Sherif among Liberians in action as Port Vale Thrashed 7-0 by Chelsea in FA Cup

Published: April 6, 2026

MONROVIA — Liberia-eligible forward Martin Sherif played 65 minutes as Port Vale were hammered 7-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinals at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, bringing an otherwise remarkable cup run to a sobering end.

Sherif, 19, was replaced by André Gray in the 65th minute as the League One side suffered one of the heaviest defeats in the competition’s recent history. It was his third FA Cup appearance and his 11th outing for Port Vale since joining on loan from Everton during the January transfer window.

Chelsea advanced to the semifinals with ease. For Port Vale, the scoreline was a harsh conclusion to a campaign that had captured attention across English football — the club had reached the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time in 72 years, with victories that included a notable scalp along the way.

Port Vale sit bottom of League One, 15 points from safety.

Sherif has previously represented the Netherlands at under-17 level, including in qualification for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and at the tournament itself. He remains eligible to represent Liberia at senior international level.

Elsewhere in Europe

In the Czech top flight, Liberian midfielder Sampson Dweh scored a stoppage-time goal in the 98th minute for Viktoria Plzen, only for Teplice to equalise two minutes later and secure a 2-2 draw. His Teplice counterpart Emmanuel Fully was absent from that match, serving a suspension following a red card in the club’s last game before the international break.

Divine Teah was also in action, starting for Slavia Prague B in a 2-2 home draw against Zizkov. It was the young midfielder’s fifth consecutive start and sixth appearance of the season. He has contributed one assist and is yet to open his goal account for the club.