CK Updates
AFCON Report – Nigeria power into AFCON quarterfinals – 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Victor Osimhen of Nigeria celebrates goal with teammates during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Nigeria and Mozambique at Fez Stadium in Fes, Morocco on 05 January 2026 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Monday Jan 05, 2026. 23:06
Nigeria powered into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals with an emphatic 4-0 triumph over Mozambique at the Fez Stadium on Monday.
Ademola Lookman (one goal, two assists), Akor Adams (one goal, two assists) and Victor Osimhen (two goals) were the stars for the Super Eagles, who have sent a statement of intent with this win – further underlining their status as one of the title favourites.
As for the Mambas, reaching the knockout phase of an AFCON for the first time was already a victory, and they were ultimately outclassed by a team with both superior talent and far greater tournament experience.
Nigeria settled into dominance of possession and territory from the early minutes, with Victor Osimhen seeing a goal ruled out for offside, while Alex Iwobi forced a sharp save from Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan Siluane with a snap shot.
The West Africans claimed the lead in the 20th minute, as Ademola Lookman crisply struck home a low cross from the left flank by Akor Adams.
Lookman went from scorer to provider five minutes later, playing an in-swinging cross from the left which took a deflection off Adams and allowed Osimhen an easy finish from close to make it 2-0 and put the Super Eagles in firm control.
Mozambique’s only threat on goal in the first half was a glancing header from a free kick by Faisal Bangal which skidded wide in the 35th minute.
Nigeria spurned further scoring opportunities through Adams and Lookman late in the first half, leaving the score 2-0 in their favour at the interval.
Mozambique made a couple of changes at the start of the second half, sending on Nanani and Manuel Kambala in place of Diogo Calila and veteran Elias Pelembe.
However, Nigeria needed less than 120 seconds after the restart to make it 3-0, with Lookman’s low cross from the left by-line turned home at close range by Osimhen.
Midway through the second stanza, Adams almost added his name to the score sheet, but his curling shot was well saved by Siluane.
However, the Sevilla striker would not be denied in the 75th minute, picking up a pass from Lookman before drilling a powerful shot into the net from the right side of the penalty area to complete the 4-0 score line.
The Super Eagles will face either Algeria or DR Congo in a quarterfinal at the Marrakesh Stadium on Saturday 10 January.
Nigeria (2) 4 (Lookman 20’, Osimhen 25’ 47’, Adams 75’)
Mozambique 0
Nigeria: S. Nwabali, B. Osayi-Samuel, S. Ajayi, C. Bassey, B. Onyemaechi, F. Onyeka (F. Dele-Bashiru 83’), W. Ndidi (R. Onyedika 83’), A. Iwobi, A. Lookman (P. Onuachu 86’), V. Osimhen (M. Simon 68’), A. Adams (S. Chukwueze 86’)
Mozambique: E. Siluane (I. Urrubal 82’), D. Calila (Nanani 46’), Mexer, Mandava, B. Langa, Guima, A. Amade, G. Catamo, E. Pelembe (M. Kambala 46’), Witi (Chamito 62’), F. Bangal (S. Ratifo 67’)
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Commonwealth Games 2026: Soppy socks & a slathering of deep heat – rain causes chaos in Glasgow
Some athletes struggled in the conditions.
England’s Morgan Lake did not clear the bar with any of her three efforts in the high jump.
Similarly, Scotland’s Steven Stone had attempts with his glasses on his face and the top of his head in the men’s T20 long jump but did not register a clean effort.
Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor said she was “gutted” with her throw of 12.85m in the heptathlon shot put.
“It just kept slipping out of my hands,” she said.
“When your chalk gets wet, it’s like you might as well have dish soap on your hands and I just probably spent too much time and effort trying to stay dry rather than doing the cues that I work on in training.
“I can’t blame anybody else apart from myself for not executing.”
But there were also a number of impressive performances given the conditions.
