PARIS: France brushed off allegations of match-fixing after their 4-1 defeat against Iran sent them into the softest part of the draw at the Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan.
Les Bleus and Iran played an indolent first half before Iran easily prevailed after France conceded a soft opening goal in the second half, triggering angry reactions from other teams.
“Iran and France, coaches and players alike, have disgraced my sport. You are a disgrace to the world,” Thailand coach Miguel Rodrigo wrote on X.
Retired Brazil great Falcao was quoted by French media as saying: “It shows a lack of respect for the World Cup. The match was clearly fixed from the first minute.”
Both France and Iran were already qualified for the last 16 but the result meant that world number 10 France, second in Group F, will take on Thailand, ranked ninth before a potential quarter-final against 13th-ranked Paraguay.
Iran, the world number four, will be up against sixth-ranked Morocco ahead of a possible last-eight clash against world number one Brazil.
“It was Iran’s responsibility to be in charge of the game. The draw is more open for us but our main goal was not to get booked and to avoid injuries,” France coach Raphael Reynaud said.
The French football federation and world governing body FIFA were not immediately available for comment.
France denies match-fixing allegations at Futsal World Cup
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France denies match-fixing allegations at Futsal World Cup
- Les Bleus and Iran played an indolent first half before Iran easily prevailed after France conceded a soft opening goal in the second half, triggering angry reactions from other teams.
Buoyant Inter gunning for leaders Napoli and Serie A summit
- Wednesday’s win came despite Inzaghi dropping five first-choice players with Napoli
- The defense of the Serie A title his clear priority in the early months of the season
MILAN: Inter Milan have top spot in Serie A in their sights as they host league leaders Napoli this weekend boosted by a gritty win over Arsenal in the Champions League.
Reigning champions Inter are a point behind Napoli and in buoyant mood ahead of Sunday’s clash at the San Siro after showing huge spirit to beat Arsenal 1-0 and continue their unbeaten start in Europe.
Simone Inzaghi’s team are yet to concede a goal in the Champions League and after four matches are two points behind leaders Liverpool in the new single league phase.
Wednesday’s win came despite Inzaghi dropping five first-choice players with Napoli and the defense of the Serie A title his clear priority in the early months of the season.
And Inter had to hold off wave after wave of Arsenal attacks in the second half after Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in stoppage time of the opening period, claiming the win with the sort dogged defending which has been lacking in Serie A where they have conceded 13 times in 11 matches.
“It was a win earned through sacrifice, the only thing that mattered tonight was the result. I needed minutes, now I’m ready for Napoli,” said Calhanoglu who was excellent in his first start since recovering from a thigh injury and will guide Inter’s midfield on Sunday.
Inter will be at full strength after Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco, Marcus Thuram, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Francesco Acerbi all started the Arsenal win on the bench.
That is a daunting prospect for Napoli who have however had a week to prepare for Sunday’s clash and won at the San Siro against AC Milan as recently as last week.
Napoli have impressed by leading the league following last season’s disastrous defense of their first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona.
But Napoli were thumped 3-0 at home by dark horses Atalanta last weekend and questions remain over whether Antonio Conte’s side are ready to reclaim the title.
Conte, a practicing Catholic, said ahead of his team’s humbling at the hands of third-placed Atalanta that “football miracles can happen but only one person can make them happen.”
“All we can do is work hard and try to create something beautiful which in football terms translates into more points,” said Conte.
Mario Balotelli is set for more minutes with his new club Genoa who face Como at the unusual time of Thursday night, a rearrangement forced by an important rally race being held in the port city over the weekend.
Former Italy striker Balotelli made his Genoa debut off the bench late in last weekend’s 1-0 win at Parma which lifted Alberto Gilardino’s team out of the relegation zone, but his only contribution was getting booked.
In-form Fiorentina and Lazio, who are level on 22 points with Atalanta, face Verona and Monza respectively and have a chance to move level with Napoli before Sunday’s big match at the San Siro.
Juventus, who sit a point behind that trio in sixth, host local rivals Torino after drawing 1-1 at Lille on Tuesday.
Fresh from another stellar performance in Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Stuttgart, Lookman is in the form of his life as Atalanta host Udinese in Sunday’s lunchtime fixture with talk of a title challenge looking increasingly realistic.
