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Germany head coach Joachim Low is not in danger of losing his job despite Tuesday's humiliating 6-0 defeat to Spain, according to Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff.

Die Mannschaft were put to the sword by a rampant Spain side in their Nations League match in Seville, as Ferran Torres led the way with a hat-trick. 

It was Germany's worst defeat since they lost 6-0 to Austria in 1931, with a 9-0 thrashing against England Amateurs in 1909 the only heavier loss in Germany's history.

Low took charge of Germany's national team following the 2006 World Cup and has overseen the team's 2014 World Cup win, as well as their shocking group-stage exit in Russia four years later.

Having been at the helm for so long and on the back of such a shocking result, there has again been speculation about Low's position. 

Bierhoff, though, has quickly moved to offer assurances over Low's future, saying the 60-year-old will be at the helm for a while longer.

Asked if Low would be in charge through next summer's rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament, Bierhoff told ARD: "Absolutely, yes. This game changes nothing. We still trust Joachim Low, no doubt about that.

"When it comes to the national team's coach, you have to think and analyze from tournament to tournament. We want to achieve the maximum at next year's Euros.

"We have to digest this defeat first, it will take some time. Everything went wrong. We lost the ball easily and the team fell apart, that shouldn't happen. We didn't go into the tackles or keep possession. We have to learn from it and draw good conclusions."

After he won a treble in his first season in charge at Bayern Munich, Hansi Flick has been mentioned as a possible candidate to take over from Low.

Speaking to SPORT1 earlier this week Bierhoff said he "absolutely" trusted Flick, who served as Low's assistant with Germany from 2006 to 2014, but wouldn't be drawn on the possibility of him taking over the national team.

"What he has now built in Munich in a short time is really impressive," Bierhoff said. "The continuity he shows with his team is really nice. We benefit from his players being released for the national team.  

"Do I trust him? Absolutely. Is it currently a topic? No. Hansi knows the DFB inside and out. He has his quality and has always said how he values ​​the association. But neither for us nor for him, this is currently not an issue."

Olivier Giroud scored a double as France beat Sweden in the Nations League but was not spurred on by recent criticism because he is "used to being heckled".

In a surprise 2-0 loss in a friendly with Finland last week, Giroud only completed three more passes than goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who was the only France player to have fewer touches than the Chelsea striker.

Giroud was dropped for Saturday's 1-0 victory over Portugal but struck twice in a 4-2 win over Sweden on Tuesday , taking his tally for Les Bleus to 44 – seven shy of Thierry Henry's all-time record.

The 34-year-old tucked home a cutback from Marcus Thuram after Viktor Claesson's opener and scored an excellent diving header following Benjamin Pavard's volley to turn the game around.

Robin Quaison pulled one back for Sweden in the 88th minute but, after they pushed goalkeeper Robin Olsen up for a free-kick in the hope of snatching a point to retain their League A status, Kingsley Coman hit them on the break to consign them to relegation.

"We had a lot of regrets and frustration, also on an individual level, against Finland. We wanted to learn from that match, and we were able to react against Portugal by dominating and deserving the victory," Giroud told M6 .

"This gathering is positive after this last match. Even if everything is not perfect, there is still a feeling of satisfaction.

"There was no feeling of revenge for me. I'm used to being heckled, it's the story of my career. It gives me more strength. I have no problem with that."

Didier Deschamps reiterated his suggestion that Giroud should look to leave Chelsea , where he has just started one game this season, to get more regular football in the build-up to next year's European Championship.

With his double at the Stade de France, Giroud ensured he will end 2020 as Les Bleus' highest scoring player for the fifth time in the past six years.

"The situation in March may not be the same as it is today. But, between the young players who came and who we were able to see – and it is important that they have playing time – and the old ones who are still there, some may be in difficulty like Olivier Giroud," said Deschamps.

"Of course, he has to deal with his situation, psychologically and physically, but today he's still there and he's scored two more.

"You are going to tell me that he won points and Anthony Martial lost some, but no, it's the France team that wins points. Some are starting, and others came as substitutes. I have different options. I have top-level players and in terms of the mood that's perfect."

Toni Kroos admitted Spain showed Germany how to play with and without the ball on Tuesday in a historic 6-0 Nations League defeat. 

Luis Enrique's side scored three goals in either half and were dominant from start to finish as they ended the match with 70 per cent possession and took 23 shots compared to Germany's two. 

The defeat was Germany's worst ever competitive loss with the national team having not conceded six goals in a single match since 1958 against France.

More accustomed to winning games in such fashion, Kroos conceded Spain were simply superior in every way and taught Germany an important lesson. 

