Romelu Lukaku is optimistic that he will be able to play against England on Thursday in Kaliningrad despite injuring his ankle during Belgium’s impressive 5-2 win against Tunisia on Saturday. The Manchester United striker limped off just before the hour mark but reassured fans when asked about his injury after the game. “I am a quick healer,” he said. “I will see how I feel tonight and tomorrow with the medical staff. I am not too worried. I am just relaxed about the England game. “It is going to be nice to see a couple of my club teammates on…
Author: David Folami
Neymar will start against Costa Rica on Friday but may need to play five games before he’s fully fit, Brazil coach Tite said after the star forward left training on Tuesday with an ankle injury. Brazil, one of the favourites for the World Cup, could only manage a draw in their opening Group E match against Switzerland as Neymar played in just his second game since breaking a bone in his foot in February. “It’s still the same prognosis. He played his first 90 minutes [against Switzerland] in three and a half months,” Tite said in a news conference. “There…
France are through to the last 16 of the World Cup after beating Peru 1-0 in Ekatrinburg thanks to a first-half Kylian Mbappe strike. It was not pretty at times, but Les Bleus got the job done after Didier Deschamps made two changes to the starting XI that beat Australia in the Group C opener last Saturday. The result and qualification. It might not have been the sexiest win, but France have made it out of the group stage after two matches and will advance in top spot if they can avoid defeat against Denmark. With the pressure well and…
Hugo Lloris has praised Peru for their effort and called the match like playing an away game after Les Bleus won 1-0 in Yekaterinburg on Thursday to move to the top of Group C and confirm the South Americans exit before the round of 16. Kylian Mbappe’s first-half strike secured all three points for the French and Lloris, who made an excellent low save to deny opposing captain Paolo Guerrero in the first half, admitted that the Peruvians did not give up without a fight. “Peru were aggressive, as we expected them to be,” the Tottenham Hotspur keeper told journalists…
Patrice Evra has said he mocked Arsenal as a “baby team” when Robin van Persie joined Manchester United — and that the striker “understood straight away” what he meant. Van Persie left Arsenal in 2012 after turning down a contract extension, saying the club’s ambition didn’t match his own. He signed for United instead and won the Premier League title in his first season there — which proved to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s last as a manager. When Evra highlighted the work ethic United had under Ferguson, he recalled how he and Van Persie talked about the differences from Arsenal,…
Four years ago, Ahmed Musa scored two spectacular goals as Nigeria came within a Marcos Rojo header of tying Argentina and finishing as group winners at the World Cup in Brazil. Instead, the defender scored from a corner kick, and the Super Eagles lost 3-2. They advanced in second place, having beaten Bosnia in the second game of the group, but had to contend with France in the Last 16 and lost 2-0. The CSKA Moscow forward was unplayable against Messi and co., and could well have had a hat trick. But between then and very recently, a combination of…
Recent reports have suggested that Manchester United are looking to add not one Brazilian midfielder to their ranks, but two. Much has been written about Fred, acquired from Shakhtar Donetsk, but Chelsea’s Willian could prove an even more versatile signing. It is unclear why Chelsea would contemplate letting him go, but if United have a chance to buy him they should take it. Willian is the perfect Jose Mourinho player: in the sense that he is tactically intelligent, works extremely hard in defence and attack, and does not need to be integrated into complex attacking systems in order to thrive.…
Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli took full blame for Argentina’s embarrassing 3-0 loss to Croatia in their second Group D game on Thursday. The South Americans crumbled after an awful error from goalkeeper Willy Caballero led to Ante Redic’s second-half opener in Nizhny Novgorod. Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic then added two more goals late to put the game out of reach, with Argentina defenders appearing to give up on Rakitic’s stoppage-time strike. Speaking to reporters after the match, Sampaoli said the responsibility for his side’s below-par performance falls squarely on him. “I am the only one responsible for making the…
Gerard Pique has said he is willing to speak with the Barcelona hierarchy about his role in a documentary in which Antoine Griezmann turned down an offer from the club. Griezmann revealed he would stay at Atletico Madrid last week in “The Decision,” which was produced by Kosmos Studios, a company owned by Pique. Barca vice-president Jordi Mestre said earlier this week that the club planned to speak to Pique and Samuel Umtiti, who publicised his France teammate’s programme via social media, about their involvement after the World Cup. “They have my number, they can call me to talk,” Pique…
Luka Modric said Croatia “cut off” Lionel Messi from the ball but insisted his side’s 3-0 win over Argentina was not as straightforward as it appeared. Croatia limited Messi to only one shot after the Argentina talisman took 11 in their first game, a 1-1 draw with Iceland, and Modric said it all went according to plan. “This result and Argentina’s poor display was due to our good game, our compact block all over the pitch, particularly when we didn’t have the ball,” Modric said in his postgame news conference. “We cut off Messi, stopped him receiving the ball. He’s…
Nigeria captain John Mikel Obi says he will play anywhere on the pitch if that is what it takes to help the Super Eagles win. Chatter in the media and among fans after the Croatia loss has been that Gernot Rohr wrongly deployed Mikel as an attacking rather than a defensive midfielder in the 2-0 defeat. José Mourinho, who coached Mikel through his formative years and all the way to maturity while at Chelsea, added more fuel to the fire by saying that Nigeria “lost a great 6 to get a bad 10”. In response to a question by KweséESPN…
Dayo Adeyeye on Monday accused Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State of promoting violence in the state. The former Minister of State for Works said in Ado-Ekiti that the governor should be held responsible for the destruction of the campaign materials of the APC candidate in the July 14 election, Dr Kayode Fayemi. He said in a statement issued by his Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Omoniyi Ojo, that the governor was also heating up the polity with the threats to the perceived enemies of the administration.
Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday declared open the 2018 International Press Institute World Congress with a call on journalists worldwide to address the menace of fake news and hate speech for the good of humanity. “It is satisfying, therefore, that you have chosen an appropriate theme for your conference: Why Good Journalism Matters: Quality Media for Strong Societies. “In a world where the borderline between hate speech and free speech has become blurred, good journalism matters. In an environment where fake news dwarfs investigative reporting, Good Journalism Matters. For survival in an increasingly competitive field, Good Journalism Matters. Good journalism promotes…
Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing has announced the collapse of a bridge linking Jalingo and Wukari at Maraban Gassol in Taraba State. Fashola, in statement signed by Mr Theodore Ogaziechi, the Director of Information in the ministry in Abuja said the incident occurred after downpour on Wednesday evening. Here urged motorists to use alternate route through Jalingo – Garba Cheda – Bali – Takum – Katsina Ala adding that palliative work would commence on Thursday. He said the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi had deployed Road Marshals to the scene of the…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that President Buhari lacks the capacity to implement the 2018 budget. The PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan said this in Abuja on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. The President signed the 2018 budget on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa. He however expressed dissatisfaction following alterations made by the legislature, stating that it will drastically affect the executives’ policies and projects. Ologbondiyan said “President Buhari, in picking holes on items that would directly impact on economic productivity, infrastructural advancement, rural development as well as those that would provide urgent palliatives to the plight of Nigerians, shows…
Mr Solomon Dalung on Wednesday called for the reorientation and change in psyche of youths to curb drug abuse and all forms of crimes. Young people who persistently abuse substances often experience an array of problems including academic difficulties, health related problems, poor peer relationships and consequences for family members, community and society. “The negative impacts on youths range from physical disabilities to mental health issues, an increased risk of death through suicide, homicide, accident among others,” he said. According to the minister, the campaign will play proactive role in ensuring that all young people stay away from illegal drugs…
Atiku Abubakar has expressed his dissatisfaction with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as he vowed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will unseat the current government soon. He said this while paying a visit to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, in Bayelsa State on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. According to the former vice president, Nigeria is experiencing difficulties on a scale previously not exprerienced in the country. He said Buhari’s administration has failed to solve security challenges, strengthen the economy, or fix rising unemployment rate. He further noted that the PDP is the best-placed party in the country that can…
Dino Melaye has blasted the leadership of ruling party, the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), for allowing the presidency to control it and making it a lifeless party. The lawmaker representing Kogi West took to his Twiter account (@dino_melaye) on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, to criticise the party despite being a member himself. He posted, “A party in power is suppose to guide the presidency in implementing party manifesto, policies, programmes & promises. Instead the presidency controls the party like a car steerin the weak leadership of the party became lifeless. The story of APC. There was a party called APC!!!”…
Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern with changes made by the National Assembly to the 2018 appropriation bill which he signed into law on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. He said, “I am however concerned about some of the changes @nassnigeria has made to the budget proposals I presented. The logic behind the Constitutional direction that budgets should be proposed by the Executive is that, it is the Executive that knows & defines its policies & projects. “Unfortunately, that has not been given much regard in what has been sent to me. The National Assembly made cuts amounting to N347 billion in…
Dayo Adeyeye has accused Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State of promoting violence in the state. The former Minister of State for Works said in Ado-Ekiti that the governor should be held responsible for the destruction of the campaign materials of the APC candidate in the July 14 election, Dr Kayode Fayemi. ” The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, should be held responsible for the present state of insecurity in the state. “ People who are familiar with his antics cannot sleep with their two eyes closed anymore. ” He was chased out in his first term in office when…