U17 Women’s World Cup: Flamingos Suffers Heavy Loss to Canada

Canada’s U17 girls scored three second-half goals to dominate Nigeria 4-1 in the opening match of Group D of the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in Morocco. The game at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 2) in Moroccan city of Salé, near Rabat, was barely two minutes old when Canada went in front after a strong run by Molly Hale from the left was smartly finished off by Gabriela Istocki. The Flamingos rose stoutly to the challenge, contesting for every ball, and taking over the midfield. In the 9th minute, captain Shakirat Moshood’s long-range drive was saved by goalkeeper Khadijah Cisse, and four minutes later, Moshood’s volley from the edge of the box rose a little too high. As the Flamingos continued to pile pressure, Chisom Nwachukwu shot directly at Cisse from the left wing, but on the half hour, Cisse could not hold firm to Kaosarat Olanrewaju’s shot as Nigeria broke forward again, and Queen Joseph was on hand to bundle the ball over the line for the equalizer. The Flamingos came into the second half even more energized, and a good cross by Nwachukwu was punched away by the alert Cisse in the 68th minute. Five minutes later, Canada went 2-1 up after a long ball freed substitute Melisa Kekic, and she turned a defender before firing low past Elizabeth Boniface. With 10 minutes left, substitute Julia Amireh profited hugely as goalkeeper Boniface spilled the ball in an attempt to foil an attack by the rampant Canadians, making it 3-1. Six minutes later, it was 4-1, as Amireh outpaced the Nigerian defence and drove the ball to the far right of Boniface. The Flamingos will next take on France on Wednesday evening.

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Liverpool Suffer 2-1 Defeat To Manchester United At Anfield

Liverpool endured a disappointing 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, marking their fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League. Manchester United stunned the home crowd with an early strike from Bryan Mbeumo in the first minute, giving the visitors an immediate advantage. Liverpool struggled to respond in the first half, creating few clear chances despite dominating possession. The Reds finally drew level in the 77th minute through Cody Gakpo, who finished a well-worked move to bring hope of a comeback. However, Liverpool’s resurgence was short-lived. Just seven minutes later, Harry Maguire headed in a Bruno Fernandes cross to restore United’s lead and secure the win. Manager Arne Slot faced criticism for his tactical choices, including benching key players, as Liverpool’s struggles continue to raise questions about their consistency and title ambitions this season. The defeat leaves Liverpool searching for answers as they aim to halt their run of poor results and regain momentum in the league.

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Aston Villa Defeat Tottenham 2-1 In Stunning Comeback Victory

Tottenham Hotspur’s bright start ended in disappointment on Sunday as Aston Villa fought back to claim a 2–1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs opened the scoring just five minutes into the match through Rodrigo Bentancur, who finished off a slick move from close range. The hosts looked dominant early on, pressing high and controlling possession, but their momentum began to fade midway through the first half. Villa grew into the game and were rewarded in the 37th minute when Morgan Rogers produced a brilliant curling effort from the edge of the box to draw his side level. In the second half, Tottenham struggled to regain control, and their defensive organization suffered following the late withdrawal of captain Cristian Romero, who pulled out before kickoff due to injury. Aston Villa’s persistence paid off in the 77th minute when substitute Emiliano Buendía fired a low, precise shot into the bottom corner to seal the comeback win. Despite Tottenham’s late pressure, Villa held firm to secure all three points. The victory marks Villa’s fifth straight win in all competitions, showcasing their growing confidence and resilience under pressure. Tottenham, on the other hand, were left to rue missed chances and lapses in concentration that cost them valuable points at home. With the result, Villa climb into the top half of the Premier League table, while Spurs slip to sixth — raising questions about their ability to maintain consistency in crucial matches. The game’s outcome has once again highlighted Tottenham’s struggles with defensive stability and game management, while Villa continue to impress as one of the league’s most tactically disciplined sides.

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Trossard Strike Lifts Arsenal Past Fulham As Gunners Return To Top Of Premier League

EPL: Trossard Fires Arsenal Past Fulham As Gunners Retain Top Spot

Arsenal continued their strong Premier League run on Saturday with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game, volleying home after a Bukayo Saka corner was flicked on by Gabriel Magalhães. The win sent Arsenal back to the top of the table, three points clear of Manchester City and four ahead of Liverpool. Though the performance lacked fluency, Arsenal displayed defensive solidity and composure to secure their fifth clean sheet in eight league matches. Fulham started brightly and created a few early chances through Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson but failed to find a breakthrough. Despite injuries to key players like captain Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Arteta’s men held their ground, relying on structure and discipline rather than flair. The victory highlighted Arsenal’s growing maturity — even on an off day, they managed to grind out a crucial win away from home. However, some concerns linger in attack, as new signing Viktor Gyökeres extended his goalless run to nine matches for club and country. The result keeps Arsenal firmly in control of the title race and underscores their evolution into a team capable of winning through resilience as much as brilliance.

