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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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Depay double ensures easy win for Netherlands over Gibraltar

Memphis Depay scored twice and had a penalty saved as the Netherlands maintained their hold on World Cup qualifying Group G with a comfortable 6-0 win over Gibraltar.

Virgil van Dijk’s early header got the ball rolling, with Depay responding to Bradley Banda saving his spot-kick by finishing off a neat team move and scoring a second penalty as the Oranje went in at half-time with a commanding lead.

Denzel Dumfries wasted no time in adding to the scoreline in the second half, before substitutes Arnaut Danjuma and Donny Malen completed the scoring to condemn Gibraltar to an eighth defeat from eight.

The Netherlands can ill afford to slip up, with Norway two points behind them, but that was never likely here as Van Dijk opened the scoring inside nine minutes, losing his marker with ease and nodding Depay’s corner in at the near post.

Stefan de Vrij’s header was blocked in the box by the arm of Graeme Torrilla, with a penalty awarded following a VAR review, yet Depay’s spot-kick was at a nice height for Banda to make a convincing save.

The Gibraltar goalkeeper could do little two minutes later, however, as Noa Lang’s superb pass carved the visiting defence open and Davy Klaassen squared for Depay to tap in.

Banda made fine saves from Georginio Wijnaldum and De Vrij, but another handball – this time Julian Valarino blocking Steven Berghuis’ right-wing cross – gave Depay a second opportunity from the spot he would not pass up.

Dumfries made it 4-0 shortly after the restart, finding himself in the centre of the box to head in Lang’s left-wing cross, and a lull in the scoring was brought to an end 15 minutes from time when Wout Weghorst flicked on to Danjuma, who steered the ball into the bottom-left corner on the stretch.

Weghorst thought he had got his name on the scoresheet when he nodded over Banda but Roy Chipolina hacked off the line, with the sixth instead belonging to Malen after slick interplay involving Depay.

What does it mean? Netherlands in control of their own fate

The Netherlands maintained their gap at the top of Group G and are firmly in control of their World Cup qualification fate.

With two games left to play against Montenegro and second-placed Norway, Louis van Gaal’s side can cement their place at the tournament with just four more points.

Depay breaks Oranje scoring record

Depay has now scored more goals for the Netherlands in 2021 (14) than any other player has previously in a single calendar year, surpassing Patrick Kluivert’s previous record of 12 in 2000.

The Barcelona forward was not deterred by his 19th-minute penalty being saved, scoring the goal that broke the record two minutes later and making amends with his second spot-kick at the end of the first half. Depay finished an extremely lively outing with seven shots, eight chances created and two assists.

Goals flowing for Van Gaal’s Netherlands

The Netherlands have scored four or more goals in three consecutive home games for the first time in 20 years, with the last instance coming in 2001, also under Van Gaal.

With 29 goals in just eight games, the Oranje are the leading scorers in European qualifying so far.

What’s next?

The Netherlands travel to face Montenegro on November 13, while Gibraltar play Turkey away from home on the same day.

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Werner brace helps secure World Cup spot

Timo Werner scored a double as Germany became the first team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup thanks to a 4-0 win over North Macedonia in Monday’s Group J clash.

Hansi Flick’s side – who have now won all five games under their new head coach – seized the early initiative at the Tose Proeski Arena, with Timo Werner denied by the woodwork as the visitors registered 15 first-half shots.

However, Kai Havertz broke the deadlock after 50 minutes before Werner added a quickfire double to put the game out of the hosts’ reach.

Jamal Musiala then added a late fourth and, with Armenia dropping points against Romania, Germany claimed an unassailable eight-point lead at the summit to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Havertz teed up both Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller in the opening stages but neither could beat Stole Dimitrievski with headers, before Darko Velkovski nodded wide at the other end.

Serge Gnabry then poked narrowly wide and Werner, who was earlier denied from point-blank range by Dimitrievski, struck the left-hand post as Germany failed to make their 76.5 per cent first-half possession pay.

