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Dries Mertens said it was "tough to pull that shirt on" after Napoli wore the famous number 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona prior to their Europa League win over Rijeka.

Argentina and Napoli great Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

Napoli's first match since the passing of their most iconic star this week was played out to the noise of songs and fireworks despite the empty stands at the Stadio San Paolo, where Maradona guided the Italian team to unprecedented Scudetto success in 1987 and 1990.

Captain Lorenzo Insigne laid a wreath before kick-off on Thursday, while the Napoli team lined up in 'Maradona 10' shirts – a jersey that was retired long before Maradona's death. The World Cup winner's name was displayed around the border of the pitch in Naples.

Reflecting on the emotional night, which saw Napoli defeat Croatian visitors Rijeka 2-0, Mertens told Sky Sport Italia: "It was an awful moment for me, so I can only imagine how those who lived through his time at Napoli must have felt.

"He made such a big impact on this city and for everyone in the south of Italy. I want to be positive, and focus on my memories of a smiling man who loved football.

"It was tough to pull that shirt on. In some ways, it was always a dream, but not like this."

Mertens is Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer with 128 across all competitions since joining the club in 2013.

The Belgium international moved clear of Marek Hamsik (121) atop the list in June, having surpassed Maradona (115) to move into second spot last year.

Mertens used social media to apologise to Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata head coach Maradona on Wednesday, writing via Instagram: "You were the first thing that came to my mind when I signed for Naples. Wearing the blue shirt will mean even more from now on.

"Napoli lost part of its soul today. You were, and will always be, an inspiration to all of us. If my name has ever been placed next to yours, I apologise, I will never be at your level. What you did for "our" city will go down in history forever. It was an honour to have met you. Forever my idol."

Asked about his apology, Mertens said: "I apologised to him, because my name was used in the same sentence as his and that's not right. He was and always will be unique."

Mino Raiola has taken aim at EA Sports over player image rights in FIFA 21, insisting that too many stars are open to exploitation.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic caused a stir on social media at the start of the week as he called out FIFA and EA Sports for failing to ask for his permission before including his name and likeness in the latest version of their annual football video game.

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale offered his support to Ibrahimovic by starting the hashtag  "#TimeToInvestigate", with FIFPro subsequently coming out to defend their policies in a lengthy statement.

The International Federation of Professional Footballers told The Mirror: "In light of recent media reports, FIFPRO wishes to clarify the manner in which it obtains the image rights of players, and its role in defending the employment rights of professional footballers worldwide.

"FIFPRO, a not-for-profit organisation, acquires image rights via player unions in nearly 60 countries. These rights are made available to Electronic Arts and other clients in the video gaming industry.

"FIFPro is reaching out to the players and their representation that have recently raised concerns so we can address their questions.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacts the football industry, we are proud of our member unions for having supported tens of thousands of footballers around the world."

Notorious super-agent Raiola, who serves as Ibrahimovic's main legal representative, appeared on talkSPORT on Thursday to discuss the issue and didn't hold back in his assessment.

"It’s all about money. It’s all about the important money because it’s not EA Sports, it’s not a charity foundation," Raiola said.

"This is about money, this is about rights, this is about who can exploit whose rights. It’s a principle. Why we don’t do things before or after is a call we will make and we won’t explain now. This is the moment now it’s come out.

"Their statement is that I have bought those rights. That is what their statement is today. We are saying those rights cannot be bought by the organisations.

"I’m doing this thing, because it’s very simple, this is a right of my players that cannot be touched." 

Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi has been named in the Uefa Champions League Team of the Week after grabbing a goal against Marseille on Wednesday.

The Nigerian left-back broke the deadlock for the Portuguese giants with his maiden strike for the club, just before half-time at the Orange Velodrome.

Sanusi joins Barcelona's Sergino Dest in the defence alongside Atalanta's Ruben Gosens and Borussia Monchengladbach duo of Nico Elvedi and Oscar Wendt.

