*Remo Stars to play Kwara Utd today for chance to extend lead at the top

Femi Solaja

All the contending clubs aiming for podium finish at the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) dropped vital points in midweek fixtures yesterday, leaving only leaders, Remo Stars with the chance to extend the lead at the top when they host Kwara United in Ikenne today.

Defending champions, Enugu Rangers, failed to maintain the momentum of last Sunday’s massive win at home against Remo Stars as they fell by a lone to home side Abia Warriors in Umuahia.

It was Ijeoma DeSouza’s long-range strike in the 43^rd minute for the home side that separated the two clubs. The result pushed Rangers down the ladder to sixth position on 38 points while the Abia side climbed to fourth with 39 points.

In Uyo, former champions, Rivers United failed to hold on to an early goal scored against struggling Akwa United with the game ending 1-1 final result. Paschal Onunze scored for the visitors in the 9^th minute but the home side equalised in the 57^th minute via Mare Abson to share points.

The result leaves the Port Harcourt side in the third position with 39 points and a massive nine points further away from Remo Stars who still have a game in hand at home.

Also in Ibadan, second-placed Shooting Stars failed to push further at the top as they were held to a pulsating 2-2 draw by struggling Lobi Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

The home side opened the score through Joshua Akpan in the 18^th minute but a brace from Ossy Martins in the 35^th and 45^th minute gave the visitors from Makurdi a 2-1 lead at half time.

The home side, who are aiming for continental ticket, were able to level up in the 56^th minute via Sodiq Ibrahim and efforts to get the winning goal failed as they missed several scoring chances toward the end of the match.

The result leaves the Oluyole Warriors in second position on 41 points.

In Maiduguri, El Kanemi failed to break visiting Bendel Insurance as both sides recorded a goalless scoreline.

While Bayelsa United and Nasarawa United played a 2-2 draw with Idris Ajiya with a brace for the visitors in the 2^nd and 45^th minute but Ogba Ifeanyi recused the home side in the added minutes of the second half. Rabiu Abdulahi scored Bayelsa’s earlier goal in the first half.

In Minna, Niger Tornadoes secured a 2-1 win against Heartland of Owerri while Ikorodu City had to struggle with two second-half goals to overcome visiting Plateau United at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.

Sunshine Stars and Kano Pillars ended their match 1-1 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

This evening, leaders Remo Stars will have the opportunity to extend their lead at the top when they play host to Kwara United of Ilorin while Katsina United will host Enyimba FC.

RESULTS

NPFL

El Kanemi 0-0 B’Insurance

Abia Warriors 1-0 Rangers

Akwa Utd 1-1 Rivers Utd

Bayelsa Utd 2-2 Nasarawa

Tornadoes 2-1 Heartland

Sunshine 1-1 Kano Pillars

Ikorodu City 2-1 Plateau

Shooting  2-2 Lobi Stars

Femi Solaja with agency report

There are strong indications that Super Eagles and AC Milan winger, Samuel Chukwueze, could exit the Guiseppe Meazza this summer following interest from Turkish Super LĂŻg side, Besiktas JK.

The 25-year-old joined the Rossonerri from Villarreal in the summer of 2023 but has never really settled in at Milan as he’s largely been a bit part player at the San Siro.

The AFCON 2023 silver medal winner with Nigeria has played paltry 82 minutes since the new manager, Sergio Conceicao, took over as Milan’s head coach, worsening his story with the seven-time UEFA Champions League winners.

According to , Chukwueze’s future seems increasingly distant from Milan. The player’s agents have suggested him to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side, Besiktas, who have immediately started contacts to bring him to the Turkish SĂźper Lig.

The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner was linked with a move to  in January, but time disparity in the transfer market didn’t allow the move to materialise.

Additionally, Milan’s Technical Director, Geoffrey Moncada, revealed his side were delighted the Super Eagles winger didn’t make a deadline-day transfer to Fulham.

The former Manchester United boss has given the green light to the deal, as he considers Chukwueze to be a valuable reinforcement in the attacking department.

The Turkish club are currently working on a loan-with-obligation-to-buy proposal, and are hopeful their strategy will convince Milan, who intend on recuperating the fees to secure Chukwueze from Villareal two years ago.

Chukwueze on the other hand, is seriously considering a move to Besiktas as he’s aware that he is not part of Milan’s long-term plans. 

With few opportunities under Sergio Conceicao, the former Villarreal player could accept the Turkish destination to re-establish himself.

Additionally, one of Chukwueze’s best friends, Victor Osimhen, has had nothing but good things to say about the Turkish Super Lig as he enjoys his loan spell with Galatasaray.

In conclusion, a move away from Milan would be a win-win situation for all parties, allowing the Rossoneri to free up space in the squad and for the player to regain the form which saw the Italian side snap him up initially.

Femi Solaja

Visiting Abia Warriors yesterday threw away a two-goal lead midway first half but it was the home team, Remo Stars of Ikenne, that had the last laugh with a 3-2 win in one of the Match-day 21  midweek games of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

After a doggy exchange of play from both sides, the visitors found themselves in front when Ezekiel Ayodele scored from a corner kick rebound in the 25h minute.

The ovation that greeted that surprise goal hardly died down when Ijeoma DeSouza doubled the lead a minute later and were unfortunate not to have scored another few minutes later but for the timely clearance from captain Nduka Junior that saved the day for Remo.

However, respite came the way of Remo Stars in the 38th minute when Olamilekan Adedayo scored from outside the goal area to peg the scoreline for the home team. 

Jabbar Malik who came off the bench scored the equaliser from a rebound to leave the scoreline at 2-2 before the half time break.

However, on resumption from the break, Tochukwu Michael nodded in the winner in the 53rd minute for Remo Stars to pick all three points.

The team now lead the table with 42 points and a superior goals difference of +13.

In Lagos, Ikorodu City made a mess of visiting Kano Pillars with a 4-1 win. It was Shola Adelani who opened the score in the third minute and that was his third consecutive goal in two matches.

Austin Uzondu doubled the lead in the 20th minute but Pillars pegged the score with a goal in the 37th minute by Abba Adam. Veteran midfielder, Rabiu Ali, scored an own goal off a corner kick in the 54th minute and Ayomide Cole put the match beyond Pillars in the 73rd minute.

RESULTS 

NPFL

Bayelsa Utd 4-1 Sunshine 

El Kanemi 2-1 Rangers

Akwa Utd 1-1 Lobi Stars

Ikorodu City 4-1 K’Pillars 

Remo Stars 3-2 Abia War

Shooting 2-0 Nasarawa 

UCL

Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic

Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta 

Leverkusen 2-0 S’Prague

B’Munich 3-1 Sl’Bratislava

Brest 0-3 Real Madrid

D’Zagreb 2-1 AC Milan

Dortmund 3-1 Shakhtar 

Girona 1-2 Arsenal 

Inter 3-0 Monaco

Juventus 0-2 Benfica 

Lille 6-1 Feyenoord 

Man City 3-1 C’Brugge

PSV  3-2 Liverpool 

Salzburg 1-4 Atletico

Sporting 1-1 Bologna

Sturm Graz 1-0 Leipzig 

Stuttgart  1-4 PSG

Y’ Boys 0-1 C’Zvezda

TODAY 

Europa League

Ajax  v Galatasaray 

Anderlecht v Hoffenheim 

AS Roma v Frankfurt

Bilbao v Plzen

Braga v Lazio

Dy’Kyiv v RFS

FCSB v Man Utd

Ferencvaros v  Alkmaar 

Lyon v Ludogorets 

Maccabi Tel v FC Porto

Midtjylland v Fenerbahce

Nice v Bodo/Glimt

Olympiacos v Qarabag

Rangers v Royale Union

Sociedad v PAOK

Sl’Prague v Malmo 

Tottenham v Elfsborg 

Twente v Besiktas

Femi Solaja with agency report

On the eve of the draw ceremony, the African Nations Championship, (CHAN) has been postponed till much later in the year.

However, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the much-advertised draw ceremony will still take place this evening.

This development implies that the Super Eagles Team B closed camp, which opened last Monday, will be dissolved, and players will be expected to return to their respective clubs for the second stanza of the league season, which will resume next weekend.

But yesterday before the new development, the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF), Coach Augustine Eguavoen, arrived at the Ikenne-Remo camp of the Super Eagles B alongside new Super Eagles’ Head Coach Éric Sékou Chelle and the latter’s agent, Sidibe Abraham Brehima.

The Continental Football governing body announced on its website that the event will now hold in August.

No actual date has been fixed. CAF announced that although good progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the host countries, the CAF Technical and Infrastructure experts advised that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities are at the levels, necessary for hosting a successful Championship.

Some of the experts on facilities are based in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “I would like to express my deep gratitude to President William Ruto of Kenya, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for their leadership, commitment and good progress that has been made in building and upgrading the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for hosting a successful championship.

“I am impressed with the ongoing construction and renovations of the football infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

“I am confident that the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities will be at the requisite CAF standards for hosting, in August 2025, a very successful African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024.”

The names of a total of 19 countries, viz joint-hosts Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, Nigeria, Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Algeria, Niger Republic, Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar will be in the pots for the draw ceremony.

Femi Solaja

A few days after surrendering his national title, Matthew Kuti has reclaimed his gong at the 10th Elicris Table Tennis Cup held at Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Similarly,Hope Udoaka ruled the women’s singles.

Kuti was dethroned by Abdulbasit Abdulfatai at the Daniel Ford tournament but the teenage sensation put the defeat behind him to rally from 2-0 down to beat Muiz Adegoke 4-2 in the men’s singles of the Elcris Table Tennis championship..

To emerge champion, Kuti won 4-2 (4-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5, 12-10).

A delighted Kuti described the win as a good return to the top of the game in the country.

Earlier in the day, Udoaka of Cross River confirmed her dominance in the country after beating Sukurat Aiyelabegan 4-2 in the final of the women’s singles.

Despite winning the first game at 11-4, Aiyelabegan fell short of her dominance as she was humbled by her experienced opponent to concede defeat at 4-2 (4-11, 11-4, 14-12, 11-9, 13-15, 11-7).

For the sponsor, Yomi Adejobi, there are plans to expand the tournament with more players competing in the next edition. “Our aim is to empower the young players and we believe with this kind of tournament we can identify talent and also nurture them to stardom,” he said.

The guest of honour, Gbenga Omotosho who is the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, lauded the sponsor for bankrolling the tournament, adding that it is in tandem with the state’s Governor’s vision for youth empowerment through sports. “We must thank the sponsor for this gesture and we hope other well-meaning individuals will take a cue from this and more young players will be empowered through sports,” he said

Femi Solaja

Super Eagles duo of Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze are primed to star for their respective clubs as UEFA Champions League matches resume at various stadiums across Europe this evening.

Fresh from sterling performance so far in the ongoing season, Lookman will lead the attack from the left wing when Atalanta visit Young Boys FC at the Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland. The Italian side will be aiming to pick all three points to break into top eight of the new UEFA Champions League.

The Nigerian forward was on target on Saturday in Atalanta’s 3-1 win away at Parma. The victory has put Atalanta just one point behind leaders, Inter Milan and another good outing tonight will push the Bergamo side into automatic qualification rank after week six of the Swiss-event pairing.

Atalanta are currently in ninth position with eight points from four matches.

Elsewhere in the UEFA Champions League this evening, Chukwueze will be in action for AC Milan on their visit to Slovenian side Slovan Bratislava.

Chukwueze has struggled to pin down a regular starting shirt at Milan since his transfer from Villarreal last year.

Last season, the 25-year-old forward registered three goals and three assists in 33 appearances, most of which have been from the bench.

This season, he has registered 16 appearances with just one goal and one assist. In the UEFA Champions League, he has not started any game, as his two appearances have been from the bench.

However, he is set to get a breakthrough.  reported yesterday that Chukwueze will start for AC Milan when they play Slovan Bratislava this evening.

The game will be Chukwueze’s first start in the competition this season. And against Slovan Bratislava, he has a good chance of breaking his dock in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

The Slovakian giants are the weeping boys of the competition, as they sit 36th in the League standings with no point after four games. They have also conceded 15 goals, which is the second-highest number of goals in the competition this season.

Other fixtures tonight will see FC Barcelona host French side Brest who are so far one of the top eight teams in the tournament.

The encounter in Barcelona will be a contention between fourth placed Ligue 1 side and the host, who are presently perched on top of the Spanish La Liga on 34 points from 14 matches.

TONIGHT’S FIXTURES

Bratislava v Milan

Sparta v Atletico

Barcelona v Brest

Leverkusen v Salzburg

B’Munich v PSG

Inter Milan v Leipzig

Man City v Feyenoord

Sporting v Arsenal

Young Boys v Atalanta

Femi Solaja  with agency report

With less than a month to the ‘African Footballer of the Year awards, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has officially unveiled the top five nominees in each Men’s category of the upcoming event.

The 2024 edition of the CAF Awards will be held on 16 December 2024 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Yesterday, CAF listed Super Eagles’ star and Atalanta FC winger, Ademola Lookman, alongside Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / PSG), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns) for the  African Footballer of the year.

Super Eagles Captain, Williams Trost-Ekong, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the AFCON 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire has been dropped.

Other categories announced on Monday  include; Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Club of the Year, and National Team of the Year.

The ceremony is designed to celebrate African football excellence and exceptional performances in both club and national competitions. Only the best is picked  for the CAF African Player of the Year for both the men and women’s categories.

A total of seven categories have been confirmed by CAF in the Men’s Category of the awards, shortlisting the five top performing players, coaches and teams in each of the categories.

The CAF Awards 2024 covers performances in the period between January 2024 and October 2024. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1.    Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire)

2.    Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)

3.    Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

4.    Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)

5.    Ronwen Williams (South Africa)

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

1.    Andre Onana (Cameroon)

2.    Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire)

3.    Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt)

4.    Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria)

5.    Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa)

Femi Solaja

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are on the verge of qualification for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations final tournament  in Abidjan, CĂ´te d’Ivoire this evening as they take on Benin Republic’s Cheetahs.

All that the Eagles who played in the final of the AFCON 2023 in same Abidjan last February needs is  just one point from the clash with the Cheetahs today to land in Morocco 2025.

However, nobody expects the Beninoise to give up without a fight. It is this 

knowledge that will inform a feisty approach from the first blast of Senegalese referee Issa Sy’s whistle.