"It hurt. Defensively, we did not get any access at all. Spain showed us how to defend, how to play with the ball and without the ball," Kroos told ARD.

Germany forward Serge Gnabry echoed his team-mate, adding: "Nothing worked for us today, we just couldn't get access. Spain deservedly won even at this level. We tried to push each other. Spain simply did well, we did very badly. Now maybe we know where we stand. That makes us think. We still have a bit of time and have to make the best of it."

Joachim Low's side had previously gone 12 games without defeat, with their last loss dating back to September 2019 when they fell 4-2 to the Netherlands. 

Germany have however showed some vulnerability in defence and had kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches - conceding three goals against both Turkey and Switzerland in high-scoring draws.

It was a night to forget for Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who saw his side fall apart in front of him and was left to pick the ball up from his own net six times.  

"Quite disappointing for all of us, not only for the defenders, but for each of us," Neuer said.

"We blew the game together today, also the body language and communication was disappointing. We should have spoken more, especially after the first goal. It's very important to support each other." 

The result means Germany have finished second in their Nations League group behind Spain, who themselves only picked up 11 points in a competitive section. 

Callum Hudson-Odoi says England can win the Under-21 European Championship next summer.

The Chelsea winger was named player of the match on Tuesday night as England beat Albania U21s 5-0 at Molineux to cap qualification with a near-perfect record.

England won nine and drew one of their 10 qualifying games to top Group C, and they will be among the favourites going into the final tournament in 2021.

Asked after the game if he thought England could lift the title for the first time since 1984, Hudson-Odoi told reporters: “Yes, definitely. You want to win the trophy and win every game you play.

“I think the competition is big and whether it is the seniors or the U21s, you want to be involved. You want to get up there with the seniors for the trophy as well. We want to keep pushing ourselves and to try to win the trophy.”

Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah scored twice while Leicester’s James Justin and Bayern Munich starlet Jamal Musiala, formerly of Chelsea, got the other goals.

Hudson-Odoi said he felt like he was playing with a point to prove having started only once for Frank Lampard’s side in the Premier League so far this season.

“I feel confident to give my best every time I play no matter what the game I’m playing in is,” he said.

“You just want to show your capabilities, your ability on the ball and what you can do. I was focused and tried to get a goal first of all and to help the team win the game.

“We wanted to finish the group strongly which we did with the 5-0 win. I tried my best and tried to prove a point as well.”

Hudson-Odoi recently said he still did not feel he had fully recovered from the Achilles rupture which kept him out of action for five months at the start of 2019.

Chelsea rejected a loan bid from Bayern Munich in October which included a £70 million ($89m) option to buy, but Lampard has said he wants to see more from Hudson-Odoi off the ball if he is to figure more prominently in his plans.

"With Callum, his work off the ball is something I am trying to improve because at this level in the Premier League, you see how we worked last year, and Willian was the first trigger in us winning the ball back,” Lampard said.

"He covered so much ground in high areas, at speed, off the ball. Wingers have to have that mindset these days. That's something I put on Callum and he has to improve on little bits and he did better, but he can still do more.”

Germany head coach Joachim Low has admitted "everything was really bad" for his side during their 6-0 defeat to Spain on Tuesday.

Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Nations League match, while Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal also netted at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville.

The result was Germany's worst defeat in almost 90 years – and their worst competitive defeat ever.

Speaking to ARD after the match, Low expressed his disappointment at what he called a "pitch-black day" for the 2014 World Cup champions.

"It's hard to explain at the moment, we had a pitch-black day when nothing worked at all," Low said. "Everything was really bad today in every respect. You couldn't find anything good. We wanted to be brave and play forward but nothing worked today – neither offensively or defensively.

"After the first goal we gave up our whole concept. We opened up and the Spaniards were so good that they took advantage of it. No organisation, no proximity to the players, no communication. We gave up order and that was deadly."

After a performance like the one his side turned in, Low was inevitably going to be asked about axed trio Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels.

In a stunning move in March 2019, Low announced that all three players, then at Bayern Munich, would no longer be considered for international selection.

The trio have continued to perform well for their club sides in the meantime, with Hummels having moved back to Borussia Dortmund last summer.

Low, however, continued to maintain that he would not consider reversing his decision on the three players, despite Tuesday's heavy defeat.

"We have said that we trust the players we have," Low said when asked about the trio. "We were on a good path, but today we have seen that we are not as far along as we thought we would be."

With Tuesday's result Spain clinched a berth in the UEFA Nations League finals, which are set to take place in October 2021. Germany are second in Group A4 and could finish in third should Ukraine defeat Switzerland in their final match and make up a two-goal difference.

