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… As Dream Team’s Poor Performance Worries NFF

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The Nigeria Football Federation, has expressed disappointment and utter dimay at the performance of the Under-23 National Team, otherwise known as Dream Team V, at the on-going CAF U-23 Championship in Morocco.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, (NFF) General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu said there was nothing the technical crew of the team asked for that the NFF did not provide.

He said: “We are shocked at the team’s poor outing in the first two matches. Yes, it is true that if the results of the last two matches go our way, we will still qualify for the semi finals and be able to fight for one of the three automatic places at the Men’s Football Tournament of the London 2012 Olympics. But we are dismayed by the team’s performance in the first two matches and we cannot hide it”, stated the association General Secretary.

Amadu also outlined the support the NFA gave the Dream Team V before the tournament: “To start with, the team never lacked anything all through the qualifying matches, against Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. We remain grateful to the Edo State Government for all the support we were able to secure from it.

“After this, the team had several phases of camping and training programmes, including a three-week stay in Ibadan, Oyo State. The NFF sent the Head Coach, Eguavoen and chairman of the Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green to Europe to request for the release of foreign-based players, sought and paid for a training camp in Ghana where the team spent 10 days and played a number of friendly matches, and ensured the team travelled early to Morocco to acclimatize to the weather and also fine-tune final preparations.

“The NFA also took the Head Coach of Super Eagles, Mr. Stephen Keshi to Morocco to be with the team in advisory capacity and also to provide advice and suggestions here and there, as well as for the players to put in extra effort knowing they stood a chance of being called into the senior team.

“The NFA President promised the team a special package before the first match, and we promised them 200 per cent win-bonus for the second match. What else do you do for motivation?”

The NFA scribe equally lamented the absence of several key players who led the charge during the qualifying matches against Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania.

“There is no doubt that the presence of players like Ahmed Musa, Rabiu Ibrahim, Haruna Lukman, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Nosa Igiebor, Odion Ighalo and Ekigho Ehiosun would have made a difference. We also tried to get Joel Obi and Uche Nwofor but their clubs blocked them,” said Amadu.

He went further: “Nonetheless, we made it clear to the team that was available before the beginning of the tournament that the Government and people of Nigeria were fully behind them and were expecting them to bring an Olympics ticket back to Nigeria. You expect a team that has been provided so much financial, moral and technical support to lift their game and play with their hearts. But the reverse is the case. It is a shame the way the team has played.

“There is nothing the Head Coach, Mr. Augustine Eguavoen requested for that the NFA did not provide. There was a time he reported the NFA to higher authorities simply because we wanted him to play a friendly match in Nigeria against a strong team so that Nigerians could assess the team before the tournament in Morocco.”

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.

Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.

Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.

But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.

Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.

It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.

Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.

“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.

For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.

Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.

His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.

Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.

Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.

The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.

“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”

Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.

The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.

“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”

He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.

“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”

 

Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.

The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).

Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.

Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.

Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.

Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.

Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.

Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.

The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.

 

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