After three wins out of their earlier four games (the only draw being the Matchday 2 session with Rwanda in Kigali), the Super Eagles are riding high with 10 points, four more than the second-placed Benin Republic, who suffered a glitch in Kigali in the last round of games. A win virtually guarantees Nigeria’s leadership of the group going into the final-day tussles.

On the other hand, the Cheetahs, with six points, know they cannot afford any more slip-ups following the tumble in Kigali, as they could still be tossed if they lose their last two games and Rwanda, on five, earn a minimum of two points in their own final two. Even Libya, with only one point, can still leap over Benin Republic if they beat Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs are bumped by the Eagles, and the Knights rout the Cheetahs in North Africa on Match-day 6 on Monday.

The foregoing dynamics will make for a vicious 90 minutes at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the heart of the Ivorian capital this Thursday evening.

With England-based centre-back Semi Ajayi absent as a result of injury, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is most likely to start with the rearguard that squared up to the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo last month, meaning Captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey at centre-back, with wing-backs Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi.

Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi and the couple of defensive midfielders Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika are available for the spaces in the middle, while Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the selection pool for the fore.

Victory will render Monday’s concluding qualifier against Rwanda, at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, an academic session, with only the visitors keen to try and get something out of the clash while the Eagles play for sheer pride.         

*Ademola Lookman and Atalanta face Stuttgart test in Germany

Femi Solaja  with agency report

Tonight in Italy, Arsenal will take on Inter Milan  in continuation of their UEFA Champions League phase at the San Siro.

So far winning two and drawing one of their three Champions League matches, Mikel Arteta knows a win against the Serie A side will go a long way in helping the north Londoners finish in the top eight.

Interestingly, Arsenal have received a major boost with the return of their Norwegian captain Martin Odegaard to full training after two months out with an ankle injury.

The midfielder, 25, has been out since September, missing 12 games, after damaging his ankle ligaments on international duty.

He trained with the Arsenal squad yesterday before flying out to Milan.

Arsenal have picked up just one point out of a possible nine in their last three Premier League games after losses to Newcastle and Bournemouth and a hard-fought draw against Liverpool.

They struggled to create clear-cut chances against Newcastle and having their leader and one of their main creative outlets back will be a big boost.

However, England midfielder Declan Rice, 25, did not travelled with the Arsenal squad to Milan and will miss tonight’s match.

Elsewhere, Gian Piero Gasperini, feels giant-killers VfB Stuttgart represent ‘a real Champions League’ test, but one Atalanta are ready for with potentially a similar tactical approach to the one that let them beat Napoli at the weekend.

Atalanta will be away at the MHPArena in Stuttgart tonight at 20.00 GMT.

This is a tough test for La Dea, because Stuttgart shocked both Real Madrid and Juventus, while the Italians have ground to make up for after their disappointing 0-0 stalemate against Celtic.

Gasperini surprised Antonio Conte and Napoli on Sunday by resting Mateo Retegui, instead confusing their defenders with a versatile trio of Mario Pasalic, Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere, so will he do the same in Germany?

“We always play with three attacking players, but there is versatility within that structure. Last season, Teun Koopmeiners was the one who allowed us to vary our approach, now Pasalic is in that role, then we’ll see if Samardzic or Brescianini can do it too. We have alternatives, in any case.

UCL (Results)

PSV 4-0 Girona

Bratislava 1-4 Di’Zagreb

Bologna 0-1 Monaco

Dortmund 1-0 S’ Graz

Celtic 3-1 RB Leipzig

Lille 1-1 Juventus

Liverpool 4-0 Leverkusen

R’Madrid 1-3 AC Milan

Sporting 4-1 Man City

Today 

C’Brugge v Aston Villa 

Shakhtar v Young Boys

B’Munich v Benfica 

Feyenoord v Salzburg 

C’Zvezda v  Barcelona 

Inter v Arsenal

PSG v Atletico

S’Prague v Brest 

Stuttgart v Atalanta 

Europa League

Besiktas v Malmo FF

Femi Solaja  with agency report

After losing their first two matches, AC Milan will try to revive an ailing UEFA Champions League campaign this evening as they welcome Club Brugge to San Siro.

The seven-time European champions are yet to pick up a point in this year’s league phase, while their visitors got off the mark with a close-fought victory over Sturm Graz earlier this month.

With Nigerian winger, Samuel Chukwueze in dazzling form lately after being looked by the coach, thousands of AC Milan fans in the stadium will be looking forward to the Super Eagles star recreating his goal stint of last weekend in a Serie A match against Udinese. 

Having succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in their first continental contest under Paulo Fonseca, losing to Premier League high-fliers Liverpool at San Siro, Milan went on to suffer another setback last time out.

The Rossoneri were beaten 1-0 by Bayer Leverkusen, as a second-half strike from compatriot, Victor Boniface,  ensured all three points would go the German champions’ way, leaving Fonseca’s side empty-handed again.

Stretching back over several years, Milan have won only nine of their last 33 games at Europe’s elite level, and another defeat this week would see the once-mighty side lose their first three matches of a Champions League campaign for just the second time to date.

At several different clubs, Fonseca has now won only one of his last nine in UEFA’s top club competition, and he is sorely in need of another win this Tuesday evening to give a mixed start to his stay at San Siro.

On their return from the international break, Milan beat Udinese 1-0 at the weekend – recording just their fifth win in 19 games via  Chukwueze’s early goal – despite playing over an hour with 10 men after the dismissal of midfield dynamo Tijjani Reijnders.

As a result of that determined display, the Rossoneri remain undefeated through four home fixtures in Serie A this season, winning each of their last three without conceding a goal.

In the other matches tonight, defending champions, Real Madrid will host last season’s losing finalist, Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu in a match that the home side will want to win after losing to Lille on match day two.

AS Monaco will welcome FK Crvena Zvezda while Arsenal will want to put aside their domestic defeat as they host Shakhtar Donetsk in London just as Aston Villa host Bologna.

Former Italian champion, Juventus will host VFB Stuttgart Girona will host Bratislava PSG are at home against PSV Eindhoven and Sturm Graz will welcome Sporting CP.

UCL (Today)

ACMilan v C’Brugge

Monaco v  C’Zvezda

Arsenal v Shakhtar 

Aston Villa v Bologna 

Girona v Slo’Bratislava

Juventus v Stuttgart 

PSG  v PSV

R’Madrid v Dortmund 

S’Graz v Sporting 

NPFL 

(Results)

Ikorodu  4-2 Lobi Stars

Tornadoes 0-1 Rivers Utd

Shooting  1-0 Katsina Utd

Akwa Utd 0-0 Rangers

Femi Solaja

Rivers United  returned to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) table yesterday evening after claiming a 2-0 victory over Shooting Stars in Port Harcourt.

Leaders Remo Stars however fell from the summit after succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Plateau United inside the New Jos Stadium.

Rivers United coached by former Super Eagles handler, Finidi George, are now on 17 points from seven matches, while Remo Stars dropped in the standings to second on 15 points. Enyimba that were held one all by Niger Tornadoes on Wednesday are third on 14 points.

Rivers United had to wait till the second half before they broke the stalemate in their clash with Shooting Stars through Aniekeme Okon in the 51st minute.

