IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Holders Paris Saint-Germain has made the perfect start to the defence of its Champions League title with an emphatic win four-nil against Atalanta.
Having become European champions for the first time with a five-nil thumping of Inter Milan in May’s final, they dominated against another Serie A side at the Parc des Princes.
Captain Marquinhos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos and Nuno Mendes scored a goal each for PSG.
PSG’s next Champions League games see them visit Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen in October, before home matches against Bayern Munich and Tottenham in November.
Atalanta will be looking to beat Club Brugge at home in their next match in the competition on Tuesday, 30th September
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England striker, Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 at home in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Michael Olise pressured Trevoh Chalobah into an own goal with 20 minutes gone, before Kane won and converted a penalty seven minutes later.
Cole Palmer finished off a superb team counter-attack just two minutes later to bring Chelsea back into the game.
But Kane stepped up again midway through the second half to wrestle control back Bayern’s way.
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Liverpool has delivered another dramatic late twist as the team opened its Champions League campaign with a three-two victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Alexander Isak made his eagerly awaited Liverpool introduction but it looked as though Arne Slot’s side would be disappointed as Atletico came from two-nil down to level, only for Virgil van Dijk to head a stoppage time winner.
Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson scored a goal each for Liverpool, while Atletico Madrid’s two goals were scored by Marcos Llorente.
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Inter Milan star Marcus Thuram scored either side of half-time as the team cruised to a two-nil comfortable Champions League victory at Ajax.
The French forward twice headed in from Hakan Calhanoglu corners to maintain his rich vein of form at the start of the present campaign.
Thuram has now registered five goals in four games in all competitions this term.
Inter welcome Slavia Prague to the San Siro for their next Champions League match on Tuesday, 30th September, while Ajax travel to France to play Marseille.
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Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is not part of the squad for their Champions League match at Newcastle United on Thursday.
The 18-year-old missed his side’s win against Valencia with a groin issue after Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticised the amount of time Yamal played for Spain during the international break.
Barcelona beat Valencia six-nil without him and have not selected the forward in their squad for their first game of this season’s Champions League at St James’ Park.
Spain left-back Alejandro Balde with hamstring and Spain midfielder Gavi with knee are also absent.
Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong also missed the Valencia game following international duty but is available for the Newcastle match.
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Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to miss up to six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in the team’s Champions League win over Marseille.
Alexander-Arnold started the match at the Bernabeu but was forced off in the fifth minute having injured his left leg.
Real Madrid confirmed the injury following tests on Wednesday.
It also leaves him in a race against time to be fit for Real’s visit to Liverpool on 4th November, which would be Alexander-Arnold’s first return to Anfield since his move.
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Swansea City has shocked Nottingham Forest with a three-two stunning late comeback to progress to the round of sixteen of the Carabao Cup and keep Ange Postecoglou waiting for his first win in charge of the visitors.
Conversely, Swansea, League Cup winners in 2013, enjoyed their finest cup success since relegation from the Premier League.
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Manchester United has earned record financial revenue of six hundred and sixty-six point five million pounds last year despite the poor on-pitch performance of their men’s team.
United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, their worst placing since the 1973-74 relegation campaign.
The start of their five-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Snapdragon enabled them to post record commercial revenue of three hundred and thirty-three point three milion pounds, while matchday revenue was also a record at one hundred and sixty point three million pounds in the year to 30th June 2025.
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Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma says the team is the only option he wanted to join this summer and he already feels he has been at the club for many years.
The goalkeeper was deemed surplus to requirements by Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique and joined City on deadline day for twenty-six million pounds.
The 26-year-old impressed on his Premier League debut, keeping a clean sheet in a three-nil victory over rivals Manchester United, and was embraced by Erling Haaland and other team-mates after making a stunning save to deny Bryan Mbeumo.
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Pep Guardiola acknowledged that Manchester City are not considered among the favourites to win the Champions League ahead of their opening game against Napoli on Thursday.
City have regularly reached the sharp end of Europe’s top club competition in recent years, winning the trophy for the first time in 2023.
They suffered a painful early exit last season, losing to 15-time champions Madrid in a two-legged play-off with a place in the knockout stages at stake.
According to the bookmakers, Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are all considered more likely winners of this season’s Champions League.
Wolves manager Vitor Pereira is close to a new deal despite their poor start to the season.
The Portuguese’s contract expires at the end of the campaign and an agreement is likely to come before this weekend.