Brazil continued their perfect start to World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 win over Uruguay in Montevideo on Tuesday.

First-half goals from Arthur and Richarlison lifted a Neymar-less Brazil to a fourth straight win to begin their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Uruguay, who were without Luis Suarez after the forward's positive coronavirus test, hit the crossbar twice in the first half before their chances took a further hit when Edinson Cavani was sent off in the 71st minute.

The result extended Brazil's unbeaten run against Uruguay to 11 matches.

While Brazil made a bright start, it was Uruguay who went closest to an early opener, Darwin Nunez powering an effort onto the crossbar from inside the area after cutting inside from the left in the fifth minute.

After a relatively even opening, Brazil struck twice in the 11 minutes before half-time through Arthur and Richarlison.

Arthur opened the scoring with his first international goal, the midfielder receiving a pass from Gabriel Jesus before seeing his 20-yard effort take a huge deflection and wrongfoot goalkeeper Martin Campana.

Roberto Firmino squandered a great chance two minutes later when he was denied by Campana, but Brazil would double their lead through Richarlison.

A short corner led to an unmarked Richarlison getting on the end of a Renan Lodi cross to head in and make it 2-0.

There was still time for Uruguay to be denied by the woodwork again to finish the half, Diego Godin's header hitting the crossbar after Nicolas De La Cruz's set-piece.

After few chances to begin the second half, Uruguay's comeback chances were dealt a blow in the 71st minute, Cavani having a yellow card for a challenge on Richarlison upgraded to a red following a VAR check.

Just as Martin Caceres thought he had given the hosts hope with a goal shortly after, it was correctly ruled out for offside, Uruguay unable to find a way back into the contest.

What does it mean? Brazil stay perfect

In what is a gruelling qualifying campaign, Brazil have made a dream start with four wins from four. Tite's men finished top of the 2018 standings with 12 wins, and they are on track for another dominant campaign.

No Neymar, few problems for Brazil

Without their star forward due to a thigh injury, Brazil still managed back-to-back wins to continue their perfect start to qualifying. However, they missed the Paris Saint-Germain star's spark in Montevideo, creating few chances but making the most of those they had to claim three points.

Uruguay still can't find a way against Brazil

The loss extended Uruguay's winless run against Brazil to 11 games, with their last victory in meetings between the nations coming in 2001. It could have been different with some luck after Nunez and Godin hit the crossbar in the first half and Caceres had an effort ruled out in the second.

What's next?

Brazil and Uruguay continue their qualifying campaigns in March next year. Tite's men will face Colombia and Argentina, while Uruguay meet Lionel Scaloni's side and Bolivia.

Germany’s humiliating 6-0 defeat against Spain on Tuesday night was their worst defeat in almost 90 years – and their worst competitive defeat ever.

Joachim Low’s side were torn apart in Seville. Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick while Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal all got on the scoresheet even after Spain lost Sergio Ramos and Sergio Canales to injury in the first half.

The result surpassed famous losses such as the 5-1 defeat to England in 2001 and the 8-3 defeat West Germany suffered to Hungary during the 1954 World Cup.

It was equalled only by a 6-0 defeat to Austria in 1931, and beaten only by a 9-0 thrashing against England Amateurs in 1909 – when the concept of a German national team was in its infancy. The last time Germany conceded six in a game was during the 1958 World Cup, in the third-place play-off against France.

The result will raise serious questions about Low’s position as manager, with a serious inquest surely on the way after the manner of the defeat.

Germany failed to have a single shot on target during the game, and had only 30 per cent of possession. Serge Gnabry hit the bar but the hosts could have scored more than the six they finished with, having 23 shots – 16 of which came from inside the penalty area.

Man of the match Torres became the first player to score a hat-trick for Spain against Germany, while it was also the first time Spain had ever scored three goals in the first 45 minutes against Germany.

Morata opened the scoring early on from a corner. Morata arrived untracked to head past Manuel Neuer, perhaps evoking memories of an unmarked Thomas Muller stroking home to open the scoring in Germany’s famous 7-1 evisceration of Brazil in 2014.

The lack of marking from Germany’s defence proved a sign of things to come as Manchester City duo Torres and Rodri made the game safe before half-time.

Real Madrid captain Ramos walked off with what looked like a hamstring injury before the break but the defender will no doubt have enjoyed his side’s second-half display with Torres adding two more and Oyarzabal adding some final gloss late on.

Tuesday’s results mean Spain, France and Belgium have qualified for the Nations League finals, with either Italy, the Netherlands or Poland to join them on Wednesday.

