Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says it is clear “we never want to see this in football, let alone at Anfield”, after the Premier League match against Bournemouth is halted after the forward reported being racially abused by a member of the crowd.
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Liverpool talisman Mo Salah and fellow forward Federico Chiesa struck late goals as the Premier League champions began the defence of their title by beating Bournemouth 4-2 in a thriller on the opening night of the season at Anfield.
On a bittersweet Friday evening charged with emotion after the July death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, newcomer Hugo Ekitike bagged a goal on his league debut to put the hosts ahead after 37 minutes, and Cody Gakpo doubled the lead in the 49th.
But Antoine Semenyo, who was the target of racist abuse in the first half that led to a pause in the game, pulled one back for the visitors in the 64th minute and completed a double 12 minutes later to rock Liverpool and shock the home fans.
However, substitute Chiesa sent the Liverpool faithful away happy with an 88th-minute strike after goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic swatted away a ball into the box by Salah, who scored himself deep into added time to wrap up the three points.
Salah chased the ball past the defence before cutting inside and firing into the bottom corner with a goal that put the Egypt international joint-fourth with Andy Cole on the all-time Premier League scorers’ list with 187.
An emotional Salah pointed to the heavens and flapped two hands to mimic Jota’s shark goal celebration.
He headed for The Kop stand after the final whistle and wiped away tears while applauding the fans who were singing Jota’s song to the tune of Bad Moon Rising.
The night started with an emotional minute’s silence for Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash. Fans fought back tears as they sang You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Ekitike, who has joined from Eintracht Frankfurt, was the most impressive of manager Arne Slot’s close-season signings in a spending spree topping 300 million pounds ($406.53m).
“Obviously, I think it was a good performance, I could do better,” said Ekitike, who held up two fingers in one hand, and made a zero with the other after his goal, a tribute to Liverpool’s Jota, who wore number 20.
“But the most important thing was winning, the mentality we showed. Obviously, we wanted to win tonight for the people who came and for Diogo,” added the 23-year-old forward.
The game was halted for several minutes after Bournemouth’s Ghana international Semenyo reported the racist abuse.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said. “Kind of in shock to be honest that it happened. In this day and age, it shouldn’t be happening.
At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in a road accident in the Garun Malam Local Government Area of Kano State.
The incident, which occurred along the Zaria–Kano Highway, around Samawa Village in the early hours of Friday, involved a DAF Trailer with registration number KMC 931 ZE, loaded with goods and passengers.
Channels Television learnt that the incident was caused by a mechanical fault when the trailer’s cab hook broke, causing the cab to detach from the trailer’s body and resulting in loss of control.
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As a result, 12 out of 19 people involved in the crash were said to have been killed, leaving five injured and two rescued unhurt.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, the deceased were moved to Nasarawa Hospital Mortuary, while the injured are receiving treatment at Kura General Hospital.
Reacting to the crash, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, described the tragedy as avoidable and urged transport operators to phase out old, mechanically unsafe vehicles from their fleets.
Mohammed warned against the dangerous practice of loading goods, animals, and passengers in the same vehicle, adding that such violations would attract stiffer sanctions going forward.
While commiserating with the families of the deceased, the corps marshal reiterated the FRSC’s commitment to intensifying enforcement on speed violations, overloading, and poor vehicle maintenance, particularly among truck operators.
“The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has once again called on transport owners to prioritise periodic fleet renewal and proper vehicle maintenance following a tragic lone crash that claimed 12 lives at Samawa Village, Garun Malam Local Government Area of Kano State, on August 15, 2025,” the statement partly read.
He pointed out that the recurring loss of lives from preventable crashes underscored the urgent need for haulage companies to adopt modern fleet renewal practices and adhere to safety regulations.
Footballer Fran Kirby has spoken out about her frightening experience of pericarditis, after experiencing symptoms similar to indigestion. The athlete, who played for England’s Lionesses for 11 years, thought it spelt the end of her career and took time to recover in 2019.
“It’s quite a sudden and dramatic story, to be honest,” the former Chelsea midfielder told the Mirror in an exclusive interview. “I was just at home, having dinner and with my two teammates, and I went to take a sip of Coke Zero, and then it just all of a sudden just got really, really bad chest pains.
