Football: the main stories of 08.09.2026

José Mourinho's first European night back at the Bernabéu was not the controlled evening his reputation suggests: 37 shots, thirteen saves shared between the goalkeepers, and Real Madrid holding on for 2:1 against the club that made him. The win matters because it steadies a side beaten 1:0 at Betis on Saturday, a defeat after which Mourinho had queried the penalty award. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring from a Brahim Díaz pass and in doing so drew level with Raúl on 71 Champions League goals, fifth in the competition's history. Inter, without Federico Dimarco, lost little standing: Christian Chivu said his team showed courage, and Mourinho conceded the game could have finished 7:6.

Lionel Messi's name ran through the day twice. France Football named him among the 30 for the Ballon d'Or, a 17th nomination, which puts him within reach of Cristiano Ronaldo's record; separately, As reported that his lawyers have been negotiating with Colombian investment group TH to buy Segunda División side Eldense. Elsewhere in the Champions League, Aston Villa won 3-2 at Club Brugge and Răzvan Marin's free-kick settled AEK's 1-0 win over LASK, while Troy Parrott scored the winner at Lille on his Champions League debut, four days after his goal beat Real Madrid. Sofyan Amrabat, meanwhile, stepped away from Morocco for as long as Mohamed Ouahbi is in charge, declining to give his reasons.

• Alexis Mac Allister says he is "very sad" Liverpool have not offered him a new deal and had options to leave in the summer.
• Liverpool agreed a shirt sponsorship with Turkish Airlines worth a reported £60m a year from 2027, replacing Standard Chartered; Manchester United announced a sleeve deal with SumUp.
• Domenico Tedesco was banned for two Serie A matches and fined €5,000 for his conduct against Sassuolo.
• Borussia Dortmund's Konstantinos Karetsas went to hospital after circulatory problems against Villarreal; Udinese said Piotr Piotrowski has a benign arrhythmia, a second such case after Scott McTominay.
• One outlet reports Santos face Atlético Mineiro in the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals without Neymar, out four to eight weeks with a thigh injury.
• Manchester City won 2:0 at Porto, Erling Haaland scoring twice to move seventh on the Champions League list with 59 goals.
• Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland is out up to four months with a hamstring tear and may need surgery.
• Wycombe sacked Michael Duff five games into the League One season; Sheffield United signed Jordan Ayew until the end of the campaign.
• Newcastle beat Millwall in the Carabao Cup through Joe Willock's late goal; West Ham went top of the Championship after Jarrod Bowen's double in a 3-2 win at Bolton.
• Adel Taarabt, at Benfica between 2015 and 2022, announced his retirement.
• TEAMtalk reports Real Madrid have identified Declan Rice as a midfield target valued at €120m; Marca reports Serie B side Avellino are in talks with James Rodríguez.
• Europe's top leagues and Fifpro extended their legal action against Fifa to cover "abusive conduct" towards the women's game; more than 100,000 people have signed a complaint against Gianni Infantino.
• Barcelona host Feyenoord and Liverpool host Atlético Madrid tonight, with Julián Álvarez in the Atlético squad; the first round of fixtures continues, and the EFL Cup fourth-round draw is on Wednesday 16 September.