TEVEZ DOUBLE GIVES BOCA FRIENDLY WIN

MADRID: Carlos Tevez showed he had lost none of his predatory instincts when he returned to Europe on Friday, scoring twice as Boca Juniors beat Sevilla 4-3 in a friendly match.

The game was held in honour of former Sevilla player Antonio Puerta who died at the age of 22 in 2007 from a heart attack.

Tevez, 32, was a multiple title winner during his time in Europe — he captured two championships at Juventus (2014, 2015) and three in England at Manchester United (2008, 2009) and Manchester City (2012).

PUTIN CRITICAL OF RUSSIAN TEAM

MOSCOW: Russia’s national football team is often attacked for poor performances but players will be paying special attention to their latest critic.

With the 2018 World Cup hosts struggling on the field, Vladimir Putin isn’t amused.

The Russian president said “to be honest, we haven’t seen beautiful play from the national team for a long time.”

Speaking two days after Russia lost 2-1 to Qatar in a friendly, Putin’s remarks were reported by state news agencies on Saturday.

INGOLSTADT APPOINT NOVICE AS COACH

BERLIN: Winless Ingolstadt on Saturday appointed Bundesliga novice Maik Walpurgis as their new coach in place of sacked Markus Kauczinski.

The 43-year-old Walpurgis, who coached third division Osnabrueck from 2013 to 2015, has signed a contract until the end of the 2018 season.

POYET SACKED

BY REAL BETIS

MADRID: Gustavo Poyet has been sacked by struggling Spanish outfit Real Betis after just 11 La Liga games and replaced by Victor Sanchez del Amo, the team confirmed on Saturday.