A heavily-rotated Croatia side ended Northern Ireland s run of 11 internationals at home without defeat by earning a comfortable 3-0 victory in a friendly at Windsor Park on Tuesday.

Ante Cacic made eight changes to his starting line-up from the 2-0 win over Iceland in World Cup qualifying on Saturday Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic among those left out as Croatia became the first side to beat Northern Ireland on their own patch since Portugal won 4-2 in Belfast in 2013.

Mario Mandzukic, one of the trio that kept their place in the first XI, bundled home his 29th international goal after just nine minutes, moving him up to joint-second with Eduardo in the country s all-time scoring list.

That ended a run of five successive home matches without conceding a goal for M…

Market: QPR win

Odds: 1/1 @

In what is a London derby on Wednesday night, QPR will be looking to extend on their EFL Cup adventure when they travel to Brisbane Road in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, while Leyton Orient might have signed off their pre-season preparations with back-to-back wins, new boss Kenny Jackett will know that his side were lucky to pick up a point over the weekend. Opening this year s League Two campaign away at Salford, the former Portsmouth coach saw his side throw away the lead in a contest that they were heavily outplayed in. Knowing that they should face another stern test when their Championship opponents travel to Brisbane Road in midweek, The O s did show a host of issues at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign. Losing each of t…

Peru must build on their Copa America campaign and qualify for their first World Cup since 1982, coach Ricardo Gareca has claimed.

Gareca s side missed out in a place in the Copa America final after losing to hosts Chile on Monday, but their passage to the last four more than exceeded expectations ahead of their meeting with Paraguay in a third-place play-off on Friday.

Having finished third at the 2011 Copa America, Gareca has challenged Peru to match that effort this year and then build to qualify for Russia 2018.

Every match is special with this shirt because you are representing a country, the 57-year-old said at his pre-match media conference on Thursday.

We have the opportunity of finishing an even better position, third place. We have players of …

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hailed Kaka, describing the Real Madrid midfielder as an extraordinary player .

Kaka, 30, has been linked with a move away from the Spanish capital after struggling for fitness and form since arriving at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.

PSG have been suggested as a likely destination for Kaka, and Leonardo, who is a close friend of his fellow Brazilian, still rates the former AC Milan star highly.

Kaka is surely a great player, with enormous potential, Leonardo told O Estado de Sao Paulo.

But he has suffered severe injuries, which damaged him.

He is at a very competitive club, in which everything happens very fast. But he has not lost the hunger for the game.

I am very close to Kak…

Paul Pogba s agent says the France international chose to return to Manchester United rather than take the easier route at Real Madrid because of the challenge on offer at Old Trafford.

Pogba left United in 2012 after not renewing his contract, joining Juventus and going on to win four consecutive Serie A titles and reach the final of the Champions League with the Turin club.

The midfielder was linked with a host of clubs during the transfer window but chose to return to United, doing so in a world-record transfer worth £89million.

Pogba was the headline arrival in a busy window for United, with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan also joining the club, despite them missing out on Champions League qualification last season.

Ag…

Valencia have replaced central defender Nicolas Otamendi with Aymen Abdennour, securing the former Monaco man s signature ahead of Chelsea.

With Chelsea struggling to complete a deal for Everton centre-back John Stones, reports had emerged in the British media that manager Jose Mourinho was keen on Tunisia international Abdennour.

But the 26-year-old was announced as a Valencia player on Saturday, with Abdennour signing a five-year contract with the La Liga club.

Abdennour will step into the shoes of Otamendi, who departed the Mestalla for Manchester City on August 20.

I chose Valencia CF out of all the offers I received, because it is a big club in Spain and Europe, Abdennour said in a statement on Valencia s website.

I had no doubts. I am ha…

Ivan Rakitic is adamant the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Sevilla should be played at a neutral ground in April.

Barca booked their place in the showpiece thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win over Valencia, their progression secured with a 2-0 win in the Mestalla on Thursday.

Sevilla had already secured their passage after getting beyond Leganes, and president Jose Castro subsequently called for the final to be held at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Castro s rationale was based on Barca playing the 2015 Copa final against Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou, but former Sevilla midfielder Rakitic says it should be held on neutral territory.

I m very happy to be able to play in another final, Rakitic told reporters.

I am aware of what the Sevill…

Jose Mourinho s substitutions worked like a charm as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to combine for the winning goal and secure Manchester United s place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers. 

United looked devoid of craft and decisiveness for much of the match at Ewood Park on Sunday and such a situation forced Mourinho s hand in the second half. Pogba and Ibrahimovic duly showed why the Portuguese entrusted the visitors fate to them, as the Frenchman set up the in-form striker for a 75th-minute winner.

Blackburn gave a fine account of themselves in the first half and broke the deadlock with an exceptional goal inspired by Marvin Emnes and finished by Danny Graham.

United ensured the score was level at the bre…

Erling Haaland is almost obsessed with success but comparing him with Robert Lewandowski is pointless, according to Michael Zorc.

Two of Europe s most feared strikers go head to head on Saturday when Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Lewandowski was the top scorer in Europe s top-five leagues last season, hitting 51 goals to propel Bayern to a treble triumph, and he set a Bundesliga record by scoring 10 goals in the first five matchdays of 2020-21.

Haaland, meanwhile, has managed five goals in as many Bundesliga appearances this term from a total of 15 shots. That puts the Dortmund striker s shot conversion rate at 29.4, a little way behind Lewandowski s 34.5, but he has scored 66.7 per cent of his certified big chances this term, a better …

Verdict: Turkey draw no bet

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With the chance to extend their buffer at the top of Group H, a revitalized Turkey will travel to Iceland on Tuesday night.

Iceland

Starting with the hosts, while Iceland may have lost all four of their inaugural UEFA Nations League appearances and suffered relegation to League B when the tournament comes back around in 2021, few would have expected their eye-catching start to qualification. Coming off the back of picking up a hard-fought 1-0 win over Albania on Saturday, Head Coach Erik Hamrén has seen his side win two of their opening three Group H outings and only their goal difference sees them sat behind France in the race to land a spot at next summers European championships. While a 4-0 hamme…