Lokomotiv Moscow's Guilherme was selected as goalkeeper while Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, Borussia Monchengladbach's Lars Stindl and Bayern Munich's Kinglsey Coman form the three-man midfield.

Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Barcelona's Martin Braithwaite lead the attack.

Sanusi is the second-most ranked player in the team with 14 points after Wendt, Elvedi and Braithwaite who have 15 points each.

The Super Eagles star has proven to be an indispensable defensive asset for Sergio Conceicao since he joined Porto on a five-year deal from Santa Clara in August.

The 23-year-old has played in every of Porto's Champions League matches this season and his contribution to Wednesday's triumph, fired the Dragons to second in Group C with nine points after four matches.

Porto visit Sanusi's former club Santa Clara for their Primeira Liga fixture on Saturday before they host Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Champions League on December 1.

Jose Mourinho praised Tottenham's "kids" as Dane Scarlett became the club's youngest ever player following his appearance in the Europa League.

Tottenham picked up a comfortable 4-0 home victory over Ludogorets on Thursday night to move one step closer to qualifying for the round of 32 in Europe's second-tier competition.

Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius hit a first-half brace to put the hosts in full command of the contest, making the most of his chance to shine with Harry Kane granted a well-earned rest ahead of Sunday's London derby clash against Chelsea.

Harry Winks then managed to find the net from 50 yards in somewhat fortunate fashion on the hour mark, before Lucas Moura rounded off the scoring late on, with Spurs now just one win away from booking a place in the knockout stages.

Academy graduate Japhet Tanganga was drafted back into Mourinho's squad after recovering from an injury lay-off, and teenage midfielder Harvey White was handed his senior debut against Ludogorets, while Jack Clarke made his second European appearance since returning to the club following a loan spell at Queens Park Rangers.

Scarlett was the man who shared the headlines with Winks, however, as he became the youngest player to feature in a competitive game for Tottenham in their entire history aged 16 years and 247 days.

Mourinho was delighted to see Lilywhite's next generation of stars "make history", as he told BT Sport post-match: "I am happy for them, some players had really nice performances.

"Japhet Tanganga had his first match after long injury, nice chance for the kids to make history. 4-0 and three points, that's good.

"I know the kids well. Harvey White works with us every day in our squad, same as Jack Clarke, Dane Scarlett did pre-season with us. We know what they can do but it has to be the right moment and today was the right pressure for them."

Asked to assess his side's latest performance in the Europa League, Mourinho responded: "It was important. There is a risk of every team on six points against them.

"If that happens to qualify you need a lot of points. Normally nine points would be job done but it is not job done. You need a result but today was important. We made lots of changes but it was important to take it seriously, it was good.

"The game are important, every game is important. We don't look to certain competitions, we look game after game.

"To play all the same players is not good for the condition and for the mentality of those who play."

The Portuguese boss concluded by playing down the importance of this weekend's meeting with Chelsea, as he added: "Every game is every game, in the Premier League I don't make any difference because every game you can gain points or lose points. We don't look to the table we look to matches."

Daniele Bonera felt AC Milan showed their team spirit is strong even without Zlatan Ibrahimovic after their Europa League draw with Lille on Thursday.

The Rossoneri took the lead in France through Samu Castillejo but were pegged back through a goal from Jonathan Bamba 19 minutes later.

The Serie A leaders, beaten 3-0 by Lille in the previous Group H game, restricted the hosts to just 42 per cent of the ball only to concede from their only shot on target of the second half.

Similarly, AC Milan found the net with their one effort on goal in the 90 minutes, as the absence of the injured Ibrahimovic appeared to take its toll.

The 39-year-old, who sustained a hamstring injury after scoring a double in the 3-1 win at Napoli, has scored 12 goals in as many games in all competitions this season.

Still, Milan have won six and drawn four of their 10 games without Ibrahimovic in 2020, and Bonera says that level of resolve was once again apparent against Lille.

"This is the strong identity we now have in all of us. We're happy with the work the boys do every day. It's just a shame about the result tonight," said the assistant coach, who is deputising for head coach Stefano Pioli while he self-isolates after a positive coronavirus test.

