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Osimhen won’t leave Napoli now-Agent

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Osimhen won’t leave Napoli now-Agent

‘If we wanted to leave Napoli, we would have said so’

 

 

Victor Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda says that he and his client are delighted to be staying with Napoli following the official announcement of the striker’s contract extension on Saturday, and has shut down rumour that the Nigerian could still be open to a move in the summer, Peter Young reports for Football Italia.

 

Osimhen officially put pen to paper on a new deal running until the summer of 2026 on Saturday, in a deal which also includes a release clause for teams outside of Italy.

 

The release clause, believed to be set in the region of €120m-€130m, is valid for teams outside of Serie A during the summer transfer window, a figure which may not be out of the question for some of Europe’s wealthier sides.

 

Calenda gave an in-depth interview in Saturday’s print edition of Il Corriere dello Sport, in which he described Osimhen’s extension as an ‘historic’ deal for Italian football.

 

Calenda added that the extension required lots of hard work. He continued: “It is recognition for what Osimhen has done and continues to do on the pitch. He’s an extraordinary player.

 

“This year as well, despite his injury, he is scoring. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that he dragged Napoli to a first league title in 33 years. Along with his teammates, he built something incredible.

 

Calenda was asked about the release clause in his client’s contract, but he refused to provide any further details, asserting that the terms of the contract are confidential.

 

“Victor is doing very well in Naples and wants to take the team as high as possible. He has always said it and backed it up on the pitch. We just closed an historic deal in the history of Italian football. Let’s enjoy it.

 

“I’ve heard that I didn’t want him to renew and that I’d rather take him elsewhere. It’s the usual blame game. It wasn’t true. I represent Victor and I want what’s best for him. We’ve both wanted a renewal since the summer.

 

“Last summer, plenty of offers arrived, some monstrous ones, but De Laurentiis wanted to keep Victor and we made ourselves available. If we wanted to leave, we would have said so.

 

“Instead, we worked, a lot, to get the renewal done. Next summer it will be the same, we will speak to De Laurentiis and see what to do.”

 

Namibia names 28 players for AFCON

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Namibia names 28 players for AFCON

Everything you need to know about TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nation

 

 

  • Namibia will make its fourth African Cup of Nations appearance
  • Coach Collin Benjamin has called up 28 players
  • The Brave Warriors are in Group E with Tunisia, South Africa and Mali

Namibia coach Collin Benjamin has named 28 players likely to represent the Brave Warriors at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

The Namibian team finds itself in Group E alongside South Africa, Tunisia and Mali.

The 28 Namibians summoned

Goalkeepers

Lloydt Kazuapa

Kamaijanda Ndisiro

Edward Maova

Defenders

Lubeni Haukongo

Ryan Nyambe

Ivan Kamberipa

Ikeinge Erasmus

Amutenya Kennedy

Ananias Gebhardt

Riaan Hanamub

Aprocious Petrus

Denzel Haoseb

Charles Hambira

Midfielders

Marcell Papama

Ngero Katua

Romeo Kasume

Prins Tjiueza

Petrus Shitembi

Uetuuru Kambato

Edmar Kamatuka

 

Strikers

Peter Shalulile

Deon Hotto

Wendell Rudath

Erastus Kulula

Bethuel Muzeus

Junior Petrus

Kamatuka Joslin

Absalom Imbondi

 

All squads are provisional until the final list of 27 players is announced by CAF, following their submission by participating teams, on 3 Janaury 2024.

 

Namibia’s Match Schedule in Group E:

 

– January 16, 2024: Tunisia vs. Namibia, 17:00 GMT, Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo
– January 21, 2024: South Africa vs. Namibia, 20:00 GMT, Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo
– January 24, 2024: Namibia vs. Mali, 17:00 GMT, Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro

 

Wolves further peril Chelsea’s season

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Wolves further peril Chelsea’s season

Wolves 2-1 Chelsea to send fans in wild celebration at the Molineux

Mario Lemina (c) of Wolverhampton Wanderers scores.Mario Lemina (c) of Wolverhampton Wanderers scores. Photograph: Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

The Teams

Wolves (possible 3-4-2-1) Jose Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Tote; Nelson Semedo, Lemina, Joao Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Hwang, Sarabia; Cunha.
Substitutes: Bentley, S Bueno, Doyle, H Bueno, Doherty, Chirewa, Hesketh, Kalajdzic, Barnett.

Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill; Ugochukwu, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling; Broja.
Substitutes: Bettinelli, Bergstrom, Badiashile, Maatsen, Mudryk, Lavia, Madueke, Nkunku, Matos.

Referee David Coote.

 

Chelsea labored to a scoreless first half with a defensively inclined Wolves at the Molineux before bowing down to a 2-1 loss in their week 18 Premier League fixture on Sunday.

 

In a first half where the ‘Blues’ managed two shots on goals to Wolves none, there was actually much to say.

 

Gary O’Neil effected two changes to the Wolves side that fell to a defeat at West Ham last weekend. Jose Sa returned in goal and Rayan Ait-Nouri was started at left wing-back, leaving both Dan Bentley and Jeanricner Bellegarde dropping out.

 

Chelsea on the hand, made a load of changes from their Carabao Cup win over Newcastle. Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Lesley Ugochukwu, Raheem Sterling, and Nicolas Jackson all were in, while out came Ian Maatsen, Benoit Badiashile, Moises Caicedo (ill), Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku.

 

The ‘Blues’ then endured a frustrating first half despite being ahead on every metric except the one that counts most-putting the ball in the net.

 

Raheem Sterling, who was without saying, the best player on display by a distance, frittered away the best chance of the half after dispossessing Joao Gomes of the ball to speed through on a one on one encounter with Wolves goalkeeper José de Sá.

 

Raheem Sterling of Chelsea is challenged by Mario Lemina of Wolves.Raheem Sterling of Chelsea is challenged by Mario Lemina of Wolves. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

 

Wolves improved and finished the half strongly, but Gary O’Neil side won’t need a soothsayer to tell Wolves they are fortunate to be on level terms with the visitors at the half-time mark of this game.

 

Wolves sprinted off to a flying restart of the game and almost scored on their fist asking but were denied by Chelsea’s goalie Đorđe Petrović.

 

In the fifth minute of the first half, Mario Lemina celebrated a goal-saving challenge. Now, in the sixth minute of the second half, he gets to celebrate a goal.

 

 

Pablo Sarabia’s well delivered in-swinging corner landed pat on Lemina’s head and the Wolves’ player directed it neatly into the far corner of the net giving his side the lead in the 51st minute. Chelsea looked uncomfortable all game long with Sarabia’s corners.

 

Chelsea were forced into substitutions on the 59th minute with Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku replacing the injured Lesley Ugochukwu and the lackadaisical Armando Broja.

Nkunku is finally making his belated Premier League debut at last. On the 60th minute, Malo Gusto is yellow carded for kicking the ball away.

 

Sterling goes down a minute later in the Wolves area after a clumsy challenge from the falling Tote – but the referee gives a foul against Chelsea player. VAR check did not see anything wrong. Nicolas Jackson is booked for dissent in the process by the referee.

 

In the 63rd minute Cole Palmer’s cross/hot collided with a defender and goes up in the air with Sa flailing after the loose ball, and clutching thin air when Nkunku flicked a shot at goal. Tote was on time to clear the ball off the line.

 

On 90+3 minute, Matt Doherty ‘The bus driver’ chose his moment to finish it off. Moments later, Nkunku halved the lead on his Chelsea debut to end it 2-1 on a Wolves win.

