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Neymar Scores his 1st Goal since Returning to Santos in Brazil

Neymar of Santos celebrates a goal during a Campeonato Paulista soccer match between Santos and Água Santa, at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Brazil, 16 February 2025. EPA/GUILHERME DIONIZIO
Neymar of Santos celebrates a goal during a Campeonato Paulista soccer match between Santos and Água Santa, at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Brazil, 16 February 2025. EPA/GUILHERME DIONIZIO
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Neymar Scores his 1st Goal since Returning to Santos in Brazil

Neymar of Santos celebrates a goal during a Campeonato Paulista soccer match between Santos and Água Santa, at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Brazil, 16 February 2025. EPA/GUILHERME DIONIZIO
Neymar of Santos celebrates a goal during a Campeonato Paulista soccer match between Santos and Água Santa, at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Brazil, 16 February 2025. EPA/GUILHERME DIONIZIO

Neymar scored his first goal for Santos since returning to Brazil when he converted a penalty Sunday in a 3-1 win over Sao Paulo-based Água Santa.
Finding the net from the spot in the 14th minute of the Sao Paulo state championship match will provide the 33-year-old star some relief after a tough restart.
Thaciano in the 26th and Guilherme, with an assist by Neymar, in the 70th rounded out the scoring for Santos.
So far, Neymar has not managed to play all 90 minutes in a match for Santos. His performances were below par in the first three games for the club, but he showed some improvement on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, The Associated Press reported.
Neymar officially returned to soccer in October after an entire year out.
He confirmed last month that his contract with Saudi club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once.
Neymar has signed a six-month contract with Santos, which he said could be extended later.
In his first professional spell at Santos from 2009 to 2013, he scored 138 goals in 225 official matches.

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No Big Bayern Changes Ahead of Klassiker Despite Coach Kompany Absence, Danks Says

Football - DFB Cup - Second Round - Bayern Munich v FC Magdeburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - October 28, 2026 Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks reacts. (Reuters)
Football - DFB Cup - Second Round - Bayern Munich v FC Magdeburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - October 28, 2026 Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks reacts. (Reuters)
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No Big Bayern Changes Ahead of Klassiker Despite Coach Kompany Absence, Danks Says

Football - DFB Cup - Second Round - Bayern Munich v FC Magdeburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - October 28, 2026 Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks reacts. (Reuters)
Football - DFB Cup - Second Round - Bayern Munich v FC Magdeburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - October 28, 2026 Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks reacts. (Reuters)

Bayern Munich will ‌not be making changes or preparing any differently for Saturday's Bundesliga Klassiker against Dortmund despite the absence of coach Vincent Kompany, assistant coach Aaron Danks said on Friday.

Kompany was discharged from hospital on Wednesday following his collapse in training last week due to a meningeal irritation but he is expected to be out for some time to recover. Danks is in charge for the second game after ‌their German Cup ‌win over Magdeburg this week.

The ‌Belgian ⁠coach had been rushed ⁠to hospital last week after collapsing during a second-team training session. He had been nursing a virus in the days before.

"We want the players to go out and show who they are," Danks told a press conference in Munich. "No big changes, ⁠no big differences for us. We will ‌be ready and super ‌competitive."

"There is a difference (in coaching). Vinnie did not want ‌his assistant coaches to be mini-Vinnies. We are ‌all different, but we complement each other," Danks said.

Bayern are top in the Bundesliga, ahead of Dortmund only on goal difference. They travel to Madrid to face Atletico ‌in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Danks, who has been in his ⁠position ⁠since 2024, expected to be in charge for at least the coming few games.

"What happened with Vinnie is difficult to prepare for," said Max Eberl, Bayern board member for sport. "What we said at the start of his illness is that we have a coaching staff. Vinnie is up front with a big personality but there is a whole team."

"It is nothing new for the lads. It is not a situation we could have planned for, but we have seamlessly made the transition."

Sports

Ailing Kimi Antonelli Nears F1 Title in Mexico and Will Make History as Youngest Champion

Formula One F1 - Mexico City Grand Prix - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico - October 29, 2026 Fans with cardboard cut-outs of Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Mexico City Grand Prix - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico - October 29, 2026 Fans with cardboard cut-outs of Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix. (Reuters)
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Ailing Kimi Antonelli Nears F1 Title in Mexico and Will Make History as Youngest Champion

Formula One F1 - Mexico City Grand Prix - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico - October 29, 2026 Fans with cardboard cut-outs of Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Mexico City Grand Prix - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico - October 29, 2026 Fans with cardboard cut-outs of Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix. (Reuters)

Kimi Antonelli arrived in Mexico with the Formula 1 title well within his grasp. Despite a viral infection which was keeping him away from the track, he is set to be crowned the youngest champion in the sport’s history on Sunday.

