Vinicius Junior apologised to Brazil's supporters following their defeat to Paraguay, acknowledging "it is a difficult time" for the Selecao.

The five-time world champions were beaten 1-0 in Asuncion, with Diego Gomez's 20th-minute strike condemning them to a fourth defeat in five qualifying games.

Dorival Junior's side occupy fifth place in the CONMEBOL section - in which the top six nations automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the team finishing seventh entering the Inter-confederation play-offs.

Already eight points adrift of leaders Argentina, Brazil are now just one ahead of eighth-place Bolivia, and Vinicius knows he and his team-mates must do better.

"We apologise to the fans, who are always on our side," the Real Madrid forward told Sportv. "But this is a difficult time, we just want to improve.

"I know my potential, I know what I can do for the national team. Of course, it's been a very difficult process, because when you don't have confidence, you don't get goals, you don't get assists and good performances.

"We know the situation we're in, we want to get Brazil out of this situation at any cost, we all have to go home now and start thinking about what we can do to get back to playing well.

"We cannot come here, lose these points and play the way we did. It is a difficult time, we must take on board all the criticism and return as quickly as possible to put Brazil on top."

Meanwhile, Marquinhos believes Brazil are going through a transitional period, and that they are not brimming with belief as a result. 

"The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that's reflected in the result," the defender told Brazilian TV Globo. "There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence.

"Qualifying isn't easy, it's a difficult time, and we have to know how to manage it. It's a time of transition, we're not feeling confident. We're going to work hard, getting results on the pitch is the best answer."

Ronald Koeman revealed that Matthijs de Ligt's substitution was made to protect him during the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Germany in the Nations League. 

Tijjani Reijnders had given the Netherlands the lead in the second minute, only for Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich to hand the visitors the advantage at the break. 

For Germany's equaliser, Manchester United defender De Ligt saw his pass under no pressure intercepted by Jamal Musiala, resulting in Undav levelling the scores.

Koeman had previously addressed De Ligt's errors during the Netherlands' 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last week and had to do so once again on Tuesday. 

"Of course, I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch. It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished," said Koeman.

"I gave him a new chance today, but eventually protected him by taking him off."

However, Liverpool captain and defensive partner Virgil van Dijk was more blunt in his assessment, saying the punishment is bound to follow against the top sides.

"This is football. You have to learn from this," Van Dijk said. "It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it."

But at the top end of the pitch, Koeman was impressed with the performance of Ajax striker Brian Brobbey, who was given the chance to shine in place of the absent Memphis Depay. 

Brobbey, who made only his second start for his country against Germany, proved a handful for the visitors' defence, notching the assist for Denzel Dumfries' equaliser, with his five touches in the opposition box a total only bettered by Cody Gakpo (seven).

The Dutchman's display forced Julian Nagelsmann into making a defensive substitution of his own at the break, replacing Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah for Borussia Dortmund new boy Waldemar Anton. 

"Tah was not substituted for nothing," said Koeman. "He pulled Brobbey’s shirt five times and committed a foul each time. Brobbey held him off very well.

"The second goal also came from Brobbey. I am super satisfied with him. He got his chance, and it was great that he took it like that.

"I am glad I chose him. He is fast and strong."

There was cause for concern, however, for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, who pulled up off the ball on the stroke of half-time and was replaced by Jurrien Timber. 

Ake left the field on a stretcher and was visibly upset, with Koeman able to provide a brief update on the injury. 

"It looks like a muscle injury for Nathan, though I am not certain," Koeman said.

Ben Waine's late goal earned New Zealand a 1-1 draw with the United States, who ended the night on a low after the confirmation of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach.

Christian Pulisic looked to have earned victory in Tuesday's friendly with his 69th-minute finish, only for Waine to fortunately capitalise on some poor defending by the hosts a minute from the end.

A lacklustre first half saw just one shot on target from either side as the USA failed to make their dominance count, entering the interval with 66.4% possession. 

But Milan's Pulisic emerged from the bench to spark the contest into life, rounding off a free-flowing move with a left-footed finish low into Max Crocombe's goal.

However, USA's dismal run, which has seen them win one of their last seven games, continued after a moment of defensive misfortune.

Nando Pijnaker's hopeful punt caused trouble, with Mark McKenzie's attempted clearance striking Waine and looping over the helpless Matt Turner. 

Data Debrief: Plenty to do for Poch

If Pochettino had any illusions about the scale of the task that awaits him as newly-appointed USA head coach, this showing will have set him straight.

