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AFCON 2021: S’Eagles Target Perfect Record Against Motivated Guinea Bissau

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Despite being assured of qualification and top position in Group D at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who are expected to ring some changes in the starting eleven, would still go for the kill and maximum points against the African Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau in today’s last group match.
The Eagles, apart from chasing a 100 per cent haul of points would want to match a record of winning all group matches in the tournament, set on only two previous occasions while playing under the same Coach Austine Eguavoen.
Two wins in as many games have set the Eagles up for the round of 16 but today’s game with Guinea Bissau is an opportunity for Eguavoen, while keen on victory, to test run some players yet to be fully tested at the championship.
Interim Coach Augustine Eguavoen has already admitted that he will be rotating players for this match: “Everybody in this team has a chance to play in this tournament, so with qualification secured, we will be giving some players the opportunity to play in the next game.”
Though the coach would like to remain competitive in the game, players like Wilfried Ndidi and Joe Aribo are likely to be rested for Kelechi Nwakali and Frank Onyeka to prove their mettle. Also, Samuel Chukwueze and energetic Moses Simon may give way to Alex Iwobi and Chidera Ejuke to try to expresss themselves and provide confidence on squad depth going forward.
It remains to be seen if Umar Sadiq will come in for Taiwo Awoniyi, although you are inclined to give the Almeria frontman significant minutes despite the ongoing criticism over cameos against Egypt and Sudan.
Admittedly, making a glut of changes has its demerits, including a lack of rhythm for the incoming players owing to a dearth of game time, the risk of an incoherent display and preferred starters losing momentum.
The Super Eagles may have played themselves into reckoning with their performance in the two previous matches, Guinea Bissau, who drew their first match 0-0 with Sudan and lost narrowly 0-1 to seven time winners, Egypt in controversial circumstances may pose a potential banana peel for the Eagles.
According to one of their midfielders, Pele, “It is our ambition to qualify and we are not giving up on that, we must do everything to defeat Nigeria because it is very important for us,” said the Monaco player. “We will fight with everything we have and if we played as we did against Egypt, we will qualify. We want everyone at home proud of us.”
This is why the Eagles, their handlers and whoever gets the chance to play today must not take anything for granted. The team has evoked great expectations from Nigerians and their fans, they must not lower the standard already reached.
While today’s game does not change the Eagles’ fate, Eguavoen will hope that the stand-ins flourish as they look to end the group stage without a blemish. Nine points from a possible nine for the first time since 2006 has a nice ring to it.
Meanwhile, Sudan will seek an upset win over old rivals Egypt when the teams meet in the other Group D clash at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde today.
Sudan heads into this clash sitting bottom of the log after a 0-0 draw with Guinea-Bissau and 3-1 loss at the hands of Nigeria this past weekend.
The Falcons of Jediane are still in last 16 contention, but they must beat Egypt to have a chance of snatching second place or being one of the top-ranked third-place finishers.

By: Gabriel Nwanetanya

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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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.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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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.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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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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