Category: Football

Ousmane Dembele scored on his return from injury as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, as both teams finished with 10 men.

Ballon d’Or winner Dembele scored PSG’s sixth just three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early September.

Desire Doue bagged a brace while Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha also hit the net at Leverkusen’s BayArena as the visitors laid down the gauntlet to their European rivals.

“We are a team that always wants to win everything. This season, we want to win everything again,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

“That will be difficult, but we have the confidence we gained last year. We want this title again.”

Aleix Garcia scored both of the hosts’ goals while PSG lost centre-back Illia Zabarnyi to a red card on 37 minutes, as he conceded a second spot-kick of the match.

Leverkusen also had captain Robert Andrich dismissed for crashing his elbow into Doue’s jaw a few minutes earlier.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand told Amazon Prime that his side “lost it in seven minutes before halftime”.

“We were level, but we wanted too much,” he added. “We were too open and made too many mistakes in that seven-minute period.

“We met the best team in the world right now. They’re very strong.”

PSG have been injury-hit and inconsistent this season, but once both teams were reduced to 10 men, they dominated their hapless hosts.

PSG’s bid to go back-to-back on the European stage will face tougher tests than the rebuilding Leverkusen, who fielded six starters who only joined the club in the summer.

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The French champions showcased their attacking riches alongside the steel needed to overcome setbacks borne out of last year’s breakthrough campaign.

PSG’s preparation for the game was boosted by the news that Dembele and captain Marquinhos were fit enough to travel to Germany.

The duo, crucial to PSG’s barnstorming treble last season, watched on from the bench as PSG took the lead after just seven minutes.

Mendes hit a cross over the Leverkusen defence for Pacho to head in at the far post.

Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for a Zabarnyi handball with 25 minutes gone, but Alejandro Grimaldo hit the post with his spot-kick.

The writing looked to be on the wall for Leverkusen when they were reduced to 10 men by Andrich’s needless foul on Doue on 33 minutes.

But they were then handed a lifeline shortly afterwards when Zabarnyi’s performance went from bad to nightmarish as he gave away a second penalty and saw red for clumsily bringing down Christian Kofane as the last man, with Garcia scoring from the spot.

Rather than tighten up, the red card galvanised the French side, who reacted by scoring three goals in eight minutes to stun the hosts.

Doue scored twice, either side of a Kvaratskhelia scorcher, to go into the break 4-1 up and cruising.

Mendes scored five minutes into the second half to help PSG pick up where they had left off.

While Garcia’s long-distance stunner on 54 minutes was a rare Leverkusen highlight, PSG had the last words.

Dembele cut the ball home from a tight angle, and Vitinha added even more gloss on the final score, rounding out an incredible European night for the defending champions.

READ: Liverpool ‘better team’ despite losing streak, says Frankfurt coach

Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoeller said that Liverpool have been “the better team in every game” of their four-match losing streak, as his side prepares to take on the Reds in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool are in the midst of a surprising slump, given that they bolstered their squad over the close-season to the tune of nearly £450 million ($604 million) worth of new signings.

Arne Slot’s team lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday, coming after defeats against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea. Liverpool had not lost four in a row for more than a decade.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Toppmoeller said that Sunday’s game “could have been 4-2 for Liverpool”, adding that the Reds “are not in top form, only in the sense of their results.

“When you watch the games, which of course we did, you see that they seem to lack a bit of a spark at the moment,” the 44-year-old said.

“But in every game, they’ve been the better team and have had more chances at goal.

“We’re expecting a world-class team tomorrow,” Toppmoeller said, adding that the English champions would arrive in Frankfurt highly motivated.

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“You’ve got to be aware of what it does to a team to lose four in a row.”

Liverpool’s last four-game losing streak came in November 2014 under former manager Brendan Rodgers.

One of the team’s issues is the dip in form suffered by star forward Mo Salah.

But Toppmoeller said that the Egyptian “was probably among the top three players in the world over the past decade — and still is.”

Another Red not delivering his best is Germany’s £100 million midfielder Florian Wirtz, who is returning to his home country for the first time since moving to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

Toppmoeller said that Wirtz’s performances were “quite decent, even if he hasn’t got the numbers he had in Leverkusen.

“He’s at a club where the spotlight is so bright and where people across the world are always watching.

“I’m incredibly convinced of his quality. I hope he doesn’t show that tomorrow, that’s something we should worry about.”

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Vincent Kompany has extended his contract as coach of Bayern Munich by two years until 2029, the Bundesliga champions announced on Tuesday.

Kompany was not Bayern’s first choice when he was appointed in the summer of 2024, but the Belgian reclaimed the German title for the Bavarians in his debut season at the club.

“It feels like I’ve been here a lot longer and that I know the club well,” former Manchester City captain Kompany said in a statement.

