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Ex-Italy, Chelsea Star, Gianluca Vialli, Dies at 58

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Former Chelsea striker and manager Gianluca Vialli has died at the age 58.

Vialli was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 but after saying in April 2020 that he had been given the all-clear, he was re-diagnosed in 2021.

He announced a temporary leave from his role with Italy’s national team in December to focus on his health.

“Gianluca was a splendid person and he leaves a void that cannot be filled,” said Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina.

“I hoped until the end that he would be able to perform another miracle. Yet I am comforted by the certainty that what he did for Italian football and the blue shirt will never be forgotten.”

Vialli played 59 times for Italy, making his debut in 1985, a year after joining Sampdoria where he would win the Serie A title and European Cup Winners’ Cup during eight seasons with the club.

He also helped Sampdoria reach the 1992 European Cup final but after losing to Ajax, he moved to Juventus for a then world record fee of £12m. Vialli spent four seasons with Juve, winning the Champions League, Uefa Cup and Serie A titles.

He joined Chelsea on a free transfer in 1996 and became player-manager in 1998.

Vialli was the first Italian to manage a Premier League side, taking over from the sacked Ruud Gullit late in the season, and went on to lead the Blues to victory in the League Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup and Uefa Super Cup.

He also guided Chelsea to victory in the 2000 FA Cup final and Charity Shield but was sacked early in the following season after a poor start.

The striker also had a short spell at Watford, then in the second tier, during the 2001-02 season but was dismissed after the Hornets only finished 14th.

Source: BBC

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Napoli Mock Osimhen for Penalty Miss, Get Knocks

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Serie A champions, Napoli, are under serious attack from football followers, who deemed a video posted on the club’s official TikTok handle as mocking Nigeria international Victor Osimhen for missing a penalty on Sunday.

Osimhen, who was the club’s top scorer last season as the Parthenopeans won the Scudetto after three decades, missed the penalty that denied Napoli a chance to win all three points against Bologna on Sunday.

And with just four minutes to the end of the game, the Super Eagles striker was substituted for Giovanni Simeone.

Not happy with the substitution, Osimhen expressed his anger at Napoli coach Rudi Garcia as he walked away to the bench.

Osimhen has since sent his apologies to the coach and his teammates over his action but on Tuesday, the official TikTok of the team, which had posted a video three days ago referring to Osimhen as a coconut head, posted another video trolling the Nigerian for missing the penalty against Bologna.

The action by the club’s social media handle has seen the football faithful from across the world attack the club.

“That video of @sscnapoli trolling @victorosimhen9 over his penalty miss (which I won’t share) is in very poor taste for a player who continually gives 100% for that club. Everyone involved in that decision, from ideation through approval to execution, should be fired, pronto!” Nigerian journalist Collin Udoh wrote.

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Glo Felicitates with Tobi Amusan on Third Diamond League Win

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Leading provider of digital and telecommunications services, Globacom, has congratulated its brand ambassador, Tobi Amusan, on her victory in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the Diamond League final in Oregon, United States.

Amusan won the race on Sunday night in 12.33 seconds to win the Diamond League for the third time in a row. She captured her maiden Diamond League trophy in 2021 and had successfully defended it in 2022 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Globacom, which applauded Amusan for the remarkable accomplishment, said in a statement on Tuesday that her triumph, “despite her recent setback, has demonstrated that she is a bright professional who still has a lot to give the world of athletics”.

“With the third Diamond League trophy in her kitty, Amusan remains a true African ambassador at the world stage and an inspiration to millions of youths who look up to her as a role model”, Globacom said.

The company praised Amusan for embodying the resilience and work spirit of the Nigerian people and challenged her to keep progressing, win more laurels, and create a lasting impression on the world of athletics stage.

Amusan has now won three 100m hurdles championships, making her the second woman in Diamond League history to do so after Dawn Nelson-Harper.

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AFCON: Super Eagles Wallop STP 6-0, As Osimhen Grabs Hattrick

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Victor Osimhen scored thrice as the Super Eagles dispatched Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Sunday.

The strikes took the Napoli hit man’s tally to 10 in the qualification series as the rampant Super Eagles soared over a helpless foe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Osimhen opened the score sheet for the Super Eagles in the 13 minute when he slotted past the Sao Tome goaltender. Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman scored three minutes from the half-hour mark to double Nigeria’s lead.

While Coach Jose Peseiro’s side sought a third goal, the teams headed into the tunnel for half-time with the score line pegged at 2-0.

On resumption, the 2013 African champions continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, launching attack after attack.

Their dominance eventually paid off as in form Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi beat the Sao Tome goalkeeper from close range to triple Nigeria’s advantage in the 51st minute.

Not done, Osimhen scored his second of the day in the 69th minute and had his hattrick ten minutes later to take his tally in the qualification series to 10.

Samuel Chukwueze’s introduction around the 72th-minute mark added more firepower to the Eagles’ attacking line. The AC Milan man wasted no time to score.

Chukwueze’s 85th-minute strike sealed one of the biggest wins for the Super Eagles in recent times. Nigeria had earlier defeated Sao The Falcons and True Parrots Team 10-0 in the reverse fixture last June, taking the aggregate score to 16-0.

With the win, Nigeria sealed their spot as the winners of Group A in the qualifiers for the Ivory Coast tournament billed for next year.

Nigeria played six matches en route to qualification for the competition. They lost one and other games to finish as group leaders with 15 points. Their only defeat was against Guinea Bissau who pipped them 1-0 earlier in the year.

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