Sports
Real, Bayern Brace For Titanic Encounter
Real Madrid must overturn a one-goal deficit against Bayern Munich if they are to book their place in the UEFA Champions League final.
Jose Mourinho’s Real went down 2-1 in the semi-final first leg at Bayern’s Allianz Arena last week.
The hosts took the lead through France forward Franck Ribery in the 17th minute of the match.
The visitors from Spain had more than their fair share of chances, and registered a deserved away goal through Germany midfielder Mezut Oezil eight minutes into the second half.
It looked like the teams would be locked at 1-1 going into the return fixture in the Spanish capital, until Mario Gomez struck an injury-time winner for Bayern.
The German outfit carry a slender advantage with them to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, but Real’s away goal renders Bayern’s position precarious at best.
Domestic considerations could also have an impact on the outcome of Wednesday’s clash.
Bayern have nothing left to play for in Germany after seeing Borussia Dortmund retain their Bundesliga title with a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
Given Dortmund’s imminent triumph, Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes could afford to change all of his team’s starting 11 for their match away to Werder Bremen on the same day.
Only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luiz Gustavo were retained from the side which started against Real.
It was a very different story for the La Liga leaders, who contested the defining match of their domestic season, away to defending champions Barcelona.
The visitors emerged with a 2-1 win from their visit to Camp Nou, thanks to goals from Sami Khedira and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Reflecting on the importance of the clash, which has effectively secured the La Liga title for Real, Mourinho retained exactly the same starting line-up from the team which played in Munich.
The question now is how many of those first-choice players can recover in time to begin their third crucial game in the space of nine days?
The likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Kaka, Marcelo and Raul Albiol could all be in contention to start in Madrid if one or more of their team-mates pull up sore.
Real would be bidding to reach their first Champions League final since winning the competition at Hampden Park in 2002.
Bayern, who lost the 2010 final to Inter Milan on their last visit to the Santiago Bernabeu, are aiming to reach the showpiece decider at their own Allianz Arena home.
The winner of Wednesday’s match would face either holders Barca or English Premier League outsiders Chelsea in the final, to be held in Munich on May 19.
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.
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