SPORT - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Leverkusen secure maiden Bundesliga title with 5-0 win over Bremen

Undefeated Bayer Leverkusen secured their first Bundesliga title on Sunday with a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen, breaking an 11-year stranglehold on the league by Bayern Munich. Xabi Alonso's team, who have now gone a league-record 29 matches without defeat this season to secure their first trophy since 1993, have a 16-point lead over Bayern with five matches remaining. Leverkusen left nothing to chance and sealed their title win at the first opportunity with Florian Wirtz bagging a hat-trick in a win that stretched their unbeaten run across all competitions to a remarkable 43 games this season. They earned a…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Late Okafor goal earns Milan draw in six-goal thriller with Sassuolo

FOOTBALL

SECOND-PLACED AC Milan twice fought back from two goals down to secure a 3-3 draw at relegation-threatened Sassuolo with a late equaliser by substitute Noah Okafor in Serie A. Milan have 69 points, six ahead of Juventus with six matches left. Sassuolo are second-bottom with 26 points. Inter Milan, who host Cagliari later on Sunday, are runaway leaders on 82. It was a frustrating match for Milan, who dominated possession and chances, particularly for Samuel Chukwueze who had two goals disallowed for offside by a hair's breadth. Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli also made several fine saves, notably a sensational early…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Isak brace leads Newcastle to crucial 4-0 win over Spurs

FOOTBALL

A dominant Newcastle United struck twice within 95 seconds as Alexander Isak's brace helped them secure a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, a vital result in their bid to qualify for European competition. Newcastle, unbeaten at home since January, moved up to sixth place in the standings with 50 points from 32 matches, one ahead of Manchester United who have played a game less and visit Bournemouth later in the day. Spurs are fifth with 60 points. Isak scored at the half-hour mark when Anthony Gordon got hold of a long ball, shook off Destiny Udogie…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Bayern battle past Cologne to end losing run, Coman out for weeks

FOOTBALL

BAYERN Munich struck twice in the second half to earn a 2-0 win over Cologne and bounce back from two straight league losses ahead of their Champions League return leg against Arsenal next week. With Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen 13 points ahead and poised to wrap up their first league title with a win over Werder Bremen on Sunday, Bayern's only hope of silverware this season rests with the Champions League following their 2-2 draw in the first leg in London. They suffered a serious injury blow, however, with winger Kingsley Coman taken off in the 50th minute and ruled…

Apr

2024

By HELEN REID and VINCENT DAHERON

Kenya’s Kipchoge eyes historic Olympic marathon hat-trick

ATHLETICS

KENYA'S Eliud Kipchoge expects to make history with his third consecutive Olympic marathon gold medal at this year's Games in Paris, he told Reuters in an interview on Thursday, adding that there were no thoughts about retirement yet. Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila, East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski and Kipchoge are the only athletes to have won two Olympic gold medals in the marathon when they retained their titles. "My huge expectation actually is to win the Olympics for the third time," said Kipchoge, who turns 40 in November and finished 10th at last month's Tokyo Marathon. That result and his relatively vintage…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Nigeria, Zambia women win playoffs to take last two Olympic spots

FOOTBALL

ZAMBIA and Nigeria locked up the last two spots in the women's soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics after winning two-legged playoffs in the fourth round of African qualifying. Zambia needed extra time to get past Morocco in Rabat as the Copper Queens turned a 2-1 first-leg deficit into a 3-2 aggregate triumph with a 2-0 win at Moulay Hassan Stadium. Captain and Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda opened the scoring for Zambia in the 38th minute and secured the ticket to the Olympics when she converted a penalty in the 105th minute. The Zambians will be in a tough…

Apr

2024

By JACQUELINE MUCHAZOREKA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Boxing champion’s daughter is next in line

SPORT

ON a March morning in Rusape town's Fitness 4_U Gym, Candice Motsi and her father are going through their regular routine. Arms held outward, they jump sideways across the gym floor, warming up for a strength-building session. The two could not be more different; Anesu Motsi is an imposing heavyweight while his daughter Candice is a slight girl of six. Both, however, are boxers. Candice’s involvement in boxing started early. At nine months, she attended her first boxing match and after clearly enjoying the experience was soon back for more. As soon as she could walk, she would follow her…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Champions League host nations tighten security after Islamic State threats

FOOTBALL

FRANCE and Spain will step up security ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals in Madrid and Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top officials said, as Islamic State threatened drone attacks on Europe's top club soccer tournament. British police said they were aware of reports of threats and had a robust policing plan in place ahead of Arsenal's match against Bayern Munich in London on Tuesday night. The threats against some of the world's most-watched soccer matches underline the resurgence of Islamic State after several deadly attacks this year, including in Iran and Moscow. They also point to the complex geopolitical backdrop to…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Ethopia’s double delight at Paris marathon

ATHLETICS

MULUGETA Uma and Mestawut Fikir won the Paris Marathon men's and women's races to give Ethiopia a double in the event for the first time in five years. On a course that was different from the Olympic event in August, Uma won with a time of 2:05:33, beating Kenyans Titus Kipruto and Elisha Rotich. Kipruto finished 15 seconds behind Uma while Rotich was more than a minute behind. Rotich was the pre-race favourite going into the event having set the course record in 2021. In the women's race, Fikir finished with a time of 2:20:45 in her first marathon, pipping…

Apr

2024

By Mpho Rantao

Formula E double-header arrives at Misano Circuit.

MOTORSPORT

Formula E is set for a double dose of action in Italy this weekend. The series is set to take place at the Misano Circuit, in Rimini, for an exhilarating double-header racing weekend. Get ready for back-to-back races as the championship stages its sixth and seventh rounds following a competitive Tokyo Eprix. While Formula E has held races in Italy since its inception, this marks the series' inaugural visit to the Misano circuit, which is a stone's throw from Imola's iconic track used in Formula One (Emilia Romagna Grand Prix). Past Formula E races in Italy were held at the Circuito Cittadino…