IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Arsenal star Declan Rice has scored a late equaliser as Arsenal and Bayern Munich played out an entertaining two-all draw in the league phase of the Champions League in a game where Bukayo Saka limped off with injury.
Saka went down after just ten minutes with a suspected thigh problem, after he attempted to play a pass without anyone around him.
Eberechi Eze replaced Saka and scored the opening goal of the game in the 35th minute, Rice netted Arsenal’s second goal.
Bayern Munich’s two goals were scored by Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies.
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Real Madrid star Bernardo Silva has scored his first goal for Real Madrid as Jose Mourinho’s side beat RB Leipzig four-one to maintain their perfect start in the Champions League.
The midfielder, who joined from Manchester City in the summer, converted from close range to put the Spaniards in front two minutes before half-time.
Arda Guler bundled over the goalline for the second, while Kylian Mbappe scored his 12th goal in twelve games this season, and Yan Diomande netted against his old club just before the end.
RB Leipzig’s only goal was scored by Tidiam Gomis.
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Manchester United have suffered one of the worst European nights in their history against Como to pile the pressure on beleaguered boss Michael Carrick.
Eight days after conceding in the first minute to Atletico Madrid, United’s defences were breached after 118 seconds as brilliant Argentina playmaker Nico Paz scored the first of his double.
It meant United became the first English team in history to concede in the first two minutes of consecutive major European matches, something no-one at Old Trafford wants to be associated with.
Tasos Douvikas and Jacobo Ramon scored a goal each for Como to make it four-one, while Manchester United’s only goal was scored by Joshua Zirkzee.
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has expressed deep frustration following his side’s disappointing four-one defeat to Como.
After the final whistle, a visibly frustrated Fernandes pointed to his team’s recurring slow starts and questioned their tactical approach.
He apologised to the seven hundred travelling fans, having ignored his beaten players after the final whistle to march across the pitch and repeatedly hold his hands up.
Meanwhile, Carrick stressed the importance of hard work and commitment, insisting that tactical systems alone cannot guarantee victory in football.
Carrick said players must be willing to run both forward and backward, regardless of the formation or tactics employed by their team.
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Aston Villa have continued the impressive start to their Champions League campaign with a comfortable three-one victory over Viking at Villa Park.
Villa made it three wins from three, following their six-nil demolition of Fenerbahce, by easing past the Norwegian side who pushed Bayern Munich all the way to draw three-all in the last round of matches.
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Galatasaray have claimed their first points of the Champions League campaign as they came from behind to beat Lille four-two in northern France.
Striker Victor Osimhen was on target against his former club, sealing the success with his first goal in the competition since February.
Yunus Akgun, Aleksey Batrakov and own-goal from Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer.
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Meanwhile, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen expressed delight following Galatasaray’s impressive four-two away victory over Lille.
The Nigeria international, who was named Man of the Match, expressed satisfaction with Galatasaray’s performance while acknowledging the challenge posed by the French side.
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Inter Milan has ended a four-game losing streak in the Champions League with a narrow victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Italian champions, losing finalists in both 2023 and 2025, had tasted defeat in their first two matches this season and only won one of their past eight matches in the competition.
Carlos Augusto’s 77th-minute goal was the difference and came after Inter were reduced to ten men nine minutes earlier.
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Real Betis have continued their perfect start in the Champions League with a hard-fought one-nil win against Feyenoord in Seville.
Betis began their first Champions League campaign in 21 years with back-to-back three-two victories but, unlike their wins against Lille and Porto, they did not have to come from behind to defeat Feyenoord.
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Club Brugge have picked up their second straight win in the Champions League with an impressive three-nil victory over Lens.
The Belgian champions were outplayed for large periods of the first half, with Lens having eleven shots on goal, compared to four for the hosts.
Hans Vanaken, Joaquin Seys and Carlos Forbs scored a goal each for Club Brugge.
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Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo knee surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during his side’s four-two win over Barcelona.
Kvaratskhelia sustained the injury during a challenge with Xavi Espart and was unable to put weight on his right leg as he was substituted in the 59th minute of the Champions League tie.
