Europe

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo scored three minutes into his return following a COVID-19 infection and then added a penalty to help the Serie A champions to get a 4-1 win at Spezia on Sunday.

The 35-year-old, out of action for nearly three weeks after testing positive for the virus, came on in the 56th minute and almost immediately put Juventus 2-1 ahead. Adrien Rabiot added a third before Ronaldo scored with a Panenka-style penalty in the 76th minute to complete their win.

"SIIIIIIIUUUU"

The irrepressible Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored an acrobatic late goal, taking his league tally to seven this season, to give Serie A leaders AC Milan a hard-fought 2-1 win at Udinese on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic, with his back to goal, hooked the ball into the net with an overhead kick in the 83rd minute despite not making proper contact after Sebastien De Maio had sliced an attempted clearance high into the air from Ante Rebic's cross.

Vaclav Cerny was once among the highest-rated prospects at Ajax.

The young Czech winger, who broke into the first team at the Amsterdam Arena as a 17-year-old, scored 31 goals and assisted 25 for Ajax's U-21 side. He was valued as highly as $2.2 million in July 2016, according to Transfermarkt. After a bright start in the senior squad under Frank De Boer, Cerny suffered an ACL injury, which kept him out of action for nearly a year.

Julian Nagelsmann and first-place RB Leipzig will head to North Rhine-Westphalia to take on Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

After a long spell in the purgatory that is the Spanish third division, Cadiz CF is flourishing in LaLiga.

The Yellow Submarine is hoping to avoid a repeat of its last spell in the top division, which ended in immediate relegation. Eight games into the 2020-21 campaign, the club has laid itself a solid foundation to prolong its stay this time around. As the Friday games of round eight come to a close, Cadiz sits in second place on 14 points, which would have surprised even the most optimistic of supporters heading into the season. 

BRUSSELS — Belgium has been forced to move its three soccer internationals in November from Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium to nearby Leuven because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The friendly against Switzerland on Nov. 11 plus Nations League matches versus England on Nov. 15 and Denmark on Nov. 18 will now be played at Den Dreef in Leuven, some 30km from the Belgian capital.

The switch comes after a 10 p.m. curfew was imposed on Brussels as the Belgian government battles with a dramatic rise in novel coronavirus infections.

Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp were dealt a massive blow after Jordan Pickford's reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk saw the towering defender suffer ligament damage which will likely rule him out for the rest of the season.

In a press conference this week, Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc mentioned the feelings of the club regarding international breaks during the midst of the ongoing pandemic. 

Zorc said that if it were an option, Dortmund would consider not sending players on international breaks given the current situation. He lamented that clubs unfortunately do not have much of a choice as refusal to release players to their national teams could cause the players to face punishments and suspension.

The scouting department at Brentford looks to have secured another gem in striker Ivan Toney. 

Brentford has become well-known in recent years for its use of football analytics to scout and sign high-potential players, who the club then sells on for a large profit after a time. This summer's transfer window proved no exception as the Bees sold forwards Ollie Watkins, a $2.2 million arrival in 2017, to Aston Villa for $33.8 million and Saïd Benrahma, who cost the club $1.8 million in 2018, to West Ham for $25.4 million. 

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has overseen a stunning start to the season by his side.

Through the first three months of the season, Rangers have conceded just four goals. Not until Week 8 did any Scottish Premier League side manage to breach the Gers' defense and score. After 17 games, Gerrard's side has won 15 and kept a stunning 14 clean sheets in the process. It is now the sole remaining unbeaten team across the top divisions of England and Scotland.  

17 games
15 wins
14 clean sheets