"We showed even before this match that the group was able to make up for his absence. He is such an important player, but the spirit of this team is always the same, with or without Ibra."

Young playmaker Sandro Tonali was also frustrated that AC Milan could not hold onto three points, but he said they proved they could play well without their main striker.

"We deserved to take the lead. We didn't dominate but we held onto the ball like a great team, and that's our biggest regret – not being able to win," he said.

"Playing with Ibra certainly helps; with a champion like him, it's always easier. But we have to play well even without him and we've shown we can play as a great team."

The result leaves AC Milan second in the group after four games, a point behind leaders Lille and one ahead of Sparta Prague.

Olanrewaju Kayode scored a goal while Ivory Coast's Arouna Kone bagged a brace in Sivasspor's 3-2 victory over Qarabag in a Uefa Europa League encounter.

Qarabag kicked off on a flying note with Abdellah Zoubir opening the scoring for the hosts at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium in the eighth minute.

His opener separated both teams for the majority of the first-half but Kone got the equaliser for Sivasspor from the penalty spot, five minutes before the break.

After the restart, Uro Matic restored the lead for the Azerbaijan giants in the 55th minute, however, it did not last long as Kayode made an instant impact after replacing Casimir Ninga in the 57th minute.

A minute after his introduction, the former Manchester City striker brought the two teams on level terms again with his effort, courtesy of an assist from Yasin Oztekin.

The Nigeria forward has now scored four goals in the Europa League group stage this season, having notched at least a goal in each of his last three appearances in the competition.

Towards the closing 10 minutes of the encounter, Kone linked up with Ugur Ciftci to secure all three points for the visitors with his second goal of the night.

The 37-year-old forward played the entire duration alongside his compatriot Max Gradel while Mali's Mamadou Samassa was in between the sticks for Sivasspor.

Qarabag, on the other hand, had Ghana forward Owusu Kwabena on parade but he could not add to his tally of a goal after five games.

Thursday's victory left Sivasspor in the third spot in Group I with six points after four matches, a point behind second-placed Maccabi Tel Aviv while Qarabag languish at the bottom, and they are yet to pick a point after four matches.

Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho says he will miss receiving phone calls from Diego Maradona that were made to lift his spirits after losing matches.

The football world is in mourning after the passing of the iconic former player this week.

Tributes have flown in from across the world after it was confirmed on Wednesday that the Argentina, Napoli and Boca Juniors hero suffered a fatal heart attack on Wednesday.

Mourinho says that while the world already knows about the World Cup winner's exploits on the field and can relive them with a simple internet search, he will always miss the man behind the legend who was quick to give him a call after a disappointing result.

"There is Maradona and there is Diego. Maradona I don’t need to speak about because the world knows and nobody will forget," he told BT Sport before his side beat Ludogorets 4-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.

"Diego is different, the people that are the big friends of him, the people that share dressing rooms with him, colleagues, these guys are privileged.

"I can say he was a good friend of mine, but my contacts with him were by telephone and we met of course a few times.

"He had a big, big, big, big heart. That’s the guy I miss, because his football we can find every time we miss him, if we Google we will find it. But Diego, no.

"I spent the day today telling stories to my guys about him and the time we spent together and that’s the guy I miss. I especially miss the phone call that was always arriving after defeats and never after victories.

"He knew that after victories I don’t need phone calls, he knew that in difficult moments he was always there and he was always saying after defeats: ‘Mo, don’t forget you are the best’. He always had this approach.

"I miss Diego."

Maradona's body is lying in honour at the presidential mansion in Buenos Aires during three days of mourning. Thousands turned out to pay their respects, but the day was marred when clashes between police and mourners errupted.

The final of the Caf Champions League is a massive fixture in any year, but this season, the contest takes on even greater resonance due both to the participants and the context.

Somewhat remarkably, for the first time ever, Africa’s biggest clubs—Al-Ahly and SC Zamalek—will collide to decide who is the continent’s champion.

