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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti admitted he could not put a time-frame on Gareth Bale's latest injury, as reports suggest the Welsh winger could miss up to two months of action. 

Bale suffered a muscle problem in his right leg during a training session last week and missed both of Madrid's wins over Celta in La Liga and Inter in the Champions League. 

And he now looks set to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines after playing his way into Ancelotti's plans at the start of the season, meaning he could miss the first Clasico of the season against Barcelona on October 24. 

What was said? 

"We don't know how much time he needs, the injury is pretty serious and it is hard to give a time," Ancelotti explained to reporters on Saturday. 

"He was doing quite well, he was working hard, we have to wait." 

Hazard's situation

Eden Hazard, meanwhile, was left on the bench for Wednesday's victory in San Siro and remains a doubt ahead of Madrid's next match, which sees them visit Valencia on Sunday. 

Ancelotti preferred to remain cautious over the Belgian's availability while affirming that he would not be rushed back into first-team action. 

"Hazard didn't play because of a minor knee complaint, it was also bothering him yesterday (Friday)," he explained. 

"We will see what happens. Hazard has improved his condition and we have to be careful because he has suffered with injuries in the past and playing him for two straight games could be a little more difficult. 

"He is not in the shape that we all want him to be but he is working and we are fully confident that he will get back to his best."

Madrid go to Mestalla tied in second with Valencia on 10 points, and will overtake Atletico Madrid in top with victory on Sunday. 

Further reading 

Norwich forward Josh Sargent admitted he felt mixed emotions after making his first Premier League start in a 3-1 home defeat to Watford on Saturday.

The U.S. international, who joined in the summer from Werder Bremen, played 70 minutes on his full debut before he was substituted.

Watford would go on to earn all three points behind a second-half double from Ismaila Sarr, continuing the Canaries' dismal start to the season.

What was said?

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Sargent said: "It's bittersweet. I'm very happy to make my debut. The team is frustrated, the fans are frustrated, we wanted to get the points. Very disappointed.

"It is what it is, we can't lose focus, we can't give up at all. We've got to be focused and get the points we need."

Sargent's debut campaign so far

Saturday marked Sargent's fourth Premier League appearance of the season, with the 21-year-old having come off the bench in his side's first three league matches.

Sargent also started and scored a brace in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth last month.

Norwich still without a point

The newly-promoted Canaries are beginning life back in the Premier League in the worst possible fashion, losing all of their first five matches - while also extending manager Daniel Farke's horrendous top-flight run which stretches back to their last season in the division.

Norwich are only the fifth team to lose each of their first five matches in a Premier League campaign, with the previous four offering the Canaries some hope of staying up this term.

Southampton in 1998-99 and Crystal Palace in 2017-18 both survived after losing five straight to start the season, while Sunderland in 2005-06 and Portsmouth in 2009-10 were relegated.

Further reading

Emmanuel Dennis has become the second player to score Watford’s first home and away goals in a Premier League season after his opening goal against Norwich City on Saturday.

Before Dennis' goal at Carrow Road, Etienne Capoue was the only player to achieve the feat for Watford in the 2016-17 campaign.

The Nigeria international drew first blood for the visitors after powering his header past goalkeeper Tim Krul in the 17th minute.

It was Dennis' second goal of the season after he opened his Premier League goal account in their 3-2 win over Aston Villa on August 14.

Towards the end of the first half, Teemu Pukki canceled out the opener with his 35th-minute opener for Norwich.

After the restart, Senegal's Ismaila Sarr powered Watford to victory with his second-half double.

Sarr restored the Hornets' lead in the 63rd minute, courtesy of Joshua King's assist and he later sealed their second league win of the season.

The victory ended their three-game losing streak in the English top-flight and they moved to 10th on the table with six points after five matches.

Dennis was on parade for 73 minutes while his compatriot William Troost-Ekong and Sarr played the entire duration for the visitors.

