Barcelona, Sep 3 (AP/UNB) — Newly promoted Huesca enjoyed short-lived celebrations on Sunday after stunning Barcelona with a goal just three minutes into their Spanish league game.

But Lionel Messi provided a harsh reality check with two goals as the defending champions went on to demolish Huesca 8-2 at Camp Nou.

Messi canceled out Juan "Cucho" Hernandez's opener — after a long buildup by Huesca — with an exquisite solo effort.

Facing four defenders honed in on him at the edge of the area, the Argentine lured them toward the center of the field before a sudden change of foot and acceleration left one man on the turf and the rest out of position. Messi then fired a right-footed shot in off the far post for the 16th-minute equalizer.

Jordi Alba provoked an own-goal from Jorge Pulido and set up Luis Suarez to make it 3-1 with the first of two goals for the Uruguay striker.

Another slip in concentration let Alex Gallar score again for Huesca to make it 3-2 to Barcelona at halftime.

In a lopsided second half, Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele and Ivan Rakitic scored before Messi got his second goal and then assisted Alba.

Suarez rounded off the easy win by earning and taking a penalty in stoppage time.

"It burns to concede a goal on the first attack since it makes you think that you started the match far too relaxed," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. "Huesca gave it its all, but we found our short-passing game and ended up doing a lot of damage."

Messi's brace left him level with Karim Benzema as the league's top scorers this season with four goals each.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only two teams to have won their three opening league games.

HERO JOAQUIN

Veteran forward Joaquin Sanchez went on as a late substitute and headed Real Betis to its first home win over crosstown rival Sevilla since 2006.

The 37-year-old Sanchez scored in the 80th minute to secure the 1-0 victory at Benito Villamarin Stadium.

Sanchez had missed the first two games of the season due to injury after having an excellent campaign in 2017-18.

"This is a dream debut for the season," Sanchez said.

It was Betis' first goal of the campaign.

VALENCIA WINLESS

Valencia started this season with the two objectives of doing well on its long-awaited return to the Champions League and maintaining a top-four finish in Spain.

But three matches into the season and Marcelino Garcia's team has yet to win.

Valencia twice had to come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at 10-man Levante, its crosstown rival, on Sunday.

Roger Marti scored both goals for Levante, with Denis Cheryshev making it 1-1 before  Dani Parejo split the points by converting a penalty early in the second half.

Levante's Coke Andujar picked up a second booking in the 76th.

"We have conceded five goals in three games," Marcelino said. "I don't like my team when it doesn't have the ball."

VAR GIVETH, VAR TAKETH

The video assistant referee awarded a penalty in favor of Espanyol and annulled a goal by the Barcelona-based side in a 2-1 loss at Alaves.

Leo Baptistao converted the penalty, only for Alaves to fight back with goals by Borja Baston and Ruben Sobrino.

London, Sep 3 (AP/UNB) — After the furore that followed straight Premier League defeats for Manchester United, Jose Mourinho's team produced a routine 2-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku's first-half double put United in control before the second half briefly took a dramatic turn when Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart saved Paul Pogba's penalty kick and substitute Marcus Rashford was sent off for violent conduct only 11 minutes after coming on.

"Even with 10 men for 15 minutes the team was the team that had the chances to score," Mourinho said. "We are all very happy that the boys can go for their international week with the feeling (of winning)."

Tottenham, which set alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford by winning 3-0 there six days ago, was unable to carry that momentum to Watford, which came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road.

Watford has won all four of its Premier League games and joins Liverpool and Chelsea with a maximum total of 12 points at the top of the table.

Arsenal, meanwhile, joined United on six points as it secured a first away victory under Unai Emery with an entertaining 3-2 win at newly promoted Cardiff.

After storming out of his news conference following United's defeat to Tottenham, demanding "respect, respect" from the media, Mourinho was much calmer ahead of his side's trip to Burnley, and the approach may have brought rewards on the field.

Mourinho will have been especially pleased by United's improved defensive performance as it claimed a first clean sheet of the league season.

Both the Portuguese and his squad will enter the international break with confidence that United's worst Premier League start for 26 years is firmly behind them.

SMALL DRAMAS

The only dramas for United this time concerned Pogba's penalty miss and Rashford's red card, but Mourinho wasn't critical of either.

After Rashford was fouled in the box, Pogba — who has already scored two penalties this season — had his spot kick saved by Hart.

"I never blame a player for missing penalties," Mourinho told BBC Sport. "I blame the ones who refuse to go up there. Paul's scored some good ones for us."

The frustration of the penalty miss appeared to affect Rashford more than Pogba and within a minute of the miss the England striker had been sent off.

