Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Jude Bellingham was the hero for Real Madrid as his stoppage time strike secured a 3-2 win against Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-offs tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Manchester City led twice off an Erling Haaland brace but Real Madrid fought back with Kylian Mbappe and former City player Brahim Diaz also scoring for the Spanish giants. Both teams will meet in the second leg next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. City took the lead thanks to Haaland, who received a chested pass from Josko Gvardiol and…
By Korede James AS Roma Ladies have announced the signing of Falconets defender Shukurat Oladipo from Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) club FC Robo Queens. The Italian club confirmed the signing on on Tuesday, stating: “AS Roma is thrilled to announce the signing of Shukurat Damilola Oladipo. “The 20-year-old has put pen to paper on a contract that runs until 30 June 2027. “Shukurat heads to Rome from Robo FC, where she made 178 appearances for the Nigerian outfit. She took part in the U-20 Women’s World Cup and has two senior international caps to her name. “Welcome to Roma,…
By Korede James Super Eagles forward Nathan Tella’s superb strike against Borussia Dortmund has been voted Bayer Leverkusen’s Goal of the Month for January. Leverkusen announced Tella as the winner on Tuesday, as he beat off competition from three other nominees to land the award. The three other nominees were Alejandro Grimaldo for his goal against FSV Mainz, Florian Wirtz’s strike against Borussia Monchengladbach, and Patrik Schick against RB Leipzig. Tella’s goal was in Leverkusen’s 3-2 win away to Dortmund on January 10. The 25-year-old received a pass inside the box and hit a one-time strike which flew past the…
Luis Rubiales has told a court that Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso gave her consent before he kissed her at the Women’s World Cup final in Australia in 2023. The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is on trial accused of sexual assault and attempting to coerce Hermoso into publicly saying the kiss had been consensual. Giving evidence, Rubiales, 47, said he was “absolutely sure” the player gave permission for the kiss, adding: “In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.” The incident occurred during the medal-giving ceremony after Spain’s World Cup win in Australia, triggering protests and…
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…