Football: the main stories of 10.09.2026

Como's first night in the Champions League ended with four goals against RB Leipzig, and the scale of it — 4-1 in Leipzig's face — matters beyond one result. Cesc Fàbregas took a side that had never played in the competition and beat a club that has treated the group stage as routine for a decade; Martin Baturina, Tasos Douvikas, Assane Diao and Máximo all scored. Fàbregas cooled it straight away, saying the night was historic for the club and the city but that it would last five minutes, with Serie A still the priority. Club president Mirwan Suwarso, speaking before kick-off, framed the campaign as a marketing opening: the Premier League has the money, Como has history, art and food. Leipzig now start the league phase on nothing.

Bayern Munich made a rather more expected start, beating Bodø/Glimt 5-0, with Michael Olise scoring twice and Harry Kane finding the net in an eighth consecutive Champions League match — a run only Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Ruud van Nistelrooy had managed before him. Ismail Kartal resigned as Fenerbahce head coach minutes after the 1-1 draw with Roma, only for the club president to refuse the resignation the same evening. In Prague, Slavia were reduced to ten and lost 3-2 to Lens after a late double, a result that also nudged the Netherlands' coefficient position, though that reading comes from a single Dutch outlet.

Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, returned to the 2016-17 season and said Chelsea should be stripped of that title and Tottenham, his runners-up, awarded it. Nine years on, that is an argument rather than a case. His old club has a separate problem: Richarlison, left out of the Premier League squad list, is exploring a legal route out of his contract.

• Leeds forward Noah Okafor says he will not play for Switzerland while Murat Yakin remains in charge.
• Fouzi Lekjaa claims Casablanca will stage the 2030 final, with Spain contesting the same fixture.
• Alisson Becker was fined £8,000 for kicking an advertising board after the Forest draw, having conceded the penalty.
• Deco says Anthony Gordon fitted Hansi Flick's side better than Marcus Rashford, and calls Lamine Yamal the clear Ballon d'Or favourite.
• Mikel Arteta is close to a new Arsenal contract; Arda Güler has agreed terms with Real Madrid until 2032.
• Philippe Coutinho, 34, is set to join Neymar at Santos subject to a medical, Brazilian media report; James Rodríguez, 35, has agreed a move to Atlético Nacional.
• Lewandowski scored in a third straight MLS match, 1:1 with Inter Miami — 6 goals and 2 assists in 9 games — and traded words with Rodrigo De Paul during it.
• FIFA has imposed a three-window transfer ban on Sochi over an unpaid instalment to Maccabi Tel Aviv for Nemanja Stojić, per Match TV; the RFU had lifted a separate ban on the club yesterday.
• Russia's summer window shut on 10 September: Daniil Khlusevich left Spartak for Rostov, Dynamo signed Maximiliano Gutiérrez, and CSKA's Milan Gajić faces surgery and roughly three months out.
• Clearlake Capital are closing on buying out Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter in a deal valuing the club at about £5bn.
• Alexander Mostovoi dismissed Leonid Slutsky's trophies as built on Valery Gazzayev's legacy.
• Liga Portugal has put tickets on sale for its first Expofut trade fair, on 14 and 15 October in Porto, according to one outlet.