Burnley defender Phil Bardsley tackled Rashford before kicking him in the aftermath of the challenge. Rashford attempted to take matters into his own hands, pushing his forehead into Bardsley's face, and was sent off.

"I would say it was naive," Mourinho said. "It was a kid and a very experienced man. Bardsley's been in the game for 20 years and Marcus is a naive boy."

SPURS STUNNED

With Tottenham having taken the headlines last round with a statement victory over Manchester United, some seemed to forget that both teams held perfect records as Spurs made the short trip to face Watford on Sunday.

By the end, there was only one perfect record to talk about — Watford's.

The win for Javi Gracia's team was made all the more impressive by the fact Spurs took the lead shortly after halftime, as Abdoulaye Doucoure found his own net as he attempted to clear Lucas Moura's cross.

The usually reliable Spurs defense would have been confident of seeing out victory from there, but was undone in the simplest fashion.

Troy Deeney and Craig Cathcart both headed in set pieces in the space of seven minutes to turn the match around and keep Watford level with Liverpool and Chelsea at the top of the table.

GUNNERS DUO STRIKE

It's still early days in Emery's reign as Arsenal manager, but Sunday's win at Cardiff may prove a pivotal moment for the Spaniard.

For the first time this season he opted to include both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in his starting lineup and was rewarded with a first away victory in the Premier League.

While there are still major defensive concerns for Arsenal, the play of the strike duo suggests Emery has a combination that will cause problems for any defense.

Shkodran Mustafi gave Arsenal an early lead before Victor Camarasa leveled with Cardiff's first goal of the season in first-half stoppage time.

Aubameyang struck after the break as Lacazette flicked the ball into his path, allowing the Gabon forward to find the bottom corner from outside the box.

However, Arsenal was pegged back once more as Danny Ward headed the home side level with 20 minutes remaining.

Not to be denied, the inspired Lacazette hit an unstoppable effort in at the near post with nine minutes remaining to finally see off Cardiff, which is still looking for a first win of the season.

Dhaka, Sept 03 (UNB) – Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Monday announced a 20-member final squad of the Bangladesh National Football team for the 12th SAFF Suzuki Cup’2018 beginning on Tuesday (Sept 4) at the country’s premier sports venue--Bangabandhu National Stadium here.

But the name of Bangladesh captain was not disclosed at the function. Bangladesh Head Coach Jamie Day gave a clarification on the issue saying, “every players of the Bangladesh team is our captain, and we may choose different captain for the different matches.”

Hosts Bangladesh, which was placed in Group A of the biggest soccer festival of the region (SAFF Championship) with Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan, will play Bhutan in the 2nd match on the opening day (Tuesday) at 7 pm in a hope to take revenge of their 1-3 goals defeat against Bhutan in Thimphu in 2016. 

Pakistan, which returned to the international football after four years for local and FIFA ban, will play Nepal in the opening match on Tuesday at 4 pm at the same venue.

Holders India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka were placed in Group of the seven-nation meet.

The BFF announced the Bangladesh squad making one change in Jamie Day’s 20-member team to comply with the SAFF rules including 3rd goal keeper Anisur Rahman in the team dropping Rabiul Hasan in the dying moment.

Earlier on Saturday, Jamie Day finalized a 20-member Bangladesh squad for the ensuing SAFF Championship after conducting a four month long training camp in home and aboard and informed it to the players on the day.   

Nine players –Zafor Iqbal, Motin Mia, Rahmat Mia, Abdullah, Anisur Rahman, Majurur Rahman, Mahfuz Hasan Pritom, Fazle Rabbi and Rabiuil Hasan —were excluded from the previous squad while former national skipper Mamunul Islam Mamun, Waly Faisal, Faisal Mahmud, Shahkawat Ronny, Emon Mahmud, Sohel Rana and Nasiruddin Chowdhury are considered in the team as senior players.

Bangladesh squad: Ashraful Islam Rana, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Anisur Rahman, Topu Barman, Nasiruddin Chowdhury, Bishwanath Ghosh, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Waly Faisal, Susanta Tripura, Masuk Miah Zony, Mamunul Islam Mamun, Emon Mahmud Babu, Faisalo Mahmud, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Atiqul Islam Fahad, Jamal Bhuiyan, Shahkawat Hossain Rony, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil and Saaduddin.
 

Dhaka, Sept 3 (UNB) – Dhaka is ready for a soccer buzz of hosting the 12th version of the seven-nation SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 that kicks-off on Tuesday (Sept 4) at the country’s premier and trdational sports venue—Bangabandhu National Stadium here.

Pakistan, which returned to the international football after about four years for local and international (FIFA) ban, will play Nepal in the opening match on Tuesday at 4 pm while Bangladesh will play Bhutan in the opening day’s 2nd match at 7 pm in a hope to take revenge of their frustrating 1-3 goals defeat against them in 2016.

