Two Nigerian-born stars were at Stamford Bridge to help Austria’s champions; Red Bull Salzburg frustrate Chelsea to a major 1-1 draw in their champions league Group E game Wednesday night, Edwin Emeanua reports for Sports Joust.
Chukwubuike Griddy Junior Adamu and Noah Okafor were integral to Salzburg’s stoic display in earning a well-deserved famous draw against their more illustrious English opposition in a European top club football competition.
Chelsea failed to convert their domineering presence during long swathes of the match to full advantage, only to capitulate to a gut-wrenching equalizing goal by the visitors. The result ruined new head coach Graham Potter’s much-talked-about debut and left Chelsea still rooted to the bottom of the group ahead of their crucial game with AC Milan on the teams’ next champions league matchday.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 48th minute following a goalless first half. Soon after, Red Bull Salzburg began to loosen Chelsea’s iron grip on the game, carrying out sporadic raids for an equalizer until finally hitting the target in the 75th minute of play.
Okafor coolly polished off a counter-attack by aiming his shot through Azpilicueta’s legs and past Kepa. Thiago Silva’s awkward, lax marking in the box allowed Adamu to cross for Okafor to score.
Chelsea will need time to add some grit to their team to be able to begin the push for satisfactory outcomes if their ambition is to advance out of the group. However, with their next match coming up on October 1, Graham Potter may still have the time to add some steel to his newly acquired Chelsea armada.
AC Milan’s players celebrate at the end of the Champions League, Group E match. AP
Oluwafikayomi Tomori shone in the defence of his AC Milan side helping the Serie A champions to notch their first Champions League victory this campaign, reports Edwin Emeanua for Sports Joust.
Olivier Giroud, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Tommaso Pobega goals secured AC Milan a 3-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb on home turf on Wednesday in a Group E tie.
Giroud fired his penalty play into the net to open the scoring for Milan in the first half with Saelemaekers and Pobega increasing the tally with two more goals following halftime.
The win propelled Milan to the top of the group’s table with 4 points ahead of Zagreb Dinamo whose opening 1-0 shocking home over Chelsea now comes in second place with 3 points.
Milan who earned a hard-fought draw at Salzburg in their first group game secured a crucial victory by fending off a belated flurry of attacks from the Croatian opposition.
Milan began the tie briskly but Dinamo almost scored in the 28th minute against the run of play from a Sadegh Moharrami effort but Milan goalkeeper, Mike Maignan was equal to his left-footed shot.
The Italians finally broke the duck through Giroud’s penalty kick on the verge of halftime after Rafael Leao was downed by a Josip Sutalo challenge.
Saelemaekers then scored with a thundering header in the 47th minute before Dinamo halved the lead through Mislav Orsic, only for Pobega to score a scorcher to confirm Milan’s win.
left out of Man United’s Europa League squad for trip to Sheriff Tiraspol
The Man Utd striker hasn’t played for his country since the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy in July 2021 after a run of bad form and fitness last season saw him overlooked by the England manager.
However, a recall was set to be on the cards following Rashford’s return to form this campaign, which has seen him contribute three goals and two assists in United’s first six games of the season.
The Man Utd striker hasn’t played for his country since the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy in July 2021 after a run of bad form and fitness last season saw him overlooked by the England manager.
However, a recall was set to be on the cards following Rashford’s return to form this campaign, which has seen him contribute three goals and two assists in United’s first six games of the season.
England faces Italy and Germany later this month in their final Nations League group games and is one of the final chances for players to impress before Southgate selects his squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
The striker could be a doubt for England’s games with the squad announcement due tomorrow
Rashford hasn’t played for his country since missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final last July
With United’s game against Leeds postponed this weekend, the clash with Sheriff will be the last match for the Red Devils until they resume Premier League action after the international break.
United manager Erik ten Hag otherwise has a full-strength squad, with Cristiano Ronaldo among the travelling party and Luke Shaw returning after injury.
United are looking for their first points of their Group E campaign having lost to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford last week.
When Steven Gerrard took over at Aston Villa in November last year following a successful stint at Glasgow Rangers, there were high hopes that he could take them to the next level, writes Ross Kilvington for Football Fancast.
