SPORTS
Wolves ended a wait since April for a Premier League win by beating fellow strugglers Southampton 2-0 before Manchester City aim to end their losing run at Brighton on Saturday.
League leaders Liverpool are also in action later when seventh-placed Aston Villa visit Anfield.
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil was under huge pressure to deliver after a 13-game winless run in the top-flight and got the perfect start when Pablo Sarabia swept home Matheus Cunha’s pass for the club’s fastest ever Premier League goal.
Cunha smashed home a stunning second goal himself early in the second period to give Wolves a vital three points which sees Southampton replace them at the bottom of the table.
Fulham moved into the top six by inflicting more misery on Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park.
Emile Smith-Rowe pounced on an error from Maxence Lacroix to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time.
The Eagles’ hopes of a fightback were hit when Daichi Kamada saw red for a wild lunge on Kenny Tete.
Harry Wilson came off the bench to score twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday and the Welsh international was an impact substitute again to wrap up the victory seven minutes from time.
Yoane Wissa scored twice as Brentford twice came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-2.
Twice the in-form Cherries led through Evanilson and Justin Kluivert.
But the Bees have taken 16 points from a possible 18 at home this season.
Brentford quickly levelled on both occasions through Wissa and Mikkel Damsgaard.
Wissa then completed the comeback with his seventh goal in eight league appearances this season.
Brentford edge ahead of Bournemouth into the top half of the table.
West Ham and Everton did little to quell the discontent among both fanbases in a 0-0 draw.
There were loud boos at full-time at the London Stadium from the West Ham support, but a point does edge Everton four clear of the bottom three.
History could be made at the Amex later should an injury-hit City lose once more.
Never in his 16 seasons as a manager has Pep Guardiola been defeated in four consecutive games.
Liverpool lead City by two points thanks to a brilliant start to life in England for Arne Slot.
The Dutchman has won 14 and drawn one of his first 16 games in charge in all competitions and the Reds may be meeting Villa at the right time.
Unai Emery’s men have lost their last three games in three different competitions after a promising start to the campaign.
Arsenal are aiming to bounce back from their own tough run when they visit Chelsea in the pick of Sunday’s action.
AFP
al Madrid forward Vinicius Jr scored a hat-trick to help the LaLiga champions snap a two-game winless run in all competitions with a commanding 4-0 victory over Osasuna on Saturday.
This follows shock defeats by Barcelona and AC Milan, their first back-to-back home losses in over three years.
Real suffered two major early blows against Osasuna as forward Rodrygo and defender Eder Militao were both forced off injured.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti brought Morocco forward Brahim Diaz and 21-year-old academy defender Raul Asencio off the bench and his side kept calm led by a brilliant performance from Vinicius.
The Brazilian forward opened the scoring in the 34th minute after taking a Jude Bellingham pass in his stride to beat the offside trap and firing an unstoppable strike past goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.
Bellingham recovered his scoring instinct by netting his first goal of the season with a brilliant finish eight minutes later, lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper to extend Real’s lead.
Real’s stand-in right back Lucas Vazquez was also forced off but Vinicius extended the lead with a great goal in the 61st minute, running on to a long pass from his goalkeeper Andriy Lunin before rounding Herrera and tapping into the empty net.
Eight minutes later, Diaz stole the ball from a distracted defender on the edge of the box and put it on a plate for Vinicius to fire home and wrap up a comprehensive win with his second hat-trick in four games.
Vinicius is now second in LaLiga’s top-scorer race with eight goals in 12 games, six behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.
Second-placed Real climbed to 27 points, six behind leaders Barcelona. Osasuna are fifth on 21 points.
“I don’t want to touch this subject (the injuries), because it hurts me to see colleagues crying… It breaks my heart…” Diaz, who missed over six weeks this season with a thigh injury, told Real Madrid TV.
“We won convincingly,” Diaz added. “We played a complete game, with hard work and effort. The victory was needed. Now we have to continue at this high level, because we have talent.”
