Sports
Giwa Increases Sharks’ Woes In Abuja
Shuaibu Ibrahim has in
Abuja scored a brace to hand Giwa Football Club of Jos a vital 2-1 win against Sharks FC of Port Harcourt.
The match was a 2013/2014 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) rescheduled Week 33 match.
The game was rescheduled after Giwa FC was found guilty of failing to control their fans on October 16.
The fans had seen the match officials beaten up and a Sharks player injured at the Rwang Pam Stadium in Jos.
As a result, Giwa FC were ordered to play their next three home matches in Abuja and ordered to pay the sum of N200,000 to the assaulted centre referee, Samuel Akinwale.
In the rescheduled match at the FIFA Goal Project pitch, Sharks FC started the game on the front foot and they created a lot of scoring opportunities.
Salawu Ibrahim could have put Sharks ahead as early as in the 7th minute.
But he squandered the chance, with the Giwa FC goalkeeper, James Aiyeyemi, left stranded and an empty post at his mercy.
Fortune Omoniwari also wasted another lovely goalscoring opportunity in the 15th minute as his shot struck the post with only Aiyeyemi to beat.
Sharks were then left to rue their chances when a lovely cross from the left met Ibrahim of Giwa FC who wasted no time to stab home from close range in the 39th minute.
Omoniwari made up for his earlier miss after he scored through a powerful header for the equaliser, with barely three minutes later.
Ibrahim however got his brace and the winning goal for Giwa FC in the 60th minute with a clever chip which left Sharks FC goalkeeper dumbfounded.
Sharks FC had a rare opportunity to at least get a point from the game in the 90th minute, but it was another wasteful effort from Stowe Thompson.
Aminu Musa, the coach of Giwa FC, however told newsmen that his charges ably deserved their hard-earned victory against Sharks.
“We played as if we were playing on our home ground. Indeed the feeling of playing here today (Wednesday) was like playing home away from home,’’ he said.
The coach said they were looking forward to their next game against Nasarawa United after the League Management Company (LMC) ordered the two clubs to replay the game on Thursday.
“Our boys are not scared of Nasarawa United and by the grace of God we will get the deserved result to secure our continental ticket,’’ he said.
The Head Coach of Sharks FC, Gbenga Ogunbote, on his part said the result was not good for his side’s continental ambitions.
“Sometimes you cannot explain when you lose such a game, but my boys did their best under the condition which they played.
“You are aware that the team had been on strike for about eight days without training due to the non-payment of their allowances.
“This result may not be too good for us, but sometimes the situation cannot be helped,’’ he said.
Sharks are currently placed 11th on the NPFL log with 53 points from 37 matches, while Giwa FC are 9th with 54 points from 36 games.
Sports
Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie A Lead
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
Sports
Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Sports
Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.
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