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Experienced Ireland&nbsp;striker&nbsp;Shane&nbsp;Long&nbsp;will&nbsp;miss&nbsp;his side&#39;s crucial World Cup qualifier against&nbsp;Wales&nbsp;in Cardiff on Monday due to a&nbsp;hip&nbsp;injury, the team said.

The&nbsp;Irish, who can secure the second spot in Group D and a playoff spot with victory over&nbsp;Wales, must cope without the 30-year-old&nbsp;Long, who played against Moldova on Friday and has won more than 70 international caps.

Experienced Ireland?striker?Shane?Long?will?miss?his side's crucial World Cup qualifier against?Wales?in Cardiff due to a?hip?injury

Experienced Ireland striker Shane Long will miss his side's crucial World Cup qualifier against Wales in Cardiff on Monday due to a hip injury, the team said. The Irish, who can secure the second spot in Group D and a playoff spot with victory over Wales, must cope without the 30-year-old Long, who played against Moldova on Friday and has won more than 70 international caps.

World Cup qualifier: Irish striker Shane Long to miss Wales showdown

Syria&nbsp;coach&nbsp;Ayman Hakeem has backed his heavily&nbsp;depleted&nbsp;squad&nbsp;to continue&nbsp;the war-ravaged nation&#39;s unlikely march towards a maiden World Cup finals appearance when they take on Australia in the second leg of the Asian qualifying playoff on Tuesday.

Hakeem believes the fairytale&nbsp;run&nbsp;towards a place in Russia has illustrated the underlying unity of a nation bitterly divided by civil war and trusts his players to take another step towards the goal against at Sydney&#39;s Olympic stadium.

The odds were stacked against the&nbsp;Syrians throughout the third round of Asian qualifying but, despite having to play their &#39;home&#39;&nbsp;matches in Malaysia because of security concerns in&nbsp;Syria, they managed to battle into the playoff.

A penalty five minutes from the end of the first leg last week earned them a 1-1 draw and a high-scoring draw or a win on Tuesday would secure an intercontinental playoff against the fourth-placed team in North and Central American qualifying.

Already without key centre-backs&nbsp;Ahmad Al Salih and Omar Midani because of injury, though, Hakeem has now lost defender Hadi Al Masri, midfielder Khaled Mobayed and striker Omar Khribin to suspension for the second leg.

His defence has been particularly badly hit but Hakeem believes the never-say-die attitude his team have shown throughout qualifying will enable them to hold out the Asian champions.

&quot;We&#39;ve faced many obstacles from the start,&quot; he told reporters on Monday.

&quot;Five key players is a big loss for us but we trust the players we have. The players have had to fight all the way through qualifying and they believe in themselves. We&#39;re looking forward to tomorrow.&quot;

Hakeem said he had not decided yet whether to give an international debut to Swedish-born defender Gabriel Somi in the match and expects another tough tussle with the Socceroos.

&quot;The game in Malaysia was the first half and tomorrow will be the second half,&quot; he added. &quot;Both teams know each other well and there will be no surprises.&quot;

The visitors are expecting support from as many as 15,000 of Australia&#39;s&nbsp;Syrian and wider Arab community at the Olympic stadium and Hakeem said they had the backing of the entire nation back home.

&quot;All&nbsp;Syrians are behind the national team,&quot; he said. &quot;The&nbsp;Syrian national team has shown to all nations that&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;is one and there is no divide among any groups. And that&#39;s the message being sent through the&nbsp;Syrian national team.&quot;

Syria coach Ayman Hakeem believes the fairytale?run?towards a place in Russia has illustrated the underlying unity of a nation bitterly divided by civil war and trusts his players to take another step towards the goal against at Sydney's Olympic stadium

Syria coach Ayman Hakeem has backed his heavily depleted squad to continue the war-ravaged nation's unlikely march towards a maiden World Cup finals appearance when they take on Australia in the second leg of the Asian qualifying playoff on Tuesday. Hakeem believes the fairytale run towards a place in Russia has illustrated the underlying unity of a nation bitterly divided by civil war and trusts his players to take another step towards the goal against at Sydney's Olympic stadium. The odds were stacked against the Syrians throughout the third round of Asian qualifying but, despite having to play their 'home' matches in Malaysia because of security concerns in Syria, they managed to battle into the playoff. A penalty five minutes from the end of the first leg last week earned them a 1-1 draw and a high-scoring draw or a win on Tuesday would secure an intercontinental playoff against the fourth-placed team in North and Central American qualifying. Already without key centre-backs Ahmad Al Salih and Omar Midani because of injury, though, Hakeem has now lost defender Hadi Al Masri, midfielder Khaled Mobayed and striker Omar Khribin to suspension for the second leg. His defence has been particularly badly hit but Hakeem believes the never-say-die attitude his team have shown throughout qualifying will enable them to hold out the Asian champions. "We've faced many obstacles from the start," he told reporters on Monday. "Five key players is a big loss for us but we trust the players we have. The players have had to fight all the way through qualifying and they believe in themselves. We're looking forward to tomorrow." Hakeem said he had not decided yet whether to give an international debut to Swedish-born defender Gabriel Somi in the match and expects another tough tussle with the Socceroos. "The game in Malaysia was the first half and tomorrow will be the second half," he added. "Both teams know each other well and there will be no surprises." The visitors are expecting support from as many as 15,000 of Australia's Syrian and wider Arab community at the Olympic stadium and Hakeem said they had the backing of the entire nation back home. "All Syrians are behind the national team," he said. "The Syrian national team has shown to all nations that Syria is one and there is no divide among any groups. And that's the message being sent through the Syrian national team."

World Cup qualifier: Syrian coach backs depleted squad against Australia

Hosts India will aim to bounce back from their defeat against the US&nbsp;when they take on Colombia in their second Group A clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium later today.

India went down fighting 0-3 against the robust US in their opening match. The boys in blue, who are without a single point and a goal difference in the high negatives, are currently standing at the bottom of the group.

Colombia, on the other hand, also slumped to a 0-1 defeat against Ghana in their first match. They now find themselves in a similar situation as India will aim to improve their performance and register their first points on the board.In another Group A encounter today, Ghana will take on the US&nbsp;at the same venue while Turkey will lock horns with Mali in their Group B encounter.Meanwhile, Paraguay will also cross swords with New Zealand later today.

India and Colombia both lost their opening games

Hosts India will aim to bounce back from their defeat against the US when they take on Colombia in their second Group A clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium later today. India went down fighting 0-3 against the robust US in their opening match. The boys in blue, who are without a single point and a goal difference in the high negatives, are currently standing at the bottom of the group. Colombia, on the other hand, also slumped to a 0-1 defeat against Ghana in their first match. They now find themselves in a similar situation as India will aim to improve their performance and register their first points on the board.In another Group A encounter today, Ghana will take on the US at the same venue while Turkey will lock horns with Mali in their Group B encounter.Meanwhile, Paraguay will also cross swords with New Zealand later today.

U-17 World Cup: India to take on Colombia today

New&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;Munich coach Jupp&nbsp;Heynckes&nbsp;sounded&nbsp;confident&nbsp;on Monday that he will be able to turn things around&nbsp;for the German champions following a lacklustre start to the season that led to the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.

The 72-year-old&nbsp;Heynckes, in his fourth stint at the club, takes over with&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;in second place in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund after twice wasting two-goal lead in consecutive matches to draw 2-2.

The Bavarians are also second in Champions League Group B with three points from two games, after beating Anderlecht and losing 3-0 at Paris St Germain.

&quot;I think it is a difficult situation, the team is in a phase of change,&quot;&nbsp;Heynckes, who led&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;to the treble including the Champions League in 2013, told reporters at his official presentation on Monday.

&quot;There are injuries, Manuel Neuer, who is the best goalkeeper in the world, is injured, Franck Ribery is injured. These are all drawbacks but I think I know how to reach the team, the work I need to do,&quot; he added.

&quot;I am&nbsp;confident&nbsp;we can turn the team back onto the road to success. It has the quality to show a different face. It will be a balancing act but I think I have the experience to do it.&quot;

Heynckes, whose first game is on Oct. 14 at home against Freiburg, said this was not a comeback but rather a favour to good friend and&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;president Uli Hoeness and he planned to slip back into retirement at the end of the season.

&quot;Now this is not a comeback&nbsp;I talked with CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and President Uli Hoeness and they asked me to take it over for a limited time.

&quot;I will not shy away from conflict. I want to form a team where everyone works for the other, with respect and togetherness in the forefront.&quot;

Heynckes, who also coached&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;from 1987-91 and briefly in 2009, reunites with former assistants Peter Hermann and Hermann Gerland, both part of his backroom staff during the treble-winning season.

The German, who also led Real Madrid to the Champions League title and coached Benfica, Athletic Bilbao and a string of Bundesliga clubs, has not worked since leaving&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;in 2013.

&quot;Heynckes&nbsp;is the best solution for this time,&quot; Hoeness said. &quot;It gives the club time to settle all outstanding issues and present a new coach by July 1. We thought he is the ideal choice. I am happy that my best friend is back at&nbsp;Bayern.&quot;

The 72-year-old Jupp?Heynckes, in his fourth stint at the club, takes over with?Bayern?in second place in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund after twice wasting two-goal lead in consecutive matches to draw 2-2

New Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes sounded confident on Monday that he will be able to turn things around for the German champions following a lacklustre start to the season that led to the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti. The 72-year-old Heynckes, in his fourth stint at the club, takes over with Bayern in second place in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund after twice wasting two-goal lead in consecutive matches to draw 2-2. The Bavarians are also second in Champions League Group B with three points from two games, after beating Anderlecht and losing 3-0 at Paris St Germain. "I think it is a difficult situation, the team is in a phase of change," Heynckes, who led Bayern to the treble including the Champions League in 2013, told reporters at his official presentation on Monday. "There are injuries, Manuel Neuer, who is the best goalkeeper in the world, is injured, Franck Ribery is injured. These are all drawbacks but I think I know how to reach the team, the work I need to do," he added. "I am confident we can turn the team back onto the road to success. It has the quality to show a different face. It will be a balancing act but I think I have the experience to do it." Heynckes, whose first game is on Oct. 14 at home against Freiburg, said this was not a comeback but rather a favour to good friend and Bayern president Uli Hoeness and he planned to slip back into retirement at the end of the season. "Now this is not a comeback I talked with CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and President Uli Hoeness and they asked me to take it over for a limited time. "I will not shy away from conflict. I want to form a team where everyone works for the other, with respect and togetherness in the forefront." Heynckes, who also coached Bayern from 1987-91 and briefly in 2009, reunites with former assistants Peter Hermann and Hermann Gerland, both part of his backroom staff during the treble-winning season. The German, who also led Real Madrid to the Champions League title and coached Benfica, Athletic Bilbao and a string of Bundesliga clubs, has not worked since leaving Bayern in 2013. "Heynckes is the best solution for this time," Hoeness said. "It gives the club time to settle all outstanding issues and present a new coach by July 1. We thought he is the ideal choice. I am happy that my best friend is back at Bayern."

