Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann defended Dayot Upamecano's performance in Sunday's 2-1 Bundesliga upset at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.

A run of 30 matches without defeat at home was snapped by Eintracht, who stunned the Bundesliga champions and leaders thanks to Martin Hinteregger and Filip Kostic at Allianz Arena.

Upamecano was criticised following his display, with the off-season recruit from RB Leipzig punished for losing possession as Kostic scored the 83rd-minute winner.

Asked about France international centre-back Upamecano, Nagelsmann told reporters: "I didn't have a conversation with Dayot Upamecano yet. After the game, there is sadly no time for me.

"The whole chain, has done a lot of steps forward in the recent weeks. They have done it better before though. They were all not so clear with their actions.

"That's why the opponent had that many counter attacks. Kostic has done it very hard for us today and has scored the goal in that duel.

"Upa has played a lot of good games since he is here and today a weaker one. That can happen."

 

Bayern had been in scintillating form heading into this match against Eintracht, whom they had beaten in 12 successive home league matches prior to Sunday's visit.

Nagelsmann's Bayern, who last tasted defeat on home soil in the German top flight against Bayer Leverkusen some 31 games ago, are now level with the latter atop the summit heading into the international break.

"First of all, congratulations Oliver [Glasner] and your team," Nagelsmann said after Leon Goretzka's 29th-minute opener was cancelled out within three minutes. "I think this was a game, which we didn't need to lose. It started to look like this in the second half, where we did not have a good structure anymore. This game wasn't a lot different, from the games before, just the result was.

"We did have a lot of chances today and unlike in [Dynamo] Kiev and Bochum, we just didn't score the goals. We only scored one, which could have been enough. Despite that, the game was very similar. Now it is the international break and we will have some time afterwards to go over those scenarios. There is a lot to take out of the last three games, where we could have done similar things better, want to make better and will do better. In the end, there were two very dangerous counter attacks. Once we had a lot of luck, that Frankfurt did not pass the ball deeper earlier, to then go 2-0 ahead.

"Instead Manuel [Neuer] was able to get the ball. With the goal we conceded, we had a feeling in the second half. [Djibril] Sow had a lot of time on the ball and dribbled four metres sideways. That was most of the time like this. Very rarely, Frankfurt had the pressure to pass the ball into the depth. Instead, they had a lot of time in their actions. That cost us the true pressure-phase in the second half.

"We weren't able to build up the pressure, from a secured defence. In nine out of 10 situations, we got out of our box. We had to run then back into that deep block, then one counter, we couldn't get and that went in. Whether we deserved it or not, we had 20 shots on target to their five and it doesn't matter if it was deserved. We lost. Frankfurt did well and we could have done a lot of things better to win. It is like this now, that's why I will still continue and we will look forward to the game against Leverkusen after the international break."

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli encouraged his players to "dream" of winning the Scudetto after equalling their best-ever start to a Serie A season thanks to a 3-2 win at Atalanta.

The Rossoneri held on to secure victory away to Atalanta and move into second place on 19 points after seven league fixtures, matching the record they set in the title-winning 2003-04 campaign.

Davide Calabria opened the scoring after less than 30 seconds – the third-fastest goal in Serie A for Milan since the 2004-05 season (since Opta started to collect this data), with only Rafael Leao (six seconds against Sassuolo) and Sulley Muntari (18 seconds against Juventus) netting faster.

Sandro Tonali and Leo were also on target for high-flying Milan as Pioli welcomed talk of a trophy challenge.

"We have to play to win every single game, we played with quality and energy," Pioli said, with Milan searching for their first Serie A crown since 2010-11.

"This test closes a positive period in which the team has always responded, even in Champions League defeats. It means we are growing.

"Is Tonali talking about the Scudetto? It's right that the guys ride this dream, at every game we have the chance to show that we can compete.

"It's a two-year journey, but now we must not be satisfied, but remaining humble and respecting our opponents. Tonight we did well what we missed in the first half hour against Liverpool, we were very dynamic."

Pioli also reserved special praise for former Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie, who has featured regularly for Milan this term despite having just one year left on his contract.

It remains to be seen whether Kessie will remain at San Siro beyond 2021-22 amid links with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

"[I] never had doubts about Franck's behaviour, the contract events exist but he played an amazing game," Pioli said. 

"[It was a] high level from everyone, but his, in particular, was an excellent race from a physical and technical point of view. He remains a regular member of this team, but like other members of the squad."

Milan will look to continue their title charge when they host Hellas Verona at San Siro on October 16 after the upcoming international break.

