BIRTHDAY BOY GETS A BATTERING

BRAZIL players made sure Philippe Coutinho’s 26th birthday did not pass without high jinks. Chief prankster Neymar crept up behind the Barcelona star as he rested in training and cracked eggs on his head before the rest of the squad — led by Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus (above right) — piled in with flour and water. Expect them to pancake a rival team or two in the coming weeks.