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Man City 3-1 Copenhagen (agg 6-2)

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Man City 3-1 Copenhagen (agg 6-2)

Erling Haaland on target as City progress to Champions League quarter-final

Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji celebrates with Erling Haaland after opening the scoring. Image credit: Sky Sports

 

Adam Bate  reports for Sky Sports that the match report as Champions League holders take their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium; goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland complete 6-2 aggregate win for Pep Guardiola’s team

 

Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen, securing a 6-2 aggregate win.

 

Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez’s goals in the first nine minutes of the match ended any threat of a shock. Though Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back for the Danish side, Erling Haaland scored his inevitable goal before the half was out.

Pep Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden on the bench and withdrew Rodri at half-time—an indication that the holders fancied the job had been all but done in Denmark. They are in good shape going into the Premier League title clash with Liverpool on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

 

Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen, securing a 6-2 aggregate win.

 

Player ratings

Man City: Ederson (6), Lewis (7), Akanji (7), Dias (7), Gvardiol (6), Rodri (7), Kovacic (7), Bobb (7), Alvarez (7), Nunes (6), Haaland (7).

Subs: Gomez (7), Stones (6), Hamilton (6), Wright (n/a).

Copenhagen: Grabara (4), Ankersen (6), Jelert (6), Vavro (6), McKenna (6), Diks (6), Froholdt (6), Oskarsson (7), Clem (6), Achouri (6), Elyounoussi (7).

Subs: Bardghji (6), Mattsson (7), Hojlund (6), Cornelius (5), Meling (6).

Player of the match: Manuel Akanji.

 

How Man City won it

Having retained only four of the starting line-up that saw off Manchester United at the weekend, some of the fringe players had an opportunity to impress, and Oscar Bobb was particularly lively from the outset. It did not take City long to ease ahead.

 

Alvarez’s outswinger from a corner on the right found Akanji marked at the near post but not tightly enough. The center-back could swing his right foot at the ball and score with a side-footed volley. There was not much tension to ease, but that did it.

 

Team news

Only Ederson, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Erling Haaland kept their places from the weekend’s win against Man Utd in the derby. This meant Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne started on the bench, while Jeremy Doku was not included in the squad.

 

Alvarez had a goal within nine minutes, but this owed much to Kamil Grabara’s error in the Copenhagen goal. Rodri had struck the frame of the goal with the initial chance, and when Alvarez shot on the angle, the goalkeeper fumbled it into his net.

 

However, Elyounoussi, the former Southampton forward, did give the away support a lift, with perhaps the night’s goal. Running from deep, he threaded the ball in behind, and Orri Oskarsson’s clever backheel allowed him to collect the return pass and score.

 

Enter Haaland. The striker was not among those rested, aiming to add to his Champions League tally, and he had his goal in first-half stoppage time. Seizing upon Rodri’s angled pass, the Norwegian dropped the shoulder and fired low into the net to make it three.

 

The second half was largely uneventful but for Matheus Nunes suffering a dislocated finger and Rico Lewis’s deflected strike that hit the crossbar in stoppage-time.

 

Guardiola managed to avoid more severe injuries to his side, coming through this tie unscathed and keeping hopes of an unlikely repeat of the treble alive.

 

Akanji: We are one of the favorites

“The first two goals made it easier for us because then we were already up four goals,” Akanji, a player in the match, told TNT Sports. It was tough for them to come back. We had a phase where we did not play very well, but we did what we had to do today.”

 

With Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals, the latter stages of this season’s Champions League look stacked. But Guardiola’s side still looks to be the team to beat as they seek to retain the trophy.

 

“We will see how the tournament goes, but we are feeling good right now,” added Akanji. “We are confident going into the next round. We are one of the favorites, but we must prove it.”

 

What’s next for Man City and Copenhagen?

 

Champions Man City will travel to Anfield on Sunday to face title rival Liverpool in the Premier League. The match will be live on Sky Sports from 3 pm, with kick-off at 3.45 pm.

 

Copenhagen host struggling Lygnby in the Danish Superliga on Sunday; kick-off 3 pm.

 

Hosts Ghana Women faces seven other countries

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Hosts Ghana Women faces seven other countries

As Eight countries set to compete in Women’s Football at the 13th African Games, Accra 2023

 

 

Just a few days before the football edition of the 13th African Games, Accra 2023, kicks off in Ghana, eight (8) national teams in the women’s division are gearing up for the highly anticipated showdown.

