Category: Football

Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 at home in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Michael Olise pressured Trevoh Chalobah into an own goal with 20 minutes gone, before Kane won and converted a penalty seven minutes later.

Cole Palmer finished off a superb team counter-attack just two minutes later to bring Chelsea back into the game.

But Kane stepped up again midway through the second half to wrestle control back Bayern’s way.

“It was a top performance against a really good side,” Kane told DAZN.

“We spoke before the game that we’re playing the club world champions, and we had to be on it from the start, and we were.”

England captain Kane says facing Premier League sides gives him extra motivation to “play better”, and Chelsea were on the receiving end as he climbed up to 10 goals in just six games this season.

Asked if Kane’s goalscoring exploits made him the best in the world, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said: “We can talk about talent and quality, but it’s the hard work that gets him to where he is.

“Based on what I experienced in the best years of my career, that’s a non-negotiable.”

Kompany was, however, eager to pump the brakes on suggestions that six-time champions Bayern were favourites for the competition.

“It’s one game. Steady on now. It’s just the beginning.”

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, the last survivor from the 2012 Champions League final between the sides, won by Chelsea at the same venue, brought up his 100th win in the competition.

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He now trails just Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Mueller, and Iker Casillas.

Bayern have now won their past 22 Champions League openers dating back to a 2002 loss to Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said his side “cannot commit mistakes the way we did,” but added, “we can build something special from this defeat.

“There are seven more games and many more points to get.”

Maresca restored Palmer and three others to the starting line-up, having copped criticism for resting players in Saturday’s limp 2-2 draw at Brentford.

Bayern had won five from five to start the season but were caught off guard early by the visitors’ intensity, with Chelsea pinning the hosts back.

Bayern caught their breath and created some pressure of their own before breaking through when Chalobah failed to deal with an Olise cross, turning it into his own goal.

The hosts were soon two up as Kane struck from the spot.

Moises Caicedo gave away the penalty with an awkward tackle in the box, but helped Chelsea hit back immediately, playing a clever one-two on the break, allowing Palmer to slam home.

Bayern came to life 10 minutes into the second half, with Konrad Laimer, Kane, and Olise all having efforts saved in quick succession.

Kane padded Bayern’s advantage shortly after, pouncing on a poor Malo Gusto pass before sliding the ball into the far corner.

The 32-year-old was taken off to a standing ovation in stoppage time, with Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson coming off the bench to make his Champions League debut against his parent club.

READ: Confident Salman eyes India clash after win over UAE

Benfica sacked coach Bruno Lage following Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to minnows Qarabag, the club announced, with some media reports claiming that Jose Mourinho is in line to take over.

Mourinho actually began his coaching career at Benfica but quit after just two and a half months before making his name at the Lisbon giants’ arch rivals, Porto.

He was dismissed by Fenerbahce last month after just over a year in the job following the Turkish side’s elimination from the Champions League qualifying competition, ironically at the hands of Benfica.

The Eagles led 2-0 early on at home to Azerbaijan’s Qarabag on Tuesday before falling to a shock 3-2 reverse in their opening league stage game.

“We have just reached an agreement with Bruno Lage, who today leaves his post as Benfica coach,” former Portugal midfielder Rui Costa, the club’s president, told reporters late Tuesday.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Lage, who was in his second spell at Benfica, was already under pressure after his team dropped their first league points of the season away to Santa Clara at the weekend.

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Costa said that Benfica expected to have their new coach in charge in time for Saturday’s league encounter with AVS.

All three of Portugal’s sports dailies mentioned 62-year-old Mourinho as a possible successor.

A Bola said that Benfica wanted to negotiate with the self-styled “Special One”.

Mourinho’s previous spell at Benfica lasted just 11 matches at the back end of 2000. Still, after impressing at Uniao de Leiria, he joined Porto and guided them to back-to-back league titles and the Champions League crown in 2004.

That set him on the path to a hugely successful career coaching Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid before his fortunes started to nose-dive after joining Manchester United in 2016.

Lage won the Portuguese Primeira Liga in 2019 in his first spell with Benfica, while last season he guided them to Portuguese Cup success.

READ: Kylian Mbappe penalty double gives Real Madrid opening win over Marseille

Kylian Mbappe slammed home two penalties for Real Madrid as the record 15-time winners opened their Champions League campaign with a controversial 2-1 comeback win over Olympique Marseille on Tuesday.

