Sports
Morocco reach AFCON last 16 | The Express Tribune
Ayoub El Kaabi (L) celebrates with Brahim Diaz after scoring his second goal and Morocco’s third in their win over Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo: AFP
RABAT:
Ayoub El Kaabi scored twice as hosts Morocco eased to a 3-0 victory over Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday to secure progress to the last 16 as winners of their group.
The Olympiakos striker netted in each half in front of 62,532 fans in the capital Rabat, while Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz got the other goal as he scored for the third match running at the tournament.
Morocco finish the first round with two wins and a draw, allowing them to progress from Group A in first place with seven points. Mali finished second after a third straight draw, 0-0 against Comoros in a game they ended with 10 men, while Zambia go out.
Walid Regragui’s Moroccan side will therefore have the advantage of staying in Rabat for a last-16 clash against one of the best third-placed finishers on Sunday, January 4.
“I think the competition really begins now,” said Regragui.
“When you have four third-placed teams going through, I don’t think you can call the first round a warm-up lap but for us it just makes it about trying to make sure we get through to the next stage in the best possible shape.
“Hopefully we will go as far as possible. That is the dream for all of us.”
A comfortable evening for the host nation also saw captain Achraf Hakimi, the African player of the year, come on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury with Paris Saint-Germain in early November.
The Atlas Lions had seen their world record 19-match winning run come to an end in a 1-1 draw with Mali last time out, but bounced back from that by outclassing their Zambian opponents.
Morocco are Africa’s best side according to the FIFA rankings and lie 80 places above Zambia who are 91st. Their record winning run included victories home and away against the Copper Bullets during World Cup qualifying.
Hakimi comeback
The visitors were also in the unenviable position of needing to win their last group game to be sure of going through to the knockout phase — a tough task for a country without a single AFCON victory since lifting the trophy in 2012.
Morocco went ahead with just nine minutes on the clock when a corner from the right was played short to Azzedine Ounahi and he clipped a first-time ball to the back post where El Kaabi nodded in before running away covering his face in celebration.
A superb move led to the second goal just before the half-hour mark, with Ounahi’s fantastic pass in behind the Zambian defence releasing Abde Ezzalzouli. His low ball in from the left was missed by El Kaabi but Diaz swept home for a third goal in as many matches.
Morocco made it 3-0 six minutes after half-time as El Kaabi escaped the Zambian offside trap and met another assist from the brilliant Ounahi with an overhead kick.
The goal was initially ruled out for offside before being awarded after a VAR check, allowing El Kaabi to join Diaz and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez on three goals atop the AFCON scorers’ chart.
A huge cheer then greeted Hakimi when he came on in the 64th minute in place of Noussair Mazraoui for his first appearance of the tournament — he was only prevented from getting on the scoresheet by a good Willard Mwanza save late on.
Sports
Keep, Dump or Extend: What transfers should Man United make in January?
The January transfer window opens this Thursday, and with it comes a monthlong midseason dash for teams up and down the league table. For elite teams, it’s a chance to reinforce in the push for a trophy — or multiple. For teams looking to escape relegation, it’s an opportunity to bring in the kinds of players who can finish the job.
But it’s not just about the movement of players between clubs; those stars approaching the end of their contracts, either hitting free agency in the summer of 2026 or 2027, require attention from teams keen to extend them to new terms before they are persuaded to join elsewhere.
With some big teams in very different situations heading into the winter window, Mark Ogden and Gab Marcotti have dusted off their sporting director hats and Keep or Dump concept to look at the basic decisions these clubs need to make on all fronts, from acquisitions and exits to contract renewals.
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– Ian Darke’s Best PL XI of the season so far
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– League position on Dec. 29: Sixth, 29 points (Last season’s finish: 15th, 42 points)
– Realistic goal for 2025-26: Champions League qualification and performance improvements
1. Assess the team’s growth under Ruben Amorim and whether you want to make a change
Marcotti: He’s under contract until June 2027, but clubs generally don’t keep coaches with expiring deals so really they’re going to have to decide whether to extend him. And they’ll probably want to do it by March to give themselves the best possible chance of finding a worthy successor.
