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Zlatan Ibrahimovic inspires Milan win at Roma as Athletic deny Real Sociedad

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his 150th Serie A goal as Milan inflicted Jose Mourinho’s first home defeat in the Italian top flight with a 2-1 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to keep pace with Serie A leaders Napoli.

The 40-year-old striker rifled a low free-kick into the bottom corner in the 25th minute to put the visitors ahead after a lively start, his 400th goal in total in domestic leagues.

Ibrahimovic had a brilliantly finished second ruled out for offside after the break, just like team mate Rafael Leão in the first half, before going down under Roger Ibañez’s challenge to earn a spot kick that Franck Kessié converted in the 57th.

Milan were reduced to 10 men for the final 25 minutes after left back Theo Hernández was shown a second yellow card, but Stephan El Shaarawy’s stoppage-time strike was not enough to rescue the game for Roma.

Napoli maintained top spot with a 1-0 win at Salernitana on Sunday, but had to work hard against the relegation battlers as Piotr Zielinski scored a scrappy winner and both sides had players sent off late in the game.

Napoli struggled to create in the absence of the injured top-scorer Victor Osimhen and captain Lorenzo Insigne, who was only fit enough for the bench, but they eventually broke through in the 61st minute. The substitute Andrea Petagna headed against the bar, the ball was cleared to Mario Rui, and the defender’s shot deflected into the path of Zielinski for a close-range finish.

It was Napoli’s first shot on target and proved to be enough for the win, and there was more incident to come when Salernitana midfielder Grigoris Kastanos and Napoli captain Kalidou Koulibaly were sent off in the final 20 minutes.

Earlier, Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic scored a hat-trick to fire his seventh-placed side to a 3-0 win over a Spezia team stuck in the relegation zone. The Viola have 18 points. Empoli rose to 10th, level on 15 points with Juventus, after coming from behind to beat 12th-placed Sassuolo, while Genoa and Venezia, who both sit just above the drop zone, drew 0-0.

In La Liga, Real Sociedad went back to the top of La Liga after the derby with Athletic Bilbao but were left to run an injury-time equaliser for their Basque rivals.

Alexander Isak had given Sociedad a 58th-minute lead from the penalty spot. Just as they were contemplating a three-point advantage on Real Madrid and Sevilla at the top, Bilbao levelled in stoppage time. Iker Muniain’s free-kick beat Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro’s failed attempt to punch the ball clear.

Atlético Madrid put an end to their winless run by beating Real Betis 3-0 to stay within range of the Spanish league leaders. Atlético got on the board with goals from Yannick Carrasco and João Félix, and an own-goal by Betis defender German Pezzella, in heavy rain at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. The victory moves Atlético within two points of leaders Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad.

Mallorca drew 1-1 at Cádiz after conceding a late goal for the third consecutive match. The visitors opened the scoring with a goal by Iddrisu Baba in the 29th, and Álvaro Negredo equalized for Cádiz by converting a penalty three minutes into stoppage time. Enes Ünal’s double strike saw the bottom club, Getafe, defeat Espanyol 2-1 for only their second win of the season.

In France, Nice moved up to second place in Ligue 1 with another comeback win, Andy Delort scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Angers. The Angers winger Sofiane Boufal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 29th minute after Youcef Atal tripped him inside the area.

But Delort equalized with a deflected shot in the 57th before slamming home a volley from the edge of the box in stoppage time. The victory moves the club within eight points of league leader Paris Saint-Germain.

Elsewhere, Brest stunned Monaco 2-0 to earn their first win of the season but remain in the relegation zone. The Benin international striker Steve Mounie scored from close range after Jeremy Le Douaron diverted a free-kick from Romain Faivre in the 17th. Brest capitalised on a counterattack to double the lead in the 79th as Franck Honorat converted a cross from Irvin Cardona.

Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo raised his tally to six goals for the season by scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Lorient while Florent Mollet and Elye Wahi led mid-table Montpellier to a 2-0 win over Nantes, Bordeaux moved away from the relegation zone with a 3-2 comeback win over Reims, and Troyes stayed in the bottom half of the table after drawing 2-2 with fifth-placed Rennes.

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Tinubu condoles with NNPCL boss over daughter’s death

President Bola Tinubu has condoled the death of his daughter with the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Kolo Mele Kyari.

Kyari’s daughter, Fatima died Friday at the age of 25 after protracted illness.

The President sympathised with Kyari and the rest of the family on the irreparable and painful loss.

He prayed for the repose of the soul of Fatima and urged the Kyari family to stay strong at these trying times

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Lagos sacks six LASTMA officials over misconduct

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has dismissed six of its officials based on the directive from the Lagos State Civil Service Commission (CSC).

This follows the recommendations of the Personnel Management Board, which flagged the officers for serious misconduct and inefficiency.

The disciplinary actions were officially communicated to the affected officials at LASTMA’s headquarters in Oshodi, Lagos.

In a statement issued by Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, LASTMA’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed that the Civil Service Commission had approved the board’s recommendations.

He emphasised that the disciplinary measures were in strict accordance with the Lagos State Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

Bakare-Oki reassured the public that LASTMA is committed to improving its operations and urged Lagos residents to report both commendable acts and cases of misconduct by LASTMA officials, providing necessary evidence.

“This exercise is part of our ongoing efforts to rid the agency of errant officers. Another Personnel Management Board meeting will soon be held to review additional cases,” he said.

He also called on road users in Lagos to adhere to traffic laws, reminding them that violations would lead to penalties, including fines imposed by the Lagos Mobile Courts.

Highlighting the importance of compliance, Bakare-Oki noted that following traffic regulations is key to achieving Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s “Greater Lagos” vision, with traffic management being a core pillar of the THEMES Plus Development Agenda.

Mmebers of the public were encouraged to report complaints through LASTMA’s toll-free hotline (080000527862) or the Walk-In Complaint Centre at their Oshodi headquarters.

Bakare-Oki reassured citizens that LASTMA is committed to addressing all complaints impartially while protecting the civil rights of motorists across the state.

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Zulum opens houses for teachers in Buratai Secondary School in Tum

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Thursday night, commissioned two projects constructed by his administration in Biu Local Government Area in the southern part of the state.

The projects include a housing estate for teachers in Buratai town and a new secondary school in Tum village.

The Buratai housing estate comprises 10 units of two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows aimed at addressing the problem of housing deficit particularly as it affects teachers in Borno State.

Tum Day Secondary School, one of the 102 constructed by the Zulum administration is a co-educational senior secondary school attached with junior secondary and primary schools.

Performing the brief opening ceremony, Zulum assured that his administration is committed to improving the quality of healthcare service delivery and education in Borno State.

He said, “I want to assure you that this administration is committed to providing affordable quality health care delivery systems and, most importantly, education, which is the bedrock for any meaningful development. Without education, there will be no meaningful development.”

As a mark of appreciation for the numerous projects by the Zulum administration, Buratai community presented a plaque to the governor commending his integrity in governance.