Sports
NCF U-17 Cricket Tourney Ends With Excitments
The Final match of the National Under-17 Cricket Championship for Boys ended with thrills and excitements, reminding all and sundry about the beauty of the game.
North West cruised to the final after beating North Central in the semi-final, while South-South thumped South West to also qualify for the final. Edo Boys High School, Benin City was packed to full capacity by home fans, and spectators.
South-South emerged doubles champions of the Girls and Boys Under-17 Cricket tournament, as they lifted Boys and girls trophies.
South-South won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening pair of Elijah Saturday and Selim Salau started brightly, racing to 45 runs in the power play over. The Genius of Chidi Onwubualili got hat trick wicket which dealt a serious blow into the Bating attack of South-South. Wickets fell every other over, leaving South-South to settle for a below par score of 93 runs all out in 25.1 overs.
Elijah Saturday scored 32 runs off 36 balls as the best performer with the bat for South-South.
Chidi Onwubualili finished with 4 wickets, conceding 19 runs in 6.1 overs, strongly supported by Theophilus Jeremiah with 3 wickets for 32 runs in 8 overs for North West.
In the second innings, South-South took the game to North West, piling pressure from the first ball. Onslaught led by Prosper Useni, North West lost 5 wickets for 18 runs in the power play over, leaving too much to ponder for the middle order batsmen.
A spark of hope from Kenneth Boniface came to an end with the catch and moment of the tournament by Effiong Godswill in Mid-wicket, quenching every ray of hope of comeback by the North-West team.
North West eventually finished with 52 runs all out in 18 overs.
Isaac Oyemba got 3 wickets, conceding 19 runs in 6 overs, supported by Destiny Chilemayan with 3 wickets for 5 runs in 3 overs and Ogbemudia Eweka with 2 wickets for 8 runs in 4 overs.
Kenneth Boniface scored 16 runs off 19 balls and Paul Pam scored 14 runs off 34 balls as the only double figures for North-West.
Destiny Chilemayan was named player of the match.
South-South won by 41 runs and crowned tournament champions.
High light of the tournament was the presentation of awards to teams and individual athletes winners.
South-South (Winners Trophy and Medal Champions North West (Runners Up Trophy and Medal). Runners Up. South West (3rd Position Trophy and Medal) 3rd Position North Central 4th Position South East 5th Position.
Individual awards were most Valuable Player (Award +20,000) Boniface Kenneth (North West)
Best Bowler (Award + 15,000) Theophilus Jeremiah (North West)
Best Fielder(Award +15,000) Joshua Sunday (North West) Best Batsman(Award + 15,000) Elijah Saturday (South-South) and
Best Behaved (Award + 15, 000) was awarded to Godswill Effiong (South-South) respectively.
Special awards by sponsor of the competition, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), MVP. Team South-South cart home (15,000)…Destiny Chilemayan
MVP. Team North West (15,000) was awarded to Chidi Onwubualili Moment of the Game (15,000)and Godswill Efiiong respectively.
Sports
Tottenham’s Miserable Run Continues
Relegation-threatened Tottenham’s miserable 2026 continued as their winless run extended to 10 league games with Fulham gaining a deserved victory to boost their hopes of qualifying for European football.
Fulham, who scored twice in the opening six minutes in their 2-1 win over Spurs in November, again got an early goal with Harry Wilson netting in the seventh minute.
However, the goal was controversial as new Spurs boss Igor Tudor felt it should have been disallowed as home striker Raul Jimenez pushed Radu Dragusin as they challenged for a Kenny Tete cross, before Oscar Bobb picked out Wilson to volley home from six yards out.
Tottenham had a similar goal ruled out last week in their 4-1 loss to Arsenal for a foul by Randal Kolo Muani on Gunners defender Gabriel but, following a check from the video assistant referee (VAR) Craig Pawson, Fulham’s goal was allowed to stand, much to Tudor’s fury.
Spurs, though, had no excuses for the 34th-minute second goal with Alex Iwobi left with space to shoot home superbly from 18 yards out, with the ball going in off the inside of the post after a neat exchange with Wilson.
