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Julian Alvarez is revelling in his partnership with Erling Haaland in Manchester City’s attack. The Argentinian World Cup winner continued his strong start to the season with two goals as the holders began their Champions League title defence with a comfortable 3-1 win over Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday. An injury for Kevin De Bruyne has seen Alvarez handed a run of games in support of prolific centre forward Haaland and it is a role he is relishing. “I am very happy with the goals, to help the team,” the 23-year-old said. “We are doing well, we are winning – which is the most important thing – and playing good games. “I am trying to adapt and I continue growing in this position, where I am moving freely, to give the team another option and add to the attack.” Alavarez was the dominant figure in City’s forward line as they threatened to overwhelm Red Star in their opening Group G game at the Etihad Stadium. Yet despite creating a plethora of chances – with Haaland hitting the bar and goalkeeper Omri Glazer making several saves – City fell behind to an Osman Bukari strike just before half-time. Alvarez began the fightback with a fine dinked finish after the restart and then put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead when his free-kick was inadvertently punched into the goal by Glazer. Rodri wrapped up a thoroughly deserved victory with a typically composed finish 17 minutes from time but, again, City could have had several more. Haaland went the closest when he hit the goal frame for a second time. “We played a good game,” said Alvarez. “It was important to start with a win and three points at home in this difficult competition. We are very happy. “We had many chances we could not convert but Pep told us to keep doing what we were doing and the goals would come. “It was the same in the previous game where we were losing and came back, so it was fine. We always try to stay calm, play well in the second half and win.” Alvarez was not a regular starter last season, despite his starring role in his country’s World Cup triumph, but Guardiola believes he can do an important job in easing the goalscoring burden on Haaland. Guardiola said: “It’s the same player as last season but being a World Cup winner doesn’t mean you have to play all the time. “Last season we had Kevin and (Ilkay) Gundogan in that position. Kevin was in top form and Gundo was incredible. “In that moment sometimes it was difficult to find spaces but I never had a doubt. “Now Gundo has gone and Kevin unfortunately is injured. We need players to be close to Erling, don’t put all the responsibilities just on the shoulders of Erling to score all the goals. “That’s why when Phil (Foden) has played there, when Julian plays there, we have the feeling that we create a lot of chances.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Eddie Howe backs Newcastle to keep improving after Milan stalemate Football rumours: Ivan Toney targeted for £60m January move by London trio On this day in 2005: Neil Lennon banned after barging referee in Old Firm derby

Lionel Messi is the only footballer whose shadow carries a gun. While he plays for Inter Miami, his bodyguard stalks the touchline: Yassine Cheuko is an ex-Navy Seal with a thick beard and a shaved head who treats his client like a president in a warzone, staring down giddy autograph-hunters and swatting away selfie-chasing children. During a recent match, a young pitch-invader in a Messi shirt made a dash towards his hero only to be walloped by Cheuko’s torso on arrival. Messi is like the sun: by all means enjoy his presence and bask in his glow, but by god do not look him in the eye – and if you touch him, you’re dead. It is just one of the more bizarre symptoms of Messi fever which has gripped Miami and Major League Soccer since his arrival in June. It began before he kicked a ball: Messi’s pink shirt outsold any sports jersey in history in its first 24 hours, generating $600m to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United and Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami’s Instagram account exploded from 1 million to 15 million followers, a bigger audience than every NFL team. Kim Kardashian bought tickets to his debut, while the list of special guests to watch him play at Los Angeles Galaxy was like Wimbledon’s Royal Box on steroids, featuring LeBron James, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Gerard Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio and genuine royalty in Prince Harry, to name but a few. On the pitch Messi has been phenomenal, even at 36 years old and in the winter of his career: 11 goals and five assists in 11 games, and one trophy already. He has turned a terrible team into a good one, lifting Miami off the bottom of the table to be in with a chance of reaching US soccer’s Super Bowl equivalent, the MLS Cup, in December. He has brought with him from Barcelona two close allies: the left-back Jordi Alba, who built a career pretending to cross the ball only to cut back for Messi to score, and the great midfield conductor Sergio Busquets. It is a bit like a singer bringing along his sound and lighting technicians – not the full band but enough to put on a show. Perhaps his most memorable moment so far came in the final of the Leagues Cup against Nashville: as the ball bounced to Messi arriving on the edge of the box, the commentator let out a foreboding “uh oh” before he shuffled away from two defenders and curled the ball into the top corner. Major League Soccer is rightfully indulging in the moment. “The 🐐 plays here,” reads the Twitter bio these days. This is now an unprecedented window of opportunity: the US will host the Copa America in 2024, the Club World Cup in 2025, the men’s World Cup in 2026 and quite possibly the women’s World Cup in 2027 too. The football landscape is more competitive than ever amid the aggressive emergence of the Saudi Pro League and the greed of Europe’s superpowers, but if MLS cannot shed its image as a paid vacation for retirees and establish something serious now, it never will. That mission was part of Miami’s sales pitch to Messi. David Beckham and his fellow owners knew they couldn’t compete with the base salary being offered in Saudi Arabia, but they could offer other benefits which the Saudis couldn’t. They appealed to Messi’s family – he already owned a home in Miami, from where it is relatively easy to fly back to Argentina, and the Messis have enjoyed partying with the Beckhams behind the scenes. And they included huge commercial investments, like a share in sales of MLS broadcaster Apple, with whom Messi had an existing relationship, and a stake in Inter Miami which he can activate when he departs. Messi was convinced by the long-term opportunities for his brand and his legacy in North America. He was also wooed by some romantic history. Pele became a pioneer when he turned down offers across Europe to join the New York Cosmos in 1975. It had appealed to his ego to be the catalyst who made US soccer catch fire, and he was certainly that: the Cosmos played in front of 200 people before Pele, yet two years later they were filling the Giants Stadium with 77,000 converts. Beckham himself has had the greatest impact in America since Pele, and Messi is next in the dynasty. The problem for MLS is where to go next. Each new star since Beckham delivered another flurry of excitement – Thierry Henry, Kaka, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney – but there is no footballing high greater than watching Messi, no bigger dopamine hit than seeing his feet shuffle into life and create magic. Messi is football hedonism, and when he goes he cannot simply be replaced by a bigger, shinier star. The come down will hurt. How do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? So MLS has a plan to harness the hype and turn it into something that will last. Last year the league ditched long-term broadcast partner ESPN and signed with Messi’s friends at Apple, in what represented the tech company’s biggest step yet into the sports arena. Apple committed to a 10-year contract worth $250m per year for the right to show MLS on its platforms, and more lucrative media deals will follow. Long-time MLS commissioner Don Garber wants to invest in youth development, better stadiums and infrastructure for the long-term success of American soccer. But the league’s immediate need is to acquire talent, and here the clubs are met with restrictions. The MLS adheres to a strict salary cap designed to stop clubs overspending. It can be dodged via the designated player rule – or Beckham Rule – which allows each team to pay three star players more than the salary cap, but unless restrictions loosen further it will be impossible for the biggest teams in the league to sign more elite talent. Miami have certainly filled their quota and are in no position to sign more ex-Barcelona stars until those rules change. All the while, the danger is that Messi makes football look so easy, he undermines the league’s integrity. The drop-off from European football or the World Cup to MLS is a void – not just physically and technically, but in its tactical sophistication and defensive organisation. The worst MLS teams, of which Miami were one before Messi, match the upper echelons of England’s League Two, according to the models of consultancy Twenty First Group. That’s like dropping Messi into Gillingham’s first XI: how do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? It will be a hard journey to raise standards across the board, but Messi does at least provide the best possible platform from which to grow. Most European football fans have been devotees for a long time, but now the gospel of Messi is spreading throughout the United States. New followers are flocking to see him in the flesh. So enjoy watching Messi, America. Seize the moment. Just don’t try to touch him. Read More Every Lionel Messi goal, assist and key moment for Inter Miami Mbappe and Haaland begin new Champions League rivarly after Messi-Ronaldo era When does Lionel Messi play next? Inter Miami schedule and fixtures Cristiano Ronaldo declares rivalry with Lionel Messi ‘is over’ Messi favourite for men’s Ballon d’Or with four Lionesses on women’s list Julian Alvarez proves Man City’s man for all occasions as the unlikely No 10

