The new league phase of this season’s expanded Champions League is all set for a frantic conclusion on Wednesday, as 18 matches are played simultaneously across Europe and the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battle to avoid an early exit. AFP Sport rounds up what is at stake ahead of the final round of games in the league phase: Top 8 places up for grabs There is a real incentive for finishing in the top eight places of the giant, 36-team standings — those sides will skip the two-legged knockout round play-offs next month, getting some precious rest as they advance straight to the last 16 in March. Liverpool, with seven wins out of seven, and Barcelona are the only two teams to have already guaranteed a place
Tag Archives: Football
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Jan
Jan
The Kansas City Chiefs moved one step closer to an unprecedented ‘three-peat’ after beating the Houston Texans in the NFL play-offs. After earning a bye for the first round of the post-season, the Chiefs kicked off the Divisional Round at home to the Houston Texans on Saturday. And the NFL’s two-time defending champions clinched a 23-14 victory to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City have reached the NFL’s championship game four times in the past five years, winning it three times. Last season, they became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, and they are back within one win of the big game.
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Jan
Jan
Florian Wirtz scored twice as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 on Saturday to stay four points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Bayern had gone seven clear with a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg earlier on in the day, throwing down the gauntlet but Leverkusen were dominant and controlled, notching their 11th straight win in all competitions. “We’re right in the middle of a title fight again — you can dream a little bit,” Wirtz told Sky Germany. With 32 minutes gone, Leverkusen enforcer Granit Xhaka won the ball in midfield and fed Wirtz, who beat a defender and slotted calmly home. When Leverkusen won a penalty for handball midway through the second half, the 21-year-old Wirtz stepped up and converted. Patrik Schick latched onto a Wirtz pass to score
16
Jan
Jan
Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 and reignite their Premier League title challenge on Wednesday as Alexander Isak fired Newcastle into the top four. Elsewhere, David Moyes endured a miserable return to the Everton dugout, watching his toothless side lose 1-0 to Aston Villa at Goodison Park. Arsenal’s victory at the Emirates lifts […] The post Arsenal reignite Premier League title hopes as Isak stars again appeared first on The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News.
13
Jan
Jan
Commanders & Eagles win while Bills set up Ravens showdown Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Josh Allen will take on Lamar Jackson next week after Buffalo beat Denver to book a date with Baltimore Paul Higham BBC Sport Journalist Ben Collins BBC Sport Journalist The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles won in the NFL play-offs on Sunday while the Buffalo Bills set up a mouth-watering match-up in week two. The Commanders clinched a thrilling 23-20 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Zane Gonzalez kicking a field goal as time expired. The Bills claimed a largely dominant 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos before the Philadelphia Eagles won 22-10 in a brutal battle with the Green Bay Packers. Buffalo’s Josh Allen threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns and
13
Jan
Jan
Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era. The electric Kylian Mbappe sent Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half. Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-rivals in Jeddah. After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target. Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage
06
Nov
Nov
Nigeria’s forward #18 Ademola Lookman (L) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Nigeria’s forward #9 Victor Osimhen during the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 27, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) The interim coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, has invited 23 players for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda. Among the players listed for the games is Galatasaray’s star striker, Victor Osimhen, who was absent in the last game against Libya due to injury. He returned from injury and bagged a goal in Galatasaray’s 3-0 win away at Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on October 19. Osimhen also scored the winning goal