I can get Bayern back on road to success: Heynckes

India has given away 27,000 tickets to the opening games of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to fill empty stands, an official said Friday, in a desperate bid to avoid an embarrassing repeat of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The under-17 World Cup, which kicks off on Friday, marks India&#39;s first attempt at hosting a FIFA tournament, but sales for the high-profile event have been poor, despite some seats costing less than a dollar.

Organisers are now scrambling to ensure that the 56,000-capacity Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi appears packed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the opening games which will see India play the United States.

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&quot;We have given away 27,000 tickets to schools around the Delhi region and will also provide pick and drop facility. It will be embarrassing for us if the stadium looks empty,&quot; an organising committee member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The event, which runs until October 28, has been dogged by bad news, with Greenpeace issuing a report Wednesday that said the poor quality of air in India`s pollution-clogged cities poses a &quot;serious health risk&quot; to players and spectators during the tournament.

Twenty-four nations are competing in the event, which is being held in New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati and Kolkata.

Greenpeace said all the six cities &quot;share dangerous levels of air pollution&quot; but singled out New Delhi as the venue with the highest risk.

&quot;Air pollution levels during the Indian tournament could be significantly worse than during the 2008 Beijing Olympics,&quot; the report warned.

India will host its last game of the tournament on October 16, just before pollution levels spike around the Diwali festival, when Hindus celebrate by setting off huge amounts of fireworks.&nbsp;

Media reports said matches were deliberately kept out of Delhi after October 16 because of pollution fears.

India`s Supreme Court has ordered authorities to take precautions ahead of the festival, and measures under consideration include pulling some cars off roads and closing polluting industries.

World Cup organisers did not comment on the Greenpeace report.

The event is among India`s highest-profile global tournaments after the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 which were meant to showcase the country`s status as an emerging power but instead left memories of shoddy venues, empty stadiums and massive budget overruns.

India take on USA in their first game today at 8 pm in Delhi

India has given away 27,000 tickets to the opening games of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to fill empty stands, an official said Friday, in a desperate bid to avoid an embarrassing repeat of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The under-17 World Cup, which kicks off on Friday, marks India's first attempt at hosting a FIFA tournament, but sales for the high-profile event have been poor, despite some seats costing less than a dollar. Organisers are now scrambling to ensure that the 56,000-capacity Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi appears packed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the opening games which will see India play the United States. Organisers are now scrambling to ensure that the 56,000-capacity Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi appears packed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the opening games which will see India play the United States × "We have given away 27,000 tickets to schools around the Delhi region and will also provide pick and drop facility. It will be embarrassing for us if the stadium looks empty," an organising committee member told AFP on condition of anonymity. The event, which runs until October 28, has been dogged by bad news, with Greenpeace issuing a report Wednesday that said the poor quality of air in India`s pollution-clogged cities poses a "serious health risk" to players and spectators during the tournament. Twenty-four nations are competing in the event, which is being held in New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati and Kolkata. Greenpeace said all the six cities "share dangerous levels of air pollution" but singled out New Delhi as the venue with the highest risk. "Air pollution levels during the Indian tournament could be significantly worse than during the 2008 Beijing Olympics," the report warned. India will host its last game of the tournament on October 16, just before pollution levels spike around the Diwali festival, when Hindus celebrate by setting off huge amounts of fireworks. Media reports said matches were deliberately kept out of Delhi after October 16 because of pollution fears. India`s Supreme Court has ordered authorities to take precautions ahead of the festival, and measures under consideration include pulling some cars off roads and closing polluting industries. World Cup organisers did not comment on the Greenpeace report. The event is among India`s highest-profile global tournaments after the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 which were meant to showcase the country`s status as an emerging power but instead left memories of shoddy venues, empty stadiums and massive budget overruns.

U-17 Football World Cup: To avoid 'embarrassment', India gives 27,000 tickets away free

India lost 0-3 to the USA in their opening game of the under-17 World Cup.&nbsp;

USA captain Josh Sargent scored from the penalty spot in the 31st minute of the game.&nbsp;

Defender Chris Durkin doubled the USA&#39;s lead in the 51st minute and Andrew Carleton put another one past Indian goalie Dheeraj Singh to put the game past the Indians.&nbsp;

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India might have lost, but they did not lose their honour.&nbsp;

Indian goalie Dheeraj Singh kept a lot out of his net, and the midfielder Komal Thatal and the forward Aniket Jadhav also impressed.&nbsp;

The two sides were playing in Delhi.&nbsp;

This was the first time India were playing at a World Cup although as hosts, they qualify automatically.&nbsp;

The other game, Paraguay versus Mali, was a five-goal thriller.

Paraguay finally clinched it with a 3-2&nbsp; win.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

India lost 0-3 to the USA in their opening game of the under-17 World Cup. USA captain Josh Sargent scored from the penalty spot in the 31st minute of the game. Defender Chris Durkin doubled the USA's lead in the 51st minute and Andrew Carleton put another one past Indian goalie Dheeraj Singh to put the game past the Indians. HT | #FIFAU17WC ????India 0-1 USA???? ????Paraguay 2-2 Mali???? pic.twitter.com/Cn2u5PX5r5 — #FIFAU17WC ???????? (@FIFAcom) October 6, 2017 × FT | #FIFAU17WC ????India 0-3 USA???? ????Paraguay 3-2 Mali???? pic.twitter.com/6n0pRrafH2 — #FIFAU17WC ???????? (@FIFAcom) October 6, 2017 × India might have lost, but they did not lose their honour. Indian goalie Dheeraj Singh kept a lot out of his net, and the midfielder Komal Thatal and the forward Aniket Jadhav also impressed. The two sides were playing in Delhi. This was the first time India were playing at a World Cup although as hosts, they qualify automatically. The other game, Paraguay versus Mali, was a five-goal thriller. Paraguay finally clinched it with a 3-2 win.

U-17 Football World Cup: India lose 0-3 to USA in opening game

Treble-winning coach Jupp&nbsp;Heynckes&nbsp;is&nbsp;set&nbsp;to take over at Bundesliga champions&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;Munich for a fourth time,&nbsp;succeeding sacked Carlo&nbsp;Ancelotti, German media reported on Thursday.

The 72-year-old&nbsp;Heynckes&nbsp;led&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;to the domestic league and Cup double and the Champions League title in 2013 but then had to make way for Spaniard Pep Guardiola.

According to the Bild newspaper&nbsp;Heynckes, who also led Real Madrid to the Champions League title and coached Benfica, Athletic Bilbao and a string of Bundesliga clubs, will take over until the end of the season.

The club could not be immediately reached for a comment.

Italian&nbsp;Ancelotti&nbsp;took over last season but was fired last week after the German champions slipped to second place in the league after twice squandering a two-goal lead in consecutive games.

They had also been beaten 3-0 at Paris St Germain in the Champions League.

Heynckes, who has not worked since 2013, had also coached&nbsp;Bayern&nbsp;from 1987-91 and briefly took over at the end of the 2008/9 season before becoming head coach between 2011-13.

The 72-year-old?Heynckes?led?Bayern?to the domestic league and Cup double and the Champions League title in 2013 but then had to make way for Spaniard Pep Guardiola

Treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes is set to take over at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for a fourth time, succeeding sacked Carlo Ancelotti, German media reported on Thursday. The 72-year-old Heynckes led Bayern to the domestic league and Cup double and the Champions League title in 2013 but then had to make way for Spaniard Pep Guardiola. According to the Bild newspaper Heynckes, who also led Real Madrid to the Champions League title and coached Benfica, Athletic Bilbao and a string of Bundesliga clubs, will take over until the end of the season. The club could not be immediately reached for a comment. Italian Ancelotti took over last season but was fired last week after the German champions slipped to second place in the league after twice squandering a two-goal lead in consecutive games. They had also been beaten 3-0 at Paris St Germain in the Champions League. Heynckes, who has not worked since 2013, had also coached Bayern from 1987-91 and briefly took over at the end of the 2008/9 season before becoming head coach between 2011-13.

Heynckes set to succeed Ancelotti as Bayern coach: Report

Las Palmas wore Spanish flags on their shirts for Sunday&#39;s La Liga clash at Barcelona -- the match was played behind closed doors --&nbsp;as shocking political events in Catalonia on Sunday overshadow action on the field.&nbsp;

Barcelona won the game 4-1.&nbsp;

Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations in Catalonia as thousands attempted to vote in an independence referendum deemed illegal by the Spanish government.

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&quot;We have decided to embroider on our shirt a small Spanish flag and today&#39;s date, October 1, to quietly demonstrate our hope in the future of this country, and in the goodwill of those who live in it, in search of the best understanding,&quot; Las Palmas said in a statement.

Barca have long supported Catalonia&#39;s right for a vote on independence, without throwing their weight behind the yes or no camp.

Last week the club released a strongly-worded statement condemning arrests of regional Catalan government figures in &quot;the defence of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination&quot;.

However, Las Palmas criticised Barca&#39;s stance for heightening the tension around the match should it go ahead.

&quot;Today Las Palmas pay a visit on an unprecedented day for our country, a day in which the Catalan government have decided to celebrate a referendum against Spanish law, with all the international exposure that events in the Camp Nou will have,&quot; continued Las Palmas&#39; statement.

&quot;The public statements in recent days, especially those of our hosts FC Barcelona, have converted this La Liga match into something more than a mere sporting spectacle.&quot;

Outspoken Barca defender Gerard Pique posted a picture of him casting his vote early on Sunday morning.

&quot;I have voted. Together we are unstoppable defending democracy,&quot; said Pique.

Legendary Barca midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who currently plays for Qatari side Al Sadd, also posted a video on social media describing the events as &quot;shameful.&quot;

&quot;It is unacceptable that in a democratic country people cannot vote,&quot; added Xavi.

And former Barca captain Carles Puyol added his support for the referendum by posting &quot;To vote is democracy!&quot; on his Twitter account.