Timothy Weah opened the scoring for the French visitors before Mbappe levelled from the spot and Madrid defender Dani Carvajal was sent off for headbutting Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

Roberto De Zerbi’s enterprising Marseille were well placed to push for a famous win at the Santiago Bernabeu until Facundo Medina was harshly penalised for a handball and Mbappe converted his second penalty.

“For me it’s a penalty, but I understand there are people who don’t (think so), we’re all lost with this rule,” Mbappe, who reached 50 goals for the club, told Movistar. “They say it’s a penalty, I shoot it and put it in, that’s all.”

Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was dealt an early blow on his first European game at the helm of the Spanish giants when Trent Alexander-Arnold limped off with a thigh injury, and had to scrap with 10 men after Carvajal’s dismissal.

“The two goals came from penalties and our performance deserved more than that… we should have won by more goals and (not doing that) made the game tougher for us,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar.

“It was a good win to start with, but it got tricky.”

Alonso benched Vinicius Junior among several changes to the side, which beat Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday to continue Madrid’s 100 percent start in La Liga.

They had a short pre-season following the Club World Cup, giving Alonso more incentive to shuffle his pack, while the coach has also insisted he will keep as many players involved as possible.

Jude Bellingham was named on the bench for the first time after undergoing shoulder surgery in July, but neither he nor the returning Eduardo Camavinga made it onto the pitch.

Mbappe, who watched former side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) win the Champions League last season after he left for Madrid, almost opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead effort which dropped just wide.

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Alexander-Arnold limped off after just three minutes, to be replaced by veteran Carvajal.

Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid’s youngest Champions League starter at 18 years and 33 days, hit the inside of the near post as both teams sought to break the deadlock.

Rulli made a fine save from a fierce Mbappe strike before Weah opened the scoring. Mason Greenwood picked Arda Guler’s pocket and fed the US international, who slammed past Courtois at the near post for his first Marseille goal.

The Belgian goalkeeper denied Weah from distance as the Juventus winger, on loan in France, impressed. Real Madrid equalised when Geoffrey Kondogbia clumsily bundled over Rodrygo Goes in the box.

Mbappe, in fine form at the start of the season, dispatched the penalty past Rulli’s outstretched arm.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang drilled just wide and then tested Courtois in the second half as Marseille continued to give as good as they got.

Madrid finished the second game running with 10 men after Carvajal squared off with Rulli and then pushed his head into the goalkeeper’s.

However, just as they did against Real Sociedad after Dean Huijsen’s red card, they finished with three points.

Medina slid in to challenge Vinicius, and the ball hit his arm, with the referee awarding a penalty, which Mbappe gratefully dispatched to claim a fifth victory for Los Blancos in five games across all competitions.

It brought up Mbappe’s milestone of 50 goals in 64 appearances, the quickest a Madrid player has hit that tally since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2010.

“He’s in a good moment both personally and in a footballing sense, and I’m happy to be working with him,” said Alonso.

READ: Abdullah’s hat-trick seals Pakistan’s win over Bhutan in SAFF U17 Championship

COLOMBO: Muhammad Abdullah starred as Pakistan kicked off their campaign in an emphatic fashion with a dominant win over Bhutan in the opening match of the U-17 SAFF Championship.

Muhammad Abdullah starred with a brilliant hat-trick in Green Shirts’ comprehensive 4-0 victory.

Pakistan netted the opening goal in the 15th minute of the game, courtesy of Abdullah’s brilliance. He struck again in the 25th to double Pakistan’s lead.

At the halfway stage of the game, Pakistan remained dominant and did not allow Bhutan to score a goal.

 

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Hamza Yasir extended Pakistan’s advantage with a goal in the 67th minute, while Muhammad Abdullah completed his hat-trick just three minutes later in the 70th minute.

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Pakistan will now face Maldives in their second group match on 19 September 2025 at 2:30 PM Pakistan Standard Time. They will play Bhutan on September 19 before concluding the group stage with the match against arch-rivals India.

Pakistan is placed in Group ‘B’ alongside India, Maldives, and Bhutan.

