Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been ruled out for four weeks with a foot injury sustained in the closing stages of their 2-0 defeat to Mainz 05 on Saturday.
He is the sixth Dortmund midfielder to be out injured, along with Marco Reus, Ilkay Guendogan, Oliver Kirch, Nuri Sahin and Jakub Blaszczykowski.
The Armenian international, who is the driving force in Dortmund’s attacking game, was injured while attempting a shot and colliding with an opponent in the 90th minute at Mainz.
Stoppelkamp proud after wonder goal
Moritz Stoppelkamp said shooting was the only thing that crossed his mind when he picked up the ball inside his own penalty area in the final minutes of Paderborn’s 2-0 win over Hannover on Saturday.
What followed was a stunning 80-yard goal which took the East Westphalians to the top of the Bundesliga after four matches.
“I’m really proud of the goal. The ball fell perfectly for me and the only thing I could do was shoot,” said Stoppelkamp, who took advantage of Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler leaving his net unguarded as he had ventured forward for a stoppage-time free-kick.
“I hit it perfectly and it’s fantastic that I was able to contribute to this success.”
Dyke wants end to gift culture
Greg Dyke insists he will not resign as Football Association chairman after receiving a watch worth more than £16,000 but has called for an end to the culture of gifts being given to football officials.
Dyke was given a Parmigiani watch worth £16,400 in a gift bag handed out by the host Brazilian federation during the tournament.
FIFA’s ethics committee called for all the watches to be returned by October 24.
“I don’t like the present-giving culture within football. Everywhere you go, every time you have a game, they give you some sort of present. If they’re going to start giving presents of £16,000 that’s not acceptable.”
Wenger never lost faith in Ozil
Arsene Wenger insisted he never thought of resting Mesut Ozil after the German inspired Arsenal to victory at Aston Villa.
The World Cup winner scored his first goal of the season at Villa Park to spark a blitz which saw the Gunners net three times in just over three first-half minutes to seal a 3-0 victory.
“I never considered leaving Ozil on the bench,” he said.
“You have to show him the confidence is there and he showed he can respond when he was under scrutiny.
“It’s always a sensitive point, you don’t know how people respond.”
Hernandez rues tough time at United
Javier Hernandez has told Claro Sports he was relieved to leave Manchester United last month, after claiming the Old Trafford club lost faith in his abilities.
Mexico striker Hernandez sealed a season-long loan to Real Madrid in the final days of the summer transfer window and believes he was not given a chance to prove his worth during the latter stages of his time at United.
“There was no confidence. I remained patient and that’s why I’m here today. It was a very tough year especially because they didn’t believe in me,” he said.
“Now I really want to make the most of my time here at Real.
“I had the chance to meet Carlo Ancelotti and the faith he has in his players motivates me and makes me work hard.”
Zaha needs games says Warnock
Neil Warnock does not feel he needs to save Wilfried Zaha’s career and has backed the Crystal Palace loanee to force his way back into the England set-up.
The 21-year-old Zaha is looking to reignite his career at Selhurst Park after failing to make an impact at Manchester United following a big-money move.
“I don’t think his career is in jeopardy,” said Warnock.
“I wouldn’t say we need to save his career, we just need to get games under his belt now and he needs to put himself back in the shop window (for England).
“To do that he has got to consistently be good, week in, week out. That has to be his aim this season.”
We were almost perfect – Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci hailed Juventus’ performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Milan describing his team’s effort as almost perfect.
Carlos Tevez netted the all-important goal late in the second half that put Juventus on top of the standings and have yet to concede a goal after four competitive matches.
“We often see teams defend against Juventus,” Bonucci told Sky Sport Italia.
“We were almost perfect and proved our strength once more.
“Milan were coming off a difficult season and are eager to turn things around, but it was always going to be tough for them against a side like Juve that has won so much.”