Sports

Declan Rice rescues Arsenal after David Raya errors at Luton

Published

3 years ago

December 6, 2023

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Declan Rice headed in a late winner as Arsenal went five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, despite two blunders from David Raya.

The Gunners twice surrendered a lead by conceding from corners, with Raya feeling the pressure in goal as Aaron Ramsdale watched on from the bench once again. The win will feel incredible for Mikel Arteta, who has held off the chasing pack of Liverpool and Manchester City ahead of their games on Wednesday.

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring when he found the bottom corner from Bukayo Saka’s pass, but Luton levelled minutes later through Gabriel Osho’s header from a corner. Thomas Kaminski kept out efforts from Saka and Martinelli, but Arsenal still went in 2-1 ahead at the break thanks to Gabriel Jesus’ simple header from Ben White’s cross.

Once again they couldn’t hold onto their lead for long, with Raya at fault as Elijah Adebayo rose highest to head in another corner in the 49th minute. A nightmare spell for Raya continued when Ross Barkley fired underneath his body to give Luton a 3-2 lead. Jesus found Kai Havertz to equalise three minutes later following some hesitant defending from the hosts.

David Raya mistake labelled “horrible” as Arsenal fans demand Aaron Ramdale return
Arsenal turned the screw late, but Kaminski tipped over a Havertz header and Rob Edwards’ side appeared to have held on before Rice headed in Martin Odegaard’s cross in the 96th minute. Here are the talking points from a hugely entertaining game.

After a slow start to the game, it burst to life in bizarre circumstances. An overhit back-pass was put out for a throw-in by Kaminski, but it bounced back off the hoarding straight into the arms of Gabriel Jesus, who took a quick throw to allow Saka to pick out Martinelli to scuff in the opener.

It was the first shot in the match and Luton repeated the trick, scoring with their first effort on target five minutes later. Having scored the opener, Martinelli was at fault for the equaliser, putting in a half-hearted effort when marking Osho, who planted his free header into the corner of the net. Martinelli was guilty of shirking his responsibility as one of the man-markers in Arsenal’s normally very effective hybrid system, in the hope one of his team-mates would head clear. They didn’t and it proved costly.

Jesus’ work-rate and all-round contribution to Arsenal ’s play has never really been in doubt. But his goalscoring definitely has. Coming into this game the Brazilian striker had scored just 16 times in 47 matches since his £45million move from Manchester City and had just one goal in the Premier League this season – and that came in early September.

“We need goals from him, that’s for sure,” Arteta said before the game. “He has scored a lot of goals for us and he can still improve in that aspect, like he can improve in other aspects. He knows that and he is trying to do that, but there is so much that he gives that it is difficult to put a number on. But I am really happy with his overall performances.”

When White got to the byline and stood up a cross to the back post, Jesus was arriving at the perfect time to nod in. Arsenal could really do with some consistency in front of goal from their main man over the coming weeks.

Arteta must have known what he was letting himself in for when he said at the start of the season that Arsenal would not have such a thing as a first-choice goalkeeper this season. Despite his insistence, Raya has been just that, keeping Aaron Ramsdale on the bench. And this was a bad evening for the on-loan keeper.

Raya was not at fault for the first goal, but he was almost solely to blame for the second. He allowed himself to be put off by Andros Townsend’s mere presence and then failed to beat Adebayo to the ball, despite having the advantage of being able to use both his hands.

He still looked rattled by the mistake when Barkley worked a bit of space against White and fired a low shot at him. Raya didn’t get down quick enough and allowed the shot to squirm underneath him. Arteta will have questions to answer about his goalkeeper once again.

As soft as Luton’s third goal was from an Arsenal perspective, it was also indicative of Luton’s adventure and quality, with two experienced Premier League campaigners at its heart. Barkley picked up the ball in the centre circle, skipped past Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Odegaard and fed Townsend before getting the ball back.

Barkley drifted past White and fired low and was rewarded with his first Premier League goal since the last day of the 2021/22 season, when he netted for Chelsea against Watford. Barkley was celebrating his 30th birthday and it was heartening to see the former Everton man showing glimpses of the player he used to be. With Odegaard off the boil, he was the best performer in the middle of the pitch on either side.

Sports

Lionel Messi retires from international football

Published

3 weeks ago

August 31, 2026

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Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi, has drawn the curtain on his international football with Argentina after an illustrious career with the South American nation.

The 39-year-old made a total of 207 appearances, announced his retirement on Monday.

He won the World Cup in 2022, and was a runner-up in 2026 and 2014. He also secured two Copa América titles.

Messi wrote in a statement, “It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.

“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”

Messi, who made 207 appearances and reached three World Cup finals, is widely regarded by fans worldwide as the greatest footballer ever.

Sports

Tinubu orders comprehensive reform of Nigerian football after resignation of NFF board

Published

3 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football to ensure the national football team overcome repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.

“The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” he said.

Tinubu, according to a statement on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesperson, made the decision to help the country “overcome repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments”.

“Football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and the greatest beneficiary of public support, investment and national attention, has continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system,” the president said.

The President noted that while other sports had recorded meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, football has continued to struggle because of structural weaknesses within the system.

He stressed that Nigerian football must begin to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.

President Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration and facilitate a broad, consultative reform process.

The process will include appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF while safeguarding Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.

The President called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work together to build a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.

Sports

Ibrahim Gusau confirms resignation as NFF president, Mohammed Sanusi steps down as general secretary

Published

3 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

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Ibrahim Gusau has confirmed his resignation as the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The former chairman officially announced his resignation at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.

He said: “After consultation with family, friends and stakeholders, I just want to tell you that I have decided to resign from my position.

“As Nigerians, nobody is greater than this country. We all love our country and its progress. And as people who have been in football and managing football, we need to look at ourselves and ask, ‘What next?’ so we made a lot of consultations.”

Gusau added that he also advised members of the NFF board to follow his footsteps. He clarified, however, that he cannot say whether they would heed his advice.

A few minutes after Gusau’s announcement, the NFF, on its X page, confirmed the resignation of Mohammed Sanusi as the federation’s general secretary.

The mass resignation comes a few weeks after the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition’s inception. The disappointment triggered backlash for the NFF board members.

According to rumours, the NFF leadership was pressured to step down after intervention from top brass of the Federal Government, from the National Sports Commission (NSC) to the presidency.

Gusau was elected NFF president in 2022, and his tenure was supposed to end next month, with an elective congress scheduled for September 27.

The fate of the congress is uncertain as reports claim that a normalisation committee will be set up to oversee the federation’s affairs until further notice.

Under Gusau’s leadership, the Super Eagles, like the Falcons, also failed to qualify for the men’s 2026 World Cup, despite Africa getting 10 slots for the first time. The failure also extended to age-grade football, with the men’s U-17 and U-20 teams missing out on World Cups.