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Kylian Mbappe's 80th-minute winner for France in the Nations League final against Spain on Sunday was fiercely protested by the opposition but ultimately allowed to stand.

Spain contended that Mbappe was offside before receiving the breakaway pass - and he certainly appeared to be at first glance - but referees determined defender Eric Garcia's touch of the ball as he tried to make a last-ditch interception was enough to put the attacker onside.

Spain captain Sergio Busquets said after his 2-1 defeat that the explanation he received "doesn't make sense".

What happened?

What has been said?

“To us on the field it (the second goal) looked offside," Busquets told El Chiringuito TV. "The referee told us that since Eric tried to play the ball, the offside was cancelled, but that doesn’t make sense.

"He just tried to intercept the ball, he didn’t play it and lose control of it.”

What else has been said?

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: "It's a really hard one to understand because from Spain's point of view, you're trying to keep a good line. Mbappe has got incredible pace but he gets the timing of his run wrong. It's the slightest of touches from Garcia.

"What the rules say is that it then becomes a second phase of play but what is Garcia supposed to do? Is he meant to just let it go even though he doesn't know what's behind him?

"You can see from the moment Theo Hernandez plays the ball, he's definitely offside. But because of this delicate touch from Garcia, it's a new phase of play. But for me it isn't. It's a really poor interpretation of the rule. I don't like it and it feels unfair.

"It's the slightest touch. It's not like he's tried to play it back to his goalkeeper. As a defence, you keep a good line and you have to somehow get a touch on it. If he put his flag up, no one would've asked any questions.

"It's so contentious. We want to see goals in football, of course we do. We're crying out for VAR to give more goals but this one feels really unfortunate for Spain in my point of view. I do feel sorry for the officials. 

"It's not VAR's fault... it's the rule. It's been around for around 18 months this interpretation but I don't feel we've seen enough examples of it in big games for it to be such a talking point but it's certainly won a final today so it'll become a talking point now for sure."

Further reading

Argentina hosts Uruguay looking to move one step closer to Qatar 2022 as World Cup qualifying continues in South America.

Watch Argentina vs Uruguay on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

Lionel Messi will become only the fifth men's player to score 80 or more international goals if he nets against Uruguay and will be looking to extend his record as the highest scorer in CONMEBOL history.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (US), this year's CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying soccer games can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

Team news and rosters

Argentina is in a good position in World Cup qualifying despite being held to a scoreless draw in its last game.

Only Brazil sits above Argentina in the table, but both teams have a game in hand on their opponents after September's clash was suspended due to confusion over coronavirus protocols.

Predicted Argentina starting XI: E Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; Paredes, Lo Celso; Di Maria, Messi, Gomez; Lautaro.

Luis Suarez is set to face former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi with all eyes watching how the pair interact before, during and after the game.

Suarez should partner Cavani in attack, with the Uruguay front two having scored more than 100 international goals combined.

Predicted Uruguay starting XI: Muslera; Nandez, Godin, Gimenez, Vina; Valverde, Bentancur, Vecino, De Arrascaeta; Suarez, Cavani.

Recent results and head-to-head

Last five results

Head-to-head

Ahmed Musa is revelling in the pride of making his 100th appearance for Nigeria during the 2-0 win over Central African Republic on Sunday.

The Fatih Karagumruk star became the third Nigerian centurion, moving one short of the Super Eagles’ record cap holders Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama, who have 101 appearances each.

Musa thought he had reached this mark against Cape Verde in September, however, Fifa chalked off his participation against Togo in June 2017 and versus Algeria in November of the same year.

According to the football ruling body, the friendly against the Hawks was not a Fifa-recognised game, while the World Cup qualifier against the Desert Foxes was cancelled as the Super Eagles fielded an ineligible player.

On Sunday, the former Leicester City man was subbed off for Chidera Ejuke as goals from Leon Balogun and Victor Osimhen pegged back the Wild Beasts in Douala.

He revelled in the landmark appearance, publishing a photo on Instagram with the accompanying caption: “Wow! What can I say? I wouldn't have been able to achieve this without the support of my family, teammates, the officials and my fans.

