In a tournament of giant killings, the highest-ranking survivors Morocco were sent home, as Evidence Makgopa’s goal in a 2-0 win saw South Africa reach at least the quarter final stages for the third time in their last four African Cup of Nations (AFCON) appearances. Contrasting management styles were on show in San Pedro, as Hugo Broos – a 2019 AFCON winner with Cameroon – opted for eight Mamelodi Sundowns players in an unchanged lineup for a third consecutive game. It was six changes on the other hand for Walid Regragui’s side, with incoming Youssef En-Nesyri testing Bafana Bafana’s defensive…
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Hosts Ivory Coast rose from the ashes of their disastrous Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage to dump out holders Senegal and ensure that Egypt, back in 2010, remain the last defending champion to reach the quarter-finals. The hosts scraped through into the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams and opened the game looking every bit the under-confident side that they are. Senegal could smell blood and broke the deadlock after only four minutes. Sadio Mané latched on to Ismail Jakobs’ throw-in and cut it back from the byline for Habib Diallo, who took the ball…
Jannik Sinner has won his first Grand Slam title after an extraordinary fightback to beat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final in Sunday. The 22-year-old was trailing by two sets before he recovered to win 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 in his first major . A first-time champion in Melbourne was guaranteed after Sinner knocked out 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. The Italian clinched victory with a forehand winner down the line, falling to his back on the baseline in celebration. It was another bitter experience for Medvedev, who also blew a two-set lead against Rafael Nadal…
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have progresses to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a 2-0 victory over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Saturday. It’s a very much Nigeria’s night – a well deserved victory that avenges their defeat to Cameroon in the very stadium in the 1984 AFCON final. Ademola Lookman’s brace helped Nigeria progress to the next round. Nigeria thought they’d made the perfect start when Semi Ajayi poked into the net from close range after nine minutes. However, a lengthy VAR review concluded that…
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season. Xavi announced the decision on Saturday after Barcelona lost 5-3 at home to Villarreal, a result which left them 10 points off La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Barca lost an eight-goal thriller as Villarreal struck twice deep into stoppage time. Xavi said, “I will leave Barcelona in June. We have reached a point of no return. It’s time for change. As a Culé, I think that it’s time to leave. “I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on…
Angola have progressed to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast for just the third-ever time, beating 3-0 Namibia in a dramatic contest that saw both sides reduced to 10 men. It was lots of actions in the first half, as two goals and two red cards punctuated a frantic opening 45 minutes. It started in the worst possible way for Angola, when goalkeeper Neblú received a straight red card after he handled the ball out the box, following an attempted chip from Namibia forward Bethuel Muzeu. Even with a numerical disadvantage, Angola’s attacking efforts would not be hindered, as Gelson Dala put them in…
Aryna Sabalenka has retained the Australian Open title after beating Zheng Qinwen in Melbourne on Saturday. Belarusian second seed Sabalenka won 6-3 6-2 to claim her second Grand Slam singles trophy without dropping a set. Sabalenka becomes the first player since countrywoman Victoria Azarenka 11 years ago to claim back-to-back Australian Open titles. Sabalenka, 25, who became the strong favourite after top seed Iga Swiatek was beaten in the third round, emulated her compatriot Azarenka by completing victory in little over an hour. “It’s been an amazing couple of weeks and I couldn’t imagine lifting the trophy another time,” said Sabalenka. “It’s been…
After picking up seven of a possible nine points during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stages, the Super Eagles of Nigeria progressed to the round of 16 with not too convincing results. This is now Nigeria’s 15th straight qualification to the knockout phase in AFCON tournaments they’ve featured at, and they’ll hope to go much further than just the last-16. The Super Eagles have picked up a medal in 12 of those 14 previous round of 16 qualifications, half of those medals were the third place bronze. However, Nigeria have won the title on three occasions. The Super…
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will lock horns with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon today in one of the Round of 16 games of the ongoing AFCON. Predict the score line of the game and stand a chance of winning one of our monetary prizes. Drop your prediction in the comment section of the post. The first two correct predictions will win get the prizes, and predictions will end by 9:00pm Nigerian time. Stroll down, and click on ADD A COMMENT to make your prediction.
Italian champions Napoli have confirmed that Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen will leave the club in the summer. After leading Napoli to their first title in over 30 years, Osimhen has been a key target for a number of big European clubs. Despite signing a new deal last month, the striker’s contract is said to include a release clause of £112million. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the club ‘know’ the star will depart this summer: ‘This was already known since this summer, our negotiations were friendly, otherwise it would not have been so long. De Laurentiis went on to…