Sports
City Survive Leeds’ Challenge At Elland Road
Antoine Semenyo scored just before half-time as title-chasing Manchester City escaped Elland Road with victory over an energetic Leeds United.
The hard-earned outcome narrowed Arsenal’s lead to two points at the top of the Premier League.
City travelled to West Yorkshire without their Leeds-born star striker Erling Haaland who was injured in training, and it looked for large periods in the first half that they would rue not having their top goalscorer available.
But Ghana international Semenyo stretched to convert Rayan Ait-Nouri’s fizzed low ball into the penalty area for his sixth City goal since joining from Bournemouth in January.
Leeds will be wondering how they did not score after making a sprightly start and giving City real cause for early concern.
Meanwhile , a clinical Liverpool performance helped them beat battling West Ham in the Premier League and move level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
The hosts were 3-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister.
West Ham pulled one back early in the second half through Tomas Soucek before Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead in the 70th minute.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored again through Taty Castellanos, but an Axel Disasi own goal ensured Liverpool hit five goals in a league game for the first time this season.
Bayern Rebound To Overcome Dortmund In Bundesliga (5)
Harry Kane scored two second-half goals as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund in a thrilling match and move 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
The England striker took his tally to 45 goals in all competitions this season as Bayern became the first team to inflict a home league defeat on Dortmund.
Kane, who passed 500 A clinical Liverpool performance helped them beat battling West Ham in the Premier League and move level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
The hosts were 3-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister.
West Ham pulled one back early in the second half through Tomas Soucek before Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead in the 70th minute.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored again through Taty Castellanos, but an Axel Disasi own goal ensured Liverpool hit five goals in a league game for the first time this season.
All three of the Reds’ first-half goals came from set-pieces – with Arne Slot’s side now leading the table in 2026 when it comes to goals from set-plays (excluding penalties).
In the fifth minute, Ryan Gravenberch teed up Ekitike, who finished smartly to beat Mads Hermansen at the near post for his 16th goal of the season.
West Ham threatened to equalise, but against the run of play Liverpool doubled their advantage when Van Dijk headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner.
The visitors failed to take advantage of Liverpool’s complacency with Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jarrod Bowen and Soucek all wasting chances.
And just before half-time, Mac Allister’s superb volley took a deflection and ended in the back of the net. That was the cue for sections of the travelling support to head for the exits.
Nico Schlotterbeck’s opener.
Dortmund thought they had snatched a point when Daniel Svensson’s thumping volley sent Signal Iduna Park into pandemonium.
But that was until Joshua Kimmich’s strike three minutes from time kept Bayern in pole position to win a 14th title in 15 seasons.
Schlotterbeck headed Dortmund ahead in the 26th minute when he rose highest in a crowded penalty area to connect with Svensson’s free-kick from the left.
Dortmund had the chance to double their lead later in the half when Fabio Silva squared the ball to Maximilian Beier, who was denied by the onrushing Jonas Urbig.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Bayern – playing with a front three of Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz – were unable to test Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
But Kane equalised early in the second period with a poacher’s effort from inside the area at the end of a slick move involving Kimmich and Serge Gnabry.
Both teams missed chances before Kane scored a penalty – a record 10th in a Bundesliga season – after Josip Stanisic was floored by Schlotterbeck.
Dortmund levelled when Svensson volleyed past Urbig, but Kimmich all but ended their hopes of winning a first title since 2012.
Sports
PSG Extend Lead In Ligue 1
Paris St-Germain stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to four points by claiming a narrow win at Le Havre.
The defending champions hoped to take advantage after second-placed Lens drew at Strasbourg on Friday, and Bradley Barcola gave them a deserved lead shortly before half-time.
PSG had chances to extend their lead and substitute Desire Doue had a late penalty saved by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
Lee Kang-In had an effort saved by Diaw before his right-wing cross was headed home by Barcola for his ninth goal of the season.
Moments later Lee fired wide when through on goal, before PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired against a post just after half-time.
Keeper Matvey Safonov made a fine save from Issa Soumare to keep PSG in front, while Diaw denied substitutes Nuno Mendes, Ibrahim Mbaye and Doue.
Diaw parried Doue’s spot-kick low to his right after Doue was brought down by Lucas Gourna-Douath with 11 minutes left.
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