 

 

Osimhen: from hero to bad boy

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Osimhen: from hero to bad boy

Ejected for Napoli in defeat at Roma hours after  contract renewal

 

Serie A leader Inter beats Lecce. Juventus wins at FrosinoneJuventus’ Kenan Yildiz celebrates after scoring his sides opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Frosinone and Juventus, at Benito Stirpe Stadium, in Frosinone, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Victor Osimhen followed his contract renewal with Napoli in the worst possible way as he got sent off in a 2-0 defeat at Roma in Serie A on Saturday, Daniella Matar reports for The Associated Press.

Defending champion Napoli ended the match with nine men as Matteo Politano was also red-carded shortly before Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener.

 

Romelu Lukaku sealed the match for Roma, which moved up to sixth, a point above Napoli and three points below fourth-placed Bologna.

 

Napoli was looking to bounce back from a 4-0 humiliation at home to Frosinone in the Italian Cup on Tuesday.

 

The tension was high at the Stadio Olimpico with both coaches booked for dissent in the first half amid a large number of fouls and protests. It was of little surprise when Politano was shown a straight red card in the 66th minute for kicking out at Nicola Zalewski after having his jersey tugged by the Roma midfielder.

 

Roma broke the deadlock 10 minutes later when attempts by Sardar Azmoun and then Stephan El Shaarawy were charged down but the latter turned into an assist for Pellegrini, who fired the home side ahead.

 

Osimhen renewed his contract earlier Saturday to 2026 and was eager to celebrate with a goal but, instead, he received a second yellow card in the 86th, 13 minutes after his first booking, and was sent off.

Roma doubled its tally in stoppage time when Lukaku combined with Evan Ndicka to finish off a counterattack.

 

BRAVO BISSECK

 

There was an unlikely scoring replacement for Lautaro Martínez when defender Yann Bisseck bagged his first goal for Inter Milan and launched the Serie A leader to a 2-0 victory over Lecce.

 

Bisseck — who hit the woodwork moments earlier — flicked in a free kick with the back of his head two minutes from the break to help Inter bounce back from a midweek Italian Cup defeat and consolidate top spot in the league. Bisseck also had a header fingertipped over the bar in the second half.

 

Inter moved four points ahead of Juventus, which won at Frosinone 2-1.

 

Inter doubled its tally in the 78th following a moment of magic from Marko Arnautović, who controlled a pass from Barella and waited for him to sprint into the box before sensationally backheeling it to him to slot into the bottom left corner.

 

Lecce winger Lameck Banda was shown a straight red card and sent off five minutes later for dissent.

Lautaro was unavailable for the first time in 89 matches after the Argentine World Cup winner was injured on Wednesday during the Italian Cup exit to Bologna.

 

Lautaro, the Serie A leading scorer with 15, is expected back early in the new year. Another key player, Federico Dimarco, was also out hurt.

 

YOUNGEST PLAYER

 

Kenan Yildiz became the youngest foreigner to score for Juventus in Serie A when he netted on his full debut.

 

The 18-year-old Yildiz had six substitute appearances this season and was made a starter for the first time by Massimiliano Allegri.

 

The teenage Turkey forward netted just 12 minutes in, gathering from Filip Kostić before forcing his way past three defenders and firing into the bottom left corner.

 

Substitute Jaime Baez levelled for Frosinone early in the second half but Juventus restored its lead nine minutes from time with a goal by a substitute of its own, when Dušan Vlahović headed in Weston McKennie’s cross.

 

IMPRESSIVE BOLOGNA

 

Bologna consolidated fourth place and closed the gap on third-placed AC Milan to two points with a 1-0 win over Atalanta.

 

Lewis Ferguson headed in a corner with four minutes remaining.

 

Bologna also knocked two-time defending champion Inter out of the Italian Cup midweek.

 

Torino rescued a 1-1 draw at home against relegation-threatened Udinese. Hellas Verona beat 10-man Cagliari 2-0 to leapfrog Claudio Ranieri’s side and go a point clear of the drop zone.

