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Salah the star African performer in Europe

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Mohamed Salah was the star African performer in Europe at the weekend, netting twice to close within one goal of Harry Kane in the English Premier League leading scorer race.

The Egypt sharpshooter and 2017 African Footballer of the Year twice gave Liverpool the lead in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, whose second equaliser came from Kane.

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — third behind Salah and Senegalese Sadio Mane in the Footballer of the Year poll — scored on his debut as Arsenal triumphed 5-1 against Everton.

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

The Egypt winger struck twice, including a stoppage-time goal, but Liverpool were denied as Tottenham rescued a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Salah punished a mistake from defender Eric Dier to put Liverpool ahead with a cool finish in the third minute. He restored Liverpool’s lead with a superb solo effort — his 21st league goal this term.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Arsenal)

He marked his Arsenal debut with a goal in the Gunners’ 5-1 demolition of Everton at the Emirates Stadium. Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a club record £56 million (about $79.1 million/63.5 million euros) last week and didn’t waste time making a good impression on his new fans. He capped a lively performance by scoring Arsenal’s fourth goal with a cool finish late in the first half, although replays showed he was fortunate not to be flagged offside.

WILFRIED BONY (Swansea City)

The Ivory Coast striker has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious injury in a 1-1 draw at Leicester. Former Manchester City star Bony tore a cruciate ligament in his knee after coming on as a second-half substitute.

AHMED HEGAZI (West Bromwich Albion)

The Egypt defender scored his first goal since August, but it wasn’t enough to boost his side’s hopes of avoiding relegation as they lost 3-2 at home to Southampton. Hegazi put Albion in front with a fourth-minute header from Chris Brunt’s cross.

VICTOR WANYAMA (Tottenham Hotspur)

Wanyama set up a dramatic finish at Anfield with an incredible 25-yard piledriver into the top corner for Tottenham’s first equaliser 10 minutes from time. The Kenyan had been on the pitch only a minute before smashing home his first goal of an injury-plagued season.

RIYAD MAHREZ (Leicester City)

Algerian Mahrez was again absent from the Leicester squad in a 1-1 draw against Swansea after his displeasure at the Foxes’ refusal to let him move to runaway league leaders Manchester City last week.

MOHAMED DIAME (Newcastle United)

Senegalese midfielder Diame headed home his second goal of the season to earn Newcastle a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace to lie just a point above the relegation zone.

SPAIN

EMMANUEL BOATENG (Levante)

The 21-year-old Ghanaian marked only his fourth La Liga start with his first goal in the Spanish top flight against floundering champions Real Madrid. Boateng latched onto a loose ball to coolly slot in Levante’s first equaliser of a 2-2 draw and cap an enterprising individual display.

ITALY

KALIDOU KOULIBALY (Napoli)

Bottom club Benevento were awarded a penalty for Senegalese defender Koulibaly’s clumsy tackle only for it to be revoked by VAR (video assistant referee) due to an earlier offside position. Napoli won 2-0 to stay top of the Serie A table.

AFRIYIE ACQUAH/MBAYE NIANG/JOEL OBI (Torino)

Ghanaian Acquah equalised and was sent off as Torino settled for a 1-1 draw against European qualification rivals Sampdoria. Acquah levelled in the 25th minute before being red-carded for a second bookable offence after 75 minutes. Senegalese Niang missed a chance to pull Torino ahead three minutes after Acquah’s goal, but his lob was off target. He was substituted to his obvious displeasure and Nigerian Obi went off injured.

GERMANY

SALOMON KALOU (Hertha Berlin)

Once again, the Ivory Coast veteran rescued a point for Hertha when he headed home a second-half equaliser for his eighth Bundesliga goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. It was the fourth time this season that Kalou, 32, pulled Berlin level after also netting in draws against Bayern Munich, Freiburg and Augsburg.

