Sports
Africans In Europe: Asamoah On Target For Juve
It was a solitary goal for African strikers in the English Premier League as Arouna Kone scored for Wigan in their 1-2 home loss to West Brom.
However, 28 other strikers from the continent registered their names in the scors sheet across Europe at the weekend to indicate bumper return for African strikers in Europe.
Italy
Kwadwo Asamoah scored one of the goals for Juventus as they crushed Pescara 6-1 to stay at the top of the table with a four-point margin. The Ghana striker scored his side’s third goal in the 30th minute, his first in two months after 12 games.
Mounir El Hamdaoui made sure of the points for Fiorentina who won their fourth straight game by defeating AC Milan 3-1. The Morocco striker secured the points with three minutes remaining after coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute.
Spain
Equatorial Guinea striker Rodolfo Bodipo found the back of the net in added time for Deportivo la Coruna, but his side lost a two-goal lead to lose 5-3 away at Real Zaragoza. Bodipo came on as a substitute in the last eight minutes to score his second goal this season for Depor who lie in the bottom three of the table.
France
Nancy are stuck at the bottom of the table after losing their third consecutive game 3-1 to visiting side Rennes. Nancy had equalised through Nigeria striker Simon Zenke, scoring for the first time this season, in the 50th minute, but Burkina Faso’s Jonathan Pitroipa sealed the game for Rennes with six minutes remaining as he netted in his fourth goal of the season. Cameroon striker Paul Efoulou , failed to reduce the deficit after he missed a penalty in the 82nd minute, four minutes after coming on as a substitute.
A goal by Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou just before half-time secured the points for Lille who defeated Brest at home.
Gabon striker Pierre Aubameyang continued his fine form as he scored two minutes to time for Saint Etienne who defeated Troyes 2-0. Aubameyang has scored eight goals in 12 games for Saint Etienne. He is the league’s second top scorer with two goals short of Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint-Germain.
A goal in each half by the Algeria midfielder Foued Kadir helped Valenciennes to a 3-2 away win at Bastia. It was Kadir’s fifth Ligue 1 goal and helped lift Valenciennes to fifth position.
Tunisia defender Aymen Abdennour was on the score sheet for Toulouse who were beaten 4-2 at home by Ajaccio. Mali striker Sigamary Diarra was among the scorers for Ajaccio with his first goal of the league.
Ghana’s Andre Ayew gave Marseille the lead in the 40th minute as his side drew 2-2 at home with Nice. However, Marseille have a game in hand and are equal on points with leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Turkey
Two African goals, both from the penalty spot, ensured that the encounter between Kasimpasa and league leaders Antalyaspor finished with the two sides sharing the points. Nigeria striker Kalu Uche rescued the home side Kasimpasa by converting from the spot in the very last minute after Morocco’s Ismail Aissati had given Antalyaspor the lead 13 minutes earlier.
DR Congo striker Lomana Lua Lua came on mid-way into the second-half to seal victory for Karabukspor who came from behind to beat Istanbul BB 3-1. The Cameroon striker Pierre Webo had given Istanbul the lead after just four minutes of play.
Fenerbahce moved up to third position after a 2-1 victory over Orduspor with Senegal striker Moussa Sow scoring the opening goal in the 11th minute.
Portugal
Nacional played the last two minutes at Vitoria Guimaraes with 10 men but they had already secured the points mid way in the second-half to win 3-1 after coming from behind. Ladji Keita from Senegal and the Angola substitute Mateus were both on target for Nacional.
Somalia striker Liban Abdi accounted for the only goal of the game in the 29th minute as his side Olhanense defeated Beira Mar. Abdi has now scored four goals in the league.
Belgium
Hamdi Harbaoui broke the deadlock after 42 minutes to give Lokeren the lead in their 2-1 victory over Standard Liege. After the Tunisia striker celebrated his fourth goal of the league, the South Africa midfielder Ayanda Patosi scored Lokeren’s second in the 65th minute to take his tally to six goals.
Senegal striker Mbaye Leye equalised for second-placed Zulte-Waregem in the 73rd minute as they drew 1-1 at home with 10-man Mechelen.
Anderlecht triumphed 6-1 over rivals Club Bruges to remain at the top of the table with the DR Congo striker Dieudonne Mbokani scoring one of the goals in the 33rd minute.
Russia
Nigeria striker Ahmed Musa made sure that CSKA Moscow maintained top position after scoring twice as his side beat Kuban Krasnodar 3-1.
Anzhi Makhachkala are in second position despite drawing 1-1 at Locomotiv Moscow. Morocco midfielder Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez gave Anzhi the lead in the 72nd minute but Senegal striker Dame N’doye equalised six minute later to salvage a point.
Greece
Two giants of Greek football, both on extreme opposite ends of the Super League table, met on Sunday for a chance to win some bragging rights. And it was the league leaders Olympiakos who triumphed emphatically with a 4-0 win over rivals AEK Athens, who are languishing at the bottom of the table.
Algeria midfielder Djamel Abdoun scored from the penalty spot to give the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute, and with only 10 men to continue, it was all downhill afterwards for AEK Athens.
Netherlands
Waalwijk won only their third game in 12 league matches after beating Utrecht by a resounding 4-0 score line to climb up to 11th position. Morocco defender Imad Najah was on target for Waalwijk, whose previous victory was back in August.
Ukraine
Ideye Brown scored twice at the weekend for Dynamo Kyiv who crushed Metalurh Zaporizhya 5-0. The Nigeria striker has taken his tally to 10 goals so far to become second-top scorer in the league.
