Presnel Kimpembe has joined Qatar Sports Club after more than two years of injury problems with Paris Saint-Germain. PSG announced the transfer on Sunday but gave no further details over Kimpembe, whose contract with PSG was set to expire at the end of this season. The 30-year-old Kimpembe came through the youth ranks at PSG and made 241 appearances for the club as a tough-tackling central defender. He won the 2018 World Cup with France and made the last of his 28 appearances for Les Bleus in June 2022. But his playing opportunities were increasingly restricted in the past two seasons following a serious Achilles tendon injury which required surgery. Source: apnews

Barcelona are reportedly considering terminating Marcus Rashford’s loan from Manchester United as early as January if the forward fails to elevate his performance, according to Spanish outlet El Nacional. The process would cost the Catalan giants €5 million; a penalty stipulated in the original loan agreement. This potential early exit could prematurely end what has already been a challenging start to his stint in Spain. Reports suggest the club’s hierarchy has been underwhelmed by his performances and could move on from the forward. After being frozen out at Manchester United, Rashford joined Barcelona in July. In the 2024-25 season, the forward registered 11 goals and nine assists in 41 appearances across all competitions with United and on loan with Aston Villa. Source: Tribuna.com

Aryna Sabalenka won her fourth Grand Slam title, cementing her status as the world’s No. 1 player with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Amanda Anisimova in the US Open final on Saturday. Sabalenka, playing in her third straight US Open final, is the first defending champion to repeat since Serena Williams won three titles in a row from 2012-2014. All four of her Grand Slam championships have been on hard courts. Anisimova, the No. 8 seed, was appearing in her second straight Grand Slam final after losing to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon. Anisimova will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings despite the loss, following an incredible US Open run that included a quarterfinal victory over Swiatek, avenging a 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final defeat six weeks ago, and a three-set, thrilling semifinal triumph over Naomi Osaka. Anisimova, at 24, is now firmly established as part of the American wave in women’s tennis, a trend in which a player from the United States has appeared in each of the last five Grand Slam singles finals. But for Sabalenka, she finally got over the hump and beat an American in the final after losing to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and a loss to Coco Gauff at the French Open, after which she blamed the poor conditions at Roland Garros for the defeat and glossed over her own poor play, which resulted in 70 unforced errors. “I know very well what it’s like to lose a Grand Slam final. I know you’ll win some, you learn a lot from these defeats, you have an incredible tennis game,” Sabalenka said to Anisimova during the trophy presentations. She cut down on those errors in the first set and started taking control after the two split the first six games. Sabalenka went on the offensive with her serve, and Anisimova had trouble at times returning it; she committed 29 unforced errors on the day. After spending the year atop the PIF WTA Rankings, the 27-year-old capped it with her first Slam of the season. For context, consider this: Of the 11 majors she’s played across the past three years, Sabalenka has now won four, reached three finals, three semifinals and one quarterfinal. After losing the season’s first two major finals and getting to the semifinals of the third, Sabalenka finally lifted the trophy. “All those tough lessons worth this one,” she said, succinctly summing up her spectacular year in seven words. This was Sabalenka’s 100th Grand Slam match-win. Her winning percentage is ann amazing .794, second only to Iga Swiatek among active players. Source: wta, usatoday

Nigeria revived their hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup with a nervy 1-0 win over Rwanda in Uyo. New Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare proved to be the match-winner for the Super Eagles, volleying in from two yards out six minutes into the second half. The West Africans leapfrog the Rwandans and go third in Group C, six points behind leaders South Africa, who they face in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. With three rounds of fixtures remaining and only the group winners assured of a place at the finals next year, Nigeria must realistically win that game to stay in contention for top spot and avoid missing a second successive edition of the World Cup. However, their hopes could be boosted if South Africa are docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in their victory over Lesotho in March. World governing body Fifa is yet to rule on that case. Should Nigeria fail to overhaul Bafana Bafana, they could yet reach African play-offs as one of four best second-placed sides, with one nation then progressing to a final intercontinental qualifier. Source: bbc