Ndifreke Effiong then came off the bench to make the game safe for the home side on 65 minutes.

Shooting Stars were however reduced to 10 men when Alex Aghahowa was sent off soon after the opening goal.

In Jos, Franklin Anthony’s hat trick was all Plateau United needed to claim maximum points against Remo.

Plateau United started on the front footing and were rewarded with a goal in the fourth minute when Anthony took advantage of Remo Stars’ sloppy defence to slot in from close range. The striker was on point again in the 64th and 70th minutes to put the match beyond last season’s runner-up, who only managed to peg the scoreline in the 83rd minute through Jabbar Malik.

In Benin City, Bendel Insurance spanked Bayelsa United 3-0 to now push the Yenagoa team into the drop zone. The win was a welcome relief for the Benin Arsenal who were defeated by new comers Ikorodu City in Lagos last weekend.

Kayode Oke Solomon opened the score for the home side in the 17th minute while Nnamdi Anthony doubled the lead in the 78th minute before Michael Enaruna scored the third goal in added time.

In Owerri, coach Emmanuel Amuneke of Heartland FC had to work harder to  salvage a point at home against resurgent Ikorodu City who scored first in the 5th minute via Salaudeen Taiwo. Chukwuma Agor secured parity for the home side in a 1-1 scoreline in the 66th minute.

Katsina United pipped Akwa United by a lone goal scored by Azeez Falolu in the 27th minute.

Action resumes this weekend as leaders, River United will play away at Niger Tornadoes while Remo Stars will host Bendel Insurance in Ikenne.

 Shooting Stars will welcome Katsina United with Ikorodu City will play host to Daniel Amokachi’s Lobi Stars.

El-Kanemi Warriors will continue their season’s unbeaten run as they host Enyimba while Bayelsa United will host Heartland of Owerri. Akwa United will welcome Enugu Rangers to Uyo in another crunchy tie.

Ahmed Musa’s Kano Pillar will hope to continue their winning streak as they host Kwara United. Sunshine Stars will host Nasarawa United  with Abia Warriors at home to Plateau United in Abakaliki.

 *Arrival of Osayi-Samuel, Iheanacho and Ejuke complete 23-man list

Femi Solaja

Interim Head Coach of Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen,  has set as objective, the maximum six points from this month’s double header between Nigeria  and Libya’s Mediterranean Knights in the teams’ Group D attrition as the race to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals hots up.

Nigeria will host the first game at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Friday evening, with the return fixture at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benina, 19 kilometres from Libya’s second city Benghazi, on Tuesday night.

“We have to be practical about it: our best and surest route to the finals will be to pick up the six points in the matches with Libya, and be somewhat guaranteed of a place in Morocco even before Matchday 5. We don’t want to be in any anxiety in the run-in in this qualifying campaign.

Eguavoen admitted that he was going to miss the absence of Napoli Loanee at Galatasaray, injured Victor Osimhen.

“I admit we will miss Victor (Osimhen), but I believe in the other strikers available to get us the goals that will give us the three points in Uyo, and the three points in Libya,” Eguavoen assured Nigerian football fans.

Twenty of the 23 invited players trained in Uyo on Tuesday evening, with defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and forwards Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidera Ejuke arriving camp yesterday morning.

Leaders Nigeria have four points from their two matches so far, one point ahead of Benin Republic and two ahead of Rwanda. The Eagles will go to 10 points with a double win over Libya, while both teams on Nigeria’s heels are in attrition and are bound to chop at each other’s advantage one way or the other.

Wins for Benin Republic in both matches will take them to nine points, still short of Nigeria’s probable tally of 10, but Rwanda will remain stuck at two and Libya one, with only two matches left in the campaign. Wins for Rwanda will leave Benin Republic stuck at three points and Rwanda at eight.

Femi Solaja

Super Eagles of Nigeria were denied an away win in Kigali Tuesday following Rwanda’s goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwali’s brilliant show in a goalless outing on Match-day two of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers. 

Nigeria dominated possession but could not break their Rwandese hosts at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali, the capital of the East African country, but it was one of the best outings for the Super Eagles on away soil in recent time.

However, the result leaves the Super Eagles temporarily on top of the group. They will await the outcome of Benin Republic versus Libya at the Stade FĂŠlix-HouphouĂŤt-Boigny in the Ivorien capital of Abidjan from 8 pm Nigerian time Tuesday. 

A victory for the visitors in that game by as much as a four-goal margin will place them on top of the fledging table.

The Amavubi have their goalkeeper, Ntwari, to thank for frustrating the ferocious attacks of the Nigerian side, led by Atalanta frontman, Ademola Lookman, who converted two goals in Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat of Benin Republic last Saturday in the Akwa Ibom State capital of Uyo.

In the second half, Coach Austin Eguavoen introduced current African footballer of the year, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Fred Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika but Rwanda held their own.

Nigeria will host Libya when the qualifiers resume in October.

Femi Solaja 

Table-toppers Nigeria, still basking in the great-feel of their 3-0 defeat of the Benin Republic’s Cheetahs, will this afternoon take on Rwanda’s Amavubi (Wasps) at the refurbished 45,000-capacity facility in the heart of Kigali in a Matchday 2 encounter of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, from 2pm Nigeria time.

Speaking ahead of the clash in Kigali today, Interim Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, insisted yesterday that Nigeria’s mission in the Rwandan capital is to pick all three points.

Eguavoen started his fourth stint with the Super Eagles on a fabulous note, with the three-time African kings decimating Benin Republic’s Cheetahs 3-0 in Uyo on Saturday. 

The 58-year-old intends to continue along the win-and-smile path when Nigeria confront Rwanda at the Amahoro National Stadium, Kigali on Tuesday afternoon.

“We play to win all the time, because Nigerians expect their team to win all the time. And because we have a team with great personnel, we play every team with respect but we don’t get intimidated by any. Our objective for Tuesday’s game is the three points,” insisted the ex-international.

Eguavoen is happy with the new spirit in the Nigerian camp as all the 23 players are hungry to play to win for the country. 

News from Eagles’ Radisson Blu Hotel camp in Kigali confirmed that all the players are fit and ready, meaning that goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali should be expected to start, alongside captain Ekong, Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey at the heart of defence, while Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi will be wingbacks.

Wilfred Ndidi will possibly anchor the midfield that will have Alex Iwobi or Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, while Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface and Samuel Chukwueze could still start at the fore.

While also speaking at the pre-match post conference at the Amahoro Stadium on Monday, Super Eagles Captain, William Troost-Ekong echoed Eguavoen’s earlier mission statement: “We are here for a purpose. With Coach Eguavoen, who has coached the team before, we all feel like a family. We will play for each other and go for the three points that will establish us at the top of the table,” concludes the Centre-back who recently moved to the Saudi Pro League side,  Al-Kholood.

However, the hosts are not likely to give up and allow the Amavubi to be steamrolled by the Super Eagles.

Their German Coach, Torsten Spittler, has roused the country of 13 million people to believe that the Amavubi can torpedo Nigeria, Libya and Benin Republic, and earn their first ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations since 2004. 

He flaunts an impressive record though, having led the team to win three of their last eight matches, drawing four and losing one.

