Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Nurudeen Obalola Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey produced solid performances for Fulham as they shocked Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in their English Premier League clash on Boxing Day. In another Premier League battle at the City Ground, Nigeria international Ola Aina was impressive in Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. All three Super Eagles players were in the starting line-ups as their clubs secured the huge wins. Bassey was solid at the back while Iwobi was brilliant on the left win as visiting Fulham came from behind to stun Chelsea. Cole Palmer gave the…
Manchester City had their dismal streak stretched to only one win in nine English Premier League games on Thursday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland had a second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford as the champions’ crisis continued with the laboured home draw. Pep Guardiola’s once all-conquering side are in unfamiliar territory amid a staggering descent into mediocrity, with just one win now in their past 13 games in all competitions. The result leaves the champions sixth in the table, three points adrift of Nottingham Forest in fourth and 11…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes his side are at risk of missing out on next season’s UEFA Champions League due to their recent struggles. The Premier League champions are looking to qualify for Europe’s top club competition for a 15th straight season, but have won just one of their last eight games in the domestic league and are seventh in the table, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Guardiola’s side are four points behind Nottingham Forest, who currently occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot. “When I said before, people laughed. They…
Austin Reaves drove for a go-ahead layup with one second left to cap a triple-double, LeBron James added to his Christmas Day lore with 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to Anthony Davis to outlast the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night/Thursday morning in San Francisco. Despite losing Davis for good to a twisted left ankle in the eighth minute of the game, the Lakers held the upper hand for almost the entire final three quarters, leading to a fourth win in five games. The Lakers led 109-100 with 1:30 to go before Stephen…
Alex Iwobi has been doing philanthropic work in his childhood community, giving away free food to those in need at Christmas. Super Eagles and Fulham midfielder Iwobi grew up in East London after moving to the United Kingdom from his birth country of Nigeria. He represented England at youth level before playing for Nigeria, and still has ties to Canning Town after spending his childhood there. According to The Mirror, Canning Town is in the Borough of Newham, one of the London boroughs with the highest poverty rates. With low-income families and individuals struggling with the cost of living, Iwobi decided to…
Undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has made a prediction regarding who would win in a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Many boxing fans want to see the two go head-to-head, and with the prospect of a trilogy clash between Fury and the Ukrainian now unlikely, the big bout could happen. Usyk beat Fury 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia to claim his second win of the year over the Briton and retain his WBC, WBO, and WBA heavyweight titles. And he speaks from a place of authority having also beaten…
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has questioned the decision-making of those surrounding Marcus Rashford, who has been left out of the squad for the club’s last three games. The Portuguese coach did not include Rashford for Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth in the English Premier League amid speculation that the forward want to leave Old Trafford. Amorim initially left him out for the 2-1 derby win at Manchester City on December 15, two days before the 27-year-old said in an interview that he was “ready for a new challenge” after having been at Old Trafford since the age of seven. While…
Bukayo Saka will be out of action for a number of weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s 5-1 English Premier League victory at Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta has announced, adding that Raheem Sterling is in the same situation. The Gunners forward will miss Friday’s league clash against Ipswich Town at the Emirates Stadium, along with several others, but Arteta is hopeful the 23-year-old will return to fitness before the end of the season. Saka, the England forward with Nigerian heritage, has recorded five goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season, helping Arsenal to third place…
By Nurudeen Obalola Ademola Lookman was on target on Sunday to help Atalanta beat Empoli 3-2 and retain top spot in Serie A, days after the Super Eagles star was crowned the African Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF Awards. The Nigeria international’s CAF Awards predecessor and national teammate, Victor Osimhen, also netted for Turkish Super Lig leaders Galatasaray on Sunday, bagging a brace as they beat Kayserispor 5-1. Lookman struck on the stroke of half-time as Atalanta turned the game around after going down 1-0 to the visitors early in the contest. Zaniolo nodded down Charles De…
Hosts Ghana have won the inaugural WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup after defeating Nigeria’s Flamingos 5-4 on penalties in the final in Accra on Sunday after regulation time finished 2-2. Minutes after both countries’ senior men’s B teams battled to a 0-0 draw in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier kilometres away at the Accra Sports Stadium, the girls produced a four-goal thriller. They could not be separated at full-time, resulting in a penalty shootout, which the Maidens won after scoring all five of their spot kicks while the Flamingos missed one of their own. Getrude Amoafo put the hosts…