Soon after David Raya denied Enzo le Fee from the spot, Guimaraes (58th min) smashed the ball into the top corner from outside the box. Bukayo Saka’s penalty in the eighth minute of added time sealed the win.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta lavished praise on Guimaraes’s ability to change the game. “His goal was unbelievable. The way he grabs the game by the scruff of the neck, making the right decisions, is great,” said Arteta.

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The victorious Don Bosco team with their trophy and medals. Pics/Atul Kamble

Don Bosco scored in the 25th minute when Harshal struck a volley from outside the box, beating Stanislaus goalkeeper Vihaan Baikadi. Harshal doubled the lead seven minutes later as he dribbled past several Stanislaus defenders to score. He completed his hat-trick  (39th) by dribbling past Baikadi before calmly finishing to seal the title for Don Bosco.

Chelsea’s English Premier League title hopes suffered another blow as Hull City continued their stunning start to the season, holding Xabi Alonso’s Blues to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Mohamed Belloumi was the hero of the day for newly-promoted Hull, who are yet to lose a top-flight game this season, netting twice (28th and 34th min).

Morgan Rogers (7th min) had given Chelsea an early lead before Belloumi’s brace. In-form striker Joao Pedro then spared the Blues’s blushes by netting in the 66th minute.

Chelsea had lost their previous EPL fixture 1-2 to defending champions Arsenal.

Alonso’s side are now in fourth place, with seven points from four games (two wins, one loss and one draw).

Meanwhile, Hull sit in third place with eight points from their first four games (two wins and two draws).

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[popcorn number="14" desc="No. of goal contributions (goals + assists) for Enzo Fernandez in the EPL last season" class="Default"]

[popcorn number="Five" desc="No. of wins for Man City in their last 10 games vs Man Utd across all competitions (one draw, four losses)" class="Default"]

Ahead of their much anticipated derby clash with Manchester United, Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca waxed lyrical about the Sky Blues’s new £125 million (approx Rs 1616 crore) signing Enzo Fernandez, who has fitted in seamlessly at the heart of their midfield despite arriving from Chelsea with the English Premier League season already underway.

Hailing the Argentine’s leadership skills as well as his development into a more potent force in the final third, Maresca said: “You can see the way his teammates always speak about him in terms of his winning mentality. It’s important to have that in the squad. In the last two years, he has become more of an attacking midfielder. In the past he used to operate a little bit deeper. Now, he’s unbelievable around the box, in terms of goals, assists, and also in terms of leadership, he has grown a lot.” 

Enzo Maresca

While City enter the game with a perfect record — they have won all three of their EPL games so far — Michael Carrick’s Red Devils have been a mixed bag, losing their opening fixture to newly promoted Hull 0-2, before beating Ipswich (5-2) and drawing with Everton (2-2).

United, however, will take confidence from the fact that they defeated the Sky Blues in their last league encounter (2-0), which was also Carrick’s first game in charge after Ruben Amorim’s sacking. But Carrick played down the result, considering City have Maresca in the dugout instead of Pep Guardiola.

“We know it’s a big game and there’s a lot riding on it, but there’s no way we’re assuming: ‘We won last year, we can do the same things and everything will be the same.’ There are little tweaks here and there [in City’s approach now as compared to last season]. We know we have to put in a really good performance and do a lot of good things to get the result we want,” said the English coach.

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Donnarumma was savagely beaten in the robbery while his then fiancee, Alessia Elefante, was choked with a cable and later suffered a miscarriage. Ilyas Kherbouch, 21, the mastermind of the burglary, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 80,000 euros by the Paris Criminal Court. Co-defendant Moktar D, received a five-year prison sentence.

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Mac Allister’s thunderous strike helped the Reds begin their Champions League campaign against Atletico Madrid with a 2-1 win, and while he is yet to score in this EPL season, he has shown a remarkable upturn in form after struggling for most of the last league campaign.

