Villarreal boosted their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stage after goals from Etienne Capoue and Nigerian-born Arnaut Danjuma gave the Spanish side a 2-0 home win over Swiss rivals Young Boys in Group F on Tuesday.

Danjuma was born in Lagos, Nigeria to a Dutch father and Nigerian mother, and was eligible for either national team. But under the now sacked Barcelona coach, Ronald Koeman, he was named in the Netherlands squad in October 2018 and played his first international  match against Germany on 13 October when he came as a 68^th minute substitute.

Four days later, he scored his first international goal against Belgium. In the Champions League match on Tuesday, the result left Villarreal second on seven points from four games, behind Manchester United on an inferior head-to-head record and two ahead of third-placed Atalanta. Young Boys have three points and only a slim chance of advancing.

The home side, who won the reverse fixture 4-1 last month, were made to work harder this time as Young Boys always looked dangerous on the break and missed a string of chances.

Capoue delighted the home fans in the 36th minute when he knocked in his own rebound from close range after visiting goalkeeper Guillaume Faivre parried the French midfielder’s header straight back into his path.

Young Boys dominated the second half and had the ball in the back of the net in the 55th minute, but Christian Fassnacht’s header was scrapped after a VAR check deemed Nicolas Buergy offside in the build up.

The home side’s defender Raul Albiol then headed a long-range Fabian Rieder lob off the line before Faivre parried Danjuma’s fierce shot and Capoue fired inches wide of the far post at the other end.

Young Boys pressed in the closing stages as Meschack Elia came close but they were caught cold in the 89th minute as Danjuma pulled away from his marker and slipped the ball past Faivre to seal Villarreal’s win.

 Tottenham Hotspur’s players have a great opportunity to work under new manager Antonio Conte but the Italian’s arrival means expectations have been raised even higher at the club, captain Hugo Lloris said.

Conte, who has previously managed Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, as well as the Italy national team, was appointed to replace Nuno Espirito Santo after the Portuguese was fired after 17 matches in charge.

“He is very ambitious and believes in all the players in the dressing room,” Lloris said on Wednesday (Nov 3). “It is a great opportunity to work under one of the greatest managers of the last few years.”

Conte takes over with Spurs ninth in the Premier League on 15 points after 10 games, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.

“Now is not the time for words. It is time to work,” said Lloris. “It is time to believe again in ourselves, our team and in our club… Tottenham, with Antonio Conte, there will be even more expectations.

“But again, it does not matter what people say outside. The most important is what is going on inside the changing room, inside the building. There is ambition in the club. We also want to respond to the expectations of the fans. That is important.”

Conte’s first game in charge will be Thursday’s home match against Dutch club Vitesse in the Europa Conference League.

Manchester City got back on track as they thrashed Club Brugge 4-1 on Wednesday (Nov 3) to move within touching distance of a place in the Champions League last 16.

Pep Guardiola’s side recovered from the shock of conceding a John Stones own goal after Phil Foden’s early opener at the Etihad Stadium.

Riyad Mahrez put City back in front in the second half and Raheem Sterling came off the bench to end his goal drought before Gabriel Jesus capped the rout.

City sit top of Group A, one point above Paris Saint Germain, after their third win in four matches in the competition.

Last season’s Champions League runners-up are five points clear of third-placed Brugge and will reach the knockout stages with one point from their last two games against PSG and Leipzig.

“Fully deserved. I liked how we played. After conceding we dropped a little bit, but the second half was really good,” Guardiola said.

“When you’re at Manchester City, you realise nobody will help you. Everything to do, we’ve done it.

“All the titles I won before were because I was at big clubs. Absolutely, the pleasure is higher (to win with City).” After a strong start to the season, City had suffered their worst period of the campaign.

Saturday’s shock home defeat against Crystal Palace came hot on the heels of a penalty shoot-out loss at West Ham that ended their four-year reign as League Cup holders.