Nigeria international Oghenekaro Etebo was later introduced in the 82nd minute for Tom Cleverly. Morocco duo Adam Masina and Imran Louza were unused substitutes.

Dennis has made a fine start to life in the Premier League following his permanent switch from Club Brugge in June and he was named the club's Player of the Month for August.

He will be hoping to continue his fine form when Watford host Newcastle United for their next Premier League game at Vicarage Road on September 25.

Ligue 1 was once again the setting for an outbreak of supporter violence on Saturday, with the derby between Lens and Lille suffering delays after a pitch invasion from home fans. 

The two rivals went into half-time drawn at 0-0 after a tense opening 45 minutes. 

But they were forced to wait in order to restart the match as crowd trouble caused a temporary postponement in the Ligue 1 clash. 

What happened? 

Midway through the half-time break a group of Lens ultras flooded onto the pitch in order to confront their Lille counterparts, located in a different part of the stadium. 

The attack seems to have been provoked by the actions of a section of the away support, who were earlier seen climbing on a fence separating them from home fans and throwing seats and other projectiles over the barrier. 

After a brief fracas, the Lens ultras ran back to their own stand, while the match officials called for a momentary delay to the start of the second half while they evaluated the situation. 

The two clubs came out to warm up and were eventually cleared to restart the derby, famed as one of France's fiercest fixtures. 

The bigger picture

The melee witnessed on Saturday was the second such incident to befall French football's top division in less than a month. 

Back in August, Nice's match with Marseille was forced to be suspended due to a pitch invasion from the home fans. 

The hosts were punished with a point deduction, while several Marseille players and staff, including star midfielder Dimitri Payet, were also sanctioned for their actions in provoking supporters during a bad-tempered match - which will be replayed behind closed doors.

Further reading 

The early-season optimism at Kaizer Chiefs took another blow as the Glamour Boys were beaten 4-1 by PSL newcomers Royal AM at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening.

Victor Letsoalo had put the visiting side 2-0 ahead with a brace, before Sifiso Hlanti pulled one back for the hosts, only for a Sibusiso Mabiliso own goal to end any hopes of a comeback. Mfundo Thikazi then added salt to the wounds with a beautifully-taken 94th minute strike.

Royal AM were to sound an early statement of intent when Letsoalo struck the upright in the third minute, having found the space in the box to bring down a pass on his chest before firing in a volley.

Chiefs were to see plenty of the ball and they had the chance to turn that advantage into a goal in the 14th minute when Cole Alexander played a neat one-two with Khama Billiat before bursting in on goal, but his left-footed angled finish went just wide of the far post.

There was another good opportunity for the visitors in the 27th minute when Levy Mashiane raced onto a long ball, beating the off-side trap. But he took too long to get the shot away and the Chiefs defence was able to recover as Erick Mathoho and Njabulo Blom got back to win the ball.

While the KwaZulu-Natal side did enjoy a few opportunities, when they scored in the 34th minute it was against the run of play.

It was down to a brilliant cross from Mashiane, whose whipped ball from the right flank was guided home emphatically by the head of Bafana Bafana striker Letsoalo.

The goal lifted Royal AM and they were comfortably in command as the game went into the half time break.

The hosts upped the ante after the restart, but when chances came for Keagan Dolly and Alexander, both fired straight at goalkeeper Hugo Nyame.

Amakhosi were also denied what looked like a good call for a 53rd minute penalty after Royal AM captain Lesego Manganyi appeared to have kicked Billiat rather than the ball, in the box.

Having survived the Chiefs threat, the KZN side could have added a second goal when Tebogo Pontsane sprinted in on goal, following Letsoala's assist, but the former Bloemfontein Celtic man shot straight at goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.

They didn't have to wait too long for the goal to arrive as Letsoalo curled in a sublime free-kick to double the lead on 65 minutes.

Chiefs were given hope in the 74th minute when finally luck went their way as Sifiso Hlanti's free-kick took a sizable deflection off the wall to wrong-foot Nyambe and hit the back of the net.

