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Two second-half goals from Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko gave Mali a 2-0 win over South Africa in their opening match of the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire Tuesday night.
The thrilling encounter saw Mali dominating the possession to extend their unbeaten streak in opening games at AFCON.
Hamari Traore gave the West African side the lead in the 60th minute before Lassine Sinayoko scored six minutes later to increase the tally.
South Africa’s Percy Tau, however, missed a first-half penalty.
The Tuesday’s game not only solidified Mali’s standing in Group E but also reinforced their aspiration to claim the AFCON title with their attacking prowess in full display and setting a promising tone for their campaign in the tournament.
Mali, which has never lifted the trophy despite being seasoned participants with 13 appearances, was determined to make a significant impact this year judging by their 2-0 dropping of Bafana Bafana in their opener game.
The defeat adds pressure on South Africa as they must get good result against Namibia, who earlier on Tuesday beat Tunisia 1-0, to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Next up for Mali is a clash with Tunisia, which suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat against Namibia.
[Leadership]
Jose Mourinho has finally broken his silence after his dismissal as manager of Roma.
Following an emotional departure from the Roma training ground on Tuesday, he was seen fighting back tears, The Sun reports.
Mourinho expressed his gratitude to the passionate Roma fans through a heartfelt statement on Instagram.
The manager posted a video montage of his best moments while in charge of the club and wrote in Italian, “Sweat, blood, tears, joy, sadness, love, brothers, history, heart, eternity.”
In the post’s comments section, Roma supporters showered Mourinho with gratitude for his tenure as the team’s manager.
In his first season in charge, Mourinho won the inaugural Europa Conference League, and in his second season, he finished runner-up in the Europa League.
He was let go in a statement on the football club’s website on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Mourinho and his staff will immediately leave the club.
The statement read, “AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.
“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Mourinho was unveiled as the Giallorossi’s 60th coach in May 2021.
[Punch]
Organizers of Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight boxing clash have confirmed that the bout will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8.
The Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou bout will take place on a Friday to avoid a clash with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which is set to take place in Jeddah on Saturday, March 9.
A few weeks ago, 34-year-old Joshua, was downplaying his desire to fight Ngannou, who is known to be a former UFC champion. However, after Joseph Parker defeated Deontay Wilder, the Nigerian-born British boxer changed his focus to the Cameroonian boxer.
Joshua is also looking forward to competing for the IBF title if it becomes vacant following the undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, hence, his bout with Ngannou is a step to achieving that.
Ngannou is a significant underdog against the two-time heavyweight champion of the world. However, Joshua chose to fight the Cameroonian-born American fighter instead of Parker to minimize the risk of losing according to most boxing pundits.
Aside from that, the Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou bout is seen as a bigger way to end the “Riyadh Season” which started last summer.
Recall that the 37-year-old former UFC champion didn’t make his professional boxing debut until October when he faced Tyson Fury and lost by a close margin.
The boxing world was shocked last year when Fury, who had never lost a bout, was knocked down by a left hook from the Cameroonian.
The 35-year-old British fighter, Fury, will take on Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 in an attempt to become the first heavyweight champion to win all boxing titles undefeated since 1999.
Note that the 36-year-old Usyk is the current WBA, WBO, and IBF champion; while Fury is the WBC champion.
The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been named the winner of the Fifa Best Men’s Coach at the award ceremony held in London on Monday, January 15.
Pep Guardiola won the award ahead of Filippo Inzaghi who led Inter Milan to the final of the UEFA Champions League during the 2022-2023 season, and Luciano Spalletti who led Napoli to win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years last season.
Note that Inzaghi is currently the manager of Salernitana in Italian Serie A and Spalletti is currently the head coach of Italy national team.
Pep Guardiola won the award ahead of the aforementioned managers after leading Manchester City to win the historic treble – Champions League, Premier League, and the FA Cup – last season.
Manchester City have won the Premier League and the FA Cup a couple of times but last season was the first time in the history of the club for them to win the Champions League.