Guardiola responded to those setbacks by defiantly claiming City were playing at an “incredible” level, labelling their current form among the “best moments” of his time at the club.

Having thrashed Brugge 5-1 in Belgium last month, City once again picked on Philippe Clement’s team, although the victory wasn’t without a few scares.

Guardiola had described Brugge’s visit as “much more important” than Saturday’s derby at Manchester United and his players got the message.

Constant menace

Kevin De Bruyne’s inconsistent form of late has been a concern, so it was intriguing to see Guardiola drop the Belgian midfielder.

Even without De Bruyne, City had too much attacking quality for Brugge.

Joao Cancelo was a constant menace and the left-back was inches away from scoring with a curling effort that cannoned off the post.

City’s relentless pressure was rewarded in the 15th minute after Foden’s initial cross-shot was blocked by Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet.

Mahrez pounced on the loose ball and jinked across the Brugge area before picking out Cancelo, whose cross found Foden narrowly onside to tap-in his fifth goal this season.

But despite their dominant start, City were rocked as Brugge equalised in freakish circumstances two minutes later.

Hans Vanaken’s shot was clawed away by Ederson and when Charles De Ketelaere crossed back into the six-yard box, Bernardo Silva’s attempted block deflected the ball off Stones’ face and into the net.

That shock knocked City out of their stride and they nearly conceded again when De Ketelaere’s low drive forced a good stop from Ederson.

Jack Grealish’s deft pass presented Mahrez with a golden opportunity early in the second half, but Mignolet saved the Algerian’s close-range strike.

Brugge threatened again when De Ketelaere’s shot crept wide.

But City had regained control and Mahrez made amends for his earlier miss as he restored their lead in the 54th minute.

Cancelo was the provider with a pin-point cross that the unmarked Mahrez headed past Mignolet from five yards for his eighth goal this season.

Sterling was introduced to replace Mahrez and the England star was quickly on the scoresheet for the first time since August.

In the 72nd minute, Foden found Ilkay Gundogan and the German’s low cross was converted with ease by Sterling for the forward’s second goal of a difficult season on a personal level.

Brazil forward Jesus put the seal on City’s victory when he netted in the final seconds\

Questions are being asked about safety procedures in Zimbabwean boxing following the death of Taurai Zimunya after he was knocked out in a fight in Harare.

Super bantamweight Zimunya, 24, died on Monday, having collapsed during a professional non-title bout on Saturday.

It is the first time a boxer has died in Zimbabwe from injuries sustained in the ring.

Lawrence Zimbudzana, the general secretary of the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB), says that plans for an inquiry are yet to be addressed.

“For now we will focus on the burial, and then we will sit down and look at the issues,” Zimbudzana saiid.

A statement from the ZNBWCB said that “all the necessary medical procedures were followed and emergency medical assistance was provided at the venue before he was taken to hospital”.

Zimunya took several blows to the head before being knocked out in the third round of a six-round fight.

His former trainer Tatenda Gada was devastated, feeling he had great potential.

“We’ve been robbed of one of our best prospects,” Gada said. “I worked with Taurai for more than four years – I watched him progress and he was one for the future.”

Zimunya’s father, Samson, was an amateur boxer and hoped his son was going to carry the family name and become a champion.

Boxing had only just returned in Zimbabwe after lockdown restrictions were eased.

Fifa has fined the Scottish FA more than £8,000 after fans booed the Israeli national anthem at Hampden Park.

The penalty also includes an inappropriate flag on display during Scotland’s World Cup qualifying victory last month.

Steve Clarke’s side twice came from behind to triumph 3-2 in front of a sell-out crowd in Glasgow.

Scott McTominay’s stoppage-time winner kept Scotland second in Group F.

A win in Moldova on 12 November would guarantee a spot in the play-offs with one game to spare in the qualifying campaign.

Explaining the breach of Fifa’s disciplinary code article 16, the world governing body said it was due to: “Order and security at matches (disturbance during national anthems, use of objects – flag – to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports event).”