Hosts Bangladesh was placed in Group A of the biggest soccer festival of the region (SAFF Championship) with Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan while holders India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka were placed in Group B of the seven-nation meet.

All the six foreign teams are already in the capital to compete in the South Asian Mini World Cup and made their practices on Monday.

In a pre-tournament press conference at the BFF House on Monday, the Head Coach and Captain of six participating teams except India, gave details of their preparations and disclosed their ultimate target.

The logo of the tournament was ceremonially unveiled at the function at the BFF House Monday afternoon.

The BFF President Kazi Salahuddin, who is also President of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) said this edition of the SAFF Chapionships will be the most competitive ever.

Speaking in the logo unveiling ceremony of the seven-nation meet, the SAFF supremo was in a buoyant mood. “As far I know, all participating teams have worked hard to prepare them for the tournament, and the preparations are based on professional approach, all the teams are eager to mark their presence in the field”

“So I think there will be fierce rivalry in the pitch making this edition the most competitive one,” Salahuddin added.

Anontex Group, the reputed garments industries placed their name in the logo as the “SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018, “Powered by” Anontex Group.

Anwarul Islam Ferdous, the Director of Anontex, BFF Senior Vice President Abdus Salam Murshedy, Director of Anontex Group M. Anwarul Islam Ferdous, Advisor of Anontex Group Shyamal Dutta, BFF General Secretary Abu Naeem Shohag and SM Nawaz Shohag, the CEO of Adtouch were also present on the occasion.

Earlier, the trophy of the 12th SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 was unveiled on Sunday at the Uttara Motors Office in Tejgaon area of the capital.  

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Monday announced a 20-member final squad of the Bangladesh National Football team for the 12th SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 beginning on Tuesday (Sept 4) at the country’s premier sports venue--Bangabandhu National Stadium here.

But the name of Bangladesh captain was disclosed on the function. Bangladesh Head Coach Jamie Day gave a clarification on the issue and saying, “every players of the Bangladesh team is our captain, and we may choose different captain for the different matches.

The BFF announced the Bangladesh squad making one change in Jamie Day’s 20-member team to comply with the SAFF rules including 3rd goal keeper Anisur Rahman in the team dropping Rabiul Hasan in the dying moment.

on Saturday, Jamie Day finalized a 20-member Bangladesh squad for the ensuing SAFF Championship after conducting a four month long training camp in home and aboard and informed it to the players on the day.

Nine  players –Zafor Iqbal, Motin Mia, Rahmat Mia, Abdullah, Anisur Rahman, Majurur Rahman, Mahfuz Hasan Pritom, Fazle Rabbi and Rabiuil Hasan —were excluded from the previous squad while former national skipper Mamunul Islam Mamun, Waly Faisal, Faisal Mahmud, Shahkawat Ronny, Emon Mahmud, Sohel Rana and Nasiruddin Chowdhury are considered in the team as senior players.

Bangladesh squad: Ashraful Islam Rana, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Anisur Rahman, Topu Barman, Nasiruddin Chowdhury, Bishwanath Ghosh, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Waly Faisal, Susanta Tripura, Masuk Miah Zony, Mamunul Islam Mamun, Emon Mahmud Babu, Faisal Mahmud, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Atiqul Islam Fahad, Jamal Bhuiyan, Shahkawat Hossain Rony, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil and Saaduddin.

Dhaka, Sep 3 (UNB) – The logo of the 12th SAFF Championship, now known as the SAFF Suzuki Cup, was formally unveiled at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House on Monday. 

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, who is also the SAFF president, unveiled the seven-nation tournament logo along with others at a press conference. 

Tournament sponsor ‘Anontex Group’ and official ground rights holder ‘Adtouch Sports and Live Events’ were also introduced on the occasion.   

Expressing optimism about having a good result in the tournament, the BFF president said, “From the organisers’ point of view, our preparation is well enough compared to other hosts countries and as the BFF president, we’ve done enough for the national team’s preparations. I hope we’ll get a good result.” 

“As a footballer I can say, the level of the participating nations of this event is much higher than any other SAFF event held before. I hope we’ll be the champions,” he said.

BFF Senior-vice President Abdus Salam Murshedy, its General Secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag, Anontex Group Director Anwarul Islam Ferdous and Advisor Shyamal Dutta, and Adtouch CEO Nawaz Shohag were also present.

Squaring the Bangabandhu National Stadium, the 12-match tournament will begin on Tuesday. Bangladesh have been placed in the four-team Group-A alongside Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan.  

Nepal and Pakistan will play the tournament opener, which will begin at 4pm while Bangladesh will face Bhutan in another match of the opening day at 7pm. 

The Group-B comprises of defending champions India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.