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Pep Guardiola felt his team were given a useful test after coming from behind to begin their Champions League defence with a 3-1 win over Red Star Belgrade. The holders were stunned when the Serbian champions claimed a shock lead on the stroke of half-time through Osman Bukari in Tuesday’s Group G clash at the Etihad Stadium. Yet as they did in the Premier League at West Ham last weekend, they hit back to win after the break, this time with two goals from Julian Alvarez and one from Rodri. City manager Guardiola said: “At the end, going in at half-time 1-0, after what we’ve done that’s nice – after winning the treble we need to be the type of champions who prove to ourselves that we are able to make a comeback. “In this situation it’s nice to prove it. In both games we played incredible and immediately at the start of the second half. “We have things to improve in general but that’s really, really good.” Guardiola was particularly impressed with the performance of his goalscorers. Alvarez has benefited from a run in the side this season while Rodri, match-winner in last season’s final, continues to excel. Guardiola said of Alvarez: “His movement was so quick and he’s so young. What a signing the club have done. “He has everything – fighting, goals, assists. Incredible. And he’s a lovely guy. Playing behind Erling (Haaland) he is an incredible threat.” Rodri has developed into one of the best midfielders in the game during his time at City and Guardiola is in no doubt he is now at the top. He said: “Yes, he’s the best – but hopefully he can be better. He has a good mentality and good things to improve. “But we were lucky again that the club has signed these type of players.” The downside for City was the loss of Bernardo Silva shortly before half-time with an unspecified injury. Guardiola said: “I didn’t speak with the doctors but apparently for the next games he will not be able to play.” The Portuguese joins an injury list that includes Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic. Guardiola said: “When we have five important players – really, really important players – injured, to sustain that for a long time will be difficult. But it is what it is. “We cannot have the salaries and budgets for transfers to have 55 players. It would be chaos for the clubs and they would be bankrupt. Sometimes it happens.” Red Star coach Barak Bachar admitted City were the better side. He said: “We tried, we fought, but we conceded an early goal in the second half. They should have scored more. “They are a great team, they have exceptional players. After we conceded it was difficult to maintain the pace, because we never play at this pace in our league. We learned a lot from this match.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Eddie Howe feels Newcastle’s point at AC Milan will ‘look better and better’ Erik ten Hag concerned by Manchester United’s mounting injury problems England’s Rachel Daly believes calendar in women’s game needs a re-think

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has revealed he inserted a buy-back clause in the deal that saw Harry Kane move to Bayern Munich last month. Levy reportedly made the comment – without providing further details – while appearing at a fans’ forum on Tuesday night alongside current Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu. Tottenham’s record goalscorer ended his two-decade association with the club after joining the Bundesliga giants in a deal worth in the region of £100million. Levy had been prompted to sell the unsettled striker in order to avoid the possibility of him running down his contract and leaving for nothing the following year. Kane has made a superb start for his new club, scoring four goals in five games, and is set to feature in their opening Champions League clash against Manchester United on Wednesday. Speaking ahead of the game, Kane revealed how much Spurs still mean to him, insisting: “I’ll keep an eye on Tottenham for the rest of my life. ‘I’m really happy to see the team playing the way they are and to see the fans happy is a great thing.”

