IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

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Chelsea beat Champions League minnows Pafos to keep their hopes alive of finishing in the top eight but it took seventy-seven minutes to break down the Cypriot side through Moises Caicedo’s diving header.

The one hundred and fifteen million pound midfielder reacted quickest to Pedro Neto’s corner after it flicked off Pafos substitute Nany Dimata, pouncing to head home from close range.

In Liam Rosenior’s first Champions League match and his fourth in charge of Chelsea his side were left frustrated when Enzo Fernandez thought he had put them in front in the 17th minute, only for his header to be harshly ruled out for a push on Derrick Luckassen.

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Liverpool has defeated Marseille three-nil and put themselves in a strong position to finish in the Champions League top eight on a night where Mohamed Salah returned to the starting eleven for Arne Slot’s side.

A moment of genius from Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the lead in the first half, an own goal from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli doubled their advantage and Cody Gakpo added a third in the 92nd minute.

The three points took Liverpool up to fourth in the Champions League standings and they host Qarabag at Anfield next week as they look to remain in the top eight, thereby avoiding the play-offs.

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Newcastle United has clinched a Champions League last 16 play-off spot following a comfortable three-nil win against PSV Eindhoven.

The home support urged their side to write the next headline at St James’ Park as they unfurled a huge banner alongside lifesize newspaper cuttings of some of the club’s most memorable moments in the competition before kick-off.

Newcastle’s three goals were scored by Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes.

PSV, meanwhile, have slipped to 22nd.

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Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane scored twice and missed a penalty as 10-man team secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a two-nil victory over Union Saint-Gilloise.

The result leaves Vincent Kompany’s side second in the table on eighteen points from their seven games.

Bayern are now unbeaten in their last thirty-eight home games in the Champions League group stage/league phase, with their last defeat coming against Manchester City in December 2013.

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Barcelona star Fermin Lopez scored twice as the team beat Slavia Prague four-two to boost their chances of moving straight into the last 16 of the Champions League.

Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo scored a goal each for Barcelona, while Slavia Prague’s two goals were scored by Vasil Kusej and own-goal by Robert Lewandowski.

The result meant Slavia Prague, with only three points from seven matches, was eliminated with a game to spare.

Meanwhile, five-time European champions Barcelona, who reached the semi-finals last season, are up to ninth in the table.

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An own goal from Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente earned Galatasaray a one-all draw as both sides moved closer to advancing in the Champions League.

After Galatasaray defender Davinson Sanchez misjudged an attempted clearance, Matteo Ruggeri was able to cross from the left and Giuliano Simeone, the son of boss Diego, headed into the net from six yards out.

The result leaves Atletico on thirteen points from their seven games and they could qualify for the last 16 if they win at home next Wednesday against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Galatasaray are on ten points and need to win at Etihad Stadium against Manchester City in their final league phase match to guarantee a place in the two-legged play-offs.

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Qarabag scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to end Eintracht Frankfurt’s hopes of reaching the Champions League play-offs and keep their own alive.

Behlul Mustafazade became the first Azerbaijani player to score in the competition with the last kick of a topsy-turvy contest, with the result leaving Qarabag on 19th in the table on ten points and almost certainly guaranteeing their spot in the play-offs.

Eintracht Frankfurt, who are now eliminated, have collected a meagre four points from seven matches and sit 33rd.

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Manchester City’s squad will refund the ticket costs for three hundred and seventy-four supporters who travelled to Norway to witness their side’s shock three-one Champions League defeat at Bodo/Glimt.

With the price of an away ticket for the game costing about twenty-five pounds, City players will put together a total of nine thousand, three hundred and fifty-sven pounds towards paying back those who made the trip to the Arctic circle.

Speaking on behalf of the squad, City’s captaincy group of Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland said their supporters mean everything to them.

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Crystal Palace striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta has told the team he wants to leave amid interest from other Premier League and European clubs.

Mateta has eighteen months remaining on his current deal at Selhurst Park and as things stand he will not be signing an extension.

Italian giants Juventus have tried to sign the striker this month but have so far failed to reach Palace’s valuation, which is believed to be around forty million pounds.

Aston Villa, who have been keen on Mateta for some time, have also shown interest in a move this month.

Speaking last week, Palace manager Oliver Glasner admitted the club are listening to offers for Mateta.

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Injury-hit Aston Villa has suffered another blow, with captain John McGinn facing a number of weeks on the sidelines.

The midfielder has not travelled to Turkey for Thursday’s Europa League game at Fenerbahce, while goalkeeper Emi Martinez and Boubacar Kamara are also out.

Reports suggest key midfielder Kamara is out for the season after coming off with a knee injury against Tottenham last week, with the club yet to provide an update.

Scotland’s McGinn was forced off early in Sunday’s defeat by Everton with a knee injury and boss Unai Emery is yet to discover the extent of the problem.

