Full List: 5 Champions League newcomers
With the expanded UEFA Champions League beginning this week, AFP Sport casts an eye over some of the new names to look out for in the competition this season:
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Brilliant Boniface helps Leverkusen bounce back
Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen put their first defeat in 35 Bundesliga games behind them on Saturday when they thumped Hoffenheim 4-1 with Victor Boniface bagging a brace.
2024 U-20 WWC: Japan maintain dominance Over Nigeria after 2-1 win
Japan defeated Nigeria’s Falconets 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
Champions Argentina, Brazil falter in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
Two South American powerhouses lost in World Cup qualifying in the absence of their biggest stars, with Lionel Messi missing Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia and Neymar still on the sidelines for Brazil’s upset defeat in Paraguay.
J’Tigress face Ugandan counterparts in semifinal
Nigeria’s women’s U-18 basketball team, J’Tigress, which caused a big upset on Wednesday night by beating Egypt in the quarterfinals of the ongoing AfroBasket U-18 Championships in Pretoria, South Africa, will face Uganda in the semifinal of the championship today. The girls, against all expectations, defeated Egypt 66-51 to reach the semifinals of the championships, which offer the winners tickets to the FIBA U-18 Championships later this year. Nigeria’s game with Uganda will come shortly after the other semifinal involving Cameroon and Mali. On Wednesday against Egypt, Nigeria won the first quarter 24-13 and maintained the lead as the teams went on halftime, with scores 37-23 for J’Tigress. Egypt struggled to get back into the game but failed until the buzzer. Incidentally, it was the second game between both teams within one week. Egypt won that opening match 72-60, but on Wednesday night, J’Tigress rose ferociously in the game that mattered more to win the quarterfinals. Speaking on his expectations of the team, a member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Ugo Udezue, said the girls showed the Nigerian spirit by rising above their struggles to beat Egypt. He said that the girls have shown they can withstand any opposition at the championship, and assured that the J’Tigress would do their best to make the country proud.
U-18 Afrobasket: J’Tigers bow out in quarterfinals, J’Tigress advance
The Malians who took the fight to their Nigerian counterparts from the onset of the game, won the first quarter 23-19 and led through the break at 40-38.
Delta, Edo athletes dominate gold medals’ table at Asaba 2024 NYG
Host, Delta State, began the defence of their National Youth Games title on a good note, on Friday, hauling six Gold medals in the swimming and weightlifting events.
Falconets battle Japan for quarterfinal ticket
Nigeria’s national women’s U-20 team, the Falconets, will, in the early hours of tomorrow, face their biggest test yet since they lost their second group game at the ongoing Colombia 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The threat comes from Japan, who have been devastating in their games since the competition kicked off.