“I said it before the [Atletico] game, I consider him [Mac Allister] a great player and I think he understands the game very well. He also has the experience that is very good for quite a young team like we are right now. I’m very happy to have him in our team and I hope he can keep this level of performance. And if he can even improve it, much better,” said Iraola.

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Harry Kane (61st min) and Alphonso Davies (77th min) also got on the scoresheet for the six-time European champions but the evening belonged to Musiala, who was embraced by his teammates after scoring on his return to the starting XI.

The Germany international missed two matches after revealing he was suffering from a neurological condition which caused him to collapse on the pitch in two of Bayern’s pre-season friendlies.

“Scoring a goal — pure happiness. I just want to perform well again and to get back to my level step by step, playing with a sense of ease, joy, and fun on the pitch,” said Musiala. Kane praised his teammate, telling reporters, “It’s great to see a smile on his face. He can be very proud of himself,” said Kane.

The win continued Bayern’s run of 24 straight victories in Champions League opening games dating back to 2002. Last season’s UCL surprise packages Bodo, who made it to the last 16, held out bravely but struggled in the second half.

Other results

Man Utd 4-0 Sabah
Slavia Praha 2-3 Lens
Como 4-1 RB Leipzig
Fenerbahce 1-1 Roma
Shakhtar 1-1 PSV

05
No of months since Jamal Musiala’s last goal for Bayern Munich in any competition.

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Oberoi International JVLR secured a convincing 3-0 win over Somaiya School (Vidyavihar). Ziana Verma set the pace in the 12th minute, with a precise shot to give her side a 1-0 advantage going into half-time. After the break, the Oberoi (JVLR) girls maintained their grip on the game. Zoe Srikanth doubled the lead in the 20th minute with a powerful strike, beating Somaiya goalkeeper Eshani Rachh all ends up. Three minutes later, Zoe got her second, calmly tapping the ball in off an assist from Ziana.

Earlier in the day, Oberoi International (Goregaon) delivered an equally impressive display, outclassing Fazlani L’Academie (Mazgaon) 6-0. Meira Choksi (2nd, 24th, 27th min) netted a fine hat-trick while Anoushka Nettimi (13th and 17th min) scored a brace with Samika Agarwal adding one (10th minute) in between.

The Blues were in danger of crashing out following Tarik Muharemovic’s opener and a Brenden Aaronson goal soon after the interval. 

Chelsea’s Valentin Barco is ecstatic after scoring vs Leeds United on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

But Alonso sent on Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Pedro Neto and Reece James at half-time and the decision inspired Chelsea’s stirring escape act. Palmer struck twice to haul Chelsea level and Neto put them ahead before Welbeck made it four. Dominic Calvert-Lewin got one back for Leeds, but Valentin Barco and Welbeck netted to ensure Chelsea moved into the fourth round in style. 

“The impact was good from the players that came on. But we want to have better balance, to be more solid, to be able to win in a boring game as well,” said Alonso.

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"First of all, he needs to be available, and last year he missed so many games through injuries," Arteta said. "He's got that edge and he's got different relationships around him as well. That helps. "Now he can start to occupy some different heights in the team, especially in the attacking phase. When we get him into those positions, he's a really dangerous player." "What we need is players with that mindset to decide a game," he added. "To play with that personality, that if an action might not happen, the next one, the next one, keep taking chances and risks. "He's getting into those positions much more in recent games and you feel he has this emotional state that he knows the ball can go in, and he scored an incredible goal tonight."

Arsenal stay perfect

Arsenal have started the season strongly, winning all three of their Premier League games after brushing Manchester City aside in the Community Shield last month. "(I'm) very happy," said Arteta, who felt the result undersold the quality of his team's display in Naples. "The way we attacked the game from the very first minute, the way we competed, the clarity we had with how we had to attack them to disorganise them, the purpose, the quality. The amount of chances we generated. "For sure the scoreline has to reflect a very different result. We'll get there, because if we were a bit more precise it would have been much bigger. "But to do what we've done today in this stadium against this opponent, is remarkable from the team." 