Spittler intends to set defenders Claude Niyomugabo, Fitina Omborenga, Ange Mutsinzi, Jean Claude Niyomugabo and Christian Ishimwe against Nigeria’s twin-terrors Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, who both concocted the three goals that deflated Benin Republic in Uyo at the weekend.

In the midfield, Olivier Niyonzima, Bonheur Mugisha and Jean Bosco Rubineka can prove a handful on their day, and at the fore, Spittler has implicit confidence in Gilbert Mugisha, Bienvenu Mugenzi and Innocent Nshuti, who got the team’s equalizer against Libya in Tripoli last week.

Tuesday’s encounter is the first of four battles between the Eagles and the Amavubi in the next 12 months, with the two teams to clash again in November in Nigeria in the final round of this qualifying race, and then do a home-and-away in the 2026 FIFA World Cup race with the Wasps also hosting Nigeria first in March next year.

RESULTS 

(AFCON)

Ma’gascar 1-1 Comoros

E’Guinea 2-2 Togo

Niger 1-1 Ghana

Uganda 2-0 Congo

Burundi 0-1 Senegal

TODAY

Rwanda v Nigeria

Gabon v. CAR

Botswana v Egypt

C’Verde v. Mauritania

Benin v  Libya

Liberia v  Algeria

Chad v  CIV

Zambia v S’Leone

Guinea v  Tanzania

Eswatini v. Mali

Moz’bique v. G’Bissau

Namibia v. Kenya

Zimbabwe v. Cameroon

S’Sudan v. S’Africa

B’Faso v. Malawi

Femi Solaja with agency report

Super Eagles and Atalanta FC forward, Ademola Lookman, has been confirmed as one of the nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or 2024 prestigious football award which will come next month.

The silver medal winner with Nigeria at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire last February is the only African player on the nomination shortlist. This could also be a pathway for the pacy winger to win the ‘African Footballer of the Year’ award, which will also be held later in the year.

Aside from Lookman, others on the list include; Jude Bellingham who had a brilliant season for both club and country in the year under review. 

The Real Madrid superstar, won La Liga and the Champions League before reaching the Euro 2024 final with England, while Lookman’s bragging right stems from his brilliant performance with Atalanta not just in the domestic scene but also his hattrick that saw the Italian side winning the Europa Cup against Bayern Leverkusen last May.

Several Premier League stars have also been included on the 30-man shortlist. They include the Manchester City quartet of Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Rodri.

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal also made list same as William Saliba, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is up for both the top award and the goalkeeping gong.

Manchester City have also been nominated for the Men’s club of the Year award after winning a fifth consecutive Premier League crown. They will battle Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Girona, and Bayer Leverkusen for the award.

Lauren James, Lauren Hemp, Lucy Bronze and Khadija Shaw are all included on the shortlist for the women’s award.

Manchester United youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have both been nominated for the Kopa Trophy alongside Euro 2024 winner Lamine Yamal.

Femi Solaja

With barely two weeks to the Super Eagles’ opening match in the AFCON 2025 qualifying round of matches, former Nigeria international, Kingsley Onye, who is better known as “Mature” has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that they are running against time.

“We courting another disastrous opening just as we have turned the World Cup qualifier to be”, remarked the former left-sided defender from his base in the UK.

To him, not having a coach in place, two weeks before a major competition implies a poor approach to the qualifiers. “The popular saying goes that to fail to plan is to plan to fail”, remarked Onye who in the 1980s featured for major Nigerian clubs such as the defunct Leventis United, Iwuanyanwu Nationale and Enugu Rangers which remains the club after his heart, even till now.

He pointed out that while they have not been able to get a foreign coach owing possibly to lack of funds, “the NFF should latch on the opportunity of the expiration of the ban on Samson Siasia.”

According to him, Siasia remains Nigeria’s best option. “First, he is a Nigerian. More importantly, he has done it before and has proved his mettle.”

He pointed out that Siasia has possibly the best coaching profile in the country today. “He has silver and bronze medals in the Olympics, he has coached the Super Eagles even to major victory against a team like Argentina and has taken the Flying Eagles to the championship match in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“A Lionel Messi-propelled Argentina had to depend on two penalty kicks to beat Siasia’s Flying Eagles in the final match of the 2005 Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

 â€œArgentina also had to depend on a break-away move to beat Siasia’s team in the gold medal match of the Beijing Olympics”, Onye pointed out.

To him, that is the best option for Nigeria, even as he advocated for another Nigerian international and coach, Sylvanus Okpala as Siasia’s assistant.

“This we can do in the short term while hoping for a long-term solution”, said Onye. He pointed out that Okpala was pivotal in Stephen Keshi’s crew that led Nigeria to victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

“Okpala is a good match reader and his support for Siasia will be valuable as he had done with Keshi,” he pointed out.

Femi Solaja

Following the distress messages posted on the x-platform (formerly Twitter) by aspiring Nigerian Olympic medallist, Favour Ofili, over her exclusion from the 100m women’s race at the Paris 2024 Olympics, a lot of stakeholders are calling for severe punishment against the official(s) found guilty of the admirative blunder.

The Sports Minister, John Enoh had yesterday reacted via his verified X account where he absolved his ministry of complicity but maintained that the culprit must be brought to book.

The tweet under two hours had 386k views, 1,375 reposts, 2,885 likes and 750 comments and the high point of many Nigerians that reacted was that the matter should not be swept under the carpet just like it happened at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo when the same Ofili and nine others were declared ineligible for the Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit because they were not tested rigorously enough in the run-up to Tokyo 2020.

According to the Minister yesterday, “On July 28, 2024, as Minister of Sports Development, I visited and addressed Team Nigeria athletes at the Games Village in Paris. It was a no-holds-barred session. Thereafter, I had my usual personal interaction with the athletes to allow them to express their concerns directly to me, which has been my tradition as Minister of Sports. In addition, I have continued to encourage athletes to reach me directly on any concerns. 

“In hindsight, when Ofili had issues at the African Championships in Douala, I reached out to get her side of the story, and this time, it hasn’t been different. Favour Ofili reached me directly, expressing her concern for her race. Immediately I called Professor Ken Anugweje, the lead of the Ministerial Podium Performance Committee, to ensure that Ofili’s issues were thoroughly addressed.

“He got back to me shortly after to say he was in touch with the 1st Vice President of NOC, Chief Solomon Ogba, and that the matter was being handled.

“Upon hearing Ofili’s distress this morning, I reached out to the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN). The Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, stated categorically that Favour Ofili was registered for the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay.

“The Secretary General of AFN has also insisted that the final list forwarded by her to NOC (the only body the International Olympic Committee receives the final list of athletes from), had Ofili listed for the 100m as well. I am in touch with the President of the NOC on this and await his explanation. 

“Ofili has been in the top eight at the World Championships. She is a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.

“As Minister of Sports, I will not tolerate this utter recklessness. It is highly inexcusable, and there will be thorough sanctions after investigations into where and from whom this gross negligence originated.

“All parties must take their duties very seriously. The current way of operating the Federal Ministry of Sports Development does not allow for incompetence at any level.

“As an immediate measure, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee must ensure that Favour Ofili is not deprived of the opportunity to compete in the races for which she is qualified and registered to represent the country at the Paris Olympics. She is committed to proving her mettle,” the minister stated in his tweet.