Davide Calabria scored inside the first 30 seconds as Milan triumphed 3-2 over Atalanta to regain second place in the Serie A table on Sunday.

The Rossoneri captain tucked home the rebound after his initial shot was parried poorly by Juan Musso with the hosts caught cold, before Sandro Tonali profited from a Remo Freuler error to add a second and Rafael Leao rifled in a third.

Duvan Zapata smashed home a penalty after substitute Junior Messias was deemed to have handled the ball in the area after a VAR check and the striker set Mario Pasalic up to convert at the back post as the seconds wound down, but Gian Piero Gasperini's men left it too late to salvage a point.

The result sees Milan maintain their unbeaten record, with this their sixth win from their opening seven league fixtures, only dropping points in their 1-1 draw away to Juventus so far. 

Thomas Muller was left "disappointed, angry and upset" after Bayern Munich's unbeaten start to Julian Nagelsmann's tenure was brought to an end with a shock 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Bayern had gone 10 without defeat in competitive games since Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick, winning the last nine of those, but they came unstuck at Allianz Arena on Sunday.

Leon Goretzka deservedly put the reigning champions in front, only for Martin Hinteregger to equalise before half-time and Filip Kostic to secure a smash-and-grab win late on.

Kevin Trapp produced 10 saves to keep Frankfurt in the match, with Bayern only finding the net from one of their 20 shots, compared to two goals from five efforts for the visitors.

Muller created a game-high five big chances, but he was left to reflect on a rare home league loss – Bayern's first in 31 matches in a run spanning back to November 2019.

"We are disappointed, angry and upset," Muller told DAZN. "We definitely shouldn't have lost this game. We lacked effectiveness. 

"We felt we had a lot of scoring chances, but the crucial centimetre was missing. Frankfurt scored from their first shot and their two goals in the end were enough."

 

Bayern are now level on points with Bayer Leverkusen at the summit heading into the two-week break after falling just short of making it a perfect 10 wins from 10 since their opening-game draw, and Nagelsmann rued his side's profligacy in front of goal.

"Defeats always hurt and today's defeat was very avoidable," he told DAZN. "We had enough chances to score. 

"In the end we conceded a classic Kostic goal, which was absolutely avoidable. Kevin Trapp played a very good game. We had good chances and didn't take them so we lost.

"When you look at the stats we had 20 shots against five to them. It doesn't matter if we deserved more because in the end we lost. 

"Now we have to analyse what wrong and look forward to the next game in Leverkusen after the international break."

Frankfurt's victory was their first of the Bundesliga season and their first away to Bayern in the league since 2000 when Felix Magath was in charge.

The shock triumph would not have been possible if not for Trapp, whose 10 saves was the joint-most in a single game this campaign in Europe's top five leagues.

Only Oliver Baumann for Hoffenheim against Dortmund and Sascha Burchert for Greuther Furth versus Stuttgart can match that impressive save count.

"I had a lot of work to do today," Trapp told DAZN. "We defended very well. Nobody seriously believed we would get something from Bayern today. 

"We were a bit lucky, of course. We got the maximum out of what was possible. Our plan worked out very well in the end."

Members of Craig Butler’s Phoenix Football Academy, who play at the national and international level, are likely to be included under Jamaica’s Athletes Insurance Plan, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia Grange announced on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti reflected on a 2-1 defeat to Espanyol as Real Madrid's worst performance since he returned to the club.

A miserable week for Los Blancos took another turn for the worse when they missed the chance to restore a three-point lead at the top of LaLiga at RCDE Stadium on Sunday.

Sensationally beaten 2-1 by Moldovan side Sheriff in the Champions League in midweek, Madrid went down by the same scoreline following goals from Raul de Tomas and Aleix Vidal.

Karim Benzema pulled one back, but Ancelotti pulled no punches with his verdict after watching his side slip up before the international break.

The Italian said: "It was our worst game [of the season]. We played badly, there is not much more to say. We have to change our attitude this week.

"The defeat is not an accident because we deserved to lose. We are worried because two defeats in a row at this club is not customary and we must remedy this, correcting the errors."

Ancelotti says Madrid must reflect on their shortcomings during the international break.

He added: "We have started with an idea and the idea has changed with the first goal conceded. We were not able to keep calm and the idea and the team has been poorly positioned with the ball and without it.

"The approach was quite clear, I am not going to explain it now. The team has been very messy, with and without the ball. We have to fix it, I have discussed it with the players and they agree.

"Now comes the break. Sometimes it is better to play again immediately, but you have to use the break to reflect."

