IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Manchester City have been brought down to earth by a masterclass from Champions League holders Paris Saint-German at Etihad Stadium.
City watched by former manager Pep Guardiola on his return to the club, were playing their first home game since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
In an atmosphere of defiance from City’s supporters, PSG stunned Enzo Maresca’s side by powering into a three-goal lead by half-time.
Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and Maghnes Akliouche scored goal each for PSG, while Erling Haaland scored a brace for Manchester City’s only goal was
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Real Madrid has produced a sensational recovery from three-one down to score three late goals and snatch a superb Champions League win over Roma on Jose Mourinho’s return to the Stadio Olimpico.
Mourinho guided Roma to the Conference League title in 2021-22 and then to the Europa League final the following season, with the home fans producing a number of banners celebrating their former boss.
However, Carlos Espi and Endrick scored to make it three-all before Antonio Rudiger converted a dramatic close-range 90th-minute winner.
Kylian Mbappe, making his 100th Champions League appearance, saw his strike take a deflection off Gianluca Mancini with the ball looping up and over goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini for his 72nd goal in the competition.
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Liverpool star Bradley Barcola has scored a fine hat-trick as the team eased six-three past LASK in a Champions League game that had nine goals.
Andoni Iraola’s side took a first-half lead in Austria, through Ronald Araujo’s first goal for the club, when he headed in from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner.
Two minutes later, Barcola scored his first Liverpool goal since joining from PSG for one hundredand twenty-three million pounds in the summer.
Lewis Koumas and Jeremie Frimpong scored a goal each for Liverpool, while Florian Flecker scored a brace for LASK and a goal from Robert Ljubicic.
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Aston Villa has routed Fenerbahce six-nil to secure their first home win of the season with a dominant display in the Champions League.
Nicolas Jackson’s double and Johan Manzambi’s opener put the hosts in control before the break in front of the watching Prince of Wales.
Ross Barkley’s struck a second-half penalty and netted a deflected effort to put the gloss on a result before Tammy Abraham’s late goal sealed Villa’s biggest European victory.
Victory at home to Viking next week would put Unai Emery’s side on course to qualify from the league phase, having already beaten Club Brugge in their European opener.
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Cesc Fabregas’ Como has tasted defeat in the Champions League for the first time as Feyenoord came from behind to win three-two in Rotterdam.
Assane Diao gave the Italian side an 18th-minute lead when he ran on to a long ball, shrugged off a defender and finished into the bottom corner of Tjark Ernst’s goal.
But Feyenoord trailed for just 127 seconds – midfielder Gjivai Zechiel finished off a slick team move by rifling past Como goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the penalty area.
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Real Betis came from behind to beat Porto three-two to make it two wins from two in the Champions League and claim a first home victory in the competition in over 20 years.
Goals from Gabri Veiga and Samu Aghehowa turned the game in Porto’s favour after Abde Ezzalzouli gave Betis the lead, before Betis striker Cucho Hernandez dragged the hosts level and Isco converted from the penalty spot.
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Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt has secured a superb Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund with defender Fredrik Sjovold scoring the only goal of the game.
Bodo/Glimt had began their campaign with a five-nil thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich on matchday one, but performed much better at home to stun Dortmund.
Sjovold scored seven minutes into the second half with a side-footed finish into the bottom corner from near the penalty spot following Sondre Auklend’s low cross from the right wing.
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Atlético Madrid star Ademola Lookman has expressed his delight after helping Atlético Madrid secure a two-nil victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Diego Simeone’s men took an early lead through Pablo Barrios, who finished off an assist from Alex Baena in the opening minute of the encounter.
The Nigeria international described the win as a significant result for Atlético Madrid, highlighting the team’s strong performance and the confidence gained ahead of their next fixture.
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The red card controversially shown to Brighton defender Pascal Struijk at Sunderland after an intervention by the video assistant referee, VAR, has been overturned.
