Performances
Tokyo Olympics: Minister confident Nigeria will return to track and field podium
Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare is confident Nigeria’s 13 year wait for a track and field medal at the Olympics will end this year at the Tokyo Games. Nigeria last won a track and field medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when the women’s 4x100m relay team and Blessing Okagbare (long jump) won silver medals and the Sports Minister is confident track and field will start delivering the medals like it did in 1996 in Atlanta. Track and Field has accounted for 13 of the 25 medals Team Nigeria have won at the Games. The sport has also delivered two of the three gold medals won with a first ever individual gold by Chioma Ajunwa in the women’s long jump. ”The performances of our athletes so far this year have given us renewed hopes that Nigerian track and field athletes can be...
AFCON: Aston Villa congratulate Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso on qualification
Premier League side Aston Villa have congratulated Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso after qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite playing a 0-0 draw against Uganda on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Kamou Malo’s men booked a place in Cameroon with a game to spare. That will be the 13th time the West African country would reach the finals since their maiden appearance at Ghana 1978 – where they finished in eight position. The Villa Park giants have taken to social media to celebrate their winger and his country on their recent success. “Congratulations to Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 with a goalless draw against Uganda on Wednesday!” a tweet from the club read. Burkina Faso – who currently lead Gr...
AFCONQ: Super Eagles boss wary of Benin ahead of crucial game
Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr believes the Republic of Benin will be a hard nut to crack, given their recent performances. The three-time African champions will square off against the Squirrels at Porto-Novo’s Stade Charles de Gaulle on Saturday. Michel Dussuyer’s men are on a five-game unbeaten run, having last tasted defeat against the Super Eagles in their first Afcon qualifying game in November 2019 Their home form has also been spectacular, given they have not lost for eight years, having last tasted defeat against Algeria in 2013 and Rohr has warned his side to be battle-ready for the encounter. “Benin have not lost a match for eight years at home, the last time they lost was in 2013 so you can imagine that we want to be the first team to win there in eight years,” Rohr tol...
WCQ: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele returns to France squad
Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been rewarded for his upturn in form with a recall to the France squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since the summer of 2019 but now has the chance to add to his six international caps in matches against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other notable returnees include Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, who hasn’t featured since November 2019, while Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, a member of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is back for the first time in two-and-a-half years. This represents Ndombele’s first international call up since his club-record €60 million (£54m/$68m) move from Lyon to Tottenham. The Frenchman arrived in north London with a reputation as an all-action midf...
Graeme Souness blasts Liverpool over defeat to Fulham
Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness, slammed his old team’s performance for defeat to Fulham. The Reds put in another flat performance despite the extensive changes, with a late first-half strike from Mario Lemina giving Scott Parker’s side a huge three points in their quest for survival. “It’s been disappointing,” said Souness. “You’ve got a group of players who will be looking to tell the manager by their performances ‘we should really be in the starting 11.’ That has not happened today from any of them. “They have been a shadow [of their former selves]. There is one word I associate with Liverpool for the last three years:, intensity. They were a team you didn’t want to play against. Now it is a team that are an easy touch, and that is unacceptable. “It is unfathomable. I struggle to say i...
Liverpool fullback: I haven’t been good enough this season
Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold admits his performances haven’t been up to standard this season. Alexander-Arnold has claimed there is no excuses for his below-par showings and has claimed he is committed to rediscovering his best form. In an interview with Sky Sports, he was asked if he was playing at the top level this season: “Me? No. “There’s been times this season I felt like I’ve been playing quite well. Recently I’ve been trying to get back into that rhythm I was talking about earlier from a personal point of view. “It’s been a tough reason in that respect in just trying to find that rhythm and get back into it and just letting things happen naturally. It’s been quite difficult. “But again there’s no excuses. I want to try to make things happen for the team and perform as ...
