Connect with us

Sports

Flying Eagles dump out Argentina, zoom into quarter-finals

Published

on

 

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria late Wednesday night beat Argentina 2-0 to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup quarter-finals.

After a goalless first half in the match which ended early Thursday morning, the Nigerian side opened scoring against the host country on 61 minutes.

Ibrahim Muhammad pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and beat the goalkeeper with a shot into the bottom right corner to make it 0-1.

Three minutes later, Ume Emmanuel jinks his way past two defenders and from the edge of the box had an effort which went just wide of the right post.

On 73 minutes, Federico Gomes Gerth pulled off a great save to deny Ume Emmanuel, who made himself some space inside the box and unleashed a quick shot to the top right corner.

Eight minutes to duration time, Juan Gauto slided a brilliant pass into Alejo Veliz, but his shot from inside the box went a whisker wide of the right post.

READ  Messi to the rescue: Hope alive for Argentina after beating Mexico

On 84 minutes, Luka Romero unleashed a tremendous shot from distance, but it crashed against the right post.

A minute later, Ignacio Maestro blew a clear opportunity. He needed only to tap the ball in, but narrowly missed the goal.

Two minutes into added time, the Eagles made it 0-2 against the host. Rilwanu Sarki rose high to beat the goalkeeper with a perfect header. He headed the ball inside the right post.

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  Diego Maradona death: Seven medical professionals charged with homicide

 

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  Thriller in Qatar: Argentina narrowly beat Netherlands on penalties

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  Nigeria would have lost $15bn to P&ID , says Buhari

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  D-DAY: Can Lionel Messi end it on a golden note with World Cup with Argentina?

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  Ogun 2023: Kinsmen buy nomination form for Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun

Continue Reading

Trending News