Sport
PSG Bundle Barcelona Out of Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have kicked 10-man Barcelona out of the Champions League as they qualified for the semi-final after winning 4-1 at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona had won the first leg 3-2 in Paris, but PSG won 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the semi-finals.
Kylian Mbappe grabbed a brace in the encounter to see PSG through.
A Superb work from Lamine Yamal squared the ball to Raphinha, who beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a brilliant shot into the bottom right corner to give Barcelona a 12th minute lead.
In the 29th minute, Ronald Araujo made an ugly tackle on his opponent and was sent off by the referee leaving the homers with 10 men to play the entire duration.
PSG capitalised on their advantage and equalised in the 40th minute. A former Barcelona player, Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors.
Bradley Barcola played the ball to Dembele, who showed great determination to get to the ball before a couple of defenders and from inside the box he shot into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-1.
PSG made it 1-2 in the 54th minute from a fantastic finish by Vitinha from just outside the box. He wasted little time in getting away a bullet of a shot that flew past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner of the net.
Mbappe added another goal for PSG from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. He put the ball into the top left corner past the outstretched arm of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
A minute to duration time, PSG made it 1-4. Mbappe fired the rebound into the bottom right corner after the ball broke to him in the box.
Nigeria on Wednesday made a high-level presentation to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in London, United Kingdom, as part of efforts to advance its bid to host the 2030 centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games.
The Nigerian delegation, led by Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, and Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, emphasised that the bid is an opportunity to foster a shared legacy that epitomises the Commonwealth spirit.
Nigeria presented an all-inclusive bid, with focus areas such as sports excellence, arts, international cultural exchange, tapping into a budding creative economy, building a new shared commonwealth legacy and shaping the future of the African youth.
The bid reflects the core values of Commonwealth Sport: More in Common, Equality, Humanity, and Destiny. The Abuja 2030 Games are designed to bring people together through the power of sport, reaching across gender, disability, culture, ethnicity, age, and background. They will celebrate what binds the Commonwealth together, fostering solidarity while opening pathways for more people to succeed in sport.
The bid also represents equality by offering Africa, for the first time in 100 years, the chance to host the Games. It reflects humanity by promising to transform lives and turn one million dreams into one million skills.
Also, it embodies destiny by positioning the Centennial Games in Nigeria as a defining moment that will shape the next century of the Commonwealth through youth, skills, and inclusive growth.
The delegation included the Bid Coordinator, Mallam Mainasara Ilo; the President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, Engr. Habu Gumel, Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa, Presidential Spokesperson, Hon. Sunday Dare, former Olympian and 2-time Commonwealth gold medalist, Mary Onyali, and current world number one para-badminton player, Eniola Bolaji.
Nigeria’s Abuja 2030 bid is presented as an opportunity to shape the next century of the Commonwealth through humanity, equality, and shared destiny, ensuring that Africa’s youth are an important part of the future.
Ousmane Dembele has won the 2025 Ballon d’Or, claims French journalist Romain Collet Gaudin, despite contrasting reports from Spain.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday evening, with football royalty to be in attendance.
The prestigious individual award will be handed to the best player of the 2024/25 campaign for the 69th edition of the French Football title.
Last year, Manchester City’s Rodri won the men’s award, while Barcelona and Spain forward Aitana Bonmati clinched the 2024 women’s Ballon d’Or.
This time, it’s hinted by French reporter Gaudin, that the men’s award will be given to PSG forward Dembele. The France star was the Parisians’ talisman in their first Champions League triumph.
However, Spanish journalist Edu Aguirre told Spanish TV El Chiringuito that he believes Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will be crowned instead.
He said: “I think Lamine wins the Ballon d’Or for sure. What amazes me is they [Barcelona] haven’t won the Champions League. There’s no World Cup either, so logically in France, it should be debated between (Ousmane) Dembele, Vitinha, Achraf [Hakimi]. PSG has already won everything this year.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday suffered a disappointing 1-1 draw against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium.
The match was an opportunity for Nigeria to climb the Group C standings, but the stalemate has left their World Cup dreams hanging by a thread.
The Super Eagles, currently third in Group C, share the same 11 points with Benin Republic, and trail leaders South Africa by six points with only two matches left.
Nigeria fell behind when captain William Ekong deflected Nkota’s cross into his own net, giving South Africa the lead.
