Romelu Lukaku has been omitted from Belgium's squad for their Nations League fixtures against Israel and France next month.
Lukaku is the Red Devils' all-time leading goalscorer with 85 goals in 119 senior appearances, with 10 of those coming at major tournaments (Euros/World Cup).
However, he failed to score at either the 2022 World Cup or Euro 2024, with Domenico Tedesco's team slipping to a last-16 exit versus France at the latter competition.
Lukaku was unable to get on the scoresheet despite attempting 11 shots worth 1.7 expected goals (xG) – the highest value of any player who failed to net at the tournament.
Lukaku was reunited with his former Inter boss Antonio Conte as he joined Napoli on a permanent deal earlier this week, but he will not be involved when Belgium open their 2024-25 Group A2 campaign on September 6.
In his absence, RB Leipzig's Lois Openda, Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere and Borussia Dortmund youngster Julien Duranville – who has received his first senior call-up – are the candidates to lead the line.
Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, is still absent as his long-running dispute with Tedesco continues.
Earlier this month, the Real Madrid goalkeeper announced on social media that he will not represent Belgium while Tedesco remains at the helm, having walked out of a training camp in 2023 following a dispute over the team's captaincy.
Full Belgium squad: Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Koni De Winter (Genoa), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) Orel Mangala (Lyon), Arthur Vermeeren (RB Leipzig), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan), Arne Engels (Augsburg), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Julien Duranville (Borussia Dortmund).
Scottie Scheffler is in prime position to win his first FedEx Cup title after storming into a seven-shot lead at the Tour Championship.
The world number one, who started on 10 under due to the FedEx Cup's staggered structure, carded a superb 65 in the first round of the PGA Tour's season-ending tournament, after recovering from an early bogey at East Lake.
Scheffler's haul included seven birdies, with five of those coming from his last seven holes, as he bids to win a seventh PGA Tour event of the season.
His main FedEx Cup challenger Xander Schauffele is tied for second on nine under par, along with Collin Morikawa, while Rory McIlroy is three shots back in T10.
However, the Northern Irishman has not given up hope of applying pressure to Scheffler as the tournament goes on.
"I'm happy with how I hung in there and had a good finish," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"When I saw Scottie had gotten to 14, I was like, 'Oh, got to try to just hang on to the coattails a little bit'.
"Still feel like I've got a chance, and it was nice to finish the way I did."
Scheffler, also speaking to Sky Sports, said: "Yeah, I'm pleased with the day.
"I tried not to think about any sort of lead or anything like that, my job was to go out there and execute and I felt like I did a really good job of that. I felt like I was doing some good stuff to start the day.
"I had the bogey on one but after that I felt like I played some really good golf."
Naomi Osaka's wait for a deep run into a grand slam rolls on after the former world number one was beaten by Karolina Muchova at the US Open.
Osaka, a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, lost 6-3 7-6 (7-5) on Thursday.
She came up against a player in fine form in Muchova, with the Czech displaying the quality that saw her reach the semi-finals a year ago.
"I was just really trying to be focused," Muchova said.
"I know she's an amazing player and that I have to bring the A-game to have a chance. So I was just trying to be really focused on myself. I knew I had to serve well because her serve is really good. So I was just trying to be kind of locked in myself and focused out there."
"Then the energy and the big court and all that, it for sure helps me. I like that."
Osaka, meanwhile, suggested the nerves got to her on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I think during the pressure moments I got nervous," Osaka said, and I don't know if I just have to keep playing more matches and get used to that feeling, especially on a really big stage.
"Honestly, if I get past the disappointment, I feel pretty proud of myself to have gotten that many opportunities while still feeling like I could have played much better."
Data Debrief: Fifth time's the charm?
Muchova is one of nine players to have defeated five former world number ones at grand slam events.
However, out of those, she is the only active player yet to win a major or a WTA 1000 title. Will that change in New York?
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to Botic Van de Zandschulp at the US Open.
Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon champion, had been tipped to win a third major of the year at Flushing Meadows.