Ogden: I don’t think Amorim’s long-term future can be addressed right now, but I certainly think it’s fair to suggest that he is on notice to show significant progress by the end of the season. If he achieves a top-six finish, that should be enough to keep his job safe, but if United miss out on Europe again, then allowing Amorim to see out his contract would feel like a wasted year for the club.
2. Let’s move next to more imminent free agents. Casemiro is out of contract in June. What do you do with him?
Marcotti: He’s 34 in February and he’s likely thinking about the World Cup, so there’s no real rush to act here. Wait and see on what you decide with Amorim.
You’re not going to rebuild your entire midfield in one summer. He’s been better this season — if he’s happy to stay as a squad player or mentor, keep him around.
Ogden: The deal here is that Casemiro would have to take a huge drop in wages if he’s to have any hope of a new short-term contract in Manchester. I think there is value in United exploring that because his experience can be useful, but I suspect he will receive a better offer from Saudi Arabia or even a decent contract from a club back in Brazil.
Instead of figuring out Casemiro’s fit, United’s priority has to be finding two younger midfielders for the long term.
3. Harry Maguire is also out of contract in June. What’s your move?
Marcotti: Sure, he’s been a loyal servant and everything, but whether Amorim stays or goes, you don’t need a 33-year-old backup central defender with an iffy injury record. Move on. Let him leave.
Ogden: If you asked me this a year ago, I’d have said move him on. But his recent injury-enforced absence has highlighted how important he has become in Amorim’s system, and his experience has been a huge loss. Offer him a 12-month extension so he can help with this team’s next iteration.
4. Now onto those core players who are in need of extensions or new clubs, starting with Bruno Fernandes, who has 18 months left on his contract. Where does he fit in?
Marcotti: It depends on the manager to some degree, but more realistically there’s nothing to do here beyond waiting. Fernandes has spoken out about how he felt hurt that the club tried to shift him in the past. And he’s enough of a grownup to know that he can’t expect a new deal when he’ll be on the verge of his 33rd birthday when this one expires. He has to play out of position in Amorim’s system because he can pass better than anybody else, but really he should be operating closer to goal, and he knows that.
I think he realizes he’ll be phased out no matter who is in charge, and much will depend on whether he accepts a different role.
1:30
Did Man United look better without Fernandes in win vs. Newcastle?
Mark Ogden reacts to Manchester United’s 1-0 win vs. Newcastle in the Premier League.
Ogden: Amorim foolishly said Fernandes was “irreplaceable” last week, following the injury that looks set to keep him out for around a month. There’s no question Bruno is a great player — and, right now, United’s best — but replacing him is just a question of deploying Mason Mount of Matheus Cunha in the No. 10 role. As for plugging a gap left by Bruno further back in midfield, that’s easy, because he can’t play that role to any great satisfaction.
United can live without Bruno Fernandes, so maybe it is time they accepted that, offloaded him and built a team rather than allowed themselves to build it around one player.
5. Lisandro Martínez is also at the 18-month mark. Does he have a future at United?
Marcotti: He has started 28 league games in 2½ years. It’s impossible to judge, frankly. Maybe you can find a home for him after the World Cup, but he’s not anyone to rely on right now, certainly not as a starter.
Ogden: This is a tricky one because his fitness record has been poor, and he’s also a liability when fit because his recklessness can lead to disciplinary issues and also gift opponents goalscoring opportunities. Martinez plays to the crowd too much, and that is a weakness in his game.
Here’s the “but” — he was outstanding in midfield against Aston Villa, so much so that he performed the No. 6 role better than any United player has for years. So maybe he has a big future in that role.
If he does, then he will earn a new deal for his value in midfield.
6. Luke Shaw is another player with 18 months left. Where does he fit?
Marcotti: He’s having the best season of his career in terms of fitness, so that’s a plus. But at this stage, I think he can really play only as a left-sided center back. Until you decide whether Amorim and his 3-4-2-1 formation are sticking around, it’s best not to do anything with him.