The two are the most successful teams in the history of the continent’s premier club competition, but they’ve never before met at this stage.

Now, it’s all on the line, in a fixture that neither of these two Cairene rivals—bitter foe who are divided on political and cultural lines—can afford to miss.

African Football HQ host Malek Shafei has put together an all-star panel of Egyptian football pundits to assess this blockbuster showdown in this week’s episode of the podcast.

We discuss the history and the rivalry between the Red Devils and the White Knights; they did meet in the Caf Super Cup final of 1994---not quite the same thing as Friday’s meeting—and have crossed paths on several occasions in the Champions League over the last 20 years.

On each of those recent meetings, it was Ahly who came out on top, although the pair are more evenly matched heading into this weekend’s bout, with Zamalek having achieved continental success with last season’s Caf Confederation Cup victory.

In Achraf Bencharki and Mostafa Mohamed, they also boast two of the most fearsome attacking threats in this year’s edition of the competition, and either man has the potential to be the match-winner.

Unfortunately, due to the restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, this ‘match of the century’ must be played behind closed doors at the Cairo International Stadium, although while a bitter shame, it certainly reduces the risk for negative health consequences or further controversies.

Positive Covid-19 tests will also deny several key players the opportunity to feature in Friday’s final, with the likes of Abdallah Gom'aa, Youssef Obama, and Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wensh all set to miss out.

There’s also intrigue in the dugout, where two relatively new faces will be squaring up to contest arguably the biggest matches of their careers.

Jaime Pacheco deserves credit for the way he has guided Zamalek to the final—and got the best out of this group of players, while Pitso Mosimane will make history if he can clinch another continental crown for Ahly, having previously won the title with South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns.

Harry Winks has admitted that his long-range stunner in Tottenham's latest Europa League win was an accident - much to the annoyance of manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham took a major step to booking their place in the Europa League round of 32 by thrashing Ludogorets 4-0 on Thursday night.

Carlos Vinicius, who joined Spurs on loan from Benfica in the summer transfer window, opened the scoring with a neat finish in the 16th minute, and doubled his account just after the half-hour mark when he tapped the ball into an empty net after being teed up by Dele Alli.

Mourinho's men continued to pile pressure on the Bulgarian outfit in the second half, and extended their lead in spectacular fashion as Winks beat opposition goalkeeper Plamen Iliev from 50 yards after picking the ball up on the left touchline.

Lucas Moura added gloss to the final result when he fired past Illiev 17 minutes from time, with Tottenham in pole position to secure their place in the knockout stages.

Winks resisted the temptation to lap up the plaudits for his outrageous effort in his post-match interview, conceding he was trying to pick out Gareth Bale with a through ball rather than going for goal.

"I'd love to sit here and say that I did, but I've got to be honest and say no," the England international told BT Sport.

"I saw Gaz (Gareth Bale) run in. I'll take it at the end of the day. It has been a while [since I last scored] but I am happy with the way the team played."

Mourinho responded to Winks' comments while speaking to BT Sport himself, stating: "He is too honest! I am not happy with him! With a goal like that you have to say you meant it, but a good kid. He is honest."

Winks added on Spurs' latest performance on the European stage: "It was really enjoyable. We started with the right intensity because we didn't give them any chance to be breath. It was a good game for us."

The 24-year-old went on to discuss his current position in Mourinho's squad, expressing his frustration over a lack of regular minutes before pledging to make the most of every opportunity he gets.

"It is tough. It is very difficult. All I can do is when I get opportunities like this is play well," Winks said.

Tottenham will now turn their attention to a huge Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with only two points separating the London rivals at the top of the table after nine fixtures.

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has highlighted the relationship between players and staff as a key factor that has helped him settled down quickly at Stamford Bridge.

Since he joined the Blues on a five-year contract from Rennes in September, the Senegal international has kept seven clean sheets in 10 appearances across all competitions.

He explained how he has displaced Kepa Arrizabalaga as Chelsea no. 1 and how the presence of France defenders has made communication easy for him.