Las Palmas wore Spanish flags on their shirts for Sunday's La Liga clash at Barcelona -- the match was played behind closed doors -- as shocking political events in Catalonia on Sunday overshadow action on the field. Barcelona won the game 4-1. Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations in Catalonia as thousands attempted to vote in an independence referendum deemed illegal by the Spanish government. We have decided to embroider on our shirt a small Spanish flag and today's date, October 1, to quietly demonstrate our hope in the future of this country, and in the goodwill of those who live in it, in search of the best understanding,' Las Palmas said in a statement × "We have decided to embroider on our shirt a small Spanish flag and today's date, October 1, to quietly demonstrate our hope in the future of this country, and in the goodwill of those who live in it, in search of the best understanding," Las Palmas said in a statement. Barca have long supported Catalonia's right for a vote on independence, without throwing their weight behind the yes or no camp. Last week the club released a strongly-worded statement condemning arrests of regional Catalan government figures in "the defence of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination". However, Las Palmas criticised Barca's stance for heightening the tension around the match should it go ahead. "Today Las Palmas pay a visit on an unprecedented day for our country, a day in which the Catalan government have decided to celebrate a referendum against Spanish law, with all the international exposure that events in the Camp Nou will have," continued Las Palmas' statement. "The public statements in recent days, especially those of our hosts FC Barcelona, have converted this La Liga match into something more than a mere sporting spectacle." Outspoken Barca defender Gerard Pique posted a picture of him casting his vote early on Sunday morning. "I have voted. Together we are unstoppable defending democracy," said Pique. Legendary Barca midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who currently plays for Qatari side Al Sadd, also posted a video on social media describing the events as "shameful." "It is unacceptable that in a democratic country people cannot vote," added Xavi. And former Barca captain Carles Puyol added his support for the referendum by posting "To vote is democracy!" on his Twitter account.

Football: Las Palmas wear Spanish flag against Barca

Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea.

After Jose Mourinho&#39;s United romped to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Crystal Palace, City had much the better of the late game at Stamford Bridge.

&quot;We are so happy,&quot; City manager Pep Guardiola said. &quot;The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing.&quot;

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A second-half goal by former Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne won it and left City just ahead of United on goal difference.

Chelsea, starting the day three points behind the Manchester pair in third place, dropped to fourth after two more goals from Harry Kane helped Tottenham Hotspur to a comfortable 4-0 win away to Huddersfield Town.

Manager Antonio Conte blamed Champions League exertions from midweek for his team&#39;s subdued performance. &quot;It is logical when you play three games in seven (sic) days you risk something,&quot; he said.

United&#39;s win left Palace rooted to the bottom of the table after a record seventh successive defeat without a goal to start the season.

Beaten 5-0 away by City in their last game, Palace avoided a repetition but became only the second team since the Premier League began to lose their first seven games. Unlike Portsmouth in 2009-10, though, they have not scored a single goal.

Romelu Lukaku&#39;s late strike meant that free-scoring United have hit four goals in a game six times this season.

Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini scored before halftime and when Fellaini headed in his second just after the interval, the points were made even more secure.

&quot;We started strong and we finished strong,&quot; said Mourinho.

England striker Kane continued his astonishing run by following up a Champions League hat-trick in midweek with two more goals as Spurs went 3-0 up by halftime at promoted Huddersfield. Ben Davies scored the other first-half goal and Moussa Sissoko added a fourth just before the final whistle.

Kane, having failed to score at all in August once again, made it 13 for club and country during September.

&quot;Goals to games it is probably the best month I have had, especially after August,&quot; he said.

Watford recovered from two goals down at West Bromwich Albion to go fifth after the home team scored twice in three minutes in the first half through Salomon Rondon and Jonny Evans.

Abdoulaye Doucoure kept Watford in contention and Brazilian Richarlison headed an equaliser in the final minute of added time.

Substitute Peter Crouch earned Stoke City a 2-1 win at home to Southampton after Maya Yoshida had equalised Mame Biram Diouf&#39;s opener. Earlier Saido Berahino, who has not scored for 30 games, missed a penalty conceded by Southampton&#39;s Virgil van Dijk, playing his first game of the season.

In two key games at the wrong end of the table, West Ham United had a late 1-0 win over Swansea City to move above them but Bournemouth were held at home by Leicester City.

West Ham relieved some of the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic when two of his substitutes combined for a dramatic winning goal.

Arthur Masuaku crossed for Diafra Sakho to score, taking the London side out of the bottom three and putting Swansea there instead.

&quot;It was a difficult atmosphere in some ways,&quot; West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart said of a home crowd who grew increasingly restless.

&quot;I&#39;m never going to criticise the fans, they pay their money and have a right to their opinion.&quot;

Bournemouth stay bottom but one after dominating against Leicester but failing to score. Jermain Defoe came closest in the second minute, hitting the bar.

In Sunday&#39;s three matches, sixth-placed Liverpool meet up with their former manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Newcastle United; Arsenal host Brighton and Everton are at home to Burnley.

City beat Chelsea away 1-0, United romped 4-0 over Crystal Palace

Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea. After Jose Mourinho's United romped to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Crystal Palace, City had much the better of the late game at Stamford Bridge. "We are so happy," City manager Pep Guardiola said. "The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing." The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing,' said Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola × A second-half goal by former Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne won it and left City just ahead of United on goal difference. Chelsea, starting the day three points behind the Manchester pair in third place, dropped to fourth after two more goals from Harry Kane helped Tottenham Hotspur to a comfortable 4-0 win away to Huddersfield Town. Manager Antonio Conte blamed Champions League exertions from midweek for his team's subdued performance. "It is logical when you play three games in seven (sic) days you risk something," he said. United's win left Palace rooted to the bottom of the table after a record seventh successive defeat without a goal to start the season. Beaten 5-0 away by City in their last game, Palace avoided a repetition but became only the second team since the Premier League began to lose their first seven games. Unlike Portsmouth in 2009-10, though, they have not scored a single goal. Romelu Lukaku's late strike meant that free-scoring United have hit four goals in a game six times this season. Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini scored before halftime and when Fellaini headed in his second just after the interval, the points were made even more secure. "We started strong and we finished strong," said Mourinho. England striker Kane continued his astonishing run by following up a Champions League hat-trick in midweek with two more goals as Spurs went 3-0 up by halftime at promoted Huddersfield. Ben Davies scored the other first-half goal and Moussa Sissoko added a fourth just before the final whistle. Kane, having failed to score at all in August once again, made it 13 for club and country during September. "Goals to games it is probably the best month I have had, especially after August," he said. Watford recovered from two goals down at West Bromwich Albion to go fifth after the home team scored twice in three minutes in the first half through Salomon Rondon and Jonny Evans. Abdoulaye Doucoure kept Watford in contention and Brazilian Richarlison headed an equaliser in the final minute of added time. Substitute Peter Crouch earned Stoke City a 2-1 win at home to Southampton after Maya Yoshida had equalised Mame Biram Diouf's opener. Earlier Saido Berahino, who has not scored for 30 games, missed a penalty conceded by Southampton's Virgil van Dijk, playing his first game of the season. In two key games at the wrong end of the table, West Ham United had a late 1-0 win over Swansea City to move above them but Bournemouth were held at home by Leicester City. West Ham relieved some of the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic when two of his substitutes combined for a dramatic winning goal. Arthur Masuaku crossed for Diafra Sakho to score, taking the London side out of the bottom three and putting Swansea there instead. "It was a difficult atmosphere in some ways," West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart said of a home crowd who grew increasingly restless. "I'm never going to criticise the fans, they pay their money and have a right to their opinion." Bournemouth stay bottom but one after dominating against Leicester but failing to score. Jermain Defoe came closest in the second minute, hitting the bar. In Sunday's three matches, sixth-placed Liverpool meet up with their former manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Newcastle United; Arsenal host Brighton and Everton are at home to Burnley.

Manchester City stay ahead of United with win over champions Chelsea

Manchester City&#39;s Argentine striker Sergio Aguero &quot;sustained injuries&quot;&nbsp;in a car crash, the club said Friday.&nbsp;

The accident occurred in Amsterdam, Holland.&nbsp;

Aguero was returning to England Friday to have his injuries examined.&nbsp;

City will be playing Chelsea in London on Saturday.&nbsp;

&quot;Sergio Aguero will be assessed by club doctors today after being involved in a road accident on Thursday. The City forward was in Holland on his day off and has sustained injuries,&quot; AFP quoted a statement from the club as saying.

City have since announced Aguero will not be playing on Saturday.&nbsp;

AFP reported Amsterdam Police as saying they had attended to a car accident on Thursday evening at around 11 pm after a &quot;taxi-cab hit a lamp-post&quot;.&nbsp;

Amsterdam Police said there were two passengers in the taxi, but did not confirm their identities.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Aguero was involved in a car crash in Amsterdam on Thursday in which a 'taxi-cab hit a lamp-post'

Manchester City's Argentine striker Sergio Aguero "sustained injuries" in a car crash, the club said Friday. The accident occurred in Amsterdam, Holland. Aguero was returning to England Friday to have his injuries examined. City will be playing Chelsea in London on Saturday. "Sergio Aguero will be assessed by club doctors today after being involved in a road accident on Thursday. The City forward was in Holland on his day off and has sustained injuries," AFP quoted a statement from the club as saying. City have since announced Aguero will not be playing on Saturday. AFP reported Amsterdam Police as saying they had attended to a car accident on Thursday evening at around 11 pm after a "taxi-cab hit a lamp-post". Amsterdam Police said there were two passengers in the taxi, but did not confirm their identities.

Injured in car crash, City's Aguero will not play Chelsea on Saturday

Zinedine Zidane praised goal-scorers Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted twice in a 3-1 victory as Real Madrid finally claimed a Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund.

Ronaldo marked his 150th European game with second-half goals after Bale&#39;s stunning early volley gave Real the lead at Dortmund&#39;s Signal Iduna Park

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Dortmund&#39;s consolation goal with just over half an hour left, but the Germans were simply out-played by holders Real.

Having also netted twice against APOEL, Ronaldo has now scored four goals in just two Champions League games this season.

&quot;I&rsquo;m happy for Cristiano... again! I&rsquo;m delighted for Ronaldo and Bale,&quot; said Zidane.

This is the first time Dortmund have lost at home to Real in seven European games while holders Madrid have now scored in 38 successive Champion League games.

&quot;It is difficult to play in this stadium, we have never won here, so this victory was important to us, and the whole game was good for us from start to finish,&quot; said Zidane.

&quot;We had a lot of ball possession, that was the key.

&quot;Dortmund played as impressively as ever, but we compensated well.&quot;

Dortmund shaded possession and matched Real&#39;s tally of 16 shots on goal and Zidane wanted to see more chances converted.

&quot;We could have scored more. We had chances. The important thing is to score more than our opponents and we did that,&quot; said the Frenchman.

&quot;The side worked hard - Isco, (Luka) Modric, Casemiro and (Toni) Kroos were marvellous.

&quot;Everyone was brilliant. It was a tremendous game.&quot;

The result leaves Real top of Group H, just ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who beat APOEL 3-0 away, with Dortmund third and six points adrift of Spurs, who they also lost 3-1 to in London.

Dortmund coach Peter Bosz gave an honest appraisal of his team, who were better than Real in virtually every statistic - apart from the scoreboard.

&quot;We defend with 11 players and we attack with 11 players,&quot; said the Dutchman, whose Dortmund shaded possession and match Real&#39;s 16 shots on goal.

