Author: Nurudeen Obalola

Flying Eagles of Nigeria head coach Aliyu Zubairu has called to camp 30 players for a two-match tour of Egypt later this month. According to the Nigeria Football Federation, the seven-time African U-20 champions will clash with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo in friendly matches on February 25 and February 27. This year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, with the four top-placed teams qualifying to represent the continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27 to October 19. The Flying Eagles, champions of Africa in…

Former referee Pierluigi Collina believes the penalty kick rule should be changed, not allowing penalty takers to score on the rebound. “I believe there is an excessive gap between the opportunities available to the attacker and those of the goalkeeper,” Collina told Repubblica. “On average, 75% of penalties are already scored, and often, the penalty kick is a bigger chance than the one taken away by the foul. “On top of that, the attacker is also given a chance to play the rebound off the goalkeeper. In my opinion, goalkeepers should be complaining. “I’ve already mentioned this in discussions we’ve…

Manager Carlo Ancelotti said Manchester City were the worst possible opponents Real Madrid could have been drawn against in the UEFA Champions League play-offs and described the preparation process for the showdown as a nightmare. As he braces for another high-stakes contest at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, when the winners of the last three titles face off for the fourth consecutive season in the knockout phase, Ancelotti thinks Real vs City has become Europe’s biggest continental rivalry. “It feels like a modern classic because we’ve been playing against each other in this competition for many years,” Ancelotti told…

By Korede James Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey will be up against holders Manchester United at Old Trafford with their Fulham side in the fifth round of the English FA Cup. The two teams have already met twice in the Premier League this season, with Manchester United scraping 1-0 victories at Old Trafford in August and at Craven Cottage in January. Monday’s fifth round draw also pitted last season’s runners-up Manchester City against Championship’s bottom side Plymouth Argyle at the Etihad Stadium. Plymouth produced one of the biggest FA Cup upsets in recent years by beating Premier…

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen and Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali are summer transfer targets for Juventus if the Italian giants manage to sell Dusan Vlahovic and Andrea Cambiaso, according to reports. Though the January transfer window has just ended, the former Serie A champions are already lining up potential moves for the summer. Calciomercato.com reported on Monday that Juventus could turn their attention to Osimhen and Tonali if they manage to sell Vlahovic and Cambiaso in the next few months. There are talks of a possible exit for Vlahovic in the summer, due to the fact that his contract…

By Nurudeen Obalola Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that Real Madrid’s forward line could hurt his side in the UEFA Champions League knockout play-offs. The sides meet in the first leg of the play-offs on Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium, with the reverse fixture set for Wednesday next week in Madrid. France captain Kylian Mbappe joined Real Madrid in the summer and has been in impressive form in recent games, while Vinicius Junior is the current holder of The Best FIFA Player of the Year award. The other members of the Real Madrid front four, Jude Bellingham…

The Executive Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission, Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has asked players of Bendel Insurance to put behind them the disappointment of the 1-0 defeat to Shooting Stars on Saturday in Ibadan and focus on beating Enyimba of Aba in Wednesday’s rescheduled Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash. The EDSC boss gave the charge on Sunday while reacting to the defeat, encouraging the Insurance players to see themselves as true professionals and shrug off the Ibadan disappointment. Enabulele in his message to the team encouraged the boys to direct all their energy and 100 percent concentration to the…

By Korede James Super Eagles midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was on target for Lazio in their 5-1 thumping of Monza in Sunday’s Series A clash. It was the Nigeria international’s first league goal since scoring in Lazio’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta on December 28. Dele-Bashiru has now taken his tally in the Italian top division to three goals in 15 appearances. The 24-year-old, who came on in the 65th minute, put Lazio 5-1 up with two minutes left to play. Former Barcelona forward Pedro had a brace while Adam Marusic and Valentin Castellanos were also on target. Lazio climbed to fourth…

By Korede James Nigeria senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have opened camp ahead of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers third window billed for Tripoli, Libya, from February 17 to February 24. According to the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the preparation will be conducted in two phases, with the 11 invited home-based players reporting to camp at Bentley Hotel, Abuja, on Monday for the first phase, which will run until Sunday. The 13 overseas-based players will then join their home-based counterparts in Tripoli, Libya, on February 17 for the final phase of camping and the competition. D’Tigers will begin the third…

The Philadelphia Eagles obliterated the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid to become the first United States of America National Football League (NFL) team to win three consecutive Super Bowls with a blowout 40-22 win in New Orleans on Sunday night/Monday morning. The Eagles defence was simply immense, smothering the Chief’s creative maestro Patrick Mahomes, and on offence their own quarterback Jalen Hurts led the way, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another as Philadelphia brutally avenged their 2023 loss to the Chiefs at Super Bowl 57. Eagles dazzling running back Saquon Barkley grabbed 31 first-half rushing yards to break the…