“It’s been a great experience so far. We’ve started on a wonderful journey. Let’s keep working hard and celebrate much more success!”

At a press conference later on Tuesday ahead of Bayern’s Champions League home match against Club Brugge a day later, Kompany said he was “busy preparing for the games” when Bayern bosses approached him about an extension.

“When the proposal came up, and my only request was that it doesn’t become a big topic and that we could quickly refocus on the next game.

“Personally, everything just feels right in Munich… There aren’t many places better than Bayern.”

Bayern defender Jonathan Tah told reporters: “we’re all delighted about the contract extension.”

The 39-year-old coach has Bayern flying with 11 wins in 11 games this season, sitting atop the Champions League and Bundesliga tables.

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“Vincent Kompany has brought the fun back to FC Bayern –- and the spark has really caught on. Under his leadership, a real team has grown that plays dominant and attractive football,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.

“I like Vincent’s level-headedness. He never pushes himself into the limelight and makes our players better with his meticulous work.”

Kompany’s appointment came as a surprise when Bayern paid a £10 million ($13 million) to release him from his contract with Burnley in 2024.

“When we appointed Vinny, we had a clear vision of our shared path and he quickly proved that he would help FC Bayern move forward -– both on and off the pitch,” said Max Eberl, the club’s sporting director.

“He’s a role model who unites players, fans and everyone at the club, and we want to build something long-term with him.”

Under Kompany, Burnley won promotion to the Premier League but were relegated after just one season, recording the lowest top-flight points tally in their history.

Despite winning 12 of the previous 13 Bundesliga titles, stability in the Bayern dugout has been rare during that run.

Pep Guardiola, whose three-year stint at the club ended in 2016, was the last Bayern coach to complete at least two full seasons.

Before bringing Kompany to the club, Bayern reportedly tried to sign Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner and Ralf Rangnick but were knocked back by each candidate.

When an attempt to hold on to then coach Thomas Tuchel, who had already agreed to leave at the end of the season, was also rebuffed, Bayern turned to Kompany.

Kompany confirmed on Tuesday that Serge Gnabry and Josip Stanisic would be out for Wednesday’s match with Brugge.

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted on Monday that he did not want his grandchildren to see him behaving as he did when he was sent off after making an obscene gesture as he celebrated a late winner against Girona.

Flick had received a first yellow card on Saturday for protesting against a refereeing decision. He collected a second for gesturing with a raised finger after Ronald Araujo scored in added time to give Barcelona a 2-1 win.

The red card means Flick will be banned from the bench when second-placed Barcelona visit La Liga leaders Real Madrid in Sunday’s Clasico.

Flick said that his behaviour had changed since arriving in Barcelona, illustrating his point by reviving memories of one of Barcelona’s greatest humiliations when they lost 8-2 to the German’s Bayern Munich side in 2020.

“Maybe my emotions aren’t the same as before. I remember when I was coach of Bayern Munich, the footage of the match against Barca showed that I had the same reaction to the first, second, and eighth goals.

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People said I never smiled!” Flick told a press conference ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League match with Olympiacos on Tuesday.

“Right now, I’m showing more emotion, it’s true, because this club has completely changed me,” he said.

“I really love this club, I give the best of myself. And I don’t like seeing myself in this state on television either, and I don’t want my grandchildren to see their grandfather like that. So I probably have to change my behaviour.”

Some Barcelona officials criticised Saturday’s referee, Flick was more conciliatory.

The referee “decided to see it differently, and that’s something I have to accept,” he said.

Flick also refused to be drawn into responding to a question about whether officials favour Real Madrid.

“What do I say? I’ve been here for 16 months; you (journalists) have been here much longer and know more. I don’t want to say anything about it,” he said.

In addition to long-term absentees Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Flick said that forwards Raphinha and Ferran Torres were not fully fit and would miss the Champions League game in the hope that they could play in El Clasico.

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Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele is in line to make his return from injury for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, a source close to the club told AFP on Monday.

The news will come as a welcome boost for PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out for six weeks with a hamstring problem he suffered on international duty with France in early September.

He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week.

He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but is part of the first team squad for Tuesday’s match in Germany, the source said.

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PSG published images of Dembele training normally on Saturday.

The reigning European and French champions welcomed back forwards Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was a substitute, against Strasbourg.

They are, however, still missing midfield duo Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, although some media have reported that captain Marquinhos has travelled to Germany with the squad.

“I don’t know when the injured players will return,” Luis Enrique had said on Thursday, adding that the club did not want to “take risks with the players’ health”.

They have made a strong start to their Champions League defence, beating Atalanta and Barcelona in their opening two matches, while Leverkusen drew with FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven.

