Connect with us

Sports

Man City beat Real Madrid in seven-goal thriller

Published

on

 

Manchester City will take a slender Champions League semi-final advantage to the Bernabeu after winning a seven-goal first-leg classic against Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium.

City delivered a magnificent display as they peppered Real’s goal for long periods but Carlo Ancelotti’s side kept rising off the canvas to somehow keep themselves in serious contention to reach another final.

Kevin De Bruyne set the tone for a magical night of football with a diving header from Riyad Mahrez’s cross in the second minute and in-form Gabriel Jesus quickly added a second from close range as Real reeled under wave after wave of attacks.

Mahrez enraged manager Pep Guardiola when he hit the side-netting instead of finding the unmarked Phil Foden, who shot inches wide before Karim Benzema, inevitably, gave Real a lifeline by sweeping home Ferland Mendy’s cross after 33 minutes.

Real escaped again shortly after the break when Mahrez struck the post but City restored their two-goal advantage when an unmarked Foden headed home Fernandinho’s cross in the 53rd minute.

READ  Champions League: Wenger predicts outcome of Real Madrid vs Man City semi-final second leg

City were pegged back again when Vinicius Junior dummied past Fernandinho and ran from inside his own half to score a superb second for Real.

However, a brilliant use of advantage from referee Istvan Kovacs allowed Bernardo Silva to fire into the top-left corner for City’s fourth.

There was still no let-up and Benzema capped a spectacular game by showing nerves of steel to chip a Panenka penalty past Ederson with eight minutes left following Aymeric Laporte’s handball.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

13th All African Games: Nigeria finishes second with 120 medals

Published

on

By

 

Team Nigeria finished second on the medals table at the 13th African Games in Ghana. 

 

The Nigerian contingent raked in 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports at the competition.

 

Weightlifting produced Nigeria’s highest medal haul. The team garnered 32 medals — 16 gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals.

 

Athletics was Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, with 22 medals won.

 

Tobi Amusan won her third consecutive African Games gold medal in the women’s 100 meters hurdles. She then anchored the women’s 4×100 meters team to a gold medal.

 

Ese Brume retained her crown in the women’s long jump, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi reigned supreme in the men’s shot put.

 

Blessing Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye were pristine as wrestling earned Nigeria 11 medals.

 

Nigeria won eight gold medals in a day in boxing while arm wrestling also produced 13 medals.

READ  All hail 42nd Olubadan : Osinbajo, Atiku, Ooni, Alaafin present as Lekan Balogun gets staff of office

 

Team Nigeria’s medal haul is only bested by Egypt, which had 189 medals, comprising 101 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze.

 

South Africa placed third on the medals table with 106 medals — 32 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze medals.

 

Algeria finished third with 29 gold, 38 silver and 47 bronze medals, while Tunisia completed the top five.

 

The next edition of the African Games will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2027.

 

 

Continue Reading

Sports

Super Hero: Nigerian footballer, Osayi-Samuel defends teammates against pitch invaders

Published

on

By

 

Nigerian defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, who plays for Turkish club, Fenerbahçe, was seen knocking a violent pitch invader to the ground during a chaotic on-pitch brawl on Sunday night.

 

Tension escalated at the end of Fenerbahce’s 3-2 victory over Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Former Manchester United player, Fred, netted two goals in the first half, as Fenerbahce secured the victory with a late 87th-minute goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Fenerbahce players gathered in the middle of the pitch to celebrate their victory when suddenly, a single Trabzonspor fan made his way onto the pitch to taunt them.

 

A security team swiftly apprehended the individual, who was wearing a mask.

As the situation unfolded, a growing number of Trabzonspor supporters managed to bypass the security staff, causing difficulties in maintaining control.


Video captured the 26-year-old Osayi-Samuel in the midst of the commotion.

 

A video that went viral on social media captured the Nigerian chasing a fan and landing a punch to his face, causing the masked supporter to fall to the ground.

READ  Man City thump Newcastle 5-0, move three points clear at top of table

In another clip, Osayi-Samuel can be seen celebrating when he suddenly noticed a pitch invader.

 

In the video, he confronted the aggressor, defending himself against a punch and retaliating with one of his own, as a security guard swiftly subdued the unruly fan.

During the incident, Osayi-Samuel had to be held back by his teammates and security as the situation became more intense.

 

One particular fan was seen brandishing a corner flag as a potential weapon.

According to a report from Mirror UK, the atmosphere became heated as some home supporters resorted to throwing objects onto the pitch, aiming at players, coaches, and referees.

A number of Fenerbahce’s players and staff had hurriedly made their way to the tunnel for safety.

Osayi-Samuel made the move to Fenerbahce from QPR in 2021, following his early career at Blackpool.

The Nigeria international has made 126 appearances for the Turkish team.

Continue Reading

Sports

Arsenal defeat Porto to reach Champions League quarter-finals

Published

on

By

 

Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after beating Porto in a penalty shootout following a night of tension at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners went into this last-16 second leg 1-0 down but drew level when Leandro Trossard put them ahead on the night four minutes before the interval with a smooth finish following brilliant work by captain Martin Odegaard.

A scrappy, fractious encounter failed to yield a winner even after extra time and it was Arsenal who held their nerve to go through to the last eight.

 

Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were all on target for Arsenal as David Raya saved from Wendell and Galeno to seal victory for Mikel Arteta’s side amid scenes of wild celebration.


Arsenal only trailed to Galeno’s last-gasp goal from the first game in Portugal, but it quickly became clear they would need to pass a stern test of character, temperament and patience against Sergio Conceicao’s streetwise, experienced team.

READ  Court orders interim forfeiture of 15 properties, $899,900 linked to suspended accountant-general, Ahmed Idris

Porto, defensively marshalled and organised by the evergreen 41-year-old Pepe, never allowed Arsenal to play with their usual fluency and Trossard’s goal, created after superb footwork and a pass of precision from Odegaard, was a rare moment of weakness from the visitors’ defence.

Arsenal probed but Porto still posed a threat, Raya saving well from Evanilson and Francisco Conceicao.

Odegaard thought he had settled Arsenal’s nerves and put them through without the need for extra time with a second half strike. However, it was ruled out when Havertz was judged to have pulled back Pepe.


The anxiety and anger even reached the technical area, with Porto coach Conceicao an agitated, animated figure throughout, and it threatened to boil over with frustration after their fate was sealed by Raya’s flying save in a chaotic conclusion.

At the end of a nervous night, it was Arsenal who were celebrating with Arteta finally ending his European curse at home, having managed five Europa League ties at Emirates Stadium without winning any.

READ  Kano Govt sues FG over Naira redesign

It also felt like a psychological barrier had been crossed by the Gunners after losing at the last-16 stage in each of their past seven appearances in the Champions League.

And having reached the last eight, Arsenal might just feel they have learned enough from this tough experience to take their journey deeper into the competition.

Gunners set up dream season finale


Arsenal have had the ideal few days, breaking that barrier into the last eight of Europe’s elite competition while also taking their place at the top of the Premier League.

Their dramatic win against Brentford and the draw between their two closest challengers Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday means they top the league on goal difference.

It also means Arsenal have that feeling of momentum to carry forward into the final stage of the season, fighting both in domestic and European competition.

 

Arsenal’s next game is the mammoth clash with Premier League champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on 31 March and Arteta now has time to take a breath and regather his forces in a position of real strength.

READ  Riyad Mahrez's wife Rita Johal blames Man City for crashed marriage

Continue Reading

Trending News