Sports
How African Players Performed In Europe Last Week
Senegal striker, Nicolas Jackson scored his fourth goal in three matches to give Chelsea a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
The 22-year-old has endured a difficult first season with the Blues since moving from Villarreal, but recently showed signs of adapting to the Premier League.
Chelsea lie seventh with two matches to play, behind Newcastle United on goal difference and three points ahead of Manchester United.
ENGLAND
NICOLAS JACKSON (Chelsea)
Jackson scored his 17th goal this season to seal the Blues’ win at Forest. He headed home in the 82nd minute to complete Chelsea’s comeback from 2-1 down to keep his team in contention for a European place.
YOANE WISSA, BRYAN MBEUMO (Brentford)
Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder Wissa netted for the 11th time this term and Cameroon forward Mbeumo got his ninth of the campaign as the Bees won 2-1 at Bournemouth. Wissa bagged the stoppage-time winner after Mbeumo’s 86th-minute strike, his 50th Brentford goal, was cancelled by Dominic Solanke three minutes later.
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (Everton)
The Mali midfielder grabbed the winner as Everton beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Goodison Park. The 31-year-old headed in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s cross in the 31st minute.
SPAIN
BRAHIM DIAZ (Real Madrid)
The Moroccan playmaker has played an important role in Madrid’s La Liga title conquest this season and netted twice during the second half at relegated Granada in a 4-0 win. The first was a fine solo goal, driving forward from halfway and, with defenders standing off, he tucked home. The second was a neat finish after being teed up by Luka Modric.
YOUSSEF EN-NESYRI (Sevilla)
Morocco striker En-Nesyri put Sevilla ahead twice at Villarreal, but his team still suffered a 3-2 loss. The forward tucked home a penalty to open the scoring after 26 minutes and then headed home before half-time from close range.
INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)
Ghana international Williams had a goal ruled out for offside early in Athletic’s 2-2 draw against Osasuna, before scoring in the second half. The striker helped his team come from two goals down to draw, sending a rasping effort across goal and into the top corner.
ITALY
ISMAEL BENNACER (AC Milan)
The Algerian international opened the scoring as second-placed Milan thrashed Cagliari 5-1 in Serie A. Bennacer was on hand to turn in the rebound when a shot from Nigerian teammate Samuel Chukwueze was pushed away by the goalkeeper. Bennacer also set up a goal for Rafael Leao.
GERMANY
VICTOR BONIFACE, AMINE ADLI (Bayer Leverkusen)
Bayer striker Boniface and winger Adli both got on the scoresheet in a 5-0 Bundesliga romp over 10-man Bochum. When Nigerian Nathan Tella was fouled, compatriot Boniface converted the penalty in first-half stoppage time. Moroccan Adli came on with 21 minutes remaining and was in the right place at the right time to head in from a corner.
SEERHOU GUIRASSY (Stuttgart)
Guinea international Guirassy scored as Stuttgart kept up pressure on second-placed Bayern Munich with a 1-0 win at Augsburg. Guirassy collected a long pass three minutes after half-time and poked the ball home.
FRANCE
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Marseille)
Veteran Gabon striker Aubameyang continued his prolific first season at Marseille by scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Lorient that kept their hopes of European qualification alive going into the final weekend of the campaign. The brace took him to 16 goals in Ligue 1, and 29 in all competitions.
FRANK MAGRI (Toulouse)
The striker who appeared for Cameroon at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations helped Toulouse spoil Paris Saint-Germain’s title party at the Parc des Princes. Magri came off the bench to score the visitors’ final goal in their surprise 3-1 win, as PSG lost in Ligue 1 for the first time since September.
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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