Japan made a rampant start to the decisive third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup by hammering China 7-0 on Thursday but Australia suffered a shock home defeat by Bahrain.

Alex Morgan, a two-time World Cup winner and one of the greatest goal scorers in U.S. women's national team history, announced her retirement from professional soccer on Thursday.

The Spaniard took heart from the fact that his team came out with a victory despite not being in the best of shape and having to deal with the high altitude of Thimphu.

Coach Lionel Scaloni will present a team without captain Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria after a long time. The two significant absences force the World Cup winning coach to think about a renewed composition of the national team.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen said Thursday the end of a 12-year wait to succeed Manuel Neuer as Germany's number one goalie felt like "a balm for the soul".

The Real Madrid star, who has repeatedly been the victim of racist abuse from opposition fans at La Liga matches, said during an interview broadcast on CNN on Tuesday that more needed to be done to change attitudes in Spanish society.

Former Dutch international Quincy Promes is to resume his career in the United Arab Emirates where he is fighting extradition to the Netherlands after being sentenced to six years in prison in absentia for drug trafficking.

Bangladesh national team's Finland-born defender Tariq Kazi has sent a video message to the team and everyone else from his mandatory military service in Finland, expressing his desire to join the team soon.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said on Wednesday that his team were eager to get back on the pitch after winning Euro 2024 in July and that his players' hunger for constant improvement means there will be no let-up in intensity.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said on Wednesday that he understands the criticism levelled against his side after Euro 2024, as high expectations are to be expected due to their talented squad.

Bangladesh football team were expecting tough competition from Bhutan in the two FIFA friendly fixtures, the first of which kicks off at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu at 6:00pm today. And that is not necessarily due to the strength of the opposition but also an apparent lack of match-practice and fitness of the Bangladesh players.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior is among the favourites and is one of six members of the Madrid team that won La Liga and the Champions League last season to be nominated.

Bangladesh Football Federation’s general secretary Emran Hossain Tushar expressed his haplessness over arranging preparatory matches for the women's national team ahead of their SAFF Women's Championship title defence.

The former Barcelona and Liverpool striker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and will retire from international football as Uruguay's top scorer with 69 goals from 142 appearances.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winne failed to score as he appeared at a record sixth European Championship this year, with Portugal exiting in the quarter-finals.

Four days after arriving in Thimphu, Bangladesh national team players are still struggling to acclimatise with the weather, environment and the pitch at the Changlimithang Stadium where they will play two FIFA friendly matches against the hosts on September 5 and 8.

All the matches will take place at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu, where Bangladesh won their first regional title of Women's SAFF, beating the hosts 3-1 in the final of the last edition in 2022.

The Egyptian, who is the highest scoring visiting player to Old Trafford in Premier League history with seven goals, netted and provided two assists for Luis Diaz as Liverpool continued life under new boss Arne Slot in perfect fashion this season.

Mueller, who played his first game for the club in 2008, moved past former goalkeeper Sepp Maier to outright first on the appearance list in all competitions.

Since scoring in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta, new signing Mbappe had failed to find the back of the net in Madrid's opening three games in La Liga, prompting criticism in the Spanish press.