Victor Olatunji was the star of the night as Sparta Prague defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group-stage encounter on Wednesday night.

The 25-year-old produced a stellar performance on his UCL debut to lead his Czech League champions to an improbable victory in the new-look UCL format.

Billed as one of ten Nigerian players expected to star in the competition, Olatunji volleyed in from an acute angle to double Sparta’s lead in the 42nd minute, netting his first-ever goal in the UCL group stage.

He celebrated the feat by revealing an inscription in his undershirt: “I am a Chosen. Who are you?”. The celebration was a nod to the part prayer, part comedic trend rocking the Nigerian social media space for the past few days.

Olatunji then assisted Qazim Laci in sealing the victory in the second half. Kaan Kairinen had put the hosts ahead on three minutes.

It is Sparta Prague’s first UCL group stage win in 21 years. Olatunji also made history as the first Nigerian international to score and assist on his UCL group stage debut.

The goal is also his third of this season’s competition, adding to the two he netted in the qualifying rounds.

In other matches, Inter Milan held Manchester City to a goalless draw, while Celtic were the highest winners of the night with a 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava. Raphael Onyedika played all 90 minutes but could not save Club Brugge from a 3-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund at home.

RESULTS
Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Sparta Prague 3-0 RB Salzburg
Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City 0-0 Inter Milan
PSG 1-0 Girona

Manchester City supporters have been told to brace themselves for “bombshell moments” in what will be an otherwise “boring” 115-charge FFP case.

Some 19 months after learning in February 2023 that supposed monetary mismanagement at the Etihad Stadium would be thrust under the microscope, a hearing into the allegations made against the reigning Premier League champions has finally been opened.

City claim to have “irrefutable evidence” that will help to clear their name in a case that could reportedly involve as many as 130 charges – following initial errors in reporting.

Fans around the world are now eagerly awaiting updates in a saga that has sparked discussion regarding potential point penalties, hefty fines or even demotion out of the English top-flight.

The London-based location of the hearing has been leaked, but former Everton CEO Keith Wyness says little information regarding what goes on behind closed doors will be forthcoming.

He has told Football Insider: “The secret location was leaked, there were photographs of the lawyers going in and the lead lawyer, David Pannick, is reportedly on £5,000 per-hour. But we’re not going to be hearing much. They have been very clear about that. The chairman of the commission will only disclose things he wants to be disclosed, and there’ll be no further reporting. Of course in football, we’re all looking for leaks and, if there are no leaks, then people would be making up leaks, so we’re going to have to be very careful with the information coming out.”

He did go on to say, as City wait to learn their fate: “I do believe it should be transparent, because it would add to the penalty. If a club realised it would be dragged through the mud publicly, that might be another way to stop the behaviour we’re trying to fight against.

It will bore people for the next two months. The detail and minutiae will be incredible and very boring, but there will be bombshell moments. I’ve been around these proceedings a couple of times, and they are very boring – it’s not great TV.

However, I do believe that if we’re to enforce rules, then justice needs to be seen to be done. There’s some value in having some reporters there and giving us an update on proceedings each day. That would be helpful and important.”

The charges against City date back to 2009 – shortly after Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of the club. An era of dominance has been enjoyed at the Etihad since then, with Pep Guardiola overseeing a historic run of four successive Premier League title triumphs.

Goal

For a while, it seemed Ademola Lookman had signed off as an Atalanta player with the most flamboyant of flourishes.

His dazzling hat-trick in the Europa League final delivered a first European trophy to the club, in the process making the Italians the only side to beat Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen juggernaut all season.

You would be hard pressed to find a more decisive cup final performance. Inevitably, after the initial torrent of praise came the enquiries, with Paris Saint-Germain coming knocking for the Nigerian late in the transfer window.

Lookman ended up training alone and unavailable for selection while awaiting news after the season had started.

It was the last thing Gian Piero Gasperini needed after what had already been a difficult summer.

He had already lost star striker Gianluca Scamacca to an ACL injury, forcing Atalanta into the market to sign Italy international Mateo Retegui, while Teun Koopmeiners joined domestic rivals Juventus after a drawn-out transfer saga.

But now, with the market safely closed and nothing ultimately coming of PSG’s advances, things are looking bright again for Atalanta and Lookman alike just in time for the visit of Arsenal.

Lookman became the first Atalanta player to receive a Ballon d’Or nomination when he was named on the 30-man shortlist after a year of Europa League heroics and a starring role in Nigeria’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final.

And on Sunday, he came in from the cold to belatedly play his first league minutes of the season against Fiorentina, putting in a man-of-the-match display in a 3-2 win that earned him gushing praise once more from the Italian media.

Lookman’s mesmerising assist for Retegui’s opener was followed by a sublime goal of his own, tying two defenders in knots before wrong-footing David de Gea with a clever finish.

“The magician is back to being a phenomenon,” gushed Gazzetta dello Sport, while Sky Sport Italia said: “His season has resumed the way the last one finished: as the best player on the pitch.”

Lookman couldn’t have timed his game-changing performance much better. Not only was it desperately needed after a humbling 4-0 defeat at Inter Milan before the international break, but it came on a landmark day in the history of his club as they played in their completely renovated stadium for the first time.

Il Giornale wrote that Lookman “turned on the lights in the new house” as Atalanta’s supporters packed into a new-look Gewiss Stadium that was finally finished after almost 2000 days of work and 100 million euros of investment.

The mood music is upbeat once more as Bergamo prepares to host Champions League football again after two years when Arsenal come to town.

It’s a challenge that Lookman will relish. Born in London to Nigerian parents, Ademola was brought up playing cage football across the capital, developing the explosive movement, one-on-one skills and quick feet that characterise his game.

His journey from the south London streets to a Ballon d’Or shortlist has taken him from Waterloo to Charlton, Everton and Leipzig, with stops in Leicester and Fulham on the way before he arrived at Atalanta.

Lookman has now played more games, 80, for the Italians than any other club and his two seasons in Lombardy have been the most prolific of his career, producing a combined 32 goals in all competitions.

But if PSG’s interest wasn’t surprising, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t disruptive.

Lookman reportedly asked not to be picked for the opening weeks of the Serie A season to avoid injury ahead of a potential move, and he trained alone until being reintegrated when a deal could not be struck.

But any worries that coming back into the fold would be problematic quickly dissolved against Fiorentina.

“He had a bit of a difficulty due to the transfer window and we were aware of that,” defender Berat Djimsiti said after the game.

“We told him to be calm… do what you were doing before, and we will all be happy. That’s what he did.”

The brilliance of Lookman’s display was the perfect way of drawing a line under the saga as attention quickly turns to Arsenal.

Rumours abound that Gasperini could sacrifice an attacker for a midfielder for the visit of the Gunners and you can see why.

Atalanta have scored and conceded eight goals in four games so far – only three teams have scored more, but nobody has conceded more.

Even a magician might find it hard to conjure up results against Europe’s elite unless that problem is solved quickly.

– inews