Senegal avoided a shock elimination from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, after they came from behind to beat Sudan 3-1 in their Round of 16 fixture on Saturday evening.
The Teranga Lions were behind as early as the sixth minute after Aamir Abdallah Yunis curled in the opening goal.
But they went into the break in front, thanks to two goals from Papa Gueye in the 29th and 45th minutes of play.
In the second half, Ibrahim Mbaye added a third as Senegal progressed into the next round.
They will now take on the winner of the Tunisia vs Mali last-16 clash for a place in the semi-final. (DailyPost)
Arsenal fought back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday, stretching their lead at the top of the Premier League as Aston Villa extended their winning run at home.
A goal from Gabriel Magalhaes and two from the returning Declan Rice sent the Gunners six points clear of second-placed Villa and seven ahead of Manchester City.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised the character of his team, singling out Rice and Gabriel, whose sloppy pass set up Bournemouth for the opening goal.
“I love the character of Gabriel, the way he overcome that situation — it’s just unbelievable, it says a lot about how much we’ve grown,” he told Sky Sports. “The team found a way to beat them and it’s a massive win.”
The Spaniard said that Rice had worked hard to be available after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 home win against Villa with a knee problem.
“He has stretched himself to the very limit and the team were awarded with two great goals,” he added.
Evanilson gave impressive Bournemouth an early lead, stroking home after Gabriel’s error but the Brazil defender made up for his mistake just minutes later, converting after Noni Madueke’s drive to the byline.
England midfielder Rice side-footed the Gunners ahead in the 54th minute from the edge of the area and gave them breathing space with about 20 minutes to go, producing a low finish from substitute Bukayo Saka’s cutback.
Junior Kroupi brought Bournemouth back into the game with a thunderous right-footed finish but Arsenal held on for a fifth straight Premier League win — keeping them firmly on course for a first English title since 2004.
Earlier, Unai Emery’s Villa bounced back from their chastening defeat at Arsenal to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1, recording their 11th consecutive home win in all competitions.
England forward Ollie Watkins gave Villa a deserved lead on the cusp of half-time with a powerful strike from just outside the area and John McGinn scored twice in the second half, either side of a Morgan Gibbs-White goal.
Villa boss Emery said his players and coaching staff had held a meeting after their drubbing at the Emirates Stadium.
“I am so happy,” he said. “We had to recover our energy and our confidence. Here, at Villa Park, the energy we create was really important.
“Forest are competitive. After the Arsenal match we met — the players and staff — (and discussed) how we are doing this season, how we are feeling, how we needed to keep the same consistency as before, how we needed to be together and strong.”
Sean Dyche’s Forest, who have now suffered four straight league defeats, remain one place above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, who slumped to a damaging 3-0 loss at Molineux. (JapanToday)
Arsenal ensured it will end the year top of the Premier League after beating Aston Villa 4-1 at home in a powerful statement win on Tuesday with all goals scored in the second half.
The fourth goal, scored by substitute Gabriel Jesus one minute after coming on, highlighted the depth of Arsenal’s bench this season and coach Mikel Arteta jubilantly high-fived his assistants at the final whistle.
Victory moved Arsenal five points ahead of Manchester City, which plays at Sunderland on New Year’s Day, and six points clear of third-place Villa.
“It is a beautiful evening. That was a very tough match, as we knew it would be, because they are a top opponent to play against,” Arteta told broadcaster Sky Sports. “The way we started the second half was amazing, we really turned things up and were efficient in everything that we did.”
Arsenal has not won the Premier League since 2004 and the pressure is on Arteta to deliver.
“In 2026, we know what we want,” Arteta said.
Elsewhere, Chelsea drew 2-2 at home to Bournemouth; Newcastle won 3-1 at lowly Burnley; and Manchester United was held 1-1 at home to rock-bottom Wolverhampton.
Struggling West Ham drew 2-2 with visiting Brighton, and Everton won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest.
No Arsenal player is near the top of the scorers’ charts this season, yet sharing the goals around might just be the team’s strength.
Defender Gabriel Magalhães headed home early in the second half following a corner for set-piece specialist Arsenal, and midfielder Martín Zubimendi netted in the 52nd minute.
Winger Leandro Trossard curled in a fine third from the edge of the penalty area in the 69th and was involved in the fourth goal, curled into the same corner from almost the same spot in the 78th minute by Jesus after Arsenal had launched a superb counterattack from deep.
The win was even more impressive considering Arsenal was missing key midfielder Declan Rice with a knee injury and Villa was playing on the back of 11 straight victories in all competitions.
