With a well-earned two-goal advantage at halftime against Rwanda, Nigeria is now halfway toward revitalizing their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, thanks to a clinical brace from Victor Osimhen. The Super Eagles entered the match in a difficult position, sitting fifth in Group C after failing to secure a victory in their first four matches, having drawn three and lost one.

Under the management of Eric Chelle, the visitors started the game in perfect fashion. Osimhen made a perfectly timed run to the back post to meet a brilliant free-kick from Ademola Lookman, giving Nigeria the lead just 11 minutes into the match. A fantastic save from Rwanda’s goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari, kept Moses Simon from doubling the advantage, while William Troost-Ekong was narrowly denied twice from corner kicks.

However, as the first half was drawing to a close, Osimhen was at it again, racing through to grab his second goal of the afternoon. With this crucial strike, Rwanda, who had managed to come from behind to secure a win in the previous encounter between the two teams last November, now faced an uphill battle in the second half. The Super Eagles’ dominance has left the hosts with a significant challenge ahead if they are to mount a comeback.

Ukraine staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Belgium 3-1 in the first leg of their Nations League playoff on Thursday, putting themselves in a strong position to secure promotion to the competition’s top tier.

Belgium took the lead in the 40th minute, with Romelu Lukaku scoring a header from a Kevin De Bruyne free kick in what was coach Rudi Garcia’s first game at the helm. The visitors looked poised to take control as they entered the break with the advantage, but Ukraine had other plans for the second half.

In the 66th minute, Ukraine capitalized on a defensive mistake by Belgium when Oleksiy Hutsulyak pounced on a loose ball and fired home to equalize. The momentum shifted, and just minutes later, Vladyslav Vanat found himself in the right place at the right time, scoring from close range to put Ukraine in front.

With the Belgian defense struggling to cope, Ukraine sealed their comeback in spectacular fashion. Ilya Zabarnyi added a third with an acrobatic first-touch finish that left Belgium with little hope of a response.

The victory puts Ukraine in a commanding position ahead of the second leg as they look to advance to the top tier of the Nations League.

Arsenal’s Mikel Merino scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to secure Spain a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final. Merino, a second-half substitute, found the back of the net from close range after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen parried a low shot from Nico Williams directly into his path.

Williams had earlier given Spain the lead in the first half with a clever finish, capitalizing on a mistake by Dutch full-back Jorrel Hato, who lost possession deep inside his own half. However, the Netherlands quickly responded and equalized before the hour mark. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo drove home a powerful low shot following a well-placed pass from Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert.

The visitors then seemed to have taken control early in the second half when Tijjani Reijnders’ low shot, 39 seconds after the restart, put the Netherlands ahead, giving them a narrow advantage going into the second leg. However, Spain’s hopes were revived after Hato was shown a red card with nine minutes remaining. In the dying moments, Merino capitalized on the extra man to score and secure a valuable draw for the European champions.

Merino’s late strike extended Spain’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 matches, dating back to a 1-0 friendly loss to Colombia in March of the previous year. Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, who was born in the Netherlands but lived in Spain from the ages of five to 16, made his senior debut for La Roja late in the first half after an injury to Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi.

The tie now heads to Valencia for the second leg on Sunday, with the winners set to face either Croatia or France in the semi-finals.

While Germany controlled possession early on, it was Italy who struck first with a beautifully crafted team move. Alessandro Bastoni’s cross-field pass found Nicolò Barella on the right, who then played Matteo Politano down the flank. Politano’s pull-back was deflected off Jonathan Tah and fell perfectly into the path of Sandro Tonali, who calmly swept the ball home from nine yards to give Italy the lead.

Germany quickly responded, with Leon Goretzka’s header narrowly missing the target, landing on the roof of the net, followed by his volley, which was easily saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Germany’s goalkeeper was tested by a powerful long-range shot from Tonali, which stung the hands of Baumann.

Moise Kean was presented with a golden opportunity shortly after, bursting past the offside trap thanks to a perfectly timed first-time ball from Politano. Kean’s shot was aimed at the top corner, but Baumann made a crucial save to keep the score level.

Nadiem Amiri’s pull-back from the by-line caused some chaos in Italy’s defense, but Germany equalized shortly after the break through substitute Tim Kleindienst. The striker was in the right place at the right time, heading in a perfect cross from Joshua Kimmich on the right.

Donnarumma had to act quickly to smother the ball at the feet of Kimmich, and Destiny Udogie’s header was blocked by Kimmich at the back post, as Germany continued to push forward.