 

Since Congo hosted the first edition of the African Games (formerly All African Games) in 1965, the competition has grown into a giant continental multi-sport fiesta.

 

The 13th edition of the continental competition will take place at Accra’s Cape Coast Sports Stadium between 08 and 23 March. It kicks off exactly a month after the draw was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

 

Hosts Ghana and seven other countries participating in the fourth qualifying rounds of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 will participate in the competition.

 

Nigeria will play Morocco in the opening game, while Ghana takes on Ethiopia in the first game of the following day.

 

Over years of running, it has become another symbol of Africa’s unique place in sports, particularly football.

 

The final of the women’s tournament will be played on March 21 at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.

 

List of Teams for the Women’s Competition:

Ghana (Hosts), Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Tanzania.

 

13th African Games, Accra 2023 Women’s Football Match Day 1 Fixtures

 

Friday, March 08

20h00 | Nigeria v Morocco

 

Saturday, March 09

17h00 | Tanzania v Uganda

20h00 | Ghana v Ethiopia

 

Francis Ngannou promises Tyson Fury hell

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Francis Ngannou promises Tyson Fury hell

 ‘I’ll beat you every day and twice on Sunday!’ in heated encounter at pre-fight press conference ahead of clash with Anthony Joshua

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Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury exchanged agitated words on Wednesday night. The latter attended the press conference before the former clashed with Anthony Joshua on Friday night, Dominic Hogan reports for Mail Online.

 

Joshua and Ngannou will take center stage later this week in Saudi Arabia as top-billing at an event nicknamed ‘Knockout Chaos.’ Joshua will be looking to build on an impressive showing last time out. 

 

In his previous bout, Ngannou also put on a show, taking Fury the distance in an exhibition encounter that many believed should have been scored in the Cameroonian’s favor.

 

The Gypsy King won on points, and if he can defeat Ngannou, he could potentially encounter Joshua on Wednesday.

 

Ngannou took to the stage to talk about his preparation for his clash with Joshua, but despite shocking many critics against Fury, he claimed that there was still plenty to come from him.

 

                         Ngannou and his fellow heavyweight exchanged words in a heated encounter on Wednesday nightThe Gypsy Kind did not react well to his former opponent's comments on Wednesday
Ngannou and his fellow heavyweight exchanged words in a heated encounter on Wednesday night.t

 

Yeah, he will be the best so far, but as I said, I’m just getting started,’ the 37-year-old stated.

 

‘I’m looking for the victory on Friday night, but I don’t think that will make any statement about my career because the road is still long, and I still intend to get a lot of victories like this one.’

 

However, his subsequent comments provoked a reaction from Fury, who was in the crowd watching the conference.

‘One [a victory] over Tyson – one more over Tyson, because I had the first one [already]! I’ve got the first one and intend to get the second one.

 

‘I have been b****ing about it, but it’s true!

 

Anthony Joshua (left) faces Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight clash on Friday night in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua (left) faces Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight clash on Friday night in Saudi Arabia.

 

‘Fury: Get the job done, and you’ll get another […] this time, but properly, d***er.’

 

‘I’m going to wipe the ring with your a** again, wipe the ring with your a**. They’re going to see blood in the ring.

 

‘I tell you, your only chance is in the boxing ring, with boxing rules. When you step off for that ring, you better stay five meters away before I stop your s*** because if I lose it, you’re going to have a really bad time.

 

Ngannou claimed he had already beaten Fury despite the fight being scored in the Brit’s favo.r

 

‘Respect the fact that boxing is protecting you, us, and the rules of boxing are protecting us because, without that, you are nothing in front of me.

 

‘No problem, any time,’ Fury retorted.

 

However, Ngannou still had the last word, ending the exchange by claiming: ‘I will beat you every day – and twice on Sunday!’

 

Fury announced ahead of Friday’s fight that the winner of the clash would have the chance to take on either him or Oleksandr Usyk – one of whom will become the unified heavyweight champion of the world – but only after the pair have a re-match.

