Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Victor Boniface will remain at Bayer Leverkusen after Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr ended their interest in the Super Eagles striker. Al Nassr, the club of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, had been linked heavily with Boniface on Tuesday night, with the Saudi moneybags reportedly offering the Nigeria international €15 million per year as salary. However, various outlets reported on Wednesday that Al Nassr, after apparently reaching a verbal agreement with both Boniface and Leverkusen, had been negotiating with Aston Villa for Colombia striker Jhon Duran. Boniface had been left out of Leverkusen’s squad for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League…
By Korede James Super Eagles stars Raphael Onyedika and Nathan Tella were on target for Club Brugge and Bayer Leverkusen respectively on matchday 8 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, although their clubs had different results. Onyedika’s goal was not enough as Club Brugge lost 3-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The Nigeria international put Club Brugge 1-0 up in the 45th minute but in the 53rd minute Mateo Kovacic equalised for City. An own goal by Joel Ordonez put Pep Guardiola’s men 2-1 up on 62 minutes and, with 13 minutes left, Savinho added the…
By Nurudeen Obalola Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) leaders Remo Stars displayed champions’ spirit on Wednesday to overcome a two-goal deficit against Abia Warriors in Ikenne-Remo in a matchday 21 clash. Remo Stars were stunned by the visitors who went 2-0 early on but the hosts rallied back to win 3-2 to maintain their spot at the top of the standings. Abia Warriors went two goals up as Ayodele Ezekiel struck in the 25th minute and Antoine Ijoma two minutes later, but Remo Stars were level before half-time. Olamilekan Adedayo cut Abia Warriors’ lead in the 38th minute and Malik…
By Korede James Uganda head coach Paul Put is confident his team will be ready to give Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Tunisia and Tanzania a tough time in Group C of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The draw for the tournament took place in Rabat, Morocco on Monday, with the competition scheduled for December 2025 to January 2026 in the North African country. Uganda will begin their quest in Morocco on December 23 against Tunisia before taking on neighbours Tanzania four days later. The Cranes will end the group phase against the Super Eagles on December 30. “At this stage,…
By Korede James Barcelona coach Hansi Flick believes Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman will be a big miss for Atalanta in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash. Atalanta travelled to Spain on Tuesday without the injured Lookman as the Italian side hope to book their place in the round of 16. Lookman has suffered a knee injury and will remain out of action for at least one month, according to reports. The reigning African Player of the Year has scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 19 Serie A appearances this season. In this season’s Champions League, he has netted…
Nigeria beat Ireland by six runs in their second match in the Super Six at the ICC U-19 Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup in Malaysia on Wednesday. Losing key batter Victory Igbinedion in the first over and in the lurch at 18/3 inside five overs, Christabel Chukwuonye (25) led the rebuild with contributions from Omosigho Eguakun (17) and late flurries from Peculiar Agboya and Lilian Ude. With this victory, Nigeria finished in third spot in Super Six Group 2 which, unfortunately, was not enough to secure a semi-final place. In the semi-final India will face England and South Africa battle…
By Nurudeen Obalola Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface is on the verge of a move to Saudi Arabia that will earn him a staggering pay rise, according to reports. Sky Sports Germany claimed on Tuesday night that Bayer Leverkusen have reached a €60 million deal to sell the 24-year-old Nigeria international to Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al Nassr. Boniface is wanted by Al Nassr, the club of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, as the replacement for Anderson Talisca, who is about to join Fenerbahce in Turkey. According to the Sky Sports Germany report, Boniface has already passed his medical with Al…
By Korede James Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has expressed confidence that the team have what it takes to qualify from their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group and fight for the title. Nigeria were placed in Group C with Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania during the draw for the tournament in Rabat, Morocco on Monday night. They will open their campaign with Tanzania on December 23 and face Tunisia four days lster. The three-time African champions will round off the group phase against Uganda on December 30. Reflecting on the draw, Troost-Ekong, however, said their Group C opponents must not…
The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was held in Rabat, Morocco on Monday, with Nigeria’s Super Eagles placed in Group C with Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania. In this piece, Sportingtimes.ng’s KOREDE JAMES recalls how Nigeria fared against their Group C opponents at previous AFCON meetings… TUNISIA Nigeria 2-0 Tunisia (AFCON 1978, third-place match) Nigeria’s first meeting with Tunisia at the AFCON was at the third-place match in 1978 in Ghana. The match was abandoned after Tunisia walked off in the 42nd minute with the score tied at 1-1 to protest the officiating. Nigeria were awarded a…
By Korede James Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side Enugu Rangers have announced the signing of former Super Eagles striker Michael Uchebo. “We are thrilled to officially announce the signing of Michael Uchebo to Rangers International FC,” the Flying Antelopes stated on Monday. “Welcome to the family, Michael!” Uchebo had his first spell with Rangers during the 2008-2009 season and had a brief second spell with the club in 2029. The 34-year-old has spell the greater part of his career in Europe featuring for VVV Venlo in the Netherlands, Cercle Brugge in Belgium and Boavista in Portugal. He was part…