Feisal Salum cancelled out Saifeddine Khaoui’s opener as Tanzania held Tunisia 1-1 at home on Tuesday to boost their prospects of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The point is enough to confirm Tunisia’s place at the 2022 tournament—set to be hosted by Cameroon—and extends their run of qualifying for every edition since 1992.

Visiting Tunisia had taken the lead after 11 minutes when Khaoui finished after being played in by Youssef Msakni, but Salum responded just after half time when he beat Farouk Ben Mustapha from inside the visitors’ half.

The draw leaves Tanzania on four points after four matches, and they currently sit third in Group J.

While the East Africans are outside the qualifying berths with two games to play, they still have qualification in their own hands, and would leapfrop Equatorial Guinea into second place if they defeat the Nzalang Nacional in Malabo on March 22.

The Central African side defeated Libya home and away during the international break to boost their prospects of reaching the 2022 Afcon in neighbouring Cameroon, but Tanzania can take encouragement from the fact that the 2015 Nations Cup hosts must still travel away to Tunisia in their final group game.

Tanzania will host Libya in Dar es Salaam on matchday six, and while the Mediterranean Knights are not out of the running, they must host already qualified Tunisia in their next group fixture.

Tuesday’s match came four days after Tanzania were narrowly  

Msakni, the star of the first match, was again influential, hitting the post early on and then carving Tanzania open with a fine pass to set up Khaoui to open the scoring.

However, after riding out the storm and keeping Tunisia at bay—as they did for much of the first match between the pair—the Taifa Stars capitalised on a loss of concentration at the start of the second half, responding through Salum after the visitors restarted slowly.

Despite controlling much of the second period, largely due to a midfield of Ellyes Skhiri and reunited Ferjani Sassi and Mohamed Amine Ben Amor, Tunisia were unable to find a winner.

They join Senegal, Algeria and hosts Cameroon in having booked their tickets to the 2022 showpiece.

Kingsley Coman wrapped up a 4-2 win for France in the Nations League on Tuesday as he punished a Sweden side who were chasing an equaliser to retain League A status.

Sweden sent goalkeeper Robin Olsen up for a late free-kick as they tried to salvage a draw that would have relegated Croatia, who lost 3-2 to Portugal, but Dejan Kulusevski's delivery was cleared and Coman slotted into the empty net on the break.

Viktor Claesson had put the visitors in front at the Stade de France inside four minutes, but Olivier Giroud equalised before Benjamin Pavard turned the game around in the 36th minute.

Substitute Kylian Mbappe teed up another for Giroud just 70 seconds into his return from injury, before Coman killed the game with the final kick after Robin Quaison's 88th-minute strike gave Sweden hope.

Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick as Spain secured a place at next year's Nations League Finals with a 6-0 demolition of Germany on Tuesday. 

Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal were also on the scoresheet in Seville as Joachim Low suffered the heaviest loss of his 14 years in charge. 

Germany needed only a point to secure top spot in Group A4 but found themselves 3-0 down by half-time, Spain delivering their best performance under Luis Enrique despite losing Sergio Ramos and Sergio Canales to hamstring problems. 

Manchester City's Torres added two more after the break before substitute Oyarzabal piled further pressure on Low, whose position will look increasingly perilous following this chastening defeat. 

Morata could hardly believe his luck when he was allowed a free header at the far post from a deep corner by Fabian Ruiz, on as an early substitute for the injured Canales, to open the scoring. 

Germany had struggled to get into the game and were fortunate not to be 2-0 down when Morata turned in Torres' cross only to be denied by a contentious offside call. 

Manuel Neuer, who became Germany's most-capped goalkeeper as he made his 96th appearance, did superbly to turn Torres' strike around the post as Spain once more got in down the right. 

However, he could do nothing to stop Torres smashing a rebound home from six yards after Dani Olmo's header had come back off the crossbar. 

It was 3-0 to an utterly dominant Spain five minutes later as a corner from Koke found an unmarked red shirt, this time in the form of Rodri, who glanced a brilliant header out of Neuer's reach. 

Ramos went off before the break after hurting his hamstring when sending a long pass forward, but his absence did little to shake Spain from their rhythm. 

With Germany pushing for a route back into the match, La Roja sprung a counter-attack down the left and Jose Gaya squared for Torres to steady himself and smash home number four. 

Torres secured his treble with 19 minutes to play, sweeping a low shot past a helpless Neuer as Spain once again cut the visiting defence to ribbons, and Oyarzabal was gifted an easy finish when Gaya prodded the ball into his path.