Media
Victor Osimhen scored twice as Galatasaray inflicted a first Europa League defeat of the season on Tottenham to move top of the table with a 3-2 victory in Istanbul on Thursday.
The Turkish champions have 10 points from four games and have all but secured qualification for at least the knock-out play-off round, while Spurs sit in fifth place after losing their 100-percent record.
Galatasaray took an early lead when Yunus Akgun smashed a sensational long-range volley into the top corner in the sixth minute.
But the visitors hit back just 12 minutes later as teenage striker Will Lankshear marked just his second first-team appearance with a goal by tapping in Brennan Johnson’s pass across goal.
Galatasaray took control before half-time, though, as Osimhen scored twice in the space of eight minutes.
The Nigerian star fired them back in front just after the half-hour mark, before cleverly volleying Dries Mertens’ cross past Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Osimhen has now scored six goals in eight appearances for Galatasaray since joining on loan from Napoli.
The home side passed up several opportunities to put the game out of sight for their opponents, but Spurs’ hopes of a comeback were hit when Lankshear was sent off for two yellow-card offences in quick succession in the second half.
Dominic Solanke pulled one back in the 69th minute, shortly after being brought on by Ange Postecoglou, but Galatasaray held on with relative comfort.
Eintracht Frankfurt are second in the standings, behind Galatasaray on goals scored, after Omar Marmoush’s 13th goal of the season clinched a 1-0 win against Slavia Prague.
The Egyptian clipped a superb free-kick in off the crossbar shortly after the break.
Athletic Bilbao are in third, separated from Eintracht also by goals scored, after coming from behind to grab a 2-1 success at Ludogorets.
Inaki Williams and Nico Serrano both scored in a two-minute burst from the Basque club.
Roma’s disappointing form this season continued as Kevin Mac Allister’s goal 13 minutes from time secured Union Saint-Gilloise their second point of the competition with a 1-1 draw in Belgium.
Kanu Nwankwo, the former Super Eagles forward, has endorsed Ademola Lookman to be crowned the next Africa’s best player.
The 2024 CAF Awards will hold in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday, December 16.
Lookman is in the running for the prestigious award along with nine other players including his Super Eagles teammate, William Troost-Ekong.
The winger has been widely tipped to win the award after a stellar year for club and country.
The 27-year-old was the only African player nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’or, finishing in 14th position.
“Lookman is a very good player, humble, works very hard and going by the records, I believe he will win,” Kanu told Brila FM.
“I don’t know of any African player who has done better than him this year.
“He was ranked well in the Ballon d’Or (14th).
“He has done well for both club and country.”
Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua has been put on notice with a tight 48-hour ultimatum to accept a highly anticipated rematch against Daniel Dubois, scheduled for February.
Failing to accept the offer would mean Anthony Joshua forfeits his opportunity to reclaim the championship belts that he lost after a surprising defeat to the young heavyweight in September at Wembley Stadium.
In that shocking bout, Dubois, who is just 27 years old, sent Joshua to the canvas four times before his corner decided to throw in the towel during the fifth round. This loss for Joshua was particularly harrowing, occurring in front of a massive crowd of 96,000 fans at Wembley.
Initially, plans were set for a rematch to take place in Saudi Arabia next February. However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has voiced concerns that the timeline for a rematch may be too ambitious given the circumstances surrounding Joshua’s previous performance.
Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter, is pushing for a swift resolution and has made it clear that if Joshua does not respond within the next 48 hours, the rematch would likely be off the table.
Warren expressed his urgency when speaking to iFLTV, stating, “Unless AJ gets back to us in the next 48 hours, yes,” in response to whether the rematch was in jeopardy.
Warren is eager to announce the fight and hopes to have clarity by tomorrow, even hinting that there may be no progress on the matter for at least another week after that.
Meanwhile, Barry Hearn, the father of Joshua’s promoter, offered his perspective on the impending rematch. He believes that, with a different strategy, Joshua could potentially find success against Dubois in a second encounter.