Flick’s team, however, opened the scoring after the interval as Muller raced onto Gnabry’s throughball before squaring for Havertz to tap into an empty net.

Werner was unfortunate to not double the lead after a ricochet off the North Macedonia goalkeeper 10 minutes later, but the Chelsea forward made amends.

Muller collected his second assist as he slotted through for Werner, who rifled an unstoppable right-footed volley into the bottom-right corner before curling into the same corner three minutes later following Florian Wirtz’s offload.

Gnabry should have added a fourth but he could only volley over from Muller’s chipped pass, though Musiala latched onto fellow substitute Karim Adeyemi’s ball to roll into the bottom-right corner and seal the victory.

What does it mean? Flick maintains perfect start as Germany secure World Cup berth

Flick won all there was to win with Bayern Munich and has carried on in a similar fashion with the national team, triumphing in his opening five games as Germany have scored 18 and conceded just once.

His perfect start has culminated in Die Mannschaft becoming the first team – barring host nation Qatar – to confirm their place at next year’s World Cup, while North Macedonia sit a point behind second-placed Romania with two games to go in the group stage.

Magical Muller

Germany outshot their opponents 24-7 and could have scored more but most of their creativity should be credited to Muller.

The Bayern Munich star made a game-high six key passes – three more than any team-mate and as many as the North Macedonia team combined – and registered five shots of his own in a dominant display.

Awful Alioski

Ezgjan Alioski endured a torrid outing against Germany’s wealth of attackers as he occupied the left-back spot.

The former Leeds United man won just over a third of his eight duels, gave away possession a game-leading 22 times and completed less than half of his 17 attempted passes.

What’s next?

Germany return to World Cup qualifying action on November 11 as they host Liechtenstein, while North Macedonia travel to Armenia on the same day.

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Martinez given backing by Belgian FA but told lessons must be learned

6646776 08.09.2021 Belgium s head coach Roberto Martinez reacts during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Belarus and Belgium, in Kazan, Russia s Republic of Tatarstan. Maksim Bogodvid / Sputnik Russia Soccer World Cup 2022 Qualifiers Belarus - Belgium PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY 61e43d7dbfb05b51

Roberto Martinez retains the full support of the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) but has been told lessons must be learned from Belgium’s disappointing Nations League Finals campaign.

Belgium let a two-goal half-time lead slip in last week’s 3-2 defeat to France in the semi-finals and followed that up with a 2-1 loss at the hands of European champions Italy in the third-place play-off on Sunday.

The Red Devils are on course to finish the year as FIFA’s top-ranked national side for the fourth time running, but their ‘golden generation’ of players have still yet to win any silverware.

Martinez could only guide Belgium to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, having previously finished third at the 2018 World Cup (they were also beaten by Italy and France respectively in those tournaments), but the Spaniard – who has been strongly linked with replacing Ronald Koeman at Barcelona – is not at risk of being sacked.

However, RBFA chief executive Peter Bossaert accepts that the second-half display against France cannot be repeated if Belgium are to have any chance of ending their wait for a trophy.

“Roberto is still the right man for the job,” Bossaert told La Derniere Heure. “We still support him 100 per cent. But we have to learn from the game against France, in which we played our best half of football and worst half in a long time.

“I’m going to ask some people for advice, but I’m not going to create a commission or a committee. I also don’t want too many people giving their opinions because then there will be too many differing opinions.”

Belgium are top of their World Cup 2022 qualifying group with 16 points from six matches and return to action on November 13 with a home game against Estonia.

Martinez agrees with Bossaert that Belgium were not good enough during the Nations League Finals, even if there were some positives to take away from the mini-tournament.

“We cannot concede five goals in two games and we cannot concede two penalties, even if the decisions were not correct,” he said.

“But the way we reacted to going behind against Italy, after what had happened in the France game, I thought the team had a real strong personality to keep playing.”

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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.