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Arne Slot says he "would have loved" to have brought on Diogo Jota in a heartbreaking admission following Liverpool's dramatic 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday.

• Liverpool beat Bournemouth in season opener
• Slot wishes he could have subbed on Jota
• Fans pay emotional tribute to late striker

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds found themselves in search of a late winner after their two-goal lead was wiped out by a second-half double from Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo on the opening night of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

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  In Liverpool's moment of need, Slot turned to Federico Chiesa and the Italy international repaid the faith, putting his side 3-2 ahead before Mohamed Salah added a fourth to seal all three points for the Anfield club. However, Slot admitted after the match that he wished he could have brought on Jota, 28, who tragically died alongside his brother Andre Silva, 25, in a car crash in Spain in July.

• WHAT SLOT SAID

  In an emotional post-match interview, Slot said: "Normally at 2-2 everyone knows which player I look to at that moment in time. I would have loved to bring in Diogo Jota, but I could not for terrible reasons. But tonight the fans and the players did what he did for us many times in the past."

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• TELL ME MORE

  Powerful tributes were paid before, during and after the match to Jota, whose family were in attendance at Anfield. Liverpool supporters in both the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish stands formed mosaics which read 'DJ20' and 'AS30', while talisman Salah was moved to tears as he joined in a rendition of Jota's chant.

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino insists he played no role in Martin Zubimendi's transfer to the club, despite them both joining from Real Sociedad.

• Merino and Zubimendi reunite in north London
• Both joined from the same Spanish club
• Merino says he paid Sociedad their due respect

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Zubimendi joined the Gunners from Sociedad in the summer in a €70 million (£60m/$82m) deal, making the same move that Merino did back in 2024. Now, the latter has said that he actually played no role in Zubimendi's switch, as he felt it would be disrespectful to the Spanish club to ask him to follow in his footsteps to north London. 

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  Merino has emerged as a standout under Mikel Arteta, and has even deputised as a striker. The 29-year-old has made 45 appearances for the Gunners and has scored nine goals and registered five assists. 

• WHAT MERINO SAID

  “I didn’t want to put too much pressure on him; in the end, it’s a decision he has to make on his own,” he told El Diario Vasco.

  “Leaving Real Sociedad is a very hard step; it was already hard for me to make that decision, and I imagine it’s even harder for him, being from there.

  “I didn’t try to convince him out of respect for him and Real Sociedad, nor did I pressure him to come. He did what came from his heart.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal play Leeds this weekend. 

Manchester United have been told to bring back club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following his sacking from Besiktas. Solskjaer has barely had time to catch his breath after being shown the door at Besiktas, but his name is already dominating headlines in Manchester. The 52-year-old was dismissed by the Turkish giants after crashing out of the Conference League play-offs at the hands of Lausanne.

• Solskjaer tipped for shock United return
• Amorim under fire after Grimsby disaster
• Jamie O'Hara calls for stability amid turmoil

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Besiktas' early exit, compounded by failure in the Europa League qualifiers against Shakhtar Donetsk, meant no European football for the Black Eagles this season,  and the Norwegian paid the price. Yet, across the continent, the conversation has quickly turned from Istanbul to Old Trafford. With United reeling from a humiliating Carabao Cup defeat to League Two minnows Grimsby Town, questions are being asked about Ruben Amorim’s future, and whether Solskjaer could be parachuted back in to steady the ship.

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• WHAT O'HARA SAID

  Former Spurs midfielder turned pundit Jamie O’Hara has sparked debate by insisting that United could do far worse than reinstalling Solskjaer, even on a temporary basis.

  "Solskjaer ain't the worst shout in the world. He can come in, he can be a stopgap manager, interim manager, get players back onside,"  he argued. "It might not be the long-term, but they need to sort it out. We can see that these football clubs can be a bit of a mess. I mean, Jose Mourinho has left Fenerbahce." 

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  However, O'Hara dismissed talk of a Mourinho return to Old Trafford. 

  "No, no, you can't bring him back in," he said. "Solskjaer is a better option in terms of what they need just to settle the ship, because they're in a bad spot. They're in a terrible spot right now. And I believe that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, if you get him back in, go back to the formation that they were playing before. You get the players back onside, give them a bit of freedom. And I think they can maybe just calm everything down, because there's so much scrutiny around Manchester United right now."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  If United do turn to Solskjaer once more, it wouldn’t be unprecedented. The Norwegian was drafted in back in December 2018 following Mourinho’s departure, initially on an interim deal. During his tenure, Solskjaer secured two top-three Premier League finishes, third in 2019-20 and second the following campaign, finishing only behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. His most painful near-miss came in the 2021 Europa League final, where United lost to Villarreal on penalties.

