Sports

*NFF Allegedly Sunk Money Into Issues Surrounding Petition -Sources It is all over for Nigeria's flickering hopes of participating in this year's World Cup. This is because FIFA has ended the Super Eagles’ dreams of playing at the mundial, after confirming the final line-up for this month’s inter-confederation play-off tournament. The world football governing body has picked DR Congo as Africa’s representative. This was contained in an accreditation notice circulated to the media today. In the notice, FIFA provided details of the tournament format and listed the six countries that would be involved. DR Congo’s inclusion leaves no room for…

Martín Satriano’s superb first-half volley earned Getafe a shock 1-0 victory at Real Madrid in La Liga last night, a result that left Barcelona four points clear at the top. Real dominated possession from kick-off and controlled the game but failed to turn pressure into goals, squandering several chances in an ill-tempered contest. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side were left exposed in the 39th minute when a half-cleared cross dropped on the edge of the box and Satriano struck a fierce volley into the top left corner. Frustration boiled over in stoppage time when Franco Mastantuono, on as a substitute, was shown…

By David Hytner, at the Emirates Stadium Three goals were scored in the 2-1 victory on Sunday evening, but all were put in the back of the net by Arsenal. There were 63 minutes on the Emirates Stadium clock and the Arsenal crowd were in a state of extreme agitation. William Saliba had the ball at the back and he was taking his time – largely because there was nothing on for him. The fans screamed at him to hurry up. To do something. Anything. It was all going wrong because Chelsea were not just level at 1-1, they had…

*'What Is Certain Is After This Attack, We Cannot Be Expected To Look Forward To The World Cup With Hope' *Qatar Halts All Football President of Iran’s football federation has said he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the US after the US and Israeli bombardment of the country, which started on Saturday. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj said to the sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening…

UEFA today paired the teams to face each other in the round of 16 of this season's Champions League. The draws pitch: *Real Madrid vs. Manchester City*Bodø/Glimt vs. Sporting CP*PSG vs. Chelsea*Newcastle vs. Barcelona*Galatasaray vs. Liverpool*Atlético Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur*Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich*Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal Hostilities in the round of 16 kick off on Tuesday, 10 March and Wednesday, 11 March. Unseeded teams will host the first legs on those days. As a reward for sealing automatic qualification, the seeded teams in each tie will get home advantage in the return legs on Tuesday, 17 March and Wednesday, 18…

Super Eagles hotshot Victor Osimhen on Wednesday night scored in the 111th minute to put Turkish giants Galatasaray on the road to UEFA Champions League Round of 16 qualification, after hard-fighting 10-man Juventus had tied the game 5-5 on aggregate within 90 minutes in Turin. Heading for a major comeback, having lost the first leg woefully 2-5 in Turkey, a determined Juve were, however, seemingly pegged back by a straight red card to Lloyd Kelly in the 49th minute at a time the Italian side were just a goal to the good at home. Though the match eventually ended 3-2…

Bodø/Glimt dumped last season’s finalists Inter out of the Champions League on Tuesday night with a remarkable 2-1 away win at San Siro in their playoff second leg that sent the Norwegian minnows through to the last 16, 5-2 on aggregate. Under sustained pressure, the visitors struck in the 58th minute when Ole Didrik Blomberg seized on a loose pass on the edge of the Inter area and drove at goal. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer pushed his shot away but Jens Petter Hauge reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range. Håkon Evjen put the result beyond doubt in the…

*Eberechi Eze Standout Gunner, Coach Gushes By Jonathan Wilson, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium "After what happened against Wolves it was tough but that’s the beauty of this game." Mikel Arteta said that he could not be “prouder or happier” after his Arsenal side restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a 4-1 win against Tottenham yesterday that he suggested could be a “turning point” in their season. This was an emphatic response after squandering a 2-0 lead at Wolves on Wednesday, a result that means City will win the league if they win all…

*Again, Lookman Scores For Atletico Madrid Newcastle’s long losing run at the Etihad goes on – that’s now 17 on the bounce in yesterday's (Saturday) particular English Premier League (EPL) fixture – but they did themselves proud. They pushed Manchester City all the way, though it ended 2-1. This determined win will give Pep Guardiola’s side great heart as they attempt to chase down leaders Arsenal. It's now Arsenal, 58 points, Man City, 56 points, after 28 games each. Nico O'Reilly scored twice in the first half, the 20-year-old rewarding City for a dominant start at the Etihad Stadium with…

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi After four years, Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi has played its first home match in the Benue State capital, defeating Doma Utd 2-1 in the Nigeria National League ( NNL). During the match which was played at the McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi, the visiting team, which was topping Group C, scored in the 14th minute when their skipper Abdullahi Abubakar capitalized on a missed header by Lobi captain Kwambe Solomon to chip the ball past keeper Daniel Atsaka. Lobi Stars thereafter battled back and equalized before half time through Azeez Tijani. In the second half, Lobi, otherwise…