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Chitchat The Official TCSS Thread
- Thread starter Alamaking
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Why JM dislikes Bastian Schweinsteiger so much,
do they have history of clashing with each other
when JM managed other teams and BS playing
days in BM? Did BS humiliated JM during the latter?
BS was German captain until recently retired,
how bad can he be?
Manchester United have left Bastian Schweinsteiger out of their Europa League squad.
The Germany midfielder was included in the Red Devil's Premier League squad earlier this season and is eligable for domestic fixtures, report the Manchester Evening News .
However, the 31-year-old is now not available for United's Europa League group stage clashes against
Feyenoord, Fenerbahce and Zorya Luhansk, after the club submitted their squad list to UEFA.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder is yet to feature under Jose Mourinho and has been training with the reserves.
He was free to leave Old Trafford before the transfer deadline but decided to stay and fight for his place.
Mourinho has admitted it will be 'difficult' for Schweinsteiger to play for the club again.
Youngsters Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe have been included in United's Europa League squad.
Fosu-Mensah started Mourinho's first game in charge against Wigan but is yet to make a competitive appearance under the new manager.
Tuanzebe, 18, was drafted into the first-team squad by Louis van Gaal last season and was included in the pre-season tour party to China by Mourinho.
United start their Europa League campaign with a trip to Feyenoord on September 15.
Goalkeepers
David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Sam Johnstone
Defenders
Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw, Timothy Fosu-Mensah,
Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Axel Tuanzebe
Midfielders
Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane, Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin
Forwards
Memphis Depay, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford
do they have history of clashing with each other
when JM managed other teams and BS playing
days in BM? Did BS humiliated JM during the latter?
BS was German captain until recently retired,
how bad can he be?
Manchester United have left Bastian Schweinsteiger out of their Europa League squad.
The Germany midfielder was included in the Red Devil's Premier League squad earlier this season and is eligable for domestic fixtures, report the Manchester Evening News .
However, the 31-year-old is now not available for United's Europa League group stage clashes against
Feyenoord, Fenerbahce and Zorya Luhansk, after the club submitted their squad list to UEFA.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder is yet to feature under Jose Mourinho and has been training with the reserves.
He was free to leave Old Trafford before the transfer deadline but decided to stay and fight for his place.
Mourinho has admitted it will be 'difficult' for Schweinsteiger to play for the club again.
Youngsters Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe have been included in United's Europa League squad.
Fosu-Mensah started Mourinho's first game in charge against Wigan but is yet to make a competitive appearance under the new manager.
Tuanzebe, 18, was drafted into the first-team squad by Louis van Gaal last season and was included in the pre-season tour party to China by Mourinho.
United start their Europa League campaign with a trip to Feyenoord on September 15.
Goalkeepers
David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Sam Johnstone
Defenders
Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw, Timothy Fosu-Mensah,
Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Axel Tuanzebe
Midfielders
Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane, Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin
Forwards
Memphis Depay, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford
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Bastian was included in the premier league squad because there was a slot available. If he was left out, the slot would not be filled anyway. He was left out of the europa league squad because there was no slot available, according to the different rules of the 2 competitions.
I don't think Mourinho has personal dislike for Bastian, it is simply that Mourinho does not rate Bastian as a player anymore. When LVG bought Bastian, Mourinho must have thought to himself that he would never do that. Some managers simply don't rate certain players for some reason or other. Guardiola doesn't rate Hart and Yaya Toure, Klopp doesn't rate Benteke. That's the way football is.
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from espnfc.com
Wayne Rooney becomes England's most-capped outfield player
Wayne Rooney becomes England's most-capped outfield player when he captains the Three Lions in Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Slovakia.
Rooney wins his 116th cap in Sam Allardyce's first match in charge of England on Sunday, putting him ahead of former Manchester United teammate David Beckham.
Only goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with 125, now stands ahead of him, but Rooney -- who has announced that he will retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup -- said before the match that he was only concerned about winning.
