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Solanke’s Scorpion Kick Denies Man City As Spurs Hit Back
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Dominic Solanke’s breathtaking scorpion kick delivered a major blow to Manchester City’s Premier League title bid as Tottenham fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were cruising to victory after Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo netted in the first half in north London.
But Solanke reduced the deficit after the interval before producing a candidate for goal of the season to haul Tottenham level.
The England striker’s audacious finish was reminiscent of Olivier Giroud’s famous acrobatic effort for Arsenal against Crystal Palace in 2017.
And it was Tottenham’s bitter north London rivals who benefited the most from Solanke’s moment of magic.
A section of Tottenham’s fan base might not have been too disappointed if they had lost, given City’s status as the only realistic hope of stopping Arsenal winning the title for the first time in 22 years.
But Arsenal’s 4-0 rout of Leeds on Saturday had left City with no margin for error and Pep Guardiola’s second-placed side now trail the leaders by six points.
With third-placed Aston Villa losing to Brentford on Sunday, it was a perfect weekend for Arsenal.
Leading Tottenham into the Champions League last 16 with a win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday had bolstered Thomas Frank’s hopes of avoiding the sack and this gritty fightback was another boost for the under-fire Dane.
City’s successive 2-0 wins against Wolves and Galatasaray had done little to ease the feeling that Guardiola’s men are still well short of their best.
Once again, they produced an inconsistent performance that underlined how far they have fallen from the group that won six titles in seven seasons prior to last term.
City have won just once in their last six league games, allowing Arsenal to get back on track after their own recent dip.
They must rebound on Wednesday by defending their 2-0 first-leg lead in the League Cup semi-final against Newcastle before a crucial clash with Liverpool next weekend.
Solanke stunner
Cherki had given City the perfect start in the 11th minute.
Bernardo Silva started the raid by robbing Yves Bissouma before Haaland picked out Cherki.
With two Tottenham defenders backing off, Cherki made them pay with a low drive that whistled into the far corner from just inside the penalty area.
The France playmaker’s fourth goal in his last six appearances was followed by a bad miss from Erling Haaland, who chipped onto the roof of the net as Guardiola shook his head in disbelief.
Semenyo deservedly doubled City’s lead in the 44th minute.
Radu Dragusin’s careless pass landed at Rodri’s feet and he found Silva, who alertly teed up the unmarked Semenyo for a clinical finish from 12 yards as boos cascaded down the stands.
It was the Ghana forward’s fourth goal in five games in all competitions since arriving from Bournemouth.
Lifeless in the first half, Tottenham were given unexpected hope eight minutes after the interval.
City appealed in vain for offside as Solanke controlled Xavi Simons’ pass under pressure in the area.
Marc Guehi tried to make a last-ditch tackle, but Solanke prodded past Gianluigi Donnarumma from close-range.
Having been in complete control for so long, City had lost their way and they paid the price in the 70th minute.
Conor Gallagher’s high press won the ball back and he lofted a cross towards Solanke, who contorted his body in mid-air to back-flick an astonishing shot over Donnarumma into the top corner from 10 yards.
City were in disarray and it took Donnarumma’s superb save from Simons to stop Tottenham snatching the points.
AFP
The Super Falcons of Nigeria were up against South Africa in the 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off and needed a victory to move to the next stage – the intercontinental play-offs.
Two tickets were up for grabs, with four losing quarter-finalists at the 2027 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) battling for them.
Already, Ghana has defeated Côte d’Ivoire to pick one of the tickets. Thank you for following the live updates of the South Africa vs Nigeria 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off game.
98′ – It is full-time, and Nigeria have lost 2-1 against South Africa. It is the end of the road for the Super Falcons, who won’t be at the World Cup for the first time since the tournament’s inception.
93′ – Ucheibe scores for Nigeria.
92′ – Nigeria gets a penalty, and it is also a red card for South Africa after their player blocked the ball with her hand.
91′ – Justine Madugu gets a yellow card.
77′ – South Africa scores the second goal. It is 2-0 against Nigeria.
75′ – Uchenna Kanu’s header is parried away for a corner kick.
60′ – Chiamaka Nnadozie saves Nigeria, preventing South Africa from scoring again.
56′ – South Africa takes the lead! It is 1-0 to the Banyana Banyana!
54′ – Justine Madugu throws Joy Omewa into the fray. She replaces Asisat Oshoala.
48′ – Oshoala shoots into the goalkeeper.
46′ – The second half is underway!
HT: It is half-time in an evenly balanced game in the 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off between South Africa and Nigeria.
45′ – One more minute added. It is still no goal yet.
40′ – Michelle Alozie’s shot goes narrowly wide for a goal-kick to South Africa.
35′ – No goals in Casablanca in a game of few chances.
28′ – Rasheedat Ajibade’s free kick straight to the South African goalkeeper.
23′ – A South African ball over the top fails to find any Banyana Banyana.
20′ – Twenty minutes in and nothing has separated the teams. No clear-cut chances so far from either country at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.
10′ – Nigeria are pressing for an early goal, but it is still goalless.
1′ – The World Cup play-off between South Africa and Nigeria has kicked off!
Barcelona have reached a final agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Ferran Torres in a deal which will see the Spain star head to Parc des Princes on a transfer worth €50 million.
The two clubs have been in talks for a while and the deal is now done, according to Fabrizio Romano. Torres has been absent from Barcelona training for the last two days and is now heading to Paris to complete his move.
Torres will sign a five-year contract with PSG and link up with Luis Enrique’s side after scoring the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final.
The 26-year-old was into the final year of his contract at Barcelona but will now seek a new challenge in Ligue 1 with the French giants.
Barcelona had reportedly been reluctant to extend Torres’s contract, as they would have had to pay an extra €8 million to Manchester City, while there’s been speculation the Spain star was happy to move on after feeling undervalued by Barca.
Cameroon shocked hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties on Wednesday night to reach the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after a tense semi-final ended goalless following extra time in Rabat.
The Indomitable Lionesses held their nerve at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium after 120 minutes without a goal.
Morocco had a golden chance to settle the game in the 118th minute when they were awarded a penalty, but Fatima Tagnaout failed to convert, leaving the hosts to pay a heavy price for the miss.
Marie Ngah, Rose Bella and Myriam Nyadjou scored for Cameroon in the shootout, while Hanane Aït El Haj was Morocco’s only successful taker. Kenza Chapelle, Meryem Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui all missed as Cameroon secured their fourth appearance in the WAFCON final.
Cameroon remained organised and continued to frustrate the hosts until the end of regulation time. Extra time followed, with the match seemingly heading for penalties before Morocco were handed their best opportunity two minutes from the end.
Tagnaout took responsibility from the spot but could not beat the goalkeeper, sending the game into a shootout.
Morocco had won their previous two WAFCON semi-finals on penalties, against Nigeria in 2022 and Ghana in 2024, but their luck deserted them this time.
Aït El Haj converted Morocco’s first penalty before Chapelle missed the second. Ngah scored for Cameroon, although Grace Mendoua missed the Indomitable Lionesses’ next attempt. Bella then put Cameroon back in front, while Antique failed to convert Morocco’s third.
Nyadjou scored Cameroon’s fourth penalty, leaving Ouzraoui with the task of keeping Morocco’s hopes alive. She missed, confirming Cameroon’s 3-1 victory in the shootout.
The win is a major boost for Cameroon, who had lost their previous three WAFCON penalty shootouts, including their 2018 semi-final defeat by Nigeria.
The Indomitable Lionesses have now eliminated defending champions Nigeria and hosts Morocco in successive knockout rounds.
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