Sports
Enyimba, First To Qualify For Champions League Semis
Nigeria’s Enyimba International FC became the first team to qualify for the African Champions League semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 win in Sudan over Al Hilal at the weekend.
Samuel Tswanya scored a last-minute penalty to give Enyimba the win and lift them to 11 points from their five Group A games so far.
On Saturday, Esperance joined Enyimba in the semi-finals after the Tunisians thumped Algeria’s Mouloudia Alger 4-0 at home in Group B.
Enyimba made it through despite trailing to an early Hilal goal from the competition’s top scorer Edward Sadomba, but Valentine Nwaebili cancelled that out midway through the second half.
Cameroon’s Coton Sport then moved into second spot in Group A on Saturday with a 2-1 win over visiting Raja Casablanca of Morocco.
After Bouchaib Eel-Moubarki had given Raja an 18th-minute lead, a second-half double from Baba Ousmaila secured the victory.
The result takes Coton Sport level with Hilal on seven points, but the Cameroonians have the better head-to-head goal difference.
Both Hilal and Coton Sport are away from home this weekend in their final group games as they both battle for a semi-final place.
The Cameroonians travel to face Enyimba while the Sudanese side take on Raja Casablanca in Morocco.
In Group B, Esperance sealed their place in the last four thanks to a hat-trick from Joseph Ndjeng.
After Mejdi Traore broke the deadlock nine minutes into the home clash with Mouloudia Alger, Cameroon’s Ndjeng struck in the 19th, 43rd and 60th minutes.
Esperance’s win means that six-time champions Al Ahly will be eliminated should they lose to Wydad Casablanca in Morocco.
If that happens, Ahly will be joining Egypt’s national team in the African football wilderness after the champions failed to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Cairo-based club, who was without midfielder Hossam Ghaly (suspended) and Mohamed Barakat (injured), has not scored in its last four matches.
Wydad have been starring in the group phase, sharing six goals with Ahly in Cairo, firing four past Mouloudia, coming from two goals behind at home to hold Esperance and forcing a draw away to the same side.
Sports
CAA Wants Ghana To Host 2026 Athletics Champions
The Confederation of African Athletics has invited Ghana to bid for the hosting rights of the 2026 African Athletics Championships, following a successful athletics event at the just concluded 2023 African Games.
President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, stated this and expressed confidence in the transformative potential of the Legon Stadium for athletes and Ghana’s bid to host international competitions.
With a capacity of 11,000, the Legon Stadium played a pivotal role in the recent African Games, hosting both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as various sporting events including athletics, football, and rugby.
Fuseini highlighted the success of the athletics events held at the stadium, which contributed to Ghana winning six medals.
“We have already started getting requests from the Confederation of African Athletics to bid for the 2026 African Athletics Championships.
“When they came and saw what we have put in place and the level of organisation, they told me that for the last 20 years, they’ve never seen any organisation like this before. We did three official courses. And the last one, we had 110, all of them passed. We had a lot of officials and equipment.”
Since its establishment in 1979, Ghana has never hosted the African Athletics Championships, with Nigeria being the host country twice, in 1989 and 2018.
This year, Cameroon will take the reins as the host nation, with the event set to be held at the Olembe Stadium.
Sports
‘I’m Not Under Pressure To Coach Eagles’
Finidi George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis.
Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February.
In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have proven experience at the elite level of football.”
The former Ajax man, who also applied for the job, was appointed Eagles interim coach for the international window with the former winger picking a win and suffering a defeat.
In an interview with Tidesports source, the 52-year-old tactician said he was not desperate for the job permanently.
“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff.
“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”
Sports
‘Reasons Why Eagles Lost To Mali’
The friendly games against Ghana and Mali were to serve as an audition for George Finidi, who was in charge of the team on an interim basis, but the Eagles’ lacklustre display in those friendlies has called for his further evaluation.
Finidi kept faith with ex-coach Jose Peseiro’s defensive formation against Mali on the back of his first win (against Ghana) in charge of the team four days earlier.
But this time, his defence was punished following a combination of defensive errors and poor passes.
The Eagles struggled to play out of defence due to the high pressing of the Malians and it was no surprise that the first goal by Les Aigles was a direct result of their aggression.
Chidozie Awaziem, who started on the right of the back three alongside Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi, lacked composure and was pressured into making a pass across his box straight at Bilal Toure, who made no mistake in getting the ball past Stanley Nwabali. They missed the calming presence of injured William Troost-Ekong.
Vice captain, Kenneth Omeruo, was also culpable of misplaced passes and was beaten for pace when Kamory Doumbia ran past him to seal Mali’s first win in over four decades, firing his shot past a helpless Nwabali, who stood no chance.
Eagles wing backs, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamilu Collins also did not do enough to support the team in attack when they had the chance to.
Lack of creativity
Finidi paired Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi in a double pivot in midfield. Both players are naturally anchor men and neither is a box-to-box midfielder.
They both do not possess the offensive capability to drive the team’s attack forward, which left the Eagles once again craving for a natural creative midfielder.
-
Education4 days ago
Rector Gifts Best Students N400,000 As Edo Poly Matriculates 9,150
-
News4 days ago
Rivers CJ Pardons 24 Inmates Of PH Correctional Centre
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Shaibu Impeachment: Edo Chief’s Judge Drops Two Professors From Seven-Man Panel
-
News2 days ago
RSG Approves N80.8bn For Elele-Omoku Road Project
-
Politics14 hours ago
Alleged Anti-Party Activities: Lagos PDP Group Sues Bode George, Others
-
News9 hours ago
DHQ Declares Eight Wanted For Killing Soldiers In Delta
-
Politics4 days ago
Jonathan Very Patriotic, Never Clueless As President – Ex-Minister
-
For The Record4 days ago
Can Rivers Assembly Remove Governor’s Powers To Appoint Executive Officers?