Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James A hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe earned Real Madrid a 3-1 win against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 playoffs second leg clash in Madrid on Wednesday night. Real Madrid advanced 6-3 on aggregate having won the first leg 3-2 in Manchester last week. With his treble, Mbappe became the first player to score a Champions League knockout round hat-trick against a team managed by Pep Guardiola. The France international opened the scoring just four minutes into the game as he ran on to a long pass from Raul Asensio and lobbed Ederson. He…
By Korede James Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) played out a 2-2 draw with Lobi Stars in a week 25 clash of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in Ibadan on Wednesday, missing the chance to cut Remo Stars’ lead at the top. The Oluyole Warriors, who are now winless in their last three games, are in second place, seven points adrift of Remo Stars who have a game in hand, while bottom side Lobi Stars have failed to win any of their last five matches. Joshua Akpan opened the scoring for 3SC at the Lekan Salami Stadium on 18…
Arsenal made an overall loss of £17.7 million ($22.29 million) in the 2023-2024 financial year despite record revenue after wage costs increased nearly 40% as the English Premier League club announced their financial results on Wednesday. The club had a 32% increase in revenue from 2023 (£466.7 million) to £616.6 million thanks to their return to the UEFA Champions League, where they reached the quarter-finals, as well as a strong performance in the Premier League where they finished second. The return to Europe’s top tier tournament meant matchday revenue increased to £131.7 million compared to £102.6 million in the previous…
Carloha, the exclusive dealer and franchise holder of Chery vehicles in Nigeria, on Wednesday signed a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to support the development of football in the country, the governing body has announced. According to the NFF, the collaboration underscores Carloha’s commitment to fostering sports excellence and empowering talents in Nigeria’s football ecosystem. The official signing ceremony, which took place on Wednesday at Carloha’s head office in Alapere, Laos, was attended by Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, and the CEO of Carloha, Liang Long, with…
By Nurudeen Obalola Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has responded to Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s harsh criticism following Tuesday night’s defeat to Club Brugge. Lookman came on at the start of the second half of the UEFA Champions League playoffs second leg clash in Bergamo with Atalanta 3-0 down on the night and 5-1 behind on aggregate. The Nigeria international made an instant impact by scoring less than one minute into his introduction, but he missed a penalty 15 minutes later as Club Brugge sensationally knocked Atalanta out. Despite Lookman being the best player on the pitch in the…
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini described Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman as “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen” after his penalty miss in their home 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. Lookman came off the bench to pull back one goal early in the second half after Brugge took a 3-0 half-time lead, but then had a penalty saved by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, as the Serie A side were knocked out of the round of 16 playoffs with a 5-2 aggregate defeat. Gasperini singled out the Nigeria international for criticism,…
Access Bank PLC proudly celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon last Saturday, highlighting the platform’s ability to foster unity, promote healthy lifestyles, and showcasing African excellence on the global stage. Since its inception in 2016, the marathon has evolved into a premier event, attracting participants from across the continent and beyond. This year’s event, themed, “Miles to Memories,” was particularly significant as it honoured the legacy of the late Herbert Wigwe, former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings PLC. Wigwe’s visionary leadership was instrumental in establishing the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, and…
By Korede James Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman scored on his return from injury but missed a penalty, while his fellow Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze was in action as Atalanta and AC Milan got dumped out of this season’s UEFA Champions League. In Tuesday’s round of 16 play-off second leg clash in Italy, Belgian side Club Brugge stunned Atalanta 3-1 to progress into the round of 16 with a 5-2 aggregate win. Also in action in the encounter was Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika who played for 90 minutes for Club Brugge as he made his ninth appearance in the…
By Korede James Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has described Galatasaray’s league win away to Rizespor on Monday as key for his side. The Nigeria international continued his impressive scoring run as he scored the two goals to help his side to a 2-1 win, taking his league tally to 14 goals in 18 appearances this season. Also leaders Galatasaray restored their six-point lead over Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig table. “I think it was a very important and very difficult match. We won, we think we won in a way we deserved,” Osimhen told Galatasaray’s website. “I want…
Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban for a pair of positive drug tests has been defended by the World Anti-Doping Agency after claims the world number one’s punishment was too lenient. Sinner’s long doping saga came to an end on Saturday after the tennis star agreed to the ban, admitting “partial responsibility” for team mistakes which led to him twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year. The Italian was facing a potential ban of two years after WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against his initial exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. But WADA…