During his time with Chelsea Mikel won two Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one Europa League title, four FA Cup, two League Cup and one Community Shield title.
Mikel reunites with Ferguson after 19 years
Punch
Mikel reunites with Ferguson after 19 years
Back in 2005, Mikel was a highly-rated youngster at Norwegian side Lyn Oslo with United tracking him.
The Nigerian starlet was seemingly snapped up by the Devils from the Norwegian club with a deal subsequently announced.
Mikel was pictured in a United shirt and they even went as far as to hold a press conference. But the move sensationally broke down after Chelsea waded in and Mikel said he felt pressured into the move.
“I signed a contract with Manchester United and I didn’t do that of my own free will,” Mikel told Sky Sports News in 2006.
“I was put under a lot of pressure to do that. I was denied advice from my agent and people I trust and I didn’t get much time to think about that.
“I did something I did not want to do. Because of the pressure from Mr Morgan (Andersen, Lyn’s sporting director) and a representative of United it became too much.
“I was pushed and I had nobody on my side so I had to do it.
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“I was denied a chance to have a week to think about it and get some independent advice from people so the pressure was too much.
According to several reports, Ferguson was due to fly to Norway for crisis talks but had to cancel his trip after he was told that the Nigerian had gone missing from training in Norway, and was thought to be heading to London for talks with Chelsea.
Eventually, he became a Blues’ player and would spend 11 trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge.
Years later, on his podcast, Mikel revealed that when Chelsea played Manchester United, he was afraid of meeting Ferguson on the touchline. And when they eventually met each other, the retired Scottish manager had a dreadful look on his face.
Nineteen years later, the retired footballer met with Ferguson on the night of the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley where both parties had a nice time.
On his Instagram post, Mikel shared a picture of himself with Ferguson with the caption, “He has forgiven me.”
Coming off the 2005 Under-17 FIFA World Cup with Nigeria, Mikel was one of the best young football prospects in the World.
During his time with Chelsea Mikel won two Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one Europa League title, four FA Cup, two League Cup and one Community Shield title.
Punch
Ndidi tips Lookman for CAF Player of the Year
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi believes Ademola Lookman will win this year’s CAF Africa Footballer of the Year award, edging out Victor Osimhen, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osimhen, the current holder, faces tough competition from Lookman for the title.
Lookman has had a standout season with Atalanta in Serie A, playing a key role in their success.
He scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, securing Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy.
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Lookman was also instrumental at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire, where he helped Nigeria reach the final. His impressive display included three goals and an assist, earning him a spot in the Team of the Tournament.
He stated: “In all honesty, I think Ademola (Lookman) stands a better chance to winning it. Though both he and Osimhen have done well for their clubs, but Ademola stands a better chance.”
Lookman recently won the Best African International Footballer award at the Ghana Football Awards in Accra.
Euro 2024: England overcome Switzerland in dramatic penalty shoo-tout
England’s pursuit of their first major tournament victory in nearly six decades remains alive after a thrilling penalty shootout win over Switzerland.
The Three Lions secured a 5-3 victory on penalties to advance to the Euro 2024 semi-finals, following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of play.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford emerged as England’s hero, saving the first penalty from Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji. England’s penalty takers—Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney, and Trent Alexander-Arnold—were flawless, securing a semi-final clash with either Turkey or the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday.
England had previously needed a late equalizer from Bellingham to overcome Slovakia in the last 16, and they faced a similar scenario against Switzerland. With 10 minutes remaining, they were trailing after a largely uneventful match.
Breel Embolo broke the deadlock for Switzerland, but England responded swiftly with their first shot on target, a stunning strike from Saka from outside the box.
Despite a history of poor performances in major tournament quarter-finals, Switzerland once again fell short. Akanji’s missed penalty added to their woes, continuing their streak of never reaching a semi-final.
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England, on the other hand, progresses despite another lackluster display. Manager Gareth Southgate, in his 100th match in charge, made strategic adjustments, including handing Ezri Konsa his first competitive international start in place of the suspended Marc Guehi and switching to a back three.
Saka, retained on the right wing, proved to be England’s most dangerous player in a first half that saw no shots on target from either side. He continuously troubled Switzerland’s defense and created a significant chance for Kobbie Mainoo just before half-time.