For Napoli, the defeat marked another setback for new coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose side suffered a third consecutive loss in all competitions following Serie A reverses to Como and Inter. Injuries to key players Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa complicated matters for Allegri, who targeted three points in their next league game on Sunday. "To get back on track, we need a solid win against Bologna, which won't be easy," Allegri said. "There is definitely some bitterness and disappointment; we are coming off three defeats. "I liked the performance technically, but in the second half we lacked the legs; (Billy) Gilmour and (Kevin) De Bruyne were playing their first games. "We need to stay calm and collected. If we defended at certain points in the game like we did in the second half tonight, we might not have lost against Como and Inter."

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Alexis Mac Allister strengthened his case for an improved Liverpool contract by scoring the winner as Andoni Iraola’s side rallied from a goal down to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Mac Allister expressed his frustration at not being offered a new deal on the eve of the match, but responded by blasting home from the edge of the box in the 50th minute to cap Liverpool’s comeback. 

Andoni Iraola

Marcos Llorente (17th min) had given Atletico an early lead before Dominik Szoboszlai (40th min) equalised before half-time. 

“It’s difficult to ask for more. We’ve shown big character, especially after a difficult start in both halves,” said Iraola, who went on to laud the atmosphere created by the Liverpool fans. “I’ve loved it. The atmosphere has been incredible and I feel lucky to experience it,” he added. 

The only concern for Liverpool fans after the match was regarding new signing Bradley Barcola, who limped off in the 60th minute. But any concerns that the Frenchman’s injury could be a long-term one were dismissed by Iraola, who said he was taken off due to cramps.

Meanwhile, Iraola’s Atletico Madrid counter-part Diego Simeone said he was ‘leaving the match happy.’

“The players gave their all. They gave everything. They played a great first half, and in the second half, the opposition found the goal. We looked for alternatives, but we lacked the clarity to attack like we did in the first half. We lost to an opponent who was clinical and knew how to take advantage of their chances,” said Simeone.

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The five-time world champions will take on the Indian national team at Kolkata's iconic Salt Lake Stadium at 7.30 pm local time in what promises to be a historic evening for Indian sports. The contest comes at the end of a two-game tour of Australia, where Carlo Ancelotti's team will play the hosts in Townsville on September 25 and Brisbane on September 29.

Carlo Ancelotti revealed his first squad selection since the 2026 World Cup at the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) headquarters in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday before speaking to reporters.

The squad is filled with incredible talent, featuring three 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees in Vinicius, Marquinhos, and Gabriel Magalhaes, alongside Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

India set for marquee international matches

India will play four international matches in a row against marquee opponents like Panama, Brazil and New Zealand.

The Panama game serves as the opening leg of a four-match stretch for India against nations that featured in this summer's World Cup. Brazil is set to visit Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 3 for their inaugural senior men's international clash with India. 

Ranked fifth globally, Brazil represents the highest-ranked opponent India has ever played since the introduction of the FIFA ranking system in 1992. Before their trip to India, Brazil will take on Australia on September 25 before playing a second friendly in Brisbane on September 29.

To round out their challenging international calendar, India will also host New Zealand for two consecutive friendlies on November 12 and 15, offering valuable experience against top-tier opposition under coach Jamil's guidance.

Full Brazil squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Pedro Morisco (Coritiba), Otavio (Cruzeiro).

Defenders: Arthur Dias (Athletico-PR), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Jair (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (PSG), Matheuzinho (Corinthians), Mauro Junior (PSV Eindhoven), Vitor Reis (Manchester City), Wesley (Rome).

Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Manchester United), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), Gabriel Bontempo (Santos).

Forwards: Endrick (Real Madrid), Stephen (Chelsea), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Samuel Lino (Flamengo), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).

Giggs, United’s all-time appearance leader, disclosed that the club was alerted to Mbappe’s potential in 2015 while serving as an assistant manager under Louis van Gaal. Appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Giggs recounted a chance encounter in southern France with an individual who urged him to monitor the teenage forward.

