Sports
Leverkusen Set New 33-Match Unbeaten Record, Go 11 Points Clear
A long-range shot from Robert Andrich took Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-1 home win against Mainz on Friday, setting a new German record of 33 games unbeaten.
Andrich’s goal was helped by a goalkeeping mistake from Mainz’s Robin Zentner, who allowed the ball to slip through his hands and into the net.
Leverkusen were nervy and made a number of uncharacteristic errors, but the victory takes them 11 points clear of Bayern Munich in their bid for a first-ever Bundesliga title.
“We have to be honest and say we didn’t play a great game and were a bit lucky to win, but we won’t complain about the three points,” Andrich told DAZN.
Bayern, who announced their plan to part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel in the summer on Wednesday, host RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who have won 29 and drawn four of their 33 games this season, broke the record set by Hansi Flick’s Bayern between 2019 and 2020 — a run which included a Champions League victory.
The week had been dominated by talk of Alonso’s future, amid links to Liverpool to replace Jurgen Klopp, along with the upcoming vacancy in Munich.
Alonso had shut down the rumours, saying any discussion of a return to the clubs he represented during his playing career was “only hypothetical”.
After the match, Andrich told DAZN “we don’t know anything about it, but we take it in our stride.”
“It’s like rumours about a player. As long as everything works well in the dressing room, they can talk about what they like outside of it.”
Granit Xhaka got the hosts off to the best possible start, thumping in a dipping rocket from the edge of the box after just three minutes, his first goal in Leverkusen colours.
“I was under a lot of pressure from my teammates, who reminded me I hadn’t scored a goal yet,” Xhaka told DAZN.
“I’m more than happy and I hope there’s more to come.”
Leverkusen’s elation was short-lived however, with second-bottom Mainz striking back just four minutes later.
Nadiem Amiri, who started the season at Leverkusen before moving to Mainz in search of game time, was the architect of the equaliser, floating in a free kick which rebounded for Dominik Kohr to head in.
Nerveless during their stunning run this season, the goal sucked the momentum out of Leverkusen’s game, with the side’s normally crisp passes missing the target.
The pressure showed as Jeremie Frimpong and Alonso both saw yellow late in the first half having objected to a decision not to call a foul against the Dutch winger.
Mainz had a golden chance to take the lead early in the second half when the normally reliable Edmond Tapsoba passing directly to Lee Jae-sung, but the midfielder blasted over with the goal beckoning.
With just under 20 minutes remaining, midfielder Andrich took a speculative long shot from outside the box.
Zentner, who had impressively kept Leverkusen at bay throughout the match, made a meal of a routine save, allowing the hosts to reclaim the lead.
Late in the match, Mainz were reduced to 10 men, Jessic Ngankam shown a straight red for sinking his studs into Xhaka’s calf, just 15 minutes after coming on.
The decision snuffed out Mainz’s hopes of a comeback and ensured Leverkusen took another major step to a first-ever league crown.
AFP
The Federal Government has fulfilled its promise to Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, following their 2025 victory at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The development was disclosed on Monday by the National Sports Commission, which confirmed that the players had received their national honour certificates and housing allocation documents.
The presentation took place in Lyon, France, where the African champions are currently participating in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
The rewards fulfil an earlier pledge by the Federal Government following the team’s remarkable performance at the continental championship.
On August 4, 2025, President Bola Tinubu announced a special reward package for the team after their record-breaking victory.
Each player was conferred with the national honour of Order of the Niger (OON), alongside a cash reward of $100,000 and the allocation of a flat in Abuja.
Members of the technical crew, led by head coach Rena Wakama, were also rewarded with $50,000 each.
The announcement was made when the President hosted the team in Abuja following their unprecedented fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
The same set of national honours and incentives was also extended to the Super Falcons after the team secured Nigeria’s 10th title at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
D’Tigress sealed their AfroBasket victory on August 3, 2025, defeating Mali 78–64 in the final to clinch their seventh continental title.
The Nigerian side, however, had to battle through a tense contest to secure the win.
