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Bruno Fernandes seen from behind in Manchester United's number 18 shirt during a match at Old Trafford
Sports 25 October 2026

Man United 0-3 Bournemouth on the day Carrick benched his captain

Four days after Bruno Fernandes questioned the tactics in a 4-1 loss at Como, Michael Carrick left him out of the XI and never brought him on. Rayan, Tavernier and Evanilson scored, and United sit 16th with one win in eight league games.

Manchester United lost 3-0 to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, in the game Michael Carrick chose to start without his captain. Bruno Fernandes sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes.

The call had been the talk of the morning. After Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como, Fernandes told TV that the decision not to press man-to-man had handed the hosts too much space, and that the blame sat with the manager and his staff rather than the players. Carrick answered before kick-off. He described the selection as a pure football decision, and added that a side that doesn’t run forwards and backwards isn’t going to win.

Two goals in five minutes

Bournemouth settled it before half-time. Rayan scored on 38 minutes from Justin Kluivert’s pass, then Leny Yoro slipped, Adrien Truffert pounced and Marcus Tavernier made it two.

Carrick sent on Matheus Cunha for Youri Tielemans at the break, and later Joshua Zirkzee and Shea Lacey. Fernandes stayed put. The third went to Evanilson, the Brazilian who left Porto in 2024, a day after his old club made it nine league wins from nine.

Where it leaves Carrick

The numbers are turning against him. United have one win in eight Premier League games, eight without a win in all competitions, and sit 16th in the official Premier League table. Carrick was handed a permanent deal about five months ago, after steering the club back into the Champions League as interim manager last spring.

He now has a captain who has criticised him in public, a home crowd that watched three goals go in without reply, and an English press openly discussing his future. Fernandes, at Old Trafford since 2020, watched every minute of it from the bench.

By Vasco Almada

Image: Ardfern / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · 2021 photo

Real Madrid players in white and Barcelona players in claret and blue lined up side by side with mascots before the 2025 Copa del Rey final
Sports 25 October 2026

Courtois down with flu as Real Madrid head to Camp Nou six points behind Barcelona

Real Madrid confirmed on Sunday morning that Thibaut Courtois will miss El Clásico with flu symptoms, calling up Illia Voloshyn. Barcelona go into the 8pm (Lisbon time) kick-off on 27 points from nine straight wins, six clear of José Mourinho's side, who are also without the suspended Vinícius.

Thibaut Courtois will not be in Real Madrid's goal for tonight's Clásico. The club confirmed a last-minute absence on Sunday morning, saying the Belgian had woken up with flu symptoms, and called up Ukrainian keeper Illia Voloshyn to make up the numbers. Andriy Lunin is expected to start in Barcelona. Courtois was still on the official Real Madrid squad list for El Clásico published on Saturday, alongside Lunin and Mestre. Twelve hours later, it had…

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Borja Sainz seen from behind, his name and number 17 on FC Porto's white shirt, during a European match
Sports 25 October 2026

Porto make it nine from nine in Barcelos, their best league start since 1939/40

FC Porto beat Gil Vicente 1-0 in Barcelos on matchday 9 of the Primeira Liga, Borja Sainz scoring on 64 minutes after coming into the side when Oskar Pietuszewski was hurt in the warm-up. Porto lead Benfica by eight points, with Benfica a game in hand.

Borja Sainz was not in the side Francesco Farioli picked for Barcelos. Oskar Pietuszewski felt his left thigh in the warm-up, the Spaniard took his place, and on 64 minutes he scored the only goal of Gil Vicente v FC Porto. Porto won 1-0 and still have not dropped a league point this season. Porto had the better of a goalless first half. Sainz had the first real chance on the break, and Jan Bednarek forced Lucão into a save with a header on 44 minutes.…

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Gardner Straight at the Phillip Island circuit, with the control tower and the coastline behind
Sports 25 October 2026

No medical helicopter, no race, so Phillip Island's last MotoGP never started

Rain and poor visibility grounded the medical helicopter at Phillip Island on Sunday, and the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races were all cancelled. Marc Márquez keeps a 10-point lead over Jorge Martín, who broke his wrist in Saturday's sprint. Portimão is the penultimate round.

The last MotoGP race at Phillip Island never got going. Organisers called off Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, along with the Moto2 and Moto3 races, because rain and low visibility meant the medical helicopter could not fly. At a circuit this remote, the helicopter is not a detail. The nearest hospital is more than 45 minutes away by road, and without air evacuation there is no racing. The start was set for 2pm local time and kept slipping while everyone…

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Vitória SC head coach Tiago Margarido in the club's press room in Guimarães
Sports 24 October 2026

Vitória SC thrash Marítimo 5-0 to end a five-game wait for a league win

Opening matchday 9 of the Primeira Liga in Guimarães, Vitória SC beat Marítimo 5-0 with two from Arnel Jakupovic (38' and 76'), a Paulo Henrique own goal (48'), Oumar Camara (60') and Yeimar Mosquera in stoppage time. Lucas Furtado kept a clean sheet on his league debut in goal.