Celtic had Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm sent off within five minutes of each other as they opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Feyenoord in Rotterdam. Calvin Stengs gave Feyenoord the lead in first-half stoppage-time when his 30-yard free-kick evaded a poor attempt at a defensive wall. Joe Hart saved a penalty after Lagerbielke received a second yellow card and substitute Holm soon got a straight red card in the 68th minute. Alireza Jahanbakhsh got the home side’s second goal. Centre-back Lagerbielke was one of two summer signings in the Celtic starting line-up with Nat Phillips ruled out by an ankle injury. The other, winger Luis Palma, made his first start for the club. There was a lively atmosphere inside De Kuip for the first meeting between the teams since Feyenoord’s 1970 European Cup final triumph and the first Champions League game in the stadium for six seasons. Celtic took the edge off the atmosphere with a positive start and Reo Hatate got the first shot on target after the Hoops won the ball high up the park, but his effort lacked power. Celtic continued to look comfortable and could have made more of their possession had Hatate and Daizen Maeda been sharper on the ball at times. The hosts rarely threatened to get in behind in the opening half hour and on the one occasion they did Alistair Johnston came across to cover. Hatate’s pass got Matt O’Riley in behind but his ball towards Kyogo Furuhashi was cut out and Hart made his first save in the 34th minute when he pushed over Yankubah Minteh’s long-range strike. Maeda broke away and saw a dangerous effort pushed wide despite being fouled in the act of shooting. The Japan international was soon culpable for a counter-attack the other way after stopping in anticipation of a throw-in as Johnston kept the ball in, but Hart saved from Quiulindschy Hartman. Celtic looked set to go into the dressing room deservedly level before O’Riley gave away a free-kick. Celtic’s wall failed to provide much protection especially as Furuhashi inadvertently got out of the way of the ball as he jumped. Stengs’ shot curled away from Hart with the goalkeeper unable to keep it out despite getting his hands on it. Palma cut inside and saw his shot beaten away after the interval before Holm came on along with Yang Hyun-jun in the 58th minute. Celtic were soon down to 10 men though. Lagerbielke had been booked in the first half for bringing down an opponent after his own poor control, and the Swede caught Igor Paixao in the throat with his arm as he tried to jockey the forward in the box. Hart saved Paixao’s penalty as he dived to his right. Brendan Rodgers brought on midfielder Tomoki Iwata for Furuhashi to play alongside Liam Scales in central defence. Celtic’s task got even harder when Holm lunged in for a challenge and caught Mats Wieffer high up his shin. The visitors were rightly frustrated that Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto had failed to award a clear foul against Scales seconds earlier but there was little doubt about the red card decision that followed. Stengs set up Lutsharel Geertruida to score from the resulting free-kick but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR check. The extra men counted in the 76th minute though when Jahanbakhsh fired high into the net from 12 yards and the closing stages were about damage limitation for Celtic. Read More Rodri’s attacking evolution is helping to fill Man City void Newcastle earn Milan draw but ‘group of death’ will reveal its true value Lazio goalkeeper scores stunning late equaliser in Champions League

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Julian Alvarez shone as Manchester City came from behind to begin their Champions League defence with a comfortable 3-1 win over Red Star Belgrade. The treble winners were stunned when the Serbian champions claimed a shock lead against the run of play through Osman Bukari just before half-time in Tuesday’s Group G clash at the Etihad Stadium. Alvarez levelled quickly after the break and was then responsible for City taking the lead as his free-kick was punched into goal by the otherwise excellent Red Star goalkeeper Omri Glazer. Rodri, matchwinner against Inter Milan in last season’s final, then wrapped up a thoroughly deserved victory with a typically composed finish 17 minutes from time. Prior to taking the lead, City had completely dominated the game, with Glazer producing a series of fine saves to thwart the hosts and Erling Haaland hitting the crossbar. The hosts finally started to take their chances in the second period but could have scored plenty more with Kyle Walker having an effort disallowed, Haaland again hitting the woodwork and Alvarez finding the side-netting. Red Star boast plenty of European pedigree as winners of the competition in 1991 but, facing the continent’s present pre-eminent force, they were completely outplayed. City had their first chance after nine minutes when Phil Foden had an effort deflected over and Rodri then jinked into the area before testing Glazer. It was the start of a busy half for the Israeli keeper, who also denied Alvarez twice and kept out a point-blank header from Foden. He could do little about City’s best chance of the opening period as Haaland met a floated Foden cross with a firm header but the bar came to his aid. Haaland had another good chance to put City ahead but turned over from in front of goal. City were made to rue their wasted chances as Red Star, who had looked to counter-attack when possible, grabbed a shock lead on the stroke of half-time. The hosts were punished for playing a high line as Bukari was played through by Mirko Ivanic and slotted coolly past Ederson. It initially looked like an offside flag might spare City but the goal was awarded following a VAR review. City, who brought on Jeremy Doku for Bernardo Silva in the closing moments of the first half, quickly regrouped and equalised two minutes after the interval. Alvarez finished superbly after being played in by Haaland, cleverly dinking over Glazer. Walker thought he had put City ahead moments later only to be ruled offside. City claimed the lead just before the hour as Alvarez curled a free-kick from the left into the box. Glazer came out to punch but failed to make clean contact and the ball flew in after skimming the back his hand. Haaland went close again when he headed against a post before Alvarez lashed just wide. City finally gave the scoreline a more realistic look when Rodri claimed their third. The Spaniard turned Vladimir Lucic outside the area after good work by Foden and strode forward to pass the ball into the far bottom corner. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Eddie Howe feels Newcastle’s point at AC Milan will ‘look better and better’ Erik ten Hag concerned by Manchester United’s mounting injury problems England’s Rachel Daly believes calendar in women’s game needs a re-think

