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In the first Africa Cup of Nations last-16 game between Senegal and Sudan, Teenager Ibrahim Mbaye scored four minutes after coming off the bench to win 3-1.

Before swearing his allegiance to Senegal, where his father was born, the 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward represented France at age-limit levels.

In the quarter-finals, former champion Senegal will face Mali or Tunisia in Casablanca later on Saturday.

Senegal regained the lead with a 2-1 halftime lead thanks to a Pape Gueye brace after an early Aamir Abdallah goal for Sudan was racked up by an early Pape Gueye goal. After 77 minutes, Mbaye finally put the outcome out of the question.

Senegal, who represented a nation that had been rifled by civil war since April 2023, are 99 places higher in the world rankings than Sudan.

In their final group game, Senegal made six changes to the team that won 3-1 over Botswana. Kalidou Koulibaly, the team’s captain, and center-back Kalidou Koulibaly were just one notable absentee.

Forward Abdallah, who was born in Ghana, was the only player to start the team’s 2-0 defeat to Burkinabe coach Kwesi Appiah.

The nations’ first AFCON tournament meeting took place there. However, Senegal won at home and lost in the 2026 World Cup qualifying group, leaving them in the same group.

Senegal took the lead in sixth minute thanks to Abdallah, a semi-professional who plays for an Australian second-tier club in Melbourne.

The Sudan striker curled the ball over former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the net with a superb goal.

Aubameyang is banned as the Gabon government suspends the national team.

Ismaila Sarr was unlucky, according to  

Despite failing to score in three group games, Sudan was still one of the top four third-placed countries in the knockout stages. Equatorial Guinea won thanks to an own goal.

Nicolas Jackson, who is currently a loanee to Bayern Munich from Chelsea, was deposed by a brave save from Monged Abuzaid in the 29th minute, but Senegal equalized almost immediately.

Pape Gueye equalized with a low shot into the net from the feet of the former African player of the year Sadio Mane.

In a game that Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), watched from the field, Senegal were constantly attacking while Sudan had little to offer moving forward.

After Abuzaid fouled Ismaila Sarr, the Mauritanian referee threw the ball to the penalty spot. After a lengthy VAR review revealed a Senegalese was hostile during the build-up, the decision was later reversed.

The Sudanese international Ismaila Sarr scored before being declared offside in yet another let-off.

As half-time approached, Abuzaid was constantly in action and did well to push away a Pape Gueye shot with his outstretched right.

However, Pape Gueye had a half-time lead over Senegal in the Mediterranean city and had still got to score.

The La Liga player Villarreal midfielder brilliantly executed the goal three minutes into extra time. Abuzaid was hit by a cross that he side-footed with his left foot.

Midway through the second half, Senegal introduced Mbaye as a guarantee for a third goal. Abuzaid was hit at his near post as he latched on to a long pass and made an immediate impact.

Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 victory by Aston Villa on Saturday helped Villa move past Arsenal’s midweek thrashing, propelling Manchester City into second place in the Premier League, at their home fortress.

Unai Emery’s side took a deserved lead with a late goal from Ollie Watkins, and John McGinn scored twice in the second half, either side of a Morgan Gibbs-White goal.

Villa’s 11-game winning streak in all competitions came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday when they lost 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium, giving fans doubts about their ability to keep their title in check.

However, they still have a strong track record at Villa Park, winning 11 of their previous games with a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in August.

After their humiliating defeat at Arsenal, Villa boss Emery informed Sky Sports that his players and coaching staff had convened.

He exclaimed, “I’m so happy.” We needed to regain our confidence and energy. The energy we produce here at Villa Park was extremely important.

Forests compete with one another. We met after the Arsenal game. The players and staff, how we are faring this year, how we are feeling, and how we needed to maintain consistency. How strong and united we needed to be. ”

Villa made a positive first impression on a chilly, obscenely hot day in Birmingham but struggled to make a dominant debut count.

However, in the final moments of a half, when they had nearly 80% of the lead, the in-form Watkins broke the deadlock.

The man from England Morgan Rogers received the ball outside the box and fired home for his fourth goal in three games.

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  McGinn doubles;

In the 49th minute, McGinn side-footed home from a Matty Cash cross to double Villa’s lead.

