The big news: European champions lose to Switzerland

Life after winning the 2016 European Championship has not begun so smoothly for Portugal as they were outplayed by Switzerland 0-2 in their 2018 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The Selecao, barely a week ago, had registered a resounding 5-0 win against lowly Gibraltar. Without captain extraordinaire Cristiano Ronaldo and winger Andre Gomes, the Portuguese looked toothless in attack at St Jacob Park in Basel. Both goals came inside the first 30 minutes, courtesy Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmadi.

Other top stories

  1. Argentina were held to a 2-2 draw by Venezuela in the World Cup qualifiers. Argentina, sans Lionel Messi, came back from a 2-0 deficit to draw the match. The final score would have been a lot different had they not missed a penalty before the half-time interval. 
  2. Five-time world champions Brazil went second in their qualifying group after coming from behind to beat Colombia 2-1. Fresh from winning the gold medal in the Olympics, the Brazilians went behind as early as the second minute of the game, before goals from Medina and Neymar got them three points. 
  3. Marcus Rashford scored a hat-trick on his England Under-21 debut as the Three Lions thrashed Norway 6-1 in a European Championship qualifier. The Manchester United player had scored on debut in the Europa league and the Premier League as well for his club.
  4. Football players of El Salvador were offered bribes before Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Canada, the country's football association said. A Salvadoran businessman reportedly offered financial incentives if the team avoided a loss. Previously, 14 El Salvador players were banned for life in 2013 after being found guilty of match-fixing.
  5. Sunil Chhetri was retained by Mumbai City FC for the third season of the Indian Super League. Ahead of the tournament, Chhetri seems to be in fine form as he masterminded India’s 4-1 victory over Puerto Rico last week in Mumbai.
  6. FC Goa signed three new Brazilian players ahead of ISL 3, beginning October 1. Defender Rafael Dumas and midfielders Richarlyson and Trindade Goncalves will ply their trade for the team managed by Zico.