PSG has not put a timeline on his return to action.
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Barcelona have reported Paris Saint-Germain to Uefa after a tifo featuring a message which they say incites violence and hatred in sport was displayed ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match.
Ahead of kick-off at Parc des Princes, PSG fans behind one of the goals unveiled a banner featuring a masked figure in a PSG shirt destroying the Barcelona badge with a chainsaw.
Underneath the image, in French, were the words massacre, Parisian style.
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Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has credited manager Andoni Iraola with successfully resolving key underlying problems within the squad following a smooth start to his tenure.
From his first eleven matches in charge across all competitions, Iraola has registered seven wins, three draws, and just one defeat.
The latest triumph came in a thrilling four-three Champions League comeback victory at home against Villarreal.
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has disclosed that he expects even more from Rio Ngumoha following his impressive display in the Champions League against Villarreal.
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An animal rights group is urging Crystal Palace to retire their live bald eagle mascot with immediate effect, saying a bright stadium filled with boisterous fans is no place for animals.
In a letter to Palace CEO Sharon Lacey, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) asked the Premier League club to stop using the eagle, named Phoenix, in pre-match displays at Selhurst Park and to never use live animal mascots again.
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Southampton forward Finn Azaz will continue to represent the Republic of Ireland despite reports that he may retire from international football.
The 26-year-old said he would carry on playing for the country where he holds citizenship and has made sixteen appearances since his debut in 2024.
Azaz, who was born in England, represents Ireland through his father but also qualified for Israel through his mother.
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Former England defender Ryan Bertrand is leading a consortium that has proposed an eighty-seven million pounds minority investment in League One side AFC Wimbledon.
Bertrand, who played for Chelsea, Southampton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest during his career, is at the forefront of the group with British technology expert Omar Mir, who is the sole funder of the proposed minority share buyout through investment vehicle Sloane Street Capital.
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Crawley Town have sacked head coach Colin Kazim-Richards with the side five points adrift at the bottom of League Two.
Kazim-Richards was dismissed after his side’s three-two loss at home to Shrewsbury Town.
It was their seventh loss in ten league games, the Red Devils have won just once in League Two all season.
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IN NIGERIA
Former Super Eagles forward Mutiu Adepoju has expressed shock and disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 Under-seventeen Africa Cup of Nations.
Adepoju said it was unheard of for the Golden Eaglets to miss the continental tournament.
He described the development as particularly painful, considering Nigeria’s rich history in youth football.
Adepoju’s lamentation follows the Golden Eaglets’ elimination in the group stage of the WAFU-B Under-seventeen Championship in Burkina Faso.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify also means the Golden Eaglets will miss the 2027 FIFA Under-seventeen World Cup in Qatar.
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Rangers Chief Executive Officer Amobi Ezeaku is confident the Flying Antelopes will give their all as they seek to progress in the CAF Champions League at the expense of MC Alger.
The Nigerian champions secured a two-nil victory over the Algerian side in the first leg of their second preliminary round tie, putting them in a strong position ahead of Friday’s return leg at the Stade Ali Ammar in Algiers.
Ezeaku insisted that the team would approach the decisive encounter with determination and an unyielding spirit.
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Nine-time Nigeria Premier Football League champions Enyimba FC have unveiled six players nominated for the club’s Fans Player of the Month award for October.
The People’s Elephant announced the nominees via their official X handle.
The six-man shortlist includes: Ifeanyi Ihemekwele, Richard Ezinwa, Obichere Odinaka, Hamisu Salisu, Idris Bonni, Emeka Onyema.
The sextet were nominated after playing key roles for Emmanuel Deutsch’s side in the month of October, helping the team recover from a difficult start to the 2026/27 NPFL season.
Enyimba said fans will vote for their favourite via the club’s social media platforms, with the winner set to be announced ahead of their Matchday 10 clash against Nasarawa United on 25th October in Lafia.
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Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze who plays for AC Milan winger is expected to miss several weeks of action after suffering a hip injury.