Ogden: Shaw doesn’t fit in. He is too slow and immobile to play on the left of a back three, and he also makes too many defensive mistakes. He can no longer get up and down the flank to play as a wingback, and his use of the ball in attacking areas is too negative and cautious. It’s time to move him on in the summer.
7. And finally, Kobbie Mainoo. With 18 months left on his deal, does he have a spot in this side moving forward?
Marcotti: He hasn’t started a single game this season, which is absurd. He’s obviously not getting on the pitch while Amorim is manager, especially if Fernandes is fit, so it’s best to loan him out and get him minutes. You can then assess where you are in the summer.
Ogden: Amorim has started to talk about altering his system and if he does that, Mainoo might just have a future at United. As it stands, he has no role in a 3-4-3 formation, but as we saw at Euro 2024 with England alongside Declan Rice, Mainoo can thrive with a more defensive player next to him.
Mainoo is still only 20, so United should persevere with him and resist the urge to offload him. Try to iron out his flaws on the training ground instead of letting another club benefit from his talents.
8. Who do you want to shift in January?
Marcotti: Other than Mainoo, the obvious one is Joshua Zirkzee. I’d imagine we’re talking January loan with a view toward a summer deal, because you’d need to get more than €28 million in fees to avoid taking a hit in the books. Finding that kind of agreement might be tough.
The counterargument to shifting Zirkzee is that Benjamn Sesko on his own leaves you somewhat shorthanded in the front three.
2:06
Amorim jokes about injured Fernandes: ‘I don’t know if he wants my job’
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim jokingly discusses Bruno Fernandes’ injury, including the leadership role he is taking while injured.
Ogden: “I agree on Zirkzee. He is nowhere near Premier League level, and Amorim seems to think this judging by how little he has used him. United won’t be any weaker without him if he leaves in January.
United can also raise funds — though not much — by moving in Tyrell Malacia and they would love to find a new team for Manuel Ugarte. However, they face a huge loss on the latter, so it’s unlikely that he’ll move next month.
9. Who are you bringing in during the January window?
Marcotti: There’s obviously a glaring hole in midfield, but I’m not sure United can fill it cost-effectively midseason. I’d work on finding a long-term solution in the summer and, if you feel you need a fourth option right now to get you back in the Champions League, explore the possibility of a short-term loan.
Even though English clubs are notoriously loathe to do that, United did it with Marcel Sabitzer a few years back.
Ogden: Conor Gallagher is a possibility on loan from Atletico Madrid, and there is plenty of noise surrounding Rúben Neves on loan from Al Hilal. I don’t think either are long-term solutions, but as per the Sabitzer suggestion, both would add experience and quality to the midfield if they arrived in January.
Sports
Aston Villa’s 11th straight win might be the most impressive. Plus: Inter must sharpen up
The festive fixtures are in full swing, but while several of Europe’s top leagues are on a winter break, the English Premier League and Italian Serie A still offered plenty to talk about. (So too did the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicked off last weekend.) First up, Aston Villa‘s impressive come-from-behind win at Chelsea was a battle of top four teams after which Unai Emery’s side might legitimately be entering the title race alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.
In Italy, Inter Milan rode their luck at times in defeating Atalanta 1-0, but they’re going to need to sharpen up if they’re to run away with the Scudetto. (That said, with Christian Pulisic in A-plus form for AC Milan, expect any title race to go down to the wire.) Elsewhere, we had talking points galore around Tottenham (they won a game!), Liverpool (Florian Wirtz scored a goal!), Cristiano Ronaldo (he can’t stop scoring), Arsenal (wow, David Raya!) and so much more.
It’s Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.
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Aston Villa make it 11 straight wins, but this one’s on Chelsea too…
It pretty much has to be. You’re a goal up at home, you didn’t even let the opposition take a single shot of any kind until the second half and somehow, you end up losing 2-1. When that happens, it’s not just because Aston Villa finished strong and Unai Emery got his substitutions (is it witchcraft?) right.
