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Unai Emery insists Aston Villa must learn how to handle European football and refused to blame his changes after their sloppy 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw. Ernest Muci’s second-half winner clinched a deserved victory for the hosts to ruin Villa’s Europa Conference League debut. Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne twice levelled for the underwhelming visitors in the first half after Pawel Wszolek and Muci scored for Legia. It ranked as one of the worst performances in Emery’s 11 months in charge, with the manager making five changes, including giving a debut to Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet. He said: “I believe in our squad and our players and we could have lost this game with other players on the pitch. “Every match away in Europe is difficult and this is a new step where we have to learn. “We still have the possibility to react again, we are going to play another five matches. It’s not a good result but we have to learn and have to understand how we’re going to face the next matches and this competition. “We have to build the squad who will play a lot of matches and we will need players in the squad to give them opportunities to play, to use their qualities. “In the second half we started well but in one click, we concede another opportunity and they score a goal. “They had a plan, they did good and we couldn’t stop them in some moments.” Legia struck after just two minutes in the Group E opener when Wszolek converted Patryk Kun’s cross. Duran levelled four minutes later, though, nodding in after Kacper Tobiasz turned Nicolo Zaniolo’s drive onto the bar. It should have given Villa a platform but a shoddy, slow, performance continued to undermine their tag as one of the tournament favourites. Livewire Muci punished them again after 26 minutes when Villa were left floundering on the flanks and he fired in Wszolek’s centre. But Villa came back, however undeserved, and Digne’s deflected volley ensured they went into the break level. Parity did not last long, though, when Muci went sent running at Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers, made fools of them both and found the net off a post. This time there was no way back and Marc Gual almost added a fourth when Emi Martinez parried Bartosz Slisz’s shot and Chambers cleared. Jacob Ramsey, Moussa Diaby and Youri Tielemans tried to find an unlikely leveller but victorious Legia held on. “You should not underestimate the underdogs, Mostar will also be a hot game, a Balkan team with a lot of emotions,” said boss Kosta Runjaic, after Mostar beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 in the other group game. “It’s surprise for me but it’s also a surprise we won against Aston Villa, I’m happy about it, this three points in the first game are very important for us. We were lucky in some moments but you need luck. “We will see how we do in the next game, we will face a very ugly Alkmaar in a couple of weeks.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp plays down value of 50th European win after Liverpool beat LASK Harry Kane happy with Bayern Munich start in Europe – Thursday’s sporting social Durham are Division Two champions after bowling out Worcestershire

As college football teams head to October, Urban Meyer has slandered the scheduling for Michigan and Georgia while ignoring Ohio State

Michael Beale’s Rangers get underway in the Europa League tonight after a tough time in the Champions League qualifiers saw them drop out of the competition after a 5-1 defeat against PSV. The 2022 finalists face Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis, who haven’t managed to make it past the round of 16 since their debut in the renamed edition of the European tournament in 2013–14. This is the first-ever meeting between the two sides, and each will hope to get some valuable points in the board to try and secure automatic qualification for the knockout stages. Follow all the latest updates from LASK vs Liverpool below and get all the latest football odds here.

