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Messi Bags 900th Career Goal As Inter Miami Crash Out Of CONCACAF Champions Cup

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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi bagged the 900th goal of his glittering career on Wednesday but could not prevent Inter Miami from crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on away goals after a 1-1 draw with Nashville.

Messi, 38, scored his milestone goal after just seven minutes to put Miami 1-0 up in the second leg of their last-16 clash in the regional club competition.
But Nashville’s Cristian Espinoza lashed in a 74th-minute equalizer to make it 1-1 on aggregate, and after holding Miami at bay for the remainder of the game, the visitors from Tennessee advanced to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule.

Players of Nashville SC celebrate and advance to the next round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 after the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez

Miami’s exit was a bittersweet ending to what had promised to be a night of celebration after Messi’s early opener in what was the club’s final game at their Chase Stadium home in Fort Lauderdale.
Messi’s strike took the Argentine’s tally to 81 goals for the MLS champions following his move to Florida in 2023.
The eight-time Ballon D’Or winner previously scored 672 goals for Spanish giants Barcelona, 32 for France’s Paris Saint-Germain, and a further 115 international goals for Argentina.

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Goal number 900 came some 21 years after Messi’s first goal in senior football, when he scored for Barcelona in a 2-0 win over Albacete in 2005 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old.
Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player in football history, still has some way to go before he catches his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portuguese superstar who is on 965 career goals.

Speaking ahead of Messi’s 900th goal, Miami manager and former Argentina and Barcelona team-mate Javier Mascherano described the star’s goals total as “insane.”

“I’ve been lucky enough to see most, or many, of the goals he’s scored, much closer than you all, and that’s a privilege,” Mascherano said.

Lionel Messi, #10 of Inter Miami CF puts the ball on the pitch during the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez

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Wednesday’s match carried added significance for Inter Miami, marking a farewell to the team’s Chase Stadium.

The venue has served as Inter Miami’s home since the club entered Major League Soccer in 2020. The team will move into a new purpose-built 26,700-seat facility next month.

Messi is strongly expected to play in his sixth World Cup later this year, when Argentina defend their title in the 48-team tournament being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Argentine star has already extended his Inter Miami contract through to the end of the 2028 season.

Messi’s prolific goalscoring has been a hallmark of his career. His 672 goals for Barcelona came in just 778 games — an average of 0.86 per game — helping the Catalan club win 35 trophies before departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

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In France, he scored 32 goals in 75 matches, winning three trophies including two league titles.
In Miami, his 81 goals have come in just 96 appearances, helping the team win the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2025 MLS Cup.
His 115 international goals have come in 196 matches, including two in the 2022 World Cup final victory over France.
Messi’s goals tally leaves him second only to Ronaldo according to most recognised statistical records.
Brazilian legend Pele is often said to have scored more than 1,000 goals but those numbers have been the subject to debate. Most statisticians put Pele’s total for Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos at 762.
AFP

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2026/2027 Champions League table after Match Day 1

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Paris Saint-Germain sit top of the Champions League table after Match Day 1 fixtures.

The current holders thrashed Slovan Bratislavia 6-1 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.

They are only ahead of Bayern Munich on goal difference. The Bundesliga champions put a goalless first half behind them to crush Bodo/Glimt 5-0 on Thursday.

The top five places are completed by Barcelona, Manchester United and Como 1907.

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The bottom three teams are Sabah FC, Slovan Bratislava and Bodo/Glimt.

Match Day 2 fixtures will be played in the week that begins October 13.

After each club has played eight matches, the top eight move into the last 16 and those ranked between ninth and 24th will go to the play-offs.

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Falconets Hold China To Draw, Keep U-20 World Cup Hopes Alive

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Nigeria’s Falconets remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after playing out a goalless draw with China at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland.

The result earned Nigeria their first point in Group F, following their 2-0 defeat to Spain in their opening game.

The Falconets created opportunities against China but were unable to convert any of their chances as both sides settled for a share of the points.

China entered the encounter on the back of a 5-0 victory over New Caledonia and moved to four points, leaving them second in the group.

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Spain lead the standings on six points and have already booked their place in the Round of 16. The European side opened the competition with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria before recording one of the biggest wins in the tournament’s history.

Nigeria’s final group game will be against New Caledonia on Sunday, September 13, with the Falconets needing a positive result to keep their campaign going.

Another dropped point could bring their World Cup journey to an end.

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D’Tigress Players Get $100,000 Each as FG Completes Tinubu’s Historic AFROBASKET Rewards

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The Federal Government has paid the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each player of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, completing the cash component of the Presidential Rewards announced after the team’s historic triumph at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) also confirmed that each team official received the naira equivalent of $50,000.

According to the commission, the payments were made on September 9, 2026, and all players and officials have confirmed receipt of the funds.

D’Tigress made history by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title for a record fifth consecutive time and seventh time overall, further cementing Nigeria’s dominance in women’s basketball on the continent.

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The NSC said the latest payment means the Federal Government has now fulfilled all components of the rewards promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the team.

In a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Kehinde Ajayi, on Wednesday, the commission said the package comprised three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, national honours and cash awards.

«“The entire presidential rewards promised to each member of the team by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, comprising a 3-Bedroom flat in Abuja, national honours of OON and Naira equivalent of $100,000 to players and $50,000 to officials have been fully redeemed and completed,” the statement said.»

The commission recalled that D’Tigress players and officials had earlier received the title documents to their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, as well as certificates confirming their national honours.

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The documents were presented in February 2026 during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Lyon, France, and were duly signed by President Tinubu.

The NSC said the cash component was subsequently processed following the team’s participation in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.

Super Falcons Next in Line

The commission also provided an update on the Presidential Rewards promised to Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, the Super Falcons, following their achievements on the international stage.

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The Falcons have already received title documents for their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja and certificates of national honours.

The documents were presented during the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, held in July and August.

The NSC said the cash component of the Falcons’ reward is expected to be paid before their next official engagements.

Under the package, each Super Falcons player is entitled to the naira equivalent of $100,000, while each official is to receive $50,000.

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FG: Athlete Welfare a Priority

The National Sports Commission described the reward programme as part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to improve the welfare of Nigerian athletes and recognise outstanding sporting achievements.

The commission said the initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope and Shared Prosperity agenda, which it said places athletes’ welfare and appropriate rewards high on the government’s priorities.

It also commended President Tinubu for his support for Nigerian sports, saying his policies had strengthened the commission’s reform efforts and contributed to the development of a more sustainable sports economy.

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The NSC further acknowledged the contributions of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

According to the commission, the collaboration helped ensure that the Presidential Rewards were implemented “in record time within the due process requirements.”

The payment brings to a close the Federal Government’s reward package for the D’Tigress players and officials, following their his

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