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After the Premier League champions revealed on Monday that he had surgery on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, Alexander Isak is expected to spend a while watching on the sidelines.

Isak, who was signed from Newcastle for a British record sum of £125 million ($168 million) in September, injured himself while helping Liverpool defeat Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday.

Micky van de Ven, a Tottenham defender, tackled the 26-year-old before limping off with his goal.

INCLUDE   Fear in the hearts of Liverpool has left a broken leg

According to a Liverpool statement, Alexander Isak’s injury, which he sustained on Saturday, was successfully treated for today.

An ankle injury that included a fibula fracture was treated following diagnosis.

No date has been set for Isaac’s return, but his rehabilitation will now take place at the AXA Training Center. ”

Isak’s injury is just the latest setback in his unhappy start to life at Liverpool.

Since wrapping up his lengthy move to Anfield, he has only managed three goals in 16 appearances.

He arrived at Liverpool well ahead of his team-mates in terms of fitness after a disagreement with Newcastle, meaning he did not have a proper pre-season schedule.

A groin injury then ended his season.

With Mohamed Salah attending the Africa Cup of Nations and Cody Gakpo unable to recover from a muscle injury until the first half of the new year, Isak’s absence will be a significant blow for Reds manager Arne Slot.

Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa, who has five goals in his last four games, are Slot’s only senior forwards.

After extending their five-game unbeaten league run, Liverpool’s Premier League title defense came to an end following a shocking run of results.

Speaking immediately following the game, Slot stated that Isak’s injury was a “not a good thing.”

I can’t say more than that, he said, but a player who doesn’t even try to return is typically not good.

Let’s not get too negative about it yet, because that is just gut feeling and nothing medical. We are still unsure. I’m hoping he’ll be back with us soon. ”

David Neres scored twice to give Napoli, the reigning Serie A champions, a 2-0 victory over Bologna in the final of Jeddah.

Before half-time against the Italian Cup winners of the previous season, Brazilian winger Neres curled in a spectacular shot from distance to give Napoli the lead.

After intercepting a pass from Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia as he attempted to play out back, he struck once more in the second half.

READ MORE: &nbsp, Zambia Strike Late To Hold Mali In AFCON Opener.

Neres also scored in last week’s 2-0 semi-final victory over AC Milan, finishing with three goals in the Super Cup.

Since 2023, the Italian Super Cup has also included the runners-up from both the league and cup, a tradition that includes the Serie A and Italian Cup champions.

For the first time in 21 years, South Africa defeated Angola 2-1 in Marrakech on Monday in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations campaign thanks to Burnley striker Lyle Foster’s 79th minute winner.

When they first appeared in various editions of the biggest African football competition since beating Benin in 2004, Bafana Bafana have drawn twice and lost four times.

Three distinct phases were present in the Group B opener. Oswin Appollis scored in the near-42, 000-seat stadium with a 21-minute opener in front of a sizable crowd in South Africa.

The rest of the opening half was controlled by Show, who leveled. In the second half, South Africa quickly regained control and scored the winning goal.

READ MORE: &nbsp, Zambia Strike Late To Hold Mali In AFCON Opener.

In the opening moments, South Africa frequently attacked, but Ronwen Williams’ goalkeeper had to react quickly on 15 minutes to stop Fredy Ribeiro’s cross.

Six minutes later, Appollis won possession of Bafana Bafana and Hugo Marques, a 39-year-old goalkeeper, with a low shot into the corner.

As the game neared the half-hour mark, Williams made a brilliant point-blank save from a Gelson Dala header.

It was a surprise when Show, one of many Angolan footballers who use a nickname, equalized after 35 minutes as Angola were on the rise.

Tempers Flare &nbsp

Siyabonga Ngezana’s fouling of Dala was so fortunate that Siyabonga Ngezana was spared yellow cards, but the indolence turned disastrous on a chilly evening in central Morocco.

Show connected with the ball to steer it into the corner after the resultant free kick was slashed low into the South African goalmouth.

As the half-hour approached, there were rumors of a famine, and the Sudanese referee issued a caution to To Carneiro of Angola, South Africans Aubrey Modiba, and Sphephelo Sithole.