Portugal delivered a masterclass in attacking football tonight, demolishing Armenia 5-0 in their UEFA Nations League Group A opener at the Estádio da Luz. The victory was a statement of intent from Roberto Martínez’s side, but all eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo, who etched his name further into football immortality with a stunning brace that pushed his international goal tally to an unprecedented 135. Ronaldo, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr forward, struck first in the 22nd minute. It was a goal of pure class, reminiscent of his prime Real Madrid days, and one that sent the home crowd into raptures. João Cancelo who scored the third goal, dedicated his goal to Diogo Jota by doing his trademark goa l celebration, sat cross-legged, holding a video game controller. There were more fireworks, this time very early in the second half as Ronaldo was quick to unleash a thunderous strike from outside the box to get the second goal. That strike not only extended Portugal’s lead but also marked Ronaldo’s 135th goal for the Seleção – surpassing the previous all-time international scoring record he shared with Iran’s Ali Daei since 2021. With this brace, Ronaldo now stands alone as the greatest goalscorer in men’s international football history.”It’s an honor, but it’s about the team,” Ronaldo said post-match, his trademark humility shining through amid the celebrations. “These records are special, but winning with Portugal is what drives me. Tonight was for the fans and for the badge. Joao Felix was also on the spotlight as he bagged a brace as his form has peaked since moving to Al Nassr. Armenia, ranked 94th in the world, struggled to contain Portugal’s relentless wave of attacks. Their coach, Aleksandr Petrosyan, acknowledged the gulf in class: “Portugal are world-class. We learned a lot, but tonight was tough. This emphatic win puts Portugal top of Group A with three points, setting up intriguing clashes with Denmark and Serbia later in the campaign. For Ronaldo, though, it’s another milestone in a career already bursting with them, a reminder that even at 40, the GOAT shows no signs of slowing down.

Trabzonspor have reportedly agreed a loan deal with Manchester United for out-of-favor goalkeeper Andre Onana. Per the report from Fabrizio Romano, the deal now hinges on Onana and whether or not he accepts the move to the Turkish giants. At this point, what other option does he have? Onana, 29, has fallen way down the pecking order at Manchester United as Ruben Amorim has started inexperienced Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir ahead of Onana after the Cameroon international was injured during preseason. United also signed Belgian goalkeeper Sanne Lemmens on deadline day and that paired with Onana’s poor performance against Grimsby Town in the shock League Cup defeat has basically sealed his fate. It seems very unlikely Onana will play again for Man United and after he didn’t move before many of Europe’s top leagues saw their summer transfer window close on Monday, September 1, it was always likely he’d make a move to a league where the transfer window is still open. The transfer window is still open in Turkey (September 12) and Saudi Arabia (September 23), so it’s very likely Onana will end up somewhere in those two leagues. Trabzonspor would be a good landing spot for Onana as he’d play every week and they look to be in genuine contention to challenge Galatasaray for the Turkish title this season. They last won the title in 2022 amid wild scenes of celebration, and after revamping their squad this summer things are looking up for Trabzonspor to challenge the Istanbul giants for trophies. Source: nbcsports

Ousmane Dembele is expected to be sidelined for six weeks following a hamstring injury suffered while on international duty with France, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins. The winger sustained the injury during France’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Ukraine on Friday. Dembele was brought on as a substitute in the second half to replace Paris Saint-Germain teammate Desire Doue, but lasted less than 35 minutes before limping off the pitch, holding the back of his right thigh. He had also suffered an injury during his last international appearance back in the Nations League semi-final against Spain, which forced him to miss the start of the Club World Cup. PSG are reportedly frustrated and upset with the French national team after warning Les Bleus’ medical staff that Dembele was fatigued and at a high risk of injury, advising caution over his involvement. Despite this, the France head coach, Didier Deschamps, decided to field him and defended his decision, insisting that Dembele was deemed fit to play. Dembele’s latest injury problem comes as a big blow for PSG as they begin their Champions League defence on September 17 against Atalanta, after which a clash against Barcelona awaits in the second round of UCL matches. On either side of the aforementioned European games are high-profile league clashes against Marseille and Lille, and Les Parisiens will now need other attacking options to step up. PSG will also be without Doue briefly, although the 20-year-old is on course to return to action before the end of the month. Source: footballtoday

