Sports
Barca thrash Betis to stay ahead of rampant Madrid
Barcelona thrashed 10-man Real Betis 4-0 on Saturday to move a step closer to winning La Liga for the first time since 2019.
Real Madrid beat Almeria 4-2 to cut the gap to eight points earlier on but Barcelona triumphed to restore their 11 point advantage.
Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha struck for Barca at Camp Nou with Guido Rodriguez netting a late own goal to round off the rout.
Edgar Gonzalez’s early dismissal made it an easy night for Xavi Hernandez’s side to protect their lead with six games remaining.
With his side comfortably winning, Xavi brought on 15-year-old forward Lamine Yamal to become the club’s youngest ever player to debut in La Liga.
Betis also brought on veteran Joaquin Sanchez, 41, for his final appearance at Camp Nou before he retires at the end of the season, and he was afforded a standing ovation by Barcelona supporters.
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The Catalans bounced back from a 2-1 defeat by Rayo Vallecano in midweek.
“We generated a reaction,” said Xavi. “We improved a lot, it was a very good reaction from the whole team.
“We went 1-0 up and after the red card, it was in our favour.”
Xavi brought Christensen into the starting line-up after injury and he made a quick impact on his return.
Raphinha whipped in a vicious ball which Ronald Araujo narrowly missed but Christensen followed in behind to power a header home.
Betis were set back further when defender Edgar was dismissed for two bookings after half-an-hour.
Lewandowski pounced soon after to net his 19th league goal of the season after Jules Kounde set him up with a low cross.
The Pole, La Liga’s top scorer, reacted after Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema earlier netted a hat-trick to move within one of his tally.
Three minutes later Raphinha struck the third, making a clever run in behind the defence and finishing from Sergio Busquets’ chipped pass.
Xavi brought on Ousmane Dembele with little over 15 minutes to go, with Camp Nou delighted to see the winger back.
Rodriguez deflected in Ansu Fati’s cross as Barcelona added a fourth goal in the 82nd minute. ;
Almost 90,000 home supporters were also treated to 15-year-old Yamal’s debut in the final stages, and the winger came close to scoring with a shot repelled by Rui Silva.
“We were talking about this on the bench, when I was at 15 I think I was playing for my neighbourhood team,” added Raphinha.
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“And seeing him come on in this stadium, with all these people, is incredible.”
– Stylish Madrid –
Benzema climbed to 17 goals in La Liga this season with his treble, now two behind Lewandowski.
Benzema netted his treble in the first half and Rodrygo added the fourth early in the second for Madrid, while Lazaro and Lucas Robertone struck for the visitors, 15th.
Almeria coach Rubi made several changes to his regular side, clearly unconvinced his team could take points from the Santiago Bernabeu — the visit of Elche on Tuesday should be more profitable in their survival bid.
Madrid played with freedom in attack during an entertaining game, albeit one low on tension with their hopes of retaining the title minimal.
“In attack the team is very dangerous, with the quality of Karim, Vini, Rodrygo, with the ball we play very well,” coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
“There are games where the offensive level looks very good, like today.”
Vinicius Junior teed up Benzema for a tap-in to break the deadlock early on.
Rodrygo’s assist for Benzema’s second goal was one of the highlights of the game, with the forward backheeling the ball to himself to escape Samuel Costa.
“I think it was a pass to myself, I didn’t have anywhere to go, it was a nice pass to myself with my heel,” Rodrygo told DAZN.
The 35-year-old Benzema completed his hat-trick after 42 minutes from the penalty spot after Largie Ramazani clumsily fouled Lucas Vazquez.
Benzema’s strikes helped him move two goals ahead of former Madrid attacker Hugo Sanchez to become the fourth top scorer in La Liga of all time, on 236 goals.
Vinicius made way in the final stages after taking a knock but Ancelotti said the winger would be fit to play in the Copa del Rey final next weekend.
Bottom side Elche survived relegation for the time being with a 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, who were reduced to 10 men in the first half.
