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Arsenal left praying for help while Man City shine as end game nears’

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We are nearing the end game now.

As Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola rather succinctly put it: “One week left, three games left. Nine points and we will be champions. Seven, six or three points, Arsenal will win the Premier League.”

Guardiola is not placing much faith in Manchester United then, given he expects Arsenal to win every game and the Gunners visit Old Trafford on 12 May.

But, then, he doesn’t have to.

If City win their final three games they will go into the history books as the first team to win the English title in four successive seasons.

Four Erling Haaland goals against Wolves ensured City navigated their latest obstacle with ease. Now it is on to Craven Cottage and Fulham, a team they have beaten 15 times in a row.

They finish with West Ham at home. City have not dropped a point at Etihad Stadium against the Hammers since Guardiola arrived in 2016.

In between comes a trip to Tottenham. City have not scored a Premier League goal or taken a point at Spurs’ new stadium. They did win there in the FA Cup this season, though, and Ange Postecoglou’s team are in terrible form.

And, as Wolves boss Gary O’Neil pointed out, this is the hardest time to play City.

“Manchester City, in May, when they are chasing down a fourth consecutive Premier League title, are fairly tough,” he said.

“They have an incredible focus at this point. History tells you, at this point in the run-in, they are difficult to stop.”

The one negative for City is that Arsenal’s goal difference is better by six, which means they have to win to reach the top. A draw will not do.

“Goal difference is not possible,” Guardiola said. “We cannot draw. We have to take nine points.”

In a separate interview with BBC Match of the Day, he added: “Hopefully, we can come back here in a few days and have the chance against West Ham to come here and win the title.”

For City to get to the West Ham game and not have a chance of the title, it would require Arsenal to beat Manchester United and for City to get no more than a point from the Fulham and Tottenham trips.

That feels unlikely for a team that has put an astonishing run together of 16 wins and four draws since they were beaten at Aston Villa on 6 December.

Not that it should come as a surprise.

Last season, City went on a 16-match unbeaten run, winning 14 times, to take the title before they lost at Brentford on the final day. The year before that, they won 23 times in a run of one defeat in 28. The season before that, they won 17 times in a 19-match unbeaten sequence.

“When you are coming towards the end of the season, you do think differently,” former City defender Micah Richards told Sky Sports. “These games are the most important and that’s where City seem to thrive.”

As Richards’ fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp said, Arsenal’s task is straightforward.

They must win at Old Trafford and then again against Everton on the final day. Anything else is completely out of their hands.

Given the run Mikel Arteta’s side have been on, and the two seasons they have had, few would begrudge the Gunners a first title since 2004.

But, as Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have found out, running City close and overhauling them are two different matters.

“They are an unbelievable team,” said Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice. “What I have learned in this title race is that you have to be nearly perfect. They have done that for three years in a row.

“I have massive respect for what they have done. But we have two games to go and we’re praying for something to go our way.”

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AFCON 2024 Qualifier: Nigeria Cripples Benin Republic With 3-0

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September 7, 2024

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By Dan Opara

In the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, Nigeria is currently ahead of Benin Republic by a score of 3-0.

The decisive goal was scored by Ademola Lukman, who is playing with Atlanta FC in Turkey, just before halftime, in the 45th minute.

The match is taking place at the Uyo Stadium in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

In a decisive display second half of football prowess, Nigeria’s Super Eagles triumphed 3-0 over Benin Republic in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match held in Uyo.

Ademola Lookman played a pivotal role by netting two goals, one in each half of the game.

Victor Osimhen, making a significant impact off the bench, scored the third goal, further solidifying Nigeria’s dominance.

This victory propels Nigeria to the top of Group D in the qualifiers.

The Super Eagles will next face Rwanda on Tuesday, September 10, as they continue their campaign toward the AFCON finals.

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Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes First Player In History To Reach 900 Career Goals

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2 days ago

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September 6, 2024

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Cristiano Ronaldo has made football history by becoming the first men’s player to score 900 goals in official matches.

