REPORTS WE COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 Pogba too fat
Mathias Pogba, the older brother of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba, was rejected after a trial with German third division side Uerdingen for being overweight.
The 27-year-old striker has five caps for Guinea but did not fit the bill for coach Stefan Kramer.
“He is not yet in good enough shape physically,” said the Uerdingen boss. “Mathias is a big guy, and he has a good body for a number nine, but he still has too many kilos around his hips.”
Pogba may well have been licking his lips at the opportunity of joining Kramer’s club, whose full name is KFC Uerdingen 05...
2 ROSTOV FLOOR OPPONENTS
After losing 1-0 at home to Krylia Sovetov Samara in the Russian Premier League, a Rostov fan decided enough was enough and that things might improve if he attended matches with a lucky charm.
When Yenisey Krasnoyarsk were hammered 4-0 in the next game Rostov officials noticed the supporter among the crowd waving his “lucky carpet” and promptly decided to release a new fourth kit based on the design of the floor covering.
3 SUB SCORES NINE TIMES
In the women’s Asian Games football tournament in Indonesia, China’s Wang Shanshan scored nine times after coming on as a substitute against Tajikistan.
Wang, who plays for Chinese Women’s Super League club Tianjin Huisen, scored her hat-trick of hattricks after coming on in the 56th minute, with the final three goals scored in three injury-time minutes to wrap up a 16-0 victory.
Tajikistan had already been beaten 16-0 by North Korea in their opening group game.
4 34 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Appie Nouri, the Ajax midfielder who suffered brain damage after collapsing in a pre-season friendly in July 2017, is being honoured by former teammates this season.
Justin Kluivert of Roma and Amin Younes of Napoli, as well as Fiorentina’s Kevin Diks and Philippe Sandler of Manchester City are wearing Nouri’s number 34 shirt.