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The Swedish Football Association said on Monday that ex-Chelsea manager Graham Potter had been appointed national team coach after Jon Dahl Tomasson was sacked last week following three straight losses in World Cup qualifying.

Sweden terminated Tomasson’s contract on October 14 after his team only managed to win a single point in the first four games of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The Swedish FA said Potter, who was sacked by Premier League club West Ham in September, would be tasked with turning around a team containing star strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres and attempt to qualify for the finals in the US, Canada and Mexico.

“The goal is to create the optimal conditions to reach the World Cup in the summer of 2026,” the Swedish FA said in statement.

The FA said the contract with Potter covered the ongoing qualifying period, with games against Switzerland and Slovenia in November, as well as a potential playoff in March.

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The contract would automatically be extended to the World Cup finals themselves if Sweden qualify.

“I am very humble facing this assignment, but also incredibly inspired. Sweden has fantastic players who deliver week after week in the world’s best leagues,” 50-year-old Potter was quoted saying.

Despite having £125 million ($168 million) Liverpool striker Isak and Arsenal’s £73 million Gyokeres starting together up front, Sweden has failed to even score in their last three matches and sit bottom of Group B.

Potter managed Swedish team Ostersund FK between 2011 and 2018, bringing it up to Sweden’s top league.

He has since managed Swansea City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea and West Ham.

He was once regarded as one of English football’s brightest coaching talents but was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 after the team’s form nosedived. There then followed a difficult nine-month stay at West Ham.

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Kylian Mbappe extended his goalscoring streak to 11 consecutive games to help Real Madrid reclaim top spot in La Liga with a 1-0 victory at nine-man Getafe on Sunday.

After rivals Barcelona briefly displaced Los Blancos with a narrow win over Girona on Saturday, Xabi Alonso’s side restored their two-point advantage before next weekend’s Clásico.

Getafe fended off Madrid until Allan Nyom was dismissed a minute after coming on, and Mbappe quickly pounced to decide the game in the 80th minute. Alex Sancris was also sent off as Getafe unravelled in the final stages.

Alonso started with Brazilian star Vinicius Junior on the bench, with the Champions League clash against Juventus on Wednesday and Barca’s impending visit in mind.

The winger turned out to be key as a second-half substitute, with both of Getafe’s red cards issued for fouls on him.

Kylian Mbappe returned after an ankle problem kept him out of a France World Cup qualifier earlier in the week, leading the line at Getafe’s Coliseum stadium.

The French forward had scored in his previous 10 consecutive appearances for club and country and found the net once again.

Mbappe twice came close before Getafe earned a foothold in the game and began to frustrate the visitors, stopping them from creating much danger.

Only towards the end of the first period did Madrid perk up again in attack, with Soria saving from Rodrygo Goes after good work by Jude Bellingham.

Getafe’s goalkeeper made a good stop from a powerful David Alaba free-kick, and Fede Valverde flashed a strike across the face of the goal before half-time.

Alonso sent on Vinicius in the second half, and his spark began to worry the hosts, who resorted to fouls to fend off the Brazilian.

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Bellingham fed Mbappe, who fired off target, and then whipped a free-kick inches wide, as Madrid remained comfortably on top.

The game changed when Getafe substitute Nyom, under a minute after coming on, needlessly knocked down Vinicius off the ball with his arm and was sent off.

Moments after play restarted, Real Madrid took the lead.

Arda Guler fed Mbappe, who was just onside, and he turned nicely before firing past Soria and in off the post for his 10th league goal of the season, leading the charts both in La Liga and in the Champions League.

Getafe continued to self-destruct, and Sancris was sent off for a second yellow card, gained for another unnecessary foul on Vinicius, leaving Jose Bordalas’s side with nine men.

Alvaro Carreras fired wide after a cheeky scoop over the defence by Vinicius, whom Getafe fans booed.

Despite their significant numerical disadvantage, the hosts had one golden chance to level in stoppage time, but Thibaut Courtois saved from Englishman Abu Kamara with his knee.

Getafe coach Bordalas said he did not believe Nyom deserved to be dismissed before Madrid’s opener.

Elsewhere, newly-promoted Elche continued their good start to the season with a 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao, which left them seventh, one place above their Basque opponents.

Rayo Vallecano climbed into 10th with a 3-0 win at Levante, while struggling Real Sociedad snatched a late 1-1 draw at 10-man Celta Vigo.

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A rampant Lionel Messi scored a sensational hat-trick to seal Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award on Saturday as Inter Miami roared into the playoffs with a 5-2 victory over Nashville SC.

The Argentine superstar tallied an astonishing 29 goals from 28 matches, with Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge tied for second best with 24 goals.

Messi claimed his first MLS Golden Boot and also staked his claim to a second straight Most Valuable Player award with a bravura performance that saw Inter rally to clinch third place in the Eastern Conference.

