Sports

The three-time African champions grabbed a crucial win on the road as they stretched their dominance in Group C Victor Osimhen's strike and Kenny Rocha Santos' own goal helped Nigeria come from behind to beat Cape Verde 2-1 in their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying game. Two defensive blunders from the hosts secured maximum points for the Super Eagles as they clinched back-to-back wins in the Group C. It was a memorable outing for Ahmed Musa who made his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles while Malmo's Innocent Bonke and Bolgona's Kingsley Michael were handed starting debuts, in the absence…

Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has named his starting line-up for Friday’s (today) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against Liberia, THE WHISPERER reports. Rohr opted for Sparta Rotterdam’s Maduka Okoye in goal with Ola Aina, William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun and Jamilu Collins the four defenders. Leicester City star Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo and Alex Iwobi will operate from the midfield. Victor Osimhen lead team’s attack and will supported by Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon. Super Eagles Line-up Maduka Okoye Ola Aina Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Jamilu Collins Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo, Alex Iwobi Moses Simon , Kelechi Iheanacho,…

According to reports in the media, two-time CAF Champions League winner Enyimba FC have appointed ex-Nigerian international George Finidi as the team’s Technical Adviser. Finidi will replace coach Fatai Osho who led the Aba Elephants to a second-place finish in the recently concluded 2020-21 season of the Nigeria Professional Football League. Enyimba, having won more Champions League titles and more NPFL honours than every other Nigerian team, will look to count on the expertise of a man who was among the first Nigerian players to achieve success in Europe. Finidi was a key member of the Ajax team that won…

Manchester United have confirmed they have reached an agreement to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. United said the deal for the 36-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner was subject to personal terms, visa and a medical. Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 games in his first spell at Old Trafford before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009. "Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester," said a United statement.

Chelsea midfielders Jorginho and N'Golo Kante and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne make up Uefa's three-man shortlist for men's player of the year. Chelsea's Emma Hayes is on the shortlist for the women's coach of the year award, along with ex-Barcelona boss Lluis Cortes and Sweden's Peter Gerhardsson. The men's coach of the year nominees are Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Chelsea's Thomas Tuchel and Italy boss Roberto Mancini. The three candidates for the women's player of the year are Barcelona's Champions League-winning trio Jenni Hermoso, Lieke Martens and Alexia Putellas. It is the first time in the 11-year history of…

Lionel Messi fought back tears Sunday as he began a press conference at which he confirmed he is leaving Barcelona, where he has played his entire career. The 34-year-old Argentinian superstar, six times a Ballon d’Or winner, has been out of contract since the end of June and Barca say they cannot afford to keep him, with Paris Saint-Germain widely expected to try to entice him to the Parc des Princes. “This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay here, at home — this is what we wanted more than anything,” said a suited Messi…

One of the most outstanding and consistent players in the Nigerian national female basketball team is Ezinne Kalu. Born on June 26, 1992, in Newark, New Jersey, United States, Kalu showed glimpses of a bright future in basketball at a very young age by becoming the first woman in the basketball history of Science Park High School, Newark, to score over 2,000 points. Her exploits at the school have been highly celebrated as the number 23 jersey she wore while featuring for the academic institution was retired in 2017, also making her the first woman whose jersey has been retired…

The AS Roma Academy, Abuja has appointed former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles of Nigeria’s coach, John Obuh as Technical Director. The academy made this known, in a statement on Monday in Ilorin, by its Country Manager, Robinson Adakosa. AS Roma is an Italian professional football club based in Rome. It was founded in 1927 and had since participated in the top-tier Italian football for all of its existence, except for the 1951–52 Season. Roma won Serie A titles in 1941–42, 1982–83 and 2000–01 seasons, as well as nine Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. In European competitions,…

England's hopes of ending a 55-year wait for a major trophy were crushed in heartbreaking fashion as they lost on penalties to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley. Despite two saves by Jordan Pickford, missed penalties from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka proved decisive. In their first men's final since 1966 and playing in front of a vocal crowd of around 60,000, England made the dream start when they scored in just the second minute, Luke Shaw volleying in superbly after a quick counter. But Italy slowly started to gain control of the game and…