Despite registering 17 shots, USA only saw five hit the target, underperforming their expected goals (xG) total by 0.33. 

But Pochettino can hold on to hope that captain Pulisic can lead his side back to glory.

His introduction from the bench in the 57th minute saw him register an xG of 0.27, a total only bettered by Brenden Aaronson (0.29), while the former Chelsea man also created more chances (four) than any of his team-mates.

Diego Gomez's first-half strike stunned Brazil as Paraguay earned their first triumph over the Selecao since 2008 with a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Asuncion.

Dorival Junior's side, who disappointed at the Copa America, slumped to a fourth defeat from their last five qualifiers and sit fifth in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualification group.

Inter Miami's Gomez struck the decisive blow in the 20th minute, sending a stunning effort with the outside of his foot beyond Alisson Becker and in off the post.

Brazil almost found an immediate response four minutes later, only for full-back Guilherme Arana to see his effort cleared off the line in the visitors' only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.

Following the interval, Rodrygo threatened to level the scores but could only fire over from close range, with Roberto Fernandez turning Vinicius Junior's strike around the post as the game ticked into the final knockings.

But Paraguay were able to hold firm to secure a memorable victory, leaving them seventh in the standings and just a point behind Brazil in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Data Debrief: Selecao stutter against stingy defence

Brazil rarely troubled Fernandez in the Paraguay goal, managing just three shots on target from the nine they attempted, registering an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.57.

Ballon d'Or hopeful Vinicius was credited with two of the Selecao's efforts, but struggled to make the desired impact, completing just one of his four attempted dribbles. 

Paraguay, however, remained resolute in their defending, and have now kept a clean sheet in five of their last eight World Cup qualifiers, with only Argentina (six) managing more shutouts.

Manny Machado hit his 164th home run to set the Padres’ franchise record and drove in four runs to lift San Diego to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Machado’s 164th homer in a Padres uniform was a line drive to center field off George Kirby in the sixth inning and gave San Diego a 5-2 lead. Machado watched from home plate as the ball left the bat at nearly 109 mph.

Machado’s homer was his 26th this season and snapped a tie with Nate Colbert atop the Padres list. Machado has 339 career homers among Baltimore, the Dodgers and San Diego.

While Machado’s homer set a mark, Fernando Tatis put San Diego ahead with a three-run shot in the third inning. It was his first home run since June 20 - prior to a lengthy stint on the injured list due a stress reaction in his right thighbone.

Machado added a two-run single in the seventh inning that clipped the back of pitcher Austin Voth and bounced into center field.

Yu Darvish threw five innings in his second start since rejoining the Padres. Darvish allowed solo home runs to Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley but pitched out of a jam in the third after Seattle put the first two runners on. Darvish struck out Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena both looking sandwiched around fly out from Raleigh.

Lugo baffles Yankees in Royals’ win

Seth Lugo struck out 10 in seven stellar innings and Salvador Perez had a pair of run-scoring singles to reach 100 RBIs as the Kansas City Royals blanked the New York Yankees, 5-0.

Tommy Pham homered and Bobby Witt Jr. had an RBI single for the Royals, who remained 3 ½ games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. They also stayed 2 ½  games ahead of Minnesota for the second AL wild card.

New York, which matched a season low with three hits, had its lead in the AL East cut to one-half game over Baltimore.

Lugo carved up a full-strength Yankees lineup that entered leading the majors in homers and ranked second in runs. The right-hander allowed only three singles and walked none, retiring 17 straight batters after Gleyber Torres' bloop hit to begin the bottom of the first.

Torres snapped the string on another soft single with two outs in the sixth.

With his 16th win, Lugo tied Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Atlanta’s Chris Sale for the major league lead.  

Kyle Isbel scored twice after leadoff singles for the Royals, who had dropped six consecutive road games. They won for the fifth time in 13 games overall and improved to 2-4 against the Yankees this season.

Yamamoto returns as Cubs rally past Dodgers

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched four strong innings in his return but the Chicago Cubs rallied for the tying and go-ahead runs in a five-run eighth inning in a game that featured a matchup of Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.

The NL West-leading Dodgers blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Cubs for the second straight night, assuring their first series loss since Aug. 5-7 against visiting Philadelphia. Los Angeles' division lead was cut to 4 1/2 games over San Diego.

Chicago is four games back of Atlanta and the New York Mets, who are tied for the last NL wild card.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong robbed Max Muncy of a potential two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. He made a terrific sliding catch in the dirt of Kiké Hernández to end the seventh.