“And it kind of felt a little bit like indigestion, but it was like 300 times worse than what I was used to. And I sat there for a couple of seconds thinking, ‘Okay, like, is this going to pass? Is it going to go away?’ And it just never did.
“And then I started to panic and get a little bit kind of frantic around the table. And I was just kept saying, ‘I don’t feel well. I don’t feel well, there’s something wrong.'”
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In a matter of moments, Fran was overcome with dizziness and collapsed on the floor. Paramedics rushed to her aid and, while they initially said everything looked fine, a doctor wasn’t quite convinced.
“The pain in my chest was so extreme – it literally felt like someone was trying to pull it out,” Fran continued. “I was really fatigued leading up to it, but as an athlete, that’s normal. It wasn’t until the chest pain hit that I knew something was seriously wrong.
“He got me seen by a cardiologist, and that’s when I was diagnosed with pericarditis.” Pericarditis is an inflammation of the heart’s outer lining, affecting roughly 28 in every 100,000 people each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Whilst it’s curable and not usually serious, it can give rise to several complications and is generally accompanied by incredibly debilitating symptoms. For Fran, this not only included chest pain but severe fatigue that even made climbing the stairs difficult.
In light of this, she had no choice but to step away from football for several months. She described this as the ‘hardest thing’, entirely stripping her of her identity.
“I’d always seen myself as Fran, the footballer,” the 32-year-old added. “I thought, ‘Give it a couple of weeks and it’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go.’ And the doctor said, ‘No, no, no, you need to take this quite seriously. You can’t push yourself until you’re ready to do so.’
“So, I think once I got through the early stages and I still was feeling quite poorly, I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be a long time now.”
After a course of anti-inflammatory medication and a lengthy recovery period, Fran eventually resumed playing football, returning in time to make the Lionesses’ winning EURO 2022 squad.
She retired from the Lionesses in June this year but is still deemed ‘one of the most recognisable faces of England’s rise’, boasting 79 caps and 19 goals across her international career. She also signed for Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2024.
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Reflecting on the whole ordeal, Fran said she’s now far more conscious of her well-being and is keen to stress that not everyone with heart issues looks how you might expect them to.
“Being a healthy athlete who trained since I was five years old, I never felt that I would ever have a problem with my heart,” she continued. “Luckily, I’m back to full health now. I’m training just as hard as I used to, and don’t need ongoing treatment.
“…I’m so much more aware of the power of keeping track of my health. As an athlete and as a person, knowledge is power. To understand what’s going on inside and understand why you’re feeling a certain way, and to just not suffer.
“I think for so many years, so many people just accept that it’s normal to feel illness or pain when actually, it might be something that you can get help with. To understand your body is one of the most powerful things you can do.
“That’s why I’m taking part in the On the Ball campaign with Bluecrest, because I think ongoing monitoring is just so important to help you understand your health and potentially prevent something that could make you very ill. I’ve had my first Bluecrest health assessment, and I’m even more into my health stats now!”
Brendan Rodgers said on Thursday he was “hopeful” of adding to his Celtic squad.
Six days earlier, the manager had said there was “no news” when pressed on the chances of new additions. A week before, he had voiced frustration about a lack of movement in the market.
It is understandable that the Northern Irishman might find the constant queries a little trying.
And his patience cracked in the aftermath of Friday’s routine 4-1 Premier Sports Cup win over Falkirk. “I don’t know” was one repeated Rodgers’ reply to questions in a testy BBC Scotland interview.
As former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said on Sportsound of his agitation and the line of questioning: “It’s just that time of year.”
The time when windows are soon shutting. When Champions League play-offs are looming. When fans – and managers, perhaps – want signings to hang their hopes on for the months ahead.
BBC Scotland’s Alasdair Lamont had interviewed Rodgers pre-match and reconvened with him afterwards.
Once the discussion about the victory was done, talk turned to transfers and, in particular, whether any signings might arrive in time for Wednesday’s crucial visit of Kairat Almaty.
You’ve had to name a squad for the Champions League deadline, but you are allowed to name a further two players before the game. Do you see any likelihood of there being players to add to that squad?
Rodgers: I don’t know. I’ve just come out here after the game, so we’ll wait and see. We’ve named the squad and we’ll wait and see what happens before the game. If not, that’s the squad we’re going with.
Can you be optimistic about it? There must be things in the pipeline that I guess you think could go one way or another.
