Sports
Man Utd in 9-0 mauling of Southampton
Manchester United equalled the Premier League record by putting nine goals past nine-man Southampton – the second time Saints have lost 9-0 in many seasons.
A red card for Saints’ Alexandre Jankewitz after only two minutes triggered a complete collapse for the visitors, who were on the end of the same scoreline against Leicester City in October 2019.
It is only the third time a team has lost 9-0 in the Premier League, with United also beating Ipswich Town by that margin in 1995.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka opened the scoring with his first goal at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani also found the net either side of a Jan Bednarek own goal before the break.
After a fairly drab start to the second half, United cut loose, scoring five times in the final 21 minutes.
Anthony Martial ended an eight-match goal drought before Scott McTominay drove home from the edge of the area.
Then, after Bednarek became the second Saints player to be sent off – bringing down Martial to allow Bruno Fernandes the chance to score from the penalty spot on 87 minutes – the French forward netted his second, before Dan James wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time.
It was a stunning ending as United almost matched their club record 10-0 victory over Anderlecht in 1956.
By the final whistle, it had been forgotten that United had come into Tuesday’s game on the back of indifferent form – just one win in their last four matches.
The massive impact on their goal difference means it is now bettered only by league leaders Manchester City.
Martial should be particularly pleased with his contribution, even though it did not match manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s four-goal salvo as a United substitute in an 8-1 win at Nottingham Forest in 1999.
At one point, it looked as though that seven-goal margin of victory was the one United would emulate. But Martial’s 90th-minute second – the first time he has scored two in a game all season – took the home side beyond that, and James completed the rout in the third minute of injury time.
Rashford and McTominay both produced noteworthy strikes for a United side that also had a penalty award overturned just before half-time.
Making a full Premier League debut should be a cause for celebration in any young player’s career. For Jankewitz, it was a catastrophic experience.
His second-minute foul on McTominay was committed right in front of Saints boss Ralph Hassenhuttl, who did not require the replays which made the challenge look worse with every viewing.
Hassenhuttl could only throw his arms up in the air in disbelief, knowing referee Mike Dean had no alternative other than to show the 19-year-old Swiss midfielder a straight red card.
The incident came less than a week after Jankewitz’s agent had started murmurings about a transfer and this sorry episode is unlikely to convince anyone the player has a future at St Mary’s.
After that, it was just a question of how long the visitors could survive, which turned out to be not very long, as Wan-Bissaka turned in Luke Shaw’s cross at the far post from a position Jankewitz should have been defending.
With Bednarek among the scorers after turning Rashford’s cross into his own net for the third, and one of those marginal video assistant referee offside decisions that took away the goal Che Adams thought he had scored at the start of the second half, it really was one of those nights best erased from the memory completely.
Unfortunately, that was not the end of the misery.
While Hassenhuttl can rightly point to Jankewitz’s dismissal as the key moment, there can be no excusing the way the team – though badly affected by injuries – had so totally collapsed by the end.
Manchester United manager Solskjaer speaking to BBC Sport: “When they had a man sent off it was up to us to get the first goal.
“You have to take your chances in tight or open games – you never know what might be the deciding factor. We know, better than anyone, what goal difference can do to you because we have lost the league on goal difference.
“Confidence is one thing but it was about the mojo and spark – the X-factor.”
Man Utd 9-0 Southampton: Red Devils rediscovered ‘mojo’ in record-equalling win – Solskjaer
Southampton boss Hasenhuttl speaking to BBC Sport: “One man down after three minutes against this opponent – congratulations to Manchester United, they worked us off and did not stop scoring. The second red card is most disappointing – we don’t have any more players.
“We tried in the second half to keep a clean sheet as much as we could, but at nine men it was too easy for them to score.
“What can I say? It is horrible. But we stood up after the first 9-0 [against Leicester] and we have to do that again.”
BBC Sport
Sports
Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer
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
Sports
Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76
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
Sports
Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record
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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