Ashleigh Plumptre, 23 year-old Leicester city player made her debut for Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday, along with Ifeoma Onumonu.
The two players gave a good account of themselves as the Falcons beat the Lady Elephants of Ivory Coast 2-0.
Debutant Onumonu banged in the two goals and Plumptre was rock-solid in defence. She bagged the assist in Onumonu’s second goal.
Plumptre was trending on Nigerian Twitter on Saturday as people wanted to know more about the beautiful player.
Well, she is British-Nigerian, daughter of a Nigerian Dad and a British mom.
In an interview with NFF TV, she speaks proudly about her Nigerian heritage.
Match Report:
Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday defeated the Lady Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire 2-0, with debutant Ifeoma Onumonu scoring twice to give her team a good head start in the pairing.
The win was in the first leg match of their final round fixture in the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers.
In the match played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria’s persistence saw them opening scoring in the 21st minute.
Ashleigh Plumptre in Nigeria’s Super Falcons and Leicester colours
That was when Esther Okoronkwo set up Onumonu inside the penalty box to fire the Super Falcons in front from close range.
Seven minutes later, Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was put to the test when Zote Nina sent a shot towards goal but she was quick to save it.
The Ivorians began to pile huge pressure from the commencement of the second half, in a bid to get an equaliser but the Falcons stood determined to extend the lead.
Team head coach Randy Waldrum sent in striker Uchenna Kanu for midfielder Amanda Mbadinuji in the 55th minute to bolster their play.
A minute later, the U.S-based Onumonu, who was making her debut national team appearance, latched on to another debutant’s floated pass.
Ashleigh Plumtree repulsed an Ivorian attack to float the ball from the left side to the right, and Onumonu only needed to lob over Ivorian goalkeeper Cynthia Djohore.
Falcons tried to register a more resounding victory with striker Gift Monday coming in for Okoronkwo in the 84th minute but Cote D’Ivoire put up a solid defence.
The visitors looked to score a consolation goal thereafter, but France-based Nnadozie made impressive saves just as defender Plumtree ensured the hosts maintained a clean sheet.
After the match, coach Waldrum said he was happy with the team’s performance.
“I thought that we had a good control of the game, so I am really proud of the players.
“We have Nnadozie, making a huge save at the end, keeping a clean sheet and we all know that it’s very important.
“We are also proud of this lady (Onumonu). This is her first opportunity to come to Nigeria and represent her country and she scored a brace.
“Ashleigh also gave a good account of herself and it was really a solid performance,” Waldrum said.
The coach also added that he was positive ahead of the return leg in Abidjan on Wednesday.
For Onumonu, she was excited to be making her debut, adding that she had always desired to play for the country.
“It’s an honour to play for this team, I have been watching them for years and I dreamt about playing for the Super Falcons and am excited to have scored a brace.
“I really just want to make impact in this team,” Onumonu added.
Winners of the fixture will qualify for the 2022 AWCON in Morocco in June.
Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.
Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.
The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.
In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.
Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.
City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.
Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.
City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.
Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.
The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.
The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.
Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.
The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.
Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.
Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.
The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.
However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.
Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.
Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.
Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.
He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.
During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.
Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.
Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.
However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.
A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.