Struijk was sent off after 57 minutes of Saturday’s match at the Stadium of Light when he was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as he tried to run on to a through-ball.
Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant gave a foul initially, but VAR Neil Davies intervened and called the on-field official to the screen.
The decision, which was greeted with disbelief from the Brighton players, has now been reversed following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.
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A court has heard that footballer Antoine Semenyo froze after he was allegedly racially abused by a Liverpool fan during a Premier League match at Anfield.
The Manchester City winger, who was playing for Bournemouth at the time, was preparing to take a throw-in when Mark Mogan, allegedly shouted a racist insult at him on 15th August 2025.
Prosecutors said Semenyo was clearly hurt and upset and reported the incident to referee Anthony Taylor when the ball next went out of play.
Mogan, of Dovecot, Liverpool, denies racially aggravated behaviour.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard Mogan, who uses a wheelchair, shouted an offensive slur about 30 minutes into the opening match of the Premier League season.
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A man who fell from the upper tier of a stand during a football match and injured fans below has been found not guilty of assault.
Maidstone United supporter John Ryan fell on to Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.
Ryan of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and told Ipswich Crown Court he had been unable to stop himself during goal celebrations.
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Former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi has been subjected to a terrifying armed robbery at his home in Spain just hours before Villarreal’s Champions League fixture.
The 36-year-old shot-stopper and his wife, Diana Vigh, were at their luxury property located on an exclusive residential estate in Puzol, north of Valencia, when a group of four masked intruders forced their way inside.
At least one of the couple’s children was also inside the house during the harrowing early-morning ordeal.
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IN NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have begun their campaign at the WAFU B Under-seventeen Championship with a disappointing two-one defeat to Niger Republic.
Niger’s two goals were scored by Abdoul Razaq Zada and Abdoul Rakilou, while Nigeria’s only goal was scored by Mubarak Fasiu
The result leaves Eboboritse Uwejamomere’s side at the bottom of Group A without a point.
Niger, meanwhile, secured their place in the semi-finals after accumulating four points from two matches.
Nigeria must now turn their attention to their last group fixture, where they will battle Cote d’Ivoire for the second qualification spot in the knockout stage.
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Nigeria’s Under-seventeen women’s national team, the Flamingos, have arrived in Rabat ahead of their opening fixture against Poland at the 2026 FIFA Under-secenteen Women’s World Cup.
Akeem Busari’s side held their final training session in Casablanca on Monday before travelling to Rabat the following day.
The players had a light training session on Tuesday after arriving in the Moroccan capital.
The team is accommodated at the Complexe Sportif Feminin.
The Flamingos will take on Poland at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 4, on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
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Super Falcons will face Morocco in the third round of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifier.
The pairing was confirmed following the Super Falcons’ seven-nil aggregate win over Comoros in the second round.
The last time the Super Falcons faced Morocco was in the WAFCON 2024 final which the Nigerian team came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and claim a record 10th title.
The Super Falcons would be targeting a fourth appearance at the Olympics after featuring at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 editions.
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Inter Lagos have appointed Olusanjo Olutayo as their interim head coach following the departure of Shakiru Giwa.
Giwa parted ways with the club after a disappointing start to the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League ,NPFL, season.
The newly appointed tactician is expected to lead the team for the first time in Sunday’s Matchday Nine fixture against Nasarawa United.
The encounter will take place at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos.
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Akwa United have bolstered their squad with the signing of 10 new players ahead of the 2026/2027 Nigeria National League ,NNL, season as the club intensifies efforts to secure promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL.
The newly recruited players comprise one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards, adding depth to the squad as the Promise Keepers prepare for the new campaign.
Akwa United head coach Paul Offor expressed satisfaction with the quality of the new signings, expressing confidence that the team would be adequately prepared for the start of the season.
The new players have already joined their teammates in training, working alongside retained players from last season as the technical crew seeks to build a cohesive and competitive squad.