"I think it is always important and an honour to represent your country," he told reporters.
"To do it the second-most times will be great but it is about the team, about getting three points.
"I'm sure one day in the future I will look back -- but for now I'm looking to the game and nothing else."
Rooney added: "I have said many times that I am a proud person to play for England," he said. "I have been since the moment I got in the team, and my motivation is the same as it was on that day."
The 30-year-old won his first England cap when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Australia in February 2003 at the age of 17 years and 111 days.
Wayne Rooney becomes England's most-capped outfield player
Wayne Rooney becomes England's most-capped outfield player when he captains the Three Lions in Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Slovakia.
Rooney wins his 116th cap in Sam Allardyce's first match in charge of England on Sunday, putting him ahead of former Manchester United teammate David Beckham.
Only goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with 125, now stands ahead of him, but Rooney -- who has announced that he will retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup -- said before the match that he was only concerned about winning.
"I think it is always important and an honour to represent your country," he told reporters.
"To do it the second-most times will be great but it is about the team, about getting three points.
"I'm sure one day in the future I will look back -- but for now I'm looking to the game and nothing else."
Rooney added: "I have said many times that I am a proud person to play for England," he said. "I have been since the moment I got in the team, and my motivation is the same as it was on that day."
The 30-year-old won his first England cap when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Australia in February 2003 at the age of 17 years and 111 days.
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from espnfc.com
Sam Allardyce to keep 'lucky penny' after late win vs. Slovakia
England have a new lucky charm after their dramatic victory in Trnava -- a shiny gold coin given to new manager Sam Allardyce by a Slovakian fan.
The stuffed Lions that travelled with the team during their ill-fated Euro 2016 campaign have been consigned to storage but as Allardyce reflected on Adam Lallana's 94th-minute winner in his first game as national boss, he held a newly-acquired memento in his hand.
"I got this lucky penny off a lad today in the hotel," he explained.
"A father and his son in a wheelchair came to the hotel this morning and asked if it was okay to have a picture. When we finished he said: 'Let me give you a lucky coin.' Here it is. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it'll stay with me.
"I'm not really superstitious but I'm going to keep it. It's got us a last minute winner. I wonder how far it will take us."
What would have become of the coin had Lallana not swept home his first international goal with virtually the last kick of the game is uncertain.
But while that goal gives Allardyce three crucial points, as much for their symbolic value as their usefulness in a World Cup qualifying group England should navigate with relative ease from here on, it did not paper over every crack.
Allardyce's England might have gone one better against Slovakia than Roy Hodgson's team managed in June, when they laboured to stalemate in St Etienne, but problems still linger as they left it late to break down opponents reduced to 10 men after Martin Skrtel's 57th-minute sending off.
Harry Kane is not currently the domineering No. 9 England need and want him to be. Raheem Sterling did not bring his Manchester City form with him to Trnava. And Jordan Henderson failed to take his chance in the centre.
But most pressing is the role of captain Wayne Rooney, who played deeper in midfield under Allardyce, which the former Sunderland boss was asked to explain on Sunday.
It is unlikely to be the last we hear about Rooney's place in the team, or his apparent influence on Allardyce's tactics. For now, though, he is able to look back on an exciting start, and a winning one, in his dream job.
"It's the biggest job I've ever had," Allardyce said. "You know you're leading the nation forward. Everyone is looking at you. They want you to show the way forward and be successful and it's that much bigger when the nation's watching you.
"I had a whole lot of messages today. It was impossible to try and attempt to reply to all the goodwill messages from across the country. In the end, everyone back home was waiting with bated breath and we scored the winner.
"Everyone back home is happy and can have an extra drink. The fans here were happy and the goal came in their end. We dominated the game and finally got what we deserved.
"The result did us justice in the end."
Sam Allardyce to keep 'lucky penny' after late win vs. Slovakia
England have a new lucky charm after their dramatic victory in Trnava -- a shiny gold coin given to new manager Sam Allardyce by a Slovakian fan.