&quot;We were just too late against a side who barely made a mistake and we have to defend better.

&quot;We didn&#39;t put any pressure on the ball during the game and it&#39;s difficult against an opponent like that.

&quot;We were always too late, we have to analyse the performance and do better in the future.

Dortmund should have been awarded a penalty with 13 minutes gone when Real captain Sergio Ramos cleared Maximilian Philipp&#39;s shot off the line and the ball deflected off his hand.

&quot;That was clearly a handball in the first-half, but we deserved to lose,&quot; admitted Bosz.

Zinedine Zidane praised goal-scorers Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted twice in a 3-1 victory as Real Madrid finally claimed a Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund

Zinedine Zidane praised goal-scorers Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted twice in a 3-1 victory as Real Madrid finally claimed a Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund. Ronaldo marked his 150th European game with second-half goals after Bale's stunning early volley gave Real the lead at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Dortmund's consolation goal with just over half an hour left, but the Germans were simply out-played by holders Real. Having also netted twice against APOEL, Ronaldo has now scored four goals in just two Champions League games this season. "I’m happy for Cristiano... again! I’m delighted for Ronaldo and Bale," said Zidane. This is the first time Dortmund have lost at home to Real in seven European games while holders Madrid have now scored in 38 successive Champion League games. "It is difficult to play in this stadium, we have never won here, so this victory was important to us, and the whole game was good for us from start to finish," said Zidane. "We had a lot of ball possession, that was the key. "Dortmund played as impressively as ever, but we compensated well." Dortmund shaded possession and matched Real's tally of 16 shots on goal and Zidane wanted to see more chances converted. "We could have scored more. We had chances. The important thing is to score more than our opponents and we did that," said the Frenchman. "The side worked hard - Isco, (Luka) Modric, Casemiro and (Toni) Kroos were marvellous. "Everyone was brilliant. It was a tremendous game." The result leaves Real top of Group H, just ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who beat APOEL 3-0 away, with Dortmund third and six points adrift of Spurs, who they also lost 3-1 to in London. Dortmund coach Peter Bosz gave an honest appraisal of his team, who were better than Real in virtually every statistic - apart from the scoreboard. "We defend with 11 players and we attack with 11 players," said the Dutchman, whose Dortmund shaded possession and match Real's 16 shots on goal. "We were just too late against a side who barely made a mistake and we have to defend better. "We didn't put any pressure on the ball during the game and it's difficult against an opponent like that. "We were always too late, we have to analyse the performance and do better in the future. Dortmund should have been awarded a penalty with 13 minutes gone when Real captain Sergio Ramos cleared Maximilian Philipp's shot off the line and the ball deflected off his hand. "That was clearly a handball in the first-half, but we deserved to lose," admitted Bosz.

Football: Zidane hails Bale, Ronaldo as Real win at Dortmund

The absence of key midfielders due to injury will have no impact on the Manchester&nbsp;United&nbsp;team&#39;s quality in their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, manager <a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/mourinho-ready-to-make-move-for-bale-18682" target="_blank">Jose Mourinho</a> said.

United&nbsp;will be without Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, leaving Mourinho with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as the only experienced central midfielders available for the game on Wednesday.

&quot;We don&#39;t have Fellaini, we don&#39;t have Pogba, we don&#39;t have Carrick. So all three midfield players we lose this match. The solutions are not many,&quot; Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday.

&quot;We try not to focus on individual battles or specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the bigger picture. And we are going to have a team with quality, with balance.&quot;

Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday.

&quot;It was only when I saw it on TV that I realised that Fellaini was very lucky,&quot; Mourinho added. &quot;I do not expect him to be out for long.&quot;

CSKA Moscow lies fourth in the Russian Premier League with six wins from 11 games but Mourinho believes they are &quot;the best CSKA I am going to play against&quot;.

&quot;I don&#39;t like to speak about opponents,&quot; he said.

&quot;If I speak good, I motivate them. If I speak bad, I motivate them.&quot;

United, unbeaten this season and level on points with&nbsp;Manchester&nbsp;City at the top of the Premier League, started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Basel at Old Trafford.

CSKA beat Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon in their opening match.

Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday

The absence of key midfielders due to injury will have no impact on the Manchester United team's quality in their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, manager Jose Mourinho said. United will be without Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, leaving Mourinho with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as the only experienced central midfielders available for the game on Wednesday. "We don't have Fellaini, we don't have Pogba, we don't have Carrick. So all three midfield players we lose this match. The solutions are not many," Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday. "We try not to focus on individual battles or specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the bigger picture. And we are going to have a team with quality, with balance." Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday. "It was only when I saw it on TV that I realised that Fellaini was very lucky," Mourinho added. "I do not expect him to be out for long." CSKA Moscow lies fourth in the Russian Premier League with six wins from 11 games but Mourinho believes they are "the best CSKA I am going to play against". "I don't like to speak about opponents," he said. "If I speak good, I motivate them. If I speak bad, I motivate them." United, unbeaten this season and level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Basel at Old Trafford. CSKA beat Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon in their opening match.

Manchester United midfield injuries won't affect quality: Mourinho

FIFA has backed down in its row with British football authorities over the wearing of poppies by players in international matches as a tribute to those killed in war.

Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November.

FIFA`s stance -- based on a strict interpretation of its laws against the use of personal, political or religious slogans or symbols -- sparked widespread condemnation in Britain, with Prime Minister

Theresa May calling it &quot;utterly outrageous&quot; in Parliament.

But now football`s world governing body has sent its member associations new guidance, which says certain &quot;initiatives&quot; may appear on players` kits.

The document rules out &quot;personal&quot; or &quot;religious... slogans, statements or images&quot; but admits &quot;political&quot; is less clear, although it bans slogans and symbols related to political parties and governments.

It adds: &quot;When commemorating a significant national or international event, the sensibilities of the opposing team (including its supporters) and the general public should be carefully considered.&quot;

It means England, or any other team that wants to wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day (November 11), can do so, providing they get their opponents` permission and inform the organisers of the match.

If England seal qualification for next summer`s World Cup in their next two games in early October, they are set to play Germany in a friendly at Wembley in November and it is understood they have already been given permission by the German FA to wear poppies.

Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November.

FIFA has backed down in its row with British football authorities over the wearing of poppies by players in international matches as a tribute to those killed in war. Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November. FIFA`s stance -- based on a strict interpretation of its laws against the use of personal, political or religious slogans or symbols -- sparked widespread condemnation in Britain, with Prime Minister Theresa May calling it "utterly outrageous" in Parliament. But now football`s world governing body has sent its member associations new guidance, which says certain "initiatives" may appear on players` kits. The document rules out "personal" or "religious... slogans, statements or images" but admits "political" is less clear, although it bans slogans and symbols related to political parties and governments. It adds: "When commemorating a significant national or international event, the sensibilities of the opposing team (including its supporters) and the general public should be carefully considered." It means England, or any other team that wants to wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day (November 11), can do so, providing they get their opponents` permission and inform the organisers of the match. If England seal qualification for next summer`s World Cup in their next two games in early October, they are set to play Germany in a friendly at Wembley in November and it is understood they have already been given permission by the German FA to wear poppies.

FIFA scraps ban on poppies on football shirts

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points ahead of Saturday&#39;s trip to Alaves.

When Madrid swept a crisis-ridden Barca aside 5-1 in the Spanish Super Cup last month, Zinedine Zidane&#39;s men were expected to romp to the title.

Instead, disappointing home draws against Valencia and Levante were compounded as Real failed to score for the first time in 74 games when Real Betis became the first side other than Barca or Atletico Madrid to win at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga for six-and-a-half years on Wednesday.

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&quot;We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can&#39;t throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games,&quot; insisted Zidane.

&quot;I know that many people don&#39;t like this work when things go wrong, but we have to accept it and be calm.

&quot;The league is very long and we will stay calm within the group because we will lift ourselves and we know we will have better days.&quot;

Going on the road this weekend may come as a relief to Real as they have shone on their travels this season in wins at Deportivo la Coruna and Real Sociedad as well as beating Barca and Manchester United in the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups respectively.

&quot;It seems like if we don&#39;t score early at the Bernabeu we start to get anxious,&quot; admitted midfielder Isco.

&quot;It is something we have to improve and it is better that it happens now at the start of the season when there is more room for error.&quot;

And while Real have endured a rough start to their title defence, Alaves are suffering a nightmare start to the season themselves as they have lost all five matches so far and already sacked coach Luis Zubeldia.

&quot;We need to turn the page and think about the next game,&quot; said Real captain Sergio Ramos.

&quot;We have come back from many points behind to win the league before. We need to stay calm because they are many games and points still to play for.&quot;

There won&#39;t be a Zidane family reunion at Mendizorroza as Enzo Zidane, Zinedine&#39;s oldest son, can&#39;t feature for Alaves due to the terms of his loan move from Real.

- Political all-Catalan clash - 
Madrid can reduce the gap on Barca to four points before the leaders travel to Girona for a first ever Catalan derby between the two in the top flight.

Barca&#39;s impressive start to the season on the field has been overshadowed this week as the club condemned the escalating political tension in the region in the build-up to an October 1 referendum on independence organised by pro-separatist politicians.

A powerful symbol of Catalonia across the world, Barca called for respect for &quot;democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination.&quot;

Fourteen regional government officials were detained on Wednesday as part of the crackdown by the Spanish government on plans for the referendum.

With Barca expected to rack up a seventh straight win in all competitions against newly-promoted Girona, attention will be focused as much on demonstrations that could take place by both sets of fans at Montilivi.

The most enticing clash of the weekend comes at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday lunchtime as third hosts second when Atletico Madrid welcome Sevilla.

Diego Costa is expected to be paraded on his homecoming after Atletico agreed a reported club record fee of 55 million euros ($66 million) to bring the man that fired them to the title in 2013/14 back to the club from Chelsea.

Costa won&#39;t be able to play until January, however.

