Alpay: Cologne have signed fiery Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan on a one-year contract. The former Turkey international, 32, was fired by Japan's Urawa Reds at the end of June after picking up three red cards in seven matches, with six months remaining on his contract. Germany's Bundesliga kicks off on Friday.
Ajax Tournament: Arsenal won the pre-season Amsterdam Tournament on Sunday after Freddie Ljungberg scored twice to give them a 2-1 victory over Porto. The result meant Arsenal finished top of the four-team table with nine points after beating hosts Ajax Amsterdam 1-0 on Friday. Teams receive three points for a win and an extra point for each goal scored. Porto were second with six points after opening the tournament with a 2-0 win over Boca Juniors.
Robinho's return: Brazilian champions Santos beat arch-rivals Corinthians 4-2 on Sunday as striker Robinho returned to the side following completion of his move to Real Madrid. Robinho was given a lukewarm reception by the crowd and missed an open goal during the second half. "I'd give myself three out of ten," he told reporters, admitting he was out of shape. Robinho will stay at Santos until the end of this month before moving to Spain.
Fantasy goal: Pachuca striker Juan Carlos Cacho scored an astonishing goal from inside his own half to give his side a 2-1 injury-time win at Monterrey and get the Mexican championship off to an electric start at the weekend. Cacho caught stunned Monterrey goalkeeper Christian Martinez off his line with a looping shot from more than 50 metres. "I always dreamed of scoring a fantasy goal," Cacho said.
Stekelenburg: Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg will be sidelined for two months with a shoulder injury. Stekelenburg clashed during the 1-0 defeat against Boca Juniors with his team-mate, Tunisian defender Hatem Trabelsi, and dislocated his shoulder.
Sweden's Mikael Nilsson has joined Panathinaikos from England's Southampton, the Greek side said yesterday. No details were given but second division Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are expected to receive in the region of 600,000 euros ($726,000) for the international midfielder. Nilsson, who has signed a three-year contract, is recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to be fit for Panathinaikos's third qualifying round Champions League tie against Wisla Krakow in Poland on August 10.