After winning the award, Pep Guardiola said: “I want to share this award with Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
“Our owners of Man City and our CEO for starting the brilliant idea of the city football group. thank you to my backroom staff and our players. eight years we’ve been together. living with them has been a pleasure.
“Thank you to my dad. I am so happy he is here tonight and of course my brothers and sisters. Thank you to my kids and my wife. It would never be possible to live as a professional without her.”
Vinicius Junior struck a first-half hat-trick to fire Real Madrid to Spanish Super Cup glory in a thumping 4-1 win over rivals Barcelona on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
Robert Lewandowski struck for Barcelona, who had defender Ronald Araujo sent off in the second half on a dismal night for the Spanish champions.
Rodrygo rounded off Real Madrid’s rout as they won the competition for the 13th time, avenging last year’s final defeat by record 14-time winners Barcelona.
“(Vinicius) needed two or three games to get back to his best level, and he’s back to it,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian has now gone level with Zinedine Zidane on 11 trophies won at the helm of Los Blancos, behind only Miguel Munoz on 14.
“It was a tough game for us, I think the result is too favourable, given how Barcelona played,” he added.
Spanish champions Barcelona were hoping a victory could kick-start their season, as it did last year, but were left soundly beaten, after Vinicius netted two early goals.
“We’re raging at the defeat … we have to learn from losses and we have other competitions to play for, I believe in this team,” Sergi Roberto told Movistar.
“Losing against Real Madrid always hurts and I think those two goals in (the first) 10 minutes had a big impact on the game.”
Barca coach Xavi turned to a four-man midfield to try and keep the ball to reduce Madrid’s opportunities to counter attack with flying wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo — it didn’t work.
Spain international Pedri started in place of winger Raphinha, who suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final win over Osasuna.
Ancelotti brought in midfielder Toni Kroos, who like in the thrilling semi-final derby win over Atletico Madrid, was jeered by spectators at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh, for criticising players moving to the Saudi league from Europe.
One of the first was Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinicius’ celebration brought him to mind after opening the scoring in the seventh minute.
The Brazilian, recently back after injury, was sent through by a perfect pass by Jude Bellingham and he slickly rounded Inaki Pena before slotting home.
Vinicius imitated Ronaldo’s classic jump and spin celebration in homage to Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer.
Three minutes later, Vinicius pounced again, this time set up by Rodrygo who exploited Barcelona’s high line and cut the ball across for his compatriot to slide in.
– No fightback –
Xavi’s side scrambled furiously for a response and Ferran Torres hit the crossbar before Andriy Lunin tipped Lewandowski’s follow up over.
Lunin, selected over Kepa Arrizabalaga who let in three against Atletico, produced another solid stop to deny Torres from a tight angle.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper could do nothing, however, to keep Lewandowski’s vicious volley out in the 33rd minute, hammered in hard and low from the edge of the box.
Araujo swiftly gifted Vinicius a chance to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot by tugging back the forward in the box.
Vinicius drilled his penalty into the bottom left corner for his first Clasico hat-trick to double his goal tally against Barcelona — he had previously scored only three in 15 games.
Xavi rolled the dice with a triple substitution, sending on attackers Joao Felix, Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez, but Madrid soon had their fourth.
Araujo completed a dismal night by earning a red card as he crashed through the back of Vinicius for a second booking.
Rodrygo was in the right place at the right time to convert after Jules Kounde blocked a Vinicius cut-back searching for Bellingham.
Kounde cleared a low effort from England international Bellingham off the line as Madrid sought another to rub salt in their rivals’ wounds late on.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their first game of the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast on Sunday.
Equatorial Guinea drew first blood in the 37th minute when Iban Salvador scored a well-placed shot, leaving the Super Eagles’ goalie, Stanley Nwabali, motionless.
An instant response from Nigeria following a kickoff saw Victor Osimhen head an equalising goal for Nigeria before the break.
Despite many chances, Nigeriafailed to get the winning goal. Although Osimhen scored his first AFCON goal on his first appearance, he, in the 75th minute, missed a big chance.
Nigeria, in Group A, will further challenge Ivory Coast, and Guinea Bissau later in the tournament.
