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Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the opening four minutes on the way to a four-goal haul as European champion Portugal routed Andorra 6-0 in football World Cup qualifying on Friday, while France recovered from a goal down to thrash Bulgaria. The Real Madrid superstar was making his first appearance for Portugal since he was stretchered off injured and in tears from the final of Euro 2016 and he wasted no time in making up for his three-month absence from international football. France, agonisingly beaten by Portugal in Paris in the Euro final in July, returned to the scene of that heartbreak and got off to the worst possible start when it conceded after just six minutes at the Stade de France. Mihail Aleksandrov scored from the penalty spot to give the Bulgarians a shock lead in a very competitive-looking Group A. But the French stormed back with two goals from Kevin Gameiro —making his first international start in almost five years — in a convincing 4-1 win. Under-achieving Belgium a...

Manchester City star Bacary Sagna went off injured in France’s 4-1 win over Bulgaria last night. The 33-year-old  confirmed  to the reporters that he has suffered a thigh injury, and will undergo tests tomorrow. France boss Didier Deschamps also confirmed Sagna felt discomfort in his hamstring during the early parts of the game, which ultimately led to the defender being taken off. He  said : “Bacary felt pain early in the game in his hamstring. “He clenched his teeth but did not want his injury to get worse.” It was quite an eventful game for the Frenchman, as he conceded a penalty before setting up an equaliser and going off injured. Manchester City have a packed schedule ahead of them, with some very important matches over the next few weeks, and they’ll now have to assess how long Sagna is out for. Sagna has left the French squad to return to his club for treatment, which will allow Pep Guardiola’s team to quickly get an idea of the situation.

Five things we learned from England's win over Malta Saturday, 8th October 2016 ENGLAND beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley in Gareth Southgate's first match in charge - but what did the game tell us? 1 / 5 GETTY 1. Henderson shows skipper how to boss the midfield. The Liverpool ace gave a midfield masterclass next to captain Wayne Rooney. There was little to challenge the duo but Henderson's passing was a cut above The Three Lions are top of their World Cup qualifying group with two wins from two but there is a long way to go before they can be taken seriously in Russia. Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli scored the goals in the game, and Southgate's men head to Slovenia for the next qualifier on Tuesday looking for a more impressive performance. ENGLAND beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley in Gareth Southgate's first match in charge - but what did the game tell us?

Isaac Success is also at risk of missing Watford's clash at Middlesbrough the pair are reported to have feigned injury to avoid playing for the Super Eagles saac Success and Victor Moses could be set for suspensions after pulling out of the Nigeria squad Victor Moses  is at risk of being banned for Chelsea's match at Leicester after being accused of feigning injury to avoid playing for  Nigeria. The Blues wide man was outstanding in the 2-0 victory over Hull - starting his first Premier League match of the season - but soon pulled out of the Super Eagles squad for the World Cup qualifier against Zambia, citing an injury. Watford's Isaac Success also failed to make the trip due to a reported injury in the 2-2 draw over Bournemouth and even posted a picture of his leg strapped up on social media to legitimise his claim. The Nigerian Football Federation are sceptical though and will carry out an investigation on the matter. Darren Walsh Moses was excellent as a right wing-back...

Barcelona full-back Aleix Vidal has reportedly told team-mates within the dressing room at the Nou Camp that he wants to leave the club. Vidal was signed from Sevilla for €18million in the summer of 2015, but, like Turkish playmaker Arda Turan, was forced to wait some six months until January 2016 before he was allowed to make his Barca debut due to a FIFA transfer embargo. Fifa placed a ban on the Catalan giants due to breaking rules on signing under-age foreign players. Vidal was forced to wait six months to make his Barca debut As such, Vidal made just 9 league appearances for Luis Enrique’s side in the second half of last season. Things have since got even worse for Vidal with the emergence of natural midfielder Sergi Roberto as Enrique’s preferred option at right-back, restricting Vidal to just one appearance so far this campaign. Now the defender, who was capped for Spain back in June 2015, is reported to have conceded to teammates that he wants out. Things hav...

Kevin Gameiro celebrates his second goal of the night with his France and Atlético Madrid strike partner Antoine Griezmann after ending five years in the international wilderness with a bang. France  produced a scintillating show as they put memories of  one of the most painful moments in their football history  to one side by crushing  Bulgaria  4-1 in a World Cup Group A qualifier. Les Bleus  had not hosted Bulgaria since the infamous qualifier in November 1993 when they conceded a late goal to lose 2-1, a defeat that meant they  missed out on a place at the 1994 World Cup  in the United States. The home side trailed again at the Stade de France  on Friday after conceding an early penalty but bounced back by taking control of the midfield and breaching a porous defence almost at will. Goals from Kévin Gameiro, Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann put them 3-1 up at the break. Gameiro, stylishly celebrating his first international for five ye...