“Everyone has done everything to help me integrate as smoothly as possible, the players, the staff, they have all helped me,” Mendy told the club website.

“I respond to that by devoting myself to being the best goalkeeper I can be on the pitch, by doing what I can every day in training and in matches. I will continue like that to keep trying to help the team.

“I have joined a very good club. I feel good in this team. I have got to know them and gained an affinity with them which helps during games. Of course with Kurt and Thiago they speak French which is good for me, but I can communicate well with the other players too and I am really enjoying it.”

Mendy returned to Roazhon Park to face his former club Rennes in a Uefa Champions League clash on Tuesday, he revealed the mixed feelings he had before and after the game which ended 2-1 in favour of Chelsea.

“Before the match I had a lot of emotions because I know the journey to the ground and then when I saw the stadium I had a wonderful feeling inside,” he continued.

“Then my thoughts turned to the principle feeling which was to win the match and secure qualification. That’s what we did. It was a difficult game, we knew it would be, but we showed great spirit to fight until the end.

“After the game it was great to see everyone who works around the stadium, the players and the staff and talk to them.”

Chelsea are on a 10-game unbeaten ahead of Sunday’s Premier League outing against leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

Mendy disclosed the Blues’ mission as they face Jose Mourinho’s men who handed them their last defeat in a League Cup fixture two months ago.

He said; “The objective now is to do a good match against Tottenham on Sunday.”

Manchester United will be involved in the first Premier League game of the 2020-21 season to have fans in attendance, but it will be a while longer before Old Trafford can open its doors to spectators.

The Red Devils' trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham on December 5 will mark the return of supporters to a top-flight match in England for the first time since before the league was suspended in March following the first wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.

Regions in England have been placed in different tiers of lockdown as the country continues to battle the pandemic. As of December 2, Teams in Tier 1 areas, which have the least intense restrictions, will be permitted to allow up to 4,000 fans in attendance, Tier 2 cities can welcome 2,000 into their stadiums and matches in Tier 3 zones will continue behind closed doors.

London has been put into Tier 2 for the time being, meaning some supporters can take in the clash between the Hammers and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team, but United fans will not be allowed entry.

As United are in an area that falls under Tier 3, fans are still barred from attending matches at Old Trafford but the club hopes to open the doors once again in the near future.

"Manchester United notes the government decision to keep Trafford in the Tier 3 category of Covid-19 restrictions," a statement on the club's website read.

"This means games at Old Trafford will continue to take place behind closed doors until further notice. Our plans for safely welcoming fans back to Old Trafford are well advanced and we look forward to doing so, as soon as we are given the go-ahead.

"We will continue to work with local authorities on finalising our plans so that we can move quickly when our area comes out of Tier 3.

"Some of our forthcoming away games in Tier 2 areas may take place with a limited number of fans in attendance. However, under current guidelines, away fans will not be permitted to attend."

Before the match between West Ham and United, Arsenal's Europa League meeting with Rapid Vienna will host some supporters.

Fans will also be allowed in for Chelsea's home game against Leeds later on December 5.

Carlos Vinicius scored twice as Tottenham claimed a comfortable 4-0 win over Ludogorets and edged closer to a place in the Europa League knockout stage.

Brazilian striker Vinicius, on a season-long loan from Benfica, netted for Spurs for the first time with two clinical finishes in a one-sided match on Thursday.

But the pick of the goals belonged to Harry Winks, as a spectacular long-range effort drifted over Ludogorets goalkeeper Plamen Iliev from 53.7 yards, before Lucas Moura added a fourth with a crisp finish.

The win moved second-placed Spurs level with Group J leaders Royal Antwerp on nine points, although the Belgian side are ahead courtesy of their head-to-head record.

Gareth Bale, in search of his 200th career goal, tried his luck with two free-kicks and a long-range effort early after Jose Mourinho made 10 changes from the side which beat Manchester City 2-0 on Saturday.

But it was Vinicius who opened the scoring for Spurs after he got on the end of Dele Alli's deflected pass and calmly slid the ball home.