Gabriel nodded in from close range and was deemed not to have impeded Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez with his elbow.
Zubimendi finished confidently after captain Martin Ødegaard expertly won the ball in midfield and advanced before threading a perfect ball behind Villa’s defense. (JapanToday)
Raphael Onyedika has scored twice, and Paul Onuachu has netted his first international goal in four years as already-qualified Nigeria overcame 10-man Uganda 3-1 to maintain a 100 percent record after the group stage and send the East African side home.
Nigeria finished top of Group C on Tuesday with nine points, followed by Tunisia in second with four and Tanzania, who reached the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides after their 1-1 draw with Tunisia, also on Tuesday.
It was a dominant performance from Nigeria despite resting several regulars, having already been assured of the top spot in the group.
After Onuachu missed a simple chance midway through the first half, he found the back of the net after 28 minutes.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru showed quick feet on the left, and his pass in to Onuachu was perfect for the big forward to finish. The goal was the striker’s first for Nigeria since 2021.
Uganda were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when substitute goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola used his hands about 9 metres (10 yards) outside his area to stop a Victor Osimhen shot.
Magoola had been a halftime replacement for injured starter Denis Onyango, so Uganda had to use their third goalkeeper in the game as Nafian Alionzi was brought on for midfielder Baba Alhassan.
Nigeria scored their second goal in the 62nd minute when Onyedika took Samuel Chukwueze’s pass and drilled his shot low through the legs of Alionzi.
Onyedika netted his second five minutes later with a side-footed finish, Chukwueze again the provider with a pass from the right.
Uganda got a consolation goal with 15 minutes left as the Nigerian defence momentarily went to sleep and Rogers Mato had time and space from Allan Okello’s pass to lift the ball over the keeper and into the net.
Nevertheless, Nigeria have impressed in the group stage, having been losing finalists two years ago and following the shock of missing out on 2026 World Cup qualification.
Meanwhile, Tanzania reached the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, 45 years after their maiden appearance, by coming from behind to draw 1-1 with fellow qualifiers Tunisia in Rabat.
Feisal Salum’s powerful shot three minutes into the second half was enough to secure the draw after Tunisia had been ahead with a 43rd-minute penalty converted by Ismael Gharbi.
It was only Tanzania’s second point of the tournament but proved enough for them to advance as one of the four best third-placed finishers.
Tanzania have been trying since 1980 to advance beyond the group stage and have still to win a match in four appearances. (AlJazeera)
Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet has launched a stinging attack on the Confederation of African Football’s decision to reschedule the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), insisting that it’s a decision taken by UEFA, European clubs and FIFA, but which does not have the continent’s sporting interests at heart.
The decision to make the biennial AFCON a quadrennial tournament was announced by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe in a press conference on Saturday, with the football administrator announcing the decision alongside the launch of a new African Nations League, that would take place annually.
The announcement has prompted mixed reactions across the continent, with Mali’s Saintfiet, speaking ahead of his team’s AFCON fixture with hosts Morocco on Friday, outlining his disgust with a decision that he believes disrespects African football.
“I’m shocked with it, very disappointed,” he told ESPN on Thursday. “It’s all instructed by the big people in UEFA, the big clubs from the five leagues, and also by FIFA…and that makes me so sad.
“We fight so long to get respected in Africa, for African people and Africa’s own identity to get respected, but then to listen to Europe to change your history, a 68-year history, for financial reasons…I think we disrespect [Africa] by going to four years.
“I’m sad about that, and I hope the love for Africa would win out over the pressure of Europe.”
Motsepe blamed the need to change the schedule, which will begin after the 2028 Nations Cup, on the ongoing club-vs-country rows, which take place every time the AFCON is organised during the European football season, among other reasons.
The 63-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns owner also used the need to generate extra revenue as a reason for reducing the volume of AFCONs, although presence of FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom sitting alongside him for the announcement, reinforced the suspicion that it’s the world football governing body’s interests which are best being served by the changes.
“[We are changing] for the pressure of the clubs, who are giving the load on the players as an excuse for the change,” Saintfiet continued, “but who have created a Club World Cup for teams, a World Cup with 40 teams, a Champions League without champions.
“If you want to respect players, you should play the Champions League with only champions, don’t create new leagues which put more load on players, and then they can still play in a competition [the AFCON] which has existed for 60 years, on a two-year basis.”
