Enugu fans stunned over Super Falcons 2-1 loss to S/Africa – Newstrends
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Enugu fans stunned over Super Falcons 2-1 loss to S/Africa

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3 years ago

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Some football fans in Enugu on Monday were shocked over the Super Falcons of Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Banyana Banyana of South Africa at the ongoing African Women Cup of Nations (WAFCON)  in Morocco.

Some of them who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the match said it was time to groom new and energetic players for the national team.

Okechukwu Nnamani said the players showed weakness in strength and needed to be replaced with vibrant and energetic players.

“It seems like age is catching up on the players and they failed to withstand the fire power of the South Africans.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Enugu Coal City Girls advised female football administrators in the country to look into the players welfare and growth of the nation’s female league.

“I know that we can do better than this with the home base players with well organised league.

“We have to come back home and fix a lot of things that have gone wrong.

“Before, we used to hammer teams 5-0 but these days, those teams are now thrashing us and this shows that we are going down in female football,” he said.

Ignatius Okpara, former secretary of the Sports Writer’s Association of Nigeria (SWAN), said the girls’ performance was nothing to talk about.

“We have players who can do better than this set of players in the league. I do not know why we so much depend on foreign players.

“The coach should have talked to the girls after the interval to remove anxiety in their approach to the game,” he noted.

Okpara advised the team handlers to go back to the drawing board and correct the lapses and ensured that the girls finished well at the championship.

The Enugu State Boxing coach, Blaise Ude, said the game had been played and that the team should redeem its image with the remaining matches of the group.

“There is no need to cry over spilled milk; so, the only solution is for the team to come up better in subsequent matches in the group.

“Thank God, it is the first match of the group stage and not a knockout stage. We still have room to achieve our target at the championship with determination.”

Coach Anistar Izuikem of Stars Plus FC of Ngwo expressed shock over the loss to South Africa.

Izuikem said, “These girls defeated us at the group stage in Ghana and at the Aisha Buhari Football Tournament but we taught it was a fluke.

“Now, we know they mean business and the technical crew should not sleep over it because it is going to cause the country a lot.

“This is the only game we have been dominating in Africa and now we are at the verge of relinquishing the superiority, something has to be done.”(NAN)

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Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final

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April 2, 2025

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Carlo Ancelotti and Kylian Mbappe talking after a Real Madrid game (File photo)

Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final

It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through against Real Sociedad to the Copa del Rey final.

Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by Real Madrid and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.

“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.

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“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”

Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.

“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.

“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.

“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”

Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.

Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.

Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final

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Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham

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April 2, 2025

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Bukayo Saka

Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham

Arsenal secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium, with Bukayo Saka making a triumphant return from injury to score the decisive goal.

The match saw the Gunners dominate possession, but it was Fulham who came closest to scoring in the opening stages.

Arsenal struggled to break down their resolute defence early on, with Gabriel Martinelli having a goal ruled out for offside and several opportunities narrowly missed.

In the 37th minute, Mikel Merino gave Arsenal the lead, collecting a pass from Ethan Nwaneri to strike a low shot past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The first half ended with Fulham unable to find an equaliser, despite a couple of dangerous moments.

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The turning point came just after the hour mark when Arsenal doubled their advantage. Gabriel Martinelli delivered a perfect cross, and Saka, making his return to action, rose to head home a brilliant goal. The Gunners were cruising with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

However, Fulham responded on added time when Rodrigo Muniz capitalised on a deflected shot to pull one back for the visitors. Despite the late pressure, Arsenal’s defence held firm, and the match finished 2-1 in their favour.

Saka’s return was a key moment, not only for the goal but also for the confidence he brought to the team, sealing another vital three points for Arsenal in their quest for the title.

Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham

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Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return

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1 day ago

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April 1, 2025

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Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro

Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return

Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim has confirmed that defenders, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro are available to play against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday.

The Red Devils boss issued fitness updates on the injured players in the squad including England left-back Luke Shaw, who Amorim says he has returned to training but is still building his fitness before a return to first-team action.

Leny Yoro has suffered repeated injuries this season after arriving at the club from Lille in the summer.

The 19-year-old has been out since March 9 when he picked up a foot injury during United’s draw with Arsenal.

Maguire has been unavailable with a calf injury since the end of February.

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Amorin confirmed that Luke Shaw returned to training on Friday but also noted that the left-back is still working on his fitness before a return to first-team action.

“Luke [Shaw] is not ready yet. We are starting to do some drills with the team but we are building Luke,” Amorim said.

The Red Devils manager also issued injury updates on Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Johnny Evans, and Lisandro Martinez.

“Mason Mount is feeling better but he was on the bench in the last game, Kobbie [Mainoo] is almost ready, Jonny [Evans] is recovering, [Lisandro Martínez] is out. [Harry] Maguire is also ready to go to the game and [Leny] Yoro, yes,” Amorim added.

 

Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return

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