Italy came close to regaining the lead with two huge chances in quick succession. First, Tonali’s audacious back-heel flick set up Kean, who volleyed just over the bar from a tricky angle. Then, Tonali teed up Giacomo Raspadori, whose angled drive was parried away by Baumann with his outstretched foot.

Germany almost went ahead with another dangerous header from Goretzka, but his attempt from a Kimmich cross went wide. The game took a dramatic turn when Raoul Bellanova’s poor decisions led to two giveaways, and from the resulting corner, Goretzka got in front of Bastoni to score with a glancing header past Donnarumma.

Baumann was called into action once more, making a sharp reaction save to deny a deflected Bastoni header from a corner. Shortly after, Baumann’s gloves were stung again by a powerful shot from Daniel Maldini, but he was able to keep his team in the lead.

Roberto Martinez’s Portugal team fell short on Thursday in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final, despite a remarkable performance from goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who saved a penalty and produced two more crucial stops. Portugal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen, with Rasmus Hojlund’s well-taken strike ultimately proving to be the difference.

Costa had a lucky escape early in the match when his attempted clearance ricocheted off Mika Biereth and towards his own goal. However, the Porto goalkeeper quickly reacted to prevent any danger and avert a potential disaster. On the opposite end, Denmark’s goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, was also forced into action, stretching fully to palm away a powerful shot from Pedro Neto at the edge of the box, keeping the scoreline level.

After the first 20 minutes, Denmark began to find their rhythm and were awarded a penalty when Renato Veiga blocked a goal-bound volley from Christian Eriksen with his hand. Costa, however, was equal to the challenge, diving to his right and producing a superb save to deny Eriksen’s spot-kick, keeping Portugal in the game.

Despite this setback, Denmark continued to press, with Costa again being called into action. He produced another brilliant save, diving to deny a low shot from Biereth that was heading for the bottom corner. Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot made a crucial clearance off the line to prevent Eriksen from scoring a tap-in. At the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo had a frustrating moment when he sent a weak header wide, reflecting Portugal’s struggle to create significant chances.

In the second half, Costa was tested again, this time saving a strong shot from Gustav Isaksen. However, Denmark’s persistence eventually paid off. Hojlund, who had only just come on as a substitute, finished off a brilliant team move with a composed strike into the net. In a nod to his idol Ronaldo, Hojlund celebrated his goal with the famous ‘SIUUU’ gesture.

Despite Costa’s outstanding performance, Portugal was unable to find a way through Denmark’s defense, leaving them with a difficult task ahead in the second leg if they are to turn the tie around and keep their Nations League hopes alive.

Real Madrid’s star failed to make an impact on Thursday, and France’s centre-backs struggled to contain Croatia’s attacking threat as the hosts secured a dominant 2-0 victory in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final.

France now face a daunting challenge to reach the Nations League semi-finals after a convincing defeat to Croatia on Thursday evening. The match could have taken an early turn in the visitors’ favor, but goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved Andrej Kramaric’s tame penalty in the eighth minute. Despite this early setback, Croatia went ahead 18 minutes later when Ante Budimir’s header slipped past Maignan from Ivan Perisic’s precise cross.

The French side struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the match, and just before halftime, Croatia doubled their lead. Perisic struck a powerful shot from 15 yards, sending it into the bottom corner and leaving France with a steep hill to climb.

In the second half, France showed some signs of life. Ousmane Dembele first forced Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic into a save, and then sent a shot just wide of the target. Substitute Bradley Barcola also had a prime opportunity to reduce the deficit but failed to connect with Matteo Guendouzi’s inviting cross across the six-yard box.

While Kylian Mbappe occasionally showed glimpses of his brilliance, his moments were far too infrequent in front of a passionate home crowd in Split. Didier Deschamps’ side will need a much-improved performance in the second leg on Sunday if they are to turn this quarter-final around and keep their hopes of advancing alive.

Japan became the first nation to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup through qualifiers, defeating Bahrain 2-0 in Saitama. Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half, allowing Japan to advance with three matches to spare in the third round of the Asian qualification campaign.

While Canada, Mexico, and the United States were already guaranteed places as host nations, Japan is the first team to qualify through the qualifiers. The Asian Football Confederation has eight guaranteed spots in the expanded 48-team tournament, with an additional spot available through inter-continental play-offs.

