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Bayelsa United Emerge Champions of Gov. Diri Pre Season Tournament ……. Gov Diri Pledges Support For Sports Development

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Bayelsa United have emerged champions of the governor Douye Diri pre season Football tournament. The prosperity boys beat Bendel Insurance 7-6 on penalties to clinch the trophy and the prize money.
The Yenagoa based side piped Benin Arsenal 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time on Sunday at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa.
Loveday Saro gave Bayelsa United the lead on 28 minutes from Samuel Okon’s left footed cross as he scored to send the fans into celebration having missed a scoring opportunity to go ahead in the opening minutes.
Bendel Insurance responded immediately from Meyiwa Oritseweyinmi who meandered his way inside the danger zone to find the back of the net for the Benin Arsenals.
Earlier in the third place match, Akwa United beat Kwara United 4-2 on penalties after a barren draw in regulation time.
Champions Bayelsa United smiled home with #1.5 million naira, second placed Bendel Insurance got #1,000,000 naira while Akwa received #500.000 for finishing third.
Declaring the tournament closed, Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said his administration would continue to promote the development of sports.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo noted that the only way to engage the youths in the state was to invest in education and sports, stating that his administration is not worried about the energy channeled towards the sports sector.
While congratulating the participating teams for their show of professionalism throughout the tourney, he lauded Bayelsa United and coach Ladan Bosso for the brilliant outing in the tournament, pointing out that he is satisfied with the performance of the team.
According to him, the government would soon organize pre pre-season tournament for the female Bayelsa Queens before the commencement of the Nigeria Women Premier Football League NWFL this year.
He announced that the governor Douye Diri pre season tournament would become an annual competition that would prepare Bayelsa United ahead of every season describing Bayelsa as the rallying point for sports in Nigeria.
The deputy governor commended the organizers of the tournament for the smooth organization of the tourney, advising the teams to see the outcome a no victor, no vanquished situation.
In his remarks, Chairman Central Organizing Committee, Mr. Ono Akpe said he is confident that Bayelsa United would have a fruitful season in the NPFL, noting that the essence of the tournament has been achieved.
He explained that apart from preparing Bayelsa United for the new season, the competition has also exposed more local players to some NPFL teams and disclosed that three players scouted from the 2024 Prosperity Cup would be traveling to Turkey and two to Finland in the coming days to professional careers.
Mr Akpe who described Bayelsa as the home of grassroots football appreciated the duo of Senator Douye Diri and his Deputy senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo for giving sports premium attention.
He equally thanked the commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Daniel Igali and the Local Organizing Committee for translating the vision of the governor.
Also, Bayelsa United coach Ladan Bosso said the tournament has helped him to know the readiness of his team as well as to know his preferred starting eleven.
He thanked the Bayelsa State government and the organizers for the laudable initiative to organize the tournament.
Bendel Insurance coach Monday Odigie in his reaction, noted that the tournament has given him the opportunity to assess his team, adding that they will improve on their weaknesses going forward.
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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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