EPL: Salah ends goal drought as Liverpool beat West Ham – Newstrends
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EPL: Salah ends goal drought as Liverpool beat West Ham

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Mohamed Salah, the Egypt star, ended his Premier League goal drought on Sunday in style with two goals to inspire Liverpool’s 3-1 win at West Ham.

Salah had gone six league games without scoring until he broke West Ham’s resistance in the second half with his first goal in the competition since December.

The 28-year-old followed that fine strike with another eye-catching effort and his masterclass ensured Liverpool made it two successive league wins.

Salah is the first player to score at least 20 goals in all competitions in four consecutive seasons for Liverpool since Ian Rush in the 1980s.

Georginio Wijnaldum grabbed Liverpool’s third as Klopp’s side moved above Leicester into third place.

“What Mo made of Shaqiri’s pass was incredible. The first touch was unbelievable,” Klopp said of Salah’s second goal.

Liverpool are four points adrift of leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and one behind second placed Manchester United.

After five league games without a win, the champions showed signs of emerging from their winter slump in Thursday’s 3-1 success at Tottenham and this was another step in the right direction.

“These boys are a really good group. They’re not happy at not being successful. They always have the right attitude,” Klopp said.

“We spoke about it in the last few weeks and maybe in the last week we have spoken about the right stuff.

“We have found a way to be uncomfortable again for other teams. It was a great game, very professionally controlled against a flying side.”

Liverpool’s previous away league wins this season had come at Chelsea and Crystal Palace and they inflicted more capital punishment on West Ham in their latest trip to London.

West Ham had won their last six games in all competitions and were unbeaten in their last six league matches.

But Liverpool squashed that streak emphatically, proving that the group who swept to the title last season shouldn’t be written off yet.

The Reds are rounding into form just in time for next Sunday’s crucial clash with Manchester City, which is preceded by a home game against Brighton on Wednesday.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was absent due to a muscle injury suffered against Tottenham, while Roberto Firmino was left on the bench as Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri started in attack.

With Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho all out injured, Nat Phillips came in alongside midfielder Jordan Henderson in Liverpool’s makeshift central defence.

At least Liverpool’s full-backs remain healthy and Andrew Robertson combined with Trent Alexander-Arnold to set up Wijnaldum for a shot that flashed just over.

Liverpool didn’t manage a single shot on target until first half stoppage-time when Salah’s speculative effort was held by Lukasz Fabianski.

But Salah almost broke the deadlock early in the second half as the Egyptian met Origi’s cross with a close-range shot that was blocked by Aaron Cresswell’s last-ditch challenge.

Leading the Liverpool charge almost single-handed, Salah shot narrowly wide from 20 yards.

Antonio was inches away from putting West Ham in front on the counter, the forward shooting just wide on the turn.

Salah finally ended his drought in the 57th minute as he took Curtis Jones’ pass in the Hammers area and showed typically deft footwork to open space for a superb curler into the far corner.

West Ham had no answer for Salah’s clever movement and he put the result beyond doubt in the 68th minute.

Picked out by Shaqiri’s brilliant long pass into the area, Salah controlled superbly before clipping a clinical finish past Fabianski from close-range.

Firing on all cylinders now, Liverpool struck again in the 84th minute when Wijnaldum capped a flowing attack by tapping in Firmino’s pass.

Craig Dawson’s 87th minute goal, finished from close-range, was little consolation for out-classed West Ham.

-AFP

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Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

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Victor Osimhen

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Juventus are preparing to offer a player-plus-cash deal to sign Nigerian international sensation Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer.

The Bianconeri have identified Osimhen as a key target for their offensive overhaul, and they are willing to include defender Federico Gatti in the deal to entice their Serie A rivals to negotiate.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus is aware of the complexities of the transaction, given Napoli’s reluctance to sell such a prominent player to a direct competitor.

Osimhen was instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign in 2023, scoring 26 goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award as the club broke a 33-year jinx.

The Old Lady’s strategy includes capitalising on Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s fondness for Federico Gatti, hoping the centre-back will satisfy the Partenopei’s defensive issues while also enabling their pursuit of the Nigerian striker.

This move comes as Juventus prepares to unload Dusan Vlahovic and renegotiate Randal Kolo Muani’s loan with Paris Saint-Germain in order to extend his time at the Allianz Stadium beyond the summer.

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Osimhen, who is presently on loan at Galatasaray, has been in top form this season, netting 20 goals in 22 league games for the Turkish giants.

Osimhen, a 26-year-old striker, broke Segun Odegbami’s 44-year-old Nigerian goalscoring record during a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali.

Odegbami, Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer since 1981, expressed delight at seeing his record broken.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me, and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him, and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami stated.

“He is still young, and he has a long way to go.”

The striker is currently second only to the late Rashidi Yekini on Nigeria’s all-time scoring list, with 37 goals.

Since making his Super Eagles debut in June 2017, Osimhen has established himself as the team’s talisman, with significant performances in AFCON qualifiers, where he scored two hat tricks in 2023.

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

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Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

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George Foreman

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful entrepreneur George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.

His family announced that he died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honour the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman overcame a challenging upbringing, finding direction through the Job Corps programme, where he discovered boxing.

“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.

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“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”
Foreman’s athletic ability was shown when he won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

At 19, he crushed his way to the super-heavyweight title, brandishing an American flag in the ring just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ historic Black Power salute.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and known as ‘Big George’, he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight division.

His destructive power and quickness propelled him fast up the professional ranks. In 1973, he won the heavyweight belt by destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds.

By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had a perfect 40-0 record.

Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic wore him down, and tired, Foreman gave up in the eighth round.

Foreman’s impact on boxing and beyond is permanent.

A two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man, his life was one of success, atonement, and reinvention.

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

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Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

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Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has expressed delight after Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen surpassed his long-standing goal record for the national team.

Osimhen scored his 24th and 25th goals for Nigeria during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali, moving him to second place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who holds the record with 37 goals.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami said .

“He is still young and he has a long way to go.”

Odegbami, who retired from international football in 1981, had held the position of Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer for 44 years before Osimhen’s breakthrough.

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The legendary winger, nicknamed ‘Mathematical’ for his precision crosses and intelligent play, scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria between 1976 and 1981.

The Galatasaray striker, who is enjoying remarkable form this season with 20 goals and four assists in 20 Super Lig games, connected with Ademola Lookman’s free kick at the far post to score the opener against Rwanda on Friday.

Prior to this match, Osimhen had equalled Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying game in Abidjan, heading home in the 81st minute for his 23rd goal in 38 appearances.

The 26-year-old forward now needs 12 more goals to equal Yekini’s record of 37 goals, which has stood since the striker’s last game for Nigeria in 1998.

Odegbami, who was a key member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, scoring in the final against Algeria, also praised the team’s overall performance against Rwanda.

“I am really impressed with the Eagles performance in Kigali and that is their most convincing win in 10 years,” he added.

Osimhen, who made his Super Eagles debut in June 2017 in a 2-0 defeat against South Africa, has become the team’s talisman, including notable performances in AFCON qualifiers where he scored two hat-tricks in 2023.

 

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

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