In the third round of qualification, 18 teams are divided into three groups, with the top two from each group securing World Cup spots. The third and fourth-place teams in each group progress to the fourth round to compete for the remaining places.

Managed by Hajime Moriyasu, Japan reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were eliminated by Croatia in a penalty shootout. In the second round of the 2026 qualifiers, they won all six matches and remain unbeaten in the third round with six wins and one draw. Among Japan’s starters were Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, and Takumi Minamino, who won the Premier League with Liverpool in 2020. This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.

Australia, who defeated Indonesia 5-1, are nine points behind Japan in second place.

Vivienne Miedema was the standout performer as Manchester City triumphed 2-0 over Chelsea in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter-Final tie. Miedema scored both of City’s goals, leading them to a well-deserved victory.

Manchester City were the more threatening side in the first half. Jill Roord had a powerful shot denied by the outstretched boot of Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who also made a crucial save later on, diving to block a strike from Lily Murphy on the edge of the box.

Chelsea had a few chances of their own. Catarina Macario narrowly missed with a diving header that flew over the bar, while Lauren James delivered a ball across the six-yard box that failed to find any of her teammates.

Early in the second half, Ayaka Yamashita was forced to get behind a long-range effort from James, but it was Manchester City who eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute.

Miedema, who had come on at half-time, made an immediate impact, volleying in at the far post after Hampton had managed to tip a header from Laia Aleixandri, following a cross from Mary Fowler, onto the bar.

Chelsea’s Mayra Ramirez had a goal ruled out for offside in the final moments of her time on the pitch, moments before being substituted.

As the game neared its conclusion, Chelsea pressed for an equalizer, and with just 10 minutes left, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s effort struck the crossbar, followed by a rebound attempt from Maika Hamano that was saved by Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Yamashita. The City goalkeeper then kept her side in control by pushing away a powerful shot from Wieke Kaptein.

City sealed the win in the final moments of the match, doubling their lead in the 88th minute. Miedema was again the one to finish, receiving a perfect pass from Kerolin before slotting the ball into the net.

The second leg of this thrilling tie will take place at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, March 27, at 8 p.m.

Reigning champions Barcelona took a commanding lead in Wolfsburg, putting themselves firmly in control of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final tie. The visitors were clinical from the start, with Caitlin Dijkstra’s unfortunate own goal breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute. Shortly after, Barcelona extended their lead with a quickfire double from Irene Paredes and Salma Paralluelo, making it 3-0 by the 53rd minute.

Wolfsburg responded with a goal of their own, as Janina Minge pulled one back for the hosts, giving them a glimmer of hope. However, that hope was short-lived as substitute Sydney Schertenleib delivered a brilliant finish with just two minutes remaining, curling the ball into the net off the underside of the crossbar to restore Barcelona’s three-goal advantage.

The game began with Wolfsburg’s defense faltering in the 26th minute, when Caroline Graham Hansen played a perfectly timed pass through to Aitana Bonmati. Bonmati’s low delivery was then turned into an own goal by Dijkstra, giving Barcelona the lead. While Wolfsburg had moments of promise on the counter-attack, they were unable to match Barcelona’s sharp and fluid attacking play, which continued to dominate throughout the match.

After the break, Barcelona made sure the tie was well beyond doubt, scoring twice within the first eight minutes of the second half. Paredes found the net at the near post following a short corner, and Paralluelo fired a deflected shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net.

Wolfsburg managed to pull one back in the 79th minute when Minge headed in from their first corner, giving the hosts a glimmer of hope. However, it was Schertenleib who sealed the win for Barcelona, making it 4-1 with her excellent strike late in the game.

The result puts Wolfsburg, six-time finalists, in a difficult position heading into the second leg in Spain on Thursday, March 27th (17:45 GMT), where they will need a dramatic turnaround to advance.

The match wrapped up with a dominant 1-4 victory for Madagascar over the Central African Republic in the latest round of African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This impressive result is not only a resounding win on the day but also holds substantial significance for Madagascar’s World Cup qualification hopes. The victory provides a crucial boost to their standing in the group and reinforces their aspirations to secure a spot in the tournament. Given the competitive nature of the qualification process, this victory comes at a pivotal time for Madagascar, offering both momentum and confidence as they continue their journey toward qualifying for the prestigious global event.

Madagascar completely outplayed Central African Republic, who had no reaction in the second half.

And Madagascar was able to take advantage when it had the opportunity to come from behind, and from then on it dominated the game.