The match maintained a slow pace into the second half until Embolo’s weak effort was easily saved by Pickford. Southgate, often criticized for his late substitutions, made impactful changes after England fell behind. The introductions of Palmer, Eberechi Eze, and Luke Shaw revitalized the team.
Saka equalized within five minutes, cutting inside and firing in off the far post. Switzerland’s Yann Sommer made a crucial save to deny Declan Rice during extra time, and Harry Kane suffered an injury after a fall.
Switzerland nearly scored in the second half of extra time when Xherdan Shaqiri’s corner hit the woodwork, and Pickford saved a powerful strike from Zeki Amdouni.
England’s penalty history at the Euros has been mixed, but they executed perfectly this time. Saka, who had missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 2020 final, found redemption with his successful spot-kick.
England now looks ahead to their semi-final match, with hopes of ending their long wait for a major tournament title still intact.
Uruguay beat Brazil on penalties to reach Copa America semi-finals
Uruguay beat Brazil on penalties (4-2) to reach the semi-finals of Copa America after an ugly game ended goalless on Saturday.
Uruguay, who finished the game with ten men after Nahitan Nandez was sent off in the 74th minute, will face Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina, in their semi-final on Wednesday.
Colombia, now unbeaten in 27 games, beat Panama 5-0 in Saturday’s other quarter-final earlier in Arizona.
The other semi-final, in New Jersey on Tuesday, will see world champions Argentina face surprise package Canada.
For five-times world champions Brazil it was a disappointing early end to a tournament in which they never truly clicked, and a lot of work remains to be done if Dorival Junior’s team are to be in shape to compete for the title in the 2026 World Cup.
In a city better known for boxing than for the beautiful game, it was a bruising contest with little quality play and a tournament high 41 fouls.
A poor quality playing field hardly helped with both teams struggling to produce their best football on an uneven surface.
The first – and best – chance of a game of few opportunities came in the 35th minute when Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez had a clear header in front of goal but mis-timed his effort which flew wide off his shoulder.
Within moments, Brazil created an opening of their own with Raphinha breaking clear, but Uruguay keeper Sergio Rochet stayed tall and made a vital save.
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Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay were as tenacious as always, harrying Brazil in midfield and never afraid to interrupt their flow with a foul.
Brazil resorted too often to long balls forward but with only their 17-year-old talent Endrick, in for the suspended Vinicius Junior, as a central striker they lacked the physical presence to make that approach effective.
The game deteriorated the longer it went on with foul after foul, not deterred by lenient refereeing.
But Uruguay’s hopes of wearing Brazil down were dealt a blow when Nandez hacked down Rodrygo with a dangerous slide into his ankle and after a VAR review the defender was sent off.
From then on it was clear that Uruguay were simply trying to make it to full-time and penalties and with no extra-time in Copa America, they were able to achieve their aim.
– Tight game –
After Federico Valverde scored with the first spot kick, Eder Militao saw his effort saved by the diving Rochet.
When Douglas Luiz hit the post for Brazil, they trailed 3-1 and Jose Gimenez had the chance to clinch the game for Uruguay. His effort was superbly saved by Alisson Becker.
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored to keep Brazil alive but midfielder Manuel Ugarte kept his cool to drive home the decisive kick and send the 15-times Copa champions into the last four.
Bielsa praised his team’s calmness in the shoot-out and their desire during the 90 minutes.
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“I’m more seduced by attacking than defending, but I have to appreciate that in a tight game we created one more situation than our opponents, we defended well and we played 15 minutes with one less player, which at this level is a real factor,” he said.
“If you ask me if I’m happy with having created three goal situations in 90 minutes, no, I’m not. But our opponents had two,” he said.
“Today we outplayed Brazil in segments of the game and were outplayed in others,” added the Argentine.
For Brazil the thoughts turn to the need to ensure they make it to the next World Cup after a poor start to CONMEBOL qualifying.
“We leave the tournament undefeated but not satisfied,” said Dorival Junior whose team won once and drew twice in the group stage.
“We didn’t play at a high level from a technical point of view, but I don’t dismiss any of the games. I think there was commitment, fighting spirit. At no time did the team stop going for the result,” he added.
“This process needs patience. We have two years to work before the World Cup. The first thing is to qualify for the World Cup because we are sixth in the (South American qualifiers) and it is a position that makes us uncomfortable,” he said.
The tournament’s final will be held in Miami on July 14.
AFP
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