FRANCE

KEITA BALDE (Monaco)

The Senegal international endured a night of contrasting emotions as Monaco came from two goals down to beat Lyon 3-2. Balde used his strength to hold off a series of defenders and drill in a low strike to cut the deficit on 31 minutes that helped spark his side’s recovery. But his role in the fightback ended prematurely as he was sent off for a second yellow card shortly before half-time for a wild challenge on Ferland Mendy, having been booked minutes earlier for kicking the ball away in frustration.

SPORTS

Nigeria Seal Qualification For 2025 AFCON As Osimhen Equals Odegbami’s Goal Tally

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2025 AFCON: Nigeria secures qualification | fab.ng

Nigeria has secured its qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with two games to spare. This is all thanks to Libya’s 1-0 away victory over Rwanda on Thursday.

Prior to their clash against the Cheetahs in Abidjan, the Super Eagles, led by coach Augustine Eguavoen, needed just one point to confirm their spot in the tournament set to take place in Morocco.

However, Nigeria clinched their qualification even before facing Gernot Rohr’s Cheetahs, who are also on track for a potential return to the competition.

In their encounter in Abidjan, Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw. The hosts initially took the lead through Mohamed Tijani in the first half. However, Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen rose to the occasion, scoring the equalizer with just nine minutes left on the clock.

With that crucial goal, Osimhen matched the legendary Segun Odegbami’s international tally, as he now shares the second spot with 23 goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles.

Osimhen is now only 14 goals away from breaking Rashidi Yekini’s long-standing record as Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.

Meanwhile, Libya’s qualification hopes took a major hit after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) imposed sanctions on them.

The disciplinary board awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory and fined the Libyan Football Federation $50,000 (£38,500) due to the poor treatment experienced by the Nigerian squad during their visit. Despite this setback,

Libya showed resilience as they defeated Rwanda in front of a lively crowd at Stade Amahoro in Kigali. Although Rwanda dominated possession, Libya managed to seal the win with a decisive goal in the 84th minute.

Fahd Saad Mohamed, who had just entered the game four minutes earlier, made an immediate impact by scoring past goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, thanks to an assist from Nouradin Elgelaib.

However, Libya is not ready to give up just yet. The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has announced that they plan to appeal the sanctions, hoping to reverse CAF’s decision.

They intend to pursue the matter to the highest levels of legal channels in a bid to keep their AFCON qualification hopes alive.

As Nigeria looks forward to making its 21st appearance in the continental tournament, its history in AFCON remains impressive. The Super Eagles made their debut in 1963 in Ghana, finishing sixth after a group-stage exit.

Since then, they have claimed the AFCON title three times—in Nigeria (1980), Tunisia (1994), and South Africa (2013).

Additionally, they have finished as runners-up five times and hold the record for the most bronze medals in AFCON history, having secured third place on eight occasions.

In their last outing at the tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria narrowly lost 2-1 to the hosts in the final despite taking an early lead, with William Troost-Ekong being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Looking ahead, Nigeria is determined to close out its qualifying campaign on a high note when they face Rwanda’s senior national team on Monday.

With only one game left, the Super Eagles are the sole team to have secured qualification from Group D. The battle for the second spot in the group remains wide open.

Furthermore, the Benin Republic, Libya, and Rwanda set to fight for a ticket to Morocco. As the final day of qualifiers approaches, fans can expect an intense showdown among these nations.

Besides Nigeria, several other nations have also booked their spots in the 2025 AFCON tournament.

Alongside hosts Morocco, countries such as Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda have all punched their tickets.

With these teams already qualified, the stage is set for another thrilling edition of Africa’s biggest football spectacle – 2025 AFCON!

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SPORTS

2025 AFCON: Ademola Lookman And Alex Iwobi Headline Nigeria Squad For Rwanda And Benin

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2025 AFCON: Lookman and Iwobi headline Nigeria squad | fab.ng

The Nigeria Football Federation has unveiled a 23-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Rwanda and Benin Republic.

