Borussia Dortmund took a step in the right direction by climbing off the bottom of the Bundesliga following Saturday’s 3-0 win at Freiburg, coach Jurgen Klopp believes. . Gabon winger Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang scored two second-half goals to seal the win as Dortmund moved up to 16th, with Freiburg dropping to 17th, leaving both in the relegation places. . German star Marco Reus gave Dortmund an early lead before Aubemayang sealed Borussia’s first win since the start of December. . Dortmund now face mid-table Mainz and strugglers Stuttgart in the league before Italian league leaders Juventus away in the last 16…
Author: David F.
Werder Bremen’s meteoric rise up the Bundesliga table continued as Sunday’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen took them up to eighth, four games after languishing in 18th. . Leverkusen, who face last year’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, found themselves 2-0 down with half an hour gone as hosts Bremen produced some dazzling first-half football. . A superb lofted cross from attacking midfielder Fin Bartels allowed 20-year-old striker Davie Selke to put Bremen ahead with 17 minutes gone. . Bremen’s Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic then drilled home a stunning free kick just inside…
As Bayern Munich steam towards an inevitable 25th German league title, Pep Guardiola wants a return to “tiki-taka” football in the Bavarian giants’ assault on the much-coveted Champions League title. . “We’re not perfect, I know that. We have to improve,” said Bayern’s perfectionist Spanish coach after Saturday’s routine 2-0 league win at bottom side VfB Stuttgart. . Under Guardiola, Barcelona dominated Spanish football by winning 14 titles from 2008 until 2012, with their fast-paced passing, dubbed “tiki-taka”, to keep the ball away from the opposition. . Bayern are used to enjoying around 70 percent possession under Guardiola, are eight…
Tunde Abdurahman, the newly appointed head coach of Kwara United, has said discipline and hard work will be the watchword throughout his reign. . The former Wikki Tourists coach met with the players for the first time on Thursday at their training ground in llorin. . Abdulrahman said any player who will not work on the path of discipline and hard work may as well seek greener pastures elsewhere as laziness will not be tolerated. . “You will enjoy working with me but you need to be disciplined and hard working. . “I am a goal-getter and my ambition here…
Enyimba midfielder Kinglsey Sokari is confident his team can overcome Buffles du Borgou of Benin Republic on Sunday at the Enyimba Stadium in a first leg 2015 Caf Champions League preliminary round match. . Sokari, who scored a beautiful free kick in the Peoples Elephant’s last warm-up match against Abia Warriors in preparation for the game, is optimistic the 2003 and 2004 winners will come good on Sunday. . “We are fully prepared for the game. I believe we will win convincingly come Sunday,” he told supersport.com. . “Last season’s experience in the Champions League will help us to do…
Barcelona have appointed former AC Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida to a new technical committee to help oversee planning for the first team, the La Liga club said on Thursday. . Braida, who worked at Milan between 1986 and 2013, will join Carles Rexach, a former Barca player and coach, vice president Jordi Mestre and director Javier Bordas on the committee, the Catalan giants said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). . The club are creating the new body, which will work closely with coach Luis Enrique, following the sacking last month of Andoni Zubizarreta from his post as director of football.…
English club Arsenal Ladies have confirmed the signing of striker Chioma Ubogagu, who has Nigerian roots. . Ubogagu, born in London and raised in Texas from the age of three, joins the North London club from Stanford University in the USA. . “Arsenal Ladies have completed the signing of forward Chioma Ubogagu from Stanford University in the United States,” Arsenal announced on Thursday. . The striker is heading to London with a reputation that has seen her score 27 goals in 89 appearances for Stanford University. She also weighed in with 37 assists in her four-year spell for the university.…
QPR caretaker boss Chris Ramsey has been given the manager’s job at the Premier League club until the end of the season. . Ramsey, 52, had been in temporary charge at Loftus Road with director of football Les Ferdinand after Harry Redknapp quit to have knee surgery. . On Tuesday QPR chairman Tony Fernandes said he had got his “dream manager”. . It is not clear if he was referring to Ramsey, or a potential permanent successor to Redknapp for next season.