  Statistically, Solskjaer boasts the second-best win percentage of any United manager in the post-Ferguson era, 91 wins from 168 matches, a 54.2% win rate. Only Mourinho edges him, with 58.3%, while Solskjaer ranks ahead of Louis van Gaal, David Moyes and Ryan Giggs. For all the criticism, those numbers remain respectable compared to United’s current malaise.

Swiss federal prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that they would not challenge the acquittals of Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, effectively closing the long-running case against the two former giants of world football. With that, after a decade of legal battles, accusations, and high-profile trials, the curtain has finally come down on one of football’s most infamous sagas.

• The Blatter and Platini case is closed
• Swiss prosecutors drop decade-long pursuit
• The duo was earlier acquitted in March

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Blatter, the 89-year-old former FIFA president, and Platini, 70, once head of UEFA, were accused of fraud, forgery, mismanagement, and misappropriation over a controversial payment of more than $2 million in 2011. Both denied any wrongdoing throughout.

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  In 2022, the pair were first cleared by Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona. Prosecutors, unsatisfied with the verdict, appealed the ruling—forcing another trial. But when the appeal court also acquitted them earlier this year, prosecutors finally conceded defeat. By choosing not to appeal a second time, the Swiss attorney general’s office announced it was “closing another chapter in the complex procedures related to football.”

• TELL ME MORE

  At the heart of the case was a payment made by FIFA to Platini more than a decade ago. Prosecutors alleged that the money, around two million dollars, was fraudulent and had “no legal basis.” Blatter and Platini countered that the transaction was legitimate, the result of a gentlemen’s agreement dating back to 1998. At that time, Blatter had recruited Platini to act as his personal adviser but claimed FIFA could not afford his full salary request of one million Swiss francs per year. Instead, they agreed on a reduced payment of 300,000 francs annually, with the rest to be settled later. The delayed settlement came in 2011, sparking allegations of corruption. But both trials sided with the defence, accepting that an informal but genuine agreement existed between the two men.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  In 2015, FIFA was thrown into chaos when authorities raided a luxury hotel in Zurich at dawn, arresting senior officials as part of a separate US-led investigation into global corruption. The fallout led to the most severe crisis in FIFA’s history, with accusations of bribery, racketeering, and money laundering implicating numerous figures across the football and business worlds. Blatter, facing mounting pressure, was forced to resign from his role as FIFA president after 17 years at the helm. Platini, once seen as the natural successor to Blatter, saw his ambitions of taking the top job collapse overnight.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner found the net twice to lead his side to a comfortable victory

Lionel Messi scored twice and Lautaro Martinez added a third as Argentina ultimately strolled to a 3-0 win in what might be their captain's final home competitive fixture. 

Argentina probed and prodded for the opening 30 minutes, without creating much. Their tally of three shots on target was rather misleading, with the Venezuela defence putting in an admirable shift. But Messi, inevitably, changed things. pieced together a lovely, flowing move. Leandro Paredes found Julian Alvarez, who could have finished but instead cut the ball back to his skipper. Messi lifted the ball over two defenders and into the net.

Messi almost had a second on the hour mark, but saw his effort well denied by the goalkeeper, after creating half a yard of space in the box. The home side found a second wind late on. Lautaro Martinez scored the second with 15 minutes to play, flicking home a Thiago Almada cutback. And then Messi had the final word, putting the finishing touch on another wonderfully worked team goal with a side-footed finish that wrapped up a thoroughly deserved three points. 

It remains to be seen if this is the end for Messi for good in Argentina. But, with friendlies all over the map and a World Cup to play in North America, this might be the great Argentine's last competitive game in his home nation. If that's the case, this was a fine way to go out. 

GOAL rates Argentina's players from the Monumental…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Emi Martinez (7/10):

  Spent most of the time spectating. Touched the ball 25 times and didn't have a save to make. He'll take the clean sheet. 

  Nahuel Molina (6/10):

  Pinged a few nice passes, and didn't really allow anything down his side. 

  Cristian Romero (8/10):

  Picked up his obligatory yellow card. Moved the ball around well and was always up for a tackle – most of which he won. 

  Nicolas Otamendi (7/10):

  As solid as ever at the back. Even at 37 years old, he can do it for his country. 