Brazilian defeated Chile 3-0, in the penultimate round of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, this should have been the last match of the National Team on Brazilian soil before next year’s tournament. Carlo Ancelotti side deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Alisson in goal and a defensive line featuring W. França, Marquinhos, Gabriel, and D. Santos. The midfield pairing of B. Guimarães and Casemiro provided the foundation for Brazil’s attack, which included Estêvão, Raphinha, and G. Martinelli supporting striker J. Pedro. Brazil controlled the match from start to finish, recording 64 per cent possession compared to Chile’s 36 per cent. The home team attempted 22 shots with seven on target, while Chile managed just three shots with none finding the target. Brazil completed 586 passes at 89 per cent accuracy, significantly outpacing Chile’s 334 passes at 80 per cent accuracy. Estêvão opened the scoring for Brazil in the 38th minute, giving the home team a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. Lucas Paquetá extended Brazil’s lead in the 72nd minute with an assist from L. Henrique. Bruno Guimarães sealed the victory with Brazil’s third goal in the 76th minute. This victory strengthens Brazil’s position in the South American World Cup qualifiers standings in second place with 28 points. Source:msn

Lionel Messi scored his 113th and 114th Argentina goals as the long-qualified Albiceleste put another dent in Venezuela’s hopes to reach 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win on Thursday. Lionel Messi was emotional during the warm-up session of the match against Venezuela as this could be his last World Cup qualifier on home soil. The reigning World Cup champion, have already qualified for next year’s tournament in North America, controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, creating chances through Nicolas Tagliafico and Franco Mastantuono only to be thwarted by Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo. Messi broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, the Argentine captain latching onto a pass from Julian Alvarez on a swift counterattack and firing home into the top-right corner of Romo’s net. Argentina maintained its relentless pressure in the second half, with Messi remaining the focal point of its attack, but the host had to wait until the 76th minute for a second goal, Nico Gonzalez delivering from the left for Lautaro Martinez to score with a diving header. Four minutes later, Messi capped off another excellent performance with a third goal, assisted by Thiago Almada. The Albiceleste top the South American qualifying table for the 2026 World Cup in North America with 38 points and visit Ecuador on Tuesday in their final group match. Venezuela will look to keep their qualifying hopes alive when they host Colombia. Source: sportsstar

Netherlands were held to a 1-1 draw after conceding a late equalizer in their World Cup qualification match against Poland on Thursday in De Kuip in Rotterdam. The Dutch national side had taken the lead in the first half when Denzel Dumfries put them in the lead, but Poland equalized in the 80th minute through Matty Cash. Although the result was disappointing for Netherlands, they remain top of Group G with seven points. Ronald Koeman’s side holds a game in hand over Poland, who also have seven points in second place, as does Finland. The group winner qualifies directly for the World Cup in 2026, while the runner-up advances to the playoffs. Netherlands came close to getting the first goal in the 13th minute. A shot from Tijjani Reijnders was deflected onto the post. The rebound came to Denzel Dumfries, but his effort went wide of the goal. The second significant chance of the game resulted in the Polish post being hit for the second time. A cross from Cody Gakpo was headed towards goal by Dumfries, but Poland goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski saved the effort. The rebound came off of Nicola Zalewski before it hit the post. Netherlands broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. A deep corner from Depay was missed by Skorupski and then headed into the net by Dumfries, scoring his 11th goal for the national side. Poland’s only real chance of the first half came eight minutes before halftime. A cross from Zalewski found former Feyenoord midfielder Sebastian Szymanski unmarked in the box, but he was unable to direct the header towards goal. It was an uneventful second half with Koeman’s side unable to break down the Polish defence. The only significant opportunity in the second half fell to Xavi Simons, but the midfielder dragged the shot wide. Poland had created little of note throughout the whole game until the team’s right back, Matty Cash, smashed a shot into the near corner from an acute angle. Source: nltimes