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BOURNEMOUTH MIDFIELDER DAVID BROOKS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE TWO HODGKIN LYMPHOMA

Bournemouth and Wales midfielder David Brooks has been diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.

The 24-year-old joined the Cherries from Sheffield United in 2018 and was part of the Wales squad at Euro 2020.

Brooks has made nine appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions this season and withdrew from Wales’ October World Cup qualifiers through illness.

The player has now announced that he has cancer of the lymphatic system and will be starting treatment soon.

“This is a very difficult message for me to write,” Brooks said in a statement. “I have been diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma and will begin a course of treatment next week.

“Although this has come as a shock to myself and my family, the prognosis is a positive one and I am confident that I will make a full recovery and be back playing as soon as possible.

“I’d like to show my appreciation to the doctors, nurses, consultants and staff who have been treating me for their professionalism, warmth and understanding during this period.

“I want to thank everyone at the Football Association of Wales because without the swift attention of their medical team we may not have detected the illness.

“I’d also like to say thank you to AFC Bournemouth for all of their support and assistance this past week.

“Although I appreciate that there will be media attention and interest, I would like to ask that my privacy is respected in the coming months and I will share updates on my progress when I am able to do so.

“In the meantime, thank you to everyone for their messages of support – it means so much and will continue to do so in the months ahead.

“I look forward to seeing you all again and playing the sport I love very soon.”

Bournemouth said on Twitter: “We’re all behind you, Brooksy”, with chief executive Neill Blake promising to support the midfielder every step of the way.

“Everyone at AFC Bournemouth will do everything possible to help support David and his family during his recovery,” he said.

“We’re not putting any timescales on his return; we will give David all the time he needs to get well and will do everything that we possibly can to help with that.

“I know everyone will be keen to show their love and support for David which will help him immensely as he recovers, but we also urge you all to respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND SUFFER SECOND-HALF COLLAPSE TO LOSE IN BULGARIA

A bad week for Northern Ireland got worse on Tuesday night as two crisp Todor Nedelev strikes saw Bulgaria come from behind to win 2-1 in Sofia.

Conor Washington’s sixth international goal had given Ian Baraclough’s side a half-time lead as they looked to have responded well to Saturday’s controversial 2-0 defeat in Switzerland which effectively ended World Cup qualifying hopes, but it all went wrong after the break.

Bulgarian boss Yasen Petrov shuffled his pack at half-time and got the rewards, although Nedelev took the credit as he beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell in fine fashion twice in 11 minutes to turn things around just after the hour.

It made for more frustration for Baraclough, who had finally built some positive momentum last month but has seen things unravel quickly in the last week, the Qatar dream now definitively dead.

The aim after Saturday’s demoralising defeat in Geneva, shaped by the contentious first-half red card for Jamal Lewis, was to try to preserve seeding and look to the future – and to that end Liverpool’s 18-year-old full-back Conor Bradley was handed a first international start as one of four changes.

The early signs were all good – Bradley was one of Northern Ireland’s brightest performers as they quickly pegged Bulgaria back in a dominant first-half performance.

Jordan Thompson was the first to test goalkeeper Ivan Karadzhov as he nicked the ball just inside the Northern Ireland half, driving at goal before shooting from just outside the area.

Baraclough’s men were pressing high, pushing Bulgaria on to the back foot, and creating chances as a result.

Paddy McNair should have done better than head straight at Karadzhov when Shane Ferguson’s cross found him at the far post, and the 32-year-old goalkeeper, making only his second international appearance, then kept out a snapshot from Washington from the resulting corner.

Bradley set up chances for Thompson and Josh Magennis, while weaving into the box and taking on two defenders to win a corner.

The breakthrough came 10 minutes before the break as Washington poked home when the goalkeeper pushed Magennis’ header in his direction, although Northern Ireland had to wait through a long VAR check before celebrating.

But Petrov sent on Ilian Iliev at the break, getting quick rewards as Northern Ireland struggled to deal with a revitalised Bulgaria.