Dominik Livakovic's calamitous late error gifted Portugal a 3-2 victory as Fernando Santos' side ended their Nations League campaign on a high note but Croatia avoided relegation from Group A3.

Croatia, reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Marko Rog received a second booking, seemed to be heading for a draw in Split on Tuesday.

Mateo Kovacic opened the scoring in the 29th minute before curling in from the edge of the box after goals from Ruben Dias and Joao Felix had put Portugal ahead.

But Livakovic endured a 90th-minute nightmare, fumbling a corner to the feet of Dias, who completed his double to snatch the points, yet Croatia avoid the drop due to France's win over Sweden.

Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo went close as Portugal turned the screw, but the visitors had Dias to thank when he blocked Mario Pasalic's goal-bound effort at the other end.

Yet Dias could not prevent Croatia from opening the scoring – Kovacic lashing home at the second attempt after having his initial shot from Pasalic's cross blocked.

Portugal should have been two down eight minutes later, only for Josip Juranovic to head wide from inside the six-yard box, and Danilo Pereira would have made Croatia pay if not for Livakovic's instinctive stop.

But Portugal had their equaliser eight minutes into the second half.

Rog was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Ronaldo, whose free-kick was parried out by Livakovic and Ruben Semedo squared for Dias to add insult to injury by prodding in.

Portugal were in front on the hour-mark, with Joao Felix on hand to tuck in from Jota's lay off, yet Croatia defied their numerical disadvantage to hit back when Kovacic curled a low strike into the bottom-left corner.

Bernardo Silva squandered a golden chance to win it for Portugal, but his blushes were swiftly sparred by Livakovic.

The goalkeeper charged out to claim Joao Moutinho's corner, only to drop it after making contact with Dejan Lovren, enabling Dias to snatch victory.

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying returns this week as the 10 South American nations compete for a place at World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Argentina is hoping to continue its unbeaten record on Tuesday as it visits Peru in Lima.

CONMEBOL qualifiers can be watched through Fanatiz. The streaming platform offers the option to watch each game in the US..

How to watch Peru vs Argentina on US TV

What has happened to Peru & Argentina far in CONMEBOL's World Cup 2022 qualification?

Peru began its World Cup qualifying campaign with a thrilling 2-2 draw away to Paraguay, and the goals continued to flow for Ricardo Gareca's men.

It led twice against Brazil in its second match before Neymar pulled his side back into the game, scoring a hat-trick which included two penalties to see the Selecao through 4-2 in Lima. 

Peru then had no answer to Arturo Vidal, as the Chile star netted twice in the first half to earn the Roja a comfortable 2-0 home win which pushes Peru down to eighth in the standings, with just one point to date.

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Argentina by comparison have been rather less entertaining but more effective, taking an impressive seven points out of the nine  available in the campaign so far. 

Ecuador and Bolivia were disposed of 1-0 and 2-1 respectively in October's fixtures, the latter marking an historic win for the Albiceleste in the altitude of La Paz; while on Thursday Lionel Scaloni's men fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Paraguay after falling behind to Angel Romero's spot-kick.

Peru and Argentina team news and preview

Midfielder Exequiel Palacios was forced off against Paraguay after taking a knee to the back, and now faces significant time out after fracturing vertebrae in the challenge. 

Argentina will hope to recover the talents of Nicolas Tagliafico in time for Tuesday after the Ajax star missed out in the first match, obliging Scaloni to field Nicolas Gonzalez in an unfamiliar left-back position.

Peru are missing two key players in Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan, who were ruled out of November's double-header due to injury; as well as defender Carlos Zambrano, handed a three-match suspension following his red card against Brazil in October. Renato Tapia and Christofer Gonzalez will also miss out against Argentina after picking up their second yellow cards of the competition in Santiago.

Friday's defeat to Chile saw Gianluca Lapadula, who was born in Italy to a Peruvian mother, make his debut off the bench three years after scoring a hat-trick in his first and only Italy cap, playing the last half-hour after coming on for Raul Ruidiaz up front.

Probable Peru XI:  Gallese; Advincula, Araujo, Abram, Trauco; Carrillo, Yotun, Cueva, Flores, Aquino; Advincula.

Probable Argentina XI:  Armani; Montiel, Otamendi, Martinez Quarta, Tagliafico/Gonzalez; Paredes, De Paul, Lo Celso; Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Ocampos.

CONMEBOL's World Cup 2022 qualification table ahead of Matchday 4

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Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has joined the ownership group of the Seattle Sounders, the club announced on Tuesday. 

