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ARSENAL YOUNGSTER DEBUTS FOR SIERRA LEONE AT U20 AFCON

Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images

Osman Kamara has travelled to the u20 Africa Cup of Nations with Sierra Leone, making his international debut for the side on Sunday.

Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images

Arsenal youngster Osman Kamara is in Sierra Leone’s squad for the u20 Africa Cup of Nations this month, with the tournament taking place in Egypt.

Both Kamara and Ismeal Kabia were called up to Sierra Leone’s u20 squad for a training camp in March, and Kamara was subsequently called up for the final tournament.

Neither player had made their international debut at the time, and Kabia is also eligible to represent the Netherlands, so his international future remains uncertain.

Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images

As for Kamara, the 18-year-old made his debut for Sierra Leone at the u20 AFCON on Sunday, coming off the bench in a 0-0 draw against Zambia. Sierra Leone then beat hosts Egypt 4-1 to go top of the group.

Kamara will get his next chance to feature on Saturday, May 3rd, when Sierra Leone face Tanzania.

As it stands at this early stage, Sierra Leone are in a good position to progress to the knockout rounds, which kick off on May 12th and conclude on May 18th.

Kamara is still transitioning into u21 football with Arsenal this season, having primarily played for the u18s before the current campaign.

The winger has spent less than 500 minutes on the pitch in the Premier League 2 in 2024/25, but he did score his first goal of this season’s competition in a rare start against Newcastle in late February.

Kamara’s participation with Sierra Leone means he’s likely to miss the remainder of the PL2 play-offs, with Arsenal playing in the quarter-final against Manchester City on Saturday.

- Dan Critchlow

BELMONT STAKES 2024 PREDICTIONS, TOP PICKS, CURRENT ODDS, HORSES, TIME: BEST BETS BY EXPERT WHO HIT THE DERBY

Jockey Flavien Prat will try to win the Test of the Champion for the first time in his career when he hops aboard the favored Sierra Leone in the 2024 Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. Considered one of the top jockeys in the country, Prat is winless in three previous Belmont Stakes mounts. His best finish is second, with Hot Rod Charlie in 2021. On Saturday, Prat will ride Sierra Leone, who was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione in his last three starts. Sierra Leone is the 9-5 favorite in the 2024 Belmont Stakes odds. The lightly raced Mindframe (7-2), Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (5-1) and Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey (8-1) round out the top four choices among the 2024 Belmont Stakes horses.

Post time is 6:41 p.m. ET. With an accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any Belmont Stakes picks or horse racing predictions, given the success he's had during this year's Triple Crown.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.

In a span of seven races last year for SportsLine, he cashed the winner of the Lecomte Stakes, the exacta in the Southwest Stakes, the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes. He also nailed National Treasure's win in the Preakness. And last month, he gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby.

For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2024 Belmont Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2024 Belmont Stakes predictions

One surprise: Menez is completely tossing Mystik Dan, even though he won the Kentucky Derby and finished second in the Preakness Stakes. A Kentucky bred, Mystik Dan is best known for winning the garland of roses five weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby at 18-1 odds. Two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes, he finished as the runner-up to a loose-on-the-lead Seize the Grey.

On Saturday in the Belmont Stakes 2024, Mystik Dan will make his ninth start in less than eight months, and Menez believes the horse is due for a regression. "I think Mystik Dan will be hard-pressed to produce another top-notch effort," Menez told SportsLine. Menez is not using Mystik Dan in any of his wagers. You can see all of Menez's 2024 Belmont Stakes bets here.

How to make 2024 Belmont Stakes picks

However, Menez's top pick is a horse who will be "right there when the horses hit the wire." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is coming off a performance that is "better than it looks on paper." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins Belmont Stakes 2024? What double-digit longshot has a big chance to run well, and how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who gave out Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby, and find out. 

2024 Belmont Stakes odds, contenders, post positions

KENTUCKY DERBY DRAWS 16.7M VIEWERS, MOST SINCE 1989

Sierra Leone, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, (2), Forever Young, with jockey Ryusei Sakai, and Mystik Dan, with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., cross the finish line at Churchill Downs during the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race Saturday, in Louisville, Ky. Getty.

 STAMFORD, Conn. -- Mystik Dan's nose victory in the 150th Kentucky Derby drew 16.7 million viewers, the biggest audience for the race since 1989.

Viewership peaked at 20.1 million from 7 to 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, when 18-1 shot Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Forever Young hit the wire together in the Derby's first three-horse photo finish since 1947. That marked the biggest peak audience ever for the Derby on NBC.

The 16.7 million viewers was up 13% from last year's 14.8 million.

NBC Sports said Sunday that it was the biggest Derby audience since 18.5 million watched Sunday Silence win in 1989, when the race was shown on ABC.

NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Inc. have agreed to a multiyear contract extension that will keep the Derby on the network through 2032.

- Associated Press 

NIGERIA 🇳🇬 IS ONE OF FOUR COUNTRIES TO BE ADDED TO THE FINALISTS LIST FOR NEXT YEAR’S TOURNAMENT

CAPE TOWN: Striker Kelechi Ihenacho scored a stoppage time winner as Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to become one of four countries on Sunday to be added to the list of finalists for next year’s tournament.

Guinea Bissau also qualified from Group A, as Sierra Leone’s hopes of catching them were ended, while the Cape Verde Islands are through from Group B and Mali from Group G.

They join hosts Ivory Coast, holders Senegal, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia in the finals in January.

Iheanacho’s winner brought relief to Nigeria who had let a 2-0 lead, courtesy of a Victor Osimhen double, slip as Sierra Leone made a gutsy comeback to 2-2 and came close to scoring a third.

But their slim hopes were ended by a simple back post tap-in by the Leicester City striker just before the final whistle.

Guinea Bissau, who had beaten Sao Tome e Principe on Wednesday, were then als guaranteed a top two finish and a fourth successive finals appearance.

Cape Verde, who also draw heavily on players from their migrant population in Portugal, beat Burkina Faso 3-1 at home to book their place.

Former Manchester United midfielder Bebe opened the scoring before goals from Joao Paulo and Cle ensured progress.

Mali won 2-0 away against Congo to qualify for a ninth successive finals with Ibrahima Kone and Nene Dorgeles scoring in the final 30 minutes in Brazzaville.

DOGGED HOST

The return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Gabon was a bid to help them qualify at the expense of the Democratic Republic of Congo but they lost 2-0 at home instead.

DR Congo’s goals came from London-born Aaron Tshibola and Tanzania-based striker Fiston Mayele and they now top Group I.

Ghana would have qualified from Group E had they won in Madagascar but were held to a goalless draw and must wait for the last round of qualifiers in September to win their place.

Victory for both Mozambique and Tanzania also enhanced their chances of going to the finals with one group game left.

Algeria are the only country left with a 100 per cent record in the qualifiers as they made it five wins out of five by beating Uganda 2-1 away with Mohamed El Amine Amoura netting both and Riyad Mahrez providing an assist.

The top two teams in each of the 12 qualifying groups qualify for the finals. There are three more matches to complete the fifth rounds of qualifiers, which will all be played on Tuesday.