Callum McGregor scored late on to seal Celtic's 3-0 victory over rivals Rangers in the Old Firm Derby at Celtic Park on Sunday.

Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi had put the Bhoys in control in the first half, with Rangers unable to mount a comeback.

Rangers' best chance came inside 10 minutes, with James Tavernier picking out Rabbi Matondo, who thumped his header wide from the edge of the six-yard box.

Kyogo thought he had broken the deadlock just one minute later, but his clinical finish was disallowed as Nicolas Kuhn had just drifted offside before teeing him up.

Maeda's close-range effort did count in the 17th minute, with Alistair Johnson drifting in behind Rangers' defence to set him up for a tap-in.

And Kyogo would get on the scoresheet just before the break, driving a low shot through the crowded area and in from 30 yards out to put Celtic in control.

McGregor added the gloss in the 75th minute, netting in a third straight game as his long-range strike deflected past Butland. 

Data Debrief: Clement's derby woes go on

Celtic maintained their perfect start to the season, with the Bhoys yet to concede in their four games so far. Kasper Schmeichel only had three saves to make, staying alert to deny Tavernier and protect his clean sheet late on. 

But it was more misery for Gers boss Philippe Clement, who has now failed to win an Old Firm Derby in five attempts in all competitions (one draw, four losses); only Graeme Murty (also five) and William Wilton (eight) also failed to win any of their first five games against Celtic in charge of Rangers.

As a whole, Rangers have not enjoyed their recent trips to Celtic Park - since the start of 2022-23, they have lost all five of their away games against Celtic. The last time that happened was in April 1980. 

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists there are "many options" still open for Victor Osimhen, who has been exiled from their squad for the Serie A season after failing to clinch a transfer.

Osimhen was linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea or Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in the recent transfer window, yet a switch failed to materialise.

Chelsea were reportedly unwilling to meet his wage demands, while Al-Ahli signed Brentford's Ivan Toney after Osimhen refused to move to Saudi Arabia.

Osimhen, who scored 26 goals in Napoli's Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022-23, has now been left out of Antonio Conte's Serie A squad, with Romelu Lukaku brought in as his replacement and taking the Nigerian's number nine shirt.

The striker now faces the prospect of sitting out four months until the January transfer window opens, unless Napoli can find a way to move him on.

"The situation is very clear. Victor expressed his absolute desire to not stay at, or play for, Napoli," Manna told DAZN on Saturday.

"We tried to make him happy. Then there was a demand and an offer, and we thought we had concluded negotiations, but then it didn't go through. 

"He expressed his desire to no longer play for Napoli and so we made other choices.

"The transfer market is still open in some countries, so there are many options, but I don't think Victor will go to Saudi Arabia."

Napoli picked up their second win of the Serie A season on Saturday, with stoppage-time goals from Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa firing them to a 2-1 comeback victory over Parma.

After that game, Conte confirmed Osimhen was not part of his plans, saying: "No player will be reintegrated. 

"Those who are out of the project will remain out of the project. We made our choices and work in one direction all together."

Pep Guardiola is hopeful Manchester City will have Phil Foden available after the international break, casting doubt on his chances of representing England in the Nations League.

Foden has suffered from illness in the early stages of the season, missing victories over Ipswich Town and West Ham after playing 45 minutes at Chelsea on matchday one.

While City have not suffered for Foden's absence, maintaining a perfect record to start the campaign, Guardiola is keen to have the 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Season available as soon as possible.

Foden scored 19 league goals and added eight assists in 2023-24, netting vital hat-tricks against Brentford and Aston Villa as City were flawless throughout the run-in.

He has been included in Lee Carsley's England squad for their upcoming fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, but Guardiola is not certain he will feature in those games. 

Asked how long City fans will have to wait to see Foden again, Guardiola said: "Hopefully not too long. Hopefully after the international break he'll be ready.

"He played against Chelsea for 45 minutes but then after he didn't feel good. He had tests and feels much better, but he still doesn't feel perfect.

"I prefer we have that time for him to recover and be fine and after, come back after the international break and be ready for those games."