However, the Spaniard's hopes of becoming just the third player to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same season were dashed by unseeded Dutchman Van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Van de Zandschulp prevailed 6-1 7-5 6-4 to cause the tournament's first huge shock.
"I think my level stayed at the same point all the match," said Alcaraz, who had won his previous 15 grand slam matches.
"It wasn't enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or try to give myself chances.
"I didn't feel well hitting the ball. I think I made a lot of mistakes. When I wanted to come back, it was too late.
"He didn't make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do so I was confused a little bit. I didn't know how to manage that.
"I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come with. But I don't want to put that as an excuse."
Data Debrief: Dutch delight
This was Van de Zandschulp's second career win over a top-five opponent, as he became just the second Dutch player to achieve that feat at the US Open, while he is the first from his nation to defeat a top-three player since 1991.
Indeed, Van de Zandschulp, who will face Jack Draper next, snapped a 43-match losing streak for Dutch players against ATP top 10 opponents at the majors.
Girona coach Michel wants fans to relish their first taste of European football as he prepares his team to take on continental heavyweights in the Champions League.
Michel's side thrashed Osasuna 4-0 in LaLiga on Thursday, claiming their first win of the season in the process.
That victory came after Girona had found out who they will play in the new-look league phase of UEFA's flagship cup competition.
Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Milan PSV, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz are Girona's eight opponents.
"I didn't have time to think about it but we are talking about top teams so I just want our fans to be well represented in this tournament and tell them they should go with their heads held high around Europe," Michel told DAZN on Thursday.
"The players have a lot of maturity and are facing it very naturally, focused on the present, which was the game that we had to play today.
"I found out that Liverpool were one of the teams in the group during the game and I was surprised, but I didn't think much more about it due to the circumstances."
Michel also praised his players' resilience in recovering following a humbling 3-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
"We were very well positioned and all the players did a spectacular job, a great game in every sense of the word," Michel said.
"I'm very happy with the team's performance and because there was something strange that I didn't like at all before. Often you only see the negative side, but today the team played a perfect game from the beginning."
Carlo Ancelotti offered no excuses for Real Madrid's lacklustre start to the 2024-25 campaign.
LaLiga champions Madrid fought back to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas on Thursday.
Vinicius Junior scored midway through the second half, ensuring Los Blancos remained unbeaten, though they have taken just five points out of a possible nine so far.
Ancelotti said he expected his team to play better together and blamed himself, insisting it his responsibility to make matters click.
"It is clear that we are struggling to find the soundness of last season," he said.
"But we must not look for excuses. The schedule is tight and we have to recover quickly, because on Sunday we have another game.
"I need to have a clearer strategy, to give the players more clarity in what I want. It's costing us more than we thought. We have to work and concentrate on the path we want to take."
Kylian Mbappe endured another frustrating performance by his high standards, with the France star yet to score in LaLiga.
Mbappe had a whopping nine shots, yet only hit the target with two of then.
He has had 17 shots in total in LaLiga this term, making the 25-year-old the player to have had the most attempts in the top five European leagues, and the one with the worst expected goals (xG) underperformance (1.8 xG, no goals scored).
Ancelotti, however, says the whole team, not just individuals, must improve.
He added: "Our game has been slow. There is not much mobility and the strikers are receiving the ball with the opposing teams already close.
"When we don't have the ball, we leave too many spaces between the lines."
"I don't think it's a mental problem, because the team trains well. It's just that sometimes you don't find the best way to play.... Things are not going well and we have to fix it soon."
Aaron Civale and Aaron Ashby combined for a two-hitter, Garrett Mitchell had a home run, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Thursday to add to their hot month of August.
Civale struck out seven and allowed two hits and two walks over seven innings, his longest outing of the season. Ashby was perfect in his two innings with three strikeouts.
Mitchell’s two-run homer in the second opened the scoring for the Brewers, who improved to 16-9 since the calendar turned to August.
Jackson Chourio had a pair of RBIs, while William Contreras reached base safely three times and stole home plate.
