Newcastle were punished for a series of missed chances as Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford scored his first goals in Barcelona colours to secure a 2-1 win at St James’ Park. On an occasion befitting of a Champions League opener, Eddie Howe’s side generated better chances and a sustained threat, but it was Rashford – the first Englishman since 1989 to score in Europe for Barcelona – who was decisive. Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes were both guilty of wastefulness, failing to convert any of Anthony Elanga’s numerous deliveries, before ‘motivated’ Rashford stole the show with two strikes – nine…
Author: Damilola Amuda
Jose Mourinho has been confirmed as Bruno Lage’s successor at Benfica, 25 years after the Portuguese first stint at the club. The 62-year-old coach returns to the Estadio da Luz to succeed Bruno Lage, who was sacked after the defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday. He signed a contract to run until the end of the 2026/27 season, with an option for either party to end the deal at the end of the current campaign, Benfica said in a statement. Mourinho had been without a club since being sacked by Fenerbahce after their elimination from the Champions League…
Benfica have appointed Jose Mourinho as their manager on a deal until the summer of 2027, marking his return to the club where he had a brief spell back in 2000. The 62-year-old wasted little time in finding his next challenge after being dismissed by Fenerbahce just last month. His tenure in Turkey lasted a little over a year and ended in controversy after he publicly criticised the club’s board over transfer dealings ahead of a crucial Champions League play-off against — ironically — Benfica. Now, just three weeks later, Mourinho finds himself on the other side of that rivalry.…
Liverpool delivered another dramatic late twist as they opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Alexander Isak made his eagerly awaited Liverpool debut but it looked as though Arne Slot’s side would be disappointed as Atletico came from 2-0 down to level, only for Virgil van Dijk to head a stoppage time winner. Mohamed Salah was instrumental as the Premier League champions went 2-0 up inside six minutes. Salah’s free-kick took a decisive deflection off Andrew Robertson to wrong-foot Atletico keeper Jan Oblak after four minutes, before the Egyptian finished off an exchange…
Chelsea felt the force of Harry Kane’s ruthlessness as he scored twice in a 3-1 victory for Bayern Munich in the Champions League. In the Blues first Champions League game since 2022/23, their inexperience at the elite level was exposed by Bayern, who took the lead through a Trevoh Chalobah own-goal before Kane bagged a double. Cole Palmer’s expert finish brought Chelsea back into the game in the first half but their downfall was self inflicted, with Moises Caicedo needlessly fouling Kane for a penalty and Malo Gusto playing a sloppy pass straight into the path of the England striker…
Winger Lamine Yamal is not included in Barcelona’s squad for their Champions League match at Newcastle United on Thursday. The 18-year-old missed his side’s victory against Valencia on Sunday with a groin issue after Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticised the amount of time Yamal played for Spain during the international break. Yamal played for his country for 79 minutes of a 3-0 win in Bulgaria on 4 September and 73 minutes of a 6-0 victory in Turkey three days later. Barca beat Valencia 6-0 without him and have not included the forward in their squad for their first game of this season’s…
Qarabag delivered a stunning comeback at Benfica to create history and become the first Azerbaijani side to win a Champions League main draw match. Having qualified for Europe’s premier competition for the first time in eight years, Gurban Gurbanov’s side found themselves trailing 2-0 after just 16 minutes following goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis. The Azerbaijan champions halved the deficit on the half-hour mark through a fine Leandro Andrade finish before team-mate Kady Borges struck the foot of the post. Three minutes after the break, Gurbanov’s side silenced the Estadio da Luz with the leveller. Marko Jankovic’s defence-splitting…
Kylian Mbappe netted two penalties as 10-man Real Madrid battled to victory over Marseille in their Champions League opener. The Los Blancos were delt an early blow when Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after only three minutes. And they suffered another setback when the England full-back’s replacement, Dani Carvajal, was sent off with 18 minutes left after he faced off with Geronimo Rulli and moved his head towards the Marseille goalkeeper. But the 15-time European champions emerged victorious thanks to Mbappe, who stepped up twice to smash spot-kicks past Rulli, taking his club…
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score as Arsenal beat Spanish side Athletic Club to get their Champions League campaign off to a flying start. The Brazilian, Martinelli scored just 36 seconds after being introduced, with Belgium forward Trossard putting him through on goal in the 71st minute. The Brazil winger then returned the favour, dribbling past his man and giving the ball to Trossard to squeeze in the second in the 86th minute. It was a tough match for the Gunners at times and Bilbao-based Athletic Club, back in the Champions League for the first…
Nigeria’s sprint queen, Tobi Amusan, added another chapter to her glittering career on Monday as she won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The 28-year-old, who made history in 2022 as world champion and world record holder, clocked 12.29s in a thrilling final. She finished just behind Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who powered through with a personal best of 12.24s to secure Switzerland’s first-ever world title in the event. Amusan had looked unstoppable in the semi-finals, breezing through her heat in 12.36s and raising hopes of a successful title defense. In the final, she got off to her trademark sharp start but couldn’t hold…