“To crown it all, important three points in our game. Thank you so much, I don't take any of this for granted. We will continue to make history and secure wins.”

After representing the country at youth level, the speedy forward made his senior debut on August 5, 2010, in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar, coming in as a substitute for ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel in the 2-0 win.

“The most important thing is the three points, and I will say a big thank you to all my teammates for supporting me, and by God’s grace, I know we can do it,” Musa told NFF media after Sunday’s game.

“And for all Nigerians supporting us and praying for us. We know we disappoint them sometimes but there is nothing we can do because that is the game of football.

“We will do all we can to make them proud and by God’s grace we will qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.”

India edged out Nepal 1-0 in their third match of the SAFF Championship 2021 as Sunil Chhetri scored his second goal of the competition for the Blue Tigers. The Indian talisman now has 77 international goals to his name, and he just needs one more strike to go past Brazilian legend Pele's tally.

This was the first time the Blue Tigers registered a win in the ongoing competition and it is Sunil Chhetri who has scored the two goals for India in this tournament so far.

He is India's scorer highest in SAFF Championship with 15 goals so far, and this was the first time he scored against Bangladesh in this competition. However, his overall record against Bangladesh is excellent as he has scored six goals in as many appearances.

The last time India and Nepal met was on September 5 where Chhetri netted one against the Gorkhalis in an international friendly game.

Coach Gernot Rohr hailed Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over the Central African Republic in Sunday’s 2022 World Cup qualification match, stating that it was "a good reaction" from his men.

The Super Eagles fell to a 1-0 loss at home to the Wild Beasts in the reverse fixture on Thursday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, a first defeat in World Cup qualifiers since June 19, 2004, against Angola.

But on Sunday, they avenged that setback against Raoul Savoy’s men, with Leon Balogun and Victor Osimhen finding the net at the Japoma Stadium, Cameroon.

Balogun put the 2013 African kings ahead in the 29th minute before the Napoli star doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time, having been teed up by William Troost-Ekong.

After the final whistle, Rohr was full of praise for his team, while expressing relief that his men were able to come away with a victory.

“It was a good reaction from my team, we lost the other day – very unlucky at the very last minute,” the German tactician told NFF media.

“Everybody wanted to take revenge and they did it very well although we could not score a third or fourth goal.

“We changed the system and played three [defenders] at the back which helped us as well as the leadership of [Ahmed] Musa to win this game.

“It is not easy to play the Central African Republic. They committed a lot of fouls but fortunately, we didn’t have any big injuries.

“Now we can prepare for the next game in November and hope that everything would be fine at the end of the day.”

Thanks to this win, Nigeria remain at the summit of Group C with nine points from four matches.

They are guests of Liberia on November 11 and victory over the Lone Star will hand Nigeria a place in the third round – where Africa’s five representatives to Qatar will be decided.

The Super Eagles’ last participation at the global football showpiece was in 2018 (Russia). There, they crashed out in the first round after failing to qualify from Group D that also included Argentina, Croatia and Iceland.

Phil Neville is back under pressure at Inter Miami, as David Beckham’s MLS franchise reflect on five straight defeats, and the coach claims his side are being “cheated” by match officials.

A 1-0 reversal against the New York Red Bulls has seen Inter Miami fall further off the play-off pace.

They thought they had levelled matters in their latest outing when former Chelsea and Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain hit the net, but he was flagged offside and technology has been doing Neville and Co few favours of late.

What has been said?

In a post-match rant to the assembled press, Neville said: "We got cheated in Portland and we’ve been cheated again.

"I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but something is fundamentally wrong with the way referees treat Inter Miami.

"We’re playing in one of the best leagues in the world, and I’m having a great experience, but I’ve got a dressing room that’s asking real, real questions about the integrity of this league in terms of the decisions we keep getting."

He fumed: "We’ve had our integrity questioned this year. We got stones thrown at us and had to take a lot of sh*t and when you do wrong you accept it.

"I hope I don’t come across as a bad loser. Congratulations to New York Red Bulls.

"But I’m sick and tired of receiving emails on Mondays saying: ‘Sorry, the calls could have gone the other way.’"

Who was Neville angry with?

