Senegal coach Joseph Koto did not express any disappointment following his team’s loss to Nigeria in the final of the 2015 African U-20 Championship in Dakar on Sunday. The junior Teranga Lions were defeated 1-0 by the Flying Eagles, thus failing to break the jinx of not having won a continental title despite the huge talents the country churns out every year. . Rather, the coach said he was very happy because his team showed impressive improvement from their last game against Nigeria which they “timidly” lost 3-1. . “I said earlier that we lost heavily to Nigeria in the…
Author: David Folami
Real Madrid should focus on the positives from Sunday’s 2-1 La Liga defeat at Barcelona and remember there is still a long way to go until the end of the campaign, according to centre-back Sergio Ramos. . Real’s defeat in the ‘Clasico’ at the Nou Camp, their third reverse in their last four outings in all competitions, left them four points behind leaders Barca in second place with 10 games left. . Ramos noted that Real had dominated their arch rivals for much of the match before Luis Suarez settled the contest in Barca’s favour with a superb effort 11…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has agreed to extend his contract with the Spanish champions by three years to 2020 and pledged to help the club cement their position back among Europe’s elite. . The deal, which runs until the end of the 2019-20 campaign, was widely expected although that did not prevent plenty of speculation a wealthy rival could try to lure Simeone away from the club he twice represented as a player. . “I have chosen to be here because I am convinced the club will continue to grow,” Simeone told a news conference. . “Because it is…
David Villa’s international career is not necessarily over and the striker could return to the squad and extend his Spain scoring record, coach Vicente del Bosque said on Tuesday. . It was widely assumed the New York City player, who has 59 goals in 97 games for La Roja, had played for the last time at the World Cup in Brazil last year although the 33-year-old never said he was quitting the national team. . Captain Villa scored the opener and set up the second goal in his club’s Major League Soccer home debut this month, a 2-0 win against…
Diego Costa’s injury could hand fellow Spain forward Alvaro Morata a chance to try to transfer his fine form for Juventus to the international stage although he knows he faces a stiff task to win a place in the team. . Morata, who has seven goals in 22 Serie A appearances this term for the Italian champions, was included in coach Vicente del Bosque’s squad for Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Ukraine and a friendly away to Netherlands four days later. . Costa has been forced to withdraw with a hamstring injury and Morata will compete for a…
Uefa has charged Barcelona over fans showing an “illicit banner” at Camp Nou during a Champions League win against Manchester City. . Uefa announced the incident on Friday but did not give details. Barcelona won 1-0 on Wednesday to advance from the round of 16 on a 3-1 aggregate score. . Uefa says its disciplinary panel will judge the case on May 21. . The two-month wait for a hearing suggests the incident is not serious. . Uefa typically fast tracks cases so it can apply sanctions at a team’s next home match. . Barcelona host Paris Saint-German in the…
England manager Roy Hodgson has bemoaned the lack of English players at the country’s leading clubs after a bleak fortnight for Premier League teams in the Champions League. . With Arsenal and Manchester City having followed Liverpool and Chelsea in crashing out of the Champions League this week, England has no teams in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years. . It has prompted fears of a lasting decline in England’s continental standing, but for Hodgson, the diminishing number of English players playing for the country’s top sides is a source of equal concern. . “When we talk…
Uefa has warned all the Champions League quarterfinal teams to stop their players harassing referees, secretary general Gianni Infantino said on Monday. . And Europe’s governing body does not support extending video technology to catch mistakes made by referees, he added. . Uefa’s refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina warned Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Monaco, Paris Saint Germain, Porto and Real Madrid at a meeting on Friday. . The meeting at the Uefa headquarters at Nyon in Switzerland came the day after the ruling body banned Paris St-Germain’s Ivorian defender Serge Aurier for three European matches for “insulting acts” towards…
Barcelona and PSG met in the group stages with both teams winning their respective home ties while they also met in the 2013 quarterfinals when the Spaniards prevailed on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw. . The French champions will be without suspended star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the first leg after the Swede was given a one-match ban following his sending off in the last-16 victory over Chelsea. . Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre knows the two sides are familiar foes. . “PSG are old foes for us and we met them in the group phase. They’re a great…
Holders Real Madrid will have to overcome city rivals Atletico in the Champions League quarterfinals, in a repeat of last year’s final, while Barcelona face familiar opponents in Paris Saint-Germain after the draw made Friday in Nyon. . Portuguese giants Porto host Bayern Munich of Germany in the first leg of their last eight matchup while Italian champions Juventus welcome the Monaco side who knocked out English side Arsenal in midweek. . Sergio Ramos equalised in the dying minutes in Lisbon last year to send the final to extra-time before Real prevailed 4-1 over Diego Simeone’s Atletico for their 10th…