The stuffed Lions that travelled with the team during their ill-fated Euro 2016 campaign have been consigned to storage but as Allardyce reflected on Adam Lallana's 94th-minute winner in his first game as national boss, he held a newly-acquired memento in his hand.
"I got this lucky penny off a lad today in the hotel," he explained.
"A father and his son in a wheelchair came to the hotel this morning and asked if it was okay to have a picture. When we finished he said: 'Let me give you a lucky coin.' Here it is. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it'll stay with me.
"I'm not really superstitious but I'm going to keep it. It's got us a last minute winner. I wonder how far it will take us."
What would have become of the coin had Lallana not swept home his first international goal with virtually the last kick of the game is uncertain.
But while that goal gives Allardyce three crucial points, as much for their symbolic value as their usefulness in a World Cup qualifying group England should navigate with relative ease from here on, it did not paper over every crack.
Allardyce's England might have gone one better against Slovakia than Roy Hodgson's team managed in June, when they laboured to stalemate in St Etienne, but problems still linger as they left it late to break down opponents reduced to 10 men after Martin Skrtel's 57th-minute sending off.
Harry Kane is not currently the domineering No. 9 England need and want him to be. Raheem Sterling did not bring his Manchester City form with him to Trnava. And Jordan Henderson failed to take his chance in the centre.
But most pressing is the role of captain Wayne Rooney, who played deeper in midfield under Allardyce, which the former Sunderland boss was asked to explain on Sunday.
It is unlikely to be the last we hear about Rooney's place in the team, or his apparent influence on Allardyce's tactics. For now, though, he is able to look back on an exciting start, and a winning one, in his dream job.
"It's the biggest job I've ever had," Allardyce said. "You know you're leading the nation forward. Everyone is looking at you. They want you to show the way forward and be successful and it's that much bigger when the nation's watching you.
"I had a whole lot of messages today. It was impossible to try and attempt to reply to all the goodwill messages from across the country. In the end, everyone back home was waiting with bated breath and we scored the winner.
"Everyone back home is happy and can have an extra drink. The fans here were happy and the goal came in their end. We dominated the game and finally got what we deserved.
"The result did us justice in the end."
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Do you think it would have been the same result had Skrtel not been sent off?
England were damn lucky.
England were damn lucky.
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- Joined
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Gabriel Jesus staying cool amid hype
Gabriel Jesus might be Brazil's next big thing but he's not letting it get to him. Thanks to a humble upbringing, Man City's summer signing is just enjoying the ride despite scoring a brace in his full debut.
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All eyes on Paul Pogba
Man United brought Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford to help them win the title. Just like Roy Keane in the 90s and Bryan Robson in the 80s, the Red Devils have a dominant character they can build their midfield around.
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By Arindam Rej, Man United correspondent espnfc.com
Paul Pogba transfer to Manchester United a year in the making - Raiola
Agent Mino Raiola has said that he had been working on Paul Pogba's world-record transfer deal for more than a year.
Midfielder Pogba joined Manchester United from Juventus for £89.3 million on Aug. 9 and that fee easily surpassed the previous world record, which was the £85m that Real Madrid paid for Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale in summer 2013.
Raiola told talkSPORT: "Paul Pogba's deal was one we had been looking at already for a year. Longer than that, maybe. It's a complex deal because it involves a lot of parties and it also involves a lot of high-stakes rights and it's difficult to get it over the line."
The agent was also involved in bringing attacking players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to United in the summer transfer window. Raiola admitted that the Premier League had been a target for him.
He said: "I already said, three or four years ago, that Italy was finished. The two leagues that will dominate the world in the next four or five years are the Premier League and German league actually.
"With the Premier League, you also see the entering of new finance from China, which will give it another boost. With Zlatan, we knew that the next step in his career was the step to the Premier League."
