SOCCER

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Five club officials and 38 soccer players have been issued with lifetime bans after a two-year investigation into match fixing and gambling. The Chinese Football Association has banned them as part of a crackdown on corruption in one of China’s most popular sports.

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Italy extended their unbeaten record to six matches against Israel (W5, D1) after a 2-1 away day success at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest. Having only lost once across their previous 13 UEFA Nations League group-stage encounters (W7, D5), Italy unsurprisingly threatened first in the Hungarian capital.

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On Tuesday, Both Brazil and Argentina were defeated in their qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup. Argentina remains top of the standings despite the 2-1 loss against Colombia in Barranquilla.

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Canada scored their first away win over the United States in 67 years on Saturday with a 2-1 friendly international victory over their North American rivals in Kansas City. Goals from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David handed the Canadians their first win over the Americans on US soil since a 3-2 World Cup qualifying win in St. Louis in 1957.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has fully backed Kylian Mbappe, predicting that the French forward will thrive at Real Madrid despite a slow start. Ronaldo, who enjoyed nine trophy-filled seasons with Los Blancos, believes Mbappe will find his footing even though he initially struggled to make an impact in La Liga.

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Germany won their opening game of a UEFA Nations League (UNL) campaign for the first time ever thanks to a 5-0 victory over Hungary in Dusseldorf. After coming out 2-0 victors at UEFA EURO 2024, Germany and Hungary locked horns again, with the Germans hoping for a similar outcome to kick-start their UNL campaign.

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France bounced back to ensure they remain unbeaten against Belgium in competitive international football, notching a 2-0 victory that throws League A Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League wide open.

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Georgia followed up a dream summer by starting their UEFA Nations League Group B1 campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic, mere months after the nations drew in their first head-to-head.