All the top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s national newspapers…
Haaland: I had long legs to get to the ball, but it was a good cross
Haaland scored a great winning goal in the 83rd minute in Manchester City’s 2-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2nd round of the Champions League group stage. He was interviewed by TNT Sports Brasil and beIN Sports after the match.
How did you reach that pass?
I think I have long legs and that’s how I was able to get to the ball …… but it was a good cross and in the end I have to say it was a very nice goal.
You didn’t celebrate after the goal, what was it like to score against your old club?
It was a special game for me, there were a lot of good friends there, you know, coaches, staff, etc., all my acquaintances. But I have to be ready and focus on what I have to do, it’s a soccer game. Of course it’s special and full of emotion against the old team, but it’s also a great game.
I visited your hometown of Blarney two weeks ago and I visited the club where you played when you started and now you see yourself in Manchester City, it’s amazing, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s great, I’m living a dream, I’m very happy, there’s still a long way to go.
If you were born in Brazil you would probably be known as Haalandinho, was there a Brazilian footballer who inspired you at a young age?
Brazil has a lot of legends, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Pele… There are a lot of great players, I can’t name just one, you have Ronaldo, that’s probably the best player in history, and Pele as well. And Neymar, he’s incredible and it’s going to be fun to watch him play in the World Cup.
On not touching the ball as much
I stay focused, people might say I touch the ball less, but I don’t care, I know what I need to do and that’s what I did today in this tough game.
My dream is to score five goals with five touches, and that’s a big dream.
Neymar thinks soccer is getting boring after yellowing for celebrating a Champions League goal
After scoring a goal in the Champions League and getting a yellow for celebrating, Neymar updated his personal social media and said that soccer is getting boring.
In the Champions League match with Maccabi Haifa, Neymar scored a goal in the late stages and made the above celebration, for which the Paris striker received a yellow card.
After the match, Neymar updated his social media with the message, “Football is getting boring.” In the video Neymar said, “Celebrating …… yellow card! Another one on Neymar’s list, these things only happen to me. Next time I’m going to tell the referee what I’m going to do ……”
Ziyech conceded possession 8 times in 9 minutes of play, spitting twice and missing 3 crosses
Chelsea attacker Ziyech came on as a substitute against Red Bull Salzburg, but he played extremely disastrously, missing two chances in the box and other poor stats.
Courtois saves 24 of his opponent’s last 25 shots in the Champions League
Real Madrid defeated Leipzig 2-0, Courtois once again completed a shutout in the Champions League.
In this match, Leipzig had 9 shots and 3 shots on goal, and Courtois kept the goal intact.
According to Marca, Courtois has saved 24 of his opponents’ last 25 shots in the Champions League, with Mahrez scoring in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabeu. In the Champions League final, Courtois contributed nine saves in a single match.
Juve team history for the first time in the Champions League group stage all the first two games lost
Juventus lost 1-2 at home to Benfica in a match in the 2nd round of the Champions League group stage.
Following the 1-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first round, Juve suffered another defeat, the first time they suffered all losses in the opening two rounds of the Champions League group stage.
In the next round, Juve will host Maccabi Haifa from Israel.
Leipzig official: Laimer suffered a joint ligament injury in his left leg, the player will be out for several weeks
Leipzig officials have announced that Laimer has suffered a joint ligament injury in his left leg and the player will be out for several weeks.
“We will have to deal with Laimer’s absence due to injury in the coming weeks, as our midfielder suffered a joint ligament injury in his left leg against Borussia Dortmund. We wish the player a speedy recovery.”
Laimer, 25, has played six games for the team this season and his contract with Leipzig is set to expire next summer.
Romano says Valverde is a non-sale for Real Madrid, player himself retweeted
In the match against Leipzig, Valverde broke through to help Real Madrid win 2-0. After the match, well-known journalist Romano said that Valverde is a non-sale item for Real Madrid, and the player himself retweeted it to show his affirmation.
After the Champions League match, Romano wrote: “The best player of the match. Pure leadership, one of Carlo Ancelotti’s favorite players, never discussed in the transfer market this August, despite the interest of many Premier League teams, he is untouchable. Federico Valverde, what a great player, Real Madrid signed him for a transfer fee of only 5 million euros.”
Valverde then retweeted this development from Romano on his personal social media, expressing his affirmation.
James Rodriguez has passed the medical examination and is about to sign with Olympiacos
The countdown is on for the signing of James Rodriguez with Olympiacos, according to celebrity journalist Romano.
Romano said that James Rodriguez has just passed the medical examination of Olympiacos and now they will finish the signing soon.
According to previous reports, Rodriguez will join Olympiacos on loan with a buyout clause.
Manchester City 2-1 Dortmund
Manchester City faced Borussia Dortmund at home in the 2nd round of Champions League Group G at the Etihad Stadium. The referee of the match was Daniel Osato. In the first half, Özcan’s shot was confiscated by the goalkeeper and Cancelo’s long-range shot was deflected. Both sides had fewer threatening shots in the first half. In the second half, Royce assisted Bellingham’s header, Haaland pushed a shot to the post, Stones scored a world goal, and Haaland scored with a high teasing shot, finally, Manchester City reversed Dortmund 2-1.