Raiola and Ibrahimovic are both strong characters but the agent said that they have worked so effective together over the years because there is mutual respect.
He said: "You need to be respectful to each other. You need to have belief in each other. You need to have the same goal. If you don't respect each other, don't believe in each other and don't have the same goal then what the hell are you doing together?"
Discussing Ibrahimovic's belief that Raiola is fearless, the agent added: "Fearless in his mind is something different to what other people mean but, yes, I don't think you need to work with fear. You need to have an idea of what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. If you are afraid, you better stay at home."
Raiola also said he will carry on maintaining privacy when he is working on deals, saying: "I have a reputation for never talking about the content of deals because the content of the deal is private for the club and the player. If they want to disclose that, I have no problem at all, but I am a service provider."
Paul Pogba transfer to Manchester United a year in the making - Raiola
Agent Mino Raiola has said that he had been working on Paul Pogba's world-record transfer deal for more than a year.
Midfielder Pogba joined Manchester United from Juventus for £89.3 million on Aug. 9 and that fee easily surpassed the previous world record, which was the £85m that Real Madrid paid for Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale in summer 2013.
Raiola told talkSPORT: "Paul Pogba's deal was one we had been looking at already for a year. Longer than that, maybe. It's a complex deal because it involves a lot of parties and it also involves a lot of high-stakes rights and it's difficult to get it over the line."
The agent was also involved in bringing attacking players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to United in the summer transfer window. Raiola admitted that the Premier League had been a target for him.
He said: "I already said, three or four years ago, that Italy was finished. The two leagues that will dominate the world in the next four or five years are the Premier League and German league actually.
"With the Premier League, you also see the entering of new finance from China, which will give it another boost. With Zlatan, we knew that the next step in his career was the step to the Premier League."
Raiola and Ibrahimovic are both strong characters but the agent said that they have worked so effective together over the years because there is mutual respect.
He said: "You need to be respectful to each other. You need to have belief in each other. You need to have the same goal. If you don't respect each other, don't believe in each other and don't have the same goal then what the hell are you doing together?"
Discussing Ibrahimovic's belief that Raiola is fearless, the agent added: "Fearless in his mind is something different to what other people mean but, yes, I don't think you need to work with fear. You need to have an idea of what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. If you are afraid, you better stay at home."
Raiola also said he will carry on maintaining privacy when he is working on deals, saying: "I have a reputation for never talking about the content of deals because the content of the deal is private for the club and the player. If they want to disclose that, I have no problem at all, but I am a service provider."
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Manchester derby pressure on Mourinho
Jose Mourinho's impact has been overshadowed by Pep Guardiola's start. This means the pressure is on the United manager heading into the Manchester derby on Saturday against rivals Man City at Old Trafford.
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Switzerland surprise Portugal as Sweden and Netherlands play to draw
from espnfc.com
Switzerland handed European champions Portugal a 2-0 defeat to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign on Tuesday.
Playing without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal fell behind after 23 minutes when keeper Rui Patricio parried Ricardo Rodriguez's free kick into the path of Breel Embolo.
And the hosts doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Haris Seferovic cut the ball back from the end line for Admir Mehmedi to score from the centre of the box.
The closest Portugal came to finding a goal came in the 81st minute, when Nani somehow managed to put a free header from close range off the woodwork.
Arsenal's Granit Xhaka was sent off in stoppage time for Switzerland, but the result was already in hand.
In Group A, Sweden began life after Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a 1-1 draw with Netherlands.
Marcus Berg scored the opener for Sweden two minutes before half-time by dispossessing Kevin Strootman and instantly chipping keeper Jeroen Zoet from 19 yards out.
But the Dutch found a lifeline for embattled boss Danny Blind with Wesley Sneijder's 67th-minute equaliser. Daryl Janmaat's low shot forced a diving save from Robin Olsen, and the ball came back out for Sneijder to score into the opposite corner.
