There are weekends when football tiptoes quietly into the headlines, and then there are others when it fills stadiums with roars, unsettling managers with questions, and giving fans memories they will argue about for years.
This past weekend belonged to the latter. The game was restless, refusing to sit still, and every whistle seemed to spark a new story.
Football’s heartbeat was loud last weekend, from Dun’s Park to Nairobi and from Anfield to Seattle. It was a stretch of days packed with storylines that mixed redemption, celebration, heartbreak, and brilliance.
At home in Ghana, Asante Kotoko marked their 90th anniversary in style, clinching the ‘Champion of Champions’ title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bibiani GoldStars at Dun’s Park.
Frimpong Manso reflects on Gold Stars’ Super Cup defeat to Asante Kotoko
The match was cagey and tense, with early scares from the hosts. Kotoko goalkeeper Mohammed Camara twice denied Appiah McCarthy from set-pieces, while Shaybu Abubakar’s early intervention stopped a certain opener.
But the Porcupine Warriors, stung by last season’s struggles, stood firm. And when substitute Hamzata Musah latched onto a Seth Kwadwo cross in the 70th minute to bury the winner, it was a goal written for the occasion.
Kotoko’s resilience crowned their 90-year celebrations perfectly, and with the Ghana Premier League set to kick off on September 12, 2025, it felt like the club had just fired its opening warning shot.
The national focus quickly shifted to the Black Stars, who began assembling in Accra for World Cup qualifiers against Chad (September 4) and Mali (September 8). Fourteen players, including Antoine Semenyo, Tariq Lamptey, Mohammed Salisu, and Elisha Owusu, had already arrived by Monday afternoon.
Antoine Semenyo and 4 others report for Black Stars camping
The rest including Thomas Partey are expected by Monday, September 1, 2025, as the team looked to gel before flying to N’Djamena. The camp is calm, the stakes are not: Ghana’s road to the 2026 World Cup begins now.
Elsewhere on the continent, Morocco confirmed their dominance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), claiming a record third crown with a 3-2 win over Madagascar in Nairobi.
Europe too had its fireworks. At Anfield, Liverpool left it late but spectacular. With the match against Arsenal tilting toward stalemate, Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and curled in a vicious free-kick from 30 yards to seal a 1-0 win.
The Reds enter the international break as the Premier League’s only side with maximum points from their opening three games, and their new era under Arne Slot looks every bit as ruthless as the old.
In the transfer market, Newcastle United finally landed Brentford forward Yoane Wissa after a summer-long chase, agreeing a £55 million deal. He joins fellow new signing Nick Woltemade in the mission to replace Alexander Isak, who also completed his dream move Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian winger, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku is quietly building headlines of his own in England’s Championship. The 21-year-old scored in back-to-back games for Leicester City, his latest a sublime curler in a 2-0 win over Birmingham.
‘Fatawu Issahaku will lead our return to the Premier League’ – Leicester fan
Across the Atlantic, Seattle Sounders stunned Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 3-0 to lift the 2025 Leagues Cup. Alex Roldan scored from the spot and set up another, while Miami crumbled under the intensity.
The post-match scenes were fiery, a melee involving players from both sides, but the Sounders won’t care. Against Messi’s Miami, they had their moment.
From Kotoko’s jubilee joy to Morocco’s continental mastery, from Szoboszlai’s screamer to Issahaku’s rise, it was a weekend defined by goals, drama, and milestones that will linger long after the final whistles.
FKA/JE
Meanwhile, watch the new episode of Sports Check with Ali Jarrah below:
