Sergio Aguero was taken to hospital after fainting in the dressing room following Argentina’s 4-2 defeat by Nigeria in Krasnodar, Russia. The Manchester City striker had scored to put his side 2-0 up in the first half, but Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi found the net twice as Nigeria came back. Aguero regained consciousness in hospital, where he remained for tests.
A tearful Gianluigi Buffon said he was “sorry for all of Italian football” as he led a wave of international retirements after a World Cup play-off defeat by Sweden. Italy were held to a 0-0 draw in Milan and failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. Buffon, 39, said: “It’s a shame my last official game coincided with the failure to qualify for the World Cup. “Blame is shared equally between everyone. There can’t be scapegoats.”