Chelsea can recriminate about the missed opportunities in the first half, or the penalty they didn’t get when the ball struck Ian Maatsen‘s arm. Fine: maybe they would have scored enough goals to get the three points, but it wouldn’t explain the late collapse, either.
Four shots — three of them blocked — is not an acceptable second-half return in a game like this. Enzo Maresca is squeezing as much as he can out of this group, but some facts are undeniable.
The revolving cast of characters lining up alongside Trevoh Chalobah affects the chemistry and stability of his back line. A midfield duo of Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández risks being outmanned unless Caicedo dons his Superman cape, which he does often, but not always. Up front, João Pedro is a second forward/number 10 type and Liam Delap is having a rough season. You could get away with them if the wingers scored regularly, but they don’t: Take Pedro Neto out of the mix, and the other three have combined for just two league goals. Last season, Cole Palmer papered over a lot of cracks. This year, with injuries playing a part, he’s back to being human (for now), and Chelsea are paying a price.
0:47
Maresca: Chelsea need to improve reaction to conceding goals
Enzo Maresca reacts to Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
As for Villa, Emery looks like a genius because his substitutions paid off. They worked out, as Ollie Watkins scored the two goals that turned things around, but in fact, what else was he supposed to do? Emery played the cards he had, needing to come back — hence Watkins, Amadou Onana (who you assume was being rested) and Jadon Sancho are called in. In fact, the only reserves who didn’t get into the game for Villa were a defender (Andrés García) and two teenagers.
Villa’s run under Emery is unbelievable — they’re three points off the top, in case you hadn’t noticed — but it wasn’t Saturday’s subs that make him great. It’s what he has done since late September in all competitions, winning 17 of 19 games, making individual players better and showing that tactics and coaching matter.
Can they make it a three-way race for the title? We’ll know real soon: Arsenal away are up next.
Inter beat Atalanta to stay top of Serie A, but they’re playing a dangerous game
The weekend’s 1-0 win sends them a point clear of Milan, but there’s a parallel world where things work out differently. One where Berat Djimsiti doesn’t give the ball away to gift Lautaro Martínez a goal midway through the second half. One where Lazar Samardzic doesn’t miss a sitter on his left foot and Inter end up losing.
Coming off the back of the Super Cup elimination against Bologna, another defeat could have sent them into 2026 under a cloud, and that would have been hugely frustrating because, truth be told, Inter dominated much of the game, creating chances and pinning Atalanta back. They had their foot firmly on the opposition neck only to relent around the hour mark and, after taking the lead, retreating into a 5-4-1 formation that invited only danger.
You’ve played well, you should have scored more, so finish the game the way you played most of it: going for the jugular. In Cristian Chivu’s defense, you imagine it was a case of not having another forward to put on (Ange-Yoan Bonny was unavailable, the other forwards on the bench were teenagers) and wanting to preserve Lautaro (Marcus Thuram had earlier made way for Francesco Pio Esposito). But, especially against Atalanta away — in particular, an Atalanta side with no Ademola Lookman — going conservative late in matches is hugely risky.
Inter boast the deepest, most talented squad in Serie A. They’re better off playing like it for 90 minutes.
Tottenham get a win, but not a performance, away to Crystal Palace
1:15
Marcotti: Thomas Frank hasn’t made a mark at Spurs
Gab Marcotti discusses Thomas Frank’s impact on Tottenham since joining after their 1-0 win vs. Crystal Palace.
At least, not a convincing performance of the sort that makes you think Spurs are offering anything other than spirit and fight and all those other things you’re supposed to take for granted.
Let’s get the mitigating factors in their 1-0 win out of the way. Xavi Simons and Cuti Romero were suspended and the trio of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke were all injured (just as they have been virtually all season long). But you still expected to see more than what they offered up against a Palace side who were equally hampered by absentees and whose squad is considerably thinner.
