Sports
Ocean Boys Ambush Bayelsa Utd …Federation Cup
Ocean Boys of Brass are determined not to end the 2011 Federation Cup competition empty handed.
After loosing to Enyimba FC of Aba via penalty shoot out in the semi – final stage, the club is now determined to atleast win the bronze medal at stake in the competition by beating sister club Bayelsa United in the third place match scheduled for Lagos next weekend.
According to spokes person of the Brass team, Eddy Ohis, the players went on break after the penalty shootout loss to Enyimba, but have now returned to camp for training as part of their build up for the third place match,.
It was a big disappointment losing the final’s ticket to Enyimba, we could have made it to the final if the players had not united under pressure, Ohis lamented.
He added that the team had a shoddy preparation and yet was able to push Enyimba to penalty shootout, stating that if their training sessions had gone as planned, they could have beaten Enyimba.
“Funny enough, it’s now a big lesson for the players as some of them have now missed the golden opportunity to play continental football, next season”.
The players failed to understand that they could have become the state’s beautiful bride and get what they never bargained for as in cash or property rewards if they had beaten the peoples Elephant and go ahead to win the federation cup,” Ohis added.
He however, noted that it will be the team’s target next season to win the federation cup.
Meanwhile, Eniymba and Heartland FC of Owerri are set for a titanic clash in the federation cup final at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, next weekend.
Both clubs have a long history of rivalry between them and among their fans.
Sports
CHELSEA FANS GIVE ENZO MIXED RECEPTION
Enzo Fernandez was booed by some supporters on the day when Morgan Rogers scored on his first appearance for Chelsea in a 3-1 win against Real Sociedad.
Joao Pedro also continued his fine pre-season form with a double as manager Xabi Alonso offered a glimpse of what could be his blueprint for the season.
But the action was overshadowed by the reaction to Fernandez’s second-half appearance, less than 24 hours after Chelsea’s self-imposed transfer deadline had passed.
Fernandez had been keen to join Real Madrid earlier this summer before the Spanish club ended their interest in the Argentine.
His representatives later held talks with Manchester City, but no offer was made to meet Chelsea‘s £120m valuation before Friday’s deadline.
Fernandez was booed by some early arrivals at Stamford Bridge when his name was read out 45 minutes before kick-off.
There were then audible boos when Fernandez came on in the 62nd minute.
Chelsea supporters appeared divided, with others responding by chanting his name.
Yet, it was a signal of Alonso and Chelsea‘s backing that when Reece James left the field he passed his long-time vice-captain the armband as usual.
Each touch of the ball was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers.
It followed attempts by some supporters to move on from a saga that appears to have ended with Chelsea now expecting to keep one of their best players.
Others, however, remain unhappy with his perceived disloyalty, having come out publicly about his desire to move to Madrid, with his agent Javier Pastore also claiming he is underpaid.
It will be interesting to see how supporters of the Premier League’s other 19 clubs react to Fernandez, given his celebrations and social media jibes after Argentina beat England in a World Cup semi-final in July.
That will remain an issue whether he remains at Chelsea or Manchester City elect to revive their interest and attempt to reunite him with his former manager Enzo Maresca before deadline day on 1 September.
It took Rogers only seven minutes to score his first goal in a Chelsea shirt as he reacted quickest after Alex Remiro saved Joao Pedro’s initial header.
The £117m club record signing from Aston Villa initially looked sharp and linked well with Cole Palmer and Pedro in Chelsea‘s front three.
Within 10 minutes of his debut, supporters were already chanting his name.
However, it was understandable that Rogers faded as the match wore on, given he had trained for less than a week since returning from holiday before his 62-minute outing.
Beyond Rogers, Joao Pedro has been the star of Chelsea‘s pre-season.
In this outing he headed Chelsea back in front in the 47th minute before adding a side-footed finish 30 minutes later to seal victory after Sociedad had equalised just before half-time through Jon Mikel Aramburu’s volley.
Chelsea lost control towards the end of the first half and looked vulnerable, but they were much improved after the break.
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