United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh face Hong Kong China on Thursday night in a must-win clash that will decide their fate in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The match kicks off at 8 pm (Dhaka time) at the National Stadium in Dhaka. For Jamal Bhuiyan’s team, it’s the last chance to keep alive a 45-year wait to return to Asia’s top football stage. Currently, Bangladesh sit at the bottom of their four-team group with just one point from two matches.  Hong Kong lead with four points and will confirm their place in the next round with a win. Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury remains the biggest attraction for the home side. Since joining the team, his presence has lifted the players and fans alike.  Hamza said earlier this week — “We’ll win.” Coach Javier Cabrera said the players are ready for the challenge. “Hong Kong are a strong team, but we know their strengths and weaknesses. The crowd will push us forward,” he told reporters on Tuesday. Bangladesh’s midfield looks strong with Canada-born Shamit Som and Italy-raised Fahmidul Islam, but there are fitness concerns in defence and attack. Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) said all 19,000 tickets were sold within half an hour. The federation has also promised tighter security after chaos during June’s match against Singapore when fans broke into the stands. Bangladesh have never beaten Hong Kong in four meetings. The last time the two sides met, Hong Kong won comfortably.

France coach Didier Deschamps is closely monitoring Kylian Mbappé’s ankle injury ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. Mbappé left the field limping during Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Villarreal on Saturday. He fell after scoring his team’s third goal and clutched his right ankle, walking off slowly but without assistance. “I don’t have any further information at the moment. An update will be given as usual, regardless of the player or the club he comes from,” Deschamps said Monday. “I have spoken with him. He had a small problem, but it’s not serious; otherwise, he wouldn’t be here today. We’ll take the time with the medical staff and see how it progresses.” France will host Azerbaijan at Parc des Princes on Friday and travel to Iceland on Monday. The team leads Group D with two wins from two games. Mbappé, France’s second all-time top scorer with 52 goals, needs six more to surpass Olivier Giroud. He scored his 14th goal in 10 games for Real Madrid this season on Saturday. On Sunday, he watched from the stands as his younger brother, Ethan Mbappé, scored for Lille against Paris Saint-Germain.

With his older brother Kylian Mbappé watching proudly from the stands, teenager Ethan Mbappé netted a dramatic late equalizer against his former club as Lille held injury-hit Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Despite being held, PSG returned to the top of the French league standings, one point ahead of Marseille, Strasbourg, and Lyon. Both Mbappé brothers departed PSG in the summer of 2024 — Kylian joined Real Madrid in Spain, while Ethan stayed in France, signing a three-year contract with Lille. The 18-year-old left-footed midfielder, known for his technical flair, has overcome last season’s injury struggles and shown impressive form in recent weeks. Kylian celebrated enthusiastically as his younger brother leveled the score in the 85th minute. Coming on as a late substitute, Ethan struck a low left-footed shot inside the box to beat PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, then marked his second goal of the season by copying Kylian’s signature celebration — arms crossed over his chest. 3 new faces in Argentina squad, Messi uncertain for upcoming friendlies Earlier, PSG had taken the lead in the 66th minute through Portuguese left back Nuno Mendes, who curled a superb free kick into the top corner. Toulouse stun LyonBrazilian forward Emersonn scored twice in the closing moments as Toulouse came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Lyon. Lyon led until the 87th minute, when Emersonn equalized with a deflected strike before sealing the win in stoppage time with a header. Belgian forward Malick Fofana had earlier given Lyon a deserved first-half lead following a well-worked team move. Lyon, now fourth with 15 points from seven games, suffered their second defeat of the season, while Toulouse climbed to ninth. Marseille and Strasbourg impressSecond-placed Marseille extended their winning run to four matches with a 3-0 away victory over bottom side Metz on Saturday. Strasbourg moved up to third after thrashing Angers 5-0 despite several absences. Joaquín Panichelli and Martial Godo both scored twice, with Panichelli joining Monaco’s Ansu Fati as Ligue 1’s joint top scorers on five goals. Riviera derby ends levelIn the Riviera derby, Monaco and Nice shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw. Nice raced to a 2-0 lead courtesy of Sofiane Diop’s first-half brace against his former club but were reduced to 10 men after Ali Abdi was sent off in the 34th minute. Fati, on loan from Barcelona, converted two penalties to rescue a point for Monaco. Elsewhere, Rennes drew 2-2 with Le Havre. Source: AP 