Eddie Howe feels the hard-fought point with which Newcastle emerged from their trip to AC Milan could serve them well as their Champions League campaign continues. The Magpies, who needed goalkeeper Nick Pope to make five first-half saves to ensure they came away from San Siro with a 0-0 draw, managed to frustrate the hosts for long periods and open their Group F account on their return to European football’s top table after an absence of two decades. Head coach Howe said: “I thought the crowd were very good for Milan tonight. It was a hostile atmosphere for us, the players had to adjust to that and that’s why I don’t think you can underestimate the performance and the point that we get. “I think it will look better and better as time goes on because it’s a new experience for a lot of people – me included – tonight and hopefully we can grow from this into the tournament. “Again, I’ll praise the players for the defensive qualities that they showed today. We know we can do better with the ball, but hopefully that will come.” Pope’s heroics provided the foundation on a night when he had to be at his best to keep the Rossoneri at bay three days after keeping a clean sheet in a Premier League victory over Brentford. Howe said: “I thought he was outstanding today. He was excellent against Brentford – although he didn’t have a lot to do – and his all-round game was at his highest level. “It’s no coincidence, two big displays and two clean sheets from him which is absolutely crucial to us. He was a huge part of our success last year and no doubt he’ll be the same this year.” Newcastle might even have snatched victory at the death when midfielder Sean Longstaff forced a crucial save from substitute keeper Marco Sportiello deep into stoppage time, and Howe was not countenancing suggestions his side had been fortunate. He said: “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I didn’t think the draw was luck. We were slightly disappointed with how we played with the ball tonight, but there are a lot of different reasons for that.” However, for all that the visitors defended with impressive resilience, particularly in the second half when they limited Milan to few clear-cut opportunities, they had already been let off the hook when Portugal international Rafael Leao had danced through the black and white shirts and with only Pope to beat, tried to back-heel a shot past him and simply fell over. Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli said: “Rafa Leao is much-appreciated by every football lover because he tries impossible things. He gives it a try. These are impossible things for the rest of the players. “On the other hand, he tries to get that ‘Wow!’ effect, and sometimes he achieves it. If I had been there in front of the goal, I would have shot and probably I would have missed the goal. “I’m sorry for my players because they have given their utmost and maybe more. It was a very intense game. We were tired because we ran so much. I’m sorry for our fans because they supported us throughout the whole game, and I’m sorry about not winning the first game in the group phase because this will be a very tough one. “We wanted to win, but we couldn’t, so we’re not happy about the result.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag concerned by Manchester United’s mounting injury problems England’s Rachel Daly believes calendar in women’s game needs a re-think Rafael Leao guilty of bad miss as Newcastle earn point in UCL opener at AC Milan

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Erik ten Hag admitted he was concerned about the eye-watering number of injuries Manchester United are picking up ahead of their Champions League opener at Bayern Munich. This has been a challenging start to the season for the Old Trafford giants, with off-field issues compounded by a run of three defeats in their last four Premier League matches. United’s 3-1 meek home loss to Brighton is hardly the best preparation to face Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday, nor are the injury problems that continue to pile up. The Red Devils have lost Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire since the weekend, joining the likes of Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia on the sidelines. “Yes, of course it’s a concern,” Ten Hag said of the spate of injuries that leaves him with a 21-man squad in Germany featuring four goalkeepers. “But we knew that before and that’s why we constructed the squad with depth, so we can deal with it, the squad can deal with it.” Asked whether he can speak to the medical staff about the injury situation, the United boss said: “I don’t know if we have to go to the doctors or physios because they are dealing with the problems. “First of all, injuries always come in top football because we’re living on the edge. “Of course we analyse why things happen, but we also have to deal with the facts and it’s always about the players available. “That’s a strong side we can line up and we have to get the best out of it and we’re focusing on that. “To bring up tomorrow again, a good team, make the next step, integrate Rasmus Hojlund, (Sergio) Reguilon), two new players and we are here to get a result.” Sofyan Amrabat, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo are others out of the Group A opener through injury, while Donny van de Beek is unavailable having been left out of United’s Champions League squad. Beyond that, Jadon Sancho remains absent “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue” and Antony has been given a leave of absence following assault allegations against him. “One thing is true, I think from the start last season I think I almost never started with the best starting XI – there was always something like injury,” Ten Hag said. “But you have to deal with it and I think we always got the results in apart from the period where we are in now. “That is football and I have the experience in the past, I managed it in the past. It’s not always going up and you have to deal with it. “I like these situations because now we have to handle it and we have to manage this. You have to know what to do and that is focusing on the process.” Ten Hag’s belief about their path is why he is not getting thrown off kilter by the negativity heading into United’s first Champions League match in 18 months. “No, we don’t feel that we need a reset,” the former Bayern Munich reserve boss said. “Absolutely not. “We are in a process and what you see is that in parts of games we play very good but then also in parts of games we played below our levels. “What we have to demand is be consistent, so we have to step up in certain levels all the time for 90-plus minutes. That is the demand on us.” Wednesday certainly looks a tough ask for United, who will face England captain Harry Kane after he joined Bayern following a summer of speculation. United were strongly linked with the 30-year-old but plumped for promise rather than a proven goalscorer by signing Hojlund, 10 years his junior, from Atalanta. “I think we discussed (Kane and Hojlund during pre-season), so I don’t think we have to repeat this debate,” Ten Hag said. “We are happy with Rasmus. Obviously first games he was injured, he played now Arsenal, he’s now started. “Now of course we have to integrate him in a team but you can see he’s a big talent and he will contribute to our game. We are quite confident of that.” Asked if he had regrets about not signing Kane, Ten Hag simply responded: “No.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England’s Rachel Daly believes calendar in women’s game needs a re-think Rafael Leao guilty of bad miss as Newcastle earn point in UCL opener at AC Milan Adam Rossington century rescues Essex against Hampshire