That hope evaporated just a minute later though when substitute Sibusiso Mabiliso deflected Zukile Mkhize's low cross past Petersen and into his own net.

With five minutes to go, Anthony Agay passed up on a great chance for the hosts to try and claw themselves back when he headed wide with the goal at his mercy from a Billiat corner.

That proved to be the last chance for Chiefs, who were then punished with the last move of the game, when following a swift counter, Thikazi beat Petersen with a lovely curling shot.

Former referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed how the John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata incident almost cost him his career in 2012.

The English official took charge of the Premier League showdown in which Manchester United defeated Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in October 2012.

In the ill-tempered encounter, Branislav Ivanovic, and Fernando Torres were given their marching orders.

The Football Association investigated Clattenburg after the Blues claimed he had used racist language towards African star Mikel and Spain's Mata, but the referee was soon cleared of any misconduct.

In his autobiography ‘Whistle Blower’ as per The Daily Mail, the 46-year-old wrote that the contentious incident almost cost him his job.

“I knew to expect a tirade of abuse from Chelsea supporters, but I was not beating myself up over my performance. It was then that I heard a commotion outside the dressing-room door,” wrote Clattenburg.

“Before I get to the door it swings open, and with some force. John Obi Mikel bursts in and I can see the rage in his eyes. Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo and coach Eddie Newton are holding him back.

“Mikel is out of control; he’s trying to get at me. ‘I’m gonna break your legs!’ he shouts. "He’s swinging for me.

“I have to be clear here – and this is extremely important – at this point, there had been no mention of racism to me, either from Mikel or Di Matteo. No one had made any accusation of that nature.”

“I left Stamford Bridge in the people-carrier and as we made our way out of West London towards Heathrow, there’s a social-media notification on the screen of my phone saying: ‘BREAKING NEWS: CHELSEA ACCUSE REFEREE MARK CLATTENBURG OF RACIST COMMENTS’,” he continued.

“During those early hours overnight on the Sunday of the game, I realised the power of football clubs, the hold they have over the media. It was terrifying. It was the European champions against a referee – who would you believe?

“I am trapped. This could ruin my career. It could ruin my life. The fear is worse than going to prison. I am being called a racist.

“That is a real life-sentence, you don’t come back from that. Guilty until proven innocent, that is the English way.”

While the FA investigated Chelsea’s complaint, Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches.

However, he was soon cleared with the FA handing Mikel a three-match ban and fined £60,000 for threatening the referee.

Abdul Baba Rahman and Tom Dele-Bashiru put up splendid displays as Reading won their second straight match in the EFL Championship after beating Fulham 2-1 on Saturday.

The two players from Ghana and Nigeria retained their starting positions after impressing manager Veljko Paunovic in their last league match which saw them defeat Peterborough United 3-1.

Despite playing away from home, the Royals dominated Fulham from the word go and it was Rahman, who was playing in his favourite left-back position, who initiated the move that led to the team’s first goal courtesy of Ovie Ejara in the 19th minute.

Ejara then grabbed his brace and the second of the day for the Royals in the 53rd minute to silence the home crowd, who later pulled a goal back courtesy of Rodrigo Muniz in the 86th minute but it was not enough to give them something from the game at Craven Cottage.

Reading started the game on a high note and in the 13th minute, Rahman and John Swift combined on the left as the Royals moved quickly, and the Black Stars' cross was half-cleared, and Nigeria’s Dele-Bashiru picked it up and but his shot went inches wide from a tight angle.

However, six minutes later, Rahman set up Alen Halilovic, who raced down the right and then cut inside before laying the pass to Swift, who in turn set up Ejaria to score.

Reading then scored their second in the 53rd minute when Ejara’s shot from outside the box easily beat Fulham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Rahman, who joined Reading on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, was then yellow-carded in the 58th minute after his shoulder-to-shoulder challenge with Nathaniel Chalobah prompted the referee to caution him.