Bayern Munich's unbeaten start to Julian Nagelsmann's tenure came to an end on Sunday with a shock 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Bavarian giants had won nine in a row since an opening-game draw and looked set for another routine victory at Allianz Arena when Leon Goretzka deservedly put them in front.

But Martin Hinteregger equalised for Frankfurt before the interval and Kevin Trapp made a number of saves to put the visitors on course for a fifth successive 1-1 league draw.

Not content with only a point, Filip Kostic rifled in a winner seven minutes from time to inflict a first home Bundesliga loss on stunned champions Bayern since November 2019.

Real Madrid suffered a dismal end to a humiliating week as they were stunned 2-1 by Espanyol, missing out on the chance to restore a three-point lead at the top of LaLiga.

Madrid were the victims of one of the greatest shocks in Champions League history in midweek as they were incredibly beaten 2-1 by Moldovan debutants Sheriff at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And they now only lead LaLiga on goal difference after a limp performance at RCDE Stadium, where Espanyol took a 2-0 lead through goals from Raul de Tomas and Aleix Vidal.

Karim Benzema was in inspired form, and he gave Madrid hope in the 71st minute, yet the visitors were again left to reflect on a humbling despite their star forward's best efforts.

Save for a couple of tame shots from Benzema, Madrid struggled to create chances early on despite dominating possession, and they were punished against the run of play as De Tomas stole in at the near post to turn home Adrian Embarba's low right-wing cross.

Espanyol continued in the ascendancy without adding to their lead in the first half and were fortunate not to be pegged back four minutes into the second as Eder Militao's header drifted wide.

But Madrid's attacking threat remained largely conspicuous by its absence and Espanyol doubled their advantage when former Barcelona man Vidal was allowed to surge into open space from midfield, skip past Nacho and side-foot beyond Thibaut Courtois.

The hosts should have made it 3-0 as Madrid were caught cold on the counter, only for Sergi Darder to make a horrible mess of his finish with only Courtois to beat.

Benzema was then rightly denied by the offside flag but, after Darder stung Courtois' palms at the other end, the France international gave Madrid a chance with a superb individual effort, evading several challenges on the edge of the box before bending a pinpoint strike inside the right-hand post.

And Benzema looked to have teed Eden Hazard up for a spectacular leveller, but the offside flag was again correctly raised as Espanyol held on to deal Madrid an early blow in the title race. 

Mauricio Pochettino was left "frustrated and disappointed" after Paris Saint-Germain failed to register a shot on target in Sunday's shock 2-0 loss to Rennes.

The Ligue 1 leaders' eight-game winning streak to begin their league campaign came to an end at Roazhon Park as goals from Gaetan Laborde and Flavien Tait proved decisive.

PSG registered 13 shots but failed to test opposition goalkeeper Alfred Gomis from any of those, with Kylian Mbappe having a second-half strike ruled out by VAR for offside.

Mbappe had earlier scuffed a shot over the crossbar with only Gomis to beat, while Neymar was way off target with a volleyed attempt six yards out with the scores still level.

Pochettino also started with fellow superstar forward Lionel Messi, who had a game-high five shots, the most notable of which saw him hit the crossbar from a free-kick.

Angel Di Maria was brought into the side in place of Ander Herrera from Tuesday's 2-0 win over Manchester City, but Pochettino has no regrets over his attack-minded selection.

"I don't think we can look at our system. We played 25 of our best minutes of the season [in the first half]," Pochettino said at his post-match news conference.

"We didn't start the game well, but we then had 25 or 30 minutes of good quality football. It was a shame not to capitalise.

"We then had two psychological blows, conceding just before and just after half-time. The match was then open. We created chances but had a hard time.

"Rennes grew in confidence and we started to become frustrated."

 

The defeat was Messi's first since joining PSG from Barcelona in August, the Argentina international still without a goal in three Ligue 1 matches.

Mbappe, meanwhile, has now had 17 shots since last finding the net in Ligue 1.

While Messi, Mbappe and Di Maria played the full 90 minutes, Neymar was withdrawn 14 minutes from time after managing just that one wayward attempt in the first half.

Rather than point the finger at individuals, however, Pochettino accepted the blame for his side's first league loss since early April, a run of 15 matches.

"When we won against Man City, it was down to a collective effort," he said. "The first person in charge is me. What we did for 25 minutes was of very high quality.

"We must extend that to 90 minutes. I am satisfied with one sector – we created a lot of situations and opportunities."