Popular Nigerian rapper, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, better known as Ruggedman, has said that he doesn’t see the Super Eagles winning the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Naija News reports that the AFCON tournament commenced on Saturday, January 13, 2024, with the inaugural match featuring the host country Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) against Guinea Bissau at Alassane Ouattara stadium.
Nigeria is expected to play their first match of the tournament at 3 PM today against Equatorial Guinea.
However, Ruggedman has expressed doubt about the Super Eagles winning their fourth AFCON title this year.
The 50-year-old entertainer poured out his heart while speaking about his admiration for football, Super Eagles, Manchester United, Victor Osimhen, and more, during a recent interview with The PUNCH.
Speaking on his favourite sport growing up as a child, Ruggedman said: “Growing up, like most young kids across Nigeria, I enjoyed and still enjoy football. I love playing football. I also represented my secondary school in a relay race once but it obviously was not my calling.”
On whether his parents were a discouraging factor from pursuing a career in sports, Ruggedman said: “They did not need to discourage me because I did not take up any sport as a career.
“I was and I still am very passionate about football. I grew up reading football comic books like Roy Of The Rovers. I became a football lover in the early 1980s from watching “Big League Soccer.”
Speaking on his journey into the entertainment industry, he said: “From a very young age, I just loved music. Growing up, I was more into music shows on TV like Top of The Pops, Soul Train and Kessingsheen Hit Show.”
I Hope They Do But I Doubt Super Eagles Winning AFCON
When asked whether he is a fan of the Nigerian National Football team, Ruggedman answered in the affirmative.
However, he downplayed their possibility of winning the tournament, saying: “As a Nigerian, yes I think they can win it but realistically and with the way we seem to have lost a couple of warm-up matches towards the competition, coupled with the history of politics being played in players selection, I do not see us winning it. I hope we do, but we all know games are not won by hoping.”
Announcing his pick on best African player of all time, the singer said: “I know some will argue that I might be choosing him because he is Nigerian. Some will say he did not win much during his time playing, but I choose Jay Jay Okocha any time, any day. To me, he is the most naturally skilled footballer I have ever seen.”
Osimhen Is My Favourite
Ruggedman, during the interview, picked Napoli’s striker as his favourite player in the Super Eagles squad, Naija News reports.
He said: “My friend, Victor Osimhen. Not just because we are friends, but his stats speak for him. He has achieved a lot as a footballer, broke our jinx and won the African Best Player award, which Okocha didn’t even win, and what he did last season in the Serie A is phenomenal.”
On his opinion on whether the male and female national teams should earn the same, he said: “I believe they should be paid their value.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria’s journey to a fourth African Cup of Nations starts today (Sunday) against the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Touted as favourites alongside the Ivorians who won the championship opener against minnows, Guinea Bissau, the Nigerians’ preparations have been disrupted by a deluge of withdrawals from Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Boniface, and Sadiq Umar while Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho is also a doubt for today.
On the pitch, things are not any better. The defeat to the Syli Nationale of Guinea in the preparatory game has raised doubts about the manager, Jose Peseiro’s tactical ability.
There was also some concern about imbalance in the squad. This was, however, quickly dismissed by Peseiro at the pre-match presser on Saturday.
The manager also confirmed that Terem Moffi, who is replacing the injured Boniface will not arrive in time for Sunday while Iheanacho and late addition Paul Onuachu had only just landed in Ivory Coast.
So, the larger part of the Super Eagles’ firepower is expected to come from the recently crowned African Best Player and leading scorer in qualifying (10 goals), Victor Osimhen.
Despite the withdrawals, Peseiro is still armed with Africa’s best attackers, including Moffi, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Ademola Lookman.
For the Super Eagles opponents, Equatorial Guinea who are winless in their previous two encounters, continuing their impressive record of progressing to the last eight whenever they participate at the continental showpiece motivates them before Sunday’s fixture.
Juan Micha’s men go into Cote’D’Ivoire in outstanding form, unbeaten in 11 competitive and non-competitive games, including victories in World Cup qualifying games against Namibia and Liberia without conceding a goal.