City's next Premier League fixture sees them host Brentford on September 14, before they welcome Inter to the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League opener four days later.

Cucho Hernandez dedicated Columbus Crew's dramatic last-gasp victory over New York City FC to the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau.

The Crew struck twice in stoppage time to seal a 4-2 triumph and extend their winning streak across all competitions to eight matches.

Despite cancelling out Alonso Martinez's early strike through Diego Rossi and Maximilian Arfsten, Columbus were pegged back in the 86th minute by Mounsef Bakrar.

However, the hosts were not to be denied at Lower.com Field as DeJuan Jones and Jacen Russell-Rowe snatched victory in stoppage time, while Julian Fernandez was sent off for the visitors.

Striker Hernandez took to X to pay tribute to Gaudreau, who plied his trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, after the seven-time All-Star and his younger brother Matthew were killed in a bicycling accident in Philadelphia on Thursday.

"We would like to dedicate this victory to Johnny and his brother Matthew," he posted. "Our condolences to his family at this difficult time. May they rest in peace."

Nico Williams remains happy at Athletic Bilbao for now but is unsure what his long-term future holds, saying: "God knows what will happen." 

Williams reportedly attracted interest from Barcelona and Arsenal during the recent transfer window, having enjoyed a terrific campaign as Spain won Euro 2024.

The winger played six of La Roja's seven games in Germany, scoring twice and laying on one assist. 

Only fellow Spain wideman Lamine Yamal (19) bettered his 13 chances created at the tournament, while he ranked second for successful dribbles (13) to Dani Olmo (14).

Williams has three years remaining on his contract with Athletic but that deal contains a €55million release clause, yet no club activated it before the window closed on Friday.

 

Speaking to DAZN after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, the 22-year-old insisted he remains content in the Basque Country.

"There were approaches from many clubs. I did well at the Euros and that's a great showcase," he said.

"I had many clubs to choose from but my heart is with Athletic. I'm happy here, I'm very happy here. God knows what will happen in the future."

Athletic have four points from as many matches in LaLiga this season, having also beaten Valencia, drawn with Getafe and lost to Barcelona.

Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin demanded improvements after watching his side play out a goalless draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

BVB produced a meek attacking performance at the Weserstadion, with a 20-yard effort from substitute Karim Adeyemi representing their best sight of goal in the second half.

They attempted nine shots totalling just 0.63 expected goals (xG) overall, managing just 14 touches in the area to their hosts' 22.

To make matters worse, Dortmund saw centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck sent off for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute and had to dig in for their point, leaving Sahin frustrated.

"As Borussia Dortmund, we have to perform differently, even if the team has undergone changes and has a new coach," Sahin told reporters. 

"It would be a very cheap excuse to say it is because of the transfer window. We have worked very well in the market. Still, we are expected to play better."

Dortmund have four points from their first two games of the Bundesliga season and host Heidenheim next time out on September 13, before facing Club Brugge in their Champions League opener five days later.

Jadon Sancho wants to "bring excitement" to "iconic" Chelsea, and is looking to emulate idols Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba following his Deadline Day move from Manchester United.

The winger joined the Blues on a season-long loan deal which, according to widespread reports, includes an obligation to buy for between £20million and £25million.

That means Sancho would not be returning to Old Trafford, where he found first-team opportunities limited after a public falling out with head coach Erik ten Hag.

The 24-year-old, who made 83 appearances for United, spent the second half of last season on loan with former club Borussia Dortmund, helping the Bundesliga side reach their third Champions League final along the way.

Sancho appeared from the bench in the Red Devils' Community Shield defeat against Manchester City, but was not included in the matchday squad for their opening two Premier League games of the new season.

And he is excited by the prospect of a fresh start under Enzo Maresca, whose vision at Stamford Bridge proved too difficult for him to turn down. 

"I think it's the manager who really drew me to the project," Sancho, who will wear the number 19 shirt, told Chelsea's official website. 

"He spoke to me on the phone about this project and what he was building here, and for a young player like myself it's exciting, and I can't wait to get started.

"I enjoy his style of play. When [the wingers] get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct. We play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker combination plays. It's very attractive.