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Taiwo Awoniyi’s Nottignham Forest Sacks Coach

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Nottingham Forest – just 40 days and eight winless games since he was appointed manager. Forest lost 3-0 to Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, their sixth defeat in his short reign which left them 17th in the Premier League table. The club have not won since the opening game of the season, under Nuno Espirito Santo, who was shown the door two games later. Postecoglou tried to implement a more attacking style of play than under Nuno, but his tenure began with defeat at Arsenal followed by an embarrassing 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Swansea, where they threw away a two-goal lead. This month’s Europa League defeat by Midtjylland at the City Ground, in front of owner Evangelos Marinakis, saw the home crowd turn on Postecoglou and – following defeats at Newcastle and now Chelsea – Marinakis has now wielded the axe. Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham despite leading the club to the Europa League title, as Spurs bosses deemed the club’s 17th-placed finish in the Premier League unacceptable.

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U17 Women’s World Cup: Legend Mercy Akide-Udoh Inspires Flamingos

Nigeria legend, FIFA Women’s World Cup star and FIFA’s Ambassador for the women’s game, Mercy Akide-Udoh on Friday had a session with players of Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos in Morocco, two days before the Flamingos’ 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup opener against Canada.   Mercy Akide-Udoh is in Morocco as a member of the FIFA Players’ Voice Panel. The 16-strong Players’ Voice Panel brings together former male and female players from diverse ethnic backgrounds and all six confederations. The panel advises and supports FIFA and its 211 Member Associations in the global stand against racism. The panel ensures that lived experience is central to the global stand against racism, with panel members offering critical insights on how racism impacts players both on and off the pitch.   ROLE OF THE PANEL • ADVISE: provide guidance and input on initiatives driving the global stand against racism • EDUCATE: support and lead educational efforts to build awareness and inspire action against racism • MONITOR: track progress and drive reforms for lasting change in the global stand against racism   Mercy will lead educational efforts to raise awareness and inspire action against racism and all forms of discrimination, and took time to advise and encourage the Nigerian girls. She plans to visit them again before their opening match on Sunday.

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How Super Eagles Reached 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF Play-off Tourney

