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Promoted Hamburg brace for tough return to Bayern Munich

MUNICH: Once a Bundesliga highlight, Bayern Munich’s first home game against promoted Hamburg SV in seven years lacks the top billing of the past but still holds promise for lots of goals — at least for the home side. Long before the six-time German champions were relegated to the second division for the first time in their history in 2018, Hamburg had become Bayern’s punching bag in Munich, conceding a total of 50 goals in their last eight trips to Allianz Arena. The wave of exhilaration that accompanied Hamburg’s return to the top division has subsided after two Bundesliga games, with the former European champions drawing one and losing the other. They have yet to score or create a single scoring chance in either of the two matches so far, according to Bundesliga statistics. Losing the Hamburg derby to visitors St. Pauli just before the international break dampened spirits further but despite their rough return to the Bundesliga, coach Merlin Polzin said his team were looking forward to Saturday. “We’re incredibly excited about this match,” he added.

Veteran Mexico goalkeeper Ochoa joins Cyprus’ Limassol

MEXICO CITY: Veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa on Thursday signed for Cypriot club AEL Limassol in a bid to prove his fitness to go to a sixth World Cup next year. The 40-year-old played for AVS in the Portuguese topflight last season, helping the club avoid relegation.

FIFA U-turn allows Athletic Bilbao to sign Laporte

BILBAO: Athletic Bilbao will sign Aymeric Laporte after world football governing body FIFA changed their stance on Thursday. The Basque side tried to bring in the Spanish defender from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on Sept. 1 but the move was not completed before the transfer deadline. FIFA last week rejected a request from the Spanish football federation (RFEF) to make an exception for Laporte’s move, but Athletic said the RFEF request has now been granted after they sought to overturn the decision.

Defending Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon take perfect records into 4th round

PARIS: Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon are the only sides to have won all their games heading into the fourth round of matches in Ligue 1. Not many observers would have expected Lyon to start this well, having avoided relegation to the second tier for financial irregularities after a successful appeal and being obliged to sell key players to balance the books. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud’s Lille side is the only other unbeaten side so far.

Al-Ittihad sign Serbian defender Jan-Carlo Simic on 4-year deal

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad has confirmed the signing of Serbian defender Jan-Carlo Simic from Belgian side Anderlecht on a four-year contract.

England thrash Serbia 5-0 to close in on World Cup spot

BELGRADE: England took a huge step toward automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup with captain Harry Kane paving the way for a crushing 5-0 victory away to main Group K rivals Serbia in an impressive free-flowing display on Tuesday.

Giannis powers Greece past Lithuania 87-76 and into EuroBasket semifinal matchup against Turkiye

RIGA, Latvia: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and his younger brother Kostas blocked four shots as Greece beat Lithuania 87-76 to reach the EuroBasket semifinals on Tuesday.

Portugal edge Hungary in World Cup qualifying thriller

BUDAPEST: Joao Cancelo slotted home from the edge of the box to snatch Portugal a thrilling 3-2 win at Hungary on Tuesday, sending them top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group. Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target as Roberto Martinez’s side secured their second win from their two opening games against the spirited hosts, for whom Barnabas Varga netted twice in Budapest. Portugal lead Group F on six points from Armenia on three after their win over the Republic of Ireland earlier. “We knew it would be complicated, we made mistakes and allowed transitions,” said Bernardo Silva, who levelled for Portugal after Varga opened the scoring. “It’s always difficult to find balance, probably one of the hardest things in football, especially against teams that defend with such a low block. “Above all, it is a young team that is still growing, but the most important thing is the six points, and we took a giant step toward securing qualification for the World Cup.” Nations League champions Portugal were high on confidence after thumping Armenia 5-0 on Saturday and dominated possession. However, it was Hungary who took the lead as Ferencvaros striker Varga found a gap in Portugal’s defense and nodded home Zsolt Nagy’s cross. Portugal responded by pouring forward and Hungary goalkeeper Balazs Toth made a stunning save to deny Ronaldo from close range after half an hour. The visitors levelled six minutes later with Manchester City midfielder Silva lashing into the roof of the net after the ball broke his way in the box. Portugal took the lead after 58 minutes through veteran striker Ronaldo, aiming to become the first player to feature at six different World Cup finals. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner won the spot-kick when his

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Promoted Hamburg brace for tough return to Bayern Munich

Veteran Mexico goalkeeper Ochoa joins Cyprus’ Limassol

FIFA U-turn allows Athletic Bilbao to sign Laporte

Defending Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon take perfect records into 4th round

Al-Ittihad sign Serbian defender Jan-Carlo Simic on 4-year deal

England thrash Serbia 5-0 to close in on World Cup spot

Giannis powers Greece past Lithuania 87-76 and into EuroBasket semifinal matchup against Turkiye

Portugal edge Hungary in World Cup qualifying thriller