Early signs were promising, with the club winning four of their first six games under the new manager, losing only to Manchester City and Liverpool. Since then, however, they have only won seven league matches, stretching back to December 2021.
A solid transfer window this summer saw a number of quality additions arrive at Villa Park such as Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos, and Philippe Coutinho (making his loan move permanent) – with Gerrard targeting a European spot.
These impressive signings haven’t translated into good performances, however, with the side winning just one Premier League match all season. It was perhaps a player that the 42-year-old missed out on that might have made a difference to their shoddy defence (ten goals conceded in six matches).
Gerrard eyed reunion with Calvin Bassey
The moment the Englishman arrived in the Midlands, there was already talk of which Rangers players he would eventually bring down south, with Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic being the two high-profile names mentioned. Villa were linked with Bassey too, and with his performances at the end of last season securing him an excellent £23m move to Ajax, Gerrard might rue not setting up a reunion.
The Nigerian international really came of age last season, covering numerous injuries at the heart of the Ibrox side’s defence as they made an incredible run to the Europa League final, with Bassey named in the tournament’s team of the season.
During the Europa League run, Bassey averaged a 6.9 rating on Sofa Score, showing his growing maturity since being thrust into the Gers starting XI. The defender enjoyed an average of 61.1 touches per match while also impressing defensively, making 1.4 interceptions and 1.6 tackles per game. The 23-year-old also displayed his strength, with opponents only beating beaten by an opponent 0.2 times per fixture.
Will Aston Villa rue missing out on Bassey?
The move to Ajax hasn’t daunted him in the slightest. His first Champions League match saw his new side defeat the Light Blues 4-0 and Bassey looked at home on the big stage, deserving of his 7.5 rating as per Sofa Score and having a staggering 150 touches during the contest, while completing an incredible 141 of his 145 passes with a 97% pass success rate.
Missing out on the “wonderful” Bassey might be a decision that will come back to haunt Gerrard, and with the Villa manager knowing his strengths and how good he was at Rangers, he should have acted a lot quicker.
West Ham United were heavily linked with Ola Aina on transfer deadline day, however, David Moyes may already have a ready-made heir to Vladimir Coufal in Harrison Ashby, Jimmy Moorhouse writes for.
Reports suggested that West Ham saw a bid rejected for the Torino man on deadline day, as Moyes looked to add to his right-back options at the London Stadium.
It was also claimed that Newcastle United were keen on signing Ashby but, ultimately, he remained with the Hammers, and now Moyes must look to give the young defender some more first-team opportunities to ensure that his head is not turned by any potential approaches in the January transfer window.
The 20-year-old, who is a product of West Ham’s academy, has made just six first-team appearances in his career thus far, but is highly regarded at the club, and could be the ideal man to take over from Coufal.
Journalist Sam Delaney was full of praise for Ashby on an episode of the U Irons Podcast in 2020.
He said: “He’s big as well. He’s like a big unit. He’s only young, but he’s like a giant. Usually, you’re used to seeing smaller players in those wing-back positions, but he looked big, strong, he was very fearless, decent on the ball.”
After an impressive start to his West Ham career, which saw him register seven assists in the 2020/21 season and average a strong 6.95 rating from WhoScored for his performances, Coufal’s form has dropped in recent times.
The Czech Republic international averaged a disappointing 6.56 rating last season, while his performances this season so far have earned him a shocking 6.33 rating, one of the worst in the West Ham squad.
This suggests that Moyes will soon need to look for a replacement for the 30-year-old, and Ashby deserves his chance after a superb season in the Premier League 2 which saw him contribute two goals and five assists in 21 appearances.
With Aina staying at Torino and Coufal struggling so much at the start of this season, it is time that Moyes handed Ashby his first start in the top flight.
Jurgen Klopp admitted he has become used to ‘proper setbacks’ after his stuttering Liverpool side left it late to beat Ajax in the Champions League at Anfield, Dominic King reports for Mail on Line.
After Mohammed Kudus cancelled out Mo Salah’s opener in the first half, Joel Matip gave the Reds’ European campaign lift-off with a dramatic late winner to flatten the Dutch side and bring respite for Klopp.
