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AFCON23 qualifier: Guinea Bissau’s Wild Dogs devour Nigeria’s Super Eagles

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Guinea Bissau stunned Nigeria 0-1 in a Group A 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Friday.

A 26th-minute goal was all the visitors needed to shock the 2013 AFCON winners on home soil and hand them a famous victory. That was Guinea Bissau’s first-ever win against the Super Eagles. The first time both sides met was at the 2021 AFCON as Nigeria defeated them 2-0 in a group stage game.

Heading into Friday’s match, Nigeria was brimming with confidence having Serie A topscorer Victor Osimhen and Atalanta’s Lookman Ademola in their ranks.

Before the clash, the Napoli forward admitted that the team won’t underrate the Wild Dogs but assured of victory.

Expectedly, the 1994 AFCON winners began the game on a good note with Villareal’s Samuel Chukwueze threatening the visitors.

Osimhen had the chance to give Nigeria the lead but the Guinea Bissau goalkeeper Jonas Mendes denied him.

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Despite the Eagles’ early dominance, the Djurtus managed to hold and steadily grew into the game, causing a scare for the defensive partnership of Kevin Akpogoma and Cavin Bassey.

They finally got the breakthrough four minutes away from the half-hour mark as an inviting long ball split the Super Eagles’ defence and fell to a chasing Mama Samba Balde.

He wasted no time in dispatching the ball through Francis Uzoho’s leg as his side raced to a lead.

Barring a side netting, Guinea Bissau almost doubled the margin after a swift counterattack a few minutes later.

Nigeria’s coach Jose Peseiro threw Paul Onuachu and Moses Simon into the game – subbing Lookman and Kelechi Iheanacho – as hostilities started for the second half.

Wilfred Ndidi’s weak effort, and Moses’ wide shots – all coming in the latter stages of the encounter – were all products of the team’s waves of attack.

But the Djurtus held on to claim a famous victory over Nigeria, a win that catapulted them to the summit of the group with seven points from three games.

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Nigeria will be aiming to make amends in the second leg of the encounter at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Monday.

 

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Everton survive on dramatic final day scare as Leicester, Leeds relegated from Premier League

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Everton have survived on the final day of the Premier League season by beating Bournemouth 1-0 at Goodison Park.

That means Leicester and Leeds have suffered relegation to the Championship. The Foxes kept their side of the bargain by beating West Ham 2-1 at the King Power, and they would have stayed up if Bournemouth had scored an equaliser on Merseyside.

Leicester’s relegation comes just seven years after they won the Premier League title. As for Leeds, they were beaten 4-1 by Tottenham at Elland Road to end their three-year stay in the top flight.

Everton sat on 33 points heading into the final day, with Leicester and Leeds both on 31 points. The Foxes boasted a far superior goal difference to their rivals, meaning they would stay up if they won and Everton drew. Leeds did not have the same luxury.

Within two minutes of the kick-off, Leeds’ hopes were in tatters. Son Heung-min teed up Harry Kane from around 12 yards out – and there was only going to be one outcome. The England captain smashed the ball into the top corner to silence Elland Road.

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The Foxes then made their move. Harvey Barnes played a nice one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho down the left channel before slotting the ball into the back of the net. Leicester fans, knowing they were now out of the relegation zone, went wild.

Leeds started the second half in the exact same way. Kane put Pedro Porro through on goal after some brilliant work before the Spaniard did the rest. Rasmus Kristensen told his Leeds team-mates to keep their heads up, but their fate was all but sealed.

As Leicester fans listened to their portable radios, the worst possible news filtered through. Standing on the edge of Bournemouth’s box, Abdoulaye Doucoure hit the sweetest strike of his life into the bottom corner and sent Everton into 17th spot.

Gary Neville summed up the response of Everton fans. He said: “Goosebumps! The slight deflection on the way through helps Doucoure but my word, it helps Everton Football Club more. This gantry is rocking like no gantry I’ve been in before. This ground is shaking!”

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Yet Leicester responded perfectly, as Wout Faes nodded in a second goal with just under 30 minutes left to play. It was now up to Everton to hang on to their lead. To the relief of everyone at Goodison Park, that is exactly what Sean Dyche’s side did.

Pablo Fornals pulled a late goal back for West Ham at the King Power, but they failed to find an equaliser. Over at Elland Road, Kane completed his brace before Lucas Moura scored on his final Tottenham appearance. Jack Harrison found the net for Leeds.

Everton’s Conor Coady said: “Relief is the main emotion. You don’t want to be part of this giant football club going down. This club has to rise and get better now.”

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Chukwueze’s stunning goal against Real Madrid wins LaLiga goal of the week

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Samuel Chukwueze, Nigeria Super Eagles and Villarreal forward, has won the LaLiga Goal of the Week award for match day 28.

LaLiga announced Chukwueze as the winner on their Twitter handle on Friday.

Chukwueze’s second goal against Real Madrid in Villarreal’s 3-2 win at the Bernabeu last Saturday was selected among the four nominated.

With the score tied at 2-2 and just 10 minutes left, Chukwueze received a pass pushed the ball forward then curled the ball into the top corner to seal a 3-2 win for Villarreal.

He equalised for Villarreal after an own goal by Pau Torres had put Madrid 1-0 up.

His two goals in the win against Madrid took his tally to six in 27 league appearances this season.

Also, he has scored 13 goals and had 11 assists in 40 games in all competitions this season.

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Watch video of fight: Israel Adesanya knocks out Pereira to reclaim UFC middleweight title

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Israel Adesanya has defeated Alex Pereira to reclaim the UFC middleweight belt title in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 287.

The bout took place at the FTX Arena, Miami, Florida, on Sunday morning.

The Nigerian-born mixed martial artist knocked out the Brazilian in the fourth minute of the second round of the bout.

The victory is Adesanya’s first-ever win over Pereira who defeated and took the belt off him with a vicious fifth-round knockout in November 2022.

The Brazilian had also defeated him twice before that fight at the Maddison Square Garden in New York.

However, in their latest bout, Adesanya demonstrated an improvement in his discipline which had previously cost him against Pereira. He had a laser-like focus throughout the entire blurry exchanges of kicks and jabs.

He kept his hard mask of control through the first round despite the constant infuriation of Pereira’s low kick into his right calf.

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In the second round, however, he charged out of his reserved, calculating stance and flew after the Brazilians with strings of attacks.

Although Periera initially countered Adesanya’s moves and pinned him with a flurry of punches to the corner, the Nigerian-born fighter wriggled out of the trap with a vicious left hook, followed by a more debilitating right cross-jab that sent the Brazilian to the mat.

Adesanya then finished the job with some ground and pound and the referee was forced to call the match.

The win over Pereira is Adesanya’s 24th in his career in mixed martial arts (MMA) and he had suffered just two losses.

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