Key performances from Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu were instrumental in securing the victory.
Nigeria entered the final quarter leading 61–56 and maintained their composure to close out the game, securing a historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
The victory further extended D’Tigress’ dominance in African women’s basketball, as the team has now won 29 consecutive games without defeat since 2015.
Meanwhile, the team is currently participating in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 in Lyon, France, running from March 11 to March 17.
So far, D’Tigress have recorded wins against Colombia (70–37) and the Philippines (101–84) but suffered losses to South Korea (77–60) and France (93–86).
They will conclude their qualifying campaign with a match against Germany on March 17.
English Premier League giants Chelsea FC have been handed a transfer ban and fined £10 million after being found guilty of breaching financial regulations set by the Premier League.
The sanctions follow an investigation into historical financial irregularities involving undisclosed payments made between 2011 and 2018. According to the league, the payments were made by third parties linked to the club to players, agents and other individuals but were not reported to football authorities at the time.
Although the club has been penalised, it will still be able to sign senior players unless further breaches occur. The league opted not to impose harsher sporting punishments such as a points deduction.
Details of the Sanctions
Under the disciplinary ruling, Chelsea will face a suspended one-year ban on registering first-team players. The suspension will remain in place for two years and will only take effect if the club commits another breach during that period.
In addition to the suspended first-team restriction, the club must pay a £10 million fine. Chelsea have also been hit with a separate punishment relating to youth player registrations, including a nine-month ban on signing academy players from other Premier League or English Football League clubs and a £750,000 fine.
All sanctions take effect immediately, and the club will also cover the full costs of the investigation and disciplinary proceedings.
Four months after the disputed 2026 FIFA World Cup African play-off final between Nigeria national football team and DR Congo national football team, FIFA has sanctioned the Nigeria Football Federation and the DR Congo Football Federation following disciplinary incidents that occurred during the match
A report by PUNCH Sports Extra recalled that DR Congo beat Nigeria 4–3 on penalties in Morocco to advance to the intercontinental play-offs.
According to FIFA’s latest disciplinary overview released for the World Cup qualifiers, both the NFF and the Congolese FA were found guilty of separate infractions during the match played on November 16, 2025.
FIFA stated that Nigeria was penalised for a breach relating to order and security at matches, specifically involving the throwing of objects by spectators under Article 17 and Article 17.2.b of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and the NFF was consequently fined 1,000 Swiss francs.
On their part, the DR Congo federation received a heavier sanction after supporters were found to have used laser pointers or similar electronic devices during the match.
The act contravenes Article 17.2.d of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, leading FIFA to impose a 5,000 Swiss francs fine on the Congolese body.
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle also accused DR Congo officials of using voodoo in the wake of the defeat.
Meanwhile, the sanctions further heighten expectations about the anticipated verdict of the world’s football governing body over the NFF’s protest against the alleged use of ineligible players by DR Congo during the African play-off, particularly in the final.
Nigeria lodged the complaint after losing the African play-off, arguing that the Congolese federation misled FIFA in securing nationality switches for several overseas-born players.
The petition, submitted on December 15, 2025, asked FIFA to investigate the matter and potentially disqualify DR Congo from the qualification process.
The Nigerian federation’s document listed numerous foreign-born players who featured against the Super Eagles, including Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Noah Sadiki, Nathanaël Mbuku and Cédric Bakambu in the starting line-up, as well as substitutes Timothy Fayulu, Matthieu Epolo, Joris Kayembe, Edo Kayembe, Steve Kapuadi, Gédéon Kalulu, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Mario Stroeykens.
In the complaint, released publicly by journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, Nigeria argued that several players obtained clearance to represent DR Congo only days before the decisive play-off match, despite having been called up earlier for the fixture.
While DR Congo are preparing for the World Cup play-offs, where they are scheduled to face the winner of the semi-final between New Caledonia and Jamaica on March 31 for a place at the World Cup, they have also dropped two of the disputed players — Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Mario Stroeykens — from their 26-man squad. [The Punch]
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