Spain coach Vicente del Bosque hailed David De Gea after the Manchester United goalkeeper’s heroics saw La Roja escape defeat at Italy. Spain drew 1-1 in Udine in Thursday’s international friendly, with Aritz Aduriz equalizing shortly after Lorenzo Insigne’s 67th-minute opener for the hosts, but De Gea — making his eighth international appearance — stole the headlines as he made six saves. The 25-year-old has been looking to establish himself as the nation’s No. 1 keeper ahead of veteran Iker Casillas, who will hope to be given a chance to impress away to Romania on Sunday, and Del Bosque was…
Author: David Folami
Gerardo Martino was effusive in his praise of the “phenomenal” Lionel Messi after Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Chile in Santiago. Captain Messi missed his country’s first four qualifiers, but was key as Argentina came from a goal down to gain a measure of revenge on the team that beat them in last year’s Copa America final. “Messi was absolutely phenomenal in the first half,” Martino said. “He was less influential after the break because he did not see as much of the ball as in the first half. “We sat a bit deeper after the break in…
Hugo Lloris, Bacary Sagna, Yohan Cabaye and Kingsley Coman will sit out France’s international friendly against Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday. None of the quartet are suffering from injuries but coach Didier Deschamps has decided to rest the players on the back of a busy schedule with their club sides. Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda will start instead of Lloris, while Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi will take the captain’s armband in the absence of the Tottenham keeper. Along with Lloris, Manchester City defender Sagna, Crystal Palace midfielder Cabaye and Bayern Munich winger Coman are expected to remain with Deschamps’ squad…
Lionel Messi has paid tribute to “legend” Johan Cruyff after the former Barcelona coach died at the age of 68. Messages of condolence have poured in from across the footballing world after the former Ajax and Netherlands star lost his battle with lung cancer on Thursday. Barca club captain Andres Iniesta described Cruyff as a key figure in the club’s modern success after his impact upon the youth system and playing culture at Camp Nou during his time as head coach of the ‘Dream Team’ of the early 1990s. And five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is the latest to pay…
Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta praised the indelible legacy left on the club by former coach Johan Cruyff, who died on Thursday. The former Netherlands and Ajax star, who had been battling lung cancer, passed away in Barcelona surrounded by his family. Cruyff won La Liga with Barca as a player, but gained huge renown for his impact as a coach, as his fabled ‘Dream Team’ featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Romario and Hristo Stoichkov claimed four successive league titles between 1991 and 1994. His time with the club saw youth coaching within La Masia embrace his approach…
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez described Johan Cruyff’s death as a “sad day for football” and offered his condolences to the Dutch legend’s family and Barcelona. Cruyff passed away in Barcelona on Thursday aged 68 following a battle with lung cancer and there has been an outpouring of tributes from the world of football. As a player, Netherlands great Cruyff won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax before going on to star as a player and coach at Barca. During his playing days, Cruyff won La Liga and the Copa del Rey at Camp Nou before later leading the club…
Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta has warned Chelsea they have no intention of selling any key players ahead of the expected appointment of Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge. Conte enjoyed a successful spell with Juventus between 2011 and 2014, before leaving the Turin side to become Italy coach. He is widely expected to replace Guus Hiddink as Chelsea manager at the end of the season and is allegedly keen to take some of his former players with him. However, Juventus have stressed they will not sell any important players, having previously lost Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez ahead of…
Manchester City starlet, Kelechi Iheanacho has no issues playing in any position deemed fit by interim Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia for Friday’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying fixture against Egypt’s Pharaohs in Kaduna. Iheanacho says he can play as a main striker, a support marksman or from the flanks but will respect Siasia’s decision to play him in any of the offensive positions. The 19-year-old who has played just once for Nigeria at senior level is keen to make a contribution against the Pharaohs as the Super Eagles look to top Group G of 2017 Afcon qualifying…
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has condemned calls for the sacking of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, describing those behind the calls as “Facebook manipulators and palm wine drinkers.” The governor explained that the people spearheading the agitation were those “who have been feeding fat on our common patrimony and manipulating the exchange rate, moving money across borders and taking advantage of electronic money transfer”. Oshiomhole spoke with journalists on Wednesday evening in Abuja during a visit to the National Universities Commission to obtain license for the second newly established Edo State University, located in…
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside on Wednesday said the agency would ensure that “Nigeria becomes the hub of maritime activities in Africa’’. According to a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations Unit of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, Peterside stated this when he officially took over from the former Acting Director-General, Mr Haruna Jauro at the headquarters of the agency in Lagos. The new director-general said that the Agency had competent personnel to drive the mandate of the agency. Peterside urged Jauro to always avail the agency of his experience…