A leadoff walk by Alex Vesia, a throwing error by catcher Austin Barnes, center fielder Tommy Edman’s errant throw that went into the camera well near the Dodgers dugout and a fielding error by second baseman Hernández helped the Cubs take a 6-3 lead.

Yamamoto struck out his first four batters of his first start in nearly three months, facing off against Chicago’s Imanaga in a matchup of former Japanese big league rivals pitching against each other for the first time in Major League Baseball.

Colombia gained a measure of revenge for their Copa America final loss to Argentina by beating the Albiceleste 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Barranquilla.

Nestor Lorenzo's side approached Tuesday's clash at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez five points adrift of their opponents in the 10-man CONMEBOL qualification group, but a deserved win saw them close that gap to two points.

Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera, who was later carried off injured on a stretcher, headed in the opener after 25 minutes, nodding into an unguarded net after James Rodriguez sent a delicate cross over to the far post.

Argentina struggled to carve out clear-cut chances in the first half but levelled just three minutes into the second period, with James' slack pass being cut out by Nicolas Gonzalez, who darted into the area before sliding his finish home.

James was given a chance to redeem himself just 12 minutes later, however, as a VAR review led to Colombia being awarded a penalty for Nicolas Otamendi's trip on Daniel Munoz.

James – the Player of the Tournament at this year's Copa – made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Emiliano Martinez the wrong way for what proved to be the winner.

Colombia almost added a third goal at the death, only for Otamendi to nod Munoz's goal-bound flick off the line, but time still ran out on Argentina.

Data Debrief: Messi-less visitors come unstuck

Argentina made light of Lionel Messi's injury-enforced absence as they thrashed Chile 3-0 last time out, but they struggled to create chances without their talisman on Tuesday.

They ended the game having only hit the target with one of their 13 shots, with a total expected goals (xG) figure of 0.9, in contrast to Colombia's 2.99.

Prior to Tuesday's match, Argentina had only fallen behind on the road in a South American qualification game once under Lionel Scaloni, when fighting back to beat Bolivia 2-1 in October 2020. There was to be no comeback this time around. 

Lee Carsley still feels far from comfortable in his role as interim England boss, though he was delighted to see the Three Lions make a perfect start to their Nations League campaign.

Harry Kane scored twice on his 100th international appearance as England beat Finland 2-0 at Wembley on Tuesday, having overcome the Republic of Ireland by the same scoreline on Saturday.

The victory made Carsley the first England manager to win his first two competitive games at the helm to nil since Steve McLaren achieved the feat in 2006. 

Such was England's dominance against Ireland and Finland that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was only forced into one save across the two games, in the 11th minute on Saturday.

Despite his impressive start, Carsley – who is seen as a leading contender to get the job on a permanent basis – feels there is plenty more to come.

"I definitely don't feel comfortable still, I have been out of my comfort zone," he told ITV Sport. 

"It's been enjoyable but we have to make sure every single day we are producing high standards. 

"We've been fortunate enough to get two good results and it's all about building on that."

Pickford, meanwhile, has been impressed by the impact made by some of the new faces called up by Carsley, many of whom played under him at under-21 level.

"It is new and it has been a short camp. A lot of young lads won the Under-21 Euros with the manager and they know the ideas," the Everton goalkeeper said.

"t was refreshing for the older lads – I always want to improve. With England there is a pathway from the younger age groups. 

"The amount that come from the under-16s and get opportunities to play for the seniors is there, and it has been there on the manager side as well."

Lille midfielder Angel Gomes was among those to impress on his full debut, becoming the first player to start for England while playing for a French club since Marseille's Trevor Steven in June 1992 (versus France).

Gomes had more touches (130) and completed more passes (116) than any other player, while only Jack Grealish (53) bettered his 42 passes in the final third.

Chelsea's Noni Madueke also made his first England appearance from the bench, replacing Bukayo Saka and making a swift impact by teeing up Kane's second goal.

"It was great to make my first appearance for the national team and I'm really proud of myself," the winger told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It has been a great week, the boys are great and the staff and players have made me feel welcome.

"It tried to go out there and be direct and cause problems. I got an assist for Harry on his 100th appearance – it can't get much better than that. It is fitting that Harry got both goals, it is his night."

Harry Kane has a hunger to prove his doubters wrong, as he celebrated his 100th England cap by scoring twice against Finland.

Kane netted both of England's goals in a 2-0 victory at Wembley in the Nations League on Tuesday.

