Archive January 31, 2026

Losing Antoine Semenyo was always going to be a bitter blow for Bournemouth, but goals like Eli Junior Kroupi’s against Wolves on Saturday go some way to softening the blow of the Ghana international’s recent departure to Manchester City.

Andoni Iraola’s side had yet to register a shot on target against the Premier League’s bottom side when Kroupi controlled Amine Adli’s flick on the edge of the Wolves penalty area with 12 minutes of the first half remaining.

Moments later goalkeeper Jose Sa was picking the ball out of his net after being beaten by Kroupi’s thunderous, looping strike, which looked set to be the game’s only goal until Alex Scott doubled Bournemouth’s advantage in stoppage time.

It was Kroupi’s eighth league goal of the season, briefly lifting him level with Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who scored his ninth of the campaign at Elche on Saturday evening.

The last Frenchman to score as often in an English top-flight season before his 20th birthday was Arsenal’s Nicolas Anelka, who struck 13 times for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners in 1998-99.

Kroupi, who does not turn 20 until June, needs only two more goals to hit double figures – a tally reached by only 10 teenagers in Premier League history.

He may be a different player to Semenyo, but Kroupi – whose eight goals have come in only 10 starts – has the potential to be just as big a star.

“When you are 19 with eight goals, it is incredible because he doesn’t start every game,” Iraola told BBC Match of the Day. “He gives us quality on the ball, which is always important.

Kroupi’s talent has not been a secret – least of all to his former team-mates and coaches at boyhood club Lorient.

The youngest player to appear for the club in Ligue 1, Kroupi became the youngest scorer in Lorient’s top-flight history when he found the net against Nantes during the 2023-24 campaign, aged 17 years and 92 days.

After one particularly eye-catching display, former Chelsea midfielder and Lorient team-mate Tiemoue Bakayoko said of Kroupi: He’s a phenomenon. He reminds me a little of [Kylian] Mbappe in terms of the maturity in his game.”

There was certainly a hint of France and Real Madrid striker Mbappe in Kroupi’s goal against Wolves – the cushioned first touch, swiftly followed by the lethal second.

Only four players – Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Semenyo – have found the net more often in the Premier League than Kroupi this term.

Given the number of scoring opportunities Bournemouth tend to create, there could well be more to come.

“I’ve been so impressed with him – not just today, but all season,” former Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Final Score. “He looks like he’s been here all his life.”

Speaking to Match of the Day after the win at Molineux, Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott said: “We’ve seen what Kroupi has done today.

“We’ve got some incredible footballers here. We’ve got some young lads who are almost superstars.”

Scott may not have been referring to the 19-year-old alone, with Alex Jimenez continuing to shine and Brazilian youngster Rayan delivering the assist for Scott on his full Bournemouth debut.

Kroupi has impressed as an out-and-out striker this season, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace and once in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Bournemouth striker Evanilson missed those games with a calf injury, but he has scored three goals in his past five league appearances and appears unlikely to lose his place in Iraola’s starting line-up any time soon.

With club record signing Rayan keen to make an impression at his new club, Iraola may have one or two difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks.

“We’re trying to find a way of playing with two number nines,” he told Sky Sports. “In possession, we are more of a threat if we can put Junior and Evanilson around the box.

“We have a lot of young players and we have to accept sometimes some mistakes.

United Rugby Championship

Leinster 28 (7)

Tries: Deegan, Penny 3 Cons: Tector 3 Pens:

Edinburgh 20 (15)

Leinster proved too strong for Edinburgh in the URC as the Irish side came from behind to earn a bonus-point win.

Tries from Duhan van der Merwe – released by Scotland for the trip to Dublin – and Malelili Satala gave Edinburgh the lead at half-time after Max Deegan had crossed for the hosts.

However, Edinburgh were unable to sustain their level of performance in the second half and Scott Penny’s hat-trick ensured Leinster ran out comfortable winners.

It was perhaps a portent of things to come for Edinburgh when Ross Thompson missed a very kickable penalty in the early stages for a much-changed Edinburgh outfit.

Lock Callum Hunter-Hill was then sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle, before Deegan burrowed his way over for the game’s opening score.