However, he also cautioned against hasty decisions, advocating for a more measured approach. “I think Dubois is dangerous, and he’s going to be super confident after the last job. I still believe AJ would probably beat him in a rematch if he boxed differently, but that’s just my opinion,” he told The Mirror.
LaLiga have requested Valencia and Levante’s matches this weekend be postponed as recovery efforts continue in the region following deadly flooding which has left at least 218 people dead.
Valencia are due to travel to Espanyol on Saturday in LaLiga, while Levante, who are also based in Valencia, are scheduled to play away against Tenerife in the second division on Sunday.
On Tuesday, both clubs requested the matches be rearranged for a later date, with LaLiga forwarding the request on to the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF], who will have the final say.
“Just one week has passed since the catastrophe occurred and the situation remains very serious,” Valencia and Levante said in a joint statement.
“Both clubs are grateful for the understanding and empathy shown by LaLiga, the RFEF and our opponents.
“We remain firmly committed to continue helping all the affected areas in the province of Valencia.”
Flood waters swept through the Valencia region after heavy rainfall on Oct. 29, with the full scale of the loss of life and damage to homes, businesses and transport links becoming apparent in the following days.
As a result, five Copa del Rey games were immediately postponed last week and rescheduled for later in November.
Five games were also called off across the top two tiers of Spanish football over the weekend, including Real Madrid’s trip to Valencia, Villarreal’s match with Rayo Vallecano and Levante’s fixture against Malaga.
In Liga F, Valencia and Levante’s games were both off at the weekend and the RFEF announced earlier on Tuesday that Sunday’s derby between the two sides has also been postponed.
[Leadership]
Viktor Gyokeres scored a hattrick as Manchester City were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) encounter in Portugal on Tuesday night.
The in-form 26-year-old striker scored two of his three goals in the second half as Sporting came from a goal down to defeat the former UCL champions.
Led by Ruben Amorim, the new Manchester United coach set to take over at Old Trafford next week, Sporting went behind to Phil Foden’s fourth-minute strike from distance to put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead. The hosts managed an equaliser when Gyokeres beat the offside trap to run onto a threaded pass before slotting the ball beyond Ederson Moraes.
Man City had chances to regain the lead in the first half, but the oft-clinical side could not make them count, and Sporting made them pay in the second period. They took the lead seconds after the restart in a similar fashion to the equalizer, Maximiliano Araujo the beneficiary this time, and he slotted through Ederson’s legs for 2-1.
Gyokeres converted a penalty conceded by Josko Gvardiol for his second of the night and 3-1 for Sporting. Pep Guardiola’s side were handed a penalty of theirs but Erling Haaland hit the bar, and the home side further punished the miss.
Gyokeres netted another penalty awarded following a foul to complete the hattrick and an unlikely rout of the English Premier League (EPL) champions. Defeat is Man City’s third consecutive loss in all competitions.
Elsewhere, Liverpool moved closer to qualification for the knockout phase following a 4-0 win over Victor Boniface’s Bayer Leverkusen. Luiz Diaz also netted a hat trick in a match in which all four goals were scored in the second half. The victory maintained the Reds’ 100% status after four games, and Arne Slot’s side is top of the table with 12 points.
However, Real Madrid, the reigning UCL champions, suffered another defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, losing 3-1 to AC Milan, their second defeat in the group stage.
RESULTS
Real Madrid 1-3 AC Milan
Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Sporting Lisbon 4-1 Manchester City
PSV Eindhoven 4-0 Girona
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Sturm Graz
Slovan Bratislava 1-4 Dinamo Zagreb
LOSC Lille 1-1 Juventus
Celtic 2-1 RB Salzburg
Bologna 0-1 AS Monaco
[TheCable]
Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield for the first time on Tuesday, as his Bayer Leverkusen side take on Liverpool in the Champions League, the trophy he helped the Reds win in 2005.
Alonso played 210 games for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, with the highlight undoubtedly being the miracle comeback in the Reds’ Champions League final win over AC Milan in Istanbul.