The United Kingdom has said that it is disappointed at the violence which broke out in Rivers State during the March 19, 2016 elections in the state. This was contained in a statement released by British High Commission spokesperson, Joe Abuku. It reads: “UK observers in Rivers state saw irregularities around the voting and noted the low turn-out of voters at polling units which was in part a consequence of fear of violence.” “The British High Commission urges the leadership of both major political parties to encourage their supporters in Rivers to behave peacefully and call on those still dissatisfied…
The United States Government on Tuesday, condemned reported violence and irregularities that rocked last Saturday’s re-run elections in Rivers State. The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria said in a statement that the U.S. government was concerned about reported developments from the conduct of the elections. “The U.S. Embassy is concerned about reports of violence, including the possible targeting of electoral officials and irregularities during re-run elections in Rivers State on March 19, 2016. “We condemn the use of violence and disruptions of the democratic process,’’ it said. The statement called on leaders of the different political parties to urgently call…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the rerun legislative election held in Rivers State on Saturday, March 19, 2016. The party says, the rerun, which was held in the 23 local government areas of the state, was marred by violence. The APC chairman in the state, Dr Davies Ikanya, made the call on Monday, March 21, at the state secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers capital. Flanked by the APC governorship candidate in Rivers in the 2015 election Ikanya and other state executives of the party, Ikanya alleged that the Police…
Louis van Gaal called the death of Netherlands and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff a “very sad day” for football, and said his thoughts were with the Cruyff family in this difficult time. Cruyff, who died on Thursday at the age of 68, and Van Gaal played together at Ajax, each managed at the club, and later followed each other as Barcelona coach, with the current Manchester United boss succeeding Cruyff at the Camp Nou in 1997. Speaking to ManUtd.com on Thursday, Van Gaal called Cruyff a huge loss for the sport. “It is a very sad day for the footballing…
Thomas Mueller is hopeful that Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger will be able to recover quickly from a knee injury so that he can participate in the European Championship that kicks off in June. Manchester United midfielder Schweinsteiger faces several weeks on the sidelines after partially tearing ligaments in his right knee earlier this week. He had also damaged the same knee several months ago. The 2014 World Cup winners take on England on Saturday and Italy three days later in their international friendlies as they prepare for the June 10-July 10 tournament in France. “It is bitter for him and…
Liverpool striker Christian Benteke had admitted he finds it difficult to understand why club manager Jurgen Klopp is ignoring him. The Belgian has started just five of the last 16 games, having fallen behind Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino in the pecking order eight months after he was signed for 32.5 million pounds ($45.78 million) from Aston Villa. “Some teammates said that I was lucky with the arrival of Klopp because I certainly would play,” Benteke told Belgium’s Sport/Voetbalmagazine of the German who replaced Brendan Rodgers in October. “When your coach says he wanted to take you to…
Super Eagles interim coach, Samson Siasia, is adamant his team will get a positive result against Egypt in their 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday in Kaduna. Siasia said he is confident in the ability of his players to beat the Pharaohs. He insisted there were changes in the team and the “new Super Eagles” will surely deliver when they clash with the Group G leaders at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium. “The team is ready. This is a new Super Eagles,” Siasia told supersport.com. “We have prepared well and I have confidence in this group of players. “We’re…
Netherlands coach Danny Blind believes Quincy Promes is an example to follow for Oranje’s next generation. The 24-year-old, who has won seven caps since making his debut in March 2014, has been in fine form for Spartak Moscow this campaign and is expected to start for Netherlands in Friday’s friendly against France. “Promes is an example to follow for other talented youngsters who are developing,” Blind said at a news conference. “The competition in Russia has only just started again, but he put in some fantastic performances in the first half of the season. “He has been playing at a…
Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta is confident the Serie A leaders can hold on to star midfielder Paul Pogba. The France international is continually being linked with a move away from Turin, despite having a contract with Juve until June 2019. Pogba has been a key figure for Juventus in 2015-16, scoring eight goals in 41 appearances in all competitions. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City and Barcelona are all believed to be keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old, but Marotta expects him to remain at Juventus for the foreseeable future. “Pogba is a Juventus player and still has an ongoing…
John Obi Mikel has been named the new captain of the Super Eagles ahead of their clash with Egypt. Nigeria will play the Pharaohs of Egypt in Kaduna on Friday, March 25 with the return leg to be played in Alexandria on Tuesday, March 29. Ahead of the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, game, interim coach of the Super Eagles has named Mikel as the new captain of the team replacing Ahmed Musa. Musa was named captain by former coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh in place of former goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama. Speaking at the press conference ahead…