Meanwhile, Ugandan international Uche Ikpeazu was an unused sub as Middlesbrough suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Blackpool.

It was Boro who took the lead in the eighth minute at Riverside after Marcus Tavernier scored from a header but Blackpool turned the game around in the second half with goals from Marvin Ekpiteta in the 62nd minute and an own goal via Grant Hall in the 78th minute.

Kenya’s Clark Oduor played for 90 minutes as Barnsley secured a 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Oakwell.

The game saw Nigerian Victor Adeboyejo also introduced in the second half but he could not help Barnsley get maximum points.

Elsewhere, Ghana’s Albert Adomah came on in the second half but could not help Queens Park Rangers who lost 2-1 at home to Bristol City while the Democratic of Republic of Congo goalkeeper Brice Samba kept a clean sheet as Nottingham Forest registered a 2-0 win against Huddersfield at The John Smith Stadium.

Sadio Mane seems to love lining up against Crystal Palace, with the Eagles once more suffering at the Liverpool star's hands as he took his Reds tally up to 100 goals. 

The Senegal international struck just before half-time to put the hosts 1-0 ahead in Saturday's Premier League game. 

And not only did he reach a significant milestone for his club, but he also continues a remarkable run of form in matches against the south Londoners. 

Nine matches and counting

Mane's opener demonstrated once again that Palace are one of his favourite victims. 

He has now scored in his last nine Premier League appearances against the club, a run that stretches back to August 2017. 

No other player in Premier League history has managed such a feat, but in truth Mane has always revelled in these games. 

Including his time at Southampton he now boasts 13 goals in 14 games against the Eagles, failing to find the net on just one occasion - a 1-0 defeat in the 2015-16 season which was also the only time which he failed to come out on the winning side in the fixture.

Liverpool had few problems in extending that victorious run, as goals from Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita sealed a comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts at Anfield. 

Centurion

The 29-year-old's century of goals, meanwhile, did not take long to arrive, despite the fact that he has often acted as the foil for Salah in the Liverpool attack rather than the Reds' prime threat in front of the net. 

Mane needed 224 games to reach the milestone, a strike-rate of slightly less than one goal every two games. 

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp could not be happier with the forward's contribution, which now stands at three strikes in Liverpool's opening six games in all competitions this season. 

“Sadio looks really good, he looks really sharp,” Klopp said in his press conference.

“I know we talk about these things when a striker misses some chances, but that he has the amount of chances he has, the amount of finishes he has, that’s actually the important stuff," he told reporters in the build-up to Saturday's match.

“Sadio is in a good moment; a really good moment physically and mentally as well, so really confident and you can see that. A player misses a chance and doesn’t look desperate or whatever, he has a smile on his face and he knows, ‘I could have done this or this better…’ and all these kind of things."

Further reading 

Ex-Italy striker Giuseppe Signori has drawn comparisons between "good" Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and former Chelsea hero Didier Drogba.

The Nigeria international accentuated his importance to the Parthenopeans having scored a brace in the Serie A outfit’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City in Thursday’s Europa League fixture.

The Premier League side lead by two goals at the King Power Stadium courtesy of Ayoze Perez and Harvey Barnes, but Luciano Spalletti’s men left England on a no winner, no vanquished note as the former Lille star found the net twice in the closing stages of the keenly contested encounter.

The former Lazio and Bologna striker was full of praise for Osimhen, and even pointed out similarities between the Super Eagle and Drogba – who plied his trade in France, England, China, Turkey, Canada and the USA before drawing the curtain on his trophy-laden career.

Signori thinks the youngster leading the line for his current team has the same predatory instincts as the Ivorian in the final third.

“They look a lot like each other physically and technically,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.

“He is good, he has everything: technique, strength, elevation, speed and power.

“He's a player who is still young and has room for improvement, and I think he showed a part of what he can do [against Leicester City].”

