IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
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Aston Villa star Jadon Sancho scored his first goal as the team beat Fenerbahce one-nil and qualified for the Europa League last 16 with a game to spare.
Sancho latched on to Matty Cash’s deflected cross and nodded the ball beyond Fenerbahce keeper Ederson from close range in the 25th minute.
Villa’s six wins from their opening seven games means they sit third in the competition’s league phase table, and they can no longer drop out of the top eight.
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Rangers recorded their first Europa League victory of the season in a tight win over Ludogorets as their slim hopes of progression came to an end.
Mohamed Diomande’s goal ensures Danny Rohl’s side continue their fine run of form as they make it seven wins on the trot.
Rangers still have one game left in the league phase, welcoming Porto next week, but they are four points behind Celtic who sit in 24th, in the final spot of the qualifying section.
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Ten-man Celtic played a two-all draw with Bologna to retain hopes of Europa League progression.
First-half goals from Reo Hatate and Auston Trusty either side of a red card for the former had Martin O’Neill’s men two-nil up at the break.
The hosts pinned the Scots back for most of the second half and scored through Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe.
The third goal never materialised and Celtic will attempt to secure their place in the knock-out play-offs when they host Utrecht on the final match-day.
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Manchester United says midfielder Casemiro will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this season.
The 33-year-old joined from Real Madrid for seventy million pounds in 2022 and has made one hundred and forty-six appearances.
He scored the opening goal in the 2023 Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle as Manchester United finished third in the Premier League in his first season.
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Tottenham Hotspur is waiting on a final diagnosis on Lucas Bergvall’s ankle injury amid early concerns he faces up to three months on the sidelines.
The Sweden international suffered the issue in the two-nil Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund and was substituted in the second half after trying to continue playing.
Bergvall is now set to be unavailable for a significant period of time, news that will arrive as a blow to head coach Thomas Frank.
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Chelsea legend, Marcel Desailly has disclosed that he would not be surprised if Cole Palmer decides to leave the club.
Desailly suggested that Palmer might leave due to problems within the Chelsea side.
Palmer has contributed to just five goals in thirteen appearances this season, and he is missing his friends back in Manchester, which has sparked rumours about his future.
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Fulham star Harry Wilson’s talks with Fulham over a new deal are on hold amid growing Premier League interest in the Wales forward.
Wilson is out of contract at the end of the season, and Fulham is yet to reach an agreement over an extension despite making a priority of securing his future.
It is understood that Wilson would prefer to have clarity on the future of head coach Marco Silva, who is also out of contract in the summer, before making a final decision over any new deal.
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Nottingham Forest is closing in on the signing of Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca.
The Premier League strugglers are poised to complete a loan deal with an option to buy for the Italy international.
Lucca only joined Napoli last July from Udinese, in a loan deal that included an obligation to buy.
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IN NIGERIA
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The Nigeria Premier Football League, has fined Remo Stars seven million naira for breaching its regulations in the matchday twenty encounter against Ikorodu City.
Daniel Ogunmodede’s side has also been banished to Ibadan where they will play their remaining home games this season.
Remo Stars were sanctioned for multiple offences, including failure to provide adequate security, throwing of objects onto the pitch, and misconduct by supporters.
The Sky Blue Stars will pay a fine of two million naira for failing to provide adequate and effective security, and another one million naira for throwing objects towards the field of play.
Remo Stars will also pay a fine of one million naira for the improper conduct of their supporters as well as another one million naira for misconduct capable of bringing the game to disrepute.
A further fine of two million naira has been imposed on the club to serve as compensatory cost for the damages on the away team bus and supporters.
Remo Stars have forty-eight hours to appeal the sanction.
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Rivers United head coach, Finidi George has declared his team ready for the CAF Champions League clash with Power Dynamos of Zambia.
The two teams will do battle in a matchday three encounter at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola on Saturday.
Rivers United will be desperate to record their first win in the group stage.
The Port Harcourt club lost their opening two games to Pyramids FC, and RS Berkane.
Finidi said they are battle ready for their opponent.
Holders Pyramids and RS Berkane will clash in the other group game.
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Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen says he has tried to convince his international teammates Ademola Lookman, and Raphael Onyedika to join him at Galatasaray.
Lookman and Onyedika have been linked with a move to the Yellow and Reds.
Osimhen revealed he has told the duo how amazing the Turkish champions are.
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Super Eagles star Akor Adams’ strike against Algeria has been listed among the top five goals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations by the Confederation of African Football, CAF.
CAF announced the top five goals of the AFCON 2025 finals on its official X account.
Akor’s superb goal in Nigeria’s two-nil quarter-final win over Algeria was rated among the best of the competition by CAF.
Morocco’s Ayoub El Kaabi, Cameroon striker Christian Kofane, Adil Boulbinan of Algeria, and Senegal’s Pape Gueye are the other players, who have their goals listed in the top five.
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Senegal head coach, Pape Thiaw, has disclosed that he encouraged his players to stage a walkout of the pitch in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations against Morocco due to poor officiating and injustice.
