IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
Bournemouth have marked their first European game on home soil with a three-nil hard-fought win over Sturm Graz on a historic night at Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries made it two wins from as many matches in the Europa League phase, thanks to a stunning header from forward Evanilson followed by late strikes from Rayan and Alvaro Rodriguez.
After beating Real Sociedad in their opening tie last month, the win against the Austrian side means Bournemouth are the first English club since Bolton in 2005 to win their first two European matches.
================
Sunderland star Noah Sadiki’s 93rd-minute winner helped Sunderland continue their perfect record in the Europa League with a two-one victory at Torreense.
Torreense, from Portugal’s second tier, took a shock lead with their only shot of the first half when centre-back Volnei Feltes drove forward from the halfway line before hammered a stunning strike into the top corner.
Sunderland levelled in the 67th minute through summer signing Jules Ahoka, who scored his first goal for the club by heading in Nordi Mukiele’s cross.
===============
Crystal Palace were beaten three-two by Lyon in France in the Eagles’ first ever away match in the Europa League.
The hosts only needed eight minutes to open the scoring, when Corentin Tolisso reacted quickest to bury the loose ball after Palace failed to cope with a corner from the right.
In a quiet first half, Lyon doubled their lead in injury time as Ernest Nuamah finished well from Keito Nakamura’s low cross.
Crystal Palace’s two goals were scored by Yeremy Pino and Daichi Kamada.
================
Celtic has slumped to a fourth defeat in five matches as Benfica swept to a comprehensive four-one Europa League victory in Lisbon.
Former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran’s double and Alexander Bah’s volley put Marco Silva’s side three-nil up at half-time as a ramshackle Celtic were picked apart time and time again.
Benfica are second in the standings with two wins from two, while Celtic are 34th of thirty-six teams after two losses.
=================
Turkish giants Besiktas overcame Hoffenheim three-two away on matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League at the PreZero Arena, Sinsheim.
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was in the starting lineup for Besiktas before going off on ninety minutes.
It was Ndidi and his teammates’ second win in the league phase of this season’s Europa League.
================
Brighton star Georginio Rutter scored twice as in-form Brighton began the league phase of their Conference League campaign with a four-nil dominant home victory over Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris.
Brighton, third in the Premier League, took forty-one minutes to break down their limited opponents, who offered virtually nothing as an attacking threat.
Jack Hinshelwood and Matt O’Riley scored a goal each for Brighton.
===============
Manchester United defender, Lisandro Martinez has issued an apology following his controversial remarks criticising the club’s hierarchy.
After United’s Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid, Martinez said the club had left head coach Michael Carrick with an under-equipped squad.
Following talks with United on Thursday, the Argentina international released a statement that he met with the club’s leadership and the manager.
It is understood Martinez has been formally punished for his outburst with a fine.
Carrick will hold a news briefing on Friday, prior to the game against Leeds United on Sunday.
==================
Former captain, Roy Keane says Manchester United are like a circus after defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club’s hierarchy.
Keane said Martinez’s statement reflected the overall state of the club.
=================
Former England manager, Gareth Southgate says he does not see himself returning to club management in the Premier League.
The 56-year-old has been out of management since resigning as Three Lions boss after guiding them to the final of Euro 2024, where they lost to Spain.
Southgate, who also took England to the Euro 2020 final, has not managed at club level since a three-year spell with Middlesbrough from 2006.
=================
Tottenham’s Mikey Moore says the success of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham in the Bundesliga influenced his decision to join Cologne on loan.
The 19-year-old became the latest English talent to move to the German top flight after completing a season-long loan move to the RheinEnergieStadion last month.
Moore’s move came almost a decade after a 17-year-old Sancho left Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund.
Before Friday’s Bundesliga match with Eintracht Frankfurt, Moore revealed that the success of his fellow Englishmen had inspired him to turn down offers from England in favour of a move to Germany.
Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness has revealed he rejected the chance to sign for Barcelona when he left the European champions in 1984.
The Scotland midfielder joined Italian club Sampdoria for six hundred and fifty thousand pounds just weeks after lifting Liverpool’s fourth European Cup against Roma.
================
IN NIGERIA
A 15-man delegation from the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football, CAF will arrive in Nigeria on Friday for the second and final inspection of facilities ahead of the country’s hosting of the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly and the 2026 CAF Awards.
The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly is scheduled to hold at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Saturday, 21st November.
The 2026 CAF Awards, the continent’s biggest football awards ceremony, will take place at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos, on Monday, 7th December.