However, Edinburgh rallied and after a strong carry from Ben Muncaster, scrum-half Ben Vellacott released Van der Merwe down the left wing and the out-of-favour Scotland international finished with aplomb.

After missing the conversion, Thompson kicked a penalty to give the visitors the lead and the went into the break eight points to the good as Satala showed good pace to dot down in the corner.

It was a different story after the interval though. Penny benefitted from Vellacott’s charged-down box-kick to bring Leinster back in touch.

And the excellent flanker was on hand twice more to capitalise on wave after wave of Leinster attack as the competition’s defending champions made sure of five points.

Leinster: Osborne; Kenny, Ioane, Mangan, Moloney; Tector, McGrath; Cahir, McKee, Sparrow; Snyman, Deeney; Deegan, Penny, Mangan.

Replacements: McCarthy, Usanov, Smyth, O’Tighearnaigh, Eriscon, Connors, Gunne, McLaughlin.

Edinburgh: Paterson; Satala, Goosen, Lang, Van der Merwe; Thompson, Vellacott; Venter, J. Blyth-Lafferty, Hill; Hunter-Hill, Young; Muncaster, Douglas, Bradbury.

In a season where Kilmarnock have looked desperately short of confidence and quality, they displayed plenty of both to finally end their long winless run against Aberdeen.

The Killie fans had to wait 119 days since their last victory – a 2-0 win over St Mirren in October – but left Rugby Park in fine fettle after watching their team dominate the 10-man managerless Dons in a 3-0 win.

Neil McCann is barely in the door as manager, but the relief he and his players can now put all talk of the winless run behind them was palpable.

“The fans have waited a long time for this,” McCann told BBC Scotland.

“It was so important the boys got a win today because since I’ve come in with Billy [Dodds] and joined the club – their attitude has been first class.

“I could feel there was something coming, the turn coming. I just felt today was a right good opportunity. Playing at home today, could we get that elusive result, and I’m so happy for everyone concerned with the club we managed to do that. And do it in style as well.”

“I couldn’t pick a standout from the team. From the first minute to the last everybody who took to the pitch today had belief about them – which is what we’ve been missing.

Kilmarnock looked like they may just be starting to find some solutions to the problem areas in their team.

The departure of Kyle Vassell in the summer has left them without a focal point in attack, and McCann brought in three forward players to beef up his options – Findlay Curtis on-loan from Rangers, Moldova winger Nicky Clescenco and Manchester United striker Joe Hugill.

All three started on the bench, and it was a player already in the building who provided Killie with that presence up front from which the rest of the team could thrive.

Tyreece John-Jules was excellent. He held the ball up, brought his team-mates into play, provided a lovely assist for Bruce Anderson to fire his side into a 2-0 lead and scored a cracking goal himself to put the result beyond doubt.

It was a sign of the confidence coursing through the big striker that he even attempted an audacious bicycle kick in the second half, though the less said about that the better.

John-Jules and Anderson led the press that unsettled Aberdeen from the off, with Dom Thompson’s energy up and down the left flank key for Killie with and without the ball.

As much as the forward players caught they eye, McCann rightly highlighted his team’s defensive efforts.

Kelle Roos looked more assured in goal and came up with a couple of big saves, while Robbie Deas, after a shaky start, made some crucial interventions.

His double goal-line block to deny Kevin Nisbet and then Topi Keskinen just before half-time was outstanding. A goal for the Dons at that moment, against a team with fragile confidence, could have changed the whole dynamic of the game.

It is only a third league win of the campaign for Killie and they remain three points adrift of St Mirren in 10th, having played a game more.

But with the winless run behind them, a first victory for McCann and fresh faces in the squad, Killie are able to look forward to Wednesday’s trip to Ibrox with renewed belief.

“I want us to catch fire,” McCann said. “I want it to be a catalyst, a platform we can launch from. We’ve got a really tough game midweek at Rangers which we need to recover for.

The sight of Noni Madueke flying past defenders and putting dangerous crosses into the penalty area will have been a welcome sight for Mikel Arteta.

And Madueke’s performance in Arsenal’s 4-0 hammering of Leeds will have been even more well received, given that he was drafted into the starting line-up minutes before kick-off after Bukayo Saka picked up a hip injury in the warm-up.