Nigeria forward Lookman, the hat-trick hero of last season’s Europa League triumph, has scored eight goals and set up five more in 12 appearances this term.
His stunning performances, which have helped push Atalanta to within three points of Napoli, come after being dropped at the start of the season after pushing for a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
But the way he and attack partners Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere have been playing suggests that Lookman could just as likely scale new heights staying exactly where he is.
Thursday
Genoa v Como (1945)
Friday
Lecce v Empoli (1945)
Saturday
Venezia v Parma (1400), Cagliari v AC Milan (1700), Juventus v Torino (1945)
Sunday
Atalanta v Udinese (1130), Roma v Bologna, Fiorentina v Verona (1400), Monza v Lazio (1700), Inter Milan v Napoli (1945)
Mbappe left out of France squad for November internationals
- It is the second successive France squad from which the national team captain has been absent
- Mbappe was absent for France’s 4-1 win over Israel in Budapest and a 2-1 win in Belgium
PARIS: Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Italy after coach Didier Deschamps omitted the Real Madrid superstar from his list of players named on Thursday.
It is the second successive France squad from which the national team captain has been absent after he also missed the October double-header against Israel and Belgium.
The 25-year-old was rested for last month’s matches in order to help him recover from a minor thigh injury suffered playing for Real.
However, that quickly became a source of controversy when he returned to action for Real days later, before France had even played.
Mbappe was absent for France’s 4-1 win over Israel in Budapest and a 2-1 win in Belgium, and instead traveled to Stockholm for a short break with members of his entourage.
It was following that trip that Swedish media reported he was being investigated for an alleged rape. Mbappe himself said those reports were “fake news” while his lawyer said the player would take action for libel.
A Swedish prosecutor confirmed that an investigation had been opened, without naming Mbappe.
Since then, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward has made four appearances for his club, scoring one goal. However, he remains short of his explosive best form.
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen struggling to maintain heights of last season
- The aura of invincibility that Alonso built around the team have evaporated. But it’s not for want of trying
- “To win against top, top teams, you need to go through tough moments and suffer. We need to learn from this,” Alonso said after the loss in Liverpool
BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen are struggling to reach the high standards they set for themselves last season.
Xabi Alonso’s team have already dropped points in five of their nine Bundesliga games, while Tuesday’s 4-0 loss at Liverpool in the Champions League was already their second defeat of the season.
The late goals that characterized last season’s remarkable Bundesliga and German Cup campaigns — Leverkusen won both without losing a game — seem to have dried up.
Leverkusen have already conceded 15 goals in the Bundesliga. That’s only nine goals fewer than they conceded in the league over the whole of last season.
Though Leverkusen drew with Bayern Munich 1-1 away, they also failed to beat relegation candidates Holstein Kiel and Werder Bremen.
The aura of invincibility that Alonso built around the team have evaporated. But it’s not for want of trying. Before the Liverpool game, Leverkusen had 19 shots at goal in a scoreless draw against Stuttgart, which were second in the Bundesliga last season.
Missed chances have replaced late goals as the recurring issue, while defense is also a concern.
Granit Xhaka was scathing in his criticism of the last three goals his team conceded against Liverpool, suggesting the side’s intensity dropped after conceding the first, though the Swiss midfielder remained confident the team can recover.
“If we keep doing our thing, we’ll start winning games again,” Xhaka said.
Alonso, likewise, does not seem too worried by his team’s results.
“To win against top, top teams, you need to go through tough moments and suffer. We need to learn from this,” Alonso said after the loss in Liverpool.
Alonso opted to stay at Leverkusen despite a host of suitors reportedly keen on acquiring his services in the summer – including former clubs Bayern and Liverpool – and the Spanish coach hasn’t tinkered with or changed his title-winning approach.
The squad from last season remained largely intact over the summer. Central defender Odilon Kossounou left for Atalanta, with Leverkusen bringing Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain as his replacement. Mukiele hasn’t played much so far.
It had looked like defensive chief Jonathan Tah was going to join Bayern, but the clubs failed to agree a transfer fee for a player whose Leverkusen contract is up at the end of this season. Tah has played every minute for the team so far.
Leverkusen are already seven points behind unbeaten Bayern in the Bundesliga. They next face a short trip to Bochum on Saturday, when new Bochum coach Dieter Hecking will hope to coax some improvement from a team that have lost eight of their nine games. Bochum have a point after a draw with Kiel in September.