The Super Eagles achieved a universal spread of 10 different scorers in their 15-goal haul in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, with only ace forward Victor Osimhen scoring more than once. The lanky marksman netted six times – in the process taking his Nigerian tally to 29 in 44 matches, only eight shy of legendary Rashidi Yekini’s record.   Defender Semi Ajayi, who will now miss the penultimate game of the CAF Play-off in Morocco next month after bagging two yellow cards in the series, scored Nigeria’s first goal in the series – the equalizer against Lesotho’s Crocodiles on Matchday 1 inside Uyo’s Godswill Akpabio Stadium on 16th November 2023.   Considering that Nigeria edged Burkina Faso only on goals’ tally at the end of the campaign to reach the Play-off, it means that Raphael Onyedika’s goal against Bénin Republic in Abidjan on Matchday 4 (even though Nigeria eventually lost 1-2) was as important as Ajayi’s equalizer against the Crocodiles in Uyo, just as Kelechi Iheanacho’s equalizer against Zimbabwe on Matchday 2 in Butare (Rwanda) on 19th November 2023 was as crucial as Calvin Bassey’s leveller against South Africa on Matchday 8 in Bloemfontein on 9th September 2025.   At the end of the qualifying campaign in Group C, the Super Eagles lost only one of its 10 matches, compared to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana that lost two (despite playing seven of its 10 matches on home soil) and Bénin Republic that lost three.   Chadian referee Alhadi Mahamat Allaou took charge of three of Eagles’ matches, viz the home draw with South Africa, the win over Rwanda in Uyo and the win over Lesotho in Polokwane. Gabonese Pierre Atcho took charge of two (the defeat by Bénin Republic in Abidjan on Matchday 4 and the draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein on Matchday 8.   The three-time African champions played all home games at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, and also played in Rwanda’s Stade Huye, Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium and South African venues Free State Stadium (Bloemfontein) and New Peter Mokaba Stadium (Polokwane).   On their way from their Matchday 9 encounter with Lesotho, the team’s chartered ValueJet Airline aircraft suffered a cracked windscreen mid-air, but the professionalism, expertise and diligence of Captain Kamal Marafa saw the airplane safely guided back to the Luanda Airport where it had taken off after a refueling stop.   Now, on to the CAF Play-off Tournament in Morocco next month!     2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Matches: Nigeria’s Group C Campaign Matchday 1: Nigeria 1 (Semi Ajayi, 67) Lesotho 1 (Tabone Mkwanazi, 56) – 16/11/23. Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. Referee – Mehrez Malki (Tunisia) Matchday 2: Zimbabwe 1 (Wisdom Musona, 26) Nigeria 1 (Kelechi Iheanacho, 67) – 19/11/23. Venue: Stade Huye, Butare (Rwanda). Referee – Souleiman Ahmed Djama (Djibouti) Matchday 3: Nigeria 1 (Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, 46) South Africa 1 (Mbane Zwane, 29) – 07/06/24. Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. Referee – Alhadi Mahamat Allaou (Chad) Matchday 4: Benin Republic 2 (Jordan Dossou, 37; Steve Mounié 45+3) Nigeria 1 (Raphael Onyedika, 27) – 10/06/24. Venue: Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan (CIV). Referee – Pierre Atcho (Gabon) Matchday 5: Rwanda 0 Nigeria 2 (Victor Osimhen, 11, 45+3) – 21/03/25. Venue: Amahoro Stadium, Kigali. Referee – Jalal Jayed (Morocco) Matchday 6: Nigeria 1 (Victor Osimhen, 74) Zimbabwe 1 (Robert Chirewa, 90) – 25/03/25. Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. Referee – Tsegay Mogos Teklu (Eritrea) Matchday 7: Nigeria 1 (Tolu Arokodare, 51) Rwanda 0 – 06/09/25. Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. Referee – Alhadi Mahamat Allaou (Chad) Matchday 8: South Africa 1 (William Troost-Ekong OG, 25) Nigeria 1 (Calvin Bassey, 44) – 09/09/25. Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Referee – Pierre Atcho (Gabon) Matchday 9: Lesotho 1 (Leslie Kalake, 83) Nigeria 2 (William Troost-Ekong, 55; Jerome Akor Adams, 80) – 10/10/25. Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane (South Africa). Referee – Alhadi Mahamat Allaou (Chad) Matchday 10: Nigeria 4 (Victor Osimhen 3, 36, 51; Frank Onyeka 90+1) Benin Republic 0 – 14/10/25. Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. Referee – Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt)

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Nigeria Dominates 2025 CAF Awards Nominations As Ajibade, Nnadozie And Super Falcons Take Spotlight

Nigeria has once again stamped its authority in African women’s football, securing multiple nominations at the 2025 CAF Awards. Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade, star goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, and several Nigerian teams and coaches were all named among this year’s top contenders, following a remarkable season of achievements on the continent. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the nominees on Friday, with Nigeria dominating nearly every major women’s category. Ajibade, who captained Nigeria to their record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco, was nominated for African Player of the Year alongside her teammate Esther Okoronkwo. Ajibade also earned the Player of the Tournament award at WAFCON after three Woman of the Match performances, one goal, and two assists. Okoronkwo, representing AFC Toronto in Canada, stood out with two goals and four assists, including a match-winning performance in the final, which earned her the Woman of the Match award. In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Chiamaka Nnadozie of Brighton & Hove Albion is aiming for her third straight win after claiming the award in the last two editions. The Super Falcons themselves were nominated for National Team of the Year after reclaiming the continental crown under head coach Justine Madugu, who was also shortlisted for Coach of the Year. Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, earned a place in the same team category after going unbeaten in their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers. Their coach, Bankole Olowookere, was also recognized for guiding one of Africa’s most promising youth squads. Flamingos captain Shakirat Moshood made the final list for CAF Young Player of the Year, reflecting the country’s depth of emerging talent. Rounding off Nigeria’s impressive list of nominees, Bayelsa Queens, winners of the 2025 Nigerian Women’s Football League, were shortlisted for Club of the Year. They’ll compete against African heavyweights like Mamelodi Sundowns, ASFAR, TP Mazembe, and Gaborone United. With nominations across nearly all categories, Nigeria’s presence at the 2025 CAF Awards reaffirms its reputation as the heartbeat of women’s football on the continent.

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