After going 11-13 in July, Milwaukee (77-56) has built their NL Central lead to 9 ½ games over the Chicago Cubs.
Milwaukee’s success this season has largely been fuelled by an unsung pitching staff whose 3.70 ERA ranks third in the majors this season.
Phillies rally past Braves, expand division lead
Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos hit key home runs to fuel the Philadelphia Phillies’ 5-4 comeback win over the Atlanta Braves.
With the Phillies trailing 4-0, Marsh hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning, then Castellanos’ two-run blast in the seventh put Philly in the lead.
With the win, Philadelphia improved to 79-55 and expanded their NL East lead over the Braves to six games.
First-time All-Star Cristopher Sanchez got the start for the Phils, working around traffic to allow four runs (two unearned) and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman were nearly perfect over the last 3 1/3 innings, with Hoffman collecting his 10th save of the season.
The Braves wasted a sterling night from Matt Olson, who clubbed his 24th and 25th home runs of the season.
Atlanta (73-61) has trailed Philadelphia all year but entered Thursday’s game having won 9 of their last 11 games.
Astros use 4-run 8th to top sloppy Royals
Zach Dezenzo drew a key, bases-loaded walk and the Houston Astros capitalised on two late errors to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3.
The Astros entered the eighth inning trailing 3-2 before Jose Altuve scored the tying run from second after pitcher Lucas Erceg’s throwing error on a Yainer Diaz grounder.
After the Royals intentionally walked the bases loaded, Dezenzo drew a base on balls from John Schreiber, plating Diaz as the go-ahead run. Mauricio Dubon added an RBI single, and Jeremy Pena scored on a fielding error by MJ Melendez to cap a four-run eighth.
Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to shut the door and earn his 29th save of the season.
The Astros got a boost from starter Hunter Brown, who allowed two hits and two runs (both unearned) in 6 2/3 innings.
The win gave Houston (72-62) a four-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.
The Royals (75-60) have dropped two in a row but only trail the Cleveland Guardians by 1 1/2 games in the AL Central.
Brandon Aiyuk’s holdout from the San Francisco 49ers has finally come to an end.
The star receiver agreed to a four-year contract extension with the reigning NFC champions worth up to $120million, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
The deal includes $76million in guarantees, according to NFL Network.
Aiyuk’s $30million average annual salary puts him among the five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. He trails only Nick Bosa’s $34milion AAV on San Francisco’s roster.
The contract agreement comes on the heels of increased pressure from the 49ers on Wednesday, when coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch announced publicly that Aiyuk’s extended absence from practice was not excused.
The deal is the same one that has been on the table since Aug. 10, according to ESPN.
The 49ers have maintained publicly that they always wanted to extend Aiyuk, but the blossoming star requested a trade on July 23, just before the start of training camp, placing his future in the Bay Area in doubt.
With Aiyuk signed through 2028, the 49ers can turn their focus to returning to the Super Bowl after February’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Aiyuk has led the 49ers in receiving each of the last two seasons. In 2023, Aiyuk tallied 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
San Francisco drafted Aiyuk 25th overall out of Arizona State in 2020. In four NFL seasons, he has 269 receptions for 3,931 yards and 27 total touchdowns.
Jamaica’s Chavez Penn and Cuban duo Gian Baxter and Anthony Martinez failed to make the podium in the men’s triple jump final at the World Under-20 Championships on what was another topsy-turvy day for Caribbean athletes in Lima, Peru.
With only the three women’s 100m medals credited to the Caribbean so far at the five-day championships, there were slight hopes that the tally might have been increased on Thursday’s third day of action, but it was not to be.
Martinez (15.00m) and Penn (14.71m) struggled for rhythm in the hop, skip, and jump event and, as such, placed 10th and 11th, respectively, while Baxter, who got into the final eight, placed sixth with a best leap of 16.58m.
