Serie A side Sassuolo refused to sell Brazilian left back Rogerio to Russian side Spartak Moscow due to ethical reasons, club’s general manager and CEO Giovanni Carnevali said.

The 25-year-old defender rejoined Sassuolo in August 2017 from the reserve squad of Juventus, and since then has made nearly 150 appearances in Serie A for the club.

“(It’s) very true. The negotiation was done by his attorney, there was a very important proposal of 8 million euros ($8.87 million),” Carnevali told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published on Sunday.

“Considering everything, we decided not to proceed as owners and management. Ethical reasons, we did not want to do a deal with the Russians.”

Russian clubs have been suspended from European competition due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.

Sassuolo refused to seal the deal despite the fact that the Brazilian’s contract is set to expire in 2024.

“We wanted to make conscience prevail, not to do business with a certain country. And yes, at the cost of losing him for free,” Carnevali added.

“It’s not that Rogerio is no longer on the market. He is. But the choice was of a different nature, if offers should arrive from other clubs, we will evaluate them.”

Sassuolo finished 13th in the 2022-23 campaign.

Ary Borges hit the first hat-trick of this Women’s World Cup as Brazil crushed debutants Panama 4-0 in a scintillating opening to their campaign on Monday.

Far tougher challenges lie ahead – they face France next – but this was an impressive start for a Brazil side who have featured at all eight previous Women’s World Cups but never won it.

The stylish victory in Adelaide sent Brazil top of Group F after Jamaica surprisingly held France 0-0 on Sunday.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder Borges, who plays for Racing Louisville in the United States, was the undoubted star of the show, scoring three and setting up the other.

A constant threat coming in off the right, she pounced twice from close range in the first half to leave Brazil in total control at the break and Panama never looked like getting back in it.

Some of the Panama players and fans were in tears during their national anthem, underlining what it means to them to be at the World Cup for the first time.

But this was a debut they will probably want to forget as Swedish coach Pia Sundhage’s Brazil put on an exhibition of flowing, attacking football.

They racked up five attempts on goal in the opening 10 minutes and the pressure told in the 19th minute when Borges nodded in unmarked at the back post for a simple close-range header.

Six minutes before the break she scored her second. Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey saved her initial downward header but the rebound went right back to Borges and she slammed the ball into the net.

Any hope Panama had of getting back into the match was extinguished only three minutes into the second half and it was the best goal of the tournament so far.

A fluid team move took the ball to the ever-dangerous Borges, who rolled the ball behind her with her studs, allowing Bia Zaneratto to fire into the back of the net.

Borges put the seal on a hugely impressive personal and team performance by nodding in her third – and Brazil’s fourth – 20 minutes from time, the ball flying through the middle of Bailey’s legs.

The 37-year-old forward Marta, arguably the greatest women’s footballer of all time, came off the bench for Brazil in the closing stages but will have to wait a while longer if she is to become the first player to score at six World Cups.

Morocco have endured a difficult debut at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Germany in their opening Group H clash in Melbourne on Monday.

It is the biggest victory of the tournament so far and adds to world No 2 Germany’s pre-tournament billing as one of the favourites for the title.

A brace from Alexandra Popp, further strikes by Klara Buhl and Lea Schuller, and two own goals from Hanane Ait El Haj and Yasmin Mrabet for the luckless Moroccans sealed the emphatic win for Germany as they flexed their muscles.

Morocco, who finished runners-up at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations they hosted in 2022, were the last of the Africans teams to take to the field Down Under and complete a chastening opening round of fixtures for the continent.

Only Nigeria secured a point with their goalless draw against Canada, but for Zambia, South Africa and Morocco it was a disappointing opening stage.

It shows the work that needs to be done in the second round of games if any of the African teams are to advance to the round of 16.

Morocco fell behind when they gifted possession to Germany in their own half and as Kathrin Hendrich crossed the ball, Popp headed home after 11 minutes.

Germany were relentless and they grabbed a second before halftime as Popp stooped low to head in Buhl’s corner for her second.

Any thoughts that Morocco might regroup and come out firing in the second were buried when Germany netted their third within a minute of the start of the second half.

A shot came off the post and when the hesitant Moroccan defence failed to clear, Buhl had the simple task of finishing from close range.

Morocco did think they had scored when Anissa Lahmari’s beautiful shot curled into the net, but she was ruled offside and her historic moment of a first goal for the country at the World Cup was chalked off.

Just a minute later Germany had a fourth as the unlucky Ait El Haj put the ball into her own net off her shin as she tried to clear.

Germany continued to press and came close several time further, including hitting the post as Morocco battled with balls into their box.

