United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s hopes of overcoming the qualifying hurdle to play in the main phase of the Asia Cup are almost over. The men in red and green were held to a 1-1 draw by Hong Kong in the third-round return leg match at the Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday. Having lost 4-3 in the first leg at home last week, Javier Cabrera’s men needed a win to stay alive in the qualification race but failed to deliver despite a determined second-half display. With the draw, Bangladesh remain at the bottom of Group C with two points from four matches. Hong Kong lead the table with eight points from as many games, while Singapore sit second with five points from three matches. India are third with two points from three outings. Matt Orr put the hosts ahead in the 36th minute, converting from the penalty spot after Bangladeshi defender Tariq brought down Fernando Pereira inside the box. Hong Kong could have doubled their lead before halftime, but a vital defensive clearance kept the visitors in the contest. Cabrera made tactical substitutions in the second half, bringing on captain Jamal Bhuiyan and Fahamidul Islam to add attacking intent. The effort paid off in the 83rd minute when Rakib Hossain struck the equalizer, finishing from close range after a headed assist from Fahamidul off a left-wing cross by Faisal Ahmed Fahim. Bangladesh lose 4-3 to Hong Kong as last-minute goal dashes Asian Cup hopes Earlier, Hong Kong were reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute when defender Oliver Gerbig received his second yellow card, giving Bangladesh a numerical advantage. Despite pressing hard in the closing stages, the men in red and green failed to find the winning goal, ending the match with just one point and seeing their qualification hopes fade away. The result leaves Bangladesh with only two points from four matches, effectively ending their dream of playing in the Asian Cup finals.

Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski is dealing with a left hamstring injury after the international break, casting doubt on his availability for next week’s Spanish league clasico against Real Madrid. The club said Lewandowski’s return will depend on his recovery speed, though Spanish media report he is unlikely to be fit for the Oct. 26 match. Barcelona currently trails Real Madrid by two points after eight league rounds. Lewandowski recently scored Poland’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Lithuania in European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, playing the full match. This season, he has scored four goals in nine appearances for Barcelona and two goals for his national team. Barcelona also has Spain forward Ferran Torres sidelined with a hamstring issue.

Striker Ollie Watkins has returned to Aston Villa after an injury forced him out of England’s World Cup qualifying match against Latvia on Tuesday, while captain Harry Kane could make a possible return. Watkins scored in England’s 3-0 friendly victory over Wales on Thursday but was substituted at halftime following a collision with the goalpost. England confirmed in a statement that the Aston Villa forward had not recovered from the knock and had rejoined his club. Watkins becomes the second player to leave the squad after defender Jarell Quansah returned to Bayer Leverkusen as a precaution, despite not playing against Wales. With Watkins unavailable, coach Thomas Tuchel may consider recalling Kane, who missed the Wales game due to a previous injury sustained while playing for Bayern Munich. England can secure World Cup qualification with a win in Latvia, which would give them a seven-point lead over second-place Albania in Group K with two matches remaining.

The Faroe Islands boosted their World Cup qualifying hopes with a stunning 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic on Sunday, keeping alive their dream of reaching the tournament for the first time. Ranked 136th in the world, the tiny North Atlantic nation with fewer than 55,000 people now sits third in Group L after winning four of its last five qualifiers. The victory narrowed the gap to just one point behind second-placed Czech Republic in the race for a playoff spot behind group leader Croatia. Substitute Martin Agnarsson became the hero for the hosts, scoring the decisive goal in the 81st minute at Torsvollur Stadium in Torshavn. Earlier, Hanus Sorensen gave the Faroe Islands a 67th-minute lead before Adam Karabec equalised for the Czechs in the 78th minute. The historic win dealt a blow to the Czech Republic’s hopes of topping the group and set up a dramatic finale with one match remaining. Croatia, World Cup runner-up in 2018 and semifinalist in 2022, stayed three points clear after a 3-0 win over Gibraltar and holds a game in hand with a superior goal difference. Depay leads Netherlands to another big winIn Group G, the Netherlands strengthened their lead with a convincing 4-0 win against Finland in Amsterdam.Memphis Depay extended his national scoring record with his 54th goal, converting from the penalty spot. Donyell Malen, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo also found the net as the Dutch moved to 16 points with two games left. Poland kept the pressure on in second place, three points behind, with a 2-0 victory over Lithuania thanks to Sebastian Szymanski’s goal directly from a corner and Robert Lewandowski’s strike. Messi scores twice, assists once as Inter Miami crush Atlanta United 4-0 Denmark, Scotland still level on pointsGroup C remains tight as Denmark and Scotland both picked up wins to stay tied on 10 points.Scotland beat Belarus 2-1 at Hampden Park, with goals from Che Adams and Scott McTominay, while Gleb Kuchko pulled one back late for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund continued his fine form for Denmark, opening the scoring in a 3-1 win over Greece. The Napoli striker has now scored eight goals for club and country since joining the Italian side on loan from Manchester United. Austria’s winning streak endsAfter routing San Marino 10-0 earlier in the week, Group H leader Austria saw its perfect run halted by Romania.Virgil Ghita’s stoppage-time strike earned Romania a 1-0 win, closing the gap at the top to just two points and giving second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina renewed hope in the qualification race.

