Sports

Thomas Tuchel wanted smiles. He wanted a response after the lacklustre performance against Andorra in Barcelona last Saturday, albeit in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win. What he got was another line to his brow, plenty to ponder as he begins what could be a long summer debrief. And more boos after losing 1-3 to visiting Senegal. There had been a bit of zip and character from Tuchel’s team in the final 25 minutes of regulation time. He made attacking changes, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder, Morgan Gibbs-White, showing up. Eberechi Eze, who played from the start, was good. The…

Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears as Portugal picked up their second Nations League title by beating holders Spain 5-3 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final. Ronaldo’s 138th international goal took the final on Sunday, June 8, to a shootout, with Alvaro Morata’s miss proving costly for Spain as Ruben Neves struck the winning spot kick to spark wild scenes of celebration, with emotion overwhelming the veteran captain. Spain’s exhilarating 5-4 victory over France in Thursday’s semifinal ensured Luis de la Fuente’s side had continued an unbeaten run that stretched back to March 2023 coming into Sunday’s…

*Set To Sign Three-year Contract By Ben Knapton, SportsMole The Victor Osimhen transfer saga is supposedly nearing its end, as the Napoli striker has accepted a mammoth contract offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal. The Nigeria international recently concluded a successful loan spell with Turkish giants Galatasaray, with whom he found the back of the net 37 times in 41 appearances. Osimhen made the surprise switch to the Turkish Super Lig after being ostracised from Antonio Conte's Napoli squad and failing to secure a deadline-day move to either Chelsea or Saudi Arabia. The ex-Lille man appeared to be on the verge…

In 2015, Luis Enrique’s Barcelona won the Champions League final, defeating Juventus 3-1. In 2017, Real Madrid claimed the title, also beating Juventus, this time 4-1. In 2023, Manchester City won their first and only Champions League by narrowly edging out Inter 1-0, thanks to a goal from Rodrigo. And in 2025, PSG secured their maiden Champions League trophy with a historic 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan—once again, with Luis Enrique on the winning bench. What do all four finals have in common? The top executive of the losing team was the same in every case. That would be the…

Tottenham have sacked Ange ­Postecoglou as their manager, describing it as “one of the toughest decisions we have had to make”, and are considering whether to replace him with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, who has a £10m release clause. Marco Silva of Fulham is also in the running. Postecoglou led Spurs to Europa League glory on 21 May, beating ­Manchester United in the final in ­Bilbao to end a 17-year trophy drought. It sparked delirium among fans, an outpouring of relief and the feeling among some of them that he deserved the chance to continue in the role. But the chair,…

Villa Like Sancho *Aston Villa have become the latest club to show an interest in signing England winger Jadon Sancho, 25, from Manchester United following his loan at Chelsea. ( Teamtalk ). Newcastle Eye Goalie Trafford *Newcastle United have made Burnley and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 22, their top target this summer. ( Times ). No Diaz Offers Yet For Liverpool *Liverpool are not looking to sell Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 28, and have received no offers, despite reported interest from Barcelona and Saudi side Al-Nassr. (Times) . But If Diaz Leaves… *But should Diaz leave, Newcastle's £80m-rated England winger…

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) George Weah remains the only African to win the prize and the Liverpool forward’s form in the past year has put him in a similar bracket to the Liberian. “The Egyptian King” scored 29 goals and assisted a further 18 to lead the Reds to the Premier League title, but he could not take them further than the last 16 in the Champions League. Arne Slot played Salah in every league match, a sign of his importance and his stupendous fitness. “He’s had very, very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in…

The United Kingdom (UK) government said it is “fully prepared” to take Roman Abramovich to court to resolve the three-year impasse over the £2.5billion frozen from the sale of Chelsea. In a rare joint statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, and the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, confirmed the UK was ready to escalate its efforts to secure the money which has been promised to support humanitarian activity in Ukraine. "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated…

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Enugu State chapter, has expressed deep shock over the loss of 22 athletes and officials of Kano State contingent to the just concluded 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State. In a statement issued on Sunday, SWAN Enugu Chairman, Comrade Gideon Iwueke, described the untimely death of the sports men and women as tragic, saddening and a big setback to the growth of sports in Kano State and Nigeria at large. Comrade Iwueke, while consoling the Government and people of Kano State on the huge loss, also consoled with the…

By Sani Bala Karo, Kano Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has expressed deep sorrow and extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of victims who lost their lives in a tragic auto accident that claimed 22 lives and left several others seriously injured. The victims, who were mostly in their youthful age, were returning home as Kano’s contingent from the National Sports Festival held in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria. In a statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the state declared tomorrow, Monday, June 2, as a public holiday to symphathize with the victims’ families.…