The former center fielder joins several other high-profile co-owners of the MLS side, including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, his wife and singer Ciara, and rapper Macklemore.

Griffey Jr. is one of Seattle's most recognizable sports figures, having become an all-time great during his time with the Mariners from 1989 to 1999 and then again from 2009 to 2010.

With 630 career home runs, Griffey Jr. is seventh in MLB history, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016. 

Griffey Jr. has said his desire to join the Sounders ownership group came in part from his reaction to the team's crowds, which can reach nearly 70,000 at CenturyLink Field.

“I wanted to be a part of something, not only for myself, but for my kids to be proud of,” Griffey Jr. told the Sounders website. “This is it.”

“It was loud,” he said of the noise from the stadium he heard from his downtown apartment when the club kicked off in 2009. “As a player, when a stadium is loud, that’s what you want. When new things come in, the city is behind you, they want you here.”

The Sounders have won a host of trophies since they joined MLS as an expansion team in 2009, including two MLS Cups, one Supporters' Shield and four U.S. Open Cups.

Griffey Jr. has said he is looking forward to continuing the club's winning tradition. 

“You always want to be a part of a winning team,” he said. “To be on a championship-caliber team and an organization that wants to win and wants to compete and wants to go out there every single game and put the best product on the field, not only for the guys who are in that locker room, but for the 70,000 people who are watching [in the stadium] and the people who are sitting at home watching, that’s important. You want a winner.

“I don’t play games to be competitive, I play to win. I want the Sounders to be compared to the Yankees. Twenty-seven, 28 championships. That’s what I root for, that’s what I want.”

Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has offered his first public comments since being diagnosed with Covid-19, saying on Twitter that he's "confident" he'll be back on the field soon.

The 28-year-old was confirmed to have coronavirus on Saturday, with the Egyptian FA saying the star winger had tested positive on two consecutive occasions.

Salah, who is away on international duty, has been forced into self-isolation as he looks to recover from the virus. 

Though Egypt's team doctor Mohamed Abou Elela has said that Salah is suffering from "mild" coronavirus symptoms, the Liverpool star has expressed his belief that he will be back on the field soon.

"I’d like to thank everyone for the supportive messages and well wishes. I’m confident I’ll be back on the field soon," Salah wrote on Twitter.

Salah is likely to miss out as Liverpool face Premier League leaders Leicester City on Sunday, but he'll be aiming to return in time to face Atalanta in the Champions League next Wednesday or Brighton next weekend. 

There has been plenty of controversy over Salah's recent attendance at his brother's wedding, with the Liverpool winger seen dancing and interacting with many attendees without wearing a mask. 

Former Egypt striker Mido has joined in on the criticism, saying that Salah "showed great negligence" with his actions at the wedding.

“Mohamed Salah made a big mistake by attending his brother's wedding a few days before the Egyptian national team match, he showed great negligence with the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus and the result was that he was infected," the former Tottenham striker told Al-Nahar TV.

“The neglect of Mohamed Salah caused the Egyptian team to lose an important player in a very important match and time, and he also risked the health of his team-mates.

"He should not have been present at his brother's wedding, especially at that time. The wedding included more than 800 people, and half of them accepted to embrace and kiss Salah.

“The other point here is the silence of all those responsible for the player's negligence, which confirms the fact that the player is still bigger than the national team and this will lead to a great failure."

Real Madrid have been dealt a potential injury blow as Sergio Ramos walked out of Spain’s Nations League clash with Germany on Tuesday.

The defender went off before half-time and appeared to gesture to the back of his right thigh as he reached the touchline.

Spain were already 3-0 up when Ramos went off after goals from Alvaro Morata, Ferran Torres and Rodri.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane will be hoping Ramos' withdrawal was precautionary with his team enjoying a healthy lead, as the Spanish champions have a number of important fixtures coming up.

They return from the international break with a trip to second-placed Villarreal on Saturday, knowing a win could take them to within a point of early leaders Real Sociedad at the top of the table.

League clashes with Deportivo Alaves and Sevilla are also coming up, while Madrid have work to do in the Champions League.

At the halfway point of the group stage, they are third in Group B, though only a point behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach. Madrid play Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk away from home before finishing the group stage against Gladbach at their temporary European home, the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

Immediately after that game is a derby clash with Atletico Madrid. 

Ramos has been in the headlines in recent weeks, with some personal milestones reached and plenty of paper talk about his future at Madrid.

He recently scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid , before becoming the most-capped player in European international history as he passed the benchmark previously set by Gianluigi Buffon .