Pakistan U-17 squad:

Goalkeepers: Samar Razzaq, Khalil Jibran, and Adil Ali Khan

Defenders: Nadeem Hussain, Moha­mmad Alam, Mohammad Masood, Mohammad Zub­air, Shahid Anjum, Aabiss Raza, Azizullah

Midfielders: Mustafa Israr, Abdul Samad, Ibrahim Asif, Moha­mmad Talha, Haroon Rasheed, Moha­mmad Essa, Saad Tiwana

Forwards: Mohammad Abdu­llah, Mansoor Ahmed, Hasnain Wali Raza, Mohammad Owais, Hamza Yasir, Syed Shahram

READ: Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan cancel press-conference ahead of UAE clash

World Cup winner Juan Mata is set for a second season in Australia aged 37 after joining Melbourne Victory on Tuesday.

The former Manchester United, Chelsea, and Spain star moves from Western Sydney Wanderers, where he scored one goal and had three assists in 22 appearances.

“I am driven and motivated to help this team win trophies and to work with the club as part of a longer-term plan to strengthen football in the country,” said Mata.

Juan Mata further stated that he has joined Victory in the hope of getting more playing time.

“I’m not somebody that demands game time for just the sake of it,” said Mata.

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“I really felt the energy in the club. I really felt that they wanted me here. I am driven and motivated to help this team win trophies and to work with the club as part of a longer-term plan to strengthen football in the country.”

The attacking midfielder signed a 12-month deal with A-League side Sydney last year after departing Japanese team Vissel Kobe. However, he was mostly used off the bench last season.

Mata won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 and was a European champion with his country two years later.

He won the Champions League with Chelsea and the Europa League with the London club and Manchester United.

READ: Ricky Ponting clears the air on viral India-Pakistan no-handshake comment

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Monday that superstar striker Kylian Mbappe feels no anxiety to win the Champions League for the first time as Los Blancos prepare to face Marseille.

The coach also included Jude Bellingham in the squad for the first time this season after the player had shoulder surgery in July.

Mbappe, 26, left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last summer to join record 15-time winners Madrid, only to see his former club lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

“He’s not anxious, we all feel this is a project that’s just starting,” Alonso told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s opening match at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“One of the objectives is to win the Champions League, hopefully sooner rather than later. Kylian is part of the path to getting there, but I don’t think he’s anxious.

“Today we spoke about what the Champions League means, but we were not talking about May (and the final), we were talking about the near future.”

Mbappe faced his former club PSG for the first time at the Club World Cup this summer, with Madrid thrashing 4-0 in the semi-finals.

However, the striker was not fully fit at the tournament in the United States because of a stomach bug. He has hit the ground running with four goals in four La Liga games this season.

“Gastroenteritis meant it was Kylian ‘lite’ at the Club World Cup,” said Alonso. “Without doubt (he’s a leader), for his personality, experience, the influence he has on the others, he’s one of them.”

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Real Madrid have won six of the last 12 Champions Leagues, but Alonso said he did not feel extra pressure because of the club’s rich history in the competition.

“It’s a fat, unquestionable honour, a motivation, and it is a responsibility you live with and enjoy,” added Alonso. “It’s a privilege.”

Xabi Alonso named Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga in his squad for the game, with both returning ahead of schedule, although they may not feature.

England international Bellingham had shoulder surgery to fix a problem that began in 2023 when he dislocated it, and was not expected to return for a couple of weeks.

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi said his team would stick to their guns after hearing the news.

“It doesn’t change our plan for tomorrow. I don’t know if they will play or not. I know that there are two champions, and so is whoever will be on the pitch,” said the coach. “They have to play with 11 players, and whoever plays is dangerous.”

De Zerbi said his team would have to battle to take anything from their opening game.

“We have to play very well to get a result, playing with respect but also knowing what we have to do,” he continued. “We know Real Madrid are a huge club, but our idea is to play a great game.”

READ: ICC rejects PCB’s demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso on Monday stated that ace player Kylian Mbappe feels no anxiety to win the Champions League for the first time as Los Blancos prepare to face Marseille.

Mbappe, 26, left Paris Saint-Germain last summer to join record 15-time winners Madrid, only to see his former club go on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

“He’s not anxious, we all feel this is a project that’s just starting,” Alonso told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s opening match at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“One of the objectives is to win the Champions League hopefully sooner rather than later, Kylian is part of the path to getting there, but I don’t think he’s anxious.

“Today we spoke about what the Champions League means, but we were not talking about May (and the final), we were talking about the near future.”