Vitória SC beat Marítimo 5-0 in Guimarães on Friday night, in the game that opened matchday 9 of the Primeira Liga. Vitória had gone five league games without a win, and this one came with plenty to spare. The first half was hard going. The opener only arrived in the 38th minute, from an Arnel Jakupovic direct free kick. After the break it was a different evening: Paulo Henrique turned the ball into his own net on 48 minutes, Oumar Camara made it three on…

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Tugadaily chart: goals scored by the five teams on 9 points after three Europa League matchdays, with Benfica top on 10
Sports 23 October 2026

Omonia 1-4 Benfica sends the Eagles top of the Europa League, while Torreense lose by the same score in Budapest

On matchday three of the league phase, Benfica won in Nicosia through Pavlidis, Aursnes, Prestianni and a Négo own goal, and lead on 9 points with a 10-2 goal record, ahead of Leverkusen on goals scored. Torreense lost 4-1 at Ferencváros and sit 28th on 3 points.

Benfica beat Omonia 4-1 in Nicosia on Thursday night and moved to the top of the Europa League league phase, three wins from three. Their opener, on 14 minutes, came without a Benfica player getting the final touch. Aursnes crossed, Echeverri's header was deflected, and defender Loïc Négo turned it into his own net. Omonia levelled on 42 through Andronikos Kakoullis, and it was 1-1 at the break.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing the captain's armband and Portugal's white kit, walks across the pitch during a 2025 qualifier in Yerevan
Sports 29 September 2026

Ronaldo, Félix and Conceição miss Portugal training in Malmö two days before Denmark

The FPF says Ronaldo did specific gym work at the team hotel because the stadium lacked the equipment. Denmark v Portugal is Thursday at 19:45 Lisbon time at Parken, live on RTP1 and Sport TV 1.

Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix and Francisco Conceição did not train with the group on Tuesday in Malmö, Sweden, two days before the game against Denmark. Portugal play in Copenhagen on Thursday at 19:45 Lisbon time, and the match page is on UEFA's site. Ronaldo walked out onto the pitch and stood by the substitutes' bench before the session began, then went to the dressing room and back to the hotel. He did not appear in the 15 minutes open to the press.…

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João Félix, wearing number 11 in Portugal's white kit, shields the ball from an Armenian defender in red during a 2025 match in Yerevan
Sports 29 September 2026

Portugal beat Norway in Oslo with goals from Félix and Ramos

Félix opened the scoring, Haaland levelled from a loose ball after a free kick, and Gonçalo Ramos won it by chipping Nyland. Portugal lead Group A4 on six points and head to Copenhagen.

Portugal won 2-1 in Oslo and now sit alone at the top of Nations League Group A4 with six points from two games. The result is on UEFA's official match page; what the scoreline doesn't tell you is that Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, watched the whole thing from the bench. Jorge Jesus made four changes to the side that beat Wales. Gonçalo Ramos, João Neves, Francisco Conceição and João Palhinha started, and Ronaldo stayed on the bench for all 90 minutes.…

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FC Porto players and staff celebrate with medals behind the Supertaça Mário Saldanha trophy and a Vencedores banner at the Albufeira arena
Sports 27 September 2026

Down by ten at half-time, FC Porto came back to win basketball's Super Cup

FC Porto overturned a ten-point half-time deficit to beat Sporting 80-76 in the Supertaça Mário Saldanha in Albufeira, taking their 9th basketball title of all time.

FC Porto were ten points down at half-time. They ended the night with the basketball Super Cup. The Porto side beat Sporting 80-76 on Saturday at the Pavilhão Desportivo de Albufeira, in the 41st edition of the Supertaça Mário Saldanha. At half-time the board read Sporting 41, FC Porto 31 — a ten-point lead for the reigning Portuguese Cup holders. The national champions went in behind and came out on top.

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Bar chart showing the Primeira Liga standings after matchday 7: FC Porto with 21 points, Benfica with 16, Sporting and Santa Clara with 15
Sports 25 September 2026

FC Porto beat Benfica 3-1 and end their 55-game unbeaten league run

Goals from Gabri Veiga, Froholdt and Hwang, a red card for Lenglet after 34 minutes and a seventh win in seven: FC Porto moved to 21 points, five clear of a Benfica side that had not lost a league game since the 2024/25 season.