They are also buoyed by the presence of striker Emilio Nsue, a key part of Equatorial Guinea’s hopes of success at AFCON 2021.
Though success is far from assured against the Nigerians, manager, Micha believes they can hurt their opponents
“We have an ambition in this tournament, we want to win the tournament. We are aware of what to do, we want to give our best
“We have a complicated game tomorrow, Nigeria is among the favourites but we we have prepared ourselves to be at the highest level.
“They have players missing and they have replacements, we are aware of Nigeria’s potential and we have our potential too. We have prepared for the game,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
Facts and figures about the game
1. This will be the first encounter between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They faced each other in the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup – Nigeria won both matches (1-0; 2-0).
2. Nigeria are making their 20th appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They have won the tournament on three occasions (1980, 1994, 2013) and reached the semi-finals in 14 of their last 17 AFCON participations.
3. Nigeria were beaten finalists the last time the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was held in Côte d’Ivoire, they lost 3-1 against Cameroon in 1984.
4. Nigeria have won 12 of their last 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (L3). Their last draw dates back to the 2013 group stages, against Zambia (1-1).
5. Nigeria scored 22 goals in six games during qualifying for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the highest tally among the 24 teams at this year’s tournament. 10 of those goals came from Victor Osimhen, that’s twice as many as any other player (4 players on 5 goals)
6. This is Equatorial Guinea’s fourth CAF Africa Cup of Nations appearance, but it’s only the second time they have qualified as non-hosts. They have so far always reached the knockout stages: quarter-finalists in 2012 and 2021, and 4th place in 2015.
7. Equatorial Guinea have never scored more than two goals in their previous 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
8. Only two of Equatorial Guinea’s 11 goals at AFCON have been scored in the first half of matches.
9. Victor Osimhen was directly involved in 55% of Nigeria’s goals during the qualifying campaign (10 goals, 2 assists). It’s the highest tally of goals scored in the qualifying phase of an AFCON edition since Moumouni Dagano with Burkina Faso in 2010 (12 goals).
10. Despite Victor Osimhen scoring 10 of their 22 goals, Nigeria had 10 different goal scorers in qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team.
[Punch]
Former Nigerian football team captain, Mikel Obi has blamed former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh for the early retirement of Vincent Enyeama from the senior national team.
Mikel labeled Oliseh as “absolutely clueless” and “easily the worst manager he played under.”
According to Mikel, Oliseh was the brain behind the exit of Enyeama; and also brought about division in the national team.
“I remember the first day he came into the camp. Then we reported to the camp for International duties, then he came straight at me and Vincent Enyeama, the goalkeeper, who also was very powerful back then." Mikel said m on his ObiOne podcast,
“He came straight at us and Elderson Echiejile, and he said a few things. He said he heard there was a lot of player power with us.
“Then Enyeama was like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Where are you getting all of these from? We are a nice group, and you just come in, and the first thing is to attack us?
“He was like ‘I heard about you guys.’ And then Enyeama stood up and told him he couldn’t say that because we had been here for so many years. They started arguing, and literally, they were going to have a fight.
“He took Enyeama out of the team, and he came at us saying he was going to take us out of the team. He said he was going to take us out of the team; he said he was going to make sure we didn’t play anymore.”
“Enyeama could not take it, and despite my pleas, he left the camp angrily and never came back.”
“He (Oliseh) had absolutely no clue of how a manager is. He was a fantastic guy in his playing days, but as a coach, he was very terrible. He had no clue what he was doing.
“The players never understood anything he was doing, and he did not know what he was doing. He was just confused because he just came in and destroyed the team’s togetherness.
“His excuse when he got fired was that the people and FA did voodoo on him not to succeed. He was easily the worst manager I played under.
“He was so bitter with everybody, jealous with everybody, and had no respect for speaking to anybody, whether the physio or anybody,” he added.
Ahead of the 2024 African Cup of Nations tournament, bettors.co.za delved into the record books of the esteemed tournament to see which records could be broken over the next month. The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is esteemed for several key reasons. First, it holds great cultural significance in Africa, where football is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric. It showcases the best of African football who ply their trade across the world. Historically, AFCON is one of the oldest continental football championships, reflecting the continent's political and social evolution.