Recall that Senegal staged ?a lengthy protest after a penalty was awarded in the dying stages of Sunday’s game to hosts Morocco after a VAR review, walking off the pitch before returning to continue.
Reacting via his Instagram handle, Thiaw, who led Senegal to win their second AFCON title, offered insight into the dramatic finale and the journey that led the Lions of Teranga to continental glory.
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Werder Bremen Sporting Director, Clemens Fritz has provided injury updates on Super Eagles defender Felix Agu ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
Fritz stated that the club would need to wait for a while before seeing Agu in full action.
Recall that the Nigerian international was spotted training partially with the team for the first time since his surgery.
President of the West African Boxing Union, Ikpabi David, has celebrated the outstanding victory of Haruna “Thunder” Mohammad, who successfully defended his WABU Cruiserweight Championship title.
In a thrilling match held recently, Mohammad showcased exceptional skill and determination, defeating his opponent, Nii Ashitey Larbie, in a closely contested bout.
This impressive win solidifies Mohammad’s position as one of the top cruiserweights in the region.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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The Football Supporters’ Association says Fifa president Gianni Infantino should focus on making cheap tickets for the 2026 World Cup instead of cheap jokes about British fans.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Infantino said it was really special that no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Swiss addressed various concerns about this year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including domestic tensions in the US, possible visa issues for fans wishing to visit the country and ticket prices.
He referenced criticism in the build-up to Qatar 2022, but said there were virtually no incidents after the tournament started.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Basketball; Shaedon Sharpe scored 24 of his 27 points in the second half to help the Portland Trail Blazers post a 127-110 victory over the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Caleb Love scored 20 points off the bench as the Trail Blazers won their fourth consecutive game and moved above .500.
Portland standout Deni Avdija had 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 17-plus minutes before exiting with back soreness in the early third quarter.
Avdijia recently returned from a three-game absence due to lower-back issues.
In Boxing; A February 2 purse bid hearing has been scheduled to settle the long-ago-ordered Callum Smith-David Morrell Jnr WBO interim light heavyweight title fight.
The development was confirmed by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri just days after the public was informed that the bout was back on the purse bid circuit.
The session will be conducted from WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
All promoters registered with the sanctioning body are permitted to participate, providing they submit a minimum $300,000 bid.
In Tennis, Naomi Osaka has apologised for disrespecting Sorana Cirstea in her post-match on-court interview after she received a frosty handshake and a telling-off from the Romanian.
After wrapping up a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win against Cirstea in the Australian Open second round, a smiling Osaka made her way to the net to carry out the post-match formalities.
In a later news briefing, Osaka apologised for some of her post-match comments towards Cirstea, who is retiring from tennis at the end of the 2026 season after twenty years on the WTA Tour.
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Also, French tennis star Corentin Moutet has issued a stern warning to tennis world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, that he has what it takes to overcome him in the Australian Open.
Ranked number 37, Moutet, stated that he will give it all his best against Alcaraz in the third round.
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In Formula one, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the world champions have faced an unprecedented amount of work to prepare for the new rules in Formula 1 this season.
Teams are facing what is widely regarded as the biggest regulation change in history, with new cars, engines, fuel and tyres.
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In Cricket, England changed formats and opponents, yet still followed their dismal Ashes campaign with defeat by Sri Lanka in the first one-day international in Colombo.
Only two weeks after the completion of their 4-1 series defeat in Australia, England were choked by the Sri Lanka spinners on a slow, low surface.
Set a taxing 272 to win thanks to 93 not out from Kusal Mendis, the tourists were given a platform by a much-needed 62 from Ben Duckett and a typically classy 61 by Joe Root.
The second match of the series is at the same ground on Saturday.
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In Rugby, Saracens prodigy Noah Caluori says he aims to win his first England cap in the next six months as he maps out an ambition to be his country’s best-ever wing.
The explosive 19-year-old scored five tries on his first Prem start in October, showcasing his extraordinary aerial ability, and was called into Steve Borthwick’s England squad eight days later.
Borthwick names his Six Nations squad on Friday and, after appearances for the under-20s and England A, Caluori hopes to make his senior bow either at the tournament, or in England’s summer Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
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In Golf, Rory McIlroy lies eight shots behind leader Francesco Molinari after carding a disappointing first round of one-over-par seventy-three at the Dubai Desert Classic.
The world number two’s round at the Emirates Golf Club was marred by a double-bogey seven at the 18th hole, his ninth.
McIlroy appeared to have taken the water out of the equation by laying up from the rough, but from less than one hundred yards he attacked the flag, his ball pitching short and falling back into the water.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
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IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
West Ham United vs Sunderland
Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham vs Brighton
Manchester City vs Wolves
Bournemouth vs Liverpool
ON SUNDAY
Brentford vs Nottingham
Forest
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Manchester United
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Rayo Vallecano vs Osasuna
Valencia vs Espanyol
Sevilla vs Athletic Club
Villarreal vs Real Madrid
ON SUNDAY
Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca
Barcelona vs Real Oviedo
Real Sociedad vs Celta Vigo
Alavés vs Real Betis
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another…..words from William James
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