie was among the best on ground with a nine-mark, 25-disposal display.

Drew Petrie, Aaron Black and Lindsay Thomas kicked two goals each for the Kangaroos but it was a remarkable miss from Thomas in the first quarter which stood out.

The Kangaroos forward had done well to intercept a poor cross-field kick from Tom Lynch on the 50m arc before sprinting towards goal.

But, with the path to goal still clear, Thomas opted to grubber from 15m out and could only steer the ball onto the post.

Thomas responded to boot the first goal of the second quarter but for the next 40 minutes it was one-way traffic as the Suns dominated to pull in front of the struggling visitors.

By the time Daniel Wells kicked a goal for North in the third quarter the Suns had turned their early deficit into a 17-point lead.

Sam Gibson soccered a goal inside the opening minute of the fourth quarter but an inspirational run and goal from Ablett straight after halted the `Roos momentum.

From then the Suns held firm with Russell's second major sealing the home team's fifth win of the campaign and leaving the Kangaroos finals hopes hanging by a thread.

The Suns will face a nervous wait on star tall Charlie Dixon, who left the field in the final term after hurting his right ankle in his first game back from injury.

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said despite his comments pre-match about having a chance of over-running the Kangaroos if they could match them early, even he had his doubts after the first quarter.

"Clearly that wasn't the way we wanted to start," McKenna said.

"The other clubs have had to put that pressure on North to get that result and that was clearly what we had to do after quarter-time.

"Certainly a couple of our dopey mistakes in the back half of the ground really opened us up but I thought after quarter-time the boys showed a lot of poise, resilience and, again, our ability to run out the game I thought was super."

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott denied his men had a mental block despite holding a quarter-time lead in 10 of their 11 fixtures but only converting that into victory four times.

Scott said the loss to the Suns had more to do with an inability to adapt to the wet conditions as well as their opponents.

"There's no capitulation, just an inability to do the fundamentals well," Scott said.

"Others can talk about it if they want but that's not an issue as far as I'm concerned."

• The Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson says his Crows were insipid and embarrassing when given a 77-point belting by AFL premiersSydney.

The Swans' premiership defence continued to gain ominous momentum with a crushing 19.13 (127) to 6.14 (50) away victory at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.

Sanderson was aghast as Adelaide crashed to their second-heaviest home loss in history, and his worst as a head coach.

"We were embarrassed on our home deck. An unacceptable performance right across the board," he said.

"It was just an insipid performance by our footy club."

• Geelong downed Greater Western Sydney by 59 points to claim top spot on the ladder at the halfway point of their AFL season, but coach Chris Scott feels his side's current form does not even warrant a place in the top four.

The Cats overcame a slow start and third-quarter scare to kick 10 of the game's final 11 goals and post a 24.13 (157) to 15.8 (98) victory over cellar dwellers GWS at Skoda Stadium on Saturday.

It was Geelong's 10th win from 11 matches, with the club's only blemish before their mid-season bye being a one-goal loss to Collingwood in round eight.

Run, run, run all the way...HEY!

A GARY Ablett masterclass has secured Gold Coast a 13-point win over St Kilda in their AFL season opener at Metricon Stadium.

The Suns' captain kicked four goals, including three in the final term, to guide the home team to a shock 13.12 (90) to 10.17 (77) win.

Ablett sent the home fans into raptures when his second goal of the quarter put the Suns ahead but his best was yet to come.

The dual-premiership player stepped and fended his way through the Saints' defence, before sending a right-foot snap curling through the goal for his fourth major and a game-defining moment.

It was part of a remarkable best-on-ground display by the midfielder, who picked up a game-high 34 disposals.

The Suns' victory, their third in as many matches at their home ground after defeating Greater Western Sydney and Carlton at the end of last season, was secured through a gutsy second-half display as they made the most of a scrappy performance by an undermanned St Kilda line-up.Charlie Dixon and Luke Russell were the other multiple goal-kickers for the Suns, with Russell's second late in the fourth quarter a crucial settler after Steven Milne had closed the margin for St Kilda.

The Saints, led by captain Nick Riewoldt's two goals, had looked to have settled when they booted five-goals to none in the second-quarter to turn an 11-point first-quarter deficit into a 19-point halftime lead.

But the Suns bounced back with Ablett, Matt Shaw and teenage debutant Jaeger O'Meara kicking three third-term goals to move within two kicks of the lead at the last change.

From there the home team took control of the match through Ablett's inspiration and some St Kilda ill-discipline, the visitors conceding three 50m penalties and handing the Suns' their first two goals of the final term through free-kicks.

Late goals by Milne and Terry Milera gave the Saints hope of snatching a win but Aaron Hall's late breakaway major sealed the win and sparked celebrations.

Suns coach Guy McKenna made the claim after the match that Ablett is a better player than his father, Gary Ablett Snr.

He went on to suggest his captain's confidence in his young teammates was allowing the 2009 Brownlow Medallist to influence the game closer to goals.

“Gary's humble enough to say his old man is better than he is, I would beg to differ,” McKenna said.

“What we're seeing in Gary too is his leadership of understanding that he doesn't need to be in the middle now.

“That he has got the confidence and trust (of his teammates) ... his four goals clearly were telling.”

A disappointed St Kilda coach Scott Watters said his player's execution at key moments had proved the difference.

“From our point of view the effort was strong from the players, the efficiency was poor,” Watters said.

“You need both. You have to work extremely hard when you're not efficient.

“The players will be stung by that and they'll work hard to rectify it but obviously you lose a game on the back of it and that hurts.”

GOLD COAST SUNS 3.6 3.8 6.11 13.12 (90)

ST KILDA 1.7 6.9 7.14 10.17 (77)

Goals: Gold Coast Suns: G Ablett 4 C Dixon 2 L Russell 2 A Hall H Bennell J O'Meara M Shaw S Day. St Kilda: T Milera 3 N Riewoldt 2 A Siposs B Maister D Armitage J Steven S Milne.

Best: Gold Coast Suns: G Ablett C Dixon D Prestia J Harbrow J O'Meara R Thompson. St Kilda: J Geary D Armitage N Dal Santo L Hayes J Steven R Stanley. Umpires: Chris Donlon, Chris Kamolins, Andrew Mitchell. Venue: Gold Coast Stadium.

 AAP