Prior to that, only Jamaica’s Kerrica Hill and Cuba’s Jocelyn Echazabal progressed in the women’s 100m hurdles final, and it will also be a Jamaica-Cuba combination for the men’s 110m hurdles final, as only Richard Hall and Yander Herrera safely navigated the semi-final round.
Echazabal (13.31s) booked her spot in the final with a second-place finish in semi-final one, while Jamaica’s Habiba Harris (13.64s) placed
Hill continued her charge towards the gold medal, as she won semi-final two in a flat 13.00s, while Maya Rollins (13.96s) of Barbados finished down the track.
On the men’s side, Jamaica’s Daniel Beckford (13.80s) missed out, as he placed sixth in his semi-final.
Cuba’s Herrera placed fourth in his semi-final, but his 13.62s was good enough for one of the two non-automatic qualifying spots, while Jamaican Hall (13.44s) placed second in semi-final three, behind American Ja’Kobe Tharp, who clocked a World Under-20 leading mark of 13.11s.
The sprint hurdles finals are scheduled for 5:05pm and 5:25pm Jamaica time on Friday.
Meanwhile, Adaejah Hodge of British Virgin Islands and Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas will be present in the women’s 200m final, while Carlos Brown of the Bahamas will be the sole Caribbean representative in the men’s event.
Hodge, the 100m silver medallist, topped semi-final two in an easy 23.18s, while Jamaica’s Sabrina Dockery (23.75s) placed fourth and missed out.
Douglas (23.34s) placed second in the third semi-final to secure her spot in the medal event.
Guyana’s Jackson Clarke (21.88s), Jamaica’s Romario Hines (21.68s) and Barbadian Aragorn Straker (21.30s), finished seventh, fourth and fifth in their respective semi-finals and missed out, as Brown Jr (21.19s) placed third and booked one of the fastest non-automatic qualifying spots.
The 200m finals are scheduled for 6:35pm Jamaica time also on Friday.
Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday.
Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.
A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner.
Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net.
However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.
Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side.
Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona.
Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue
Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024.
The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total.
However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).
Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday.
Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.
A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner.
Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net.
However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.
Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side.
Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona.
Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue
Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024.
The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total.
However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).
Thomas Frank is confident that Brentford can find their clinical edge without Ivan Toney as they welcome Southampton to the Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday.
The Bees were involved in EFL Cup action on Wednesday, narrowly beating League Two side Colchester United courtesy of Keane Lewis-Potter’s first-half strike.
But without the presence of club-record top scorer Ivan Toney against Liverpool, Frank’s side struggled in the attacking areas and were well beaten at Anfield.
However, the Brentford head coach is excited by his new signings and acknowledged it would take time to adapt to his style of play, also confirming Toney would not be available for the fixture.
"We played three average-plus games. Definitely still players growing into it. We still have some players coming back, some new signings, so I'm still understanding how I will put the best squad out there, how I will use new signings.
"We are well aware of what Southampton are capable of. I think they will put up a big challenge for us. We need to hit a top performance with high tempo and high intensity. I'm backing us. If we hit highest level, I back us to win."
"Ivan is training well and in good spirits. I would be happy to have more questions on Toney next time."
Southampton were also involved in midweek action, leaving it late to secure their place in the hat for the third round of the EFL Cup with a 5-3 win against Cardiff.
It marked the Saints’ first win of the new season, having lost their first two Premier League fixtures, the latest of which came against Nottingham Forest at St. Mary’s.
Despite their progression, head coach Russell Martin was left frustrated by the frenetic nature of the game and is hoping for a more measured approach against the Bees.
"I’m really happy with the win and I’m pleased for my young players. But there is also a lot to be annoyed about.
"We conceded three goals and the game descended into chaos in the second half. It was a moment of brilliance for their first goal from a player I have admired for a long time (Rubin Colwill), but we took our foot off the gas and dropped to their intensity.
"That was a big learning curve for the younger players. They took some liberties in the first half and they will be better for the experience. They showed real grit."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brentford – Yoane Wissa
Yoane Wissa has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Premier League starts for Brentford (four goals and two assists), scoring and assisting in each of the last two.
