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Chelsea thrash Crystal Palace 4 – 0

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Chelsea Crystal Palace

Ben Chilwell scores and assist as Chelsea cruise past Crystal Palace. Summer signing Ben Chilwell scored one and assisted another on his first Premier League start since his £45m move from Leicester City as Chelsea returned to winning ways against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Having made his first appearance on Tuesday as Frank Lampard’s side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties by Tottenham, Chilwell marked his 100th Premier League appearance by firing in at the back post following Mamadou Sakho’s failed clearance.

Chilwell, 23, then delivered an excellent cross from the left to allow Kurt Zouma to head in a second after 66 minutes before Jorginho stepped up to convert two penalties in the space of four minutes to seal the victory.

Manager Lampard also handed a league debut to £22m goalkeeper Edouard Mendy as the hosts, led in defence by fellow summer addition Thiago Silva, registered a first clean sheet of the season as visitors Palace failed to muster a shot on target.

Chelsea climb into the top four before the rest of the weekend’s action, while defeat leaves Crystal Palace in the eighth. New-look Chelsea begin to take shape
Following their first starts for the club in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit, Mendy and Chilwell’s league bows were among six changes made by Lampard to the side which clawed back a point in a 3-3 draw with promoted West Brom last weekend.

The new-look Blues – who avoided back-to-back defeats on that occasion courtesy of Abraham’s late equaliser – dominated possession on Saturday but were initially frustrated in their attempts to unlock a Palace side content to sit back for much of the first half.

It was a rare error in the Eagles defence which allowed Chilwell to fire his new side ahead, as Sakho’s attempted headed clearance dropped perfectly for the England international.

With Palace forced to pursue an equaliser, Chelsea’s youthful side began to flow – with the free-to-roam Kai Havertz, 21, in particular a constant headache for the Eagles defence as he stretched the back-line with clever movement off the ball.

Chilwell had delivered delightful crosses from the left throughout and Zouma eventually took advantage to grant the left-back the assist his efforts deserved.

Abraham had gone close to adding a third but headed wide from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross and the striker drew the foul from Tyrick Mitchell shortly after to allow Jorginho to put the result beyond doubt with a cool spot-kick after 78 minutes.

Abraham was left aggrieved when Jorginho once again insisted on penalty-taking duties after Havertz was felled by Sakho a few minutes later, and the Italy international made no mistake to lessen the chance of any ill-feeling from his team-mate.

Hodgson’s best-laid plans come unstuck
Roy Hodgson named an unchanged line-up from defeat at Everton last weekend when a penalty decision described as “nonsense” by the 73-year-old ended the Eagles’ promising winning start to the new campaign.

Fortunately, there were no controversial handball decisions against his side at Stamford Bridge – where Hodgson could have no complaints about the two penalties conceded by his side as both Mitchell and Sakho were drawn into errors.

The visitors successfully nullified Chelsea’s attack until Chilwell pounced in the 50th minute but, with a limited threat of their own, they never looked remotely like forcing a way back.

Wilfried Zaha, who looks set for another campaign as a Palace player as the summer transfer window draws to a close, and strike-partner Jordan Ayew, were starved of chances as their side spent long spells without the ball.

Hodgson made it clear during Friday’s press conference that the club will not accept any late bids for star player Zaha, who has already scored three goals in as many league games to move to within one of his tally in the competition last season.

Source – BBC News

In other news – Liverpool forward Sadio Mane isolated after testing positive for COVID-19

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane isolated after testing positive for COVID-19. The news comes three days after the club said midfielder Thiago Alcantara had tested positive for Covid-19. Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating.Mane

Liverpool say the Senegal winger has “displayed minor symptoms of the virus but feels in good health overall”. Mane, 28, played for…Learn More.

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Nigerian soccer fans confident of AFCON win

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Nigerian soccer fans

Soccer fans in Nigeria have expressed their confidence that the Super Eagles will win the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

The Nigerian team qualified for the finals after defeating South Africa in the semi-final round of the competition. They face hosts Ivory Coast for the last game of the tournament today.

This will be the second match between both teams. The elephants of Ivory Coast suffered a 1- 0 defeat in their encounter with the Super Eagles at the group stage. Nigerian soccer fans say they are confident that the team will also win the final game.

Moshood Olatunji says, “We’re taking the cup. We’re not bragging and we’re not being pretentious and we’re not underestimating any group. But I think the Nigerian team started slow and they really worked as a team. The thing they had that I could see was the teamwork. They play for each other, they’re not playing for the coach, they’re actually playing for each other as a team. And I think if they carry that attitude into the finals, there’s no stopping us.”

