Wales fans danced and partied with pride into the night despite a heartbreaking Euro 2016 semifinal defeat in the nation’s biggest football match ever. Some 27 000 impassioned fans who watched the 2-0 loss to Portugal on giant screens in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Wednesday swallowed their devastation and streamed out voicing unabashed delight at how far Wales had come. “If you can think of every emotion in the world, I’ve felt them all in the last 15 seconds: happiness, anger, sadness, pride,” Conor Wall, 23, from Caerphilly, told AFP. “No-one expected us to even qualify. You can’t fault us.”…
Author: David Folami
Cristiano Ronaldo made European Championship history as Portugal ended Wales’s extraordinary Euro 2016 journey with a 2-0 semifinal win on Wednesday that sent them into the final. In what was billed as a shootout between Ronaldo and his Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale, it was the Portugal captain who prevailed, opening the scoring in Lyon with a majestic 50th-minute header that saw him tie France great Michel Platini’s record of nine goals at Euro finals. He also teed up Nani for Portugal’s second goal and finished the night consoling Bale on the Stade de Lyon pitch. “The team did a…
Manchester United’s versatile new centre back Eric Bailly has all the attributes needed to help bolster their defence next season and will get all the help he needs to develop at the club, manager Jose Mourinho has said. Bailly, who became the Portuguese coach’s first signing at the Old Trafford club after joining from Villarreal last month, made 47 appearances for the La Liga side last season as they finished fourth and secured a Champions League spot. “He is a player who we believe has all the attributes. He is very strong physically and very fast,” the former Chelsea manager,…
Wales boss Chris Coleman hailed Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale’s mental strength ahead of the showdown between the Real Madrid stars when Wales face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semifinals on Wednesday. Coleman said he has received glowing reports about the three-time world player of the year from Welsh legend Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo’s former manager at Manchester United Alex Ferguson. However, he believes Bale, who has scored three goals in leading Wales to their first major semi-final, has worked just as hard to become the most expensive player in the world. “If I ever speak to Giggsy or Alex…
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino resigned on Tuesday, citing a leadership vacuum at the Argentine Football Association (AFA), the AFA said in a statement. Martino, who also cited problems trying to pick an 18-man squad for the Olympic football tournament in Rio de Janeiro in August, is leaving at a difficult period for Argentine football. “Owing to the lack of decisions in naming new authorities in the Argentine Football Association, the national team’s coaching staff has decided to present its resignation today. “In addition to this lack of decisions, there are serious problems in choosing the squad to represent the country…
Memphis Depay is looking forward to friendlies against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in China to gauge Manchester United’s level under new manager Jose Mourinho. FA Cup winners United had to settle for fifth place in the 2015-16 Premier League but will be looking to challenge for the title this campaign with the Portuguese heavyweight in charge. Louis van Gaal was dismissed at the end of last season by the United hierarchy, who have signed defender Eric Bailly and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan expected to follow. Depay, largely a disappointment following his switch from PSV in June 2015,…
Fabien Barthez might not have been the most conventional goalkeeper in his playing days, but the former Manchester United man said England has no idea when it comes to goalkeeping. Barthez criticised England keeper Joe Hart’s performances at Euro 2016, claiming he is “two levels” behind France’s Hugo Lloris and Germany’s Manuel Neuer, who both remain in the tournament. Hart was criticised for a number of his display at the European Championship, including during England’s shock 2-1 loss to Iceland in the round of 16 where he was seen as culpable in the goal that eventually knocked his side out…
Italy international Emanuele Giaccherini would relish the chance to reunite with Antonio Conte at Chelsea, according to the player’s agent. The 31-year-old excelled for Italy in their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, where they were beaten by Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Giaccherini impressed during a loan spell with Bologna last season after falling out of favour with Premier League side Sunderland, for whom he has made just 11 appearances since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. The midfielder’s agent, Furio Valcareggi, says Torino have enquired about a potential deal, while Fiorentina and Bologna remain interested,…
Teenage striker Sergio Diaz says he is determined to prove himself at Real Madrid after seemingly accepting an offer to join the club. The European champions have reportedly struck a deal worth €5million to bring the 18-year-old from Cerro Porteno to the Santiago Bernabeu. Although the transfer has not been formally confirmed, Diaz posted a farewell message to the Paraguayan club on Instagram at the weekend, saying he was excited to be moving to Madrid. And the forward, who has earned the nickname ‘the new Kun’ in his homeland due to comparisons with Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, is eager…