It underlines the faith the club have in Pereira, who replaced Gary O’Neil in December.
Wolves, who host Leeds in the Premier League, have lost their opening four league games to sit bottom of the table.
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Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has denied raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman.
The Ghanaian midfielder pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one charge of sexual assault when he appeared at Southwark Crown Court.
Partey was granted bail until his trial, which is due to start at the same court on 2nd November next year.
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Manchester United women manager, Marc Skinner says his players have the boots they need for Thursday’s deciding Champions League qualifier at home to Norwegian side Brann.
United officials had to buy replacement boots from a local shop in Bergen, where Brann are based, after the players’ were lost before the first-leg defeat in Norway.
The boots’ absence was not noticed until the day of the game as United had trained at the club’s Carrington base just outside Manchester before departure.
United are looking to secure a place in the main Women’s Champions League draw for the first time in their history.
IN NIGERIA
Former Nigerian international, Eric Ejiofor has disclosed that the Super Eagles players have not shown enough hunger and commitment in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Ejiofor, who was at the 2002 World Cup, said the players are yet to exhibit the passion of a team that is willing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
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Former Nigerian international, Ahmed Garba has faulted Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo’s decision not to leave Southampton during the summer transfer window.
Aribo, who made thirty-two appearances and scored three goals for Soton before the team was relegated from the Premier League last season, is yet to start for Southampton this season in the Championship.
Garba stated that the Nigerian international should have followed in the footsteps of Paul Onuachu, who joined Turkish club Trabzonspor this summer.
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Former Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi has announced her retirement from professional football.
Ebi made the announcement on her X handle on Wednesday.
Ebi played for Bayelsa Queens FC in the Nigerian Women’s Championship before moving to Pitea IF and Djurgardens IF in Sweden.
She then played for Turkish sides Düvenciler Lisesispor and Ataşehir Belediyespor at the First League.
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Heartland technical adviser, Emmanuel Amuneke has declared his team’s readiness for the 2025/26 Nigeria National League, NNL, season.
The Naze Millionaires are seeking an immediate return to the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, following their relegation last season.
Heartland are drawn in the Southern Conference A alongside Crown FC, Edel FC, Sunshine Stars, E-World FC, Inter FC Lagos, Smart City FC, Godswill Akpabio United FC, Abia Comets, and Beyond Limits.
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Rwanda Under-twenty coach, Cassa André Mbungo says his team is not afraid of facing Nigeria’s Falconets in the 2026 FIFA Under-twenty Women’s World Cup qualifier.
Recall that both teams will clash on 21st September at the Kigali Pele Stadium.
Mbungo stated that his girls are battle-ready to face the Falconets.
Nigeria, which has featured in every edition of the tournament since its inception in 2002, are among Africa’s most successful sides at this level, having reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
CAF has appointed Sierra Leone’s Aminata Fullah as referee for Sunday’s clash, assisted by Liberian Hannah Lydia Moses and Sierra Leone’s Fatmata Mansaray.
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Zimbabwe will host South Africa next month for their penultimate Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The Warriors, forced to play their home matches outside the country due to the lack of CAF-approved stadiums in Zimbabwe, have previously hosted most of their home games in South Africa.
For this Group C clash, they will shift their base to Botswana.
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Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel has cruised into the final of men’s four hundred metres hurdles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships on Wednesday.
Nathaniel stormed to victory in the second semi-final with a time of 47.47 seconds.
The 22-year-old is the first Nigerian to make it to the final of the event at the World Championships since Henry Amike in 1987.
Qatar’s Ismail Doudai Abakar came second second with a personal best of 47.61 seconds, while Caleb Dean of the United States finished third in 47.85 seconds.
The final of the men’s four hundred metres hurdles would hold on Friday.
Udodi Onwuzurike kept Nigeria’s hopes alive at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships after qualifying for the men’s 200 metres semi-finals on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old, Nigeria’s second-fastest ever man over the distance this year, produced a composed run in heat three, finishing second behind Olympic medallist Kenneth Bednarek of the United States.
Bednarek took first place in 19.98s, while Onwuzurike crossed the line in 20.27s.
The stage is set for the maiden edition of the Nigeria Maritime Golf Challenge scheduled to hold on Thursday at the prestigious Golf Course of Ikoyi Club 1938.
The tournament, which is aimed at celebrating World Maritime Day, will attract 81 golfers across the country.
The tournament will feature seven competitive categories and all winners will receive trophies, with cash prizes also expected to be awarded across the competitive categories.
