Picks of the week: The Premier League returned with a new era, heavy defeats, and a sack. In other news, Edo Queens finished fourth in the CAFWCL. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen secured his F1 fourth world championship title
The Premier League returned with a heavy defeat in seven years for Pep Guardiola and his team as Tottenham Hotspur blew away Man City’s hope by beating them 4-0. Ange Postecoglu’s side went up in the opening 20 minutes through James Maddisons’ brace before doubling their advantage in the second half with goals from Pedro Porro and Brennan Jonhson Meanwhile, Arsenal returned to winning ways with Nathan Nwaneri scoring his first goal, Saka and Thomas Partey were on the scorers sheet also as they swept Forest aside with a 3-0 win. On the other hand, Mohammed Salah scored twice to cancel out Southampton’s two-goal lead after Dominik Szoboslai’s opener for Liverpool. Their 3-2 win at St. Mary meant they moved eight points clear at the Premier League summit. For Manchester United, Ruben Amorim’s era started with a draw against Ipswich, while Leicester City sacked Steeve Cooper after 12 games in the league as they remain 16th.
In a stunning upset, TP Mazembe won the CAF Women’s Champions League for the first time, winning with a lone game that came in the 10th minute of the game through Marlene Kasaj’s penalty. AS FAR were favourites and tipped to add to their triumph in 2022 given that they were playing on home soil and had won their group stage game against TP Mazembe but despite efforts from the Moroccan side, they failed to find the back of the net as TP Mazembe became the third winners of the Women’s Champions League. Meanwhile, Edo Queens fell short of a third-place finish as they fell to a 4-3 defeat on penalties. The Ravens pick up a cheque of 600,000 dollars, which is an increase from other editions, while the runners-up receive 400,000 dollars.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria rounded off the 2025 AFCON qualifiers with a loss to Rwanda. Despite sealing their place in Morocco, they were expected to finish on a high note, thereby setting a new pace for the World Cup qualifiers where their hopes of making it are hanging. Rwanda defeated Nigeria 2-1 as they made a comeback from a goal down, and the defeat marked the only loss in their qualifiers campaign.
In the NPFL, Bendel Insurance returned to winning ways after defeating Kwara United 3-1 behind closed doors due to the League sanction. This win comes after Monday Odigie tendered his resignation during the week. The oriental derby between Heartland FC vs. Enugu Rangers ended in a goalless draw. Matchday 13 was wrapped up with 7 home wins, 3 draws, and 16 goals, with the game between Enyimba and Sunshine Stars postponed due to Enyimba’s continental football duties.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen won the F1 world championship for the fourth, clinching the 2024 title with a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas GP. He becomes the sixth driver to win at least four world titles in the sport’s history. However, George Rusell capped a dominant weekend for Mercedes with his teammate Lewis Hamilton, finishing seven seconds behind him. Norri could only manage a sixth-place finish, with McLaren trying to close out the constructors championship ahead of Ferarri while holders Red Bull remain mathematically in the hunt.
The fourth night of games in the NBA Emirates Cup took place with sixteen teams in action. The Bucks, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors stayed undefeated in their groups, with the Warriors becoming the first team to seal a spot in the knockout round after their win over the Pelicans, who are now the first team to be eliminated from knockout contention.