The vagueness of CAF’s announcement and the lack of clarity about competition logistics has created much uncertainty around the specifics of the future vision for African football, with the continent’s governing body yet to outline what this reorganisation and the regional Nations League means for World Cup or AFCON qualification, or existing regional competitions as well as the African Nations Championship for domestic players.
Similarly, even though the AFCON has been moved to every four years, it may not solve the club-vs-country debates if some editions of the competition are held within the European season, a necessity given the climate conditions across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
“Africa is the world’s biggest football continent, given the passion of the players, the quality of the players, the big African stars in Europe,” Saintfiet concluded. “1957 was the first AFCON, and since that period, every two years there’s been one.
“It’s the pride of African football, the best players from Africa, the best players in Europe come together, and it’s a celebration of fans.
‘It’s the honour and the glory of African football, but to take it away and go to four years…I could understand if it was a question from Africa, a request from Africa, if, for whatever reason, it was needed by African players, the federations, or CAF,” Saintfiet said. (ESPN)
Not satisfied with inability of the Super Eagles to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup after similarly missing out of the last edition in Qatar in 2022, a former Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Chief Gabriel Chukwuma, asked for the resignation of the entire board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Ibrahim Gusau.
Although the NFF has petition FIFA to disqualify DR Congo who defeated Super Eagles in shootouts of the final match of the African Playoffs in Morocco last month for fielding nine players that Nigeria consider ineligible”, Chukwuma stressed that seeking to get into the Intercontinental playoffs through the boardroom was beneath the three-time continental champions.
“The NFF board should resign because if they had gotten their acts together earlier, the Super Eagles would have qualified with ease without depending on play-offs or boardroom points now.”
The former proprietor of Gabros FC of Nnewi who is one of the highest stakeholders in Nigerian football, having managed a football club for 22 years from amateur to professional rank, said that apart from not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the current board rendered all male national teams powerless.
“The board has through cluelessness reduced our male teams to minnows of African football, beaten easily by unpopular or unknown names in football,” he noted with sadness.
Chukwuma recalled: “Since last year, I have been telling them to contact me so that I can assist in contributing money and can possibly engage some of my friends to assist, if money was their problem.
“Now, they have failed, there is nothing they can do. They should stop deceiving President Bola Tinubu that there is still hope for Super Eagles to Reach the World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
“Just because our president is a listening president, they go to him and deceive him. They forget that Nigerians like football. They hardly eat or sleep when Nigerian teams are playing as they are always ready to watch them.
“The federal government gave NFF tax payers’ money, including my money and they swallowed it. Nigeria have the crop of best legs in the whole world. But the problem is that those who manage our football dont know what to do, they are only interested in doing players’ agent.
He decried the situation where everyone in football administration will wants his or her players to be in the teams to play matches.
“Football is either you get results or you get rich. As long as you want to enrich yourself you cannot get results. I said this many months ago that Nigeria cannot qualify for the World Cup. Not that I was wishing the country bad luck but just to challenge those managing our football to qualify for the World Cup.”
Chukwuma reiterated, ” Let me say it again, all NFF board members should resign from their positions to allow young managers take over the management of football in the country and prepare for the 2030 World Cup.
“It is shameful that some countries that are not up to Lagos qualified easily. And now, I am hearing that these same people who have dragged our football into the abyss are preparing to return for another term.
“It is an insult to the whole nation. If President Tinubu allows them to go for anothet term, we have accepted defeat and should say goodbye to ever qualifying for the World Cup. And if they are not resigning, I am ready to go to court to force them out, for capable people to take over. “ (ThisDay)
Tottenham ground out a much-needed three points for the under-fire Thomas Frank with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, while high-flying Sunderland were held 1-1 by Leeds on Sunday.
Archie Gray was Spurs’ unlikely match winner at Selhurst Park with his first senior goal as Frank’s men won for just the second time in nine league games.
Richarlison had two goals disallowed for offside but Gray’s header was enough for Tottenham against a Palace side running out of steam after a gruelling schedule.
“In the end we got over the line,” said Frank. “The team showed great resilience today and I think the desire beat the details in the game.”
The Eagles are winless in five games as they have hit the wall from trying to stretch their limited resources across three competitions.
Oliver Glasner described his side’s set-piece defending in a 4-1 defeat to Leeds last weekend as “embarrassing” and it was a dead ball that cost them once more against a Spurs team badly lacking in creativity.
An overdue victory will temporarily ease the scrutiny on Frank, but another performance devoid of flair going forward will do little to quieten his doubters in the Tottenham support.
The visitors did not have a shot on target from open play before half-time but were only denied by a VAR review for offside when Richarlison thought he had opened the scoring.
