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Paris 2024 Olympics: Zambian captain Barbra Banda makes history in 6-5 loss to Australia

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Zambian women national team captain, Barbra Banda, has made Olympic football tournament history by becoming the first player, male or female, to score three hat-tricks after she netted three times in her country’s 5-6 loss to Australia.

The 24-year-old Orlando Pride of USA forward had, in 2020 during the Tokyo Olympics, become the first player to score hat-tricks in back-to-back games against the Republic of China and the Netherlands, despite her side going winless and exiting in the group stages.

She repeated the feat in Zambia’s second match against the Aussies, thereby cementing her place in Olympics football history books.

The fast-paced striker has a reputation as the ‘most in-form forward in the world’ for a reason having scored 12 goals in her first 12 NWSL games, and went into the Paris 2024 with great expectations and did not fail to deliver.

According to Olympics.com, the Zambian captain is probably the greatest football talent in her country, inspiring a whole generation of young women.

“She began playing on the streets of Lusaka where it was taboo for women to play football,” Olympics.com said in a citation on her.

“She ended up joining one of the biggest clubs, the Green Buffaloes, before being the first player in Zambia to play in Europe followed by Super League club Shanghai Shengli where she is the top scorer.

“The 24-year-old is no stranger to women’s Olympic football, putting her name in lights at Tokyo 2020 three years ago.

“The Zambian captain became the first player in tournament history to score hat-tricks in back-to-back games, against the Republic of China and the Netherlands.

“Fast-forward to now, at the Nice Stadium, and the electric forward has added yet another three-goal feat to her name in a breathless 11-goal encounter against Australia that ended 6-5 in favour of the Aussies.

“Her slice of history was wrapped up inside the opening 45 minutes, with decisive strikes at the very start and end of the first half.

“Banda is now the first player in women’s football to score three hat-tricks at the Olympic Games. Her current tournament goal tally now stands at nine, five shy of Cristiane’s record (14).”

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Ghanaian winger Fatawu out for season with ACL injury

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Ghana and Leicester City winger, Abdul Fatawu, has been ruled out of the rest of the EPL season after suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury during Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Angola in a 2025 AFCON match during the international break.

Leicester coach, Steve Cooper, who announced the news on Thursday, said the 20-year-old enterprising player suffered a “serious” knee injury which will see him out for the rest of the season.

“It’s not good, it’s a serious injury,” Cooper said ahead of his side’s home tie against Chelsea on Saturday.

“He’s had an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury that is going to rule him out for the rest of the season. It’s a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.

“Albeit, it can be quite common in sport and in particular football, but it’s still a serious injury. For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.

“He’s obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.

“It’s only a pause and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case,” the gaffer said.

Fatawu has been a key player for the Foxes, helping them gain promotion last season and has played 11 times for them in the league during the present campaign, scoring two goals.

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SA football legend Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe passes away

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South African football legend, Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe, has passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with illness.

According to South African media, Moripe lit up the country’s football fields in the 1970s and became a rallying point for football in the country, especially in the apartheid era.

“Moripe, who mesmerised opponents and spectators alike during an injury ravaged career, spent his last years confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke, and died at his home on Tuesday at the age of 71,” one media report said.

“Moripe, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the country has produced by those who saw him play, was called “the god of football”’ by adoring fans during the early 1970s in a nod to his natural talents.

“He was feared by defenders and goalkeepers and his style of play was synonymous with flair, finesse and the golden era of South African football.

“In recent years Moripe was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a mild stroke that was worsened by the effects of a long-term knee injury that stopped his playing career in the late 1980s.

“Throughout his career, Moripe played for the Orlando Pirates and the Pretoria Callies, winning the respect of both teammates and supporters.

“In 2010, the Atteridgeville Super Stadium was renamed the Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium in honor of his noteworthy achievements to South African football. Major football games are still held at this stadium, which now stands as a tribute to his legacy.

“Moripe’s career highlights include leading Pretoria Callies to victory against top clubs and earning the 1973 NPSL Player of the Year and Sportsman of the Year titles.

“He also played internationally for Caroline Hill in Hong Kong and briefly for Orlando Pirates. Persistent knee injuries ended his playing career in the late 1980s.”

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