Arsenal trailed Bayern Munich 5-1 after the first leg of the clubs’ round-of-32 tie and, for a while, looked to be winning back some pride as they led through Theo Walcott’s goal. But then Laurent Koscielny was sent off, after which Arsenal conceded five times to exit 10-2 on aggregate. PSG’s margin of defeat was just one goal but, given they had won the first vs. Barcelona 4-0, that they were knocked out at all was nothing short of a footballing disaster. After 88 minutes, Unai Emery’s men led 5-3 on aggregate — and had an away goal — only…
Author: David Folami
“Sign up some nurses,” he urged Catalonia’s hospitals, warning them to a sharp rise in birth rates to come in nine months’ time. “There’s going to be a lot of love made tonight.” In the maternity hospital right next to the Camp Nou, they would have known that what he said wasn’t quite as daft as it sounded: A spokeswoman once claimed that Andres Iniesta’s last-minute goal against Chelsea in 2009 had produced a 50 percent spike in births at one of the city’s hospitals. Now, Pique said, it was going to happen all over again, only more so. “This…
It was the smallest away following for a European game since English clubs were readmitted into European competition in 1990 and visited a city with only two hotels that could be used by westerners; the players were in one, the fans another. The players got the short straw, finding beds so small that they were fit only for jockeys. United managed a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the UEFA Cup tie and everyone was confident of victory in the return at Old Trafford, but it didn’t happen. Before an attendance of just 29,724, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel scored, but…
So proficient in the pyrotechnics of tiki-taka did Arsenal become that Barcelona began to regard it as something of a feeder club. Over the course of the past 18 years, the Spanish superpower spent almost $200 million on eight of Wenger’s players, including two of his captains: Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. “They play in a style that most emulates what we do at Barcelona,” said no less an authority than Andres Iniesta. Unfortunately, as Arsenal supporters were brutally reminded over the course of two logic-shredding, history-making days, the comparison ends there. It’s one thing to play like Barcelona, quite…
Roberto latched on to a Neymar cross to score the sixth goal in Barca’s thrilling 6-1 win, making them the first team in the history of the competition to overturn a four-goal deficit from the first leg. It was the third goal in the final seven minutes of the match and led to pandemonium at Camp Nou, with coaching staff and supporters streaming on to the pitch and Luis Enrique injuring himself in the melee. “I left some ligaments on the pitch but it was worth it!” the Barca coach joked after the game. It wasn’t just at Camp Nou…
Arsene Wenger has intensified his call for video replays to be introduced in football, saying UEFA will soon face lawsuits if they don’t do more to help referees. Wenger was furious with the referee after Arsenal’s 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday and also highlighted Barcelona’s two penalties in their epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain as further evidence that match officials need more help. Luis Suarez was accused of diving to earn Barcelona their second penalty, while many felt Neymar also went down easily for the first spot kick of the game. And Wenger said…
Wayne Rooney leaving Manchester United for a transfer to China last month always seemed like the wrong move at the wrong time, if only for the fact that the 31-year-old has unfinished business at the club. Rooney did not want to disappear through the back door after almost 13 years at Old Trafford, while manager Jose Mourinho knew that, at some point between the closure of the Chinese transfer window on Feb. 28 and the end of the season, he would need to turn to the United and England captain. Every statistic points to Rooney being a fading force at…
President Buhari has praised the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo for the progress made while he was away. This was made known to newsmen by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina. Adesina also said Buhari expressed his gratitude to all who prayed for, and wished him well while he was in London. The presidential aide, in a statement obtained from Daily Post, also said “The President is back. This is a day of joy. It is a splendid day. It is a day to give glory, honour and majesty to God. “The President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his…
Governor Ayo Fayose has asked that God grants President Buhari strength to do his job. Fayose also called on all Nigerians to offer more prayers for the President. The Ekiti Governor also thanked God for bring the President back home safely, adding that he will live to fix the economy. Fayose said “What is important is that for the President to stay away for that long, anybody would feel concerned about it. So, we pray that may God give him the strength to do his job. “He has a job to do, so we will continue to pray for him…
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has declared a seven-day period of mourning in honour of late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, a two time governor of Bendel State. Obaseki, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr John Mayaki said the mourning period would begin from March 10. The governor described the death of late Ogbemudia as saddening and prayed for his soul to rest in peace. Obaseki described the deceased as “a fine military officer who helped to liberate the Mid-West region during the civil war”. He said under Ogbemudia’s administration, Bendel became a leading state in education, sports…
Ciara has been involved in a car crash in Los Angeles, California today, Friday, March 10, 2017. TMZ reports that the pregnant singer who is currently in her third trimester was driving in her white Mercedes SUV and was about to make a left turn when a gray Volvo SUV rammed into the front passenger side of her car. According to the reports, the Police and Fire Department responded to the scene. Ciara was pictured clutching her chest and shoulder but otherwise looked fine, as she spoke on her phone. Stay with us as the story develops.
