IN ENGLAND
Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus scored his first home goals in a year as his hat-trick helped the team come from behind to beat Crystal Palace three-two and reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Crystal Palace’s two Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah.
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Liverpool star Darwin Nunez set the team on the path to victory over Southampton as Arne Slot’s side reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
First-half strikes from Nunez and Harvey Elliott gave Liverpool firm control, although Cameron Archer pulled a goal back to give the hosts hope.
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Newcastle star Sandro Tonali scored twice as the team moved into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable three-one victory over Brentford at St James’ Park.
The Italy midfielder, who returned this season from a ten month ban for breaching betting rules, drove in an early opener for the hosts after Tino Livramento’s cross was only partially cleared.
Newcastle’s third goal was scored by Fabian Schar, while Brentford’s only goal was scored by Yoanne Wissa.
The semi-final draw will take place on Thursday after Tottenham’s quarter-final tie with Manchester United.
Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca says the club trust Mykhailo Mudryk did not knowingly take a banned substance that led him failing a drugs test.
The Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended by the Football Association after a routine urine test provided by Mudryk returned an adverse finding.
The 23-year-old, who is unable to play for or train with the club during his suspension, denies knowingly using a banned substance.
Maresca hopes the winger will quickly be absolved of blame.
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Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim says the club is better with Marcus Rashford after the forward suggested he could leave Old Trafford.
The England international, said he was ready for a new challenge and the next steps in his career.
It came two days after Rashford was dropped for United’s derby win against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.
Amorim, who suggested the club want the striker who came through United’s youth ranks to stay, said the club will try different things to help Rashford find the best levels he has shown in the past.
United face Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Thursday.
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IN NIGERIA
Former FIFA and CAF instructor, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde says Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman’s African Player of the Year award was based on merit.
Onigbinde, who congratulated the Nigerian international, stated that the Atalanta star won the award based on merit.
He truly deserved the award based on what he has done for the Super Eagles and Atalanta as well.
Also, Chelsea star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall described Ademola Lookman as humble and very hardworking.
Dewsbury-Hall said he was proud of his latest achievement.
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Former Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has credited Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini for Ademola Lookman’s impressive form.
Lookman has been in fantastic form for both club and country in 2024.
Peseiro stated that Lookman deserved to be named Africa’s Best Player.
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Former Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro says Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has what it takes to thrive in the Italian top-flight.
Dele-Bashiru switched the Turkish Super Lig for Italy this summer.
The midfielder’s loan move from Hatayaspor to Lazio contained an obligation to buy.
The former Sheffield Wednesday star has however struggled to live up to expectations at Lazio.
The 23-year-old is yet to open his goal account in Serie A but has shone in the UEFA Europa League.
He has scored two goals and registered two assists in four appearances for the Biancolesti in the competition.
Former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has shared his perspectives on what Samuel Chukwueze needs to thrive in Italy.
Chukwueze has struggled to hit the ground running since his move from Villarreal to AC Milan in 2023.
The winger has found himself left on the bench a lot of times in recent games, which has limited his minutes at the club.
Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho is set to leave Spanish La Liga side Sevilla in January following a disappointing six-month spell at the club.
The Nigeria international, who joined from Leicester City last summer, has struggled to make an impact at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, finding himself behind Isaac Romero in the pecking order despite the Spaniard’s own poor form of just one goal in 14 league appearances.
Sevilla’s sporting director Victor Orta is already planning to sign a new striker in the winter transfer window, with Iheanacho identified as the player to be moved on.
Oluwaseun Adedipe and Lady Kafayat Bamimore have won the top prize in the men and ladies categories of the 2024 NLNG Golf Classic in Bonny, Rivers state.
The two-day Golf Classic Invitational was the fifth in the series, began with the tee-off ceremony at the Bonny Island Golf Club.
The annual golf competition, saw no fewer than 100 golfers competing for honours in the different categories.
Adedipe played a total gross score of 77, playing off handicap 10 and returned a net score of 67 to claim the men’s top prize.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been tagged as favourite to defeat France’s Nassourdine Imavov in their upcoming main event clash at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.
According to bookmakers, Adesanya is slightly favoured to emerge victorious in what will be his first non-title bout since defeating Anderson Silva in February 2019.
The Nigerian-New Zealander will headline the UFC’s debut show in Saudi Arabia at the ANB Arena, Riyadh on 1st February, following consecutive losses to current champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 in August and Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023.
The Nigeria Cricket Federation has announced a strong 15-player squad for the 2025 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia, one month to the start of the tournament.
It’s an unchanged squad from the qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, where Nigeria picked the ticket to the World Cup which will be hosted by Malaysia from 18th January to 2nd February, 2025.
Captain Lucky Piety will lead 14 other players including Shola Adekunle, Peculiar Agboya, Anointed Aikigbe, Lillian Ude and Christabel Chukwuonye.
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Germany appears poised to claim yet another talent eligible for Nigeria, as Eintracht Frankfurt defender Nnamdi Collins edges closer to a potential future with the European giant.
The 20-year-old, who has this week extended his contract with Frankfurt until 2030, is reportedly on the radar of German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Sky Germany reports that if Collins maintains his current form, a maiden call-up to Germany’s senior team could be on the horizon.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both scored as Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 victory over Mexican side Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final in Doha on Wednesday.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Rodrygo doubled Madrid’s lead early in the second half. Vinicius sealed a comfortable win for the Spanish and European champions with a late penalty.
