Sports
PH To Host Super Falcons, Dream Team Matches
Rivers State capital, Port
Harcourt has been chosen by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to host the first leg tie of the 2016 Olympic Games qualifying fixture between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea which will come up on July 18, and the Africa Under -23 championship final round first leg match between Nigerian’s U-23 team, Dream Team VI and their Congolese counterparts on July 19,2015.
Already, Tidesports has learnt that in a bid to ensure successful hosting of the national teams, the Rivers State govenernment is scheduled to inaugurate teams matches in the city.
The 11-man committee has former Commissioner for Sports, Hon Boma Iyaye as chairman and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports as Secretary.
Members of the committee include Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka (MON), ex-player, Albert Chinwo, ex-internationals, Mercy Akide-Udoh and Eddy Mark. Others include, Nigeria Football Federation Chairman, Rivers SWAN Chairman, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, and representatives of the police and State Security Services, respectively.
Following the withdrawal of Mali in the second round the Super Falcons now have two rounds of qualifying fixture to prosecute before qualification.
Qualification will see them in the Women’s Football Tournament of next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Nigerian girls have played at three previous Olympics – 2000,2004 and 2008.
The winner of the Dream Team / Congo fixture qualifiers for the African U-23 Championship coming up in Senegal in December.
The best three of the eight participating teams will be eligible to represent Africa at the Men’s Football Tournament of next year’s Olympic.
The fourth-placed team in Senegal will play-off against a team from Asia. Meanwhile, the NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi has said that henceforth, the federation would decides international match venues well in advance. “This is in order to afford host cities enough time to work on the facilities to be used for such matches”, the General Secretary was quoted saying.
In line with the new policy, the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna will host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between the Super Eagles and the Pharaohs of Egypt.
The (NFF) said the match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
It however said officials have also confirmed that work would be undertaken on the stadium’s pitch, and a couple of other areas which need to be improved before the match.
Nigeria and Egypt share top spot on the Group G table of the qualifiers, with the Pharaohs ahead on a one-goal advantage.
They had whipped Tanzania’s Taifa Stars 3-0 in Cairo in penultimate weekend’s opening matches, a day after the Super Eagles beat Chad 2-0 in Kaduna.
The Eagles’ next match in the series is away to Tanzania in the first week of September, before the visit to the Pharaohs two weeks later.
Egypt has missed all last three AFCON finals, including the 2013 finals which Nigeria won in South Africa.
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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