While he apologized to every woman that perceived the video in a light that hurt their feelings, disqualified housemate Kemen is insisting that there is more to the viral video. On Sunday 5, 2017, Kemen was disqualified from the Big Brother Naija reality show for sexually touching Tboss without her content while she was asleep. In an interview with Media Room Hub, the former housemate said he got himself entangled in a situation that was misunderstood, and hopes that TBoss will embrace the truth when there is no 25 million naira at stake. When asked to share his side of…
Chocolate City President, Audu Maikori has reportedly been re-arrested. The music executive has been detained againbarely 22 days after his first arrest on February 17, 2017, on charges relating to comments he made about the Southern Kaduna killings. The activist and lawyer was rearrested two days after he collapsed at an event in Lagos and was subsequently rushed to ST Nicholas hospital. Linda Ikeji reports the public speaker has been whisked off to Kaduna state. Details of his re-arrest remains sketchy. We have reached ou to his reps who are yet to respond. Maikori was arrested for ‘inciting violence’ with…
Following PSG’s stunning 4-0 first-leg win, a number of PSG players and their loved ones took to social media to mark the victory. Notably, the French champions’ midfielder Adrien Rabiot posted on Instagram a picture of himself holding up four fingers while teammate Layvin Kurzawa makes the “V for Victory” sign in the background. The pair both featured at the Camp Nou on Tuesday as Barcelona became the first club ever to overturn such a deficit with a breathtaking 6-1 second-leg triumph. Speaking to former Barcelona midfielder Christophe Dugarry on RMC, Mathieu admitted the PSG pair’s over-confidence had played into…
Luis Enrique announced at the start of March that he will be leaving his role in charge of Barca when his contract expires in the summer. The Catalan has since overseen one of the most memorable comebacks of all time, with his side recovering from a 4-0 first-leg loss at Paris Saint-Germain to win 6-5 on aggregate in the Champions League. “It just sums it up that two weeks ago he was an idiot and everyone said you have to leave, so he said, ‘OK, I go.’ Today he is a hero. That sums up the job,” Wenger said. Wenger’s…
Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has said that he has no plans to leave the club and called the constant questioning over whether he will go to Manchester United tiresome. Although the 25-year-old is under contract at Atletico until 2021, there has been regular speculation that United are among the clubs considering paying the €100 million release clause in his contract. Griezmann said he is staying right where he is. “I am always asked the same question and I am pretty sick of it, but like I always say, I am very happy here,” he told Spain’s TVE Telediario de…
Sensing a real opportunity for European success after Barca’s 4-0 capitulation in Paris, Bayern assumed clear favouritism for the competition, coinciding nicely with their 10-2 aggregate annihilation of Arsenal. Certainly, after handing the hapless Gunners a second straight 5-1 humbling, the Bavarians’ social media team were very upbeat about their team’s chances and couldn’t resist rubbing it in Arsenal’s faces on Twitter, asking: “What time is it? Yep, it’s ten to!” And judging by the media reaction in the aftermath of the German champions’ humiliation of Arsenal, coupled with the inevitable fact that Barca were surely heading out of the…
Uriel, the latest Big Brother Naija housemate to be evicted was recently interviewed. During an interesting chat with the former housemate, she spoke about Efe being her favourite housemate and who she is rooting for to win the show. On favourite housemate, she said, “I would say Efe. Efe cracked me up. You know, sometimes Efe is talking to me and in my head I’m just laughing. I’m like ‘this guy.’ On why she likes the housemate, Uriel said, “Efe is so real. Sometimes I will just be cooking and Efe doesn’t know what it is, or sometimes when I’m…
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, March 9, held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, General Umoru Sissco Embalo in Kaduna. Osinbajo landed at the Kaduna airport which is being used for international arrivals due to the March 8 closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The Acting President subsequently met with Gen. Embalo at the Kaduna Air Force Base. Osinbajo had earlier visited the Kaduna airport to inspect the facilities in preparation for the closure of the Abuja airport. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Air became the first international airline to land at the Kaduna airport on Wednesday. Other…
Before the game, it was all about the past, with Borussia Dortmund supporters unveiling stunning choreography that featured newspaper headlines about their club’s famous 5-0, second-leg win over Benfica in the European Cup 54 years earlier. What followed was similarly emphatic, as a 4-0 defeat of the Portuguese champions ensured that the Black and Yellows can look forward to much more than a promising future: Contrary to earlier fears, Thomas Tuchel’s team is already quite brilliant in the here and now. Ever the perfectionist, Tuchel bemoaned a poor, nervy spell in the second part of the first half, 20 somewhat…