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Rashidi Yekini NPFL Award: Okpotu Bags Highest Goal Scorer Award

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Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, Anthony Okpotu  at the weekend  Saturday in Ibadan, bagged the Rashidi Yekini NPFL’s Highest Goal Scorer Award for the 2016/2017 Season.
Tidesports source gathered that Okpotu bagged the award with N100, 000 after scoring 19 goals in the just concluded Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 2016/2017 season.
According to Tidesports source  the award organised by the Rashidi Yekini Foundation headed by Mr Jubril Mohammed, the late Yekini’s lawyer, was the third edition.
Okpotu described the late Yekini as a legend and all-time highest national team goal scorer who has not been celebrated enough.
He dedicated the award to his team mates and management, saying that the award would spur him to score more goals in the subsequent season. Okpotu called on sportsmen in the country to emulate the giant strides of the late Yekini, urging them to invest in their lives while they were still active.
“When you climb a ladder, you don’t have to push it down to prevent others from climbing, because you may still need the ladder when you want to fall,’’ he said.
Yemi, the daughter of the late Yekini, called on people to always ensure that they impart more on others in whatever they do.
She said that anyone who was ready to impart on others must be ready to make sacrifices, thanking all for coming together to celebrate her late father and his memories.
In the same vein, Mohammed, the Yekini’s lawyer, said that he would not relent in doing more for the late Yekini’s family, saying that he had a covenant with the soccer legend.
“ We have a covenant where he told me he never trusted anyone, but me.
“He presented to me a special Quran to which we both held to make the covenant.
“Yekini had a premonition of his death and he told me I should not betray the trust he reposed in me.
“He entrusted all upon me and I promised him that I will always be by his family,’’ the lawyer said.
Also, an ex-international, Felix Owolabi, urged sportsmen to always look after themselves while active, saying that many celebrated sportsmen in the country had been abandoned.
“When you are on the stage, people will love you for the services you rendered, but when you are no more on stage, they will turn against you.
“The feeling is that you have been paid for the services you rendered when you are active. Our people needs attitudinal change in this country,’’ he said.
Also Mr Abayomi Oke, the Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, appreciated the foundation for organising such a laudable project.
He said that it was good to celebrate our heroes while they were alive.
The commissioner also stressed the importance of education in whatever anyone does, saying that education usually gives leverage on every chosen career.
NAN reports that the event was attended by Justice Moshood Abas of Oyo State High Court, Mr Mike Idoko of Lobi Stars Football Club and Coach Festus Allen, former 3SC Coach.
Others were Mr Raheed Balogun, the General Manager of 3SC, Mr Niyi Alebiosu, Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Oyo State Chapter and Mr Remi Olaniran, a gubernatorial hopeful in Oyo State.

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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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