Instead the source of the only goal was an unexpected one as Gray headed in Richarlison’s flick from a corner for his first goal in 112 appearances for Tottenham and Leeds.
Palace dominated territory and possession after the break but lacked the class needed in front of goal to make Spurs pay.
Justin Devenny blazed high over the bar from close range before Maxence Lacroix headed wide.
Palace were handed another reprieve when Richarlison turned in Mohammed Kudus’ cross only for VAR to again intervene.
But Tottenham held out to climb to 11th, just one point behind Palace in ninth.
Earlier, Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored for a sixth consecutive Premier League game as Leeds denied Sunderland a place in the top five with a draw at the Stadium of Light.
Simon Adingra fired the Black Cats into a half-time lead, but the in-form Calvert-Lewin leveled early in the second period to pull Leeds further clear of the relegation zone.
Sunderland are still yet to lose at home on their return to the top flight but have been severely depleted by the departure of six players to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sunderland are still yet to lose at home on their return to the top flight but have been severely depleted by the departure of six players to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Adingra was one of the Ivory Coast’s key men in winning the AFCON on home soil last year, but he was not selected this time.
Sunderland were grateful for that decision as the former Brighton winger curled in his first goal for the club from Granit Xhaka’s fine through ball on 28 minutes. (JapanToday)
Nick Kyrgios won the latest version of the “Battle of the Sexes” in tennis, beating top-ranked women’s player Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match that represented light entertainment rather than another landmark moment for gender equality.
There was laughing and joking between the players, some under-arm serves, over-the-top grunting on shots, and even some dancing from Sabalenka during a timeout to entertain the crowd at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai — where the most expensive tickets sold for approaching $800.
Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who has played only six tour-level matches in the last three years because of wrist and knee injuries, appeared to play within himself at times and faced the disadvantage of Sabalenka’s side of the court being nearly 10% smaller in an attempt to level the playing field. The players were only given one serve per point, rather than two.
Kyrgios was drenched in sweat by the time he clinched victory off his third match point and the pair were all smiles when they embraced at the net.
Kyrgios acknowledged feeling nervous and having to “strap in.”
“I think this is a great stepping stone for the sport of tennis,” the Australian said.
Sabalenka said the match was good prep for next season, with the Australian Open coming up in January, and would like to play Kyrgios again to exact “revenge.”
“Really enjoyed the show,” she said, “and I feel like next time I play him I’m going to know the tactics, his strengths and his weaknesses, and it’s going to be a better match, for sure.”
The so-called “Battle of the Sexes” was a name borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome and took place amid King’s efforts to start a female tour and get equal pay in tennis.
Fifty-two years on and the latest iteration had no real wider cultural significance. Instead, Sabalenka and Kyrgios — members of the same agency, Evolve, that arranged the exhibition — just wanted to put on a show, engage a younger audience and make some money.
Kyrgios might be regarded as a controversial choice to play in such a match, given he pleaded guilty to shoving a former girlfriend to the ground during an argument in 2021 — he escaped conviction on a charge of common assault — and has previously expressed his opposition to equal pay in tennis. (JapanToday)
Mozambique ended a 39-year wait for a first Africa Cup of Nations victory by defeating Gabon 3-2 in a Group F thriller in Agadir on Sunday.
The Mambas began the match having drawn four and lost 12 since making their first of six appearances at the tournament in 1986.
Goals from Faisal Bangal, Geny Catamo and Diogo Calila won a seesaw struggle for the Mozambicans, who led 2-1 at halftime in the Moroccan coastal city.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Moussounda netted for Gabon, who twice halved two-goal deficits before suffering a second straight loss after falling to Cameroon.
Defending champions Ivory Coast and Cameroon, who meet later on Sunday in Marrakesh, and Mozambique have three points each.
Catamo had the first clear-cut chance but was let down by poor control, allowing the ball to run too far in front of him and goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba dashed forward to gain possession.
Mozambique — 24 places below Gabon in the world rankings — were more adventurous and deservedly took the lead on 37 minutes through Bangal, a striker with an Italian fourth division club.
Bangal rose unchallenged from a corner, and his header bounced off the ground into the left corner of the net with Mbaba helpless.
Mozambique increased their lead just five minutes later after Bruno Ecuele Manga pulled the shirt of Elias ‘Domingues’ Pelembe in a clash of the rival captains.
Catamo calmly placed the penalty into the left corner as Mbaba dived in the opposite direction.
The Mambas almost scored again soon after, with Witiness ‘Witi’ Quembo bending a shot from outside the box that struck the woodwork.