But Matip, the Cameroon defender, scored his first goal in Europe for Liverpool in the 89th minute to ensure they got a positive response following the 4-1 opening defeat to Napoli that had enabled critics to circle.
‘It is very important to win but I think the story of the game is typical, not for our season so far but for the situation we are in,’ Klopp said.
It had appeared to be another night of frustration for the German and Ajax looked dangerous for long parts on Merseyside.
But Matip, the Cameroon defender, scored his first goal in Europe for Liverpool in the 89th minute to ensure they got a positive response following the 4-1 opening defeat to Napoli that had enabled critics to circle.
‘We do a lot of good stuff, we played a really good game. We were against a strong side, a confident side, the way they played, we caused them a lot of problems.
‘Then we concede when you are 1-0 up and concede the first chance so that is what I am used to, proper setbacks. The reaction was okay, not perfect but okay. Our pressing was not as convincing as before, not a big difference but it makes a big difference.
‘That is what we try to improve again in the second half. You saw in the second half more fouls from their side, more interruptions. But we did really well, quick set pieces, we tried to take advantage and sometimes you have to take a bit longer.’
In normal circumstances, Klopp would have saluted The Kop at the final whistle but, on this occasion, he struck a far more reserved figure in keeping with the tone of a night that had an atmosphere unlike many European matches here.
A period of silence was held before kick-off for Her Majesty The Queen but it was called to a halt after 24 seconds by match officials after one fan booed, another shouted ‘Liverpool’ and there was some muffled discord.
Match winner Matip said: ‘I was very happy I could score – I was not sure (it had gone in), but all my emotion came out when I found out.’
His defensive partner Virgil van Dijk added: ‘Coming from a horror show in Napoli, it was not easy to show a positive reaction, this is a step in right direction.
‘It was very important to win and get that good feeling going. I should have scored, we were dangerous in corners, luckily the one and only Matip converted.
‘There are lots of ex-footballers speaking, trying to get us down. We know last week was bad… but this is step in the right direction. We won’t get carried away.’
An ex-Premier League footballer who competed for Nigeria at the World Cup used to have an unusual dress sense and often went missing to work on his job as a preacher, a former teammate has claimed.
Taribo West won over 40 caps for Nigeria and competed at the highest level at the 1998 and 2002 world cups, as well as playing for Italian giants Inter and AC Milan.
Towards the end of his time in Italy, the rock-solid defender made a surprise loan move to Derby County, who were competing at the lower end of the Premier League at the time.
While at the East Midlands club, he played alongside forward Malcom Christie, who paved his own unusual route to the top after starting out stacking shelves and playing non-league football.
Speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast, Christie shared his story, and revealed his teammates’ shock at the Nigerian’s unusual side-hustle as a preacher in Italy, and questioned West’s fashion sense.
“He [West] ended up in our dressing room, I don’t know how,” he laughed. “What is it, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Derby County?
“Totally, totally random. I remember him turning up with a load of guys. He would turn up with his Tesco carrier bag; he used to turn up with his belongings in his carrier bag.
“One of the most famous, recognizable figures in football, he would turn up with a plastic bag with his stuff in.
I’ve criticised my own dress sense, but he would turn up in a tracksuit with shoes, like patent leather shoes on, and do you know what? He didn’t give a f***.”
And, Christie remembered how the defender’s unusual life off the field would sometimes influence his appearances – or lack thereof – on the pitch.
“What would happen is, Taribo very rarely trained, so he would play the match, and he was a pastor back in Italy, so he would play the match and go home on a Sunday,” he recalled.
“Would we see him Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday? Don’t know. He might turn up on Friday, [but in this case] we haven’t seen him
Christie remembered one specific incident, when Derby had been taking on Fulham in a cup fixture, and West was nowhere to be seen.
“He turned up with a minute to go before team submission, no one had seen him for a few days prior… and what did he turn up in? He turned up with his Derby County tracksuit on again and f***ing shoes,” he said.
According to GIVEMESPORT preview, the Premier League season is now well underway! Here we have game week 8 fixtures, predictions, odds and everything else you need to know.
This is shaping up to be the most exciting Premier League campaign ever. We have some of the world’s most excellent sides in the form of Liverpool and Manchester City, combined with some of the greatest players such as Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and many more – so fans simply can’t wait to see what the season holds.
