IN ENGLAND
Manchester City’s first game since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations ended in victory as they outclassed Liverpool three-nil at Anfield.
Enzo Maresca’s side restored their three-point lead at the top of the table in emphatic fashion but there remains the sense that this is a season in limbo as City await their punishment, with the potential for Premier League expulsion, relegation or record points deductions.
Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored a goal each for Manchester City.
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U.K Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will release details of his meetings with senior figures at Manchester City following criticism of his comments in the wake of the club being found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
Burnham initially said he would be really concerned if Manchester City’s owners decide to sell up following the guilty verdict before later denying his reaction had downplayed the seriousness of the findings.
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Nottingham Forest manager, Oliver Glasner has endured a frustrating return to Crystal Palace as his Nottingham Forest side let slip an early lead to lose to the Eagles.
After guiding Palace to FA Cup and Conference League success, Glasner left the club at the end of last season and took on the Forest job in the summer.
Initially it looked like it would be a triumphant return to Selhurst Park as Forest took a third-minute lead through Dan Ndoye’s neat low finish.
Crystal Palace’s three goals were scored by Daichi Kamada, Jefferson Lerma and Yeremy Pino.
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Hull City star Mohamed Belloumi scored a second-half leveller as Hull City and Everton continued their good starts to the season with an entertaining two-all draw at MKM Stadium.
Hull took the lead in the 43rd minute as Joe Gelhardt slipped the ball past onrushing Everton keeper Jordan Pickford after Sorba Thomas had intercepted Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ poor pass.
Everton’s two goals were scored by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry
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Southampton battled to beat Portsmouth one-nil in the Championship and win their first league match against the Blues in nearly twenty-two years.
Saints scored the game’s only goal in the first half when James Bree was found dashing into the box by Finn Azaz, taking a touch before slotting the ball past Pompey keeper Nicolas Schmid.
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Sheffield United legend, Billy Sharp has announced his retirement from football at the age of forty.
Sharp, who played for Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Hull City, Scunthorpe United, Reading, Doncaster Rovers and Rushden and Diamonds during a 22-year professional career, during which he scored 299 goals.
He had been a free agent since leaving Doncaster at the end of last season, when he signed off in style in his final game with a hat-trick against Peterborough.
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England women forward Alessia Russo has been named England women’s player of the year.
The 27-year-old, who also won the award two seasons ago, has been a key player in the 2025-26 campaign, featuring in all ten games and scoring five goals.
She started nine of those games, including all six of England’s 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
Arsenal’s Russo pipped Chelsea pair Lucy Bronze and Hannah Hampton to the award, which is voted for by fans.
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IN NIGERIA
The Acting General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, has expressed confidence that the Beach Soccer National Team, Sand Eagles, will secure qualification for the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations, despite their three-all draw with Ghana’s Black Sharks in the first leg played in Kaduna.
Ikpeme acknowledged that Nigeria’s long absence from international beach soccer had affected the team’s competitive rhythm but insisted that there was still hope of securing a place at the continental championship.
The NFF General Secretary assured the team of the NFF’s commitment to ensuring that the national beach soccer side receives the necessary support to compete effectively.
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Defending champions Rangers have maintained their position at the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League ,NPFL, table despite playing out a two-all against Barau FC.
Meanwhile, Rivers United preserved their unbeaten start to the new season after playing out a goalless draw against Abia Warriors.
Nasarawa United secured a comfortable two-nil victory over Doma United and Sporting Lagos edged Bendel Insurance two-one in an entertaining encounter.
Plateau United ended Kano Pillars’ unbeaten run in emphatic fashion, recording a four-nil victory, while Kun Khalifat defeated Shooting Stars two-nil
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Super Eagles star, Kelechi Iheanacho has scored in his 10th consecutive game for club and country, but it was not enough as Bursaspor suffered a two-one home defeat to Mardin 1969 Spor in the Turkish TFF 1.
The goal took Iheanacho’s scoring streak to nine consecutive games specifically for Bursaspor in the Turkish First League.
His overall tally stands at fourteen goal contributions (twelve goals and two assists).
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Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze is in action for AC Milan, putting in an impressive shift as the Rossoneri were held to a one-all draw by Sassuolo in their Serie A encounter.
The Nigerian international, who was making his sixth league appearance of the campaign, continued his steady development under the tactical setup, having already bagged two assists so far this season.
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Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq was missing in action as Valencia were held to an entertaining two-all draw by Racing Santander in their La Liga encounter.
The Nigerian international, who has made three league appearances and scored one goal for Valencia this season, was sidelined for the fixture due to injury.
In his absence, both sides showed incredible attacking intent from the opening whistle, trading goals in a breathless contest that kept fans on the edge of their seats at El Sardinero.
