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• Yorke gets first assignment as Soca Warriors to face Saudi Arabia in friendly

  Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Men’s National Football Team will face Saudi Arabia in an international friendly match on Tuesday, December 17 at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh.

  This encounter serves as crucial preparation for the Twin Island Republic ahead of their Gold Cup playoff against Cuba in March 2025. Saudi Arabia will also use the match as part of their build-up for the Arabian Gulf Cup later in December.

  The match, officially announced by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation on Wednesday, comes on the same day FIFA officially announced the country as the hosts for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

  This fixture marks the first international outing for newly appointed head coach Dwight Yorke, as he begins his tenure aiming to build momentum and solidify his squad.

  Yorke will have the services of overseas-based players, including team captain Aubrey David, who plies his trade in Guatemala, and Canadian-based forward Reon Moore. The majority of the squad comprises home-based professionals and players from the recent training camp, reflecting Yorke’s commitment to fostering local talent.

  For Yorke, the game is a step toward achieving long-term objectives.

  “It will be an honour to lead the Trinidad and Tobago national team against Saudi Arabia later this month. The match represents a major opportunity to create lasting relationships with the Saudi football family and their passionate football fans. This fixture will also showcase the progress of both ambitious and emerging countries and provide an important test ahead of our major tournament preparations, which include the Gold Cup playoff and the World Cup qualifiers,” Yorke told TTFA Media.

  “My exciting Trinidad and Tobago squad is motivated to return to the World Cup, 20 years after I was proud to captain my country at the tournament in 2006. This game will be the first step in a journey we take together with players who have given great service as others work for the opportunity to join us along the way. This is an excellent opportunity to assess the team’s readiness and implement our strategies ahead of a critical year. We are focused on building cohesion and ensuring we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead," he added.

  Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) President Kieron Edwards extended his gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting this match and looks forward to an exciting contest that will further enhance both teams’ preparations for their respective tournaments.

  “Securing an international friendly against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh marks a significant step in our journey as we continue to build momentum for the future of Trinidad and Tobago football,” Edwards stated.

  “This match offers a valuable opportunity for our team to test their skills against strong opposition on an international stage. It’s also a historic moment as Dwight Yorke leads the team for the first time in an international match as head coach. This is another part of an exciting new chapter for Trinidad and Tobago football," he noted.

  Yorke will be without several of his European-based players due to the match being played outside of the FIFA window. They include Canadian-based duo Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad, while forward Tyrese Spicer and goalkeeper Denzil Smith are still recovering from injuries.

• Lille 3-2 Sturm Graz: Super sub Haraldsson snatches all three points for hosts

  Hakon Haraldsson climbed off the bench to score the winner, as Lille edged out Sturm Graz 3-2 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

  The Icelandic midfielder had only been on the pitch a minute when he settled the five-goal thriller, while lifting Bruno Genesio's side into the Champions League's top eight.

  Osame Sahraoui drilled the hosts in front on 37 minutes, while Mitchel Bakker rounded off a sweeping move to double the lead in first-half stoppage time.

  However, Sturm Graz responded before the break as Otar Kiteishvili fired into the roof of the net, before Mika Biereth turned home William Boving's cross within two minutes of the restart.

  But there was to be a final twist as, nine minutes from time, substitute Haraldsson found the top corner to seal another three points for Lille.

  Data Debrief: Super sub Haraldsson the hero

  Haraldsson's strike sealed successive Champions League home wins in the same season for the first time for Lille, who are now unbeaten in five games.

  That is their longest such streak since at least 2004-05.

  Scoring more than once in a Champions League home game for the first time in 15 attempts, Lille took their tally for the season to 10 - their most in a single campaign.

  Haraldsson was the hero, scoring just 56 seconds after his introduction. That is the second-quickest substitute goal in this season's Champions League, after Brest’s Mathias Pereira Lage took just 47 seconds to net against Salzburg in October.

  As for Sturm Graz, their winless streak away against French opposition stretches to six matches (losing five).

• Atletico Madrid 3-1 Slovan Bratislava: Griezmann double helps hosts close in on top eight

  Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid claimed a comfortable 3-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League.

  The Spanish side have now won each of their last 10 matches in all competitions as they closed in on the automatic qualification spots.

  Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for Atletico with a well-taken strike, curling his shot into the top-right corner past Dominik Takac after just 16 minutes.

  Slovan almost caused an upset against the run of play shortly after as Tigran Barseghyan caught out Jan Oblak with a floated effort, but struck the top of the crossbar.

  Atletico continued to dominate in the first half and got their reward as Griezmann scored for the fifth successive match with a thumping header just before the break.

  The visitors briefly got back into the match to pull it back to 2-1 when Davis Strelec earned a penalty and converted himself from 12 yards, but Griezmann restored the two-goal cushion six minutes later with a simple finish at the near post. 

  Atletico moved up to 10th with 12 points from six matches, while Slovan are rooted to the bottom of the 36-team table having lost all six games and they cannot make the playoffs.

  Data Debrief: Atletico's winning run goes on

  After a poor start to the Champions League that saw Atletico lose two of their first three games, they have since turned things around by winning the following three in the competition.

  But it is not just in Europe where they are flying high as they have now scored 30 goals during their 10-match winning run.

  Since the start of last season, no team have won more home matches in the Champions League than Atletico (W7 L1), and have scored at least two goals in all of those home victories.

  Among teams who have scored 100+ goals in the Champions League, only Lionel Messi (20.4% for Barcelona) has scored a higher percentage of a club's goals in the competition than Griezmann has for Atletico (19% - 36 of 189).