"So, I'm in the south of France. I was coaching United, so it'd be 2015. I've been for a walk in the local village and I'm walking back to the hotel. I'm walking on the beach back to the hotel. And you can feel, I can feel someone, you know, when you feel someone like following you," Ryan Giggs said.

"And I'm like, I get to the hotel and then all of a sudden I can feel someone coming up to me. Anyway, this guy is called Lionel, a French guy. So he comes up to me and says 'hi, I'm Lionel. I just wanted to just say hello. I'm a big United fan and big fan of yours. But I watch a lot of youth football in France, and you have to look at this player. He's called Kylian Mbappé. He's at Monaco, and I think he's a player for Man United." Giggs added.

United scouting team opted against signing Kylian Mbappe

Following up on the recommendation, Giggs shared the details with fellow assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg. The pair reviewed footage of Monaco's youth fixtures and quickly recognised the forward's extraordinary talent.

"A few weeks later, he emailed me all the details. So me and Albert [Stuivenberg] again, who's the coach with Arsenal, he was another assistant at United at the time. We used to in the afternoons just go and watch games or go and watch players at the training ground. So anyway, I've told him about this thing. He says 'come on, let's get him up.' And we got a few youth games with Monaco and we seen him and just like, 'wow, what is this?' You know, you can see players and they can be special, but he did look exceptional, obviously," said Giggs.

United sent a scout to evaluate Kylian Mbappe during a fixture against Paris Saint-Germain, but the club ultimately decided against pursuing a deal.

"They went to watch him. Someone in France went to watch him and he was actually playing PSG. Monaco were playing PSG. So they went to Paris to watch him. Anyway, I think a few weeks later, I said to this guy 'how did it go?' and he went 'yeah, they weren't too sure about him, so we just left it, and that was it.'" he concluded.

(With inputs from ANI)

The Matunga school started on the front foot with Devele producing the decisive moment in the 10th minute. He unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box that nestled into the top right corner to help his side take a 1-0 lead into the break.

St Stanislaus’s Sharv Kamtekar during the first semi-final vs  St Joseph’s. Pics/Ashish Raje

Upon resumption, the Matunga school looked to add to their tally, but the Borivli outfit’s custodian Jaden Pinto produced a string of vital saves to keep his side in the game. However, he could not help the Borivli side stave off defeat.

Meanwhile, in the other semi-final at the same venue on Friday, St Stanislaus beat St Joseph’s School (Malad) 1-0, thanks to a goal from Sharv Kamtekar (27th min), who headed in a free-kick delivered by Joseph Dias from the left wing to seal victory for the Bandra side.

The final between Don Bosco High School (Matunga) and St Stanislaus High School (Bandra) will be played on September 11 at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra.

And D’Souza, 36, is relishing the test. “This is my biggest challenge ever. I have to make sure the boys are more than 100 per cent fit. I have to give coach Khalid a super-fit team. I need to make sure the team is on the same page [in terms of their fitness] for the coach to execute his plans,” Bandra resident D’Souza told mid-day on Tuesday.

Considering the Blue Tigers will be pitted against much higher-ranked opposition, who will undoubtedly have more ball possession, D’Souza’s training regime at the upcoming camp (starting on September 14, most probably at Bengaluru) will focus on endurance and sprint training.

“I’ will be focussing on endurance training for the players. We’ll do plenty of interval runs along with 60 and 80-yard sprints, with an eye on sustainability because you will have to be running throughout these matches,” D’Souza added on Tuesday.

While it will take a monumental effort for India to come away with positive results, D’Souza believes nothing is impossible.

“I believe if you have a very fit side, you can defend well and prevent any opposition from scoring. Ultimately [irrespective of the result], the players need to take this as a learning experience and get better with every match,” he signed off. 

Carlos Augusto smashed home for Cristian Chivu’s team in the second half but they could not find an equaliser in a pulsating battle at the Bernabeu. “It was a crazy game. Often there’s criticism when a match is boring and today it was a crazy game. A game that finished 2-1 could have finished 7-6 without any problems,” Mourinho told Movistar. 

