Sports

Messi Snatches Win For PSG After Neymar’s Injury Blow

Published

3 years ago

February 19, 2023

Lionel Messi scored a 95th-minute free-kick to give Paris Saint-Germain a 4-3 win over Lille in an extraordinary Ligue 1 game on Sunday in which Kylian Mbappe scored twice but Neymar was taken off on a stretcher with an ankle injury.

Messi’s late winner came after PSG had squandered a two-goal lead and fallen 3-2 behind, with Mbappe grabbing a late equaliser before the Argentine’s stunning strike.

The result ends a run of three straight defeats for PSG and moves them seven points clear at the top from Monaco, who beat Brest 2-1 away later in the day.

However, Marseille can move back up to second place, and to within five points of the leaders, with a win at Toulouse on Sunday evening before they host PSG next weekend.

“We came through it. It wasn’t a great performance,” Mbappe told broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“We made lots of mistakes and lost concentration too often and against a quality side you pay dearly for that, but we showed that even when we are not at our best and the context is not exactly favourable we are a different team with different players and we can always find a way.”

Of immediate concern to the Parisians is the injury to Neymar, who looked to be in tears as he was helped onto a stretcher early in the second half after turning his right ankle.

The Brazilian’s fitness is now likely to dominate headlines in the run-up to next week’s Marseille showdown but also the second leg of PSG’s Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on March 8.

– Ankle injury –

“‘Ney’ has sprained his ankle. We will see how serious it is. We don’t know yet — he is undergoing tests at the moment,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier, who also saw left-back Nuno Mendes come off in the first half with an ankle ligament injury that the coach insisted “doesn’t seem too serious.”

“I hope ‘Ney’ is going to come back quickly because he is an important player for us,” added Mbappe about his Brazilian teammate.

Galtier’s team were looking to bounce back from a 1-0 home loss to Bayern in the first leg of that European tie and they went ahead early on against Lille through Mbappe, making his first start after returning from a recent thigh injury.

Neymar soon made it 2-0 against a side PSG beat 7-1 in their last meeting in August, but Bafode Diakite pulled one back for Lille midway through the first half.

The home side then saw Neymar carried off within five minutes of the second half starting, and Lille drew level when Jonathan David converted a penalty for his 17th goal this season following a Marco Verratti foul in the box.

Jonathan Bamba made it 3-2 to the away side with a superb finish and the home side looked set for a fourth successive loss before Mbappe converted from a Juan Bernat assist with just three minutes remaining.

That was his 27th goal this season in all competitions, but it was not the end of the drama as Messi won a free-kick when he was fouled just outside the area by Benjamin Andre.

The World Cup winner stepped up to dispatch the dead ball into the net off the post to round off a remarkable game.

Monaco beat PSG last weekend before a 3-2 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League play-off on Thursday.

The principality side went in front late in the first half against Brest through Aleksandr Golovin, and a rare goal from Dutch forward Myron Boadu doubled their lead, with Jeremy Le Douaron pulling one back.

Rennes, who lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League in midweek, moved back above Lille into fifth by beating Clermont 2-0, with ex-PSG forward Arnaud Kalimuendo scoring both their goals.

There were also wins for Lorient and Montpellier, while Strasbourg moved out of the relegation zone on Saturday by beating bottom side Angers 2-1 in their first game under new coach Frederic Antonetti.

Fellow strugglers Auxerre beat Lyon 2-1 on Friday, while Nice and Reims drew 0-0.

AFP

Sports

[FULL LIST] 2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia Lead Groups

Published

2 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

African 2026 World Cup qualifying tables after matches on Friday (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Group A

Egypt 7 6 1 0 16 2 19

Burkina Faso 7 4 2 1 19 7 14

Sierra Leone 7 2 3 2 8 8 9

Guinea-Bissau 7 1 4 2 6 8 7

Ethiopia 7 1 3 3 7 9 6

Djibouti 7 0 1 6 4 26 1

Group B

DR Congo 7 5 1 1 11 3 16

Senegal 7 4 3 0 10 1 15

Sudan 7 3 3 1 8 4 12

Mauritania 7 1 2 4 4 9 5

Togo 7 0 4 3 4 9 4

South Sudan 7 0 3 4 3 14 3

Group C

South Africa 7 5 1 1 13 5 16

Benin 7 3 2 2 7 7 11

Rwanda 6 2 2 2 4 4 8

Nigeria 6 1 4 1 7 6 7

Lesotho 7 1 3 3 4 8 6

Zimbabwe 7 0 4 3 5 10 4

Group E

Morocco 6 6 0 0 19 2 18 – qualified

Tanzania 6 3 1 2 6 5 10

Zambia 5 2 0 3 9 7 6

Niger 5 2 0 3 6 9 6

Congo 6 0 1 5 3 20 1

— Eritrea withdrew before matchday 1

Group F

Ivory Coast 7 6 1 0 15 0 19

Gabon 7 6 0 1 16 6 18

Burundi 7 3 1 3 13 8 10

Gambia 7 2 1 4 15 14 7

Kenya 7 1 3 3 12 11 6

Seychelles 7 0 0 7 2 34 0

Group G

Algeria 7 6 0 1 19 7 18

Uganda 7 4 0 3 10 7 12

Mozambique 7 4 0 3 10 15 12

Guinea 7 3 1 3 7 5 10

Botswana 7 3 0 4 10 11 9

Somalia 7 0 1 6 3 14 1

Group H

Tunisia 7 6 1 0 12 0 19

Namibia 7 3 3 1 9 4 12

Liberia 7 3 1 3 7 7 10

Eq. Guinea 7 3 1 3 7 10 10

Malawi 7 3 0 4 6 7 9

Sao Tome 7 0 0 7 4 17 0

Note: Group winners qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The four best-ranked runners-up enter a mini tournament and the winners qualify for the six-nation inter-continental play-offs with two finals places up for grabs

AFP

Sports

[FULL LIST] World Cup: Nigeria, Others Face Elimination

Published

2 days ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

As African qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup heats up, Egypt and Morocco are edging closer to sealing their tickets to the global showpiece in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while Nigeria’s hopes hang by a thread.

