Real Madrid inflicted a fourth Champions League elimination on Atletico Madrid in as many years on Wednesday, losing their semifinal second leg 2-1 but progressing to the final 4-2 on aggregate. Atletico had threatened an incredible comeback, Saul Niguez’s powerful header and Antoine Griezmann’s penalty inside 16 minutes cutting Real’s aggregate lead to a solitary goal. The hosts fed off a ferocious atmosphere for their final Champions League match at the Vicente Calderon before moving to the Wanda Metropolitano next season. However, Isco’s away goal just before halftime settled Real’s nerves and left Atletico with too much to do to…
Author: David Folami
In the dying minutes of their Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid, a thunderstorm rolled in and drenched Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon stadium. Atletico manager Diego Simeone relished it, roaring and urging the fans to raise their volume for the final stages of their fourth consecutive Champions League elimination by their neighbours. At the end he raced on to the sodden pitch as if Atletico had won. They did beat Real 2-1 on Wednesday but lost the tie 4-2 on aggregate. A fittingly glorious failure on the final European night their stadium since 1966 will play host to.…
Zinedine Zidane insists he will have no divided loyalties after leading Real Madrid to a second consecutive Champions League final where they will meet his old club Juventus on June 3. Real withstood a first-half onslaught from local rivals Atletico Madrid to progress 4-2 on aggregate despite losing 2-1 in their semifinal, second leg on Wednesday. Italian champions Juventus await, who Zidane left for a then world record fee when he first joined Real as a player in 2001. “For sure it is special because it was a very important club for me as a player. It is a club…
Arsene Wenger has ruled out working alongside a director of football if he stays at Arsenal, saying he must have full control of the Premier League club. The Frenchman’s hardline stance puts him on a potential collision course with members of the Arsenal hierarchy who reportedly want to bring in a director of football this summer to work with Wenger. Wenger has called the shots at the north London club since he joined in 1996 and said he had no interest in having his authority diminished, even as his future remains mired in uncertainty and with the fans restless. “I’m…
A stunning Dani Alves volley helped Juventus stroll into their second Champions League final in three years on Tuesday as a 2-1 win on the night completed a 4-1 aggregate victory over outclassed Monaco. Brazilian wing-back Alves’s 25-yard strike followed Mario Mandzukic’s opener for the treble-chasing Italian champions as any semblance of a contest was snuffed out by half-time. Teenage superstar Kylian Mbappe pulled a goal back for the principality club after the break, his sixth of the competition. But there was never any realistic prospect of them threatening to overturn a 2-0 deficit from last week’s first leg. It…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has not gambled with the club’s season by prioritising Europa League success over a top-four finish in the Premier League, he said on Wednesday. Mourinho has given up on United’s hopes of securing Champions League qualification via the league and fielded a weakened team in last Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal. United are 1-0 up ahead of the home leg of their Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo on Thursday and with victory in the tournament yielding a Champions League slot, Mourinho says his choices were entirely rational. “The situation is simple. Seventeen matches in…
Alexis Sanchez scored his 20th goal of the Premier League campaign as Arsenal won 2-0 at Southampton on Wednesday to keep their hopes of a top-four finish alive. Sanchez opened the scoring on the hour at St Mary’s before substitute Olivier Giroud made the game safe with a header seven minutes from time. Victory took Arsene Wenger’s side above Manchester United into fifth place in the table and left them three points below Manchester City, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualifying berth. “We were focused and I felt that when we suffered, we stuck together,” Arsenal manager…
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney wants to remain at Old Trafford next season despite his lack of playing time under manager Jose Mourinho, he said on Wednesday. Rooney, 31, has made only 22 starts across all competitions this season and has been linked with a move to either the Chinese Super League or former club Everton. When the subject of his future arose during a press conference to preview Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Celta Vigo, he said: “I’ve been at this club 13 years. Of course I want to play football.” Pressed as to whether his preference…
Retired Nigerian football legend, Jay Jay Austin Okocha, on Wednesday met with Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona. The former footballers are currently in Bahrain to participate in the 67th FIFA Congress scheduled for Thursday, May 11, at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. On Tuesday, Brazil and FC Barcelona great, Ronaldinho, expressed his admiration for Okocha. He had posted a picture of himself, Okocha and 55-year-old ex-Colombian number 10, Carlos El Pibe Valderrama, with the comment “Solo las camiseta 10 que siempre admire” meaning “Only 10 shirt that I’ve always admired”. Interestingly, Maradona played in the number ’10’ shirt…
Nigerian singer, Brymo is a year older today! Born May 9, 1986, Olawale Olofo’ro, stage name, Brymo is a Nigerian recording artist and composer. He started his professional career in 2006 with the help of a local promoter in Okokomaiko, Lagos then signed to Chocolate City from 2010 to 2013. He signed an International distribution deal with Tate Music Group in 2015. Notable for his distinguished voice, ‘the son of a carpenter’ has also been likened to Aṣa, Fela, Tunji Oyelana, Beautiful Nubia and Fatai Rolling Dollar because majority of his songs are in the Yoruba language.
