THE Falconets are on course to defend their gold medal at the African Games. They took a step closer to that dream and defeated Uganda to reach the final of the football event of the competition. Nigeria won the game 2-0 thanks to strikes in the 74th and 89th minutes by Okah Adaobi and Chiamaka Okwuchukwu respectively. Coach Christopher Danjuma’s side endured a feisty first half in the Monday semi-final encounter. They controlled possession but breaching the Ugandan defence was a herculean task. The game ended goalless in the first half with Nigeria continuing their search when the second 45…
Author: Peter Noah KC
FORMER Heartland striker, Christian Pyagbara, scored a brace as Shooting Stars secured a 2-0 win over Southwest rivals Remo Stars and also got their first-ever win over the Ikenne side in the Nigeria Premier Football League on Sunday in Ibadan. Pyagbara, who joined 3SC before the start of the season, opened the scoring in the 15th minute before adding the second in the second half with 12 minutes left to play – marking a third consecutive win and four in five matches for Gbenga Ogunbote’s side. Remo Stars striker, Sikiru Alimi, was sent off for a second bookable offence against…
SHOOTING Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, will face his former club Remo Stars in a Nigeria Premier Football League game on Sunday (today) in a southwest derby at the Adamasigba stadium. Ogunbote’s side go into the game with a good run of from, unbeaten in their last five league matches winning three and drawing two and have not lost against Remo at home in their last three meetings with result ending in 1-1 on each occasions. The Oluyole Warriors’ rich vein of form in the league has also seen them move to seventh in the NPFL standing and Ogunbote remains…
BAYER Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Friday Nigeria striker Victor Boniface was “close to getting back on the pitch” and could return in March. Boniface injured his adductor while preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria in January and has been out since. Originally scheduled to return sometime in April, Alonso said the 23-year-old could be fit for Leverkusen’s home clash with Hoffenheim on March 30. “He’s not ready yet, but next week we have an international break and we’ll use the time to take a step forward with him. “Maybe for Hoffenheim if everything goes well, but…
ARSENAL will take on Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League following Friday’s draw at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Champions League Quarter-Finals Fixtures Below is the full list of quarter-finals fixtures: Arsenal (ENG) v Bayern Munich (GER) Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Borussia Dortmund (GER) Real Madrid (ESP) v Manchester City (ENG) Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Barcelona (ESP) – First legs to be played April 9/10, second legs April 16/17 Semi-finals Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona Arsenal or Bayern Munich v Real Madrid or Manchester City – First legs to…
FORMER Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro believes the absence of Victor Boniface from the Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations squad is the only reason Nigeria lost the AFCON title in Ivory Coast. Nigeria were on the brink of winning a fourth AFCON title last February but lost 2-1 in the final to hosts, Ivory Coast despite taking a first half lead. The Eagles looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over the Ivorians from the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong – who had netted a penalty to decide that first meeting – rose to head in the opener late…
NIGERIA’s football teams at the All African Games – the Flying Eagles and the Falconets – both won their matches in the competition late Monday. The Falconets mauled Senegal 4-0 to move to the semi-final of the Games courtesy of goals from Loveth Edeh, Motunrayo Ezekiel, Chioma Olise, and an own goal. Monday’s victory for Coach Christopher Danjuma’s ladies came days after they defeated Morocco 2-0 in their first match, meaning they reached the next stage of the Games as winners of Group B. While the Falconets won convincingly, their male counterparts needed a solo goal to beat Sudan, bouncing…
RIVERS United of Nigeria were paired with title-holders USM Alger of Algeria when the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals draw was made in Cairo on Tuesday. The Port Harcourt outfit hope to become the first Nigerian winners of an African competition since Enyimba defeated Hearts of Oak 2-0 after extra time to lift the 2005 CAF Super Cup. Rivers won all four home matches to make the last eight, but were less impressive on the road with only one victory, a draw and two losses. Dreams of Ghana, who topped a group in which Rivers finished runners-up, meet Stade Malien of…
SPORTING Lagos claimed the bragging rights in the second installment of the new southwest derby in the Nigeria Premier Football League with an emphatic 4-1 win over Remo Stars at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on Sunday. The Ikenne side were undone by three of their former players in the ranks of Sporting, with Junior Lokosa, Godwin Odibo and Philip Odubia all involved. Odibo won a penalty inside five minutes and Lokosa made no mistake from the spot to give Paul Offor’s side the lead while Paschal Durugbor doubled the advantage in the 27th minute. A 38th minute own…
THE Flying Eagles of Nigeria started their campaign in the men’s football event at the 13th African Games in Ghana with a 2-1 defeat to Uganda. The opening Group B match was played at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, Legion on Thursday night. The Nigerian team coached by Ladan Bosso’s conceded first in the 34th minute against expectations but battled back to equalize and ended the first half level. They would however concede again in the second half to hand all three points to their East African counterparts. The second half pressure from the Junior Cranes payed off with…
