Sports
El Clasico: Real Madrid shock Barcelona at Camp Nou
A second-half penalty from Sergio Ramos helped lift Real Madrid to a 1-3 victory over Barcelona in the latest instalment of El Clasico on Saturday evening at the Camp Nou.
The two sides produced a thrilling first half in which Fede Valverde and Ansu Fati exchanged goals in the first 10 minutes, before Barcelona seemingly took control early in the second stanza. However, a key penalty call via VAR earned Real Madrid a penalty, which Ramos duly converted, and a late Luka Modric strike polished things off for Los Blancos.
The win for Real Madrid halts a two-match losing streak, while it marks a second straight La Liga loss for the Catalans.
There was a strong infusion of youth in the starting XI of Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman, with 17-year-olds Pedri and Ansu Fati getting the nod on the wings, as did 19-year-old right-back Sergino Dest, who became the first ever United States player to start and play in a Clasico.
As for the visitors from the capital and maligned head coach Zinedine Zidane, Marco Asensio was a notable inclusion in attack for Los Blancos, while it was surprising to see veteran midfielder Modric relegated to the bench. Ramos also won his race to fitness and was slotted in at his customary centre-back position.
Zidane’s men were quick out of the gates and drew first blood inside the first five minutes when a perfectly weighted pass from Karim Benzema found a wide-open Valverde, who sent a rocket into net for a 0-1 Real Madrid lead.
But the defensive frailties showed by Real Madrid in their previous outings were exposed in short order and a ball over the top from Messi found the streaking Jordi Alba on the left wing.
The veteran left-back, who was making a return from injury, then hit a perfect square ball for Ansu Fati to turn into net to even things up 1-1.
The action was end-to-end and seconds after Real Marid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied Messi at the near post, Barcelona shot-stopper Neto had to come up big with a save from a Benzema shot after a superb cross from Toni Kroos.
Shortly before half time, Zidane was forced into his first change with the hobbling Nacho having to yield his spot to Lucas Vazquez. Barcelona had the stronger start of the two in the second half and a Ansu Fati cross floated to Philippe Coutinho could have been headed in, but the Brazilian missed wide.
Right when Barcelona were displaying their best football, controversy erupted and a penalty was awarded to Real Madrid after VAR ruled that Clement Lenglet had pulled on Ramos’ shirt in the area.
The captain stepped up and like he has so many times, coolly converted the spot-kick to hand Real Madrid a 1-2 lead.
An injury to a woozy Fede Valverde provoked the second change for Real Madrid, as Modric came on for the young Uruguayan.
With less than a quarter-hour to play, Koeman finally made his first changes, with Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincao and Ousmane Dembele came on for Ansu Fati, Pedri and Busquets, while Zidane swapped off Asensio for Rodrygo Goes.
Barcelona’s frustrations began to grow, while Real Madrid looked very comfortable holding the late lead. Los Blancos had a trio of chances to put the nail in the coffin, the first two coming off the boot of Kroos, followed shortly by a clear-cut chance for Ramos, only to see Neto rise to the challenge and make a pair of spectacular saves.
Martin Braithwaite was the next roll of the dice from Koeman in replacing Alba, but it was all for naught when Neto spilled the ball with Vinicius charging and Modric cleaned things up by depositing the ball into the net to complete the 1-3 scoreline.
Sports
PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m
PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m
LEIPZIG: Paris Saint-Germain’s latest European triumph has come with a handsome financial reward, with the newly crowned UEFA Super Cup champions set to pocket £5.2 million after their thrilling 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
The French champions edged Unai Emery’s Premier League side at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday to retain the prestigious trophy and write their names into UEFA history.
PSG have now become only the third club ever to win the UEFA Super Cup in successive editions, joining European giants Real Madrid and AC Milan in achieving the feat.
The victory was secured by goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, while Brian Madjo’s strike for Villa proved insufficient to prevent the Parisians from lifting another European trophy.
Beyond the silverware, however, PSG’s triumph has also delivered a substantial financial windfall.
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According to the Daily Mirror, Luis Enrique’s side will receive £4.3 million as the winners’ prize, in addition to a £900,000 victory bonus, taking their total earnings from the Super Cup to £5.2 million.
Aston Villa will not leave Leipzig empty-handed despite the defeat. The English club are expected to receive £3.4 million for reaching the final.
UEFA is expected to release the prize payments to both clubs on Friday, August 21.
For PSG, the Super Cup triumph adds another glittering chapter to an extraordinary period of European dominance.
Having already established themselves as a force in French football, the Parisians are increasingly turning their attention to conquering Europe, and Wednesday’s victory provided further evidence of their growing stature on the continental stage.
For Villa, the defeat was a painful end to their Super Cup adventure, but their £3.4 million payout offers some consolation after pushing the European champions all the way.
PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m
Sports
WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final
WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final
RABAT: The Chawinga sisters delivered another dazzling performance as Malawi stunned Algeria 3-1 on Wednesday to reach their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final, completing a remarkable run for one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs.
Captain Tabitha Chawinga scored twice while her younger sister Temwa Chawinga added another as Malawi overcame a spirited Algerian side in Rabat to book a historic place in Sunday’s final.
Ranked 153rd in the world and making their WAFCON debut, Malawi entered the tournament as outsiders but have now swept aside expectations to reach the biggest final in their women’s football history.
Their remarkable achievement is even more striking given that Malawi are ranked 116 places below pre-tournament favourites and record 10-time champions Nigeria, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Malawi took control of the semi-final after Algeria were reduced to 10 players midway through the first half, with Morgane Belkhiter sent off for a last-defender foul.
Tabitha opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a spectacular overhead kick following a corner before Temwa doubled Malawi’s advantage in first-half stoppage time, rounding goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi and calmly finishing.
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The drama continued moments before the interval when Malawi also went down to 10 players after Rose Kadzere was shown a red card for a studs-up challenge.
Algeria fought back after the break and reduced the deficit in the 60th minute through Ikram Adjabi, raising hopes of a comeback.
But Tabitha extinguished those hopes 16 minutes from time, producing a brilliant solo effort to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion and complete her brace.
The victory further underlined the extraordinary impact of the Chawinga sisters at the tournament. Temwa, who plays for Kansas City, has now scored five goals, while Tabitha, of French club Lyon, has four.
With Malawi holding firm after Tabitha’s second goal, Algeria could not find another response and will now contest the third-place play-off on Saturday.
Malawi will face either hosts Morocco or Cameroon in Sunday’s final, with the second semi-final scheduled for later Wednesday.
The finalists will also have a huge financial incentive, with a record $2 million prize awaiting the champions.
Malawi’s historic run has already secured them a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, alongside Algeria, Morocco and Cameroon, who all reached the WAFCON semi-finals.
For the Chawinga sisters and Malawi, however, the biggest prize is now within touching distance: an unprecedented continental title.
WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final
Sports
After Cameroon Heartbreak, Falcons Battle Banyana Thursday for World Cup Lifeline
After Cameroon Heartbreak, Falcons Battle Banyana Thursday for World Cup Lifeline
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will have little time to dwell on their painful WAFCON quarter-final exit as they face South Africa’s Banyana Banyana on Thursday in a crucial play-off that could determine whether their dream of featuring at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil stays alive.
The Falcons, who crashed out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations following a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon on Sunday, must now overcome South Africa in the play-off scheduled for August 13, with kick-off set for 9pm Nigerian time.
The encounter has assumed enormous significance after Nigeria surrendered their chance of securing automatic qualification for the World Cup by failing to reach the WAFCON semi-finals.
CAF had made the semi-final places automatic tickets to the 2027 World Cup, meaning Cameroon’s victory not only ended Nigeria’s defence of their continental crown but also secured the Indomitable Lionesses a place at the global showpiece.
Nigeria’s defeat was particularly painful as it marked the first time the Super Falcons have failed to reach the semi-final stage in the history of the WAFCON. The nine-time champions had arrived in Morocco as defending champions after lifting a record-extending 10th continental title at the previous edition.
Myriam Maéva Nyadjou scored the decisive goal in the 19th minute as Cameroon held on for a 1-0 victory in Casablanca, despite sustained pressure from the Nigerians, to end their title defence and book a World Cup ticket.
The defeat, however, has not ended Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.
The new WAFCON qualification format provides a second route for the four quarter-final losers, with the teams battling in play-off matches for two places in the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs. The two winners will subsequently remain in contention for qualification for Brazil 2027.
It is against this backdrop that the clash with South Africa becomes a virtual do-or-die encounter for the Super Falcons.
A victory over Banyana Banyana will keep Nigeria’s World Cup campaign alive and move them into the next phase of the qualification race, while defeat would leave the African powerhouse facing the prospect of missing the global tournament for the first time.
The South Africans, who are also former WAFCON champions, will provide a formidable obstacle, making Thursday’s encounter one of the most important fixtures of the Falcons’ campaign.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will receive at least $150,000 from the 2026 WAFCON prize structure despite their quarter-final elimination. CAF increased the tournament’s total prize fund to $5.8 million, with the champions set to receive $2 million and each participating nation guaranteed $150,000 in participation funding.
The financial reward, however, will offer little consolation to the Falcons, whose primary targets were to retain their continental crown and secure an automatic World Cup ticket.
With the WAFCON title now out of reach, Nigeria’s immediate priority is clear: beat South Africa, preserve their World Cup dream and begin the difficult journey towards Brazil 2027 through the play-off route.
Match details:
Fixture: Nigeria vs South Africa
Competition: 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Time: 9pm Nigerian time
Teams: Super Falcons vs Banyana Banyana
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