  Nico Tagliafico (7/10):

  Industrious on the left side, involved in play, and linked up effectively with Thiago Almada. 

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  Midfield

  Rodrigo De Paul (7/10):

  Up to his usual antics of tackling anything that moved, completed the most passes in the match, and linked play well. 

  Leandro Paredes (7/10):

  Played a crucial pass in the build-up to the opener and turned in a solid 70 minutes of work.

  Franco Mastantuono (5/10):

  On the ball a lot, but didn't do loads with it. Looked a bit nervous, truth be told, but there will be plenty of other games for him.

  Thiago Almada (8/10):

  The more creative of the two wide men. Forced a nice save out of the keeper and grabbed himself a deserved assist. 

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  Attack

  Lionel Messi (9/10):

  Pieced together a mastery in narrative building by scoring in his final home game. Added a second, and might have had a third late on – only to be denied by the offside flag. Wonderful throughout. 

  Julian Alvarez (7/10):

  Assisted Messi brilliantly when he really could have grabbed a goal of his own. As usual, worked very hard and showed some real attacking intent. 

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  Subs & Manager

  Nico Gonzalez (7/10):

  Picked up an assist during an impressive 15-minute cameo.

  Exequiel Palacios (6/10):

  Put in a solid shift in central midfield after coming on. 

  Lautaro Martinez (7/10):

  Didn't touch the ball much but got his goal.

  Giuliano Simeone (N/A):

  No time to make an impact. 

  Nico Paz (N/A):

  Another very late sub. 

  Lionel Scaloni (8/10):

  Went with his strongest side and got a performance out of his team that suggested that this wasn't just a Messi sendoff. Scaloni's side have sauntered through CONMEBOL qualifying.

Wojciech Szczesny’s journey from retirement to revival at Barcelona continues to be an inspiration for many. Once thought to have hung up his gloves after a decorated stint at Juventus, the Polish veteran was called back in 2024 to fill Barcelona’s goalkeeping void. Now in his second season, Szczesny remains a steady hand and vocal leader, and according to his brother Jan, he still has “a spark in him” that keeps the fire alive beneath the calm exterior.

• Szczesny’s second act at Barcelona

  When Szczesny announced his retirement in August 2024, few expected to see him in elite football again. But Barcelona’s injury crisis between the posts changed everything. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined at the start of last season, Barca turned to the 34-year-old Polish veteran and he delivered beyond expectations. As new signing Joan Garcia later underwent meniscus surgery this season, he was signed to a new deal to ensure he remains at the club until at least the summer of 2026.

  Since joining, Szczesny has embraced his supporting role with quiet professionalism. In 38 appearances across competitions, he has produced vital saves in the Copa del Rey final and Champions League knockout stages, proving that age and retirement were never barriers to performance. Even now, with Garcia out, he’s stepped up seamlessly as Barcelona’s backup keeper, embodying reliability in crisis.

  His brother Jan Szczesny recently spoke about Wojciech’s attitude toward this chapter, revealing the balance between his competitive spirit and mentorship: “He’s always ready, but I think he prefers being a spectator to a participant.”

  Jan also pursued a career as a goalkeeper. He played primarily playing in the Polish lower leagues. Unlike Wojciech, Jan retired early from professional play to become a goalkeeping coach, contributing to football from a coaching perspective rather than continuing as a player.

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  Szczesny 'still has a spark' at Barcelona

  In an interview with , Jan came out to share little details about his brother's life at Barcelona. He also opened up about why he thinks Barca are not able to perform at their peak this season.

  "I know Wojtek prefers to watch his teammates from the bench and help if necessary. I still see a spark in him after every good save in a match, and I'm happy because I enjoy watching him play," Jan said.

  And this is true. The 35-year-old shot stopper was signed by Barca keeping him as good option off the bench but Barca's injury crisis has been such that he has had to play a length of games and for his age, Szczesny has done well. Even this season, he has played in five La Liga and three Champions League matches. Sometimes even saving the team from what could have been a heartbreak defeat.

  In Barca's latest Champions League outing, Szczesny was involved in a crucial stoppage-time incident that nearly resulted in defeat for Barca. As Szczesny tried to turn with the ball inside his penalty area, Belgian striker Romeo Vermant dispossessed him and rolled the ball into the net, appearing to secure a late victory for Brugge. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed for a foul by Vermant on Szczesny, allowing Barcelona to hold on for a 3-3 draw.

