Football/Soccer 8 Hours

Last updated: August 9, 2026, 6:05 PM ET

Scottish Premiership

Wouter Vrancken finally secured his first win as Hearts manager, with underlying statistics suggesting the early defeats concealed real promise. Three summer signings all scored in a dominant 4-0 victory over Dundee United, while the club agreed a £1.7m deal to sell Alexandros Kyziridis to an unnamed Turkish club. Kasper Hogh earned rave reviews after his first hat-trick for Celtic in a 5-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock, with pundits predicting fans will love him. The striker silenced early critics with a brilliant first-half treble at Rugby Park.

Derek McInnes insisted Rangers "aren't as bad as people think" despite still seeking his first win after Hibernian snatched a 2-1 victory at Ibrox with an injury-time winner. The club rejected an offer for Youssef Chermiti that did not meet their valuation. Motherwell signed off for their Conference League qualifier with a goalless draw at home to Falkirk.

Premier League & Preseason

Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea pre-season campaign offered lessons in bonding and building, with the new manager embedding his style during the summer tour. Arsenal slumped to a second straight preseason defeat, losing 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium. Manager Mikel Arteta labelled the defending "poor goals" as Dortmund lifted the Emirates Cup.

Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead for the second consecutive match, losing 3-2 to Monaco in Andoni Iraola’s first game at Anfield. Iraola admitted his side “cannot sustain the level we want” after another collapse. Marcus Rashford is set to rejoin Manchester United’s preseason camp in Ireland to begin his preparations.

Transfers & Club News

Lucas Digne completed his move from Aston Villa to Paris St-Germain for £8.5m, strengthening the European champions’ defence. Everton and Crystal Palace are in talks over a swap that would send Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park and Brennan Johnson to Goodison Park. Jose Mourinho criticised summer signing Bernardo Silva's fitness, saying he returned to Real Madrid’s preseason out of shape and must improve.

International & Off-Pitch

Inter Miami paid tribute to absent captain Lionel Messi in their Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey after his father’s death earlier that day. Hundreds of fans flocked to a cathedral in Funchal after false reports that Cristiano Ronaldo was marrying his partner, only to discover another couple’s wedding – a mix-up Ronaldo found hilarious. FIFA hit back at what it called a concerted effort to undermine both the organisation and president Gianni Infantino, while LaLiga’s Javier Tebas declared “the Infantino era is over,” accusing the FIFA chief of destroying football’s essence. Brazilian club Coritiba wore an English fan’s name on their shirts to raise awareness of motor neurone disease. Seamus Coleman has been training with Killybegs but a return to Gaelic football remains unlikely for now.