The Spaniard scored Liverpool’s third goal in seven minutes to bring them level to 3-3 before they went on to win on penalties.
Alonso, 42, remains hugely popular with Liverpool fans and could have been in the home dugout had things gone differently.
Last season, after Jurgen Klopp’s shock decision to leave the club, Liverpool fans – who had taken notice of Alonso’s incredible run at Leverkusen – were hoping he could be headed to Merseyside.
Alonso though knocked back the reported interest from Liverpool as well as from former sides Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to stay at Leverkusen, who he had on track for a first-ever German top-flight title.
Alonso still speaks fondly of his time as a player on Merseyside and after Friday’s scoreless draw with Stuttgart, he said he was eagerly awaiting his return.
“Champions League at Anfield? It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.
“This game means a lot to me. It will be a big game. To play in the Champions League, at Anfield, it’s difficult to experience anything better.
“The atmosphere is great. Liverpool is one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. It’s a huge challenge but a beautiful challenge for us.”
Any regret at missing out on Alonso is likely to have subsided among Liverpool fans, given their impressive start under Dutchman Arne Slot.
With 13 wins and a draw from 15 matches – officially the best start of any new Reds manager – Slot has Liverpool sitting top of the Premier League table.
In Europe, Liverpool are alongside Aston Villa as one of only two sides to have won three from three.
[Leadership]
The ministry of foreign affairs says Nigerians in Libya have their lives “devoid” of harassment from the government of their host country in retaliation for CAF’s sanction.
In October, the Super Eagles and Libya were initially scheduled to play at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi, on matchday four of the AFCON qualification series.
However, the Nigerian national team’s flight was diverted to Al Abaq airport, and the players and coaches were held for over 20 hours without food and drinks.
The Eagles later withdrew from the qualifying match and returned home. Libya’s action attracted the wrath of CAF, and the country forfeited the game and was fined $50 thousand. Nigeria was also awarded three points and three goals.
Recently, there were reports that authorities in the country are targeting Nigerians in Libya in retaliation for the CAF verdict.
The rumours claim that Nigerians in Libya were being heavily levied, and the proceedings would pay CAF’s fine while others were being rounded up on the street.
Reacting to the reports, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Nigerians in the country are “going about their daily activities” and that nothing of the sort happened in Libya.
“Ministry of Foreign Affairs refutes reports claiming that Nigerians in Libya are being arrested and harassed as a result of the decision of the Confederation of African Football, CAF which indicted the Libyan Football Federation for their ill-treatment of the Nigerian team and officials while in Libya for a Nations Cup Qualifying Match,” the statement reads.
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has appealed the CAF decision, vowing to take “all necessary legal measures” to protect their national team’s interests.
[TheCable]
Anita Natacha Akide, the Big Brother Naija reality show star, who is known as Tacha has joined the league of celebrities owning football clubs in Nigeria.
This was made known in the announcement by the Lagos Liga on Saturday.
Sharing the news in a now trending post on its X handle, Lagos Liga wrote “New Lagos Liga club owner alert: Anita Natacha Akide.
“In short, the inimitable TACHA! @Symply_Tacha . Formal announcement to follow. Tacha FC is here.”
More...
Antoine Semenyo and Evanlison scored as Bournemouth sealed their first-ever win against Manchester City at Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries, in good form after picking up four points from their last two games against Aston Villa and Arsenal, started quickly and full of positivity.
Ederson was forced into a double save after just two minutes as he denied Semenyo and Justin Kluivert.
With the tone set, Bournemouth continued to press high and they were rewarded in the ninth minute when Milos Kerkez’s cut-back from the byeline was turned in by Semenyo.
City failed to muster an attempt on target during a largely frustrating first half.
Bournemouth came out for the second period full of confidence and were close to doubling their lead in the first minute, but Ederson was sharply off his line to keep Evanlison’s effort out.
Evanlison made sure with his next opportunity, though, sliding to meet Kerkez’s low ball and nestling it into the bottom corner.