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Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang will square off in a heavyweight rematch this weekend, five months after the Chinese boxer beat the Briton in London. Zhang, 40, forced a sixth-round stoppage by damaging Joyce’s eye to the point of closure, also taking the WBO interim title from the 38-year-old with the win. Now, as the pair return to London, Joyce will look to reverse the result and regain the gold – potentially setting up a bout with Oleksandr Usyk in the process. Can the “Juggernaut” avenge the first professional loss of his career? Or will “Big Bang” prove too explosive again? Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Joyce vs Zhang 2 is set to take place on Saturday 23 September, at Wembley Arena in London. The main card is expected to begin at 7.30pm BST (11.30am PT, 1.30pm CT, 2.30pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at around 10.30pm BST (2.30pm PT, 4.30pm CT, 5.30pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport). In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Joyce – 21/20 Zhang – 17/20 Draw – 18/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Zhilei Zhang (C) vs Joe Joyce 2 (WBO interim heavyweight title) Pierce O’Leary (C) vs Kane Gardner (WBC international super-lightweight) Anthony Yarde vs TBA (light-heavyweight) Sam Noakes vs Carlos Perez (lightweight) Zach Parker vs Khalid Graidia (super-middleweight) Ezra Taylor vs Joel McIntyre (light-heavyweight) Royston Barney-Smith vs TBA (super-featherweight) Moses Itauma vs Amine Boucetta (heavyweight) Tommy Fletcher vs Alberto Tapia (heavyweight) Aloys Youmbi vs Erik Nazaryan (cruiserweight) Sean Noakes vs Lukasz Barabasz (welterweight) Read More Desperation and danger: Joe Joyce revisits risky Zhilei Zhang clash Joe Joyce on heavyweight knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim Heavyweight boxing is decaying before our eyes – no other sport would survive this idiocy What time does Joyce vs Zhang 2 start this weekend? How to watch Joyce vs Zhang 2 online and on TV this weekend Desperation and danger: Joe Joyce revisits risky Zhilei Zhang clash

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Most of Spain’s World Cup-winning players have ended their boycott of the women’s national team after the government intervened to help shape an agreement that was expected to lead to immediate structural changes at the country’s soccer federation

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Goh Jin Hian, the son of former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, was among four people charged

Brusdar Graterol never gave up hope that his mother would be able to see him pitch in person in the major leagues

By Fernando Kallas OLIVA, Spain (Reuters) -Spain's World Cup winning-squad agreed to end their boycott of the national team early