France striker Mbappe returned to the Madrid line-up in Doha after missing Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Champions League win at Atalanta last week.
Mbappe swept in from close range to break the deadlock after brilliant play from Vinicius Junior, who won the FIFA Best men’s player of the year award a day earlier after missing out on the Ballon d’Or.
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Real Madrid forward, Vinicius Junior says his critics continue to belittle him after earning one of football’s biggest individual honours.
The Brazil international was named the men’s player of the year at the Fifa Best Awards, seven weeks after missing out on the Ballon d’Or.
The 24-year-old has repeatedly been racially abused while playing in Spain over the past two seasons.
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Napoli midfielder, Scott McTominay says he has no regret leaving Manchester United this summer.
Since joining the Italian club, he has scored three goals and provided three assists in thirteen matches in the Serie A.
McTominay stated that all parties understood his time with the club had come to an end and that the project presented by Napoli inspired him to put pen to paper.
He explained that leaving Manchester United, a club he had been with since his youth, was both a significant and straightforward decision.
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Scottish Football Association chief executive, Ian Maxwell, says some decisions will be wrong and that is down to human nature in response to Rangers’ frustration at being denied an extra-time penalty in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final defeat against Celtic.
Video Assistant Referee officials failed to alert referee John Beaton that Liam Scales’ tug on Vaclav Cerny’s jersey appeared to occur on the line, rather than just outside the box.
Head of refereeing Willie Collum is expected to address the incident in his weekly VAR review on Thursday.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement called the incident a really decisive moment, going on to describe the absence of Video Assistant Referee intervention as weird.
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Meanwhile, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell says nobody has cracked how to deal with pyrotechnics at football matches amid his desire to eradicate them.
Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers were already under SPFL investigation for displays that delayed the kick-offs at the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, before a repeat in Sunday’s final between the Glasgow duo.
Maxwell said the Scottish FA would look to its own rulebook to tackle the issue should it happen again during its own Scottish Cup fixtures.
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OTHER SPORTS
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks silenced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half to win the second edition of the NBA Cup with a 97-81 victory in Las Vegas.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists along with two steals and three blocked shots for the Bucks, who drilled 17 three-pointers to complete an unbeaten run and follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Lakers as in-season tournament champions.
Damian Lillard scored 23 points for the Bucks, who held the potentially explosive Thunder offense to 31 points in the second half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but he connected on just eight of his 24 shots from the field, two of nine from three-point range.
The triumph was a vindication for the Bucks, who were stung by the Indiana Pacers in last year’s Cup semi-finals.
In Boxing, Heavyweights Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury have taken different approaches in preparing for their rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, especially when it comes to contact with their families.
Both men have large families and Briton Fury revealed he has not spoken to his wife Paris Fury for three months while he has been in camp in Malta.
Ukrainian Usyk on the other hand, said he speaks to his own wife and children every day, but has not seen them for five months.
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In Tennis, Former world number one Simona Halep has received a wildcard for Australian Open qualifying.
The 33-year-old Romanian was given a four-year doping ban that was reduced to nine months this year.
Halep, who maintained her innocence after being charged with two separate doping offences, returned to action in Miami in March and last competed on the WTA Tour in October in Hong Kong, where she lost in the first round.
Qualifying runs from 6th to 9th January and the Australian Open starts on 12th January.
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In Formula one, Sergio Perez is to leave Red Bull after reaching a termination agreement with the team.
The move comes after a weak season for the Mexican, who failed to win a race and finished on the podium only four times as team-mate Max Verstappen won his fourth world title.
Perez is expected to be replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson, who will be promoted from the sister Racing Bulls team.
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In Golf, English golfer Marco Penge has been banned by the DP World Tour for placing bets on multiple events.
However, the tour said the 26-year-old did not bet on himself or tournaments he was participating in.
It led the tour’s disciplinary panel to find the integrity of the events which Penge bet on had not been compromised.
Penge, who has just completed his first full year on the European-based tour, has received a three-month ban, with one month suspended for a year.
He was also fined two thousand pounds.
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In Cricket, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from international cricket.
The 38-year-old, the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history, made the announcement after the drawn third Test against Australia in Brisbane.
Ashwin, who did not play in the game, was widely recognised as one of the greats of the modern game during a fourteen year India career.
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World Athletics has offered twenty-five athletes year-round protection on some of their social media platforms, using artificial intelligence, after they were identified as highly targeted individuals for abuse during major events.
The governing body has run a study over the past four years, comprising two Olympic Games and two World Championships, to analyse online abuse to its athletes.
More than one point four million posts or comments were analysed, covering two thousand, four hundred and thirty-eight track, field and road athletes.
World Athletics has not identified the twenty-five athletes and said the support would be expanded next year.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN CARABAO CUP – QUARTER-FINALS
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
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IN UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
APOEL vs Astana
Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers
Hearts vs Petrocub
Larne vs Gent
Real Betis vs HJK
Vitória Guimarães vs Fiorentina
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IN COPPA ITALIA LAST SIXTEEN
Inter Milan vs Udinese
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
The principle is competing against yourself. It is about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before…..Words from Steve Young.
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