The 23-year-old created Martin Zubimendi’s opener, before seeing his corner punched into the Leeds net by goalkeeper Karl Darlow for the Gunners’ second, as Arteta’s men moved seven points clear at the Premier League summit.

Madueke was signed by Arsenal from Chelsea this summer – with some fans questioning the move – in a bid to strengthen their squad depth and provide cover should key man Saka pick up injuries.

And the England winger showed in his 60 minutes on the pitch just why the club made that decision.

Arteta said: “He was ready. Because you cannot do that in two minutes. The way he prepares, the way he’s waiting for opportunity, I think paid off today because he really impacted the team.”

While Arsenal are waiting for a diagnosis on the extent of Saka’s injury, Madueke will be hopeful he has earned another start for Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against former club Chelsea.

Saka and Madueke are also competing for a place for England as the summer’s World Cup approaches. So will the latter now get the chance to start staking his own claim?

“Noni Madueke was really good, especially when you come so late into the game,” former England midfielder Fara Williams told the BBC’s Final Score.

“It is an opportunity for him and he has performed well. When he went in at Arsenal and Saka got injured, he had an opportunity to get some games, then he got injured himself.

“When he has been playing for England, he has shown what he can do. He will be a headache for both managers, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel, in the summer.”

Ex-Manchester United striker Dion Dublin added on Final Score: “Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke are both internationals, and both doing an incredible job.

Arsenal have had injuries to key players in defence and attack throughout this season, but they have been able to navigate those challenges thanks to their strength in depth.

And Arteta will be delighted that the attackers in his squad performed in the win over Leeds.

Arsenal’s attack has not always been firing this season, with Viktor Gyokeres’ goal in the second half just his sixth in the league this season.

Before the Swedish international put Gabriel Martinelli’s excellent cross into the back of the net, own goals were the joint top source of goals for Arteta’s side.

The amount of own goals that Arsenal benefit from is in part down to their excellence from set-pieces and the pressure they put on oppositions.

Only in the 2009-10 season have the Gunners benefited from more own goals in a single Premier League campaign, with six.

But despite Gyokeres’ struggles at times this season, the £64m summer signing from Sporting has scored four goals in his last six appearances in all competitions and is now the Gunners’ outright top scorer with 11 goals.

Gyokeres had been dropped to the bench for Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United following a brace for the Brazilian in the Champions League, but was restored to the starting line-up for this win.

Arteta made clear early in the season that his “finishers” would be important, and the fact that Jesus scored from the bench on Saturday, along with the impact from Madueke and substitutes Odegaard and Martinelli, will have pleased him.

Arsenal have not won the title since 2004 and, after not winning their previous three league matches, the talk was that the Gunners were starting to crack under the pressure.

But Arteta has provided the calm presence for his side and instilled confidence into his team as they look to go one better than the last three seasons, when they have finished in second place.

“All the questions that were asked of this Arsenal team, they have answered every single one of them,” Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Every player has contributed, the substitutes have added goals – excellent today.

“Arsenal had a swagger and a presence. They came here as league leaders and all the noise around them before the game was quickly put to bed. They dominated from start to finish.

“They were a team of leaders out on the field, and even when Arteta made the changes, the players off the bench came on and scored goals.

England have levelled their three-game series with South Africa at 1-1 with a 61-49 win in front of a sellout crowd in Johannesburg.

The Roses were defeated in the first match on Thursday but in the second Test were able recover from a seven-goal deficit in the second quarter to only trail by one goal at half-time.

England began to take control of the contest after the break and were rewarded with an eight-goal advantage heading into the final quarter. South Africa failed to stage a comeback following their strong start as England capitalised on their hosts’ errors.

Captain Fran Williams, who produced two key interceptions in the third quarter and was named player of the match, said England “showed such composure”.

Williams added: “I loved the way we played that last quarter. We didn’t do anything too flashy, we were happy to sit in that goal-for-goal knowing we’d done the work and it was the smarts that got us over the line.”

However, the 28-year-old feels the Roses are “going to need to step it up a gear” in order to beat the Proteas in the final match.

England coach Jess Thirlby made several changes to her starting seven following the opening defeat, with the likes of Helen Housby at goal attack, Lois Pearson moving to wing attack and Williams at wing defence.

She thought her side “were smarter with the ball, moved it a little bit better around some excellent defence”.