In its reaction, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) said that it registered Ofili for 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.

The federation noted that it was shocking that the athlete’s name went missing from the 100m event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“We registered Ofili for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. We don’t know how her name got missing in the 100m. This is our stand as a federation,” AFN Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, said in a message to AFN Media. 

It was gathered that the AFN submitted Ofili’s name for the three events on the final list it sent to the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) for the Paris Olympics. It was not clear how her name was eventually left out in the 100m event. 

Ofili ran 11.06 at the Nigerian Olympics Trials in Benin City to secure her place among the 56 athletes that will compete at the Paris Olympics. She has competed in more 100m races this season than the 200m and ran two wind-aided times of 10.85sec and 10.78secs. 

Ofili had taken to her social media page to express her anger and disgust.

 “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for 4 years to earn this opportunity,” she noted.

So far, there has not been any official reaction from NOC on the matter.

TEAM NIGERIA FIXTURES

Swimming

Tobi Sijuade -Men’s 50m Free Style -10:18 am

Basketball

France Vs Nigeria – 4:15 pm

Femi Solaja

Against two consecutive defeats at the ongoing Women’s Football Tournament of the Olympic Games, the Super Falcons are condemned to win to be mathematically sure of qualification into the event’s next round.

The Nigerian team had suffered two narrow defeats first against Brazil in the opening match, followed by another lone-goal loss to World Champions, Spain on Sunday.

However, reports from the camp of the Falcons last night paint the picture of players who believe they can do the needful by beating Japan in commanding fashion at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes this evening to earn a place in the quarter-finals, albeit as one of the two best third-placed teams heading into that stage.

Japan fell hard to the Super Falcons in a Women’s Olympic Football Tournament match in Piraeus, Greece in 2004, when Vera Okolo’s strike was the only goal of the match and earned Nigeria all three points.

That win, which also handed the Super Falcons their only quarter-final berth at the tournament so far, is also the only victory the nine-time African champions have celebrated at the Olympics since they started participating 24 years ago.

“Victory over Japan is possible. We will work hard so that we can accomplish that. The Super Falcons have done it before and we can do it again,” said captain Rasheedat Ajibade.

Ajibade, Asisat Oshoala and Chinwendu Ihezuo had gilt-edged opportunities to become only Nigeria’s fourth-ever scorer at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, but none was able to utilize the chances that came their way in the game against world champions Spain on Sunday.

Mercy Akide-Udoh, the elegant forward who is now FIFA’s Goodwill Ambassador for Women’s Football, is the run-away top scorer for Nigeria with four goals. She netted two at the Sydney Olympics, in the 1-3 losses to Norway (in Canberra) and the USA (in Melbourne). She also scored twice in Athens four years later, in the 1-2 defeats to Sweden and Germany.

Four-time African Player of the Year Perpetua Nkwocha trails with two goals, scored in the 1-3 defeat by China in Canberra in 2000 and the 1-3 loss to Brazil in Beijing eight years later.

Femi Solaja 

Team Nigeria’s captain, Anuoluwapo Opeyori has remarked that the victory of Nigeria’s D’Tigress over Australia in the Paris 2024 women’s basketball tournament has inspired him that he can achieve a lot if he is determined.

The Nigerian star will be aiming to better the performance of the team after a string of unimpressive results from the individual events by the country’s representatives.

The quartet of Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello all tasted defeat in their respective opening matches in the table tennis just as Adam Olaitan Olaore lost in the 92 kg at the boxing arena on Sunday but this afternoon, Opeyori will attempt to improve.

He expressed in Paris that the win by the D’Tigress was soul-lifting considering that the Australians are rated higher than Nigeria in the FIBA ranking.

He takes to the court this Tuesday as he faces Switzerland’s Tobias Kunzi in a Group N contest that also has China’s Li Shifeng. This is a Round of 16 contest.

His match against Kunzi will hold at 7.30 pm local time (6.30 pm in Nigeria) at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.

Only one of the trio will advance to the next round.

Opeyori’s opponent, Tobias Kunzi this Monday lost his first match to the seeded Chinese player, Li Shifeng. It was a two-straight set of 21-13 in each set.

Opeyori will meet the seeded Li Shifeng on Wednesday.

 Femi Solaja with agency report

No member of the Super Falcons’ players was listed among players that will make a major mark in the forthcoming football event at the Paris Olympic Games that will get underway during the week.

A major news outlet, BBC, in its analysis, did not consider multiple ‘African Women Footballer of the Year’ recipient, Asisat Oshoola nor any other member of the team but named Brazil’s woman footballer, Marta among 10 players tipped for glory at the football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons are billed to face Brazil in one of the opening matches of the Olympics and later play Spain and Japan.

BBC focused on the just concluded Euro 2024 and the Copa America in picking most of the players expected to excel. Apart from Marta, three Africans are also in focus. They are Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Naby Keita of Guinea among the men and Barbra Banda, a woman footballer from Zambia.  

The Paris 2024 action starts on Wednesday, with matches taking place in seven cities across France. Both the men’s and women’s finals will be played in Paris at Parc des Princes.

Men’s Olympic squads are made up of under-23 players, with up to three overage players allowed, while women’s squads have no age restrictions.

From Lionel Messi to Alex Morgan, Ronaldinho to Ellen White, some of the world’s biggest names have played football at the Olympics over the years. The big names expected to excel are: Marta (Brazil) who is the country’s all-time leading goal scorer Marta will bid farewell to international football after captaining her country in Paris.

The 38-year-old is planning to retire from national team duty, but after winning a silver medal at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, she wants one last shot at the gold.

Achraf Hakimi is another big-name player to have been cleared to represent his country at the Olympics.

The 25-year-old will miss Paris St-Germain’s pre-season preparations as Morocco prepare to play at a summer Games for the eighth time.

Also listed is the former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita will captain Guinea as they make only their second appearance at an Olympics.

The Champions League winner had a poor first season in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, playing just five times because of injury and suspension.

The 29-year-old is one of the biggest names at the Games and will hope to add to his tally of 11 goals for his country.

Barbra Banda is the only African women football star listed. She became the second-most expensive women’s footballer in history when she joined Orlando Pride from Chinese club Shanghai Shengli in March.

Banda, 24, has justified her price tag since joining the NWSL outfit, and became the first player in the history of the division to score 11 goals in their first 11 games.

Julian Alvarez (Argentina) howwasFresh from their Copa America triumph, Argentina are the favourites to win the men’s gold medal in Paris.

Along with Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli, Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez is one of Argentina’s three overage players in the squad as Javier Mascherano looks to coach the country to their third gold medal.

The 24-year-old scored 11 goals in 36 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side last season as they won a fourth successive Premier League title.

Alvarez will miss City’s pre-season tour of the United States and the Community Shield match against Manchester United, which takes place the day after the gold medal match.

Others are Alexandre Lacazette (France) whom Thierry Henry has selected to captain France at their home Games.

“We all have the same ambition, to go all the way and win a medal,” the 33-year-old said. “The fact that it’s a home Games is really going to motivate us.”

The Lyon forward hasn’t played for his country since 2017 but scored 22 goals in 35 games for the Ligue 1 club last season, showing he is still in good form.