"I'm a skilful player and I want to bring excitement to the Bridge. Hopefully, it will turn out well.

"Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, and now I have the opportunity to play for this club like them. It's a great feeling."

Antonio Conte was displeased with the transfer market deadline due to potential injury risks after their 2-1 win over Parma.

Debutant Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa scored stoppage-time goals to earn the Italian his second victory as Napoli head coach, and provisionally move fourth in the standings.

However, he was concerned about not having squad depth while dealing with last-minute changes made to his team due to the transfer window closing on Friday, leaving him hoping his players can remain fit.

"We take these three points knowing full well that we have to work after this absurdity of the transfer market," Conte told reporters.

"Coaches have to train players who are going to leave and wait for players we've never worked with and don't know in what condition they'll be when they arrive.

"We had zero midfielders on the bench today, as yesterday [Gennaro] Iaccarino and [Coli] Saco went on loan. We had to pray that nothing happened to [Stanislav] Lobotka and Anguissa.

"I hope that things can change in the future, seeing as everyone is ready to change formats and rules."

Conte added he was pleased with Napoli's transfer window, as they added Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour to their ranks on Friday, despite the failure of Victor Osimhen's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

"We did not just bring in players to build on an existing team but to fill certain empty slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club," he said.

"If we had been able to sell Osimhen, it would've been an even better situation, but what happened cannot be changed, and we move on."

Luis Suarez scored two and orchestrated another as Inter Miami cruised to a 4-1 win over Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on Saturday.

His shot led to the opening own goal before his second-half double put the game out of reach as Miami stretched their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to nine points. 

Suarez played a neat one-two with Diego Gomez to set up a strike from the edge of the box, and though Chris Brady did well to save it, he pushed it straight against Tobias Salquist, who chested it over the line 25 minutes in.

The Uruguayan thumped a free header against the bar minutes later, but finally got his reward just after the break – he raced in behind before slotting a neat shot in at the near post.

Alba then picked him out for his second in the 65th minute, fizzing a low cross into the six-yard box for him to guide past Brady.

Gomez was unlucky from distance as his drilled shot hit the inside of the post before Georgios Koutsias' instinctive close-range finish beat Drake Callender.

Substitute Robert Taylor then rounded off the scoring with a lovely first-time finish in stoppage time.

Data Debrief: Suarez continues to step up in Messi's absence

Miami have now been without their talisman Lionel Messi for three months due to the Copa America and an ankle injury, but Suarez has proven once again that they still pose a threat without him.

He has scored four times from a total of 12 shots since MLS resumed, with nine of those coming in this game. 

The 37-year-old ran the show, leading the team in expected goals (1.4), shots on target (five), touches in the box (eight) and big chances (four).

Paulo Fonseca was quick to dismiss talk of any tension with Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez, who both appeared to snub him shortly after coming off the bench.

The pair came off the bench to help earn a 2-2 draw with Lazio on Saturday, being brought on in a quadruple change by Fonseca after being left out of the starting line-up. 

Milan were losing 2-1 at the time of their introduction, and they immediately turned things around, with Hernandez and debutant Tammy Abraham, another substitute, involved in Leao's equaliser.

Minutes later, the game stopped for a cooling break, with both managers using the opportunity to instruct their players, but both Leao and Hernandez remained on the far side of the pitch, taking no part in the team talk.

"The situation with Theo and Leao, there is no problem and I think Theo has already explained," Fonseca told DAZN.

"We don't need to create any problems. This week I spoke with the players and they accepted my decision. There is no problem, I was concentrated, and I didn't see that they weren't there."

Hernandez had already given his reasons immediately after the game.

"We had been on for two minutes, we didn't need the cooling break," Hernandez said.

"It was nothing against the team and the coach. Then people talk, say things that aren't true. Rafa and I are always with the team to help, and that is the important thing."

Milan are still without a league win this season after three games, but Fonseca says he saw a decent performance in the opening half, giving him something to work on.

"We had a good first half. We always managed the game well with the ball. When you control the game like this, we have to have more moments to become dangerous, but it's something we have to work on," Fonseca told Milan TV.