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Sports
Tragedy: Spanish Footballer Jesús de Miguel Dies at 30 After On-Field Collision
Spanish footballer Jesús de Miguel has died at the age of 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a collision with an opposing goalkeeper during a league match involving his club, CD Tenerife.
The striker died on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at a hospital in Tenerife, Spain, a day after he collapsed during his team’s encounter against FC Andorra in the Spanish second division.
The incident occurred in the closing stages of Monday’s match at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium, with both teams level at 2-2.
De Miguel was chasing a long ball towards the middle of the pitch when FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono rushed out of his penalty area to intercept it. The goalkeeper collided with the forward, striking him in the chest with his knee.
De Miguel immediately fell to the ground, prompting players from both teams to call for urgent medical assistance. Owono was shown a straight red card following the collision.
Medical personnel rushed onto the pitch and administered emergency treatment to the injured footballer before he was transported to hospital by ambulance.
During the journey, De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest, but medical personnel reportedly managed to restore his pulse through emergency resuscitation.
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He was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit of Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
CD Tenerife initially described his condition as stable despite the seriousness of his injuries. However, a subsequent medical update indicated that his neurological condition had deteriorated.
He died at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Announcing his death, CD Tenerife expressed profound sorrow over the loss of the striker and extended condolences to his family, friends, teammates and supporters.
The club also appealed for respect for the privacy of his family during the difficult period.
The tragedy has prompted a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the footballer’s death, including possible involuntary manslaughter under Spanish law.
Authorities explained that such proceedings are routinely initiated when a death is considered non-natural. The investigation does not, in itself, establish criminal responsibility on the part of anyone involved in the collision.
Meanwhile, the incident has triggered an outpouring of condolences across the football community.
Spanish football giants, including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, expressed sympathy to Tenerife and De Miguel’s family.
FC Andorra also paid tribute to the deceased player, while the club’s president and former Barcelona defender, Gerard Piqué, expressed his condolences.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) postponed matches scheduled for Tuesday in the Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina as a mark of respect.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) also announced that matches across its competitions would observe a minute of silence in memory of the late footballer.
De Miguel joined Tenerife from Castellón ahead of the 2025–2026 season.
Born in Madrid in 1996, he built his career across several Spanish clubs, including Leganés B, Fuenlabrada, Unionistas de Salamanca and Castellón.
He scored 11 goals during the previous season and helped Castellón secure promotion to Spain’s second division.
His death has left teammates, supporters and members of the Spanish football community mourning the loss of a player whose career was cut short by the tragic incident.
Tragedy: Spanish Footballer Jesús de Miguel Dies at 30 After On-Field Collision
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Sports
Super Falcons Receive $100,000 Each as Tinubu Finally Fulfils WAFCON Pledge
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fulfilled his financial reward promise to Nigeria’s Super Falcons, with each player receiving the naira equivalent of $100,000 following the team’s historic triumph at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Members of the coaching crew and other team officials have also received the naira equivalent of $50,000 each, completing the cash component of the presidential reward package announced after Nigeria won its record-extending 10th continental title.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) confirmed the payments on Monday, November 2, 2026, describing the development as the fulfilment of the President’s financial commitment to the national women’s football team.
The payment brings an end to the outstanding cash component of the reward package, which Tinubu announced during a presidential reception held in honour of the team on July 28, 2025.
Following their historic achievement, the President had promised each of the 24 players the naira equivalent of $100,000, while members of the 11-person technical team were to receive $50,000 each.
He also conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on the players and technical crew and approved the allocation of three-bedroom apartments in Abuja to members of the team.
The housing documents and national honours certificates had earlier been presented to the beneficiaries, leaving the cash payments as the outstanding component of the presidential pledge.
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Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, commended Tinubu for honouring his commitment, describing the fulfilment of the reward package as an important development for Nigerian sports.
Dikko said the Super Falcons had made the country proud and deserved recognition for their achievement, adding that the timely delivery of the promised rewards would strengthen confidence among Nigerian athletes.
