Kaheim Dixon filled his boots on Tuesday.
Charlton Athletic
Jamaican international Kaheim Dixon delivered a stunning performance on Tuesday evening, scoring four goals to lead Charlton Athletic’s U21 side to a dominant 9-2 victory over Wingate & Finchley in the third round of the London Senior Cup. The match, held at the Maurice Rebak Stadium, showcased Dixon’s clinical finishing and skill as the young Addicks advanced to the fourth round of the competition.
Charlton took control early, with Kai Enslin opening the scoring in the fifth minute, chesting down a lofted ball before firing in a precise finish. The Addicks doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Nathan Asiimwe, stepping down from the first team, headed home a pinpoint cross from Toby Bower.
Wingate & Finchley briefly pulled one back after halftime through Jaiden Drakes-Thomas, whose low strike beat goalkeeper Lennon MacLorg. However, Charlton quickly reestablished their dominance as Enslin netted his second with fancy footwork and a composed finish.
Drakes-Thomas added another for the hosts, but from then on, it was the Kaheim Dixon Show. The 20-year-old forward opened his account in the 67th minute with a long-range effort that left the keeper helpless. Moments later, Ibrahim Fullah added Charlton’s fifth before Dixon delivered a spectacular bicycle kick in the 75th minute, converting a cross from Enslin with flair.
Dixon completed his hat-trick just two minutes later, rounding the keeper after being played through on goal. He added his fourth deep into stoppage time, driving into the box and slotting a calm finish into the far corner to cap off a memorable night.
The match also saw contributions from Jacob Safa, who scored Charlton’s eighth after coming off the bench, and Enslin, who finished with a brace.
Charlton U21s manager Chris Lock praised Dixon’s impact and the team’s performance, saying, “Kaheim was outstanding tonight. His composure, skill, and hunger for goals were top-class. It was a strong team effort, and these kinds of performances are crucial for the development of our players.”
Dixon’s standout display is the latest milestone in his promising career, as the Jamaican continues to impress at club level and build his reputation as a rising star for the Reggae Boyz.
Charlton will now look forward to the fourth round of the London Senior Cup, with confidence running high after their emphatic display.
Chelsea must not underestimate Heidenheim test, says Maresca
Enzo Maresca insists his Chelsea players must be mentally prepared for the challenge that Heidenheim will pose in tomorrow's Europa Conference League clash.
Chelsea are one of six sides, along with Heidenheim, with a perfect record in the competition so far, though the Blues lead the way in the 36-team league table having scored 16 goals in three games.
The Blues' superior goal difference was helped by their 8-0 thrashing of Noah in their last game, scoring six goals in the first-half, which was the largest lead by an English side at the break of a major European game since Derby County were winning 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.
Though Chelsea have already swept aside the sides put in front of them in the competition so far, Maresca does not want complacency to undermine his side's performance against the Bundesliga club.
"I enjoy every game in this competition knowing that every club tries to make it their big game," Maresca said.
"The issue for us can be that if we are not ready mentally, and we underestimate a team, they can hurt us. So we need to be ready.
"It’s an important competition, a European competition. Since we started, we have tried to share minutes with all the players in the squad.
"In some of the [Conference League] games, we have also used some young players. So we’ll see. In this moment, it’s like this, and hopefully, we can continue in this way."
With the hectic December fixture list to begin on Sunday with Aston Villa's visit to Stamford Bridge, a number of players have not travelled with the squad.
Yet Maresca provided a positive update on Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto, both of whom were absent for their 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday.
"Both have trained with us," he said. "We don’t take any risks for tomorrow’s game, but I think both should be available for Sunday’s game [against Aston Villa]."
Red Star Belgrade 5-1 Stuttgart: Five-star hosts earn first Champions League win
Red Star Belgrade claimed the first win of their Champions League campaign, coming from behind to thrash Stuttgart 5-1 at the Stadion Rajko Mitic on Wednesday.
This was only the Serbian SuperLiga leaders' third ever win in the competition, and they had to come from behind to move up to 31st in the standings after five games.
Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute, capitalising on some slack defending to net his seventh goal of the season in all competitions.
However, Stuttgart loanee Silas Katompa Mvumpa restored parity six minutes later, driving from midfield before sending a curled effort beyond Alexander Nubel.
The hosts were ahead just past the half-hour mark through Rade Krunic, who netted his first club goal for over two years, his last coming for AC Milan in the 2022-23 campaign.
Red Star continued to threaten after the interval and were rewarded in the 65th minute when Mirko Ivanic ghosted in at the far post to head in his side's third.
Krunic turned provider four minutes later, teeing up Nemanja Radonjic before the Serbian striker notched his second a minute from time with a low left-footed finish.
Data Debrief: Fifth time lucky
After going four games without a win in the competition, Red Star did not look like a side lacking confidence as they confidently dispatched their Bundesliga opponents.
Their victory was their biggest across both the Champions League and European Cup when conceding first, while they also inflicted Stuttgart’s joint-heaviest defeat in the competition.
Red Star also scored five goals in a game in the Champions League or European Cup for the first time since a 5-0 win at Dundalk in September 1988, while it was their biggest triumph in the competition since beating Portadown 4-0 in October 1991.
Sturm Graz 1-0 Girona: Biereth fires hosts to first win
Sturm Graz climbed from the bottom of the Champions League table after Mika Biereth's second-half strike in a 1-0 victory over Girona on Wednesday.
Sturm's Biereth broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, slotting home from close range after Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had saved a shot from inside the box.
Girona should have scored midway through the first half when Ivan Martin found himself unmarked in front of an unguarded net but he somehow sent the ball over the bar.
That miss characterised familiar struggles for Michel's men in this competition, with last season's surprise package in LaLiga slipping down to 30th in the standings.
Girona have just one win to their name in this season's Champions League, in which Sturm collected their first points of the campaign with this victory.
Data Debrief: Away-day struggles for Girona
Girona have lost all three of their away games in the Champions League without scoring a goal, becoming the first Spanish side to ever suffer consecutive defeats in their first three away matches in the competition.
Goals remain an issue for Michel's side, who have failed to score in three of their five games, only Bologna (four) and Salzburg (four) have failed to score more often in the 2024-2025 tournament.
Wednesday also marked Sturm Graz's first win against a Spanish side in Europe, previously losing five of their six such matches (D1).
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