The hosts should have made it three moments later but Adam Smith, presented with an open goal, blazed over the bar after Marcus Tavernier’s shot came back off the post.
City finally registered an attempt on target in the 80th minute, albeit a tame one, with Erling Haaland struggling to get any power on his volley.
And two minutes later, Josko Gvardiol headed beyond a despairing Mark Travers to offer hope but the Premier League champions were unable to grab an equaliser.
The defeat means City slip to second after Liverpool came-from-behind to beat Brighton, while Bournemouth climb up to eighth.
[TheNation]
Ruben Amorim is expected to be confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager on Thursday after the club reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon, reports said.
The Athletic said the 39-year-old would stay with the Portuguese league leaders for their next three games, including next week’s Champions League match against Manchester City.
He is expected to take charge at Old Trafford during the November international break, with his first game set to be United’s away trip to Ipswich on November 24.
Sky Sports said it was understood the Premier League club had paid Sporting an extra one million euros over and above his 10 million euro ($11 million) exit clause for an early release.
Sporting issued a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange on Tuesday confirming United were willing to meet the release clause.
United pulled the plug on Erik ten Hag’s two-year reign as manager on Monday after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham left them 14th in the Premier League.
Amorim quickly emerged as United’s number one option.
United caretaker boss Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a 5-2 victory against Leicester in the fourth round of the League Cup on Wednesday.
“I came here as an assistant to help the club,” said Van Nistelrooy. “I’m helping as long as I’m needed and in the future, in any capacity, I’m here to help the club build towards the future.”
Despite spending heavily in the transfer market in the summer, Ten Hag paid the price for United’s poor start to the season.
Prior to the win against Leicester, they had won just one of their past eight games in all competitions.
Victor Osimhen has reacted to reports that he would be leaving Galatasaray for a bigger European club in January.
Osimhen rubbished the claim.
Recall that he joined the Yellow and Reds from Napoli on a season-long loan deal in January.
There are speculations he could leave the Turkish Super Lig champions when the transfer window reopens in January.
The 25-year-old has however said there is no truth he will make his way out of Okan Buruk’s side in the new year.
“Yes, my contract ends at the end of the season,” Osimhen answered when asked by Takvim.
The striker has scored four goals for Galatasaray in the Turkish top-flight this season.
The Nigeria Football Federation, on Tuesday, confirmed the dates and venues for the country’s senior men’s national team final two Group D matches for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series against Rwanda and Benin, The PUNCH reports.
According to NFF, the Confederation of African Football has scheduled November 14 and 18 as the days for the two games.
The Super Eagles will travel to Abidjan for their Matchday 5 fixture against the Benin Republic, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
This match will start at 8 pm Nigerian time (7 PM Ivorian time) and will be officiated by Senegalese officials, with Issa Sy named as the centre referee. He will be joined by Djibril Camara and Nouha Bangoura as assistant referees, while El Hadji Amadou Sy will serve as the fourth official. Ivorian Rene Williams Sere will be the commissioner while Angolan Inacio Manuel Candido will be the referee assessor.
The three-time Africa Champions will play their final game of the qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Monday, November 18.
The game, set to kick off at 5 PM Nigerian time, will be officiated by Moroccan referee Samir Guezzaz, who will be supported by assistants Zakaria Brinsi and Abdessamad Abertoune.
Kech Chaf Mustapha will serve as the fourth official, while Ghana’s Prosper Harrison Addo will take the role of match commissioner, and Somalia’s Ali Mohamed Ahmed will act as the referee assessor.
The Eagles currently top their Group D with 10 points from four games, four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Bottom-placed Libya has only one point and is out of the running for qualification.
A win or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan will secure the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, scheduled for December 2025/January 2026 with a game to spare.
The Eagles boycotted their last qualifier against Libya after suffering poor treatment where they had their flight diverted to another city and also held hostage at the Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi for almost 20 hours without food, water and internet facilities.
[Punch]