Sports
Togo, Senegal Lose Friendlies To Japan Korea
Togo were thrashed 5-0 by Japan and South Korea beat Senegal 2-0 in international friendlies on Wednesday.
Both Japan and South Korea have already qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In Sendai Shinji Okazaki scored a hat-trick for Japan against Togo, who lost 3-0 to Cameroon last Saturday to end their chances of going to the World Cup.
Togo had arrived in Japan half a day late with just 14 players after eight last-minute pullouts because of a financial dispute with the country’s FA.
The West Africans scrapped their only scheduled training session on Tuesday and their lack of preparation showed as they fell behind 3-0 after just 11 minutes.
Okazaki put Japan ahead in the fifth minute, redirecting a cross from Yasuhito Endo, then doubled the lead just two minutes later.
Takayuki Morimoto, who plays in Italy for Catania, scored his first goal for Japan in the 10th minute to give the hosts a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Okazaki headed in his third of the game in the 64th and Keisuke Honda, of Dutch club VVV Venlo, then completed the rout.
Meanwhile South Korea controlled much of the game but initially struggled to find a way past Senegal goalkeeper Chiekh Tidiane Ndiaye.
Ki Sung-yong, who will join Scottish side Celtic in January, opened the scoring three minutes before half-time as he shot home from 20 meters after good work from Bolton Wanderers’ winger Lee Chung-yong.
Then after both teams made a number of substitutions in the second half, the action slowed.
Manchester United star Park Ji-sung and Park Chu-young both missed chances to extend South Korea’s lead before Oh Beom-seok sealed the win ten minutes from time.
Senegal are undergoing a rebuilding process after failing to make the final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.