‘There are more Osimhen’s waiting to be discovered at the grassroots’
Victor Osimhen (Photo: AFP)
FIFA World Cup Sport News
England and Belgium stay on track for Euro 2024
PARIS: England claimed a point in a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in a Euro 2024 qualifier Saturday as Belgium went joint top of their group with a 1-0 away win at Azerbaijan as both sides stayed on course for the finals in Germany. Ukraine hosted England in neighboring Poland and marched out onto the pitch in Wroclow with national flags draped over their shoulders in front of around 40,000 of their own fans. Oleksandr Zinchenko put Ukraine in front with a thundering shot after a sweeping drive through midfield on 26 minutes. Gareth Southgate’s England, however, hit back in the 41st minute when Harry Kane played a ball over the top and Kyle Walker slipped the ball home for his first international goal on his 77th appearance. Group C leaders England have 13 points to Ukraine’s seven. Third-placed Italy can close in on Ukraine with victory over North Macedonia later Saturday. The top two teams in each group qualify for the finals. “Very tough place to come.
McTominay overtakes Ronaldo and Kane to top scoring in European qualifying, Scotland stay perfect
LONDON: Scott McTominay moved ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane as the joint leading scorer in European Championship qualifying with Scotland on the brink of securing a place at next year’s tournament.
Rugby World Cup kicks off with French victory over All Blacks
PARIS: France made an impressive start to their attempt to win a first Rugby World Cup as the host nation beat New Zealand 27-13 in a hot and humid tournament opener on Friday.
Neymar breaks Brazil’s goal-scoring record in 5-1 win in South American World Cup qualifying
SAO PAULO: Neymar scored his record 78th and 79th goals for Brazil in a 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia on Friday.
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho joins Qatari team Al Duhail on loan from Villa
MANCHESTER, England: After spells with some of European soccer’s biggest clubs, Philippe Coutinho joined Qatari team Al-Duhail on a season-long loan from Aston Villa on Friday. The former Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan playmaker’s move comes after a slew of the sport’s biggest stars have been lured to Saudi Arabia’s lucrative league. Al-Duhail described the Brazil international as a “great asset” after confirming his arrival. The 31-year-old Coutinho was a record signing for Barcelona when joining the Catalan club in a deal worth up to 160 million euros (then $192 million) in 2018. But his time at the Nou Camp did not go to plan as injury problems saw him fail to live up to expectations and led to loans at Bayern and Villa.
Spanish prosecutors accuse Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player at World Cup
BARCELONA, Spain: Spanish state prosecutors have accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final, the country’s prosecutors’ office said Friday. Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation, kissed Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia. Prosecutors presented a case against Rubiales to Spain’s National Court in Madrid two days after Hermoso formally accused him of sexual assault. According to a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault. Prosecutors added Friday that Rubiales could have committed an act of coercion when, according to Hermoso, he pressured her to speak out in his defense immediately after the scandal erupted regarding his behavior. Rubiales has insisted the kiss was consensual.
Saudi transfer window closes after a $1 billion spending spree on soccer stars
MANCHESTER, England: After an outlay of $1 billion, Saudi Arabia’s transfer window shut on Thursday with the Kingdom having announced itself as a new powerhouse in global soccer. Leading target Mohamed Salah may not have joined Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema by moving to the lucrative Saudi Pro League, but it seems inevitable more stars will eventually be lured away from Europe’s biggest clubs. Liverpool last week reportedly rejected a bid worth 150 million pounds ($188 million) from Al-Ittihad for Salah and despite speculation a renewed offer would come before Thursday’s deadline, no deal was struck for the Egypt international. There is, however, little suggestion Saudi Arabia’s spectacular spending will end there as the country has sought to move its way into international sports, investing in recent years in golf, boxing, Formula One racing and tennis, as well as soccer. Based on reported fees, Saudi clubs paid just over $1 billion on players, which would place it behind only the English Premier League in terms of global spending during the window. Then there are the large salaries said to be on offer, with Ronaldo’s deal reportedly worth up to $200 million a year. Despite anticipation that Salah could be the latest superstar signing, the Saudi window ended relatively quietly.