Hull City manager Steve Bruce hailed his side’s performance against Chelsea as their ‘best ever’ in the Premier League but it proved in vain as substitute Loic Remy snatched a 3-2 victory for the leaders on Sunday. . Chelsea looked to be in brutal form early on and goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa put Jose Mourinho’s side 2-0 ahead after nine minutes at the KC Stadium. . Undeterred, Hull stormed back and scored two goals in 74 seconds as Ahmed Elmohamady slid the ball home on 26 minutes before Abel Hernandez took full advantage of an error by…
The battle for Champions League qualification in the English Premier League took another twist at the weekend with all of the contenders for a top-four finish bar Liverpool winning. . Chelsea, six points clear at the summit with a game in hand, appear destined for the title and with it a place in the Champions League, leaving six teams to fight it out for the three remaining qualifying berths. . With eight matches of the season remaining (nine for Chelsea), AFP Sport assesses the runners and riders in the race for a spot in Europe’s elite competition. . 2. Manchester…
Anfield match-winner Juan Mata warned his Manchester United teammates on Monday that they still have a long way to go in the Premier League race for Champions League qualification. .. Mata scored a superb brace on Sunday as United won 2-1 at Liverpool to move five points clear of their rivals in the battle for a top-four finish. . Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur are both two points further back, but with games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal still to come, Mata says that United must maintain their focus. . “Beating Liverpool at Anfield, being lucky to score two nice…
Long-serving goalkeeper Petr Cech says he will leave Chelsea rather than spend another season as understudy to Thibaut Courtois. . The 32-year-old Czech Republic international has lost his place to the young Belgian this term, starting only four Premier League games and being primarily used in the domestic cup competitions. . While accepting manager Jose Mourinho’s decision, Cech said the situation could not go on indefinitely. . “I don’t know what the club’s idea will be. It looks like it works well with me and Thibaut as a duo,” he told the Idnes newspaper. . “But that can work for…
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo could be sanctioned for his goal celebration when he netted the equaliser in Sunday’s La Liga ‘Clasico’ at Barcelona, the president of Spain’s professional soccer league (LFP) said. . Ronaldo, not for the first time when he has scored at the Nou Camp, appeared to be urging the Barca fans to calm down when he struck to make it 1-1 in the 31st minute. . The Portugal captain, regularly the subject of abuse himself, has gained a reputation for winding up opposing fans and was widely criticised when he tore off his shirt to celebrate…
Flying Eagles goalkeeper, Olorunleke Ojo has said his side never entertained any fear of defeat in the course of Orange African Under-20 Championship final clash against hosts, Senegal. . The Nigerians piped the Young Lions of Teranga 1-0 in the final AYC clash on Sunday at the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium, Dakar to claim a record seventh African title. . Ojo said the encounter though somehow tough than they envisaged but they were determined to hang onto their hard earned lead till the end of the keenly contested clash. . “We believed in ourselves that we’ll win the clash against…
Kenneth Otigba declared his wish to play for Nigeria despite playing for Hungary at youth level and he exclusively tells supersport.com why his heart beats for Nigeria as Calvin Emeka Onwuka caught up with him in Heerenveen, Holland. . Last year, as the Nigerian Super Eagles prepared for the world cup in Brazil l or actually just after the qualification was ensured I was at a press conference where a few names were reeled out to coach Stephen Keshi and asked if these players could break into his squad for Brazil. Amongst those names were Leon Balogun then of Fortuna…
Manchester United’s on-loan striker Radamel Falcao hinted on Tuesday he could leave the club at the end of the season in search of more regular football, but said he was still committed to the English side. . Colombia forward Falcao missed last year’s World Cup through injury then moved on loan from Monaco to United where he has seen limited first-team action and scored few goals under manager Louis van Gaal. . “I think any footballer needs to play and is happy playing. I’m totally committed to the club, there are eight matches to go (in the Premier League) and…
Stephen Keshi has accepted terms offered to him by the Nigeria Foootball Federation (NFF) and is set to be named coach of the Super Eagles. . A member of the NFF’s technical committee, Paul Bassey revealed that Keshi has accepted to continue as head coach of the three-time African champions. . “He (Keshi) has accepted the terms. Keshi has agreed to come back to work and that’s where we are for now,” Bassey told supersport.com. . When quizzed on the situation, Keshi refused to make a definite statement. . “My dear brother, I was offered a contract by the NFF…
Louis van Gaal has revealed that Manchester United will be his final job before retirement, reports The Telegraph. . The 63-year-old took over at United last summer after leading the Netherlands to a surprise third-place finish at the World Cup in Brazil, and he has one of the most impressive CVs in modern football. . He led a very young Ajax team to glory in the Champions League in 1995, and he also won three successive league titles with the club. . Van Gaal has also won silverware with Barcelona, AZ, and Bayern Munich, and he has been tasked with leading United back…