The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has declared that the international friendly match between the Super Eagles and their Brazilian counterparts, the Selecao, will go on as scheduled in Uyo on March 29, 2015. . NFF president Amaju Pinnick, whose election into office is being challenged, stated that the international friendly with Brazil has not been cancelled following reports that the South Americans will face France on March 26, 2015 – just three days before the planned tune-up with Nigeria at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo. . He disclosed that the football federation is planning to ensure that “we utilise…
Author: David F.
Last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund climbed off the foot of the table by beating Hoffenheim 1-0 on Friday, their second victory in 11 Bundesliga games. . Ilkay Guendogan scored with a diving header from a fine cross by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 17th minute, allowing the players and fans to breathe a collective sigh of relief after an awful start to the season. . Dortmund, champions in 2011 and 2012, rise four places to 14th and are on 14 points following their fourth league win of the season. . There was more good news for the club as fit-again central…
Coach Pep Guardiola made no apology for Bayern Munich’s lack of goals in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. . This was an off-key performance from Bayern, who managed just two first-half shots, as they began a busy period of five matches in 14 days, including Wednesday’s final Champions League group game at home to CSKA Moscow. . “People expect two, three or four goals from us, but I knew it would be difficult against Bayer Leverkusen,” said Guardiola as Franck Ribery’s 51st-minute winning goal kept Bayern seven points clear. . “Except for the first ten minutes, we didn’t give…
Galatasaray have dimsissed former Italy World Cup coach Cesare Prandelli after a string of poor results culminating in their exit from European competition, the Dogan news agency reported on Thursday. . Anderlecht beat Galatasaray 2-0 in their penultimate Champions League Group D game on Wednesday, guaranteeing that the Turkish club would finish fourth and miss out on a place in the Europa League. . Prandelli’s dismissal, widely reported by Turkish media, could not immediately be confirmed. . He resigned as Italy manager after they failed to get past the group stage at this year’s World Cup in Brazil. . Galatasaray…
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering a calf injury during Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund which took the London club into the Champions League last 16. . Fellow midfielders Jack Wilshere and Mezut Ozil, defender Mathieu Debuchy and forward Theo Walcott are also injured, leaving manager Arsene Wenger with problems as he tries to revive his team’s faltering Premier League campaign. . “It’s difficult to take on the chin at the moment. You go into many games and need everyone available,” Wenger told reporters after Arsenal’s impressive display that secured a place in…
Paris St-Germain centre back Thiago Silva says the French club has what it takes to win their Champions League Group F after Tuesday’s decider at Barcelona. . PSG top the group with 13 points, one ahead of Barca, whom they beat 3-2 at home in their first encounter. . The French champions need only one point to secure top spot, which Silva is confident they will get. . “It’s a special game and I think we can win at Barcelona or at least get a draw,” the Brazilian international told L’Equipe. . PSG are unbeaten in 22 competitive games this…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insisted his side were still the team to beat despite the Premier League leaders seeing their unbeaten start to the season ended by Newcastle United. . Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 setback against 10-man Newcastle, their first loss since April, saw Chelsea fall one game short of setting a club-record mark of 24 matches without defeat. . More damagingly, it allowed defending champions Manchester City to close to within three points of Mourinho’s side by winning 1-0 at home to Everton. . But the Chelsea manager said he was relaxed after Papiss Cisse’s brace condemned his team to…
Louis van Gaal’s resurgent Manchester United will have their eyes on third place in the Premier League table when they tackle Ronald Koeman’s sputtering Southampton at St Mary’s on Monday. . After winning only three of their first seven league games, a run of four consecutive victories has taken United to within touching distance of early-season surprise package Southampton. . Koeman’s side shot up the table by winning eight of their nine games between late August and early November, but a draw at Aston Villa and losses to Manchester City and Arsenal extinguished their momentum. . Victory for United will…
Lionel Messi scored yet another hat-trick and surpassed 400 club goals as Barcelona came from behind to win the Catalan derby 5-1 against Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday. . The Argentine, who holds the La Liga and Champions League scoring records, produced a now familiar devastating performance to take his record to 402 goals for Barca in all competitions, including 28 in friendlies. . He produced his tour de force, predictably, just a day after Cristiano Ronaldo, his rival for title of world’s best player, scored a La Liga record 23rd hat-trick against Celta Vigo for Real Madrid. .…
Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a record 23rd La Liga hat-trick to guide leaders Real Madrid to a victory over Celta Vigo at the Bernabeu on Saturday. . It also helped the European champions extend their club record winning streak to 18 matches in all competitions and equal the record run of victories set by Barcelona between October 2005 and January 2006. . Elsewhere, a ferocious drive by Jose Maria Gimenez set Atletico Madrid on the way to a 2-0 triumph at Elche that lifted them into second place. . With his latest treble he overtook greats Alfredo Di Stefano of Real…
Promising Nigerian centre-back Semi Ajayi made the match day squad for Arsenal in their 3-2 loss to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in the Barclay’s Premier League on Saturday. . Ajayi, who was recently called up by Samson Siasia for the Under-23 camp, is highly rated at the Emirates and touted as a future centre-back for the club. . Standing at 6″ 4, Ajayi has been one of the mainstay players for the Arsenal under-21 side that play in the under-21 Premier League in England. . He was also part of John Obuh’s training camp prior to the Under-20…
Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season ended with a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday when Papiss Cisse struck twice to stun the Premier League leaders at St James’ Park. . Champions Manchester City took full advantage of Chelsea’s surprise reverse to cut the gap at the top to three points as Yaya Toure’s penalty earned a 1-0 home victory over Everton.
