Viktor Gyokeres scores twice as Arsenal rout Leeds

Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres celebrates after scoring his side’s fifth goal from the penalty spot during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 23 August 2025
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Viktor Gyokeres scores twice as Arsenal rout Leeds

  • Victory came at a cost for Mikel Arteta as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard hobbled off injured

LONDON: Viktor Gyokeres scored his first two Arsenal goals as the Gunners gave Leeds a harsh lesson in the step up to the Premier League with a 5-0 win at the Emirates.

Victory came at a cost for Mikel Arteta as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard hobbled off injured just eight days before Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool.

Arsenal edged ahead of north London rivals Tottenham at the top of the table on goal difference, as the only two sides so far with a 100 percent record from their opening two games.

Saka fired in a blistering strike from a narrow angle to double the home side’s lead after Jurrien Timber opened the scoring.

Gyokeres was signed from Sporting Lisbon as the solution to Arsenal’s need for a killer number nine.

The Swede’s ability to succeed in the Premier League has been questioned despite his prolific record of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting.

Gyokeres made his mark with a fine individual run and finish before Timber bundled in his second from another Declan Rice corner.

Gyokeres rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot with virtually the last kick of the game.

A day of celebration for the home fans began before kick-off when new £60 million ($81 million) signing Eberechi Ezi was paraded after he turned down a move to Tottenham.

But the sight of captain Odegaard and talisman Saka leaving the field soured a routine win.

Arsenal had to rely on their threat from set-pieces to grind out a 1-0 win at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season.

Despite a dominant start to the game, that was how the the Leeds defense was prized open.

Timber had scored just twice in 52 Arsenal appearances before Saturday.

The Dutch international doubled that tally as he firstly got his head to Rice’s inviting delivery on 34 minutes.

Odegaard then made his departure after appearing to injure his shoulder falling heavily to the turf.

Saka soon had the Emirates crowd back on their feet when he drilled Timber’s pass high past Lucas Perri with his supposedly weaker right foot.

Gyokeres had at one point been a target for Leeds during his days with Coventry in the Championship before making the move to Portugal.

Arsenal’s new £66 million signing showed the Yorkshire side what they missed as he scampered onto Riccardo Calafiori’s ball over the top and cut inside before firing in at the near post.

Saka missed nearly four months of last season with a hamstring injury.

Worryingly for Arteta, the England international was holding the back of his left leg when he was replaced on 53 minutes.

Arsenal added a fouth when Leeds failed to clear another Rice corner and Timber forced the ball over the line from close range.

Arteta could then afford the luxury of handing a Premier League debut to 15-year-old Max Dowman.

He became the second youngest ever player to play in the English top-flight after team-mate Ethan Nwaneri.

Dowman’s trickery won a penalty deep into stoppage time that Gyokeres gratefully dispatched.


Ton-up Farhan helps Pakistan seal Super Eight spot with Namibia rout

Updated 19 February 2026
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Ton-up Farhan helps Pakistan seal Super Eight spot with Namibia rout

  • It was Farhan’s maiden T20 ton and he became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad in 2014 against Bangladesh

COLOMBO: Sahibzada Farhan hit a magnificent unbeaten century to help Pakistan seal the final Super Eight berth at the T20 World Cup with a thumping 102-run win over Namibia in Colombo on Wednesday.

Farhan scored 100 not out off 58 balls with four sixes and 10 fours as Pakistan posted 199-3 before they routed Namibia for 97 in 17.3 overs.

Pakistan’s victory took them to six points from four games in Group A and eliminated the United States, who finished with four points.

India also have six points and play the Netherlands in the group’s final game later Wednesday.

The defending champions India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies will play each other in the Super eights Group 1, hosted in India.

Pakistan join New Zealand, England and co-hosts Sri Lanka in Group 2, hosted in Sri Lanka.

After a morale-shattering 61-run defeat against India, Pakistan needed a victory to avoid an early exit, which was achieved with ease as spinners Usman Tariq (4-16) and Shadab Khan (3-19) tore through the Namibia batting.

Louren Steenkamp scored 23 while Alexander Busing-Volschenk was the only other batsman to reach double figures with 20.

‘Complete performance’ 

Skipper Salman Agha praised a clinical show.

“It is a complete performance,” said a relieved Agha.

“We batted well and Farhan anchored the innings. He has been batting well for a while and I am happy that he got his hundred.

“With the ball we were lethal.”

Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus admitted Pakistan’s spin bowlers were too hot to handle.

“It (spin) is a special skill to have, to turn the ball both ways like they do,” said Erasmus.

“I think that’s one of the things we’ll definitely take home and look to improve on.”

Farhan earlier blasted a six and a four off pace bowler Jack Brassell to enter the 90s before taking a single off Gerhard Erasmus to complete his hundred in the final over.

It was Farhan’s maiden T20 ton and he became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad in 2014 against Bangladesh.

Shadab Khan, promoted to No. 5 with Babar Azam left out, hit three sixes and a four in his 36 not out off 22 balls as Pakistan smashed 42 from the last three overs.

Farhan put on 40 for the opening wicket with Saim Ayub (14) before consolidating the innings during a 67-run second wicket stand with captain Salman Agha (38).

Pakistan also left out pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi after a poor show in the first three matches, including conceding 31 in two overs in the defeat against India on Sunday.

Farhan’s ton means this is the first T20 World Cup in which three centuries have been scored.

He followed Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, who scored a hundred against Australia on Monday, and Canada’s Yuvraj Sama who reached three figures against New Zealand on Tuesday.