England
Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone scored for Wigan but could not prevent them from going down 2-1 to West Brom. Kone got o0n the end of a Jean Beausejour cross to finish from six yards.
Sports
Tottenham’s Miserable Run Continues
Relegation-threatened Tottenham’s miserable 2026 continued as their winless run extended to 10 league games with Fulham gaining a deserved victory to boost their hopes of qualifying for European football.
Fulham, who scored twice in the opening six minutes in their 2-1 win over Spurs in November, again got an early goal with Harry Wilson netting in the seventh minute.
However, the goal was controversial as new Spurs boss Igor Tudor felt it should have been disallowed as home striker Raul Jimenez pushed Radu Dragusin as they challenged for a Kenny Tete cross, before Oscar Bobb picked out Wilson to volley home from six yards out.
Tottenham had a similar goal ruled out last week in their 4-1 loss to Arsenal for a foul by Randal Kolo Muani on Gunners defender Gabriel but, following a check from the video assistant referee (VAR) Craig Pawson, Fulham’s goal was allowed to stand, much to Tudor’s fury.
Spurs, though, had no excuses for the 34th-minute second goal with Alex Iwobi left with space to shoot home superbly from 18 yards out, with the ball going in off the inside of the post after a neat exchange with Wilson.
Sports
City Survive Leeds’ Challenge At Elland Road
Antoine Semenyo scored just before half-time as title-chasing Manchester City escaped Elland Road with victory over an energetic Leeds United.
The hard-earned outcome narrowed Arsenal’s lead to two points at the top of the Premier League.
City travelled to West Yorkshire without their Leeds-born star striker Erling Haaland who was injured in training, and it looked for large periods in the first half that they would rue not having their top goalscorer available.
But Ghana international Semenyo stretched to convert Rayan Ait-Nouri’s fizzed low ball into the penalty area for his sixth City goal since joining from Bournemouth in January.
Leeds will be wondering how they did not score after making a sprightly start and giving City real cause for early concern.
Meanwhile , a clinical Liverpool performance helped them beat battling West Ham in the Premier League and move level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
The hosts were 3-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister.
West Ham pulled one back early in the second half through Tomas Soucek before Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead in the 70th minute.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored again through Taty Castellanos, but an Axel Disasi own goal ensured Liverpool hit five goals in a league game for the first time this season.
Bayern Rebound To Overcome Dortmund In Bundesliga (5)
Harry Kane scored two second-half goals as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund in a thrilling match and move 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
The England striker took his tally to 45 goals in all competitions this season as Bayern became the first team to inflict a home league defeat on Dortmund.
Kane, who passed 500 A clinical Liverpool performance helped them beat battling West Ham in the Premier League and move level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
The hosts were 3-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister.
West Ham pulled one back early in the second half through Tomas Soucek before Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead in the 70th minute.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored again through Taty Castellanos, but an Axel Disasi own goal ensured Liverpool hit five goals in a league game for the first time this season.
All three of the Reds’ first-half goals came from set-pieces – with Arne Slot’s side now leading the table in 2026 when it comes to goals from set-plays (excluding penalties).
In the fifth minute, Ryan Gravenberch teed up Ekitike, who finished smartly to beat Mads Hermansen at the near post for his 16th goal of the season.
West Ham threatened to equalise, but against the run of play Liverpool doubled their advantage when Van Dijk headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner.
The visitors failed to take advantage of Liverpool’s complacency with Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jarrod Bowen and Soucek all wasting chances.
And just before half-time, Mac Allister’s superb volley took a deflection and ended in the back of the net. That was the cue for sections of the travelling support to head for the exits.
Nico Schlotterbeck’s opener.
Dortmund thought they had snatched a point when Daniel Svensson’s thumping volley sent Signal Iduna Park into pandemonium.
But that was until Joshua Kimmich’s strike three minutes from time kept Bayern in pole position to win a 14th title in 15 seasons.
Schlotterbeck headed Dortmund ahead in the 26th minute when he rose highest in a crowded penalty area to connect with Svensson’s free-kick from the left.
Dortmund had the chance to double their lead later in the half when Fabio Silva squared the ball to Maximilian Beier, who was denied by the onrushing Jonas Urbig.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Bayern – playing with a front three of Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz – were unable to test Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
But Kane equalised early in the second period with a poacher’s effort from inside the area at the end of a slick move involving Kimmich and Serge Gnabry.
Both teams missed chances before Kane scored a penalty – a record 10th in a Bundesliga season – after Josip Stanisic was floored by Schlotterbeck.
Dortmund levelled when Svensson volleyed past Urbig, but Kimmich all but ended their hopes of winning a first title since 2012.
Sports
PSG Extend Lead In Ligue 1
Paris St-Germain stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to four points by claiming a narrow win at Le Havre.
The defending champions hoped to take advantage after second-placed Lens drew at Strasbourg on Friday, and Bradley Barcola gave them a deserved lead shortly before half-time.
PSG had chances to extend their lead and substitute Desire Doue had a late penalty saved by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
Lee Kang-In had an effort saved by Diaw before his right-wing cross was headed home by Barcola for his ninth goal of the season.
Moments later Lee fired wide when through on goal, before PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired against a post just after half-time.
Keeper Matvey Safonov made a fine save from Issa Soumare to keep PSG in front, while Diaw denied substitutes Nuno Mendes, Ibrahim Mbaye and Doue.
Diaw parried Doue’s spot-kick low to his right after Doue was brought down by Lucas Gourna-Douath with 11 minutes left.
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