Akwa United will compete in Conference B of the 2026/2027 NNL season, which is scheduled to commence on 31st October 2026.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior will miss El Clasico against Barcelona after being given a four-game ban.
The Brazil international was sent off for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in Real’s one-nil win against Villarreal last Saturday.
His suspension means he will miss games against Sevilla on 18th October, Barcelona on 25th October, Racing Santander on 1st November and Valencia on 7th November.
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Fifa is set to propose a two point six billion pounds increase in the amount of money it hands out for football development across the world.
World football’s governing body wants to release the money from its reserves in a move which would more than double the level of planned distribution funding for 2027-2030.
It says it has been able to release the extra cash because of the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup.
The proposal will be made at a meeting of Fifa’s council on Thursday and comes at a time when the organisation is under pressure following president Gianni Infantino’s aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise plan.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, featuring Grand Slam champions Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev – has been postponed following a series of deadly attacks on host city Riyadh.
Alcaraz, Djokovic and Zverev were set to travel to the Saudi capital for a three-day event starting on 21st October.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur, along with American pair Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien, were also earmarked to play.
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In Formula one, Red Bull have extended the contract of team principal Laurent Mekies until the end of 2031.
The Frenchman has led the team since he replaced Christian Horner following the Briton’s sacking in the summer of 2025 after 20 years in charge.
After a difficult start to the 2026 season, Red Bull have improved their car to the extent that Max Verstappen has taken dominant victories in the last two races, in Malaysia and Singapore.
The move comes less than two months after Verstappen extended his own contract with Red Bull by two years to the end of 2030 after a period of uncertainty over his future.
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In Rugby, England has welcome back the experienced Amy Cokayne at hooker as their 41-match unbeaten run goes on the line against Rugby World Cup runners-up Canada in Toronto on Friday.
Cokayne has not played Test rugby since scoring the Red Roses’ final try in a Grand Slam-sealing win over France in Bordeaux in May.
Saracens’ Bryony Field, who has three caps to Cokayne’s 94, drops to the bench after deputising impressively in the first half of the WXV Global Series last month.
During that part of the campaign, Canada ended England’s near four-year winning streak with a nail-biting 26-26 draw at Sandy Park in Exeter.
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In Golf, LIV Golf has accused the DP World Tour of a clear attempt to interfere with its restructuring process, after the European tour said it would refuse membership to anyone playing on the breakaway circuit next season.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, the attorney representing LIV said that the organisation was quite concerned by the stance taken by the rival DP World Tour.
Rob Fitzgerald of Gibson Dunn, the attorney representing LIV, also said that the organisation would know by the end of the month if it could continue in a ‘LIV 2.0’ guise.
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In Cycling, Great Britain’s Joe Truman says team-mate Matt Richardson’s withdrawal was not ideal and they had started on the back foot as they exited in the first round of the men’s team sprint at the World Track Cycling Championships.
Richardson was pulled from the competition on Monday amid allegations of misconduct.
The 27-year-old, who had also been expected to contend for medals in the individual sprint and keirin, said he would co-operate with a British Cycling investigation into the allegations.
His withdrawal overshadowed preparations for the event in Shanghai, though Britain’s women did secure silver in the team sprint.
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In Athletics, Commonwealth two hundred metres champion Sinesipho Dambile says it is a privilege to be compared with Jamaican great Usain Bolt as he looks to establish himself among the world’s leading sprinters.
The South African has enjoyed a breakthrough season, producing a string of impressive performances and underlining his credentials as one of Africa’s emerging track stars.
Speaking to the Warm Up Track podcast, the 24-year-old revealed that he enjoys the pressure that comes with being mentioned alongside the fastest man in history.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – LEAGUE STAGE
Lech Poznan vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Olympique Lyonnais vs Crystal Palace
Red Bull Salzburg vs AC Milan
Torreense vs Sunderland
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Real Sociedad
Benfica vs Celtic
Bournemouth vs Sturm Graz
Celta Vigo vs Juventus
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable….words from John Wooden.