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Lazio have maintained their unbeaten start to the Serie A season with a three-one win over ten-man Monza at the Stadio Olimpico.
Nigeria internationals, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro were in action for Lazio and Monza respectively.
While Dele was introduced into the game in the 61st minute, Akinsanmiro saw action for 90 minutes.
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Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, who plays for Galatasaray has acknowledged the challenge of facing Barcelona ahead of Tuesday’s clash at RAMS Park.
The Turkish Super Lig champions will host the Spanish giants as they seek to recover from their opening-day defeat to Sporting Lisbon.
The Nigerian international stressed the importance of pressing high, remaining disciplined and showing resilience against a Barcelona side known for dominating possession.
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Meanwhile, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has described Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen as a fantastic striker ahead of his side’s UEFA Champions League encounter with Galatasaray.
The Nigerian striker came on as a substitute in the encounter and is now expected to feature in the starting lineup against Barcelona.
Flick acknowledged the threat posed by the former Napoli forward, insisting that his team must be at its best to secure a positive result against the Turkish side.
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Nigerian international Terem Moffi has expressed his delight after helping Hamburg secure a thrilling three-two comeback victory over Hoffenheim.
Hamburg found themselves trailing two-one with just seven minutes remaining before the Nigerian striker stepped up to level the scores.
Moffi, who came on for Martin Adeline in the 76th minute, found the back of the net seven minutes later to register his first goal since joining Die Rothosen this summer.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Inter Miami star, Lionel Messi has scored twice in his first match since retiring from international football in an emphatic four-nil win for Inter Miami against DC United.
Just four days after scoring in his final match for Argentina, where he brought his glittering career with the national team to a close, the 39-year-old helped Miami win for only the second time in eleven MLS matches.
Following a first-half double from former Uruguay striker Luis Suarez, Messi scored in the 47th and 60th minutes to complete the rout.
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Celtic has returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership and recovered from their pre-international break woes with a comprehensive two-nil victory at Motherwell.
Having lost three successive matches before the three-week hiatus, the champions went in front through Camilo Duran’s low drive on nine minutes and bossed proceedings from there.
Against a Motherwell side also struggling for confidence, Celtic squandered a host of chances either side of half-time, before Benjamin Nygren scrambled home a richly-deserved second after being teed up by Kasper Hogh.
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St Johnstone rose into the Scottish Premiership top six with a rare away victory over Aberdeen as Josh Fowler’s early penalty proved decisive.
The striker’s spot-kick was the visitors’ only shot on target but they put on a solid defensive display, especially when put under pressure in the second half.
Fowler stepped up and sent goalkeeper Marius Muller the wrong way, becoming the league’s outright top scorer on five goals.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, Zheng Qinwen has become the first Chinese woman to win the China Open by beating Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in Beijing.
Zheng, who entered the tournament as a wildcard ranked number 54 in the world, saved three set points in Sunday’s opening set before overcoming fourth seed Andreeva 7-5, 6-4.
The 24-year-old fell to the floor as she secured match point and treated the raucous home crowd to some karaoke following her victory speech.
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In Formula one, Lewis Hamilton apologised to his Ferrari team after overriding the pit wall and choosing his own strategy during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Ferrari were on course to finish second and third with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, but instead the seven-time champion fell back to sixth in the closing laps as he fought a losing battle to hold off three cars while on fading tyres.
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In Rugby, Harlequins’ poor start to the Prem season continued with a third successive loss of the campaign against Sale at CorpAcq Stadium.
The Sharks came from behind to win the game with a 73rd-minute penalty try after the returning Marcus Smith had touched down twice in the opening quarter to give Quins an early lead.
After their opening-day reverse to Bristol at home, Sale have bounced back strongly with back-to-back wins over Saracens and Quins.
Despite their first points of the season, the loss leaves Quins rooted to the foot of the table.
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In Golf, Scotland’s Grant Forrest held off a charge from home favourite Eugenio Chacarra to win the Spanish Open and book a spot at The Open and the Masters next year.
With Chacarra in the clubhouse at 13 under, Forrest and playing partner Victor Perez needed to make birdies at the 18th to go above the Spaniard.
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In Athletics, Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge says his body is still peaking after winning the Melbourne Marathon in a course record time at the age of 41.
The Kenyan crossed the line in two hours nine minutes ten seconds for his 17th career win over the distance and first since the Berlin Marathon in 2023.
Australian Thomas do Canto was runner-up in 2:10:35, with compatriot Reece Edwards third.
New Zealand’s Camille French won the women’s race in 2:28:25, followed by Australian Sinead Diver and Nichola Sheridan of Ireland.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Just believe in yourself. Even if you do not, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will…words from Venus Williams.
