Sports
Super Six: Delta Queens Beat Rivers Angels
Delta Queens of Asaba at
the weekend in Abuja, clinched the Women Football League Super Six trophy for the third time running, winning the trophy for keeps.
They won the 2011 edition after a 1-0 victory over defending champions, Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt in the final match of the five-day competition held at the Abuja National Stadium.
In the competition’s final match, the Delta Queens dislodged Rivers Angels with a clinical display that kept their opponents on the back foot most of the time.
Ahead of the match, league defending champions Rivers Angels had led the competition since Match day One and only needed a draw to win the title.
But Delta Queens who won the 2008 and 2009 Super Six titles were more adventurous through Vera Okolo, Sike Promise and Desire Oparanozie who kept their opponents’ defence line busy.
They thus dominated the game and even missed a lot of scoring chances through Promise and Oparanozie, while the Rivers Angels missed a couple of theirs through Ebere Orji and Stella Mbachu.
However, Delta Queens took full charge in the 69th minute when Promise’s right flank corner-kick was headed into goal by Oparanozie at the far end for the game’s lone goal.
Rivers Angels’ fight back was immediate but ineffective, despite efforts by substitute Mercy Ameneze, Blessing Edoho, Stella Mbachu, Orji Rebecca Kalu and Oyinyechi Ohaduga.
Match captain Joy Jegede was, however, a rock in the Delta Queens defence line, as she kept the opponents in check throughout the second half when they fought back.
Delta Queens thus finished with 13 points from five matches, after four wins and one draw, and after scoring 10 goals and conceding two.
Rivers Angels dropped to second with 12 points from four wins and a loss, after scoring 10 goals and conceding two goals also.
Earlier in the day, Pelican Stars of Calabar had drawn 1-1 with Bayelsa Queens of Yenagoa to upstage Kogi Confluence of Lokoja and finished third in the competition.
Enoch Umoh had given the Yenagoa side a third minute lead only for Ugo Njoku to draw Pelican Stars level midway into the second half for them to finish on seven points.
Kogi Confluence placed fourth with six points, while Bayelsa Queens finished fifth with three points and Sunshine Queens had placed last with one point.
The competition which was held at the astro-turf pitch of the Abuja National Stadium’s FIFA Goal Project did not hold in 2010.
The competition had the top three teams in the two groups of the 2010/2011 Women Professional League taking part.
They are Rivers Angels who topped Group B of the league’s 2010/2011 competition ahead of second-placed Delta Queens and Bayelsa Queens.
The rest are Sunshine Queens who topped Group A, ahead of Pelican Stars and Kogi Confluence.
Liverpool’s season of abject misery worsened as they were beaten with embarrassing ease by a hugely impressive Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s Premier League champions were looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat at Manchester City, but instead ran into a Forest side revitalised under new manager Sean Dyche and looking back to their best.
Liverpool head coach Slot gave £125m British record signing Alexander Isak a start, but he was totally anonymous once more and only lasted 67 minutes.
Forest went ahead after 33 minutes when defender Murillo shot powerfully past fit-again Liverpool keeper Alisson to subdue an already anxious Anfield.
Igor Jesus had a second ruled out for handball, but Forest doubled their advantage 39 seconds after the break when former Liverpool defender Neco Williams set up Nicola Savona for a crisp finish in front of The Kop.
Liverpool could barely raise a response in a desperate display, Forest increasing their lead 12 minutes from time when Morgan Gibbs-White scored after Alisson saved from Omari Hutchinson.
It means Liverpool, who lie 11th before Saturday’s late fixture, have now lost six of their past seven Premier League games as Slot’s near £450m summer spending spree comes under further scrutiny.
Forest, meanwhile, are surging away from the relegation zone and are up to 16th.
Michael Olise scored twice and provided a hat-trick of assists as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich came from two goals down to thrash Freiburg.
The visitors stunned the defending champions by taking a 2-0 lead after just 17 minutes when Yuito Suzuki scored from close range and Johan Manzambi rose highest to head home Jan-Niklas Beste’s corner.
Bayern, who had not lost in the league since March, responded superbly and had restored parity by half-time.
Teenager Lennart Karl fired into the bottom corner from Olise’s pass in the 22nd minute and set up the Frenchman for a fierce finish in first-half injury-time, although Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu should have done better.
Bayern took control in the second period as Dayot Upamecano headed home Olise’s corner to put them ahead for the first time.
England captain Harry Kane netted his 14th league goal of the campaign on the hour mark, before Olise made it three assists when he threaded a pass through for Nicolas Jackson to finish at the first time of asking in the 78th minute.
Winger Olise completed a sensational afternoon with his second of the game six minutes later, driving at the Freiburg defence and curling into the far corner.
A 10th victory in the first 11 games left Bayern eight points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while Freiburg remain 10th in the standings.
Vincent Kompany’s side visit Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday with both sides having a perfect record of four wins so far in the league phase of the competition.
AS FAR Morocco Win African Women’s Champions League (8)
AS FAR held firm to beat debutants ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the African Women’s Champions League final and become continental champions for the second time.
Hanane Ait El Haj put the Moroccan club ahead from the penalty spot in the 13th minute after Safa Banouk had been tripped by Aboa Yapo.
ASEC Mimosas rallied after the break and Ami Priscal Diallo netted a fine header from Sopie Brou’s cross to drag the Ivory Coast club level 10 minutes into the second half.
But AS FAR were handed a second spot-kick in the closing stages when Noura Diarra committed a rash challenge on Sofia Bouftini.
This time it was Zineb Redouani who stepped up to stroke home in the 85th minute and restore her side’s lead.
Asastasie Gbehi came close to forcing extra time but she poked wide of the post in stoppage time, and the centre-back was sent off after the full-time whistle for dissent.
AS FAR move level with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns as two-time winners of the title, having first lifted the trophy in 2022.
The Rabat-based side will now take on Chinese’s Wuhan Jiangda on 14 December for a place at next year’s Fifa Women’s Champions Cup.
The winner of that match will face European champions Arsenal in the semi-finals of the inaugural competition early next year in London.
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