LONDON: Spain looked back to its old self in opening its European Championship qualifying campaign by running over Macedonia, while England took control of its group by beating biggest rival Switzerland on the road.
Here is a look at Monday's qualifying games around Europe:
Group C:
Spain overcame a few nervous moments to ease past Macedonia 5-1 with five different goal scorers to get its campaign off on the right track after its disappointing World Cup campaign.
Although the defending European champions began well with early goals by Sergio Ramos and Paco Alcacer, Macedonia countered with a 28th-minute goal by Agim Ibraimi that unsettled Spain.
However, an assured performance by captain Iker Casillas in goal helped Spain recover its self-confident, rapid-passing game.
Sergio Busquets, David Silva and Pedro Rodriguez added goals as Spain turned the game into a rout.
Also in Group C, Slovakia won 1-0 at Ukraine, and Luxembourg held Belarus to a 1-1 draw.
Robert Mak gave Slovakia the win by scoring with a left-foot shot in the 18th minute, while Belarus needed a 78th-minute equalizer from Stanislav Dragun to rescue a point at Luxembourg. The hosts had gone ahead in the 42nd when Lars Gerson volleyed into the roof of the net.
Group E:
Danny Welbeck scored twice to give England respite from criticism and a deserved 2-0 win at Switzerland.
Welbeck finished off Raheem Sterling's pass on a fast counter-attack in the 58th minute and slotted in a right-footed shot deep into stoppage time.
England's lead was preserved in the 70th by defender Gary Cahill sliding to block Josip Drmic's shot after the Swiss substitute dribbled around goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Also in Group E on Monday, Lithuania won 2-0 at San Marino, and Estonia beat Slovenia 1-0.
Lithuania extended San Marino's 24-year run of never winning a competitive match with two first-half goals. Deivydas Matulevicius scored in the fifth and Arvydas Novikovas in the 36th.
Estonia got an 86th-minute winner from Ats Purje to beat a visiting Slovenia team it trails by 54 places in the FIFA rankings.
Group G:
Sweden midfielder Erkan Zengin scored his first international goal to help his team draw with Austria 1-1 as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was kept scoreless in his 100th international.
Also in Group G, Russia downed Liechtenstein 4-0 to lead after the opening round, and Montenegro beat Moldova 2-0.
Zengin controlled the ball on the chest before hammering it past goalkeeper Robert Almer in the 12th minute to level the score. David Alaba had given Austria the lead five minutes earlier, scoring from the penalty spot after Sebastian Larsson blocked an attempted cross from the Austria midfielder with his arm.
Ibrahimovic never came close to scoring and was booked in the first half after hitting Alaba with his elbow and roughly tackling Martin Harnik within two minutes.
Earlier, Russia was handed a 2-0 lead by own goals from Liechtenstein midfielder Martin Buechel, who deflected Sergei Ignashevich's free kick in the fourth, and defender Franz Burgmeier in the 50th minute.
Dmitri Kombarov converted a penalty in the 54th and Artem Dzyuba scored 11 minutes later to double the score for coach Fabio Capello's team.
Mirko Vucinic gave Montenegro the lead against Moldova in injury time of the first half, and Zarko Tomasevic doubled the score in the 73rd.
Spain opens Euro qualifying with big win; England takes control of Group E
Spain opens Euro qualifying with big win; England takes control of Group E
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.
Algeria denounces ‘baseless’ medical report targeting Olympic champion Imane Khelif
- Algerian Olympic Committee decries attacks on Imane Khelif since Paris Olympics 2024 boxing event
RIYADH: The Algerian Olympic Committee has condemned as “baseless” a medical report targeting gold medalist Imane Khelif, which claims she has male chromosomes and no uterus.
The unverified report, widely shared on social media, has sparked fresh controversy. This is the latest round of accusations that the Algerian athlete has had to face since the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this year.
In a statement carried by the German media group DW, the Algerian Olympic Committee rejected the claims as “baseless attacks.”
It said the accusations were aimed at tarnishing the image of Khelif, who was “an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage.”
The document in question, allegedly written by French endocrinologist Jacques Young, suggested Khelif has a condition known as Difference of Sexual Development.
However, Young has denied any involvement, accusing others of using his name to promote an anti-transgender agenda.
The hospital where Young works refused to confirm the document’s authenticity, citing patient confidentiality.
The International Olympic Committee has distanced itself from the document, labelling it “unverified” and confirmed that Khelif is considering legal action in response to the claims.
This is not the first time Khelif has faced controversy.
After her gold medal win in the women’s 66 kg boxing event at the Olympics, she was falsely accused of failing gender verification tests run by the International Boxing Association.
The IBA’s claim that she had male chromosomes was dismissed by the IOC as “illegitimate.”
The latest round of attacks resurfaced in late October, fueled by online platforms, including Reduxx, a magazine known for its “pro-woman” stance.
The report suggested Khelif underwent genetic testing that supposedly revealed a Difference of Sexual Development condition. However, a screenshot from the report clarified that Khelif was still deemed female by the doctors involved.
Khelif, who has always identified as a woman, has not publicly commented, but her management team confirmed she is pursuing legal action.
The Algerian Olympic Committee reiterated its full support for Khelif and called for an end to harmful gender-based attacks in sports.
Saudi jiu-jitsu team win 10 medals at World Championship in Greece
- Kingdom’s jiu-jitsu team scoop 3 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze at event held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 4
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s jiu-jitsu team won 10 medals — three gold, three silver and four bronze — at the World Championship in Crete, Greece, which was held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 4, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The gold medalists are Mohammed Al-Mukhlis in the under-69 kg category (Masters Division), Omar Nada in the under-94 kg category (Senior Team Division), and Abdullah Nada in the under-85 kg category (Youth Division).
Silver medals were won by Abdulmalik Al-Murdi in the under-62 kg category (Senior Team Division), Elias Banjar in the under-62 kg category (Youth Division), and Waleed Al-Haidari in the under-56 kg category (Youth Division).
Bronze went to Osamah Al-Marwia in the No Gi category, Khaled Habab, who earned two medals in the under-52 kg and No Gi - 52 kg categories (Youth Division), and Hadeel Qadha in the under-57 kg category (Junior Division).
Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation CEO Rakan Al-Fehaid thanked the government for supporting the athletes and helping them to achieve success.
The team had played a “significant role in elevating the Kingdom’s name on the global stage,” the report added.
