CELEBRITY
Mane reaches century as Liverpool top Premier League
Sadio Mane reached 100 career goals for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace that sent the Reds top of the Premier League, while Arsenal eased the pressure on Mikel Arteta with a battling 1-0 victory at Burnley on Saturday (Sept 18).
Defending champions Manchester City dropped two points at home to Southampton after a 0-0 stalemate while struggling Wolves lost their fourth match in five against 10-man Brentford.
Mane continued his eye-catching mastery of Palace, netting in his ninth league match in a row against the Eagles.
Mohamed Salah’s glancing header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was kept out by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita but Mane pounced to lash home, giving him a century of goals for Liverpool in all competitions.
Salah doubled the Reds’ lead in the 78th minute before Naby Keita sealed the win with a sweetly struck volley.
Liverpool have made an impressive start to the season, scoring 12 goals in their opening five games and conceding just once.
“I told the boys that is one of the most hard-fought 3-0 wins I ever saw. We gave everything,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said.
“Sadio’s 100th goal for Liverpool, a massive mark! It was a really good game for Sadio. He worked incredibly hard again.”
Arsenal were rock bottom of the table before last week’s fixtures but wins against Norwich and now Burnley lifted them to the relative comfort of 12th spot before the late kick-off between Aston Villa and Everton.
Odegaard, who signed from Real Madrid last month after spending part of last season at the Emirates on loan, broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, curling home a free-kick to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at Turf Moor.
Arsenal breathed a sigh of relief when VAR overturned a penalty awarded to Burnley in the second half after Matej Vydra tumbled to the turf following a challenge by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
“It was a hard-fought victory at a really tough place,” Arteta said.
“We have players who are not at their strength playing in this type of game, but they did their best. I’m very proud of them defensively.”
City drop points
Manchester City will rue their inability to beat Southampton at the Etihad after consecutive 5-0 home wins.
It could have been worse for them after referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot when Kyle Walker bundled into the back of Adam Armstrong in the area, showing the England international a red card.
But the incident was reviewed by VAR and Moss eventually decided to overturn both decisions.
The build-up to City’s match was dominated by a row over attendance levels at the Etihad, with manager Pep Guardiola urging fans to fill empty seats in comments that irritated some supporters.
But fans were frustrated by battling Southampton, who kept City’s attackers at bay despite relentless pressure.
The home side thought they had snatched victory in the dying minutes after goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved a Phil Foden header and Raheem Sterling tucked in the rebound but the flag was raised.
“We were not good in our build-up and lost the ball because we were not clever today and a bit sloppy,” Guardiola said.
“It is because we didn’t do our process with the back four and Fernandinho. Those five players have to bring the ball forward for the others.”
Aston Villas second half blitz ended Everton’s four-game unbeaten run with a 3-0 home win.
Matty Cash put Villa ahead with 25 minutes left and Lucas Digne’s own goal doubled their lead before Leon Bailey made it three goals in nine minutes.
Watford beat Norwich 3-1 to condemn the promoted Canaries to their fifth consecutive defeat.
Watford took the lead in the 17th minute through Emmanuel Dennis but Teemu Pukki equalised before half time.
Ismaila Sarr put the visitors back in front in the 63rd minute and scored again with 10 minutes to go.
Ivan Toney scored a goal and created another for Bryan Mbeumo as 10-man Brentford beat Wolves 2-0 to maintain their impressive start to their first Premier League campaign.
Tottenham host Chelsea on Sunday while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United travel to West Ham.
–AFP
CELEBRITY
Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
CELEBRITY
Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
CELEBRITY
Lionel Messi set to hang boots
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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