The CAF delegation will be accompanied during the inspections in Lagos and Abuja by a six-man team from the Nigeria Football Federation, led by Dr. Ademola Olajire.
================
Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade has provided an update on her condition after sustaining an ankle injury during Nigeria’s home clash against Comoros in the 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers.
Ajibade was forced off in the 23rd minute of the encounter following a collision with an opponent, with Folashade Ijamilusi coming on as her replacement.
Reports suggested that the Paris Saint-Germain forward could undergo surgery, potentially ruling her out of action for an extended period.
However, the 26-year-old clarified that medical scans and consultations are still ongoing, with further updates expected in due course.
================
Nigeria’s Under-seventeen women’s national team, the Flamingos, will begin their 2026 FIFA Under-seventeen Women’s World Cup campaign against Poland at Pitch 4 of the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat on Saturday, 17th October.
Akeem Busari’s side will be eager to improve on their performance at the previous edition, where they exited in the Round of 16 after suffering a four-nil defeat to Italy.
The Flamingos secured their place at the tournament after navigating a challenging qualifying campaign, overcoming Guinea and the Benin Republic.
The Flamingos are drawn in Group B alongside Poland, Puerto Rico and defending champions Korea DPR, making a positive start particularly important as they seek to progress to the knockout stages.
Former Nigeria international, Ifeanyi Udeze has expressed shock following the Golden Eaglets’ two-one defeat to Niger Republic, in their opening Group B fixture at the 2026 WAFU B Under-seventeen Championship.
Reacting to the defeat, Udeze said despite the abundance of talents in Nigeria he could not understand how the Golden Eaglets lost to Niger.
The Golden Eaglets must now beat Côte d’Ivoire in their second group match to stand a chance of making the last four.
===============
Shooting Stars Sports Club will be eager to return to winning ways when they host Ranchers Bees in Friday’s Matchday 9 EUROMATCH NPFL fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
The Oluyole Warriors, who are winless in their last five matches, are in a difficult spell as they have managed just two wins, two draws and four defeats in eight games so far, occupying 17th on the table with eight points.
Technical Adviser Salisu Yusuf was booed by fans after recent outings, forcing the club management led by Executive Chairman Taiwo Lekan-Salami to hold a stakeholders meeting to calm supporters.
Defender Adelowo Gbolagade has appealed for patience, admitting the team feels the anger and frustration of the fans.
=================
Head coach of Benin Ligue 1 side Buffles du Borgou, Stanley Eguma, says his team is determined to extend its unbeaten start to the 2026/2027 season when it travels to face Espoir FC in Saturday’s Matchday Four encounter.
Buffles du Borgou currently lead the Benin Ligue 1 standings with nine points from three matches, having won all their opening fixtures.
With Espoir FC next on the schedule, Eguma expressed confidence in his players’ ability to secure another victory, insisting that hard work and performance remain the keys to success in the Benin top flight.
The former Rivers United coach said his team was focused on the task ahead.
Mustapha Abdullahi has been elected President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, defeating former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji and ex-International Ejike Ugboaja.
Abdullahi secured 48 votes in the election in Abuja, while Oyedeji polled eight votes, and Ugboaja failed to secure any vote.
The result ushers in a new administration at the federation, with Abdullahi succeeding outgoing President, Musa Kida.
In another development, Ugo Udezue emerged unopposed as NBBF Vice President, having been the sole candidate for the position.
The election marks a new leadership phase for Nigerian basketball, with the incoming board expected to tackle challenges affecting the sport’s growth and administration.
OTHER LEAGUES
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan.
But has been told he is not fit to lead unless he releases all the documents and answers key questions.
The Fifa Council met in Zurich on Thursday for the first time since Infantino’s secret Fifa Forward Enterprise, proposal emerged.
In a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Infantino also faced questions about U.S striker Folarin Balogun’s suspended red-card ban, the Fifa Peace Prize and funding for national associations.
Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt a Fifa vice-president, said afterwards that many questions remained unanswered despite the most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting she had experienced.
Hewitt acknowledged there had been some contrition in Infantino’s apology.
====================
Getafe has made a formal offer to sign former Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho.
The 26-year-old winger is out of contract after his deal expired in the summer and has been exploring a number of options.
An agreement is said to be complicated but Spanish side Getafe, who are 14th in La Liga and playing in the Europa Conference League this season, are keen to find a resolution.
Sancho, who cost United seventy-three million pounds when he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, is said to favour a move away from England but remains open to all options.
