Sports
Nasarawa Stakeholders Label Eagles Late Bloomers
Some Stakeholders and
football fans in Nigeria have expressed confidence in the Nigerian Super Eagles but label them as ‘late bloomers’ who always leave it late before getting the desired result.
They aired their opinions in separate interviews last week.
Football teams across the continent, including the Nigerian Super Eagles are presently engaged in a series of qualifiers for a slot at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition to be held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles, who are grouped in Group A with South Africa, Congo and Sudan, beat the Sudanese 3 goals to 1 to climb to third position on the log with four points.
Former Commissioner for Youth and Sports, in Nasarawa State Mr Godwin Mbatav, said he was optimistic the Super Eagles would win their remaining matches.
He, however, frowned at the manner in which the national side often achieve its desired results.
“The Super Eagles will make it. You saw what they played in Abuja against Sudan. You know they normally wake up at the last minute.
“That is what we are facing in the country right now. We are always used to blooming late, that is the problem.
“You will notice that, at the beginning, they won’t give the competition the seriousness it deserves until when it gets to a situation when they have to win at all costs, then they wake up.
Special Adviser to Governor Umaru Al-Makura on Youth and Sports Development, Mr Silas Agara also expressed confidence in the Eagles.
Agara, however, blamed the football authorities and management of the team for the current situation the Eagles find themselves.
“If we can beat Congo and South Africa, we will qualify, but honestly, I am not happy with the way we do things in the country.
“At this stage, we should have qualified and be using the remaining games as friendlies for our boys but that is not the case.
“Honestly, I blame those handling the boys for the situation we are in. but I have not written the team off in as much as we are coming up late.
“I have not written the team off yet. But, we need to stop this tradition of having the knife on our neck before performing,” he said.
Public Relations Officer of Nasarawa Amazons Football Club, Alhaji Salisu Adamu, expressed disappointment in the Super Eagles inability to demoralise their opponents with early goals.
Adamu, however, expressed confidence that they would qualify for the AFCON 2015.
“The Super Eagles are supposed to go for early goals so as to demoralise their opponents. Look at what happened in Namibia with our girls.
“Almost three minutes, they scored three goals. If they act like that, no matter how strong their opponents are, they will be demoralised.
“See what happened yesterday, because, after the Sudanese equalised, they began to grow in confidence.
“But if we had scored early goals, they would have lost confidence even before the start of the second half.
Lafia resident, Miss Taiwo Ojetaye, said it would take a miracle for the national team side to qualify for the AFCON tournament, blaming the situation on poor preparation and bad start.
“We started very poorly and now it has affected us seriously. If we don’t win our remaining games, I seriously doubt we will make it.
“Now we are left to be playing with very serious pressure on us. All our remaining matches must be won.” she said.
a football enthusiast in Lafia, Mr Abdul Ahmed, queried the attitude of the team and called for its total reshuffle for optimal results.
Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.
The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.
However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.
Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.
But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.
Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.
Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)
Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.
The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.
That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.
This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.
“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”
“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”
Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.
They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.
Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.
Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.
In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.
The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.
Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.
Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.
But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.
With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.
Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.
Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.
The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.
Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.
He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.
Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.
Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.
Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.
The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.
It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.
The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.
Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.
Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.
Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.
The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.
It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.