The European side added another when M’Rabet was the unlucky scorer of another own goal as her goalkeeper Khadija Errmichi punched the ball onto her and it deflected into the net.

The Germans were not done though as they added a sixth through Schuller as she turned home the rebound from a Errmichi save.

Schuller had a seventh goal ruled out for offside very late on.

Pep Guardiola fired a warning to Manchester City’s rivals after the club’s first match of a pre-season tour of Japan on Sunday, declaring star striker Erling Haaland was in “much better” shape than last season.

Haaland claimed a brace after coming on at halftime to help City roar back from two goals down and beat J-League champions Yokohama F-Marinos 5-3 in Tokyo.

The Norwegian struck 52 times in his debut season at City, including a single-season Premier League record of 36 goals.

“Comparing last season in that period he’s fitter, much better than last season when he arrived,” Guardiola told reporters after the Tokyo match.

“Of course (he) looks good but (he) is still a way from the best condition, like everyone.”

As impressive as Haaland was in driving City towards their historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, however, the goals dried up for him at the end of the campaign.

The striker, who turned 23 on Friday, failed to find the net for City in his last five appearances – the longest scoreless streak since he joined the club.

With that in mind, Guardiola noted that it was “important for him to score the two goals in the first game” in Japan.

“We know him. In a few weeks he will be in even better condition than now,” said Guardiola.

John Stones, Julian Alvarez and Rodri were also on target for Guardiola’s side in their first outing since defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final last month.

Only four of the players who started that game were in the initial City XI against Marinos in Tokyo, with captain Ilkay Gundogan having left the club for Barcelona.

Haaland, Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva all made appearances in the second half though, and Guardiola also had a positive update concerning influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgian was forced off injured in the Champions League final, but Guardiola revealed that the he was feeling “much, much, much better”.

“I don’t know about Bayern Munich or the next game, Atletico Madrid, because of course he has to train. But he is so close. He’s coming back soon,” said Guardiola.

City will next play Bayern on Wednesday in Tokyo. They then travel to Seoul to take on Atletico.

Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha said Monday he will leave Premier League side Crystal Palace, with Turkish champions Galatasaray revealing they are in talks with the forward.

Zaha, 30, turned down signing a new contract worth a reported £200 000 ($256 000) a week from the London club whom he joined aged 12.

He has scored 90 goals in 458 games for Palace and was sent on loan to the club twice during an unhappy two-year hiatus at Manchester United.

“As I start a new chapter I want to speak to you Palace fans who mean so much to me,” Zaha posted on Instagram.

“We have been through so much together, including 10 years in the Prem (Premier League).

“There are loads of amazing memories that will stay in my head forever and also some really tough times along the way, but I’m so proud to have played my part in getting us to the Prem and helping to keep us there.”

Zaha – who played twice for England before declaring for the country of his birth, Ivory Coast – said he hoped Palace fans would remember the positives rather than the negatives from his long service.

“I’ve been wearing the Palace shirt since I was eight years old, it’s literally been my second skin and I always gave everything when I wore it,” he said.

“You have all seen me angry and frustrated, but you’ve also seen my hunger and passion and the joy that I take from winning, and I hope that is the memory that lives on in the minds of Palace fans.”

Zaha joined Manchester United for £10 million in 2013 but he never settled, playing just twice, and aside from the two loan spells with Palace also went on loan to Cardiff.

He re-joined Palace permanently in 2015.

Although he has been linked with Serie A side Lazio, Saudi outfit Al-Nassr and Turkish side Fenerbahce, it is the latter’s great rivals Galatasaray who appear to have edged ahead in the race to sign him.

Galatasaray confirmed in a tweet “formal negotiations have been initiated” with the player.

Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane is considering an offer to join Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Nassr.

Mane, 31, has fallen out of favour at the Bundesliga champions after an underwhelming first season following a £35m move from Liverpool last summer.

Reports suggest Bayern are open to selling the Senegal international, with manager Thomas Tuchel saying Mane “fell short of expectations”.

Mane has spoken to Al-Nassr but no deal has been agreed with the Saudi club.

If Mane does move, he would link up with former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, while ex-Red Devil Alex Telles and Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic have both joined the club this summer.

After a successful spell at Anfield where he won the Champions League and Premier League, Mane moved to Germany last summer stating it was the “right time for this challenge”.

But his time there has turned sour after reports he punched team-mate Leroy Sane following a Champions League defeat by Manchester City in April for which he was dropped from the squad as well as fined.

Mane played 38 games for Bayern last season, scoring 12 goals, and boss Tuchel added: “The competitive situation is extremely high, the starting position is not easy for him.

“The player knows that too, he knows my opinion and the opinion of the club.”