Villalobos appeared to be moving quickly, but in the 61st minute, Forest were back in the lead thanks to a superb finish from Gibbs-White, who passed past the diving Emi Martinez.

Even though there were defenders nearby, Forest goalkeeper John Victor inexplicably vacated his goalmouth in the 73rd minute to try to get a long ball from Youri Tielemans in a long direction.

McGinn, a midfielder for Scotland, Victor sidestepped him and strode the ball into the empty net with his left foot from far outside the area while remaining calm.

With the victory, Villa is now 42 points, three ahead of Arsenal and one behind City.

Later on Saturday, the Gunners travel to Bournemouth, while Pep Guardiola’s side host managerless Chelsea on Sunday.

Fortest, who have lost to the league for the fourth time in a row, are still four points clear of West Ham when they face Wolves in a later game on Saturday.

When Dyche arrived at the club to replace the fired Ange Postecoglou in October, he claimed he was aware of the difficulty of his job.

He told the BBC, “You can’t keep giving yourself a mountain to climb, but the mentality is there.”

Players were returning to the fundamentals, they said. We have shown them and worked on it, but this is the job. When I arrived, I never anticipated it to be simple. ”

According to a new report from the Daily Mail, former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua escaped death shortly after switching seats in his SUV’s front seats prior to the crash, which resulted in the deaths of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele shortly after they arrived in the nation for a vacation.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, Joshua’s driver, was also charged in court with a four-count allegation by the Ogun State Police Command, despite the report’s findings.

Kayode, 47, denied all charges against him, including dangerous driving, at the hearing held on Friday at the Sagamu High Court hearing.

When the charges were read out by the clerk to members of his family, Kayode pleaded not guilty. He claimed the brakes failed and that he was innocent.

Kayode, who has worked for Joshua for more than three years, was released from custody and taken to Sagamu Correctional Centre by the police as she waited for paperwork to be completed.

Olalekan Abiodun, the driver’s attorney, claimed the accident took place because my client has entered a not-guilty plea. Although I haven’t had the full opportunity to speak with him yet, I am aware that he claims the brakes didn’t work.

Anthony had initially climbed into the front seat, but the driver asked him to switch seats, according to the driver, and I am aware that the journey began in Lagos.

Anthony is a big man, and he asked him to move, so he sat behind the driver. He then did this because he couldn’t see the wing mirror properly.

According to what I understand, Latif and Anthony swapped seats before going back to the front.

The defendant was given a bail amount of $5,000 and $2,000 with two guarantees by the court.

Kayode was accused of four counts, including dangerous driving that caused death, careless and careless driving, driving without care and attention, and driving without a valid driver’s license.

His trial date was set for January 20th of this year.

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The former boxer has returned to the UK and is recovering there, according to the report.

Following the tragic death of Joshua’s strength coach, Sina Ghami, and his personal trainer, Latif ‘Latz ‘Ayodel, on Sunday, January 4, at London Central Mosque.

When he faces his former team in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, South Africa coach Hugo Broos has promised to show “no mercy” to Cameroon.

At Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Broos will lead Bafana Bafana out against the country that he helped to win the 2017 AFCON championship in Gabon.

The game for me will undoubtedly be a special one for tomorrow. A portion of a nation’s heart stays with you when you win an AFCON, but I can’t have mercy on them tomorrow because I want to win the game, according to Belgian Broos, who was speaking to reporters in Morocco on Saturday.

They are a young, very talented team with good mentality and fighting spirit, which means we must work hard to defeat them if we want to defeat them. ”

Despite a chaotic start to the tournament, Cameroon managed to earn seven points out of a possible nine in the group stage in Morocco.

A few weeks prior to the opening game, the football federation’s president and Indomitable Lions legend Samuel Eto’o fired coach Marc Brys, who was replaced by David Pagou.

In the final, I would have preferred to face Cameroon, Broos said, “perhaps now is a little too soon.”

With all the changes in their team, I was surprised and curious to see Cameroon. Although they did not have a lot of preparation time, the coach did a good job, making the match difficult for us. ”

No mercy will be shown tomorrow, he added. You can be certain. All that matters is that I must win the game. ”

Training Location Blow

The 73-year-old also expressed anger at tournament organizers for forcing his team to spend 45 minutes driving to Rabat’s hotel.