He also acknowledged the cooperation between the NSC and the Ministries of Finance, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development in ensuring the delivery of the presidential commitments.
According to him, the development represents a departure from previous experiences in which Nigerian athletes sometimes waited several years for government promises made after major international competitions to be fulfilled.
Dikko urged Nigerian athletes to draw encouragement from the development and remain committed to representing the country, assuring them that their sacrifices and achievements deserved recognition.
The Super Falcons earned the historic reward after producing a remarkable comeback against hosts Morocco in the final of the 2025 WAFCON.
Nigeria had fallen two goals behind but fought back to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory in Rabat in July 2025, reclaiming the continental crown and extending its record as the most successful country in the history of the women’s African football championship.
The victory marked Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON title and further cemented the Super Falcons’ dominance in African women’s football.
Tinubu’s fulfilment of the promise follows a similar development involving Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, whose players received the naira equivalent of $100,000 each in September 2026 after winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket championship.
The basketball players also received three-bedroom apartment allocation documents and OON national honours as part of their presidential reward package.
The latest development reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to recognising sporting achievements and rewarding Nigerian athletes who bring international honours to the country.
Editorial note: The reports give different estimates of the naira equivalent of the $100,000 reward. The article therefore retains the officially stated dollar-equivalent amount without presenting an unconfirmed naira figure as the exact payment.
Super Falcons Receive $100,000 Each as Tinubu Finally Fulfils WAFCON Pledge
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Sports
EPL: Chelsea Hand Manchester United 2-0 Defeat to Deepen Carrick’s Crisis
Chelsea compounded Manchester United’s difficult start to the season with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, leaving manager Michael Carrick under mounting pressure as the Red Devils’ winless run stretched to nine matches in all competitions.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer secured the victory for Chelsea, who moved provisionally into fourth place on the Premier League table with 16 points from nine matches.
Manchester United, meanwhile, remained in 16th position with seven points, just one point above the relegation zone, after suffering another damaging defeat.
The result further intensified scrutiny of Carrick, whose side have now gone nine games without a victory, recording six defeats and three draws during the run. It is the club’s longest winless sequence in all competitions since the 1988-89 season.
Despite the final scoreline, Manchester United began the encounter with some attacking promise and created opportunities to take the lead.
The visitors thought they had broken the deadlock through Matheus Cunha, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Chelsea also had a first-half goal from young forward Estêvão Willian disallowed for the same reason.
United continued to threaten, with Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Cunha involved in promising attacking moves, but they failed to convert their opportunities.
Chelsea eventually took control shortly after the restart when Rogers produced an impressive individual effort to put the hosts ahead in the 50th minute.
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The forward collected a pass from Roméo Lavia, drove towards the United defence and worked his way past Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
The goal shifted the momentum in Chelsea’s favour, while Manchester United’s task became considerably more difficult when Martínez was sent off in the 63rd minute.
The Argentine defender received a second yellow card following an incident in which he appeared to elbow Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana. The decision followed a review by the match officials.
Chelsea were awarded a penalty from the incident, and Palmer converted from the spot in the 64th minute to double the hosts’ advantage.
The goal effectively ended United’s hopes of mounting a comeback, particularly after they were reduced to 10 players.
Chelsea continued to search for more goals, with Estêvão having another effort ruled out for offside. Manchester United also threatened late in the encounter, but Bryan Mbeumo struck the crossbar during stoppage time.
The victory provided Chelsea with a much-needed boost after consecutive defeats in the league and cup, while strengthening their position among the early contenders for a top-four finish.
For Manchester United, however, the defeat raised further questions about the team’s direction and Carrick’s ability to halt the alarming decline.
With the club struggling to turn performances into victories, pressure is expected to increase on the manager as the season progresses.
Chelsea will next travel to face Sunderland on November 8, while Manchester United are scheduled to visit Aston Villa on the same day.
EPL: Chelsea Hand Manchester United 2-0 Defeat to Deepen Carrick’s Crisis
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