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Chelsea maintain perfect Conference League record with 3-1 win over Astana

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Astana’s Belarusian midfielder #07 Max Ebong (C) fights for the ball with Chelsea’s English midfielder #32 Tyrique George (R) during the UEFA Conference League football match between FC Astana and Chelsea FC in Astana on December 12, 2024. (Photo by Konstantin CHALABOV / AFP)

Chelsea made it five wins in five Europa Conference League outings on Thursday with a 3-1 victory against Astana in Almaty.

A much-changed Chelsea side battled the frigid conditions in Kazakhstan and won to all but guarantee a top-eight finish in the league phase, which would ensure automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Chelsea sit top of the standings on 15 points, three ahead of Legia Warsaw who are the only other side to boast a perfect record in the competition.

The Polish side will seek to draw level with Chelsea when they host Lugano of Switzerland later on Thursday.

The defeat leaves Astana in the final knock-out play-off spot with four points and at risk of elimination.

Chelsea wrapped up the points in the first half through goals from Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga.

Marin Tomasov pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of half-time but Enzo Maresca’s side rarely looked troubled in the second half as they closed out the win.

Guiu gave Chelsea the perfect start by netting a brace inside the opening 20 minutes, bringing his tally in Europe to three goals in five appearances this season.

His first on 14 minutes showcased the ex-Barcelona attacker’s budding talent as he drove past a defender on the right flank before stroking home from an acute angle.

The 18-year-old Spaniard doubled up four minutes later with a striker’s goal as he forced the ball home at the front post following good wing play by Pedro Neto.

Renato Veiga, 21, headed in Chelsea’s third from a corner on 39 minutes.

Croatian veteran Tomasov scored the pick of the goals in the 45th minute as he stood up Renato Veiga in the box before arcing a fine left-footed strike in off the far post.

Earlier, Djurgarden of Sweden provisionally moved up to sixth with a 2-1 win at Vikingur Reykjavik despite finishing with 10 men.

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EPL: Fulham must move on from defeat to Manchester City — Iwobi

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Alex Iwobi says Fulham must stay positive despite their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.

Marco Silva’s side put up a spirited display in the encounter, and were unlucky not to get at least one point.

Iwobi started the fight back by scoring the second goal for Fulham early in the second half.

The versatile midfielder’s compatriot, Samuel Chukwueze then rose from the bench to score two more goals for the Cottagers.

Manchester City, however, held on to go home with maximum points.

Iwobi stated that they deserved more from the game.

“I feel disappointed because we didn’t get anything out of the fighting spirit that we showed, but I think we have to take the positivity from the game,” Iwobi told the club’s official website.

Fulham will be away to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Sunday.

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EPL: Guardiola names team that impresses him everyday

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Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has named the Premier League club that has impressed him so much this season.

The Spaniard said that Enzo Maresca’s side have really impressed him with the improvement they make everyday.

Speaking after Manchester City beat Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Guardiola pointed out that a team must remain consistent to win the title.

Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points behind Arsenal with the victory over Fulham, but the Gunners could maintain their five points lead with a win over Brentford on Wednesday night.

“Chelsea impresses me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long,” he told reporters after the win.

“Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we in December, January or February we were behind.

“The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.

“But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.”

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Outrage As ‘Biological Male’ Wins World’s Strongest Woman Event in Texas (Photos)

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The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked outrage after an alleged transgender athlete won gold.

American Jammie Booker, who is accused of being a biological male, beat Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson to victory at the event in Arlington, Texas.

According to Mail Online, Thompson walked off the podium, appearing to say ‘this is bulls***,’ while Booker celebrated. The Brit has since been crowned the ‘true World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of World’s Strongest Woman, has sensationally claimed that no one – not even the organizers – knew about Booker’s background.

Details on the American are not clear, but the publication sighted a YouTube video – uploaded to what appears to be Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017, with Booker saying: ‘Everyone is dying to tell their own story and I am obviously no exception to that.

‘I’m 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.’

On Monday night, Roberts posted a picture on Instagram that read ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the picture: ‘I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.

But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.

This isn’t about identity. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.

‘What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack.

‘My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.

‘I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025’

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