On a night of big games in Asia, Japan will be under the most pressure as a defeat to Syria in their 2018 World Cup qualifier on Thursday would cast doubt on its chances of making it to Russia.

Only the eight group winners in the second round of Asian qualification are assured of a place in the third and last stage, where they will be joined by the four best second-placed finishers.

Fiji bowed out of the Rugby World Cup by overpowering a feisty Uruguay 47-15 in an action-packed Rugby World Cup match on Tuesday.

The Uruguayans contributed to the entertainment with a gutsy display that not only earned them their first try in the tournament, but a second to boot.

Juergen Klopp appears to be close to taking over as Liverpool manager.

Representatives of the former Borussia Dortmund coach are in talks with the Premier League club, which fired Brendan Rodgers on Sunday after the team's 18-month slump since nearly winning the league title in 2014.

Former West Germany and Bayern Munich great Gerd Mueller has Alzheimer's disease.

Bayern said on Tuesday that the 69-year-old Mueller has had the illness for "a long time" and that he has been cared for professionally with the support of his family since the beginning of February this year. His wife Uschi asked for understanding, as there will no official appointments or visits for his 70th birthday on November 3.

Their Bundesliga rivals are waving the white flag for the fourth season in a row, but fear of more Champions League failure is driving Bayern Munich on in Germany.

The Bavarian giants opened a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga table on Sunday with a 5-1 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund in Munich and it seems only a huge effort from a rival club could deny Bayern the title.

FIFA has fined Hong Kong after fans jeered the Chinese national anthem and threw a drink at a rival player during a World Cup qualifier, the city's football authorities said Tuesday.

Fans booed the "March of the Volunteers" -- the anthem they share with China -- at the game against Qatar in Hong Kong last month which the home side lost 3-2.

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska has called for the tennis season to be slashed to nine months as tired and injured players drop like flies during the end-of-year swing.

Among the mounting casualty list, Garbine Muguruza was unable to finish the Wuhan Open final last week and Serena Williams is skipping the end of the season for extra rest.

The garish cream suits worn by Liverpool's squad prior to the 1996 FA Cup final gave Manchester United the edge even before kick-off, according to ex-United manager Alex Ferguson.

Liverpool players including Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp, dubbed the “Spice Boys”, turned up at Wembley clad in striking suits designed by Giorgio Armani and lost 1-0 to a late Eric Cantona goal.

Depression and anxiety issues affect over a third of current professional footballers, according to a study published by world players' union FIFPro on Tuesday.

The research, led by FIFPro's chief medical officer Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, found that 38 percent of the 607 current players sampled and 35 percent of 219 former players reported symptoms of depression and anxiety in the four weeks prior to being questioned.

Rafael Nadal's lifelong mentor, his uncle Toni, has opened the door to hiring a 'super-coach' if the 14-time Grand Slam-winner fails to recapture his spark next season.

Toni Nadal said the 29-year-old should consider following Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and others by bringing in a superstar mentor if the turnaround does not come soon.