The days of footballers earning £1m a week are “not far off”, according to former Arsenal striker John Hartson. . The Premier League announced a record £5.1bn TV rights sale on Tuesday, meaning clubs will be richer than ever before when the money from the deal filters down. . Hartson, who began his career before the Premier League existed, earned £29.50 a week when he started playing professionally at Luton in 1991. . But in 1995, at the age of 19, he was bought by Arsenal for £2.5m – making him the most expensive British teenager at the time. .…
West Ham’s Andy Carroll faces several weeks out after leaving Wednesday’s draw at Southampton on crutches. . The 26-year-old striker was playing for the first time since suffering a knee injury on 31 January. . “He got kicked in the back of the knee and felt something wrong,” said Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. . Carroll was forced to continue playing in the 0-0 draw at St Mary’s, given West Ham, already down to 10 men, had made all three substitutions. . “He stayed up and was a nuisance,” said Allardyce. “I just hope that staying on hasn’t done any more…
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini could have been blinded when he was struck by a coin during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, according to Magpies boss John Carver. . The object looked as though it was thrown from the crowd as Newcastle celebrated Papiss Cisse’s goal. . “It misses Colo’s eye by an inch,” said Carver. . “Another inch and it could blind him.” Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew also condemned the incident. . “That is unusual for this club because we have a great record of behaviour,” he said. “I am sure we will look into it.” . Carver…
League One side Barnsley have sacked manager Danny Wilson and assistant boss Chris Hutchings. The Tykes are 17th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone and seven off the play-off places. . Wilson, 55, who led Barnsley to the Premiership in 1997, returned to Oakwell for a second spell as boss in December 2013, but was unable to stop them being relegated last season. . In a statement, (external) the club called the current league position “unacceptable”. . Wilson first took over at Barnsley in 1994 but left for Sheffield Wednesday in 1998 after the Tykes were…
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will have a scan on Thursday after limping off with a hamstring injury in the 3-2 win over Tottenham. . The midfielder is a major doubt for Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Crystal Palace (17:30 GMT). It is another midfield setback for manager Brendan Rodgers after losing Lucas Leiva to a groin injury in the same match. . Gerrard, 34, will leave Liverpool to join Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer. . The problem could not have come at a worse time for the Reds with six games in 19 days, including both legs of…
Manchester United has said that its revenue fell by 12.2% to £194.4m for the six months to the end of December. . The Old Trafford club lost out on payments from Nike for failing to qualify for the Uefa Champions League. . Sharp falls in broadcast and match-day revenues meant profits for the six-month period were down 52%, at £8.9m. . The club said the decline was offset by a 23% increase in sponsorship revenues to £35.8m. . The club announced two new sponsorship deals in the last three months, with drinks company Chi in Nigeria and Chinese neutraceutical group…
Rangers keeper Steve Simonsen has been banned for two games after being found guilty of betting on 55 games following a hearing before an independent panel. . His two-match punishment for breaching Scottish Football Association gambling rules includes a one-game suspended ban until the end of the season. . The SFA can appeal against the judgement but Rangers say they themselves will not lodge an appeal. . None of the games Simonsen, 35, bet on involved Rangers. . Assistant manager Gordon Durie hopes the outcome of the hearing will send out a message to other players not to bet on…
Sacked Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert says managing the struggling West Midlands club turned out to be “the toughest challenge” of his career. . Lambert, 45, left Villa on Wednesday after the club slipped into the Premier League relegation zone. In 25 top-flight games this season, they have managed just 12 goals. . “The club’s owner, Randy Lerner, warned me that I was embarking on the toughest challenge of my working life and he was not wrong,” said Lambert. Aston Villa have scored twice in their last 10 Premier League matches . In a statement, the former Norwich City boss…
Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars, defeated Ghana’s Olympic team 1-0 at the Accra stadium in a warm-up match on Saturday. . Rabiu Ali scored the winner for the Kano club just three minutes past the hour mark to ensure they finished their pre-season tour of Ghana with a win. . Kano Pillars head coach, Okey Emordi, stuck to the same attacking pair of Christian Obiozor and Gambo Muhammed who played in the game against Hearts of Oak. . Both teams fired blanks in the opening half of the match but in the 63rd minute, Ghana defender Kwasi Quansah stopped a goal-bound…
Former Nigeria goalkeeper Alloy Agu has raised alarm that the Super Eagles have lost the fear factor which made them a dreaded side in the African continent. . Agu insists that unless this is restored by way of the senior national team raising its game, there is the danger of the country being left behind in the pecking order of the African continent’s football rungs. . The 47-year-old U-23 Dream Team VI goalkeeper trainer reckons that Nigeria must learn from its failure to qualify for the concluded 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea and start early preparation for the 2017 edition…
Watford Coach Slavisa Jokanovic has expressed happiness at having former National U-23 Eagles star, Odion Ighalo in his team following his impressive performance for Championship side. . With 11 goals in seven games – and 14 in 14 League starts – it’s hard not to indulge in hyperbole when talking of Odion Ighalo’s form. . While praising the on-fire forward, Jokanovic was more guarded about the significance of a single player’s contributions. . “There is no memory in football – this game is already history and so is his [Odion Ighalo] part in it,” said the giant Serb. . “I…
President of Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick has revealed the federation’s plan to get all Nigerian players making waves in diaspora to come and represent their father land. . Pinnick told Complete Sports in Abuja that there are so many Nigerian born football players scattered all over Europe who are willing to play for Super Eagles but have yet to be contacted by any one. . The NFF boss said players like Jordon Ibe who plays for Liverpool, Dele Alli of MK Dons, Chuba Akpom of Arsenal and a host of upcoming players in Germany and other parts of Europe.…