Mourinho admitted his team struggled to control the game. “If you don’t have control and they have it, it’s a very difficult situation,” he said.

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A post shared by Robert Lewandowski (@_rl9)

Instagramming a series of pictures of the couple to his 38.8mn followers, he wrote: 

“Happy Birthday to my love. Thank you for every moment we share, for your smile, your strength, and for making our world more beautiful every day. You are an incredible woman, an amazing mother and my greatest support. I love you beyond words.”

English club Liverpool's boss Andoni Iraola believes his side’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday will be a useful yardstick to gauge where they stand after a rocky start to their English Premier League campaign.

The Reds began the season with back to back 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, before a 2-0 win over Ipswich eased some pressure off Iraola. Considering their defence has looked shaky thus far, the Spanish coach expects them to endure a stern examination against the likes of Julian Alvarez, Alex Baena, and Kang-In Lee.

Andoni Iraola. Pic/AFP

“They are one of the toughest opponents we can face. Diego Simeone is doing an incredible job as a manager. Definitely he has much more experience than me in these kind of games. Atletico Madrid have lots of dynamism in terms of the attacking players, so it is difficult to tie them down at times because  there is lots of rotation between their players. But we just need to play at our own pace and be proactive. Let’s see where we are against a team like Atletico,” said Iraola.

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Speaking ahead of Madrid’s European clash against Inter Milan, the 27-year-old admitted that representing the Spanish giants elevates expectations surrounding prestigious individual honours. 

Mbappe dominated the World Cup over the summer, winning the Golden Boot after scoring 10 goals. 

"Of course I made a lot of history this summer in the most important competition in sport, but we'll see. I have the feeling that it's a good year for that, but there's still a long time to go, and people are free to vote for whoever they think is the best player in the world," Mbappe said.

Although France finished in fourth place, Mbappe’s outstanding personal performances have significantly boosted his chances of claiming the prestigious award for the first time. The French captain noted that playing at the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid keeps him central to global awards talk.

"I think that when you play for Real Madrid, which is the best club in the world, naturally people associate you with that kind of award; they associate you with collective awards, individual awards," he added.

Collective trophies a priority over personal awards, says Mbappe

Despite his individual success, Mbappe acknowledged that Real Madrid need to win trophies after a two-year barren spell.

"We have to improve. But I could play dumb and tell you that I score more goals than (Dembele and Raphinha), and that they need to score more goals to be like me. 

Everyone is different, but I want to do things intelligently and say that of course I have to improve and all that, but I don't like comparisons because I think I do a lot of things that others don't do." Mbappe said. 

While individual honours remain a major talking point, Mbappe maintained that securing major silverware with his club will always take precedence over personal statistics.

"I’d happily score only 30 goals if it meant winning trophies. I’d rather win titles. If I have to choose between the two, I’ll take the trophies. But I always want to score goals. I want to do both."    

Madrid begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Inter Milan and will be banking on the Frenchman to be the difference maker in the final third once more — he has already scored four goals in four La Liga games. However, the 2018 World Cup winner’s performances off the ball leave plenty to be desired. Mbappe, on his part, is wary of his shortcomings and is trying to address them.

“I can say that I score more goals than other players. But I have to be smart and admit that I need to improve [defensively],” said Mbappe.

Meanwhile, Madrid boss Jose Mourinho hinted at a more pragmatic approach against the Italian giants after they suffered a shock 0-1 loss to Real Betis over the weekend. “I could say I want to play well, but I don’t want to play well like against Betis and lose. I want to win,” said the Portuguese coach.

Reflecting on the team’s performance in the defeat to Betis, Mourinho said: “After analysing our performance, we’re increasingly convinced that we played well. We played as a team and that our mistakes were an anomaly. We’re in good shape. We have some issues in midfield for tomorrow’s game [vs Inter], but we’re going to play and compete.”

Real Madrid hold a slender advantage in their head-to-head battle with Inter, winning seven of their 13 encounters, with one ending in a draw. Interestingly, the Los Blancos have won all four of their most recent games against the Nerazzurri, the last of which was a 2-0 victory in 2021.