Sneijder had a chance to win it four minutes from time with a shot from nearly the same spot on the pitch, but this time Olsen smothered the strike.
And Bas Dost thought he had headed home a stoppage time winner, but the goal was ruled out for a debatable foul in the buildup.
Also in Group A, Euro 2016 runners-up France also had a disappointing day as Les Bleus could only manage a goalless draw at Belarus.
Olivier Giroud hit the crossbar with a header in the 58th minute and France were denied on a number of near chances in the second half.
Bulgaria escaped from multiple second-half scares to win 4-3 over Luxembourg in Group A.
Dimitar Rangelov's powerful strike from distance gave Bulgaria the lead in the 16th minute, before Luxembourg's Aurelien Joachim found a pair of goals in a three-minute span after the hour mark to give the visitors a shock lead.
The advantage lasted less than three minutes, however, as Marcelinho's header found a way through traffic after the corner to draw Bulgaria level, and Ivelin Popov put the hosts back in front on 79 minutes with a free kick over the wall.
Florian Bohnert scored an equaliser with a worthy volley in the 90th minute, only for Aleksandar Tonev to lash home the winner for Bulgaria a minute later.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Roberto Martinez won his first competitive game in charge of Belgium, a 3-0 win at Cyprus in Group H.
Lukaku gave Belgium the lead after 13 minutes when goalkeeper Konstantinos Panagiotoudis pushed Thomas Meunier's deflected shot onto the crossbar, but the striker reacted quickly to head home.
And Lukaku was again on hand to head home after a Panagiotoudis save to add Belgium's second in the 61st minute, before Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco found the visitors' third goal nine minutes from time from an Eden Hazard assist.
Also in Group H, Greece scored three times in quick succession just before half-time to defeat Gibraltar 4-1 in the minnows' first-ever World Cup qualifier.
Kostas Mitroglou gave Greece the lead on 10 minutes with a leaping volley from the top of the 18-yard-box.
Gibraltar hit back through Liam Walker, who was given plenty of room to enter the box from the wing and curled a fine shot inside the far post.
But a 44th-minute Scott Wiseman own goal was followed in short order by goals from Konstantinos Fortounis and Vasilios Torosidis before the break.
Emir Spahic scored twice as Bosnia-Herzegovina began with a 5-0 home win over Estonia.
The hosts took the lead after seven minutes as Spahic saw his close-range header saved, but it fell right back to him to head home on the second attempt.
Edin Dzeko added the second goal from the penalty spot after Ragnar Klavan's late challenge on the striker in the 23rd minute.
Haris Medunjanin scored with a volley following a corner to make it 3-0, before Vedad Ibisevic added a fourth with seven minutes remaining and Spahic got his second of the day late on.
In the other games in Switzerland and Portugal's group B, Valerijs Sabala's looping header gave Latvia a 1-0 win at Andorra, while Faroe Islands held Hungary to a goalless draw.
In Group G, Albania scored a late goal to earn a 2-1 win over Macedonia in a game that began on Monday.
The sides were level in the 78th minute when heavy rains forced the game to be suspended, and when they resumed a day later Bekim Balaj found the 89th-minute winner with a header following a long free kick.
from espnfc.com
Switzerland handed European champions Portugal a 2-0 defeat to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign on Tuesday.
Playing without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal fell behind after 23 minutes when keeper Rui Patricio parried Ricardo Rodriguez's free kick into the path of Breel Embolo.
And the hosts doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Haris Seferovic cut the ball back from the end line for Admir Mehmedi to score from the centre of the box.
The closest Portugal came to finding a goal came in the 81st minute, when Nani somehow managed to put a free header from close range off the woodwork.
Arsenal's Granit Xhaka was sent off in stoppage time for Switzerland, but the result was already in hand.
In Group A, Sweden began life after Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a 1-1 draw with Netherlands.