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Mbappe faced his former club PSG for the first time at the Club World Cup this summer, with Madrid thrashing 4-0 in the semi-finals.

However, the striker was not fully fit at the tournament in the United States because of a stomach bug, and has hit the ground running with four goals in four La Liga games this season.

“Gastroenteritis meant it was Kylian ‘lite’ at the Club World Cup,” said Alonso.

“Without doubt (he’s a leader), for his personality, experience, the influence he has on the others, he’s one of them.”

Real Madrid have won six of the last 12 Champions Leagues, but Alonso said he did not feel extra pressure because of the club’s rich history in the competition.

“It’s a fact, unquestionable, an honour, a motivation, and it is a responsibility you live with and enjoy,” added Alonso. “It’s a privilege.”

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo wins second Golden Boot in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo added another milestone to his legendary career on Sunday as he lifted his second successive Golden Boot in the Saudi Pro League (SPL).

The Al Nassr captain, widely celebrated as CR7, was presented with the 2024-25 Golden Boot award by Saudi football great Majed Abdullah during a pre-match ceremony at Al Awwal Park, ahead of his side’s clash with Al Kholood.

The 40-year-old striker topped the scoring charts last season with 25 goals in 30 league appearances, securing his second SPL Golden Boot.

His first came in the 2023-24 season, where he netted an astonishing 35 goals in 31 matches, finishing well clear of Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrović.

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Already football’s all-time leading international scorer, Ronaldo has now scored 74 goals in 77 league appearances since joining Al Nassr in December 2022.

With four European Golden Shoes to his name from his time in Europe, he continues to add to an already unmatched legacy in world football.

In his acceptance, Ronaldo expressed gratitude to fans, sharing on Instagram: “Together we fight, together we win. Thank you all for your support, let’s keep it going.”

 

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The night got even better for Al Nassr as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Al Kholood, courtesy of second-half goals from Sadio Mané and debutant Iñigo Martínez.

The result means Al Nassr have opened a league season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019-20, and are unbeaten in their last 10 league matches in September.

Ronaldo finished last season with 25 goals and three assists in the SPL, totaling 35 goals in all competitions.

He now aims for an unprecedented third consecutive Golden Boot as Al Nassr defends their league title.

READ: PCB demands removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from Asia Cup

Luka Modric scored his first goal for AC Milan in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Bologna, the veteran star making his mark at the San Siro days after turning 40.

Modric, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, netted the winning goal at the end of a flowing move he started in midfield before meeting Alexis Saelemaekers’s low cross with a perfect first-time finish.

“I hope next time someone won’t remind me of my age anymore!” joked Modric to DAZN. “It was a great play, Ale gave me a great ball, and it was easy to score. It was more the pass than my goal.”

Modric praised his team’s fighting spirit and added, “Game by game we will gain more confidence and I’m sure we will get even better.”

The six-time Champions League winner, who arrived at Milan as a free agent after 13 years at Real Madrid, wheeled away in delight at the decisive strike in a match which ended with coach Massimiliano Allegri sent off for his furious reaction at the hosts not being given a late penalty.

New signing Christopher Nkunku looked set to have a chance at scoring his first Milan goal from the penalty spot seconds after replacing Santiago Gimenez when he went down under challenges from Jhon Lucumi and then Remo Freuler.

But after looking at the pitch-side monitor, referee Matteo Marcenaro overruled his own decision to give the spot-kick for the Freuler foul, which sent Allegri into a rage on the touchline, his rant to officials earning him a red card.

Sunday’s win was also a successful start for new arrival Adrien Rabiot, who produced an impressive performance alongside Modric in midfield for Milan, who also struck the woodwork three times.

However, his fellow France international Mike Maignan was forced to limp off with what Milan have confirmed is a problem with his right calf.

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Allegri said after the match that Maignan would miss next Saturday’s clash at Udinese.

Milan’s first home win of the season moved them up to fifth, level on six points with Cremonese and Roma, who fell to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Torino earlier on Sunday.

Earlier, Ivan Juric confirmed that Ademola Lookman would sit out Atalanta’s Champions League opener at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as the Nigerian forward continues to be sidelined following a protracted attempt to leave the Serie A club.

Atalanta warmed up for Wednesday’s clash with the European champions in Paris by beating Lecce 4-1 without star man Lookman, who has not featured this season after trying and failing to force through a move to Inter Milan in the summer.

