Sports
Whither Emenike’s Goal Scoring Touch?
Without a doubt one of
the biggest posers for millions of Nigeria fans is whether the goals of Emmanuel Emenike have finally dried up.
Nicknanied ‘The New Yekini’, Emenike has not scored in the last 11 games for Nigeria after he last hit target for the African champions on October 13, 2013, in a 2-1 win over Ethiopia in a 2014 World Cup playoff, where he scored a brace.
He completely bombed at the World Cup in Brazil, where he failed to score in four appearances much against pre-tournament forecasts.
Emenike’s goals drought is a major problem for the Super Eagles as they have in the past two years depended a great deal on his goals.
The highlight of Emenike’s international career was at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, where he emerged as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.
He enjoyed the whole-hearted endeavour of twin striker Brown Ideye, who assisted in his goals at South Africa 2013.
His partnerships with Osaze Odemwingie and Shola Ameobi have not been as effective, and he looked all stranded and on his own at Brazil 2014.
The Fenerbache striker is also a marked man since his exploits at the 2013 AFCON and many teams believe if they could stop him, they would have neutralised the Super Eagles as well.
The lack of creativity in the Eagles midfield has equally held back the former Sparkak Moscow star because he is that kind of striker who needs good supplies from the middle for him to make hay.
Also, for all his hard work, speed, power and commitment, Emenike has not shown enough tact and intelligence to lose his markers.
He is direct and very predictable, which makes it easier for defenders to mark him out of a game.
Ex-Nigeria international Jonathan Akpoborie told newsmen that Emenike has to do a lot more now to end his goal drought in Eagles.
“I have watched Emenike for a long time now and personally, I believe he has a lot of power and speed, but he lacks a little in the skill department, which he needs to really work on,” said the former Wolfsburg striker.
“The midfield is not doing well enough to get balls across to him and this is contributing to his lack of goals,”
“But do we need to look for someone for him to get the goals every time? He too should try and add some skills to his power and speed and he will be among the best in the world.
“He has gone 11 games for the Eagles without a goal, and because we rely on him for the goals, we can see why our national team are not doing well at the moment.”
Akpoborie will suggest Nigeria give another player to lead the country’s strike force.
“As far as I am concerned, the coach should start looking elsewhere for another player to score goals for the team,” he said.
“This is a national team and he has to perform or the coach gets a new striker on board. We have many of them by the way.”
“A player is only as good as his last game. That’s football for you.”
After a rather slow start in his international career, Emenike has scored 15 goals in 26 games for Eagles.
His lean spell is another test of his strong character.
If he could overcome this slump, Emenike will again be on his way to becoming one of the country’s most feared goal bursters.
Alao writes for African Football. Com
Olusola Alao
The Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off their injury worries to make a winning start to the NBA play-offs.
The 18-time champions were without key players Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Maxi Kleber but 41-year-old LeBron James produced another fine display in a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were the other winners on day one of the play-offs, while the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic won the play-in tournament to book their places.
James controlled the floor while racking up 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds against a Houston side who lost key man Kevin Durant to injury just before play started.
“It’s just our play-off mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“You can’t worry about who’s in or out of the line-up. It’s our gameplan. It’s our standards. It’s how we play, and we’ve built towards that.
“I thought our guys just responded well and met the moment. That’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to meet the moment in every game, and we were able to do that.”
Luke Kennard continued to step up as a starter with a career play-off high 27 points as the Lakers took the opening game in the best-of-seven series.
Durant, 37, has a bruised knee and could return for game two on Tuesday night.
Defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder began their campaign last night against the Suns.
Brentford missed the chance to go sixth in the Premier League with a goalless draw against visitors Fulham, their fifth consecutive stalemate in the top flight.
A win would have helped the Bees overtake Chelsea and boost their chances of qualifying for a debut European campaign but they failed to capitalise in a game of few real chances at Gtech Community Stadium.
Fulham had the majority of possession but it was Brentford who had the best of chances in a lacklustre early kick-off.
Igor Thiago, only one behind 22-goal Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, headed wide from close range early on while Keane Lewis-Potter fired just over Bernd Leno’s goal from eight yards in the dying seconds of the first half.
Dango Ouattara, who attempted the only shot on target before the interval, failed to trouble Leno again with an effort from distance in the 58th minute.
An unmarked Mikkel Damsgaard then failed to hit the target with a first-time effort from the edge of the box after Kevin Schade played him through as frustration continued to build for Keith Andrews’ side.
Harry Wilson produced a well-timed run to get on the end of a cross in the 78th minute but dragged his shot wide in a rare opening for Fulham.
The teenager delivered a standout performance in what is regarded as one of Africa’s more competitive road cycling events, further strengthening her growing reputation as one of the sport’s most promising young riders.
The Tour du Faso, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation, which also runs the Tour de France, has been part of the UCI Africa Tour since 2005 and is classified as a 2.2 event.
First held in 1987, it was reserved for amateurs until 1998. It is widely regarded as Africa’s biggest cycling race, a demanding ten-stage challenge that brings together European amateur riders and African local competitors in a contest often described as a blend of sporting ambition and opportunity.
Osaretin’s latest success in stage five adds to a remarkable journey that has seen her rise from humble beginnings as a wheelbarrow pusher to becoming both a Nigerian and African junior champion.
Her breakthrough on the national stage came at the 2024 National Sports Festival in May 2025, where she shocked everyone by defeating Nigeria’s first cycling Olympian Ese Ukpeseraye to win gold in the women’s 200m sprint final.
She went on to win another gold medal in the women’s road race at the inaugural African School Games in Algeria.
Her stage five victory in Burkina Faso now signals continued upward momentum as she establishes herself on the international cycling circuit and looks to build on her early success.
Kola Daniel, special assistant on media to the director general of the National Sports Commission, confirmed the development in a statement released on April 18, 2026.
4th
Falconets intensify preparations for Malawi clash
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, have stepped up their build-up ahead of their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final qualifying first-leg encounter against Malawi, scheduled for May 2, Tidesports source reports.
The team have been in intensive training in Abuja as they fine-tune tactics and sharpen their preparations for the decisive fixture, with coaches focusing on team organisation and match strategy ahead of the encounter.
Head coach Moses Aduku expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness, stressing that preparations had reached an advanced stage and that focus had shifted fully to tactical execution.
Aduku said the team are fully concentrated on the task ahead and believes they are well positioned to secure a positive result in the first leg.
“We have a full squad on ground and everyone is focused on the task at hand. From now, we will concentrate on team planning and tactical work. We are taking this very seriously, and I believe by the end of the match we will come out victorious,” he told NFF media.
The Falconets have maintained a positive atmosphere in camp, with high morale among the players and no reported injury concerns.
The coaching staff have also been working on integrating players from different clubs, with emphasis on building cohesion and balance within a short preparation window.
Aduku also appealed for continued support from fans, drawing parallels with previous qualifying rounds against Rwanda and Senegal, while expressing confidence that the team would secure qualification over the two legs.
“To our supporters, we plead that you pray for us as you did when we played Rwanda and Senegal in the earlier rounds. I believe Nigeria will smile with a ticket to the World Cup after the two legs against Malawi,” he added.
Nigeria reached this stage after overcoming Senegal 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round, following a 1-0 home win and a 2-1 away victory.
They had earlier defeated Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate to advance.
Their opponents, Malawi, arrive in strong form after a commanding 6-2 aggregate win over Guinea Bissau, including a 5-1 victory in Lilongwe following a 1-1 draw in the first leg away from home.
The return leg of the qualifier will be held in Lilongwe on May 9, with both sides competing for a place at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in 2026.