His second goal owed much to Alli's unselfish play after the midfielder cut the ball back for Vinicius to tap in from close range following Tanguy Ndombele's burst forward.

Ludogorets struggled to get out of their own half and were unable to register a single shot in the first half, with goalkeeper Joe Hart touching the ball just seven times before the break.

Bale got himself into a good position after the interval only to be denied by Iliev at the far post following Matt Doherty's knockdown.

Iliev was embarrassed after 63 minutes, though, when Winks collected the ball from a throw-in on the left flank and remarkably picked out the top-right corner, via the crossbar, with the Ludogorets keeper off his line.

Alli and Vinicius were both involved again when Spurs notched a fourth, Moura the beneficiary as some clever link-up play allowed him to fire home.

Iliev at least partially redeemed himself late on when he saved from substitute Harvey White from close range, but Tottenham eased to another three points.

Rangers let slip a late two-goal lead against Benfica for the second time in a month to draw 2-2 in Thursday's Europa League clash at Ibrox.

Steven Gerrard's men were cruising at 3-1 in the reverse fixture with 13 minutes to go, only to switch off and draw 3-3 to leave the sides level on points in Group D.

History repeated itself in Glasgow as Scott Arfield's early strike and Kemar Roofe's superb second from 20 yards put the home side in control.

However, an unfortunate James Tavernier own goal with 12 minutes to go was followed soon after by a Pizzi drive to help Benfica snatch another crucial point, ensuring Rangers still have work to do to progress to the last 32.

Benfica were without a number of injured and suspended players and fell behind inside seven minutes. Tavernier headed against the crossbar after Roofe's header was well saved but Arfield smashed home the rebound from 10 yards.

The visitors saw plenty of the ball but failed to test Allan McGregor in a first half devoid of any other real chances.

Rangers had a penalty shout for handball against Jan Vertonghen rejected, but they scored a second goal in the 69th minute when Roofe thundered into the top corner after a smart team move.

But nerves were then sent jangling when Goncalo Ramos forced in a close-range shot that hit Gers skipper Tavernier and crossed the line.

The previously quiet Alfredo Morelos had a 20-yarder fumbled onto the bar by Helton Leite and that proved a decisive moment as Benfica levelled up in the 81st minute, Connor Goldson's attempted clearance falling to substitute Pizzi to lash into the roof of McGregor's net.

What does it mean? Gers fail to learn their lesson

Gerrard said his side "only have themselves to blame" on the back of their 3-3 draw in Portugal but he was confident lessons would be learned. Not quite.

Benfica may only have managed two attempts on target, four fewer than the hosts, but they still managed to steal a point with that late double.

It leaves the sides locked on eight points apiece at the top of Group D, with Lech Poznan and Standard Liege five points worse off.

Arfield continues scoring streak

The Canada international may have fallen just short of registering double figures for goals in all competitions last season, but he already has six to his name this campaign.

That includes goals in his last three games, although unlike against Hamilton and Aberdeen he could not add an assist to his collection and did not end on the winning team.

Rangers' defence crumbles 

Despite holding a commanding lead, the home side's back four seemed to become incredibly nervous as the game entered its final 15 minutes. Both goals could have been prevented - the first a scrappy own goal and the second coming after Goldson failed to clear the ball. 

In Goldson's defence, though, he won a higher percentage of duels than anyone on the field (83) and no player managed more than his six clearances.

What's next?

Rangers return to Scottish Premiership action with a trip to Falkirk on Sunday, while Benfica are away to Maritimo in the Primeira Liga on Monday.

Jean-Pierre Nsame scored the only goal in Young Boys’ 1-0 win over CSKA Sofia in Thursday’s Europa League game.

The 27-year-old was handed his fifth appearance in the European competition at Vasil Levski and delivered impressive showings.

The Cameroon international scored his fourth goal in the tournament which moved Gerardo Seoane’s men closer to the knock-out stage.

The game started with both sides trying to open the scoring but missed several chances in the opening 30 minutes.

