ARSENAL fans are hoping Real Madrid scouts watched William Saliba after his disastrous performance against Belgium.

The defender lined up for France but had a first half to forget in Brussels.

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The Arsenal star was at fault for Belgium‘s goal and he also conceded a penalty.

Saliba tried to close down Lois Openda inside the area but slipped and brought down the Belgium striker, though Aston Villa star Youri Tielemans missed the penalty.

Fans noticed Saliba was even at fault in the build-up as he played Openda onside, and he did not cover himself in glory just before half-time either.

The centre-back was caught in possession as he tried to start a run from deep, before losing track of Openda who was able to head in unmarked.

Fans were quick to criticise the 23-year-old with one saying: “Saliba disasterclass.”

A third wrote: “He let him onside and conceded the pen what a horror show.”

Real Madrid have reportedly sent scouts to watch Saliba following his impressive start to the campaign for Arsenal.

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And Gunners fans were left hoping they watched his display against Belgium as he displayed weaknesses the Premier League rarely sees.

One Arsenal supporter said: “Saliba playing like s**t on the world stage which means Madrid won’t come in for him.”

Another added: “Saliba is such a real one for putting up this stinker to ward off Real Madrid’s scouts ❤️”

Saliba performed better after half-time and helped France secure a 2-1 win, despite them having Aurelien Tchouameni sent off 15 minutes from time.

In the PFL’s efforts to ensure this Saturday’s super fights pay-per-view event delivers action as promised, the promotion is turning to a Pro Football Hall of Famer for a bit of an assist.

PFL CEO Peter Murray recently told MMA Junkie Radio that Super Bowl-winning linebacker Ray Lewis, who played for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 2012, will attend PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to the event headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, Lewis will address the fighters backstage in hopes of preparing them for the moment.

“We do have something special in store for this fight, an athlete who knows a lot about pressure and a lot about locker room and getting prepared, the moment – and that’s Ray Lewis,” Murray said. “NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, Ray’s part of our athlete advisory board, so Ray’s gonna go behind the scenes and give the fighters, alongside Ray Sefo and Mike (Kogan), a bit of a pep talk from the heart.

“This is not an interview. They’ve got to go out and do their jobs. They’ve earned that right. It’s a global stage, everyone’s watching, and these are the fights that make champions and legacy. It’s all on the line, and Ray Lewis will bring it from the heart.”

Lewis, 49, has been head of the PFL’s athlete advisory board since 2021.

In addition to Ngannou’s highly anticipated return to MMA against Ferreira, PFL: Battle of the Giants will also feature a showdown between Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and reigning PFL champ Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event. A Bellator middleweight title-fight rematch between champ Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards is also featured on the main card.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

The Buffalo Bills will be without running back James Cook on Monday night due to a toe injury. 

Cook will miss his first NFL game in three seasons, sitting out the Monday Night Football showdown against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Ty Johnson and Ray Davis will likely handle the bulk of carries in Cook’s absence, but the Bills also promoted Frank Gore Jr. — son of the NFL’s third-leading career rusher who had one-year stints with each team at the end of his career that ended after the 2020 season. Frank Gore Sr. was a five-time Pro Bowler who spent 16 seasons in the NFL, most of them with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gore Jr. had been on the practice squad and will make his NFL debut after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in May.

The 22-year-old finished his college career as the No. 3 rusher in Southern Miss history with 4,022 yards, catching 75 passes for 692 receiving yards. 

Cook leads the Bills this season with 309 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott has given his support to Caoimhin Kelleher after the keeper’s mistake led to Greece’s second goal in their 2-0 Nations Cup win on Sunday.

Kelleher made a string of fine saves in the Athens encounter before a late blunder saw him pass straight to Petros Mantalos, who then rounded the Liverpool stopper to slot home.

“It’s frustrating for all of us, there is nothing we can do. Everyone makes mistakes, Caoimh doesn’t make many,” said Parrott.

“Everyone in the dressing room is behind him, but I don’t think he needs it because he’s strong enough mentally to deal with it.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating to give a good side like this chances, especially at that time in the game when we were coming back into it and creating good chances ourselves. It’s difficult, but we have to move on.”

The Irish went into the game on a high after beating Finland 2-1 in Helsinki on Thursday night – their first win of the campaign and a first victory under manager Heimir Hallgrimsson.

Greece captain Tasos Bakasetas put his side in front early in the second half before Mantalos sealed the points for the Group B2 pacesetters, who shocked England with a 2-1 win at Wembley three days earlier.

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MISSMIMI (6.30 Newcastle, nap)

Goes back over her best distance. This six-furlong trip saw her win cosily here two starts ago and she hit the line hard when second over the minimum last time. She is only 2lb higher than her last success with Jo Mason on board.

QUESTIONABLE (2.28 Leicester, nb)

She hasn’t done much wrong since going handicapping and had almost three lengths in hand at Sandown last time. Holding her up paid dividends for this previous front-runner and those tactics can work again.

AFLOAT (4.15 Yarmouth, treble)

She loves this track and was a comfortable winner here last week. A 5lb penalty won’t stop her hitting the front again under Rossa Ryan.

REALISED (4.45 Yarmouth, Lucky 15)

He finished well over six furlongs last time and the longer trip will help.

Templegate’s tips

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LAS VEGAS – Junior Tafa beat Sean Sharaf with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Tafa, who struggled in the first, but came on in the second to spoil Sharaf’s short-notice UFC debut.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf

Junior Tafa

Result: Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:15
Updated records: Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Sharaf (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Tafa stuffed seven of Sharaf’s eight takedown attempts.

Tafa on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (R-L) Junior Tafa of Australia punches Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was really quite excited to have someone who’s going to trade off standing up – we can entertain the fans and get a better chance of winning that bonus, so it was quite freaking annoying when he started shooting on me.”

Tafa on two late changes

“I only got called up for this fight as a replacement fighter. I was actually on vacation with my family and my kids when I got told about this fight, and I ended up having like a week’s worth of training to coming in here. We had a game plan for Chris Barnett, and then they switched up fight week for a new opponent – which then, the game plan switches again. It just became fight whatever is in front of you. The game plan switched that quick. ”

Tafa on what he wants next

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf, UFC Fight Night 244

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“My name is ‘Mr. Anytime.’ Give me a call and I’m there. This is my second late-notice fight this year. I took a fight in Anaheim (Calif.) in March on less than 24 hours’ notice. I’m here less than a week’s notice (opponent), so it’s like you can call me ‘Mr. Anytime’ now … ‘Mr. Anytime, Anywhere.’”

To hear more from Tafa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.