Philippe Troussier made a successful return to Africa as CS Sfaxien accounted for rivals ES Tunis 1-0 in CAF Champions League on Saturday.

Troussier had been away from African football for six years following his decision to quit the Morocco national team in 2008 but the recently appointment Frenchman returned to oversee Sfaxien s Group B triumph.

Mohamed Ali Manser was the hero for Sfaxien in the all-Tunisian affair at the Stade Taieb Mhiri, scoring in the 77th minute for his fifth goal in four games.

The three-time CAF Confederation Cup champions, who parted ways with former coach Hamadi Daw recently, are now second in Group B with seven points from four games.

Sfaxien are one point adrift of Algerian leaders ES Setif, who they face in the final round, …

Harry Kane hoped to put his World Cup heartbreak behind him as he was named in Tottenham s starting line-up for Monday s trip to Brentford.

Kane missed a late penalty for England in their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar earlier this month.

With Tottenham and Brentford set to play the first Premier League game since the World Cup ended with Lionel Messi and Argentina beating Les Bleus in last week s final, it had been speculated that Spurs boss Antonio Conte would rest players who had featured in the latter stages of the tournament.

However, Kane was included in the team to face the Bees, along with other World Cup participants Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Captain Hugo Lloris was named on the bench, with Fra…

UEFA has confirmed it will investigate the abandonment of Tuesday s Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania.

Referee Martin Atkinson was forced to call a halt to the Group I match at Stadion Partizana following a pitch disturbance towards the end of the first half, with the score reading 0-0.

A drone flew over the ground, carrying a flag featuring Albanian national symbols.

Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic jumped to bring the flag down and an unsavoury melee between players from both sides soon escalated as a number of supporters entered the field of play.

Following an initial suspension of play and the deployment of riot police around the pitch, the match was abandoned.

A short statement from European football s governing body confirmed an…

Switzerland started their Euro 2024 involvement in a very good way, by beating Group A rivals Hungary 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne in the opening round. Their victory follows that of Germany over Scotland by 5-1 in the tournament opener the previous evening.

Switzerland were ahead in the 22nd minute through Kwadwo Duah, and having assisted that goal with a brilliant pass, Michel Aebischer doubled their lead in the 45th. A deft header from Barnabas Varga assisted by Dominik Szoboslai in the 66th offered hope for Hungary, but Breel Embolo put the game beyond their reach by scoring Switzerland s third goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.

The teams

Both coaches set their teams up in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Hungary b…

Messi on target as Barca cut gap to just one point

Another weekend in La Liga, another row, but this time it wasn’t the referees, goal line technology or red cards, it was something else entirely,  it was well, the weather.

Deportivo delayed

It all started on Friday night with Deportivo, who saw their clash against Real Betis called off after heavy rains and winds damaged part of the roof at the Estadio Riazor. The game was postponed amid safety fears and it was not the only match to be hit.

Madrid face fixture pile-up after postponement

The chaos continued on Saturday as ’s game at Celta Viga, scheduled for Sunday, was also called off. Or was it? Confusion reigned for hours with Zinedine Zidane’s men desperate to get the game on even though the Estadio…

Liverpool continued their Merseyside derby dominance over Everton with a 3-1 victory at Anfield on Saturday, a result that could have big implications in the race for Champions League football. 

Sadio Mane, who scored a last-minute winner at Goodison Park in the reverse fixture, struck early on with his 13th Premier League goal of the season.

Defender Matthew Pennington, playing in his first Everton match of the season, responded for the visitors just before the half-hour mark but Philippe Coutinho promptly restored the hosts lead with a wonderful finish.

Liverpool lost Mane to injury after the break, although that did not damage Jurgen Klopp s men, Divock Origi striking within four minutes of coming on to replace him to seal a crucial victory and star man C…

Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele has discussed a potential exit from Tottenham this summer, revealing he s open to anything as rumours continue to circulate.

The 30-year-old has remained loyal to the north London side since 2012 but, as he enters the final year of his contract, is considering a move away from White Hart Lane.

A wealth of potential suitors have emerged for the experienced midfielder, including clubs in the United States and China, but Dembele has stated he will not consider an approach from another side within English football.

Dubbing Tottenham as my club , Dembele revealed he has already held discussions with some of his international colleagues regarding potential destinations.

Tottenham is my club, my family is happy in London and th…

Barcelona star Lionel Messi described equalling Raul s UEFA Champions League goalscoring record as a happy moment .

The Argentine was quick to point out the importance of his team s 2-0 win at Ajax on Wednesday, sending Barca into the knockout stages.

Messi scored his 70th and 71st goals in the competition, with the latter sending him level with Real Madrid great Raul.

It s a happy moment for me, he said.

I think it s great but the most important thing was to get the three points so that we will be able to qualify for the next round.

We secured the points, therefore I m happy.

Messi said he would remember every one of his goals, but highlighted those scored in finals in 2009 and 2011.

I don t remember one goal especially. I al…

Wolfsburg have announced on their official website the capture of Dutch defender Paul Verhaegh from Augsburg.

The 33-year-old signed a two-year contract with his new employers after the two clubs had agreed on a transfer fee, believed to be around €1.5 million.

The former Augsburg captain leaves the club after seven successful years, six of which were spent in German Bundesliga.

Verhaegh clearly felt it was time for a new challenge and he will now be looking to help the Wolves try and return to where they belong.

The three-time Netherlands international joined Augsburg from Vitesse back in 2010 and went on to make 186 league appearances for the club.

…

Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa has given up hope of winning the Ligue 1 title after his team s third consecutive loss on Friday.

A 20th-minute goal from Serge Gakpe saw Nantes upset Marseille 1-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau.

Bielsa s men are fourth and seven points adrift of league leaders Lyon, with their spot in the European places suddenly under threat.

The Argentine took responsibility for his team s loss, and said their title bid was over.

A team that loses three consecutive matches in the closing stages of the championship cannot hope to win the title, Bielsa said.

Our play as a team wasn t good enough and it is purely the coach s responsibility.We played poorly on an individual level too. We could have won but we played n…