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French club Marseille has agreed a deal to sign Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri on loan for the rest of the season.

Nwaneri was not expected to go on loan this season, with the original feeling from both club and player being that the 18-year-old would benefit by being part of a squad that is challenging for a title.

The prospect of playing football in another league and country while getting regular game time is a scenario that is appealing to the player.

The England Under-21 international has made just twelve appearances for the Gunners in all competitions this season, starting four games but none in the Premier League, and has scored once in the Carabao Cup.

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Holders Chelsea women has reached a seventh successive final of the Women’s League Cup with a one-nil victory over rivals Manchester City at the Joie Stadium.

Wieke Kaptein’s header just before half-time was enough to see Chelsea over the line despite City missing a host of chances and hitting the woodwork twice.

Sonia Bompastor’s side is attempting to defend the three domestic titles they won in the French manager’s debut 2024-25 season.

But the Blues will relish the chance to earn more silverware when they face Manchester United who beat Arsenal one-nil in the final at Ashton Gate on 15th March.

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The scheduling of the proposed Fifa Women’s Club World Cup has been called potentially catastrophic by the Women’s Super League.

World governing body Fifa has announced the inaugural global competition, designed to echo the revamped men’s Club World Cup, will take place from 5th to 30th January 2028.

That would be in the middle of the 2027-28 Women’s Super League season, with other European domestic leagues sharing their concerns.

The competition would feature sixteen teams from around the world, including up to six European clubs.

The inaugural Champions Cup featuring continental champions from around the world, including Arsenal, will take place next week in London, between 28th January and 1st February.

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IN NIGERIA

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The trio of Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey have been included in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament.

The Team of the Tournament was compiled by the Confederation of African Football Technical Study Group.

Champions Senegal and hosts Morocco have four players each in the selection.

Morocco’s Yassine Bounou earned his place in goal after an incredible record of five clean sheets.

Bassey is selected among three other defenders; Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui both from Morocco, and Senegal’s Moussa Niakhaté.

Lookman, who registered three goals and four assists in the competition, was joined in midfield by Senegalese
duo of Idrissa Gana Gueye and Pape Gueye.

Osimhen is flanked in attack by Senegal superstar Sadio Mane and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.

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The Confederation of African Football, CAF, disciplinary committees have imposed severe sanctions on Algeria following the chaotic scenes that unfolded after their quarter-final defeat to Nigeria’s Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The sanctions affect players, the federation, and supporters involved in the incidents at the end of the match, which saw Nigeria defeat Algeria two-nil to advance to the semi-finals.

Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of France football legend Zinedine Zidane, has been handed a two-match suspension.

Defender Rafik Belghali has received a four-match ban, two of which are suspended.

All suspensions will be served during the CAN 2027 qualifiers, meaning the players will still be eligible to play in this summer’s World Cup.

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Former Nigerian international, Sunday Oliseh believes Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen’s outburst against teammate Ademola Lookman affected his game at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Oliseh argued that Lookman’s form dipped noticeably after the confrontation, affecting Nigeria’s attacking edge in the semifinal.

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Nigerian international, Leonard Ngenge has reflected on his move to Premier League club Leeds United.

The West Yorkshire club announced Ngenge’s signing.

The centre-back joined Leeds United from Nigeria Premier Football League champions Remo Stars.

Ngenge explained how pleased he was to make the move to West Yorkshire.

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Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor has submitted an offer for Lazio midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

Dele-Bashiru has been linked with a move from Lazio this month.

The 24-year-old returned to Italy this week after representing Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Premier League club, Nottingham Forest are also reportedly in the race to sign the player, but are yet to table a former offer.

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Nigerian striker, Precious Benjamin has joined Austrian club Altach on loan for the remainder of the season.

Benjamin, who is Altach’s first winter signing linked up with the club from Bundesliga outfit, TSG Hoffenheim.

The 19-year-old arrived at Hoffenheim just over a year ago.

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Team Nigeria coach, Benson Ishicheli has expressed confidence in the squad’s preparations for the Davis Cup, saying training is progressing well and trials are currently underway.

Ishicheli said the best five players would be selected from trials and believe the team has a strong shot at success.

The team’s top player, Daniel Adeleye, said while the official training period lasted two weeks, he had been preparing personally for several months.

Former team number one and current captain, Uchenna Opara, said preparations are progressing well, praising the Nigeria Tennis Federation, especially for the quality of the team’s hotel accommodations.

The Davis Cup World Group 2 play-off tie between Nigeria and Uzbekistan will hold between the 6th to 8th February, 2026 at the Lagos State Lawn Tennis Club 1895.

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Eight stadiums across Australia have been locked in as host venues for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with all matches in Melbourne to be played under a closed roof.

Sydney Olympic Stadium, an 80,000-seat venue purpose-built for the 2000 Olympics in the city’s west, will be the most heavily used.