Manchester United target Lucas Silva can sign a deal with Real Madrid on Monday, according to reports. . Silva, 21, is plays for Brazilian side Cruzeiro and is widely regarded as one of the finest talents in the world after his fine performances for the club in recent months. . In 2012 Silva was sent on loan to Nacional-MG, however, he was recalled in June 2012 by Cruzeiro. Within just weeks he made his professional debut in Brazil and has never looked back since, with a number of clubs keeping tabs. . Silva likes to play in the defensive midfield role…
Barcelona’s Gerard Pique was recently left out of the starting line-up for the second successive game amid speculation Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have submitted offers for the defender, according to the Daily Mail. . The 27-year-old has however vowed to fight for his place at the Nou Camp. . He progressed through the youth ranks at Barca initially before moving to Manchester United in 2004. After making 12 appearances for the Red Devils he switched back to the Nou Camp under Pep Guardiola in 2008. . So could a move back to Old Trafford be on the cards for the Spain international?…
Van Gaal has played down talk of a rift with Southampton boss Ronald Koeman before the Dutch pair face each other for the first time in the Premier League. . Van Gaal employed Koeman as his assistant at Barcelona from 1998 to 2000 and they combined to lead the Catalan club to the Spanish league title. . Their next working relationship wasn’t so happy, though, when Van Gaal was appointed director of coaching at Ajax where Koeman had also become a title-winning manager. . Following a number of disagreements, Van Gaal left 12 months later in 2005, to take charge…
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has proclaimed that current club captain Wayne Rooney is now ahead of legendary cult striker, Eric Cantona. . Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News reports on the Sky Sports pundits comments to FourFourTwo magazine, where Neville names his greatest ever Red Devils XI. . The England assistant coach names Rooney in his front two strikers, partnering Cristiano Ronaldo up front—ousting Cantona from proceedings: . I’d put Wayne Rooney up front with Cristiano Ronaldo in my all-time XI of Manchester United players I played with. . The 29-year-old England skipper has now been at United since he was a teenager,…
Southampton will be hoping Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal does not pair Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie together in attack for tomorrow night’s Premier League fixture at St Mary’s. . Van Gaal said on Friday that Rooney would return from the knee injury that ruled him out of Wednesday’s 2-1 home win over Stoke City. . The United captain and Dutchman Van Persie have enjoyed a lot of success against Southampton in the past and may team up again, although Van Gaal can also call upon fit-again Radamel Falcao. . Rooney has struck five goals in as many…
Ashley Young is confident Manchester United can make it five Premier League wins on the bounce when they travel to Southampton on Monday. . Victory would take United above the Saints into third place in the table and cement Louis van Gaal’s side’s claims to a Champions League place. . United have seen off Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Hull and Stoke within the last month, while Liverpool lie in wait next weekend. Young told the club’s website: . Southampton have started the season very well and are third in the league, so we know it is going to be tough. But…
Champions Atletico Madrid are looking over their shoulders at pursuing Sevilla and Valencia rather than worrying about hauling in frontrunners Real Madrid and Barcelona, coach Diego Simeone said on Friday. . Simeone has had to do some rebuilding following the departure in the close season of leading lights like top scorer Diego Costa, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and fullback Filipe Luis after they helped Atletico secure a first La Liga title in 18 years in 2013-14. . While not perhaps quite as formidable as last term, Atletico are only four points behind La Liga leaders Real in third after 13 matches…
Sergio Aguero’s electrifying form has dragged Manchester City out of their early-season slumber and they are ready to start chasing down Premier League title rivals Chelsea, according to fellow Argentine Pablo Zabaleta. . Aguero’s hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich last month threw City a Champions League lifeline and he scored twice more in a 4-1 thrashing of Sunderland on Wednesday that kept Manuel Pellegrini’s side six points behind Chelsea. . “For the team to have him playing at this level is a massive plus for us all because when we haven’t been at our best, his goals…