===================
OTHER SPORTS
In Boxing, Heavyweight contender Fabio Wardley believes that trainer Ben Davison’s historical familiarity with Tyson Fury could give Anthony Joshua a crucial psychological and tactical edge in their upcoming blockbuster.
Davison, who has previously trained both Joshua and Fury, will be stationed firmly in Joshua’s corner for their long-awaited heavyweight showdown at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11th December.
While Fury has publicly lashed out at Davison and branded him a traitor over the alliance, Wardley, who also works under Davison’s guidance, feels Joshua’s decision is entirely pragmatic.
Former world champion George Groves has similarly dismissed Fury’s accusations of betrayal, noting that boxing’s tight-knit ecosystem makes shared trainer histories common practice, while labeling the verbal jabs as standard pre-fight theater.
==================
In Tennis, Britain’s Sonay Kartal has continued her impressive comeback from long-term injury with a comfortable win over former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini to reach the Wuhan Open quarter-finals.
Kartal missed more than six months with a stress fracture in her back, but has won five of her seven matches since returning to action.
The former world number 44 ruthlessly brushed aside Italian 15th seed Paolini 6-2, 6-0 with a performance that further validated Kartal’s patient approach to recovering from the first serious injury of her career.
==================
In Cricket, A senior South African cricket official has pledged to order a review into the low crowd which attended the first Test against Australia in Durban.
Despite South Africa being the reigning world Test champions and Australia the number one-ranked side in the world, fewer than twenty thousand fans attended across the five days.
Australia, who are touring South Africa for the first time since the 2018 sandpaper scandal, won by 214 runs and can wrap up the three-match series when the second Test gets under way in Gqeberha on Sunday.
=================
In Formula one, Brazilian Rafael Camara will join the US-based Haas team for his debut Formula one season in 2027.
The 21-year-old, who is leading the Formula two championship, has been chosen after a selection process including a total of four drivers.
Camara was picked over the reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and Haas reserve drivers Jack Doohan and Ryo Hirakawa after they were assessed in tests in previous years’ F1 cars.
Camara, Fornaroli and Hirakawa were all assessed at a test at Portugal’s Portimao track in August, Doohan separately.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said that Camara had been the quickest driver at the tests.
===================
In Rugby, Barcelona’s Nou Camp, Real Madrid’s Bernabeu and the Mestalla in Valencia are all on a list of possible stadiums as Spain bids to host the Rugby World Cup in 2035.
The Spanish Rugby Federation said it aims to deliver the best World Cup in history, connecting the tournament to seven hundred million Spanish speakers worldwide.
If Spain’s bid is successful, the revamped Nou Camp is in line to host the final, which would be the first time the World Cup showpiece has been held in front of more than one hundred thousand fans.
Argentina and Japan are also bidding to host the tournament, with World Rugby expected to announce its preferred bidder in the spring or summer of 2027.
Spanish rugby authorities said the tournament in 2035 would capitalise on the Fifa World Cup in 2030, with Spain joint hosts along with Morocco and Portugal.
==================
In Golf, Tom McKibbin sat one shot off the lead, with fellow Northern Ireland player Rory McIlroy a further three shots back, after a severely weather-disrupted opening day of the DP World India Championship in New Delhi.
Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard topped the leaderboard on day one after a six-under-par round of 66 which included an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys at the Delhi Golf Club.
McKibbin, Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra and Belgian Thomas Detry all reached five under as they completed their opening rounds.
McKibbin posted six birdies, with his card marred by a solitary bogey, to put himself well in contention.
Starting at the 10th hole, the 23-year-old picked up shots at four consecutive holes from the 12th to the 15th, before dropping a shot at the par-four 16th.
==================
In Cycling, British Cycling says it is launching an action plan following a survey in which some responses reportedly described its World Class Programme as toxic.
The confidential survey was funded by UK Sport and carried out by an independent company earlier this year.
According to a report, the results found there was a drop in morale among riders and performance staff, while toxic was the joint-second most common response to a question asking for words to describe the programme.
==================
SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Everton vs Chelsea
Brentford vs Liverpool
Fulham vs Hull City
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa
ON SUNDAY
Bournemouth vs Sunderland
Brighton vs Crystal Palace
Leeds United vs Manchester United
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid
Villarreal vs Elche
Real Betis vs Barcelona
Valencia vs Athletic Club
ON SUNDAY
Osasuna vs Racing de Santander
Celta Vigo vs Alavés
Málaga vs Real Sociedad
Real Madrid vs Sevilla
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Behind every kick of a ball, there has to be a thought…words from Denis Bergkamp.
