African Players in Europe: Daring Semenyo Wins Final for City

Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Daring Semenyo Wins Final for City

Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)

Antoine Semenyo produced one of the great FA Cup final goals with an audacious back-flick that sealed a 1-0 win for Manchester City over Chelsea in the FA Cup final at the weekend.

The Ghana winger illuminated a largely scrappy final late in the second half as he improvised a sublime finish to caress Erling Haaland's cross into the net at Wembley.

Semenyo is set to be a key figure for the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup, where they face England, Croatia and Panama in Group L.

AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

ANTOINE SEMENYO (Manchester City)

His moment of magic was enough to clinch City's eighth FA Cup triumph and their second piece of silverware this season after the League Cup final win over Arsenal. Semenyo joins Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo and Steven Gerrard among the ranks of iconic FA Cup final goalscorers.

BRYAN MBEUMO (Manchester United)

The Cameroon forward scored for the first time since February in his side's 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest. Mbeumo netted in the 76th minute at Old Trafford to put United 3-1 up, turning in Bruno Fernandes' cross with a close-range finish to end his 11-game goal drought. The 26-year-old was also involved in a moment of controversy when referee Michael Salisbury ignored VAR and ruled his handball was accidental in the build-up to Matheus Cunha's goal.

ISMAILA SARR (Crystal Palace)

The Senegal forward notched his eighth league goal this season with a penalty in a 2-2 draw at Brentford. Sarr slotted home from the spot in the sixth minute, putting UEFA Conference League finalists Palace ahead.

DANGO OUATTARA (Brentford)

The Burkina Faso winger kept his club in the hunt for European qualification with a double against Crystal Palace. Ouattara's first goal arrived in bizarre fashion in the 40th minute when Palace defender Jaydee Canvot's clearance hit the 24-year-old in the face and deflected into the net. That was Brentford's first equalizer. Ouattara did it again in the 88th minute, firing home after Michael Kayode's throw was flicked on.

SPAIN

ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (Atletico Madrid)

The Nigeria striker and former African Footballer of the Year struck after 21 minutes to give fourth-placed Atletico a 1-0 home win over Girona, who are in the La Liga relegation zone with one matchday remaining. Lookman was set up France forward Antoine Griezmann, playing his 500th match for Atletico, and last at the Metropolitano stadium before joining MLS side Orlando City.

GERMANY

NICOLAS JACKSON (Bayern Munich)

Senegal striker Jackson came off the bench to score a late goal as Bayern celebrated their 35th Bundesliga title with a 5-1 win over Cologne. It was Jackson's 11th goal in all competitions this season and fourth in the last six Bundesliga games, despite playing second fiddle behind first-choice striker Harry Kane.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy opened the scoring in Dortmund's 2-0 win over Werder Bremen on the final day. The Guinea striker netted with a well-placed header on the hour as Dortmund ended the season with a win having already wrapped up second behind Bayern.

ABDOULIE CEESAY (Saint Pauli)

Gambian Ceesay could not save St. Pauli from relegation despite scoring for the third game in a row. Ceesay gave St. Pauli hope with a headed second-half equalizer in their final-day relegation showdown with Wolfsburg, but the Hamburg side lost 3-1 and fell back into the second division.



For 3rd Consecutive Time, Turki Alalshikh Tops the List of the Most Influential Figures in Boxing

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh. (General Entertainment Authority)
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh. (General Entertainment Authority)
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For 3rd Consecutive Time, Turki Alalshikh Tops the List of the Most Influential Figures in Boxing

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh. (General Entertainment Authority)
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh. (General Entertainment Authority)

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh has topped Boxing News magazine’s list of the 50 most influential figures in boxing for 2026, securing the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year.

The ranking reflects his influential role in the global boxing landscape over recent years, through contributing to the staging of some of the sport’s biggest fights, bringing together leading boxing stars in major international matchups, and strengthening collaboration with prominent promoters and organizations across the industry.

This growing presence has also helped establish Riyadh as one of the world’s leading boxing destinations, attracting major fights, top-tier athletes, and fans from around the world, alongside the continued expansion of Riyadh Season’s presence on the international sporting stage.