There has also been speculation that Ramos' time at Madrid could be coming to an end. Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a move but  Goal  understands PSG's priority is to tie down star duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to new contracts .

Ramos is out of contract at the end of the season but Zidane has said he has no doubt the defender will sign a new deal at the Santiago Bernabeu .

"I have no doubt that he will stay," Zidane said in a press conference. "He is our leader and of course we love him forever."

La Liga is ready for Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona, according to president Javier Tebas.

The outspoken league chief says the Spanish top flight coped without a hiccup when Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar left, and he doesn’t believe a possible Messi departure would have any more of an impact.

However, he once again criticised what he sees as the unfair financial practises of Manchester City, who have been the club most strongly linked with signing Messi from Barca.

"We would prefer Messi to stay in La Liga but Ronaldo and Neymar left and we have not noticed any difference," Tebas said. "We are ready."

Last year, Tebas said Messi was "essential" to La Liga as a part of the division's heritage.

"It seems the only club in the Premier League that talks about registering Messi is Manchester City, who compete outside the rules," he added. "I am not the only one saying this.

"I am not too worried about them. I have criticised what they do so many times. Doing it one more time makes no difference. City is neither affected by Covid or pandemics or anything because they are financed differently and it is impossible to fight against that."

Tebas also spoke in support of former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who recently resigned after a turbulent 2019-20 season that saw the club fail to win a trophy and Messi attempt to leave.

Bartomeu was a target of much criticism during his time at the helm and there was some celebration among the club’s fans when he stepped down in October.

Barca’s financial difficulties have become a topic of public discussion in recent months but Tebas says Bartomeu was not to blame for debts nearing €800 million (£724m/$950m).

"Barcelona are not considering insolvency proceedings," he said.

"Their debt might be slightly larger but they were perfectly solvent pre-Covid. But Covid has come along and taken away a lot of revenue. They are not so capable of repaying the debt, so their salary volume has to go down.

"That is the essential factor for most clubs. It is not because they were mismanaged earlier."

Tebas also commented on the discussions around a potential European Super League, which Bartomeu said Barca were in favour of as he stepped down. No other club has publicly signed up to the idea.

"It was a clandestine league for the 10 minutes after Bartomeu said they had joined," Tebas noted.

"I feel sorry for Bartomeu. He said it but then no one else said they were joining. This project is not viable financially for the clubs competing or the other clubs. It would really break the ecosystem we have established."

Nigerian football fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment with the Super Eagles’ 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone on Tuesday.

Gernot Rohr’s men managed to share the points with the Leone Stars in Freetown in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Freetown.

The draw is their second in two games after they were held 4-4 by John Keister's men in the first outing of their meeting in Benin City.

Although the result was still enough to ensure the three-time African champions maintain their lead in Group L, it has, however, failed to confirm their qualification for the Afcon finals.

Football enthusiasts have expressed their dissatisfactions with the outcome of the game and also the quality of the pitch at the Siaka Stevens Stadium.

Egypt put the absence of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny behind them to beat Togo 3-1 away in Lome to maintain top spot in Group G the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Goals from Mohamed Kafsha, Mohamed Sherif and Aston Villa midfielder Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan saw the Pharaohs get past Togo, who got their injury-time consolation goal from Elom Nya-Vedji.

The result saw Egypt remaining at the top of Group G with eight points, the same as Comoro Islands. who beat Kenya 2-1 on Sunday.

But the North Africans are top of the group due to a draw they claimed away in the Comoros.

With Egypt travelling to Lome without Salah and Elneny, who both tested positive for coronavirus, the Pharaohs appeared depleted but they turned the tide against Togo, who anchor the group without a win after four games.

It was a second consecutive victory for Egypt who edged Togo 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Cairo on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Morocco opened a five-point lead in Group E following a 2-0 win away to Central African Republic.

It was a third consecutive victory for the Atlas Lions who went ahead through Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech, before Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri sealed victory for Morocco.

Ziyech had a big say in the contest as he also provided an assist for En-Nesyri to complete this international period in which Morocco won 4-1 at home with Ziyech grabbing a brace, on a high.

The Atlas Lions now have 10 points in this group, followed by Mauritania who are ion five points.

In Group K, Madagascar maintained course to qualify for the 2022 Afcon after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against leaders Ivory Coast at Barikadimy Stadium in Toamasina on Tuesday.

AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie opened the scoring for Ivory Coast from the penalty spot 15 minutes into the match before Ibrahim Amada levelled for Madagascar six minutes into the second half.

Tied on seven points each, Ivory Coast lead the standings courtesy of head-to-head record after beating the Indian Ocean islanders 2-1 in the reverse fixture last Thursday.

