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Latest bits across world football scenes

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By Timothy Akintola

Check out news on Harry Kane, FIFA CWC, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.

Harry Kane confirmed to have suffered a minor hamstring injury.

Bayern Munich striker, Harry Kane is doubtful for their German Cup clash against Bayer Leverkusen next week after sustaining a hamstring injury during Saturday’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Borussia Dortmund. The England captain and league top scorer was substituted after 33 minutes after suffering a minor hamstring injury with Bayern trailing 1-0. Thankfully, Jamal Musiala salvaged a point for the league leaders with an 85th-minute header after Bayern missed several second-half chances. Coach, Vincent Kompany revealed Kane described the injury as “not too serious” but acknowledged it would be “tight for Tuesday” as further scans are awaited. Kane’s absence could be significant, with Kompany noting his goals are “hard to replace.” Bayern, unbeaten in their last seven matches before Saturday without conceding a goal, face a tough challenge without their talisman, who has scored 19 goals this season across all competitions.

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Botafogo takes the final spot in the FIFA Club World Cup tournament.

On Saturday, Botafogo secured the final spot for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Atlético Mineiro in the Copa Libertadores final in Buenos Aires. This historic win marked Botafogo’s first-ever continental title and confirmed their participation in the tournament, set to take place in the United States next summer. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will feature 32 teams from all six soccer confederations. UEFA leads with 12 representatives, followed by six from CONMEBOL, five from CONCACAF, four each from CAF and AFC, and one from the OFC. The group stage draw will be held on December 5, 2024, in Miami, Florida, where groupings and playoff matchups will be decided. The month-long tournament is scheduled to run from June 15 to July 13, 2025, promising an exciting showcase of global club football.


Arsenal shows dominant in their seven-goal thriller against West Ham United.

Mikel Arteta’s men delivered a dominant performance in their 5-2 victory over West Ham United on Saturday, with all seven goals coming in a thrilling first half at the London Stadium. Gabriel Magalhães opened the scoring with a Trademark header in the 9th minute, followed by Leandro Trossard’s close-range finish. Martin Ødegaard converted a penalty, and Kai Havertz’s composed strike moments later made it 4-0, prompting some West Ham fans to leave early. West Ham quickly responded with Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s goal and a stunning free-kick from Emerson, narrowing the deficit. However, Bukayo Saka restored Arsenal’s three-goal lead with a stoppage-time penalty. The second half was less eventful as Arsenal comfortably secured the win, climbing to second in the table with 25 points, six behind leaders Liverpool. Having scored 13 goals in their last three games, Arsenal’s resurgence in form is undeniable.

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Las Pamas gives Barcelona their first home defeat of the season.

Barcelona’s struggles in La Liga deepened with a surprising 2-1 home loss to Las Palmas, following a defeat to Real Sociedad and a draw at Celta Vigo. The result leaves Barcelona’s lead at the top in jeopardy, as Real Madrid could overtake them with two games in hand. After a scoreless first half, former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramírez stunned the hosts by breaking through and scoring just four minutes into the second half. Although Raphinha equalized six minutes later with a brilliant 25-yard strike, Barcelona’s defense remained fragile. Fábio Silva capitalized on their vulnerabilities, skillfully creating space between the center-backs to fire in the decisive goal. Barcelona’s advantage over Real Madrid has now shrunk to four points, while Las Palmas climb to 14th, a significant improvement from starting the day near the relegation zone.


Atlético Madrid defeats Real Valladolid to move second in the La Liga table.

Simone’s Atlético Madrid thrashed bottom-placed Real Valladolid 5-0 in La Liga, climbing to second place with 32 points, two ahead of Real Madrid, who have two games in hand. Barcelona, despite losing 2-1 to Las Palmas earlier, remain top with 34 points. Clément Lenglet opened the scoring in the 26th minute, netting his first La Liga goal since 2020 from a Marcos Llorente cross. Julián Alvarez doubled the lead in the 35th, capitalizing on a rebound after Antoine Griezmann’s shot was blocked. Two minutes later, Rodrigo De Paul made it 3-0 with a precise first-time shot. In the second half, Griezmann dazzled with a delicate chip for Atletico’s fourth, earning applause from Valladolid fans. Iván Sánchez hit the crossbar for the hosts, but Alexander Sorloth sealed the rout in stoppage time. Valladolid remains bottom, with just nine points from 15 games.

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