The last player to score and assist in three home appearances in a row was Leroy Sane for Manchester City between September and October 2017.
Southampton – Jan Bednarek
Jan Bednarek has completed more passes than any other Premier League player this season (198), an average of 104 per 90 minutes.
In his previous six top-flight seasons between 2017-18 and 2022-23, Bednarek’s highest average was 49 per 90 minutes in 2020-21.
MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN
Brentford have won their last three Premier League games against Southampton without conceding, winning both home games against Saints by a 3-0 scoreline.
Having beaten Crystal Palace at home on the opening day, the Bees are looking for consecutive home Premier League wins for the first time since last November, while they last won their opening two matches on home soil in a season during their 2018-19 Championship campaign.
Southampton have won just one of their last nine away league games against Brentford (D3 L5), beating them 3-0 in April 2011 while in League One.
The Saints have won both of their league games in London in the Championship last season (1-0 v both Millwall and QPR). However, in the Premier League, they’ve won just one of their last eight visits to the capital (D1 L6), beating Chelsea 1-0 in February 2023.
Despite having the highest average possession in the Premier League so far this season (70.6%), Southampton have lost both of their games 1-0. Only once in their history have they lost their first three league games in a campaign without scoring, doing so in 2001-02.
They have completed 1,175 passes in their two Premier League matches this season under Martin – since 2003-04, only two managers have seen their team complete more passes in their first two Premier League games in charge: Thomas Tuchel (1,459) and Maurizio Sarri (1,223), both at Chelsea.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Brentford – 52.8%
Draw – 23.4%
Southampton – 23.8%
Girona earned their first win of the 2024-25 LaLiga campaign in emphatic fashion, beating Osasuna 4-0 at the Estadi Montilivi on Thursday.
The Blanquivermells had taken one point from their first two league fixtures, but goals from Bryan Gil, Viktor Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz and Cristhian Stuani ensured a comfortable win for Michel's side.
Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gil opened the scoring in the 34th minute, turning home Tsyhankov's delivery with an acrobatic finish beyond Sergio Herrera.
Tsyhankov increased their advantage eight minutes after the break, neatly turning and finishing into the bottom corner after being picked out by Bojan Miovski inside the area.
The victory was confirmed three minutes later when Ruiz rounded off a fine move with a thunderous finish at Herrera's near post from outside the box.
Stuani added further gloss to an impressive display in added time, tapping home after being found by new signing Donny van de Beek.
The result moves Girona up to seventh in the early-season standings ahead of travelling to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to face Sevilla on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Osasuna's Girona hoodoo continues
Girona have now lost just one of their five LaLiga matches against Osasuna (W3 D1), winning the last three and scoring in all of them, with an average of two goals per game (11 overall).
The Blanquivermells also continued their record of having never lost in their first home game of a league campaign (P5 W3 D2).
Girona earned their first win of the 2024-25 LaLiga campaign in emphatic fashion, beating Osasuna 4-0 at the Estadi Montilivi on Thursday.
Michel's team had taken one point from their first two league fixtures, but goals from Bryan Gil, Viktor Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz and Cristhian Stuani ensured a comfortable win for Michel's side.
On-loan Tottenham Hotspur winger Gil opened the scoring in the 34th minute, turning home Tsyhankov's delivery with an acrobatic finish beyond Sergio Herrera.
Tsyhankov increased their advantage eight minutes after the break, neatly turning and finishing into the bottom corner after being picked out by Bojan Miovski inside the area.
The victory was confirmed three minutes later when Ruiz rounded off a fine move with a thunderous finish at Herrera's near post from outside the box.
Stuani added further gloss to an impressive display in added time, tapping home after being found by new signing Donny van de Beek.
The result moves Girona up to seventh ahead of travelling to Sevilla on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Osasuna's Girona hoodoo continues
Girona have now reeled off three straight LaLiga wins over Osasuna, scoring 10 goals in those fixtures and conceding only twice.
They also continued their record of having never lost in their first home game of a league campaign (P5 W3 D2).
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