Connect with us

Sports

Super Eagles Crush Cameroon 2-0, Secure Q/Finals Place Against Angola

Published

on

Ademola Lookman scored both goals as Nigeria defeated old rivals Cameroon 2-0 on Saturday to march on to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Nigerians had an early Semi Ajayi goal disallowed following a VAR review in this last-16 clash before the constant pressing and bullying of the Cameroon defence by Victor Osimhen led to Lookman finding the net in the 36th minute.

The Super Eagles then kept the Indomitable Lions at bay before Lookman made sure of the victory in the 90th minute in front of 22,085 fans at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

They will now return to the same venue for a last-eight meeting next Friday with Angola, who earlier defeated Namibia 3-0.

With the fearsome Osimhen leading from the front, the Super Eagles are clearly a serious threat to reigning champions Senegal as they chase a fourth continental crown.

This fixture is a Cup of Nations classic, with the first three of Cameroon’s five titles coming after wins over Nigeria in the final.

The very first, when a side led by Roger Milla came from behind to win 3-1 in 1984, was achieved in this same stadium in Ivory Coast’s economic capital.

Yet Nigeria won the most recent encounter with their neighbours, in the last 16 in Egypt five years ago, and their current side came into this match as favourites against Rigobert Song’s Cameroon.

The Super Eagles eased through their group unbeaten, while Cameroon needed a stoppage-time goal against Gambia to progress.

Their most recognisable name is Andre Onana, but the Manchester United goalkeeper was dropped for a second successive game, with Fabrice Ondoa of French third-tier side Nimes preferred between the posts.

Vincent Aboubakar, their skipper and main goal threat, was named among the substitutes after missing the entire first round injured.

Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro brought back captain William Troost-Ekong, Lookman and Alex Iwobi – scorer of the winner in that 2019 tie –- after all were rested for their last match against Guinea-Bissau.

-Tireless Osimhen-

Their pressing game caused problems for Cameroon from the off, and Nigeria thought they had taken the lead inside eight minutes.

A Moses Simon shot was saved by Ondoa but the ball broke to Ajayi and the West Bromwich Albion defender found the net despite the goalkeeper getting a touch.

Wild celebrations ensued, only for the Moroccan referee to come across to the VAR monitor and disallow the goal because Ajayi was deemed offside and interfering when the initial shot came in.

Not to be discouraged, Nigeria simply did not stop running, with the tireless Osimhen setting the example.

He provoked the opening goal, dispossessing Oumar Gonzalez after a throw-in had been played back towards the Cameroon defender, and then unselfishly setting up Lookman.

The Atalanta forward’s shot was straight at Ondoa, but the goalkeeper could only help the ball on its way.

Osimhen slumped to the turf on the half-time whistle, but the African footballer of the year discovered the energy to go again after the restart.

Peseiro has stressed that the priority for his team has been to make sure they don’t concede goals, and they stood firm despite having goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili stretchered off injured late on.

Aboubakar’s introduction for Cameroon changed nothing, and Nigeria got the killer second just before the game moved into 10 minutes of injury time.

Calvin Bassey crossed low from the left and London-born Lookman applied the finish.

AFP

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Elon Musk’s Father Reveals Son Interested in Buying English Club, Liverpool

Published

on

By

Errol, father of Elon Musk, has revealed that the billionaire entrepreneur has expressed interest in purchasing Premier League team Liverpool.

Musk, whose net worth is estimated at $418 billion, has recently emerged a close ally of U.S President-elect, Donald Trump.

Reports claim that Musk donated approximately $270 million to the Republican Party before their election victory, aiding Trump’s return to the White House.

Since Trump’s November 2024 win, Musk and Trump have been seen together at various events, including celebrations at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, UFC fights, and college football games.

Now, it appears Musk’s attention may be turning toward English football.

Known as the visionary behind Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), the 53-year-old billionaire seems poised to expand his business empire further by acquiring one of the world’s most iconic football clubs.

When asked about Musk’s interest in Liverpool during an interview with Times Radio in London, his father, Errol Musk, was cautious.

“Has he expressed a desire to buy Liverpool Football Club?” a reporter asked.

“I can’t comment on that. They’ll raise the price,” Errol Musk replied with a laugh.

Pressed further, he admitted that his son has shown interest but refrained from confirming any formal negotiations.
“Oh, yes. But that doesn’t mean he’s buying it,” Errol added. “He would like to, yes, obviously. Anybody would want to – so would I!”

Family ties to Liverpool

When questioned about Musk’s specific interest in Liverpool FC, Errol Musk pointed to the family’s generational ties to the Merseyside city.

“His grandmother was born in Liverpool, and we had relatives in Liverpool. We were fortunate to know quite a lot of the Beatles because they grew up with some of my family. So, we are attached to Liverpool, you know,” Errol revealed.

Musk had previously spoken fondly of his grandmother, Cora Amelia Robinson, who was born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, in 1923.

She grew up in pre-war poverty, working hard to support her family before emigrating to South Africa in 1944.

Musk once described her as “an important part” of his childhood and credited her with instilling strong values.

“My Nana was one of the poor working-class girls with no one to protect her who might have been abducted in present-day Britain,” Musk shared on X.

“She was very strict, but also kind, and I could always count on her. She grew up very poor in England during the Great Depression only to be bombed in WW2. To earn money for food, she cleaned houses, leaving me with a lasting respect for those who do so.”

Continue Reading

Sports

CAF Crowns Ademola Lookman As African Footballer of the Year

Published

on

By

Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, has been named the CAF Footballer of the Year for the past year.

Lookman was announced as the winner at an elaborate event in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday night.

The Atalanta star won the prize ahead of Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

It has been an incredible year for Lookman, who became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League/UEFA Cup final since 1975, netting the three goals within 26 minutes against Bayer Leverkusen.

Lookman was included in the Team of the Year for the Europa League, and ended the season having had a direct hand in 18 top flight goals for La Dea.

The 27-year-old was ranked the 14th best player during the Ballon d’Or gala on October 28.

Continue Reading

Sports

Panel Clears Mbappe of Rape Allegation

Published

on

By

The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced today that the inquiry into rape allegations against French footballer Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed.

This is according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.

The allegations had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over the football star’s career.

Mbappé, who had consistently denied the allegations, has yet to make an official statement regarding the decision

His legal team had previously emphasised his commitment to due process.

Mbappe was “linked to rape investigation in Sweden” and that he intended to reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary,” according to his lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.

“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Canu-Bernard told AFP, while strongly condemning “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”

The case, which began earlier this year, involved accusations stemming from an alleged incident in Stockholm. The prosecutor’s decision not to press charges marks the end of months of scrutiny and speculation.

Continue Reading

Trending