Milan, Sep 23 (AP/UNB) — Gervinho received a standing ovation for a stunning goal and another when he was substituted as he helped Parma beat Cagliari 2-0 in Serie A on Saturday.

Gervinho scored the second two minutes after the break. The 31-year-old Ivory Coast international sprinted from deep inside his own half and beat three defenders before firing in off the near post.

"I don't know if it's my best goal, I have scored so many of them," the former Arsenal and Roma player joked. "I'm happy to be here and to have come back to Italy. I'm happy at Parma and I've been welcomed here really well by the fans even though I don't consider myself the star man. We need everyone."

Following his second goal since he returned to Serie A after 2 1/2 years in China, Gervinho was embraced by all of his teammates and given a standing ovation by fans at Stadio Tardini. They gave him another when he was replaced late on.

"I haven't seen a goal like that for years," Parma coach Roberto D'Aversa said. "I'm lucky to have a player like him, who came here with a unique humbleness and with great availability. He is a player who makes the difference. It's right that we put him in the conditions to express himself in the best possible way."

Roberto Inglese scored Parma's opener in the 20th minute after the ball ricocheted off the goalkeeper's chest and Inglese's face.

It was Parma's second straight win after its surprise victory at Inter Milan last week, as it settles back into life in the topflight following a fairytale rise through the divisions, three years after going bankrupt.

LATE DRAMA

Inter left it late midweek to snatch victory against Tottenham in the Champions League and it left it even later to beat Sampdoria 1-0.

Marcelo Brozovic scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time after three goals were ruled out on video review.

Radja Nainggolan thought he fired Inter in front on the stroke of halftime but it was ruled out after the VAR spotted Mauro Icardi was offside in the build-up, blocking goalkeeper Emil Audero's view.

Inter had a second goal ruled out three minutes from time as the ball went out of play before Kwadwo Asamoah's strike.

Moments later, Gregoire Defrel's goal was ruled out for offside, with the Sampdoria forward having the added disappointment of being booked for taking his shirt off in celebration.

Brozovic then controlled Ivan Perisic's cross on his chest before firing it in from a tight angle.

Inter coach Luciano Spalletti was sent off for his celebrations.

"I turned towards the television camera to shout, 'Goal!' and the fourth official told me I had done so with too much impetus," Spalletti said. "But it was such an important goal, like a sort of liberation."

FAMILY AFFAIR

Federico Chiesa scored Fiorentina's third goal and immediately went over to embrace his brother Lorenzo, who was on the sidelines as a ball boy. They were watched by father Enrico, himself a former Fiorentina and Italy forward.

Fiorentina won 3-0 over Spal, which had conceded only one goal in its four previous matches.

Marko Pjaca and Nikola Milenkovic scored the first two in the first half.

Spal's night almost went from bad to worse as midfielder Jasmin Kurtic was shown a red card for a tackle on German Pezzella, but the referee amended it to a yellow after consultation with the VAR.

Dhaka, Sep 22 (UNB) – Hosts Bangladesh will lock horn with their main contender Vietnam to decide the Group F champions of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship on Sunday at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here.

The crucial match between two teams will kicks-off at 3:30 pm, where the winning team will be group champions. 

Two lowly teams --Bahrain and United Arab Emirates—which yet to open the account playing three matches each, will also battle with each other in Sunday’s other match at 11:30 am at the same venue.

On the completion of three group matches, hosts Bangladesh and Vietnam maintained their all-win record securing full nine points, scoring 25 goals each without conceding any. 
  
Bangladesh, which earlier defeated Bahrain 10-0, Lebanon 8-0 and UAE 7-0, are in the 2nd slot in the points table behind Vietnam.

On other hand, Vietnam which beat UAE 4-0, Bahrain 14-0 and Lebanon 7-0, topped the group table despite of same points and same goals.

UAE and Bahrain yet to open account, playing three matches each to remain at the 4th and 5th place respectively in the five-nation fray while Lebanon were in the 3rd slot securing six points from all the four group encounters.

Standing of the Group F till Friday (Tabulating under match played, win, draw, loss, goal for, goal against, goal difference and points).

Teams               M     W     D      L     GF    GA    GD      Pts 
Vietnam             3      3      0      0     25      0      25       9
Bangladesh        3      3      0      0     25      0      25       9
Lebanon             4      2      0      2     14     18      -4      6
UAE                   3      0      0      3      3      17     -14      0
Bahrain              3      0      0      3      0      32     -32      0

Dhaka, Sept 22 (UNB) – The glittering trophy of the six-nation 5th Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football Tournament ceremonially unveiled at a local hotel on Saturday. 