 

Black Stars to invade Jo’burg next week

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Black Stars to invade Jo’burg next week

Everything you need to know about TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations

 

Black Stars Manager Chris Hughton

 

Ghana’s Black Stars will kick off their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 preparations by assembling in Johannesburg next week.

 

The four-time champions will meet on December 31st to begin a 10-day camp in South Africa ahead of next month’s finals in Cote d’Ivoire, the Ghana FA has announced.

 

Ghana face a solitary warm-up friendly against Botswana on January 8th before travelling to Abidjan two days later.

 

Black Stars Coach Chris Hughton confirmed training sessions at the Johannesburg camp will be closed to the media and public.

 

Hughton’s side have been drawn in a tricky Group B alongside giants Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.

 

They open their campaign against Cape Verde on January 14th in a rematch of their World Cup playoff earlier this year.

 

Ghana then take on record seven-time Afcon winners Egypt on January 18th in a titanic clash between two of the continent’s heavyweights.

 

The Black Stars conclude their group matches versus Mozambique on January 22nd.

 

Hughton is expected to name a strong squad including the likes of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey and West Ham star Mohammed Kudus.

 

Captain Andre Ayew will lead the squad as he looks to inspire Ghana to a first Afcon triumph since 1982.

 

With a total of four titles, Ghana are seeking to close the gap on Egypt and Cameroon’s record tally of five AFCON wins.

 

After the heartbreak of their 2022 World Cup group stage exit, Ghana are out to make amends on the international stage in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

But with tricky group opponents, Hughton knows his squad face a stern test if they are to advance deep into the tournament.

 

The manager will hope a focused Johannesburg training camp can help Ghana find their best form before the Afcon begins.

 

With Ayew, Partey and others on board, Ghana still possess the undeniable quality to conquer Africa again 40 years on from their last success.

 

Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin FullFight

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Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin – TKO FullFight HIGHLIGHTS

Watch Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin full fight video highlights from their eight-round cruiserweight contest, courtesy of multiple outlets.

Joshua vs. Wallin took place Dec. 23 at Freedom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Anthony Joshua (27-3) and Otto Wallin (26-2, 1 no-contest) competed in a heavyweight contest.

Result: Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin via fifth-round knockout

Anthony Joshua stops Otto Wallin in five

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Anthony Joshua stops Otto Wallin in five

Brilliant display ends challenger’s resilience

 

https://youtu.be/9VyoUuDsVZ8

 

Anthony Joshua delivered one of his best displays in recent memory with an impressive stoppage of Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia, reports Duncan for Yahoo Sports.

 

The 34-year-old made it three wins from three in 2023 after the fight was called off following a thunderous fifth round which left Wallin unable to continue.

 

Joshua, having already beaten Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision in April before sealing a seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius in August, cruised to a 27th professional career victory.

 

But the identity of his next opponent is unclear following Joseph Parker’s shock defeat of Deontay Wilder on the same card.

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua prepares after making his ring walk prior to the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin exchange punches during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua punches Otto Wallin during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Joshua has recorded three career losses so far – beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019 before Oleksandr Usyk defeated him twice – while the Swedish southpaw Wallin had only one career loss to date against Tyson Fury.

 

But Joshua came flying out of the blocks in Riyadh and inflicted damage on Wallin as early as the second round.

 

Joshua landed a left hook to Walin’s head, followed by a thunderous right cross and a second quick right which left Wallin frazzled and with blood leaking from his right nostril.

 

 

On to the third and Wallin’s patched-up nose was pouring again as Joshua landed another right. A strong left knocked Wallin off balance, and the former European champion was backed up on to the ropes and now with a cut to his right eye.

 

A steely-looking Joshua showed no sign of easing up in the fourth round as he landed a number of head and body shots on his opponent. A right hand skimmed the face of Wallin with Joshua looking comfortable and in control.

 

In the fifth, Joshua was throwing menacing, calculated punches with Wallin offering little to nothing in attack. Then with just over one minute of the round remaining, Joshua unleashed a superb left hook to leave Wallin stumbling towards the ropes.