The equaliser came in the 53rd minute as Iliev’s cross was deflected into the path of Nedelev, who got clear of Ferguson to fire a low shot into the net.

Northern Ireland could not stem the tide and, 10 minutes after conceding the first, they found themselves behind.

Nedelev’s second was even better than the first as Ivaylo Chochev laid off a curling cross from Kiril Despedov and Nedelev bent a shot into the top right corner of Peacock-Farrell’s net.

Baraclough sought inspiration from the bench. Stuart Dallas was left out of the starting line-up due to a minor knock, but came on along with Jordan Jones as Bradley and Magennis took a seat.

But the composure and control they had shown in the first half was gone. A significant weakness for Northern Ireland under Baraclough has been their inability to come from behind and they rarely looked like finding an equaliser here.

Thompson sent a free-kick wastefully high and wide with six minutes to go, but Karadzhov was otherwise a spectator as Bulgaria moved above the visitors into third place in Group C – in which Italy and Switzerland are now the only teams still alive.

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SCOTLAND SNATCH ANOTHER LATE WINNER IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Lyndon Dykes scored a controversial goal four minutes from full-time to hand Scotland another dramatic late victory, as they beat the Faroe Islands 1-0 in their World Cup qualifier in Torshavn on Tuesday.

After Scotland snatched a stoppage-time win over Israel at the weekend, Dykes scored to move them closer to qualifying for the March playoffs for places in next year’s Qatar finals.

Tuesday’s win kept them second in Group F, four points ahead of Israel and able to make sure of a top-two finish if they beat Moldova away in their next qualifier on November 12th. Denmark won the group and booked a World Cup place by beating Austria on Tuesday.

It took some time for VAR to verify Dykes’ goal as it looked to come off either his chest or hand, with TV replays inconclusive.

A clearance from Nathan Patterson’s cross hit Dykes and flew in for the winner after a frustrating game for the visitors, who are looking to return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

Dogged defending by the Faroe Islands in the pouring rain provided Scotland with few opportunities despite them dominating possession.

The Faroes squandered an inviting chance inside the first five minutes when Joan Simun Edmundsson fluffed a shot from close range and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon pulled off a point-blank save to deny Ari Jonsson just under 20 minutes later.

Scotland had their best opportunities in the last 15 minutes as Billy Gilmour and John McGinn were both denied before Dykes delivered with a fourth goal in his last four games for his country.

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DENMARK BOOK 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP TICKET WITH 1-0 WIN OVER AUSTRIA

Denmark became the second European nation to reach the 2022 World Cup after a 1-0 home win over Austria on Tuesday left them top of qualifying Group F with an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Scotland with two games to spare.

After Germany advanced to the 32-nation tournament in Qatar on Monday, the Danes secured their own berth as a 53rd-minute goal from Joakim Maehle helped them to an eighth successive qualifying victory.

Denmark and Germany joined Qatar, who gained an automatic spot in the finals as the host nation. Only the group winners from European qualifying advance directly while the runners-up enter the playoffs.

Denmark have scored 27 goals and conceded none so far in World Cup qualifying, with their run to the finals underpinned by some impressive free-flowing football.

They did, however, look jittery for long spells against a well-organised Austria side.

Visiting goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann denied Andreas Skov Olsen and Mikkel Damsgaard in the first half and then kept out a Thomas Delaney effort in the 48th minute as the home side struggled to create clear-cut chances.

But Bachmann was powerless five minutes later as Denmark’s best moment of the match produced a brilliant goal with Delaney at the heart of a breathtaking move.

The central midfielder weaved his way past four markers through the middle and then teed up Maehle to plant his shot from eight metres inside the near post and delight the home fans in a packed Parken stadium.

Delaney was elated after the match as Denmark made it to their second successive World Cup, having reached the round of 16 in the 2018 tournament before advancing to the Euro 2020 semi-finals this year.

“It’s a pleasure throughout, in every match,” Delaney told the country’s Kanal 5 television.