"We must always have the courage we had in the first half because we did good things. If we had won the other two games, this could have been a good result, but it is not so. But we have to start from today's first half."

Marco Reus is desperate to bring silverware to the LA Galaxy after making a flying start to his time in MLS, with St. Louis City the destination for his first road game on Sunday.

Reus registered a goal and an assist on debut last week as the Galaxy beat Atlanta United 2-0, maintaining their grip on top spot in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy are five points clear of local rivals Los Angeles FC at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's trip to St. Louis, who are 13th and 10 points adrift of the playoff picture.

Reus' arrival in Los Angeles has caused plenty of fanfare, but he is focused solely on the team's collective aims.

"It's not about me, it's about the team," he said. "We want to be champions. So we take it game by game.

"Besides the traffic, it's really amazing. The people are so friendly. The weather, it's really nice. When you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining, you start the day differently.

"So I'm really, really happy every morning I come into the dressing room. I'm just happy and excited."

St. Louis played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with the Portland Timbers last week, twice throwing away a two-goal lead to leave interim coach John Hackworth bewildered. 

"Really don't know what to say," Hackworth said. "It's hard to imagine coming to a place like this and scoring four goals, being up, and then just losing one-versus-one defensive battles.

"Sometimes, the number of goals you give up, or the number of goals you score, can hide a lot of the transition moments.

"An easy way to prevent some of these defensive miscues from happening is to just be better with the ball."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen

Lowen scored his fourth goal of the MLS season last time out, converting from the penalty spot as St. Louis drew 4-4 with the Timbers.

Only Joao Klauss, with five goals, has outscored him for St. Louis this term.

LA Galaxy – Marco Reus

Reus is one of 20 players in MLS history to record a goal and an assist on his regular-season debut. 

He is also the fifth Galaxy player to do so, after Steven Gerrard, Andreas Herzog, Giovani dos Santos and Sasha Victorine. No other team have had more than two players achieve the feat.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

The Galaxy have won 10 of their last 13 regular-season matches, the first time they have done so in a single season since 2011. LA have not recorded 11 wins in a span of 14 matches within a single regular season in the post-shootout era (since 2000).

It would be no surprise to see the points shared in this one, though. All three meetings between St. Louis and the Galaxy have ended level, all with different scorelines (1-1, 2-2, 3-3).

St. Louis have only won one of the last six matches in which they have held the lead in regular-season play dating back to the beginning of June (four draws, one defeat).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 35.8%

LA Galaxy – 38.1%

Draw – 26.1%

Barcelona forward Raphinha believes the team have laid down a statement of their intent by starting the season with four straight wins in LaLiga.

Raphinha scored the first hat-trick of his career and also delivered two assists on Saturday, as Barca crushed Real Valladolid 7-0 at Camp Nou.

Hansi Flick's side already possess a four-point cushion at the top of the table after also recording victories over Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano.

Raphinha believes their results have demonstrated the club got things right in the transfer market, telling Movistar: "Today's game has shown that there is no need for anyone else to come. We are very happy because of that.

"We are in very good shape. The team is working hard. Today's result shows what we are working for. 

"We saw that the coach was on the sidelines asking for more goals and that's our mentality.

"We are hungry and want to score as many goals as we can. When we are dominant like we have been, the best way to respect our rivals is not taking the foot off the gas."

Raphinha was one of the players who faced criticism during Barca's trophyless 2023-24 campaign and was rumoured to be on his way out ahead of the new season.

The Blaugrana again battled financial restrictions throughout the window, allowing Ilkay Gundogan to leave in order to secure the registration of new arrival Dani Olmo.

With his future now certain, Raphinha is keen to nail down a starting spot and contribute on a regular basis.

"I don't know if today's was my best game, but it's certainly among my best. I will try to play even better and as much as I can," the Brazilian said.

"I'm very happy to be able to help the team. I feel good. I knew that this season would be very important for me. I'm looking for my best version to help my team-mates and be more confident."

Rafael Leao came off the bench to earn Milan a 2-2 draw with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, but Paulo Fonseca's side are still without a Serie A win this season.