Packing the midfield and seemingly having little plan to score, except in transition or on set pieces, presumably isn’t why Thomas Frank was hired. It’s understandable to play that way with a lead, but in the 42 minutes when it was 0-0, Spurs managed just two shots, both off target. When they did score, it was a goalmouth scramble off a set piece and after the break, when they were busy defending and conceding 68% of the ball to Palace, they still gave up far more chances than you would like.
With one win in eight heading into this game, Frank was presumably feeling the heat. But he’s going to need to generate several orders of magnitude of improvement if he is to return next season.
Quick hits
1:30
Will Arsenal overcome their ‘blip’ in the title race?
Shaka Hislop explains why Arsenal could still win the Premier League despite going through a ‘blip’ in the title race.
10. Time for some David Raya love: If Arsenal win the Premier League by two points or less, I hope someone will get a photo still of Raya’s save to deny Yankuba Minteh on Saturday afternoon, blow it up and plaster it around the Emirates. I know it doesn’t work like that: A season is a compendium of moments that can go either way, meaning you can’t just isolate one. But on Saturday afternoon, with Arsenal hanging on to a 2-1 lead just as Brighton was starting to come alive, Raya’s stop kept the Gunners top of the league and preserved the three points.
It felt like a narrative was building. Wasteful Arsenal outplay Brighton for much of the game but are undone by a stunner. Cue uncertainty. Cue insecurity. Cue second-guessing. Cue Manchester City. Instead, Raya was there to snuff out the danger with a superb stop. It was one of only three shots on target he faced in the game, and it underscored the loneliness — and importance — of having a good goalkeeper.
It took Raya a while to win me over — maybe Mikel Arteta too, considering he was alternating him with Aaron Ramsdale when he first arrived — but there’s no question he’s one of Arsenal’s key men this season, especially given the turmoil in the back line. And if they win silverware, you hope he’ll get to be near the front in the celebratory pictures.
9. Christian Pulisic guides Milan past Verona and into second place: Rafael Leão usually gets the headlines (he was unavailable Sunday), but it’s Pulisic who regularly carries Milan’s attack. There’s a reason why, since landing at San Siro ahead of the 2023-24 season, he has more goal involvements (31 goals and 19 assists) than anyone, even Lautaro Martinez. And the thing about Pulisic is that even when he’s off his game offensively, he works his backside off out of possession (unlike, say, Leão) and stays involved in the game.
Against a Verona side that raised the barricades, it was Pulisic who broke the ice late in the first half, before Christopher Nkunku bagged his first two league goals for the club en route to a 3-0 win. With Santi Gimenez out, Nkunku still a question mark production-wise and Leao being a box of chocolates (aka “You never know what you’re going to get”), Pulisic is Milan’s most (only?) reliable attacking solution.
1:09
Why Christian Pulisic is at his ‘prime’ in AC Milan
Gab Marcotti talks about Christian Pulisic’s form at AC Milan after their 3-0 win over Verona.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo makes it 40 at 40: Forty goals in a calendar year, that is. Admittedly, calendar year stats are sort of cheesy, but when you’ve done it in 14 of the last 16 seasons and your career stretches into your fifth decade? Well… that’s a different story.
You want to be snooty about scoring goals against the likes of Al Akhdoud, against whom he netted twice in a 3-0 win on Saturday? Fine. But remember that Karim Benzema, Ivan Toney and Aleksandar Mitrovic — guys who scored a ton of goals in top European leagues and who are substantially younger — also play against a bunch of teams like Al Akhdoud, and and they don’t score anywhere near as many goals. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Enjoy Ronaldo while you can.
7. Ruben Amorim finally changes his system and Manchester United win! Don’t worry: The headline, while technically true, is meant to be sarcastic. The shift away from his trademark 3-4-2-1 to a more traditional 4-2-3-1 was largely motivated by absentees — which in itself is a bit of an indictment, because who could possibly have imagined that Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui might have chosen to play in the Africa Cup of Nations? — rather than a tactical revelation. Because if it was a newfound conviction that they’re better off long-term with a flat back four, you would have to seriously question why he couldn’t have reached this conclusion earlier, maybe before embarking on a campaign without European football and with five senior central defenders.
