Sports
Nigeria 1 – 1 DR Congo: The Leopards hold off the Super Eagles in World Cup warm-up stalemate
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Leopards of Congo played out an interesting draw at the Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium in Port Harcourt. William Troost-Ekong’s goal was cancelled out late in the game as Ben Malango scored from the penalty spot to deny the Eagles a win in the Rivers State capital.
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr put out a youthful squad, giving starts to World Cup hopefuls, Junior Lokosa, Simy Nwankwo and Tyrone Ebuehi leaving John Obi Mikel, Ahmed Musa and Alex Iwobi on the bench. The result in what is the Eagles penultimate friendly before the opening game against Croatia on June 16 leaves the Eagles with just one win in their last three games.
The match started slow with the Eagles bossing possession and the Leopards defending deep. Simy Nwankwo had the game’s first effort beating the Congolese center back pairing with a roulette turn and firing his shot against the underside of the woodwork.
The Eagles however were not to be denied as William Troost-Ekong scored his first goal for the Super Eagles after the Congolese goalkeeper mistimed his jump to leave the Eagles defender with a simple tap in. Kelechi Iheanacho, Oghenekaro Etebo and Alex Iwobi has chances to stretch the Eagles lead but the Eagles squandered opportunities till the Leopards made them pay.
Substitute Ola Aina brought down the impressive winger Francy Kazadi Kasengu and Ben Malango stepped up to send the Nigerian goalkeeper the wrong way for a deserved equalizer in the 78th minute.
At the end of the game, Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong was named the Coca-Cola Man of the match after an all-round performance that saw him make a game high 9 interceptions and a goal.
After the match, Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr said. “The team deserves some credit for the way they played, particularly on the defensive front. I had to see some of our players especially Nwankwo and Lokosa and I’m happy we didn’t end the game with any injuries”.
The Super Eagles will now turn attention to their final friendly match against the Three Lions of England on the 2nd of June, 2018 before the official announcement of the final 23-man World Cup squad.
Sports
Robinho To Serve A 9 Year Jail Term Over Gang Rape
Former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will reportedly serve a nine-year jail sentence for gang rape – Imposed on him by an Italian court — in Brazil, judges in Brasilia has ruled.
The 40-year-old was found guilty in Italy in 2017 and according to Globo, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (BSCJ), made the ruling on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
The former Premier League player, whose real name is Robson De Souza, was one of six men who were found guilty of a§§aulting an Albanian woman in an Italian nightclub in January 2013.
In January 2022, the Supreme Court in Rome dismissed his final appeal against the conviction, according to the report.
Robinho claims he is innocent and has been living in Brazil for the past seven years. It came after nine of the court’s 15 ministers had voted in favour of the decision to incarcerate the footballer in Brazil.
Globo also claims that the ex-footballer, who also spent time at AC Milan and Real Madrid, will now be arrested in Santos, where he currently resides.
Robinho, who was 28 and was playing for AC Milan at the time, admitted during his appeal to having ‘contact’ with the woman, but the Brazilian insisted it was consensual.
The Milan Court of Appeals found Robinho had ‘belittled’ and ‘br¥tally h¥miliated’ the victim as it upheld his original sentence in December 2020.
Intercepted phone calls between the Brazilian and those allegedly involved in the assault were used as key evidence in his initial conviction.
Sports
Former Tennis Champion, Tania Okpala Returns To Tennis After Rehabilitation
Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has revealed that former tennis champion, Tania Okpala, has resumed playing on the courts.
This development follows Soludo’s assurance that she would undergo rehabilitation after a video surfaced online showing her in distress on the streets of Awka, pleading for assistance.
In an update on his social media handle on Thursday, Soludo expressed his satisfaction with Okpala’s return, stating, “Tania Okpala is back on the courts!
“A few months ago, social media was flooded with a viral video showing Ms. Tania in a distressing state on the streets of Awka. I am pleased to report that we have successfully restored Tania to her winning ways.”
Okpala, who hails from Anambra and has a Belarusian mother, represented Nigeria in the 1990s.
Here are pictures of her in the tennis court.
Sports
AFCON: Victor Osimhen Now Cleared To Join The Other Super Eagles Ahead Of Tomorrow’s Game
Good News has it that Victor Osimhen has finally joined the Super Eagles Nigeria team in Bouake, Ivory Coast.
He has been given the clear from the medical team on the abdominal discomfort issue. Earlier it was reported that the player could not join the rest of the team who flew to Ivory Coast ahead of Tomorrow’s football match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
He’s fully fit and ready to play in the Semifinals against South Africa tomorrow.
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