Lionel Messi struck twice and set up another goal as Inter Miami thrashed Atlanta United 4-0 on Saturday night, securing home-field advantage for the first round of the MLS playoffs. Messi opened the scoring in the 39th minute, slotting home from a Baltasar Rodríguez pass to give Miami (18-7-8) a 1-0 halftime lead. Veteran defender Jordi Alba, who recently announced his retirement at the end of the season, doubled the lead seven minutes into the second half with his sixth goal for the club. The 36-year-old, who has registered 11 goals and 27 assists in 64 appearances for Miami, was honored with a post-match ceremony marking his final regular-season home appearance. Messi provided the assist on Alba’s goal — his 18th of the season — tying him with Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC for the league lead. Balogun strikes again as USA hold Ecuador to 1-1 draw in friendly Luis Suárez made it 3-0 in the 61st minute with an unassisted strike, his 10th goal of the season to go with 10 assists. Messi sealed the emphatic win in the 81st minute, finishing from an Alba assist to claim his league-leading 26th goal of the campaign. He now leads 2023 Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga of Los Angeles FC by two goals and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge by three, with one match remaining in the regular season. The Argentine star’s 44 goal contributions (26 goals, 18 assists) are the second-highest in a single MLS season, behind only LAFC’s Carlos Vela, who recorded 49 in 2019. Goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo made three saves in his sixth start of the season to secure his third clean sheet. For Atlanta United (5-16-12), Jayden Hibbert, 21, recorded six saves in his eighth career start, including three crucial stops against Messi in the opening 21 minutes to keep the score level early on. Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati are now tied on 62 points, battling for second place in the Eastern Conference. Miami will wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a Decision Day fixture against Nashville SC, while Atlanta will host D.C. United in a fight to avoid finishing bottom of the conference. Source: AP

A Mexican judge on Friday ordered former national footballer Omar Bravo to stand trial on charges of sexually abusing a teenage girl. Bravo, 45, who represented Mexico in the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Olympics, was arrested last Sunday in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s largest cities. According to prosecutors, Bravo allegedly abused the 17-year-old daughter of his girlfriend over a period of six years. If found guilty, the former striker could face a prison sentence ranging from five to 10 years. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, the judge ruled that Bravo must remain in custody for at least six months while the trial proceeds. In Mexico, pretrial detention is imposed when the accused is deemed a potential threat to society or to the judicial process. “For crimes of this nature, the law mandates such preventive measures. Six months is an estimated period, but if the trial extends, so will his detention,” said the victim’s lawyer, Juan Soltero. The prosecution presented 42 screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between Bravo and the girl, along with a video recording. Bravo, who retired in 2018, played 66 matches for the Mexican national team and scored 15 goals. He remains Chivas’ all-time top scorer, one of Mexico’s most popular football clubs.

Kylian Mbappe will be absent for Monday’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland, where France could secure their spot in the 2026 tournament, after suffering another knock to his already sore right ankle, the French team confirmed. Mbappe, who was already managing a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, sustained two hits during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Azerbaijan in Paris. He opened the scoring but was substituted before the match ended. The France captain’s unavailability adds to the growing list of forwards missing for October’s qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram, and Bradley Barcola. Mbappe “will not be able to play Monday against Iceland,” a French Football Federation (FFF) statement said. After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps,” who “acknowledged his absence.” Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced,” the FFF added. The French star had already skipped training with Les Bleus earlier in the week due to the same issue. Mbappe scored just before halftime but was then hit by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade and took another knock to the same ankle late in the game, leading to his substitution by Florian Thauvin. “He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps said after the win. Adrien Rabiot and substitute Thauvin also scored as Deschamps’s side remain unbeaten after three games and sit atop Group D. Les Bleus can confirm their place in next year’s United States, Canada, and Mexico World Cup if they win in Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to defeat Azerbaijan. With inputs from Al Jazeera