Despite history favouring the home side, Inter will enter this match with confidence, having won all three of their games this season.

Seven
No of times Real Madrid have beaten Inter Milan across 13 Champions League matches (one draw, five losses)

The second-seeded Spaniard, playing his first tournament after a four-month absence with a right wrist injury, beat Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his fifth quarter-final at Flushing Meadows — where he won the first of his seven Grand Slam titles back in 2022. “Really happy to see where my level is right now,” Alcaraz said. 

Tommy Paul

“Beating Tommy Paul is always great feedback to see where you are, and [I’m] just really happy about everything I’ve done today. I think I returned pretty well. I saw really well the game today, what I had to do in every moment, using the right things in every moment. So I’m just really happy.” 

The 23-year-old, who claimed his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, had admitted to some trepidation as he opted to make his injury return at the final Grand Slam of the year. 

After wins over Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, and Wu Yibing, Alcaraz pointed to some rust — a few more forehand errors than he liked to see and some suspect decision making on court. But he put it all together against Paul, his first top-25 opponent of the tournament.

How wrist injury sidelined Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a right-wrist injury during his opening match against Finland’s Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open in April this year. The injury forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, apart from the Madrid Open and Rome Masters, before he returned to the defend his US Open with doubts about his recovery.

Alcaraz’s draw confusion leaves Roddick in splits

Usually, players have their tournament draw memorised as they enter any tournament and more so at a Grand Slam. However, Carlos Alcaraz was surprisingly mistaken about his next opponent after storming into the quarter-final with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Tommy Paul on Sunday.

During an interview with ESPN, Andy Roddick asked the Spaniard what he thought about Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of whom would be playing him next. “You’re either going to play Shelton or Tsitsipas. Maybe just a word on both of them and the challenges,” Roddick said.

A rather stunned Alcaraz paused before replying: “Really? Oh my God, I thought I was playing Medvedev-Tiafoe.” Both Alcaraz and Roddick broke into a laugh. While Shelton beat Tsitsipas, Frances Tiafoe beat Daniil Medvedev a little later.

Other key results

Ben Shelton beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Linda Noskova beat Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Jessica Pegula beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4

Five
No of US Open quarter-finals reached by Carlos Alcaraz in six appearances

18
No of consecutive Grand Slam matches won by Alcaraz, after beating Tommy Paul

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Aarav Thapa

Podar enjoyed greater possession and created the better chances in a goalless first half, but St Francis goalkeeper Daksh Salia stood firm to keep the Powai side at bay. On resumption, both teams fought hard before Podar got the breakthrough in the last minute (30th). Aarav pounced on a loose ball outside the box and produced a clinical finish into the top-right corner to seal Podar’s maiden U-16 title. 

Earlier, in the third-place play-off, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (Chembur) beat Army Public School (Colaba) 4-3 via tie-breaker.

In a video posted by the Spanish news outlet Marca, a 10-year-old Mateo is seen posing with the Copa Naples trophy with the word ‘champion’ inscribed on it. Messi’s two other sons are Thiago (13) and Ciro (8).

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“It wasn’t the right start, but we certainly reacted in an amazing way. Overall, it was an incredible performance. I enjoyed the way we competed. We took risks, it was a joy to watch. We constrained Chelsea well [after the goal],” said the ecstatic Spanish coach.

Morgan Rogers struck for the Blues in just the second minute before Kai Havertz (25th min) netted the equaliser for the Gunners. In-form skipper Martin Odegaard scored the winner for Arteta’s men in the 50th minute to ensure they sealed all three points.

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It was a statement of intent from second-placed Arsenal, who have won all three league matches to sit behind leaders Manchester City on goal scored. The Gunners' mature display underlined their desire to win the club's first back-to-back titles since the 1930s. For Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, the defeat ended his three-game winning run in all competitions since taking charge at Stamford Bridge in the close-season. Alonso will realise just how much work Chelsea still have to do before they are in position to end a title drought dating back to 2017. Chelsea's shaky defence is prone to costly miscues, while their vaunted attack found it harder to flourish against Arsenal than in their free-scoring wins over Fulham, Luton and Brighton. 