South Sudan ‘wanna cause sensation’

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South Sudan ‘wanna cause sensation’

Eyes shock win over Senegal in their African Games opener

 

CAFonline reports South Sudan will play Senegal in their Group B match on Tuesday. The Sudanese side hopes to cause a sensation against the favorites in the opening match of the 13th edition of the African Games.
This encounter marks a significant moment for both sides. The former champions aim to build on past successes while South Sudan makes its debut in the football competition of the African Games.
Senegal enters the tournament as a former African Games champion, having clinched the title in 2015 in Congo-Brazzaville.
Led by coach Serigne Saliou Dia, who previously guided the Senegal team to victory in 2015, the squad boasts several players promoted from their triumphant U17 World Cup campaign in Indonesia.
In seeking his second title, Coach Dia expressed confidence in his team’s preparation and readiness for the challenge.
“We don’t know our opponents going into this, but we are going to be calm to ensure we can play our game well and make opponents uncomfortable,” stated Coach Dia.
Echoing his coach’s sentiments, Senegal player Serigne Falou Diouf emphasized the team’s ambition to win the competition.
“Our dream is to win the competition, and being one of the favorites will put pressure on us to win,” remarked Diouf.
Conversely, South Sudan approached the tournament with determination and excitement as they made their debut appearance.
Coach Bilal Felix highlighted the significance of this opportunity for his team, stating, “This is the first time we are playing in the African Games, and we are glad to be participating… We respect Senegal because of their status in African football, but we don’t fear them.”
South Sudan player Joseph Loro echoed his coach’s sentiments, expressing the team’s ambition to make an impact despite their status as one of the youngest nations in Africa.
“Senegal is one of the champions of youth football in Africa. South Sudan is one of the youngest nations in Africa, but we are waiting to play them and make names for ourselves,” affirmed Loro.
As the two sides prepare to clash, the stage is set for a compelling battle between youth and experience, ambition and determination.
Senegal and South Sudan aim to make a statement in their opening fixture, setting the tone for their African Games campaign and laying the groundwork for future success on the continental stage.
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SC Freiburg vs West Ham United

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SC Freiburg vs West Ham United

Preview and Prediction

 

SC Freiburg will face West Ham United for the third time in this season’s Europa League, The Hard Tackle reports. The hosts aim to outperform their visitors.

 

SC Freiburg aims to make the best of the opportunity and create history by reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League at the expense of West Ham United. The Bundesliga outfit has never managed to go that far in any European competition in their lifetime and faces a challenging task when West Ham comes visiting. They are confident ahead of this game, having held Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw.

 

This is not the first time these two sides have met in this competition this season, having been previously drawn in the same group. The Hammers got the better of their hosts in the group stages, forcing them to a play-off with UEFA Champions League dropouts RC Lens.

 

A goalless first leg forced Freiburg to visit France to get a result, and they were soon behind at half-time after goals from David Costa and Elye Wahi. Roland Sallai’s second-half brace canceled those goals, with Michael Gregoritsch snatching the winner in extra time. To make it into the Last Eight and create history, Freiburg must exact revenge on West Ham and do something different than they did in the group stages.

 

David Moyes will want total concentration from his players ahead of the crucial  Round of 16 clash with Freiburg. The Scotsman recognizes the idea of qualifying for the Champions League by winning the Europa League as they did for this competition last season by lifting the Conference League title.

 

West Ham have picked up some form and momentum ahead of their visit to Germany, having overseen victories in their last two Premier League games. Since losing to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, the Hammers have overcome Brentford and Everton, which will keep Moyes in a confident mood ahead of this visit.

 

West Ham have a good record this season in the Europa League, winning five of their six group games and finishing the first phase as group winners. They will come into this clash as the favorites, with Moyes likely to use his experience from last season to engineer another great run in this season’s Europa League.

 

Team News & Tactics

SC Freiburg

Christian Streich remains without the services of Daniel Kofi-Kyereh, Max Rosenfelder, Lukas Kubler, and Kenneth Schmidt. Beyond that, SC Freiburg has no issues from the draw with Bayern Munich last Friday.

 

There is good news regarding Philipp Lienhart’s fitness. He missed the Bayern Munich clash with a hamstring problem and should return. He is also one yellow card away from a suspension, so Streich will show caution while selecting him.

 

While Lienhart might not make the starting lineup after nearly ten weeks out, Streich might still thrust Matthias Ginter, who only returned recently from an Achilles problem, into the lineup. He will partner Manuel Gulde in the heart of the defense, with Kiliann Sildillia and Christian Gunter likely to be preferred in the full-back roles.

 

Streich will prefer his 4-4-2 setup heading into this all-important first leg with West Ham. Freiburg’s preferred midfield pairings are Maximilian Eggestein and Nicolas Hofler. Lucas Holer and Roland Sallai will likely lead the German side’s line, with Ritsu Doan and Vincenzo Grifo the preferred choices.