“The support we’ve had. It is unique, what we have created, we can be proud of. There have been winds against us in other qualifying campaigns. This is something quite unique to us.”

Maehle added: “It means a lot, it’s one of the coolest nights in the Park in a long time. It is fantastic. It’s strong for us to win here, and we got this ticket to the World Cup.”

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CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES 10TH PORTUGAL HAT-TRICK IN BIG WIN OVER LUXENMBOURG

A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick helped Portugal stroll to a 5-0 win over Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying Group A on Tuesday.

The victory ensures Portugal remain a point behind group leaders Serbia, who moved onto 17 points with a 3-1 home win over Azerbaijan, and boast a game in hand as well as superior goal difference with two rounds of matches remaining.

The treble, which meant Ronaldo became the first man to net 10 international hat-tricks, takes his tally to 115 international goals from 182 caps as he continues to extend his lead as the top men’s international goalscorer of all-time.

Portugal had the game all but won within the opening 18 minutes as they raced to a three-goal lead. Ronaldo struck twice from the penalty spot in the 8th and 13th minutes: the first was awarded for a foul on Bernardo Silva by Sebastian Thill, though replays appeared to show the contact came outside the box.

For the second penalty, Ronaldo was fouled by goalkeeper Anthony Moris and after converting, he was forced to take it a second time as Andre Silva was judged to be encroaching in the area.

Five minutes later, Ronaldo’s Manchester United teammate, Bruno Fernandes, made it 3-0 as he fired in following good work from Bernardo Silva. Midfielder Joao Palhinha added a fourth with just over 20 minutes to go, converting from a corner after Ronaldo’s overhead kick effort was saved, before Ronaldo netted his 10th treble for his country — and his first in over two years — just three minutes from time with a header from close range, assisted by Ruben Neves.

Said Portugal manager Fernando Santos after the match, “we’ve achieved our first aim, which was to win this game. Now we have two more qualifiers left. We managed to restrain our rivals and take advantage of every situation to transform them into goalscoring opportunities.”

Fernandes, who scored Portugal’s third goal of the evening, was full of praise for his side’s performance. “Scoring always helps regardless of whether it’s early or not. We knew that Luxembourg, as time went by, would close themselves back and we had to start strong. That’s what we did.

“I think we had a complete game overall and the most important thing was the result.”

In the November window, Santos’s Portugal side travel to Ireland before then hosting Serbia in what could be a winner-takes-all fixture to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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ENGLAND HELD AS HUNGARY FANS CLASH WITH POLICE AT WEMBLEY

England remain on course for World Cup qualification despite stumbling to a disappointing draw on a night when Hungary were once again let down by some of their fans.

Gareth Southgate’s undefeated side are on track to win Group I with only next month’s matches against Albania and minnows San Marino remaining on the road to Qatar.

But an exciting-looking England side struggled against Hungary, with John Stones cancelling out Roland Sallai’s penalty in a tepid 1-1 draw under the Wembley arch.

This qualifier will be remembered more for what happened off the pitch than on it, just a month on from racist abuse marring the two sides’ meeting in Budapest.

FIFA ordered Hungary to play two home matches behind closed doors, one suspended for two years, as punishment and further sanctions look set to follow after Tuesday’s match.

On a night when a banner was displayed in the away section opposing players taking the knee, the Metropolitan Police confirmed a spectator was arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence for comments directed at a steward.

The police clashed with Hungarian fans and appeared to be pushed back into the concourse early in the first half, with the Football Association pledging to investigate the incident and report it to FIFA.

Tuesday had started in respectful fashion as Wembley stood and applauded in remembrance of England greats Roger Hunt and Jimmy Greaves.

But the mood soon changed and England fans booed the scenes unfolding in the away section, with attention turn to on-field matters in the ninth minute.

Jack Grealish and Luke Shaw combined superbly before the latter fired in a low cross that Harry Kane looked set to turn in beforer Zsolt Nagy’s timely challenge.

