Author: Olukayode Oke

Chelsea won the Premier League Summer Series pre-season tournament as they beat Fulham 2-0 at FedEx Field in Maryland, Washington. A 20th-minute Thiago Silva header from a Ben Chilwell corner opened the scoring. A tap-in from Christopher Nkunku just before half-time after good work from Carney Chukwuemeka sealed the win. It was Nkunku’s third goal of pre-season following the French striker’s £52m move from RB Leipzig. Fulham did not provide much of an attacking threat although Calvin Bassey, playing for the club for the first time since his £19m move from Ajax, headed over from a corner in the second half. One negative…

Tournament co-hosts New Zealand were knocked out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup as Switzerland got the draw they needed to advance as Group A winners. New Zealand began the day in second position in the group, but Norway moved above them thanks to a convincing 6-0 victory over the Philippines. Jacqueline Hand hit the post for New Zealand but they could not get the win they needed to stay in the competition. They become the first host nation to fail to make it past the group phase. It was a tame and disappointing end to the tournament for New Zealand,…

A late Ruben Dias header could not rescue Manchester City from a 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid as their tour of Asia came to an end. Kick-off was delayed by 40 minutes due to heavy rain in Seoul before Memphis Depay put the La Liga side in front. Yannick Carrasco doubled Atletico’s advantage as City – who had nearly 59% possession – struggled to break their opponents down. Dias scored a late consolation but Diego Simeone’s side held on. Kyle Walker, who has been linked with a summer move to Bayern Munich, hit the bar from 30 yards and Erling…

Manuela Vanegas scored a 97th-minute winner as Colombia stunned Germany at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Linda Caicedo netted a wondergoal to give the South Americans the lead, before Germany equalised with an 89th-minute Alexandra Popp penalty. Vanegas then headed Leicy Santos’ corner past Merle Frohms to send the vast numbers of Colombia supporters at Sydney Football Stadium wild. It condemned Germany to a first World Cup group stage defeat since 1995. A manic ending came after Caicedo, 18, had brilliantly curled into the top corner on 53 minutes to shock the two-time world champions. The final round of…

Morocco gained their first ever victory at a Women’s World Cup as they secured a shock win over South Korea. Ibtissam Jraidi scored Morocco’s first World Cup goal with a sixth-minute header as the north Africans, ranked 72nd in the world, stunned their 17th-ranked opponents. Sixteen-year-old substitute Casey Phair fired wide for South Korea late on. Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina made history by becoming the first player to wear a hijab at a World Cup. South Korea have now lost both matches and will be eliminated if Germany avoid defeat against Colombia on Sunday. Morocco lost 6-0 to Germany in their…

Barcelona continued their pre-season tour of the USA with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid in Arlington, Texas. Ousmane Dembele’s early goal was followed up by late strikes from Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres. New signing Jude Bellingham played for Barca’s El Clasico rivals Real and the England midfielder’s header was one of five Real efforts that struck the woodwork at the AT&T Stadium. “The result is a bit misleading,” said Barca coach Xavi Hernandez. “We shouldn’t be overconfident. The result is very favourable but it doesn’t mean we played a super match. “It was a very even match in which…

Victor Osimhen bagged a brace as Napoli thrashed Turkish club, Hatayaspor 4-0 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday night. Osimhen was on target twice midway through the first half. Napoli scored two more goals in the second half through Giovanni Simeone. It was the first pre-season outing for Osimhen since he linked up with his teammates in camp two weeks ago. The 24-year-old was the top scorer in Serie A last season with 26 goals from 32 appearances. The Partenopei arrived in Castel di Sangro on Saturday for the second half of their 2023/24 pre-season. Rudi Garcia’s men will take…

Manchester United have agreed a €83m deal to sign Denmark international striker Rasmus Hojlund from Serie A side Atalanta. The 20-year-old will move to Old Trafford for fee of £64m, plus a potential £8m in add-ons. Hojlund joined Atalanta in August 2022 and scored 10 goals in 34 appearances last season. His United contract will be for five years, with the option of an additional season. Hojlund will be United manager Erik ten Hag’s third signing of the summer after midfielder Mason Mount joined from Chelsea for £55m and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana was signed for £47.2m. Although United…

Rodrygo and Vinicius. An inseparable duo both on and off the field. Both signed with Real Madrid the same season from Brazil. Now, the two are forced to take a step forward after the losses in attack of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard. Something that has been reflected in their change of numbers:the ‘7’ for Vinicius and the ’11’ for Rodrygo. Two numbers with a lot of history for Los Blancos. “I’m very grateful to wear this jersey that many other great players have worn”, Vinicius said. “It means a lot to me. It’s a number that I’ve liked since I was a child”, revealed Rodrygo. For both of…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia has changed football’s transfer market following the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Al Ahli. Mahrez, who scored 78 goals and made 59 assists for City in a trophy-laden spell at the club, made the switch to the Saudi Pro League on Friday in a deal worth a total of £30 million ($38.7m). Asked if he had wanted Mahrez to remain at City, Guardiola told reporters: “Definitely. I enjoyed as a manager to be with him. I had a special relationship with him. “Saudi Arabia has changed the market. A few months ago when…

Allyson Swaby scored the winner for Jamaica as they secured an historic win against Panama at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Perth. Swaby rose highest to head home from a Trudi Carter cross in the 56th minute. Jamaica were denied a penalty in stoppage time after video assistant referee (VAR) ruled Wendy Natis did not handball to block Drew Spence’s shot. The Reggae Girlz were without captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw after she was sent off in the dying seconds of their goalless draw against France but made history in her absence by securing their first win at the…

Captain Wendie Renard headed a late winner as France beat Brazil in a thrilling game in Brisbane at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Eugenie le Sommer put the French ahead after 17 minutes, before Debinha pulled Brazil level in the second half. But Renard – who had been an injury doubt – headed in the decisive goal with seven minutes to go. There was end to end action as two of the pre-tournament favourites delivered a game which lived up to expectations. Brazil would have qualified for the last 16 with victory but instead must wait until the final…