PSG 3-1 Maccabi Haifa
The second round of the UEFA Champions League Group H match started, Maccabi Haifa hosted Paris Saint-Germain. In the first half, Cherie scored a goal with a shot from inside the box, then Pierrot scored a goal with a single shot, but the offside was invalid. In the second half, Messi sent a direct shot to Mbappe, who fired a shot from the penalty area to overtake the score, and then Verratti sent a long pass to Neymar, who scored with a single shot to lock the game. The match ended with Maccabi Haifa 1-3 Paris.
Real Madrid 2-0 Leipzig
Real Madrid hosted RB Leipzig at the Bernabeu in the second round of the UEFA Champions League Group F. The referee was Mariani. In the first half, Courtois made many saves, Nkunku missed a good chance, and Modric was knocked down in the penalty area at the end of the game without getting a penalty. In the second half, Vinicius assisted Federico Valverde to break the deadlock, and Kroos assisted Asensio on a tactical set piece in extra time to seal the win. In the end, Real Madrid defeated Leipzig 2-0 at home, ushering in eight consecutive wins to start the season.
Chelsea 1-1 Red Bull Salzburg
Chelsea hosted Red Bull Salzburg at Stamford Bridge in the second round of the Champions League Group E. The referee for the match was Krugerjak. In the first half, Mount’s shot missed and Kepa made a great save. In the second half, Sterling opened the scoring with a shot and Adamu caught Thiago Silva’s mistake and assisted Okafor’s low shot to equalize the score. In the end, Chelsea drew 1-1 at home with Red Bull Salzburg, the bottom of the Champions League group stage; Porter did not have the chance to coach the Blues to open the door.
Juve 1-2 Benfica
Juventus took on Benfica in the 2nd round of the Champions League group stage at Allianz Stadium in Turin, with Zwajar as the referee on duty. Just three minutes into the match, Paredes assisted Milik’s header to achieve a lightning strike. Rafa Fasilva’s shot then bounced off the frame of the goal. At the end of the first half, Miretti sent a penalty to João Mario, who nodded in the equalizer. In the second half, Nérez added a shot to help Benfica go back in front, and Vlahovic scored a goal but the offside was nullified. The match ended with a 1-2 defeat for Juventus against Benfica. The Zebras have lost two consecutive games in the Champions League and have gone four games without a win in all competitions.
Milan 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb
A Champions League Group C 2nd round match was played at the San Siro Stadium between AC Milan at home and visiting Dinamo Zagreb, with Hill Manzano officiating the match. Milan took the initiative quickly in the first half with the strength of the home side. Dias sent a deadly long pass after a counter-attack, but Leao’s one-touch chance was broken by a defender. Then Benacer’s shot from outside the box was parried by the goalkeeper. A counter-attack by Dinamo Zagreb was then played to the right side of the box and Muharami’s shot was just wide. As the half drew to a close, Leao took a penalty and Giroud hit it. Milan started the second half with a nice counter-attack, and after a series of smooth passes, Léo assisted Salmakels to score. Dinamo Zagreb quickly pulled one back with an assist from Petkovic to Orsic. Substitute Pobeda sealed the win. Milan finally won 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb and won at home again after 9 years in the Champions League.
Napoli 3-0 Rangers
Napoli faced Rangers away in the 2nd round of Champions League Group A. The referee of the match was Mateusz Raos. In the first half, Morales’ header went wide, Zielinski’s shot hit the post, Giovanni Simone’s shot from a small angle was blocked, and Arfield’s long-range shot was parried by Meret. In the second half, Arfield’s shot was deflected, Sands saw red, Zielinski’s penalty was parried, Politano followed up with a shot that was blown for a foul and asked for a penalty kick.
DAILY MAIL
Antonio Conte hauled his Tottenham players in for a morning training session just hours after their late capitulation against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night. Conte is also believed to have tore into his players in the dressing room after full-time.
Two amateur football teams are under investigation for appearing to play a friendly game on the weekend after the Queen’s death despite the cancellation of all football as a mark of respect.
Ollie Pope says he now feels like England’s No 3 after a summer in which coach Brendon McCullum helped him remove the fear of losing his wicket and he has set his sights on playing 100 Tests.
THE ATHLETIC
Mainz 05 head coach Bo Svensson is on Brighton and Hove Albion’s shortlist of potential replacements for Graham Potter.
THE GUARDIAN
Ivan Toney is in Gareth Southgate’s thoughts as the England manager prepares to name his final squad before the World Cup – for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Steve Finn and Nick Knight have emerged as the leading contenders for the role of England national selector, which is being reintroduced.
Brendon McCullum has said both James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be given an Ashes swansong next summer when England play against Australia.
Worcester Warriors’ first home fixture of the season against Exeter Chiefs on Sunday was on Wednesday night thrown into doubt after a 5pm deadline to pay matchday medical staff was missed, leaving the club facing a potential forfeit and raising further questions over their future.
THE TIMES
Paul Pogba’s older brother was placed under arrest on Wednesday on suspicion of participating in a plot to kidnap the France international footballer.
Alec Stewart has emerged as a leading contender to become the new England national selector.
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are unlikely to be part of England’s Test tour to Pakistan in December despite initial suggestions they would both make themselves available for a return to red-ball cricket.
DAILY MIRROR
Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller had his house burgled during their empathic 2-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.
THE SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic fans were left furious following their Champions League fixture with Shakhtar Donetsk this evening as they were held at the stadium for 80 minutes after the final whistle.
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