Sports
NFF Congratulates Mikel Over UEFA Champions League Triumph
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has
congratulated Nigeria’s international midfielder, John Mikel Obi, over the UEFA
Champions League victory.
Obi’s club, the English Premiership team,
Chelsa defeated the Germany’s Bayern Munich in Saturday’s finals, 4-3 on
penalties to wrestle the trophy for the first time ever.
A statement, signed by Ademola Olajire,
Chief Media Officer of NFF, quotes the federation’s President, Alhaji Aminu
Maigari as describing Obi as a pride to the Nigerian nation, not only for his
club’s victory but also for personal commitment and high performance in the
campaign.
It said: “We are all very proud of Mikel
Obi and we congratulate him for this sweet victory.
More gladdening is the fact that he was not
a docile member of the team or a bench-warmer.
“He was very active and played his part
brilliantly in ensuring a magnificent triumph for Chelsea.
“The whole nation should praise the young
man. He fought hard and showed dedication all through the campaign and in the
process, lifted our country’s name high in international football”.
Meanwhile, several hundreds of Chelsea fans
trooped to the streets of Port Harcourt in celebration Saturday night moments
after the Blues’ penalty shout out victory over Bayern Munich.
From the Egbelu,/Wofe and Rumuokwuta axis
of the City, Chelsea fans were seen in their numbers singing and drinking.
Shouts of Blues for life’, ‘the Sky is
blue’ and Coach Di Matteo for Stamford Bridge filled the air.
Drinking joints, were busy making sales as
the fans called for cartons and creates of drinks. Bonifires, broken bottles
and sound of explosion were also evident as the fans celebrated.
One of the fans, Augustus Ajere described
the victory as pre-destined. He admitted
that the Bayern Munich was the better
team, but just like against
Barcelona in the semi final, desting saw Chelsea overcome the Germans in their
own stadium.
For Alphonsus Afulike, it did not matter
how Chelsea won. He was in cloud nine
and according to him, Chelsea has joined the European Champions exclusive clubs
after winning the title for the first time.
“It has been an obsession with the club and
now that we have won it, the colour is blue in Europe”, he said.
There were reports of huge celebrations by
the fans in Diobu and old township of the city.
The President of the Brothers Sports Club
of Nigeria, Mr Chinedu Ezenwa, in Lagos, attributed Chelsea’s FC victory in the
finals of the UEFA Champions League to its African contingent.
Ezenwa said yesterday that all the African
players who played in the match did the continent proud.
“I am so proud of the handiwork of the
African players in the team led by Drogba who scored the equalizing goal and
the winning penalty kick.
“Drogba was indeed the man of the match”.
Sports
Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie A Lead
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.
Sports
Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool
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.
Sports
Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors
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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