Liverpool took time adjusting to life back in the Europa League but for the fourth time in six matches this season they came from behind to win 3-1 against LASK in Linz. It had been 2,682 days since they last appeared in UEFA’s second-tier competition, having played in three Champions League finals and won one, and that adaptation to a new reality took a while to bed in. The Austrians had no such problem in the biggest game in their history as the visit of Manchester United in 2020, when they were hammed 5-0, happened behind closed doors because of the pandemic. They were so fired up they predictably took an early lead through Florian Flecker’s brilliantly-taken goal but once Jurgen Klopp’s side came to the realisation the Europa League will be just as tough a task as the competition favourites this season’s familiar trait emerged. Within the space of eight second-half minutes Darwin Nunez fired home a penalty and Luis Diaz converted from close range and late on substitute Mohamed Salah clinched Klopp’s 50th European victory, the most of any Anfield manager. Pre-match the German had insisted this was not a competition for handing out “opportunities” but then proceeded to name a completely different side from that which won at Wolves at the weekend. Not to say that it was weak with first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the back and Diaz and Nunez up front but in between was the untried midfield of newest signing 21-year-old Ryan Gravenberch, on his first start, and Harvey Elliott (20) either side of the 30-year-old ‘veteran’ Wataru Endo who had played just 89 minutes for Klopp’s team since his own summer move. The real excitement was reserved for livewire winger Ben Doak, who became the club’s fourth-youngest player to play in Europe at the age of 17 years and 314 days on his first start. But while his first real run at the LASK defence saw him glide past Rene Renner to win a corner he was starved of opportunities by a malfunctioning midfield which could not gain any control in the first half and the young Scot was replaced just past the hour. Stefan Bajcetic’s misjudgement, the 18-year-old midfielder asked to play the Trent Alexander-Arnold hybrid right-back role, in missing a cross led to a LASK corner and the opening goal. Flecker was picked out on the edge of the penalty area and he took a touch before drilling a shot through a crowd of players past Caoimhin Kelleher as a training-ground move paid off from their first shot on target. Liverpool were not so clinical as Nunez headed over an inviting Elliott cross before seeing his close-range nod towards goal from Van Dijk’s header at a corner clawed out by goalkeeper Tobias Lawal. The raucous home crowd cheered not only that but every block, every tackle, every Liverpool corner repelled, every corner won. Liverpool’s first move of any quality brought the equaliser when Diaz was brought down by Philipp Ziereis, after Elliott, Doak and Bajcetic had combined down the right, and Nunez powered home from the spot in the 56th minute. It was the signal for Klopp to make changes with summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, two of his new first-choice midfield, replacing Doak and Endo with Joe Gomez giving Bajcetic a break after his first game since March after injury. They went ahead when Nunez brought down Gomez’s pass from deep, laid off to Elliott who sent Gravenberch racing down the right and his low cross was turned home by Diaz. If life was not difficult enough for the hosts Mohamed Salah was introduced in the 76th minute and created two chances and had a shot inside his first 60 seconds before weaving himself into a position to poke through the legs of the goalkeeper two minutes from time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa suffer defeat at Legia Warsaw on return to European action Harry Kane happy with Bayern Munich start in Europe – Thursday’s sporting social Durham are Division Two champions after bowling out Worcestershire

Sloppy Aston Villa crashed to a chaotic Europa Conference League defeat at Legia Warsaw. Ernest Muci’s second-half winner spoiled Villa’s debut in the competition as Legia pulled off a deserved 3-2 victory in Poland. Pawel Wszolek and Muci had twice given Legia a first-half lead only for Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne to peg them back. Muci pounced six minutes into the second half and Villa never recovered. Legia boss Kosta Runjaic had billed it as a David v Goliath tie, with Legia going into the Group E opener with hope rather than expectation. Captain Josue, pointed out the vastly different transfer values between the squads. Maybe it was reverse psychology but they were far from overwhelmed and picked holes in Villa’s sloppy defence. Villa are expected to not just qualify from the group with ease but challenge for the title in Athens next May but they will have to significantly improve if that is to be the case. It look just two minutes for the energetic hosts to unpick their visitors with worrying simplicity. Muci sent Patryk Kun scampering down the right and he crossed for the onrushing Wszolek to fire in from eight yards. That Legia conceded 13 goals while qualifying for the group stage would have given Villa encouragement for any comeback and, sure enough, it took just four minutes to level. Nicolo Zaniolo’s strike from 25 yards was turned onto the bar by Kacper Tobiasz and Duran reacted quickest to nod in from close range. Villa managed to steady themselves as game settled after a rapid start, until Legia regained the lead after 26 minutes. Again the threat came from out wide, this time from the right. Wszolek was given too much time by Digne to cross for Muci to smash in. Defensively Villa had been weak, switching off when it mattered most, and Ezri Konsa was the next to escape when Muci went down under pressure in the area but referee Evangelos Manouchos was unmoved. Still Legia found gaps in the Villa backline when Marc Gual tested Emi Martinez and the visitors looked far from tournament favourites. Duran’s goal had been their only serious chance but Unai Emery’s men levelled against the run of play six minutes before the break. Leon Bailey tricked his way through, John McGinn’s shot was blocked and fell to Digne on the edge of the box for the left-back’s deflected volley to find the top corner. Villa had taken their opportunities to redeem themselves and Legia still needed Tobiasz’s leg to deny Duran an undeserved third just before the break. Yet if they thought they had tamed Legia they were badly mistaken and, like the first half, the hosts wasted little time in the second. Emery would have despaired at how open his side were when Gual picked out Muci to run at Konsa, he was pushed wide by Calum Chambers but still managed to squeeze his shot across Martinez and in off a post. Reinforcements were needed and Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby arrived but Villa almost fell further behind when Gual just failed to turn in after Martinez parried Bartosz Slisz’s drive. From then there appeared little way back with Legia comfortable, Tobiasz never tested – even when Jacob Ramsey shot wide. Outside of their qualifiers, it had been a long 13 years to return to Europe for Villa. It was not worth the wait. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Liverpool come from behind to secure Europa League victory against LASK Harry Kane happy with Bayern Munich start in Europe – Thursday’s sporting social Durham are Division Two champions after bowling out Worcestershire

