Sports

Euro 2024 qualifying: VAR confusion reigns as Scotland lose in Seville

Published

1 year ago

October 13, 2023

Euro 2024 qualifying: VAR confusion reigns as Scotland lose in Seville

THE two giant screens inside Seville’s Estadio de La Cartuja, a pair of roja harbingers of doom, flashed up ‘VAR check in progress’.

Beneath one of them, a navy blue sea of bobbing arms and swinging legs shuddered to a bone-trembling halt as they gazed upwards. First to the screen, then to the heavens.

Seconds earlier, Scott McTominay’s sensational whipped free-kick looked to have the Scots 1-0 up with half an hour to play in Spain. Half an hour from the European Championships. Half an hour from history.

Yet, referee Serdar Gozubuyuk and his VAR team had other ideas. As soon as the Dutch official trotted to the pitchside monitor, Scotland’s luck, which had been wielded with some sorcery all evening, eventually deserted them.

Confusion reigned in the immediate melee, and even in the aftermath there appeared to be little clarity as to why the goal, which was then followed by two at the other end to delay the visitors’ qualification, was ruled out.

“That changes the whole night,” manager Steve Clarke told BBC Scotland.

Clarke’s side, who just needed a point to reach Germany next year, had more than a bit of luck during a dogged defensive display in a first half during which captain Andy Robertson departed through injury.

But the complexion of this game changed when McTominay lashed into the top corner only for it to not count. Was Jack Hendry offside? Did he interfere with play? Did he foul the Spain goalkeeper?

“McTominay’s fine free-kick is so close to being a super goal,” said Clarke.

“Initially, Jack is a centimetre offside. Then when he steps towards the keeper they’ve asked the referee to look at it. They’ve interpreted Jack as interfering with the keeper. I’m not sure the goalie is saving that shot anyway.”

READ ALSO:

Scotland midfielder John McGinn claimed the referee changed his mind, adding: “Every Scottish person would be frustrated watching that. The goal, you think you’ve got a goal to qualify. Unbelievable strike from Scotty. No keeper in the world is saving that.

“The referee decides it’s a foul. During the game he changes his mind to say it’s an offside. Not sure how clear that is. That’s the thing that stings really. We get the big moment, we score. Jack’s right leg is offside, but it’s very, very harsh.”

Watching from his lofty perch in the press box, BBC Sport Scotland pundit Steven Thompson said: “You’re kidding me. You are kidding me. From such a high to a low in seconds.”

Former Scotland talisman James McFadden added on Sportscene: “The referee points for a foul. It’s not a foul, for a start.

“And then it seems to be disallowed for interfering from an offside position. Jack Hendry is in an offside position, and he does make contact with the goalkeeper so technically he is interfering.

“But does the goalkeeper have any intent to come and get it? I don’t think he does.”

Sadly for the Scots, it triggered a downward spiral of disappointment that grew as the game went on.

Alvaro Morata steered in the opener with his head, Ryan Porteous slid a clearance into his own net as he scrambled to clear, while Che Adams failed to take a glorious chance which would have levelled the game.

Now it’s all eyes on Norway against Spain on Sunday, with anything but a Norwegian winning sending Clarke’s team, who themselves have two games left, to Germany.

“Scotland will feel fed up tonight, that’s two losses in a row but it’s Spain and England,” said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin.

“You could see what Scotland were trying to do. It was a grown-up plan which didn’t quite come off.

“Steve Clarke can say to the players: ‘If we beat Georgia, we’re through.’ You’d have taken that at the start of the campaign.”

BBC

Sports

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Published

2 days ago

March 23, 2025

Trends Admin

Victor Osimhen

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Juventus are preparing to offer a player-plus-cash deal to sign Nigerian international sensation Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer.

The Bianconeri have identified Osimhen as a key target for their offensive overhaul, and they are willing to include defender Federico Gatti in the deal to entice their Serie A rivals to negotiate.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus is aware of the complexities of the transaction, given Napoli’s reluctance to sell such a prominent player to a direct competitor.

Osimhen was instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign in 2023, scoring 26 goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award as the club broke a 33-year jinx.

The Old Lady’s strategy includes capitalising on Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s fondness for Federico Gatti, hoping the centre-back will satisfy the Partenopei’s defensive issues while also enabling their pursuit of the Nigerian striker.

This move comes as Juventus prepares to unload Dusan Vlahovic and renegotiate Randal Kolo Muani’s loan with Paris Saint-Germain in order to extend his time at the Allianz Stadium beyond the summer.

READ ALSO:

Osimhen, who is presently on loan at Galatasaray, has been in top form this season, netting 20 goals in 22 league games for the Turkish giants.

Osimhen, a 26-year-old striker, broke Segun Odegbami’s 44-year-old Nigerian goalscoring record during a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali.

Odegbami, Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer since 1981, expressed delight at seeing his record broken.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me, and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him, and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami stated.

“He is still young, and he has a long way to go.”

The striker is currently second only to the late Rashidi Yekini on Nigeria’s all-time scoring list, with 37 goals.

Since making his Super Eagles debut in June 2017, Osimhen has established himself as the team’s talisman, with significant performances in AFCON qualifiers, where he scored two hat tricks in 2023.

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Sports

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Published

3 days ago

March 22, 2025

Trends Admin

George Foreman

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful entrepreneur George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.

His family announced that he died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honour the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman overcame a challenging upbringing, finding direction through the Job Corps programme, where he discovered boxing.

“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.

READ ALSO:

“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”
Foreman’s athletic ability was shown when he won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

At 19, he crushed his way to the super-heavyweight title, brandishing an American flag in the ring just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ historic Black Power salute.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and known as ‘Big George’, he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight division.

His destructive power and quickness propelled him fast up the professional ranks. In 1973, he won the heavyweight belt by destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds.

By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had a perfect 40-0 record.

Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic wore him down, and tired, Foreman gave up in the eighth round.

Foreman’s impact on boxing and beyond is permanent.

A two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man, his life was one of success, atonement, and reinvention.

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Sports

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Published

3 days ago

March 22, 2025

Trends Admin

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has expressed delight after Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen surpassed his long-standing goal record for the national team.

Osimhen scored his 24th and 25th goals for Nigeria during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali, moving him to second place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who holds the record with 37 goals.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami said .

“He is still young and he has a long way to go.”

Odegbami, who retired from international football in 1981, had held the position of Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer for 44 years before Osimhen’s breakthrough.

READ ALSO:

The legendary winger, nicknamed ‘Mathematical’ for his precision crosses and intelligent play, scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria between 1976 and 1981.

The Galatasaray striker, who is enjoying remarkable form this season with 20 goals and four assists in 20 Super Lig games, connected with Ademola Lookman’s free kick at the far post to score the opener against Rwanda on Friday.

Prior to this match, Osimhen had equalled Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying game in Abidjan, heading home in the 81st minute for his 23rd goal in 38 appearances.

The 26-year-old forward now needs 12 more goals to equal Yekini’s record of 37 goals, which has stood since the striker’s last game for Nigeria in 1998.

Odegbami, who was a key member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, scoring in the final against Algeria, also praised the team’s overall performance against Rwanda.

“I am really impressed with the Eagles performance in Kigali and that is their most convincing win in 10 years,” he added.

Osimhen, who made his Super Eagles debut in June 2017 in a 2-0 defeat against South Africa, has become the team’s talisman, including notable performances in AFCON qualifiers where he scored two hat-tricks in 2023.