On the back of his man-of-the-match outing against the reigning English FA Cup kings, the 21-year-old has vowed to give everything to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona giants.

“I’m happy and we played as a team, even when we went two goals down, we kept playing as a team,” Osimhen said as quoted by Sky Sport Italia.

“I don’t want to set an objective. The club always believed in me, starting with these two goals is certainly important and I want to continue like this.”

“I have everything to give to Napoli, I want to stay healthy, avoid injuries and one step at a time we can together achieve our targets.”

Osimhen is expected to lead Napoli’s attack when they travel to Stadio Friuli for Monday night’s Serie A showdown versus Luca Gotti’s Udinese.

Manchester United defender Phil Jones claims to see "light at the end of the tunnel" for him at Old Trafford, with the 29-year-old enduring a nightmare 20-month spell on the sidelines.

The England international has not figured for the Red Devils since January 2020, with a serious knee problem forcing him to undergo surgery and face a frustrating spell watching on from afar.

Jones is now edging his way back into contention, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keeping a door open for him, and the versatile operator is hoping to leave the most difficult period of his career to date firmly in the past.

What has been said?

Jones told United's official club podcast after becoming something of a forgotten man: "I’m feeling good at the minute.

"Obviously, I’ve been through hell and back over the last couple of years. I struggled with my knee a little bit and [there] came a point after lockdown where I thought enough was enough. 

"I kept myself in great shape over lockdown and came back. But I remember just training out here [Carrington] and going into the doc and saying ‘enough’s enough’. Unfortunately, there was going to be time off the pitch, which I knew was going to be difficult for me, but it was something that I had to do.

"Thankfully, I see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and I’ve been back training, played a few behind-closed-doors games and I’m feeling really good at the minute. 

"It’s so good to be back out training with the lads and enjoying being a footballer again because for the last 15 months, it’s been all ‘daddy daycare’ and not much football."

Is Jones raring to go again?

Jones has been on United's books since 2011, when he was snapped up from Blackburn by Sir Alex Ferguson, and has taken in 224 appearances for the club.

He is only tied to a contract through to 2023, and faces fierce competition for places from the likes of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, but is determined to make the most of being pain free and ready to compete for competitive minutes once more.

Jones added: "[It’s been] tough. I think as a footballer, as a person, as a human being, that’s the lowest I probably ever felt in my life.

"You try and get a balance between football and family life but it was so difficult going home and trying to look after the kids. You’re there, but you’re not there, you’re not present. It’s nice to get that balance back.

"I think at first, I’ll be brutally honest, I found it really tough to watch football, just in general because you can’t do anything about it. You’re stuck, you’re off your feet. Coming into the training ground every day, it’s hard to get going because you’re going to be out for so long and I knew that getting the operation. 

"But thankfully, I have a good team around me, family, friends, and I got through it."

Further reading

Frank Onyeka came off the bench as 10-man Brentford stunned Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday's Premier League match.

The 23-year-old replaced Sergi Canos in the 68th minute, four minutes after Shandon Baptiste was given his marching orders after his second yellow card. 

The outing was Onyeka's third Premier League appearance of the season following his permanent switch from Midtjylland in August 

Before Baptiste's expulsion, Brentford secured maximum points with their two first-half goals.

Ivan Toney opened the scoring for the hosts from the penalty spot in the 28th minute and Brian Mbeumo scored the second goal, six minutes later.

Another African star who was in action at the Molineux Stadium was Morocco's Romain Saiss, who played the first 45 minutes for Wolves while Ivory Coast's Willy Boly was an unused substitute.

The result brought the Bees back to winning ways after they suffered a 1-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion last Saturday.

Onyeka's introduction strengthened Brentford's midfield despite the numerical disadvantage as he managed just one clearance and one shot in 23 minutes of action.

They are now ninth on the Premier League table with eight points after five matches while Wolves are 14th with three points. 