Gabon pulled one goal back five minutes into the first-half added time through their best-known footballer, 36-year-old Marseille striker Aubameyang.
The 2015 African player of the year was perfectly positioned to tap the ball into the net after Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan Siluane failed to grasp a Didier Ndong shot.
Portugal-based right-back Calila scored the third Mozambique goal on 52 minutes, venturing forward to nod a Witi cross past Mbaba.
Aubameyang had a scoring chance soon after, but headed wide from point-blank range in a let-off for the Mozambicans.
Domingues, a 42-year-old and second-oldest footballer to play at an AFCON, was substituted midway through the second half by a more defensive midfielder, Manuel Kambala.
Siluane saved superbly from Aubameyang and Ndong, but a subsequent corner led to a goalmouth melee that ended with Moussounda slamming the ball into the net on 76 minutes to set up a tense finish. (Punch)
Arsenal resisted a late fightback from Brighton on Saturday to keep hold of first place in the Premier League, but Manchester City and Aston Villa are in hot pursuit.
It is a three-way fight at the top with just three points separating first and third in the standings.
City briefly held top spot after a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest, but when Arsenal beat Brighton by the same score later in the day, it returned to the summit with a two-point advantage over Pep Guardiola’s team.
Villa is just a point further back in third after extending its remarkable winning run to 11 games in all competitions with a comeback 2-1 victory at Chelsea.
Villa plays Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday and a win would see it move level on points with the leader at the turn of the year.
Liverpool is up to fourth after its resurgence continued with a 2-1 win of its own against last-place Wolverhampton, which set a new Premier League record for the longest winless run from the start of a season.
Another own goal kept Arsenal at the top of the standings — but it required an outstanding save from David Raya to deny Brighton.
Martin Odegaard gave Mikel Arteta’s team a 14th-minute lead — and when Brighton’s Georginio Rutter headed a wicked Declan Rice corner into his own net seven minutes into the second half, Arsenal was in control.
But nerves began to spread around the Emirates when Diego Gomez pulled a goal back against the run of play in the 64th. Yankuba Minteh then hit a shot that was destined for the top corner until Raya stretched an arm to push it away.
“Their goal changed the momentum a little bit and they pressed us towards the end, but we got the three points and that’s all that matters,” Odegaard said. “Lots of positives and still some things we can improve, but overall a good game and another win.”
Arsenal has become a set piece specialist, but in recent weeks it has benefited from a slew of own goals, with Rutter’s the latest to prove decisive.
It was the fourth time in as many games an opponent has scored an own goal against the league’s frontrunner.
Rayan Cherki kept Manchester City’s title challenge powering on with a late winner at Forest.
The France forward’s 83rd minute strike secured victory at the City Ground to make it six league wins in a row for Guardiola’s team. City is on an eight-game winning run in all.
“Today is a big win,” Cherki told TNT Sports. “I’m proud of the team because this game is very complicated to win.”
It was Cherki’s second goal in three games and fifth overall. He also provided an assist with an intricate pass to Tijjani Reijnders to put City ahead three minutes into the second half.
Omari Hutchinson equalized for relegation-fighting Forest, which was holding out for a crucial point until Cherki fired through a crowded box for the winner.
Guardiola, who has won 12 league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, looks like a man who believes his team is ready to regain the crown it surrendered to Liverpool last season. He joined in the celebrations with the traveling fans after the final whistle — acting conductor as they celebrated wildly after another win.
“When we won a lot of titles in Barcelona, Bayern Munich, here, you have a lot of games of this type,” he said. “The body language, how we celebrated, the connection with the fans is there.”
Super sub Ollie Watkins came off the bench and extended Villa’s winning run.
With Unai Emery’s team trailing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to Joao Pedro’s first-half strike, Watkins was sent on to try to salvage something.
And the England striker delivered in emphatic fashion, leveling the game within five minutes of coming on and then heading in the winner in the 84th to stun the home crowd and spark frenzied celebrations among Villa’s traveling supporters.
That’s 12 wins in Villa’s last 13 league games to firmly establish itself as a genuine title contender with Arsenal up next.
“Amazing is the word to sum it up,” Watkins told Sky Sports.
A fourth straight win for Liverpool and another sign that Florian Wirtz is finding his feet in England’s top flight.
Wirtz scored his first Premier League goal since joining the defending champion from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and it proved to be decisive against Wolves.
Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead before halftime after Ryan Gravenberch had opened the scoring at Anfield, but Wolves halved the deficit through Santiago Bueno after the break.
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