2025 AFCON Team of the Tournament The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco delivered a spectacular showcase of continental football as every nation brought immense pride and passion to the pitch in the quest for glory in Africa’s biggest competition. From Morocco’s win in the curtain raiser to Senegal’s triumph in the drawer, the players at the 2025 AFCON displayed incredible skill and resilience. Their collective efforts across the month created unforgettable memories, proving why African football remains so captivating. In the wake of its conclusion, we reveal our 2025 Team of the Tournament, selecting only the most standout…
Author: Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
Aston Villa Manager Unai Emery tore into his team following their 1-0 home loss to Everton on Sunday, stating his team is not a contender to be in the top five.Thierno Barry struck from a rebound a minute before the hour mark to inflict a first home loss in 12 games across all competitions on Aston Villa, bringing an end to an 11-game winning run at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s team had dominated all the visiting teams at their home ground since a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in Birmingham back in August, including top teams like Arsenal, and the…
Eric Chelle must be retained as Super Eagles head coach. Despite football being much more about how far rather than how well, the Nigerian Football Federation can not turn a blind eye to what the Super Eagles team looked like under Eric Chelle, because, when have they been that good? Amid the criticism by some Nigerians, who are calling for his sacking after falling short of Jose Peseiro’s second-place finish in the previous AFCON tournament, the numbers tell a different story, and as they say, numbers don’t lie. Eric Chelle may not have led Nigeria to the title, but from…
Impact of managerial change on season ambitions. All three of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Chelsea won their first league games under their new managers on the back of chaotic days, but the outcome of the weekend games does not mean their season objectives haven’t been altered with the forced hand decisions. Back in the summer, when Xabi Alonso was confirmed as Real Madrid’s new boss, and Enzo Maresca led Chelsea to the Club World Cup title, only at Manchester United could anyone have believed a managerial change could occur mid-season, but all the glitters proved to be dust. Even…
Xabi Alonso reportedly resigned as Real Madrid manager because the players, led by Kylian Mbappé, undermined his authority after the Spanish Super Cup final loss to Barcelona by refusing to give their Clasico rivals a guard of honour. This revelation has brought a lot of criticism for the players, especially from the Barcelona corner and neutrals, but Real Madrid faithfuls remain divided on the matter, as some see Xabi Alonso as clueless, while others join the non-Madridistas in calling Kylian Mbappé and co. classless. Yet as Real Madrid’s crisis deepens, it is more to Barcelona’s delight, and the fact that…
Arsenal extended their dominance over their London rivals on Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge to establish a slender advantage ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium in a few weeks. Goals from Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres, and Martin Zubimendi proved too much for Alejandro Garnacho’s brace for the host, as Liam Rosenior joined a long list of Chelsea managers who failed to win their first home games in charge of the club. The result means Mikel Arteta’s team will reach the final if they avoid defeat in the second leg, where…
On a day when the goals dried up at the African Cup of Nations, Senegal and Morocco did just enough to secure their place in the final of the 2025 edition, having seen off Egypt and Nigeria, respectively. Although the goals didn’t flow in both semi-final games, the victories were well deserved as both teams dominated their opponent, especially in the game between Senegal and record champions Egypt. Senegal and Morocco reach AFCON 2025 final Sadio Mané sent Mo Salah out Sadio Mané scored the only goal of the two semi-finals combined in the 78th minute to conquer a resolute…
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has landed in hot waters in the wake of the clubs loss at Bournemouth, and surprisingly, not because of the defeat but a picture of him drinking with an Arsenal branded cup ahead of kickoff. Things are not getting any easy for the Danish manager following his move to North London in the summer with Tottenham setting a new club record for most home defeat in a single calendar year at the end of 2025 one of the many lows he has had to condone with on the job. The club has had an underwhelming…
AFCON 2025: It’s the battle of the best in the last four Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, and Egypt secured their places in the semi-finals of the AFCON 2025 by extending their unbeaten run in the competition, after ousting their fellow heavyweight opponents in an all-star quarter-finals. The tournament continues in its predictable form as the top teams pursue their quest to be crowned champions of the 35th edition, securing victories over their rivals in their most significant tests so far. Here is how the four nations secured their places in the last four, from Senegal’s narrow win to Nigeria’s dominance of…
The giants of Africa continue to turn up in the Cup of Nations, but Mali beat the odds in one of the closest contests of the round of 16, in an otherwise predictable result, with Nigeria and Algeria extending their winning run. AFCON 2025 Round of 16 Highlights: Giants of Africa reign 10-man Mali sends Tunisia home Ten-man Mali produced a stunning upset to eliminate Tunisia from the Africa Cup of Nations, winning 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Casablanca. Despite playing a significant portion of the match at a numerical disadvantage after Woyo Coulibaly was sent off…