Patrice Beaumelle, a Frenchman who had led the teams out of the pitch at half-time, would have been the happier coach because Angola was unfortunate not to be ahead.

Six minutes into the second half, South Africa thought they had taken the lead after Mohau Nkota’s substitute Mohau Moremi fired a low shot past Marques and into the net.

However, a VAR review revealed that Foster, the only South African player from the top five of the squad in Europe, had a slight offside.

When South Africa was pressed for a second goal, center-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi abruptly gave up his defensive duties to beat Marques with a long-range drive that did not rebound off the crossbar.

South Africa continued to lead the charge for the majority of the opening half, moving ahead in search of the lead.

Moremi outpaced a defender in a quick Bafana counterattack, and Foster wasted a good chance by firing over the ball before squandering the ball in his path.

But Foster made amends with a shot from the edge of the box that Marques had no chance to receive with 11 minutes remaining to restore South Africa’s lead.

The striker scored his fourth goal in six games after intercepting an Angolan pass and two skillful passes.

His team Santos reported on Monday that Neymar had a successful operation on his left knee to repair a meniscus damage.

The 33-year-old managed to recover from the injury to prevent the team from falling into Brazil’s top flight during a difficult season at Santos.

After previously operating on Neymar for a foot fracture and his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay in October 2023, the national team doctor of Brazil performed the arthroscopic surgery.

READ MORE: Ronaldo’s request to select Neymar for the World Cup is ignored

Expect a month-long recovery period for Neymar. At the end of the year, he will still be working with the Santos team to agree to a new contract.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward hasn’t played for Brazil in over two years, but he hopes to be fit and contribute to the World Cup’s 2026 schedule.

With 79 goals in 128 games, Neymar holds Brazil’s record for goals.

In injury time, Leicester City’s Patson Daka headed home as Zambia held Mali to a 1-1 draw in their opening Africa Cup of Nations game on Monday.

At the conclusion of the game, Daka threw himself at a Mathews Banda cross in the second added minute to give the Chipolopolo an unlikely point. Daka has only scored once for Leicester this season.

El Bilal Toure wasted a penalty late in the first half at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, but Mali predominated the majority of the Group A game.

Willard Mwanza, the Zambia goalkeeper, saved Toure’s kick after Banda had been penalized for catching Nene Dorgeles in the box during a VAR check.

Read more about AFCON’s Osimhen’s statement, “Our Chance To Apologize To Nigerians After World Cup Failure,” HERE.

Just after the hour mark, Mali did well when Lassine Sinayoko of Auxerre fired home after a corner from close range.

However, Daka’s late effort saved Mali, which will benefit Morocco, who defeated Comoros 2-0 on Sunday in the tournament’s opening match of the same section.

Morocco and Mali next face off in Rabat on Friday, while Zambia will face the Comoros, who haven’t won any of their 10 AFCON games since winning the trophy in 2012.

Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles’ striker, has acknowledged that the team owes Nigerians an apology for their 2026 World Cup defeat.

He referred to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as a crucial opportunity to rekindle nation pride and make amends.

In an interview with Pooja on Sunday, Osimhen said that the players are still thinking about the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup because they are fully aware of the pain experienced by national and international fans.

We apologize for not receiving the World Cup ticket at this time.

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“Many Nigerian fans’ faces are deflated, we are aware of that. We have to keep moving because life has happened, and this AFCON offers us an opportunity to succeed,” Osimhen said.

Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the 2026 World Cup sparked a new level of scrutiny for the team and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), a blow to a nation that is regarded as a powerhouse of African football.

Despite persistent high expectations, Osimhen revealed that the camp has a strong sense of responsibility.

He claims that the players are motivated rather than burdened by pressure, and that the technical bench and the squad inspire confidence.

“The expectation is really high, not just within the camp but also among Super Eagles fans everywhere in the world,” he said.

Because we are aware of his level of skill, he said, “but there is no pressure on my teammates, myself, or the coach.”

Osimhen emphasized that the team must demonstrate its commitment through hard work and outcomes, not just by words.