31.   The Italian champion has made an abysmal start to the new season with two ties and a loss in Serie A and that home defeat last Tuesday.

32.   The inevitable end came this week after two successive home defeats and Liverpool slumped into the bottom half of the standings.

33.   The win gives Lyonnais a highly needed three points after home defeats for both teams in their opening matches.

34.   Forest boss Frank Clark criticised Ferguson on Monday, claiming he had drummed up the racism row to deflect attention from their first home League defeat of the season.

35.   Former Sundowns striker Masinga has already made three appearances for the English Premier club, scoring in the home defeat by Chelsea.

36.   Hamburg were the major losers here on Saturday as they slumped from third to seventh in the Bundesliga on the back of a home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

37.   His last start was in a somewhat embarrassing home defeat by the Czech Republic just before Ireland flew off to the World Cup in America last summer.

38.   His position became virtually untenable with the recent home defeat against Independiente, managed by arch rival Cesar Luis Menotti.

39.   In France Cannes stepped up the pressure on Nantes, inflicting a rare home defeat on Bordeaux to move within one point of the league leaders.

40.   Ireland, whose pre season confidence has been shattered by a close home defeat to Scotland and their heaviest ever defeat in Paris, went for wholesale changes.