 

Wallin managed to stay on his feet and see out the round, but the Swede’s corner said their fighter was unable to continue as Joshua celebrated a destructive win.

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin exchange punches during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua punches Otto Wallin during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Otto Wallin punches Anthony Joshua during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Earlier, Wilder, who has claimed 42 of his 43 victories by knockout, was the overwhelming favorite to beat Parker, but the New Zealander ripped up the script with a crushing victory.

 

Parker dominated Wilder, heavily regarded as one of the biggest punches the heavyweight division has ever seen, with a perfectly executed game plan that left his American opponent bamboozled.

 

Parker was comfortably ahead on the scorecard heading into the eighth round where he delivered an overhand right and then a flurry of destructive punches as Wilder clung on.

 

Wilder was hurt and Parker went for the finish, but the Bronze Bomber, who last fought in October 2022 – a first-round knockout win over Robert Helenius – survived the round.

 

Parker landed another big left hand in the ninth, with Wilder looking increasingly vulnerable. Parker remained composed in the 10th and 11th before a desperate Wilder came out swinging in the final round looking for the knockout blow required.

 

But Parker never looked in danger of losing against the former WBC champion as he sealed a huge upset, with the judges scoring the most one-sided of bouts, 118-111, 118-110, 120-108 in the 31-year-old’s favour.

 

Parker halts Joshua vs. Wilder fight

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Parker halts Joshua vs. Wilder fight

Stuns Deontay Wilder via unanimous decision with dominant performance

 

The New Zealand native Parker improved to 34-3 and sent Wilder to his third defeat in his last four fights. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

 

Deontay Wilder waited too long to make his move and it cost him the bout, reports Sean Leahy for Yahoo Sports.

 

Joseph Parker beat Wilder via unanimous decision (118-111, 118-110, 120-108) in a heavyweight bout during the “The Day of Reckoning” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.

 

Wilder, who entered the fight with 42 of his 43 wins coming via knockout, waited for his opportunity to add another KO to his ledger, but couldn’t find an opening, and Parker took advantage.

 

With Wilder seemingly waiting for his chance to land a fight-ending blow, Parker kept being the aggressor and coming inside and winning round after round. According to CompuBox, Parker landed 89 of 255 punches — 60 of them coming as power punches — compared to Wilder’s 39 out of 204.

 

As the fight went on, and Wilder continued to wait for his moment, Parker pounced and got more inside with each round. Eventually, those power punches added up and weakened Wilder.

 

 

Parker was winning rounds, and Wilder ran out of time to try and win on the scorecards. His only option was via a knockout or TKO. Even his corner was trying to tell him to go at Parker in later rounds, but the urgency wasn’t there. When Wilder did try to be the aggressor, it was too little, too late.

 

This was only Wilder’s second fight since October 2021, which was his third fight against Tyson Fury. His last fight, a first-round KO of Robert Helenius, was his only action in the two years since the second loss to Fury. So, did inactivity play a role in Wilder’s performance?

 

“It could have, but we’re not going to base it off of that,” Wilder said afterward. “We did what we did and we move on to the next. We live to see another day and that’s what it’s all about.”

 

Wilder added that talk of a potential fight with Anthony Joshua in March was “a little distracting,” but in the end it was Parker’s night.

 

As for Parker, he stuck to his strategy and it paid off handsomely.

 

“Stay calm, stay relaxed, stay focused, switch on for every second, every minute of every round,” Parker said. “There’s always things to work on, but today we got the win. Merry Christmas to us.”

 

Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker FULL FIGHT

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Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker FULL FIGHT

Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker FULL FIGHT Highlights | Day of Reckoning

 

https://youtu.be/fv2BtCRG4TM

Full Fight : Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur

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Full Fight : Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur

Full Fight : Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur | DAZN Boxing : Joshua vs Wallin ,Wilder vs Parker

 

https://youtu.be/Rxi8Wse-EPw

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