Sports

Dortmund, Inter, Monterrey, Fluminense Through To CWC Last 16

Published

1 year ago

June 26, 2025

Dortmund, Inter, Monterrey, Fluminense Through To CWC Last 16

Inter Milan overcame River Plate 2-0 in a heated clash, while Monterrey thumped Urawa Reds 4-0 to enter the knockouts.

Mexican club Monterrey have booked a spot in the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup with a thumping 4-0 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl.

Three goals in eight first-half minutes sent the side on their way to victory on Wednesday, as they claimed second place in Group E behind Inter Milan, whose 2-0 victory over River Plate eased some nerves for the European giants.

Stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesus Corona came either side of German Berterame’s cool finish to set up Monterrey a last 16 meeting with Borussia Dortmund.

Deossa put Monterrey in front on the half-hour mark with a swerving long-range shot and Berterame doubled the advantage four minutes later.

Corona added the third with the pick of the goals from distance in the 38th minute before Berterame scored the fourth in second-half stoppage time.

“I’m really very happy we’re in the next stage,” said Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent.

“We’re very happy because we have a clean sheet , it’s not easy in this group especially with the group that we had.”

Meanwhile, Inter Milan kept their cool to beat nine-man and eliminate River Plate, booking a knockout tie against Fluminense.

The Champions League runners-up faced a tough battle in Seattle against an aggressive River Plate side, who had Lucas Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel sent off in front of 45,000 fans at Lumen Field.

Francesco Esposito scored his first Inter goal to put the Italians ahead and Alessandro Bastoni made the game safe later on for Christian Chivu’s side.

“In the first half we were surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure,” said Chivu.

“Then in the second half we raised our level of intensity… We’re strong, confident and have players who can play such a game.”

With Monterrey ahead against Urawa, River needed a winner to progress, but their job got harder when Martinez was sent off after 66 minutes for hacking down veteran Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Six minutes later teenage striker Esposito steered home the opener to leave River on the brink.

Bastoni ensured Inter’s progress as he drilled home, before River’s Gonzalo Montiel picked up a second yellow and was dismissed.

There were ugly scenes at the end as River fans threw objects at Inter players leaving the pitch.

Both Argentinian teams at the tournament, River and their rivals Boca Juniors, have been eliminated despite their fans creating vibrant atmospheres.

“It’s a shame for all the people who came en masse to watch the team that we couldn’t give them the chance to keep going,” said disappointed River coach Marcelo Gallardo.

Also in Group F, Fluminense could only draw 0-0 against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, but it was enough to claim second place behind Dortmund, who defeated Ulsan HD 1-0 to claim top spot in Group F.

Sundowns’ exit means none of the four African clubs who came to the tournament will feature in the last 16, but their performances mean they can go home with their heads held high.

“We leave and go home with our heads up because we are much stronger than we were when we came here,” said the South African champions’ coach, Miguel Cardoso.

On Thursday, Manchester City face Juventus in a battle for top spot in Group G, while Spanish giants Real Madrid face RB Salzburg as they bid to progress from Group H.

Aljazeera.com

Sports

Super Eagles: Ex-Chelsea Star Takes First Step To Dump France For Nigeria

Published

2 days ago

July 24, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle might get a new option to pick from, as a player with dual nationality is set to switch allegiances to Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.

This comes as former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has taken his first few steps to switch allegiances from France to Nigeria.

The 22-year-old midfielder was born in France to Nigerian parents, and he represented France at youth level.

However, he is 22 now and cannot play youth-level football anymore. He is due for the senior team, but he has yet to receive an official call-up to the senior Les Bleus team. But according to FIFA rules, a player can still switch allegiances to Nigeria. As a result, the Super Eagles door is still open.

It appears that the former Chelsea man is willing to try that route. In the summer, he was in Nigeria and was even spotted playing football with Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho in Owerri.

Now, reports have emerged that he has started the process of acquiring his Nigerian passport which will make him a bonafide Nigerian.

Once Ugochukwu gets his Nigerian passport, the next thing for him will be to switch his nationality with world football governing body FIFA so he can start playing for the Super Eagles.

A player of Ugochukwu’s profile would be a good fit for Eric Chelle’s system and he can give Nigeria a few good years.

