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Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate have been ruled out of Monday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier in Iceland where France could book their ticket to next year’s tournament. Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match. Liverpool defender Konate remained on the bench with a right thigh problem with his place against Iceland now taken by Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard. Mbappe’s absence adds to the long list of forward unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola. After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps who acknowledged his absence,” the French federation (FFF) said in a statement. Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced,” the FFF added, confirming hours later that Konate “has returned to his club’s availability.” Konate had joined the team with a slight injury and “underwent treatment and a specific protocol but will not be able to play Monday in Reykjavik,” the FFF said. Mbappe scored on the stroke of half-time against Azerbaijan and was then struck by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He took another knock to the same ankle late in the game, and was replaced by Florian Thauvin. “He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there.

Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final

WUHAN: Coco Gauff had more struggles with her serve but overcame seven double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 and reach the Wuhan Open final on Saturday. With both top-10 players struggling with their service games, Gauff edged Paolini winning the battle of converted breaks seven-to-five. The third-ranked Gauff fought back from three breaks in the second set and won the final four games to advance to the final. Gauff, who changed her serving coach in August, leads the women’s circuit this season with 378 double faults, over 120 more than the next player. Fifth-ranked Paolini had eliminated Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal on Saturday.

‘Filling a moral vacuum’: Ashish Prashar leads global campaign to eject Israel from football

DUBAI: On Sept. 17, New Yorkers and tourists in Times Square were greeted by a billboard that said: “Israel is committing genocide. No genocide on the pitch.”

Netflix Mau Beli Hak Siar Liga Champions

UEFA bakal mendapat pemasukan besar dalam beberapa tahun ke depan. Sebab, Netflix dikabarkan tertarik membeli hak siar Liga Champions.

Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness

WUHAN:Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure and other vitals checked before retiring from her Wuhan Open first-round match with dizziness when down 6-1, 4-1 to American Ann Li on Tuesday.The British world number 30 appeared to be struggling with the conditions as temperatures soared to 30 C, forcing tournament organizers to apply the heat rule in the first two days of competition.Raducanu broke in the opening game of the match but immediately lost her advantage and would not win another game in a 28-minute first set.The 2021 US Open champion received medical attention five games into the second set.She made the call to retire, sending Li into a second-round meeting with ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.The heat rule allows players to take a 10-minute break between the second and third sets, and means the tournament can partially or fully close the roof to protect players from the heat.In the Raducanu-Li match the roof was partially closed.Earlier, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka claimed her first-ever victory at the Wuhan Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.In a tense two-hour 30-minute affair, the 11th-seeded Osaka fired 41 winners and 56 unforced errors.Osaka, who is playing in Wuhan for the first time since 2017, awaits in-form Linda Noskova or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the second round.“Mentally it was just really tough for me today,” said Osaka. “And I think it’s a part of the season that’s just tough.

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern

LONDON: England captain Harry Kane says his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled because he is “fully all in” on Bayern Munich. The 32-year-old Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and is under contract there until the summer of 2027. The striker said that when leaving Spurs, he expected “for sure” that would one day return to English soccer. He’s no longer certain about that. “In terms of staying longer (at Bayern), I could definitely see that,” said Kane, who has reported for England duty ahead of a friendly with Wales on Thursday and a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on Oct.

Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball kicked off their ABA League campaign in style with a powerful 92-58 victory over Croatian side Split on Monday evening at Coca-Cola Arena.

Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place

JOHANNESBURG: Mohamed Salah wants to put a disappointing start to his season with Liverpool behind him on Wednesday and help Egypt beat Djibouti and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. A win for the record seven-time African champions over one of the lowest ranked teams in the continent will give them an unassailable lead over second-placed Burkina Faso in Group A with one match to spare. A two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah has lost his spark with the Premier League champions, scoring just three goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season. Last season, the 33-year-old netted 29 times in 38 league matches to win the Golden Boot award as Liverpool surged to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title. Salah has fond memories of playing against Djibouti, scoring four goals in a 6-0 Cairo romp in the opening round of World Cup qualifying two years ago. It does not help Djibouti that they do not have a FIFA-approved stadium, so their ‘home’ match against Egypt will be staged in the Moroccan commercial capital Casablanca. Three subsequent goals took Salah to seven in the qualifying campaign, one less than chart-topper Denis Bouanga of Gabon with two rounds remaining. Fellow Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, who plays for French Ligue 1 outfit Nantes, is not concerned about Salah, telling reporters the lack of goals is “a temporary setback.” “Mo is a big star, and we are lucky to have him in our team. He is the best player in the history of Egypt,” he told the FIFA website. “He is amazing.

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UEFA Sport News

Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland

Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final

‘Filling a moral vacuum’: Ashish Prashar leads global campaign to eject Israel from football

Netflix Mau Beli Hak Siar Liga Champions

Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern

Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split

Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place