The main takeaway this weekend is that United looked no better (and arguably worse) in the 4-2-3-1. They got the three points against Newcastle thanks to a wonder strike from Patrick Dorgu (“I didn’t know I could do that,” he said afterwards, which was sweet) but there was little else to cheer, especially in a second half that saw them parked in front of their own goal — just 24% possession and three shots, none on target — as they ended the game with no fewer than seven defenders on the pitch.
Amorim himself said it best: There were games in which United deserved more and ended up dropping points. This was the opposite.
1:30
Did Man United look better without Fernandes in win vs. Newcastle?
Mark Ogden reacts to Manchester United’s 1-0 win vs. Newcastle in the Premier League.
6. Some of Newcastle’s issues are beyond their control: And some are not. It’s obvious that they weren’t planning on playing the 2025-26 season without Alexander Isak. And maybe, if they’d had a chief executive and sporting director in place, Isak would have stuck around with a new deal or they would have had time to find the right replacements. Instead, they got Nick Woltemade, a very gifted forward, but — despite his six-foot-six frame — not a target man, and not even really a central striker, based on what we saw of him in the Bundesliga last season.
So then you end up with games such as Friday’s against Man United, when they pumped no fewer than 46 crosses into the box and, in 68 minutes on the pitch, Woltemade managing to get off a grand total of zero shots. They still deserved something from this match, maybe even a win, because Eddie Howe is a good coach and they have good players. But there’s a sense of this team being nowhere near their ceiling, coupled with a sense that they won’t be getting there any time soon.
0:42
Marcotti: Højlund has a better coach at Napoli compared to Man United
Gab Marcotti explains why he thinks Rasmus Højlund has a better coach in Antonio Conte at Napoli than he did at Manchester United.
5. Why Rasmus Højlund is far more productive this season: And there’s no argument about him being better. He scored both goals in Napoli‘s 2-0 over Cremonese which keeps them in the title hunt, taking his seasonal tally to nine, which is just one fewer than he had all of last year at Manchester United.
Part of it, quite obviously, is that the Premier League is tougher than Serie A, but that’s only part of the story. Højlund also has five goals in five games for Denmark since joining Napoli, which is as many as he had in the previous 33 months. A simpler explanation is that he has a better coach in Antonio Conte than anyone he had at Old Trafford and is being played to his strengths, which builds confidence.
What happens when Romelu Lukaku returns next month? My guess is that we’ll see them together from time to time. You can do that when you have a great coach and players who are willing to listen and grow.
4. Reijnders and Cherki are making Manchester City their own: It’s not just that they both scored (with Rayan Cherki assisting on Tijjani Reijnders‘ opener, too), but more the fact that they bring dynamism and creativity to a side that can sometimes become one-dimensional and simply waits for Phil Foden to do something or ride the Erling Haaland bus. Reijnders’ intelligence and ability to make City’s attack multi-pronged with his runs from deep opens space for Haaland and gives them another dimension. Cherki, right now, must be one of the top players in the league.
On the flip side, defensively they’re not where they should be — attacking midfielders impersonating fullbacks is still not working off the ball — and the Rodri-less midfield still feels like a turnstile sometimes. That matters when you face sides such as Forest, who will simply clog up space until they need to get back into the game. (Before Omari Hutchinson‘s equalizer, helped by poor defending, they had two shots for a cumulative xG of 0.04 in 54 minutes of football.)
0:58
Nicol: Man City looked like they can win the Premier League vs. Forest
Steve Nicol reflects on Manchester City’s performance to beat Nottingham Forest and maintain their strong position in the title race.
3. Pisa make life difficult, but Juventus keep rising: It took them a while to get going, and Pisa hit the woodwork twice, before late goals from Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz saw Luciano Spalletti’s team make it seven wins in eight with a 2-0 result. So much so, in fact, that some critics said it felt like an “old-school” Juve win, which is a euphemism for saying they were awful, outplayed and fortunate.
