feature

Messi To Feature Against Nigeria For The Seventh Time As Argentina Confirms Match Date With Super Eagles –

Published

3 months ago

February 23, 2024

BY KUNLE SOLAJA

Argentina Football Association has confirmed that the Lionel Messi inspired World Cup winning team will face the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on March 26.

The match will come up four days after Argentina would have played against El Salvador at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Sports Village Square recalls that this will be the seventh time that the legendary Lionel Messi will feature in a football match with Nigeria after the U20 World Cup tie in 2005, Beijing 2008 gold medal match, a friendly match in World Cup matches in 2010, 2014 and 2018 as well as a friendly match in Dhaka in September 2011.

The two matches were originally to hold in China but were moved out as the Chinese sporting authorities reportedly cancelled friendly matches featuring the World Cup champions amid a backlash against Lionel Messi’s failure to play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong.

Argentina were scheduled to play Nigeria in the Chinese city of Hangzhou before facing the Cote d’Ivoire in Beijing but Messi’s failure to take the field for Inter Miami in Hong Kong against a local League XI earlier this month caused widespread anger among fans.

Messi was deemed unfit to play in the friendly, which drew 40,000 fans and saw some spectators paying up to nearly HK$5,000 ($640) for a ticket.

Chinese state media, Hong Kong politicians and fans reacted angrily three days later when the 36-year-old Argentine forward came off the bench to play in a friendly match in Tokyo against Vissel Kobe, Japan.

In a video posted on Weibo, one of China’s largest social media platforms, on Monday, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi said his absence from the match had been caused by an inflamed adductor.

Badminton

Gold, Silver And Bronze Medals Certain For Nigeria In Badminton Men’s Singles Event! –

Published

2 months ago

March 10, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Anuoluwapo Opeyori Wins Nigeria’s First Gold Medal At African Games -

It is already given and merely awaiting to be stamped. Nigeria will win the two top positions of the men’s singles event of the 13^th African Games’ badminton.

Thanks to the great efforts of Anuoluwapo Opeyori who defied the stiff opposition by Egypt’s Ahdam Abdelhalim to win a tough semi-final match by 2-1.

It is not the first time that Opeyori will overcome the Egyptian in the same fashion of coming from a game behind.

He did it in 2020 at the third place match of the African Championship at the Cairo Stadium Hall 2.

By his current performance, Opeyori has set up a final match with his compatriot and usual doubles partner, Godwin Olofua in the final match later in the day.

What a dramatic event! The match-up is a repeat of the All African championship held in Port Harcourt in 2019 when the duo played the final match.

For Olofua who is Qatar based, this is an opportunity for him to revenge his loss to Opeyori. Both players are well known to one another.

No matter the result, Nigeria will be the winner.

Olofua is in the title match after overcoming compatriot, Victor Ikechukwu in an all-Nigeria semi-final contest.

AFCON

It’s Nigeria Against Familiar Foes, South Africa At The Semi-finals –

Published

3 months ago

February 4, 2024

Kunle Solaja

It’s Nigeria Against Familiar Foes, South Africa At The Semi-finals -

On the 28^th anniversary of South Africa’s first and only success at the Africa Cup of Nations, they again move to the semi-finals after edging out Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties after a goalless full time and extra time at the Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro.

And so, Bafana Bafana are in the semi-finals for the first time since 2000 when they lost to Nigeria at that same stage.

Now it’s going to be encore as both Nigeria and South Africa will again clash at the semi-finals. The hero of South Africa’s exploits in the match against Cape Verde was Ronwen Williams who has now had four straight clean sheets and also saved three penalty kicks.