&nbsp;

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points ahead of Saturday's trip to Alaves. When Madrid swept a crisis-ridden Barca aside 5-1 in the Spanish Super Cup last month, Zinedine Zidane's men were expected to romp to the title. Instead, disappointing home draws against Valencia and Levante were compounded as Real failed to score for the first time in 74 games when Real Betis became the first side other than Barca or Atletico Madrid to win at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga for six-and-a-half years on Wednesday. We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can't throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games,' Zidane insisted. × "We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can't throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games," insisted Zidane. "I know that many people don't like this work when things go wrong, but we have to accept it and be calm. "The league is very long and we will stay calm within the group because we will lift ourselves and we know we will have better days." Going on the road this weekend may come as a relief to Real as they have shone on their travels this season in wins at Deportivo la Coruna and Real Sociedad as well as beating Barca and Manchester United in the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups respectively. "It seems like if we don't score early at the Bernabeu we start to get anxious," admitted midfielder Isco. "It is something we have to improve and it is better that it happens now at the start of the season when there is more room for error." And while Real have endured a rough start to their title defence, Alaves are suffering a nightmare start to the season themselves as they have lost all five matches so far and already sacked coach Luis Zubeldia. "We need to turn the page and think about the next game," said Real captain Sergio Ramos. "We have come back from many points behind to win the league before. We need to stay calm because they are many games and points still to play for." There won't be a Zidane family reunion at Mendizorroza as Enzo Zidane, Zinedine's oldest son, can't feature for Alaves due to the terms of his loan move from Real. - Political all-Catalan clash - Madrid can reduce the gap on Barca to four points before the leaders travel to Girona for a first ever Catalan derby between the two in the top flight. Barca's impressive start to the season on the field has been overshadowed this week as the club condemned the escalating political tension in the region in the build-up to an October 1 referendum on independence organised by pro-separatist politicians. A powerful symbol of Catalonia across the world, Barca called for respect for "democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination." Fourteen regional government officials were detained on Wednesday as part of the crackdown by the Spanish government on plans for the referendum. With Barca expected to rack up a seventh straight win in all competitions against newly-promoted Girona, attention will be focused as much on demonstrations that could take place by both sets of fans at Montilivi. The most enticing clash of the weekend comes at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday lunchtime as third hosts second when Atletico Madrid welcome Sevilla. Diego Costa is expected to be paraded on his homecoming after Atletico agreed a reported club record fee of 55 million euros ($66 million) to bring the man that fired them to the title in 2013/14 back to the club from Chelsea. Costa won't be able to play until January, however.

Zidane pleads for calm amidst Real slump

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real Madrid on Wednesday as the European champions failed to score for the first time in 74 matches.

Defeat leaves Real already seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona just five games into their defence of La Liga, having failed to win in all three home games so far this season.

Even the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from a five-match domestic ban couldn&#39;t break Betis&#39; resistance as former Real goalkeeper Antonio Adan produced stunning saves from Isco, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale.

And Betis snatched all three points in the 93rd minute when Sanabria powered home a header from Antonio Barragan&#39;s cross.

&quot;Last year we won games we didn&#39;t deserve to and now it is the reverse,&quot; said Real coach Zinedine Zidane.

&quot;The league is very long, in the end, we&#39;ll see how it goes but we need to be calm and we know we will have better days.&quot;

It is the first time Betis have won at the Bernabeu since 1998.

&quot;It is impossible to win here without suffering,&quot; said Betis boss Quique Setien.

&quot;To win against a team like this, your goalie has to have a spectacular game and you have to have luck.&quot;

Ronaldo was recalled among three changes to the Madrid side from Sunday&#39;s 3-1 win at Real Sociedad as Zinedine Zidane named his strongest available side.

However, it was the visitors who made the stronger start and should have gone in front when Sanabria&#39;s goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Dani Carvajal.

Keylor Navas also produced a stunning save to tip Fabian Ruiz&#39;s rising drive over the bar.

At the other end, Adan made a smart stop to deny Isco just before half-time and Betis had to resist an onslaught after the break.

Ronaldo blazed wildly over from Bale&#39;s inch-perfect cross before Kroos forced Adan into another finger-tip stop.

The former Madrid &#39;keeper&#39;s finest moment came in denying Bale in spectacular fashion 15 minutes from time, though, as the Welshman&#39;s backheeled volley was turned onto the post.

Betis were the side to finally have the ball in the net as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time, but Sanabria had strayed offside as he turned home Andres Guardado&#39;s shot.

However, they broke with purpose once more minutes later and this time Sarabia wasn&#39;t to be denied as he bulleted a header into the far corner from Antonio Barragan&#39;s cross.

Earlier, Atletico Madrid celebrated being awarded the honour of hosting the Champions League final in 2019 with an impressive 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao to move up to third.

The visitors needed to rely on a brilliant penalty save from Jan Oblak to deny Aritz Aduriz just before half-time.

Angel Correa opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second-half by finishing off a flowing move involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez.

And Yannick Carrasco secured the three points with an angled finish from another Griezmann through ball 17 minutes from time before Raul Garcia netted a late consolation for the hosts.

UEFA awarded their showpiece event for next season to Atletico&#39;s new Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the day.

And the feel-good factor around Atletico following their 1-0 victory over Malaga to open their new 68,000 capacity home at the weekend continued with a commanding display in their fifth away trip in six games so far this season.

&quot;It is another important step for the club. Hopefully, on the field, we can match the growth of the club,&quot; said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

&quot;We are making an enormous effort. We have played five games away from home and the response has been positive.&quot;

Sevilla moved into second, two points behind Barca, as Jesus Navas scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Las Palmas.

Alaves remain without a point or even a goal after five games as Luisinho&#39;s winner handed Deportivo la Coruna a 1-0 win for their first victory of the season.

Leganes stay in the top half after a 0-0 draw at home to Girona.

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real Madrid on Wednesday as the European champions failed to score for the first time in 74 matches. Defeat leaves Real already seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona just five games into their defence of La Liga, having failed to win in all three home games so far this season. Even the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from a five-match domestic ban couldn't break Betis' resistance as former Real goalkeeper Antonio Adan produced stunning saves from Isco, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale. And Betis snatched all three points in the 93rd minute when Sanabria powered home a header from Antonio Barragan's cross. "Last year we won games we didn't deserve to and now it is the reverse," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. "The league is very long, in the end, we'll see how it goes but we need to be calm and we know we will have better days." It is the first time Betis have won at the Bernabeu since 1998. "It is impossible to win here without suffering," said Betis boss Quique Setien. "To win against a team like this, your goalie has to have a spectacular game and you have to have luck." Ronaldo was recalled among three changes to the Madrid side from Sunday's 3-1 win at Real Sociedad as Zinedine Zidane named his strongest available side. However, it was the visitors who made the stronger start and should have gone in front when Sanabria's goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Dani Carvajal. Keylor Navas also produced a stunning save to tip Fabian Ruiz's rising drive over the bar. At the other end, Adan made a smart stop to deny Isco just before half-time and Betis had to resist an onslaught after the break. Ronaldo blazed wildly over from Bale's inch-perfect cross before Kroos forced Adan into another finger-tip stop. The former Madrid 'keeper's finest moment came in denying Bale in spectacular fashion 15 minutes from time, though, as the Welshman's backheeled volley was turned onto the post. Betis were the side to finally have the ball in the net as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time, but Sanabria had strayed offside as he turned home Andres Guardado's shot. However, they broke with purpose once more minutes later and this time Sarabia wasn't to be denied as he bulleted a header into the far corner from Antonio Barragan's cross. Earlier, Atletico Madrid celebrated being awarded the honour of hosting the Champions League final in 2019 with an impressive 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao to move up to third. The visitors needed to rely on a brilliant penalty save from Jan Oblak to deny Aritz Aduriz just before half-time. Angel Correa opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second-half by finishing off a flowing move involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez. And Yannick Carrasco secured the three points with an angled finish from another Griezmann through ball 17 minutes from time before Raul Garcia netted a late consolation for the hosts. UEFA awarded their showpiece event for next season to Atletico's new Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the day. And the feel-good factor around Atletico following their 1-0 victory over Malaga to open their new 68,000 capacity home at the weekend continued with a commanding display in their fifth away trip in six games so far this season. "It is another important step for the club. Hopefully, on the field, we can match the growth of the club," said Atletico coach Diego Simeone. "We are making an enormous effort. We have played five games away from home and the response has been positive." Sevilla moved into second, two points behind Barca, as Jesus Navas scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Las Palmas. Alaves remain without a point or even a goal after five games as Luisinho's winner handed Deportivo la Coruna a 1-0 win for their first victory of the season. Leganes stay in the top half after a 0-0 draw at home to Girona.

Ronaldo returns, Real Madrid is beaten

Arsenal manager Arsene&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;denied trying to send a&nbsp;message&nbsp;to Alexis&nbsp;Sanchez by playing him in the League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;and Europa League and says midweek minutes have helped the Chilean close in on full fitness after an injury-disrupted pre-season.

The striker made his first appearance in the League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home.

The 28-year-old failed to secure a move away from the Emirates in the transfer window and injury and illness have limited his involvement to just one other full match - in the Europa League against FC Cologne.

&quot;Look, there&#39;s no disguised attitude on my side,&quot;&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;told reporters on Thursday when asked if he was trying to send a&nbsp;message&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sanchez&nbsp;by not&nbsp;starting him in Arsenal&#39;s last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Bournemouth.

&quot;I just try to get him back to full fitness and for me, the Europa League and League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;are important as well.

&quot;Alexis&nbsp;Sanchez&nbsp;has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short physically. I played him last night to give him competition.... I left him on for 90 minutes because I wanted him to have a real go.&quot;

Arsenal, who are 12th in the league after an indifferent&nbsp;start&nbsp;to the season in which they have won twice and drawn once in their first five games, host 10th-placed West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

West Brom has not won a point at the Emirates since 2010, but&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;is expecting a strong defensive performance from Tony Pulis&#39; side.

&quot;They have the culture of the Premier League, a manager who knows how the league works. They are very strong on set pieces, solid defensively - it&#39;s tough to score against them,&quot; he added.

Mesut Ozil is back in training after missing Arsenal&#39;s 0-0 draw at Chelsea in their last league outing with a knee injury, but striker Danny Welbeck (groin) and defender Calum Chambers (hip) are out until after next month&#39;s international break.

The striker made his first appearance in the League?Cup?since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger denied trying to send a message to Alexis Sanchez by playing him in the League Cup and Europa League and says midweek minutes have helped the Chilean close in on full fitness after an injury-disrupted pre-season. The striker made his first appearance in the League Cup since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home. The 28-year-old failed to secure a move away from the Emirates in the transfer window and injury and illness have limited his involvement to just one other full match - in the Europa League against FC Cologne. "Look, there's no disguised attitude on my side," Wenger told reporters on Thursday when asked if he was trying to send a message to Sanchez by not starting him in Arsenal's last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Bournemouth. "I just try to get him back to full fitness and for me, the Europa League and League Cup are important as well. "Alexis Sanchez has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short physically. I played him last night to give him competition.... I left him on for 90 minutes because I wanted him to have a real go." Arsenal, who are 12th in the league after an indifferent start to the season in which they have won twice and drawn once in their first five games, host 10th-placed West Bromwich Albion on Monday. West Brom has not won a point at the Emirates since 2010, but Wenger is expecting a strong defensive performance from Tony Pulis' side. "They have the culture of the Premier League, a manager who knows how the league works. They are very strong on set pieces, solid defensively - it's tough to score against them," he added. Mesut Ozil is back in training after missing Arsenal's 0-0 draw at Chelsea in their last league outing with a knee injury, but striker Danny Welbeck (groin) and defender Calum Chambers (hip) are out until after next month's international break.