They’ll face the same Nashville team in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs starting on October 24.

Nashville had seen some quality chances go begging when Messi put Miami in front in the 34th minute with a cracking goal from outside the penalty area.

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Messi took a pass from Jordi Alba and made one cut before he unleashed a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner.

Nine minutes later, Nashville’s Surridge grabbed his 24th goal of the season when he headed in a pinpoint delivery from Hany Mukhtar at the near post.

Nashville seized a 2-1 lead deep in first-half injury time when Jacob Shaffelburg was there to fire home the rebound off a Mukhtar shot that hit the post.

Messi’s first penalty conversion of the season pulled Inter level in the 63rd.

The referee pointed to the spot after a ball deflected by Luis Suarez hit Mukhtar on the arm.

Messi stepped up and rolled it past Nashville keeper Joe Willis.

After Baltasar Rodriguez made it 3-2 to Miami in the 67th, Messi completed his hat-trick in the 81st with a curling shot through traffic and past Willis.

Miami’s Telasco Segovia completed the scoring against a shell-shocked Nashville in second-half injury time.

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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said the support of co-owner Jim Ratcliffe will mean little if he fails to turn around the club’s fortunes.

During an interview with a news outlet, British billionaire Ratcliffe said Amorim has to “demonstrate he is a great coach over three years”.

Amorim is approaching a year in the Old Trafford hotseat and is yet to win back-to-back Premier League games.

Doing so away to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday would be a major step in the right direction, and the Portuguese knows he will be under intense pressure until results improve.

“You know, I know, and Jim knows that football is not like that,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference on Friday, referring to Ratcliffe’s timescale.

“The most important thing is the next game.”

Manchester United ended the season 15th in the Premier League last term — their lowest finish for 51 years — and squandered a chance to qualify for the Champions League when they lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.

They have fared little better this season, sitting 10th in the Premier League after losing three of their first seven league games and crashing to a shock League Cup defeat at fourth-tier Grimsby.

Yet Amorim has so far retained the support of Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada, and director of football Jason Wilcox.

“First of all, I can feel it. It’s not just that thing that people talk, I feel it every day. Sometimes the pressure that I put on the team, on myself, is so much bigger than them,” said Amorim.

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“I know that it’s going to take a while, but I don’t want to think like that. I said that last year. I think it also helps our fans to understand that the leadership understands that it’s going to take a while.

“But, at the same moment, I don’t like that because it will give a feeling that we have time to work things out. I don’t want that feeling here in our club.

“It’s good to feel the support but we need to prove in football, and especially in big clubs, that in every weekend we are ready to win games.”

A 2-0 victory over Sunderland before the international break eased the scrutiny on Amorim’s position.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens made a positive impression on his debut against the Black Cats — sections of the United support even compared him with club great Peter Schmeichel.

United have been hampered by numerous goalkeeping errors from both Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir during Amorim’s reign.

“The first impression in this club is really important. To maintain the level is even more important and is really difficult,” said Amorim.

“He’s not Schmeichel, yet, he’s a young guy with talent, he showed a lot of composure and the fans liked it, but that is in the past and we need to prove in the next game.”

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Cole Palmer has been ruled out of action for six more weeks with a groin problem, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

The England midfielder has not played since Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20 — when he came off midway through the first half.

Maresca initially said he hoped Palmer, 23, would be back after this month’s international break.

“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update,” he said.

The Italian, whose team travels to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday, said he was confident Palmer would not require surgery.

“We try just to protect Cole as much as we can, and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he’s fully recovered,” he added.

Maresca was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he was confident the extra rest would solve the issue.

“Yeah, but unfortunately, the medical staff are not magicians, you never know that,” he said.

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“Probably you need six weeks. We hope that six weeks will be enough, but it’s a problem that we need to see step by step, week after week. But for sure he’s going to be OK.”

Maresca said replacing “one of the best players in the Premier League” was difficult.

“For sure, we need to find a different solution, we need to find different skills, because we don’t have another player like Cole,” he said. “Because Cole is unique.”

Chelsea have also been beset by injury problems in defence, with the in-form Benoit Badiashile out “until December”.

“He was doing fantastic, he showed how good he is, he showed how we need him, and we’re going to wait for him,” said the Chelsea boss.

However, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Reece James have overcome issues to be in contention to face Forest.

Maresca will be suspended for the trip to Nottingham after being sent off for his wild celebrations following Estevao’s late winner against Liverpool on October 4.

“The first reason is because since I joined the club we never won a game at home in the last minute,” he said, explaining his reaction.

“The other reason is because we were playing against the champions of England, they won the last Premier League, so it was an important moment for sure.

“For me personally it was just a reaction, just a passionate moment, just a normal reaction.”

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