 

Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Gulde, Gunter; Doan, Eggstein, Hofler, Grifo; Holer, Sallai

 

West Ham United

David Moyes will have a full selection of players, barring only Maxwel Cornet. The attacker may not be back until the end of the month as he nurses a thigh strain. The Hammers boss could stay cautious about his team selection and name an unchanged lineup while only changing the goalkeeper from the Everton win.

 

While Alphonse Areola has performed well since becoming the club’s undisputed No.1, Moyes might look to rotate Lukasz Fabianski, who has had an unbeaten Europa League campaign, featuring in five of the six group games.

 

Moyes will continue in midfield with Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez, while James Ward-Prowse will continue in the advanced role with fellow attackers Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.

Despite having Michail Antonio and Danny Ings in his squad, Moyes will continue to rely on Jarrod Bowen in the center-forward role. The former could still be a preferred option for the bench, as he has recently made inroads after a severe knee injury at the end of last year.

 

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta; Bowen

Key Stats

  • SC Freiburg and West Ham United will play for the third time in the UEFA Europa League this season.
  • Freiburg have only one victory in their last eight games across all competitions, which came against RC Lens in the UEFA Europa League playoffs for the knockout rounds.
  • Freiburg have conceded at least two goals in their last five home games in all competitions.
  • West Ham has lost only once this season in the Europa League and has won its last three games without conceding a goal.
  • Should West Ham beat Freiburg, it will be the first time in their history that they defeat the same European opponent thrice in a season.

Player to Watch

Jarrod Bowen

The West Ham United talisman scored a sensational hat-trick in the win over Brentford but went without scoring in the away victory over Everton. Yet, he was still intrigued by how the Hammers attacked and contributed to their overall style.

 

While he is not an out-and-out center-forward, Bowen has adapted well to the role since the last season. He should continue in that leading role ahead of Michail Antonio and Danny Ings for the time being, and should he put on a productive shift against Freiburg, David Moyes might not consider moving him from that role for the foreseeable future.

 

Prediction

SC Freiburg 1-3 West Ham United

The Hammers have scored seven goals in their last two games in the Premier League and will want to boost their confidence with a stellar win away from home in the Europa League. David Moyes will have enjoyed such a mood and confidence from his players ahead of this crucial first-leg clash in Germany as he will bring his team with the intention to win.

 

Meanwhile, SC Freiburg comes into the clash with West Ham with some confidence after their draw with Bayern Munich. However, they still have not found the formula for consistently winning games.

 

Their record of one victory from eight games will mean a lot, as West Ham is a clear favorite to take three points and ensure Freiburg continues their trend of conceding at least two goals at home for a sixth game running. The Hard Tackle predicts the away side will clinch a 3-1 win on Thursday.

 

AJ, Fury to feature in ‘Winners Match’

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AJ, Fury to feature in ‘Winners Match’

The Winner of Joshua-Ngannou Will Face The Winner of Fury-Usyk

 

The Winner of Joshua-Ngannou Will Face The Winner of Fury-UsykPA Images/Alamy Images/Yardbarker

 

The Yardbarker reports that earlier today, the WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) was at the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to Abraham Gonzalez of Fights Around The World. “The Gypsy King” was doing a pre-show segment on the DAZN Boxing Show with Ade Oladipo and Ariel Helwani when he announced that not only will he be fighting Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) twice this year (as previously reported by multiple outlets) but that the winner of Joshua-Ngannou will face the winner of the two Fury-Usyk fights next year.

 

Fury said, “The winner of these two (Joshua-Ngannou) will get a shot at me after I beat Usyk twice this year.” This news would lead to the potential of the long-awaited matchup between Fury and Joshua if they were to be the two who come out of all this as victorious in their respective fights.

 

Fury also updated everyone on the cut over his right eye, which postponed his February 17 fight against Usyk. He said that he would resume training at the end of March, which would likely be the moment he would begin sparring. Fury joked about fighting with an open cut on May 18 and avoiding paying the 10-million-dollar penalty set by Turki Alalshikh if any fighter should pull out.

 

During the press conference, Ngannou would get into a verbal back-forth with Fury, saying, “I’ll beat you every day, twice on Sunday.” A statement that didn’t sit well with Fury, who looked visibly bothered by the comment.

 

Joshua vs Ngannou will stream live on PPV.com without any subscriptions.