It is not the first time that Neville has hit out at match officials in recent weeks, with frustration threatening to boil over in Florida.

Big decisions are going against Inter Miami, leaving them 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Neville feels he is working with one hand tied behind his back but is also eager to point out that his issues are with those controlling VAR, not those making calls in the middle.

He added, after seeing Toni Pesso take charge of Miami’s latest fixture: "I thought the referee had a really good game.

"An outstanding female official has been let down incredibly by the VAR system."

Further reading

Marco Verratti says he was happy to hear Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola praise him and says he wants to spend the rest of his career at Paris Saint-Germain.

Verratti impressed as PSG beat City 2-0 in the Champions League in late September, resulting in Guardiola declaring he is "in love" with the midfielder, adding: "He is exceptional. Even under pressure, he manages to find those passes that allow the midfield to be free."

The Italy international was proud to elicit such compliments from the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.

What has been said?

Verratti told France Info: "These are certainly words that please me. He is a person who understands football, who is good for football and one of those who gives us pleasure with football. 

"So, yes, I am happy."

Guardiola is not the only high-profile figure to express his appreciation for Verratti recently, as his new team-mate Lionel Messi described him as a "phenomenon" in August as he admitted Barcelona wanted to bring him to Camp Nou.

Where does Verratti's future lie?

Despite Barca's desire to sign him and Guardiola's adulation, Verratti has no interest in swapping PSG for another team.

Instead, he wants to spend the rest of his career at the club he joined from Pescara nine years ago.

Asked if he has plans for life after football, the 28-year-old said: "I have a little time left. What I do know is that I will always stay here."

He added: "I had the chance to play with and against great champions, in great matches, that's what I wanted above all. I fell in love with this club and that's why I always try to give the maximum, to return the confidence that I have been given.

"I was a little boy who came from a small Italian provincial town and here I had everything. My children were born here! When you're a little over 18, those are your best years. And I lived them here. It was unbelievable. I became a man and I found love. So everything I have experienced here will leave me with incredible memories."

Further reading

Kai Havertz has admitted that he feared becoming a meme when presented with an open goal in Chelsea’s Champions League final clash with Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The Germany international was able to hold his nerve in a European showpiece, with a match-winning effort recorded in the 42nd minute of a heavyweight continental clash.

Havertz did, however, have a few scary thoughts going through his head after bundling the ball beyond City goalkeeper Ederson, with the 22-year-old treading a fine line between hero and villain.

What has been said?

Quizzed by Chelsea’s official website on whether he experienced a few nerves when seeing the goal gaping against City, Havertz said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.

“These moments, they are always the worst, because you think if I miss this one then of course you are on YouTube, on Instagram and in every meme, so I was just thinking: ‘Please, I have to score now’.

“Then, of course, it happened and then these are the best moments in football.”

Is Havertz feeling confident now?

A Champions League-winning goal allowed Havertz to end his debut season at Chelsea on the highest of highs, with a sizeable return being offered on the £70 million ($91m) worth of faith invested in him.

Questions had been asked of that deal early on in 2020-21, on the back of a big-money transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, with a hot prospect taking a while to find his feet in English football.

Havertz has, however, won over his doubters and admits to feeling more settled in west London as more major silverware is eyed up by Thomas Tuchel’s side in the current campaign.

“Of course you get used to it when you play some games, when you have some matches, when you are here in England for some months,” Havertz added on his adjustment to life in new surroundings.

“It’s a different type of football, but I think you get used to it and it was the same for me. After six months it was easier for me and then I settled in very well.

“I feel very good on the pitch and you are more relaxed on the pitch to play. Then, of course, it was getting a little bit better and now I’m used to it and I’m feeling very good.

“Playing by instinct was always one of my strengths in the past, to just play football on the pitch and not to think about things a lot.

“I think also, when you come here with a price tag on your head, everybody expects you to play very good, and if you don’t play very good they start talking. But after six months it was getting better.”

Further reading

Jorginho not walking away with the 2021 Ballon d’Or would be “strange”, says Italy boss Roberto Mancini, with the Chelsea midfielder considered to be the obvious choice for a Golden Ball triumph given the year he has enjoyed.

