Real Madrid emphatically defeated Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Despite being huge underdogs, Kairat Almaty almost took a shocking lead inside the first 15 seconds of the match.

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe made more UEFA Champions League history on Tuesday, using a hat trick to become just the seventh player in tournament history to score 60 goals.

The 26-year-old Mbappe joins Ruud van Nistelrooy on 60 goals and trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, and Raul.

The most successful team in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, made a rare trip to southeastern Kazakhstan for the win, as Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz also scored in the win.

Real improve to 2-0-0 with a plus-6 goal differential as they bid to cruise through this season’s league phase. Kairat fall to 0-0-2 with a minus-8 goal differential.

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Chelsea’s former chief executive Peter Kenyon has opened up on Jose Mourinho’s first departure from Stamford Bridge amid the club’s period of unprecedented success – as ‘the Special One’ prepares to return to west London.

Mourinho was appointed on the heels of Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the Premier League side in 2003, joining the following summer from Champions League winners Porto.

The Portuguese head coach immediately made an impact in the English media with his introductory press conference, referring to himself as ‘a top manager’ and ‘a special one’ – gifting journalists his new moniker.

Mourinho quickly proved his worth, securing back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2006-07, as well as two League Cups and one FA Cup.

But ahead of his third season in the capital, relations began to sour within the club’s hierarchy – with Mourinho taking particular issue with the appointment of Avram Grant as a director at Chelsea.

In a new interview with Telegraph Sport, Kenyon admitted that Grant’s move into the tight-knit set-up was a ‘problem’, and even dubbed it ‘a mistake’ in light of events that followed.

‘Jose used to describe us as a “Holy Trinity”, Roman, him and myself, and we sat down, we discussed things and we got it done,’ Kenyon explained. ‘Each one of us knew our place.

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‘You introduce a third party and that changes the dynamic. And that exacerbated this distance that had started between Roman and him, and the outcome – because of what he is – that just made it more and more uncomfortable for everybody.’

Discussing how Mourinho had come to leave the club in September 2007, Kenyon shared that the decision had been made so quickly, it almost caught him off-guard.

The trio had been preparing to attend a premiere for behind-the-scenes film about the club, with Kenyon and Mourinho set to meet at health club near Stamford Bridge beforehand.

‘I was there early and Jose came in and said straight away “Pete, can you get me out?” I said “it’s a three-line whip, everybody’s going”, and he said “no, out the club”,’ Kenyon recalled.

“We had a chat about it and it was quite obvious that he wanted to go there and then. Now, I also knew the other side and Roman wanted him to go, we’d reached that point. So I said “go to the film premiere, come back here and I will have sorted it all by then”. Which we did.

‘He went to the film premiere and he came back and I said “it’s all sorted, that’s the deal”. It was honouring everything we had talked about. That side of it got dealt with easily.’

Grant later stepped in as the new manager in Mourinho’s place, but Kenyon revealed that the players had been far from happy about the changing of the guard.

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‘That was one of the hardest conversations I’ve had,’ Kenyon continued. ‘Telling the players that a) Jose’s gone and b) that Avram’s taking over.

‘I don’t think I’ve seen as many football stars go ashen all at the same time. They were dumbstruck. There were two people in tears, people you wouldn’t think were capable of crying. There was a general feeling like we’d popped a balloon.

‘It disrupted us for a period. It didn’t stop us because the team kept going. We got to the Champions League final and that was about the team, not Avram. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I’m being honest. I’m really confident that had Jose been there, we’d have won the Champions League final in 2008.’

Mourinho would later return to Chelsea for a second stint in 2013, winning another Premier League title the following season, and one more League Cup.

As such, the 62-year-old remains a venerated figure at Stamford Bridge, despite his move to rivals including Real Madrid and Manchester United – and his second exit.

But Blues fans are unlikely to hope he has a happy return to west London with his new club Benfica, with the hosts keen to restart their Champions League campaign after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in their opening tie.