Born May 9, 1968, Funsho Adeolu is a Nigerian film actor, director and producer. He began his acting career in 1976, the same year he featured in a movie titled ‘Countdown at Kusini’, also known as ‘Cool Red’ directed by Ossie Davis. He also featured in ‘Heroes and Zeroes’, a 2012 Nigerian drama film that stars Akin Lewis, Olu Jacobs and Bimbo Akintola.
Seems like music star Bow Wow will be burrowed away for a month. The rapper is currently facing the wrath of social media for lying to his followers. Bow Wow posted a photo of a private jet to Instagram on May 9, 2017. The shot which displayed a couple of luxury vehicles in front of it, saw the 30-year-old rapper writing that he was travelling for the day to New York for his “Growing Up Hip Hop” press run. A Twitter user then found out that Bow Wow was actually on a commercial flight. He proceeded to take a photo…
‘Mad over you’ singer Runtown is expecting a boy with his girlfriend, Selena Leath. The music star who has already christened his kid, Zamar, also threw a baby shower for his girlfriend. The baby shower held on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in the US, with Runtown already looking forward to seeing his baby boy. Selena is due to give birth to their baby boy soon. Leath broke the news via her Instagram page on Thursday, march 9, 2017, sharing an album of photos showing her blooming baby bump. You would recall that in November 2015, a UK model with Instagram…
For failing to meet his bail conditions, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry’s estranged husband, Lanre Gentry, has reportedly been remanded at Ikoyi prisons. The Hotelier was reportedly arraigned before a Magistrates court sitting in Ogba, on a three-count charge offence bordering on breach of public peace, assault and causing grievous bodily harm to his wife. The court heard that the Mr. Gentry constantly beat up the Nollywood actress and in the last assault, hit her on the nose, which caused her to bleed profusely. Police prosecutor, Inspector N. Peter said the offence was contrary to and punishable under sections 157 (f), 168 (a)…
Nollywood actor, Adeniyi Johnson, got a shout out from his babe, actress Oluwaseyi Edun popularly known as Ashaby. Edun shared a photo of Adeniyi Johnson full of praise for her ‘everything’. She wrote, “A huge thanks to my support system, My ejika My everything. Thanks for being the major part of my success story. Thanks for supporting my movement. Aduragbemi May God reward u in million folds. If I start mentioning ur impact I won’t stop typing, all I can say is THANK U. Thanks for the surprises u really got me. Thanks for being my uber, my bartender despite…
Davido’s baby is finally here! The music star and girlfriend, Amanda, welcomed their bundle of joy on May 9, 2017, and named her Hailey Veronica Adeleke. The ‘If’ crooner also shared a shot of himself cuddling a pretty Hailey in the hospital after watching the miracle of her birth. “SHES HERE!! HAILEY VERONICA ADELEKE HAS COME TO BALL!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!! SHES TOO BEAUTIFUL!!” he wrote on Instagram. The pop star also held a baby shower for his second daughter in Atlanta on Sunday, May 7, 2017. Davido went all out for his baby mama Amanda even attending the ceremony…
Label boss Ubi Franklin has shared a testimony of how he escaped being stabbed by a Chinese man. Franklin while furniture shopping claimed he was disrespected by the boss at Lifemate Furnitures showroom at the palms Lekki. According to him, the Chinese guy proceeded to attack him after overhearing his conversation. He took to Instagram to air his grievances writing, “Earlier today I was at LIFEMATE furniture showroom at the palms Lekki to enquire about a service I paid for that wasn’t attended to. I was then asked by a junior staff (Nigerian) to speak to his “OGA” (a Chinese…
Nigerian rapper, Eva Alordiah and her fiancé, Caesar Ume-Ezeoke are still together. Following rumours that the couple have parted ways, We reached out to Caesar who works at Cool TV to confirm if the rumours are true. Caesar denied the rumours saying, “We are still together. There is nothing like that.” He told Pulse the rumours might have been instigated due to their inactivity on social media recently and the fact that they left separately at Peter Cole’s (founder and C.E.O of Achievas Entertainment) wife’s 30th birthday party. Truly their joint Instagram account @evaandcaesar has been inactive for the past…
Media Personality Toke Makinwa is back! And this time she’s talking about cutting some of her friends loose. The author and vlogger is of the opinion that people who don’t add value to your life should be cut off before they start to have a negative impact. Makinwa took to Snapchat today, May 10, 2017, saying it’s important to let them go and she will be doing just that to some of her social media contacts today. This comes after the on-air personality shared pictures of her lecture at the New York University (NYU) on Instagram. This is following mild…
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal on Tuesday advised those passing uncomplimentary comments on President Muhammad Buhari to stop, saying that speculative information on the President’s health would not help the government. Instead, Tambuwal called on Nigerians to rally round Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, saying it is the only way to take the country to the next level. He said “Nigerians should refuse to be manipulated and influenced negatively through fake and speculative news, misinformation and disinformation, but exercise patience, cooperate with and support the government. “Nigerians must co-exist peacefully and be our brothers keepers. “This is critical because crisis prone areas…