Author: Oluwaseun samuel

England kicked off Thomas Tuchel’s tenure with a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Albania on Friday evening. Myles Lewis-Skelly opened the scoring in the 20th minute, capitalizing on a brilliant through ball from Jude Bellingham. The 18-year-old finished coolly under goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha to net his first goal as a senior England international. Only two players have scored for the England men’s team at a younger age than Lewis-Skelly, and no debutant in the national team’s 153-year history has matched his impressive start. At the other end of the experience spectrum, Harry Kane added a second for England in…

The race for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues in South America during the March international break, with Argentina, the reigning world champions, currently leading the way. La Albiceleste are at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table and could secure a spot at next summer’s tournament if they are 13 points ahead of seventh place after their matches with Uruguay and Brazil. However, two crucial encounters will be played without eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who has not been named in Argentina’s squad for the March fixtures. Here’s why Messi will not be involved in the…

Manchester United are reportedly set to make a significant move for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha as part of their summer squad overhaul. After a disappointing season, United are expected to be highly active in the summer transfer window as they look to build a team more suited to the demands of new head coach Ruben Amorim. Scouts have been particularly focused on the Bundesliga, with half of their striker shortlist coming from the German league. Now, reports suggest that Simons and Nmecha are also on United’s radar. According to Sky Sports Germany, United have identified…

Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq has been nominated for both the LaLiga Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards for March. Sadiq scored three goals in as many league appearances for Los Che during the month. Other nominees for Player of the Month include Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, Real Betis midfielder Isco, Celta Vigo defender Marcos Alonso, and Rayo Vallecano’s Pedro Díaz. For the Goal of the Month award, Sadiq will compete against Florin Rațiu of Rayo Vallecano and Diego Garcia of CD Leganés. The 28-year-old has netted four goals in eight league appearances for Valencia…

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has stated that he never aimed to emulate Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. He downplayed any comparisons with the two football legends, emphasizing that they are “irreplaceable.” Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid last summer, has already scored 30 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions in his debut season. With just two more goals, the former Monaco forward will surpass Ronaldo’s debut-season record of 33 goals, a tally the Portuguese icon shares with former Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. However, Mbappé clarified that he is not attempting to fill the shoes of these footballing greats.…

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, defeating Bahrain 2-0 at Saitama Stadium on Thursday. Second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo secured Japan’s spot in the top two automatic qualification places of Asia’s Group C. This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, as they join co-hosts the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the expanded 48-team tournament. Meanwhile, Australia moved closer to securing a seventh World Cup appearance with a dominant 5-1 victory over Indonesia in Sydney. The match marked Indonesia’s first under new coach Patrick Kluivert. Indonesia’s Kevin Diks missed an…

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has stated that his team is now the favourite to win the Champions League this season, following Liverpool’s exit from the competition. Despite winning the first leg of their last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain in France, Arne Slot’s side was eliminated after losing 1-0 at Anfield and subsequently falling in a penalty shoot-out. In contrast, Barcelona secured their place in the quarter-finals after defeating Benfica over two legs, setting up a clash with Borussia Dortmund. Yamal has now boldly declared that Barcelona is undaunted by any of the remaining teams in the tournament. “Now that Liverpool…

Current England manager Thomas Tuchel delivered a blunt critique of the nation’s performance at Euro 2024, which was overseen by former boss Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions made it to the final of the European Championship for the second consecutive tournament, but their 2-1 loss to Spain in Berlin last summer came after a series of underwhelming performances. Despite reaching the final, England’s play throughout the competition was far less impressive than their results might suggest. England struggled in the group stage, narrowly defeating Serbia in their opening match before drawing with Denmark and Slovenia. They were saved by a…

Sporting CP has confirmed a full agreement with Chelsea for the permanent transfer of emerging talents Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo. In recent years, Chelsea has focused on signing young players with high potential for development, and 17-year-old Quenda is seen as one of the continent’s brightest prospects. However, acquiring such talent comes at a cost, with the total deal for both players worth up to €74.4m (£62.3m), including add-ons. Quenda, who was heavily linked with Manchester United after making his breakthrough at Sporting under Ruben Amorim, is the more expensive of the two, with a fee of €52m (£43.6m).…

Egypt star Mohamed Salah is the leading goal scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in Africa. Salah has netted five goals, helping Egypt top Group A with 10 points after four matches. The Pharaohs are four points clear of second-placed Guinea-Bissau and five ahead of Burkina Faso. Salah shares the top spot with Mahmoud Trezeguet, who also has five goals to his name. Ghana’s Jordan Ayew is in second place with four goals. The Black Stars sit second in Group I with 9 points, trailing Comoros only on goal difference. Other players with three goals include Ayoub El…