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Tension and distress have risen among football fans across South Africa following a significant decision made by the sport’s governing body regarding their hopes of participating in the 2026 World Cup. FIFA has faced criticism for neglecting complaints after South Africa fielded an ineligible player during World Cup qualifiers. Click link to continue reading.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for its violation, specifically for playing Teboho Mokoena in a match against Lesotho on March 21, 2025, as part of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition.

This breach violates Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.

As a result, FIFA has declared that South Africa forfeits the match, with a final score of 3-0 in favor of Lesotho. Additionally, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, and Teboho Mokoena has received a warning.
All parties involved have been informed of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision.

According to the relevant provisions of the Disciplinary Code, they have ten days to request a motivated decision. If such a request is made, the decision will be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture decision is also subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Tension is mounting at Manchester United’s Old Trafford following a disappointing performance by the team over the weekend.

The Red Devils find themselves in 14th place in the Premier League standings, indicating the possibility of another challenging season for their supporters. Click link to continue reading.

Their most recent defeat came against Brentford, a side that has also faced difficulties this season. As a result, there is increasing pressure on manager Amorim to turn the team’s fortunes around.

Amorim is under pressure after a disappointing start to the season, and Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive GIVEMESPORT newsletter, has suggested that he’s not 100% safe for now, with the Manchester club considering the whole situation.

Amorim arrived during the 2024/2025 campaign, and he was given time to turn things around, with INEOS patiently waiting for the Portuguese coach to have a full pre-season and transfer window. Unfortunately for them, he’s not delivered so far this season, but it’s still early days, and they’ll be hoping he can eventually get a tune out of his squad.

Writing in his exclusive GIVEMESPORT newsletter, Romano has confirmed that there and no movements in terms of relieving Amorim of his duties, but he’s not 100% safe for now. The respected journalist says that the club is considering the whole situation, but there is nothing concrete as it stands…

“No movements on that now. We will see in the next weeks but nothing concrete into it now. For sure, he’s not 100% safe and the club is considering the whole situation.”

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BBC reporter Simon Stone recently confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is backing Amorim to turn things around as it stands, but it will be interesting to see what happens if the poor results continue. An international break is just around the corner, which is usually an ideal time to change the manager, and the Red Devils face Premier League champions Liverpool in a few weeks time.

United’s next game is a home fixture against newly promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford, who have impressed in the early stages of the campaign. After the international break, they take the short trip to Liverpool, before hosting Brighton to finish off October.

Whether Amorim will last that long remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt he needs to start producing results, with fans already growing frustrated with their disappointing performances during his tenure.

In a noteworthy update shared on his verified Facebook page, renowned sports journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday, September 22, 2025, that Vincent Garcia, the esteemed Editor-in-Chief of France Football, offered insightful commentary on the much-anticipated Ballon d’Or.

Garcia’s remarks shed light on the prestigious award, highlighting its significance in the world of football and emphasizing the criteria that will shape this year’s nominees and winner. Click link to continue reading.

“At this moment, I am the only person in the world who knows the name of the next Ballon d’Or winner.” 🌕👀

In a statement that has sent shockwaves through the football community, Vincent Garcia the editor-in-chief of France Football, the magazine responsible for organizing the prestigious Ballon d’Or has revealed that he alone currently holds the knowledge of who will be crowned the best player in the world this year.

With the official ceremony drawing closer, speculation has reached an all-time high. Fans, pundits, and players alike are all eagerly debating who deserves the honor most.

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But according to Garcia, all that speculation is now academic.

“As of now, I am the only one who knows the winner. No leaks, no guesses only I have seen the final result,” he said confidently in an interview. “It’s one of the most tightly kept secrets in football, and it’s something we take very seriously at France Football. The moment is bigger than any rumor.”

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place soon, and the footballing world will finally get confirmation of the name that Garcia already knows the player who will etch their name into history once again as the best in the world.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and wait to see who the winner will be.

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