With four rounds of matches left, the race across the nine African groups is intensifying, leaving several giants at risk of missing out.

Below is the state of play across all groups:

Group A – Egypt in Command

Standings: Egypt lead Burkina Faso by five points.

Key Matches: Egypt vs Ethiopia; Burkina Faso vs Djibouti.

Outlook: Two wins could seal Egypt’s qualification.

Group B – Three-Way Battle

Standings: DR Congo, Senegal, and Sudan are split by one point.

Key Matches: Senegal host Sudan and face DR Congo; Sudan visit Togo.

Outlook: Sudan chase a maiden World Cup amid conflict at home.

Group C – Nigeria in Trouble

Standings: South Africa top with 13 points; Nigeria sit fourth with seven.

Key Matches: Nigeria host Rwanda, then face South Africa away.

Outlook: Nigeria must win both to stay alive. A ruling on South Africa’s alleged ineligible player could impact standings.

Group D – Cape Verde vs Cameroon

Standings: Cape Verde lead Cameroon by one point.

Key Matches: Cape Verde host Cameroon, then travel to Mauritius; Cameroon face Eswatini.

Outlook: Cape Verde eye historic qualification; Libya and Angola still lurking.

Group E – Morocco Poised for History

Standings: Morocco boast a perfect record (5 wins in 5).

Key Matches: Morocco play Niger and Zambia; Tanzania face Congo-Brazzaville.

Outlook: Atlas Lions could become Africa’s first confirmed qualifiers.

Group F – Ivory Coast vs Gabon

Standings: Ivory Coast one point ahead of Gabon.

Key Matches: Gabon host Ivory Coast; Ivory Coast face Burundi and Seychelles.

Outlook: A tight race between two resurgent sides.

Group G – Algeria Closing In

Standings: Algeria three points clear of Mozambique.

Key Matches: Algeria host Botswana, travel to Guinea; Mozambique meet Uganda and Botswana.

Outlook: Algeria well-placed but can’t slip up.

Group H – Tunisia in Control

Standings: Tunisia four points ahead of Namibia.

Key Matches: Tunisia vs Liberia; Tunisia vs Equatorial Guinea; Namibia face Malawi and Sao Tome.

Outlook: Tunisia could qualify early, but an Equatorial Guinea appeal looms.

Group I – Ghana Push for Redemption

Standings: Ghana lead by three points over Comoros; Mali trailing.

Key Matches: Ghana face Chad and Comoros; Comoros travel to Mali.

Outlook: Ghana could book qualification at home, making up for their AFCON 2025 failure.

Sports

13 Super Eagles Players Arrive Camp For World Cup Qualifiers

Published

3 days ago

September 2, 2025

Editor

The number of players in the Super Eagles’ camp has increased to 13, as Nigeria intensifies preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa.

This follows the arrival of nine more players at the team’s camp in Ikot Ikpene on Tuesday, according to Promise Efoghe, the team’s media officer.

The new arrivals include Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Ola Aina, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Moses Simon, Chidozie Awaziem, Adebayo Adeleye, and Benjamin Fredericks.

They joined the quartet of William Troost-Ekong, Amas Obasogie, Felix Agu, and Raphael Onyedika, who checked into camp on Monday.

Efoghe confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria that out of the 23 players who were invited for the double-header fixtures, only 13 had arrived, with 10 more players still being expected.

“A total of 13 players are currently in camp, and we are expecting the rest of the squad to arrive later today and early tomorrow,” Efoghe said.

He also shared details of the team’s upcoming media engagements.

“There will be a press conference with the coaching staff and selected players on Wednesday at the training pitch of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium,” Efoghe stated.

“For Friday, the pre-match press conference will holbe held the same venue, and the first 15 minutes of the team’s training session will be open to media coverage.”

Players still beiexpected to be included arealkeeper Stanley Nwabali; defender Bruno Onyemaechi; midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka; and forwards Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Cyriel Dessers, Christantus Uche, and Tolu Arokodare.

Nigeria will host Rwanda on Friday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, in a Matchday 7 fixture. They will then travel to Bloemfontein to face South Africa on Monday, in a Matchday 8 encounter.

The Super Eagles currently sit third in Group C of the African qualifiers with two points from two matches, behind leaders South Africa (four points) and Rwanda (also four points but with an inferior goal difference).

Only the top team in the group will qualify automatically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Full 23-Man Squad:

Goalkeepers:

Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa);

Amas Obasogie (Singida Black Stars, Tanzania);

Adeleye Adebayo (Volos FC, Greece).

Defenders:

William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia);

Calvin Bassey (Fulham, England);

Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest, England);

Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City, England);

Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece);