Author: Promise Oluwarotimi
Super Falcons duo Rasheedat Ajibade and Chiamaka Nnadozie have been nominated for the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year award. Nnadozie and Ajibade are among the 10-player shortlist unveiled on CAF’s X handle on 20th of November 2024. Other players who made the list are Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji of Zambia, Jermaine Seoposenwe and Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa, Sanaa Mssoudy of Morocco, Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga and Sandrine Niyonkuru of Burundi. Nnadozie is also in the running for the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year category alongside nine other nominees. For the Women’s Young Player of the Year…
Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho is optimistic about Nigeria’s chances of turning their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign around when it resumes in March 2025. Iheanacho and his teammates just ended the 2025 AFCON qualifiers campaign on a sour note, losing 2-1 at home to Rwanda in the last game of the series, although the defeat didn’t jeopardise their qualification, having done that with two games to spare. The Rwanda game was also the last engagement of the team in 2024 and they will hope to regroup in four months to reignite their chances of reaching the tournament which…
Edo Queens’ historic run in the CAF Women’s Champions League came to an end on Tuesday, as they suffered a 3-1 semifinal defeat to TP Mazembe. TP Mazembe came from a goal down to defeat the Nigerian champions after extra time and qualified for the final. Edo Queens took the lead in the 65th minute through Emem Essien who lobbed the goalkeeper for her third goal of the tournament but the NWFL champions surrendered the slim advantage few minutes to the end of regulation time as Merveille Nanguji drew level for TP Mazembe via a header from a corner.…
Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has conceded that Nigeria needs to improve its defense of set pieces after recent struggles with the Benin Republic and Rwanda in their two games in 2025 AFCON qualifiers Nigeria failed to win either of the matches and conceded two goals from dead ball situations in the 1-1 draw and 2-1 defeat at home respectively. From a team that almost shut out opponents at the 2023 AFCON earlier this year, the team have looked vulnerable in dead ball situations from the first leg of the game against Rwanda. While Troost-Ekong admitted they have some…
Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has hailed Victor Osimhen as Europe’s top striker, surpassing Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. The Super Eagles striker has been unstoppable in the colours of the Turkish giants, notching eight goals and four assists in nine games. In an interview with Asist Analiz via Kibris Gercek, the Lion boss stated that Osimhen is the best striker in Europe at the moment when asked if there was a better striker than the Nigerian striker “He is the best player I have seen right now. I can say Osimhen is at 50-60 per cent. He came here and…
The Super Falcons will learn their 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations group stage opponents during the official draw on Friday, November 22, in Sale, Morocco. The Confederation of African Football in a statement on its website confirmed the details of the draw, noting it will determine the groups for the 12 participating nations. According to CAF, the tournament which was originally scheduled for 2024 but postponed to 2025 will hold from July 5 to July 26 in Morocco. “The Confederation of African Football has confirmed official draw of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco…
Nottingham Forest is optimistic of Ola Aina’s return for Arsenal game on Saturday after returning from international duty with Nigeria. The 28-year-old left the Eagles camp after one game with reports suggesting he had suffered a knock. Aina is a key member of the Forest side and his absence with an injury would have been a boost to Arsenal, who are without a win in their last four EPL games. Aina’s Return for Arsenal Game: Battle For Points In The EPL Forest are currently level on points with Mikel Arteta’s men. Both sides have nineteen points from 11 games in…
Rivers Hoopers retain NPBL title after dominating Hoops & Read 71-54 to win their sixth Nigeria Premier Basketball League title and secure a spot in the 2025 Basketball Africa League, in the play-off final on Monday in Port Harcourt. Hooper’s guard Kelvin Amayo starred in the comprehensive win with 29 points, two assists, and one rebound, scoring 20 of his points in the first half to help the Port Harcourt club win a sixth league title. To get to the final, Rivers Hoopers edged Gboko City Chiefs 79-73 in a hard-fought semifinal showdown on Sunday. Kelvin Amayo led the…
Nigeria Striker Ademola Lookman is among the top five African Player of the Year contenders for the 2024 CAF awards announced Monday. A Confederation of African Football statement listed Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra, and Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy as the other contenders. The other Nigerian on the shortlist, William Troost-Ekong didn’t make the final cut, despite winning the 2023 AFCON MVP. Lookman scored a hat-trick for Atalanta in a 3-0 UEFA Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen last season and is favoured to win the award. Victor Osimhen was voted the 2023 Player of…
Rwanda stuns Nigeria with a shocking 2-1 win in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match today. The Super Eagles took the lead in the 59th minute with a goal from Samuel Chukwueze, but Rwanda fought back with goals from A. Mutsinzi in the 72nd minute and I. Nshuti in the 75th minute to seal the victory This win is a significant upset, considering Nigeria’s strong performance in the qualifiers so far, Although they had already secured their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations, but were looking to end their campaign on a high note Rwanda, on the other…