O’Connor responded by running a dominant 24.14 seconds in the 200m to reclaim top spot of the heptathlon competition. England’s Jade O’Dowda was only eighth quickest and slipped back to second, 49 points in arrears.
In the men’s 100m, Eseme’s winning time of 9.83 was a Commonwealth Games record, the third-fastest time this year and moved him third on the all-time list of African sprinters.
The hammer throw and the high jump were briefly paused but when the former did resume Canada’s Camryn Rogers produced another Games record – 74.91m.
Even Hunt, who was slow out of the blocks and off the pace for the first 60m, finished 0.01secs outside her lifetime best of 10.97 in the women’s 100m which was won by New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs.
“I am just proud of myself for gritting it out and trusting my long legs,” Hunt said.
“Ultimately, we all have to race in the same conditions. We are all on the start line together freezing.
“You just have to get out there and get it done.”
A smattering of hardy locals even stayed until the final anthem was sung as the clocked neared 11pm.
It was a night few will forget.
CK Updates
Kick It Out calls for tougher sanctions as football discrimination reaches new high
The statistics are not a surprise to Umar Ali, who plays for Route One Rovers – a semi-professional team in Bradford.
During Ramadan last year, he was racially abused by a group of opposition spectators as he was waiting to come on as a substitute.
“It was our first game playing while we were fasting,” he said. “So obviously we were hungry that day and I was a bit less patient.
“Then when I was getting ready to come on, one of the fans said I should shave my beard off and that I looked like a paedophile.
“One of them picked up a child who was about six, seven years old, and said ‘I bet your wife’s the same age as this child’.”
Umar described the men as in their sixties.
“It’s quite distressing, because they’re older than my dad,” he added. “They’re my grandad’s age, and they felt comfortable enough to stand there and make comments like that.”
Umar said the assistant referee heard the comments and told the referee, who he claims did not take any action.
The police were eventually contacted and the spectators identified. Umar has not been informed of an outcome.
His manager Mohammed Patel was in the dugout during the match and said – while the opposition coaching staff apologised on behalf of their fans – he felt the officials fell short and should have removed those spectators shouting racist and Islamophobic abuse at his players.
Patel said: “It was a really emotional day for us, because the question we asked ourselves after that game is ‘Why is it still happening?’ Some of the things that were said were absolutely horrific.
“In my opinion, more needs to be done from the top down. We’re actively engaging and working with local FAs to try and navigate this problem, but it absolutely needs to be mandated.”
The Northern Counties East Football League fined the opposition club £300 and gave them nine disciplinary points. But Patel says that does not address the real problem.
“We’ve seen harsher punishments for violent conduct on the pitch or red cards, even administrative mistakes,” he added.
“Something as serious as this, we were absolutely not happy with the result.”
Patel has been lobbying the Football Association, but has not yet received a response.
He said: “Precedents need to be set, harsher sanctions need to be introduced. This comes from the top down.”
The FA said in a statement: “We have introduced tougher sanctions for clubs and individuals, a new behaviour improvement programme, and penalty points accumulation charges in the grassroots game.
“This builds on the steps taken to allow for deductions of league points from clubs that are repeated offenders of serious misconduct.”
CK Updates
Commonwealth Games 2026: Gymnast Ruby Evans wins first gold for Wales
Gymnast Ruby Evans has won Wales’ first Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow with victory in the floor final.
Evans, 19, performed the final routine of the women’s programme and defeated England’s Abigail Martin into silver, with her team-mate Shantae-Eve Amankwaah securing bronze.
Evans left the arena in tears on Sunday after her disappointing sixth in the all-round individual competition, that after Wales finished fourth in the team event.
Now, after Welsh identical twins Abigail and Emily Roper won bronze medals within a couple of hours of each other on Monday, Evans has delivered gold.
It was the first victory for Team Wales in Scotland and a ninth medal alongside two silver and six bronze.
There is also a guaranteed podium position for boxer Connor Williams after he reached the semi-finals.
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