Lamine Yamal scored his first La Liga goal of the season as Barcelona battled to a narrow win over Athletic Bilbao at the Olympic Stadium.
The 17-year-old Spain winger put Hansi Flick’s side in front in the 24th minute with a curling shot from outside the box which deflected off the head of Athletic defender Inigo Lekue.
Athletic got themselves back on level terms when they were awarded a penalty a minute before half-time, after Pau Cubarsi felled Alex Berenguer inside the box.
Oihan Sancet confidently sent Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way from the resulting spot-kick.
Robert Lewandowski, who scored both goals in the Catalan club’s 2-1 win over Valencia on the opening weekend, got the winner with 15 minutes to go.
The Poland striker had twice hit the post from good positions earlier in the game but secured the points with a classic poacher’s goal.
Pedri’s low cross was parried by visiting goalkeeper Alex Padilla and Lewandowski pounced on the loose ball to hook home from close range.
Barca’s victory maintained their 100% start to the season in La Liga, with champions Real Madrid hosting Real Valladolid at the Bernabeu at 16:00 BST on Sunday.
Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi scored the all-important goal as Fulham bounced back from the defeat against Manchester United with a victory over Leicester City.
Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi is back in goalscoring form, as his 70th-minute strike turned out to be the winning goal in Fulham’s victory over newly promoted Leicester City.
Emile Smith Rowe’s goal helped Fulham race to the lead, but Wout Faes restored parity before Iwobi’s 70th-minute strike sealed the tie in the home side’s favour.
Key match details
The game took a bit to get going, but the hosts soon assumed a position of dominance and consequently created a bucketload of chances. They were unable to capitalise on the early wave, however, before Leicester found their footing.
Ironically, Fulham got the opener in Leicester’s period of dominance, thanks to a sweeping counterattacking move.
Adama Traore dribbled through the central areas of the pitch before releasing Smith-Rowe. The former Arsenal man took the ball in his stride before completing an emphatic weak-foot finish past Mads Hermansen.
Twenty minutes after the opener, Leicester found parity. Centre-back Faes was left unattended in the box. He rose highest to connect with Facundo Buonanotte’s delivery from the corner flank before sending the ball home with a thumping downward header.
Upon resumption from the first-half break, Silva’s side, buoyed by the home crowd, created chance after chance in their bid to restore their lead. They had to wait until the 70th minute, however, when Iwobi fired them 2-1 ahead.
Arsenal survived their latest severe examination from bogey side Aston Villa to emerge with a statement victory after a thunderous encounter at Villa Park.
In a tale of two goalkeepers, Arsenal’s David Raya produced a miraculous second-half save from Ollie Watkins with the scoreline goalless before opposite number Emi Martinez blundered to allow Thomas Partey’s shot to squirm through his hands to gift the Gunners a vital two-goal cushion.
Arsenal were hanging on after Watkins missed a golden chance in the first half to put Villa ahead but the pivotal moment came after the break when Raya somehow recovered his ground to make a stunning one-handed stop from the England striker after Amadou Onana’s shot bounced back off the bar.
Mikel Arteta’s side took full advantage to go ahead after 67 minutes, substitute Leandro Trossard scoring with his first touch after replacing Gabriel Martinelli, with a smooth finish low past Martinez’s outstretched left hand.
Partey increased Arsenal’s lead 10 minutes later to seal a triumph that will taste particularly sweet after Villa inflicted damage on their title charge last season by completing a league double.Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta will have seen this visit to Villa Park as an early chance to demonstrate that they mean business once more in the title race as they faced the side who proved such a thorn in their side last season.
In a pursuit full of fine margins, Villa’s two league wins over Arsenal, particularly the 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium in mid-April, were hugely damaging as they lost the title to Manchester City by just two points.
And they will see this win, full of grit and with the occasional sprinkling of good fortune, as one of huge significance as they finally try to bridge the gap and turn themselves into champions.
As expected, Villa provided a stern test and Arsenal were grateful for the misfiring finishing of Watkins but most of all to the brilliance of goalkeeper Raya, who sprung to his left as the home supporters got ready to celebrate to pull off a magnificent save with the score 0-0 and this tight encounter on a knife-edge.
It proved to be the turning point.
Arsenal cashed in on that moment, Trossard once again proving how valuable he is with a clinical finish to break the deadlock. The Gunners were on their way.
Partey’s second eased any potential late nerves as Villa ran out of ideas, the celebrations between Arsenal’s players and fans after the final whistle demonstrating the importance of these three points, even coming so early in this campaign.
O’Connor struggled to stay with his general classification rivals on the sharp uphill finish and the Australian came in 17th, with his lead over Roglic being cut to three minutes 49 seconds.
“I was suffering,” said Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider Roglic, who attacked three times on the gruelling climb to Cazorla.
“It was hard today, but in the end I went for it. It was hard, hot; I was lucky I had the legs to take it today.
“We will enjoy [chasing O’Connor] but maybe I will lose again 10 seconds tomorrow.”
Title contender Joao Almeida struggled far more in the final stages of the 158.7km route from Ubeda, finishing four minutes 53 seconds behind Roglic to drop from third to 26th in GC.