Nsame, however, broke the deadlock for the Swiss side in the 34th minute which made the difference in the encounter.

The centre-forward fired his effort past the reach of goalkeeper Gustavo Busatto after receiving a timely pass from Silvan Hefti.

Despite several attempts to level proceedings by CSKA Sofia, Young Boys held their nerves to secure all three points in the match.

Nsame featured for the duration of the game and Guinea international Jules keita was introduced moments before the full time.

With the win, Youn Boys are second on the Europa League Group A after gathering seven points from four matches.

The Cameroon international has now scored nine goals across all competitions and provided five assists in 15 appearances.

Nsame will hope to continue his impressive performances when his side takes on AS Roma in their next outing in the European competitions on December 3.

Before that, Young Boys will square off against Lausanne Sport in a Swiss Super League game on November 29.

Nsame has two caps for the Cameroon national team and his current form could see him make a return to the West African side, having last featured for them in June 2019.

Mourners and police clashed at the funeral of Diego Maradona as thousands gathered to bid farewell to the football legend on Thursday.

The Argentina and Napoli great, who underwent brain surgery earlier this month, died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

His body is lying in honour at Casa Rosada - the presidential mansion in the heart of Buenos Aires - during three days of national mourning in his homeland.

Maradona's coffin was draped with Argentina's national flag and football shirt, which bared his trademark number 10 on the back.

Thousands of people wishing to pay their respects joined the line at the Plaza de Mayo square, with the first in line allowed to enter the building at 06:00 local time (09:00GMT). 

The wake was scheduled to last for 10 hours, with the first few reserved for Maradona's family and former team-mates.

However, as the numbers continued to swell, officers in riot gear struggled to contain the crowds and Argentine outlet Clarin reported tear gas and water cannons being used.

Footage emerged on social media of bottles and fences being launched near Maradona's temporary place of rest.

Maradona is to be buried at the Jardines de Bella Vista cemetery on the outskirts of the city, which is reportedly where his parents were laid to rest.

Fans of Maradona's former clubs also paid tribute to the legendary attacking midfielder, with makeshift shrines set up in Naples, Seville and Barcelona.

Speaking on Thursday, meanwhile, Maradona's lawyer Matias Morla called for a full investigation into the circumstances that led to his death.

"It is inexplicable that for 12 hours my friend has had no attention or check-up from the personnel dedicated to these ends," he added on the statement on Twitter.

"The ambulance took more than half an hour to arrive, which was a criminal idiocy."

Maradona, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and went on to coach his country, is survived by five children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, who he split with in 2004.

Inter could have done more against a "mediocre" Real Madrid side in their latest European outing, according to Fabio Capello.

The Nerazzurri's awful start to their latest Champions League campaign continued on Wednesday night as they were beaten 2-0 by Los Blancos at San Siro on Wednesday night.

Eden Hazard calmly slotted home a penalty kick to open the scoring with just seven minutes on the clock after Nico Barella was adjudged to have fouled Nacho in the box.

Inter thought they'd won a penalty of their own just after the half-hour mark when Vidal appeared to be tripped by Raphael Varane as he bore down on goal, but match referee Anthony Taylor waved the home side's appeals away.

Vidal couldn't accept the decision though, and was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for his aggressive protests, leaving the Italian giants with a mountain to climb in the second half.

Madrid made their numerical advantage count when Rodrygo came off the bench to volley home at the back post in the 59th minute, although his effort ultimately went down as an own goal after taking a heavy deflection off Achraf Hakimi.

Zinedine Zidane's side held on for a comfortable victory to move three points clear of Shakhtar Donetsk in second in Group B, having picked up seven points from a possible 12 to date.

Antonio Conte, meanwhile, was left contemplating the prospect of seeing his team exit Europe's elite competition at the earliest possible stage for a second successive year, with Inter sitting bottom of the pool on two points.

Ex-Italy boss Capello, who also took in successful spells with Juventus, AC Milan, and Madrid at the height of his managerial career, thinks the Nerazzurri let themselves down against the reigning La Liga champions, who he believes are no longer an elite force.