The Portuguese forward achieved this remarkable feat during Portugal’s UEFA Nations League clash against Croatia in Lisbon on Thursday, securing his 900th goal with a precise volley from 6 yards out, assisted by Nuno Mendes.

The goal gave Portugal a 2-0 lead, and they went on to win the match 2-1.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner now sits 58 goals ahead of his closest competitor, Lionel Messi, who has 842 goals to his name. Brazilian football legend Pelé ranks third with 765 official goals.

Ronaldo was previously the first player to surpass the 800-goal mark, a milestone he reached during his second stint at Manchester United in late 2021. In addition to his 769 club goals, Ronaldo boasts a record 131 goals for Portugal in 209 appearances, making him the highest-scoring player in international football.

Messi and former Iranian forward Ali Daei follow on the list with 109 international goals each.

The 39-year-old forward, currently playing for Al Nassr, has no plans to slow down and has set his sights on an even bigger milestone.

In a recent interview with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo revealed his ambition to reach 1,000 career goals by the time he turns 41, provided he remains injury-free.

 

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Ugandan athlete who competed in the Olympics, Rebecca Cheptegei, passes away after being set ablaze by her ex-boyfriend.

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September 5, 2024

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Rebecca Cheptegei represented Uganda in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics 2024 [File: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports]

Uganda’s Olympian Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by boyfriend

 


Marathon runner Cheptegei died aged 33 due to multiple organ failure after suffering 80 percent burns when her boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her on fire in Kenya.

Uganda’s Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend, the country’s Olympic chief said.

“We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei … following a vicious attack by her boyfriend,” Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) President Donald Rukare said in a post on X on Thursday.

The 33-year-old succumbed to the burns she suffered when her boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her ablaze in Kenya, making her the third female athlete to be killed in the country since October 2021.

 

“[Cheptegei] passed today morning after her organs failed,” Owen Menach, senior director of clinical services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), told the Reuters news agency, adding that a full report regarding the circumstances of her death would be released on Thursday afternoon.

Peter Ogwang, Uganda’s minister of state for education and sports, described her death as “tragic”.

“Kenyan authorities are investigating the circumstances under which she died and a more detailed report and program will be provided in due course,” he said.

UOC chief Rukare termed the incident a “cowardly and senseless act” and said it had deprived the country of a “great athlete”.

“Her legacy will continue to endure,” he added.

Cheptegei had sustained burns to three-quarters of her body, the acting head of MTRH in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret, where she was being treated, told reporters on Tuesday.

Identifying the accused as her partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, police said he doused Cheptegei with petrol and set her alight on Sunday at her home in Endebess in the western county of Trans-Nzoia.

The incident took place just weeks after Cheptegei participated in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th.

The Uganda Olympic Committee called for swift action in a statement confirming Cheptegei’s death.

“We urge the relevant law enforcement agencies to take swift and decisive action to bring the perpetrator to justice for this cowardly and deplorable action.”

Cheptegei began her career in 2010 and represented Uganda in various long-distance races, making her first Olympic appearance at the games in Paris.

Her parents travelled to Trans-Nzoia and told local media that their daughter had bought land in the Kenyan county and built a house where she stayed for her training.

She met Ndiema in Trans-Nzoia and the attack stemmed from a dispute over the house she owned, according to a report in The Standard newspaper.

The Uganda Athletics Federation decried the incident and termed Cheptegei a “victim to domestic violence”.

“We condemn such acts and call for justice,” the sports body said in a post.

Kenyan media reported that one of Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the assault at her mother’s home.

“He kicked me while I tried to run to the rescue of my mother,” Kenya’s The Standard quoted her as saying.

“I immediately cried out for help, attracting a neighbour who tried to extinguish the flames with water, but it was not possible,” said the girl, who was not named.

Marangach was also wounded in the incident, sustaining 30 percent burns on his body.

Cheptegei’s death shines a spotlight on violence experienced by sportswomen in Kenya. The assault comes two years after Kenyan-born athlete Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, a world-famous running hub in the Rift Valley.

And in 2021, record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, 25, was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten in 2021. Her estranged husband is on trial over her murder. He has denied the charges.

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