Wenger denies sending message to Sanchez with rare Cup start

Everton&nbsp;showed plenty of signs they were improving despite the heavy defeat to Manchester United and the side have the character to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;things&nbsp;around, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson&nbsp;has said.

Sunday&#39;s 4-0 loss to United was&nbsp;Everton&#39;s third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy&#39;s Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes.

Sigurdsson,&nbsp;Everton&#39;s record signing who arrived in the close season along with a host of new recruits as the club spent 145 million pounds ($196.23 million), said there were signs the squad was gelling.

&quot;Yes &ndash; it is hard to say that after a 4-0 loss but we will stay together, stay positive and keep working,&quot; the Iceland international told the club&#39;s website (www.evertonfc.com).

&quot;Even though we conceded four goals I think we were more solid as a team and harder to break down. But we are going to have to improve for the next few games.&quot;

Everton, 18th in the league table with four points from five games, host Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday before Saturday&#39;s league match against Bournemouth at Goodison Park.

&quot;A lot of us have been in this kind of position before &ndash; where&nbsp;things&nbsp;are not going your way,&quot; Sigurdsson&nbsp;said.

&quot;It does not look too good at the moment but I know we are more than good enough to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;this around.&quot;

Sunday's 4-0 loss to United was?Everton's third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy's Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes.

Everton showed plenty of signs they were improving despite the heavy defeat to Manchester United and the side have the character to turn things around, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has said. Sunday's 4-0 loss to United was Everton's third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy's Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes. Sigurdsson, Everton's record signing who arrived in the close season along with a host of new recruits as the club spent 145 million pounds ($196.23 million), said there were signs the squad was gelling. "Yes – it is hard to say that after a 4-0 loss but we will stay together, stay positive and keep working," the Iceland international told the club's website (www.evertonfc.com). "Even though we conceded four goals I think we were more solid as a team and harder to break down. But we are going to have to improve for the next few games." Everton, 18th in the league table with four points from five games, host Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday before Saturday's league match against Bournemouth at Goodison Park. "A lot of us have been in this kind of position before – where things are not going your way," Sigurdsson said. "It does not look too good at the moment but I know we are more than good enough to turn this around."

Despite loss to Manchester United, Everton can turn things around, says Sigurdsson

Ander&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;has&nbsp;made just one Premier League start this season but the Manchester United midfielder&nbsp;has&nbsp;no doubts he remains an important part of&nbsp;manager Jose Mourinho&#39;s plans.

The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but&nbsp;has&nbsp;lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign.

Overlooked on Sunday despite Paul Pogba&#39;s absence through injury,&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;came on as a 77th-minute substitute against Everton and stabilised&nbsp;United&#39;s&nbsp;midfield. United then scored three times in the final 10 minutes for a 4-0 win.

&quot;I feel as important as I did last season,&quot; the 28-year-old told British media.

&quot;I am a team&nbsp;player and I always say that and if the&nbsp;manager decides to keep me on the bench I will be ready. I said that last season and it is the same now.&quot;

United&#39;s&nbsp;player of the year last season,&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;said he had no problem watching teammates Matic and Marouane Fellaini from the sidelines.

&quot;I can learn from Nemanja and from &#39;Felly&#39;, he&nbsp;has&nbsp;some abilities that we don&#39;t have in midfield. Paul Pogba is our most free midfielder and I can learn from him as well.

&quot;I will try to enjoy every minute I have on the pitch. I want to win titles and feel part of the team and feel important and I really do feel important because the&nbsp;manager makes me feel important.&quot;

The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but?has?lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign.

Ander Herrera has made just one Premier League start this season but the Manchester United midfielder has no doubts he remains an important part of manager Jose Mourinho's plans. The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but has lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign. Overlooked on Sunday despite Paul Pogba's absence through injury, Herrera came on as a 77th-minute substitute against Everton and stabilised United's midfield. United then scored three times in the final 10 minutes for a 4-0 win. "I feel as important as I did last season," the 28-year-old told British media. "I am a team player and I always say that and if the manager decides to keep me on the bench I will be ready. I said that last season and it is the same now." United's player of the year last season, Herrera said he had no problem watching teammates Matic and Marouane Fellaini from the sidelines. "I can learn from Nemanja and from 'Felly', he has some abilities that we don't have in midfield. Paul Pogba is our most free midfielder and I can learn from him as well. "I will try to enjoy every minute I have on the pitch. I want to win titles and feel part of the team and feel important and I really do feel important because the manager makes me feel important."

I want to win titles for Manchester United:?Herrera

Liverpool&nbsp;manager Juergen&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;believes his side have the&nbsp;depth&nbsp;in the&nbsp;squad&nbsp;to compete in&nbsp;different&nbsp;competitions&nbsp;but did not rule out signing reinforcements in January.

Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk,&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season.

Ahead of the team&#39;s trip to Leicester City for their League Cup third round clash, the German said he was happy with the personnel at his disposal &quot;at the moment&quot;.

&quot;From today&#39;s perspective, yes - we will see how it is in January,&quot; he told the club&#39;s website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

&quot;I think the&nbsp;squad&nbsp;is wide enough to play in&nbsp;different&nbsp;competitions&nbsp;and to come as far as possible and that&#39;s the plan at the moment.&quot;

Questions have been raised about&nbsp;Liverpool&#39;s back line which&nbsp;has&nbsp;leaked nine goals in five league games. They lost 5-0 to Manchester City before the weekend&#39;s 1-1 draw with Burnley.

The club&#39;s defensive frailties were also exposed in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League last week but&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;said there was no need to panic.

&quot;We will see how it is in January but, in this moment, I feel comfortable when I think aboutdifferent&nbsp;opportunities to use the players and to bring the players in&nbsp;different&nbsp;games,&quot; he said.

Klopp&nbsp;said Oxlade-Chamberlain&#39;s switch to Merseyside from Arsenal made &quot;complete sense&quot; and that the England international had been roped in as a long-term prospect.

&quot;A new start is... kind of a relief. You are in a situation in your old club... and you accept it at some point and then it&#39;s difficult to make the next step,&quot;&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;said.

&quot;I thought it made complete sense for Alex to change club, especially to come here. So far, I can see that he&nbsp;has&nbsp;settled in perfectly.&quot;

Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk,?Klopp?brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp believes his side have the depth in the squad to compete in different competitions but did not rule out signing reinforcements in January. Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, Klopp brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season. Ahead of the team's trip to Leicester City for their League Cup third round clash, the German said he was happy with the personnel at his disposal "at the moment". "From today's perspective, yes - we will see how it is in January," he told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com). "I think the squad is wide enough to play in different competitions and to come as far as possible and that's the plan at the moment." Questions have been raised about Liverpool's back line which has leaked nine goals in five league games. They lost 5-0 to Manchester City before the weekend's 1-1 draw with Burnley. The club's defensive frailties were also exposed in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League last week but Klopp said there was no need to panic. "We will see how it is in January but, in this moment, I feel comfortable when I think aboutdifferent opportunities to use the players and to bring the players in different games," he said. Klopp said Oxlade-Chamberlain's switch to Merseyside from Arsenal made "complete sense" and that the England international had been roped in as a long-term prospect. "A new start is... kind of a relief. You are in a situation in your old club... and you accept it at some point and then it's difficult to make the next step," Klopp said. "I thought it made complete sense for Alex to change club, especially to come here. So far, I can see that he has settled in perfectly."

Liverpool squad has depth for different competitions, says Klopp

Manchester&nbsp;United&nbsp;may struggle to maintain their explosive start to the Premier League season if injured midfielder Paul&nbsp;Pogba&nbsp;is out for long, the club&#39;s playmaker Henrik Mkhitaryan&nbsp;has said.

Pogba&nbsp;hurt his hamstring during&nbsp;United&#39;s Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period.

The France international, who captained&nbsp;United&nbsp;against the Swiss champions, limped off in the 3-0 win and some reports have suggested he could be out for 12 weeks with a muscle tear.

But manager Jose Mourinho has said the nature of the injury would not be known until after the results of the scans.

United&nbsp;thumped Everton 4-0 over the weekend with Marouane Fellaini stepping in for&nbsp;Pogba&nbsp;butMkhitaryan&nbsp;said the club would&nbsp;miss&nbsp;Pogba&#39;s creativity that has help them script big victories this season.

&quot;It&#39;s hard, because he&#39;s a top player for us,&quot; he told France&#39;s SFR Sport. &quot;It&#39;s going to be very difficult, but the coach knows how to make up for that and we&#39;re going to help him come back stronger.&quot;

Mourinho&#39;s side share top spot in the Premier League table with Manchester City and have 13 points from five games. Both Manchester clubs have scored 16 goals and conceded only two.

United&nbsp;host Championship side (second tier) Burton Albion in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Southampton in the league on Saturday.

Pogba?hurt his hamstring during?United's Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period.

Manchester United may struggle to maintain their explosive start to the Premier League season if injured midfielder Paul Pogba is out for long, the club's playmaker Henrik Mkhitaryan has said. Pogba hurt his hamstring during United's Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period. The France international, who captained United against the Swiss champions, limped off in the 3-0 win and some reports have suggested he could be out for 12 weeks with a muscle tear. But manager Jose Mourinho has said the nature of the injury would not be known until after the results of the scans. United thumped Everton 4-0 over the weekend with Marouane Fellaini stepping in for Pogba butMkhitaryan said the club would miss Pogba's creativity that has help them script big victories this season. "It's hard, because he's a top player for us," he told France's SFR Sport. "It's going to be very difficult, but the coach knows how to make up for that and we're going to help him come back stronger." Mourinho's side share top spot in the Premier League table with Manchester City and have 13 points from five games. Both Manchester clubs have scored 16 goals and conceded only two. United host Championship side (second tier) Burton Albion in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Southampton in the league on Saturday.

United will miss Pogba, says Mkhitaryan

Borussia&nbsp;Dortmund&nbsp;thumped&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;5-0 on Sunday, their haul including a goal and penalty awarded with help from the video assistant referee (VAR), to leave their opponents bottom of the Bundesliga and pointless after four games.

Cologne&nbsp;were furious about the first&nbsp;VAR&nbsp;incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund&nbsp;goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision.

The club&#39;s sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said the referee had not followed protocol and that they would demand a replay.

Maximilian Philipp and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang each scored a brace, the latter in the space of two minutes, as&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;returned to the harsh realities of the Bundesliga after their midweek European adventure in London. Borussia, meanwhile, went top with 10 points, ahead of Hanover 96 on goal difference.

An estimated 20,000&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;fans marched through London on Thursday to celebrate their team&#39;s first European match in 25 years as they visited Arsenal.

Despite the festive atmosphere, many of them did not have tickets and the match, won 3-1 by Arsenal, was delayed for an hour by crowd problems.