Folarin Balogun’s 71st-minute strike earned the United States a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in an international friendly on Friday night, cancelling out Enner Valencia’s first-half opener. Balogun, who also scored in the previous game, netted his seventh goal in 20 international appearances. The equalizer came after Tim Weah intercepted a clearance and found Tanner Tessmann, who played the ball wide to Malik Tillman. Tillman’s low cross found Balogun, who slipped in front of Joel Ordóñez and redirected the ball off the inside of the near post from close range. Ranked 16th in the world, the U.S. have now managed just one win in their last nine matches against top-25 opponents — a 2-0 victory last month over a second-string Japan side. “It’s good to build momentum,” Balogun said after the match. “We’re disappointed not to win, but I think we were the better side and there are a lot of positives to take forward.” The U.S., who enjoyed 66% possession and outshot Ecuador 11–8, next face Australia on Tuesday in Colorado. They will then meet Paraguay and Uruguay next month before coach Mauricio Pochettino finalizes his pre-World Cup training camp squad. “We need to be more clinical with our final passes in the attacking third,” Pochettino said. Goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez denied Balogun early with a diving save and pushed Chris Richards’ attempt onto the post in the 26th minute. “I felt like we dominated,” said midfielder Weston McKennie. “We just need to carry this confidence forward — keep rotating, moving the ball, and staying dangerous.” Ecuador, ranked 24th, extended their national record unbeaten run to 12 games, including seven draws. Valencia gave La Tri the lead in the 24th minute, running onto Jordy Alcívar’s through ball and slotting past Matt Freese for his 48th international goal — the most in Ecuador’s history. Star forward Christian Pulisic came on in the 73rd minute after being rested due to a sore ankle. Veteran defender Tim Ream, who turned 38 earlier this week, became the fourth outfield player in U.S. history to appear at that age or older. Left back Antonee Robinson, still recovering from knee surgery, and forward Alex Zendejas were both unavailable. Pochettino said Zendejas will return to Club América in Mexico for further treatment on a knee injury. Ecuador will next face Mexico on Tuesday. Source: AP

England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed disappointment with his team’s fans after their 3-0 friendly win over Wales on Thursday, saying the support at Wembley Stadium was “silent.” England scored all three goals within the first 20 minutes through Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka, but failed to capitalize on their early dominance. Tuchel felt the crowd did not match the team’s effort. “We couldn’t score the fourth one or the fifth one — the stadium was silent. Silent,” Tuchel said. “We never got any energy back from the fans, and I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the stands.” When asked if he expected more from the supporters, the German coach added: “Yes. What more can you give than 20 minutes, three goals, and the way we attacked Wales? If you then hear for half an hour just the Wales fans, it’s a bit sad because I think the team deserved big support today.”

Bangladesh suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong, China in a dramatic, seven-goal AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers third-round match at the National Stadium on Thursday. The result that all but nearly ended their hopes of progressing to the main event. Javier Cabrera made his starting lineup, sidelining key players like Shamit Shome and captain Jamal Bhuiyan, and the team put up a spirited performance in front of home supporters. The match turned lively from the start with both sides engaging in a series of attacks and counterattacks. Hong Kong created the first real chance in the 6th minute when Matt Orr broke through the Bangladesh defense on the left flank, but his shot narrowly missed the post. Three minutes later, Rakib Hossain tried his luck from outside the box, but his strike was comfortably collected by the goalkeeper. In the 13th minute, the home crowd erupted in celebration as Bangladesh took the lead. Hamza Choudhury’s curling right-footed free-kick deflected off a defender’s head and looped over the goalkeeper into the net. It was the Leicester City midfielder’s second goal for Bangladesh, his first coming in a friendly against Bhutan last June. Taking the early lead, Cabrera’s men pressed for more. In the 26th minute, Rakib sent in a dangerous cross, but Faisal Ahmed Fahim narrowly failed to make contact with his head. Hong Kong pushed back and almost found the equaliser in the 39th minute, as Everton Camargo’s effort drifted wide of the far post. However, Hong Kong managed to level the score in stoppage time of the first half. From a corner, the ball rebounded to Everton just outside the six-yard box, and the forward calmly slotted past Mitul Marma to make it 1-1 going into halftime. The visitors came out stronger in the second half and took the lead in the 50th minute after a blunder by Mohammad Sohel Rana. Attempting a back pass to goalkeeper Mitul from outside the box, Sohel’s effort lacked power, allowing Raphaël Merkies to intercept, round the keeper, and tap into an empty net to put Hong Kong 2-1 ahead. Two minutes later, Hong Kong almost doubled their lead, but Mitul reacted sharply to prevent further damage. Captain Jamal Bhuiyan came off the bench after the hour mark, bringing more control to Bangladesh’s midfield. But their improved organisation wasn’t enough to stop Hong Kong from scoring a third in the 74th minute. Morsalin lost possession near midfield, and the ball was quickly lobbed forward to Everton on the right flank. He advanced unchallenged and cut the ball across the goalmouth for Merkies, who finished clinically past Mitul to make it 3-1.