Here are some of the key findings and records we uncovered:
Most Tournament Wins by a Country: Egypt boasts the record for the most Africa Cup of Nations tournament wins, with an impressive tally of seven victories. They achieved consecutive triumphs in 1957 and 1959, followed by further successes in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Given the history of tournament wins, it is highly unlikely for any team to surpass this record in a single tournament.
Most Caps by a Player: Rigobert Song, the former Cameroonian defender, holds the record for the most appearances in African Cup of Nations (AFCON) history, having played in an impressive 36 matches. André Ayew of Ghana and Ahmed Hassan of Egypt come next in line with 34 and 32 appearances, respectively, making them prominent figures in the tournament's history.
Most Goals in AFCON History: Samuel Eto'o holds the record for the most goals in AFCON history, with 18 goals. Breaking this record would require an extraordinary goal-scoring performance. Ivory Coast icon Laurent Pokou is the second-top scorer with 14. Of all the players that are set to appear at this year's AFCON, Ghana forward Andre Ayew has 10 goals to his name while Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar has nine and Senegal talisman Sadio Mane have eight.
Longest unbeaten run: Egypt boasts the longest unbeaten streak in AFCON history, spanning an impressive 21 matches from 2008 to 2010. This remarkable run coincided with their historic three consecutive tournament victories.
Most Goals Scored In A Single Tournament: For 45 years, Ndaye Mulamba has held the record for most goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament which stands at nine goals for Zaire (now DR Congo).
Most goals in a single match: Laurent Pokou's exceptional performance for Ivory Coast in 1970 is indeed memorable. He scored an astounding five goals in a 6-1 victory over Ethiopia, showcasing his prowess as a goal-scorer and contributing significantly to his team's success on that memorable occasion.
AFCON’s youngest ever goalscorer: Shiva N'Zigou holds the distinction of being the youngest player ever to have participated in the Africa Cup of Nations. At the tender age of 16 years and 93 days, he made his debut for Gabon and even managed to score in a match against South Africa during the 2000 African Cup of Nations. N'Zigou's goal also earned him the title of the youngest player ever to score in the competition.
The Hosts Winning The Tournament: The most recent instance of the host nation winning the African Cup of Nations was in 2006 when Egypt hosted and emerged as the champions of the tournament.
Most Points Accumulated By A Team: As of the 2021 African Cup of Nations, Egypt find themselves at the forefront with a remarkable total of 200 points won in the tournament's history. Following Egypt, Ghana holds the second position with 183 points accumulated since the inception of the tournament. Even if Ghana were to win all three of their group games and Egypt were to lose all three of theirs, Egypt would still maintain their lead. Next in line is Nigeria, boasting 181 points, and they have the potential to surpass their Ghanaian rivals if results fall in their favour.
AFCON Wins by a Manager with Two Different Countries: Hervé Renard, currently in charge of the French women's team, holds a unique distinction in AFCON history. He is the sole manager to have clinched the AFCON trophy with two different countries. His first triumph came as the manager of Zambia in 2012, and he followed it up by leading Ivory Coast to victory in 2015.
The Hosts Winning The Tournament: The most recent instance of the host nation winning the African Cup of Nations was in 2010 when Egypt hosted and emerged as the champions of the tournament.
The Tournament With The Most Goals Scored: The 2019 African Cup of Nations witnessed the highest number of goals scored in the tournament's history, with a total of 102 goals. The 2022 edition came in a close second, with a notable tally of 100 goals.
Most losses in finals: Ghana's Black Stars hold the unfortunate record for the most losses in African Cup of Nations finals, having experienced defeat five times in nine appearances. Following closely behind are the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who have suffered defeat on four occasions in the seven times they reached the final.
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Nigerian singer Yemi Alade expressed her excitement, describing it as a ‘dream come true,’ as she announced her upcoming performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In a post from her official X account, she shared her longstanding desire to perform at football ceremonies, dating back to 2016.
