Sports
The Story Behind Rivers United’s Success
The six-year journey to the Nigeria Professional Football League title for Rivers United had the backing of West Africa’s largest independent chemical as well as oil and gas engineering solutions provider, Eunisell.
For Rivers United, it has been a six-year journey, but seven years for the Eunisell brand as a sponsor in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Indeed, today’s marriage between Eunisell and Rivers United kicked off with Sharks Football Club, now defunct, on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
At the ceremony, Eunisell Group Managing Director, Chika Ikenga, declared the brand’s readiness to stay with the club.
Sharks FC was eventually relegated, but determined to see the club make an instant return to the top flight, Eunisell chose to extend its sponsorship of the team in the second tier league.
In February 2016, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, decided to merge relegated Sharks and Dolphins, also owned by the State.
The decision produced a new team, Rivers United and Eunisell remained as sponsor of the new team.
For Eunisell, sponsoring Rivers United is a strategy to be part of their history and ultimate success.
By extending its sponsorship from Sharks to the newly formed Rivers United, in 2016, Eunisell displayed readiness to lead a campaign for Nigerian brands to change the NPFL narrative.
Since 2016 Eunisell has been on the shirt of the club as sponsor, a feat that makes it the longest running sponsorship in the NPFL. Convinced Rivers United is the right partner for a long time sponsorship, Eunisell stayed with the club, despite its inability to win a trophy.
Rivers United came close in its first season but lost the title to Enugu Rangers.
In appreciation of the club’s impressive campaign in its first season in 2016, Eunisell announced a N10, 000,000 bonuses.
This was the first by any club sponsor in the NPFL.
To underscore his commitment to the team, Ikenga led a high powered Eunisell team to Sagamu to motivate the players at a time the club was having a poor run, during the 2017 season.
The presence of the Eunisell team resulted in a 3-1 away win against home side, Remo Stars.
Rivers United finished on 15th position; two points above the drop zone, but the brand remained convinced Rivers United will emerge champions of Nigeria one day.
To further confirm its determination to make the club a model in the league, Eunisell introduced the Eunisell Rivers United Day.
Organised in Port-Harcourt, it was conceived to bring the Rivers United brand closer to the fans.
From inception of Eunisell’s sponsorship of Rivers United, Ikenga had reiterated the brand’s desire to see the club emerge champions. The clarion call from Eunisell has always been one of the brand’s loyalty to Rivers United whether they fall or rise and irrespective of the economic situation in Nigeria.
Rivers United started this season in tremendous form and finished as mid-season champions.
As a sign of its dominance, the club set a 12-match unbeaten run and even a 10-point gap ahead of its closest rival, Plateau United.
Delightfully, the club claimed the title with three matches to the end of the season.
Eunisell is proud to be part of Rivers United’s history, success and transformation from a new club, in 2016, to a Nigerian powerhouse, in 2022.
Culled from Eumisel’s publication.
Most expensive EPL deals so far this summer
Premier League clubs aren’t messing around this summer with a host of big-money deals done already.
Manchester City and Liverpool dominated the top-flight last season and have wasted no time in bolstering their all-star attacking ranks in the transfer market.
City confirmed their stunning deal for superstar Erling Haaland early on in the summer before Liverpool responded by splashing out the biggest fee of the window so far on Darwin Nunez.
Tottenham have secured the second most expensive deal of the market by shelling out £60million on Everton’s Richarlison. But not far behind them is Chelsea after they confirmed the signing of Raheem Sterling from City in a deal worth £50m.
Arsenal have also spent big on a former City player in Gabriel Jesus while Pep Guardiola has used that money to bring in Kalvin Phillips from Leeds.
There have been plenty of other top transfers confirmed in the Premier League with West Ham and Aston Villa also opening their chequebooks.
And we’ve still got plenty of time for more eye-catching deals to be done.
But who makes up the current top ten of the priciest Premier League transfers in the summer of 2022? talkSPORT has the full rundown,
Sports
Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton
Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.
The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.
However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.
Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.
But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.
Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.
Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)
Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.
The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.
That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.
This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.
“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”
“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”
Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.
They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.
Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.
Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.
In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.
The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.
Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.
Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.
But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.
With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.
Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
Sports
Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria
Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.
Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.
The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.
Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.
He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.
Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.
Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.
Sports
Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure
Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.
The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.
It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.
The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.
Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.
Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.
Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.
The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.
It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.
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