It wasn’t their best game and they did ride their luck at times, yes, but this is nothing like the Juve of old. The numbers — 1.74 to 0.65 xG, 15 to 8 total shots, 7 to zero shots on target — bear this out. So does the eye test. Juve are imperfect, but they’re designed to do things with the ball and create chances, and they’re doing it. This was a fully deserved win, not something you can say about some of the victories in the “old-school” days some keep pining for…
1:34
What’s the best position to play Florian Wirtz at Liverpool?
Gab Marcotti talks about Florian Wirtz’s potential to grow at Liverpool after his goal vs. Wolves.
2. Florian Wirtz gets his first goal as Liverpool win again, but we’re not there yet: In fact, you might go so far as to say that other than the result (seven games in a row unbeaten, which is not nothing, but not where you expected to be in the summer), the signs of progress are marginal. Wirtz, this time wide left in a 4-2-3-1 featuring no Dominik Szoboszlai, but both attacking fullbacks (Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who was was exceptional), got his first goal for the club. He has been better than his goal and assist numbers suggest, and it can’t be easy when you’re shuttled all over the front four, but we’re talking marginal gains here.
More of a concern, you would think, is that Liverpool’s two first-half goals in the 2-1 win against Wolves were, along with Hugo Ekitike hitting the post, the only real chances carved out in the first half. And the second, frankly, was worse: just the two shots on target, an xG of 0.42 against an opponent who has lost 19 of their last 22 league games, hasn’t won since April and was chasing the game. Arne Slot has work to do.
1. Big hitters ease into Africa Cup of Nations: With two group games already played, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt have already advanced to the knockout rounds, while Morocco, Senegal, DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon are just about there.
Nobody has really set the tournament alight yet, but that’s more than understandable. Most teams were assembled only a week before it began, none got to play friendlies. Chemistry takes time to build: With this format, you just want to make sure you’re still playing next weekend. That’s when, I think, we’ll see the big nations lift their game.
Sports
Sources: Denver to sign Oke for NWSL record fee
Denver Summit FC has agreed to a transfer with Mexico’s Pachuca for defender Ayo Oke for what would be the highest incoming transfer fee for an American player in NWSL history, sources told ESPN.
Denver, which begins play as a 2026 expansion team in a few months, will pay Liga MX club Pachuca a transfer fee close to $450,000 for Oke, a source confirmed. That figure would also make Oke among the most expensive known incoming transfer fees in NWSL history, although transfer fees are not always publicly confirmed by clubs.
There have been other more expensive intra-league transfers of Americans in recent months, including the $1.25 million more for USWNT playmaker Jaedyn Shaw from the North Carolina Courage to Gotham FC in September. Denver’s willingness to go get Oke, a U.S. youth international, from abroad is notable as the NWSL fights to change its salary rules to attract and retain top players, including Americans.
Oke has been with the USWNT’s U23 team in recent training camps. The 22-year-old Georgia native played in college for Cal and UCLA before signing her first professional contract in January of 2025 with Pachuca.
Pachuca won the 2025 Clausura playoff title in Oke’s first campaign at the club. Pachuca finished second in the 2025 Liga MX Apertura regular season, level on points with eventual playoff champions Tigres, who owned the tiebreaker.
Oke will join a Denver expansion roster that is still a work in progress. Among those currently signed and announced players are former NWSL champions Kaleigh Kurtz, Ally Watt and Carson Pickett.
Denver’s fee for Oke also represents the continued rapid development of the women’s soccer transfer market, which is growing for younger players alongside established veterans.
The record for an incoming NWSL transfer was set in August when the Orlando Pride paid $1.5 million to Tigres for Jacqui Ovalle, which set a world record at the time. That nearly doubled the world record that was set by Bay FC when the team acquired forward Racheal Kundananji in early 2024. Orlando paid a fee of $740,000 for forward Barbra Banda in early 2024.
In 2024, the Houston Dash acquired Brazilian defender Tarciane from Corinthians for a reported fee of around $485,000, according to Brazilian reports at the time. Tarciane was transferred to Lyons the next year for roughly double that fee.
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