Eden Hazard scored twice as Belgium continued their perfect record in Euro 2020 qualifying with a thumping win over Russia. The Red Devils, who had already qualified, were three goals up by half-time through Eden Hazard’s double and a strike by his brother Thorgan.
A hat-trick from Famara Diedhiou helped Senegal win 4-1 away to eSwatini as the second round of group games in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying got underway. In other matches on Sunday, in-form Lille striker Victor Osimhen struck twice to help Nigeria win 4-2 away to Lesotho. There were also wins for Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, South Africa, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea, Benin and 2021 Nations Cup hosts Cameroon.
A nerveless Stefanos Tsitsipas came from a set down to beat Dominic Thiem on a thrilling final-set tie-break and become the youngest winner of the ATP Finals in 18 years. The Greek, 21, won 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-6 (7-4) to claim the biggest title of his fledgling career.
Spain’s six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez won the final race of the season in Valencia to round off a superb campaign. Marquez, who secured his latest world title by winning in Thailand in October, made it 12 wins for the season after starting second on the grid. “It’s been a perfect season,” said Marquez. “It will be difficult to repeat.”
Finland’s men have qualified for a major tournament for the first time in their history and striker Teemu Pukki could barely believe it. Actually, the whole of Finland could barely believe it. Friday’s 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein means the Eagle-owls will be at Euro 2020 next summer, after securing second spot in qualifying Group J, behind winners Italy. Jasse Tuominen’s first-half strike and a Pukki double – one from the penalty spot – ended a run of 32 failed qualifying campaigns for either the World Cup or European Championship, and sparked jubilant scenes.
Nigeria international goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has undergone successful surgery after sustaining knee ligament damage last month. Uzoho, 20, suffered the injury after the hour mark during the Super Eagles’s 1-1 friendly draw with Brazil in Singapore and had to be carried off on a stretcher. His Cypriot club Omonia Nicosia confirmed the extent of the injury and that the Nigerian was facing an extended lay-off.
Nigeria missed out on a chance to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games football tournament when they were held 0-0 by South Africa at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Cairo on Friday. Unmarked Sunday Faleye wasted a great chance to snatch victory for the Nigerians in the final minute of their last Group B game by heading a cross wide when a goal seem inevitable.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65554060/1170492928.jpg.0.jpg)
Women footballers in Spain’s top division will strike this weekend in a dispute over pay. Almost 200 players from 16 clubs voted to strike in October after more than a year of failed negotiations. They are demanding a professional agreement that regulates minimum working conditions, rights to minimum wages and measures for maternity.
Cristiano Ronaldo took his tally to 98 international goals as his hat-trick against Lithuania moved Portugal to within one win of a place at Euro 2020. The 34-year-old Juventus forward could become only the second man to reach 100 international goals if he scores twice against Luxembourg on Sunday.
Spain’s all-time top goalscorer David Villa will retire next month, at the end of Japan’s J-League season. The former Barcelona striker will end a 19-year career, in which he won the 2010 World Cup and 2008 European Championship with his country.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says his two-season stint at LA Galaxy made him “feel alive again” as he confirms he will leave the Major League Soccer side. The former Sweden striker, 38, scored 52 goals in 53 starts for LA Galaxy since arriving in March 2018.
Thierry Henry has taken over as coach of Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact. The former France and Arsenal striker has signed a two-year deal, which has an option for 2022, with the club. Henry, who was sacked as Monaco manager in January, spent four and a half years with MLS side New York Red Bulls before retiring as a player in December 2014.
Both prosecution and defence will appeal over former Nigeria international Dickson Etuhu’s sentence after he was found guilty of attempted match-fixing. A Swedish appeals court handed down its ruling and sentencing on Wednesday with Etuhu and his lawyers saying immediately they would launch an appeal.
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva has been banned for one match and fined £50,000 after an FA commission accepted he “did not intend” a tweet about team-mate Benjamin Mendy to be “racist”. Silva compared Mendy to the character on a packet of Conguitos – a chocolate brand available in Spain and Portugal.
The two Egyptian sides left in the Confederation Cup have been drawn in the same group after today’s draw in Cairo. Pyramids and Al Masry are both in Group A alongside Mauritania’s Nouadhibou and Enugu Rangers from Nigeria.
A Teboho Mokoena free-kick goal gave South Africa a 1-0 victory over Ivory Coast on Tuesday at the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Nigeria won Tuesday’s other Group B game as they beat Zambia 3-1 at the tournament that also decides the three African teams for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Former Nigeria international Dickson Etuhu has been found guilty of attempted match-fixing by a Swedish appeals court. The Court of Appeal in Stockholm said in a release on Wednesday that it was clear that Etuhu and an unnamed former player tried to influence AIK keeper Kyriakos “Kenny” Stamatopoulos to fix a match in Sweden’s top division in 2017.
Belgium’s Gerben Thijssen is in intensive care after being injured in a heavy crash in the first night of racing at the Ghent Six Day. The Lotto Soudal rider, 21, suffered three small brain haemorrhages and fractured three ribs and a collarbone.
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is returning to football after he agreed to become FIFA’s new chief of global football development. The move ends speculation linking the Frenchman, 70, with a return to management as Bayern Munich boss.
Former world number four and Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulková has announced her retirement from tennis. The 30-year-old won eight WTA titles – including the prestigious WTA Finals in 2016 – and in 2014 became the first Slovak to reach a Grand Slam final, losing to Li Na in Melbourne.
Naija Sports Crib 