  Speaking on the same, Szczesny's brother shared his thought on the incident saying, "For me, it was a dubious call. If the referee hadn't called a foul, he would have defended. I'm glad he decided to disallow the goal."

  Asked about Szczesny's playing time at Barca, and how long he will continue to enjoy first-team role, Jan replied: "We all know Wojtek is the second-choice goalkeeper. My brother was prepared for this from the start."

• Why are Barca dropping points this season?

  High line comes with high risk. Barca's defensive model under coach Hansi Flick has invited both admiration and concern. Pressing high and building from the back have been key to their identity, but as Jan pointed out, it also leaves the team vulnerable to counters. This has been a prominent show in Barca's 1-2 defeat against Real Madrid in El Clasico and in their Champions League loss against Paris Saint-Germain and recently Brugge.

  "The world is gradually adapting to Barcelona's style of play, which consists of defending very high up the pitch, starting from their own goal. Opponents are starting to figure it out; it no longer surprises them," said Jan.

  He further added: "When you play high up the pitch, you're vulnerable to counter-attacks. They're inevitable, whether you're facing Real Madrid or Club Brugge. Barcelona 's style unsettles everyone. They don't play to be winning 1-0, they play to be winning 7-0. And if they concede five goals, tough luck. I like that."

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  When will Joan Garcia return from his injury?

  While Garcia is closing in on a return, the player still has to hit the training ground and regain his fitness before being opted to start in a first-team role under Flick. According to reports, the ex-Espanyol keeper is touted to be back after the November international break.

  Speaking on how the goalkeeping situation will change in the upcoming weeks, Jan says: "The change will depend on when García is 100%. I don't know anything. From a coach's point of view, I think the goalkeeper position is so important that it's better to wait two more weeks than to make a change a week before."

  The Catalan giants are set to face Celta Vigo in the league on November 9 and this will be their last game before the international break kicks off. This also comes as relief for Flick whose team has been facing injury crisis this season. On the positive side, Raphinha is also close to a return after a lengthy spell out and is supposed to resume group training ahead of the Vigo clash this Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s demands for signing a new Al-Nassr contract reportedly include sacking the club’s coach, sporting director and several players.

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• Current deal is set to expire this summer
• Reluctant to pen extension as things stand
• Wants sweeping changes across the board

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The expectation was, having made a trend-setting move to the Middle East in 2023, that CR7 would agree an extension to his record-breaking deal at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – with his current terms set to expire this summer.

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  No paperwork has been signed, though, and Ronaldo is said to have grown frustrated and concerned by the lack of success that Al-Nassr have been enjoying. He still has just one trophy to his name across two-and-a-half years in Riyadh.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  With Ronaldo stalling on prolonging his spell with Al-Nassr, claims that the Portuguese GOAT has laid out his demands in order for an agreement to be reached. He is calling for sweeping change.

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  WHAT CRISTIANO RONALDO IS DEMANDING

  Ronaldo is said to be keen for Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro to leave his role as sporting director and follow head coach Stefano Pioli through the exits. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is also of the opinion that half of Al-Nassr’s squad are not good enough.

He produced a knock for the ages in conditions favouring the fast bowlers but fell five short of what would have been a maiden ODI century

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jan-2024In only his second ODI, Janith Liyanage produced a match-defining performance, one that took his side to a thrilling win against Zimbabwe in Colombo on Monday. His 95 off 127 balls was by far the highest individual score for Sri Lanka in the second ODI, the next-best score being 21 as the hosts sneaked home by two wickets.Liyanage did, however, fall five runs short of a maiden international ton, when he attempted to thump Blessing Muzarabani down the ground for six in the 43rd over, and was caught at mid-off instead. On the surface, it appeared an unnecessary stroke as Muzarabani was one of Zimbabwe’s most threatening bowlers, and Sri Lanka still had 46 balls in which to get the 37 runs they needed. What’s more, Liyanage’s departure left Sri Lanka with only two wickets remaining and put Zimbabwe again into the ascendancy.The hosts would hobble to their target of 209 eventually, as rainfall intensified in the roughly half hour of play. Liyanage explained that it was the rain – rather than the scoreline, or the desire to reach a century – that forced him to take the risk in the 43rd over.Related

