Sports
Arsenal Thrash Man City 3-0 in Community Shield Masterclass
Arsenal powered to a 3-0 win against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, delivering a swaggering statement of intent ahead of their Premier League title defence.
Mikel Arteta’s side used the annual curtain raiser to the English top-flight season as an opportunity to prove their long-awaited title triumph has done nothing to sate their appetite for success.
The Gunners took just 24 seconds to show new City boss Enzo Maresca the standard required to keep up with the champions.
Riccardo Calafiori’s quick-fire opening goal was followed by a clinical Kai Havertz header before half-time.
Arsenal overwhelmed sloppy City with their trademark intensity and Martin Odegaard netted after the interval to cap a resounding victory.
READ ALSO: Ugandan Football Star David Owori Dies After Violent Ambush Near His Home
The glamour friendly at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium also allowed Arteta to parade Arsenal’s close-season recruits.
Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for £75 million ($101 million), slotted into midfield with ease, while Christos Tzolis, lured from Club Brugge for £34 million, gave a lively display including two assists.
The north Londoners will start a campaign as champions for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Already installed as favourites to win their first successive English titles since the 1930s, Arsenal look primed for a sustained spell as the Premier League’s preeminent force.
Their vibrant performance was the perfect warm-up before promoted Coventry visit the Emirates Stadium for the opening game of the Premier League season on August 21.
It was a dispiriting wake-up call for Maresca, who will have noted how much more dynamic and cohesive Arsenal looked compared to his spluttering team.
Pep Guardiola won 20 trophies in a glorious decade in Manchester, including the FA Cup and League Cup in his farewell season, but City haven’t won the title since 2024 and finished seven points behind Arsenal in second place last term.
Hand-picked to succeed Guardiola after quitting Chelsea in January following a turbulent reign lasting less than two seasons, Maresca now knows it will take a huge effort to close the gap on Arsenal, starting with City’s opener at home to Bournemouth on August 23.
Rampant Arsenal
Arteta believes his players are still “hungry” for trophies, with their painful Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in May providing motivation for this season.
The Gunners took less than a minute to underline Arteta’s point with a beautifully crafted opener.
Myles Lewis-Skelly featured in Arsenal’s midfield despite being linked to Chelsea and Manchester United and the teenager showed why he is in demand with a deft pass that split the City defence.
Calafiori surged onto Lewis-Skelly’s ball, evading City’s woeful marking to slot a composed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma from 12 yards.
The left-back’s goal was the quickest in the Community Shield since 1968 and rampant Arsenal struck again in the 27th minute.
Martin Odegaard was gifted space to float a cross to the far post and Tzolis, left unmarked by Abdukodir Khusanov, headed it back into the six-yard box, where Havertz climbed above Ruben Dias to nod home.
In his first showpiece occasion for City after his £116 million move from Nottingham Forest, England midfielder Elliot Anderson struggled to exert any influence.
City talisman Erling Haaland was largely anonymous, wasting two good chances in the first half.
Arsenal captain Odegaard showed his Norway teammate how to do it three minutes after half-time.
Tzolis rolled a pass into Odegaard’s path and he slalomed through the City defence before leaving Donnarumma embarrassed with a clever dummy and close-range finish.
Only City, in 2019, have gone onto become Premier League champions among the previous 15 winners of the Community Shield.
On the evidence of their stroll in the Cardiff sunshine, Arsenal’s 18th Community Shield victory won’t be the last silverware lifted by Odegaard this season.
Courtesy – AFP
Portuguese football tactician Carlos Queiroz has made a surprise return as head coach of Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars.
The Ghana Football Association announced the 73-year-old’s reappointment on Thursday, weeks after he appeared to signal his departure from the team following their exit from the FIFA World Cup.
SEE MORE: Deadly Xenophobic Violence: Ghana Evacuates 1,000 More Citizens from South Africa
Queiroz took charge of Ghana in April and guided the Black Stars to the last 32 of the tournament before they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
Shortly after the loss, the Portuguese coach appeared to announce his departure on social media.
