Sports
How African Players Performed In Europe Last Week
Senegal striker, Nicolas Jackson scored his fourth goal in three matches to give Chelsea a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
The 22-year-old has endured a difficult first season with the Blues since moving from Villarreal, but recently showed signs of adapting to the Premier League.
Chelsea lie seventh with two matches to play, behind Newcastle United on goal difference and three points ahead of Manchester United.
ENGLAND
NICOLAS JACKSON (Chelsea)
Jackson scored his 17th goal this season to seal the Blues’ win at Forest. He headed home in the 82nd minute to complete Chelsea’s comeback from 2-1 down to keep his team in contention for a European place.
YOANE WISSA, BRYAN MBEUMO (Brentford)
Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder Wissa netted for the 11th time this term and Cameroon forward Mbeumo got his ninth of the campaign as the Bees won 2-1 at Bournemouth. Wissa bagged the stoppage-time winner after Mbeumo’s 86th-minute strike, his 50th Brentford goal, was cancelled by Dominic Solanke three minutes later.
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (Everton)
The Mali midfielder grabbed the winner as Everton beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Goodison Park. The 31-year-old headed in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s cross in the 31st minute.
SPAIN
BRAHIM DIAZ (Real Madrid)
The Moroccan playmaker has played an important role in Madrid’s La Liga title conquest this season and netted twice during the second half at relegated Granada in a 4-0 win. The first was a fine solo goal, driving forward from halfway and, with defenders standing off, he tucked home. The second was a neat finish after being teed up by Luka Modric.
YOUSSEF EN-NESYRI (Sevilla)
Morocco striker En-Nesyri put Sevilla ahead twice at Villarreal, but his team still suffered a 3-2 loss. The forward tucked home a penalty to open the scoring after 26 minutes and then headed home before half-time from close range.
INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)
Ghana international Williams had a goal ruled out for offside early in Athletic’s 2-2 draw against Osasuna, before scoring in the second half. The striker helped his team come from two goals down to draw, sending a rasping effort across goal and into the top corner.
ITALY
ISMAEL BENNACER (AC Milan)
The Algerian international opened the scoring as second-placed Milan thrashed Cagliari 5-1 in Serie A. Bennacer was on hand to turn in the rebound when a shot from Nigerian teammate Samuel Chukwueze was pushed away by the goalkeeper. Bennacer also set up a goal for Rafael Leao.
GERMANY
VICTOR BONIFACE, AMINE ADLI (Bayer Leverkusen)
Bayer striker Boniface and winger Adli both got on the scoresheet in a 5-0 Bundesliga romp over 10-man Bochum. When Nigerian Nathan Tella was fouled, compatriot Boniface converted the penalty in first-half stoppage time. Moroccan Adli came on with 21 minutes remaining and was in the right place at the right time to head in from a corner.
SEERHOU GUIRASSY (Stuttgart)
Guinea international Guirassy scored as Stuttgart kept up pressure on second-placed Bayern Munich with a 1-0 win at Augsburg. Guirassy collected a long pass three minutes after half-time and poked the ball home.
FRANCE
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Marseille)
Veteran Gabon striker Aubameyang continued his prolific first season at Marseille by scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Lorient that kept their hopes of European qualification alive going into the final weekend of the campaign. The brace took him to 16 goals in Ligue 1, and 29 in all competitions.
FRANK MAGRI (Toulouse)
The striker who appeared for Cameroon at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations helped Toulouse spoil Paris Saint-Germain’s title party at the Parc des Princes. Magri came off the bench to score the visitors’ final goal in their surprise 3-1 win, as PSG lost in Ligue 1 for the first time since September.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.