Movistar rider Mas has risen to third overall, trailing O’Connor of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale by four minutes 31 seconds.
An eight-man breakaway formed after the 50km mark and was reeled in by the chase group with 1.5km remaining, with Roglic and Mas scrapping for the stage win.
The race continues in the Sierra Nevada on Sunday, with a 178.5km mountain route from Motril to Granada.
The Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Seth Panwum, has assured the public that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi will be ready for Ghana’s crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola.
The match is scheduled to take place in just 13 days, but the stadium’s current condition has raised concerns.
The playing surface at the stadium deteriorated significantly after hosting a large church event, putting the Black Stars’ opening qualifier for next year’s tournament at risk.
However, Panwum is confident that the necessary repairs will be completed in time.
“The place was given out for a program. I had to review their recovery plan, you know, and I think they are right on track.” he told GTV Sports Plus.”
He continued, “I had an update yesterday and this morning from Kumasi, and I think all hands are on deck to meet the deadline. I think in a few days’ time, the pitch should be in 200% perfect condition for the game.”
Panwum also mentioned that the contractor responsible for the stadium’s upkeep was present to address additional issues, including final touches on the media and press centers. “It’s one point that CAF doesn’t compromise on,” he added, emphasising the importance of meeting the Confederation of African Football’s standards.
Ghanaian football fans can now breathe a sigh of relief as efforts intensify to ensure that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium will be ready to host the Black Stars’ crucial qualifier against Angola.
At Tokyo 2020, ParalympicsGB finished second in the medal table behind China, winning 124 medals, including 41 golds, across a record-breaking 18 different sports.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will feature 213 athletes competing in 19 sports for the British team between 28 August and 8 September.
Before the competition, test your knowledge on how well you know the sports featured in the Paralympic and Olympic programmes. Once you’ve completed it, challenge your friends, and share how you did on social media.
Simone Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owen continues to suffer backlash on social media since July 31, for wearing one of the gymnasts’ gold medals from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Owens’ crime was sharing an Instagram post featuring him alongside his wife on July 31. The celebratory post included a caption from Owens congratulating his wife on becoming Olympics’ most decorated American gymnast.
The photo showed Owens wearing her Olympic gold medal around his neck, prompting accusations that the NFL athlete was stealing the spotlight from his wife.
“Witnessing history every time you step on the mat,” his caption reads. “Congrats, baby, on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it.”
“Take her medal off!” Breaugh says in the video. “After all of the— take her medal off! Was it you, Mr. Simone Biles, who was flying through the air yesterday? Was it you who spun like a top 30 times in the air and landed without stumbling? No.” “You were taking notes in the audience, and I thought that was cute. I was gonna give him a pass,” she said, referring to how cameras captured Owens taking detailed notes of his wife’s score and performance throughout the Olympic competitions, showing his support and dedication. “I thought him keeping score the audience was kind of cute. I was gonna take it easy on him.”
“Why is her medal around your neck? For the picture. For the picture that you post after— We’ve learned nothing. What a choice. What a choice,” she continued.
“Let her wear the medal for the picture that you post,” Breaugh concluded. “After everything that’s gone on, that could be a pretty simple PR move. He’s like, ‘This is my only time to wear a gold medal around my neck, so I guess I’ll just take this chance now. Not like I already got made fun of by the entire internet for trying to overshadow my wife and undermine her accomplishments.” The Olympian’s rebuke was enough to inspire Breaugh to comment on the conflict, emphasizing how Biles’ words had humbled her.
“I’m honored. I’m honored to be told to f— off by such a talented woman,” Breaugh said in a response on TikTok. “I can’t really be mad if she told him to, you know what I mean. And maybe he is really taking notes and keeping score, which is cute. That’s more than anyone’s ever done for me.”
“And you know what? Maybe I am miserable. I’ll be called miserable by the most decorated gymnast of all time,” she replied. “I don’t really care. I think that’s fine. I think, in comparison, naturally, I am not just miserable but also lazy, untalented, and all the other things in the caption. I am undeniably that in comparison. So I don’t mind this at all. I don’t mind this at all.”
“But, um, good to know. Good. Good information to know. I think that, given the history of it, naturally, a lot of us saw that and were a little bit like, oh, jerked out of the seat,” she concluded. “False alarm.”
Ghanaian striker Terry Ablade has left Fulham to join Scottish Championship side Partick Thistle on a season-long loan, pending Scottish FA approval and international clearance.
Ablade, who was born in Finland, began his football journey with FC Jazz in Finland, where he made his first-team debut at just 16 years old.
His talent soon attracted Fulham, who signed him for their under-18 squad, and he later progressed to the under-23s, earning a new contract along the way.
The 22-year-old striker has also gained valuable experience through loan spells at AFC Wimbledon and Carlisle United in EFL League One, making a total of 28 appearances. He is now set to continue his development at Partick Thistle, a club with a rich history in Scottish football.
Partick Thistle FC are currently a competitive force in the Scottish Championship, and Ablade is expected to bolster their attacking options as they push for success this season.
Ablade is likely to make his debut in Partick Thistle’s upcoming match against Falkirk.