Arteta and Alonso have known each other since their days as childhood friends in the Basque region of Spain. The chaotic matches of their youth on a gravel pitch in the Berio district of San Sebastian would have seemed calm in comparison to the blood and thunder their teams brought to a raucous corner of north London. Chelsea beat Arsenal in the race to sign Rogers from Aston Villa in the close-season after the Gunners refused to match the Blues' £117 million ($158 million) bid for the England midfielder. Rogers showed why Chelsea made him the most expensive British player in history as he put the Blues ahead after just 77 seconds.

Incisive Arsenal

Arsenal's rock-solid defence had allowed just one shot on target in their first two games. So often masters of the set-piece, Arteta's men were found wanting at a free-kick for once. Reece James' lofted delivery wasn't cleared by Declan Rice or Odegaard, giving Rogers the chance to drive a low volley past David Raya from the edge of the penalty area. It was the first goal conceded by Arsenal this season. Having conceded five times in their first two league games under Alonso, Chelsea's three-man central defence remains flawed and they were exposed again in the 25th minute. 

Havertz was allowed to drift from the right flank to the edge of the area unchecked by Jorrel Hato before the German smashed a low strike through the slow to react Maxence Lacroix's legs and past Emiliano Martinez at his near post. Martinez was signed from Villa to replace the error-prone Robert Sanchez but the Argentine's weak attempted save was hardly an improvement on his hapless predecessor. Pedro Neto was inches away from restoring Chelsea's lead just before half-time when the Portugal winger slapped his shot against the far post. Where Chelsea were profligate, Arsenal have developed a ruthless touch in front of goal. 

They exploited Chelsea's weakness at the back to net with a superb-crafted move in the 50th minute. Christos Tzolis has made an impressive start following his close-season move from Club Brugge and the Greek winger's incisive pass sliced through the Chelsea defence to Havertz. The German's clever dummy let the ball run through to Odegaard and he kept his composure to slot home from 10 yards. Rogers' angry clash with Rice prompted mocking chants of "you should have signed for a big club" from Arsenal fans. Chelsea had chances to silence the taunts, but Malo Gusto blazed over from a good position before Estevao Willian's rocket was tipped over by Raya in the final minutes. 

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Danny Meitei Laishram kicked off the scoring in the 25th minute, followed by an audacious 60th-minute finish from Vishal Yadav. Second-half replacement Md Arbash wrapped up the dominant display with a fierce 79th-minute strike.

Following a cagey start where neither side dominated early on, India struck first. Danny forced Bangladesh centre-back Md Abdul Riyad Fahim into a defensive error, allowing Hateem Ali to pounce on the loose ball. The Indian attacker evaded two defenders before picking out an unmarked Danny in the box, who scored to give India the lead.

Second-half brilliance helps India create history

After the opening goal, India controlled possession and further scoring opportunities. Danny almost extended the lead on 34 minutes through a dipping set-piece, but Bangladesh keeper Raj Chowdhury pulled off a crucial save.

India continued their dominance after the half-time break, putting pressure on Bangladesh's backline. Their persistence paid off at the hour mark when a long throw was flicked on by Rishikanta into the path of Vishal, who executed a spectacular overhead finish to stun Bangladesh.

A fluid passing sequence started by Yaipharemba Chingakham tore through Bangladesh's defence, enabling Arbash to blast a left-footed strike into the top corner. 
With the contest effectively settled, Gawali utilised his bench strength to seal the match in the final minutes. He brought on Aniket Yadav, Omang Dodum, and Daniyal Makakmayum, as the Indian side looked to retain the ball, control the tempo, and manage the closing stages.

India eventually held their nerve to seal a comfortable 3-0 win against Bangladesh to secure a place in the AFC Asian Cup after 20 years.

