Author: Oluwatosin Ologun

Thomas Tuchel recorded a winning start as England’s manager, with the Three Lions taking care of business against Albania to begin the qualifying process for the 2026 World Cup. Goals came courtesy of debutant Miles Lewis-Skelly and all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane, as England dominated possession 75-25 and restricted the visitors to just three shots (none on target). Not exactly scintillating stuff, but effective enough. Lewis-Skelly, who found the net just 20 minutes into his senior debut, became England’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the process, at just 18 years and 176 days of age (33 days younger than previous record-holder Marcus…

Super striker Victor Osimhen, Bruno Onyemaechi, Papa Daniel Mustapha, and Kayode Bankole were the first players to arrive in Nigeria’s camp for the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. The players in a video post shared on the team’s social media handles were spotted at the Kigali International Airport in the Rwandan capital. Coach Eric Chelle and some of the team’s officials welcomed the players for camping ahead of Friday’s clash. “Early arrival of Super Eagles officials and four players – Victor Osimhen, Bruno Onyemaechi, Papa Daniel Mustapha, and Kayode Bankole,” the caption on the social media post shared…

The African qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup resume this week after a nine-month break, and the stakes are high for some big names on the continent. The 2026 World Cup qualification race will take place across Africa this week and early next week. In matchdays 5 and 6 qualifying fixtures in Africa, Nigeria’s Super Eagles will set to revive their dwindling hopes of reaching the US, Canada, and Mexico where the competition is billed to be held. World Cup Qualifying Fixtures in Africa Below are the fixtures for Matchday 5 and 6 across Africa Matchday 5 March 19,…

Newcastle United ended their 56-year trophy drought in dramatic style as defender Dan Burn and forward Alexander Isak sealed a 2-1 win against Liverpool in the League Cup final on Sunday. Eddie Howe’s side made history at Wembley with a superb display that left the runaway Premier League leaders shell-shocked. Burn put Newcastle ahead late in the first half and Isak’s 27th goal in all competitions doubled their lead after the interval. Federico Chiesa got one back in the closing seconds, but Newcastle held on for their first major silverware since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. That success in the…

Kylian Mbappe brace helped Real Madrid climb top of La Liga with a 2-1 win at Villarreal on Saturday despite coach Carlo Ancelotti’s complaints that his team was “exhausted”. Los Blancos moved three points clear of rivals Barcelona, having played two extra games, with the Catalans visiting third-place Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a key clash in the Spanish title race. Madrid were unhappy the game was taking place fewer than 72 hours after their Champions League win on penalties against Atletico on Wednesday. “The team has something special, character, commitment,” Ancelotti told reporters, insisting Madrid would refuse to play…

Manchester City suffered another defeat after twice blowing the lead to draw 2-2 against Brighton, while third-placed Nottingham Forest thrashed Ipswich 4-2 on Saturday. Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush put City in front, but high-flying Brighton extended their unbeaten run to seven games thanks to Pervis Estupinan’s free-kick and an Abdukodir Khusanov own goal. City boss Pep Guardiola said on Friday that just reaching the Champions League next season would be a “big success” after a difficult season for a side used to lifting the league title. The English champions’ early exit from Europe’s top competition to Real Madrid had…

Nigeria’s Flamingos took a giant step towards qualification for the 2025 U-17 Women’s World Cup on Saturday, beating South Africa 2-0 at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State. The Flamingos defeated the Bantwana 3-1 in the first leg of the clash last week, meaning they soared to the next phase of the qualification race with a whopping 5-1 aggregate victory. The game produced no goal after the early exchanges. But two-goal heroine in the first leg, Harmony Chidi coolly nodded home from an acute angle in the 37th minute on Saturday, to compound the fixture for the visitors. Shakirat…

Manchester United are through to the Europa League quarter-final after Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday night. For United fans, it was enough for a 5-2 win on aggregate and a night which looked set to be filled with nerves and anxiety ended in a party atmosphere. A pair of converted penalties either side of half-time — after the hosts had gone behind early on via another spot kick — and a smart finish late in the game meant the United captain took away the match ball. Diogo Dalot put the icing…

Arsenal completed an outstanding 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven in the knockout stage to set up a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. Holders Real beat capital rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties – and Arsenal will likely have to find top gear against the Spanish giants in the last eight after cruising past their Dutch opponents. Leading 7-1 from the first leg in the Netherlands, the Gunners took the opportunity to make wholesale changes to their starting XI. While there were also huge swathes of empty seats around a subdued Emirates Stadium, those in attendance were treated to a sumptuous opening goal…

Real Madrid have reached a Champions League quarter-final tie with Arsenal after beating city rivals Atletico in a highly controversial penalty shootout. Defender Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout win after two Atletico players missed. Marco Llorente’s shot struck the bar after Julian Alvarez slipped and had his penalty strike disallowed after a VAR check ruled that the Argentine had touched the ball twice. Former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez fired home his kick, and Atletico’s second, to make the score in the shootout 2-2, but he was judged to have touched the ball twice when officials scrutinised…