The Billy Goats barely had time to settle on Sunday before Philipp headed in Andriy Yarmolenko&#39;s cross after two minutes.

Cologne&nbsp;pulled themselves together and held their own until the stroke of halftime when their goalkeeper Timo Horn dropped the ball at a corner and&nbsp;Dortmund&nbsp;defender Sokratis tapped it in.

Referee Patrick Ittrich at first awarded&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;a free kick but, after consulting with the&nbsp;VAR, changed his mind and gave the goal. However,&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;said that the referee had blown his whistle before the ball entered the goal, meaning that he could not subsequently award it no matter what the video showed.

&quot;We will naturally lodge a protest,&quot; said Schmadtke. &quot;If a decision is made against the framework of rules, then a replay is necessary and that is what we will seek.&quot;

&quot;We need a protocol where it is clearly established when the (VAR) assistant can intervene and when he can&#39;t,&quot; he added.

The German league did not immediately comment, nor did referee Ittrich.

The&nbsp;VAR&nbsp;was again&nbsp;decisive&nbsp;in the 59th minute when&nbsp;Cologne&#39;s Lukas Kluenter raised his arm to a Yarmolenko cross and the referee, after another consultation, awarded the penalty which Aubameyang converted.

The Gabon forward struck again the following minute when he turned in another Yarmolenko cross and Philipp dinked the ball over Horn for the fifth goal in the 69th minute.

Kevin Volland scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 4-0 to claim their first win of the season and leave the Black Forest side winless.

Hoffenheim, 2-0 winners over Bayern Munich the previous weekend, were held 1-1 at home by Hertha Berlin, leaving them with eight points.

Cologne?were furious about the first?VAR?incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund?goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision.

Borussia Dortmund thumped Cologne 5-0 on Sunday, their haul including a goal and penalty awarded with help from the video assistant referee (VAR), to leave their opponents bottom of the Bundesliga and pointless after four games. Cologne were furious about the first VAR incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision. The club's sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said the referee had not followed protocol and that they would demand a replay. Maximilian Philipp and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang each scored a brace, the latter in the space of two minutes, as Cologne returned to the harsh realities of the Bundesliga after their midweek European adventure in London. Borussia, meanwhile, went top with 10 points, ahead of Hanover 96 on goal difference. An estimated 20,000 Cologne fans marched through London on Thursday to celebrate their team's first European match in 25 years as they visited Arsenal. Despite the festive atmosphere, many of them did not have tickets and the match, won 3-1 by Arsenal, was delayed for an hour by crowd problems. The Billy Goats barely had time to settle on Sunday before Philipp headed in Andriy Yarmolenko's cross after two minutes. Cologne pulled themselves together and held their own until the stroke of halftime when their goalkeeper Timo Horn dropped the ball at a corner and Dortmund defender Sokratis tapped it in. Referee Patrick Ittrich at first awarded Cologne a free kick but, after consulting with the VAR, changed his mind and gave the goal. However, Cologne said that the referee had blown his whistle before the ball entered the goal, meaning that he could not subsequently award it no matter what the video showed. "We will naturally lodge a protest," said Schmadtke. "If a decision is made against the framework of rules, then a replay is necessary and that is what we will seek." "We need a protocol where it is clearly established when the (VAR) assistant can intervene and when he can't," he added. The German league did not immediately comment, nor did referee Ittrich. The VAR was again decisive in the 59th minute when Cologne's Lukas Kluenter raised his arm to a Yarmolenko cross and the referee, after another consultation, awarded the penalty which Aubameyang converted. The Gabon forward struck again the following minute when he turned in another Yarmolenko cross and Philipp dinked the ball over Horn for the fifth goal in the 69th minute. Kevin Volland scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 4-0 to claim their first win of the season and leave the Black Forest side winless. Hoffenheim, 2-0 winners over Bayern Munich the previous weekend, were held 1-1 at home by Hertha Berlin, leaving them with eight points.

German Bundesliga: Borussia?Dortmund blast Cologne

When Carlos Tevez emerged in airport arrivals in Shanghai he had a bunch of flowers thrust into his hands and his signing was heralded as a coup for Chinese football.

A blue Shanghai Shenhua scarf was thrown around his neck and hundreds of fans mobbed the Argentine forward, who had just sealed a transfer deal making him at that moment the best-paid footballer on the planet.

But just eight months later the 33-year-old has become a symbol of Chinese clubs&#39; largesse that the Beijing government hopes will never be repeated.

Chinese fans and media have an unflattering nickname for Tevez, &quot;Very Homesick Boy&quot;, a play on how his name is pronounced in Chinese and a nod to problems he has had throughout his career settling anywhere.

Tevez, who reportedly pockets about $850,000 a week, has never stuck around for long at any club during a career that started at Boca Juniors in Argentina and took him to Brazil, England, Italy and back to Boca, before his surprise move to China in January.&nbsp;

Nobody expected him to stay long term in Shanghai.

But even his knockers are surprised at how quickly his Chinese adventure has unraveled and how poorly he has done on the pitch during a season dogged by injury and indifferent form.&nbsp;

New Shenhua coach Wu Jingui last week accused Tevez of being too overweight to play, then two days later said he had shown a better attitude and was doing extra training of his own will.

&quot;With his current attitude we will see a different Tevez,&quot; Wu said.

When Tevez was brought on by Wu for the second half of Saturday&#39;s derby at Shanghai SIPG the Argentine was met with a muted reception from the travelling Shenhua fans, though a few booed.

Shenhua were soon 3-0 down and although Tevez scored his third Chinese Super League (CSL) goal, they were hammered 6-1.

Exit looming

Given his travails, fans had been fully expecting Tevez to leave when the season ends in November.

Now it would surprise nobody if Shenhua -- struggling in the bottom quarter of the league -- decided to cut their losses and let him go home before that.

Tevez, a former Argentina international whose past clubs include Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, has made few public comments.

Shenhua, where former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet quit as manager last week, gave Tevez permission in August to return to Argentina, purportedly for treatment on a leg-muscle injury.

Many did not expect him to come back to China, and few cared if he did.

But while in Argentina he was quoted as saying that a return to Boca would be &quot;very difficult&quot;.

&quot;The Chinese are not stupid,&quot; Tevez reportedly said.

Short honeymoon

The honeymoon period in Shanghai lasted only three months.

In April, Shenhua fans hit out at Tevez when he was spotted at Shanghai Disneyland while his team were playing.

The player countered that he was injured and was entitled to spend time with his family.

A month later Poyet gave an insight into Tevez&#39;s struggles to settle in Shanghai, China&#39;s most cosmopolitan city.

&quot;The language is complicated, but with the food there are people who suffer a little more and that happened to Tevez,&quot; Poyet told Argentina&#39;s La Nacion newspaper.

&quot;At the beginning, he ate almost nothing.

&quot;We had a barbecue with (Shenhua players Fredy) Guarin and (Giovanni) Moreno and we had to remove the Chinese food.&quot;

Shenhua coach Wu is hopeful Tevez will belatedly come good to rescue a team that has lost five CSL matches on the trot and is in crisis.

&quot;His experience and level is not in doubt, it&#39;s not like he needs to prove himself in the CSL,&quot; Wu said.

&quot;In some ways, he had some adaptation problems since he came here, but you can see that his arrival has brought more attention to Shenhua.&quot;

When Carlos Tevez emerged in airport arrivals in Shanghai he had a bunch of flowers thrust into his hands and his signing was heralded as a coup for Chinese football. A blue Shanghai Shenhua scarf was thrown around his neck and hundreds of fans mobbed the Argentine forward, who had just sealed a transfer deal making him at that moment the best-paid footballer on the planet. But just eight months later the 33-year-old has become a symbol of Chinese clubs' largesse that the Beijing government hopes will never be repeated. Chinese fans and media have an unflattering nickname for Tevez, "Very Homesick Boy", a play on how his name is pronounced in Chinese and a nod to problems he has had throughout his career settling anywhere. Tevez, who reportedly pockets about $850,000 a week, has never stuck around for long at any club during a career that started at Boca Juniors in Argentina and took him to Brazil, England, Italy and back to Boca, before his surprise move to China in January. Nobody expected him to stay long term in Shanghai. But even his knockers are surprised at how quickly his Chinese adventure has unraveled and how poorly he has done on the pitch during a season dogged by injury and indifferent form. New Shenhua coach Wu Jingui last week accused Tevez of being too overweight to play, then two days later said he had shown a better attitude and was doing extra training of his own will. "With his current attitude we will see a different Tevez," Wu said. When Tevez was brought on by Wu for the second half of Saturday's derby at Shanghai SIPG the Argentine was met with a muted reception from the travelling Shenhua fans, though a few booed. Shenhua were soon 3-0 down and although Tevez scored his third Chinese Super League (CSL) goal, they were hammered 6-1. Exit looming Given his travails, fans had been fully expecting Tevez to leave when the season ends in November. Now it would surprise nobody if Shenhua -- struggling in the bottom quarter of the league -- decided to cut their losses and let him go home before that. Tevez, a former Argentina international whose past clubs include Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, has made few public comments. Shenhua, where former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet quit as manager last week, gave Tevez permission in August to return to Argentina, purportedly for treatment on a leg-muscle injury. Many did not expect him to come back to China, and few cared if he did. But while in Argentina he was quoted as saying that a return to Boca would be "very difficult". "The Chinese are not stupid," Tevez reportedly said. Short honeymoon The honeymoon period in Shanghai lasted only three months. In April, Shenhua fans hit out at Tevez when he was spotted at Shanghai Disneyland while his team were playing. The player countered that he was injured and was entitled to spend time with his family. A month later Poyet gave an insight into Tevez's struggles to settle in Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city. "The language is complicated, but with the food there are people who suffer a little more and that happened to Tevez," Poyet told Argentina's La Nacion newspaper. "At the beginning, he ate almost nothing. "We had a barbecue with (Shenhua players Fredy) Guarin and (Giovanni) Moreno and we had to remove the Chinese food." Shenhua coach Wu is hopeful Tevez will belatedly come good to rescue a team that has lost five CSL matches on the trot and is in crisis. "His experience and level is not in doubt, it's not like he needs to prove himself in the CSL," Wu said. "In some ways, he had some adaptation problems since he came here, but you can see that his arrival has brought more attention to Shenhua."

Is Carlos Tevez too fat to play?

Stoke City forward Mame&nbsp;Diouf&nbsp;has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy.

Senegal&#39;s&nbsp;Diouf, who joined Stoke from Germany&#39;s Hannover three years ago, has made 90 league appearances for the Staffordshire-based club scoring 17 league goals.

Diouf&nbsp;helped Stoke finish ninth in the league standings in his first two seasons at the club until that run was broken the last term when they finished 13th.

