Connect with us

Sports

Osimhen, Chukwueze’s Progression Delights Amuneke

Published

on

Emmanuel Amuneke has voiced his gladness seeing Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze and Lille’s Victor Osimhen become ‘household names’ for Nigeria and their respective European clubs.
Both players contributed a great deal as Nigeria U17 won the 2015 FIFA World Cup staged in Chile.
While Osimhen won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball, Chukwueze walked away with the Bronze Boot.
Since then, the youngsters have been key figures for their European teams as well as the country’s senior national team, helping them place third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
For the 1994 African Player of the Year, who was their coach at National U17 and U20 levels, credit for their meteoric rise should be given to the coaches who discovered them, while hoping Nigeria builds on this to groom more superstars in future.
“Football is like a school where you progress from the primary school down to the tertiary institution. Even after that, you continue to educate yourself,” Amuneke told newsmen.
He said: “Playing in the youth team is an opportunity for a young player who is dreaming big to become a professional. Helping your team win the World Cup at youth level means you have something special as a player
“It depends on capacity, abilities and mentality to continue to progress as a footballer, so seeing (Samuel) Chukwueze and (Victor) Osimhen progressing gives me joy.
“These are players we all picked without anybody knowing anything about them. We saw the qualities they possessed and tries to guide them to develop.”
“They have answered some of the questions asked during the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile, on why African players after doing well in a cadet tournament fail to progress,” he continued.
“Seeing them becoming household names for their clubs and the Super Eagles in their early 20s is a very good thing and it means that those people who have worked hard in the U17 category since 2013 have done a good job and have set a pace,” he said.
“It’s up to us to be able to build on that and see how our players can transform from the youth level to the senior level towards becoming better players in future.”
Before European football leagues went on a hiatus owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, Osimhen contributed 13 goals in 27 French top-flight appearances this term.
For Chukwueze, in 26 Spanish elite division outings, he has found the net thrice as the Yellow Submarine stay eighth on the La Liga log.

Continue Reading

Sports

Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

Published

on

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.

 

Continue Reading

Trending