Antonelli missed Thursday's media session while recovering, but Mercedes expects him back for Friday's first practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

To secure the title and break the record set by Sebastian Vettel — the youngest champion to date at 23 in 2010 — Antonelli needs only to finish ninth or better.

Antonelli wants to seal the deal with another big result, but he could also do it without scoring another point, if someone other than Lewis Hamilton or George Russell wins Sunday's race.

“I’m very excited. I would love to clinch the title in style with a great result,” Antonelli said after taking his ninth win of the season in Texas last week. “That’s the mindset. That’s always the mindset, and that’s what it will be from now until the end of the season. “I’m just going to try to enjoy every moment because they’re moments that will always be remembered.”

Antonelli can also become the first Italian driver to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Mercedes can clinch the constructors' title on Sunday for the first time since 2021 — though that would need a big points haul for Antonelli and Russell, combined with a disastrous race for second-place Ferrari.

Mercedes hit the ground running under this season's new regulations, with George Russell’s victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Defying predictions this would be Russell's year, Antonelli surged ahead by winning five consecutive races as his teammate faded. Russell struggled to explain his lack of pace after finishing eighth in Austin last week.

“I think, at least in terms of my own approach, we’re not like boxers in a ring fighting directly against someone else,” Russell said of his relationship with Antonelli. “We’re essentially competing against ourselves. It’s the work and preparation you put in personally that makes the difference to a good performance”.

The Cadillac dilemma

Colton Herta will take the wheel of Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac for Friday's first practice, with Bottas' future still unclear.

Cadillac has yet to score a point since joining F1 this year, and its debut season has included some painful learning experiences including a long-running problem with the brakes overheating.

Sergio Pérez recently signed a two-year contract extension through 2029, but Cadillac has yet to confirm whether Bottas will stay with him. Herta would give the American team an American driver, but the former IndyCar prodigy has had a disappointing year in Formula 2 and is just 19th in the standings.

“I think he is doing a good job. He is bringing good feedback to the team, good information, which is all that we need of him,” Pérez said of Herta on Thursday. “Obviously, it’s very difficult to showcase your speed or your true level during FP1 sessions. But now that he’s had a bit more time in the car, we’re starting to see more of his speed.”

Pérez, who reaches the milestone of 300 Grand Prix starts on Sunday, declined to express a preference.

“Obviously, it’s not my decision; it’s up to Marcin (Budkowski, team principal) to decide who they want in the car,” Pérez added. “I’m also working really well with Valtteri. I think he’s been quite unlucky in a few races. It’s not an easy decision for the team.”

The altitude factor

The 2,240-meter (7,350-foot) altitude above sea level in Mexico City will pose a challenge for participants in the Mexico City Grand Prix. According to Mercedes’ Russell, the Ferrari team could have an advantage.

At this altitude, thin air starves the engines of oxygen, resulting in a loss of power, and makes it more difficult to prevent vehicle components, such as the brakes, from overheating.

“It’s going to be very interesting,” said Russell. “I think turbo lag is going to be a major factor for many teams this weekend. It’s no secret that teams like Ferrari use a smaller turbo than most, so they likely have a significant advantage in this regard.”

Sports

CAF Reverses Decision, Keeps AFCON Biennial

Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the final match. (Reuters)
Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the final match. (Reuters)
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CAF Reverses Decision, Keeps AFCON Biennial

Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the final match. (Reuters)
Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the final match. (Reuters)

The Africa ‌Cup of Nations will be held every two years, not four as was planned, governing body the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday after reversing an earlier decision.

AFCON has traditionally been staged every two years, but CAF's surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle was not widely welcomed.

"The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee today ‌unanimously decided that ‌the CAF Africa Cup of ‌Nations ⁠will return to ⁠taking place every Two Years," CAF said in a statement.

Under the previous plan, AFCON would have moved to a four-year cycle, with the proposed CAF Nations League becoming the continent's biennial competition.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe ⁠said at a strategy conference in ‌Cape Verde earlier ‌this month that the organization was considering returning AFCON ‌to a two-year cycle.

CAF said the ‌Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.

"The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the ‌AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests ⁠of ⁠African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent," Motsepe said in a statement.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the next edition in 2027, with subsequent tournaments to be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

There will be no AFCON in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.