If Morocco defeats outsiders Tanzania in their last-16 tie, the hosts will face Morocco in the quarter-finals.

I don’t understand why the Confederation of African Football (CFA) permitted that. Because it makes me unhappy, Broos complained.

Also READ: Chelle and Lookman form the AFCON 2025 Group Stage Team.

Bafana Bafana, who have qualified for the 2018 World Cup, are hoping to at least equal their 2024 Cup of Nations semi-final success.

However, their coach acknowledges that, given the level of competition still available, it might be a difficult order.

When we first arrived, we had the desire to do at least as well as we did two years prior, but I told myself this tournament would be much harder.

“At the previous AFCON, many big teams were knocked out early, but this time around, they are all here,” says our ambition to reach the final, even the semi-finals, will be much harder. ”

The trial of the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the road crash of heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was scheduled for Friday, January 20, 2026, at a Sagamu Magistrate Court in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode was arraigned on four counts by the Ogun State Police Command.

The driver, 46, was formally charged with the accident, according to the police.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode (male), the driver of the Lexus SUV involved in the Anthony Joshua accident case, was charged at the Sagamu Magistrate Court today, January 2, 2026, according to the police.

According to Oluseyi Babaseyi, the command’s police public relations officer, the charges include dangerous driving that leads to death, in contravention of Section 5 (1) of the Federal Highway Act, Cap F: 135, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Ogun State.

Other offenses include driving without a valid National Driver’s License, contrary to Section 10 (1) of the Federal Highway Act, driving without a valid National Driver’s License, and driving without a valid National Driver’s License, contrary to Section 6 (1) of the same Act.

The defendant was given a bail amount of $5,000 and $2,000 with two guarantees by the court.

Babaseyi disclosed in a statement released on Friday that the case had been postponed until January 2026 in order to allow for further proceedings.

Joshua and two of his friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, were being transported along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday by the driver.

Read more about Anthony Joshua’s car, which was arrested and charged after four counts.

Ayodele and Ghami were tragically killed at the scene when their Lexus SUV collided with a stationary truck. Minor injuries were suffered by Joshua and the driver.

After being determined clinically fit to continue his recovery at home, Anthony Joshua was discharged from the hospital late on Wednesday evening.

Individual and technical recognition has highlighted Nigeria’s impressive performance in the AFCON tournament’s group stage, with Ademola Lookman named Team of the Group Stage standout and Eric Chelle appointed Group Stage Coach.

Lookman, who scored two goals and two assists in just two appearances and contributed to Nigeria’s performances throughout the group games, played a decisive role in shaping the performances. He provided attacking thrust, energy, and crucial moments.

Aubameyang is prohibited from playing for the Gabon government’s suspended national team in AFCON 2025.

The Atalanta man “was a constant threat with his direct running, creativity, and eye for goal,” the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stated on Friday.

His versatility made it possible for defenders to play both as an attacking midfielder and a winger, and his off-the-ball movement was a nightmare. One of the group stage’s most dangerous players was Lookman, who was smart at finding hidden spaces and had the ability to make crucial passes in critical situations.

Congratulations to Ademola Lookman and Coach Eric Chelle for making the group stage #AFCON2025! pic. twitter.com/gBAb5z533E

Chelle of the Super Eagles won the group stage coaching position.

The Nigerian national team displayed tactical brilliance and a cohesive team structure under the direction of Eric Chelle. A strong defensive setup, quick transitions, and allowing the attacking players to express themselves helped Chau’s approach.

“His clear vision and consistent choices gave Nigeria the opportunity to perform at their absolute best on the group stage, showcasing a balanced play.” One of the highlights of the group stage was Chile’s ability to maximize his squad’s potential and establish a collective identity, the CAF website stated.

Wessair Mazraoui, Axel Tuanzebe, Edmond Tapsoba, and Yahia Attiat-Allah, who combined discipline and composure under duress, were the strong defensive lines that Mohamed El Shenawy spearheaded.

Quality and energy were at the heart of the midfield, with Carlos Baleba dominating transitions and Brahim Diaz pulling the strings in a creative way.

Victor Osimhen, a forward for Galatasaray, was unable to make the team.