Asisat Oshoala’s former teammate at Barcelona Femini, Aitana Bonmati  will represent Spain but have never had a women’s team at the Olympics before but they head to Paris as one of the favourites.

The reigning world champions have lost only twice in 14 matches since beating England in last August’s World Cup final.

The rest are Wendie Renard (France), Fermin Lopez (Spain) and Linda Caicedo (Colombia) completed the 10-man list.

Femi Solaja with agency report

Former champion, Spain, proved bookmakers right as they booked their place in the final of Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win against France in Munich yesterday evening. It was La Rojas’ sixth win in six matches of the tournament.

Lamine Yamal was the hero of the night with a stunning first-half equaliser to become the youngest scorer in the history of the tournament. The match also marked his last action as a 16-year-old lad as he turned 17 on Saturday.

Les Bleus went ahead early on the night, but their lead was quickly wiped out by a resurgent La Roja side who responded swiftly to turn the tie around.

Luis de la Fuente’s men will now take on either England or the Netherlands – who meet in Dortmund tonight in the other semi-final match for a epic final on Sunday at Berlin’s Olympiastadion for their chance at European glory.

France went ahead after nine minutes when Ousmane Dembele dribbled in off the right flank and found Kylian Mbappe on the opposite wing. Without his mask obscuring his vision, Mbappe delivered a picture-perfect cross for Randal Kolo Muani, who got on the wrong side of defender Aymeric Laporte and headed his side in front.

But France’s advantage lasted all but 12 minutes when it was wiped out by Lamine Yamal. Receiving the ball 25 yards out, the Spain winger tiptoed infield and let fly, looping an unstoppable strike over goalkeeper Mike Maignan to haul his side level. This strike made Yamal the youngest scorer in the history of the European Championships.

Soon after, Spain went in front through Dani Olmo, whose low strike cannoned in off of Jules Kounde after France failed to clear their lines in their box.

Didier Deschamps made several attacking substitutions early into the second half to try and turn the tide again, but his side could only muster up half-chances.

Spain’s progression to the final was confirmed at the end of five minutes of stoppage time, ending France’s hopes of a first European title in 24 years.

Super Falcons and Rosengard FC Midfielder, Halimatu Ayinde will not be at the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite making the list released yesterday by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Superfalconsshow.com, reports that the former Delta Queens midfielder suffered a knee injury, while training yesterday and will miss the Olympics, according to a statement from her Swedish club on Thursday evening.

“Unfortunately, Halimatu Ayinde  injured her knee during training yesterday and will miss the Olympics. We wish her a speedy recovery. Get well, Halimatu”

The Nigerian international later yesterday tweeted on X her inability to be in Paris 2024 with the Super Falcons.

“With a heavy heart, I announce I won’t be part of the Super Falcons for the Olympics. I’m deeply grateful to FC RosengĂĽrd and my teammates for their support and love. Best of luck to my fellow Super Falcons. I’ll be cheering for you and will return stronger. Go Superfalcons!!

The alternative players for the Super Falcons are Gift Monday, Ifeoma Onumonu, Jumoke Alani and Morufat Ademola.

Femi Solaja

With the position of the Super Eagles’ coach vacant again, former Nigeria junior international, Kingsley Onye has again called for the engagement of Emmanuel Amuneke to mount the saddle.

Before the engagement of the now-resigned Finidi George, Onye had called for the employment of Amuneke in succession to Jose Peseiro.

But the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) did otherwise with Finidi as the substantive head of the coaching crew. 

Onye remarked that he pitied the former Nigerian international and the circumstances that led to his resignation.

“That done, I think the NFF should reconsider Amuneke whom I believe has the capability of turning things around for the better,” said Onye who was pivotal to Nigeria’s Flying  Eagles having their first podium finish at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at the old Soviet Union in 1985.

“I call for the engagement of Amuneke because he did it before, even with a relatively low team that had previously laboured in vain for 30 years before qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.”

He was referring to Tanzania which constantly failed the qualification test from 1980 to 2019 before they eventually qualified under the managerial influence of Amuneke.

“I strongly believe we should try him. I make this statement not tinted with any sentiment, but for the good of the game in Nigeria”, remarked Onye who also called for the inclusion of Sylvanus Okpala as the assistant coach.

The latter assisted the late Stephen Keshi in winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles in South Africa.

Onye said that getting a good foreign coach with deep knowledge of Africa is very difficult now. “Besides, it will be a drain of our scarce foreign currency.”

However, there are speculations that Amuneke may be handed Heartland to manage next season.

Amuneke who this past season worked under cover for his hometown club, has already started recruiting players for the new season.

Heartland were relegated from the NPFL, but may make a prompt return to the top league by buying the slot of Beyond Limits, who won promotion from the NPFL.

It is understood that Beyond Limits will now sell to the highest bidder with the Imo State Government ready to break the bank for Heartland to play again in the NPFL.

Amuneke, 53, has previously worked in the domestic league with Julius Berger and Ocean Boys. He was recently considered for the Super Eagles top coaching post

  •Osimen blasts former Ajax man

 Femi Solaja

Nigeria’s preparation for the next round of World Cup qualifying tournaments took a fresh dimension yesterday following the resignation of Chief Coach of the Super Eagles Finidi George yesterday morning.

He tendered his letter of resignation to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau.

Finidi was a vibrant right-winger for the Super Eagles in his playing days and won the AFCON 1994 with the national team and the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup with Ajax in 1996.

Finidi took charge of the team on an interim basis for the March International break, guiding the team to a 2-1 win over Ghana, before falling to a 2-0 defeat against Mali in Morocco.

Last month, after a thorough meeting with the NFF, he was appointed to be the head coach of the Super Eagles and was immediately given the sole responsibility of qualifying the team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In two qualifying games, the Super Eagles played a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo, before losing to Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic in Ivory Coast. The Super Eagles are now fifth in their qualification group with three points from four games.

Hide quoted text

Meanwhile, in what looks like the coach may have lost the dressing room long before he left the post came to the fore later yesterday following a viral video posted by Super Eagles’ arrowhead striker, Victor Osimhen as he called out on the coach who just resigned.

A livid Osimhen in a life post on his Instagram page, said that the erstwhile Nigerian coach lied about him and his commitment to the Super Eagles. He thereafter rained invectives on the coach and those who share the former Super Eagles’ point of view.

He remarked that he got injured in his club’s last Serie A match against Lecce and went to see his doctor.

After the report came out, Osimhen said he called Finidi to inform him of the injury and that he video-recorded the conversation.

 He said he opted to still come to camp, but Finidi refused asking him to stay away and recover. He is however angry that Finidi reportedly doubted his commitment to the Super Eagles.

In the build-up to the match against South Africa in Uyo, the coach had muted the idea of new leadership for the team which many pundits saw as a way to limit the influence of Williams Troost Ekong who was voted the MVP at the last AFCON tournament in Cote D’Ivoire.

Four days ago, the NFF via its official media channel said a foreign Technical Adviser would be employed in the coming days with whom Finidi will have to work following the poor run of the national team in the last few matches.

Rising from a crisis-managing meeting, the NFF announced that it has resolved to employ an expatriate Technical Adviser for the Super Eagles in the coming weeks, ahead of the AFCON qualifiers and the remaining FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

Also, the NFF resolved to beef up its Technical Department with more qualitative hands. Equally, the Technical and Development Sub-Committee will be re-jigged with immediate effect.

