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Arsenal beat Watford 3-2 to move into Champions League spot

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Agency Report

Bukayo Saka starred as Arsenal leapfrogged Manchester United into the Premier League top four on Sunday with a 3-2 win at struggling Watford.

Martin Odegaard struck early for the visitors before Cucho Hernandez equalised with a stunning overhead kick minutes later but England star Saka restored Arsenal’s lead in an entertaining first half.

Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli made it 3-1 early in the second half and the Gunners held out for a crucial win despite a late goal from Moussa Sissoko.

The victory lifted Mikel Arteta’s men into fourth place in the Premier League — one point ahead of United, who were in action in the later kick-off against leaders Manchester City.

Arteta, whose team started the season with three straight league defeats, said it was “very pleasing” to be in the top four, although he felt the win should have been more comfortable.

“We know how difficult it is to be in this position in this league,” he told Sky Sports. “We’ve earned it — we have come a long way as a team.”

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Arteta was asked about the role he played in the build-up to Arsenal’s third goal — he grabbed the ball when it went out of play and quickly passed it to Saka, who launched the ultimately decisive move with a throw-in.

Arsenal jokingly awarded their manager an assist on their Twitter feed.

“I saw an advantage and I took it,” said Arteta. “We have to be alive and that is the way I live the game. I try to instil that in the team as well.”

– Early scare -Watford had the ball in the net a few seconds after kick-off but Emmanuel Dennis’s effort was ruled out for offside.

Arsenal settled quickly after their early fright and were in front in the fifth minute after neat work down the right, with Saka cutting back to Odegaard, who finished with his left foot.

But the Gunners’ advantage was cancelled out in the 11th minute when Colombian forward Hernandez produced an acrobatic overhead kick from near the penalty spot after a cross from Kiko Femenia.

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Arsenal restored their advantage just after the half-hour mark with a cleverly crafted goal finished by the lively Saka.

The England man dispossessed Tom Cleverley just outside the Watford box before passing to Alexandre Lacazette, who held the ball up then backheeled it to Saka, who fired in.

Arsenal extended their lead early in the second half with a delightful third from Martinelli, who hammered home from the edge of the box after a neat layoff from Lacazette.

Watford still offered a threat despite Arsenal’s superiority and Dennis should have narrowed the gap but miscued a chance at the far post with about 20 minutes to go.

Arsenal substitute Eddie Nketiah hit the woodwork with 10 minutes left before Sissoko gave the visitors a late scare when he bundled the ball home in the 87th minute.

The win makes Arsenal strong favourites to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League — a competition they have not played in since the 2016/17 season.

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They have 48 points after 25 games, one ahead of United, who had played two games more ahead of the Manchester derby.

Roy Hodgson’s Watford remain second from bottom of the Premier League table, three points from safety.

AFP

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

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FG  fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating  at  the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

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While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu  is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

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BREAKING: Ex-Eagles captainHenry Nwosu dies aged 62

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Henry Nwosu, a former Nigerian international footballer and member of the 1980 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team, has passed away.

He was 62.

His death was confirmed by fellow ex-international Segun Odegbami in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to Odegbami, Nwosu passed away at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja after a five-day battle for his life.

He also revealed the details of Nwosu’s final days, stating that the man he fondly called “Youngest Millionaire” died at 4:00 a.m. after being in intensive care since Wednesday.

“After 5 days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos where he had been in Intensive Care since Wednesday,” he wrote.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”

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