PSG's 13 attempts without registering a shot on target is their highest in a Ligue 1 match since Opta started collecting such data in 2006-07.

Rather than put the rare setback down to fatigue on the back of a tough European match with Man City five days ago, Pochettino accepts a lack of cutting edge was to blame.

Asked if he was feeling angry, Pochettino said: "Yes, a bit. Nobody likes to lose games. We can't underestimate what Rennes did, but we are frustrated and disappointed.

"We had chances to score and then conceded a couple of goals. Situations like this leave us bitter and disappointed.

"But it's not to do with playing in midweek. We've had five days since then. I repeat, we played 30 minutes of good football today. 

"We had control of the game and conceded when on top. We were immediately 2-0 down in the second half and then it's a different game."

Paris Saint-Germain's winning start to the Ligue 1 campaign came to an end with a shock 2-0 loss to Rennes on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino's side had won eight out of eight in the league prior to their trip to Roazhon Park and were 15 without defeat in the competition since early April.

But the visitors were made to pay for poor misses from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as Gaetan Laborde and Flavien Tait struck for Rennes either side of half-time. 

Mbappe had a goal chalked off for offside and Lionel Messi went close from a free-kick, having earlier struck the crossbar from one, but PSG could not find a response in a rare setback for Pochettino.

 

Travel problems forced PSG's players to make their way to Rennes via road late on Saturday and that appeared to show as they made a sluggish start to the contest.

Rennes failed to truly test Gianluigi Donnarumma during their spell on top, though, and PSG soon got on the front foot as big chances fell the way of Neymar and Mbappe.

But Neymar sliced a volley over from six yards when unmarked and Mbappe scuffed a shot off target with only Alfred Gomis to beat less than two minutes later.

Messi then hit the crossbar from a free-kick and those near misses proved costly when Kamaldeen Sulemana's cross was turned in by Laborde, though Nuno Mendes may have got the final touch.

The home side's second arrived just 18 seconds after half-time as Laborde pulled the ball back for Tait to tuck past Donnarumma when left in plenty of space.

That goal was allowed to stand following a lengthy VAR check and PSG were undone by the technology 21 minutes from time when Mbappe's fine finish was ruled out for offside.

VAR was also required late on to overturn a penalty awarded for an Achraf Hakimi challenge on Laborde, though Rennes comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest.

Paris Saint-Germain's winning start to the Ligue 1 campaign came to an end with a shock 2-0 loss to Rennes on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino's side had won eight out of eight in the league prior to their trip to Roazhon Park and were 15 without defeat in the competition since early April.

But the visitors were made to pay for poor misses from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as Gaetan Laborde and Flavien Tait struck for Rennes either side of half-time. 

Mbappe had a goal chalked off for offside and Lionel Messi went close from a free-kick, having earlier struck the crossbar from one, but PSG could not find a response in a rare setback for Pochettino.

 

Travel problems forced PSG's players to make their way to Rennes via road late on Saturday and that appeared to show as they made a sluggish start to the contest.

Rennes failed to truly test Gianluigi Donnarumma during their spell on top, though, and PSG soon got on the front foot as big chances fell the way of Neymar and Mbappe.

But Neymar sliced a volley over from six yards when unmarked and Mbappe scuffed a shot off target with only Alfred Gomis to beat less than two minutes later.

Messi then hit the crossbar from a free-kick and those near misses proved costly when Kamaldeen Sulemana's cross was turned in by Laborde, though Nuno Mendes may have got the final touch.

The home side's second arrived just 18 seconds after half-time as Laborde pulled the ball back for Tait to tuck past Donnarumma when left in plenty of space.

That goal was allowed to stand following a lengthy VAR check and PSG were undone by the technology 21 minutes from time when Mbappe's fine finish was ruled out for offside.

VAR was also required late on to overturn a penalty awarded for an Achraf Hakimi challenge on Laborde, though Rennes comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest.

Bryan Gil has replaced Marcos Llorente in Spain's squad for the Nations League semi-final against Italy.

Atletico Madrid announced on Sunday that midfielder Llorente suffered a right thigh injury in their 2-0 LaLiga win over Barcelona on Saturday.

It is not clear how long he will be sidelined for but Llorente will play no part as Spain aim to get some small measure of revenge over European champions Italy, who beat them on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

Instead, Tottenham winger Bryan will potentially get the chance to feature at San Siro on Wednesday.

Bryan has already won six caps for Spain during his international career and comes into Luis Enrique's squad despite a low-key start to his Spurs career.

