Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior made the headlines as their monstrous performance helped Real Madrid cruise past surprise title challengers Girona 4-0 at the Bernabeu. The duo contributed to THREE of the goals scored in the game before Rodrygo Goes capped it off with a sublime finish as Carlo Ancelotti’s side marked their territory in the title race.
The International Football Association Board [IFAB] have published the detailed ideas for sin-bin trials in professional football. The IFAB is expected to include a provision for blue cards. In the trials, referees will have the power to send players off for 10 minutes for dissent or cynical fouls. Two blue cards would result in the player’s dismissal for the rest of the match, as would a blue and a yellow card.
South Africa are through to the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after edging past Cape Verde in a very dramatic penalty shootout showdown. The two sides failed to break the deadlock in 2 hours, thereby, prompting the game to be decided by spotkicks, which was an equally low-scoring affair as only three penalties were converted. Bafana Bafana goalie Ronwen Williams saved FOUR penalty kicks, as his side edged past their opponents 2-1.
The Super Eagles defeated the Palancas Negras of Angola courtesy of a first half goal from Ademola Lookman to reach the final four of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The former England under-21 converted a cutback from Moses Simon just before the break in Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium in Abidjan.
The Nigeria Super Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations after earning a 2-0 win over Cameroon. Ademola Lookman was the man to seal the spot in the last eight, as his goals in each half of the game – early in the match and late in the contest earned Nigeria the win.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has broken the internet after announcing that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season. The German boss, who has won it all for the club – the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup since arriving at Anfield in 2015, made the stunning announcement on Friday morning in an emotional video released by the club.
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points after cruising past Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium by a sublime second half display. Goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota sealed a deserved three points and solidified their position at the top.
Real Madrid cruised past Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final to become champions. Brazilian sensation Vnicius Jr scored a first half hat trick as Real Madrid put FOUR past the Catalan giants. The winger scored twice in the first 10 minutes to put Carlo Ancelotti’s side in control in Saudi Arabia.
The 2023 FIFA The Best awards ceremony took place on Monday, the 15th of January, with Lionel Messi somehow edging out by merit to win the award over Manchester City striker Erling Haaland after a voting tie break. The two players – Messi and Haaland, were tied on points, so the final decision went down to who had the most national team captain votes, which made the Inter Miami star come out on top.
Manchester City came back from 2-1 deficit to win 3-2 at Tyneside on Saturday evening, but the main headline was Kevin De Bruyne, as his return to Premier League action was capped with a goal and an assist.