A 29-year-old playmaker on the books at Stamford Bridge has been included on France Football’s 30-man list of contenders battling it out for the right to be called the best player on the planet.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with 11 gongs between them, are also in the running, along with Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland, but Mancini believes Jorginho deserves the nod after claiming Champions League and European Championship crowns in 2021.

What has been said?

Mancini, who led Italy to Euro 2020 glory over the summer, has told reporters of the battle for Ballon d’Or glory, with five Azzurri stars on the list: “They are there because they are good, not because of me.

“Jorginho should, in my opinion, win the Ballon d’Or. He has won everything and deserves it a lot. It would seem strange to me otherwise.”

Is Jorginho feeling confident?

Having collected major silverware with club and country, the Brazil-born star is a leading candidate to land the most prestigious of personal prizes.

Argentine icon Messi, who landed the first senior international honour of his remarkable career at the 2021 Copa America, is still the favourite for many, with the South American now at Paris Saint-Germain after severing ties with Barcelona.

Jorginho, though, can expect to garner plenty of support from the journalists, international coaches and captains that will be casting votes from which a winner will be determined.

The Chelsea man believes he should be in the mix for another top prize and is allowing thoughts to drift towards what it would feel like to pip the likes of Messi and Ronaldo to an award that they have dominated.

Jorginho has said: “Who doesn’t dream of that? Dreaming small and dreaming big are the same thing, so it’s better to dream big.”

Further reading

Praise has poured in for Tyson Fury after he retained his WBC heavyweight title by beating Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The English boxer won the fight in the 11th round with a knockout, keeping his unbeaten record intact.

Fury declared himself "the fighter of the generation", adding: "I can only be the best of my era and I’m definitely that", and few could argue with him.

What has been said?

The 33-year-old has his share of fans in the football world, with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling wishing him good luck ahead of the fight.

The adulation from football figures continued after Fury's victory, too, and Jesse Lingard, Gary Neville, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are among the figures to have been singing his praises.

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has described his former boss Pitso Mosimane as a “fantastic” and “strong coach” as he explains the lessons he learned from the now-Al Ahly coach.

Mokwena was part of Mosimane's backroom staff at Sundowns during a successful period in which they claimed a number of major trophies.

Their achievements include winning the Caf Champions League and the Caf Super Cup as well as Sundowns participating at the Fifa Club World Cup.

“Coach Pitso Mosimane was fantastic for me, I learned so much from him,” Mokwena said on the Coaches Corner podcast as per Diski Times.

“Not necessarily about the pitch, but more about off the field management, managing the output management as we call it in terms of managing the office, managing colleagues and managing the support staff and even the players and trying to get the best out of the players.  

“The winning mentality also was something that coach Pitso was very strong with, but also on the pitch, he was very good. But I always say that at that moment, you have to be the assistant that the team needs or the coach that the team needs. 

“I had a very strong coach in relation to demanding from the players when I was at Mamelodi Sundowns first stint and coach Pitso was extremely aggressive with regard to the pressure that he put on the players. 

“And I had to be a bit more subtle and supportive, and more of the good cop, also tried to support as much as I could with regard to training and preparation of the team on the pitch.”

Mokwena was Mosimane’s assistant under two stints punctuated by some time at Orlando Pirates and Chippa United.

The youthful coach started as an assistant to Milutin Sredojevic at Pirates, before being the head coach on an interim basis until the arrival of Josef Zinnbauer.

He then left the Soweto giants to coach just one game at Chippa United before Mosimane invited him back to work at Chloorkop.

“When I moved to Pirates, the role was a lot similar but with a little more pressure because we had a different coach Milutin Sredojevic who came in and was someone that works very hard, but also as good with relations with the players,” added Mokwena.  

“When I was at Pirates with Milutin, I ended up having to do a little more of the demanding and putting a lot more pressure on the players and I tried to be the coach that I felt that the head coach needed and that’s always my take even now as a coach my belief is trying to be the coach that you feel the team needs.” 

At the beginning of last season, Mokwena was rumoured to be on his way to Al Ahly to join Mosimane but the former Bafana Bafana coach opted for Calvin Johnson to work as his assistant.

Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye was unimpressed by South Africa’s “confusing” formation despite the 3-1 win away in Ethiopia on Saturday.

He was also unimpressed by the defensive pairing of Siyanda Xulu and Rushine De Reuck, who the ex-Chiefs star thinks is not fit to wear the Bafana Bafana boots.

With South Africa one point clear at the top of Group G after a draw against Zimbabwe and victories over Ghana and Ethiopia, Khanye is still “not convinced” by Bafana.

He suggests Hugo Broos’ men might have won by a comfortable margin, but the way they played was not an accurate reflection of the match.

“Credit to Bafana Bafana and coach Hugo Broos but the scoreline did not reflect the way South Africa played,” said Khanye on iDiski TV.

“Ethiopia were playing a sort of 4.3.3 formation while Bafana played 3.4.3 which was confusing because sometimes they would be five at the back. I don’t think Siyanda Xulu and De Reuck should be played going forward. We still have to compete in these World Cup qualifiers.

“The way we are playing, I’m not convinced that we will be consistent. When you play De Reuck and Siyanda, those are not ball-markers, they are also not man-markers. They are more good at timing, they are cleaners and wipers.

“None of them wants to mark. Look at the balls that came through them in the first half. Those two are sweepers and not man-markers. I give credit to [Terrence] Mashego, I don’t know what the coach was doing in the game against Zimbabwe and Ghana playing [Nyiko] Mobbie as a left-back when there is Mashego and [Lyle] Lakay. Credit to Mashego.”

There are also players missing from the current Bafana set-up who Khanye feels should be selected.

The Mamelodi Sundowns of Andile Jali and Themba Zwane are some of the players Khanye wants to see playing for the national side.

“[Mothobi] Mvala and [Teboho] Mokoena as well as [Ethan] Brooks were nowhere to be seen. South Africa’s midfield was not playing football at all,” Khanye added.

“It is going to be a problem going forward with such a midfield. The coach was relying on [Bongokuhle] Hlongwane, Thabiso Kutumela and Tshegofatso Mabasa. That was disappointing especially knowing that Siyanda and De Reuck are only good at kicking the ball forward to find someone.

“Credit Mvala scored but I still question why he is there. Victor Letsoalo and Jali are almost the same age as well as Mshishi [Themba Zwane]. Jali should play, he recently won Man of the Match but you don’t call him up and you prefer Mvala.”

Since Broos came in as Bafana coach, Zwane and Jali have not tasted national team football. 

Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey is delighted to get on the score sheet in Saturday’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe but emphasises the most important thing was to win three points.

The Arsenal ace was found the back of the net as the Black Stars handed Zimbabwe a 3-1 away defeat in a Group C matchday three fixture in Cape Coast.

After Mohammed Kudus of Ajax gave the hosts a first-half lead, the visitors levelled the score shortly after the half-time break through Knowledge Musona’s penalty, but Partey and captain Andre Ayew netted to ensure victory for Milovan Rajevac’s side.

“I feel good [about scoring] and especially because we were able to win the game,” Partey said at the post-match press conference.

“The most important thing is to get the result after a hard day and we have to be happy.”

Partey was deployed in an unfamiliar midfield trio which also included Andre Ayew and Kudus, but that was definitely not the biggest call of coach Rajevac on the day.

In goal, the Serbian coach handed a starting spot to English fourth tier goalkeeper Jojo Wallocott who was not only making his debut but was also with the Black Stars for the first time ever.

Owing to an injury-induced absence of first-choice goalkeeper Eric Ofori Antwi, the Stars coach had to choose between Swindon Town shot-stopper Wallocott, St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Asante Kotoko man Danlad Ibrahim and Hearts of Oak ace Richard Attah.

Rajevac explained his ultimate choice at the press conference: “First of all, he [Wallocott] is a result of good scouting and since he arrived, he proved himself at the training sessions. He really did a great job and deserved his chance.

“Today he was at the top of his game. I am satisfied with his performance. I don’t want to praise the goalkeeper too much but he really did a good job.”

Partey and the Ghana side will hope to make it two wins in a row when they play as guests of Zimbabwe in the reverse fixture in Harare on Tuesday.