Leading Group D with 10 points from four matches, the Super Eagles need just a draw in their last two games to confirm their spot in the tournament set to be held in Morocco.

Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey headline the squad.

These players are expected to play crucial roles in securing wins over the Cheetahs and Amavubi. Additionally, regulars like Samuel Chukwueze, William Troost-Ekong, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Bayer Leverkusen’s prolific Victor Boniface bolster the lineup.

The squad also sees fresh talent, with Victor Collins earning his first call-up after impressive performances for Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Professional Football League.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar returns to the team following a lengthy injury recovery.

For the goalkeeping duties, coach Augustine Eguavoen will see a competitive battle between CAF Awards nominee Stanley Nwabali, Maduka Okoye, and Ethiopia-based Anas Obasogie.

The Super Eagles will face Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic on November 14th at Stade Felix-Houphouet-Boigny. Four days later, they will return to Uyo for their final qualifier against Rwanda at Godswill Akpabio Stadium.

Coach Eguavoen’s side aims to improve on their previous AFCON performance, where they finished as runners-up in the last tournament held in Côte d’Ivoire, losing to the host nation in a hard-fought final.

2025 AFCON: Nigeria Full Squad for Rwanda And Benin

Goalkeepers:

Stanley Nwabali plays for Chippa United in South Africa. Maduka Okoye represents Udinese in Italy. Amas Obasogie is part of Fasil Kenema in Ethiopia.

Defenders:

William Ekong features for Al-Kholood FC in Saudi Arabia, while Bright Osayi-Samuel plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey. Bruno Onyemaechi is with Boavista in Portugal, and Gabriel Osho recently joined Auxerre in France.

Calvin Bassey brings his defensive prowess from Fulham, England. Olaoluwa Aina represents Nottingham Forest, and Victor Collins, a local star, plays for Nasarawa United.

Midfielders:

Wilfred Ndidi commands the midfield for Leicester City in England. Raphael Onyedika showcases his talent at Club Brugge, Belgium.

Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi competes for New England Revolution in the USA, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru recently moved to Lazio in Italy.

Frank Onyeka is with Augsburg in Germany, and Alex Iwobi strengthens Fulham in England.

Forwards:

Samuel Chukwueze stars for AC Milan in Italy. Victor Osimhen leads the attack for Galatasaray in Turkey, and Ademola Lookman impresses at Atalanta, Italy.

Kelechi Iheanacho recently joined Sevilla in Spain, while Victor Boniface continues his goal-scoring form at Bayer Leverkusen, Germany.

Moses Simon plays for Nantes in France, and Sadiq Umar represents Real Sociedad in Spain.

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SPORTS

Arsenal Star Martin Odegaard Back In Training Ahead Of Champions League

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Martin Odegaard back ahead of Champions League | fab.ng

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, 25, is back in full training after a two-month absence due to an ankle injury, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

In September, Odegaard sustained the injury during the second half of Norway’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Austria. The setback had kept him on the sidelines, leaving a gap in Arsenal’s midfield.

With Arsenal gearing up for a crucial Champions League clash against Inter Milan on Wednesday, Odegaard’s return is a timely boost.

His presence in training raises hopes for his potential involvement in the upcoming game and strengthens the squad’s morale.

The talented midfielder brings vision and creativity, elements Arsenal have missed during his absence.

As Arsenal continues its Champions League campaign, Odegaard’s return adds depth to the team, promising to enhance their midfield options and overall strategy.

Fans and teammates alike are eagerly anticipating his full recovery and a possible return to match action soon, as he aims to contribute to Arsenal’s goals both domestically and in Europe.

“Our skipper has been out of action for two months… and missed our subsequent 12 matches, but he joined in with the rest of our squad ahead of our Champions League trip to Inter Milan,” the club said in a statement.

The club announced that Odegaard, who had previously missed only a few games over the last three seasons, is now closer to a first-team return.

Arsenal currently hold ninth place in the Champions League standings after three matches, while Inter, also with seven points, are positioned seventh.

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