Spain Maul Croatia as Switzerland Beat Hungary

S

pain scored three first-half goals on their way to an emphatic win against Croatia on day two of Euro 2024.

La Roja’s new quick and direct style was too much for perennial tournament overachievers Croatia to handle at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Zlatko Dalic’s men missed a penalty and had a goal ruled out by VAR seconds apart towards the end of Saturday’s encounter and now have it all to do in Group B.

With half an hour on the clock, Spain took the lead. Croatia’s centre-backs were caught napping, allowing too much space between themselves, and Fabian Ruiz simply passed right through them for Alvaro Morata to chase onto it, and he made no mistake when bearing down on goal.

Croatia, who offered little to that point, sought to find an immediate equaliser. Mateo Kovacic felt empowered to drive past the Spain midfield and let fly from 25 yards, but his strike was easily gathered by goalkeeper Unai Simon.

And Spain punished their opponents back down the other end. Lamine Yamal – the new youngest player in Euros history – did well to bring the ball forward down the right flank before coming back inside, with play eventually worked to Fabian, who danced past Kovacic and Luka Modric before picking out the bottom corner with a piercing shot.

Again Croatia looked to get at La Roja from kick-off, with Marcelo Brozovic this time forcing Simon into a low parry, and Lovro Majer fired the rebound into the side-netting.

Another chance for Croatia went begging when Majer’s cross found Josko Gvardiol at the back post, but his effort slipped through the hands of Simon and behind for a goal kick.

With one final first-half attack, Spain added their third. A short corner routine ended with Lamal crossing in for Dani Carvajal, whose deft touch beat Livakovic at the near post.

In the second half, Spain nearly grabbed a fourth on a swift counter attack, which ended with Pedri slipping through Yamal, who was denied by a fine save down low by Livakovic. From the resulting corner, Yamal’s cross deflected off the thigh of Morata and whistled past the post.

Back down the other end, Spain’s clean sheet was preserved by the skin of their teeth. Kocacic’s cut-back eventually trickled to Josip Stanisic, but Marc Cucurella denied him with a fine block. Ante Budimir and Andrej Kramaric looked to convert the rebound in a goal-mouth scramble, only for Simon to push the ball away to safety.

With Spain in complete control, Croatia stumbled into a penalty. Simon’s poor pass from the back was pounced upon by Majer, and Petkovic was felled by Rodri with the goal gaping. Though Simon saved Petkovic’s initial penalty, Ivan Perisic reacted quickest and squared the rebound back for the Dinamo Zagreb striker to score. However, after a VAR check, Perisic was penalised for encroachment and the goal was chalked off.

Spain’s triumph was confirmed after five minutes of stoppage time – they return to action on Thursday against Italy, while Croatia are back in action on Wednesday against Albania.

Earlier in the day, Switzerland battled their way to victory over Hungary as they made a winning start at Cologne Stadium.

Kwadwo Duah justified his surprise inclusion by boss Murat Yakin as he slotted home his first international goal before Michel Aebischer doubled Switzerland’s lead on the stroke of half-time.

Barnabas Varga gave Hungary hope with 30 minutes left after the striker guided Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliantly weighted cross beyond Yann Sommer.

Substitute Breel Embolo clinched the three points in stoppage time with a lovely lobbed finish over Peter Gulacsi.

Scotland remains bottom of Group A after the 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany while Switzerland sit second – behind the tournament hosts.

Yakin’s side gained control of the ball from the off and dominated as Hungary created little to nothing in attack during the first 45 minutes.

London-born Duah, who had only played 45 minutes for the Swiss before this game, was slipped in brilliantly by Aebischer before finishing beyond Gulacsi in the 12th minute.

On the stroke of half-time, left-wing back Aebischer cut in on his right foot to expertly place a strike beyond the diving Gulacsi from 20 yards.

In the 63rd minute, Varga missed a gilt-edge chance to halve the deficit as he steered his header wide.

But he responded well, meeting Szoboszlai’s curling ball three minutes later with a deft header to halve the deficit.

Despite being urged on by their fans, the resurgent Hungarians were unable to find an equaliser.

Having only recently returned to action following a cruciate ligament injury, Monaco striker Embolo was introduced off the bench in the 74th minute and pounced on a defensive error to slot home in the third minute of added time and settle the outcome.

The Swiss face Scotland next in Cologne on Wednesday – live on BBC One – while Hungary take on Germany earlier in the day.

Femi Solaja

League leaders, Enugu Rangers, were on the losing side yesterday evening as old rivals, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, picked the maximum points right in front of their home crowd.

Dumte Christian Pyagbara’s header in the 12th minute earned the Oluyole Warriors three points and consolidated their quest for continental football next season.

In the other matches, defending champion, Enyimba of Aba dropped to third position following a disappointing 1-1 scoreline with visiting Bayelsa United.

Alade Balogun puts the home side in front in the 20th minute but relegation threatening Bayelsa side restores parity in the 35th minute through EkesonOkorie.

The result pushed Enyimba to the third position following Remo Stars’ comprehensive 4-1 win against Heartland of Owerri at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

Kwara United won 2-0 at home against Kano Pillars while Niger Tornadoes won 3-2 against Lobi stars and Plateau United compounded Sporting Lagos’ relegation battle with a 2-1 win away in Lagos.

While Bendel Insurance were 2-1 better against Rivers United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Akwa United enjoyed a 3-1 win over Katsina United and Abia Warriors won 3-1 away at Gombe United.

Meanwhile, Ikorodu City FC of Lagos and Beyond Limit FC of Ikenne have secured promotion into the elite division at the ongoing Play-off tournament in Enugu.

They are joined by Nasarawa United and El-Kanemi Warriors.

The four teams secured promotion to the NPFL from the Nigeria National League (NNL) play-offs in Enugu. Nasarawa United and El-Kanemi Warriors are returning to the top division.

The teams clinched the top two spots in the Northern and Southern Conferences of the NNL.

In the Northern Conference, Nasarawa United of Lafia beat Sporting Supreme 2-1, finishing first with nine points while El-Kanemi Warriors defeated Sokoto United 4-1 to take second place with six points.

Both Nasarawa United and El-Kanemi Warriors were relegated from the NPFL last year after finishing bottom of the league’s Group A but they have bounced back impressively at the first time of asking.

In the Southern Conference, Beyond Limits topped the group with seven points after a 1-0 win over Inter Lagos. Ikorodu City beat Madiba FC 2-0, securing the second promotion spot with five points.

Beyond Limits, Football Academy etched its name in the history books after becoming the first African team to win the prestigious Viareggio Cup in Italy.

Each team in the playoffs played three matches, with the top two teams from each conference earning promotion to the NPFL.

Ikorodu City were pestablished just two years ago, and Beyond Limits will be playing in the NPFL for the first time.

RESULTS 

Shooting 1-0 Rangers

Akwa Utd 3-1 Katsina 

Insurance 2-1 Rivers Utd

Enyimba 1-1 Bayelsa

Gombe 1-3 Abia War

Kwara 2-0 K’Pillars 

Tornadoes 3-2 Lobi

Remo  4-1 Heartland 

Sporting 1-2 Plateau