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed graced the trophy unveiling ceremony as chief guest at a grand function at the Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon Hotel in the capital. 

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Shahjahan Kamal, BFF President Kazi M Salahuddin, BFF Sr Vice President Abdus Salam Murshedy MP and CEO K. Sports Fahad Karim were also present on the occasion.  

Renowned singer and parliament member Momtaj Begum rendered the theme song of the tournament in presence of the captains of the six participating teams at the function.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to be the chief in the final on October 12 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. 

The 12-day of the heavy weight International Football Tournament of the country beginning on October 1 at the Sylhet District Stadium and later it will also held at two other venues—Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka and Bir Shrestha Ruhul Amin Stadium in Cox’s Bazar.

Hosts Bangladesh will play Laos in the opening match on October 1 in Sylhet at 6:30 pm.

Six teams—split into two groups-- will initially compete in the first phase in Sylhet from Oct 1-6 al at 6:30 pm. 

Later, top two teams from each of two groups will play in the semifinals in Cox’s Bazar on October 9 and 10 and the final match billed for Oct 12 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.

Participating teams are: 
Group A – holders Nepal, Palestine and Tajikistan   
Group B – Laos, Philippines and hosts Bangladesh.

Fixture of Group matches:
Oct 1: Bangladesh vs Laos  
Oct 2: Nepal vs Tajikistan 
Oct 3: Laos vs Philippines 
Oct 4: Tajikistan vs Palestine 
Oct 5: Bangladesh vs Philippines 
Oct 6: Palestine vs Nepal 

Meanwhile, the residential training camp of the Bangladesh team began from last Thursday in the capital.

The much-talked about custodian Shahidul Alam Sohel, who was responsible for conceding the first goal against Nepal in the just concluded SAFF Suzuki Cup Football, was not considered in the preliminary squad.

Preliminary squad of Bangladesh team: Ashraful Islam Rana, Anisur Rahman, Rasel Mahmud, Mahfuzur Rahman Pritom (Goal Keeper), Bishwanath Ghosh, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Topu Barman, Waly Faisal, Sushanta Tripura, Rahmat Miah, Nasiruddin Chowdhury, Yeasin Khan, Ariful Islam (Defender), Mamunul Islam Mamun, Atiqur Rahman Fahad, Jamal Bhuiyan, Masuk Miah Zoni, Biplo Ahmed, Emon Mahmud (Mid-Fielder), Rabiul Hasan, Jafar Iqbal, Mohammad Saaduddin, Sohel Rana, Faisal Mahmood, Mohammad Ibrahim (Winger), Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Shakawat Hossain Rony, Nabib Newaz Jibon, Towhidul Alam Sabuz, Motin Miah and Jabed Khan (Forward).
 

Rome, Sept 22 (AP/UNB) – Sassuolo moved into second place in Serie A with a 3-1 comeback win over Empoli on Friday.

After Empoli's Francesco Caputo scored just 18 seconds in, Sassuolo responded with goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng — his third in five matches — Gianmarco Ferrari and Federico Di Francesco.

Sassuolo is two points behind Juventus, which will look to extend its perfect record at Frosinone on Sunday, and one point ahead of Spal and Napoli.

Spal visits Fiorentina on Saturday and Napoli plays at Torino on Sunday.

London, Sept 22 (AP/UNB) — Former England defender Gary Cahill, who has won every major club trophy since joining Chelsea from Bolton in 2012, is likely to ask the London team for a move in the January transfer window unless he gets back in the side.

The 32-year-old center back is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to play under new coach Maurizio Sarri, who has led Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table with five wins from as many matches.

"I don't want to jump the gun, but as things stand at this time, probably, yes (I'll have to leave in January)," Cahill said. "For me to do this all season is going to be very difficult.

"Obviously the most important thing is the club. But I have to look at my situation. I have to take charge of my own future. And if I'm sat doing what I'm doing at this moment in time, I just hope the club will respect that when it comes to the time."

Cahill, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 and the Premier League in 2015 and 2017, retired from England duty last month.

"I'm not a guy who is willing to accept not playing," he said. "Your career's short enough as it is."

Chelsea visit West Ham on Sunday.