The UK Home Office, in partnership with Clean Herts Community, TAG International, and the British High Commission in Lagos, have launched a two-month community sports initiative aimed at fostering social inclusion and youth engagement.
The programme seeks to strengthen communities against crime and empower vulnerable youths across three Lagos councils: Ajeromi, Ikorodu and Ifako Ijaiye.
In a statement on Wednesday, the British High Commission said the initiative, running from September to November 2025, would provide boxing, football coaching, life skills training and mentoring.
Tunisia has reaffirmed its readiness to host the 2025 ITTF African Championships scheduled for 12th to 19th October in Rades.
The North African country, described as Africa’s Table Tennis Hub, has successfully staged several ITTF-sanctioned events, including the African Cup, Youth Championships and multiple regional competitions.
OTHER LEAGUES
Spanish government officials have suggested they could withdraw their national team from the 2026 World Cup, despite Spain preparing to head to the USA, Mexico, and Canada next year as one of the favourites for glory.
The European champions are already among the bookmakers’ frontrunners and look set to qualify comfortably, having won their first two matches of the campaign.
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, Spain’s current governing political party, are not ruling out boycotting the showpiece international tournament in protest at the possibility of Israel also taking part across the pond.
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Jose Mourinho is close to a return to management with Benfica, replacing Bruno Lage who was sacked after the Champions League defeat against Qarabag.
The Portuguese club threw away a two-goal lead to lose three-two against their Azerbaijani opponents at Estadio da Luz.
Benfica president Rui Costa said they intend to have a new manager in place by Saturday, but would not be drawn on speculation that Mourinho is their preferred option.
Mourinho was sacked by Fenerbahce on 29th August, two days after the Turkish club were eliminated from the Champions League play-offs by Benfica.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, British number one Emma Raducanu overcame her emotions to battle to victory against Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the first round of the Korea Open.
Raducanu, who withdrew from Great Britain’s team for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to play at the tournament in Seoul, looked like she was on the verge of tears at one stage in the first set before going on to win 6-3, 6-4.
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Also, Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong says her team has a real shot at winning the Billie Jean King Cup despite the absence of Emma Raducanu.
British number one Raducanu withdrew from the team for this week’s Finals so she could play at the Korea Open in Seoul instead.
Raducanu felt an extra week on the WTA Tour with new coach Francisco Roig would be better for the long-term development of her game.
She was replaced in Keothavong’s squad by Francesca Jones, who will line up alongside Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage when Britain face Japan on Thursday.
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In Cricket, Phil Salt again starred for England as they beat Ireland by four wickets in the first match of a three-game T20 series in Dublin.
The England opener smashed 89 off 46 deliveries but came up short of what would have been his second consecutive century when he was caught by Ross Adair with the final delivery of the 15th over.
Salt had broken the back of the chase for England, who finished the job of chasing Ireland’s 196-3 with more than two overs to spare.
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In Rugby, Attack coach Lou Meadows says England have only scratched the surface of what they are capable of so far in their World Cup campaign,
England scored 38 tries in four matches en route to Saturday’s semi-final against France at Bristol’s Ashton Gate.
Twenty-two of those scores have come through England’s dominant forward pack however, leading to concerns that the backline is yet to show a cutting edge before facing tougher opponents.
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In Golf, the captain of the United States’ 2024 Solheim Cup-winning team, Stacy Lewis, says she will retire from golf at the end of the LPGA season.
The 40-year-old won thirteen LPGA titles, including two majors, and led the United States to victory over Europe in last year’s Solheim Cup.
She also spent twenty-five weeks as world number one and was named LPGA Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014.
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In Athletics, Jake Wightman says his world one thousand and five hundred metres silver medal felt like gold after making his return to a global podium, but British team-mate Josh Kerr’s title defence was ruined by a calf injury in a dramatic final in Tokyo.
Wightman, the 2022 world champion, achieved redemption having struggled with injuries and missed the past two major championships.
The 31-year-old collapsed with exhaustion after crossing the line before staring up at the big screen, which revealed Portugal’s Isaac Nader had pipped him to gold by two hundredths of a second in a thrilling finish.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – FOR LEAGUE STAGE
Club Brugge vs Monaco
København vs Bayer Leverkusen
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray
Manchester City vs Napoli
Newcastle United vs Barcelona
Sporting CP vs Kairat
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Obstacles do not have to stop you. If you run into a wall, do not turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it….words from Michael Jordan.
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