The England captain wore a pair of golden boots to mark his milestone match, while he was presented with a golden cap before kick-off.

He is the 10th player to make 100 appearances for the Three Lions, though the first to score twice in their landmark game. Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton each scored on their 100th England appearance.

Kane took criticism for some of his performances at Euro 2024, despite winning the Golden Boot, along with five other players, after scoring three goals en route to England reaching the final.

And the 31-year-old suggested the criticism only fuels his desire to keep going at the highest level.

"It was a big night for me, really proud," he told ITV Sport.

"I want to score goals and help the team. Whenever you are doubted, it makes you more hungry to prove people wrong.

"I always back myself to score goals and I am excited for the future."

Speaking at a post-match press conference, the Three Lions captain later added: "I don't think I was even thinking of 100 caps when I was on loan at Millwall, Norwich and Leicester.

"At that time it was about getting back into the Spurs team. I have always had good self-belief. I have learned a lot over the years with Mauricio [Pochettino] when he was at Spurs.

"The game is evolving a bit and it is great for me to keep learning. I would for sure be proud if I knew I was going to get 100 caps."

Interim boss Lee Carsley, who became the first England manager to win his first two competitive games and keep a clean sheet in both since Steve McClaren in 2006, added: "Harry took his goals really well, a big occasion for him. Kids being here, an emotional night, but really happy for Harry. He fully deserves all the plaudits.

"What I have noticed this week is he is highly motivated to play for England and score goals and to have a centre-forward like that, hopefully it continues."

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been trusted in his preferred right-back role by Carsley, provided the assist for Kane's sensational 57th-minute opener.

It was one of five chances the Liverpool star created on the night. Since the start of 2019, it is the third time he has created at least five chances in a game for the Three Lions, with no other player doing so on more than one occasion in that time.

"Trent backed it up with another great performance," Kane said of Alexander-Arnold.

"We always looked like the team who would break the deadlock. We spoke about being ruthless but in these games you have to keep knocking on the door and you will get your reward."

Carsley said prior to the match that he believes he can be the right manager to take England forward, and Kane hailed the impact the former Republic of Ireland international has had.

"The manager has come in with great energy, he talks a lot about freedom and attacking and hurting teams," added Kane, who is now on 85 goal involvements for England (68 goals, 17 assists).

"Of course there is room for improvement, but it's a great start for him."

On Tuesday, England captain Harry Kane became the 10th man to win 100 caps for the Three Lions, and he marked it in style.

He scored twice in a Nations League clash with Finland at Wembley.

Kane is England's record scorer, now with 68 goals for his country, and his latest accomplishment only cements his status as one of his country's all-time greats.

The Bayern Munich man has repeatedly outlined his desire to play on until his late thirties, and with the international game continuing to expand, he will surely fancy his chances of overhauling Peter Shilton's record of 125 caps in quick time.

As Kane joins an exclusive club of England centurions, we dive into the best Opta data surrounding his international career to date. 

Kane's road to 100

Kane may have had to wait until the age of 22 to win his first senior cap, but he wasted no time in making an impact upon his arrival on the international stage.

Just 79 seconds after replacing Wayne Rooney in the second half of a Euro 2016 qualifier versus Lithuania at Wembley, Kane headed home a Raheem Sterling cross to get off the mark for his country.

Since 1872, Kane is one of just six players to score inside two minutes on his England debut, while that strike made him the first to do so since Gerry Hitchens in 1961.

Kane's first start came in a friendly against Italy a few days later, and 87 of his 100 England outings have come when he was named in the starting lineup.

Eighty-one of Kane's caps were handed out by recently departed manager Gareth Southgate, the most won by any player during his eight-year reign, and 61 of his England goals also came under Southgate.

His tally of 29 major tournament appearances (World Cup/Euros), meanwhile, is the most of any England player in history, though he has so far fallen short of replicating Bobby Moore's achievements and hoisting a major trophy aloft as Three Lions captain.

Kane's goals

As well as being England's all-time record goalscorer, Kane has directly contributed to more goals (85 – 68 goals and 17 assists) than any other Three Lions player. 

He has now scored 27 goals at Wembley for England - he was already the team's record scorer at the national stadium prior to Tuesday's double.

Kane has been exceptional on the big stage, with his 15 major tournament goals (eight at World Cups, seven at the Euros) being an England record, while he also has more competitive goals than any other player in Three Lions history (60). 

It may come as little surprise to hear San Marino have been Kane's favourite opponent, the striker netting five times against the team sat at the bottom of the FIFA World Rankings.

