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European Super Cup: Atletico breaks Real heart

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Real Madrid began life without Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane with defeat in the first ever Uefa Super Cup derby as Atletico Madrid scored twice in extra time.

Two excellent late goals from Koke and Saul sealed victory for Atletico after the game ended 2-2 in normal time.

It was Real’s first match since Ronaldo signed for Juventus for £99m  in the summer and Zidane was replaced as manager by former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui.

Koke’s smart finish and Saul’s sensational 16-yard volley in extra time helped Europa League holders Atletico win their third Super Cup in as many appearances.

Diego Costa also scored twice in normal time, thumping in the opener after 49 seconds and tapping in another after the interval.

Gareth Bale had set up Karim Benzema with a header at the back post for Real’s first and captain Sergio Ramos slotted home a penalty for a 2-1 lead after Juanfran was penalised for handball.

Full-back Marcelo squandered an excellent chance to score the winner for Real with an overhead kick in the final seconds of normal time as back-to-back Champions League winners Real were looking to become the first side to win three Super Cups in successive seasons.

It was the fourth time in the past five years that the Super Cup was contested by two Spanish sides – but the first with both teams from the same city.

Life without Ronaldo

While Real Madrid are adjusting to life without Ronaldo, it was Atletico who provided the late heroics familiarly associated with their recently departed striker.

The club’s failure to sign a direct replacement as of yet will remain a concern for fans following this defeat but there was still plenty of encouragement in Real’s remaining attacking options.

Marco Asensio and Bale are two players who will hope to benefit from Ronaldo’s exit and both started on opposite flanks, often switching and cutting inside to link-up with Benzema.

Bale’s pace and pinpoint cross from the right teed up Benzema’s equalising goal and the Welshman’s fizzing strike had Jan Oblak scrambling in the first half.

Asensio came close to scoring too when his audacious flick was superbly parried by the Slovenian keeper before a bending effort bounced wide of the right post.

And Benzema seemed to embrace taking a lead role in the centre of attack – his goal capping off a strong performance.

  • Sourced from BBC.

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Robinho To Serve A 9 Year Jail Term Over Gang Rape

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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.

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Former Tennis Champion, Tania Okpala Returns To Tennis After Rehabilitation

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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.

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AFCON: Victor Osimhen Now Cleared To Join The Other Super Eagles Ahead Of Tomorrow’s Game

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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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