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying returns this week as the 10 South American nations compete for a place at World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

And Tuesday delivers a mouth-watering fixture as early pace-setters Brazil visit Uruguay at Montevideo's venerable Estadio Centenario.

CONMEBOL qualifiers can be watched through Fanatiz. The streaming platform offers the option to watch each game in the US..

How to watch Colombia vs Uruguay on US TV

What has happened to Uruguay and Brazil so far in CONMEBOL's World Cup 2022 qualification?

Uruguay endured mixed fortunes in October's opening qualifiers, squeezing past Chile 2-1 thanks to Maxi Gomez's last-gasp goal before coming unstuck at altitude in Quito as Ecuador romped to a 4-2 win.

The Celeste fared far better on Friday, breezing past Colombia 3-0 in Barranquilla to inflict a first qualifying defeat on Carlos Queiroz's charges. Luis Suarez netted a penalty - his fourth goal in just three games, all from the spot - while Edinson Cavani and substitute Darwin Nunez were also on target for the away side.

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Brazil, meanwhile, ended that first double-header tied with Argentina at the top of the CONMEBOL standings as the only two sides to win both their games, downing Bolivia and Peru 5-0 and 4-2 respectively. 

And the Selecao ensured it would enter the weekend in first place with victory over Venezuela last week, albeit one they were made to work for. Roberto Firmino finally broke the deadlock 20 minutes into the second half to end the Vinotinto's stout resistance in Sao Paulo, leaving the giants with a perfect nine points from nine so far.

Uruguay and Brazil team news and preview

Uruguay will have to do without star striker and its all-time top goalscorer Luis Suarez after the Atletico Madrid man tested positive for COVID-19 this week. 

Oscar Tabarez will otherwise likely choose to repeat the side that was so impressive in Barranquilla, with Nicolas de la Cruz's early withdrawal oweing to tactical rather than fitness considerations. 

Brazil lost Neymar and young full-back Gabriel Menino to injury ahead of the international week but also came through their Friday fixture without selection issues. 

Douglas Luiz picked up a yellow card against Venezuela and is one of only two Brazil players currently on a booking, along with Thiago Silva.

Probable Uruguay XI: Campana; Caceres, Gimenez, Godin, Vina; Nandez, Torreira, Bentancur, De la Cruz; Nunez, Cavani.

Probable Brazil XI:  Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, T. Silva, Lodi; E. Ribeiro, Allan, Douglas Luiz/Arthur; Richarlison, Jesus, Firmino.

CONMEBOL's World Cup 2022 qualification table ahead of Matchday 4

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U.S. women's national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has said he is expecting Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe to be back for the team's January camp.

The duo's extended absence from the field continued on Tuesday as both were omitted from the USWNT roster for their upcoming friendly at the Netherlands.

Neither player has seen the field since March. Lloyd missed out of the NWSL Challenge Cup and the Fall Series for Sky Blue FC as she continued to deal with a knee injury. 

Rapinoe, meanwhile, opted out of both competitions with OL Reign. Andonovski said last month that he still considers the 2019 World Cup Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner a part of his plans moving forward.

In a conference call on Tuesday, Andonovski expressed optimism that the duo, along with injured winger Mallory Pugh, will return for the team's camp in January.

"Mal has a little bit of an injury and she's still recovering," Andonovski said of Pugh. "She's not 100 percent back from her injury but she's on track to be back probably in 2-3 weeks which is very exciting. 

"With Carli Lloyd she had a little injury and a little surgery that she's also recovering [from] and right now she's not physically ready for the game.

"Rapinoe is in a situation where she's not able to train and we know she didn't do the Challenge Cup [and] the Fall Series and she was not able to train in a team environment, so from a physical perspective and this short camp that we have, [we] will not be able to help her to get her up to speed. 

"Regardless all three of them are on track to be ready for the January camp or at least we hope at that point they're going to be ready for the January camp."

As Rapinoe has leaned more into her role as an activist – her book came out earlier this month – there have been suggestions that the 35-year-old has moved on from her role as a player. 

Andonovski, though, was quick to refute that suggestion, saying he expected Rapinoe to be in the mix as the USWNT looks ahead to the Olympics in Tokyo, which begin in July 2021.

"I'm excited about where they're at and after talking to both of them," Andonovski said of Lloyd and Rapinoe.

"I had a conversation with Carli and I had a great conversation with Pinoe as well, I don't think either one of them, and in particular Pinoe, have moved on.

"They're excited and looking forward to January camp and not just January camp, they're looking forward to the challenges in front of them and the Olympics."