Author: Kayode Akinwumi

Liverpool remain top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought win today at Crystal Palace. However, the win came with a cost as the Reds’ number one goalkeeper Alisson left the pitch injured in the second half.Liverpool controlled the ball possession at Selhurst Park throughout the first half. Arne Slot’s men went ahead in the ninth minute with a side-footed shot from Diogo Jota who had a very impressive first half. Palace tried to get back in the game in the second half and tested Alisson a couple of times, the Brazilian denying Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah with…

Arsenal and Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard has expressed optimism about his recovery from injury. The Norwegian indicated that his injury is not as bad as the initial prognosis suggested and expressed hopes to return to action soon. He suffered damage to his ligament during the September international break and was looking at a long absence.While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta estimated the Norwegian’s return in terms of weeks, the Norway national team coach Stale Solbakken had a more depressing update during a presser on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming international break. He said, “He is far from being in the squad.…

Paul Pogba’s four-year doping ban has been officially reduced. The decision was passed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following an appeal from the French midfielder. Pogba received a ban in 2023 after he tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone, a substance that enhances the production of hormones like testosterone.The Juventus midfielder denied “knowingly or deliberately taking any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations,” before going ahead to appeal his ban. His appeal to CAS, after being heard, has led to the decision to reduce his ban from four years to just 18 months.The decision implies that Pogba can be expected back…

Montenegro international Milutin Osmajic has been sanctioned with an eight-game ban. The sanction was passed after it was established that the Preston forward bit Owen Beck, the 25-year-old Liverpool loanee to Blackburn Rovers. The biting incident happened during a 0-0 draw between Preston and Blackburn in the Championship. Osmajic was fouled towards the end of the tie and in the confrontation that ensued appeared to have bitten Beck on the neck. Beck was subsequently sent off for having kicked Osmajic’s teammate Duane Holmes. However, the Montenegrin escaped punishment during the game, despite Beck appearing to tell referee Matthew Donohue, “he…

Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman was the star of the show last night as Atalanta secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Lookman scored a goal and had a hand in the other two as the Europa League champions dominated the Ukrainians in Gelsenkirchen.Atalanta went into the game with a point gotten from their goalless draw with Arsenal in their Champions League opening match of this campaign. Similarly, Shakhtar had held Italian side Bologna to a goalless draw and came into yesterday’s game with a point also. It took Atalanta only 21 minutes to…

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has conceded that criticism of his team’s performance in the Champions League defeat against Lille is deserved. The Spanish champions struggled against the Ligue 1 side in a loss that leaves them in 17th place out of 36 teams in the league phase of the Champions League.Madrid went behind after Lille’s Jonathan David converted a penalty kick given after the VAR spotted Eduardo Camavinga’s handball. It was the only goal of the game. The Brazilian duo Endrick and Vinicius Junior had chances in the first half to put Madrid back in the game but they…

Aston Villa reeacted the most famous night in their history with another 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League at home last night. It was the same scoreline from their historic European Cup final victory over the German side in 1982. Peter Withe was the hero of the night from that victory 42 years ago. Last night, it was Jhon Duran who sent Villa Park into ecstasy with a goal in the 79th minute after coming off the bench.Leading the celebrations from the stands was Prince Williams, as fans got to relive memories from that night in 1982.…

Atletico Madrid have been handed sanctions for the action of their fans leading to the temporary suspension of their Sunday’s Derby match against Real Madrid. Atletico’s two-fold sanction involves a three-game partial closure of their stands and a €45,000 ban.Atletico’s derby against Madrid had to be abandoned in the middle of the second half after their fans began to throw lighters, bottles and other objects onto the field minutes after an Eder Militão goal put Madrid ahead. Angel Correa brought Atletico back to level after play had been delayed for 15 minutes.The competition committee of the Spanish footnall federation handed…

Lionel Messi’s return to the Argentina national team is the biggest highlight of head coach Lionel Scaloni’s 27-man roster for the October international break. Scaloni named the squad expected to face Venezuela and Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for October. The Albiceleste are currently top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings after gathering 18 points from eight games including a 3-0 victory over Chile. The world champions will play away against Venezuela on October 10 before hosting Bolivia on October 15 as they look to cement their position at the top of the standings. The top six…

Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag has reaffirmed that he is still in control of the dressing room at Old Trafford amidst the performance crisis his team is going through.The Dutchman has come under intense pressure with his job at great risk following a terrible start to the season made worse by the club’s humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend.One of the explanations offered by analysts for United’s poor form is that ten Hag no longer has control over much of the dressing room. However, the manager has debunked this claim. He responded to questions about the state…