Next up for Brentford is a League Cup outing against Oldham Athletic on Tuesday before they host Liverpool for a Premier League fixture on September 25.

Earlier on Saturday, manager Thomas Frank relished his brief experience in the Premier League and he disclosed his desire to help the 2021 Championship play-offs winners retain their top-flight status.

"It feels good to be here to be fair. We would like to hang around here for a while. It is pleasing that we’ve performed well four games into this season but it is only four games,"  Frank told the club's website. 

"We need to constantly perform at this level. We are hungry and have unbelievable determination to show that we belong here. We need to show that hunger and determination for a long time and we need to work on that every single day.

"I try to speak as much as possible about being brave and taking the ball forward. We have the balance because we don’t try and just defend the box, we try to be as high as possible and win the ball to give us opportunities.

"In the established play we need to find a bit more quality on the ball to be bigger threats in behind."

Raphael Varane believes working with Cristiano Ronaldo on a daily basis helps to make you a better player, with Manchester United set to benefit from the Portuguese's presence after taking him back to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils pulled off a stunning coup during the summer transfer window when returning the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to English football 12 years on from seeing him depart for Real Madrid.

Despite now being 36 years of age, Ronaldo has hit the ground running with three goals through his opening two games for United, and Varane believes the all-time great will help to raise collective standards in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.

What has been said?

Varane, who played with Ronaldo at Real and made his own move to Manchester over the summer, told Sky Sports of the talismanic figure: "I think he is the best example in the world in terms of work ethic and winning mentality.

"Playing with this type of player, you improve every day. If he is still playing to such a high level at his age, it's because his work is amazing. I'm very happy to play with him."

Who else is Varane excited about?

Along with Ronaldo, Varane also worked with a number of other superstar performers during his time in Spain.

One of those was fellow World Cup-winning centre-half Sergio Ramos, with the pair forming a productive partnership that spanned a trophy-laden decade.

Varane's intention is to replicate those efforts in England alongside United captain Harry Maguire, with the duo showing signs of early promise.

"With Sergio Ramos, I had 10 years to get to know him, to get to know how he moves on the pitch and how I have to move to be complementary with him," Varane added.

"I think Harry Maguire is a great player but we have to work hard to feel comfortable on the pitch. It's the same with every defender in the team. It's important to feel connected. We have to move together and motivate each other.

"Every day, we are learning and improving."

United, who have taken 10 points from four Premier League games this season, will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a trip to West Ham.

Further reading

Sergio Ramos still has no date pencilled in for his Paris Saint-Germain debut, with Mauricio Pochettino admitting to being in the dark when it comes to the Spanish defender's recovery from a calf injury.

The former Real Madrid captain completed a move to France as a free agent over the summer, but is yet to pull on the colours of his new club and remains stuck on the sidelines.

A niggling muscle problem is frustrating the 35-year-old centre-half, and everyone else at Parc des Princes, with Pochettino unsure as to when the World Cup winner will come into contention for a place in his plans.

What has been said?

Asked for an update on Ramos ahead of a Ligue 1 clash with Lyon on Sunday, Pochettino told reporters: "I don't have any details on when he will be available. We hope he will be available soon. 

"He is well individually, he is calm and continues his preparation. 

"We hope that he can play quickly and it is important that he can return to a good level, equal to that of his team-mates."

Is Mbappe fit enough to play?

While Ramos will play no part against Lyon, Kylian Mbappe could be included in Pochettino's starting XI.

He lined up alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar for the first time in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Club Brugge on Wednesday, with the hope being that the trio will soon click and deliver at their devastating best.

Mbappe has been nursing a slight knock since being forced off early in the second half against Brugge, but the France international is edging into contention this weekend.

Pochettino added on the 22-year-old forward: "Yes, he trained with the group with some precautions, we are happy with the evolution of his injury. 

"We will see how he is tomorrow morning to know if he will be in the group tomorrow."

Further reading