Author: Nurudeen Obalola
Anthony Gordon’s second-half penalty earned Newcastle an English Premier League point as Manchester City were held to a draw at St James’ Park on Saturday. City defender Josko Gvardiol put the visitors ahead after 35 minutes when he finished smartly from Jack Grealish’s lay-off. However, while Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis combined well in covering for the influential Rodri, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, City eventually buckled during Newcastle’s best spell of the game just after the break. When Bruno Guimaraes played an excellent pass through the City defence,…
By Kayode John Rangers manager, Philippe Clement, has praised the impact of Super Eagles striker, Cyriel Dessers, in the club’s 2-0 victory over Malmo FF in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night. <span;>Dessers was impressive as Rangers recorded a victory in the game, helping his side earn their first-ever win in the competition on Swedish soil. “They will score more goals this season and Cyriel [Dessers] played a massive game as a high support. I’m delighted in every sense,” Clement told Rangers TV. “We kept a clean sheet without giving up a shot on target. We should have scored…
By Kayode John Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface says he prefers to play in Spain or Germany rather than in the English Premier League. The 23-year-old has caught the attention of a number of clubs in Europe following an impressive debut season for Bayer Leverkusen, for whom he netted 21 goals and registered 10 assists last season. A recent report disclosed that Chelsea are keen on the Super Eagles star. He, however, said he would consider an approach from any top club in England. “I did an interview before and I’m not just saying this because I’m in this level,…
By Kayode John The Week 4 of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) serves up mouthwatering fixtures which start with two games on Saturday. Newcomers Ikorodu City will hope to record their first win of the season when they host Nasarawa United at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos. The Oga Boys lost their rescheduled matchday 2 home clash against Enugu Rangers 1-0 on Wednesday, and would want to repay their fans, who defied the rains to cheer them. Ikorodu City picked their only point of the season so far last weekend in Ilorin, where they forced Kwara United to…
Kayode John Sevilla head coach Garcia Pimenta has blamed Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho’s poor form on his lack of game time in this month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Iheanacho, who joined Sevilla as a free agent during the summer transfer window, was an unused substitute against Benin Republic and Rwanda, with Nigeria defeating the Cheetahs 3-0 in Uyo and playing 0-0 draw against the Amavubi in Kigali. The former Leicester City forward has struggled to make any impact at the Spanish club since his move. The 27-year-old has no goal involvement in four league matches he…
By Kayode John Former Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli has said the club should have sold Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen much earlier. After a prolonged transfer saga during the summer window, Nigeria international Osimhen joined Galatasaray in Turkey on loan after he had been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Al Ahli. Giuntoli, who is now a director at Juventus after leaving Napoli, was involved in the deal that brought the 25-year-old to the Diego Maradona Stadium in 2020. He was credited with recruiting players that ended the club’s wait for a Serie A title in 33 years in the…
By Kayode John Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface believes he has the edge over national team colleague Ademola Lookman in the race for the 2024 CAF Awards African Player of the Year prize. Boniface scored 21 goals and registered 10 assists for Bayer Leverkusen in his first season at the club. He also played a key role as the club won their first Bundesliga title in the 2023/2024 campaign, which also ended with the DFB-Pokal trophy. Lookman, who has been considered by many as the frontrunner for the biggest individual accolade in African football, bagged a personal record of 10…
Nottingham Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, has given kudos to Chris Wood as Super Eagles striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, battles to get some playing time. Awoniyi lost his starting role to Wood last season following a lengthy spell on the sidelines caused by an injury. In his absence, the New Zealand international scored crucial goals to help Forest escape relegation. This campaign also, the 32-year-old Wood has maintained his good form, scoring three goals in five league matches, including in the 2-2 draw at Brighton last weekend. Speaking ahead of the club’s English Premier League fixture with Fulham at the City…
By Kayode John Super Eagles defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, was sent off late in Fenerbahce’s 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise in their UEFA Europa League clash in Turkey on Thursday night. Returning from a knee injury that had kept him out for over a month, Osayi-Samuel was subbed on in the 65th minute. However, he was issued his first caution in the 87th minute and was sent off three minutes later after committing a foul that led to a penalty. The visitors, who were also earlier reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute, pulled a goal back through Ross Sykes…
A Mallorca fan has been sentenced to one year in prison after he was found guilty of racially abusing Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze and Brazil forward Vinicius Junior. The fan, whose name was not revealed, was also issued a three-year stadium ban on Thursday. The supporter was found guilty of two crimes against moral integrity, aggravated by the fact that he acted with racist motives, according to the ruling. The abuse of Vinicius occurred during Real Madrid’s 1-0 LaLiga defeat by Mallorca at their Son Moix Stadium in February 2023, before the same fan insulted Nigeria international Chukwueze, who…