Alade emphasized the significance of prayer and verbalizing one’s aspirations, expressing her honour at the opportunity to perform at AFCON.
Alade also described the feat as “a dream come true“.
She wrote, “I cannot buttress the importance of prayer and speaking into existence your heart desires.
“Since 2016, I have desired to perform at the stadium for football ceremonies surrounded by 100’s of dancers and millions of people.
“A lot of calls came in almost every year when football championship preparations were made, but none was favourable.
“I never said this, but at some point, I started feeling like my team was chasing them away, but something told me to let them do their job.
“7 years after, I’m performing at AFCON. It’s indeed an honour and a dream come true. It’s just the beginning! God bless my team.”
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to be hosted by Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.
Yemi Alade, considered one of the best female musicians both in the country and on the continent, gained significant recognition in the music industry after the release of her hit “Johnny” in 2014.
Known for her versatility, Alade performs her songs in French, Yoruba, and English. Her achievements include winning the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) for Best Female in both 2015 and 2016.
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria have confirmed that Umar Sadiq is ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire (AFCON 2023) after sustaining an injury in training.
The Real Sociedad striker was involved in the team’s friendly defeat to Guinea on Monday but has not trained with the group since they arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday.
Trabzonspor striker Paul Onuachu has been called up as replacement for Sadiq, the Super Eagles media team announced this morning.
Sadiq joins a long list on injury-enforced absences for the three-time African champions, with fellow strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Victor Boniface as well as midfielder Wilfred Ndidi also unable to play in the tournament, which kicks off tomorrow.
Nottingham Forest striker Awoniyi was ruled out with a long-term injury even before the 40-man provisional squad was named, while Bayer Leverkusen hitman Boniface and Leicester City midfielder Ndidi withdrew after being named in the 25-man squad for the continental showpiece.
Boniface has been replaced by Nice striker Terem Moffi, with Royal Antwerp’s Alhassan Yusuf stepping into the big shoes of Ndidi.
The Super Eagles get their AFCON 2023 campaign off the ground on Sunday against Equatorial Guinea before facing hosts Cote d’Ivoire on January 18 in one of the standout group phase fixtures.
Jose Peseiro’s side round off the group stages with a clash against Guinea-Bissau on January 22.
The tournament will end on February 11.
PHOTO: Umar Sadiq.
[NaijaTimes]
Paris Saint-Germain resume their Ligue 1 title bid after the winter break against last season’s runners-up Lens as the focus sharpens increasingly on the future of France captain Kylian Mbappe.
The league’s top scorer for each of the past five seasons, Mbappe’s contract with the French champions runs out at the end of June and he is free to sign an agreement to join a new club for the 2024-25 campaign.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reiterated his stance this week that the club is the best place for the 25-year-old amid endless speculation he will join Real Madrid in the summer.
“I’m not going to hide that I want Kylian to stay,” Al-Khelaifi told broadcaster RMC.
“The best player in the world is Kylian and the best club for him is Paris.”
Reports in Spain suggest Madrid want Mbappe to commit by January 15, but he insists no decision has been made, and those around him said he would not be rushed into doing so by any ultimatum.
Liverpool have also been linked with the World Cup winner, who has spoken with the Premier League leaders in the past, notably meeting with them when he was still at Monaco in 2017.
While PSG look well on course for a record-extending 12th league crown, and 10th in the past 12 seasons, any sudden developments in the long-running Mbappe saga could unsettle Luis Enrique’s squad.
“We have a lot of very important matches, I ask for you to leave Kylian alone,” said Al-Khelaifi, adamant that whether Mbappe stays or not “is not a question of money”.
The capital club will lose Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and South Korea international Lee Kang-in to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively this month, escaping lightly compared to many others.
They travel on Sunday to Lens, whose 11-match unbeaten run was ended by second-placed Nice prior to Christmas.
The Stade Bollaert is not quite the fortness it was last term when Lens failed to win just twice at home and finished a point behind PSG, but it remains a difficult ground for visiting teams.
Lens have won five of their last six at home to clamber back into European competition but were knocked out of the French Cup last weekend by Monaco on penalties.
