Nigerian champions Remo Stars made the perfect start to their 2025/26 CAF Champions League campaign, cruising past Comorian side US Zilimadjou with a commanding 4-0 victory in Abeokuta on Sunday. It didn’t take long for Daniel Ogunmodede’s men to stamp their authority on the contest. In the 12th minute, centre-back Leonard Ngenge pounced on a defensive lapse to slot home the opener and set the tone for a dominant evening. The Sky Blue Stars doubled their advantage just before halftime, thanks to Ebuka Anthony, whose composed finish left the visitors chasing shadows. After the break, the Nigerian champions continued to…
Author: Damilola Amuda
In a heated encounter that saw Chelsea and Manchester United both end the first half with 10 men, the Red Devils ran out 2-1 winners at Old Trafford to go 13 consecutive home Premier League (PL) H2Hs against the Blues unbeaten. Under the pouring rain at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s hopes took an early blow just five minutes in, when Robert Sánchez, beaten to Benjamin Šeško’s flick-on, charged off his line and brought down Bryan Mbeumo. The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals…
Erling Haaland broke another record by becoming the quickest player to score 50 Champions League goals as Manchester City beat Napoli 2-0 at Etihad. Haaland took only 49 games to reach the milestone, lofting home a header in the second half to set City on their way to three points, as Kevin de Bruyne’s much-anticipated return to Etihad Stadium lasted a disappointing 26 minutes. De Bruyne left City in the summer after a decade at the club and was given a warm welcome back by home supporters, but the joy of returning to a place he calls “home” was short…
Newcastle were punished for a series of missed chances as Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford scored his first goals in Barcelona colours to secure a 2-1 win at St James’ Park. On an occasion befitting of a Champions League opener, Eddie Howe’s side generated better chances and a sustained threat, but it was Rashford – the first Englishman since 1989 to score in Europe for Barcelona – who was decisive. Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes were both guilty of wastefulness, failing to convert any of Anthony Elanga’s numerous deliveries, before ‘motivated’ Rashford stole the show with two strikes – nine…
Jose Mourinho has been confirmed as Bruno Lage’s successor at Benfica, 25 years after the Portuguese first stint at the club. The 62-year-old coach returns to the Estadio da Luz to succeed Bruno Lage, who was sacked after the defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday. He signed a contract to run until the end of the 2026/27 season, with an option for either party to end the deal at the end of the current campaign, Benfica said in a statement. Mourinho had been without a club since being sacked by Fenerbahce after their elimination from the Champions League…
Benfica have appointed Jose Mourinho as their manager on a deal until the summer of 2027, marking his return to the club where he had a brief spell back in 2000. The 62-year-old wasted little time in finding his next challenge after being dismissed by Fenerbahce just last month. His tenure in Turkey lasted a little over a year and ended in controversy after he publicly criticised the club’s board over transfer dealings ahead of a crucial Champions League play-off against — ironically — Benfica. Now, just three weeks later, Mourinho finds himself on the other side of that rivalry.…
Liverpool delivered another dramatic late twist as they opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Alexander Isak made his eagerly awaited Liverpool debut but it looked as though Arne Slot’s side would be disappointed as Atletico came from 2-0 down to level, only for Virgil van Dijk to head a stoppage time winner. Mohamed Salah was instrumental as the Premier League champions went 2-0 up inside six minutes. Salah’s free-kick took a decisive deflection off Andrew Robertson to wrong-foot Atletico keeper Jan Oblak after four minutes, before the Egyptian finished off an exchange…
Chelsea felt the force of Harry Kane’s ruthlessness as he scored twice in a 3-1 victory for Bayern Munich in the Champions League. In the Blues first Champions League game since 2022/23, their inexperience at the elite level was exposed by Bayern, who took the lead through a Trevoh Chalobah own-goal before Kane bagged a double. Cole Palmer’s expert finish brought Chelsea back into the game in the first half but their downfall was self inflicted, with Moises Caicedo needlessly fouling Kane for a penalty and Malo Gusto playing a sloppy pass straight into the path of the England striker…
Winger Lamine Yamal is not included in Barcelona’s squad for their Champions League match at Newcastle United on Thursday. The 18-year-old missed his side’s victory against Valencia on Sunday with a groin issue after Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticised the amount of time Yamal played for Spain during the international break. Yamal played for his country for 79 minutes of a 3-0 win in Bulgaria on 4 September and 73 minutes of a 6-0 victory in Turkey three days later. Barca beat Valencia 6-0 without him and have not included the forward in their squad for their first game of this season’s…
Qarabag delivered a stunning comeback at Benfica to create history and become the first Azerbaijani side to win a Champions League main draw match. Having qualified for Europe’s premier competition for the first time in eight years, Gurban Gurbanov’s side found themselves trailing 2-0 after just 16 minutes following goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis. The Azerbaijan champions halved the deficit on the half-hour mark through a fine Leandro Andrade finish before team-mate Kady Borges struck the foot of the post. Three minutes after the break, Gurbanov’s side silenced the Estadio da Luz with the leveller. Marko Jankovic’s defence-splitting…