Friendly: Japan coach Javier Aguirre begun his reign with a difficult home defeat yeserday after two blunders by defensive debutant Tatsuya Sakai handed South American champions Uruguay a 2-0 win at the Sapporo Dome. The Sagan Tosu centre-back miscontrolled a pass in the 34th minute which allowed Edinson Cavani to open the scoring, with the 23-year-old then dallying over a clearance and allowing Abel Hernandez to double the lead in the 73rd.
Popov: Bulgaria captain Ivelin Popov will miss his side’s opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Azerbaijan after fracturing his cheekbone during a training session yesterday. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder is the most capped player and top scorer in the Bulgarian squad.
Arezzo: Arezzo regained their place in the third tier of the Italian football league following the decision in midweek to promote Vicenza into Serie B. The situation came about following Siena’s bankruptcy which left a slot open in Serie B. Arezzo have not played in the third division since 2010 when they also went through liquidation process.
No sale: Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson recently rejected an approach from an investor interested in buying the club. United have just cleared their outstanding bank loans and raised £5m from the sales of Ryan Gauld and Andrew Robertson. “I’m not interested in selling,” Thompson said. “I was approached by a third party on behalf of a potential investor in England, who wanted to know whether I was interested in selling the club. I told them that the club was not for sale.”
Cahill: Gary Cahill sat out England training yesterday with an ankle complaint, although the injury is not expected to rule him out of the European Championship qualifier in Switzerland. The 28-year-old started this week’s unconvincing international frien-dly 1-0 win against Norway, playing 84 minutes before being replaced by Phil Jagielka.
Ludogorets: Bulgarian side Ludogorets will have a partial closure of their ground for their first home Champions League group match against Real Madrid after being punished for racist behaviour by fans. Ludogorets have been punished by UEFA for a number of incidents in the final qualifying match against Steaua Bucharest ,including a €6,000 fine for the improper conduct of the team and €5,000 for a pitch invasion.
U-21 results
Finland vs Wales 2-2; Lithuania vs England 0-1; Germany vs Ireland 2-0; Cyprus vs Belgium 0-6.