“I don’t think so, it’s an unpleasant situation,” said Juric when asked if Lookman would travel to the French capital.

“He has given a lot to Atalanta, but Atalanta has given him a lot as well. We need ready players, who want to play for the shirt and improve… Looking ahead, we’ll see what happens.”

London-born Lookman has become one of the best players in Europe since signing for Atalanta three years ago after a middling early career in England and Germany.

The 27-year-old has scored 52 times in 117 matches for Atalanta, most famously netting a hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final, when the Bergamo club won their first European trophy by thumping previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.

Lookman scored 20 times in all competitions last season, with five coming in seven Champions League appearances, but he soured his relationship with the club by abandoning team training in the hope that Inter would meet Atalanta’s asking price of 50 million euros ($59 million).

That never happened, and Lookman, whose contract does not expire until the end of June 2027, was forced to return to Atalanta, where he has since been frozen out by Juric, who has replaced Gian Piero Gasperini in the dugout.

READ: Champions Barcelona crush Valencia 6-0 in La Liga

Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez struck twice each as Barcelona thumped Valencia 6-0 on Sunday in a La Liga match they were forced to play at their tiny training ground stadium because of delays in reopening the Camp Nou.

The rampant Spanish champions moved second, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who boast a 100 percent record after their win at Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Hosting the game at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium beside their training facilities west of the city, with the rebuilt Camp Nou not yet permitted to open, Barca’s first home game of the season saw high-calibre football in a low-key setting.

Star forward Lamine Yamal’s absence due to a groin issue was a further blow for Barca, with coach Hansi Flick criticising the Spanish national team for playing him twice despite the problem during World Cup qualifiers last week.

However, Barcelona’s display, above all in the second half, helped them forget his absence and their disappointing draw at Rayo Vallecano in their previous La Liga outing.

“I appreciate what I saw today a lot, and this is a start after the break,” said Flick, who was upset with his players after the Rayo game a fortnight ago.

Lopez said last season’s winners of a domestic treble were on the right track.

“The message is the same as last year, to play with intensity and humility. I think we’re on a good path, and we have to continue like this,” said the midfielder.

Flick handed Roony Bardghji his debut on the right flank in Yamal’s stead after his summer arrival from Copenhagen.

Barcelona dominated Valencia in the first half without creating many clear-cut chances.

Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres fired narrowly over and wide, respectively, as Flick’s side penned in the visitors.

Lopez, linked with a move to Chelsea during the summer, dug in to stay at Barca and proved his worth against Los Che.

Barca took the lead after 29 minutes when Torres flicked on a pass into the midfielder’s path.

Lopez scampered into the box and flashed a strike across Julen Agirrezabala and into the net.

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Carlos Corberan’s Valencia, 15th, did not muster a shot in the first half against Barca’s 11, playing conservatively after a 7-1 thrashing by the Blaugrana in January.

Flick brought on Raphinha for the quiet Bardghji at half-time as he sought to put the game to bed, and soon had the goals he wanted.

Rashford, on his brightest outing since joining from Manchester United on loan, whipped in a dangerous cross which Raphinha slid home at the far post.

It was Rashford’s first direct goal contribution since arriving at the club.

Three minutes later, Lopez blasted in a third from long range, which goalkeeper Agirrezabala might have dealt with better.

“Today is a great step for (Lopez) and this is what I want to see every match,” said Flick.

“He has amazing quality… and when he has this confidence, he’s really great, (but) I think he can still improve.”

Raphinha smashed in Barca’s fourth at the near post as the Catalans ran riot.

Flick shuffled his pack with Thursday’s Champions League opener in mind, bringing on Polish veteran Lewandowski and Dani Olmo.

The 37-year-old striker grabbed his first goal of the season with a lethal finish after Olmo played him in behind the defence.

Flick was also able to bring on midfielder Marc Bernal following a long absence after a severe knee injury, and he set up Lewandowski to dink home the sixth.

“It seems like they’ve got the measure of us,” said Valencia defender Jose Gaya.

“We weren’t capable of diminishing their strengths once again; it was a big scoreline again…

“We tried to stop them with our game plan, but the second goal did us a lot of damage. We couldn’t stop it, and then came the third.”

READ: ACC President Naqvi comments on India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan