Sports

AFCON qualifiers: Dele-Bashiru’s late goal earns Super Eagles win over Libya

Published

3 weeks ago

October 11, 2024

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Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored the winner as Nigeria defeated Libya 1-0 in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday.

The Group D encounter was a game of missed chances, gamesmanship from the Libyans and poor officiating by the referees but Dele-Bashiru proved the hero Nigerians needed with his late strike.

Coach Austin Eguavoen switched to a 4-3-3 with Ademola Lookman and Victor Boniface leading the attack alongside Moses Simon.

The Super Eagles had the first chance of the encounter when the Libya goalkeeper was forced into a save by Alex Iwobi. The team continued to have the upper hand but failed to make it count as William Troost-Ekong, the Eagles captain, fired wide from a rebound, following a save off Frank Onyeka’s shot.

Iwobi was then expertly denied by a point-blank save as both teams went into the interval on level terms.

Iwobi continued to enter the box at the right time but his finishing was abysmal, with the 27-year-old heading high and wide from six yards out before blazing a half-volley wide minutes later as Nigeria probed the Libyans more on the right wing.

READ Police arrest woman for trafficking 16-year-old secondary school girl to Libya

The Libyans settled into time-wasting routine but Lookman found the back of the net with a low shot after exchanging passes but he was deemed offside despite replays showing otherwise.

Nigeria scored minutes later when Dele-Bashiru fired into the far corner from centre of the box off Simon’s pass from the wing, leaving the goalkeeper rooted to the spot while fans celebrated wildly.

The goal ensured Eguavoen’s side secured all three points to put them closer to qualification.

Victory takes Nigeria to seven points on the log from three matches, leading group D at the halfway mark of the qualification series.

The Super Eagles travel to Benghazi to face the Libyans on matchday four on October 15

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Ballon d’Or: Lookman ranked 14th best male footballer in the world

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2024

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Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles winger, has been named the 14th best male footballer in the world.

The 27-year-old was named among the 15 best players in the world on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France.

The winger is the only African to make the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or prize. He is the second Nigerian to be nominated for the prize in two years.

In 2023, Victor Osimhen became the first Nigerian to break into the top 10 of the award — finishing eighth overall.

Before that, Kanu Nwankwo was the last Super Eagles player to crack the top 15 of the coveted individual prize, ranking 11th in 1996.

Lookman placed ahead of Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba on the 2024 Ballon d’Or ranking.

The winger scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season for Atalanta, which retained its status as one of the best in Serie A.

READ Super Eagles go after 4th title as 34th AFCON kicks off

He scored a hattrick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, winning Atalanta’s first-ever European title.

Lookman was one of Nigeria’s best players at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. He scored three goals as the Eagles won silver at the tournament. He was also named in the competition’s best XI alongside captain Willian Troost-Ekong.

Sports

UPDATED: Man United sack Ten Hag, name Van Nistelrooy as interim coach

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2024

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Manchester United have fired Erik ten Hag as the club’s head coach following an uninspiring tenure at the helm of affairs.

In a statement on the club’s website, United said Ruud van Nistelrooy will take over as the team’s interim manager.

Ten Hag’s dismissal comes just a day after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday. The loss was the United’s fourth in the English Premier League (EPL) this season, and they slipped to 14th place on the log.

The team also remain winless in the Europa League with three draws from as many games. They are rooted in the 21st position of 36 teams in the Europa League log.

Ten Hag was appointed as United manager in April 2022. He replaced Ralf Rangnick, who had been working at United in an interim capacity after the club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021.

Although Ten Hag’s tenure in the United dugout was fraught with inconsistent results in the EPL, the Dutchman led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

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Van Nistelrooy will take over on an interim basis alongside the remaining departing coach’s technical team members until a permanent manager is recruited.