Their second FIFA friendly, slated for today in Kathmandu, was cancelled as protests against corruption and a government-imposed social media ban swept Kathmandu.

Italy prevailed in a whirlwind game to beat Israel 5-4 in their World Cup qualifier in Hungary on Monday after the Italians scored two own goals, twice came from behind and conceded a late equaliser but scrambled a win to stay in the hunt in Group I.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has outlined plans to incorporate more long throw-ins and long balls into his side's approach ahead of next year's World Cup.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Emran Hossain confirmed to The Daily Star that the friendly had indeed been called off.

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has welcomed the arrival of British record signing Alexander Isak and says he is excited about the challenge of competing for a place in the line-up with the Swedish forward.

Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick as a majestic Spain thumped Turkey 6-0 away in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, while a brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running.

Memphis Depay became the Netherlands' all-time top goalscorer with a brace in their 3-2 win in Lithuania in World Cup qualifying on Sunday.

Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday criticised the "serious and avoidable" injuries suffered by Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue while on international duty with the France national team.

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele faces about six weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while winger Desire Doue will be out of action for around four weeks due to a calf problem, the European champions said.

Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer the winger who once tore down flanks with blistering pace. More than a decade ago, he reinvented himself into a different kind of player -- one who recognised that his body needed adaptation, transitioning from a dazzling winger to a prolific striker for a more sustainable and record-boosting career.

Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said on Saturday that a return to Manchester City later this month in the colours of his new club Napoli will be a strange sensation.

Thomas Tuchel challenged England to "prove a point" against Serbia in next week's crucial World Cup qualifier after his side laboured to a 2-0 win over minnows Andorra on Saturday.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Saturday pledged changes to his side for Sunday's crunch World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Cologne after falling to a 2-0 defeat in Slovakia.

 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix both struck twice as the visitors brushed aside Armenia 5-0 on Saturday, giving Jose Martinez’s side a perfect start in their World Cup qualifiers.

England needed an own goal to open the scoring in a 2-0 win over Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday before Declan Rice made the result more respectable as they failed to sparkle against the tiny principality ranked 170 places below them.

The Spaniard insisted the current group is already highly competitive but admitted that absentees remain a factor.

Bangladesh and Nepal played out an uneventful goalless draw in the first of two FIFA international friendly fixtures at the beleaguered Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Paris Saint-Germain confirmed that their manager Luis Enrique was forced into hospital after fracturing his collarbone during a cycling accident on Friday.

Bangladesh's hopes for making it to the final round of AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers for the very first time were dashed following a 1-0 defeat against Yemen in Vietnam on Saturday.

France forward Kylian Mbappe said equalling Thierry Henry's tally of 51 international goals was an honour, but added that surpassing Olivier Giroud's all-time record was not something he dwells on, as his focus stays on winning titles with Les Bleus.