Sports

Osimhen’s bicycle kick goal work of art — Galatasaray

Published

2 weeks ago

October 21, 2024

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Galatasaray are awed by Victor Osimhen’s bicycle kick goal in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Antalyaspor, with the Turkish champions describing the effort as more than a photograph, a work of art, in a statement on their Instagram page on Sunday.

The Nigeria striker delivered the spectacular effort that will stay indelible in the annals of global football to round off the scoring for the visitors two minutes into added time in the Süper Lig Game week 9 encounter at Corendon Airlines Park, Antalya.

It was the third league goal for the 25-year-old, who opened his account with a brave in their 3-3 draw against Kasimpasa before being laid off for two by a hamstring injury.

The Napoli loanee thus helped the two-time defending champions get back to winning ways, and their weekend was made even better with title challengers Besiktas dropping points.

After their seismic win at Fenerbahce in the Intercontinental Derby just two weeks ago, the pressure on manager Okan Buruk had considerably eased. But such is the volatile and fickle nature of football, his tactical and coaching acumen was called into question again following back-of-back collapses.

READ AFCON: Nigeria names 28-man AFCON final list

Without Osimhen, Galatasaray gave up a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Latvian side Riga in the Europa League but defeated Alanyaspor 1-0 last Sunday, putting them in a fine position heading into the international break.

The former Lille striker joined the club in September on loan from Napoli for the remainder of the season. The Turkey club assiduously working to make the move permanent, but consistent pressure from his suitors, especially Chelsea, could render their effort futile.

Related Topics:BICYCLE GOAL Galatasaray OSIMHEN

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

Published

3 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 Osimhen makes final shortlist for 2023 CAF player of the year award

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.

READ Osimhen nets brace as Galatasaray settle for draw in 6-goal thriller

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