Along with this – we have some of the finest managerial masterminds taking the reigns from the sidelines. Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte and new boy Erik ten Hag are just a few of the names that will be searching for domestic glory – but who will come out on top come May 2023? We’re excited to see how it all unfolds.
We’ll be updating this page weekly with all the information regarding the upcoming game week – so make sure to regularly check back so you never miss a beat this Premier League season!
Game Week 8 Fixtures
Here are the next round of fixtures that are taking place in Game Week 8 in the Premier League, which were gathered from the official Premier League website. A few fixtures have been postponed, but here are the ones that remain.
Friday 16th September 2022
Aston Villa vs Southampton: 8:00 pm
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham: 8:00 pm
Saturday 17th September 2022
Wolves vs Manchester City: 12:30 pm
Newcastle vs Bournemouth: 3:00 pm
Tottenham vs Leicester: 5:30 pm
Sunday 18th September 2022
Brentford vs Arsenal: 12:00 pm
Everton vs West Ham: 2:15 pm
Game Week 7 Results
Due to the unfortunate passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the game week 7 fixtures were postponed, so there are no results to be showcased.
showcased.
Premier League on TV
Friday 16th September 2022
Aston Villa vs Southampton: 8:00 pm – Sky Sports Premier League
Saturday 17th September 2022
Wolves vs Manchester City: 12:30 pm – BT Sports1
Tottenham vs Leicester: 5:30 pm – Sky Sports Premier League
Sunday 18th September 2022
Brentford vs Arsenal: 12:00 pm – Sky Sports Premier League
Everton vs West Ham: 2:15 pm – Sky Sports Premier League
Game week 8 predictions
Here we have our predictions with how we believe the eighth round of fixtures in the Premier League will go down. Do you agree with us?
Premier League table
Here is how the Premier League table currently looks – but who will be at the top come the end of the season?
But replacement Giovanni Simeone will be more than a handful for Light Blues
Victor Osimhen went off injured after missing a penalty in the remarkable 4-1 win over Liverpool
The Nigerian star – who was linked with Manchester United in the summer – has a hamstring injury and is being ruled out of action for three weeks but there is a more than capable replacement who will run out at Ibrox in the shape of Giovanni Simeone – the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego.
Simeone came on for Osimhen in the sensational 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool on matchday one and scored on his Champions League debut – just like his father did nearly 26 year earlier – and it was a moment he had been waiting for. As a 13-year-old boy he got a tattoo of the Champions League logo on his arm – much against his parents wishes – and vowed to kiss it when he scored his firs goal in the competition.
Osimhen missed a penalty in the remarkable drubbing of Jurgen Klopp’s side. He has undergone scans and tests and it revealed a second degree injury on the right hamstring. He has already started undergoing therapy sessions for recovery.
Argentinian frontman Simeone is on loan from Hellas Verona, the club Josh Doig joined from Hibs in the summer, and will lead Napoli’s attack today when they take on Spezia at their Maradona Stadium.
It comes as former Celtic star Paolo di Canio has slaughtered Tanguy Ndombele, who is on a season-long loan at Napoli from Tottenham. The Frenchman signed for the Serie A club last month, and they have the option to make the deal permanent. He has featured in three games so far at Napoli, but was an unused substitute in their 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool.
At Spurs, Ndombele has received criticism from supporters and pundits for a lack of work-rate. In 2020 and Di Canio has believes he has a lot to prove at Napoli. “If Luciano Spalletti works a miracle, I will take my hat off,” Di Canio told Calcio Napoli.
“This guy doesn’t want to sacrifice himself without the ball. I don’t expect him to walk on water, but if he at least swam it’d be a resounding success.”
Nigeria’s Umar Sadiq enjoyed a terrific start to the season after signing for Real Sociedad, but his progress was halted disastrously by an injury sustained this weekend, while Ghana’s World Cup hopes have been swelled by the sustained form of Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus and the promise of Nico Williams, Ed Dove reports for ESPN.
Sadiq Umar injured
With Sadiq joining Victor Osimhen on the sidelines, Nigeria are fast running out of viable attacking options ahead of the upcoming international break and their friendly against Algeria on September 27.