Rangers International gets Ugwuoke boost

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Rangers International gets Ugwuoke boost

Celebrations in Flying Antelopes camp as midfielder rejoins squad

 

Image credit: NPFL

 

Rangers International midfielder Ugochukwu Ugwuoke is back to full training after undergoing knee surgery five months ago.

 

Information from the Club’s media has it that the player rejoined teammates in training after they returned from Kaduna, where they claimed all three points in the 2-0 win over hosts Niger Tornadoes.

 

Ugwuoke has been out of action since suffering an injury in a matchday eight fixture against Remo Stars at Nnewi in the 2022/2023 season.

 

“Club media announced in a release that he was full of life at Tuesday’s training session, which Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu monitored.”

 

Ugwuoke also spoke after the evening session to express relief and delight at his return and promised to challenge for a place in the squad. He also thanked the Club for seeing to his treatment and recovery and vowed to return the favor with the utmost performance in matches when fielded.

 

“It is a delightful moment for me to rejoin my teammates in training to challenge for a place in matches to defend the Club’s badge.

 

“I feel so happy to be back. It is not easy passing through all the processes of surgery and rehabilitation to come back to give my best to help the team challenge for honors again.

 

“I give God all the glory just as I salute the management of Rangers under Barrister Amobi Ezeaku for standing behind me all through the trying moments of my career,” Ugwuoke told the Club media.

 

His mates, led by the captain, Chukwudi Nwaodu, were on hand to celebrate his return and assured him that they would support him in fully integrating with the rest of the squad.

 

“We celebrate the return of one of us, Ugochukwu Ugwuoke, from a career-threatening injury to training. It gladdens our hearts that he will bring his wealth of experience and skills to help the squad fight for the league and Federation Cup titles this season,” Nwaodu said.

 

Ugwuoke had a knee operation on October 4, 2023, at a health facility in Enugu to correct the injury.

 

NPFL Matchday 23: What happened

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NPFL Matchday 23: What happened

Fantastic talking points and surprises add glamor to a week of football

 

 

The last matchday in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) threw up fantastic talking points and even recorded surprises among the fixtures. We look back at the major highlights of Matchday 23, George Akpayen reports for NPFL.

 

TWIST AND TURNS AT THE TOP

Matchweek 23 ran for four consecutive days and allowed us to see different leaders at the top of the NPFL standings. On Saturday, one of the sides aiming for the title this season, Remo Stars, edged past Bayelsa United 1-0 through Adams Olamilekan’s goal and displaced Enyimba. The following Sunday, three clubs took turns occupying the summit before Lobi Stars finally claimed it until Matchday 24. First, Rangers went top after racing into an early two-goal lead at Niger Tornadoes through Chidiebere Nwobodo and Godwin Obaje. At the same time, Lobi Stars and Plateau United struggled to breach the defenses of Katsina United and Bendel Insurance.

 

Within the space of 15 minutes, Plateau United scored two second-half goals through Alex Enejo and Barnabas Daniel against Bendel Insurance to go top. However, Lobi, who needed any kind of win, got into the groove in the final 20 minutes. John Victor and Alao Danbani scored a goal each to ensure they defeated Katsina United and claimed the top spot for keep until the next matchday.

 

NPFL 2023/2024 Current Standing

HEARTLAND EXTEND WINLESS RUN UNDER CHRISTIAN OBI

Obi has been in charge of 16 NPFL matches at Heartland and is yet to guide the club to win. His record currently stands at nine draws and seven defeats. However, the three wins they have on the board were achieved during the brief spell of Kennedy Boboye, who won against Bendel Insurance (1-0), Akwa United (1-0), and Remo Stars (3-1) before he was told to leave by the Imo State government. Since the start of this year, Heartland has yet to win a game, including in their last NPFL fixture against Sunshine Stars, a team now managed by Boboye. Obi’s men played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday with Sunshine Stars at the Awka Stadium, leaving them at the bottom of the standings and six points off safety. Obi is nevertheless still in charge as Heartland’s head coach.

 

DOMA UTD STRUGGLING FOR FORM

It was another outing for Doma United without a win on Monday at their Pantami Stadium home ground, where they played a goalless draw with Sporting Lagos. Indeed, times have changed for the Savannah Tigers, who have now gone six straight matches without a win (D2 L4), and that poor run of results has seen them slip down to ninth position on the standings. In the early moment of the campaign, Doma United hovered between first and fourth places and even put together a nine-game undefeated run between November 5 and December 9, 2023 (W6 D3). Akinade Onigbinde and his men somehow have been brought down to Earth at the moment.