Barcelona, Inter and upstart Brest win again in Champions League
- Paris Saint-Germain, in their first season without Kylian Mbappe, trail far behind in 25th after Atletico Madrid scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win for the Spanish team
- Atalanta won 2-0 at Stuttgart to stay unbeaten on eight points and Salzburg got their first goals and points in a 3-1 win at Feyenoord
LONDON: Barcelona and Inter Milan won again in the Champions League on Wednesday though both former title holders are looking up in the standings toward upstart newcomer Brest.
Aston Villa started the week atop the 36-team table but their winning run ended after a bizarre penalty was awarded when defender Tyrone Mings picked up the ball in the area at Club Brugge, resulting in a 1-0 loss that sent the English club plummeting to eighth place.
Paris Saint-Germain, in their first season without Kylian Mbappe, trail far behind in 25th after Atletico Madrid scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win for the Spanish team at Parc des Princes.
Barcelona’s blistering scoring form continued in a 5-2 win at Red Star Belgrade — a seventh straight win since the start of October at a rate of four goals per game. Robert Lewandowski scored twice and has 21 this season.
Inter Milan stifled Arsenal in a 1-0 win at San Siro sealed by Hakan Çalhanoglu’s penalty in first-half stoppage time.
Inter are unbeaten on 10 points and in fifth place, one below Brest who won 2-1 at Sparta Prague. The French debutant look sure to advance to the knockout phase starting in February.
Atalanta won 2-0 at Stuttgart to stay unbeaten on eight points and Salzburg got their first goals and points in a 3-1 win at Feyenoord.
Bayern Munich won 1-0 at home to Benfica in a game that was delayed 15 minutes by crowd congestion and then was played in a muted atmosphere because of a medical incident for a fan.
Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champion against Young Boys. Shakhtar’s No. 10 showed why he is expected to be the club’s next big-money sale.
Liverpool, who on Tuesday routed Bayer Leverkusen 4-0, lead the standings at the midway point of the eight-round program.
Liverpool are the only team with four straight wins, while five teams have four losses. They are Leipzig, Sturm Graz, Young Boys, Red Star and Slovan Bratislava.
Two Italian teams – Inter Milan and Atalanta – have yet to concede a goal in four games. Another Italian side, Bologna, is the only team with no goals scored.
Villa slide
Villa had led the standings in the new league-phase format after three straight wins without conceding a goal — and it took a bizarre incident before goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was eventually beaten.
Mings was punished for picking up the ball when Martinez seemed to restart play with a goal kick passed forward to his teammate. Mings walked a couple steps to gather the ball with his left hand and returned to place it in the six-yard box.
“It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career,” Villa coach Unai Emery said. “It has only happened one time in all my life. Today.”
Brugge captain Hans Vanaken placed the 52nd-minute spot-kick to Martinez’s left as the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived to his right.
Bayern and Dinamo
It was the standout result of the inaugural week of the new Champions League in September: Bayern Munich 9, Dinamo Zagreb 2.
It was the first time a team had scored nine times in a game in the 32-year Champions League era, and Dinamo fired its coach two days later.
Since then? Bayern lost twice, including a 4-1 rout at Barcelona, and Dinamo won twice. At the end of play Wednesday, Bayern were 17th on six points, one place below Dinamo on seven. If those placings hold until January, they meet again twice more in the knockout playoffs round.
Next up
The fifth round in three weeks’ time has perhaps the stellar attraction of 144 games in the league phase: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid.
That game on Nov. 27 is a rematch of the 2022 and 2018 finals, both won by Madrid, and the 1981 European Cup titl e match that Liverpool won.
There is another final rematch: Bayern Munich hosts PSG on Nov. 26 in a repeat of the pandemic-season final played in August 2020 without fans in Lisbon. Also, sixth-place Barcelona hosts Brest, a fixture which might have been overlooked when the draw was made in August yet the French team is currently fourth.
Only the top eight teams in January advance directly to the round of 16 in March.
Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan maintained their unbeaten start in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday as the Gunners suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.
Hakan Calhanoglu scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time after a handball from Mikel Merino, leaving the Italian champions with 10 points from four matches and Arsenal on seven points.
