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Pogba watches as Monaco start Ligue 1 season with a win | The Express Tribune
PARIS:
Paul Pogba watched as Monaco easily beat Le Havre 3-1 in their Ligue 1 opener on Saturday as Lyon won away at Lens.
On Friday French giants Marseille suffered a first-day upset 1-0 at 10-man Rennes.
In Saturday’s late game last season’s fourth-placed team Nice fell 1-0 at home to Toulouse, but Monaco and Lyon avoided upsets.
Georges Mikautadze scored the only goal as Lyon won 1-0 in northern France while 2018 World Cup winner Pogba’s appearance in the locker room at the Louis II Stadium was one of the highlights of the first half of Monaco’s game.
Dressed in a vintage Monaco jersey, a cap on his head, and a big smile on his face, Pogba saw his team quickly take the measure of an outclassed Le Havre.
Midfielder Pogba signed a two-year contract with Monaco from Juventus this summer in a bid to relaunch his career back home in France.
The former Manchester United player had made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, suspension and an extortion case in which he was the victim.
However, to see Pogba in a Monaco jersey, fans will have to wait a little longer, along with Guinea-Bissau forward Ansu Fati, the club’s other big summer signing.
Adi Hutter’s hosts proved dominant, particularly in midfield opening after 32 minutes after Gautier Lloris bundled Aleksandr Golovin’s powerful cross into his own net.
Englishman Eric Dier, also a summer signing, doubled the lead with a header from a well-taken Lamine Camara corner just after the hour mark.
Le Havre pulled a goal back six minutes later when Rassoul Ndiaye got the better of new Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky before Maghnes Akliouche put the result beyond a doubt after 74 minutes.
Earlier Mikautadze struck at the end of the first half to give seven-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon their first win since American businesswoman Michele Kang took over as president in June to save the club from relegation after compatriot John Textor resigned amid financial irregularities.
Lyon got the better against their former coach Pierre Sage, who took over at Lens after Will Still’s departure.
Financially constrained for summer signings, Lyon built its success with what it already had with strikers Malick Fofana and Mikautadze and midfield stalwart Corentin Tolisso combining well.
Fofana ran rings around the Lens defence, breaking through at the end of the first half when he provided an ideal cross to Mikautadze.
Despite 18 shots on goal, Lens were unable to deliver with Wesley Said and Deiver Machado both missing numerous chances.
New recruit Florian Thauvin came off the bench for Lens after 57 minutes to rapturous applause from the home fans but despite bringing creativity and freshness, the World Cup winner could not make the difference.
Four days after being eliminated in the Champions League qualifying round by Benfica, Nice once again displayed shortcomings in a 1-0 defeat at home to Toulouse with Djibril Sidibe scoring one minute before the final whistle.
Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Some have played this season. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games.
At least two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York centered on gambling schemes in the NBA.
Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney was named but not charged in the indictment. The indictment describes Blakeney as being “charged elsewhere.”
The scheme, according to the indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment.
“In placing these wagers on games they had fixed, the defendants defrauded sportsbooks, as well as individual sports bettors, who were all unaware that the defendants had corruptly manipulated the outcome of these games that should have been decided fairly, based on genuine competition and the best efforts of the players,” the indictment said.
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USAA on Thursday announced the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award, and a dynasty in San Francisco could be on the rise.
After 49ers star George Kittle took home the award last year, Christian McCaffrey is among three finalists for the league’s award, along with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson and Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones as the finalists — Jones was a finalist last year, as well.
“The finalists for the 15th Annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA have used their platforms to be exceptional advocates for the military community, reminding us that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off,” Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bob Whittle, Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs at USAA, said in a release.
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Christian McCaffrey, Jake Ferguson and Aaron Jones are this year’s Salute to Service Award finalists. (, G Fiume, and John Fisher/Getty Images)
“The NFL and USAA applaud Jake Ferguson, Aaron Jones, and Christian McCaffrey as deserving finalists who have demonstrated exactly what the award stands for — using the power of football to connect with, empower, appreciate and uplift our service members, veterans and their families.”
McCaffrey launched 23 and Troops in 2021 to focus on post-traumatic stress and athlete-level care for veterans. The foundation has raised $700,000 for military support and paid off holiday layaway for 515 military families.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ferguson has partnered with USAA to visit local military bases and supported the National Medal of Honor Museum, including an event in 2024 in which 900 students joined in person and thousands more virtually.
Jones grew up in a military household. His father, Alvin, served 29 years in the Army, while his mother, Vurgess, served for 27. Jones’ older brother, Xavier, serves in the Air Force. Jones and his twin brother, Alvin Jr., founded the A&A All the Way Foundation in 2020 to support the youth of military families.
The winner will be announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5, the same night the MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players and Rookies, and Coach of the Year will be crowned.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown with Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 10, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Whittle and Kittle will be among those on the judging panel for the award.
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Monday night’s game featuring hometown Miami and championship-starved Indiana is one of the toughest tickets in sports.
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