 

SUPER SANI

Suleiman Sani is nimble-footed and brought that to bear in Akwa United’s 3-1 defeat of champions Enyimba in Monday’s game. Sani, who joined from Wikki Tourists, appears to have sparked life into Akwa United’s survival race since joining the club in the mid-season transfer window. He has made four appearances in the NPFL for the Promise Keepers and has scored three goals, including two in their 3-1 win over champions Enyimba.

 

HOMESICK AKWA UTD FINDS CHARM AT NEST OF CHAMPIONS

Sani’s super form has also happened at the right time for Akwa United, who made a return to their home ground, Godswill Akpabio Stadium, otherwise known as the Nest of Champions in Uyo, after spending 127 days at the Eket Stadium, which is around 54 kilometers to Uyo. Akwa United struggled for form at the Eket Stadium in their ten matches (W5 D5 L1), including a 0-1 loss to Bayelsa United, which sparked the call for the Promise Keepers to return to the Nest of Champions. Their first match on return ended with a 3-1 win over title-holders Enyimba on Monday – throwing up the theory that the Promise Keepers were homesick.

 

ABIA WARRIORS CLAIM FIRST-EVER WIN AT KANO PILLARS

For the first time in their NPFL history, Abia Warriors somehow ground out a big win at Kano Pillars. No one saw this coming, as the odds before kickoff favored Kano Pillars, who had sewn up six straight wins at home before the meeting. All of Abia Warriors’ previous eight visits have ended in defeats with a massive aggregate scoreline of 18-2. Daniel Ijeh’s late goal secured the Warriors their first league win at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano and their first league double over the former champions.

 

Nigeria in titanic clash with Uganda

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Nigeria in titanic clash with Uganda

 In the African Games opening game

 

Ladan Bosso Image credit: CAFonline

 

As the curtain rises on the 13th edition of the African Games, all eyes turn to Accra, where former champions Nigeria will face Uganda in the opening match at the Accra Stadium, CAFonline reports.

 

The stage is set for a riveting encounter between two footballing powerhouses in Group B, with anticipation reaching fever pitch among fans and pundits alike.

 

This showdown holds added significance as it marks a rematch of the recent U20 Africa Cup of Nations clash between Nigeria and Uganda, where the Nigerian U20 national team emerged victorious with a hard-fought 1-0 win in Egypt.

 

With both sides eager to assert dominance early in the tournament, Thursday’s fixture promises to be a battle of skill, strategy, and determination.

 

Ahead of the highly anticipated opener, coaches Ladan Bosso of Nigeria and Morley Ochama of Uganda addressed the media at the pre-match press conference, offering insights into their teams’ preparations and mindsets.

 

Coach Bosso exuded confidence in his squad’s readiness, emphasizing their discipline and talent as they aim to make Nigeria proud on the continental stage.

 

“We have prepared a lot for this competition,” Bosso remarked.

 

“The players are disciplined and ready for the action… We are counting on the players’ talents and the support of the Nigerians living here in Ghana to encourage and support the boys.”

 

Echoing his coach’s sentiments, midfielder Daniel Bameyi expressed the team’s determination to excel under Bosso’s guidance and bring honor to Nigeria.

 

“We are delighted to play under coach Ladan Bosso again,” Bameyi stated.

“We want to make Nigeria proud. There are many Nigerians here in Ghana, and I know they will come out in their numbers to support us in our victory against Uganda.”

Meanwhile, Coach Ochama exuded optimism about Uganda’s prospects, emphasizing their preparedness and eagerness to compete against the Nigerian giants.

“We do respect Nigerians as superpowers of African football,” Ochama acknowledged.

 

“But we don’t fear them… A lot has changed since they beat us the last time, and we are ready to show them we have improved.”

Ugandan player Ronald Madoi echoed his coach’s sentiments, expressing confidence in his team’s ability to overcome Nigeria.

“My colleagues and I are ready to show Nigeria that a lot has changed since we last met,” Madoi affirmed. “There is nothing new in football these days, including surprises.”

With both teams brimming with confidence and determination, Thursday’s clash is poised to be a thrilling spectacle, setting the tone for what promises to be an exhilarating tournament in Accra.