Hungary looked ready to break on the counter against the out-of-sync hosts, who fell behind for the first time in this qualification campaign in the 23rd minute.

Referee Alejandro Hernandez awarded a penalty after Luke Shaw caught Loic Nego with a high boot. Sallai sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the spot after the video assistant referee ratified the decision.

England were soon claiming a penalty of their own when Kane went down in the box and Grealish was unhappy about the roughness of some attention he was receiving.

But two Manchester City team-mates helped improve his mood in the 37th minute. Phil Foden, so impressive against Andorra on Saturday, sent in a free-kick from the right and Stones reacted to score at the far post when it was flicked on.

Grealish threatened a quickfire second and Foden sent over another free-kick, with Sterling having the chance to score in stoppage time only to fluff his lines after Peter Gulacsi saved his initial header.

The Hungary goalkeeper stopped a Sterling cross and held onto a Kane effort when play got under way after the break, with a Foden set-piece headed narrowly wide by Stones in the 62nd minute.

Fans were becoming frustrated and the decision to take off Grealish was not unanimously popular with the Wembley crowd, despite replacement Bukayo Saka getting a superb reception.

Kane threaded through Sterling but Gulacsi spread himself well to save, with the England skipper lashing off target as paper planes began to be aimed at the pitch.

Southgate took the bold decision to replace Kane and Sterling with Tammy Abraham and Jordan Henderson as the match entered the final 15 minutes.

Substitute Filip Holender bent over as Hungary looked to snatch a shock winner, with England failing in their attempts to grab a winner as late substitute Abraham limped off.

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DERBY COUNTY APPEAL POINTS DEDUCTION

Derby County’s administrators have made an appeal against their 12-points deduction to an independent panel, the EFL has said. The governing body handed Derby County the automatic punishment after Mel Morris placed the club into administration.

The statement read: “The Administrators at Derby County have lodged an appeal against the 12-point deduction imposed on the Club’s 2021/22 season total on 22 September 2021.

“As a consequence, this matter has been referred to an independent Arbitration panel who will consider representations from both parties before making a determination.

“At this current time the Club’s points total in the Championship table will remain unchanged.”

The BBC reports that the administrators will argue the club has received an unfair punishment as their severe financial troubles is a result of the COVID pandemic.

Wigan Athletic argued on the same grounds when they were put into administration last year. However, their appeal failed because Au Yueng, their former owner, bought the club during the pandemic and it was ruled he understood the financial situation of that time.

Mel Morris’ ownership ended in a devastating fashion after he announced the club was losing somewhere between £1.3 million and £1.5 million per month. They are believed to have an estimated debt of at least £50 million, with £20 million being owed to HMRC.

Given the circumstance, Derby feels the appeal is worthwhile due to their chances of survival rising. One financial disparity between the Championship and League One is that the second division receives £4 million extra in solidarity payments.

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BENJAMIN MENDY DENIED BAIL AGAIN OVER RAPE ACCUSATIONS

Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has again been refused bail ahead of his trial accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third.

Mendy, 27, who has been in custody for the last seven weeks since his arrest in late August, is on remand at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, and was not present in person for the bail hearing at Chester Crown Court.

The press were excluded from the 50-minute hearing before Judge Patrick Thompson, but the result of the bail application was passed on after the hearing by a court official.

Mendy had made two previous bail applications, which had been refused. The defendant was charged on August 26 with three counts of rape relating to an alleged incident in October 2020 and with the sexual assault of a woman in early January this year. He is also charged with raping a woman in August.

The alleged attacks, on three different women including one under 18, are said to have happened at his home address on Withinlee Road in Prestbury, Cheshire.

The left-back has played for Manchester City since 2017, when he joined from Monaco for a reported £52m. He was suspended by the club after being charged by police, pending an investigation.

Mendy’s co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, 40, of Eccles, Greater Manchester, is charged with four counts of rape.

The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between April 2021 and August 2021. Matturie is also in custody. Both men are scheduled to go on trial on January 24, 2022.