“Inter started badly and without the right application, in the first half they were always in difficulty," the former Blancos head coach told Sky Sports post-match.

“In the second half with four defenders, I liked Inter more. Against this mediocre Real Madrid, Inter could have done more.”

Mikel Arteta says Folarin Balogun ‘wants to stay’ at Arsenal.

The Gunners boss was speaking after seeing the youngster score his first goal for the club during Thursday night’s 3-0 win at Molde in the Europa League.

Balogun struck just 37 seconds after replacing Eddie Nketiah in Norway, finishing well after being picked out by fellow academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe.

It was his first senior goal in only his second first-team appearance and it comes amid increased speculation over his future.

Balogun is out of contract in 2021 and had looked set to leave last summer after talks over a new deal broke down.

But negotiations have now been resumed with the attacker and Arteta says that the 18-year-old’s desire is to remain in north London.

“He wants to stay, we want him to stay,” said the Arsenal manager. “We gave him the opportunity and he took it straight away.

“It’s well deserved for the boy. He’s working really hard.

“He had some difficult months with all the speculation around him, he’s handled the situation in a really mature way.”

Victory in Molde secured Arsenal’s passage through to the knockout stages of the Europa League with two games to spare.

Nicolas Pepe sent them on the way with an excellent opening goal before Reiss Nelson and Balogun rounded off an impressive night’s work for Arteta’s side.

It was the perfect response from Pepe following his red card at Leeds on Sunday and Arteta was delighted with the Ivory Coast winger’s performance.

“I am really pleased,” he said. “Obviously after the disappointment, something negative, you want to see a reaction and to stand out really quickly.

“I could see from the first minute, from his body language, that he was ready to act. I think he had a great performance. He scored a goal, he could have scored another one or two. He created some great moments in the game and worked really hard for the team. I really liked it. I am really pleased with that.”

The Spaniard added: “We all know where his level is and all the time the question is how often he can get to that level - and how he contributes to other aspects of the game.

“That should be the level that he needs to hit and from there he needs to keep improving, because he is capable of doing it and you can see that every time he gets in those positions, in the final third, he is a real threat and a really difficult player to control.

“He can come with his feet, he can go inside, outside, he can shoot and create crosses. He can go in behind you as well. That’s what we expect from him.”

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has spoken out after footage emerged of French police beating a music producer.

Barcelona attacker Antoine Griezmann, Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy and Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette also highlighted the incident on socal media.

There are now calls for France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin to take strong action. Darmanin confirmed on Twitter that an investigation has been launched, while the three officers involved have been suspended.

The victim, who has only been identified as Michel, is said to have been returning to his studio in Paris when three officers pushed him through the front door, forced him against a wall and proceeded to beat him. 

The incident was caught by CCTV on the premises and shows the officers - two in uniform and one in plain clothes - punching him on the head and hitting him with a baton. 

Michel also claims he heard several racial slurs throughout the encounter.

“I was afraid. I thought it was my last day," he added. "I kept saying: ‘I haven’t done anything’, and they kept shouting for me to get down on the ground.”

After the officers were bundled out of the building by Michel and others who came to help, they smashed a window and threw a teargas canister through it. 

Michel was arrested and held for 48 hours before he was released without charge.

The footage went viral on social media on Thursday morning and sparked outrage in France, where members of parliament recently voted in a new law to increase police powers.

Mbappe published a note on Twitter in response to the footage.

"Unbearable video, unacceptable violence," he wrote.

"'My France has values, principles and codes ... My France for me does not live in lies.

"With heart and rage in the light, not in the shadows.

"My France to me, is a mixture, it's a rainbow.

"She bothers you, I know, because she doesn't want you as a role model.

"Stop racism."

Griezmann, meanwhile, shared the video with the message: "My France hurts", and Mendy asked: "Without the videos what would have happened to Michel? We would have preferred to believe the version of the police under oath?"

Lacazette's tweet consisted of angry emojis in response to footage of the video being circulated on social media.