Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Liverpool hammered Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Thursday night to advance into the final of the Carabao Cup for the second year running. The Reds are now the first side in League Cup history to reach the final 15 times. Arne Slot’s side went into the semi-final second leg needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk secured the dominant win. Gakpo opened the scoring in the 34th minute while Salah doubled the lead on 51 minutes from the penalty spot. With 15 minutes…
By Korede James Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has said Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is fit to face Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday. Ndidi has been absent since December 8 due to a hamstring injury, missing several important matches. But the 28-year-old Nigeria international has trained with his teammates over the past fortnight and is close to making his return to the line-up. “Wilf is fine,” Van Nistelrooy told reporters during his pre-match press conference on Thursday. “He had a great week of training, last week and this week. He’ll be…
Manchester United on Thursday confirmed defender Lisandro Martinez had sustained cruciate ligament damage, which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season. The Argentina centre-back, 27, was carried off on a stretcher after his left knee buckled late in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. “Manchester United can confirm that Lisandro Martinez suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament in Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace,” the club said in a statement. “Assessment of the injury is ongoing to determine the appropriate course of treatment and the timescale for his rehabilitation. “Everyone at…
By Korede James Super Falcons forward Folashade Ijamilusi has signed for Chinese Women’s Super League club Liaoning Baiye from Nigerian champions Edo Queens. Ijamilusi completed the move on Wednesday, signing a two-year contract. The 23-year-old Ijamilusi finished as the top scorer in the 2023/2024 Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) with eight goals as Edo Queens emerged champions. She played a key role as Edo Queens won the 2024 WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifiers in Côte d’Ivoire. She also helped the club finish fourth on their debut at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco. She bagged a hat-trick…
Nigeria Football Federation President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau conducted the Chairman of National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, round the proposed site for the NFF Hotel and new training pitch on Wednesday. The proposed facility is located adjacent the NFF Headquarters inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. “This ambitious project is designed to establish a state-of-the-art accommodation facility intended specifically for the national football teams,” the NFF said. “The vision behind the proposed hotel, which has been a project close to the heart of the Ibrahim Gusau administration since it took office 28 months ago, is to free the NFF of the humongous expenses incurred…
United States of America President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that prevents transgender women from competing in female categories of sports. The order provides guidance, regulations and legal interpretations, and it will enlist the Department of Education to investigate high schools thought to be non-compliant. Republicans say it restores fairness to sports but LGBT advocacy and human rights organisations have described the move as discriminatory. The order, which goes into effect immediately, largely covers high school, universities and grassroots sports. A number of sporting governing bodies, including swimming, athletics and golf, have banned transgender women from competing in…
By Korede James Victor Boniface scored again as Bayer Leverkusen came from 2-0 down to beat Koln 3-2 after extra-time and qualify for the semi-finals of the DFB-POKAL on Wednesday nighy. <lThe Super Eagles striker has now scored in back-to-back games for Leverkusen after netting in his side’s 3-1 win against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Boniface, who came on in the 76th minute, scored Leverkusen’s third goal eight minutes into extra-time to complete the comeback. Damion Downs gave Koln the lead in first-half added time before Linton Maina made it 2-0 nine minutes into the second period. Patrik…
By Korede James Newcastle United defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the second leg of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night at St. James’ Park to advance to the final. The Magpies went through 4-0 on aggregate after securing a 2-0 win in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium in January. Goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon sent Newcastle to their second final since their defeat to Manchester United in 2023. The Gunners were hoping to be inspired by their 5-1 victory performance over Manchester City heading into Wednesday’s Cup tie. But it was Newcastle who looked more threatening when…
The January 2025 transfer window across Europe closed on Monday with players joining clubs either on permanent moves or on loan. Nigerian players were not left out in the moves as they also completed transfers. Sportingtimes.ng’s KOREDE JAMES profiles 10 Nigerian players who changed clubs this January… KELECHI IHEANACHO (Sevilla to Middlesbrough) Kelechi Iheanacho joined English Championship club Middlesbrough on loan from Sevilla on transfer deadline day Monday. The Super Eagles forward agreed to join the second-tier club with the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer. The 28-year-old endured a difficult spell in Spain since joining Sevilla…
By Korede James Former Southampton and Portugal defender Jose Fonte has said Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen will be a handful for English Premier League defenders. Osimhen is on a season-long loan at Turkish club Galatasaray from Napoli, the 2023 CAF Player of the Year registering 17 goals and five assists in 22 appearances in all competitions. The 26-year-old Nigeria international was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League with Chelsea reportedly named as one of the clubs interested in him. Fonte slammed Chelsea over their failure to land the player he believes is the next Didier Drogba…