Marcus Berg scored the opener for Sweden two minutes before half-time by dispossessing Kevin Strootman and instantly chipping keeper Jeroen Zoet from 19 yards out.
But the Dutch found a lifeline for embattled boss Danny Blind with Wesley Sneijder's 67th-minute equaliser. Daryl Janmaat's low shot forced a diving save from Robin Olsen, and the ball came back out for Sneijder to score into the opposite corner.
Sneijder had a chance to win it four minutes from time with a shot from nearly the same spot on the pitch, but this time Olsen smothered the strike.
And Bas Dost thought he had headed home a stoppage time winner, but the goal was ruled out for a debatable foul in the buildup.
Also in Group A, Euro 2016 runners-up France also had a disappointing day as Les Bleus could only manage a goalless draw at Belarus.
Olivier Giroud hit the crossbar with a header in the 58th minute and France were denied on a number of near chances in the second half.
Bulgaria escaped from multiple second-half scares to win 4-3 over Luxembourg in Group A.
Dimitar Rangelov's powerful strike from distance gave Bulgaria the lead in the 16th minute, before Luxembourg's Aurelien Joachim found a pair of goals in a three-minute span after the hour mark to give the visitors a shock lead.
The advantage lasted less than three minutes, however, as Marcelinho's header found a way through traffic after the corner to draw Bulgaria level, and Ivelin Popov put the hosts back in front on 79 minutes with a free kick over the wall.
Florian Bohnert scored an equaliser with a worthy volley in the 90th minute, only for Aleksandar Tonev to lash home the winner for Bulgaria a minute later.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Roberto Martinez won his first competitive game in charge of Belgium, a 3-0 win at Cyprus in Group H.
Lukaku gave Belgium the lead after 13 minutes when goalkeeper Konstantinos Panagiotoudis pushed Thomas Meunier's deflected shot onto the crossbar, but the striker reacted quickly to head home.
And Lukaku was again on hand to head home after a Panagiotoudis save to add Belgium's second in the 61st minute, before Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco found the visitors' third goal nine minutes from time from an Eden Hazard assist.
Also in Group H, Greece scored three times in quick succession just before half-time to defeat Gibraltar 4-1 in the minnows' first-ever World Cup qualifier.
Kostas Mitroglou gave Greece the lead on 10 minutes with a leaping volley from the top of the 18-yard-box.
Gibraltar hit back through Liam Walker, who was given plenty of room to enter the box from the wing and curled a fine shot inside the far post.
But a 44th-minute Scott Wiseman own goal was followed in short order by goals from Konstantinos Fortounis and Vasilios Torosidis before the break.
Emir Spahic scored twice as Bosnia-Herzegovina began with a 5-0 home win over Estonia.
The hosts took the lead after seven minutes as Spahic saw his close-range header saved, but it fell right back to him to head home on the second attempt.
Edin Dzeko added the second goal from the penalty spot after Ragnar Klavan's late challenge on the striker in the 23rd minute.
Haris Medunjanin scored with a volley following a corner to make it 3-0, before Vedad Ibisevic added a fourth with seven minutes remaining and Spahic got his second of the day late on.
In the other games in Switzerland and Portugal's group B, Valerijs Sabala's looping header gave Latvia a 1-0 win at Andorra, while Faroe Islands held Hungary to a goalless draw.
In Group G, Albania scored a late goal to earn a 2-1 win over Macedonia in a game that began on Monday.
The sides were level in the 78th minute when heavy rains forced the game to be suspended, and when they resumed a day later Bekim Balaj found the 89th-minute winner with a header following a long free kick.
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Will Rashford start for Man United?
Man United's Marcus Rashford was omitted from the senior England squad. But, given that led to him scoring a hat-trick for the Under 21s, he has to start in the Manchester derby against City this weekend.
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Ditch Rooney and let Rashford play upfront with Zlatan.
Rooney has never been a midfielder but he plays there for United and England.
Rooney has never been a midfielder but he plays there for United and England.
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