ENYIMBA striker, Chijioke Mbaoma, is dreaming of completing a double in the Nigeria Premier Football League this season by helping Enyimba win a 10th title and also claim the highest goal scorer award. The bullish striker is currently on 11 goals, tied with Remo Stars’ Sikiru Alimi at the top of the chart for this season’s gong. Like his club, Mbaoma started the season slowly, scoring just two goals in their first 10 matches but has returned nine in his last 12 games. Enyimba, who won their ninth title last season, are currently fifth in the table – three points…
ARSENAL sensation Ethan Nwaneri is set to sign a record-breaking deal after Man City tabled a “substantial” offer, sources have told Football Insider. The 16-year-old will sign pro terms with the Londoners as soon he turns 17 on 21 March. Nwaneri’s current scholarship agreement will be converted into a professional deal in a fortnight’s time following fierce competition from Premier League sides for his services. It is believed that Man City have made a “substantial” offer, sources say, for the attacking midfielder while Chelsea also held strong interest. The 2007-born star has already been given the highest-ever wages for an…
SUPER Eagles star Alex Iwobi has made a social media comeback after the backlash he received following Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final game against Cote d’Ivoire. The Nigerian team lost 2-1 to the hosts, triggering a barrage of criticisms against the Fulham star. Iwobi, 27, had then deleted all posts on his Instagram handle but received support from the Federal Government, fellow footballers, and others. But weeks after, the Super Eagle returned to the platform, posting a video he captioned, “Lately”. The video was a snippet of what appeared to be a yet-to-be-released rap song. His post…
THE Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced a new format for the UEFA Champions League. This newspaper reports UEFA as saying the new format will begin with the 2024/25 season of European club football. This promises an exciting new era for the UEFA Champions League as the popular group stage has been knocked off. The pivotal change in the reforms announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on Monday is the departure from the current format’s group stage system. The present Champions League group stage includes 32 participants divided into eight groups of four. However, from the 2024/25 season,…
SEVEN-TIME NPFL champions, Enugu Rangers secured a 2-0 away win over Niger Tornadoes as their general manager and chief executive officer, Amobi Ezeaku, made his professional bout for the Flying Antelopes in the league at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Sunday. Ezeaku, whose inclusion in the match-day squad attracted attention before kick-off, came on in the second half after Chidiebere Nwobodo and Godwin Obaje had given them the lead in the first half. Both goals were scored within three minutes as Nwobodo opened scoring in the 22nd minute while Obaje doubled the advantage in the 25th minute to make…
FOLLOWING the exit of Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles Coach, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed ex-Super Eagles head coach and Super Eagles legend, Augustine Eguavoen, to serve as the Super Eagles Interim Coach. Jose Peseiro has left his role as the coach of the Super Eagles after taking the team to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The team lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition. His contract with the team expired in February. Although there were reports that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was negotiating with the Portuguese to…
JOSE Peseiro has left his role as the coach of the Super Eagles after taking the team to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The team lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition. His contract with the team expired in February. Although there were reports that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was negotiating with the Portuguese to renew his contract, Peseiro is leaving the post. Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF. It was a pride and honor to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice,…
PLATEAU United have tightened the top three race in the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League after securing a 5-1 win over bottom-placed Heartland in a match-day 22 game in Aba on Wednesday. The visitors raced to a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes courtesy of Olawale Doyeni and Lawrence Agbor, while Nenrot Silas made it three two minutes after the restart. Victor Makalala and Harrison Ebah completed the rout for the Jos side before Onyekachi Okafor pulled one back for the hosts in added time. With the win, Plateau United moved up to second in the table and one point behind…
EX-ARSENAL star William Gallas has warned his former side against a move for Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen this summer due to the risk of the Napoli star having a poor relationship with Gunners coach Mikel Arteta, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The Londoners are keen to acquire the services of a top-quality No. 9 at the end of the season, with several options being explored. Osimhen is one of the top targets for the role, with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also keen on the Nigeria international. However, Gallas is not convinced that the 25-year-old is the missing piece of the puzzle…
THE Super Falcons of Nigeria are through to the final round of the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The Falcons defeated the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 1-0 at the MKO Abiola Stadium Abuja on Monday evening to go through on 1-0 aggregate after a 0-0 draw in Cameroon last week. Esther Okoronkwo scored the only goal of the match in the 14th minute. The Cameroonians ended the game with ten players after Enganemben Annie was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Chiamaka Nnadozie. Nigeria will face the winner between South Africa or Tanzania for one…