Boxing News is one of the world’s longest-established publications specializing in boxing. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1909, the magazine publishes the annual BN50 list, which ranks the most influential figures in the sport.


Lewis Hamilton’s Ordeal Continues with Brake Failure at Formula 1’s Spanish GP

 Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in action during the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in action during the race. (Reuters)
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Lewis Hamilton’s Ordeal Continues with Brake Failure at Formula 1’s Spanish GP

 Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in action during the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in action during the race. (Reuters)

It was another disappointing race weekend for seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver had to retire seven laps into Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix because of a brake failure. The setback came a week after he finished sixth at the Italian GP following an early dust-up with teammate Charles Leclerc that sparked some in-house spats.

“I hit the brake, the car started stopping and then the pedal took a step and all of a sudden the car didn’t de-accelerate as fast a normal,” Hamilton said. "I ended up carrying a lot of speed in and just brushed the barrier. After that the pedal came back and then a few corners later, the pedal went long. I don’t really know where that’s come from.”

The setback dropped Hamilton 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who won Sunday's race in Madrid.

“We’ve had a pretty decent car, a good car this weekend and I think we will continue to try and improve it and I think we have better results coming in the future,” Hamilton said. “I think the team’s done an amazing job, so I’m sad for them today that they couldn’t get max points. I think we had the car to fight for a win today, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work out.”

The weekend in Madrid started with Ferrari showing good pace behind Mercedes. Hamilton was fourth in the first practice session on Friday and third in the second. But he crashed during the final practice on Saturday, couldn't get a clean lap in qualifying and started fourth on the grid.

Hamilton hasn’t finished on the podium since a third-place result at the British GP. He won in Barcelona — his first victory with Ferrari — and was second in both Monaco and Canada.

He and Leclerc said this weekend that they had discussions about what happened at Monza, and Leclerc took responsibility for the incident that hurt Hamilton’s chances there. Hamilton praised his teammate’s “maturity” and said these issues were normal in F1.

Leclerc finished fourth on Sunday.


Mbappe Scores Brace as Real Madrid Get 4-1 Victory Over Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his his team's fourth goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his his team's fourth goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Mbappe Scores Brace as Real Madrid Get 4-1 Victory Over Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his his team's fourth goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his his team's fourth goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

Kylian Mbappe ‌scored twice as Real Madrid enjoyed a 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Mbappe got his sixth goal of the season in the 14th minute, from a penalty, after Rayo defender Florian Lejeune fouled Alvaro Carreras in the box.

Three minutes later Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappe, after Lejeune had gifted the ball to Vinicius Junior, and sent a shot into the net.

Wingers Vinicius and Yan Diomande, making his first start for Real since joining in August, found ample space to operate ‌in and after ‌34 minutes the Brazilian raced down the ‌left ⁠before picking out ⁠Jude Bellingham, just inside the box, who side-footed into the bottom corner with minimal fuss.

Mbappe hit the post late in the first half but the only danger to Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's clean sheet came from a long-range strike by Andrei Ratiu which the Belgian pushed away.

The lack of tension was evident early ⁠in the second period, with Rayo's Pedro Diaz ‌hitting the post. The visitors pulled a ‌goal back after 51 minutes when, after a cheap giveaway, Sergio Camello ‌sneaked the ball through Ibrahima Konate's legs and into ‌the corner of the net.

Rayo were now enjoying comfortable possession in the Real Madrid half and were keeping Courtois busy. On the Real Madrid bench, manager Jose Mourinho's anger was mirrored by whistles from the ‌crowd.

With 13 minutes to go, Real's Denzel Dumfries drew a spectacular save from goalkeeper Emil ⁠Audero after ⁠connecting with substitute Arda Guler's cross.

Real Madrid closed out the game with a second goal from Mbappe on the counter-attack in the 91st minute, moving him on to seven goals in six games in all competitions.

The result put Real Madrid on 12 points, level with leaders Barcelona who play Levante on Sunday.

Espanyol beat Osasuna 2-0 with an early brace from Roberto Fernandez, while Racing Santander came from behind to defeat in-form Alaves 2-1.

Elche went ahead at San Mames through a second-half penalty from Facundo Buonanotte, but Athletic Club captain Inaki Williams found an equalizer with 11 minutes remaining and the game finished 1-1.