 

Shift in media coverage gender imbalance

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Shift in media coverage gender imbalance

New research highlights the biases that still exist in the coverage of female athletes

 

Redtorch research 1

 

New research has identified a shift in gender balance when exploring differences in representation between female and male athletes in online sports news, World Athletics reports. However, it also highlights the biases that still exist in the coverage of female athletes and that more work needs to be done in this area.

 

Following a pilot project in 2022, further analysis was undertaken to understand better the gap between news coverage of female and male athletes during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. This formed part of a World Athletics #WeGrowAthletics pledge linked to International Women’s Day to do more to tackle inequality and #EmbraceEquity.

 

The continuation of this work involved bespoke and fully independent research by content and creative agency Redtorch, exploring the differences in news representation between genders in sports and possible links with athletes’ social media followings.

 

Overall, ‘Google news search’* results reflected a slight gender balance shift. A 4% boost in female representation, compared to results from research undertaken during the 2022 World Athletics Championships, took the ratio from 46% female to 54% male.

 

While female athletes boast a 14% larger social media following (57% female / 43% male) overall, they still feature less prominently in overall news coverage.

 

Regarding specific disciplines, female running athletes produced a larger volume of ‘Google News Search results than their male counterparts, which is more in line with their popularity among fans on social media.

 

Outside of running, however, the gender disparity in the volume of ‘Google News Search results for female jumps, throws, and road racing athletes is still evident.

 

Running

Contrary to the overall results, female running athletes (track disciplines, including hurdles, steeplechase, and relays) generated a higher volume of news search results, which aligned more closely with their popularity on social media.

 

Redtorch research 2

 

Gender differences in searches for ‘best athlete’ for the running disciplines improved compared to the 2022 World Championships, which correlated with the increased online news coverage of women’s disciplines in 2023.

 

A more significant proportion of female running athletes appeared in an image carousel produced by Google when searching for the ‘best athlete’ in the 200m and 800m events. However, that trend was inconsistent across all other athletic disciplines, and gender disparities remain.

 

Jumps

While female jumps athletes had a much higher number of social media fans (76% female / 24% male split), their ‘Google Search’ news volume remained underrepresented. For male athletes, the total athlete ‘Google News Search’ increased by 1% compared to 2022, to 57%, while for female athletes, there was a 1% decrease, to 43%.

 

Although searches in Brazil, India, and Spain produced positive results in the volume of searches for female jump athletes, often linked to the success of athletes from respective countries and continental areas, significant gender disparities in many countries are still apparent.

 

Throws

Similarly, despite the same level of popularity on social media for female throw athletes (76% female / 24% male split), the gender disparity in news volume was still evident. While for female athletes, there was a 3% increase in news volume compared to 2022, that figure still sat at 35%, compared to 65% for male athletes.

 

Improvements in the increased number of female athletes were present in throwing discipline searches, but only the discus throw returned more female athletes.

 

Road racing

The most significant gender disparity in ‘Google search’ news volume occurred among road racing athletes (marathon, 20km race walk, and 35km race walk), with a 25% higher volume for male athletes compared to 2022.

 

Redtorch research 3

 

The study’s authors concluded: “The overall improvement in gender parity of news search results, especially among running athletes, demonstrates the accelerating progress in reshaping media coverage of female athletes. These findings solidify a benchmark and highlight the tangible impact of World Athletics’ continuous efforts. We remain dedicated to collaborating with World Athletics to drive further enhancements for equitable representation in media narratives.”

 

To make tangible changes in this area and ensure that female athletes receive the recognition they deserve in online news searches, World Athletics has shared this data with Google to support their teams’ ongoing work in further addressing gender imbalances in their search engine results. We will continue to provide relevant research to platforms to help ensure athletics’ gender balance on the field of play is also represented outside the field.

 

Through our research and efforts in this area, World Athletics continues to lead the way for gender equity in sports. This includes the historic election of a gender-equal Council in 2023, the first fully gender-balanced supreme decision body of any international sports federation worldwide.

 

Methodology

• The period monitored was August 2023.

• Search volume was measured for 832 athletes with an equal female/male split.

• *The number of returned news articles was obtained for each athlete by searching multiple locations to assess differences (called ‘Google News Search’ results).

• Social media followers on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok all athletes were collated to compare their audience size with ‘Google News Search results.

• The first search result returned a list of top athletes for each discipline – this was evaluated to determine gaps between the number of female/male athletes listed.

 

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