Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Japan are on the verge of qualifying for the Fifa Women’s World Cup round of 16 after a routine win over Costa Rica. Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino both scored in the space of three first-half minutes to ease the 2011 champions to three points. Japan will be the first side to secure their place in knockout stages, if Spain earn at least a point against Zambia later. Costa Rica will be eliminated from the World Cup if Spain avoid defeat. Since stunning the football world by beating the United States in the 2011 final, Japan have underwhelmed on the…

Inter-Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has one lasting memory from Lionel Messi’s debut: the image of Messi running to embrace his family after delivering the game-winning free kick and cementing a new era for the club and Major League Soccer. “That was for the fans. This community is hungry,” Mas said. Messi’s follow-up performance Tuesday night against Atlanta United in the Leagues Cup showed the impact that one player – the right player – can have on an entire club. Messi scored twice and had an assist in his first start for Miami, bringing his total to three goals in two games. Inter Miami had a 3-0 lead by…

Wrexham beat a youthful Manchester United side 3-1 at Snapdragon Stadium in front of watching co-owner Rob McElhenney. Fellow owner Ryan Reynolds is in the UK because of filming commitments, but McElhenney was among a crowd of nearly 35,000 in San Diego as Eliott Lee, Aaron Hayden and Sam Dalby got the goals for Wrexham. While United’s senior squad travelled to Houston ahead of their game against Real Madrid on Wednesday, an academy XI took on the League Two side. They started brightly but after just 12 minutes they were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch after goalkeeper Nathan Bishop was only shown a…

Australia forward Mary Fowler has been ruled out of her side’s second Women’s World Cup match on Thursday in the latest injury blow for the co-hosts. Fowler suffered concussion in training on Tuesday and will not be available to face Nigeria, while defender Aivi Luik is also out with the same injury. Manchester City striker Fowler started Australia’s opening win over the Republic of Ireland, which captain Sam Kerr missed with a calf injury. Kerr remains out for the Nigeria match. Australia face the African side in Brisbane on 27 July knowing a win would guarantee them progression from Group B…

Bronny, one of the sons of NBA legend LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during training at the University of Southern California (USC) on Monday. However, the 18-year-old is now said to be in stable condition. Yesterday, while practising, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff were able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. “He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU,” a family representative said on Tuesday. A 6’3″ combo guard, Bronny is ranked the fifth-best player at his position. According to the 247Sports Composite, he is also the No. 22 overall…

Fulham have signed Mexico striker Raul Jimenez from fellow Premier League side Wolves for a fee of about £5m. The 32-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Fulham, with the club having the option for a third year. Jimenez scored 57 goals in 166 games during his five seasons at Molineux following a club record £30m move from Benfica. The Cottagers moved for Jimenez  with the future of their star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic in doubt. The Serbia international is pushing for a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal after Fulham rejected a £25m bid. Jimenez said: “It’s really important…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the Premier League champions will not let England defender Kyle Walker leave this summer without a fight. Walker said he was hurt after losing his spot in Guardiola’s starting XI towards the end of 2022-23. The right-back, 33, was on the bench for the Champions League final win against Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are keen to sign him. “We will fight for him, like I’m pretty sure Bayern [will],” said Guardiola. “I don’t know how it is going to finish.” City are preparing to face Bundesliga champions Bayern in a pre-season friendly at Japan…

Fiorentina midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat, has agreed on personal terms with Premier League giants Manchester United, snubbing a potential move to Liverpool. Amrabat is set to leave Fiorentina, with the Serie A side desperately needing to balance the books this summer. Fiorentina attempted to sell Amrabat to Barcelona in January and will accept bids in the region of £25million for the Moroccan international this time around. Man United are aware of Fiorentina’s need to sell the player and have therefore focused on other areas of the squad, such as goalkeeper and striker, before moving for Amrabat. However, according to Corriere della…

Chelsea have rejected a bid from West Ham for England midfielder Conor Gallagher worth a reported £40m. Gallagher, 23, has two years left on his contract and is currently on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA. The Chelsea academy graduate enjoyed a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2021-22, winning player of the season and making his England debut. He made his Chelsea debut last season and went on to score three goals in 45 appearances. Chelsea’s ownership group has been trying to avoid letting players enter the last two years of their contracts, a situation that played…

Nottingham Forest have signed Sweden forward Anthony Elanga from Manchester United on a five-year deal. The 21-year-old moves on from Old Trafford, with Forest believed to have paid United a fee of £15m. Elanga had been with United since he was 12 and achieved a first-team breakthrough in 2021, reaching 55 appearances before Forest stepped in. He said: “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a proud moment, not only for me, but for my family as well.” Elanga added: “It’s a big step and I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the Forest fans at the City…

Former winners Norway are fighting to stay in the Women’s World Cup after a draw against Switzerland left them bottom of Group A with one game to go. After being on the receiving end of a shock defeat by co-hosts New Zealand on the opening day, Hege Riise’s side needed to respond but failed to score for the second straight game. They lost star player Ada Hegerberg, who was named on the team sheet, moments before kick-off, the six-time Champions League winner walking down the tunnel amid reports she suffered a groin injury in the warm-up in Hamilton. This was…

Rivers United have been drawn in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup. The Port Harcourt club earned the slot following their impressive performance in Africa’s second tier club competition last season. Rivers United were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Tanzania’s Simba SC last term. Stanley Eguma’s side will face the winner of the tie between Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso and Senegal ‘s Ziguinchor for a slot in the group stage. Bendel Insurance, Nigeria ‘s other representatives in the competition face a tough hurdle in their bid to make it to the group stage. The Benin…