Kick Off: Gerrard becomes Villa manager; Portugal held by Ireland

Welcome to All Football's Kick Off, we bring you all important news in the past 24 hours. Make sure you do not miss out.

Match Reports

Republic of Ireland 0-0 Portugal: Ronaldo's side are held as Pepe sent off

Republic of Ireland put in a spirited display to secure a 0-0 draw with 10-man Portugal, whose hopes of automatic qualification for next year's World Cup now rest on a winner-takes-all clash with Serbia on Sunday.

Brazil 1-0 Colombia: Neymar and Paqueta take Brazil to the World Cup

Late in the second half, Neymar eventually found Lucas Paqueta with a brilliant reactive assist that barely gave him time to think. 

Germany 9-0 Liechtenstein: Already-qualified Hosts run riot as Sane, Reus net

A makeshift Germany team crushed Liechtenstein 9-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday as Hansi Flick recorded the best ever start for a Germany coach with his sixth win in six games in charge.

Greece 0-1 Spain: Sarabia's goal helps Red Fury reach top of group

Spain are in pole position to qualify for the World Cup next year after beating Greece 1-0 in Athens on Thursday.

Top Headlines

OFFICIAL: Aston Villa appoint Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as their manager

Aston Villa Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Steven Gerrard as our new Head Coach.

These Things Happen

Ronaldo gives young tearful fan his shirt and a hug after Portugal draw

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating night in Portugal's 0-0 draw in the Republic of Ireland as he was shackled by defenders preventing him from adding to his world record of 115 international goals.

All Premier League OPPOSE FIFA's plans for a biennial World Cup

All 20 Premier League have collectively come together to oppose FIFA's plans with regards to the post-2024 International Match Calendar reform process.

Cavani and Sterling both linked with January moves to Barcelona

Barcelona could take to the winter transfer window to strengthen their attack, with Raheem Sterling and Edinson Cavani having been reportedly placed on the club's radar.

Barcelona only have €10m transfer funds for January window under new coach Xavi

Xavi Hernandez will have less than €10 million to spend on strengthening Barcelona's squad in January after replacing Ronald Koeman as coach at Camp Nou, sources have told ESPN.

Xavi arrived at Barcelona's training ground 2 hours early

In today's training sessions of Barcelona, Xavi has been spotted arriving at the training ground 2 hours and 8 minutes earlier than expected.

Liverpool handed fresh injury scare as Sadio Mane limps off in Senegal game

Liverpool were handed a fresh injury scare as Sadio Mane limped off during Senegal's clash against Togo.

What They Say

De Bruyne reveals Man City spent TEN minutes training on tactics for Man derby

Kevin De Bruyne has revealed that Man City spent just ten minutes training on tactics ahead of their 2-0 victory over Manchester United.

Freixa: Ronaldo to Barcelona? If there's a time for such madness then it's now

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the least popular players ever for most Barcelona fans, yet Toni Freixa has opened the door to the unlikely possibility of the Catalan club signing the No.7.

Klopp says leaders shouldn't be those 'with the weirdest haircut' in Boris swipe

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has taken aim at Boris Johnson saying world leaders should not be elected because they have the 'weirdest haircut'.

PSG boss Pochettino says Ligue 1 is more physical than the Premier League

Mauricio Pochettino has made a bold comparison between Ligue 1 and the Premier League, after insisting he feels the French top flight is the more physical.

In-Depth

A closer look at Steven Gerrard’s managerial record at Rangers

Steven Gerrard has left Rangers after three-and-a-half years in charge and with the cinch Premiership title in the Ibrox trophy room.

Fixtures of the Day

WCQ Europe R9
England vs Albania 2021/11/12 21:45 UTC

Andorra vs Poland 2021/11/12 21:45 UTC

Italy vs Switzerland 2021/11/12 21:45 UTC

Denmark vs Faroe Island 2021/11/12 21:45 UTC