Milan were in front at the break through Strahinja Pavlovic's eighth-minute goal, the Serbian rising highest to power home a header from Christian Pulisic's corner.

However, Lazio hit back in the second half with Valentin Castellanos and Boulaye Dia scoring in quick succession.

Nuno Tavares' first-time ball into the centre was met by the unmarked Castellanos to level in the 62nd minute, then Dia tapped another Tavares cutback home to put the Biancocelesti ahead four minutes later.

Fonseca reacted by sending on four substitutes, and those changes had a swift impact as three of them combined for the leveller. 

Theo Hernandez – who joined Leao in being dropped from the start – picked out Tammy Abraham, and his lay-off allowed Leao to escape Tavares to fire past Ivan Provedel.

The game was preceded by an emotional tribute to the man who led Lazio to their last league title, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died at the age of 76 on Monday.

A Lazio shirt bearing the Swede's name was displayed on the home bench, while a banner held up by the home fans read: "You brought us to the top of the world... Have a good trip Mr. Sven."

Data Debrief: Milan's slow start continues

New Milan boss Fonseca is already under pressure after overseeing a return of two points from his first three league games at the helm.

It is the first time the Rossoneri have drawn two of their opening three matches in a Serie A season since 2011-12, when they also drew two and lost one, 

They went on to finish second that season, just four points adrift of champions Juventus. If a title challenge is to take place this term, rapid improvements are needed. 

Romelu Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa scored in second-half stoppage time as Napoli fought back for a thrilling 2-1 victory over Parma in Serie A.

Newly promoted Parma, who stunned Milan last week, looked set to claim a second surprise win in as many games when Ange-Yoan Bonny won and converted a 19th-minute penalty.

The momentum of the game changed, however, when Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was shown his second yellow card for a foul on David Neres with 15 minutes of the 90 remaining.

With no further substitutions available to the visitors, defender Enrico Del Prato took over in goal and went close to getting his team over the line with a clean sheet intact.

However, new signing Lukaku came off the bench to equalise for Napoli in the second minute of stoppage time, shortly after the Partenopei had seen a penalty overturned following a VAR review.

There was more drama to come at the death as Anguissa headed home in the sixth minute of stoppage time, though Napoli also had to survive one last scare as  Pontus Almqvist was denied by Alex Meret at the other end.

Data Debrief: Flying start for Lukaku

Just as Napoli's hopes seemed to be slipping away, up stepped debutant Lukaku to level with a low strike, setting the stage for the most remarkable of comeback victories.

Across the last five Serie A campaigns, Lukaku has 29 goals in 48 home games for Inter, Roma and Napoli. That is the fewest home games required by any player to net over 25 goals in the competition during that span.

Parma, meanwhile, were left to rue the sending-off of Suzuki, who became their first goalkeeper to see red in Serie A since Antonio Mirante against Sassuolo, back in March 2015.

Thomas Frank heaped praise on Brentford's pressing following their 3-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday.

Bryan Mbeumo scored twice from Brentford's forwards forcing the Southampton backline into errors as the Bees earned their second Premier League win of the season.

This did not go unnoticed by Frank, who believes his side rank as one of the best in the league when it comes to that specific aspect.

He told BBC Sport: "They made errors because we pressed them unbelievably well. I think we are one of the best teams to do the high pressure in the Premier League.

"The players are so committed and that is the reason why we capitalised on errors from Southampton.”

Despite the departure of Ivan Toney to Al-Ahli, Frank does not think their style of play will have to be restructured too much, with both Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa enjoying productive starts to the season in his absence.

Frank said: “Ivan is a fantastic player, I'd love to have him in the team but he has his own journey and is going elsewhere.

"Our style of play hasn't changed. Wissa and Ivan are different players but the style doesn't change.”

Southampton boss Russell Martin was frustrated with his side’s mistakes at crucial moments, believing their performance was far better than the scoreline suggested.

He said to the BBC: “We made two mistakes that we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing.

"I saw lots of good things to feel positive about. I feel a lot better this week than I did after the Nottingham Forest game.”

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.