A nightmare week for Barcelona continued with a crushing 4-1 defeat away to Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium on Sunday, as the reigning  Spanish champions lost their chance to reclaim the top spot in the La Liga table from arch-rivals Real Madrid. Sevilla dominated from the outset, taking a two-goal lead in the first half and adding two more late in the second. Barcelona had hinted at a comeback when they pulled one back right before halftime, but a series of missed opportunities left them frustrated. Just three days earlier, the Catalan had suffered their first defeat of the season — to PSG in the Champions League. Now, their unbeaten La Liga run has also come to an end in Seville. Barca coach Hansi Flick was forced to rotate his squad heavily for this match, with key players such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, and goalkeeper Joan Garcia sidelined due to injuries. Sevilla immediately showcased their strength after kickoff, and the visitors suffered an early setback just 13 minutes into the match. Barça captain Ronald Araújo fouled Sevilla’s Isaac Romero two minutes earlier — an incident initially overlooked by the referee. However, following a VAR review, the decision was overturned and a penalty awarded. Former Barcelona forward Alexis Sánchez stepped up, sending Wojciech Szczęsny the wrong way to give Sevilla the lead. Sevilla continued to press aggressively, and Romero could have had a hat-trick had he finished several of his promising chances. During this spell, Szczęsny was kept extremely busy, making crucial saves to prevent further damage. In the 36th minute, however, the Polish keeper was helpless, as Sevilla launched a swift counterattack. This time, Romero found the back of the net, and doubled his team’s advantage. Barcelona created a couple of clear opportunities just before the halftime, but Marcus Rashford failed to capitalize despite facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, while Robert Lewandowski’s acrobatic attempt narrowly missed the target. In added time, the Catalans finally pulled one back through a brilliant combination between Pedri and Rashford. Pedri sent a long, flying pass to the opposite direction, just outside the box, and Rashford finished it off with a superb first-time strike.  

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni has announced a 28-man squad for the upcoming international friendly matches against Venezuela and Puerto Rico in the United States, featuring a mix of World Cup veterans and promising newcomers. The call-ups follow Argentina’s successful conclusion to their South American qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, which they topped with a commanding 38 points from 18 matches. Debut call-ups and recalls Scaloni introduced several surprises in his latest selection, handing out first-ever senior national team call-ups to three players. They are: midfielder Aníbal Moreno (28), who plays for Brazilian club Palmeiras; defender Lautaro Rivero (21) from Argentine club River Plate; and goalkeeper Facundo Cambeses (28), who represents Racing Club. In addition to the debutants, defender Marcos Senesi (28) has been recalled to the squad after a long absence. The defender, who has only played once for the national team back in June 2022, will be looking to earn his second cap in Albiceleste colors. Midfielder Enzo Fernández also returns to the squad after serving a two-match suspension during the World Cup qualifiers. Fixtures and Captain’s status The reigning world champions will travel to the United States for two friendlies. They will face Venezuela on October 10 at Miami Gardens in Florida, and then play Puerto Rico on October 13 at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago. Captain Lionel Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul have both been included in the squad for those games, but their participation in the first friendly against Venezuela is uncertain. Inter Miami, the club for both players, has a key MLS home match against Atlanta United the very next day, October 11. Inter Miami are currently locked in a battle for the Supporters’ Shield and a top spot on the Eastern Conference table for playoff home-field advantage. Currently fourth in the East with 56 points, Miami needs to win their three remaining league matches, and hope the Philadelphia Union lose their final two games, to clinch the Supporters’ Shield. When asked about the possibility of Messi and De Paul featuring in the October 10 match against Venezuela, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was non-committal on Friday, stating, “We are discussing the matter right now; you will know soon.” Inter Miami’s Telasco Segovia was also called up to the Venezuela squad for the friendly. Full Argentina Squad Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez, Geronimo Rulli, Facundo Cambeses Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Lautaro Rivero, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Anibal Moreno, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Paz, Giovanni Lo Celso, Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Almada, Franco Mastantuono Forwards: Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lionel Messi, Jose Manuel Lopez, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez

With eyes set on the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Jordan, Bangladesh’s women’s under-17 football team is heading to Dubai to fine-tune their preparations through two friendlies against Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Though expectations are not sky-high, the team is determined to make the most of the warm-up matches. The squad, led by head coach Saiful Bari Titu, is scheduled to fly to Dubai on Sunday, October 5, to prepare the team through two international friendlies: against Syria on Tuesday, October 7, and against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, October 9. The coach sees these matches as their “real preparation” before the main event. At a press conference on Saturday, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Women’s Wing Chairperson Mahfuza Akter Kiron said the decision to appoint Titu was aimed at ensuring “better training” for the young players. Bangladesh will compete in the qualifiers in Jordan, where they must emerge as group champions to secure a spot in the finals. They will play against hosts Jordan on October 13, and against Chinese Taipei on October 17 with the aim of advancing to next year’s main event in China. As team’s preparation for the qualifiers has been relatively short, with training under Titu beginning just a week ago, Kiron is not keeping her expectation too high, and termed the tour a “learning trip.” Speaking at a press conference at the BFF House on Saturday, she said, “Jordan and Chinese Taipei are very strong teams. We don’t have high expectations that we’ll achieve great results against them. The players will treat this as a learning tournament to build themselves up. Our girls haven’t had the best practice due to various reasons. Our goal is for them to play well and compete. Most importantly, this will be a learning experience for them.” However, coach Titu is optimistic with the preparatory matches: “I think the real preparation will happen in Dubai. Both Jordan and Chinese Taipei are ahead of us. But we are going there with the aim of qualifying.”

New Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens was named in the starting lineup for the first time for the team's Premier League game against Sunderland on Saturday. Lammens was a $24.7 million signing from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day but has had to wait to make his first appearance. Under-pressure United coach Ruben Amorim has turned to the Belgian after a troubled start to the season that has seen speculation mount over his position. The change in goal comes despite Turkish keeper Altay Bayindir pulling off a string of saves to keep the score down in last week’s 3-1 loss to Brentford. Bayindir, however, has made errors as United has struggled at the start of the season — including his failure to deal with a corner that led to Arsenal’s goal in the season opener. Amorim made several changes to his starting lineup — leaving another summer signing Matheus Cunha on the bench and recalling Amad Diallo and Mason Mount. United has lost three of its six league games this season and was knocked out of the English League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby.

Lamine Yamal has returned to Spain’s national squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers after recovering from an injury that sparked a public disagreement between Barcelona’s coach and the Spanish team. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had criticized Spain for fielding Yamal in two easy wins in early September, claiming the team “had not taken care” of him and suggesting he had played while injured. Following this, the 18-year-old missed four matches for Barcelona due to “discomfort in the pubic area.” Spain’s camp denied that Yamal had played while injured, stating he had passed all standard medical checks and that Barcelona had not reported any fitness concerns. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Friday that there was “no conflict with Hansi Flick” and defended how player health was managed. “We take zero risks, only the risks any player takes when playing a sport,” De la Fuente said. “If a player joins the team, it means he is healthy, and if he plays, it means he is fit to play.” Since then, Yamal has participated in two Barcelona matches, including playing over 90 minutes in the club’s 2-1 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain this week. Barcelona will face Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday before Spain plays Georgia on October 11 and Bulgaria three days later.

Goncalo Ramos scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner as Paris Saint-Germain edged Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Manchester City were held 2-2 by Monaco after conceding a last-minute penalty. PSG, defending champions, were trailing 1-0 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys without injured forwards Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Lamine Yamal started for Barcelona, but Ferran Torres put the home side ahead in the 19th minute. Senny Mayulu equalized for PSG in the 38th minute, and substitute Lee Kang-in came close late, hitting the post. The winner came when Achraf Hakimi’s pass found Ramos, who slid the ball past the Barcelona defense. “It doesn’t matter which players are on the field. Wearing our shirt comes with attitude and effort,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick acknowledged the defeat: “We have to accept this loss and admit Paris were very good.” Haaland shines, but City drop points Erling Haaland scored twice for Manchester City, but Eric Dier’s 90th-minute penalty earned Monaco a 2-2 draw. Haaland now has 52 goals in 50 Champions League appearances, moving closer to Lionel Messi’s record pace. “It isn’t good enough,” Haaland said. “We have to win the next game.” Napoli’s Hojlund in form Rasmus Hojlund, recently signed by Manchester United, scored twice to help Napoli defeat Sporting Lisbon 2-1. Kevin De Bruyne provided assists for both goals. Borussia Dortmund crushed Athletic Bilbao 4-1, while Bayer Leverkusen were held 1-1 by PSV Eindhoven. Arsenal and Qarabag maintain perfect starts Arsenal beat Olympiakos 2-0 with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, recording their sixth clean sheet in nine matches. Qarabag also won 2-0 against Copenhagen, with Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai on target. Woltemade impresses for Newcastle Newcastle’s record signing Nick Woltemade scored in back-to-back games as the Magpies thrashed Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0. Anthony Gordon netted twice from penalties, with Harvey Barnes adding a fourth. Woltemade, signed for $93 million to replace Alexander Isak, is showing early promise in his new club. Juventus held late Juventus drew 2-2 with Villarreal after Renato Veiga’s late equalizer. The result followed the club’s high-scoring 4-4 draw against Dortmund in their previous Champions League match.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was forced to leave the field with an injury during a routine save as the Premier League champions fell 1-0 to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday, marking back-to-back defeats for just the second time under manager Arne Slot. Alisson, the Brazil international, went down after diving to his left to block a low shot from Victor Osimhen in the 54th minute. The full extent of the injury was unclear, but Slot confirmed the goalkeeper will miss Saturday’s Premier League clash at Chelsea. “It’s never positive if you go off like this,” Slot said. “He’s definitely not playing on Saturday. We’ll see how long it will take.” Georgia international Giorgi Mamardashvili replaced Alisson, who has faced injury spells in each of the past two seasons, including a two-month hamstring absence last October-December. Liverpool, coming off a 2-1 league defeat at Crystal Palace, conceded the only goal in the 16th minute when Victor Osimhen converted a penalty after Dominik Szoboszlai’s trailing elbow struck Galatasaray’s Baris Alper Yilmaz. A late penalty for the Reds in the 88th minute was overturned after a VAR review. The defeat ended Liverpool’s perfect start to the season, in which they had won their first seven games across all competitions, including five league matches and a Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid. Despite high-profile signings like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak in a $570 million summer transfer spree, the team has yet to show consistent form. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk urged calm. “There shouldn’t be panic, but improvement is needed,” he said. Slot added that the team was “not so far” from the performance that led them to the Premier League title last season.