Wright-Phillips: Ex-Southampton striker Bradley Wright-Phillips was on target as the New York Red Bulls beat rivals DC United 2-0. Alex Muyl headed home from a corner and Wright-Phillips coolly slotted home between goalkeeper Bill Hamid’s legs as the Red Bulls extended their unbeaten home record to 17 games. The win takes New York to fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Crowd trouble: An Argentine soccer fan was declared dead after suffering a vicious attack by a group of men during a first division match at the weekend, local media reported yesterday. TV footage showed Belgrano supporter Emanuel Balbo being set upon by hooligan fans of the same team, as he was pushed while he tried to get away, falling more than three metres into a concrete stairwell and landing on his head.

Southampton: Chinese stadium builder Lander Sports said it was terminating plans to buy a stake in Southampton, citing uncertain factors wrought by changes in China’s securities market and policies. Lander Sports said the process to buy an 80 per cent stake in the Southampton’s holding firm, St. Mary’s Football Group, also involved having to gain approval from government bodies.

Zola: Gianfranco Zola’s miserable reign as Birmingham boss came to an end after the Blues slumped into the bottom five of the Championship following a home defeat to Burton. Zola resigned immediately after the 2-0 loss at St Andrew’s which saw Birmingham fall to within three points of the drop zone, while opponents Burton eased their own relegation fears.

Jankovic: Standard Liege have parted ways with manager Aleksandar Jankovic after a serious of disappointing results and have decided to appoint former assistant coach Jose Jeune-champs on an interim basis. Standard finished ninth in the regular phase and they missed out on securing a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.