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Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen and Trabzonspor forward Paul Onuachu may miss Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month due to injuries, The PUNCH reports.

Galatasaray confirmed on Sunday that Osimhen is dealing with a groin injury, while Onuachu was also taken off in the 44th minute after scoring a brace in Trabzonspor’s 5-0 win over Gençlerbirliği.

Osimhen picked up the injury during Galatasaray’s thrilling 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir after scoring the opening goal. He lasted 33 minutes before being substituted.

Onuachu was also reported to have broken his chin during a challenge, with both players adding to the growing list of injury concerns for coach Eric Chelle ahead of the two fixtures.

Already on the treatment table are Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Sadiq Umar, Tochukwu Nnadi and Zaidu Sanusi, who all recently picked up knocks.

In an update provided on Sunday, Galatasaray said Osimhen and midfielder Mario Lemina had suffered moderate-to-advanced strains with bleeding in the right groin area.

“Following the completion of MR and advanced examinations at our sponsor Acıbadem Hospital, advanced-moderate level strain (bleeding and strain) has been detected in the right adductor (groin) muscle group of our footballer Victor Osimhen,” the club said on Sunday.

“Similarly, advanced-moderate level strain (bleeding and strain) has been detected in the right adductor muscle group of our player Mario Lemina, whose examinations have also been completed, and their treatment processes are ongoing.”

The update puts Osimhen in doubt ahead of Nigeria’s September fixtures, with the Super Eagles beginning their 2027 AFCON campaign against Madagascar on September 25 before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.

The two matches are part of Group L, where Nigeria were drawn alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and co-hosts Tanzania. Only the highest-ranked team apart from automatically qualified Tanzania will advance from the group.

Osimhen’s absence would leave Nigeria without one of their most important attacking players at the start of the campaign.

Missing the window could also delay his climb up Nigeria’s all-time goalscoring chart. The 27-year-old has scored 35 goals for the Super Eagles, two behind the late Rashidi Yekini, who remains the country’s all-time leading scorer with 37 goals.

At club level, Osimhen has also scored six goals and provided two assists in four games this season.

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Alexander Isak struck twice inside the opening nine minutes as Liverpool secured their first English Premier League victory of the season with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on Friday.

The Swedish forward put the visitors in control almost immediately, ending a tense opening spell with two clinical finishes that gave Liverpool a comfortable cushion before the hosts could settle.

Liverpool needed only six minutes to break the deadlock. Cody Gakpo created the opportunity with his effort forcing a save, but Isak reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home.

Three minutes later, Gakpo again turned provider, picking out Isak on the left. The striker made no mistake, sending a low effort into the bottom corner to double Liverpool’s advantage.

The two goals took Isak’s season tally to three in as many league appearances, already matching the number he managed throughout the whole of the previous campaign.

With the visitors firmly in command, Ipswich struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, while Liverpool concentrated on protecting their advantage after the interval.

The Reds appeared to have earned a chance to extend their lead when they appealed for a penalty in the second half, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review found an offside in the build-up.

Ipswich pushed forward late in search of a way back into the contest, but Liverpool’s defence held firm and the hosts were unable to produce the finishing touch required to trouble the visitors.

The victory extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Portman Road to seven matches and delivered their first clean sheet of the campaign.

The result also gave coach Andoni Iraola his first clean sheet since taking charge during the summer.

Liverpool’s three points moved them into fifth position in the Premier League standings with five points from three matches.

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An F-4 Phantom military aircraft crashed Saturday at a base outside Athens during an airshow, Greek news agency ANA reported.

The circumstances of the crash were unclear, as was the fate of the two pilots aboard, local media said.

The aircraft had just taken off when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed, said a journalist from public broadcaster ERT who was at the scene.

There was an explosion immediately after the crash, which happened before thousands of visitors watching the annual “Athens Flying Week”.

A fire service helicopter was dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze caused by the crash, ERT reported.

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias cancelled a trip to Thessaloniki’s International Fair to visit the scene of the accident.