Sports
Musa Happy With Contributions To S’Eagles
The CSK Moscow player,
Ahmed Musa, 21, lost words in describing how happy he was at contributing two goals in Super Eagles 2-3 loss to Argentina in the ongoing World Cup in Brazil.
The loss still took the African champions to the Round of 16 of the tournament.
Musa, Born on October 14, 1992 in the Plateau capital, Jos, expressed his joy at a post match news conference at the end of the last Group F game, at the Estadio Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre.
Responding simply to a comment that as the most criticised player in Nigeria, what his feelings were realising that his contribution had stood him out, he said: “I am happy I have proved my critics wrong”.
Part of the criticisms was that Musa in many cases would always out run his opponents only to fail to create chances or fail to properly utilise chances created for him to score goals.
But on a day that mattered most, against Argentina in order to qualify for the Round of 16, Musa rose to the occasion for the first time.
He slotted two vital goals that set the country toward almost breaking the jinx of getting past Argentina in a World Cup.
His equalising goal in the fourth minute after Lionel Messi scored in the third minute forced Argentina to temporarily slow down their attack.
“It was a win-win situation for both Argentina and Nigeria,’’ whipped Duro Ikhaziagbe, a Lagos-based journalist who is in Brazil to cover the World Cup as players and fans of both countries ended up back slapping each other.
“This is the third time Musa will make the Eagles’ squad against Argentina, two of which were in friendly games.
“On two of the previous games, he failed to lift, but had reserved the best for the last — in a World Cup situation — with the crucial goals that helped the Eagles to make the round of 16’’.
Another, Nigerian journalist, Munini Alao, the General Manager of Complete Sports also in Brazil to cover the Mundial, used the occasion to acknowledge the sterling contributions of the player.
Alao apologised to the player and Nigerians that he had once been one of the critics of Musa.
“Accept my apologies,’’ Alao said, a rare gesture from a journalist.
“The Argentines have always beaten us at the FIFA World Cup, though narrowly each time.
“We also need to show our true strength as the champions of Africa,” Aminu Maigari, President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) had told the players before the match.
Nigeria met Argentina first at USA ’94 World Cup, losing 1-2 in Boston on June 25, 1994, and was again pipped 1-0 courtesy of a Gabriel Batistuta goal in Ibaraki, Japan on June 2, 2002.
When both sides met in South Africa four years ago, an early goal by Gabriel Heinze condemned the Eagles to a 1-0 defeat.
However, at the Olympic Games, the story was not the same, in Atlanta ’96 in the U.S., Nigeria beat them to the gold medal — a victory that left the Argentines flustered for many years.
Argentina U-23 team to the 2008 Olympic Games in China had evened-up the Olympic record with 1-0 victory over Nigeria at the final.
However, it is sweet to recall fond memories of the 4-1 defeat the Eagles handed down to Argentina in a friendly in Abuja on June 1, 2011.
But importantly, the 3-2 defeat by the U-23 team that gave Africa the first Olympic football gold in Atlanta, 18 years ago.
However, in the match in Porto Alegre, the Argentines were more or less “playing having entered Brazil, its neighbours.
The Argentines fans had occupied every available space and virtually drowning the voices of a pockets of Nigerian fans that managed to traverse almost 10 hours across the Atlantic Ocean, to be part of their national team’s outing at the quadrennial soccer extravaganza.
Musa deserved his pay. Indeed, he earned it through hard work., utilising his chance off a pass by the now injured, Michael Babatunde to send a solid strike that stretched the Argentine goalkeeper who dived full length but failed to stop the goal from going past him.
The player, who is 1.70 metres tall and currently weighs 62 kg, began his football career in 2008 and now plays a striking role in PFC CSKA Moscow.
However, it was Musa, Emmanuel Emenike and Peter Odemwingie playing up were instrumental to the Eagles’
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.
Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga on Saturday with an emphatic win over 10-man Athletic Club in their first match at the Spotify Camp Nou since May 2023.
Robert Lewandowski scored their first goal back in their iconic home, which had been closed for extensive renovations, in the fourth minute.
Ferran Torres then netted twice in the second half, each assisted by wonderful skill from Lamine Yamal, who was aged just 15 in his only previous Nou Camp appearance.
Fermin Lopez also struck in the 48th minute, while visiting midfielder Oihan Sancet was sent off for a crude challenge on Lopez just six minutes later.
Large sections of the Nou Camp remained closed for the game, which was played in front of a 45,157 crowd.
The rebuilding work, which was originally scheduled to be finished in November 2024, will eventually increase the stadium’s capacity to 105,000.
Barca moved to 31 points from 13 games and top on goal difference, but Real Madrid had the chance to replace them, if they won at Elche in their game in hand, late last night.
Poland striker Lewandowski got his side off to the perfect start when he drove his low shot in off the arm of Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon for an eighth league goal of the season.
The home side extended their lead in first-half added time as Yamal’s superb pass off the outside of his foot set up Torres for a good finish.
Lopez made it 3-0 three minutes after the restart, drilling a shot past Simon from near the penalty spot.
Sancet’s tackle from behind on Lopez was initially deemed a yellow card, but upgraded to red after the referee consulted with the video assistant referee (VAR).
And just before full-time, Yamal twisted and turned before sending Torres away to claim his second goal, which was originally disallowed for offside but overturned following a VAR check.
It was a dream return to their ground, with the reigning Spanish champions having mostly played at the 55,000 capacity Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill since renovations on the Nou Camp began in June 2023.
They were forced to play two matches at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium, home to their women’s team, this season after failing to get a permit for the Nou Camp through safety reasons.
Pogba Returns To Action In Ligue 1 (6)
Paul Pogba played his first minutes of professional football in more than two years as he came off the bench during Monaco’s 4-1 defeat by Rennes at the weekend.
The 32-year-old was introduced in the 85th minute at Rennes’ Roazhon Park, though his side were already four goals and a player down, following a red card for captain Denis Zakaria.
French World Cup winner Pogba broke down in tears when he joined Ligue 1 club Monaco last summer, after his four-year doping ban was reduced to 19 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
Pogba’s last competitive appearance was 811 days ago, when he featured for Juventus in a Serie A match against Empoli on 3 September 2023. He left Juventus by mutual consent in November 2024.
Pogba was provisionally banned from football for four years after a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in February 2024, following a doping test in August 2023.
Pogba maintained it was a mistake and that he was given a supplement without knowing it contained a banned substance.
The former Manchester United midfielder was permitted to return to football in March following the decision to reduce his ban.
Pogba watched from the bench as goals from Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Mahdi Camara, Breel Embolo and Ludovic Blas put Rennes out of sight.
Fellow substitute Mika Biereth pulled a goal back for Monaco in the 95th minute, but a second consecutive 4-1 defeat means Sebastien Pocognoli’s side drop to eighth in the table with 20 points after 13 games.
