Sports
Why Nottingham Forest move may be perfect for Taiwo Awoniyi’s growth
The Super Eagles forward is set to complete a move to Nottingham and will become the Reds’ first proof of seriousness on their Premier League return
For seven years, Taiwo Awoniyi was finding his foot in European football. His move to Liverpool had come as a stroke of the most unimaginable but such was his hard work that the Reds kept tabs with his progress.
He met his heroes in England, wined and dined with them and was offered an opportunity to train with some of the best players in the world. Those moments would have formed a halo for the young Awoniyi at the time – a circle of different lights, and one he would have been desirous of joining if he had his way.
Loan moves took him everywhere, from the Netherlands to Belgium and Germany as he tried to get a break and represent the Nigerian national team. The dream was to represent Liverpool, at the highest level of European football and it came so close yet far away.
Awoniyi would, this time, by the strength of his hard work settle for the lesser Reds, hoping to take the Premier League by storm as they ended their 23-year wait to play in the top flight.
Going by what the attacker has shown at Union Berlin, there’s a clear promise there. When he’s supported and is settled, he can be a real handful. His strengths are as clear as his weaknesses and that eases Steve Cooper’s decision to turn him to an even better spectacle.
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The Premier League takes no prisoners but attackers with similar profiles as Awoniyi’s have done the spectacular in the league until they can’t dig beyond deep. In Odion Ighalo, there’s an immediate example of what’s possible for an attacker without the glaring eyes.
This first wave is expected of the attacker and it will be an advantage if he pulls it.
In terms of style, there’s no much difference between the Premier League and the Bundelisga but the pressure-intensive style of the English top flight asks begging questions on most days. It has seen forwards from the German league struggle to get going in the Premier League but there has hardly been any as willing to hustle in the box as Awoniyi.
He has shown he can adapt to new systems as long as there’s a cushion behind him to pick the pieces of his heavy work. The quality Liverpool found in him as a raw youngster are still very evident in his game. Not the finest ball player from the technical point of view but his devastation in the box calls for respect.
Improved quality may be an advantage
Like Cyriel Dessers, his Super Eagles teammate rightly pointed out last weekend, Awoniyi’s quality can be judged by the quality of his runs more than the chances he missed.
He was the third player with the highest number of missed chances in the Bundesliga last season according to Whoscored. The first two on the list – Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski and RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva are elite Bundesliga strikers and a glaring example that the Nigerian is in good company. The obvious reason they are there is because they get into good positions and if Awoniyi keeps this an art, he will get enough opportunities and with improved goalscoring, he will only get better. He is young and still improving and Nottingham Forest is just a step on the way to something bigger, in his head.
The aim is to play for the biggest teams in Europe, and that may only happen if he proves the point he desires.
The Reds or The Iron Ones: Something about starting small
In terms of profile, Nottingham Forest are somewhat similar in status and methods to Union Berlin, from a Premier League point of view and if the forward gets anything near the support he got at the German capital, he may be aiming even higher next season.
He, however has many doubts to quash, especially of how he will manage to make his weaknesses less visible and make his strengths count.
With the Reds owner, Evangelos Marinakis putting it all into the project, Awoniyi may just become a part of a beautiful, big presence of small boys in the league. That, however won’t come on a platter of gold, as history has shown. The cities are not usually accommodating for the newbies.
Should Nottingham Forest struggle to sail, as many already expect, the Nigerian forward must swim and use every opportunity he gets to charge for the future.
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Sports
Messi-less Argentina thrash Brazil 4-1 to secure World Cup qualification
Messi-less Argentina thrash Brazil 4-1 to secure World Cup qualification
Argentina qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a stunning 4-1 victory over archrivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis MacAllister, and Giuliano Simeone clinched an impressive victory for the world champions, who had already been assured of a World Cup spot following Bolivia’s 0-0 draw with Uruguay earlier Tuesday.
The goalless draw created a joyous mood at the Estadio Monumental before a ball was kicked, and Argentina continued the party with a scorching performance.
Alvarez of Atletico Madrid opened the scoring after only six minutes, latching onto Thiago Almada’s through cross and finishing from close range beyond Brazil goalkeeper Bento.
Argentina’s fortunes improved six minutes later when Chelsea’s Fernandez scored the hosts’ second goal of the night after Brazil’s back four failed to deal with a low cross.
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Brazil, trailing a surging Argentina, was given a lifeline on 26 minutes when Cristian Romero made a mistake, allowing Mattheus Cunha to score.
Tottenham defender Romero was caught in possession 25 yards from goal, allowing Cunha to break in and shoot low past Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-1.
However, any thoughts of a Brazilian comeback were dashed in the 37th minute with a spectacular goal by Mac Allister.
Almada was once again the provider, lofting a pass into the box, which Mac Allister met with a first-time volley to make it 3-1.
With Argentina in perfect control, Simeone scored his first international goal in the 71st minute, making the score 4-1.
Argentina won without their talisman and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, while Brazil were without their star forward Neymar Jr.
Both players were forced to pull out of the squad last week due to minor injuries, thwarting the chance to see the two ageing stars resume their international rivalry.
Messi-less Argentina thrash Brazil 4-1 to secure World Cup qualification
Sports
Nigeria’s Super Eagles falter in W’Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe, S’Africa lead, Egypt, Morocco qualify
Nigeria’s Super Eagles falter in W’Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe, S’Africa lead, Egypt, Morocco qualify
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday conceded a last-minute goal that dealt a major blow to their 2026 World Cup qualifying hopes.
While the Nigerian team failed to beat Zimbabwe in their sixth game played in
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Bafana Bafana of South Africa defeated Benin 2-0 to consolidate the top spot.
The South African team leads with 13 points from six rounds, five clear of Rwanda (which drew with Lesotho 1-1) and Benin. Nigeria stayed fourth in the group with just seven points.
Elsewhere, Egypt and Morocco all but booked their places at next year’s tournament.
In the game between Nigeria and Zimbabwe, Victor Osimhen with a powerful header put the Super Eagles on course to claim just their second win in Group C after Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda had rekindled their qualification hopes.
But the 21-year-old Chirewa, a late substitute, equalized in the 90th minute to earn Zimbabwe’s draw.
Eric Chelle, Super Eagles coach, named the same line-up that started the team’s 2-0 win over Rwanda on Friday.
Washington Arubi, the Zimbabwean goalkeeper, produced a couple of impressive saves to keep Nigeria at bay.
The goalkeeper clawed out a swerving header from Osimhen before denying the striker a few minutes later with another acrobatic dive to save a shot fizzing into his top corner.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have three more matches in September and October to finally determine their fate for the next World Cup proper.
They are to meet Rwanda, South Africa and Lesotho on September 8, October 6 and October 13 respectively.
Only the nine group winners secure automatic qualification. The four best-placed runners-up will compete to be the African contender in FIFA’s six-country playoff for the last two qualification spots at the World Cup next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
How They Stand Now
South Africa — 13 points
Rwanda — 8 points
Benin Republic — 8 points
Nigeria — 7 points
Lesotho — 6 points
Zimbabwe — 4 points
Sports
Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer
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.
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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
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