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Rivers Angels Lose To Bayelsa Queens In Friendly

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Nigerian Women and Cup holders, Rivers Angels, FC of Port Harcourt were beaten 2-1 by Bayelsa Queens in a friendly game at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt last week.

The game was used as test for both dies who were drawn in separate groups of the upcoming Nigeria Women league season which kicks off tomorrow in an abridged format.

Fringe stars such as Mabel Effiom, Peace Obioma, Uju Joseph, Emenike Ijeoma, Obi Ijeoma and NWPL  topscorer last season Amarachi Orjinma were given the nod to show their worth in the absence of 10 key players who are on national duty with the Super Falcons.

In the 7th minute, former Pelican forward, Orjinma fired her team’s first real attempt over the bar.

River Angels however went behind soon after as they conceded a free kick in the 21st minute when new recruit, Effiom brought down Uzoamaka Igwe on the edge of the 18 yard box.

Igwe dusted herself up and converted the kick from an acute angle directly into the net, leaving goalkeeper Charity John with no chance.

Three minutes later, Effiom put the host, level after being awarded a free kick few meters from the 18 yard box.

The remaining part of the first half ended with not many clear cut chances created.

The second half started with the visitors acting like a house on fire with most of the action played in Rivers Angels half.

Bayelsa Queens enjoyed the larger part of the possession, dominating play, and having the highest completed passes in the game.

Charity John who was in goal for Rivers Angels, had her hands full making three saves from Edeji Chidinma, Esther Udegbe and Rafiat Sule who all combined well on different occasions to terrorise a porous Rivers Angels defense.

Orjinma yet again found her shot roll over the bar in 63rd minute but Flamingoes star Cynthia Aku made better use of her chance but was saved by Favour Nwaaha in goal for Bayelsa Queens.

In the 71st minute, another Flamingoes star, Joy Bokiri linked up well with Rafiat Sule, who slotted home the winner for Bayelsa Queens.

Two minutes later, Mabel Effiom almost got the equaliser for the League champions but was stopped by Favour Nwaaha.

With eight minutes to regulation time, the visitors still proved unstoppable creating chances and winning a free kick which was taken by Lucky Odiri but Charity John was alert to avoid another goal into the back of her net.

Despite the win against Rivers Angels, Bayelsa Queens coach, Rolandson Odeh said he still has a lot of work to do before the league kicks off on Saturday.

“It has been able to expose a lot of lapses and i was thinking i was ready for the league but based on what have seen today i have less than 24 hours to correct the mistakes i have seen here so to me it is still work in progress, said Odeh.”

Odeh added, it’s a friendly game not all teams would have come with their talented players and coupled with the fact that Rivers Angels are the household name of women football in Nigeria but it was a good game.

On his part, assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda attributed the loss to the absence of his key players who are on national duty with the Super Falcons.

“Despite losing to Bayelsa Queens in this match we all know it is a friendly match but it is preparatory match to our league match which kicks off this weekend. Most of our players are not available to us at the moment. We just managed to use what we have to execute this match but all the same we think the players at home will be able to execute the league match pending when the rest of the team will return to Port Harcourt, Ogbonda explained.”

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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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