They arrived at the clássico with a perfect record and left with it intact: FC Porto beat Benfica 3-1 on Sunday 20 September at the Estádio do Dragão, moving to 21 points in the Primeira Liga, five clear of their Lisbon rivals and six ahead of Sporting. FC Porto's official match report records the matchday 7 result, in front of 49,560 fans. For Benfica it cost more than three points. The defeat ended a 55-game unbeaten run in the league that went back to…

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João Félix, seen from behind wearing number 11, celebrates a goal with Portugal teammates in the white away kit during a 2025 match against Armenia
Sports 24 September 2026

João Félix gives Jorge Jesus a winning start as Portugal beat Wales 1-0

Félix scored after 22 minutes at Alvalade, and Wales managed a single shot all night. Portugal head to Oslo to face Norway on Sunday.

Jorge Jesus has his first win. Portugal beat Wales 1-0 at Alvalade on Thursday night in matchday one of Nations League Group A4, with João Félix scoring after 22 minutes. It was the new head coach's first competitive game, and at 72 he is the oldest man ever to take the job. The goal came from a move down the left, with Félix arriving in the middle and placing his shot past Danny Ward. Portugal had more of the initiative and the territory (12 attempts,…

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Bar chart of SC Braga SAD's operating accounts in 2025/26: costs of €69.0 million, player sales of €67.3 million and operating revenue of €48.0 million
Sports 22 September 2026

Braga booked a €17.3m profit (its football operation lost money)

SC Braga's listed company closed 2025/26 with a net result of €17.315m and total income above €100m for the first time. Of the €115.682m that came in, €67.339m came from player trading, mostly the sales of Roger Fernandes, Zalazar and Banza.

SC Braga published the best set of accounts in its history on Tuesday, and reading them honestly comes down to one question: where did the money come from. The listed company closed 2025/26 with a net result of €17.315m, after a loss of roughly €11m the season before. Total income passed €100m for the first time, reaching €115.682m. EBITDA of €39.614m is the highest the company has ever recorded. Equity rose to €86.33m, another record. Of that €115.682m,…

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Zeno Debast, the Sporting centre-back, warming up before a Belgium international
Sports 20 September 2026

Sporting led Arouca 2-0 at the break (and gave both points away in the last ten minutes)

Gonçalo Inácio and Luis Suárez put Sporting two up inside 17 minutes at Alvalade. Zeno Debast was sent off on 54, Arouca scored on 81 and 87, and white handkerchiefs came out at full time. Rui Borges called the protest natural.

Sporting had this one won by half time and finished it being whistled at. A 2-2 draw with Arouca at Alvalade on matchday seven, 49,943 in the ground, and white handkerchiefs in the air at the end. It started as a comfortable evening. On three minutes Maxi Araújo, playing his hundredth game for the club and honoured on the pitch before kick-off, swung in a short corner and Gonçalo Inácio headed the opener. On 17, Iván Fresneda drove into the box from the…

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The dragon carved into the concrete facade of the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, with supporters walking past
Sports 19 September 2026

Watching the clássico from abroad? Porto host Benfica at 20:30 Lisbon time on Sunday

Round seven of the Portuguese league at the Estádio do Dragão. Porto arrive with six wins from six and two goals conceded, Benfica two points behind and fresh from a first ever win over Milan at San Siro.

Sunday, 20:30 Lisbon time, Estádio do Dragão. It is the season's first meeting between the two clubs at the top of the Portuguese league, and Benfica's own fixture list carries the date and the kick-off for the round-seven trip north. If you are reading this from Newark, Toronto, London or Paris: Lisbon and the UK and Ireland share a clock right now, so it is 20:30 there too. That makes it 21:30 across most of continental Europe, 16:30 in Rio, 15:30 on…

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Jorge Jesus seated at a press conference, hand to his chin, in front of a sponsor backdrop
Sports 18 September 2026

Samuel Soares, Nuno Tavares and Fábio Silva come into Jorge Jesus's first Portugal squad

Portugal's new head coach named his 25 for the start of the Nations League title defence on Friday at the Cidade do Futebol. João Palhinha returns, and only six of the players picked are at Portuguese clubs.

Twenty-five names, and three of them had never been on a Jorge Jesus list before. Portugal's head coach named his squad at midday on Friday at the Cidade do Futebol for the first four games of the Nations League, and the arrivals that stand out are goalkeeper Samuel Soares, full-back Nuno Tavares and forward Fábio Silva. João Palhinha, left out of the most recent squads, is back in midfield. Much of the rest is the spine that went to the World Cup. Diogo…

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