This new season promised to be a big one for Super Eagles frontman Sadiq. After a nomadic start to his senior career, he finally settled at Almeria in 2020, and went on to average a goal every other game over the next two campaigns as the Rojiblancos fired their way out of the second tier.
This season was to be his first in a major European league since 2017, and after two goals in his first three outings for Almeria, he secured a move to Real Sociedad — and the prospect of playing in the Europa League.
A goal on his Sociedad debut — less than 10 minutes after being introduced from the bench — secured a point for Imanol Alguacil’s side against Atletico Madrid last weekend, with the ex-Rangers man immediately endearing himself to his new club’s fans.
Everything was set up for Sadiq to enjoy a successful campaign, and emerge as a genuine challenge to Victor Osimhen as Nigeria’s leading striker.
It wasn’t just his goal that prompted adulation from the supporters, with Sadiq settling quickly and troubling the Atletico backline both by dropping deep and linking the play, and pressing up to pressure the opposition backline.
However, disaster struck this weekend, as Sadiq – making his first league start for his new club – was replaced in significant discomfort after 38 minutes. The forward sustained the injury during a mistimed challenge during the early exchanges, but played on for over half an hour before his eventual withdrawal.
In hindsight, it may have proved a costly decision, with Sociedad confirming on Monday that the attacker had suffered a rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament and would undergo surgery.
It’s a devastating setback for the in-form hitman, who now faces a minimum of six months on the sidelines, and may even face a battle to return to action in time for the season’s end. It’s also a blow for Sociedad, who parted with €20 million to recruit the attacker as a replacement for new Newcastle United arrival Alexander Isak.
Having waited so long for the opportunity to return to a major league, and having worked his way back to a top tier after dropping down the divisions, Sadiq must now find the mental strength and resolve to go again, focus on his rehabilitation, and – in 2023 – get his career back on track.
Kudus finds second wind at Ajax Amsterdam
For Ghana, by contrast, who dumped the Super Eagles out of the running for the World Cup, genuinely quality attacking options are coming to the fore just in time for this month’s friendly against Brazil and the trip to Qatar.
Suddenly, after being at odds with Ajax ahead of transfer deadline day, Mohammed Kudus has found some sensational form since remaining at the club.
Another sibling pair on the cards for Ghana?
As well as watching Kudus in action against Brazil in Le Havre later this month, Ghana fans will also be purring about the prospect of Inaki Williams making his long-awaited debut for the Black Stars after switching nationality from Spain.
The attacker, now aged 28, represented La Roja at senior level in 2016, but now appears primed to feature for Ghana in Qatar alongside fellow new arrivals Mohammed Salisu, Tariq Lamptey and Antoine Semenyo.
Could Inaki’s brother Nico also be included in Otto Addo’s plans? The wonderkid scored his first ever La Liga goal this weekend when he added Athletic Bilbao’s third in their 4-1 victory away at Elche on Sunday.
The 20-year-old made 34 appearances in the top tier last term, without registering a single goal or an assist, but has now had a hand in two goals in five league outings so far this term.
Naturally, amidst the swathe of new arrivals in the Ghana fold, Black Stars fans are already calling for the Ghana Football Association to advance the case for the youngster’s nationality switch, and who knows, perhaps he could be a late inclusion in the World Cup squad. His raw pace and direct running could make him a major asset off the bench in Qatar.
Hakimi denies Messi frustration at PSG
Over in France, Achraf Hakimi is having to adapt to a modified role under new Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier, while batting away suggestions that he’s miffed with Lionel Messi.
PSG’s unconvincing 1-0 victory over Brest at the weekend was a frustrating outing for Hakimi, who repeatedly found himself in a good position following excellent off-the-ball movement, only for Messi to choose other options rather than play in the Morocco wideman.
“I feel great with Leo and Sergio [Ramos],” he told journalists in Saturday’s mixed zone. “It’s not a problem when I make a call and Leo doesn’t give me the ball.
“It’s because there’s another player better placed. Today, he gave it to [match-winner] Neymar.”
Hakimi is adapting well to a role on the right side of Galtier’s 3-4-1-2 formation where he’s charged with providing both width and thrust to the reigning French champions, but some excellent work out wide often went unrewarded on Saturday.
