Author: Nurudeen Obalola
There is no team as good as Chelsea in the English Premier League at the moment, according to Brentford manager Thomas Frank. Brentford are away to Chelsea on Sunday night, with the Blues having won their last six matches in a row in all competitions under Enzo Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in June. Four straight league wins have taken Chelsea to second place in the table, four points behind leaders Liverpool. “They are maybe even more in-form than Liverpool, even though they are top of the league,” Frank said of Chelsea as he previewed Sunday’s clash. “They are playing…
Victor Wembanyama made two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to notch a 118-116 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Wembanyama made all 10 of his free-throw attempts while recording 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Devin Vassell scored 23 points off the bench, Julian Champagnie had 19 points and Jeremy Sochan added 15 for San Antonio, which overcame Portland with a 24-4 run in the final quarter. Jerami Grant matched his career high of eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points as Portland lost its…
Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove has been released from hospital after undergoing a heart procedure. The Italian club confirmed on Friday that the 22-year-old was discharged after surgery to implant a heart starter device following his collapse during a Serie A match. Bove collapsed on the pitch during Fiorentina’s home Serie A fixture with Inter Milan on December 1 and the match was abandoned. He underwent an operation on Tuesday. The Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a type of pacemaker that can prevent fatal cardiac arrest by delivering a shock to restore a normal rhythm, is not permitted in Serie A. According to reports in Italian media, Bove…
By Nurudeen Obalola The Super Falcons did not move up or down in the latest FIFA women’s ranking, four months after the last time. The Nigerian side are still 36th in the world, the position they were in for the last ranking in August. Indeed, the nine-time African champions have been in the 36th spot since March, retaining the position in June, August and now. They have added one ranking point though, going from 1,621 to 1,622 after beating Algeria twice and losing to France once in friendly matches in the period under review. The Super Falcons are still the…
Tijani Babangida has spoken out for the first time since losing his brother and son in a car accident seven months ago. The former Super Eagles winger’s brother Ibrahim, also a former footballer, and one-year-old son Fadil were killed in the tragic crash in Kaduna in May. Babaginda himself and his wife Maryam sustained serious injuries and required surgeries. Indeed, the wife lost an eye, required reconstructive surgery on her face, and is still undergoing costly medical care in the Netherlands. In a documentary released by Babangida’s former club Ajax Amsterdam on Thursday, the former Nigeria international narrated how tough…
Nigeria’s Flamingos were in ruthless form on Thursday, trouncing Niger Republic 9-0 in the second match of this year’s WAFU U-17 Girls Cup, taking place in Ghana. Shakirat Moshood netted four of the goals, with Janet Akekoromowei adding three. Asisat Animashaun and Peace Effiong scored the other goals. The Flamingos started brilliantly, with Animashaun scoring after only five minutes, following an cross by Mary Mamudu. FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup starlet Moshood made it 2-0 with a screamer from 35 yards in the 17th minute. Six minutes later, Moshood scored her second and Nigeria’s third, assisted by Animashaun, and in the…
By Nurudeen Obalola Six Nigerian players and teams are still in the race for prizes at the 2024 CAF Awards, with Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie up for the biggest honours. The CAF Awards will be held in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday, with Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Lookman favourite to succeed his compatriot Victor Osimhen as African Player of the Year. The 27-year-old is on the final five-man shortlist along with Simon Adingra of Cote d’Ivoire, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Serhou Guirassy of Guinea and Ronwen Williams of South Afrca. Super Falcons and Paris FC star Nnadozie is a…
Pep Guardiola refused to be despondent even after watching helplessly as his Manchester City side lost 2-0 to Juventus in their UEFA Champions League clash in Turin on Wednesday night. Guardiola’s side have now won only one of their last 10 matches across all competitions, losing a staggering seven, and languish in 22nd place in the 36-team Champions League table, only three places out of automatic elimination from the competition with two games remaining. “We played good, really really good,” Guardiola told reporters after the defeat. “So we missed the last pass, the last action, of course, some transitions happen,…
A group of Manchester United fans have been arrested as part of a dawn-raid operation following shocking violence earlier this season. The Red Devils took on Dutch side FC Twente back in September – the game finishing in a 1-1 draw following strikes from Christian Eriksen and Sam Lammers. The match proved to be one of Erik ten Hag’s final in charge as he was sacked the following month. Away from the football, there were shocking scenes between two sets of supporters. Two groups of around 40 balaclava-wearing individuals clashed in Lower Broughton, Salford, the day before the game. No weapons were used, with each clutch…
Swedish prosecutors have confirmed that they have dropped a rape investigation that was reportedly launched in connection with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe’s visit to Stockholm in October. Mbappe visited Sweden on October 10 during an international break after he was omitted from the France squad ahead of two UEFA Nations League fixtures. It was reported at the time by Swedish media that the 25-year-old was seen in a nightclub in Stockholm and he was subsequently linked to the allegations involving an incident at The Bank Hotel. Police allegedly responded to an accusation of rape and sexual molestation at the same hotel where Mbappe stayed, and the…