It will host the final on November 13, the third-place play-off, both semi-finals, two last-eight clashes and two pool games.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, has sought to calm growing concerns within the athletics community over information that athletes would be required to pay N15,000 to register on the newly adopted Roster Athletics platform.

Concerns emerged after athletes and stakeholders encountered a payment option while registering on the digital platform, which the federation recently introduced to manage athlete data and competition entries nationwide.

The development triggered criticism from several quarters, including Nigeria 100m record holde Olusoji Fasuba, who warned publicly that such a fee risked excluding grassroots athletes and undermining development.

AFN President, Tonobok Okowa said the federation had not approved any registration fee and stressed that athletes would not be made to pay N15,000.

Over 3000 athletes and officials will participate in the Second Niger Delta Games in Edo State from 20th to 27th February.

The event, which will feature 17 sports, including football and a cultural night, is being sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission.

Participating athletes who must not exceed 20 years of age must be indigenes, with proof of local government of origin, of the participating States.

Former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya will enter his upcoming fight as the betting underdog for the first time in his professional career.

The 36-year-old Nigerian-born fighter faces American contender Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on 28th March, 2026, at the Climate Pledge Arena.

The betting lines currently list Adesanya at +112 while opponent Pyfer sits at -132, giving the former champion only a 47 per cent chance of winning the middleweight bout.

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OTHER LEAGUES

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France’s sports minister, Marina Ferrari says the country is not currently in favour of boycotting this summer’s World Cup over U.S President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.

France is among eight European countries which Trump said he might impose tariffs on for opposing his demand to take over the autonomous territory.

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OTHER SPORTS

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In Basketball: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a dominant 122-102 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Ajay Mitchell and Kenrich Williams each added 18 points for the Thunder, who won their second straight in dominating fashion and have prevailed in 7 of 8.

Milwaukee fell for the fourth time in its past five. Giannis Antetokounmpo compiled 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, while Cole Anthony added 17 points.

In Boxing; A 10-round showdown between Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela and Diego Torres will headline the second installment of Zuffa Boxing on February 1. The show will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it was announced Wednesday.

Although Valenzuela, 14-3 (9 KOs), has fought his past two fights as a junior welterweight and Torres, 22-1 (19 KOs), is primarily a lightweight, the fight will take place at a catchweight that has yet to be announced.

In Tennis, Cameron Norrie could not be any further from Great Britain at the Australian Open, but he still received support worthy of being “top three” in his career during his second-round match.

The British number two came through his meeting with the United States’ Emilio Nava in four sets, taking a 6-1, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victory.

He is officially the last British singles player standing, as has been the case in the past three Grand Slams after Emma Raducanu lost to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova and Arthur Fery was outclassed by Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

The Brits always attract fans at Melbourne Park, but the crowd created a particularly amazing atmosphere for the 26th seed throughout his three hours and twenty minutes on court.

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In Cricket, England has made a further addition to their backroom staff by re-hiring Troy Cooley as national pace-bowling lead.

The 60-year-old Australian was famously part of the England coaching team for the 2005 Ashes and left in 2006.

His appointment comes after England hired Carl Hopkinson as a short-term fielding coach following the drops that blighted the Ashes, but Cooley’s return is not linked to the 4-1 defeat in Australia.

England have not had a full-time fast-bowling coach with the men’s senior team since Jon Lewis left the set-up in Brendon McCullum’s first summer in charge of the Test side, in 2022.

Since then, James Anderson, Tim Southee and David Saker have all worked as ad hoc fast-bowling consultants.

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In Rugby, Former England captain, Jamie George is to retire at the end of 2027 after agreeing a one-year contract extension with Saracens.

George will complete the 2026-27 season for the Prem club before retiring later that year to move into a new career in the business world.

The 35-year-old has been capped 105 times by England and captained his country during 2024 before acting as vice-captain to Maro Itoje.

The hooker has also been selected for the British and Irish Lions on three tours and made more than 300 appearances for Saracens, having spent his whole career at the London club.

He made his 300th appearance for the club in January 2025 and has featured seven times so far in this campaign.

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In Golf, Rory McIlroy has challenged Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm to prove their commitment to Europe’s Ryder Cup team by settling their multi-million pound fines from the DP World Tour.

England’s Hatton and Spaniard Rahm were fined for competing in conflicting LIV Golf events while remaining members of the European-based tour.

Both appealed against the sanctions in 2024, which allowed them to play in enough events to retain their membership and be eligible for last year’s Ryder Cup victory over the United States in New York.

The cases are yet to be heard so the question over their eligibility is set to return before the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.

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TODAY’S FIXTURES

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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Bologna vs Celtic

Brann vs Midtjylland

Fenerbahçe vs Aston Villa

Roma vs Stuttgart

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness…words from Oprah Winfrey.