&quot;Another top 10 finish this season is the immediate ambition but we should be targeting the next step, an even higher finish, and success in one of the cup competitions,&quot;&nbsp;Diouf&nbsp;told the club&#39;s website on Thursday.

&quot;There&#39;s no reason why we can&#39;t win a cup; it&#39;s a long time since Stoke City won a trophy and I&#39;d love to be part of the team that did so again.&quot;

Stoke have five points from four matches in the Premier League this season and visit 10th-placed Newcastle United, who have six points, on Saturday.

Stoke City forward Mame Diouf has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy

Stoke City forward Mame Diouf has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy. Senegal's Diouf, who joined Stoke from Germany's Hannover three years ago, has made 90 league appearances for the Staffordshire-based club scoring 17 league goals. Diouf helped Stoke finish ninth in the league standings in his first two seasons at the club until that run was broken the last term when they finished 13th. "Another top 10 finish this season is the immediate ambition but we should be targeting the next step, an even higher finish, and success in one of the cup competitions," Diouf told the club's website on Thursday. "There's no reason why we can't win a cup; it's a long time since Stoke City won a trophy and I'd love to be part of the team that did so again." Stoke have five points from four matches in the Premier League this season and visit 10th-placed Newcastle United, who have six points, on Saturday.

Stoke City's Diouf signs new three-year deal

The Indian football team has dropped 10 places to 107th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.&nbsp;

India, ranked 13th in Asia, have 316 points, compared to their previous 341.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/germany-return-to-top-of-fifa-rankings-20208" target="_blank">Also read: World Champions Germany on top of FIFA rankings, Brazil slips</a>

India were ranked 97th out of 211 countries in August.&nbsp;

And had been in the top 100 since May.&nbsp;

On May 4, India, with a total of 331 points, were ranked 100th alongside Nicaragua, Lithuania, and Estonia.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Indian football team has dropped 10 places to 107th spot in the latest FIFA rankings. India, ranked 13th in Asia, have 316 points, compared to their previous 341. Also read: World Champions Germany on top of FIFA rankings, Brazil slips India were ranked 97th out of 211 countries in August. And had been in the top 100 since May. On May 4, India, with a total of 331 points, were ranked 100th alongside Nicaragua, Lithuania, and Estonia.

FIFA rankings: India fall out of top 100

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat FC Cologne 3-1 after crowd disturbances in London, while AC Milan&#39;s new signing Andre Silva scored a hat-trick in a rousing 5-1 win at Austria Vienna as the Europa League group stage got underway on Thursday.

Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal&#39;s Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team.

Arsenal&#39;s Group H match was delayed by an hour as about 20,000 Cologne supporters fans, many without tickets, descended on The Emirates before kick off as their team returned to European competition for the first time in 25 years.

There were also scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before second-half goals from Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin rescued the win.

Milan&#39;s Portugal forward, signed from Porto in the close season, enjoyed a prolific night as he became the first player to score a European hat-trick for the seven-times European champions since Brazilian Kaka against Anderlecht in 2006.

Hakan Calhanoglu set Milan on their way with a fierce drive in the seventh minute and then set up Silva&#39;s first two goals in the 10th and 20th of the Group D game.

Although Alexandar Borkovic pulled one back two minutes after the break, Silva completed his treble in the 56th minute after being sent clear by Franck Kessie&#39;s through ball. Suso added the fifth just after the hour before Milan eased up.

Atalanta were also impressive, scoring three first-half goals to beat English opponents Everton in Group E.

Andrea Masiello tapped the ball in from a corner after 27 minutes before Alejandro Gomez rifled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 41st and Bryan Cristante added the third three minutes later after Everton were caught in possession.

&quot;I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime,&quot; said Argentine Gomez. &quot;I&#39;m not a young kid anymore so to play my first Europa League match at 29 and beat Everton is very emotional.&quot;

Lyon held

Olympique Lyonnais were held 1-1 at Apollon Limassol in the group&#39;s other game after Adrian Sardinero Corpa got a last-gasp equaliser for the Cypriots to cancel out Memphis Depay&#39;s 53rd minute penalty.

Braga pulled off a shock in Group C by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Hoffenheim, who had beaten German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Sandro Wagner gave Hoffenheim the lead in the 24th minute but Joao Carlos Teixeira headed the equaliser on the stroke of halftime from a cross by Ricardo Esgaio who also set up the winner for Dyego Sousa five minutes after the break.

Lazio came from behind to win 3-2 at Vitesse Arnhem in Group K to complete a perfect night for three Serie A teams. Ciro Immobile scored their second goal, taking his tally for the season to seven in five games in all competitions.

In the group&#39;s other game, Nice thumped Zulte-Waregem 5-1 in Belgium with Alassane Plea scoring the first two goals, followed by a third from Dante and one from Allan Saint-Maximin before maverick striker Mario Balotelli wrapped up the win.

Guimaraes fielded four Brazilians, three Colombians, one Uruguayan, one Peruvian, one Ghanaian and one Ivorian against Salzburg who are in the Europa League again after a 10th successive failure to reach the Champions League.

Brazilian Pedrao put Guimaraes ahead in the Group I game before Valon Berisha levelled for the Austrian champions.

Zenit St Petersburg enjoyed the biggest win of the night, 5-0 at Macedonian champions Vardar Skopje in Group L with Aleksandr Kokorin scoring the first two.

There were scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat FC Cologne 3-1 after crowd disturbances in London, while AC Milan's new signing Andre Silva scored a hat-trick in a rousing 5-1 win at Austria Vienna as the Europa League group stage got underway on Thursday. Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal's Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team. Arsenal's Group H match was delayed by an hour as about 20,000 Cologne supporters fans, many without tickets, descended on The Emirates before kick off as their team returned to European competition for the first time in 25 years. There were also scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before second-half goals from Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin rescued the win. Milan's Portugal forward, signed from Porto in the close season, enjoyed a prolific night as he became the first player to score a European hat-trick for the seven-times European champions since Brazilian Kaka against Anderlecht in 2006. Hakan Calhanoglu set Milan on their way with a fierce drive in the seventh minute and then set up Silva's first two goals in the 10th and 20th of the Group D game. Although Alexandar Borkovic pulled one back two minutes after the break, Silva completed his treble in the 56th minute after being sent clear by Franck Kessie's through ball. Suso added the fifth just after the hour before Milan eased up. Atalanta were also impressive, scoring three first-half goals to beat English opponents Everton in Group E. Andrea Masiello tapped the ball in from a corner after 27 minutes before Alejandro Gomez rifled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 41st and Bryan Cristante added the third three minutes later after Everton were caught in possession. "I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime," said Argentine Gomez. "I'm not a young kid anymore so to play my first Europa League match at 29 and beat Everton is very emotional." Lyon held Olympique Lyonnais were held 1-1 at Apollon Limassol in the group's other game after Adrian Sardinero Corpa got a last-gasp equaliser for the Cypriots to cancel out Memphis Depay's 53rd minute penalty. Braga pulled off a shock in Group C by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Hoffenheim, who had beaten German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Sandro Wagner gave Hoffenheim the lead in the 24th minute but Joao Carlos Teixeira headed the equaliser on the stroke of halftime from a cross by Ricardo Esgaio who also set up the winner for Dyego Sousa five minutes after the break. Lazio came from behind to win 3-2 at Vitesse Arnhem in Group K to complete a perfect night for three Serie A teams. Ciro Immobile scored their second goal, taking his tally for the season to seven in five games in all competitions. In the group's other game, Nice thumped Zulte-Waregem 5-1 in Belgium with Alassane Plea scoring the first two goals, followed by a third from Dante and one from Allan Saint-Maximin before maverick striker Mario Balotelli wrapped up the win. Guimaraes fielded four Brazilians, three Colombians, one Uruguayan, one Peruvian, one Ghanaian and one Ivorian against Salzburg who are in the Europa League again after a 10th successive failure to reach the Champions League. Brazilian Pedrao put Guimaraes ahead in the Group I game before Valon Berisha levelled for the Austrian champions. Zenit St Petersburg enjoyed the biggest win of the night, 5-0 at Macedonian champions Vardar Skopje in Group L with Aleksandr Kokorin scoring the first two.

Europa League roundup: Arsenal win after crowd trouble, Silva fires Milan to victory

World champions&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;pushed Brazil back into second place to&nbsp;return&nbsp;to the&nbsp;top&nbsp;of the&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;rankings, which was published on Thursday.

Germany&#39;s 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia.

European champions Portugal climbed three places to third -- even though they are second in their World Cup qualifying group behind Switzerland.

In another surprise, Argentina are fourth in the&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;despite struggling to qualify for the World Cup after drawing their last two games - away to Uruguay and at home to Venezuela.

War-torn Syria, who have reached the Asian playoff stage in the World Cup qualifiers despite playing their &#39;home&#39; World Cup qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in the country, rose to their highest-ever ranking of 75.

Three other teams reached their best-ever place - Peru (12th), Northern Ireland (20th) and Luxemburg (101st) after they held France to a 0-0 draw away.

The&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;made disappointing reading for Asia with only three sides in the&nbsp;top&nbsp;50 - Iran, Japan and Australia.

The next&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;will be announced on Oct. 16 and used to determine the seedings in the draw for the four European playoff ties for next year&#39;s World Cup finals in Russia.

Top&nbsp;10&nbsp;rankings: (previous positions in brackets) 1.&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;(2) 2. Brazil (1) 3. Portugal (6) 4. Argentina (3) 5. Belgium (9) 6. Poland (5) 7. Switzerland (4) 8. France (10) 9. Chile (7) 10. Colombia (8)

Germany's 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia.

World champions Germany pushed Brazil back into second place to return to the top of the FIFA rankings, which was published on Thursday. Germany's 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia. European champions Portugal climbed three places to third -- even though they are second in their World Cup qualifying group behind Switzerland. In another surprise, Argentina are fourth in the rankings despite struggling to qualify for the World Cup after drawing their last two games - away to Uruguay and at home to Venezuela. War-torn Syria, who have reached the Asian playoff stage in the World Cup qualifiers despite playing their 'home' World Cup qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in the country, rose to their highest-ever ranking of 75. Three other teams reached their best-ever place - Peru (12th), Northern Ireland (20th) and Luxemburg (101st) after they held France to a 0-0 draw away. The rankings made disappointing reading for Asia with only three sides in the top 50 - Iran, Japan and Australia. The next FIFA rankings will be announced on Oct. 16 and used to determine the seedings in the draw for the four European playoff ties for next year's World Cup finals in Russia. Top 10 rankings: (previous positions in brackets) 1. Germany (2) 2. Brazil (1) 3. Portugal (6) 4. Argentina (3) 5. Belgium (9) 6. Poland (5) 7. Switzerland (4) 8. France (10) 9. Chile (7) 10. Colombia (8)

FIFA rankings: World Champions Germany on top, Brazil slips

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