Maxwell Ogbaje says, “I’m not surprised that we got to where we are today. We actually have a strong team. We have been at our best. It’s not just by chance, people see it that the one zero, one zero has always been a lucky thing, but it’s not. There’s actually good effort from the team that has brought that success.”

“Let them keep doing what they are doing especially the back 5. It’s a fantastic tactic that the coach Peseiro has been able to knock the boys with, so they should do what they do. They should be tight behind and they should take their chances. They should hit them on the counter and I believe if they are able to do that and they stay together, then Nigeria will be able to carry the day,” says Sam Maimagani.

It’s the eighth time Nigeria has made it to the finals in the Africa Cup of Nations and the 4th for Ivory Coast.

Nigeria is already a three-time winner of the Africa Cup of Nations and a triumph in today’s encounter will make it the 4th in 10 years.

A win for Ivory Coast will make them a three-time champion of the AFCON. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is expected to be at the game today to cheer the Super Eagles to victory.

Source: SABC

In other news – Phelo Bala’s father has passed away

His death was announced by his stepson and musician Loyiso Bala on Saturday, 10 February on his social media platforms. Jafta died this morning in the hospital.

The Bala Family

The Bala Family is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, Sebenzile Jafta. He departed this morning. Read more

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Bayern Munich wins 11th straight Bundesliga title

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Bayern

Bayern Munich leapfrogged rivals Borussia Dortmund to clinch their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in a last-day drama in German football on Saturday, May 27.

In a climactic season finale, Bayern Munich ended up celebrating an unexpected title win while Dortmund’s dream of their first league trophy since 2012 was left in tatters following a 2-2 draw with Mainz.

Dortmund were leading by two points before their last match for the season but were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Mainz on Saturday, allowing Bayern to finish in first place with a goal difference.

RB Leipzig and sensational Union Berlin are third and fourth respectively and will also compete in the Champions League next season.

Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 have been relegated, while VfB Stuttgart will go into the relegation playoff.

In other news – Celine Dion cancels 2023-2024 shows over health

Last year Celine Dion revealed that she was suffering from a rare neurological disorder. The Pop icon on Friday canceled all her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour as she battles a rare neurological disorder.

Last year the 55-year-old Canadian singer revealed that she was suffering from the rare medical condition that was affecting her singing. Learn More

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India look to next generation at Women’s T20 World Cup

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Women's T20 World Cup

India is looking to a new generation of talented young cricketers led by teenage batter Shafali Verma to propel them to a first Women’s T20 World Cup title this month. Long-serving skipper Mithali Raj and record-breaking fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, trailblazers for women’s cricket in India, both retired last year.

New captain Harmanpreet Kaur said both players are still on hand to give advice, but it is time to look forward. Whenever we need they are always available to us, that’s what you expect from senior players,” the 33-year-old told a recent press conference.

“Nobody can fill their places, but the young girls who are getting the chances are doing well. One of the players who has grabbed her chance is Verma, an attacking opening batter who led India to victory in the inaugural U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa last month.

The 19-year-old will be back on familiar ground for the T20 World Cup, which is again in South Africa. It starts on February 10 and India are chasing a breakthrough first title, having been runners-up behind hosts Australia in the last edition, in 2020. Their first match is against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 12 in Cape Town.

Verma made her international debut at the age of just 15 and was in the team that reached the T20 World Cup final in 2020.

She also played in the one-day World Cup and was a member of the Indian side which took silver at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The youngster looks up to big-hitting England batsman Liam Livingstone for inspiration and considers Indian great Sachin Tendulkar a role model. After captaining India to victory in the U19 World Cup, Verma said: “This is just the beginning.”

“When I entered the Under-19s, I only focused on winning the Under-19 Cup and we have won that today,” ESPNCricinfo quoted her as saying. I will look to take this winning confidence with me and win the senior World Cup.”

Besides Verma, the India team also includes Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh. The women’s game is making inroads in the cricket-mad country, with the inaugural Women’s Premier League set for March, ahead of the men’s IPL.

Last month, India’s cricket board auctioned off five women’s IPL teams for $572.5 million. The new generation “are ready to be the representatives of the modern generation of women’s cricketers”, cricket journalist Sharda Ugra told AFP.

“The women’s IPL is going to start and they are the perfect representation of the kind of Indian women cricketers that belong to the T20 generation. They have the right mindset and they are very, very talented.

Source: eNCA

In other news – Idols SA canceled after 21 years

Idols SA is reportedly coming to an end after 21 years of entertainment. Phil Mphela, an entertainment commentator announced the latest development about the show on Twitter.

Idols SA

After 21 years, #IdolsSA will be bowing out of our screens. The show has been renewed for a 19th season, which will be the show’s final season,” he wrote. Learn more

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