NNPC declares N13.43 billion trading surplus for November 2020
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has declared a trading surplus of N13.43billion for November 2020, 54 per cent more than the N8.71billion recorded in October 2020. This is contained in the November 2020 edition of the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR), according to a press release by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Dr. Kennie Obateru Obateru said the trading surplus or trading deficit is derived after deduction of the expenditure profile from the revenue in the period under review. The report indicated that in November, NNPC Group’s operating revenue as compared to October 2020, decreased slightly by 0.02 per cent or N0.09billion to stand at N423.08 billion. Similarly, expenditure for the month decreased by 1...
Alex Iwobi in action as Everton bow to Newcastle United
Alex Iwobi was on parade as Everton lost 2-0 to Newcastle United in Saturday’s Premier League game at Goodison Park. The 24-year-old returned for the Merseyside outfit against Leicester City on Wednesday, making a cameo appearance in the encounter. The Nigeria international missed his side’s outing against Sheffield Wednesday in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 24. The forward was then restored to the starting XI against the Magpies to afford him more opportunities to make a meaningful impact for the club. Iwobi gave a good account of himself in the encounter but his effort was not enough to help his side avoid their sixth defeat of the season. The game started with both sides striving to outwit each other but despite their efforts, the first half ended without goals. After the re...
Report: Cristiano Ronaldo to extend his Juventus contract by a year
Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be getting better with age and his performances for Juventus has earned him a new contract, according to reports. There have been talks of the Juventus attacker leaving the club in the nearest future, however, the latest report from Momblano via Calciomercato says that the attacker will sign a one-year extension to his current deal soon. Ronaldo has a contract with the Bianconeri until 2022, but the report claims that they will extend it until 2023. Despite getting older, his goals have been one of the reasons why Juventus has remained competitive. The club is now looking to reward him and the report says that money isn’t a problem. Juve has renewed their contract with Jeep and Adidas, which gives them the money that they need to pursue their goals. “CristianoRon...
Pep Guardiola confident Kevin de Bruyne will commit future to Manchester City
Pep Guardiola expects Kevin De Bruyne to commit his long-term future to Manchester City despite reports the Belgium midfielder’s contract talks have stalled. De Bruyne’s current contract runs until 2023, but City have already offered him a new deal. That contract extension remains unsigned amid claims De Bruyne was “disappointed” City’s offer did not significantly improve his reported salary of £280,000 ($380,000) per week. De Bruyne, voted the PFA Player of the Year last season, is said to want a deal that reflects his status as one of the world’s best midfielders and vice-captain of the club. Despite those issues, City boss Guardiola remains confident De Bruyne’s future will be at the Etihad Stadium. “I am pretty sure he will stay but at the same time we have to respect the process,” Gua...
Jurgen Klopp: Mo Salah is happy at Liverpool
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp moved to dismiss speculation over Egypt forward Mohamed Salah’s future saying on Thursday he is happy at the Premier League champions. The 28-year-old gave an interview in Spain last week in which he said Barcelona and Real Madrid were top clubs and “who knows what will happen in the future”. This led to speculation over whether he was seeking a new longer-term contract beyond 2023 or he was upset Trent Alexander-Arnold had been given the captain’s armband for the Champions League group match with Midtjylland. “We do not speak about deals — well, not with you (the media). Why should we start now?” said Klopp at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s game with struggling West Brom. “Mo is in a good mood, always a good moment. He is in really good shape and that ...
Eberechi Eze named Crystal Palace Player of the Month
Eberechi Eze has expressed his delight after he was named Crystal Palace’s W88 Player of the Month for November. “It’s a great privilege and I’m grateful the fans have been entertained by my performances. It’s a great pleasure. “Leeds was a huge game for me. It was the perfect opportunity for me to come in and to stake my claim. It was a great performance by the boys, great points on the board.” The summer signing shone for netting his first Premier League goal in style, rifling home a free-kick against Leeds United at the start of the month and bagging an assist in the same game. Frustrating results followed for the Eagles, but fans felt Eze stood out, choosing him for the POTM accolade with almost 64% of the vote. Eze beat Nathaniel Clyne (10%) to first place in the vote after the defend...
