Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has claimed that Leicester City were unlucky to lose to Arsenal at the King Power in Saturday’s English Premier League clash. A late double (81st and 87th minutes) from substitute Mikel Merino handed Arsenal a 2-0 win against a Leicester side that suffered their third straight defeat. The defeat left Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men 19th in the table, two points from safety, while Arsenal are four points behind Liverpool, having played a game more than the Reds. Reflecting on the defeat, Ndidi praised his teammates for their effort against a ‘top team’.…
By Korede James Rivers United missed the chance to close the gap on Remo Stars after 1-0 defeat to Enyimba in a week 24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash in Aba on Saturday. The defeat leaves Rivers United, handled by former Enyimba and Super Eagles head coach Finidi George, in third place, 10 points behind leaders Remo Stars. For Enyimba, it is a return to winning ways after losing back-to-back games. Imo Obot scored the only goal four minutes before the end of the first half. The People’s Elephant are 10th in the league table, well off the title-chasing…
By Korede James Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey’s strike proved to be the match winner as Fulham defeated top-four hopefuls Nottingham Forest 2-1 at Craven Cottage in the English Premier League on Saturday. It was Bassey’s first league goal in his 24th appearance for the Cottagers this campaign. The last time he scored was in the 2-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford last February. Also in action in the encounter were Nigeria internationals Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina who both made their 25th league appearances. Bassey scored in the 62nd minute to put Fulham 2-1 ahead after Chris…
By Korede James A second half brace from Mikel Merino earned a depleted Arsenal side a 2-0 victory against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the English Premier League on Saturday. The Gunners are now four points off leaders Liverpool in the league table, with the Reds in action on Sunday. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester remain in the relegation zone in 18th place, two points from safety. Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was in action for Leicester City, making his 16th appearance in the English top flight this campaign. Going into the tie, the discussions had centered around…
Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and said Saturday the agreement ends a case that was “hanging over me” since his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago. WADA, which was seeking to ban the three-time Grand Slam champion from the sport for at least one year, had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March. Sinner’s explanation — that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to…
By Nurudeen Obalola Kenyan runner Edwin Kibet has emerged as the winner of the 2025 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, while Ethiopia’s Guta Meseret Hirpa was the first woman to reach the finish line on Saturday morning. The victories for Kibet and Hirpa continued a long tradition of athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia sweeping the top prizes of the prestigious annual race held in Nigeria’s commercial capital. Kibet beat over 60,000 participants of the 42 kilometre race, completing the run in <span;>2 hours 14 minutes 6 seconds to clinch the $50,000 prize. Fellow Kenyans finished second and third behind Kibet,…
By Korede James Brighton and Hove Albion made it back-to-back victories against Chelsea with a comfortable 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium in the English Premier League on Friday night. The Seagulls also accounted for Chelsea’s exit in the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 win at the same venue last Saturday. A brace from Yankuba Minteh and a world-class strike from Kaoru Mitoma sealed the points for Brighton on Friday against a subdued Chelsea side. It was the first time since September 2021 against Manchester City that Chelsea have failed to register a shot on target in a Premier…
By Korede James Egyptian giants Zamalek have announced the appointment of former Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro as their new handler. Peseiro joined Zamalek after signing a one-and-a-half-year contract. “Zamalek sign Portuguese Jose Peseiro as technical director of the team,” the club announced on Friday. “Welcome our new coach.” Peseiro arrived in Cairo on Thursday to finalise the deal as he replaced Swiss coach Christian Gross who replaced another Portuguese, Jose Gomes, who left the team in November. “Happy, honoured to represent Zamalek! And with a lot of ambition,” the 64-year-old Peseiro wrote on X in reaction to his…
Not a single female athlete features in the top 100 spots in a newly published list of sport’s highest earners in 2024, with male footballer Cristiano Ronaldo on top of the pile. The list does, however, demonstrate the spending power of the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo heads the list thanks in no small part to the mega-money deal he signed with Al-Nassr during the 2022-2023 season, while fellow Saudi-based star Karim Benzema is also in the top 10. Players’ salaries and winnings are combined with off-field earnings, with footballers making up half of the top 10. Former Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Lionel…
Flying Eagles of Nigeria head coach Aliyu Zubairu is not losing sleep over his side’s prospects at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations despite being drawn in a tough group. The seven-time African U-20 champions were on Thursday drawn against South Africa and fellow former champions Egypt and Morocco in Group C of the tournament scheduled for Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18. In his reaction to the draw, Zubairu said: “It’s a very good draw. If a team truly aspires to reach the FIFA World Cup, there is no need to shy away from any opponent.…