Sports
ACL:Wydad Edges Sundowns In Morocco
Wydad Casablanca overcame Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 in the 2018 CAF Champions League Group C match at the Stade Mohammed V in Morocco at the weekend.
As a result, Moroccan giants Wydad advanced to the knockout stages, while South Africa’s Sundowns moved down to third place on the table.
Wydad dominated the match from the start as they applied intense pressure on the Brazilians defence.
However, Sundowns midfielder-cum-striker Anthony Laffor was presented with a half chance in the opening stages of the game.
The Liberian forward fired over the crossbar with a snap shot without troubling goalkeeper Yassine El Kharroubi in Wydad goal after being set-up by Gaston Sirino.
The hosts were struggling to penetrate the Sundowns defence and seriously test Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango despite dominating possession.
The shot-stopper was called into action by Ismail El Haddad, who tried his luck from range, but his attempt was easily saved by the keeper after the half-hour mark.
Sundowns grew in confidence as the game progressed and Themba Zwane unleashed a long-range shot which sailed over the crossbar with the half-time break approaching.
The Wydad backline which was marshalled by Ivorian defender Cheick Comara were able to contain Sundowns until Algerian referee Mehdi Abid Charef blew the half-time whistle.
Wydad and Sundowns were locked at 0-0 at the interval.
The hosts piled pressure on the Brazilians defence after restart and they nearly broke the deadlock five minutes into the second-half.
Mohamed Ounajem was sent through on goal, but the Wydad forward was bravely denied by Onyango from close range.
However, Wydad of Resistance’s pressure finally paid off in the 56th minute and it was Anas Al Asbahi, who opened the scoring with a beautiful goal.
Walid El Karti set-up Asbahi, who scored with a wonderful long-range shot which beat Onyango hands down to make 1-0 to Wydad much to the delight of the home crowd.
Hlompho Kekana tried his luck from range on the hour-mark, but his attempt was easily saved by El Kharroubi, who was well-positioned to make a save.
The Sundowns captain was then treplaced by Jose Meza in the closing stages of the game as the visitors looked to snatch equaliser.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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