The big news: Milan hit new low

Inter Milan lost their second successive Europa League match in Prague on Thursday. The Serie A side were beaten 3-1 by Sparta Prague in Group K and were down to 10 men in the second half after Andrea Ranocchia received his marching orders.

Two goals from Vaclav Kadlec in the first half fired the hosts into the lead before Rodrigo Palacio pulled one back for Inter. However, after Ranocchia was sent off, Mario Holek netted the third to seal the win.

Having loss 0-2 to Hapoel Be'er Sheva earlier, Inter is now pointless at the bottom of the group.

Other top stories

  1. Manchester United were unimpressive in their 1-0 win over Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford in their Europa League clash on Thursday. Jose Mourinho's men struggled to replicate the form they showed against Leicester City, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 69th minute goal saved the day.
  2. Southampton assistant manager Eric Black gave undercover reporters from Daily Telegraph advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs, according to reports. Black was apparently filmed naming staff at other clubs who could be induced to pass on information about players for money.
  3. Despite Mumbai hosting its first football match in 61 years at the Andheri Sports Complex when India beat Puerto Rico 4-1, the venue is out of reckoning for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017. The organisers insist that the stadium is in fine shape, but the lack of training facilities in the crowded Mumbai suburb was reported as the reason for Mumbai's missing out.
  4. The Football Association will meet City of London police next week as it begins its investigation into the alleged corruption that saw England manager Sam Allardyce lose his job. Along with Allardyce, Tommy Wright was sacked by Barnsley after the football managers were caught in a sting operation giving away details on how to circumvent rules regarding the third-party ownership of players.
  5. Wales manager Chris Coleman has expressed his dismay that Aaron Ramsey is still not fit to play for his country. Ramsey injured his hamstring in Arsenal’s opening game against Liverpool and has not featured since.
  6. England's interim manager Gareth Southgate has reassured Wayne Rooney he will retain captaincy with the national team as he prepares to name his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia. Southgate was promoted from the Under-21s to oversee the senior side after Sam Allardyce’s contract was terminated owing the spot fixing scandal.