• Liyanage, Theekshana, tailenders give Sri Lanka thrilling win

“More than the century, what I wanted was to get the team to victory,” he said. “At that time, we were about five runs behind the DLS score. So I thought if I hit a six in that over, we’d be able to win even if the match stopped because of rain. All I thought of was winning the match, and I’m glad we were able to get there.”Liyanage had also earlier put on a 56-run seventh-wicket stand alongside Maheesh Theekshana, to lift Sri Lanka from a scoreline of 112 for 6. Theekshana contributed only 18 to this partnership, which saw Liyanage bat more aggressively than he had earlier in the innings. But he chose his targets carefully.”When Maheesh and I were batting, they [Zimbabwe] were bowling their best bowlers, and they only had a few overs left,” Liyanage said. “So our plan was to get two or three runs an over off their best bowlers, then take the game into the last five or six overs, and score our runs there. “The rain had been in the air for much of the chase, with it forcing a long delay 13 overs into Sri Lanka’s innings. The moisture had assisted Zimbabwe’s quicks, according to Liyanage.”We lost two wickets at the start, and with the rain, the ball started to move a bit. So I thought at time that they’ve got two fast bowlers, so I’ll defend against them and if I bat for a while and get set, I could bat till the end. Their tall quicks got a bit extra out of the conditions with the rain.”

Athletic Club has made an initial approach to sign Al-Nassr's Aymeric Laporte after reports of the defender being out of the Saudi club's project.

• Athletic Club have made verbal proposal for Laporte
• Laporte not in Al-Nassr's long-term plans
• Riyadh side put faith in new defender Hancko

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Laporte was among the first batch of major signings by Al-Nassr alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The ex-Manchester City defender has since started 69 games for the club and has been an integral part of the first team. However, according to , the 31-year-old is not in head coach Jorge Jesus' plans. The Spanish defender has been offered a chance to move back to his country after the Basque club initiated talks with the Saudi club.

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  Al-Nassr have recently appointed Jesus as their manager, and the first thing for the ex-Al-Hilal coach was to bring in players that fit his vision. The Portuguese coach wanted to sign new players that suit his style of play and has decided to offload Laporte and midfielder Otavio. Jesus plans to strengthen the central areas with a defensive and an attacking midfielder.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Slovakian defender David Hancko is the first major signing under the new management of Jesus, and it was only after the head coach's approval that the club went ahead with the deal. The €33 million (£28m/$38m) signing will replace Laporte and has signed a contract until 2028. This makes Laporte's exit more likely this summer, but it still won't be an easy task for Bilbao to sign him as the Saudi club are said to play hardball.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR AL-NASSR?

  Al-Nassr haven't managed to win much even after their revamp with Ronaldo in 2023. The 40-year-old forward has expressed his desire for the Saudi club to make new signings and even held discussions with Jesus on what aspects the team needs to work on and improve. Among the many names suggested by the ex-Real Madrid winger is Liverpool's Luis Diaz. However, multiple clubs, including Bayern Munich, are in the race to sign the Colombian winger.

He will be available for seven County Championship fixtures till May, after going unsold in the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2024Karun Nair will return to Northamptonshire for seven County Championship fixtures in April and May after he went unsold in the IPL auction.Northants brought Nair in for the final three matches of last season as part of a failed bid to avoid relegation to Division Two, but his brief stint with the club was a success. He registered scores of 78, 150 and 21 in his three innings and John Sadler, Northants’ head coach, said Nair was his “main target” for 2024.”Not only did he score some incredible runs for us, his calmness, his temperament, and his hunger for more runs was superb,” Sadler said in a press release. “We are delighted to get him on board with us again and I’m sure he will be a super asset for us again this season.”His availability for the early stages of the season was unclear until mid-December due to the possibility of IPL commitments, after he was brought in as a replacement by Lucknow Super Giants midway through IPL 2023. But he went unsold at the mini-auction in Dubai, and has now committed to the first seven games of the Championship season.”I’m thrilled to be returning to Northamptonshire for another stint of County Championship cricket.” Nair said. “Our aim is to win games and get promoted and I’m excited to get stuck in with the bat and help the team secure victories.”I would like to thank the coach and captain for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I was really happy with my form last season and hopefully I can get going right away and put big runs on the board.”Nair, 32, played six Tests and two ODIs for India, a brief international career which featured an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in late 2016. He remains one of two men to score a triple century for India in Tests alongside Virender Sehwag, who did so twice.Nair will be replaced by compatriot Prithvi Shaw midway through the English summer. Shaw agreed to return to the club for the second half of the season after a successful stint last year and is due to arrive in June after representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL.Chris Tremain, the Australian seamer, will feature alongside Nair as Northants’ second overseas player in the first month of the season, while the club recently announced that Sikandar Raza will join them for the T20 Blast.