Ghana were also in action in Abidjan and suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Cape Verde as three nations with 14 AFCON titles between them all failed to get off to winning starts at this year's tournament.

Vinicius Junior struck a first-half hat-trick to fire Real Madrid to Spanish Super Cup glory in a thumping 4-1 win over rivals Barcelona on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

Manchester United twice gave up one-goal leads in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday, a disappointing result for Erik ten Hag's team who are desperately trying to climb up the Premier League standings.

Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in their Asian Cup Group D opener in a thrilling encounter on Sunday at the Al Thumama Stadium where five goals were scored in the first half and Takumi Minamino grabbed a brace.

It is a major step up next for the hosts, whose second Group A match in Abidjan on Thursday is against powerful Nigeria.

Saudi Arabia hope that the influx of foreign stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar into their club football will help the national team win their first Asian Cup in 28 years.

Jurgen Klinsmann expects his South Korea side to reach the Asian Cup final but warned on Sunday that there will be "drama" and "nail-biters" on the way.

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi got down to business as he returned to Inter Miami's first training session of 2024 in Florida on Saturday when he was reunited with former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, who was signed for the upcoming season. 

Doubles from Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez and a late strike from Marcus Thuram extended Inter's advantage on Juventus, who host Sassuolo on Tuesday night.

The Spaniard, however, was not just waxing lyrical about the returning Belgian after a thrilling victory, he had warm words for Norwegian youngster Oscar Bobb whose goal from De Bruyne's assist secured the points in stoppage time.

The Real Madrid and Barcelona managers see the Spanish Super Cup final as an occasion that stands out both for the trophy on the line and the sporting spectacle it creates, as they prepare for Sunday's match to be played in Riyadh for the second year.

The Belgian came off the bench to score and set up Oscar Bobb's stoppage-time winner to announce his comeback from a five-month injury layoff in style.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke shot down suggestions the returned Jadon Sancho was difficult to manage, saying the England winger "has no problems with discipline".

Exequiel Palacios scored in the fourth minute of injury time to earn Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen a 1-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday, keeping them four points clear of reigning champions Bayern Munich.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique says he doesn't need to replenish his squad in the transfer market despite the French champions missing a number of players.

A brilliant second-half strike from Edward Enrique helped Bangladesh Police FC return to winning ways in the Bangladesh Premier League with a 1-0 win over Sheikh Russel KC at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Saturday.

Cole Palmer fired Chelsea to a 1-0 win against west London rivals Fulham on Saturday as the inconsistent Blues bounced back from their League Cup embarrassment at Middlesbrough.

In front of a deafeningly pro-Indian crowd at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Australia made hard work of the first half, squandering a few decent chances while the underdogs defended raggedly and eyed opportunities to pounce on the break.

“Brazil have to learn to move forward without Neymar because he is injured,” Dorival said yesterday

"I've known Eric for a long time, played with him for a long time, and I know what a great player he can be for us," Kane said.