Sports
Niger Flickers Win 3rd Hockey Super League Title
Defending champions Niger Flickers of Minna, last Saturday, in Abuja, emerged champions of the male competition of the 2017 Hockey Super League, making it three consecutive wins.
Tidessports source gathered that Niger Flickers, winners in 2015 and 2016, were once again winners with a 1-0 defeat of Police Machine of Kaduna.
In this final match played at the National Stadium’s astro-turf pitch, the defending champions did not find it easy however in this very cagey affair.
Niger Flickers came into the final with a perfect winning record having won all their six matches in the league phase, while Police Machine won three, drew two and lost one.
The only defeat for Police Machine, who came second behind Niger Flickers in the league phase, was a humiliating 4-0 defeat against the defending champions.
Police Machine this time around showed persistence, as well as fortitude, grit and resoluteness, in charging at the defending champions and holding them back.
Niger Flickers, however, maintained their calm in a nervy and tight contest, before scoring through a powerful field goal by Umar Danladi in the 42nd minute.
According to our source, the classification match for third and fourth places played earlier, Kada Stars of Kaduna, defeated Yobe Desert Rollers of Damaturu 3-1 to place third.
Also, in the classification match for fifth and sixth places played early in the day, Union Bank of Lagos beat IGP Flickers of Kaduna 2-1 to finish fifth.
Riv Kings of Port Harcourt finished seventh and last in the seven-team competition, after only one point from one draw in six matches and scoring two goals and conceding 13.
In the individual awards at the competition, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award (male category) went to Adamu Kolo of Niger Flickers.
Kada Queens’ Folarin Adeyemo, was the MVP of the female category.
Niger Flickers’ Benard Wilson, won the highest goal scorer award with seven goals, while Bomoya Idirigo of Kada Stars was the female’s highest goal scorer with five goals.
Baba Abdulkadir of Niger Flickers and Komi Kumi of Kada Stars scooped the best goalkeeper awards in the male and female categories, after conceding only a goal each.
The Most Improved Player awards of the male and female categories went to Kada Stars’ Victor Kish and Itua Adagboyin of Plateau Queens respectively.
The youngest player awards in the male and female categories were won by Peter John of Kada Stars and Ruth Linus of Kada Queens respectively.
Also, the fair play awards were given to Kada Stars (male) and Benue Amazons (female) respectively.
Meanwhile, the final match and closing ceremony were graced by dignitaries such as the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, and the Governor of Niger State Sani Bello.
They helped to hand out the prizes to the winners, alongside Abdul Ningi, the re-elected President of the Nigeria Hockey Federation, among others.
The league had begun on July 8 with 14 teams, seven each in the male and female categories, with the El-Kanemi Flickers of Maiduguri notable absentees.
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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