Author: Nurudeen Obalola
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 124-101 home win over the Bucks on Friday, swiftly bringing Milwaukee Bucks down from their NBA Cup-championship high. Five other Cavs scored in double-figures, with Darius Garland putting up 16 and Evan Mobley and Dean Wade adding 15 each. Ty Jerome had 13 points, and Jarrett Allen posted 10 points and 10 rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 33 points along with 14 rebounds. Fellow star Damian Lillard did not travel with the team due to a right calf strain. Khris Middleton scored 14 off the bench, and…
FIFA and Netflix have signed a deal to broadcast the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s World Cup in the United States, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday. FIFA said the Women’s World Cup will be the first competition to be acquired in full by Netflix and U.S.-based fans would be able to watch every match live. The agreement also includes Puerto Rico while it will cover all languages, with a dual telecast in English and Spanish in the U.S. “As a marquee brand and FIFA’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment…
Stand-in Super Eagles B head coach Daniel Ogunmodede has named a final squad of 18 players, including veteran Rabiu Ali, defender Sadiq Ismail and striker Sikiru Alimi, for Sunday’s 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying fixture against Ghana’s Black Galaxies in Accra. The Remo Stars head coach also selected goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena, defender Victor Collins and forward Abubakar Adamu for the two-leg tie against Ghana who stopped Nigeria from qualifying for the championship in 2009 and 2023. The Super Eagles B, with Ogunmodede and coaches Fidelis Ilechukwu and Olatunji Baruwa in charge, had staggered training sessions over three weeks from the…
Nigeria’s Flamingos and Ghana’s Black Maidens will face off for the trophy in the inaugural WAFU U-17 Girls Cup on Sunday, incidentally the same day the Super Eagles B and Black Stars B clash in Accra in the first leg of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers. In the second semi-final of the WAFU U-17 Girls Cup on Thursday, 2024 World Cup quarter-finalists Flamingos defeated Benin Republic 2-0, both goals coming in the second half of the encounter at the Ghana Centre of Excellence in Prampram. Sunday’s final will also take place at the same centre, outside Accra. Forward Mary…
A brother of World Cup winner Paul Pogba was sentenced to three years in prison — two of which are suspended — by a Paris criminal court Thursday in an extortion and kidnapping case. Mathias Pogba has already spent time in detention and the remainder of the sentence will be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring. This sentence was in line with the prosecution’s request. His lawyer said he would likely appeal the ruling. “He is in a state of shock. From the outset, he has maintained his innocence,” lawyer Mbeko Tabula said. “They did not not take into…
Dominic Solanke netted a brace as Tottenham Hotspur survived a Manchester United fightback to reach the Carabao Cup semi-final with a nervy 4-3 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night. Ange Postecoglou’s side were cruising at 3-0 up in less than an hour until two calamitous errors from goalkeeper Fraser Forster opened the door to an unlikely Manchester United revival. Solanke, born in England to a Nigerian father, pounced on United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s error after 15 minutes as Spurs edged a tight, entertaining first half – and the real drama unfolded after the break. Dejan Kulusevski drove…
Wolves have named Vitor Pereira as their new manager, the struggling English Premier League club announced on Thursday. Pereira replaces Gary O’Neil, who was sacked last weekend following a poor start to the season. The 56-year-old Pereira, who has won league titles in Portugal, Greece and China, has left Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab to join Wolves on an 18-month contract. The widely travelled Pereira was close to replacing Rafael Benitez as Everton manager in 2022. During an extensive managerial career, the Portuguese boss has won two Primeira Liga titles with Porto and the Greek Super League with…
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had to be taken off and required stitches to stop heavy bleeding from his face after a nasty collision with Wilfried Singo during Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-2 win over Monaco in Ligue 1 on Wednesday night. Italy No.1 Donnarumma came out bravely in an attempt to stop Singo on the corner of his area, but took the Frenchman’s studs right to the face as he stretched to try and control the ball. Donnarumma was reportedly left feeling completely dazed after the incident, as blood poured out of his face after suffering multiple deep cuts to his face. The former AC Milan…
By Nurudeen Obalola The Super Eagles are ending the year in the 44th position in the world, according to the latest FIFA ranking published on Thursday. The three-time African champions retained their position from November, with the same 1,482 points. On the whole, it is a massive drop for the Super Eagles from how they began 2024 in the world ranking. Nigeria were 28th in the world in the first ranking of the year, released just days after the Super Eagles reached the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cote d’Ivoire. Then, they had 1,522 points and were ranked third…
Gabriel Jesus ended his goal drought at the Emirates Stadium with a hat-trick to help Arsenal come from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 on Wednesday and advance to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. Holders Liverpool also progressed to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win at Southampton, while 2023 finalists Newcastle United saw off Brentford 3-1. Palace took a shock lead at the Emirates with their first shot of the match, with Jean-Philippe Mateta outmuscling Jakub Kiwior to score the opener. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made eight changes from the side that started their 0-0 draw with Everton at…