Since joining Tottenham from Sevilla in July, Bryan has made only eight appearances in all competitions.

Three of those have come in the Premier League and four in the Europa Conference League with the other in the EFL Cup.

Bryan has yet to find the net for Spurs and has two chances created to his name.

 

Could Darwin Nunez be the next Benfica star to make a big move?

Portuguese sensation Joao Felix swapped Benfica for Atletico Madrid in a club-record deal in 2019.

Now, Uruguay international Nunez is attracting interest from across Europe.

 

TOP STORY – CITY FRONT OF QUEUE FOR NUNEZ

Manchester City are leading the race to sign Darwin Nunez from Portuguese giants Benfica, according to the Daily Star.

Premier League champions City are desperate to sign a forward amid links with Tottenham's Harry Kane, Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland and Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic.

Nunez has also reportedly attracted interest from BarcelonaLiverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid.

 

ROUND-UP

– United forward Edinson Cavani could join Real Madrid in January, claims Mundo Deportivo. It comes as Cavani finds himself battling Cristiano Ronaldo for regular game time at Old Trafford, where the club's hierarchy are concerned amid their form under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

- The Daily Star reports Arsenal are weighing up a move for out-of-favour City forward Raheem SterlingBarca are also believed to be interested in Sterling, according to The Sun, as they face the prospect of missing out on Leipzig's Dani Olmo. The Spain international has been linked with United, Juventus and Bayern.

Liverpool are eyeing Pogon Szczecin midfielder Kacper Kozlowski, says the Mirror. The 17-year-old has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, RB Leipzig and Salzburg.

Vancouver Whitecaps boosted their MLS play-off chances with a Brian White-inspired 3-0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

White scored a hat-trick as the Whitecaps moved within just one point of the seventh and final post-season spot in the Western Conference heading into the last seven matches of the regular season.

A recruit from New York Red Bulls following June's trade, White – who has scored eight goals in his past nine games – opened the scoring in the 26th minute.

White doubled the lead with a header approaching the hour mark before completing his first career hat-trick 17 minutes from the end – using his head to get on the end of Ryan Gauld's corner.

Montreal topped fellow Eastern Conference play-off hopefuls Atlanta United 2-1 courtesy of Romell Quioto's double.

Heading into the fixture, twelve of the last 15 goals conceded by Atlanta had come in the second half of their games and none of those 15 goals were shipped in the first half an hour.

Quioto scored a five-minute brace inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half to lift Montreal up to fifth in the east, while striking a blow to Atlanta's post-season chances.

Atlanta are eighth and outside the play-off spots – level on points with seventh-placed Philadelphia Union, who have played two games less.

Elsewhere, Orlando City catapulted themselves up to third in the Eastern Conference after Daryl Dike's 97th-minute goal snatched a 2-1 win over DC United, the Red Bulls edged FC Cincinnati 1-0, Austin defeated Real Salt Lake 2-1 and Dallas played out a 0-0 draw with 10-man Minnesota United.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti ruled out the possibility of ever taking charge of LaLiga rivals Barcelona.

Ronald Koeman is under pressure at embattled giants Barca and Madrid great Guti said he would be open to coaching at Camp Nou.

Guti emerged from the youth system of boyhood club Madrid in 1995, going on to captain Los Blancos and win five LaLiga titles and three Champions League crowns among other honours before leaving in 2010.

The 44-year-old former Spain international midfielder returned to coach Madrid's youth team between 2013 and 2018.

But Ancelotti – in his second spell in the Spanish capital – has no plans to coach Barca, despite Guti's revelation.

"With all due respect to a great club like Barcelona, I can't," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of league-leading Madrid's trip to Espanyol on Sunday.

"I can't go against my history; my history says that I have coached Real Madrid, I am the Real Madrid coach.

"I can't go against this. With all due respect for a great club."

Madrid have won 20 of their last 23 games against Espanyol in LaLiga (D2 L1), scoring 61 goals during this time (2.6 per match) and keeping a clean sheet in 17 of them (eight goals conceded overall).

Los Blancos have beaten Espanyol in nine of their 11 visits to the RCDE Stadium in LaLiga (D1 L1) – more than any other visiting side at the ground in the competition.

Madrid have not lost any of their last 18 away matches in LaLiga (W12 D6), and should they avoid defeat to Espanyol, the club will record their longest unbeaten run away from home in the competition's history (19).

Ancelotti has not lost any of his last 17 matches in LaLiga (W14 D3), and could equal his best run as Madrid coach in the competition (18 between October 2013 and March 2014 - W15 D3).

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