Nice, who trail PSG by five points, must make do for the next few weeks without top scorer Terem Moffi, who was called up to the Nigeria squad in place of the injured Victor Boniface.
Monaco, in third, have six players on international duty including Japan’s Takumi Minamino. Marseille face a similar headache after finishing 2023 strongly by going six games without defeat.
One to watch: Mohamed-Ali Cho
The France Under-21 international has returned to Ligue 1 with Nice after a difficult 18 months at Real Sociedad. Cho, 19, scored only twice in 40 outings for the Basque club who face PSG in the Champions League last 16.
The former Angers striker, a youth product of PSG and Everton, will look to get his career back on track on the Cote d’Azur and could be brought into the line-up straight away with winger Jeremie Boga at the AFCON with hosts Ivory Coast.
Key stats
6 – games unbeaten for Brest, who have taken 16 of a possible 18 points since late November to climb up to fourth place.
7 – Marseille players away at the Africa Cup of Nations, the most of any Ligue 1 side along with Lorient.
18 – league goals this season for Mbappe, more than twice the total of Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, who is second on the list with eight.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Friday
Marseille v Strasbourg (20:00)
Saturday
Monaco v Reims (16:00), Rennes v Nice (20:00)
Sunday
Lille v Lorient (12:00), Brest v Montpellier, Metz v Toulouse, Nantes v Clermont (14:00), Le Havre v Lyon (16:05), Lens v Paris Saint-Germain (19:45)
[Vanguard]
As the days to the kickoff match for the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations draw closer, there are quite some fascinating facts to know about the continent’s highly revered football tournament.
The tournament which will start on January 13, 2024, with the opening match between the host country, Cote d’Ivoire, and Group A opponent, Guinea-Bissau, will end on February 11, 2024.
In this piece, PUNCH Online highlights some facts about the AFCON as shared by CAFOnline.com:
* The first AFCON tournament took place in Sudan in 1957. Only three countries, hosts Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia, took part in that first tournament. There was no qualifying competition.
* South Africa was also invited to the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1957 but their invitation was later withdrawn as a result of the country’s apartheid laws.
* Egypt defeated hosts Sudan in the first game played at the AFCON winning 2-1 on 10th January 1957.
* Raafat Attia scored the first goal at an AFCON tournament when he opened the scoring for Egypt in their 2-1 semi-final win over hosts Sudan in 1957.
* Egypt defeated Ethiopia 4-0 in the final to win the first AFCON tournament in 1957.
* Egypt won the first two AFCON tournaments in 1957 and 1959 while they were runners-up in 1962, losing to hosts Ethiopia in the final.
* Cote d’Ivoire is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for a second time with the first hosted in 1984.
* When Cote d’Ivoire hosted the AFCON in 1984, eight nations participated. Five of those countries – Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, and Nigeria will be joining the hosts again. Missing out are Malawi and Togo.
* Egypt has won the most AFCON Titles (seven), followed by Cameroon (five), Ghana (four), Nigeria (three), and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ivory Coast (two each).
* Egypt and Ghana have both reached nine AFCON finals while Egypt has won seven, Ghana has four wins and Cameroon has played in seven finals winning five.
* Cote d’Ivoire has appeared in four AFCON finals in 1992, 2006, 2012, and 2015, and in 480 minutes of play in the AFCON finals, they have failed to produce a single goal. They won on penalties after extra time in 1992 and 2015 and lost on penalties after extra time in 2006 and 2012 with all four games ending 0-0.
* Cameroonian striker, Samuel Eto’o, is the leading overall Cup of Nations scorer, notching 18 goals in six tournaments between 2000 and 2010.
* Egypt goalkeeper, Essam el Hadary, became the oldest player at 44 years and 21 days to feature in the tournament when he faced Cameroon in the 2017 final in Libreville as Egypt lost.
* The only time the opening game of the AFCON ended 0-0 was when South Africa played out a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in 2013.
* The last host nation to reach the AFCON finals was Egypt who won the title on home soil in 2006.