Carlo Ancelotti has seen a lot during his considerable time in football but even he is fascinated by the impending battle between Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Wales’ Gareth Bale. The Bayern Munich coach spent two years at Real Madrid and was there when Bale signed for a world-record fee, joining Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu, and has seen the two face off many times in training. Even there, the battles were intense, leaving Ancelotti intrigued to see how the battle between the two stars and their countries will pan out in Wednesday’s Euro 2016 semi-final. “I have seen these two…
Sampdoria are keen to bring “confused” Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli to the club to revive his career. Balotelli struggled on loan at AC Milan last season, scoring just three goals in 23 appearances in all competitions. The 25-year-old is back at Liverpool for pre-season, but the Premier League side are reportedly willing to listen to offers. Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero would be open to signing Balotelli, who impressed in the Serie A earlier in his career. “Balotelli is Balotelli’s worst enemy,” he told Corriere dello Sport. “Like [Antonio] Cassano is Cassano’s worst enemy. He’s a great player whose been stuck…
Denis Suarez is over the moon with his return to Barcelona and has vowed to give his all to succeed at Camp Nou. The Spain international, 22, joined Barca from Manchester City in 2013, but spent 2014-15 on loan at Sevilla before he was sold to Villarreal last year. However, the Liga champions announced on Monday that they have exercised their option to buy back the attacking midfielder for €3.25 million and he is ready to prove his worth in Catalunya. “I am very happy to return to the best team in the world,” Suarez told the official Barcelona website.…
New Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak is not moving to Paris Saint-Germain to sit on the bench. The Poland international is returning to French football after two trophy-laden years at La Liga outfit Sevilla, where he won back-to-back Europa League titles, joining coach Unai Emery in moving to the four-time defending French champions. Previously, Krychowiak played for Bordeaux, where he made just two league appearances, before a better stint at Reims launched his career into Spain. Now, Krychowiak said he has a point to prove in Paris and he wants to play a leading role in Emery’s latest project as…
Portugal winger Nani has joined Valencia on a three-year deal after just one season with Fenerbahce. The Turkish Super Lig club claimed in a statement that they had received €8.5million for the former Manchester United man, who is on international duty at Euro 2016. Nani has scored twice in five appearances at the tournament to help guide Portugal to the semi-finals, where they will face Wales. A return of eight goals in 28 league appearances helped Fener finish second last season behind Istanbul rivals Besiktas, with Nani’s high-profile arrival as well as that of former Old Trafford colleague Robin van…
Nollywood actress, Osas Ighodaro and her husband, Gbenro Ajibade, welcomed their daughter on June 21, 2016 in the United States. The celebrity couple welcomed their little ray of sunshine earlier than expected. However, further details concerning the birth of the couple’s first child haven’t been released to the public. Now, Gbenro Ajibade has revealed the name of their daughter. According to a recent post on Instagram, she will be called, Azariah TiwaTope Osarugue Ajibade. Recall that, Gbenro Ajibade and Osas Ighodaro were on the May cover of Genevieve Magazine when they revealed they were expecting their first child. “I don’t…
New photos of D’banj’s wife Lineo Didi Kilgrow have emerged. Remember that little was known about the woman who married D’banj last weekend apart from a handful of facts and couple of photos. More photos of the beauty who stole D’banj’s heart and made him settle down are out. Also more facts about her have emerged. Firstly she is present on social media (both Instagram and Twitter). Her handle is lineo_dd on Instagram and Twitter as well. Her Instagram account is private but her Twitter account is public. She hasn’t however tweeted March 30, 2014. She doesn’t follow D’banj on…
A new episode of popular Friday night comedy program “The Bigger Friday Show” featured Basket Mouth as a shrink with Kiss Daniel as his patient. On the episode, Kiss Daniel jokingly said that everyone wants to kiss him because his name is ‘Kiss Daniel.’ He further said that his female fans want him to change his current hairstyle which they claim is too feminine. The Bigger Friday Show is one of the revamped entertainment shows on MTV Base as the channel seeks to make young African audiences the center of its content and deepen audience participation and interaction. Basketmouth has…
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A fan who happens to be a graphics designer has taken time to recreate one of the recent photos released by Adekunle Gold recently, shot by ace photographer TY Bello. The recreated photo showed Adekunle God with piercings and tattoos. The fan (@femiakeusola – Instagram) captioned the alter ego ‘the other side of the Golden guy’. While we are not sure if Adekunle Gold will be tilting towards this other side anytime soon, fans are already sharing their views on which side they prefer.
Honestly we need to discuss this, why people use the word ‘OLOWO LOMA KUUREE’. When I was a young man in my 20s, many things people just seeing me do today I have been doing. Like traveling abroad on FIRST CLASS or PRIORITY CLASS. One thing I never liked in my life is, why I should have to wait until some class of people get out of an aircraft that took all of us to the same destinations, they would say ‘OLOWO LOMA KUUREE’. When we used to travel those days in the past to places like London, Rome, Italy,…