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Haaland leads Man City revival to beat Chelsea
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Erling Haaland inspired a Manchester City fightback from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 3-1 and move into the Premier League top four at the Blues’ expense on Saturday.
City recovered from a nightmare start to Abdukodir Khusanov’s debut as he gifted the visitors the opening goal, scored by Noni Madueke.
Josko Gvardiol levelled for Pep Guardiola’s men before Haaland showed his blend of strength and skill to chip in 22 minutes from time.
The Norwegian then turned provider for the in-form Phil Foden to secure City’s fourth win in five league games after just one in their previous nine.
Chelsea have won just once in their last seven Premier League games to fall to sixth and will once again reflect on the need to upgrade on goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his positioning led to Haaland’s crucial goal.
City’s victory puts them back in pole position to qualify for next season’s Champions League, just days before they try to save themselves in this season’s competition.
The English champions must beat Club Brugge on Wednesday to reach the playoff round after collapsing from 2-0 up to lose 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
Guardiola reacted by throwing in new signings Khusanov and Omar Marmoush for their debuts.
But that decision backfired spectacularly in the case of Khusanov inside three minutes.
The first ever Uzbek to play in the Premier League did not properly connect with an attempted header back towards his own goal and Nicolas Jackson pounced to tee up Madueke for a tap in.
Moments later Khusanov was fortunate to get away with only a yellow card for chopping down Cole Palmer.
By contrast, Marmoush was showing why only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane had scored more Bundesliga goals than him this season prior to a £59 million ($72.6 million) move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Egyptian thought he had equalised when he pounced to fire home the rebound after Sanchez parried Ilkay Gundogan’s effort, but was flagged offside.
Gvardiol’s marauding runs from left-back were causing City’s biggest threat.
Chelsea did not heed a warning as the Croatian prodded inches wide with his left foot after storming into the box.
Just before half-time, Gvardiol had a simple task for his fifth Premier League goal of the season.
Matheus Nunes this time made the break from full-back and after he was denied by Sanchez, the ball fell for Gvardiol to roll into an empty net.
Guardiola cut his losses with Khusanov at the start of the second period. He was replaced by John Stones and City were rarely troubled thereafter at the back.
Marmoush was close to a perfect start to his City career when he blasted wide from Haaland’s pass after the Norwegian was picked out by a long ball from Ederson.
But again Chelsea did not learn their lesson. Moments later from another Ederson clearance, Haaland outmuscled Trevoh Chalobah and then chipped Sanchez, who had charged out of his goal and ended up in no man’s land.
Despite City’s struggles, Haaland has remained a reliable source of goals as he took his tally for the season to 24, six of which have come in the last six games.
And he created he third goal as his layoff sent Foden clear to slot home his sixth goal in his last four league games.
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a timely response to his critics on Tuesday, scoring twice as Portugal cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their Group K clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston.
The emphatic win revived Portugal’s World Cup campaign after their opening draw against DR Congo and moved Roberto Martínez’s side into a strong position in the race for a place in the Round of 32.
Ronaldo wasted little time making his mark. The 41-year-old forward opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing from a João Cancelo assist to give Portugal an early advantage.
The goal saw him become the first player in football history to score in six different FIFA World Cups, further extending his remarkable international legacy.
Portugal doubled their lead in the 17th minute through Nuno Mendes, whose attacking run and clinical finish exposed Uzbekistan’s defensive frailties.
The Europeans continued to dominate possession and territory, pinning their opponents deep inside their own half.
Ronaldo struck again six minutes before the break, converting after being picked out by Bruno Fernandes.
The goal handed Portugal a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time and underlined the veteran forward’s enduring influence on the international stage.
Any hopes of an Uzbek comeback disappeared shortly after the restart when goalkeeper Abduvokhid Nematov inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 60th minute, extending Portugal’s lead to four.
With the contest effectively settled, Portugal controlled proceedings and continued to create chances against a tiring Uzbek defence.
Rafael Leão completed the rout in the 87th minute, finishing brilliantly after a well-worked move involving Nelson Semedo to cap a dominant display from the 2016 European champions.
The victory leaves Portugal firmly back in contention for qualification ahead of their final group match, while Uzbekistan face a must-win encounter against DR Congo to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
For Ronaldo, however, the night belonged to him. Having faced growing questions about his role in the national team, the Portuguese captain answered in the most emphatic manner possible with goals, records and a performance that reminded the football world why he remains one of the game’s defining figures.
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has reached agreement on a new contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
Chelle entered the new agreement with NFF during a meeting at the National Sports Commission, NSC, headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, and Chelle attended the meeting.
Chelle will now earn $100,000 monthly, in place of his earlier $45,000 salary, following the new agreement.
The Malian’s assistants will also now be paid by the NFF.
The 48-year-old, who was appointed Super Eagles head coach in January 2025, guided the Super Eagles to third position at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi has broken the record for the most goals in World Cup history with 18 goals after a brace in a win against Austria.
The defending champions won 2-0 after a hard fought game against Austria, but were able to get the win after Messi scored in both halves of the game.
Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest footballer ever surpassed Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals.
Argentina now have two wins in two games and have qualified for the next round as they look to successfully defend the title.
Meanwhile Austria will look to seal their qualification to the next round in their last game against Algeria.
*Hajia Hansatu Zannah Applauds Tinubu, Shettima at Three-Year Milestone*
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