* Egypt has reached the AFCON final in five of the last six tournaments that the country participated in, winning in 2006, 2008, and 2010 while they were runners-up in 2017 and the 2021 edition. They only failed to do so in 2019 as hosts.
* Four players – Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Ghanaian duo Asamoah Gyan, as well as Andre Ayew, and Zambia’s Kalusha Bwalya, have scored in six AFCON tournaments. No player has scored in more editions of the competition than them.
* The 2023 AFCON will be the 34th edition of the tournament since the first one held in 1957.
* The AFCON has been expanded from a 16-team tournament which it has been since 1996 to a 24-team event in 2019.
* This is the third edition to have 24 teams participating.
* 16 players have scored 17 hat-tricks at the Africa Cup of Nations but none since Soufiane Alloudi scored three goals in Morocco’s 5-1 triumph over Namibia in the 2008 group stages.
* Egypt has had five different players scoring six AFCON hat-tricks. No country has managed as many players to have scored a hat-trick at the tournament.
* The first hat-trick at the AFCON was scored by Ad-Diba who scored all four of Egypt’s goals in their 4-0 triumph in the 1957 final victory over Ethiopia.
* Egypt’s Hassan El-Shazly is the only player to have scored multiple hat-tricks at the Africa Cup of Nations, doing so in 1963 and 1970.
* Egypt is the only team to have two players score a hat-trick in the same game. Hassan El-Shazly and Mohammed Hussein netted all their goals in a 6-3 win over Nigeria in a 1963 group-stage encounter.
* Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song hold the record for the most number of AFCON participations with each player having featured in eight final tournaments in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 – a record that could be tied by Ghana’s Andre Ayew at the next edition.
* South Africa finished 1st (1996), 2nd (1998) and 3rd (2000) in the first three AFCON tournaments that they participated in.
* Ghana’s Charles Gyamfi (1963–1965, 1982) and Egypt’s Hassan Shehata (Egypt 2006–2008-2010) are the only coaches to have won the title three times. Shehata is the only coach to have won the title in three successive tournaments.
* Two persons – Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary (1959 as player, 1998 as coach) and Stephen Keshi of Nigeria (1994 as player, 2013 as coach) have won the AFCON as a player and coach.
* French man Herve Renard is the only coach to have won the AFCON with two different countries; Zambia in 2012 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2015.
* Senegal coach Aliou Cisse holds the unwanted record of losing in the final as both a player (2002) and coach (2019). He also now has won the tournament as a coach lifting the title with Senegal at the 2021 edition.
* In 2004, Frenchman Roger Lemmere became the first coach to win the AFCON and the UEFA European Championship when he led Tunisia to the title. In 2000, he led France to the European Championships.
* 44 different African nations have participated in the AFCON, with Comoros and Gambia being the debutants at the last edition in Cameroon.
* Egypt (1957), Ghana (1963), and South Africa (1996) are the only teams to have won the tournament in their debut appearances.
* Starting in 2008, Ghana has reached the AFCON semi-finals in six of the last eight tournaments and has been beaten finalists twice in that time, losing to Egypt in 2010 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2017.
* Tunisia has qualified for their 16th successive AFCON tournament, a run started in 1994. No team has ever managed 16 successive qualifications.
* Egypt has played more games at the AFCON than any other team (107), they have won more matches than any other team (60). Ghana has played 102 games and won 54. Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria will join the centenary club as they have currently played 99 and 97 games respectively at the finals.
* Ndaye Mulamba scored nine goals for DR Congo at the 1974 AFCON. No player has managed more in a single tournament.
* The name of the continental trophy has changed three times in history. The first trophy was the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy, followed by the African Unity trophy and then the Africa Cup of Nations.
* Twelve former African champions will be making their way to Cote d’Ivoire for the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
* The top 15 ranked African teams have all qualified for the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
* Five Southern African teams have qualified for the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the most the COSAFA region has had at a single final.
* Each winner of the last 25 editions of the tournament from 1974 has qualified for the current edition of the finals. The last winner to miss out is the 1972 champions Congo.
* Every finalist from the 1984 edition has reached the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. The last team to reach the final who have not qualified are 1982 runners-up Libya.
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