The Detroit Tigers have a new General Manager in Jeff Greenberg. What should Greenberg address on the Tigers roster right away?

As Utah goes off against a top-10 opponent in their first conference game, what is the likelihood that Cam Rising will play his first game of the season?

Liverpool face Austrian opponents LASK Linz on Thursday evening, marking the beginning of the Europa League group stage for 2023/24. While the Reds are more used to playing midweek games in the Champions League, a poor year last season has proven costly - and also paved the way for a summer revamp in midfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side have started this year well in terms of results, despite some remaining defensive issues, and in truth should be firm favourites to top Group E which also contains French side Toulouse and Belgians Union St. Gilloise. LASK have been on a good run domestically, winning four of the last five to move into third place, but will need to lift their game even further to keep out their Premier League visitors. Liverpool have won their last four in the top flight and also sit third there. Follow all the latest updates from LASK vs Liverpool below and get all the latest football odds here.

College football upsets are sure to happen in a loaded Week 4 slate, but the Red Flags are waving wildly enough for Alabama, Ohio State and more to have them in our college football upset picks for the week.

Who has the advantage in head-to-head matchups: Ohio State or Notre Dame? Discover the answer and delve into the history between these teams.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were both on target in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Kane struck from the penalty spot in Bayern Munich’s 4-3 victory over Manchester United, while Bellingham prodded home a stoppage-time winner for Real Madrid against Champions League debutants Union Berlin. Here, the PA news agency looks at the England internationals’ astonishing beginnings for their respective clubs. How has Kane started? After drawing a blank as a second-half substitute in Bayern’s surprise German Super Cup defeat to RB Leipzig, Kane, 30, has been virtually unstoppable. The £100million striker netted on his maiden Bundesliga outing in a 4-0 win at Werder Bremen before bagging a brace in a 3-1 victory against Augsburg. He scored the opener in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen last Friday before netting from the spot against United – the club that wanted to sign him from Tottenham. “Manchester United are crying out for a centre forward and whatever it would have cost they should have got him,” United’s former midfielder Paul Scholes told TNT Sports. “If you had the money to buy one player or three, I would have bought Harry Kane all day long.” How has Bellingham played? Birmingham-born Bellingham, 20, has six goals and one assist in his opening six matches since his £88.5million move from Borussia Dortmund. He struck on his debut against Athletic Bilbao before netting a brace away at Almeria and then scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Celta Vigo. Bellingham scored a stoppage-time winner against Getafe in his first Bernabeu outing – emulating Cristiano Ronaldo by netting in his opening four LaLiga games – before delivering another late goal, this time in his first Champions League outing for Los Blancos. His mark of six is one more than the rest of the Madrid squad combined this season. What has the reaction been? Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has trusted Bellingham from the get-go, preferring him to Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who have just three league starts between them. Speaking after Bellingham’s heroics on Wednesday night, Ancelotti said: “He’s smarter than others when attacking from the second line. He has this quality and he’s making the most of it.” Bellingham has already won over the Real Madrid fans, who serenaded him with The Beatles’ classic ‘Hey Jude’ after his late winner against Getafe, and again on Wednesday night. “I have goosebumps speaking about it,” said Bellingham. “You don’t understand how big this club is until you are here. I have now got that honour and I will wear it with pride.” Kane’s brilliant start has also won him fans – not least in Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel. “I love him,” said the former Chelsea manager. “He is a fantastic guy, fantastic player and huge personality. “He is a clinical finisher, he controls a lot of balls, and he is so intelligent around the box. It has been a very good start from him. I am super happy.” How does their form compare to England’s other stars? With 11 goals and three assists between them, no other attacking member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad is performing better for their clubs this term. Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson have all netted on three occasions this season, while Raheem Sterling, James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison, Eddie Nketiah and Dominic Solanke have all scored twice. Kane also has more England minutes since the Three Lions’ European Championship final defeat to Italy in the summer of 2021 than anyone else. Kane has played 2,016 minutes for Southgate, with Bellingham (1,540 mins) fifth behind Harry Maguire (1,927 mins) Declan Rice (1,889 mins) and Jordan Pickford (1,669 mins). Kane and Bellingham were also on target in England’s impressive 3-1 win against Scotland last week. What’s next? Kane will be back in action when Bayern host Bochum in the Bundesliga on Saturday before he returns to Champions League action next month in Copenhagen. Bellingham will be bidding to help Real maintain their 100 per cent start to the season in his first Madrid derby, at Atletico, on Sunday. They will join forces for England in a friendly with Australia at Wembley on October 13 before a European Championship qualifier against Italy at the same venue four days later. Meanwhile, Kane also revealed he will have one eye on Tottenham’s Premier League fixture versus Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this weekend. “They have started the season well, so of course, Tottenham (will win),” he joked in an interview on CBS Sports with former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry – who earlier said the England captain “looked good in red and white”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Conor Benn calls for lifetime bans for proven drug cheats amid his comeback bout The key questions behind Manchester United’s poor start to the season Daniel Levy would consider Tottenham sale if it was in best interests of club

Daniel Levy has revealed for the first time he would be “open” to selling his stake in Tottenham if it was right for the club. Levy has been Spurs chairman since 2001 and runs affairs for majority shareholder ENIC, which owns 86.58 per cent of the club while the other 13.42 per cent of shares are held by around 30,000 individuals. The first half of 2023 proved tumultuous for Tottenham and as a result Levy faced several calls from supporters to leave his position, but the mood in N17 has been transformed following the June appointment of head coach Ange Postecoglou. If anyone wants to make serious propositions to the board of Tottenham, we will consider it along with our advisors. And if we felt it was in the interests of the club, we would be open to anything Daniel Levy Positivity is growing on the pitch but unrest off it remains bubbling under the surface with fans protesting before last month’s win over Manchester United due to the club’s decision to increase match day ticket prices for this season. Meanwhile, Joe Lewis – Tottenham owner until October when he ceased to be “a person with significant control” and the club shares were handed over to his family trust – was indicted on charges of insider trading in America in July. Takeover interest in Tottenham has grown since the club opened its 62,850-seater stadium in 2019 and earlier this year Levy met with Qatar Sports Investments chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi to reportedly discuss QSI purchasing a minority stake, although this was denied by Spurs. During an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Levy confirmed the club’s shareholders would be open to selling the club if a “serious proposition” was put forward. “I’ve got no real interest to leave Tottenham, but I have a duty to consider anything that anyone may want to propose,” Levy said. “It’s not about me, it’s about what’s right for the club. We have 30,000 shareholders who own approximately 13.5 per cent. We run this club as if it is a public company. “If anyone wants to make serious propositions to the board of Tottenham, we will consider it along with our advisors. And if we felt it was in the interests of the club, we would be open to anything.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live