Rodgers: Okay, so let me repeat what I said. I’ve just finished the game. I haven’t told you anything before the game and during the 90-odd minutes of the game.
“I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. So there might be or there might not be. So we have the team that we have.”
Celtic have paid fees for four players this summer – Benjamin Nygren from Nordsjaelland, Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata, Shin Yamada from Kawasaki Frontale and Callum Osmand from Fulham.
Nygren is the only one who so far looks like a potential first choice.
However, with Jota out injured until the end of the year and Nicolas Kuhn sold to Como, that still leaves Celtic a winger down.
Rodgers is still looking to replace Kyogo Furuhashi, who was sold in January, with fellow Japan international Yamada so far consigned to two half-hour appearances as a substitute, while fellow striker Osmand is playing for Celtic’s B team.
Another 19-year-old, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, has yet to feature since arriving on loan from Manchester City, as has fellow centre-half Inamura.
‘Celtic look like they’re in the groove’ – Scottish Football Podcast
In a TV interview after the game, Rodgers was more phlegmatic, pointing out that the assessment of Celtic’s summer business need not begin until the window closes late on Monday, 1 September.
That is still more than two weeks away, so time is on their side.
Bear in mind that, at this stage last season, Auston Trusty, Arne Engels and Luke McCowan had yet to arrive and Adam Idah was still holding a scarf above his head.
“Of course, I would have loved to have had other players in,” Rodgers said on Premier Sports. “We need reinforcements, but I don’t want to keep harping on about it. I don’t need to beg for players that we need.”
So who are those players? Or rather, in what positions are Celtic short?
Bonner talked about the need to identify cover for totemic captain Callum McGregor in midfield and his concerns about a lack of options at left-back to ease the pressure on Tierney.
But his primary concerns lie in the forward areas.
“We still need to find a striker who puts the ball in the back of the net,” he said.
“Johnny Kenny played tonight and he didn’t really have one on target, even though there were lots of crosses. Shin Yamada came on and didn’t have as many opportunities to get on the end of things. Maybe it’s just the way Celtic play.
Tristan Rogers has died at the age of 79, his manager confirmed in a sad statement. The General Hospital actor’s death comes just weeks after a statement revealed he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
His manager Meryl Soodak said: “He loved being [Robert] Scorpio and he created that role from nothing [on General Hospital]. He was supposed to work a day and he ended up making it into something huge. He was just a genuinely loyal, kind human being and he loved his family.”
Speaking to ABC7, Soodak said the actor passed away Friday morning after a being diagnosed with lung cancer. He also noted that Rogers had never been a smoker.
Just weeks earlier, Tristan’s friend and publicist, Anthony Turk, shared a press release to reveal the sad news of his cancer diagnosis. It read: “‘Beloved Emmy-winning actor Tristan Rogers, best known for his role as Robert Scorpio on the daytime drama, General Hospital, is sharing with fans that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
“While he remains hopeful and is working closely with his medical team on a treatment plan, this is a challenging time for Tristan and his family.”
He went on to request “privacy and understanding” and added the family was facing “emotional and physical burdens that come with this diagnosis”.
Anthony concluded: “‘They are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and love from their friends and family. Tristan sends his love to his fans and wants them to know how much he appreciates their loyalty and encouragement over the years. This support means more to him now than ever.”
Fans of Tristan were also quick to share messages of condolence online following the sad news. Jon Lindstrom said on Twitter/X: “I know the sadness I feel at this news is shared by so many of you. #TristanRogers was one of the coolest, funniest people I ever met.
Whenever we were together, which wasn’t nearly often enough, we never missed a chance to try to crack the other one up. I wish I’d had more of those chances. R.I.P”
Tristan had been a part of the stateside soap since 1980. He had taken a step back in recent years, but did reprise his role last year. His final time on air on the show came on November 12 last year.
As well as appearing in General Hospital, Tristan had other big roles on soaps in the US. He featured in Young and Restless as Colin Atkinson, while he also starred as Hunter Jones on Bold and Beautiful.
Other credits to his name came in the likes of Walt Disney Pictures’ The Rescuers Down Under, where he was the voice of Jake. And he also starred in Four Dimensions of Greta in 1972, The Flesh and Blood Show in the same year and Sex Farm from the following year.
He had been married to Teresa Parkerson since 1995, with the duo sharing daughter, Sara Jane, 32, and son, Cale, 29.
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