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PLAYERS AREN’T ROBOTS, WE NEED REST – COURTOIS BLAST FIFA, UEFA

Belgium and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has launched a scathing criticism of UEFA and FIFA for scheduling more and more matches at the expense of player welfare.

Courtois hit out at the growing football calendar after his side’s 2-1 defeat by Italy in the UEFA Nations’ League third-place play-off on Sunday, labelling the match, in which both teams rotated their squads, a “money game”.

“We are not robots. It’s just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us. When will we get a rest? Never,” Courtois said.

The football calendar has been squeezed in the last 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Champions League and many of the continent’s top leagues taking place in shorter spaces of time but with the same amount of matches.

The European Championship and Copa America were both held at the end of the gruelling season and there is to be no let up in the near future.

Next year’s World Cup takes place between November and December — in the middle of the club season — while the Nations League finals will be held in June 2023.

FIFA, meanwhile, wishes to hold an expanded Club World Cup and its head of Global Football Development, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, has outlined proposals for a biennial World Cup.

“Next year we have a World Cup in November, we have to play maybe until the latter stages of June again. We will get injured,” added Courtois.

“So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It’s something that should be much better and much more taken care of.”

UEFA has opposed the plan for more frequent World Cups and the proposed European Super League, but Courtois said the European organising body was not interested in player welfare either as they too keep adding to the fixture calendar.

“They are against Super League but they just do the same, they put extra games. They made an extra trophy, (Europa Conference League). It is always the same,” added the Belgian.

“They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don’t care about the players, they just care about their pockets.”

UEFA did not immediately respond to comments from Courtois.

The Nations League was launched in 2018 with the aim of offering more competitive matches for the continent’s teams instead of international friendlies.

The Europa Conference League, which began this season, was created to increase the number of teams of UEFA member nations playing into the later stages of European competition.

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ITALY EDGE BELGIUM 2-1 TO FINISH THIRD IN NATIONS LEAGUE

Nicolo Barella’s thunderous strike and a penalty converted by Domenico Berardi proved enough to earn hosts Italy a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Sunday and third place in this year’s Nations League.

It offered some consolation for the European champions, whose semifinal loss to Spain in Milan on Wednesday ended their world-record 37-match unbeaten run.

They returned to winning ways as Barella volleyed a poor corner clearance into the net one minute into the second half and Berardi added the second from the spot in the 65th minute, after Timothy Castagne had brought down the tricky Federico Chiesa.

Belgium claimed a consolation in the 86th minute when substitute Charles De Ketelaere finished off a quick counterattack.

Belgium, who were without Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku and only brought on Kevin De Bruyne in the second half, hit the woodwork three times but were outplayed for large portions of the contest by the hosts at the Juventus Stadium.

“Today we played very well, we were excellent. We have different solutions and quality in midfield, today they did well,” Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI television.

Early chances for Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori were dealt with by the Belgium defence before Alexis Saelemaekers, who plays in Serie A with AC Milan, slammed a shot against Italy’s crossbar in the 28th minute.

But immediately after the break, Belgium fell behind to Barella’s snap effort, cleanly hit after a clearing header from a corner fell perfectly into his path.

Michy Batshuayi then had an effort come back off the woodwork as Belgium came close to a 60th minute equaliser but fell 2-0 behind when Castagne mistimed a tackle on Chiesa to offer Italy a chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot. Berardi’s kick squeezed past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Toby Alderweireld then proved an unlikely attacking threat with two efforts that brought out fine stops from Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before Yannick Carrasco smashed a curling shot against the Italian post in the final 10 minutes.

Courtois’ quick clearance set up Belgium’s goal with De Bruyne passing to the youthful De Ketelaere to squeeze it past Donnarumma from close range, but it came too late to offer a dramatic finish to the game.

“We had a lot of younger players today and they did decently,” De Bruyne said. “It was good for them to play against a team of Italy’s quality.”

France and Spain meet in the Nations League final in Milan later on Sunday.