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• Juventus 3-0 Como: Bianconeri cruise to victory on Motta's debut

  Juventus beat newly promoted Como 3-0 in their Serie A opener at the Allianz Stadium on Monday as new coach Thiago Motta enjoyed a dream competitive debut with the club.

  Forward Samuel Mbangula put Juve in front in the 23rd minute with a fine solo effort, driving infield before firing the ball into the bottom corner.

  The Bianconeri then extended their lead in first-half stoppage time through winger Timothy Weah, who lashed home from a Kenan Yildiz cutback as the ball bounced in off the inside of the bar.

  Youngster Andrea Cambiaso then added a third from distance just before full-time after Dusan Vlahovic had gone close on several occasions.

  Juve, who finished third behind champions Inter and Milan last season to secure their return to the Champions League, next travel to Verona on August 26. 

  Data Debrief: Motta's men dominate 

  Juventus' victory was their 60th on the opening matchday of a Serie A season, the most of any club in the competition's history. That includes eight wins in their last nine such games (one draw).

  While hopes were high that Como – under the management of Cesc Fabregas – could take the game to their hosts, Motta's side were in control throughout.

  They did not concede a single shot on target for the second time in Serie A this calendar year, previously doing so in a goalless draw with Milan in April.

   

• Cavalier SC, Mount Pleasant Academy set for opener of 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park

  Cavalier SC and Mount Pleasant Academy both expressed optimism ahead of their clash to open the 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday.

  The two teams most recently met in a thrilling final of the Jamaica Premier League in May which Cavalier won 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out. 

  Head Coach of Cavalier, Rudolph Speid, doesn't expect that result to give his side a mental edge going into Tuesday's clash.

  "The phenomenon of this clash is that every time we meet, Mount Pleasant has a new team and we have a lot of changes. It's a new game all over and we just expect to win this particular game," he said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

  The teams will compete in Group A of the ten-team tournament alongside fellow JPL outfit Arnett Gardens FC, Real Hope FC out of Haiti and Police FC out of Trinidad & Tobago.

  Cavalier were runners-up in last year’s inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, losing the two-legged final by a combined score of 3-0 to Surinamese outfit Robinhood FC.

  Something synonymous with Cavalier over the years is their willingness to use young players and Head Coach Rudolph Speid says this will continue to be the team’s policy going forward.

  “We don’t have much new faces. Some of the younger players from our youth teams are the ones that have stepped up. That has been our policy and our motto. Every single year, Cavalier will field young players who came through our ranks.”

  Despite this inexperience, Speid expects good things from his players when the time comes.

  “They know what to expect. Some of them have pretty big shoes to fill and I’m confident that they will do well,” he said.

  Trinidadian attacker Kaile Auvray, who joined Cavalier from Mount Pleasant recently, is hopeful that his insight on his former team will give them an added advantage tomorrow.

  “Obviously being a former Mount Pleasant player, I know my former teammates very well so I’ll be sure to communicate things that can help us be successful,” he said.

  On the other hand, this will be Mount Pleasant Academy’s first time competing in the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, an achievement that is not lost on Head Coach Harold Thomas.

  “It’s been a long-awaited arrival for Mount Pleasant at this level. Our preparation has been relatively smooth. Short period of time but we were able to implement all the things we wanted to. We’re happy with where we are,” he said.

  “We are all excited as a club,” said Mount Pleasant skipper Sue-Lae McCalla about playing in their first CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.

  “It’s a good feeling. For a new club, the first time so it’s a lot of excitement for us,” he added.

  Normally, playing in a tournament of this magnitude for the first time would have a team feeling some pressure.

  For Coach Thomas, however, this is not the case.

  “Absolutely not,” was his response to questions about whether or not his team is feeling the pressure ahead of tomorrow’s game.

  “This is what we live for. For us, it’s just a matter of getting all things right,” he said.

• Lionel Messi absent for Argentina World Cup qualifiers after Copa America injury

  Lionel Messi has been omitted from Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the Copa America final.

  The superstar forward limped off a little over an hour into La Albiceleste's 1-0 victory over Colombia in Miami on July 14 and has not featured since.

  Messi, 37, did not play in the MLS All-Star game, with his club side Inter Miami confirming he had sustained ligament damage to his right ankle and no timeline has been put on his return.

  Lionel Scaloni has the likes of Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzales to call upon, while Lazio forward Valentin Castellanos earns a first call-up.

  Argentina face Chile in Buenos Aires on September 5 before travelling to Bogota for a rematch with Colombia five days later.

  Scaloni's side, who are hoping to defend their World Cup title in 2026 by qualifying for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, are top of CONMEBOL qualifying with five wins from six matches.

  The top six nations from CONMEBOL qualify for the tournament, while seventh place goes into a play-off for an additional berth.