The big news: Costa, Nolito score for Spain

Spain beat Albania 2-0 in their World Cup qualifying match on Sunday. Diego Costa and Nolito scored second-half goals to seal an easy win. Costa took advantage of a dreadful error by the Albania goalkeeper, Etrit Berisha, in the 56th minute to net the first goal of the match. Nolito doubled the lead in the 63rd minute after he was came on as a substitute.

Spain dominated the game and were at their defensive best. However, Spanish captain Sergio Ramos limped off with 10 minutes left because of a knee injury and will hope it isn’t a severe blow.

Other top stories

  1. Italy earned a hard fought 3-2 victory over Macedonia in their World Cup qualifying match on Sunday. Andrea Belotti gave Italy the lead in the 24th minute in what was supposed to be an easy match. Ilija Nestorovski equalised in the 57th minute and two minutes later Feran Hasani struck again for the hosts. However, Ciro Immobile scored twice in the last 15 minutes to make it 3-2 for Italy.
  2. Wales were held 1-1 by Georgia in their World Cup qualifying campaign in a dull display of football. Gareth Bale gave the hosts an early lead but Georgia, ranked 137th in the world, equalised after Tornike Okriashvili found the back of the net.
  3. Spain defender Gerard Pique said he will retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup following a controversy surrounding his shirt sleeve. During Sunday's 2-0 win, his shirt did not have a Spanish flag trim on the sleeve. After social media criticism, the Spanish FA released a statement to defend Pique. The statement said that Pique had cut the sleeves off his shirt "the same way other players have done on many occasions" for comfort. However, Pique said, "I have tried everything, but I can't bear this anymore. Today's issue of the sleeves is the straw that breaks the camel. They've managed to make me lose the excitement of coming here and, although, after Russia I'll only be 31, I'll leave."
  4. England interim manager Gareth Southgate has said that he is unafraid of dropping Wayne Rooney if required for the betterment of the team. The England captain is out of form, which is putting his spot up for grabs for both club and country. However, Southgate said that Rooney’s importance on the field in a big factor for the team.
  5. Fourteen-year-old academy player Mustafa Kapi made his first-team debut for Galatasaray against Levski Sofia in a friendly on Sunday. Mustafa, a midfielder, replaced Sinan Gumus in the 89th minute. Galatasaray won 2-0, with goals from Josué and Hamit Altintop, who began his career before Mustafa was born in 2002.
  6. Kerala Blasters finally got their first points of the Indian Super League season 3 after they played out a goalless draw against Delhi Dynamos. An improved display by Kerala stopped Delhi from winning their second game of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.