However, Kane has been broadly consistent against all opponents, scoring against 31 of the 43 different teams he has faced on the international stage to date – more than any other player in England history.

As for Kane's bogey teams, he has faced Euro 2024 champions Spain and England's Euro 2016 conquerors Iceland most often without scoring, failing to net in four outings versus both sides.

Kane's results

Kane's international career has coincided with one of the most successful periods in England's history. The 31-year-old has won 62 of his 100 matches, giving him a 62% win ratio, with 21 draws and just 17 losses on his record.

He is also, of course, the only man to captain the Three Lions in multiple major tournament finals, leading them out in the showpiece games at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

That latter final in Berlin, while a disappointment for Kane as he was replaced by Ollie Watkins in the second half after a quiet display, also made him the first man to captain a senior England side in an overseas final.

While many feel Kane must fire England to silverware to truly be considered his country's greatest ever player, his international legacy is already a deeply impressive one.

And you get the impression there are still plenty more records waiting to fall Kane's way.

Harry Kane scored twice on his 100th England appearance to propel Lee Carsley's team to a 2-0 Nations League win over Finland.

Kane, who donned a pair of golden boots, was celebrated before kick-off at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, as he became the 10th player to feature in 100 matches for the Three Lions.

And after seeing a diving header disallowed for offside in the first half, Kane ensured he marked his milestone appearance in style with a second-half double.

Having been denied by the excellent Lukas Hradecky, who made six saves in total to keep Finland in the contest amid England's domination, Kane finally broke the deadlock with a wonderful strike that cannoned in off the underside of the crossbar in the 57th minute.

The Netherlands and Germany played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their second Nations League Group A3 fixture in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

Goals from Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich saw Julian Nagelsmann's side fight back to lead after they fell behind to Tijjani Reijnders' second-minute strike, only for Denzel Dumfries to level five minutes into the second half and keep the sides locked level on four points.

Ronald Koeman's side did suffer a major injury blow late in the first half, though, with Manchester City's Nathan Ake substituted after sustaining an apparent foot injury.

The hosts made a lightning start at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ryan Gravenberch sliding a neat throughball into the path of Reijnders, who made no mistake when one-on-one with Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The Oranje twice went close to extending their lead, Dumfries somehow heading Xavi Simons' free-kick wide before the latter was denied by Ter Stegen, and they were punished for their wastefulness after 38 minutes.

Florian Wirtz saw a close-range effort parried by Bart Verbruggen, but Undav was ideally placed to volley home the rebound, shortly before Ake was carried off on a stretcher following a clash with Kimmich.

Dumfries made a vital intervention to deny David Raum as the momentum swung in Germany's favour, and they took the lead three minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Undav was involved again, steering Raum's cross back into the centre for captain Kimmich to lash home from close range.

The Netherlands, however, refused to lie down and started the second half almost as quickly as they began the first. Brian Brobbey was played in behind by Simons, and his cutback was turned home by Dumfries to make it 2-2 after 50 minutes.

Ter Stegen kept out Gravenberch's long-range strike, while Raum sent a header over from a good position, but neither side could find a winner.

Data Debrief: Undav's first impression

Undav has looked a player reborn since he swapped Brighton for Stuttgart, initially on loan, ahead of the 2023-24 season. 

He scored 18 goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances as Sebastian Hoeness' men stunned Bayern Munich to finish as runners-up last term, and on Tuesday, he was rewarded with his first Germany start.

Undav repaid Nagelsmann's faith, becoming the first player to both score and assist on their first start for Germany since Amin Younes in 2017, versus San Marino.

Felix Auger Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov helped Canada make a winning start to their Davis Cup Finals group-stage campaign, overcoming Argentina in Manchester.

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Shapovalov got Canada off to a flier in the opening singles match of the Group D encounter, beating Francisco Cerundolo 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 37 minutes.

Cerundolo committed 51 unforced errors in a disjointed display, giving up back-to-back breaks early in the second set as the match slipped away from him after a competitive opener.

Not to be outdone, Auger Aliassime followed up Shapovalov's victory by beating Sebastian Baez 6-3 6-3, keeping his opponent under fierce pressure throughout and converting seven of the 12 break points he forced.

Doubles specialists Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni then beat Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil in three sets, but that was not enough to deny Canada victory.

Great Britain and Finland are the other two teams in Group D, with Jack Draper leading the hosts' bid to reach the knockout stages in Malaga later this year.