Erling Haaland’s stunning hat-trick led Manchester City to a 3-1 win against West Ham United, putting them at the top of the Premier League table after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at home to Brighton. The NPFL champions began their title defense with a 1-1 draw against El-Kanemi.
In MotoGP, Marc Marquez ended his winning drought with a stunning win. In tennis, a shocking upset rocked the US Open, with a major player being eliminated in a stunning turn of events.
Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the Premier League with a 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, thanks to Luiz Diaz’s brace and Mohammed Salah’s third goal. Newcastle stunned dominant Spurs 2-1, despite not being at their best. Chelsea was held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace.
The UEFA competitions have undergone a significant transformation this season, introducing new formats for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. The changes aim to increase excitement and competition among teams. Here’s a breakdown of the new formats:
Champions League: The expanded 36-team tournament will see each team play eight games, with the top eight teams qualifying for the Round of 16 automatically. Teams placed ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout playoff to join the top teams, while teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated. The league phase will begin on September 17-19 and run until January 29.
Europa League: The Europa League will follow a similar format to the Champions League, with the league phase starting on September 25-26 and running until January 30.
Conference League: The Conference League will retain its six-game format, with teams playing three home and away games. The league phase will start on October 3 and run until December 19.
In other news, the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, will be led by Eguaveon for their upcoming AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda on September 7 and 10, respectively. This follows the unveiling of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach, who will take charge after resolving tax law issues.
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) has commenced, with reigning champions Rangers International F.C. of Enugu starting their title defense with a draw against El-Kanemi Warriors Football Club Maiduguri.
The Paralympics 2024 opened in Paris with a stunning outdoor ceremony, featuring a record 168 delegations and a dazzling display of fireworks. The event marked a historic moment for the Paralympic Games, with French Paralympians lighting the cauldron.
It’s been an exciting few days for sports fans, with some thrilling moments and unexpected upsets! Let’s start with the Paralympics, where Team Nigeria is making waves. Eniola Mariam Bolaji put up a fantastic fight in the para-badminton semi-finals but lost to China’s Zuxian Xiao. Coming back in action on Monday, she defeated Kozyna 21-9 21-9 to win a bronze medal. In para-table tennis, Faith Obazuaye faced a tough opponent in Chinese player Wen Shiau and lost her round of 16 matches.
Now, let’s talk about the US Open, where we’ve seen some major upsets! Carlos Alvarez was defeated by unseeded Botic Van De Zandschulp, and Djokovic was knocked out by Alexei Popyrin, dashing his hopes of a 25th Grand Slam title. On the other hand, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are moving forward, and Coco Gauff’s impressive run came to an end at the hands of Emma Navarro. Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini are still in the running, and Paulo Badosa made history as the first Spanish woman to reach the US Open Quarter Finals since 2018.
Stunning home win for Lerclec
Charles Leclerc won at Ferarri’s home soil, Monza, using an alternative one-stop strategy to hold off Oscar Piastri at the Italian GP, while Lando Norris finished third, which reduced his deficit to Max Verstappen to 62 points in the driver’s championship. Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
In MotoGP, Marc Marquez was at his brilliant best as he dominated from start to finish to claim a sprint victory in his Gresini Ducati bike in the Moto GP Aragon sprint race. The spaniard also ended his 1043 days winless drought. it was also an all Spanish podium with Marquez, Jorge Martin, and Pedro Acosta.
