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CAFCL: Rangers labour past Comoros side Zilimadjou Enugu Rangers have advanced to the second qualifying round of the CAF Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Zilimadjou of Comoros. Despite playing both legs in Uyo’s Godswill Akpabio Stadium due to Comoros not having a suitable ground, Rangers could only labour to a narrow aggregate victory. The second leg in Uyo on Friday ended 1-1, after Rangers secured a 1-0 win in the same city last Saturday. After a drab first half that produced no goals, Kenechukwu Agu broke the deadlock for the Nigerian champions from the penalty spot 11…
Remo Stars land in Morocco for crucial CAF Champions League clash vs AS FAR Remo Stars have arrived in Rabat, Morocco for the second leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary round tie with AS FAR. The Nigeria Premier Football League runners-up won the first leg 2-1 in Ikenne last weekend and will progress to the next round if they avoid defeat in Morocco on Sunday night. They landed in Rabat today after flying from Lagos on a Royal Air Maroc plane, all the players decked in identical colourful adire prints. It is an uphill battle for Remo Stars as…
Official: Gundogan returns to Manchester City from Barcelona Manchester City have re-signed Ilkay Gundogan one year after he left the club for Barcelona. The English Premier League champions confirmed the deal on Friday, moments after the Germany midfielder issued an open ‘goodbye’ message to Barcelona fans on social media. “Manchester City have completed a deal to re-sign Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona on a one-year deal, subject to international clearance,” the English club announced on their official website. “The midfielder spent seven hugely successful seasons at the Etihad before moving to the La Liga side in June 2023, just 16 days…
Dybala turns down Saudi Arabia megabucks to stay with Roma In a sensational turn of events, Paulo Dybala and Roma have decided to both reject the offer from Al-Qadsiah and he will remain at the Stadio Olimpico. ‘I’ll see you Sunday.’ The player had said his goodbyes at the Trigoria training ground on Thursday, both to fans, teammates and staff at the camp, with the full expectation that he would not return. However, this evening multiple sources including Fabrizio Romano, Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia all claim that the negotiations were called off. They have slightly different versions as to…
I won’t play for Belgium under Tedesco — Courtois Belgium’s Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois announced on Thursday that he would no longer play for the Belgium national team under current coach Domenico Tedesco. Courtois, widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the world, was left out of the Belgium squad for the European Championship following a row with Tedesco last year. He was replaced by Koen Casteels for the Euros. “I feel privileged to have had the honour of wearing the national jersey. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being able to do…
Lyon do ‘clearance sales’ of players in bid to meet financial target French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais have placed the majority of their squad on the transfer market in an attempt to reach their financial sales target before the end of the transfer window, French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Thursday. “The management of OL has just sent out the message that, from now on, just about everyone is for sale, as long as someone pays the right price,” the newspaper said. The club did not disclose which players are on the transfer list. The French side aims to raise…
Arsenal set to seal £32m deal for Mikel Merino Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Mikel Merino after Real Sociedad accepted an offer for the Spain midfielder worth over £32m. Negotiations over a deal for the 28-year-old have been taking place for several weeks with Sociedad’s president insisting Arsenal must match their asking price for Merino. Jokin Aperribay was understood to have arrived in London for further talks with Arsenal’s sporting director, Edu, on Wednesday, with a breakthrough then reached 24 hours later. Arsenal are believed to have agreed to pay £28m up front for the former Newcastle…
US Open: Djokovic targets Grand Slam record, Sinner under doping cloud Defending champion Djokovic can become the oldest Open era champion at the tournament if he secures a fifth title, a record he would share with Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. The 37-year-old would also move to 25 Grand Slam triumphs, taking him clear of the 24 he currently shares with Margaret Court. The final major of the year comes at a critical time for Djokovic. This year he was succeeded as Australian Open champion by Sinner who also relieved him of his world number one ranking. Carlos…
‘Why not?’ Hamilton backs Formula One Grand Prix in Africa Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on Thursday gave his “100 percent” backing to a Grand Prix in Africa, with Formula One bosses poised for talks over staging a race in Rwanda. “Why are we not on that continent?” Hamilton asked when quizzed about including an African stop on the Grand Prix circuit. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has set up a meeting next month with representatives from Rwanda, who have put forward a “serious” proposal. Africa has not hosted a Grand Prix since 1993 in South Africa, but Domenicali said…
Europe: Akpom hits Ajax hat-trick, Chelsea edge Servette, De Gea makes Fiorentina debut Nigerian striker Chuba Akpom was the star man across Europe on Thursday night as he scored a hat-trick to inspire Ajax to a 4-1 away victory over Jagiellonia Bialystok in their UEFA Europa League playoffs first leg clash. Meanwhile, UEFA Conference League favourites Chelsea laboured to a 2-0 victory over Servette of Switzerland in the first leg of their playoffs tie at Stamford Bridge. Akpom, who is in his second season at Ajax after playing most of his career in England where he was born, struck once…