By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Liverpool and Fulham battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Anfield on Saturday. Andreas Pereira put Fulham ahead on 11 minutes with an acrobatic volley. The hosts were reduced to 10-men six minutes later following Andy Robertson’s rough tackle on Harry Wilson. Cody Gakpo levelled scores two minutes after the break with a diving header. Fulham regained the lead in the 76th minute through Rodrigo Muniz. Liverpool fought their way back again with Diogo Jota slotting past Bernd Leno three minutes from time. Arne Slot’s side remain top of the table on 36 points, five ahead…
Author: Obaloluwa Joshua
Read More
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Arsenal wasted several scoring chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at the Emirates Stadium. Prompt News reports that the Gunners dominated the game but were unable to find a way past the Everton defence. The North London club lacked their usual intensity failing to convert their dominance into three points. Everton barely troubled the hosts goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal remain third on the table on 30 points from 16 games, one point behind second-placed Chelsea who host Brentford on Sunday. Everton are 15th with 15 points with the result easing their relegation worries. READ…
Stability at the Nigeria Football Federation will be a catalyst for Nigeria as the Super Eagles gear up for the crucial stages of the World Cup qualifiers. This was the view of National Sports Commission (NSC) chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko while congratulating Dr. Mohammed Sanusi on his reappointment as NFF General Secretary. Receiving Sanusi in his office, Dikko reiterated the Commission’s resolve to ensure that Nigeria’s flag is hoisted at the next World Cup. “I congratulate Dr. Sanusi on his reappointment. We are entering a very crucial stage in our World Cup qualification and we can’t afford any uncertainty or…
By Obaloluwa Joshua , LAGOS Former Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr is rooting for Ademola Lookman to win the 2024 CAF Awards. Prompt News reports that Lookman was named in the final five-man shortlist for the prestigious award on Thursday. Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi, Rowen Williams and Simon Adingra are the other players nominated for the award. The 27-year-old is the overwhelming favourite to win the individual accolade. “He has made a lot of progress. His difficult first seasons in England and Germany are now a thing of the past. He has managed to get back up and shine,” Rohr…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has revealed Victor Boniface is recovering fast from injury. Boniface is yet to make an appearance for the Bundesliga champions since sustaining a thigh injury, while on international duty last month. Prompt News reports that the 23-year-old was initially expected to be sidelined for remainder of 2024. Alonso has now disclosed that the forward is in line to face Freiburg next week. “Certainly not against Augsburg. We’ll see about next week’s match against Freiburg. There’s still hope,” Alonso told a press conference on Friday. The Nigerian has scored eight goals and…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Eredivisie giants, Ajax Amsterdam has set up crowdfunding campaign for former Nigerian international, Tijani Babangida. Prompt News reports that Tijani Babangida, who once played for Ajax was involved in a ghastly car accident in May. The former winger lost his son and brother during the accident. His wife suffered significant injuries, including the loss of an eye and requiring face reconstruction surgery. The maid also fractured a leg in the incident. Ajax’s crowdfunding campaign, initiated by Babangida’s “many good friends from football,” aims to help him cope with the trauma and emotional toll. In a documentary…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Ademola Lookman is not willing to give an hint on his purported return to the Premier League. Prompt News reports that Lookman once had stints in the Premier League with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City. It however took a move to Serie A club Atalanta for his career to blossom. The 27-year-old has recently been linked with a move Liverpool and Arsenal. “Obviously the player that I was then is definitely the completely different player than I am today,” he told Sporty TV. “And as a person, I have grown up and I’ve matured a lot,…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS The Super Falcons of Nigeria retained 36th position in the latest women’s ranking released by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA). FIFA released the latest Women’s ranking on its official website on Friday. The Super Falcons won two games and lost one in the period under review. The nine-time African champions defeated Algeria twice (2-0 and 4-1) respectively. Justine Madugu’s side however lost 2-1 to Les Bleues of France in a friendly last month. They maintained top spot in Africa ahead of the Banyana Banyana of South Africa. Morocco, Zambia and Ghana are the other countries…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie have been included in the final shortlist for the 2024 CAF Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year. Lookman will battle Simon Adingra, Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi and Ronwen Williams for the prestigious award. The Atalanta star scored three goals and registered one assist in seven appearances for the Super Eagles at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Prompt News reports that the 27-year-old also scored a historic hat-trick for Atalanta in the final of the UEFA Europa League. Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen won the award last year. Nnadozie…
By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS Falconets forward Chiamaka Okwuchukwu has been nominated for the 2024 CAF Women’s Young Player of the Year. Okwuchukwu is nominated alongside two other players, Prompt News reports. The young striker was among the top performers for Nigeria’s Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Chris Danjuma’s side were eliminated by Japan in the Round of 16. Her compatriot Flourish Sabastine failed to make the final cut. Egypt’s Habiba Sabry and Doha El Madani of Morocco are also in contention for the award. The award ceremony will hold in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday,…