India U20 Men's Team: 

Suraj Singh Aheibam (GK); Yaipharemba Chingakham, Bungson Singh Takhellambam, Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum (C), Shami Singamayum (Daniyal Makakmayum 88’), Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam, Danny Meitei Laishram (Md Arbash 72’), Malemngamba Singh Thokchom, Vishal Yadav (Prashan Jajo 72’), Rishikanta Meitei Laishram (Aniket Yadav 85’), Hateem Ali (Omang Dodum 85’).

(With inputs from ANI)

Infantino has faced increasing pressure after his controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup was met with a furious backlash, with fans from across the globe taking a stand against it.

But FIFA said on Sunday that he plans to stand again in next year's elections for a final term in office through 2031.

"The FIFA President announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027. Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election," a FIFA spokesperson said.

November 18 is the deadline for candidates to enter the next presidential contest, exactly four months ahead of the vote.

Gianni Infantino is facing backlash from across Europe

UEFA, European football's governing body, has led the calls for Infantino to go, saying it had lost confidence in him and previously threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup. Several national associations, such as the English FA, have withdrawn support for Infantino's re-election.

On Saturday, Infantino refused to comment about his future when arriving for the opening of the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland.

"There will be a lot to say, but there will be a right place and a right time to say this. It's not today, it's not here, but here and today, we are enjoying football," he told Sky News.

FIFA apologised for errors made over its controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary and committed to "ensure they do not happen again."

But that hasn't been enough to ease the pressure on Infantino's position.

UEFA is preparing a criminal complaint against Infantino in Swiss courts for possible financial mismanagement over his now abandoned plan to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham added his weight to the debate last month, saying Infantino was not the right man to lead world soccer's governing body and asked for his sacking from the FIFA president post.

(With inputs from ANI)

[popcorn number="96" desc="No. of minutes elapsed when Everton scored their second equaliser against Man Utd; it was virtually the last kick of the game " class="Default"]

Ainsley Maitland-Niles marked his Everton debut with a superb strike with virtually the last kick of the game to snatch a 2-2 draw for the Toffees against Manchester United.

Maitland-Niles’s arrival from Lyon on the final day of the transfer window was overshadowed by Everton’s failure to reinforce their attack.

But the former Arsenal full-back lasered a long-range shot into the top corner in the 96th minute to punish a lacklustre United performance.

Bryan Mbeumo fired 

United in front inside the first minute of the second period. But an Everton side short on attacking options rallied to level through Tyrique George in the 83rd minute.

Substitute Benjamin Sesko’s header looked to have won United all three points.

But the decision not to reinforce Michael Carrick’s defence will face more scrutiny as United have conceded twice in all of their opening three games of the Premier League season.

A draw maintains 

Everton’s unbeaten start and keeps them one point ahead of United to calm the sense of unrest among the club’s fans.

A miserable end to the window could still have ramifications for the teams performance over the rest of the season.

After letting Iliman Ndiaye depart in a £65 million ($88 million) move to Manchester City and Beto to leave for Fiorentina, the Toffees expected to strengthen their forward line with the signing of Monaco’s Folarin Balogun.

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The match ended goalless in regulation time and headed into a tie-break.

The Borivli outfit converted all five of their spot-kicks through Marc Fernandes, Travis Pereira, Aksh Naik, Saumil Wadgaonkar and Keyon Bhoye. Campion kept pace with successful penalties from Samuel Tennyson, Rigved Gupta, Darren D’Souza and Cristiano Fernandes. However, Reyaansh Shah missed the final attempt, allowing Don Bosco to book a berth in the semi-finals.

In another quarter-final of the boys U-16 Ahmed Sailor tournament, Don Bosco High School (Matunga) progressed after overcoming Bombay Scottish School (Mahim) 4-1 via tie-breaker in the quarter-final. 

Jacob Singh, Jordon Fernandes, Harshal Devele and Naveen Ganeshari converted their penalties for the Matunga outfit. Pratham Singh scored Bombay Scottish’s only successful spot-kick.

In tennis, Zheng Qinwen pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Madison Keys at the US Open. Here's more on sports news for September 6...

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