The 22-year-old is originally a defensive midfielder, but he is more of a box-to-box player. He is physically strong, has composure on the ball, and is a decent carrier. The Rennes academy product also has the work rate which is needed to thrive in Chelle’s system.

His switch to the Super Eagles would provide healthy competition and depth in Nigeria’s midfield, and he can also chip in with the odd goal.

Ugochukwu just completed a loan move from Burnley to Galatasaray, and he will be looking to produce top performances for his new employers.

Sports

FULL LIST: Top 16 Ballon d’Or Contenders After 2026 World Cup

Published

4 days ago

July 21, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has intensified following Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph, with England captain Harry Kane emerging as the bookmakers’ favourite to win football’s most prestigious individual award.

According to odds published by the Independent UK, citing Betfair, on Tuesday, Kane leads the contenders ahead of Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

Kane strengthened his credentials after finishing the World Cup with six goals and becoming England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.

The performance added to his already staggering 2025–2026 campaign, where he scored 72 goals and provided 7 assists in 61 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. Kane won three trophies with Bayern Munich, finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and claimed the European Golden Shoe.

Spain’s World Cup-winning duo of Yamal and Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, also rank among the leading contenders after helping their country lift the trophy. Messi remains firmly in the race after leading the Albiceleste to a second consecutive World Cup final, despite missing out on FIFA’s Golden Ball award to Rodri.

Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, partly thanks to Argentina winning 2022 FIFA World Cup
At 39, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recorded 8 goals and 4 assists before also missing out on the Golden Boot to France star Kylian Mbappe by two goals.
Mbappé once again proved his elite status. In a prolific 2025–2026 campaign for Real Madrid, he became La Liga and Champions League top scorer.
He is also the 2026 World Cup top scorer and became the all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.

Manchester City and Norway striker, Erling Haaland, also enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 27 Premier League goals and eight in the UEFA Champions League.
He carried that form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games to inspire Norway to a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance.

Erling Haaland #9 of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Iraq and Norway at Boston Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
France’s Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise and England midfielder Jude Bellingham are also among the favourites.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.

Top 16 Ballon d’Or favourites (Betfair odds):

Harry Kane – 13/8
Lamine Yamal – 9/4
Lionel Messi – 11/4
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Rodri – 9/2
Ousmane Dembele – 14/1
Jude Bellingham – 14/1
Michael Olise – 20/1
Erling Haaland – 22/1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 28/1
Declan Rice – 28/1
Vitinha – 28/1
Fabian Ruiz – 33/1
Vinicius Jr. – 40/1
Bruno Fernandes – 50/1
Desire Doue – 50/1

Sports

Chelsea To Seal £117m Morgan Rogers Deal, Villa Replace Him With Joao Gomes

Published

5 days ago

July 20, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Chelsea are on the brink of completing a British record deal for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers after the England international arrived for a medical earlier today, July 20, ahead of his proposed £117 million switch to Stamford Bridge.

According to Sky Sports, Morgan Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract, with Chelsea holding the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months until 2033, provided he comes through his medical.

The 23-year-old returned from the United States on Sunday after helping England secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is now set to finalise his move in the coming days.

Chelsea acted decisively to beat Arsenal to Rogers’ signature after the Gunners refused to match Villa’s asking price, despite identifying him as their leading attacking target. The agreed fee will set a new British transfer record.

Rogers’ departure marks another major change in Aston Villa’s midfield, with the club already moving to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.

Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Joao Gomes from Wolves in a deal worth up to £38 million. The agreement includes an initial £34 million payment, with a further £4 million in performance-related add-ons.

**Joao Gomes during his unveiling as an Aston Villa player.**

The 25-year-old had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but left Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal last week to complete his medical before sealing the move to Villa Park.

Gomes becomes Villa’s second high-profile midfield signing in quick succession after the club completed a deal worth more than £50 million for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi on Friday, beating Newcastle United to the Switzerland international.

Villa’s transfer activity follows a difficult spell in midfield. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after sustaining a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium. The club have also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35 million.

Gomes leaves Wolves after making 130 appearances and scoring seven goals since joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in 2023. He featured 41 times last season as Wolves endured a disappointing campaign that ended with relegation after finishing bottom of the Premier League.