The 27-year-old missed the team’s training session ahead of Milan’s UEFA Europa League clash with Premier League side Bournemouth.
According to a report, Chukwueze is scheduled to undergo a specialist examination today to determine the severity of the injury.
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Former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, famously known as the Nigerian Nightmare, is set to engage with fans this week as part of the Abu Dhabi Showdown Week leading up to UFC 333 on Saturday.
Expressing his excitement about returning to a city where he holds historic memories, having successfully defended his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal at Fight Island on July 12, 2020, Usman shared his enthusiasm for the trip.
Usman most recently stepped into the Octagon against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma City in July 2026, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss (50–45, 49–46, 49–46) at the Paycom Center.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Former Georgia captain and Dundee midfielder Giorgi Nemsadze has died at the age of fifty-four of a heart attack.
Dinamo Tbilisi, with whom he started and ended his playing career, made the announcement with a heavy heart on Facebook.
Having previously played with Hamburg, Trabzonspor, Grasshoppers, Reggiana and Locomotive Tbilisi, Nemsadze joined Dundee in 2000, spending three years with the club, and earned sixty-nine caps for his country.
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Celtic assistant manager Shaun Maloney says he does not believe Celtic’s hammering of Heart of Midlothian was a seismic moment in the season as the assistant manager looks for more improvement on Thursday against Celta Vigo in the Europa League.
Celtic suffered a sobering four-one Europa League defeat by Benfica in Lisbon last Thursday but responded on Sunday with a seven-one demolition of visitors who took the title race to the last game of the season before losing out to the Glasgow outfit.
It was only a second win in six outings for Martin O’Neill’s side in all competitions, but it took them four points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, Katie Boulter has moved into the quarter-finals of the Japan Open after she beat Viktorija Golubic in less than an hour.
The British number two defeated her Swiss opponent 6-2, 6-1 in Osaka and will face either Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic or American Kayla Day in the next round.
Boulter saved a break point in the opening game but dominated from 2-2 in the first set, winning nine games in a row before Golubic took the penultimate game of the match.
Also, Britain’s Jacob Fearnley missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the European Open as he fell to a 7-6, 6-2 defeat by Frenchman Clement Chidekh in Brussels
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Formula 1 grands prix will return to their standard distance in 2028 after the maximum length was shortened for next season.
The maximum distance of a race was cut by fifteen kilometres from three hundred and five kilometres to two hundred and ninety kilometres for the 2027 season.
That reduction was introduced because of a quirk of the situation surrounding changes to the engine rules for next year.
The new hybrid engines introduced this year, which have a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, have been criticised for reducing the impact of driver skill.
The power split will be changed, in two steps, to 60-40 by 2028, enabling drivers to have maximum power for longer.
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In Rugby, England head coach John Mitchell says Ellie Kildunne needs to show greater consistency after dropping his star full-back to the bench in the wake of the Red Roses’ first defeat in four years.
Kildunne was part of the starting XV that lost 24-21 to Canada last Friday in Toronto as England’s unbeaten streak ended at 41 matches.
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In Golf, Former Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen has become the latest high-profile player to quit LIV Golf, describing it as the hardest decision he has had to make in his career.
The league filed for Chapter eleven bankruptcy protection in the United States in September after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its multibillion-dollar backing.
Oosthuizen, 44, joined LIV Golf in 2022 and was captain of the Southern Guards GC team.
The South African now plans to return to the DP World Tour in 2027.
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In Athletics, Former British sprinter Beth Dobbin has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fund more research into the life-decimating condition that has resulted in her spending 22 hours a day in bed.
On Friday, 32-year-old Dobbin who raced at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago – revealed she had been diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis).
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE -LEAGUE STAGE
Juventus vs Rennes
Lech Poznan vs Sunderland
OFI Crete vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Besiktas vs Crystal Palace
Bournemouth vs AC Milan
Celtic vs Celta Vigo
Lillestrøm vs Real Sociedad
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world….words from Norman Vincent Peale.