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Rachel Daly feels the calendar in the women’s game needs to be looked at, describing the amount of games as “excessive”. England boss Sarina Wiegman last week said the matter was something she was “very worried” about as she named her squad for matches against Scotland at home on Friday and the Netherlands away four days later in the inaugural Women’s Nations League. The Lionesses’ World Cup campaign concluded with the final on August 20, and there have been Champions League qualifying fixtures since then. Daly told a press conference: “I do think the calendar is something that does need to be addressed moving forward. “You’ve seen a significant amount of injuries in the past year or so, which you can only think may be a part of the calendar and the excessive amount of games we have during the season, especially the girls playing in the Champions League as well. “I do think it needs to be looked at and addressed in the future. But as of right now, we’re not in a position to minimise game time we’ve got, so we just have to tackle it head on right now and put ourselves in the best position physically and mentally to play. “We’ve got to get straight back into it, with our clubs, internationally, and we’re all just ready to go again and focus on the upcoming Nations League.” On the process of trying to get back to normality after what was the Lionesses’ first World Cup final, and saw Wiegman’s European champions beaten 1-0 by Spain, Daly said: “Probably the fact it wasn’t in our home country deterred a little bit of the emotion. “I’ve bumped into people in the street who say how proud they are, it’s a nice feeling. Everyone knows we’re disappointed with how it turned out but we made the nation proud once again and that’s what we want to do. “Everyone deals with it a little bit different. But here we are back at it again!” England open their Group A1 matches in the new competition – via which they can secure Paris 2024 Olympics qualification for Great Britain – with a trip to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light to play a Scotland outfit whose dispute with their national association was resolved last week. The team, captained by Daly’s Aston Villa team-mate Rachel Corsie, withdrew legal action against the Scottish Football Association over equal pay and treatment claims having secured what the centre-back described as “parity”. Asked about that – as well as the saga involving the Spain team since their World Cup triumph – Daly said: “I think trust and open, honest conversations with federations is something that is massive in terms of growing the women’s game. “For us as players and people we are always trying to strive for better and what’s right, not just for the players involved right now, but for the next generation and future for years to come. “To have that platform is something I think probably gets overlooked, but it’s a place that you need to get to in order to petition for more, and what’s right and what we deserve.” England’s players themselves are involved in an ongoing bonus payments dispute with the Football Association, and Daly said: “We parked that for the World Cup. “I think people concerned of distractions – there were absolutely no distractions for us at the World Cup, and those conversations were parked. “We have a great team in place to take those discussions further and I think we’re in a really positive place to achieve an outcome. “We all want the same thing, the federation and the players want to come to the same agreement. The leadership group and the players that put themselves in front of those meetings are fantastic and do a great job, so I think we’re in a great place.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rafael Leao guilty of bad miss as Newcastle earn point in UCL opener at AC Milan Adam Rossington century rescues Essex against Hampshire Ant and Dec relish Newcastle’s European adventure – Tuesday’s sporting social

Manchester City start their Champions League title defence at home to Red Star Belgrade this evening. Pep Guardiola’s side have won all five of the Premier League matches this season and are in terrific form ahead of this European top-flight opener. Last season, they finally lifted the trophy they most coveted, the Champions League, following a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the final and now they will be hoping to emulate Real Madrid by regaining it in consecutive seasons. They also became only the second English club to win the treble and it remains to be seen if anyone can stop them repeating that feat this time around. Red Star Belgrade are currently third in the Serbian SuperLiga but should pose no real threat to Guardiola’s men who will want to lay down a statement victory tonight. Follow all the action from this Champions League clash at the Etihad Stadium. Plus you can get all the latest football betting sites offers here. Read More Pep Guardiola promises major changes for Man City team amid gruelling schedule Pep Guardiola hails impact of Jeremy Doku in Man City’s win at West Ham Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland begin new Champions League rivarly after Messi-Ronaldo era

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