However, following subsequent discussions, the Ghana FA has decided to bring him back for another spell.
The duration of Queiroz’s new contract was not disclosed, but the football association said he would be tasked with preparing the Black Stars for “a successful new phase on the international stage.”
The GFA said Queiroz’s extensive international experience, technical expertise and knowledge of the Black Stars made him the right man to lead the team into its next chapter.
Queiroz has managed several national teams, including Portugal, Iran, Egypt, South Africa, Colombia and Qatar.
He also had two spells as assistant manager at Manchester United under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
His immediate priority will be Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with the qualifiers scheduled to begin later this month.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia, although the dates and venues for their opening two matches are yet to be announced.
The Ghana FA said further details on Queiroz’s mandate would be released in due course.
Nigerian winger Femi Azeez has completed a remarkable rise from non-league football to the Premier League after joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Millwall on a four-year contract.
The transfer, for an undisclosed fee, was completed after Brighton and Millwall submitted a deal sheet before the initial 11pm transfer deadline, extending the window until 1am on Wednesday.
Azeez, 25, joins Brighton following an outstanding 2025/26 campaign with Millwall, where he played a key role in the club’s push for the Championship play-offs.
SEE MORE: Safe Driving: Dangote Transport Unveils Novel Real-Time Driver Monitoring Control Room
The Nigerian made 77 appearances for Millwall, scoring 15 goals and registering 13 assists. His impressive performances also earned him places in the PFA and EFL Championship Teams of the Season.
Brighton sporting director Mike Cave welcomed Azeez to the club, describing him as one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Championship.
“We are delighted to add Femi to the squad. He arrives off the back of an excellent season with Millwall, having played a key role for them as they finished in the playoffs,” Cave said.
“He was one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Championship, and we’re delighted to have finally agreed his transfer, and we now look forward to working with him.”
Azeez’s journey to the Premier League has been unconventional. After spending time in Watford’s youth setup, he moved into non-league football with Northwood before spells at Wealdstone and Hanwell Town.
He subsequently earned a move to Reading in 2019 before joining Millwall in 2024, steadily working his way up the English football pyramid.
The winger has also made a strong start to his international career with Nigeria. On his senior debut in June, Azeez scored both goals in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
Four days later, he provided an assist as Nigeria defeated Jamaica 3-0.
Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been convicted of drink-driving in Gran Canaria, Spain, after a court found him to have been driving with an alcohol level more than three times above the legal limit.
A court source confirmed the conviction to AFP on Wednesday, stating that the 23-year-old centre-back was fined €14,400 ($16,700) and had his driving licence suspended for eight months.
The case followed an incident on August 16 and was heard at a trial in San Bartolome de Tirajana, a village in Gran Canaria.
SEE ALSO: Mourinho Returns as Pérez Secures Landslide Victory in Real Madrid Election
Asencio, who is from the Canary Islands, was not with Real Madrid’s squad at the time of the incident as he was recovering from a hamstring injury suffered at the end of July.
The conviction comes amid another legal case involving the defender. Asencio is due to face a separate court hearing in Gran Canaria over the alleged non-consensual sharing of a sexual video dating back to 2023.
Spanish media reports say Asencio expects to be cleared in that case if the two women filmed in the video formally forgive him.
Three former Real Madrid reserve players are also on trial over allegations that they recorded and distributed the video. The trial is scheduled for September 3, 4 and 7.
The latest conviction adds to a difficult period for the young Real Madrid defender, who has been dealing with both injury and legal issues off the pitch.
WAEP Targets 24-Month Production Surge, Gas Monetisation to Unlock 1.6bn Barrels
Adeleke Jets Out on Vacation, Orders Probe into Koka Obaship Dispute
President Faye Commends Sahara’s Commitment to Senegal’s Energy Security
DPRP Set for Landmark IPO to Raise ₦2.15 Trillion
Why Fuel Prices Remain Volatile — NMDPRA
NSCDC, IPL Sing Discordant Tunes on Okrika Pipeline Incident
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
